Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 6

“Oh, it’s the big girl from the Lu family coming to gather pigweed again. It’s nice to see you so punctual every day. You’re really a diligent girl.”

“Yes, indeed. I heard you bumped your head before. Aren’t you supposed to be taking more time to recover?”

By the riverbank, several women are washing clothes and bedding, while a few children are wading in the shallow part of the river, catching fish. When they see Lu Xiuyu arriving with her two younger cousins, a few women familiar with the Lu family greet her with friendly words.

“Auntie, my injury has healed a long time ago. Besides, I can’t sit idle. See, the elders are concerned about me and sent two helpers to come with me,” Lu Xiuyu responds with a smile.

Although these women probably mean well, some comments could easily be misinterpreted. For example, their remarks might be intended to praise her diligence and show concern for her injury, but they could also be interpreted as suggesting that Lu Xiuyu is the only capable one among the Lu family’s grandchildren and that her elders don’t care about her well-being, making her work even though her injury isn’t fully healed.

Having had a complex upbringing, Lu Xiuyu knows that words can sometimes be hurtful. So, she addresses their comments with tact, specifically mentioning her two younger cousins to indicate that her injury has healed and that her family and understanding younger cousins are helping her.

Lu Xiuyu is cautious enough. When she sees the crowd from a distance, she returns the basket to her second cousin. Now, the three sisters appear neat and orderly, just as she had described. The two younger sisters are indeed there to help.

“Oh, I really didn’t notice earlier. That must be your Second Uncle and Third Uncle’s daughter, right? She’s quite pretty.”

The people had seen Lu Xiuxin, the third granddaughter of the Lu family, before but aren’t very familiar with Lu Baobao, who is standing behind her.

Isn’t it said that the daughter of the Second Branch is older? But why does she look more like the younger sister compared to the taller one? She’s so delicate and childlike.

Not many people in the village have seen Lu Baobao before because this lazy and gluttonous girl rarely uses any limbs except her mouth and has hardly been out in the past few years.

While there have always been rumors about her beauty, those who haven’t seen her think a six-year-old couldn’t be that pretty. It is probably an exaggeration.

Now, seeing her in person, they realize that old saying is true—where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

The rural folks’ adjectives are somewhat lacking; the highest praise they can think of is to compare someone to the two boys at the Guanyin Temple in Lin County—red lips, white teeth, and full of blessings. This Lu family’s second granddaughter is even more charming than those boys.

And the girl seems to have a very good personality. Her rosy lips curve upwards in a constant smile, softening everyone’s heart.

No one expects that the two people from the Lu family, who are so disliked and detested, could produce such a child, blessed with the essence of heaven and earth. Could this be the legendary case of bad bamboo producing good shoots? How could such a well-behaved child end up in the belly of that lazy woman, Xu Jiaoniang?

This girl clearly seems diligent; at such a young age, she carries such a large bamboo basket to cut pigweed with her cousin, who has just recovered from an injury. Just this alone shows that the child is different from her parents.

For a time, their impression of Lu Baobao is very favorable.

Since the Lu sisters have tasks to accomplish, the women do not keep them for too long, merely exchanging a few pleasantries before letting them go.

After the three sisters leave the riverside and go further up the riverbank, the Tang family scholar’s wife arrives with a large bucket of clothes, followed by a delicate-looking young boy.

The Tang family is also a well-known figure in Sandangkou Village. In ancient times with strong clan consciousness, especially in rural areas, the more prosperous a family is, the higher their local influence. Compared to those families with six or seven children, the Lu family’s offspring are not that many.

In this generation, Old Butcher Lu has three sons, which is already quite a feat. However, because both the men and women in the Lu family are tall and strong, and because many people in the village raise livestock and depend on the Lu family’s butchers, most families do not dare to offend them.

The Tang family is an exception in the village. The Tang family’s ancestors moved to Sandangkou Village over a hundred years ago, married local women, and barely integrated into the village. Over the years, the Tang family has had only one line of descent, with no other relatives or friends in the village besides in-laws, so they have been bullied a lot.

It is only in this generation that the head of the Tang family has passed the scholar examination, elevating the Tang family’s status in the village and making them one of the few families in the village not to be trifled with.

It is also strange that Sandangkou Village, with its beautiful mountains and waters, fertile land, rich resources, and a well-maintained official road passing by, has allowed every household to live comfortably, yet it has not produced many educated individuals.

Since the founding of the Li Dynasty, in nearly a hundred years, the village has produced only one juren (provincial graduate) and a handful of scholars.

In this generation, Sandangkou Village has produced only two scholars, one of whom is Tang Maocai, the head of the Tang family.

Tang Maocai becomes a scholar at the age of twenty-four, which is considered young for scholars. The entire village hopes he will pass the imperial examinations and secure a government position, becoming a support for the village.

But something unexpected happens. When Tang Maocai is thirty years old, he goes to Fucheng to take the provincial examination. Unexpectedly, his horse startles him midway, causing him to fall from the carriage and injure his ribs. Although his life is saved, he is left with lasting effects. From then on, he becomes frail and sickly and can no longer endure the pressures of continuous exams.

Tang Maocai’s road to the imperial examination is thus cut off. The Tang family has almost exhausted their resources to support his studies, and with his ongoing health problems and the costly treatments, Tang Maocai returns to his rural hometown. He opens a private school in Sandangkou Village, barely making a living from the meager fees.

The villagers all respect this scholar, and many children from the village attend Tang’s private school. In Sandangkou Village, everyone gives Tang’s family a measure of deference.

The woman who has come over is Tang Maocai’s wife, and the boy with her is their only son, Tang Dingyuan.

“Little scholar has come again to help his mother with the laundry? Such a filial child.”

A group of women finds a new target for their teasing.

“I hear from my husband that the little scholar can already recite the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames fluently at such a young age. Unlike my own foolish child, who only knows how to write his name. I say, the little scholar has inherited Tang Scholar’s wisdom and is sure to achieve academic success in the future.”

Who in the village doesn’t know about this little prodigy of the Tang family? It is said that this child could speak at eight months old and began reading and writing with Tang Xiucai at the age of two. By the age of four, he was studying with a group of older children. Although he is only eight years old now, his words and deeds already exhibit the maturity of a Tang Dynasty scholar, and his treatment of others is no less than that of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old.

People say that Tang Dingyuan will fulfill his father’s dream of becoming a juren (provincial graduate).

“Aunt Xu, don’t say that. My Yuan’er just started his education early and is a bit more diligent. Your Da Niu is equally clever. My husband often says that Da Niu’s lively personality affects his ability to focus on studying; otherwise, his achievements might not be inferior to Yuan’er’s.”

The scholar’s wife, delicate in appearance, has a similarly soft voice. However, her words are very pleasant to hear, making the woman who had just belittled her own child smile widely.

Who would want to admit that their child is dull? The scholar’s wife is right; her son is just restless and impatient with studying. Otherwise, he would surely be no worse than the scholar’s child.

Amidst the praise from a group of aunts and older women, Tang Dingyuan remains quite composed. After helping his mother carry the wooden basin to the riverside, he sets down the small wooden stool he brought with him, then takes out a book from his pocket and begins to read quietly.

The handsome, refined boy sits up straight, holding the book in one hand and keeping the other hand behind his back. He browses through the content with focused eyes, nodding and occasionally tilting his head as if he is deeply engrossed, appearing well-behaved and perceptive, in stark contrast to the village children who only know how to catch birds in the mountains and fish in the river.

One could say they are raising children, while others are raising monkeys. It’s really infuriating how some people seem to be naturally better.

“The little scholar is so diligent, never forgetting to carry a book wherever he goes.”

“I think the little scholar is very filial. Even though he’s always thinking about his books, he still remembers to accompany his mother to the riverside to wash clothes. Who among us has such good fortune?”

Looking at the behavior of the Tang family’s children, the women on the side are envious.

“Scholar’s wife, please teach us how you raised such a child.”

“That’s right. How many gods and how many Buddhas do I need to worship to get such a child in my womb?”

A group of women chat away. If it were anyone else, they might have stopped studying due to the commotion, but Tang Dingyuan is an exception. Despite his calm outward appearance, he is inwardly thrilled by the praise.

No one knows that Tang Dingyuan has a peculiar habit—he particularly enjoys being praised. To satisfy this unique habit, he often does things to attract everyone’s admiration.

If Lu Xiuyu and Lu Baobao knew about his thoughts, they would definitely recognize that his current behavior is just preening.

The scholar’s wife, of course, cannot accept all the praise without returning the compliment. Both sides are polite, and the atmosphere remains pleasant and friendly.

“The little scholar looks good too. I used to think he was the most handsome child in our village, but after seeing that girl from the Lu family today, tsk tsk, she’s really born at a disadvantage.”

When commenting on the little prodigy of the Tang family, a woman thinks of the girl from the Lu family who has just passed by.

“Oh, boys don’t look at appearances. The Lu family girl indeed grows up beautifully, but I say, there’s no comparison between the looks of boys and girls. Each has its own merits. If a girl’s appearance were on a boy, it might not be as attractive.”

The clever woman smiles and smooths things over. Although the woman is telling the truth, it is inappropriate to say so in front of the scholar’s wife, though she might not care about this little thing.

The scholar’s wife smiles, not letting the words bother her.

However, Tang Dingyuan feels a bit displeased. How could there be a child in Sandangkou Village more beautiful than him?