Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 484 Koi Little Lucky Star 13

The excitement faded, and Shili Village seemed to have lost all its energy, suddenly becoming quiet. But beneath this silence, like a burning charcoal fire, the villagers' stomachs sizzled.

In the fields and by the rivers and streams, the sound of whips cracking stopped and the dull thud of hoes hitting the ground became less frequent.

The men and women gathered together, and what they were talking about was no longer the strange stories about "Fubao", but "the bones of the Yun family child" and "the amount of hardship he had to endure".

"Look at Boss Yun, his back is tanned and shiny. That's what it means to bring honor to the family!"

"Yeah, what's the point of looking good? The real skills are in your belly, which can't be blown away by the wind or washed away by the rain!"

The young wives who had been dazzled by the splendor of the Lin family gathered together to make shoe soles, and their words changed:

"The three boys from the Yun family are the most steady ones. They didn't get cocky even after passing the Tongsheng exam. They stayed in the fields when they should, and studied when they should. They are as steady as a mountain!"

"The Lin family? Ha, an embroidered pillow and a straw bag! It will burst with just one poke!"

Several poor farmers in the village who had been so envious of Lin Mingcheng and his men that they could not even lift their heads, now relaxed their brows:

"Hey! I always thought my kid was stupid and couldn't think straight! After all this fuss, it's not true! It's because we're not tough enough and ruthless enough!"

"From now on, we should learn from the Yun family—if the child wants to study, we have to tighten our belts to support him! Can't afford pens and ink? We have to make do by chopping wood and selling grass! Being stupid isn't a problem, but being lazy is! If they can 'seek nothing but a clear conscience,' why can't we?"

Even the little monkeys running around the village are playing different tricks.

There were more words drawn on the sand, and a little tune reciting "Man is born good" in a serious manner also appeared.

Sometimes you can hear the sweet voices of children, crisply shouting: "Koi is useless! Ink fragrance is effective!" These children don't understand the big principles, but they reveal the new thinking of the whole village:

The scent of ink ground from every drop of the pen is more reliable than any blessing from the gods! The hard work gained by the sweat beads hitting the ground and breaking into pieces is the real backbone that allows a person to stand upright in this world!

This controversy on the list was like a timely rain, which soaked the hearts of the people in Shili Village who were blinded by "blessings" and "luck".

The layer of foamy brilliance floating on the surface shattered with a "pop", revealing the hard, black soil underneath - the Yun family's "medium" fell on it, making a real and heavy pit; the dreams of the Lin family disappeared with a "puff" without even a splash.

The clamor of congratulations had barely faded away when the bean-sized oil lamp in the Yun family's main hall burned brightly into the night. The examination regulations lay spread out on the table, and three young heads huddled together.

Yunze pointed at the clause "to be familiar with the main ideas of the Four Books" and frowned: "Brother, how much have we learned about the explanations of the chapters and sentences? It's not even half a bowl of water!" He was so worried that he kept scratching the back of his head.

Yunsen picked up the old inkstone that was worn down to the edge, and rubbed the deep indentations on the inkstone with his rough fingertips. He muttered, "It's already a bargain to be able to pass the examination for the student title. Now is the time to take the examination for the scholar title? Hey! People are afraid of being famous, just like pigs are afraid of being fat. You can't afford to lose face!" The indentations were the result of hard work carved on the stone.

Yunfeng listened silently, the small, bean-sized sparks of the lamp popping in his calm eyes. He grabbed the half-copied copy of the Mencius Annotations from the table, his fingertips stained with ink, and spoke in a low, steady voice, as solid as a rock:

"Why are you in such a hurry? You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry! Three years! Three more years of hard work! Let's boil down our knowledge first! It doesn't matter if the scholar's hat is not sturdy, I just worry about it shaking when I wear it!"

Old Man Yun stood at the door, leaning on a stick, the moonlight shone halfway over him. After hearing this, he stabbed the ground with his stick, making a loud "dong dong" sound, grinned at the villagers who were peeking out of the yard, and said in a loud voice:

"Did you hear that? These three silly boys of ours! We're not going into the city! We'll just stay here with our dirt and books and simmer it down! If the fire isn't hot enough, we'll just end up with dumpling soup! What are you afraid of? We can wait!"

The morning light filtering through the window panes just happened to fall on the stack of freshly copied papers hanging on the bookshelf in the yard. The newly dried ink still emitted a dark glow.

Less than two days of peace and quiet, the Yun family's wooden door was nearly broken down again. Those gorgeously dressed matchmakers, like flies to the scent of meat, poured in wave after wave.

Matchmaker Zhao waved her fragrant handkerchief and smiled like an old chrysanthemum: "Oh my! Brother Yunfeng! You are eighteen years old! A truly golden age! The daughter of the Zhang family! She is the apple of the eye of landlord Zhang! So pretty! This is the amount she asked for as a dowry - twenty acres of good irrigated land!" Her fingers flipped quickly.

Matchmaker Qian was even more agile. She pushed Matchmaker Zhao aside, spitting everywhere: "Good brother! Listen to me! The Li family! The owner of the big cloth shop in town, Mr. Li! Your only daughter! She's good at everything! I'll be your wife and I'll be your inksmith! You won't even have to worry about taking the imperial examination!"

Yunfeng had just come out of the pigpen after fetching water and food. His cloth shirt and trousers were still stained with a few stains of pig food and a few scraps of grass. He bowed and clasped his fists towards the two matchmakers, an apologetic smile on his face, but his eyes were as steady as an iron plow.

"I appreciate your kindness, aunts. It's more valuable than those twenty acres of paddy fields! But my heart is as clear as a mirror."

"This fame is just a shoe print on the threshold, you haven't even stepped inside yet! And you're going to pick up your bride with this little thing? You're embarrassed and you're also insulting the beautiful girl!"

"Let them wait! Wait until I earn the title of a true scholar, then I can marry her with a red engagement letter! That's how I can truly do justice to her!"

Old Master Yun had remained silent, squatting on the threshold, puffing on his old pipe. Hearing this, he laughed, knocked the ashes from his pipe, and waved his big hand, like a palm-leaf fan, to chase the people away:

"Let's go! Didn't you hear what my child said? There's a golden house squatting in the book! Why are you blocking the door in such a hurry? What's the hurry?! Good food is never too late, and a good woman will never have trouble finding a husband!"

His laughter was so loud that it shook the three pairs of straw sandals hanging under the eaves, whose soles were almost worn out.

The bluestone slabs by the river had long been hammered smooth. Aunt Zhang swung her mallet and smashed it down, "Bang! Bang!", like beating a muffled drum: "Look at the Yun family! They have so much knowledge in their heads, but they can't save themselves? Unlike that family, they were born in the Year of the Rabbit - their legs are shaking but they're still pretending to be heroes!"

Grandma Wang, leaning on a wooden crutch, sat down on a nearby stone. She snorted, a look of undisguised sneer etched across her wrinkled face: "What are you afraid of? Yunfeng is only eighteen? Twenty-one is just the right time to take the exam for the scholar degree!"

The old locust tree at the entrance of the village cast a dense shadow, and the clear sound of reading could be heard early in the morning.

Yunfeng sat under a tree with his two younger brothers, with a worn book spread out on his knees and a determined look in his eyes.

A month later, Lin Mingxuan and Lin Minglu from the Lin family got engaged in a hurry.

Old Mrs. Song thought that getting engaged could get rid of bad luck.

Because of this incident, Lin Fubao's treatment at home was greatly reduced.

However, in less than two months, Lin Fubao's status returned to normal.

When Lin Fubao went to play by the stream, he picked up a purse, and inside the purse were pearls.

Because of this pearl, Lin Fubao's status was restored.