Chapter 20 I Herd Cattle in Ming Dynasty

As the saying goes, "Excessive happiness leads to sorrow", I think it is true.

During dinner, something unhappy happened. Halfway through dinner, my aunt told me a piece of news.

"Dad, Mom, it's like this. Jun'er's grandmother saw that Jun'er was smart, so they decided to help him pay the tuition. They didn't want to delay Jun'er, so they wanted to support Jun's schooling."

When Zhu Ping'an heard the news, he subconsciously felt that something was wrong. It was rare to hear that a married girl's family would be willing to help a married girl raise her children. The ancients said that a married girl is like water spilled out. Is my aunt's family so open-minded? Is Jun's grandmother willing? Are his uncles and aunts willing too?

In ancient times, there was no tuition fee for going to school, but there was a tuition fee. At that time, students gave gifts to teachers to show respect, which was a tuition fee, which was actually tuition. This rule was implemented as early as the time of Confucius. At that time, it was salted pork, but now the tuition fee is money.

In the countryside, the tuition is much cheaper than in the city, but it is still about one guan per year, that is, one thousand wen, paid in two installments, and there are also festival gifts such as vegetables, eggs and meat, which can be said to cost a lot.

However, it is said that the family of my aunt is well-off, so it is possible.

I heard that the Yue family is willing to pay for Jun'er to go to school, and my grandparents were very happy. They all valued the eldest family. If the eldest family is good at studying, then Jun'er will definitely study well.

The grandparents were happy, and it was my aunt's Yue family who paid, so my mother Chen, the fourth aunt and the third aunt naturally didn't say anything.

"Jun'er goes to school, and Zhu'er is not young anymore. He can take over Jun'er's class to herd cattle." Seeing that no one in her family objected, my aunt's face was full of pride, and then she turned the topic to Zhu Ping'an, "It's almost autumn, let's raise the cattle stronger so that they can do farm work."

You said I was young the day before yesterday!

So you want me to take over Jun's class to herd cattle? When has Jun ever released a cow? He never even touched its hair.

The reason why the aunt arranged Zhu Pingjun to release the cow was because she remembered that the family had said that Zhu'er was smart and sensible, and she felt that she had to stop Zhu'er from studying as soon as possible. On the one hand, she was afraid that the family would have to spend money, so it would be better to let Zhu'er farm honestly like his second brother to support himself. On the other hand, she was also afraid that Zhu Ping'an would steal the limelight from her son, even though her son was a literary star according to fortune-telling.

"Sister-in-law, my Zhu'er is still young. How can he release a cow that big?" Mother Chen frowned and objected, with some words in her heart that she had not said out loud. Your Jun'er went to school, why should my Zhu'er go to release the cow? Besides, when has your Jun'er ever released the cow?

Third Aunt liked Zhu Ping'an and helped him, "That's right, the piglet is not even as tall as the cow's legs."

"Our cows are very obedient and know the way. Herding cattle is just following them and not letting them eat other people's crops." The eldest aunt kept saying, "The piglet has followed the second brother to the mountains. It's okay to herd cattle."

Mother Chen was worried about Zhu Ping'an herding cattle, but the eldest aunt insisted, and she was not at peace at the dinner table.

"A loving mother often spoils her son. It's good for the piglet to exercise. If he really can't be released, it's not too late to say no."

Grandmother protected the eldest aunt, and her words were full of agreement.

Mother Chen was angry at the dinner table and didn't eat much. She reached under the table and pinched Zhu's father for who knows how many times.

Anyway, Zhu's father grinned many times at the dinner table.

"Mom, you should eat more. It's also good to herd cattle. I like our cattle." Zhu Ping'an stretched out his chopsticks to help Chen pick up dishes, and comforted Chen with a soft childish voice.

Chen felt much better because of her son's understanding, but she was still not very happy when she thought that her eldest sister-in-law's children went to school and her own children had to herd cattle at such a young age.

"Zi'er is going to herd cattle. Give him half a cake for every meal in the future." Grandfather said.

Grandfather usually does not interfere in the affairs of the backyard at home. As long as the matter is not too out of line, he will turn a blind eye. Although he attaches importance to the eldest family, he also likes Zhu Ping'an, the chubby grandson.

Night slowly falls, the moon rises slowly, and light clouds linger around the moon, as if covering the moon with a layer of veil. The moonlight is gentle, the night is beautiful, and there is peace.

The moonlight is quiet and gentle, but it is not in the east wing.

"Why should his son go to school, and my son should herd cattle? You work hard, and Dachuan has already helped this, and Zhu'er has to herd cattle. Does our family owe the old family?"

"You dead man, don't say a word!"

"Why should I marry a man like you, who dares not even fart!"

For Zhu's father, it is not easy to leave more private money for the family. It is probably too difficult for him to oppose his parents and brothers and sisters-in-law. It's good for boys to fight more, he also thinks so in his heart. Besides, mother also said that if she can't let go, she won't let go, so she didn't say anything at the dinner table.

But Chen doesn't care about these.

Poor old father, I mourn for you.

Zhu Ping'an left without loyalty. You can coax your own wife by yourself. Good luck, old man.

The shepherd boy rides a yellow cow, and his singing shakes the forest.

This poem is a perfect portrayal of Zhu Ping'an at the moment. He rides on the back of an old yellow cow, swinging his legs, with a bamboo water bottle on his waist, holding a fishing rod in his hand, with a hemp rope hanging from the fishing rod, and a bunch of green grass tied to the hemp rope. The tender grass just hangs in front of the cow's head, and the old yellow cow strides its hooves under the guidance of the tender grass, and trots along the way.

On the back of the yellow cow is a simple saddle made of bamboo by Zhu's father last night, so Zhu Ping'an's small body can also be stable, and the bamboo is light and does not affect the movement of the old yellow cow.

Zhu Ping'an sits on the back of the cow, and his thoughts drift with the cow's hooves.

By the way, the poem "Shepherd Boy Riding Yellow Cow" was written by Yuan Mei in the Qing Dynasty. All the poems and verses of the Qing Dynasty can be used by me. If life is only like Nalan Xingde, who I first met, Gong Zizhen, who said that fallen petals are not heartless things, Zhao Yi, who said that there are talented people in every generation, and even Cangyang Gyatso, who I have met or not, wouldn't it be a bargain for me?

I memorized a lot of the eight-part essays of the top scholar in the Qing Dynasty during my postgraduate studies. Although I can't recite them by heart, I remember a lot of the general ideas. The eight-part essays of the Qing Dynasty are much more standardized than those of the Ming Dynasty.

Poems can be used, or modified, but eight-part essays can't necessarily be used directly. Each eight-part essay is a topic-based essay. Although the topics are the original texts of the Four Books and Five Classics, there are so many Four Books and Five Classics that I don't know which topic is which. If I'm lucky, if the topic overlaps with the ones I remember, I'll be safe, but if the topic is different, it's useless.

In modern times, I studied ancient Chinese, but if I were asked to write an eight-part essay, I would never be able to write it. Modern times are all about criticizing eight-part essays, and the school has never taught me how to write it, and I don't even know how to use a brush.

In short, it is still necessary to continue studying.

Well, it seems that the private school in Shanghe Village is on the short hill not far from the border with Xiahe Village.

The hill is lush with grass and water, so why not go there to graze the cattle?