June 6, eggs to be cooked, in Shaoxing folk, June 6 is the washing and drying festival, women dry clothes, men dry wheat, wheat to June 6 after the last exposure before closing the warehouse, the landlord to collect wheat rent is also after June 6, the bedding and thick clothes at home should also be washed and dried collection.

Early in the morning, Yi Ting, Mu Zhenzhen, Zhou Ma, and Cuigu took advantage of the cool morning to get up early to work, and washed clothes by the well. ”

Cuigu said: "If even the well water is dry, then the person will have no way to live." ”

After breakfast, Zhang Yuan walked over, looking at the group of barefoot women in raccoon clothes by the Shijing railing, strong and fit, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but think about how to reverse the golden lotus fetish of men nowadays, there are almost no scholars who are not good at small feet, his eldest brother Zhang Dai and third brother Zhang Cao are all good small feet, and the later Manchu Qing Dynasty can strictly order Han men to shave their hair and braids, but they can't let Han women not bind their feet, but Zhang Yuan is just touching the scene and thinking about it casually, drought resistance and reading are the most important - "The young master is highly educated and knows a lot, Really, you ask the young master how long it will be dry this day? ”

Yi Ting grinned and gently touched Mu Zhenzhen who was carrying water from the well next to him with his elbow.

Mu Zhen was really embarrassed: "Why do you want me to ask, Sister Yiting, aren't you just asking!" ”

Yi Ting said: "If you really ask, the young master will answer more carefully." Yi Ting often saw the young master teaching Mu Zhenzhen to read and write in the study, and it was inevitable that he was a little jealous, which was also human nature - Mu Zhenzhen's face was flushed, and he didn't dare to look at people with his head down.

Zhang Yuan said with a smile: "When Sister Yiting asks me, I will answer carefully, and I will not answer any questions asked by others, which is called the secret of heaven cannot be revealed." ”

Yi Ting was not shy, smiled "Gege", and said, "Then the young master said how long will it be dry this day?" ”

Zhang Yuan said: "It won't be dry forever, but it will be dry for a while, don't worry, it's going to be as usual." ”

Yi Ting said with a smile: "Young master, this is like what those fortune tellers on the cross street said, riding two horses to talk." ”

Wu Ling ran over and said, "Young Master, the books and clothes are all packed, call Uncle Shangshi to go with you." ”

Zhang Yuan said today that he was going to meet Shang Zhoude, he had already made it clear to his mother last night, and he wanted to live on the White Horse Mountain of the Huiji Shang clan for a period of time, and he would go home every three or five days, after all, there was still Yang and Yicang's affairs to his heart, and Shi Shuang carried the burden at the moment, Wuling carried the book, and the three of them went to Huiji on foot, and now there was only walking, and a small half of the river ports crisscrossing Shanyin City were unable to sail - bypassing the temple of King Qiansu and approaching the east corner of Huiji City, and met the carriage sent by Shang Zhoude to pick him up on the way, and Zhang Yuan did not take the car, Walking to the front of the Shang family's mansion, Shang Zhoude had already received a servant to report, greeted the wall door, and was very happy to see each other, Zhang Yuan said: "Second brother, I have brought clothes and books today, and I am ready to study in White Horse Mountain for the summer." ”

Shang Zhoude said with a smile: "I invited you to come precisely for this reason, it is a hot day now, and it is best to come here to study." Welcoming Zhang Yuan to the main hall and sitting down, he said: "I have heard the good news of your high school government examination in Hangzhou, and those porters and coachmen at the canal port also know the name of Zhang Jiezi and Zhang Gongzi. ”

Zhang Yuan briefly said what he said, and Shang Zhoude said: "Then Yao Fu really committed many injustices and finally killed himself." He also asked Zhang Yuan about helping Ma Qiancheng get rid of his crimes, and when he learned that it had been done, Shang Zhoude was very happy and said: "Although my eldest brother has not seen you yet, he has read a few of your craftsmanship and praised you, and Jinglan and Jinghui also praised you." ”

Zhang Yuan asked Jing Lan and Jing Hui how the sisters were in Beijing? Shang Zhoude smiled: "It's okay, the two sisters have written letters, they are there, let her show it to you later, it's quite interesting." ”

After lunch in the Shang Mansion, Zhang Yuan asked Shi Shuang to go back, Wuling left to wait, Shang Zhoude accompanied Zhang Yuan's master and servant two to take a boat to the tea garden wharf under the White Horse Mountain, this Dongda Pond can still sail, but the water surface is obviously lower, the river bank is much higher, the newly exposed river bank is still wet, and the boundary marks are like - on the tea garden wharf, Wuling carried a book, and the Shang servant moved Zhang Yuan's master and servant to the three huts in the middle of the mountain, Zhang Yuan saw that the hut was very elegant and clean, and it was cleaned up inside and out. It doesn't look like he hasn't lived for a long time, Shang Zhoude said with a smile: "My little sister asked people to clean and tidy up this bamboo pavilion hut a few days ago, and she has always kept it in her heart when you said last year that you were going to come here to study and spend the summer." ”

Shang Zhoude sat with Zhang Yuan in the bamboo pavilion for a while, and then went down the mountain, saying that if Zhang Yuan had something to do, he would let Wuling go to the house to spread the word, and there would be a small boat moored there at the dock below, and the rest of the three meals would be delivered by the servants on time, so Zhang Yuan would be asked to study here with peace of mind.

After Shang Zhoude went down the mountain, Zhang Yuan stood in front of the hut and squinted at the Dongda Pond at the foot of the mountain, although it has not rained for half a year, but this place does not show a drought scene, it is still green and green, the camellia trees are lush, the ten acres of chrysanthemum garden are verdant, compared with the heat in the city, this half of the mountain is cooler, under the incandescent sun, there is no other sound except the cicada, and the boat under the mountain is also silent--Wuling asked: "Young master, is this going to study in seclusion?" ”

Zhang Yuan smiled: "What's the matter, you're bored just here?" ”

Wu Ling smiled and said: "How can it be, the young master is motivated to study, and he has a fame, Xiao Wu is also beautiful, young master, you don't know, my Xiao Wu is walking on the cross street now, and some people point out that this is the scholar of Dongzhang Zhang's case, and Xiao Wu also feels angry." ”

Zhang Yuan laughed.

There are three huts, the one on the left is the study room, Wu Ling moved the books in the book basket to the bookshelf, and suddenly said: "Young master, come and see, there is a painting here, it seems that it has not been finished yet." ”

Zhang Yuan looked at it in the past, it is a landscape with ink brushes, it is the White Horse Mountain and the East Big Pond, it is purely depicted in ink, outlining the distance, the artistic conception is quiet, it is a common panoramic composition in Chinese painting, the White Horse Mountain, surrounded by flowing water under the mountain, the bamboo pavilion hut in the middle of the mountain has not yet been painted - this should be Shang Ran's brush and ink, Shang Ran let people clean this half-mountain hut, she herself first came to spend the summer and lived temporarily, this painting is painted in this hut, has not yet been painted, I don't know if Ming said will go up the mountain to continue painting?

Zhang Yuan smiled and sat down on a bamboo chair, shook the folding fan gently, and said, "Xiao Wu, take out the first volume of the "Spring and Autumn Solution" and read a few pages to me. ”

Wu Ling was afraid: "Young master, I haven't read for a long time, and I have forgotten some words. Since the Qing guests from Xizhang came to read to Zhang Yuan, Wuling has rarely touched books, he doesn't like to read, and he can read so many words because Zhang Ruoxi asked him to accompany him when he taught Zhang Yuan to read at home - Zhang Yuan shook his head and said: "Xiao Wu, you really don't grow up, you see Mu Zhen is really so studious." ”

Wu Ling said in his heart: "Sister Zhenzhen is studious, why doesn't the young master let her serve." said: "The young master is reading more and more rare words now, I am really struggling to read, and the young master is also struggling to listen - young master, didn't you say that Miss Shang would come to read to the young master?" "Then Shang Ran and Zhang Yuan were talking under the peach tree at the dock of Shang's back garden, and Wu Ling listened a lot.

Zhang Yuan smiled: "Your ears are pointed, I'll read the book myself." ”

Zhang Yuan brought four volumes of "Spring and Autumn Solution", two volumes of Lu Zuqian's "Zuo's Bo Discussion", two volumes of Huang Zufu's "Spring and Autumn Classics of Questions", three volumes of Yang Weizhen's "Spring and Autumn Joint Titles", and three volumes of Wang Wei's "Spring and Autumn Words", most of these books were found by him from the library of his uncle Zhang Rulin, Wang Wei's "Spring and Autumn Word Life" was purchased from the bookstore, Wang Wei was the Xie Yuan and Huiyuan in the Chenghua period, and the temple test of the Tanhua, Wang Wei's scientific examination is the "Spring and Autumn Period", Zhang Yuan carefully selected, In the evening, the servants of the Shang family went up the mountain to bring a food box, including fish and meat, two kinds of good vegetables, and a fresh soup, and then white rice, and the meals were fresh and delicious.

After dinner, Zhang Yuan asked the servant where the East Pond under the mountain was more suitable for bathing?

The servant said: "Zhang Gongzi must not go down to the East Pond to swim in the water, although it has been dry recently, the water is much clearer, but some places in this East Pond are several zhang deep, the young master wants to bathe and go to the Hidden Spring under the Chrysanthemum Garden, where the spring water is extremely clean, and the second master of my family cooks tea from there to draw water." ”

Zhang Yuan asked this servant to take him to find the hidden spring, through the chrysanthemum garden, down more than 100 steps along the mountain path, he saw a spring gushing out from the mountain gap, a zhang below this spring, the spring water converges into a small pool with a radius of several zhang, the pool water is shallow, the green trees around the pond are encircled, the good news is that this spring water does not dry up without rain for half a year.

The servant said that the deepest part of this small pool is only three feet, and the water is not deep and the water is not cold, Zhang Yuan went down barefoot to explore, refreshing and pleasant, just taking a bath, and said happily: "Wonderful, wonderful, this White Horse Mountain is really a good place to spend summer." ”

Zhang Yuan, Wuling master and servant two in the small pool under the hidden spring bath, Wuling back to the thatched house to take a clay pot, loaded with spring water to go back to cook tea, the tea is Shang Zhou De ordered people to prepare, is the best Tianchi tea, sit on the hidden spring to cook Tianchi tea, the tea fragrance is eternal.

At night, Zhang Yuan read more than a dozen pages of books under the lamp, and wrote a four-hundred-word eight-strand essay on a spring and autumn inscription, and heard the sound of the wind outside the hut, and there was a faint sound of dogs barking in the distance, and it was very interesting to talk about the situation of the scholars of the ancient temple in the deserted village reading at night, and the scholars in that situation were always waiting for an erotic encounter - Zhang Yuan put down his pen and paced outside the hut for a while, this hut seems to be simple, in fact, it is very particular, the doors and windows of the board walls are all camphor wood, and the hut is surrounded by mint, calamus, all of which can repel mosquitoes and insects, no wonder Fang Cai Wuling said: "Strange, There is not a single mosquito here. ”

Zhang Yuan sat on the bamboo pavilion, the breeze came slowly, the heat between the days was all gone, and he looked at the lights of the Shang mansion under the mountain from afar, and really felt that he had left the world and read the ability, and thought: "Looking at this mountain from the mansion, three huts, a lonely lamp, it is also very interesting, I don't know if I have ever looked at the mountain at this time, and I will say that she will come up the mountain to accompany me to read, well, it will definitely be." ”

(To be continued)