Lu Yang called out his name in front of everyone and asked him to fetch water. He looked around and saw Shazhu running out with a bowl, saying, “I’ll fetch it for you! Mr. Lu, I’ll fetch it for you!”
Sun Erxi also said, “You don’t need to fetch it. He asked me to fetch it, not you.”
Lu Yang didn’t care about their argument. It was late at night, and no one else was going to fetch water.
He had a good idea. As soon as he got home and put away the tofu and bean curd, San Gui hurriedly came over carrying two buckets of water.
Lu Yang: “…”
Lu Yang looked at the sky outside.
It was indeed dark.
“Why are you carrying water so late at night? What if you fall into the river and drown?” Lu Yang furrowed his brows, looking very serious.
Sangui shrank his neck and laughed awkwardly, “Where? I wouldn’t dare go to the river at night. This is water from my family’s water jar. My father said you’re a respectable person who wouldn’t ask for help unless it was really necessary. He said there’s no water, so it’s hard to use for anything. I’ll carry one load over first for you to use. Tomorrow morning, I’ll fill your water jar!”
“Alright, come back tomorrow morning.” Lu Yang didn’t beat around the bush.
They had already told Zhao Peilan earlier today that they would be returning later. Since meeting Li Feng, he had been hanging around the kitchen, getting in the way. Lu Yang found him something to do, asking him to crack two eggs into a bowl and stir them with chopsticks.
He explained it in detail, and Xie Yan loved listening. He couldn’t help but tell him that cracking the eggs on one side made them easier to break and less likely to drop eggshells into the bowl.
Oh, and you have to wash the eggs before cracking them.
To be honest, most families wouldn’t mind this.
Some children who don’t know any better have even dug chicken droppings off the ground and eaten them. But they are adults.
Lu Yang stared at the bowl of eggs for a long time, trying to prepare himself mentally. He really wanted to vomit, but he couldn’t bring himself to pick out the dust. So he added water to dilute it, steamed it, and let Xie Yan eat it himself.
After that, Xie Yan always washed the eggs before cracking them. He no longer needed Lu Yang to remind him.
The fire in the stove was strong. Lu Yang had just finished scooping the tofu when Xie Yan handed him the egg mixture.
Pouring the egg mixture was simple. Lu Yang stepped aside slightly to give his son a sense of involvement, letting him pour the egg mixture over the tofu.
Xie Yan happily poured the egg mixture into the pot, and Lu Yang took the empty bowl away.
Pouring the egg mixture was done when the fire was low, so he didn’t add any firewood. and it took a while for the egg mixture to set. During that time, Lu Yang chopped some scallions and ginger, scooped a spoonful of soybean paste, added a pinch of salt, put everything in a bowl, added some water with a ladle, stirred it, poured it into the pot, stir-fried it, and then served it.
Xie Yanren hadn’t left the stove yet when Lu Yang finished preparing the seasoning bowl. Xie Yan called him “Little Whirlwind” in his mind again.
He didn’t dare say this nickname out loud, because if he did, Lu Yang would definitely pull his ears.
A new dish was served, and dinner began.
Zhao Peilan had soaked a few mushrooms today, sliced them into strips, and stir-fried them with greens. No sauce was added to the dish; only a little salt was used. It looked very refreshing.
The remaining dish was a plate of pickled radish. Her pickles weren’t very tasty, but rural households never lacked pickles, and this bowl had been brought by Lu Lin. She stir-fried it with two slices of fatty pork, so the radish cubes had a greasy smell and smelled delicious.
Then she brought the egg tofu to the table. Tonight’s dinner was so abundant!
The family hadn’t eaten tofu in a while. This stuff costs money to buy, unlike eggs and meat. Eggs and meat are nutritious, so when they buy them, they eat them sparingly. Tofu is just a vegetable, and people usually don’t want to spend money on it.
Fresh tofu is delicious. Old Chen has been making tofu for over thirty years. He’s a master craftsman, and his tofu has a rich bean flavor. Even simple preparations are delicious. Lu Yang has been taking medicine lately, and his mouth feels bland, so he added some soybean paste. When he was at the Chen family’s house, the most common dishes were stir-fried tofu and tofu with vegetables. Or they would make tofu soup to drink.
Xie Yan contributed to this dish, saying, “I beat the eggs!”
Zhao Peilan hesitated immediately.
She also knew about the chicken droppings.
Xie Yan: “…”
Lu Yang mocked him openly, then took a bite first.
Zhao Peilan saw Lu Yang eat and then accepted the dish.
Xie Yan: “…” Oh!
During dinner, the whole family was present.
The couple worked long hours, leaving early and returning late, and after dinner, they would wash up and go to bed, so dinner was the only time they could chat and discuss matters.
Xie Yan talked about making money, following what Wu Ping had said, compiling a small booklet, and selling it before the童生考试 (civil service examination for young scholars).
“He said that if I copy books, I copy one copy and get paid for one copy. I’ll also be exploited. But if I compile a booklet, I write one copy and sell hundreds or thousands of copies. I set the price myself. He said that’s how you make money.”
Lu Yang didn’t understand the imperial examination system or book compilation, but he knew a craftsman who could engrave woodblocks. The few characters he recognized were taught to him by his grandfather.
“Is it difficult to compile a book?”
Xie Yan didn’t hide anything from his family: “It’s difficult. The imperial examination has no fixed format. They take a sentence and have people write an essay. Sometimes they even take sentences from two different essays, connecting the beginning and end, and ask people to write an essay. By now, all the possible sentences for exam questions have been used up. The scope of the questions is too broad. I haven’t paid attention to other matters in the past two years, so I don’t know if there are any new policies in the county, and I can’t go to the county school to read books.”
But he was clearly excited.
Lu Yang asked again, “So what do you plan to do?”
Xie Yan is good at reading and willing to study, but he seems a bit dull in real life. His writing skills are unmatched.
He started learning at a young age, first encountering the Four Books and Five Classics at five years old. It took him over three years to learn to read, and once he was familiar with the characters, he read through them all. Later, he listened to lectures and learned essay writing, and he also studied past exam papers to improve his skills.
He was eager to learn from books. Even the mediocre essays written by his classmates, or those criticized by his teacher as worthless, he treasured and took home to read.
There are so many forms of expression in writing, so why must one adhere to this format?
He refused to listen to his father’s advice on how to achieve a good ranking in the exams. Later, his father brought him many essays written by successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and he accepted them.
There is no fixed method for writing, but with a clear vision in mind, one can write without adhering to a fixed format.
For a long time, he couldn’t remember how long, he kept reading the essays and his classmates’ writings.
These essays, even with similar titles, had completely different content on the page.
He read them over and over again, memorizing them, and gradually discovered the characteristics of good essays, that is, essays that were selected by the court.
These characteristics were broken down into each small paragraph, which was what the author wanted to express. Using a person’s hand as an example, the opening sentence was like suddenly slapping someone, startling them and making them immediately focus their attention. The subsequent sentences were like fingers gradually closing, and finally, the five fingers formed a fist and delivered a heavy blow.
With the slap preceding it, the gathering of the fingers naturally carries authority, and the audience cannot take it lightly. When the final blow lands, the article is complete.
It sounds abstract, and without actual articles as examples, Xie Yan finds it hard to explain.
He laughed and said, “Capturing the essence of the topic is appealing and can fetch a high price, but it’s not reliable. I want to compile a booklet on how to answer questions.”
Lu Yang still didn’t understand, but that didn’t stop him from finding Xie Yan, who spoke so coherently, very charming.
He served Xie Yan some tofu, “Eat while it’s hot first, then we’ll talk later. I love listening to you.”
He was so gentle, and Xie Yan wasn’t used to it. He scratched his head, took a bite of tofu, then asked him, “Do you think it’s feasible?”
