mesbooks Chapter 285 Going with the Delegation
Chapter 285 Going with the Delegation
Upon receiving the message from Shen Jingheng in the capital, Li Taifu, who was harvesting wheat in the field, immediately sent someone with his letter to invite Master Shen and Zhang Youtie over.
When the messenger arrived at the Zhang family's house, Zhang Youtie and Changyun were leading people to harvest wheat in the field. Shen Luo, on the other hand, was picking up ears of wheat with several children, carrying baskets on their backs.
Upon learning that the Grand Tutor had sent someone to invite Zhang Youtie over, the two men worried that something might have happened to the old man, so they quickly changed into clean clothes and went with Zhang Youtie.
Although Shen Luo's face hadn't yet returned to its former slender state, it was noticeably thinner than when he first arrived. His brows were furrowed, as if he were deeply worried.
"Uncle Zhang, did the teacher mention anything in his letter?"
"They didn't say anything, it must be about your schoolwork. You've been at home for quite a while now, it's time to go back to school, isn't it?"
"Ah?" Upon hearing that it might be this, her already slightly worried face scrunched up even more.
The carriage traveled very quickly, and arrived at Li Taifu's garden in less than half an hour.
When Uncle Li, who opened the gate to the garden, saw Shen Luo, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Young Master Luo, you've lost so much weight!" He immediately realized his words were inappropriate, as it made it seem as if the Zhang family hadn't treated him well. He quickly changed his tone.
"What I mean is that it looks like it used to be, and it looks energetic now."
Changyun chuckled and said, "Uncle Li, Luo'er has really grown up. She can even do farm work now. Although she's a bit thinner, she's become much stronger."
"Yes, when he first came back from the capital, he looked chubby but seemed very weak. He looks so energetic now." After saying this, Uncle Li realized he was becoming increasingly bad at speaking; his words sounded like he was implying that Young Master Luo wasn't doing well in the capital. If Master Shen heard this, he'd probably be very upset. He slapped his own lips, telling himself to speak less today.
"Come in quickly, the master is waiting in the wheat field!" After saying that, he opened the door and let the men in.
Once inside the courtyard, the group quickly walked towards the place where Li Taifu was farming.
"teacher"
"teacher"
Changyun and Shenlu called out when they saw the figure wearing a straw hat and holding a sickle cutting wheat in the field.
The man straightened up, turned his head to look in their direction, and waved at them.
"Wait a moment, I'll finish this round of cutting. There's tea over there."
The group looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a large teapot commonly used in rural areas and two porcelain bowls placed on a stone table at the edge of the field.
"Teacher, we're here to help you!" Changyun tucked the hem of his clothes into his waistband and was about to get down.
Seeing him do this, Shen Luo followed suit, imitating Chang Yun by tucking the hem of her robe into her belt.
"Oh, no need, none of you come over. These two acres aren't even enough for me to tend to myself!" Upon hearing Changyun's words, Grand Tutor Li hurriedly spoke up to stop him.
"Alright, let's wait over there. It'll be good exercise for Grand Tutor Li." Zhang Youtie knew that Grand Tutor Li had specially cultivated the two acres of land in the garden, and he personally took care of weeding and fertilizing every day, never asking anyone else to do it. So he pointed to the stone benches and said this to the two eager men.
Both of them knew about the situation, but since the teacher was still working in the fields, and the students were sitting in the shade of the trees to cool off, they both felt a little guilty.
After thinking for a moment, Changyun spoke to Zhang Youtie.
"Father, why don't you go rest by the stone bench for a while? Luo'er and I will wait here for the teacher."
Zhang Youtie understood his thoughts and didn't force him. He nodded and went to the stone bench under the tree.
Changyun and Shen Luo waited by the field for Li Taifu to harvest the wheat.
However, Grand Tutor Li did not keep them waiting long; in less than a quarter of an hour, he had finished harvesting a load of wheat. Carrying a sickle in his hand, he took off his hat and fanned himself as he walked. At this moment, Grand Tutor Li no longer resembled an imperial tutor at all; he was simply an old farmer.
Shen Luo was quick-witted; the moment Li Taifu emerged from the wheat field, she handed him a bowl of herbal tea.
Li Taifu didn't even care that his hands were still covered in dust; he picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
"Ah... it's still more enjoyable to drink tea like this." As she spoke, she handed the bowl and hat in her hand to Shen Luo.
"Teacher, come and wash your face, it'll cool you down," Changyun said to Li Taifu, scooping a ladle of water from a bucket beside him.
After Li Taifu tidied himself up, draped a white towel over his shoulder, sat down on the stone chair, took the cool tea handed to him by Zhang Youtie, drank a couple of sips, and then put down the bowl.
“Today I received a letter from the capital. The Emperor has ordered me to go to the Russian border as an envoy. I was originally planning to take the two of them on a trip, and now that this has happened, I think it’s a good opportunity. I’d like to take Changyun with me to broaden his horizons. What do you think of this?” Li Taifu said this to Zhang Youtie. The Shen family was far away, and Master Shen had not yet arrived.
“I naturally agree with the Grand Tutor’s suggestion. It’s a good idea. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Changyun hasn’t taken the imperial examinations for the past two years, so it’s a good opportunity for him to go out and see the world.” Zhang Youtie was more than willing to agree. If it weren’t for Grand Tutor Li’s status, even if his family was very wealthy, they wouldn’t have been able to get involved in this trip.
"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. And you don't need to worry about safety; there are plenty of doctors and guards in the entourage." Hearing Zhang Youtie's reply, Grand Tutor Li nodded with satisfaction. Although this was as he had expected, he was still very happy to hear Zhang Youtie say this.
Hearing that they didn't mention her, seven-year-old Shen Luo became a little uneasy. Finally, after waiting for Li Taifu and Zhang Youtie to finish discussing the Longyun issue, she seized the opportunity during a pause to ask...
“Teacher, what about me? I want to go with you and Brother Changyun too.”
Upon hearing his words, Grand Tutor Li seemed somewhat troubled, frowning as he looked at him for a moment before speaking.
“You’re too young, and the place we’re going to is extremely cold; it snows in August. You won’t be able to handle it.”
"Teacher, I'm not afraid of the cold. I'll wear a fox fur cloak and a snow hat and I'll be very warm. Will you take me with you?" Shen Luo was getting anxious when she heard that her teacher didn't seem to be planning to take her along. Forgetting about the teacher-student etiquette, she grabbed the tutor's arm and shook his sleeve, acting coquettishly.
"Alright, alright, stop shaking me. If you keep shaking me, you'll break my bones. If you really want to go, it's not impossible, but I need to test your studies first to see if you've fallen behind while you've been at Changyun's house. If..." Grand Tutor Li deliberately stopped halfway through his sentence.
"What if? Teacher, please tell me quickly, what if I don't fall behind?"
"If you really haven't fallen behind, then it's fine to take you with me."
"Alright, alright, a gentleman's word is his bond. As long as I don't fall behind in my studies, you'll take me with you to see the Russians." Shen Luo finished speaking and stretched out her small hand to give Li Taifu a high five as a pledge.
"Slap!" Grand Tutor Li didn't bother with him and immediately extended his right palm, striking Shen Luo's small hand together.
Thanks to Changyun's intensive tutoring, Shen Luo was able to answer all the questions posed by Grand Tutor Li with ease after a series of tests.
Grand Tutor Li nodded in satisfaction and praised him.
“Not bad, it seems Changyun has been tutoring you quite a bit. Go back to your room later and write a few more characters for me to see. If your handwriting has improved, I'll agree to take you there. But you're still too young, so we'll have to ask your grandfather before making a decision.”