Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 61

An Yinong finally fell asleep after a while. Gu Zhengzhong got out of the car. He looked at the crow standing on the frame of the car: “Keep the people safe. If something goes wrong, you are the only one to ask.”

     At this time, Gu Zhengzhong’s eyes were cold and ruthless, and there was no trace of warmth from before, but Crow was used to it.

     “Didn’t His Highness say he would leave after having fun? Several months have passed. What’s so special about this human being?” The crow landed and turned into a man in black.

     Gu Zhengzhong paused for a moment: “I can see through an average person’s heart at a glance, but I can’t fathom his heart.”

     A smile appeared on his face, but he quickly put it away: “You don’t have to worry about his affairs, just take care of him.”

     Gu Zhengzhong seemed to have passed through some barrier and disappeared directly. But within a few seconds, he appeared again and entered the car without saying a word.

     An Yinong didn’t sleep well, he frowned, his body was sweating, his lips were dry, and his face was a little pale. Only when he was so weak and helpless did he realize that he was really just a teenager.

     Gu Zhengzhong took out a palm-sized treasure box from his sleeve. It was as clear as ice jade. When he opened the box, there was a small, round red fruit inside, which was fragrant. As soon as this scent passed through the curtain, it attracted the “things” for miles around to move, but they didn’t dare to get close.

     Gu Zhengzhong held the red fruit with two fingers and hung it three or four inches above An Yinong’s lips. With a slight squeeze, red liquid dripped down, just on the corner of An Yinong’s lips. The strange fragrance immediately became more intense.

     An Yinong licked his lips in his sleep, Gu Zhengzhong smiled and squeezed out two more drops of red liquid. He looked at the fruit with no essence left and threw it outside. Before the fruit fell to the ground, a black wind came and swept it away, followed by other forces.

     The next day, An Yinong woke up to the sounds of victims getting up early to cook. He was in great spirits and even felt better than before he fell ill. “It’s great to be alive and healthy.”

     An Yinong wiped his face, applied the brown plaster again, and covered his attractive face with a big scarf.

     He lit some incense for Gu Zhengzhong, folded the golden oranges beside him, and bowed respectfully: “Good morning, sir.”

     Gu Zhengzhong looked at the small orange next to the incense stick and raised the corner of his mouth slightly: “Well, good morning.”

     He has never heard of “Good morning”, but this did not prevent him from understanding what it meant and learning to use it immediately.

     After that, everyone else was struggling to escape. An Yinong was pushing the cart while listening to the teacher’s lecture.

     “There are not many conditions now, so I will explain one article a day. This is the famous poem “Ode to Mo Mei” by the former literary minister. I will test you in the evening.”

     “Recite or understand?” An Yinong asked.

     “Of course both of them.”

     Mr. Gu was usually easy to talk to, but at this time he was very majestic as a master. If An Yinong couldn’t keep up with the rhythm, the weight of the car would be doubled.

     “You have to listen carefully to what I say.” Gu Zhengzhong squinted his eyes and looked at the person in the crowd who was dodging to attract An Yinong’s attention, a gray mouse.

     “Yes, sir.”

     As expected, Gu Zhengzhong randomly checked An Yinong’s situation that night. An Yinong was stumbling on his memory, but his understanding of “Ode to Mo Mei” made Gu Zhengzhong’s eyes light up.

     Most scholars always had a wonderful feeling of kneeling down to their predecessors. They always felt that there were no mistakes or omissions in the ancients, celebrities, and famous ancients. They accept their opinions in full, and few can put forward such views that can be called from a high position.

     Gu Zhengzhong was very satisfied, but he deliberately said: “It’s a good idea, but it’s just too sharp. I’ll have to be more reserved next time.”

     “Yes.”

     Seeing An Yinong secretly breathing a sigh of relief, Gu Zhengzhong smiled and said, “Are you tired?”

     “I’m not tired.” An Yinong showed off the countdown to the college entrance examination for one hundred days.

     “That’s good,” Gu Zhengzhong sat in the car and smiled, “I was worried that your foundation was not good, so I slowed down. Since you can still bear it, then add one more article every day.”

     “…”

     There were no pens or books, and even the teachers were not professional enough, but this was the best education An Yinong could get. He was on the road to escape, and there were no serious scholars around him. Gu Zhengzhong was the best teacher he could come into contact with, although An Yinong didn’t know who or what he was.

     He wanted to pass the imperial examination to become an official. This was not a decision he made in a moment of anger, but the result of careful consideration.

     In his previous life, he became a singer and realized his wish. In this life, he originally wanted to follow the crowd and become rich and content. However, what he saw and heard while escaping changed his mind.

     An Yinong was convinced that his ideas and abilities were better than ordinary people. The powerful amount of modern information was systematized into unforgettable knowledge and stored in his brain, reminding him all the time that he was a special being.

     Since he has this ability, why not try to benefit one party? When people live, they must find a reason for themselves to continue.

     The weather was getting colder and colder, and there had been two heavy snowfalls. Many people who didn’t have enough clothes were showing signs of illness, and ginger had become more expensive than grain.

     The village chief’s daughter-in-law was also sick. She had been ill for a few days, but everyone thought it was only two days. The village chief’s family was so worried that their eyebrows hung down.

     “Father, leave me behind and lighten the burden a little bit.” The eldest daughter-in-law of the village chief’s family wiped her tears, “I have been married to you for so many years, and I gave birth to a girl named Hemiao. What if I leave…”

     “Don’t talk nonsense, just cover your sweat and it’ll be fine.” The village chief’s eldest son choked out, his eyes turning red.

     The little girl also cried around her mother: “Mom, don’t leave me.”

     “Don’t cry.” The village chief opened the straw curtain of the tent and brought in a small bag. “Xiwazi gave it to me. He said it contains pills to treat fever. Three pills a day, take after meals.”

     “Xiwazi?” The village eldest son looked at the bag in his hand in surprise. He opened it and saw not only a small porcelain bottle, but also three or four kilograms of millet.

     “Mom, you are saved.” The eldest son burst into tears and cried with joy.

     The village chief didn’t expect that there was so much serious food in it, and his family was now eating grass roots. In the last city, among those who bought and sold people, a big girl could only sell more than ten kilograms of grain.

     “First grab a handful and make porridge for your wife. Remember to pay him back when you have food later. Remember this kindness. What he gave was not food and medicine, but life.”

     The daughter-in-law of the village chief was not destined to die. After suffering a high fever, she managed to survive with a little rice porridge and some unknown pills.

     The village chief and his family did not tell the outside world that he was not the only one who was sick among the victims. If anyone found out, An Yinong’s box of food and medicine would not be enough.

     “When will it stop snowing?” After sweeping away the snow on and around the shed, An Yinong rubbed his hands and got into the car.

     The snow was so heavy that if it was not cleaned up in time, it would crush the oil paper on the shed. He had to get up and sweep every day. Fortunately, he used the thickest oil paper when he covered the shed, which could withstand wind and rain. It had been a month and it was still fine.

     When Gu Zhengzhong saw An Yinong coming in, he didn’t even fan himself. With just a thought, the snowflakes on An Yinong’s body and head disappeared by themselves, and he felt warm.

     If anyone else had entered his car, they would have been surprised to see that the small compartment, separated by a layer of coarse cloth, was several degrees warmer than the outside.

     An Yinong sat down cross-legged and picked up a book placed on the mattress. This was brought by Gu Zhengzhong. Since the snow was heavy and they couldn’t leave, they might as well study hard here.

     He was holding a book and his upper body was straight. Although he looked like an embarrassed refugee, his demeanor that had become part of his temperament could not be deceived.

     Gu Zhengzhong looked on and found it pleasing to the eye.

     In fact, the intensity of his requirements was a bit embarrassing, and even children from aristocratic families who started enlightenment at the age of four may not be able to keep up. But An Yinong never complained. He just implemented it seriously and worked himself in the most efficient and stringent way.

     Diligent, eager to learn, smart, and easy to understand, how could he not like such a student?

     It had been snowing heavily for several days, and the wheels were covered in thick layers of snow, leaving the ground completely white. The victims’ faces were full of sorrow. How should they go about this? They can’t wait until the snow melts.

     “Change the route and go east. Pingjiang Mansion in the east is closest to us.” One person came up with an idea.

     “Pingjiang Mansion? Didn’t you say that there was a flood there?”

     Several leaders were discussing it. Some made decisions immediately, while others hesitated. Pingjiang Mansion was notoriously troubled.

     “Let’s go like this, let’s go separately. Some of them will continue to go south, and some of them will turn east to Pingjiang Mansion.” Originally, the victims were only gathered together because of a common destination. It was reasonable to separate when the destinations were different.

     An Yinong decided to go to Pingjiang Prefecture. This was already in the plot, and Pingjiang Prefecture was a mountainous area with few people and it was the time when labor was needed. The area was friendly to victims and would allocate houses and land to those who came. There were also some areas that could be allocated to sandy land or tidal flats near the sea.

     “Sandy land.” An Yinong began to wonder whether to use the sandy land to grow watermelons or raise ducks.

     There were not many people who chose to go to Pingjiang Mansion. There were only five households in total, not counting the two orphans An Yinong and Huang Meisheng. They had to shovel the snow at the same time, so they walked very slowly.

     The task of finding the way was left to a merchant among the victims. The man in charge of the house ran through the merchant when he was young and knew how to use the denseness of the canopy, the growth rings of the trees and the stars in the sky at night to determine the direction.

     They traveled day and night, and finally arrived at Pingjiang Mansion on the ninety-second day of their escape. It was New Year’s Eve. Pingjiang Mansion set off rare fireworks, and golden sparks flew into the air and exploded into flowers.

     The victims stood outside the city gate and stared at the particularly lonely sky after the fireworks. They had mixed feelings in their hearts, but only had a wry smile on their faces. “It’s New Year’s Eve.”

     The prefect of Pingjiang Prefecture did not expect that disaster victims would come here, but since they are here, they should make good arrangements. Their prefecture was poor and had few people, so an extra twenty or thirty people was nothing.

     “I just don’t know the temperament of these victims, so don’t cause any trouble.” The magistrate was a little worried. He heard that these victims had a rough journey, so they also had a bit of viciousness in them.

     “Sir, I think they can be divided into Shanling County. There are seven mountains, two rivers and one farmland. There are many villages and mountain people in the mountains. They can’t cause much trouble. If you are still worried, you can divide them into two batches and send two to a remote village.”

     The prefect of Pingjiang Prefecture accepted this suggestion and even considered the victims: “Send them to villages where many surnames live together to prevent one surname from bullying the victims.”

     So An Yinong was separated from the village chief’s family. He, Huang Meisheng, and a family of five were assigned to a mountain village in Shanling County. As disaster victims who settled locally, they could receive a one-time government subsidy of 30 kilograms of grain, a piece of homestead and three acres of land.

     Of course, these three acres of land were not cultivated fields, but a choice between mountains, ponds, and sandy land. An Yinong chose the pond.

     After paying another three taels of silver, he got a pond of more than ten acres, and the small land near the pond also belonged to him. As for his homestead, he had built a simple hut with bamboo sticks and thatch on a nearby hillside.

     “You can open a small vegetable garden here and raise some ducks.” The kind uncle said to him in a local dialect that he barely understood. The honest old man also liked the fair and beautiful young man, who looked easy to get along with. At first, they were really worried about the arrival of some vicious victims.

     An Yinong even guessed that he understood what the other party said and thanked him seriously.

     “It’s not far from the sea. Fish and shrimp are cheap and hard to sell.” Gu Zhengzhong floated three inches in the air, the tip of his fan touching his lips.

     “The pond can sell more than just fish and shrimp.” An Yinong said with a smile, “I plan to plant mulberry trees by the pond, raise fish and water chestnuts in the water, and raise ducks by the pond.”

     “There is a local custom of planting mulberry and raising silkworms. The cocoons can be tax deducted, and the rest can be used for daily life. Since I am planning to take the imperial examination, I cannot focus on farming. Choosing a pond is the most suitable one.”

     The most important thing is that he has a natural affinity for aquatic animals and has a “healthy halo”. You can take advantage of this advantage when choosing a pond.

     “So, there are more than ten water areas to choose from, some are bigger and deeper, why did you choose this one?” This pond was the most remote, but An Yinong chose it as his homestead. .

     An Yinong looked at this ordinary-looking pond with a smile: “This pond is naturally formed. There are springs and undercurrents underground. It is natural living water. Only with this kind of water can we grow good fish and shrimp. I even have an idea, but it needs to be tested before we can judge whether it can be done.”

     “What do you think?” Gu Zhengzhong was a little curious. How could there be fun in such an ordinary pond?

     An Yinong pointed at the crucian carp flashing in the water: “The last thing that convinced me was the fish in this pond. The villagers said that golden-red and silver-white crucian carp were caught here. I want to try to breed ornamental fish.”