Chapter 178: Jing Biao Ge, I Hate You, and Liqiu [Many thanks for everyone's support

Inside the tented enclosure,

Liang Han had already fallen asleep with a handkerchief gifted to him today by the young ladies covering his face; smelling its fragrance, he dreamed someone descended from the stage and gently lifted the sheer gauze from his face.

"Heh heh heh."

Wu Wu Daniang frowned, looking at the handkerchief on her son's face.

She took it in her hand and examined it closely.

The female attendant serving Liang Han, seeing this scene, hurriedly knelt, shaking her head and waving her hands to indicate it was not hers.

Fearing they would wake Liang Han, none of them dared to make a sound.

The beauty in Liang Han's dream had done nothing else but slap his face; when the slapping became somewhat painful, he was just about to flare up in anger when he realized he had been dreaming, and that he was now sleeping at home.

"Uh? Mother, you..."

"Did you little beast take Jing Biao Ge to the Cui Ruan family at Pan Tower today?"

"I didn't! Mother, listen to me."

"Someone come, wake Han-ge'er up, and bring the family law."

"Mother, who told you? Mother, your son won't dare do it again!"

"Extend your hand! Letting you little beast take Jing Biao Ge! Letting you take..."

Liang Han's eyes filled with tears from the pain as he muttered, "Jing Biao Ge! I hate you! Hiss~ boo hoo hoo, Mother, spare my life!!"

The next day,

Jiying Lane,

Shou'an Hall.

Early in the morning, Mama Fang, who had accompanied Minglan to the Qiqiao Tower to check if she had 'gained cleverness,' walked smilingly to the Old Lady's side and whispered a few words.

After listening, the Old Lady smiled and nodded, saying, "Indeed, one who cares for her elder sister."

Then she beckoned to Minglan, saying, "Come quickly to eat; it is already one ke past the hour of Mao."

Minglan placed the spider box in her hand into the Old Lady's hand; the Old Lady opened the box to see the spider huddled in a corner, with not a single strand of web inside.

After finishing breakfast, when Minglan arrived at the lecture hall, Sheng Changbai was already discussing essays together with Xu Zaizhang.

Xu Xu Zaijing sat behind the desk; seeing Minglan take her seat, Hearing Rulan yawned widely at the lecture hall entrance and stretched her waist, then lifted her chin with great pride, while the magpie behind her still held last night's spider box.

Seeing Seeing Mo Lan arrive at the lecture hall entrance, Hearing Rulan snorted proudly, and after sitting in her own seat, she looked at Seeing Mo Lan in front of her and spoke deliberately loudly:

"Magpie, you must take good care of this 'happiness'; it wove such a round and neat web for me, so I have certainly gained cleverness! It must be rewarded well."

Magpie: "Yes, Miss!"

"Fourth Sister, how was your spider box? Did you gain cleverness?" Hearing Rulan asked with a smile.

"Nonsense fabricated from nothing, the plaything of a beast; what is there to be proud of?" Seeing Mo Lan said in a low voice.

Hearing Seeing Mo Lan's words, Hearing Rulan shook her head with a proud smile; when she had gone to the Qiqiao Tower earlier, she had seen clearly that there was nothing at all in Seeing Mo Lan's spider box.

Xiao Xiao Xiaotao, who was helping Minglan arrange her books, glanced at Minglan and then walked to the back row to sit down.

Little Xiao Xiaotao, receiving a pastry from Brother Qingyun, whose figure was much taller than hers, bent her eyes into a smile and said softly, "Thank you, Brother Brother Qingyun."

Hearing Buwei, also sitting in the back row, distributed the preserved fruits and raisins from the pouch at his waist, and he too received a pastry from Brother Qingyun.

Seeing that Tutor Zhuang had not yet arrived, Hearing Buwei said in a low voice, "Brother Brother Qingyun, I heard from Han Han Wulang that you are about to get married?"

Hearing Hearing Buwei's words, Brother Qingyun's eyes and face immediately filled with smiles as he nodded, saying, "Indeed."

"Has the specific month and day been decided?"

"The twelfth day of the ninth month."

"Brother Brother Qingyun, when the time comes, I will definitely attend to share in the joy," Hearing Buwei said with a smile.

"Then it is settled!"

After speaking, Brother Qingyun imitated his Young Master's manner by extending his fist; seeing Hearing Buwei's confused expression, Brother Qingyun said, "Bump fists."

Hearing this, Hearing Buwei smiled, clenched his fist, and bumped it.

Brother Qingyun turned his head to look at Xiao Xiaotao, who was staring blankly; the pastry in her hand had vanished without a trace.

Then little Xiao Xiaotao looked at the fist Brother Qingyun extended toward her, much larger than her own fist, and cutely bumped it.

At this moment, Tutor Zhuang entered the lecture hall, and everyone hurriedly stood to pay their respects.

After taking their seats, Sheng Changbai and Xu Zaizhang handed in the assignments set by the tutor; before examining the assignments, the tutor glanced at the crowd below and said:

"Sheng Changbai, Xu Zaizhang, and Xu Zaijing, you three will help your teacher test the recitation of the other three; no books allowed."

Gu Gu Tingye, having a scholar-brother, looked eager to try, while Qi Heng and Sheng Changfeng's faces turned somewhat ugly.

With the rule that no books were allowed, the test would involve not just those three individuals.

After classes ended, Minglan and Xiao Xiaotao worked together to carry the book box back to Shou'an Hall.

Approaching the Old Lady at the dining table, Minglan said, "Grandmother, today when Jing Biao Ge was testing the Little Xiao Xiao Gongye, I saw him give hints like this and like this!"

The Old Lady looked at Minglan, who was moving her lips and speaking without sound, and said with a smile, "Was he facing away from Tutor Zhuang?"

Minglan hurriedly nodded: "After testing the Little Xiao Xiao Gongye, he even said, 'Here, here, you must write it out from memory several more times.'"

"Hahaha, everything that happens in this school has been seen by you. After eating, go to your Wei Xiaoniang's place and check on her, will you?"

"Grandmother, yes."

Meanwhile, outside the Sheng family gate, Qi Heng walked while thanking Xu Xu Zaijing,

Xu Xu Zaijing said, "Heng-ge'er, I noticed the tutor already heard the hesitation in your recitation; he might test you again tomorrow."

"Yes, Jing Biao Ge; today when I return, I will write it out from memory many more times."

Everyone bid farewell at the Sheng family gate.

On this day, while returning to Quyuan Street, it actually started to rain, but fortunately they were traveling by carriage, so nothing untoward happened.

The days that followed were much the same as today,

Every morning at two marks past the Mao hour, they arrived at the Sheng household, and classes ended precisely at the You hour in the afternoon.

On this day,

it was the Start of Autumn,

Qi Heng had early instructed Bu Wei to carry two wooden boxes with golden-trimmed edges into the lecture hall; he placed one box on Tutor Zhuang's desk, then opened the other and said, "Elder brothers and younger sisters, these are the finest dried fruits from the Li He family in Bianjing, and these Gorgon fruits (Euryale ferox) were specially sent by Mother yesterday to purchase! They are already cooked; please, everyone, taste some—"

He saw that on everyone's desks, more or less, lay a few Gorgon fruits.

"Cooked? I'll take some! Thank you, Pei Erge Qi!" Ru Lan hurried forward and accepted a handful from Qi Heng's hands.

"Thank you, Pei Erge Qi," Mo Lan said, catching the dried fruits in her handkerchief; when Qi Heng walked to the back where Ming Lan sat, she picked a dried fruit and quietly slipped it into her sachet.

"Thank you, Young Master," hearing Ming Lan's words, Qi Heng paused in surprise.

Walking to the front, Qi Heng took another handful and placed it on the desks of Chang Bai and Zai Zhang.

The two hurriedly smiled and expressed their thanks.

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled as he accepted a handful of Gorgon fruits and dried fruits from Qi Heng's hands.

Gu Gu Tingye and Chang Feng, however, showed no sign of interest.

Holding the Gorgon fruits, Xu Xu Zaijing said, "This is truly a fine thing; it strengthens the kidneys and enriches the essence, benefits the spleen and stomach most, and even beautifies the complexion! Hmm, since you two aren't eating, give them to me."

Saying this, he reached out to take those from their desks.

"Brother Jing, who said I'm not eating!"

Hearing Xu Zaijing's words, Zhang, not knowing what he was thinking of, smiled slightly.

Tutor Zhuang still entered the lecture hall at his leisure; seeing the wooden box on the desk, he pushed open the lid with his fan, took a look, and laughed, "Heh, this is a fine thing!"

In the rear courtyard of the Sheng household,

at the Weirui Pavilion, Nurse Liu carried a wooden box to Wang Shi's side and said, "Da Da Niangzi, these are the Gorgon fruits sent by Young Master Zhang's page."

Looking at the box of Gorgon fruits bearing the characters 'Li He Family', Wang Wang Wang Ruofu said, "Didn't the Xu family send some before? Moreover, this is far too much; our family isn't without means to buy them, hmph! This boy really knows how to curry favor! Go, allocate some to Hua'er, and say it was sent by Brother Zhang!"

Nurse Liu, her face full of smiles, said, "Da Da Niangzi, seeing this, Young Master Zhang is indeed someone who knows how to care for others."

Wang Wang Wang Ruofu glanced sideways, pressed her lips together, and smiled, "That is true!"

By noon, just before classes were to end, Sister Cuichan from Sheng Sheng Hualan's side, leading several young maids carrying food boxes, arrived at the lecture hall and said, "Tutor, young masters, the young ladies of the household have instructed the kitchen to prepare meals, including a special lotus seed, Gorgon fruit, and lotus leaf porridge."

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled, glanced at his Pei Erge, and called out from the very back, "Sister Sister Cuichan, please convey my thanks to Sister Sheng Sheng Hualan."

Gu Gu Tingye said, "The same for me."

The young Qi Heng also glanced at Zai Zhang, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Sister Sheng Sheng Hualan."

"Ahem."

Xu Xu Zaijing coughed once and cast a glance at Gu Gu Tingye, who was looking over.

Gu Gu Tingye understood the hint and gently tapped the leg of Zai Zhang's bench in front of him with his foot.

Startled, Zai Zhang turned around; seeing his younger brother's look, he said with a slightly flushed face:

"Convey my thanks to Sister Sheng Sheng Hualan."

"Pfft..."

Xu Xu Zaijing, Gu Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and the fourth person struggled to hold back their laughter.

"This servant will certainly convey the message."

Sister Cuichan said, smiling as she squatted to perform a bow at the doorway.

Still typing; another chapter before midnight.

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(End of Chapter)