After the family fell, I wanted to lie down

The door of the mixed living quarters made a click. It was the sound of a door being pushed open. Yingge's eyes, which had been closed, opened immediately. She turned around and gently got out of bed. Through the crack in the door, she saw Xue carrying a bundle of firewood and a basket of fresh vegetables.

This woman was not going to disguise herself, saying she was out to chop wood, and she also bought some vegetables. This was not a disguise at all. The grass on her shoes, the dew on her body, her hair messy from the rush, and the fallen leaves that did not belong to the mixed courtyard...

Everything indicated that she had been out last night.

Xue was indeed an ordinary woman, but even so, an ordinary woman would not go out in the middle of the night and stay out for so long before coming back.

There were faint noises in the mixed courtyard. The door opened and closed, and then opened and closed again. The sky became brighter and brighter from its dim state. Xiao Taohong also got up to work. Yingge lifted the curtain on the bed, stretched herself lazily, and walked out.

"Mom, you got up so early."

"Ge'er, you're awake. Go wash up first. The meal will be ready soon. You can eat after washing your hands."

After breakfast, Yingge packed her lunch as usual, put it in a bamboo basket and carried the basket to the street she often walked on. She saw the ringing sounds of the iron shop that was busy every day, the aunt who sold fish, and passed the guards at the city gate and came to Xiaolin Hall.

Zhixing kept saying, "I won't get up, I won't get up, I'm just going to sleep in today, how can a teacher have to listen to students' nagging every day."

In fact, Zhixing knew it as early as when Yingge was still at the foot of the mountain. People who practice martial arts have sharp ears and eyes, so how could he not know it?

But today he miscalculated. He waited in the dormitory for a long time but Yingge didn't come to call him to class. He had no choice but to go out and check the situation.

Zhixing casually put on a coat and walked to the school next door. He saw Yingge was even more tired than him and just took a straw mat and lay on the ground.

"Hey, this school is mine, right? You're here for class today, right?"

"What are you doing now?"

"Don't make any noise, let me get some sleep."

Zhixing was on the verge of exploding: "There has never been a student in history who would tell her teacher so casually that she wants to sleep in the classroom. Hurry up and get up. If you want to sleep, go home and sleep."

Yingge stroked the straw mat that had been rolled up but not yet flat: "How can I rest at home? Filial piety is the most important virtue. Resting at home will make my mother worry..."

"Hey, you're resting here, aren't you worried that I'll blame you? What about your respect for your teacher?"

"Sir, you were sleeping when I came. Fortunately, we all rested together."

"You went out to steal last night, come here and rest." There was a flash of light in Zhixing's eyes when he asked this question, so fast that Yingge thought it was an illusion.

"I didn't do anything. Maybe I was just too excited these days."

"Aren't you commonly known as a deity? How can a deity get excited? Wenquxing?"

"Sir, don't you know what self-mockery is?"

"Oh, you're still making fun of yourself?"

"Sir, do you want Xiaolintang to be popular? If I become famous, will you be happy?"

"What do you mean by popular and famous?"

Zhixing squatted down and looked at Yingge.

"Hey, you fell asleep pretty quickly. You really fell asleep. Do you feel safe here?"

"Is this child strange?"

Yingge turned over, closed her eyes and murmured, "You are weird too. You all have secrets."

This time she really fell asleep.

--------

"What have you been doing these days?"

"Well, sir, don't you care about what your students have done these days?"

"My students, huh, I heard that today all of Mr. Zichun's students were doing this and that. I heard that they wrote poems and won a football match."

"Why, sir, have you finally heard it? Am I going to be famous?" This was the second time Zhixing heard her say that she was famous.

"What does red mean?"

After everyone woke up, Xiaolin Hall returned to its former bustle.

"Being famous means everyone knows me and wants to know Xiaolintang."

"Is that what you wish, sir?"

"You can write, you can talk, but you can't stop your hands, you can't be lazy."

"Can I do two things at once? Like those heroes in Jin Yong's martial arts novels, such as Zhou Botong, Ouyang Xiu, Guo Jing and Huang Rong, and yes, Xiao Longnu..."

"Who are these you are talking about, and where did you get them from?"

"Oh, sir, is it a metaphor? Do you understand metaphors?"

"Um, by the way, sir, do you want Xiaolintang to become famous?"

"And become famous... I think I'd better forget it. I feel a little embarrassed..."

"No, sir, you feel ashamed, but you are not talking about me, are you?"

"Well, it seems you have some self-awareness."

"That's right, we belong to each other!"

Zhixing had a tense face and said, "I see, you still say you are the god of literature, but judging by the speed at which you are causing trouble, you are nothing more than a broom for sweeping the floor."

"You have made a lot of enemies these days. As the saying goes, if you walk by the river, you will get your feet wet. Even horses can stumble. Next time you offend someone, remember to report Mr. Zichun's name. He has offended a lot of people anyway. If you two are a pair, he has too many enemies to worry about."

"Is that so? Okay, let's do it this way. Sir, you are really smart."

"Same here, you're smart too."

"Old naughty boy, humph."

----

Mr. Zichun from Qinghe College was correcting students' homework when he suddenly sneezed a few times without realizing it.

The servant boy immediately stepped forward and asked, "Master, have you caught a cold?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Shang Zichun smiled.

Mr. Zichun seems to be in much better shape than before. Was it because of the praise from the prefect yesterday or because he read his students' essays and found some good ones that made him happy?

"Sir, it must be fun to teach good students!"

"Are you very happy? Maybe!" Shang Zichun looked at the thick stack of articles in his hand. His expression seemed happy but also complicated.

Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind: "The only thing to do is to teach wholeheartedly!"

The sunlight slanted and shone on Liu Abao's room in the Liu Mansion. She slapped the table beside her, making it sound loudly.

"No, I must go and tell him clearly."

"This young lady is angry again. When she gets angry, she will hit people."

A maid standing outside the door saw that something was wrong and ran out immediately. "I'm going to find the lady, you watch first."

The other maids wanted to run faster, and the braver ones asked quietly outside the door: "Miss, Master Yingge is still in school."

"I don't understand. I'm going to go find him."

"Miss, this is not possible. The master and the mistress have clearly told us that you can no longer go to Master Yingge at will."

The maid who was bolder earlier said again, "Miss, she hasn't come back yet."

"I don't care. I'll go to the martial arts field and wait for her." Liu Abao said as he opened the door of the room.

The maids all stepped back when they saw her leaving. "Hey, Miss, you didn't bring any weapons or whip with you this time..."

"Well, she definitely won't come if I ask her to. I'll go wait for her then. I want to take a good look."

The maids and servant girls around her tried to comfort her, "Miss, the weather is getting hotter and hotter. Let's not go to look for her. Be careful not to get sunburned."

"Miss, if you have any instructions, please tell the maid and we will pass on the message for you."

No matter what the maids around tried to persuade Liu Abao, she ran to the martial arts training ground without stopping.

"Miss, you didn't bring any weapons. Will this be resolved peacefully?"

"What are you thinking about? Is the training ground still short of weapons?"

"That's true..."

Liu Abao hadn't waited for Yingge to come back, but when Yingge entered the mixed living quarters, she was stopped by housekeeper Zhang. He looked at Yingge, who was carrying a lunch basket, with a half-smile. "The master asked you to come over. You just got out of school."

Even if Yingge didn't go, she could roughly guess why. Even if she didn't go to study with Mr. Zichun, she also went to Zhixing, and studying there was not the same as studying.

Manager Zhang thought to himself, this child is a habitual liar. He remained calm even when facing what was about to happen. His previous cowardice was probably just a disguise. Now he finally stops pretending. This mother and son are really not easy to deal with.

Master Liu was in the hall. There was no servant accompanying him. He was the only one sitting there with a gloomy face, not saying a word.

Yingge put down the bamboo basket, stepped forward and bowed.

"Tell me, why do you pretend to go to school every day when you clearly don't go to school?"

This sentence is a bit difficult to understand, Yingge thought, but now is not the time to talk about it.

"Uncle, please calm down and listen to Yingge's detailed explanation."

"Tell me, if you don't give me a convincing reason today, I will punish you by making you copy the book ten times."

Butler Zhang, who was waiting on the side, was a little confused. What kind of punishment was this to copy a book ten times? Was it serious?

"You asked me to calm down, but how could I calm down? I risked my reputation to help you with your connections. You said you wanted to study, but in the end, not only did you not go, you also learned to lie. You really brought shame to me. It was a disgrace."

"No, uncle, it's not me who is embarrassed, but Mr. Zichun. When choosing students, it was not him who chose me, but I did not choose him!"

Liu Wenru got even angrier when he heard her say that: "When did you learn to brag? If you don't learn from him, how can you take the imperial examination in the future? I'm afraid you are lying again."

"Mr. Zichun is not the only one in the world who can teach a top scholar."

When did this child become so eloquent? How should I respond to her next?

Liu Wenru strategically stroked his beard with his hand and pondered for a moment before saying, "You said you wanted to study, and I provided you with that. Now that you are in this state, what can you do? You can't say that I didn't provide you with education in the future."

"Yingge understands. Uncle's cultivation of Yingge will be unforgettable to Yingge."

"Now that things are like this, don't let me lose face and ask Mr. Zichun to accept you."

"Uncle Liu, thank you for your concern. I will find a famous teacher on my own. I will be responsible for my studies. I still need your help."

This so-called help is just some rice, grain and money provided for schooling.

Liu Wenru laughed and said, "Of course. Although I come from a military background, I also know what the literati said: 'A gentleman's word is as good as gold, right?' You just read your books and I will do what I should do."

"Then Yingge would like to thank uncle for his generosity again."

Master Liu waved his hand and asked her to leave. He sat alone on a chair in the hall. This was not okay. He couldn't handle this child anymore. He was afraid that in the future...

Yingge was not surprised at all that Liu Wenru knew this, but what was strange was why he only found out about it now. It was clearly he who arranged for him to study with Mr. Zichun from the beginning, but now it seemed as if he deliberately did not ask and did not contact Mr. Zichun.

This is a bit strange!

"Yingge, you're finally back." There was a group of people surrounding Liu Abao, including maids and old women. The people around her were a little timid and waved at Yingge, wanting her to go back.

"Master Yingge, please leave!"

"Oh, fighting, huh? Who's afraid of who in a fight?"

Liu Abao had not arrived yet, but Liu Ziheng, leaning on a crutch, and his little cousin arrived first.

"Haha, haha, Yingge, you've been telling lies one after another. You can't hide it from us anymore. If I hadn't covered it up for you, how could you have kept it a secret for so long?"

"Oh, it's you. I was wondering why your uncle only knew about such a simple thing now."

"Thank you so much. Su Qinghe, Su Qingyu, and Young Master Chen... a series of things."

Yingge's eyes swept over Liu Ziheng and his cousin one by one.

"I didn't say that, don't look at me." Liu Ziheng said.

"Don't look at me, I didn't say anything!"

"Stop talking, I have something to ask."

"Yingge, can you write poetry?"

Is there a viewing platform for the river channel? Liu Abao was there at the time. "Not really."

Liu Ziheng, who was standing nearby, was completely confused. "Writing poetry, Yingge? Her?"

Liu Abao spoke eloquently and exaggeratedly as he recounted what happened on the Dragon Boat Festival.

"It is said that the poem she wrote that day was ranked in the top ten!"

"Top ten, her?"

"Yes, so don't hit her. If you hurt her, she won't be able to write poetry."

"Even if you want to fight, you have to ask me first."

"Tell me, how can you write poetry? Did you plagiarize it?"

"How did you get it?"

Yingge held his forehead helplessly, what a bunch of naughty kids.

"I have already answered the question you asked. I don't have much time to give you. It's okay to talk nonsense."

After saying this, Yingge suddenly stepped forward and said, "You can talk, but I'll pay you!"

"You actually swore, bah, you don't deserve to be a descendant of a noble family."

"I'm not from a noble family."

"Give me money, if not please move aside, I'm going to practice martial arts."

"Hmph, don't be too proud. I'll find out."

"Baoer!" It was the maid who ran away earlier who called Madam Liu over.

"Bao'er, you're making trouble again. Didn't I tell you not to come here all the time? You're not a child anymore. As the saying goes, boys and girls should not sit at the same table when they are seven years old. If this gets out, you'll be laughed at."

Yingge bowed to Mrs. Liu.

Mrs. Liu took Liu Abao to her yard, and comforted her as they walked.

"Master Yingge, when Madam Liu came just now, she said that your mother was calling you to go back for dinner, so you should go back first."

After Mrs. Liu and Liu Abao walked away, Yingge stepped forward and came in front of Liu Ziheng.

"You, you, what are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything. I'm just talking to you. I'm not going to hit you. Why are you so scared?"

"I didn't hit anyone. I guess you're fighting back because your lies were exposed."

"You think too much. I don't have such plans. I still remember our agreed date. Let's talk about it later."

"And I didn't say that if I didn't study with Mr. Zichun, I would have no books to read. Otherwise, how could I have written the Dragon Boat Festival race song?"

"You, you, you just lie."

"Why would you do that if I lied to you? I didn't lie!"

"Okay, do you have anything else to say? If not, please leave first. I have to practice martial arts. Don't forget our agreement."

The few naughty kids who were always causing trouble finally left. Yingge has been practicing martial arts with his master for some time. Today, he was doing horse stance and practicing strength and intensity as usual.

After the martial arts training, Yingge and her friends went to the mixed courtyard. Xiao Taohong was like a vigilant police dog guarding the house. Xue was also busy in the yard. When Yingge walked into the yard, Xiao Taohong slammed the door shut.