Chapter 58: Brother Jiang, You Can Read?
The sunset clouds on the horizon grew even redder.
The barking of dogs in the village grew louder.
Calling their families to return home.
Jiang Yu went into the courtyard to do chores.
Meng Shaoxia found his attention wavering slightly.
His wrist was still aching slightly.
In his mind, he thought for a moment about how such a large eagle could be injured, and then wondered why he himself was also injured, thinking he would need to apply medicinal wine to his wrist when he got back.
Young Master He Chen was purely curious about what that bird of prey looked like, as he had never observed one up close before.
Jiang Feng had always been very good at reading people.
Noticing that the two brothers seemed very curious about his home, he generously led them into the courtyard.
To the two young masters on horseback, the courtyard felt a bit cramped; they had never stayed in such a small courtyard before.
It had a dirt floor and earthen walls where one could see the particles of mud; there were no carved windows, no hanging paintings, and no porcelain vases on display shelves, but several black pottery jars were lined up in the corner.
The courtyard was not messy, but kept very clean, with bamboo poles propped up against the wall, though it was unclear what they were for.
(They were clothes drying racks; Jiang Feng had just come in and taken down the diapers.)
They didn’t look like exercise equipment; they were too fragile and couldn’t support a person, so Meng Shaoxia glanced at them curiously.
Young Master He Chen stared out through the earthen wall, where a section had collapsed, but it provided a perfect view of the large tree outside the courtyard; viewed from this angle, it was surprisingly beautiful and had the artistic quality of a painting.
Jiang Feng introduced it happily: “My home is in an excellent location because there is a well right in the courtyard, so we don’t need to go out to fetch water, and eating and drinking are very convenient.”
Meng Shaoxia and Young Master He Chen looked in the direction Jiang Feng indicated, and it turned out that the place covered by wooden boards was actually a well.
By the well were stone stools, wooden sticks, and wooden basins.
There was a young girl holding down a giant eagle.
Meng Shaoxia’s gaze became flustered again.
Young Master He Chen looked at the giant eagle.
Jiang Feng took Mianmian from Mother’s arms.
Holding her with one arm and stroking her head with the other, he was already in a very practiced posture.
Jiang Mianmian looked helpless as she enjoyed it, thinking that since she drank nothing but milk and spiritual spring water, she should be able to keep her hair.
With guests present, Qin Luoxia didn’t know what to say, so she remained reticent, buried her head in her work, and went to process the eagle.
Jiang Yu helped out.
The two young masters from the capital then watched as the bird of prey was plucked of its feathers in a few swift motions, and with a series of sounds, was chopped into pieces…
Jiang Feng’s sister deftly helped rinse it, leaving no bone fragments or bloodstains behind.
The rare giant eagle was soon piled into a basin, neat and tidy, no longer resembling what it had looked like in life.
Seeing Mother’s skilled movements, Jiang Feng instinctively wanted to divert the two brothers’ attention.
“There aren’t many people in my family, and our living arrangements are simple. Father and Mother share one room, my sister and I share one room, and there is another room for storage and one for cooking. When my little sister grows up, we can clear out the storage room for me to live in, and the two sisters can share one room.”
“Let’s go, Brother Meng, Brother He, I’ll take you to see my room.”
Meng Shaoxia wondered, Jiang Feng and his sister actually share a room? How do they live? Doesn’t that mean he would be able to see the young girl’s boudoir?
Jiang Feng carried Mianmian and led the two of them to his room.
The room was not large; one could see the roof upon looking up. The furnishings inside were extremely simple, with two small wooden beds separated by a wooden board.
On one of the beds, there was a wooden window.
Meng Shaoxia was a little nervous and excited at first, as he was stepping into a young girl’s boudoir.
He had some strange thoughts in his heart.
But when he stepped inside, he saw a bed, a pillow, and a quilt. The quilt was also covered in patches and folded very neatly; it didn’t look like a girl’s room.
There was a very old small cabinet at the head of the bed, and a pair of embroidered shoes were neatly placed on it.
He even recognized them; that day, the little girl was wearing these very shoes when she kicked that Kidnapper hard.
There were even bloodstains on the embroidered shoes.
On the earthen wall, there was a protruding rafter with a red string hanging from it. (Jiang Yu’s had hung on a tree, and this one was given to her by Mother.)
Only this tiny splash of color revealed that this was a girl’s boudoir.
Meng Shaoxia felt a bit uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Young Master He Chen’s gaze fell on the side where Jiang Feng slept.
By the window, there was a small table, and on the table was actually a book. The book was somewhat worn, indicating it was frequently read.
He flipped through it and found it was actually a copy of “Classic of Medicine,” filled with densely packed characters and complex content he had never seen before.
Young Master He Chen said with some surprise: “Brother Jiang, you can actually read?”
They had initially assumed Jiang Feng was illiterate; after all, an illiterate playboy was the norm, and finding a literate person in the marketplace was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
When asked if he could read, Jiang Feng recalled the scenes of Father teaching him to read when he was a child.
His posture while holding his sister softened, and he instinctively began to sway gently.
He had been very eager to learn back then and learned very well; he had a good memory and could remember everything Father taught him.
Father would always praise him for being intelligent.
But later, Father taught him less and less.
Father only taught them how to read.
As he grew older, he realized how precious literacy and education were. For some, being able to study and take the imperial examinations could change their family status, bring honor to their ancestors, and change their destiny.
But neither he nor his Father even had the qualifications to take the imperial examinations; they couldn’t even pass the requirement of filial piety.
He didn’t know what he could do in the future. Reading books gave him more thoughts than his other companions, making him somewhat of a misfit, and later, he became a playboy on the streets.
He continued to hold his sister, swaying gently.
He revealed a simple smile and said: “It’s not just me who can read; my sister can read too, and Mother should know a few characters as well. It was all taught by Father. Teaching my sister was very difficult; I always had to tell her what delicious things they represented for her to remember them.”
As he said this, the young man standing in the dim room had red eyes.
He envied the young men before him, not because they were from wealthy families with deep backgrounds.
He only envied them because if they studied, they could take the imperial examinations.
…
In the darkness, the older brother lowered his head and kissed Jiang Mianmian, but Jiang Mianmian thought his saliva had gotten on her face.
She cried out “aiya ya.”
And then she heard her older brother laugh.
