When First Madam Zhao saw Meng Anci out, she quickly peeked inside and saw her son and Zhao Zhiyuan holding hands. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
She then glared fiercely at Zhao Mingshu, "If you dare to force my son to study again, I'll take him and run away from home."
Zhao Mingshu wanted to say something, but upon seeing his father's disapproving look, he suddenly couldn't open his mouth.
Zhao Cheng: "My Zhao Household has never hit a child, nor has any branch of the family driven a child to suicide. You are truly outstanding..."
After saying that, he instantly changed his expression and said to Meng Anci, "Little guy, thank you very much today."
Meng Anci smiled sweetly, "Dean, helping my classmates is what I should do."
Zhao Cheng nodded in satisfaction. This child is truly remarkable; he's neither arrogant nor impatient, and knows when to advance and retreat...
He looked at Jin Shanyao, "Thank you for your help, Miss Jin."
" Lord Zhao, you're too kind. If there's nothing else, I have a few talismans here that you'd like to buy."
As she spoke, she pulled out a bundle, saying, "It can ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune, protect the home and calm the mind, protect the body and life, bring blessings and good luck, and ensure a safe pregnancy and life."
Twenty taels for a single bill, guaranteeing your whole family's safety and that nothing like today's incident will ever happen again.
Zhao Cheng's lips twitched, "Miss Jin..."
"Alright... five hundred-tael notes, keep them safe..."
Jin Shanyao stuffed five talisman papers into Zhao Cheng's hand, smiling at him as if to say, "Give me the money!"
Zhao Cheng's words of refusal caught in his throat, his face turning red as he tried to find an excuse to decline.
"Aren't talismans usually made of yellow paper and cinnabar? Why is yours written in black and white?"
Jin Shanyao fan, giving her a knowing look. "The talisman isn't about the color, it's about the runes. Look at these runes; can you understand them?"
Zhao Cheng shook his head.
Jin Shanyao glanced at him sideways, "Who could understand that?"
She patted Zhao Cheng's hand earnestly and said, "Don't worry, for Meng Anci's sake, I wouldn't cheat you. Take it and use it! You're welcome!"
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Zhao Cheng tried to find a fault to negotiate the price, saying, "Well... there's nothing ghostly in my house, is there?"
Jin Shanyao glared at him, "What are you saying? If you want to see ghosts, that's easy enough."
What kind do you like? Something with guts spilled out, or something that falls into the water? I'll arrange it for you tonight.
"No, no, no..." Zhao Cheng hurriedly stopped him. The whole city knew about the Jin Shanyao ghosts at midnight; there was no need to demonstrate it at his house.
Zhao Cheng was inwardly distressed. This wasn't selling talismans; it was a blatant threat!
Reluctantly, he summoned the steward and handed one hundred taels of silver to Jin Shanyao.
I wanted to send them off with a smile, but I couldn't manage one. In the blink of an eye, 150 taels of silver were gone. Who could possibly smile like that?
After much thought, Zhao Cheng came up with a Dadan idea...
"Miss Jin, do you take on apprentices? Do you think I have a talent for catching ghosts and drawing talismans?"
This is much more profitable than running an academy; Zhao Cheng wants to switch careers.
Jin Shanyao and down, "You're no good..."
The auspiciousness emanating from him was as faint as a thin veil, far less intense than that of Su Wenqian, and could hardly withstand the fright of ghostly wails.
Zhao Cheng was somewhat Qi Ingestion when Jin Shanyao said he was no good.
Men... will never hear the word "can't"... but he can!
Although Jin Shanyao received the money, she couldn't be happy at all. Zhao Yushan's image of studying hard from dawn till dusk gradually overlapped with that of the two children.
She began to reflect on herself, realizing that she had previously pushed her children to study relentlessly, even giving them ginkgo leaves to keep their bodies healthy.
Use your Spiritual Power to envelop the house, making them more energetic, able to learn more, and remember better.
Now that I think about it, what's the difference between her and Zhao Mingshu?
Jin Shanyao felt a pang of guilt. " Anci, don't study tonight."
"That won't do. Zhao Zhiyuan and Zhao Yushan have formed an alliance, and they're bound to surpass me in the next exam. I'm outnumbered and outmatched; if I don't study, I'll be defeated."
Meng Anci tilted her little face up, looking defiant.
Jin Shanyao softly...
As Jin Shanyao passed by the entrance of Brocade Workshop, she saw Jiang Jinshu sitting on a small stool, holding a dark bowl in her arms, her little mouth stained purple from eating.
Looking again at Meng Anzhi in the shop, she was sitting behind the table, engrossed in reading. Jin Shanyao her head, her heart aching. " Anzhi..."
Startled by the sudden sound, Meng Anzhi looked up abruptly, "Auntie, you're back?"
Jin Shanyao forward and closed her book. "Don't you want to go up Hat Mountain? Auntie will take you there today."
Meng Anci immediately exploded, "Auntie, I haven't finished my homework yet, I can't go out to play!"
Meng Anzhi hesitated, "I still have four prescriptions to memorize."
"What are you carrying..." Jin Shanyao Meng Anci under her arm and led Meng Anzhi toward Hat Mountain, with Dahuang and Xiaoli following happily behind.
They heard from their master that there was a wild immortal on Hat Mountain, and they had long wanted to go and see him.
Meng Anci was still struggling, "Auntie, please put me down. You don't know how urgent the situation is right now, I've been challenged to a battle."
"Even if it's raining knives, you have to come with me to Hat Mountain..."
Meng Anci's limbs, which had been kicking and digging, instantly went limp, and he hung on the arm of the Jin Shanyao like a noodle.
Meng Anzhi glanced at Meng Anci and saw helplessness in each other's eyes. Her aunt only knew how to play and had no sense of the bigger picture.
Oh well... what can I do? She's my aunt, so I'll just spoil her...
Across the street, Jiang Jinshu, who had witnessed everything, was so frightened that she crushed the black thing in her hand. She stared in shock at Jin Shanyao. "Mother was right," she thought, " Shopkeeper Jin is an old monster who eats children."
Qing He hurriedly harnessed the oxcart, "Master, the oxcart..."
Jin Shanyao put the two children on the oxcart, waved to Qing He and said, "You don't need to bring us food tonight," and then slapped the ox's rump.
Moo... The old ox's tail swept across the spot where it had been hit, and out of the corner of its eye, it saw a cat and a dog jump onto the oxcart.
The discontent reached its peak... They're all the owner's pets, so why should it have to pull the cart?
Moo... smack... Jin Shanyao the cow's rump again. "Why aren't you in a hurry? What are you shouting for? Hurry up..."
The old ox is suffering, but he won't say a word. He'll just keep running wildly, shaking you bunch of good-for-nothings to death... smack... He got another slap on the butt.
Jin Shanyao said in a sinister tone, "Are you cursing me in your heart?"
Moo...
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci a glance and shook their heads in unison. Oh no... Auntie's acting up again; she's started fighting the cows.
Dahuang and Xiaoli on the oxcart lazily rolled their eyes.
Silly cow...
The Second Estate has been built. It has four square courtyards with blue brick walls, tiled roofs, and bluestone slabs on the ground, making it flat and reassuring to walk on.
The backyard has everything you need: a medicine drying area, a stone mill, and a well.
The old ox, having removed its wooden saddle, happily chased after the cats and dogs, grinning foolishly and having a great time.
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci toured from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard. "Auntie, this house is great in every way, but it just feels so lifeless."
Jin Shanyao and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to open a charity hall? You can use this three-courtyard house. There are heated brick beds in the side rooms, and the courtyard has a play area, suitable for children."
Meng Anzhi said happily, "Thank you, Auntie..."
Meng Anci was preoccupied with his studies. After pacing around twice, he began reciting the Five Classics. Jin Shanyao, seeing him acting strangely, felt guilty. It was all her fault; she had driven the child to madness...
So he waved his hand and said, "Let's go up the mountain to pick mushrooms and hunt pheasants."
Upon hearing about the hunting trip, Meng Anci said, "Auntie, I didn't bring a bow and arrows."
Jin Shanyao her head dismissively, "It's alright, Auntie will teach you to use stones to hit them."
Upon hearing this, the two children felt dizzy. Ever since Lu Chi left, their aunt had personally taught them martial arts, using everything from whips to sticks.
I finally made it through, and now I have to use stones to hunt pheasants? When will this ever end??