continuation [farming]

Li Mu was tossed by Li Yun and Qin Fan next door so that he couldn't sleep well, and finally fell asleep, but was quarreled by firecrackers early the next morning.When Li Mu went out, he took a special look at the room next to him, but saw that it was already empty.He shook his head, and after going downstairs to settle the bill, he decided that the Zhang family should get up, and before he left Raonan Town, he should go and see Xia He first.

Zhang Shixi and Lan Niang didn't know that Xia He had slipped out to play for a long time last night, but they were just wondering why their youngest son, who always got up early, slept in late today.Lan Niang was still a little worried, Xia He must be sick, right?Pushing open the door to take a look, but saw that he was sleeping soundly, still snoring, so he had no choice but to let him go.

Anyway, the first month has not yet come out, which is the time when people can have the most leisure every year.

While busy with breakfast, Li Mu arrived.

Zhang Xiyi opened the door and saw that it was his second son-in-law. It was a bit strange, but he still welcomed him in and asked, "Why did you come here? It's so early in the morning..."

Li Mu wanted to bring some things, pretending to be visiting his father-in-law, but it was only the [-]th day of the first lunar month, and it was still early, and the shops hadn't opened yet, so even if he wanted to buy, he couldn't buy anything.I had no choice but to take out a book, and the excuse was: "Xia He mentioned this on the third day of junior high school. I have free time today, so I will send it to him."

Zhang Shixi became more and more suspicious. Xia He would actually be willing to read a book on such a day?After taking a glance, he found that what Li Mu took out was just a chat book to pass the time, so he could only snort coldly, thinking that Xia He was only promising like this, why the second uncle still spoiled him so much.

"Xia He is still sleeping, and the sun is already high." Zhang Shiyi raised his voice, but he yelled at Xia He's house.

Xia He didn't realize it at all, and was still sleeping soundly.

Li Mu smiled and said, "Father-in-law, let me go and have a look."

"Go, go." Zhang Shixi waved his hand.

Before Li Mu knew that Xia He was a boy, Zhang Shishi and Lan Niang were afraid that he would know this, and they always tried to separate them when they saw their intimate behavior.Now they are not afraid anymore, Zhang Shiyi is still counting on Xia He to learn from Li Mu, not to mention whether he can win the first prize, at least he must be able to get a first-class exam, let's enter the palace exam.

Only in this way can we meet Jin Sheng.

Zhang Shiyi never gave up on rehabilitating his family.Although Mrs. Li had repeatedly promised that Li Mu would do it, in the bottom of Zhang Shixi's heart, this was ultimately his own business.At the beginning, my father and brothers rescued the old man of the Li family, and it was not for the sake of repaying a kindness.If Li Mu had taken all the grudges of the Zhang family, Zhang Shixi felt that he owed them the Li family instead.

What he hoped Li Mu could do was to teach Xia He to improve himself.

However, Zhang Shiyi didn't notice that he, the second son-in-law, had dirty thoughts of being invisible to others in his heart, and was coveting his youngest son, so he couldn't bear to ask Xia He to take risks.Li Mu was happy to see Xia He's lack of progress, only in this way, Xia He could be a commoner and spend this life in peace.

Li Mu carefully pushed open Xia He's door.Early mornings in midwinter are the coldest, and the sun has only just risen, and has not yet brought enough warmth to the world.Although the Zhang family had carbon, they were not willing to use it, and the charcoal basin in front of Xia He had already been extinguished.There was only some warmth in the room, and the door that was pushed open by Lan Niang this morning was pushed open by Li Mu again this time, and the warmth that was finally preserved has almost dissipated.

Li Mu quickly closed the door, sat on Xia He's bed, waited for a while, seeing that Xia He was sleeping soundly, he carefully put his hand into Xia He's bed.

Xia He shivered and woke up suddenly from the cold. When she opened her eyes, she saw Li Mu.

"Brother Mu..." Xia He stretched out a hand with difficulty, rubbed his eyes, and muttered, "Why are you here... Who did you learn from?"

"Follow you." Li Mu smiled.

Xia He patted Li Mu's cold hands away, and lay back under the covers for a while.Li Mu didn't rush, just looked at him quietly.Until Lanniang's meal was ready, she shouted, "Second Young Master, Xia He, are you still dawdling?"

Smelling the aroma, Xia He reluctantly got up, wrapped her clothes around her body, and said to Li Mu: "Brother Mu, the polenta made by my mother is delicious, you haven't tasted it yet, have you?" Throwing the winter clothes outside the bed all night, it was already freezing cold, Xia He closed her eyes and forced herself to put the clothes on her body, shivering.

The thing called "corn" was finally planted by Anle Village, but the crop two years ago was all taken away by the county government servants. The leader had a complicated expression, but he knew everything Did not say.Fortunately, Xia He left a piece in the courtyard of the Li family, and no outsiders saw it. After Xia He left, Aunt Lin looked after her.

This thing is hard to hide, and there are quite a few in the small courtyard of the Zhang family at this time.Xia He and Lan Niang thought about it for a long time, but they came up with several ways to eat it. They just imitated the other grains, boiled the fresh ones directly, and grated the corn kernels and cooked porridge for the dry ones.

Aunt Lin has nothing to do with this thing called corn, and she is worried about whether the stuff she got from the barbarian is good or not, so the Li family doesn't make it. Home.But porridge is mostly cooked in the morning, Li Mu has never been here early in the morning, and this is really the first time to drink polenta.

The aroma of crushed corn is stronger, just smelling it, Li Mu feels quite hungry.Xia He diligently picked up a lot of pickles that Lan Niang made for him, and Li Mu ate a lot this meal.

Suddenly, Zhang Shiyi remembered something and asked, "Uncle, is it time for you to go to the township test this year?"

"Exactly." Li Mu put down the bowl and chopsticks, nodded and said yes, "Mr. Ling said that I can go to the end of the year. I will leave for the state capital in March, and I will be back in June. If I am lucky enough to pass the exam, I will You have to study in the state capital for two years."

"Sigh." Seeing that Li Mu is only two years older than Xia He, and will soon be the master of Juren, Zhang Shiyi glared at Xia He bitterly, and said, "I don't know when this guy Can get a scholar back!"

Li Mu said politely: "Xia He is talented and smart..."

When Li Mu opened his mouth, Xia He quickly dropped the chopsticks in his hand and swallowed the porridge vigorously.Polenta is delicious, but there is only one shortcoming. It is extremely hot. Xia He drank so hard that his tongue was a little numb. He opened his mouth and panted for breath. He fanned Li Mu twice with one hand before interrupting Li Mu: "Brother Mu, let me go to the state capital with you, okay?"

"Just know how to play!" Zhang Shiyi glared at Xia He again.

Xia He grinned and flattered Zhang Shixi, but said in his heart that he didn't care much about playing, but the consequences he left behind were definitely forced to study hard by Zhang Shiyi who envied Li Mu. Just slip out and forget it.Anyway, he planned to wait until he could recover his male body and it would be easier for him to walk, so he wanted to look around and see what the soil in the other places looked like.

Although the state capital is probably Raonan Town, which is much larger, there may not be many farmers... But there is no way, who told him that he has never traveled far, and if he wants to travel alone, I am afraid that his family will not agree. Get along with Li Mucai first.

Lan Niang worried: "Xia He ran so far, what if something goes wrong and gets caught, what should I do?" Not long after Taoist Ziji left a letter telling them to be careful, officials came to find 15 A family surnamed Zhang who fled from Dangyang to Raonan Town years ago.Zhang Shiyi's family did live in Dangyang back then. Fortunately, Zhang Shixi was more considerate when he registered in Anle Village, and reported the name of a place next to him. Otherwise, his family would have been imprisoned two years ago.

Another fulfillment of Taoist Ziji made Lan Niang believe in him more and more, so she wished to tie Xia He to her waistband. Even Zhang Shixi said that she would send him to the academy, she was worried There are so many people, and they are reluctant to let them go, how can Li Mu take Xia He to the state capital.

Seeing that her parents were looking at her with disapproving looks, Xia He had no choice but to bury her head in the bowl, pretending not to see it.He sighed secretly, why is it so difficult to avoid reading.

Fortunately, Li Mu also said a few good words to him, saying: "It is said that it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books. If Xia He is willing to go out and have a look, it will also benefit his studies."

"He has also attained the realm where he needs to travel thousands of miles. Now he can memorize a few books memorized by little dolls. I am thankful!" Zhang Shiyi sighed again.

Li Mu had no choice but to whisper to Xia He, "I can't help you anymore."

Xia He wanted to lower his voice and reply, but seeing Lan Niang and Zhang Shiyi still staring at him with hatred, he had no choice but to stretch his hand under the table and wrote on Li Mu's thigh: " Learn from last night and sneak away."

Pointing his fingertips on his thighs, despite the thick clothes, Li Mu still felt that Xia He was tickling his heart.Enduring the itching, he took a while to recognize those words, shook his head, and simply wrote back on Xia He's lap: "Father-in-law will be worried."

"You can leave a book."

"Mother-in-law will cry." Li Mu wrote again.

Xia He has nothing to do, even if he doesn't like reading anymore, he can't just run out and ask Lan Niang to wipe away tears at home.

But seeing Xia He's disappointed face, Li Mu's heart ached.He thought for a while, and asked Zhang Shixi: "After all, Xia He already wants it, so we can't keep him trapped here in Raonan Town."

"... Alas!" Speaking of this, Zhang Shiyi could only sigh.

After a long time, he finally said: "Today is the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and there are still two and a half months before March. Xia He, you have spent the past two and a half months reading books at home honestly, and I agree with you to go to the state capital— —Even if you go to the state capital, don’t just focus on having fun! Learn from your second brother-in-law, and ask other scholars for advice!”