Since Zhiqiu "talked" with the old shopkeeper under the ginkgo tree that night, he has become confused. He often doesn't know what he is doing and begins to wonder whether it is a mistake to be the old man's disciple. I heard from the old man that the thirteen disciples he had accepted before were all dead, so when will it be my turn?

When Zhiqiu thought of being taken to him by a shopkeeper for some reason as a disciple and having to start learning to recognize and write again, he couldn't help but sigh. Although he did not look down on others, at least the teacher he found for him at home was at the level of the Imperial College.

As for why it was not the Imperial College Priest who came to teach, in the words of that old man, he simply disagreed with the Priest who did not like him. Otherwise, he would have been brought over to teach.

So Zhiqiu has lived these days not too comfortable. Every morning, it is a little dawn, so he has to get up, go to the street next door to buy three or two steamed buns, and after a few bites, he hurried to the small book shop. Every time he felt that he was coming earlier than the old shopkeeper, he found that the old shopkeeper had already moved a chair and sat at the door.

Moreover, since the old shopkeeper made Zhiqiu Cao a closed disciple, he has become increasingly strict with Zhiqiu. He got two pieces of wood from somewhere and made them into wooden boards, called "ruler". Whenever Zhiqiu is late or does not seriously write and read, the young man will always get caught up.

Zhiqiu is thin and has a tender skin and flesh, so he has never suffered that. Besides, when he was studying in the capital, which teacher dared to hit him? Even if the eldest prince’s teacher came, he would not dare to hit him. So Zhiqiu has had some scars on his body recently, one piece of green and one piece of purple, which makes him feel a little distressed.

However, Zhiqiu was in a daze, but fortunately he didn't say anything that embarrassed the old shopkeeper. This is Gusuzhou, so he is naturally not as good as the capital. Besides, he has been in Gusuzhou for more than three years, so he knows how to judge the situation. This is certain.

After all, people are under the roof, so they have to bow their heads. Not to mention that the shopkeeper really made some beef for him every day, but the shopkeeper still paid him on time every month. Zhiqiu was embarrassed to say a few words. As for the bitterness of flesh and blood, he thought about it and just thought it was the price for exchange for this meat.

Zhiqiu was also observing. During this period, he found that the old shopkeeper taught him to read and recognize words, but did not start with the most basic literacy, but directly taught him one sentence after another, such as "Great ambitions are not enough to achieve talent, and great talent is not enough to achieve success", and for example, "tolerate humiliation and be afraid of being afraid." The old shopkeeper recited these words while writing them, and then asked Zhiqiu to recite them while reciting them. Even if he finished writing, he had not finished it, and he still had to understand the meaning of it. The old shopkeeper would explain the meaning of each word one by one, and then talk about the meaning of the whole sentence. If he had free days that day, he would occasionally talk about the source of these words.

The boy learned so well. Compared to expectations, he thought that he was simply writing and reading words, listening to stories, and listening to the great principles. He thought it was not bad. Anyway, since he left the capital, he hadn't heard others talk about the truth in his ears for more than three years. My mother used to say it, but Qiu didn't want to listen. Later, he liked to listen to the middle-aged Confucian scholar in his family, but the Confucian scholar rarely appeared in the mansion and stayed in the room all day without leaving the house. The old man was unwilling to let Zhiqiu go to find him. It was just that occasionally the middle-aged Confucian scholar would come out to breathe, so Zhiqiu would meet him.

The old shopkeeper held a ruler in one hand and a teapot in the other. Whenever he recited a magnificent poem, he would whisper a few words, moisten his voice, and then read it loudly. Zhiqiu only felt that the old shopkeeper was like a scholar at that time.

"Xiao Zhiqiu, what do you think I look like when I recite these poems?" The old shopkeeper took another sip of tea and said to Zhiqiu.

Zhiqiu didn't lie this time, and said from the bottom of his heart: "Like a big roc spread its wings and flying high, like a wild horse that has broken away from its reins, it is magnificent, just like a poet Cao when he was young."

After hearing this, the old shopkeeper laughed twice and was naturally very happy. He asked Zhiqiu again: "Oh? The first poet Cao on the Taoist list? He is not old now, so he must be much younger than me. How can I compare me with him?"

Zhiqiu smiled and replied, "Shopkeeper, Poet Cao is the first in the Taoist list now. He is omnipotent in flying and hiding the earth. If I compare you with him, you will definitely take advantage. Anyway, I will praise you no matter what!"

The shopkeeper drank the pot of tea in one go without saying a word. Then he raised the empty teapot and signaled to Zhiqiu. The latter understood it and took the teapot to collect water in the bookstore.

Is this generation of scholars a poet Cao? Just that drunkard? Well, the young men are ignorant and have never seen them, but even if they have seen them, they can still coax the young men with their ability.

He closed his eyes, as if he was recalling a past event.

"Hey, old man, let's drink another one before leaving? Maybe next time we meet, we will be in the underworld and the other in the living. How can we drink it then?"

"This is simple. Fill your treasure gourd with Kunlun Cup. When I die, you will take it up and pour it on my grave. If I don't even have a grave, you will pour two drops on the ground after hearing the news of my death."

"Oh? Why are you so sure you're going to die in front of me?"

"You don't know how to tell fortunes?"

.........

Zhiqiu came over quickly with the teapot. He watched the old man lying on the chair with his eyes closed, as if he was asleep. He was secretly happy and tiptoed away.

He looked at the weather today and felt that the sun was shining, so he jumped on the street and walked around. Zhiqiu suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen the boy with a red mark on his face for a long time. He was the fourth family in Yushui Street and had a good relationship with Zhiqiu. Although... he seemed to often bring people to "visit" him, but they were all small fuss.

Sometimes friendship between men is really aroused.

I don’t know when Zhiqiu took out two candied haws from his arms, one with his left and right hands, one with his left and right, and soon arrived at Yushui Street. He walked to the door of the fourth house and found that the couplet he posted was on the ground. Zhiqiu muttered why no one cared about it, and then went back to his house to pick up the paste and prepare to stick it on. When he came home to take the paste up, he saw the red branded boy who had not seen for a long time.

The boy was obviously very excited when he looked at Zhiqiu. He shouted: "Oh! Brother Qiu, long time no see! Why have you lost weight?" After Zhiqiu saw it, the smile on his face was clearly visible. He also put the paste in his hand on the ground, preparing to go over and give the imprinted boy a warm hug.

But the imprinted boy obviously had no tacit understanding. When he saw Zhiqiu spread his hands and came over, he was stunned for a moment, without any response, and then smiled and said, "Oh, Brother Qiu, haven't seen him in just a few months? When did he become so pretentious?"

Zhiqiu put his hand down awkwardly and said, "I haven't seen you for so long. I thought you were deceived by a girl. Aunt Hong, I didn't see you. Where have you been during this period?"

The young man in the brand was not willing to be outdone and laughed: "Anyway, it's not enough to be deceived by Miss Yun."

Zhiqiu rolled his eyes to the boy, saying that he really didn't mention which pot he opened.

"Seriously speaking, my mother and I went to Huizhou during this period." The young man insignificantly said suddenly.

Zhiqiu said casually: "Why are you moving?"

The imprinted boy squatted down to pick up the paste, and replied softly: "Maybe it is."

Zhiqiu suddenly restrained his laughing expression and said seriously: "Because of the imprint on your face?"

"Yes, not, the reason is a bit complicated."

Zhiqiu stopped asking questions, but he was in a bad mood. After a while, he patted the boy on the shoulder of the imprinted boy and said, "Take good care anyway. As you said, we are not pretentious. Besides, haven't you left yet?"

The boy nodded and stuck the couplets on the wall with paste.

The young man insignificant turned around and saw Zhiqiu wanting to leave, so he said, "Don't you go in and have a drink?" Zhiqiu waved his hand and said no, and then returned home.

The young man whose real name was Xu Jing sighed and when he entered the house, he knew Zhiqiu was a little angry.

Brother Qiu, some things are really not something we can control.

Zhiqiu also sighed when she turned around and left. After three years of being together, he and Xi Anan had never laughed at him coldly on Yushui Street. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and meeting was a happy event, but they never thought that they would leave again after meeting him.

The boy didn't know the taste of sorrow, but he knew that Qiu felt something in his heart. When he left the capital and came to Gusuzhou, he felt sorrow for the first time. The second time was when the wind blew that night, he looked at the moon and remembered Miss Yun. The third time was today when Xu Jing and Aunt Hong were moving.

Maybe there will be a fourth, fifth, many, many times in the future.

Zhiqiu lay on the roof and looked into the distance. He realized that he seemed to have grown up.

Not far away, a simple woman saw the scene and didn't say anything. It was not until Zhiqiu left that she entered the house and saw the young man in a daze, so she whispered: "Why don't you just say it's related to him?"

The boy shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Mom, how can this be done in the world?"

The woman looked at him and shook her head. "But you will not be happy in this way."

The boy touched his red mark again, showing an extremely bright smile.

"But in this way, he will at least be less unhappy."

The woman waved her hand and gently tapped the boy's head, and whispered: "Silly, but you will be more unhappy."

Xu Jing lay gently in the woman's arms and muttered, "What's wrong with that?"

Some things are best to be unclear.

The woman said nothing, but looked down at her son.
Chapter completed!