At the same time, the Qinghe Academy was brightly lit up, with lanterns hanging every few paces on the sides of the sheds, and the dean led several masters to carefully inspect the sheds, not daring to overlook anything.
All those who came to listen to the lectures were students, and they couldn’t afford to worry if anything happened.
Qin Qian followed, carrying a large bright lantern in his hand, shining a clear light on the path beneath them.
The dean instructed as he checked, “Qin Qian ah, remember, tomorrow the tea of the benefactor must not be cut off, nor must it be cold or hot, every once in a while you go over and remind him to drink more water.”
“The student remembers.”
“And ah, you can’t be too far away from your benefactor, just stand a step behind him, in case, I mean in case he has any discomfort, you and Xu Liang can also come forward to help in time.”
“Student understands.”
The dean was still a bit uneasy and instructed some more.
Qin Qian responded one by one.
After checking carefully to make sure there were no problems, the dean and the masters went back to their respective places.
Qin Qian also went back to his dormitory. After Song Si Si had left, no one else had been assigned to the dormitory yet, and he was the only one.
He lay on his back, one hand reaching to the innermost part of the bed, and slowly closed his eyes after his fingertips touched the medicine packet hidden there.
……
The following day, at the beginning of the dawn, there were schoolchildren lining up at the entrance of the academy, number plates in their hands, waiting excitedly for the doors of the academy to open.
At three minutes past the hour, the gates of the academy were slowly opened and the students entered in turn, finding their seats and sitting down.
At the beginning of the hour, the students were all seated, thousands of them, none of them making any noise, all sitting quietly in their seats.
At the first quarter of the hour, the old gentleman walked hale and hearty onto the high platform, and the students burst into thunderous applause.
With a smile, the old gentleman raised his hand to signal the students to quiet down, and his slightly old but still mellow voice slowly rang out on the high platform.
The stage was silent.
Only his voice floated through the air and reached the ears of every student.
Qin Qian stood under the high platform with a tea jar in his hand, quietly waiting for the hour to arrive, once the quarter hour was up, he quietly got on the high platform and put the tea jar down in front of the old gentleman, “Old gentleman, have a cup of tea to moisten your throat.”
There were many scholars and the old gentleman raised his voice as high as he could, his throat was indeed a little dry, so he lifted it up and took a few sips, put it down and continued to speak.
Qin Qian took the tealight down, refilled the tea, returned to the high platform and stood side by side with Xu Liang behind the old gentleman.
The dean looked at him and nodded in satisfaction, thinking that if Qin Qian failed the next exam, he would keep the man in the academy to help out and treat him the same as the husbandmen.
As an hour passed and the scholars listened in fascination, the dean, worried about the old gentleman’s health, walked up to the high platform and interrupted him, “Enshu, the hour is up.”
The old gentleman could not finish his speech, but his body was already feeling a little tired, so he nodded slightly, “That’s all for this morning, let’s continue this afternoon.”
The students got up and sent the old gentleman off, and as soon as his figure left their sight, they exploded.
“Listening to the old gentleman for an hour is better than studying for ten years.”
“Not just ten years, but twenty, I have never heard such a thorough lecture.”
“Not only that, the old gentleman speaks in a very funny way, what I heard today I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
……
The dean and Xu Liang helped the old gentleman to rest inside his mansion.
The old gentleman on the high stage was in high spirits, off the stage he showed his tiredness and said with a smile, “It’s really old, if it were twenty years ago, I wouldn’t feel tired even if it was a morning, let alone an hour.”
The dean helped him to sit down, stood behind him and helped him with his back, “Not to mention you, even if I had to speak for an hour now, I would be too tired.”
“Dean, I’ll do it.”
Qin Qian had the insight to step forward.
The dean moved his body away and Qin Qian stood where he had just been and gave the old gentleman a shoulder squeeze.
“Thanks to your reminder today, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to have this voice.”
“It was all the Dean’s arrangement, the student didn’t do anything.”
“Don’t be arrogant, you will certainly have great prospects in the future.”
The dean nodded his head.
At noon, the old gentleman rested in the study hall, starting at mid-Shen and ending at mid-You in the afternoon.
The next day was the same.
The Gu family.
Song Wangyue and Gu Yi finished making and filling all the pills that Grand Master Sun wanted.
“Tomorrow is the last day of Grand Great Grandfather’s lecture, so the two of us will deliver the pills and go listen to them on the way.”
Gu Yi nodded, “OK, I’ll pick you up early tomorrow and arrive in the county before the city gates open, after listening to the lecture I’ll go to my father’s friend’s place, it’s been a few days, why haven’t my father and Doctor Yao come back yet?”
The following day, just after dawn, Gu Yi’s carriage arrived at the Song family’s door, the Song family had just finished the cold skin and were about to load it onto the cattle car, when they heard the sound of the carriage, Song San ran to open the door, seeing that it was Gu Yi’s carriage, his eyes lit up, “Are you going to the county town?”
Gu Yi got down from the carriage, “Yes.”
“Then I will follow your carriage.”
The ox cart was too slow and uncomfortable to sit in.
“That’s fine.”
Song Sanxiao went back to the house to change her clothes with joy.
Gu Yi followed him into the courtyard and called out to the people one by one.
“Yi’er, grandma will mix you a portion of the cold skin she just made.”
“No, Grandma, Little Girl and I are in a hurry to go to the county town and deliver the pills, so we’ll go to Second Uncle’s stall to eat them after the handover is cleared.”
Song Wan Yue came out of the house, wearing the clothes Meng had made for her, “Grandma, if it’s too late today, we’ll stay in the county town and not come back.”
Song San Xiao also changed her clothes and came out, the three of them went out the door and got into the carriage, heading towards the county town, when they arrived at the city gates, the gates opened just in time for the carriage to enter the city with the flow of people.
“Stop!”
Song Sanxiao shouted.
Song Wangyue looked at him.
Song Sanxiao’s heart shivered at the look, “Yue, Yue’er, I, I want to go see Miss Qi, you, don’t worry, I, I’ll just stay for a little while.”
Song Wangyue suddenly smiled, “Go ahead, tell sister Qi Ying that the family is ready, you can get engaged anytime.”
Song San Xiao’s heart grew even hairier at her smile and she was so scared that she didn’t dare to move for a moment, “Or, or I, I won’t go, I, I’ll go and wait at the stall first.”
“It’s still early, second uncle and second aunt haven’t arrived that early, and third uncle doesn’t know how long he’ll be waiting yet, so it’s good to go and see sister Qi while you’re at it.”
“This, this is what you asked me to do, you are not allowed to tell on me when I get back.”
“I won’t.”
As she spoke, Song Wangyue took out a dime of broken silver and threw it at him, “At this hour, sister Qi should not have eaten yet, so you should buy breakfast and go over there, the best way is to coax her to set a date for the betrothal, so you don’t have to sneak around when you want to see her in the future.”
With the silver, Song San Xiao smiled happily and couldn’t wait to jump off the carriage.