Chapter 28
Without hearing reaction from him, the little butterball introduced himself, “My name is Mao Badou, which means talent and richness.”

Xue Tingxiang couldn’t bear laughing, and asked, “Your family is rich?” If not, why did you reiterate that during introducing your name. Mao Badou scratched his head a little embarrassingly and said, “My family doesn’t have much money, but just manages a small grocery store. My grandfather gave me this name. He said it when he met everyone.

It turned out to be the original reason of family.

Xue Tingxiang couldn’t help but smile, and said: “My name is Xue Tingxiang.”

“This name is rather chatty. By the way, where are you from?”

“I am from Yuqing Village in the Huyang Township.”

The two were talking, and another person walked in.

This person is quite tall, but has a honest face, and looks like he is also a person from a village in the Huyang Township. Sure enough, after the introduction of the little butterball, Xue Tingxiang knew that this person is called Li Datian, and his grandfather is chieftain of Dawang Village.

Mao Badou and Li Datian have been studying here for two years. This year is the third year. The two lived in this room last year, so they have known each other for a long time.

Because Mao Badou was such a chatter, Xue Tingxiang and the others could not help but say a few more words to each other. While the three were chatting, the last person in the house also arrived.

He is a thin, gloomy and silent teenager. It looks like the family situation is not good. The clothes are patched, the shoes on the feet are also broken, and he didn’t talk to people when he came. He just put the baggage to the position near the door and made the bed with his heads down.”

Tingxiang, you are new here, I will take you around,” Mao Badou said enthusiastically.

Xue Tingxiang did not refuse, and the three of them went out the gate of the dormitory together.

This dormitory is located at the left rear of the school, and the shooting nursery is in front of it. The shooting nursery is a place where you can practice shooting. There were the classical six arts of gentleman in ancient times: ritual, music, archery, horse-riding, calligraphy, and mathematics.

In the former dynasty, the imperial examination system was gradually improved, and the standard of selecting officials was eight-part essay, which made the classical six arts was gradually abandoned. Ritual, music, archery, horse-riding, calligraphy, and mathematics were not the standards of a man of honour, which was equal to a scholar, but became something about hanging on to the lips of men of letters.

Although the shooting nursery is standard for school in counties, provinces, cities and even the Directorate of Imperial Academy, so many schools and academies have followed suit, but it is just a decoration. In Qingyuan School, it is the place for students to have fun.

Shooting nursery is not big, about half an acre, but it has a lot of vegetation. At this time, when everything is recovering, there is a thriving green everywhere.

They followed the path to shooting nursery, seeing there was no one nearby. Mao Badou whispered to Xue Tingxiang, “Chen Jian is a trouble. You’d better talk to him less.”

From these words, it is more than the fact. Is there any enmities between the two? But when Xue Tingxiang asked him, Mao Badou didn’t want to say more, even Li Datian, the honest boy was also secretive.

After talking with the two people, Xue Tingxiang can see that they are simple people. As for speaking malicious remarks of people behind their backs for no reason, they can’t do it. So does Chen Jian really have any secrets?

Because neither of them wanted to mention it, Xue Tingxiang naturally didn’t ask more, so he could only put things in his heart.

*

Today is the first day of new semester, but it is for students to settle down. After the saint is sacrificed in the morning, the teacher will begin the lesson

These are what Mao Badu told Xue Tingxiang. Not only that, he also told him a lot about the school.

For example, there are more than 30 students in the school, but only three of teachers, one of whom is the schoolmaster, so the teacher resources are lack.

These 30 students are divided into class A and class B. In fact, class A is belong to the outstanding students, and class B is for who fails in the entrance examination or the quarterly annual examination. For example, Xue Tingxiang is a freshman. Naturally, he is in class B. Li Datian and Mao Badou are also in class B, because they are not good at their studies.

“I had a stomachache in last year’s annual exam, so I failed and became a member of class B. If it’s not so unlucky for me, it would be so easy to get into class A and be taught by the schoolmaster,” Mao Badou said in a big way.

Li Datian scratched his head honestly, “Although my family has great expectations for me, I know my own ability. That is to say, I’ve been studying for several years and I’m going to return home to farm, and I’ll wait for my master’s place.” Li Datian is the only child on his family, so he would say that.

Chen Jian is also in class B. In the words of Mao Badou, he is of mediocre quality. However, Mao Badou’s words are personal, so Xue Tingxiang had a doubt in his heart.

But so far he has a general understanding of the whole Qingyuan School.

They strolled around the school and went back to the dormitory.

There are more than ten rooms in the dormitory, which are all in one yard. Today, they are busy settling down, so the rooms ares very noisy. But when the three returned to their dormitory, Chen Jian was reading.

His bunk is not good, next to the door and far from the window. Because of the noise outside, the door was closed, so the light was very dim, and nobody knows how he read.

Seeing they pushing door to come in, Chen Jian looked up at them, and continued to read again as if there was no one else present. Despite what Mao Badu said before, he was a diligent man, Xue Tingxiang thought in his heart.

Because there is leisure time, and there is an “The Misfits” in the room, the three are not suitable to talk and laugh again. Li Datian finds out the books to read, while Xue Tingxiang takes out half of the books he has copied.

Mao Badu went to Xue Tingxiang curiously to watch him copying. After a while, he felt bored and ran out of the house. According to Li Datian, Mao Badu is very popular in the school, and there are acquaintances in the whole dormitory.

It was very quiet in the dormitory. Suddenly, Mao Badou ran in from outside and said, “There is someone for you in the courtyard, Tingxiang.”

“What?” Xue Tingxiang was stunned.

Mao Badou shook the copper lock in his hand and said, “According to the managerial staff, it’s a girl.”

As he said it, he came up and said with a funny smile, “Tell me. Who is she? Your sister? Is she beautiful?”

Li Datian pulled him back in embarrassment, and said to Xue Tingxiang awkwardly, “Don’t pay attention to him, he just can’t learn to be serious. In fact, he doesn’t have a bad purpose.”

Xue Tingxiang naturally knew that. He took the copper lock and said to Mao Badou, “She is not my sister, but my wife.” Both of them were startled, even Chen Jian, who had been reading with his head down, couldn’t help but look over.

“How old are you? How could you have a wife?”

Mao Badou is not old , and he is only 15 years old, but he boasts that he looks old. But Xue Tingxiang is obviously young. He must be no more than 15 years old. How could he marry his wife?

Nowadays, although men and women get married early, they are usually 17-18 years old men and 15-6 years old women. It’s really a little early for the man to marry less than 15.

“We haven’t married yet. I’ll be married after fifteen.”

“Is she your fiancee? Your little wife is very kind to you. She runs so far to send you a lock. Does she want to lock you or your heart?”

After literacy, Mao Badou seems to have opened the door of a new world. He has been watching all kinds of erotic words and songs. In particular, the current popular books. The pocket money given by his father every month mostly is contributed to this.

However, Xue Tingxiang doesn’t know this yet. He only thinks that the little butterball is from the town. He has a lot of knowledge, so he has a glib tongue. Fortunately, he has another adventure. Otherwise, every young boy will be scared by the rambling remarks.

He pushed the fat face, tried the lock and turned to hang it on the cabinet. He said, “It’s not for the people or the heart, it’s just to lock the cabinet.”

Mao Badou stamped his feet and wrists, saying that he didn’t understand the fun and waste his expression.

Soon it is noon. It is time for lunch.

Hearing the gong ringing outside, Mao Badou, who had been lied on the bed since he came back, suddenly turned over and sat up. He almost turn over the inkstone on the desk of Xue Tingxiang.

Unconsciously, he took two big bowls from the cupboard and turned over to the floor.

“Come on, hurry up. We can only eat leftovers if we are late.”

Xue Tingxiang shook his head helplessly, tidies up the sundries on the desk, and turned out his bowl from the cupboard to the eat lunch. The three planned to go to the dining room for lunch, but Chen Jian didn’t move. It was not until the three of them went out that Xue Tingxiang could see his movements from the corner of his eyes.

*

The dining hall is located in a small courtyard next to the dormitory.

There are more than ten square tables and benches in the spacious room. At this time, there are already many students in the dining hall, wearing a student’s shirt a short brown. They are moving slowly forward in a long line.

Mao Badu stamped his feet and wrists, “It’s late again!”

The canteen is a unified food supply, where students bring their own rice from home to the school. The kitchen will issue a paper ticket with a seal on it to the students to provide food.

The amount on the ticket is 50g, according to the amount of grain. Before Xue Tingxiang came to the school to pay his fees and remuneration to teachers, he handed over 50 catties of grain to the kitchen and got a large number of meal tickets.

The meal ticket is not only for food, but also for simple vegetables, which are very cheap. Of course, there are also meat, which belongs to special stir-fried dish. Only when the students order it, the kitchen will cook it.

Now it is their turn. The two cauldrons of vegetables have already almost empty. One is braised Chinese cabbage, the other is braised wax gourd. Both dishes are white, and it seems that the cooking skill of the cook is not very good. Because they are white and greasy, which make people lose their appetite.

Mao Badou slapped and said, “Well, this dish looks really terrible. Fortunately, I’m still rich at this time. I’ll treat you two to special stir-fried dish.”

Then, before Xue Tingxiang and Li Datian replied, he took out a handful of meal tickets and counted a pile of them to the man in charge of the meal.

“Give me a stewed pork with pickled vegetables and sauteed pork with fresh beans. Both in large portions.”

Xue Tingxiang, after all, had just met each other, so he naturally wanted to be polite, but before he could say anything, he was stopped by Li Datian.

“You could regard it as doing a good deed. He can’t save these meal tickets for a few days. Instead of letting him spoil them, let’s help him. When he’s finished the last ten-day of a month, we’ll stand treat again.”

Xue Tingxiang blinked. Although he was confused, he didn’t say anything more.

In a short time, the special stir-fried dish was brought up. Two small pots were full. Even if all three of them were still developing, they would be enough to eat. One by one, they filled a bowl with rice and found an empty table to sit down.

The two dishes don’t look well, but they are very delicious. Mao Badou said as he ate, “Surprise? Actually, the chef in our kitchen is good at cooking, but the appearance of dishes are not good.”

Pickled cowpea is sour and hot. They are very delicious. Even Xue Tingxiang can’t help but eat several mouthfuls of rice.

Mao Badou’s interest came again, “By the way, tell me about your little wife. How did you know each other? Parents’ orders? I don’t think so! It’s like two little lovers’ romance! Ha ha, why is it so like Romance of the Western Chamber? Tell me about your story quickly.”

Xue Tingxiang’s face was full of helplessness.

*

After leaving Qingyuan School, Zhao’er and Jiang Wu went to the lock shop and bought a copper lock.

Unexpectedly, she went to deliver the lock, but the porter at the doorkeeper refused to let her in, so she had to ask him for help to turn it over, and they got in the car and went back.

“Zhao’er, what’s your next plan? How about walking around with me?” Sitting on the shaft of the car, Jiang Wu, while driving the car, said to Zhao’er.

“I’d rather not. Brother Jiang Wu, you can find a place to stop the car later. I’ll change my clothes, and then I’ll take you to do business.”

“Today?”

“Yes, today! I’m too busy these days, or I’ll go to meet you.”

After a long walk, Jiang Wu found a remote place to stop the car.

Zhao’er put down the curtain and opened a small bag.

Jiang Wu sat outside, his heart pounding for a while. Just thinking about it, the curtain of the car was lifted, and Zhao’er came out of it in a man’s outfit.

“Let’s go to the southward bazaar.”

He took a look at her.

At this time, Zhao’er does no like a girl. She is tall and thin, with wheat skin. A pair of sword eyebrows fly straight into the sideburns, and under them are a pair of eyes in a moderate size, which are especially dark and bright. On the whole, it looks neither masculine nor feminine, but it has an eye-catching charm.

The men’s clothes are good, the women’s clothes are better. Jiang Wu has seen her two sides all.

Sometimes he couldn’t figure out how the skinny little girl grew up like this.

Unconsciously, he can’t move his eyes.

“Brother Jiang Wu, what’s the matter? Something dirty on my face?” Zhao’er asked, touching her face.

This girl is stubborn. If she knows his mind, she will avoid contacting him. He chose to develop slowly. If he can let Xue Tingxiang accept the truth, it will be more than half of the success.

While thinking, Jiang Wu smiled and said, “Nothing, I’m just thinking about what business you are going to take me to do.”

With a smile, Zhao’er said, “You’ll know later.”