Chapter 14: The Flower in the Shade and the Three Months of Green Beans

  Merry Christmas! It's also my birthday today! Can I have a hug and some candies?

  I'm also born on Christmas Day, hugs, same joy!!

  Let's hug, happy birthday, sorry I just saw it now.

  Sophia, can you contact me on QQ?

  Sixteen

  The Confucius worship ceremony started, and someone found that Zhou Huijuan was absent. The poetry appreciation given to students during the winter vacation was also replaced by Luo Xiaoyu.

  Zong Xiuyu was somewhat surprised. For such a large-scale event, everyone should have been present in principle. Would she go back home suddenly without notifying the school?

  Suspicion begets suspicion, amidst the snowy storm, a grand ceremony is about to begin.

  At 9:00 am, the students stopped whispering to each other. More than thirty soldiers entered first, and soon after, local gentry and scholars took their seats one by one. Zong Xiuyu had already received a notice that there would be another big shot coming this time. Although it was already time for the ceremony, they didn't rush to start.

  In the middle of the courtyard, a statue of Confucius stands silently in the wind and snow, while these female students gaze back at him in silence. Luo Xiaoyu distributed the printed pamphlets to the class leaders of each grade level, and when she handed them to Kang Miao and Shen Shuxian, they exchanged a glance, which was both encouraging and hopeful.

  The soldier standing at the gate shouted loudly, "Director Xu has arrived——"

  Wow, everyone hurry up and applaud, all are well-rehearsed.

  Only then did Xu Baoshan sit in front of the stage, his eyes gleaming brightly. Ning Xingguo had heard about him from Wei Yikou before and didn't expect to see him in person. In the government of the Yuan bandits, he was also a well-known figure. It turned out that his hometown was Jiangsu. It is said that Xu Baoshan has been practicing martial arts since childhood, wandering around the rivers and lakes, constantly making friends, and his relationships are not bad. He quickly developed into a big salt smuggler with 100,000 men and 700 ships.

  He was concerned about the changing politics, and also valued bookworms. Later, he made up for his lack of knowledge in various subjects and became a government official by luck. In his early years, he tended to be revolutionary, and after recovering cities such as Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, and Taizhou, he was appointed as the commander of the Second Army of Yangzhou by the then-government. After Yuan Shikai usurped the revolutionary regime, Xu immediately pledged allegiance to Yuan and sent his son Xu Saihan to Yuan as a hostage. Yuan summoned him to Beijing, entrusted him with important tasks, granted him official titles and noble ranks, and Xu Baoquan followed Yuan even more closely.

  His gaze swept around, but didn't linger on Ning Xingguo's face for too long. There were too many people, no time to take turns looking, and those female students' faces were also roughly scanned, a few of whom looked pretty and clever, thinking that his future daughter-in-law should be well-read and understanding.

  Xu Baoshan and the school director, Ni An Ya couple, also had a chance encounter. He had heard that the new Hui female school was strict in its academic discipline. Moreover, the fortune teller said that Yangzhou's feng shui was more suitable for his development, so last year he moved his whole family here. Now his daughter, Xu Sailing, has reached the age of attending girls' school, and this is a good opportunity to investigate the school.

  The local government of Yangzhou is naturally more affectionate to Xu Baoshan than to their own grandfather. In order to please Xu Baoshan, they not only gave him land, houses, gold and silver, but also handed over the revolutionary party members. Previously, some were arrested and all were handed over to Xu Baoshan, who beheaded them at Caishi Street. Several important ones had their heads cut off and placed in boxes, which were sent to Yuan Shikai overnight, in exchange for even greater power.

  Everyone recited the memorial together. Kang Yu couldn't help but glance at Ning Xingguo with his peripheral vision, and then began to daydream. Even if he became Mr. Nan Guo, he wouldn't be afraid, anyway, there were so many people reciting.

  It's almost noon, everyone is hungry and growling, but they don't dare make a sound. All that can be heard is the voice of a rural squire with a mole on his face about the size of a black bean, with hair on it.

  "With Confucius as the representative of traditional culture, the common roots and blood ties of Chinese people are closely linked, which is the deep cultural root of our nation's life and the inexhaustible resource and powerful driving force for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In a chaotic world, we students can learn from Confucius to absorb more wisdom, gain healthy and sufficient confidence and self-confidence. We believe that the strong centripetal force possessed by traditional culture represented by Confucianism will unite us Chinese people to a great extent, with one heart and one mind, making greater contributions to achieving our great ideals together!"

  Shen Shuxian's right hand kept trembling, last time she killed someone her hands were too heavy, at that moment she couldn't control herself, and afterwards when moving the body she also used a lot of strength.

  Xu Baoshan listened to the man's speech and really wanted to pull out a gun from the soldier next to him and blow the man's brains out, it would be so satisfying, the girls below would definitely scream and scatter, and those who stayed would look at him with eyes of utmost admiration...

  After a moment of contemplation, it was finally his turn to speak. Xu Baoshan coughed twice and said, "I'll talk about the Revolutionary Party. I've heard that you have some here. You tell me about it, or if you have any connections with them, I'll definitely give you benefits. Do you think 8,000 yuan is a small amount? I'm a straightforward person. If I find out, this school will be shut down and you'll all be in trouble."

  Kang's body trembled slightly, partly because of the cold and partly because she didn't know why, but seeing Xu Baoshan's face made her particularly afraid.

  Seventeen

  The same face, however, was met with some admiration in Shen Shuxian's eyes. This man exuded an air of heroism from head to toe; if he were her father, how wonderful that would be! Her mother wouldn't have to worry about being bullied, and their home would probably have delicious food every day. Thieves wouldn't dare break in and steal the few silver coins from her mother's drawer in broad daylight. Father? He had been gone for years, lying in a cold wooden box with furrowed brows, his corpse rotting away. In his free time, he taught her to read and write, telling her that reading gave one power. But what about him? Despite reading so many books, he didn't have any money; when he fell ill, they couldn't afford treatment.

  My nose is sour and my tears are pouring out.

  Xu Baoshan stopped talking as he was closer to her, and wondered why a female student would cry, and how she could be so timid. He lowered his tone and continued, "Of course, all the teachers and students of our school are righteous, brave, and upright, so now I am donating 10,000 yuan to the school."

  Wow, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

  A large trunk was brought up, opened, and Zong Xiuyu couldn't hide her joy either. She shook hands with Xu Baoshan, this expense was too important.

  Shen Shuxian let out a breath of relief when school was dismissed, glanced at Ning Xingguo, who happened to be looking at her, and quickly lowered her head.

  Yes, I usually post it as soon as I finish writing. There is no time to check. So thank you to those careful readers.

  You now know how crazy the editor who helped me revise the article is. Three black lines.

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