Of course Ziqing wouldn't think of this, she was immersed in joy, calculating the gifts she wanted for the whole family, how many bracelets she wanted, and it was best to have one pendant per person, Zifu listened to her muttering self-questions and answers, and rubbed her head lovingly.

Ziqing suddenly asked, "Big brother, what kind of pendant do you like?" Otherwise, you can draw one yourself and let Master Li carve it out for you. ”

"Well, I have to think about it, what kind of likes Qing'er?"

This time, Ziqing also asked, and when she got home, she didn't think of it. After the meal, the family sat in the study, Shen made Zifu's gown, Zeng Ruixiang and Zifu were reading, Zilu, Zishou and Zixi were practicing calligraphy, and Ziqing was learning to draw patterns.

Zifu suddenly said: "Father, mother, there is something I want to tell you. ”

Seeing what Zifu said solemnly, everyone couldn't help but stop what they were doing and looked up at him.

"I don't want to go to the state school, I think about it again and again, I want to go to the Egret Academy, although the Egret Academy is a little higher, but the gentlemen there are all well-educated, and they are still stronger than the state school. In addition, the discipline of the Egret Academy is also strict and comprehensive, it is said that the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are involved, I have always dreamed of going to the Egret Academy, I will definitely cherish the three years of time, Daddy, you just let me go. If I hadn't been able to open my mouth before, now our family is not short of this bit of silver. ”

"It's not a matter of money, the exams of the Egret Academy are quite strict, if you want to go, you must also pass their entrance test, it's not that you can have the status of a showman, and also, their academy has two holidays a year, once in the summer and once in the New Year, can you bear not going home for half a year? Can you take care of yourself? Have you considered these? Zeng Ruixiang asked.

"Daddy. Don't worry, I've been trained in the county school in the past few years, and it's no problem to wash clothes and clean anything. Egret Academy has a canteen, I'm sure I can get used to it. I inquired, and the twentieth of this month is the time for their entrance exams. I'm ready. Even if the piano has no foundation at all, the chess will only have a little. I'm still a little sure of the rest. Zifu said.

"Is that difficult? If you can't pass the exam, can you still go to the state school? Shen asked.

"Absolutely. You can rest assured. Let's prepare things for Zilu to go to school tomorrow. Zeng Ruixiang patted her hand and said.

"Go and put Go on the table, and I'll play a few more games with you." Ziqing knew a little about Go, and she also accompanied her for a while. even made a few random moves. provoked angry eyes from the two of them.

"Big brother, do you take the arithmetic exam?" Ziqing suddenly thought.

"Exam, arithmetic is of course very important, every student must understand something, you forgot that I taught you when you were young. If you don't know how to do arithmetic, you will not be able to understand the basic income of agriculture, industry and commerce in the future, how can you manage it? Zifu said.

Ziqing became interested when she heard this. said: "Then I'll tutor you in arithmetic, I learned Western numbers from Western clocks, which are very convenient for addition and subtraction." ”

Several pairs of eyes at home stared at Ziqing suspiciously. Zifu smiled: "I just said that I still taught you arithmetic, so you will teach Mr. again?" ”

Ziqing touched her head. I lowered my head and thought for a while, took down the Western clock from the Bogu shelf next to it, and pointed it to everyone to identify them one by one, "This is what the clock seller told me, three o'clock in the afternoon is 12 o'clock, and the third quarter of the child is also twelve o'clock, and so on from one to twelve, haven't you learned everything?" Ziqing's addition and subtraction from one to ninety-nine are listed in the equation, let them practice slowly by themselves, everyone thinks it is incredible, much more straightforward than Chinese characters, Zifu habitually rubs Ziqing's hair, and Ziqing dodges it.

"You came up with it yourself?" Zeng Ruixiang asked.

"Part of it is, at the beginning, it was the jade seller who taught him, and he learned a little bit from the Westerners, and I learned it, so I supplemented the rest completely. However, don't go out and brag about it, lest you get into unnecessary trouble, just know it yourself. If it weren't for the fact that my eldest brother was going to take an exam, I wouldn't have said it. Ziqing thought about it and said a few words. Zeng Ruixiang also knew that this matter could be big or small, and he also followed a few orders.

After sending Zilu away, Zifu was busy preparing for the exam, and spent several days in the study, and Ziqing didn't dare to disturb easily. Early in the morning of the 20th, Zeng Ruixiang said that he would send him to Bailu Academy, but Zifu refused and said with a smile: "People always have to grow up, so when I go to the county to study, don't worry." ”

Egret Academy is located in the east of Anzhou, on a small island outside the east gate, when Zifu arrived, he saw a crowd of people in twos and threes, inside the ancient trees, green grass, flowers blooming, the school building of blue bricks and tiles is crawling with vines, quiet with vigorous vitality, Zifu looked at the long-awaited "Egret Academy" four vigorous and powerful characters, stared for a long time, and then walked to the gatehouse to register.

Shen took Ziyu to her parents' house early in the morning to deliver a letter, Ziqing was alone at home, sitting on the floor of the study, and had been here for more than four years, feeling that many things in her previous life were gradually gone, blurred, and sometimes even thought it was her own hallucination. This thought flashed, Ziqing was scared, afraid that with the passage of time, she could no longer remember the faces of her parents in her previous life, and she couldn't remember the laughter and tears she had had.

After crying, Ziqing felt that she should do something, ran to the back mountain and plucked a few goose feathers from the big white goose, came back and dipped it in ink, and recorded something in simple Chinese characters. She thought that she would open a glass factory when she had the opportunity in the future, and she was not the first one anyway, so she would not set off too much turmoil.

A few hours passed, Ziqing's mood was almost precipitated, and as soon as she packed up her things, Zeng Ruixiang took the children home. After the meal, send them away, Ziqing has nothing to do, so he painted the house he wants to build in the future, Ziqing is very fond of the modern kind of European-style villas, but the courtyard houses in Beijing are not bad, if there is silver, they will be covered, thinking of silver, Ziqing feels that he needs to think of ideas to earn some private money, so that he can do something in the future, such as having the opportunity to exchange some jade or Western objects, and every time he asks Shen for silver, he has to work hard to explain. It took several years to embroider handkerchiefs and purses, and Ziqing saved three or four taels of silver, which was too slow.

It is said that Ziqing meditated at home and thought hard, Zifu got the most difficult qin and chess in the Egret Academy's exam, which was his weakness, where did the poor children have the spare time and money to learn this. Qin can only give up, the previous calligraphy and painting are very easy, all excellent. Fortunately, there is still an arithmetic in the end, Ziqing has made up for his evil in the past few days, and it is estimated that there is no problem with taking You. Egret Academy ruled on the spot that the two failed courses would be rejected, so when Mr. announced that Zifu was in danger, Zifu's back was soaked, and he was relieved.

Because Zifu was going to leave home for several months, Zeng Ruixiang still invited the old man and Tian to have a meal before Zifu left, and Li Zheng and the third mother-in-law and the fourth mother-in-law were also invited, Xia Yu and Qiu Yu naturally followed, and the old man knew that Zifu was admitted to the Egret Academy, and even said a few good things.

Tian took Zifu's hand and instructed vigorously, saying: "You kid, you didn't say a word to Grandma when you went out a few times, but this time you have to leave to tell Grandma, Grandma didn't prepare anything for you, you go out by yourself, be careful, take care of yourself, Grandma will point to you in the future... ”

"Yes, Zifu, you are the boss in the Zeng family's generation, you can give the younger brothers below a good start, the old Zeng family will point to you in the future, you must remember that you are from the Zeng family, because you and your father, those grandsons of my family have also begun to work hard, you brothers must unite and twist into a rope, so that outsiders will not easily bully you." Also, for the hardships that your mother has endured, you must also fight for breath. The third mother-in-law said.

Zifu was busy, Tian squinted at the third mother-in-law, and said: "My grandson naturally knows who is far away and who is close, what is the Zeng family, so can my grandson take care of it?" ”

Li Zheng listened and said: "Zifu is not only the glory of the Zeng family, but also the glory of the entire Dongtang Village, today I originally wanted to bring my stinky boy over and learn from you, but when he went out, he was actually embarrassed, and said that he would wait for the future to learn well and then come to compete with you, this stinky boy, I really don't know how thick the sky is, but I really have to thank your family for being able to sit down and study with peace of mind." ”

Ziqing was not interested in listening to the elders chatting, and at a glance she saw Xia Yu and Qiu Yu studying the newly changed window screens in the house, so she didn't pay much attention, so she went into the stove room to help the Shen family.

In the evening, the family sat in the study, Zifu sorted out the books and other things he needed to take away, and Shen did some clothes, shoes and socks. Zishou looked at his eldest brother with envy, and said that he would also go to the Egret Academy in the future, Zixi was already five years old, and he had studied for a few months, and said, "When I have the money, I will run an Egret Academy by myself." ”

Zixi's words caused everyone to laugh and diluted some of the sorrow of parting. After all, Zifu is leaving, and he can't go home on vacation until the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and Shen's heart is very reluctant, always worried that the child will not eat well and will not be warm.

"Mother, don't worry, I am the eldest in the family, and I have taken care of my younger brothers and sisters since I was a child, where will I not take care of myself? Besides, our family has been so poor for more than ten years, and I can't even eat enough, let alone vegetables, it's only been a few years, how can I forget my roots so quickly, and I can't get used to eating college food? Take good care of yourself. Zifu persuaded.

Shen listened to Zifu's words, and his tears couldn't be stopped, Zeng Ruixiang saw it, so he had to coax her into the bedroom and whispered for a long time.

Ziqing leaned her head on Zifu's knee, and her heart was also sour, very reluctant. The care that this eldest brother gave her was no less than that of the eldest brother in her previous life, Ziqing's heart was often in a trance, treating them as the same person, and this flesh and blood affection had long been melted into her blood. (To be continued)