Ask Sword

  Chapter 26 Gift Giving

   "Is everyone gone?"

   "All gone, and so was the last one."

   "Huh, that's good."

  In the lobby of Baoan Hall, Li Ang let out a long sigh of relief, and lay down in a chair tiredly. Chai Cuiqiao, who was leaning against the main entrance and looking out through the crack of the door, walked quickly, and patted Li Ang's shoulder thoughtfully.

During the day, Li Ang almost fled away from Weizhou State School after finishing the procedures for canceling the exam. As soon as he returned to the gate of the security hall, he found that dozens of carriages blocked the entire street, and all the sights were here to give gifts, He Xi's neighbor, acquaintance, wealthy businessman, and gentry.

  Some brought eggs, some brought white wine, some carried a bucket of rice on their backs, and some caught two chickens and tied them with red strings.

  Porcelain vessels, rouge bracelets, books and pens and inks, calligraphy and paintings of famous people, horse saddles, land deeds and house deeds.

  All kinds of people, full of boxes, crowded the west bank of Weishui like a festival market.

As soon as Li Ang showed up, he was recognized by the neighbors and was almost surrounded by groups. Fortunately, Aunt Song came forward in time and stopped the business of Lansheng Building, calling the four guys of Lansheng Building to temporarily act as the porter of the security hall, and the receptionist came Those who give gifts and congratulations,

   While singing out loud about all the gifts that have been given, make a list of everyone, who they are, who they are, and what gifts they gave.

  Too expensive, such as land deeds, expensive horses, coral sea pearls, etc.

  Too outrageous, such as euphemistic refusal to ask for marriage or send servants,

  Too nonsense, such as begging Li Ang's calligraphy and calligraphy, begging Li Ang's pots and pans to take home for good luck, but also politely refuse - if they all agree, there will be nothing left in the security hall.

   After tossing and tossing for a full two hours, the neighbors and folks and the gentry and wealthy businessmen from all walks of life were finally dispersed.

   "It's more tiring than uprooting guinea worm."

   Li Ang was lying on the chair with a exhausted expression on his face, "It's as good as Fan Jinzhongju."

  Chai Cuiqiao tapped his shoulder lightly and heavily, and asked curiously: "Fan Jin? Who is that?"

   Li Ang said casually: "An old poor student, after taking part in the provincial examination and passing the Juren, he went crazy with joy."

   "Is it crazy to be happy?"

  Chai Cuiqiao pursed her lips and said, "There hasn't been a serious school student in the whole of Weizhou for several years, and he still got a letter of recommendation in advance.

  Didn’t you still hear people say during the day that the Lu family in Weizhou City was an ordinary cloth merchant more than ten years ago, but because of a disciple from the school, it became a wealthy family in a few years. "

   "Heh, I guess the teacher and Brother Cheng must be secretly having fun now, look at how embarrassed I am."

   Li Ang shook his head and smiled wryly: "This prefect's mansion is really real. Didn't you post the list so early so that I can be criticized by the public?"

   "Ordinary people are not qualified to knock on the door of the prefect's mansion, of course they can only come to our place."

Chai Cuiqiao rolled her eyes, and said: "It's fine to come to the door with a portrait and birthday horoscope to ask for a marriage. What's more, if you say 'look there is no one around Doctor Li', you have to send dozens of servants over, and you don't even think about the security guards." Can the hall hold so many people?"

   "Ha, what's the matter? Are you jealous?"

  Li Ang raised his head with a smile, and lightly poked Chai Cuiqiao's chin.

"No!"

   Chai Cuiqiao snorted, lowered her head, and groaned, making a gesture to bite Li Ang's finger.

   "Can't bite, hey."

  Li Ang retracted his fingers, glanced at the pile of gift boxes and boxes piled up in the corner, and his head hurt again.

   Not only the main hall, but also the second floor and the backyard of the Baoan Hall are full of these sundries, and even the backyard of the Lansheng Building next door is full.

  And it can be expected that there will be gifts delivered to the door in the next few days-local folks came again, and there are river merchants and sea merchants from other places.

   "Ahhh, I'm so annoying."

   Li Ang hugged his head and sighed. No wonder Pu Liuxuan and Cheng Juxiu wanted to hide their identities, otherwise they would be exposed. Just receiving messy relatives and old visitors was enough to annoy them to death.

   "I can only leave these matters to Aunt Song. Alas, favor accounts are the most difficult to calculate."

   Li Ang rubbed the center of his brows, listening to the movement in the Lansheng Building next door, it seemed that the reception held by Song Shaoyuan had also stopped—Li Ang, a distant cousin, was also very honored to be able to get a letter of recommendation.

   If they can be admitted to the academy together, and two neighbors on the same street are both students of the academy, it will definitely be a good story.

   "That's right, master."

  Chai Cuiqiao picked up the visitor list from the table, and said: "The daughter of the prefect's family also has a letter of recommendation, but I haven't seen anyone from their family come to send greetings today."

   "After all, if you are the governor of a state, you have to take your identity into account."

   Li Ang said casually: "Anyway, Zhai Yiming has already given me the invitation card for their family's acquaintance banquet."

   "Then shall we go?"

"Maybe."

   Li Ang said distressedly: "In the future, Lanshenglou will still do business in Yunzhou City, even if it's for Aunt Song, the prefect's family banquet will have to go.

  Okay, go pour a pot of tea, I still need to read a book. "

  The congratulatory gifts from the folks have all been received. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if I went to Chang’an and failed the entrance examination for the academy?

"okay."

Chai Cuiqiao took out the volume of "Shangqing Inspiration Chapter", poured another pot of tea, and lit the copper oil lamp—this new oil lamp was also given by the folks today. The one is much better.

   "Go to tired Nazhen, open your heart and forget to fight and follow the root of the cave, and live alone in a secluded room. Juegu go to pungent, light taste goes up to the sky."

  Li Ang proficiently read the obscure words. After a period of hard work, he had memorized the entire "Shangqing Inspiration Chapter", but he still didn't understand the meaning of the words and sentences inside.

   "Can't you write it more clearly? From which organ to extract the spiritual energy, which blood vessel and fascia to let the spiritual energy pass through, it is concise and clear, so as to avoid guessing and enlightenment."

  Li Ang looked at it for a while, sighed softly, put down "Shangqing Inspiration Chapter", and picked up another booklet.

   This book was written by Pu Liuxuan from memory and given to him last time. It contains some basic science popularization about the academy, so as not to go to Chang'an when it is time to get smeared.

   "It's still interesting."

   Li Ang opened the book and read it with relish.

   Xuegong is the largest and highest-level comprehensive school in the world, located at the foot of Xiashan Mountain to the west of Chang'an.

  The principal of the school, that is, the head of the school, is responsible for managing the entire school.

The school has opened dozens of courses, including but not limited to talisman, art, sword, thought, body, Yu State law, national history, agriculture, national studies, military science, arithmetic, engineering, astronomy, herbalism, and divination. , zoology

  Among them, Yu Law, National History, Guozixue, Agriculture, Mathematics, Animal Science, Engineering, etc. are compulsory subjects, which all students must study.

  Beastology will not only teach the biological knowledge of common species, such as insects, poultry, livestock, wild animals, birds, river fish and sea fish, but also search for rare and dangerous creatures, even monsters, from all over the world.

  Xuegong is a strong wall between ordinary people and weird things. Xuegong disciples shoulder the responsibility of protecting ordinary people. They must know those monsters that may cause great harm to the people of Yu State, and know their habits and weaknesses.

  Engineering is an applied discipline, and its content spans mineral mining, civil engineering, weapon manufacturing, process improvement, urban drainage, bridge building, etc.

  In this era, Chang'an Xiongcheng, with a population of two million permanent residents and a floating population of more than one million, is a miracle created by Xuegong Engineering.

  (end of this chapter)