Rise From the Humble

  Chapter 127 Qinhuai Riverside

  Ying Tian was really generous, when Zhu Ping woke up in the morning, he found that the rain outside the window had stopped, and the eastern sky was reddish, as if the sun was about to rise.

  Today's morning is extremely precious. It has been rainy for nearly a month, and today is finally about to clear up.

Zhu Pingan got dressed, washed a little, put the linen, bamboo tubes, copybooks, writing brushes for practicing calligraphy, and a volume of books he just copied at home some time ago into his schoolbag, carried his schoolbag across his shoulders, and left with a black board door.

Zhu Ping'an was not the only student in the early days. There were also several students who didn't know each other. The acceptable kind. Seeing Zhu Pingan going out with a strange cloth bag and black wooden board slung across his shoulders, he looked slightly sideways, a little surprised. Zhu Pingan greeted with a smile. These students and scholars were slightly surprised, and they all nodded in response.

The overall feeling of the hospital examination is a higher level, and the overall quality of candidates is also higher than that required by the county and government examinations. It is not as mixed as the previous two. At least there are two brushes.

  Out of the inn, Zhu Ping'an walked all the way to the Qinhuai River. Yesterday evening, I didn't realize that, but standing on the bank of the Qinhuai River today, I was shocked by the prosperity of the Qinhuai River for ten miles. Ten steps to the first floor, five steps to one pavilion, row upon row, full of tourists, beautiful.

  In recent months, it has been cloudy and rainy, and it is rare that the sky is sunny, and the other side is also bustling.

  On the other side of the river, there are girls chasing and playing with their skirts, some girls singing slowly in Wu language while washing, and some aggressive girls who scold the sons on the boat after being molested, but they are more free than ordinary daughters.

   "The beautiful land in the south of the Yangtze River, the emperor state of Jinling", I can't be deceived.

Zhu Pingan found a relatively secluded river bank, wiped the bluestone board with the torn sackcloth in his schoolbag, then sat down on his own, took out copybooks and other things, and placed the black wooden board on a high stone step. He leaned over and filled a bamboo tube with Qinhuai water, read the copybook for a while, then rolled up his sleeves, and started to practice calligraphy with his wrists hanging.

When Zhu Pingan was practicing calligraphy, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl with a ponytail came across the river. She looked pretty and was dressed neatly. On the other side of the river, Zhu Pingan dipped in the river water and practiced calligraphy on a black wooden board.

  The girl stared at Zhu Pingan who was practicing calligraphy, giggled, turned her head and stretched out her small hands and called out, "Sister, come and see, there is a half-university student on the other side of the river dipping in the river water to practice calligraphy."

  Hearing the sound came an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl with light gauze, Tingting walked up to the girl, looked at Zhu Ping'an, and couldn't help giggling.

"Hey, that poor scholar, look over here, look over here quickly, giggling, why are you using our footwashing water to practice calligraphy?" The older girl in light gauze made a trumpet shape with her hands, and shouted at Zhu Pingan, Then he giggled and laughed.

  Looks like I won't be able to come here to practice calligraphy in the future, so I'll find another place tomorrow.

  Hearing this, Zhu Pingan stopped writing, glanced at the other side of the river, then lowered his head and continued to practice calligraphy.

   "Well, you scholar, have you read into the stomach of a dog? You are so rude. My sister is talking to you." The younger girl defended her sister, pointing at Zhu Ping'an with her slender little finger.

  Zhu Pingan ignored it and continued to practice his calligraphy.

   "Hey, that scholar, are you deaf or dumb?" The older girl with light gauze asked with a smile, "What's the matter with not speaking?"

   "Believe it or not, I'll go across the river to have a theory with you." The older veiled girl still ignored Zhu Ping'an, and added with a smile.

   "Yes, that is, cross the river." The younger girl also giggled and echoed.

   "Don't see wrong, don't hear wrong, don't speak wrong, don't move wrong." Zhu Pingan shook his head and said lightly.

  The two girls, one big and one small, on the opposite bank heard the words, giggling non-stop.

   "Yo, still a sour scholar."

   "My teeth are so sour, giggling."

After laughing, the older girl pursed her lips at Zhu Pingan with a charming smile, "Hey, that sour scholar, why don't you come to my room today and give me a lecture, I'll play the flute with you Ah, you can also watch mandarin ducks by the window.”

   "I still have me, I can also play the flute, and my sister and I will listen to your lecture together." The younger girl also giggled at Zhu Ping'an.

The Qinhuai River is full of wind and moon. It is not a good place to practice calligraphy. Zhu Pingan put away the brushes and black wooden boards, put the copybooks and other things in his schoolbag, and rushed to the other side of the river. The two smiling girls casually cupped their hands and left the Qinhuai River .

   "Hey, don't leave, that half-grown scholar, come and play with us."

  The two girls behind him smiled coquettishly.

  Gentle and beautiful, it's no wonder so many scholars sink into it and forget their grand ambitions in life.

  The ten miles of Qinhuai River are full of gold, powder and jade buildings. Zhu Pingan left the Qinhuai River with his schoolbag on his shoulders and a black wooden board, away from the Qinhuai River, and walked slowly in other directions.

   Not far away, he saw a remote forest. Zhu Pingan walked into it with his schoolbag slung across his shoulders, sat down on a stone, took out the book he had copied a few days ago, and quietly read it.

  When the sun rose to mid-air, Zhu Ping'an packed his things again, and walked towards the inn with his schoolbag on his shoulders and the black wooden board in his arms.

   There are many kinds of snacks in Yingtian, especially in the Qinhuai District of Confucius Temple where Zhu Ping'an is now, where you can find snacks everywhere, but the delicious and cheap ones are the pot stickers that can be seen everywhere along the street.

  Zhu Pingan ordered a big meat pot stickers, and under the persuasion of the boss, he ordered another duck blood vermicelli soup, and ate it beautifully at the table facing the street.

  After the big meat pot was posted, Zhu Pingan took a bite while it was still hot. Maybe the bite was too big, and the juice flowed down his fingers.

"Hahaha, it's the first time for you to come to Yingtian." An old man next to him said with a smile, and then told Zhu Pingan with a potsticker between his chopsticks, "Eating Yingtian's potstickers is like eating soup dumplings. The first If you bite too big, the juice will leak; if you bite too hard, the juice will squirt; if you bite too small, it won't hide!"

   "Oh, thank you for your teaching." Zhu Pingan ignored the scorching mouth, and took another bite of the pot stickers as the old man taught.

   Pot stickers are a bit like dumplings, and there is not much more in one serving. Zhu Pingan soon ate only two.

   "Trouble store, give me another potsticker." Zhu Pingan shouted loudly.

   "Okay, young master, wait a moment." The shopkeeper said with a smile, "Your custodian has eaten this time, and come to eat the second time."

  Before the second set of pot stickers came up, a complaint was heard.

   "Oh, Brother Zhu didn't even call me when he found out this delicious food."

  Zhu Ping'an turned around and saw the fat man Xue Chi running up, still with the temperament of a nouveau riche, with a big golden lock on his neck and two big fingers dangling on his fingers.

  (end of this chapter)