Chapter 0004: Master, I was wrong

What use is a child scholar? From ancient times to the present, which official has risen from the ranks of child scholars?

Wei Jinde shook his head as he stepped into the courtyard, instructing Liangqing to wash the meat, and at noon to prepare the soup. He also asked Liangchen to bring in the gifts that Chunhua had brought. After Liangchen carried the items inside, he handed the purse given by his elder sister to his father.

Wei Liangqing said, "He has left; my brother-in-law mentioned that there are still matters at home, so he returned first." He did not dare to mention his brother-in-law Yang Liuqi's earlier attitude, fearing that his father would become angry upon hearing it

Where is your elder sister

When Wei Jinde left, he repeatedly instructed Liangchen not to run around aimlessly and to stay at home honestly. However, Liangchen could not stay put. As soon as his father and elder brother left, he slipped out, heading to the village school.

At first, Master Wu was indeed startled to see the loyal minister suddenly kneeling before him. When the latter explained his intentions with tears in his eyes, Master Wu waved his sleeve and coldly said: "Since I have stated that I will no longer teach you, Wei Liangchen, in this lifetime, I will certainly not go back on my word for personal gain. You may return; my humble village school cannot accommodate a great figure like you, Wei Liangchen."

I don't want to, I am also a "top student," Liang Chen said with a self-deprecating smile

Since ancient times, the respect and cherishing of written paper has been a tradition among the Chinese people. Anyone who uses paper with writing on it to wipe away filth would certainly be criticized by others.

The student acknowledges the mistake, the student truly recognizes the error, the student has already turned back from the brink, sir, please give the student a chance... If the student succeeds in the exam, they will never forget your great kindness and virtue... Alas, sir, please do not close the door...

In fact, during the Ming Dynasty, there was toilet paper. The toilet paper used by the common people was generally referred to as coarse paper, which, like ghost money, was made from grass as the raw material, and it must not have any writing on it

Oh, are you leaving?

I also heard it from a few uncles in the family; whether it is true or false, I did not dare to ask my father

Wei Jinde felt somewhat dejected; it had been a long time since he had seen his niece. The piece of meat in his hand was specially procured on credit, intended to treat his niece well, but unexpectedly, she had already left

Hmph, a living person can actually die from holding in urine. Without you, Master Wu, there would be no Scholar Zhang!

If you are going, then go

With a loud bang, the wooden door was heavily shut, and Liang Chen swallowed back the words "Do not say that I did not warn you"

Liang Chen went to find Master Wu to "atone for his sins". He understood clearly that if he wanted to stand out, aside from studying and taking the imperial examinations, there were truly no other good paths available. Therefore, returning to the local school to participate in this year's provincial examination and then achieving the title of Xiucai in the subsequent examination was a major task he had to accomplish

Liang Chen had no intention of greedily taking this sum of money. After staying in his room for a moment, he suddenly felt an urgent need and hurried to the toilet, only to find there was no toilet paper. Stealing a glance outside, he gritted his teeth and tore off a few pages from the tattered primer "Hundred Family Surnames." Upon returning, Liang Chen truly felt guilty, his face flushed with embarrassment, for if his father were to discover this matter, he would likely become furious again.

A prodigal son returning is worth more than gold

From next door, the clear sound of reading "The heavens and the earth are dark and yellow, the universe is vast and ancient" can be heard. A few schoolchildren are peering through the window of a classroom, whispering among themselves. Perhaps it is due to Liang Chen's previous "reputation" that when those schoolchildren noticed Liang Chen had seen them, they all immediately shrank back in fear, lest they be caught by him

It is difficult for the spring flowers

Wei Jinde rolled up his pant legs and held a piece of pork belly with a straw rope in his hand. It seemed that he had specifically gone to buy this piece of meat. Liang Chen estimated that this piece of meat was most likely a debt repaid by his father, as he knew that his father had incurred quite a bit of debt in order to treat his injuries.

Silver beans weigh approximately two to three qian each, and are quite small when held in hand. The small coins are the Wanli Tongbao, which are replicas from the current dynasty modeled after those from the Jiajing era, and they come in two types: small coins and zhe coins. The small coins are mostly blank on one side, with occasional inscriptions on the reverse side, commonly featuring characters such as "Tian", "Gong", and "Gong". The zhe coins, also known as zhe er qian, are crafted with greater precision and can be used as if one qian were equivalent to two qian.

In the pocket are three small silver beans, along with several Wanli small coins.

Last year, Liang Chen heard in the county about a woman who used paper with characters to wipe herself and threw it into the toilet, resulting in her being struck by lightning and collapsing. Upon hearing of this incident, the Hejian Prefecture quickly issued a notice to all paper mills within the jurisdiction: it is prohibited to add stamped characters to the edges of grass paper and other types of paper, and it is even more forbidden to repurpose waste books and old accounts into toilet paper, in order to avoid indecency. The Wei family's toilet did not have toilet paper, simply because Wei Jinde was reluctant to use it. Spending money even for wiping oneself is rather extravagant. The Wei family's toilet did not have toilet paper, simply because Wei Jinde was reluctant to use it. Spending money even for wiping oneself is rather extravagant.

Confucius is truly distressed here, as the oil cannot be poured in.

If he cannot participate in the provincial examination, Wei Liangchen will forever remain a mere student in this lifetime

These words sounded truly harsh, and the loyal minister dared not express his anger. He could only repeatedly plead, employing all his skills in an attempt to win back Master Wu's favor. However, Master Wu had made up his mind resolutely, and would not accept the loyal minister again under any circumstances

Upon seeing this, the loyal minister could not help but feel secretly pleased, believing that he had already moved Master Wu. However, he was unaware that the phrase "A prodigal son returning home is worth more than gold" was not a line from ancient poetry, but rather originated from a novel by the writer Zhang Henshui in his previous life. Now, with this yet-to-be-published famous line spoken from his lips, Master Wu was naturally taken aback.

The loyal minister is indeed very indignant; he has decided to embark on the path of the imperial examination and will resolutely not turn back, as this concerns his entire life

Confucius was taken aback, staring intently at the loyal minister

"Sir, it is often said that a wayward son returning is worth more than gold. The student was once foolish, but now understands right from wrong. I implore you to give the student a chance!" Liang Chen looked at Master Wu with a pitiful gaze, truly longing for a response.

The loyal minister believed that Confucius would surely feel comforted upon seeing him now "renewed and transformed," and would certainly reinstate him. However, he never anticipated that Confucius would not be swayed by such tactics.

After a year of hard work, the Wei family’s harvest, after deducting taxes, is roughly worth six to seven taels of silver. However, a large portion of this harvest cannot be sold for money, as it must be kept at home for sustenance; otherwise, the three of us would go hungry.

Wei Jinde sighed; he was certain that his niece's situation at the Yang family had reached his ears. As for this little bit of private savings, he could not tell how long Chunhua had been saving to accumulate it. After some contemplation, he decided to accept the money. After all, he owed a considerable amount for treating Liangchen's injuries, and he could afford to delay some payments to relatives, while he would repay the neighbors as soon as possible.

Lishu Village belongs to Suxian County of Hejian Prefecture. Although this area is relatively close to the capital, the land is quite barren, unlike the high yields found in the south. In the words of the virtuous minister from a previous life, this place is indeed a poverty-stricken belt surrounding the capital.

Liang Chen is truly anxious. In order to participate in the provincial examination, he must have five villagers as guarantors, and additionally, he must have a scholar to vouch for him. However, looking across the entire Lishu Village and the three nearby villages, there is only one scholar, Master Wu! This means that if Master Wu is unwilling to vouch for him, Liang Chen will not be able to qualify for the provincial examination at all

If it were the loyal ministers of the past, it would not matter, but the loyal ministers of today cannot endure such suffering. Retribution is something he certainly does not believe in; what he is thinking about now is how to persuade his father to go to the town tomorrow to buy some toilet paper. Otherwise, using straw to wipe oneself every day is truly a torment

A prodigal son returning is worth more than gold

While pondering how to resolve the dilemma of a scholar becoming a bodyguard, I heard a woman's disdainful voice beside me: "What a saying, 'A prodigal son returning is worth more than gold.' I think it's just wishful thinking for a prodigal son to return.

Wei Liangqing did not want to discuss this matter any further, concerned that his younger brother standing outside for too long would affect his leg injury, so he pulled his brother to enter the courtyard, but their father, Wei Jinde, had just returned from the fields

The silver coins and small change in the purse amount to the value of one tael of silver. Currently, the price of land is eight taels and four cash for a mu of prime rice field, and three taels and three cash for inferior fields. The price of wheat is seven cash and four for a shi, while the price of rice is approximately six cash and five for a shi. Overall, the prices of grain are not high, and in fact, they are quite low, leading to discussions in the court about the detrimental effects of low rice prices on farmers.

Liangqing's culinary skills are not very good, but after all, it is a meat soup that has been cooked. Even without any seasonings, just a sprinkle of salt makes it taste delicious. After lunch, Wei Jinde, feeling restless and anxious, went to another plot of land to weed, while Liangqing went to chop firewood

However, it was merely astonishment; Master Wu did not believe that Liang Chen possessed the ability to compose such excellent sentences, and most likely had merely heard them while wandering outside. The thought of Liang Chen's various past actions, and the students who had been bullied by him, filled Master Wu with indignation, prompting him to stand up and drive Liang Chen out. He truly had no patience to speak further with this intolerable student, and harbored a great aversion towards him, feeling a strong disdain even at the sight of him.

The money that Wei Chunhua left for Liang Chen is equivalent to the living expenses of the Wei family for three to two months. For the Yang family, it may not be worth much, but for the Wei family, it is clearly a significant sum of money

Originally, Liangchen intended to ask his father to intercede with Master Wu on his behalf, but his father's mind was focused on that piece of land at the moment, so Liangchen decided to go himself instead