Chapter 54: Harsh Tutoring

Chapter 54: Harsh Tutoring

Soon after Yuan Shi entered the kitchen, she prepared several dishes and sent them to the hall with servants, including a lotus leaf dish of finely chopped fish, a gourd stewed meat, a lamb tripe soup, and a box of seasonal vegetables. The staple food was steamed pork balls.

In addition to Li Tai, the main guest, his dozen followers also ate outside the hall, with cold dishes, caged cakes, and a full pot of goat offal soup.

Li Tai looked at the exquisite dishes on the table, and felt more and more that Lu Rou's family must have lived in poverty in Chang'an. Lotus leaves and gourds are used as dining utensils, which seem novel and interesting, but in other words, the host family may not even have decent lacquerware tableware.

Moreover, these ingredients are common and not expensive. For example, the stewed meat, the mutton is chopped and stewed with dried eggplant, then served in a green gourd and steamed in water. There is no expensive seasoning, only the heat and craftsmanship make the ingredients full of flavor.

Li Tai paid attention to these details, not because he looked down on his cousin, but because he liked his cousin's wife who was from the Northern Wei royal family.

As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice. Perhaps the family rarely entertained so many guests. The family was not rich and did not have much food in reserve, but they still tried their best to prepare meals and treat guests well.

Although this meal was not rich, Li Tai also felt full of human touch. Lu Rou and his wife really treated him as a long-lost and close relative. They neither showed off nor complained, and there was a warmth in the plainness.

What made him a little embarrassed was that the gift for his visit this time was provided by Heba Sheng. He wanted to give his well-behaved and clever niece a precious and interesting gift, but he didn't have a suitable gift.

After the meal, Li Tai sat in the hall with Lu Rou and his wife, drinking tea and chatting about the past. It was mainly the couple talking and Li Tai listening, occasionally asking about their daily life in Chang'an.

He was originally worried that it would be a bit awkward to meet these relatives who had never met and had little affection for him, but as they chatted, he gradually liked this warm atmosphere of home.

An hour later in the afternoon, someone from the Cui family arrived and told him that the master had known that his old relatives had come to visit and was returning from the government office. He brought a carriage and invited Lu Rou's family and Li Tai to visit together.

The Cui family is located in the north of Chang'an City. It is a manor that covers an area of ​​several hectares rather than a mansion. This manor spans the inside and outside of the city and is itself part of the city defense, but it is still dwarfed by a manor on its east side.

"That is where Duke Zhangwu lived in Beijing. Go east for a few miles and you will find the imperial city."

Lu Rou pointed to the larger mansion and said to Li Tai. After hearing this, Li Tai couldn't help but look at this mansion that was as big as a military city.

Duke Zhangwu's name was Yuwen Dao. He was the second-in-command of the Yuwen family and the son and nephew that Yuwen Tai relied on the most. If he hadn't died too early, Yuwen Hu would not have been able to assist in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

Li Tai, Lu Rou and his followers dismounted in front of the Cui family's gate, while Yuan's mother and daughter rode in a carriage through the side door and entered the inner house.

Although the two brothers Cui Qian and Cui Qi held their own positions in the Western Wei Dynasty, they still followed the rules of the great families in Hebei. The brothers did not live separately, and the two families lived together in this mansion. It's just that Cui Qian was working in Weibei, not in Beijing.

From the facade alone, the Cui family's mansion is much more magnificent than Lu Rou's.

This is normal. Although they returned together from the Southern Dynasty Liang, their careers in the Western Wei Dynasty were still different. Lu Rou was more inclined to be a scholar. After coming to the Western Wei Dynasty, he also served as a civil servant in the Daxingtai for several years. Later, he entered the court and also served as a civil servant such as Zhongshu Sheren.

The Cui brothers were already quite powerful in martial arts. After entering the pass, the official positions they held were also both civil and military. They also directly participated in several major battles between the two Weis to accumulate military exploits.

Today, Cui Qi is the governor of Jingzhao and the commander-in-chief, in charge of the military and political affairs of the capital. Although his brother Cui Qian is the governor of Yingzhou, his power is much wider than that of Lu Rou.

If the newcomers in Guanxi want to improve their economic status, the first is to obtain it through military merit, and the second is to establish a business in the hometown.

Li Tai deeply felt that it was not easy to manage the hometown. Lu Rou did not have the ability and means to obtain military merit, and the title of the Western Wei Dynasty did not give him a real seal. He only relied on the intermittent salary of the Western Wei court and the harvest from the rent of the farmland. It is natural that his living environment is not as good as that of the Cui brothers.

Therefore, Li Tai felt that he was right not to rush to seek an official position. If he was entangled in official affairs before he really established his hometown, he would probably live in poverty like his cousin Lu Rou in the future, waiting for the Grand Secretary to take off his clothes to wear him one day.

If he didn't seek independence in his hometown first, not to mention that there would be few good opportunities to gain military merit in the next few years, even if there were, the hundreds of strong men in his family would probably not be able to sustain the consumption of several tough battles.

Several disciples of the Cui family welcomed them in and led them to the central hall to sit down. After chatting for a while, a middle-aged man in official robes strode in from outside the hall.

This middle-aged man was 1.9 meters tall, with strong arms and big shoulders. He walked with a vigorous gait and a thick beard under his chin. He looked like a brave general. If Lu Rou and all the disciples in the hall hadn't stood up to greet him, Li Tai would have almost guessed that he was the master Cui Qi.

"Bo Shan greeted, Envoy."

Before, he was still hesitating whether to call the other party cousin or brother-in-law. Seeing that Cui Qi was also very powerful at home, he simply gave him this title.

Cui Qi nodded to Lu Rou first, then looked Li Tai up and down, and said with interest and a smile: "The former Grand Chancellor sent a great article to all the prefectures, and I was fortunate enough to read it. I originally thought it was written by my uncle, but later I found out that it was actually written by a junior.

I just told me, Thirteenth Prince, that you have worked hard to establish yourself in the countryside and are a handsome young man, so I wanted to invite you to see you after the season. I was very happy when my family came to complain before, but something happened again before I left, making you, Thirteenth Lang, wait a long time. What I can see in front of me is that my pro-Party party in the West has indeed gained strength, which is really exciting! "

Lu Rou had a stutter when speaking, but Cui Qian was on the other extreme. Her words kept coming out like a machine gun, making it impossible for anyone to get a word in.

When Cui Quan finished speaking, Li Taicai bowed again and said, "I am ashamed to praise you so much. I am fortunate to have my father support me in my hometown. I don't know the news about my family. It is really rude to come to see him now."

Cui Quan walked into the hall and sat down at the main seat. He raised his hand to signal a few people to sit down. He turned his eyes and frowned: "Where is Amo? My elder is in the hall, but he doesn't come to see me?"

After hearing this, the disciples in the hall hurriedly left and left, and soon they introduced a child with a tiger-like head and a tiger-like brain.

The child stood outside the hall and still struggled to come in. When he noticed Cui Tan's gaze in the hall, he suddenly became extremely calm. He bowed his head obediently and walked in and whispered: "Aye..."

"You have swallowed mud in your mouth and tongue, and your voice is so low? Kneel down!"

Cui Fan was still chatting and laughing, but when he saw this little boy walking in, his expression suddenly dropped. He slapped the table and scolded: "My parents are not here, and relatives and friends are visiting. Since you are the householder, why didn't you see me? Quickly confess to your cousin!"

"Cousin?"

The little boy didn't dare to look at his father, glanced at Lu Rou, and didn't dare to ask if his father was wrong.

Cui Fan became very irritable when he looked at his son. He stood up and went down to the hall to mention the child. He fell beside Li Tai at the banquet table and apologized to Li Tai: "This bitch is so stupid that he made Thirteenth laugh. This guy here at the table I'm your cousin from the Li family, why don't you kowtow and apologize!"

Li Tai looked at the child who was so frightened by his father that he was helpless. He felt a little embarrassed for a moment: "The young man is immature and will inevitably not recognize strangers. With such a serious tutor, he will surely succeed in the long run."

"Thirteenth Prince, you don't have to excuse him. Who doesn't have a young boy? Do you have to wait for him behind closed doors for ten years before I can open my house to gather with relatives and friends?"

Cui Fan kicked his son again before returning to the table.

When Li Tai saw this wild and serious tutor, he couldn't help but feel a little pitiful for his little cousin. Being beaten like this since childhood would leave a huge psychological shadow in the future!

After Cui Quan returned to the table, he asked about Li Tai's recent situation since he entered the customs, and especially talked about the incident where the Shi family from Jingzhao came to ask for help: "That Hunu is really disgusting. He deceived me and falsely accused my relatives and disciples. How could he be so filthy?" Can you recommend me? But Daxingtai has a clear reward, and his family has merit, so I can't take it lightly. I will send it to the garrison in Longxi and don't disturb anyone in front of me."

When Li Tai heard this, he couldn't help but mourn for the historian. It's not good to offend anyone, but he chose to offend me. Even losing money can't avoid disaster. Although this eldest cousin has a somewhat impatient personality, he also has clear resentment and resentment, which he can still manage.

When he presented the gift prepared by He Basheng, Cui Quan stroked the bow and fell silent. After a while, he sighed: "The situation is exciting, but the old love is cold. Although it is not my fault, I still feel sad every time I think about it. .

Since we are so distant from each other, I don’t want to leave anything to disturb my feelings. Seeing that you, Thirteenth Prince, have broad shoulders and strong arms, I guess you are not like Zigang and others who only practice pen and ink. Later, my family will string the bow and give it to you. I hope you will not disgrace the Taishi's old weapon. "

When Li Tai heard this, he also felt that Cui Fan was feeling sad about drifting away from He Basheng. They followed He Basheng all the way from Jingzhou to the Southern Dynasties and back again. Their friendship was naturally deep. Even if they had any knots in their hearts, it was not something he could resolve, so they nodded in agreement.

Although Cui Fan has a straightforward personality, he also has great authority. When Li Tai talked with him, he felt that he was not as harmonious as his eldest cousin Lu Rou. There was some gap between them, and they could not get closer emotionally quickly, so the topics were a bit boring. .

Li Tai simply took out the official document booklet he had previously shown to Shuo Hui in Beihua Prefecture and gave a brief introduction to the industry that he, He Basheng and Shuo Hui were going to start.

After Cui Quan saw the real thing and listened to Li Tai's introduction, he was immediately moved. At the same time, he frowned and said, "There is no work yet? From now until October, can we provide 10,000 manuscripts? If so, on the 13th Lang, you have been of great help to me!”

"Currently, the skills are still lacking in papermaking..."

"This is not a problem. There is no shortage of paper craftsmen in the household. We will bring Thirteenth Lang back tomorrow morning and work as soon as possible! I will not be greedy for the wisdom and merit of the younger generation and take away your property. The county government will buy in quantity and provide you with real supplies."

Cui Quan put on a business-like attitude and said sternly: "There is only one request. Before this year, we can only supply Beihua Prefecture and Jingzhao. Until next year, you can work freely."

Naturally, Li Tai would not refuse this request. Not to mention that the current production capacity cannot be estimated. Even if the production capacity is sufficient, we must take care of our own family first.

After telling this story, Cui Quan held the book and read it carefully. After a while, he suddenly pulled out a bamboo stick from the side of the case, pointed at his son and scolded: "Look at your cousin, there is no elder to protect the professor." , You don’t have to worry about supporting your family. The beautiful style of this book makes academic people sigh!