Toe spreading exercise

  Lin Jing stood on the dock, seeing off Jia Yu's boat slowly departing, only then did she realize that Jia Yu had really left, and Daiyu was still at the Lin residence.

  This is not true!

  Jia Min's funeral was over, and the people from Rongguo Mansion had also left. Although Lin Ruhai and Daiyu were still grieving, life in the Lin household had changed a lot, but as time passed day by day, it gradually formed a pattern. Except for Master going to the government office on official business and servants buying things, the main gate of the Lin mansion was closed, and the people inside didn't go out much either.

  Others were somewhat better, gradually getting used to such days, but one person's mood was very depressed. Even if he often went out and indulged in the beautiful scenery of places like Xi Hu, it couldn't alleviate his depression. This person was none other than Daiyu's teacher, Lin Fu's western scholar, Jia Yucun.

  Jia Yucun was not a servant of the Lin family, so he didn't need to observe mourning rites. However, as a scholar, he couldn't indulge in pleasure-seeking during his patron's period of great distress. His female student was still ill, and he himself had nothing better to do, feeling idle and bored, so he could only spend his time going on occasional outings to while away the hours.

  But this was not what made Jia Yucun most indignant. What really made him uncomfortable was the attitude of the host towards him.

  A few days ago, Lin Ruhai, the old master of Lin's mansion, had a conversation with him and once again tested his knowledge in casual talk, also mentioning that the young master of the mansion was kind and gentle.

  Jia Yucun had lived in the Rongguo Mansion for a long time, how could he not have heard of this gentleman? Although it was true that he was filial and honest, but also rather stupid, yet why would Master Rong bring him up?

  Jia Yucun was a former official and was quite familiar with the way things were done in official circles, where one word was spoken but three were left unspoken. After some thought, he understood what his host was getting at.

  To be honest, Jia Yucun was not very satisfied with his original job. Although Mr. and Mrs. Lin were extremely fond of their daughter, inviting teachers to educate her as a young lady, and his own female disciple was exceptionally intelligent. However, no matter what, girls are just girls.

  No matter how hard I try to teach, my female disciple Fahuiye, also known as Datian Ting, will not become a top scholar or produce any famous students who can help me gain fame.

  But no matter how well the female disciple studied, it was only for the pleasure of her future boudoir.

  Hmph, the joys of being a woman! Thinking about how I've been buried in books and studies since childhood, only to have them used for such purposes, it's truly a shame to literature!

  He could humiliate himself to the point of being a servant, but he really needed this job. Although it was humiliating, it was better than not having enough food to fill his belly. Moreover, no matter what, his master was still a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and he himself was considered an insider in the government, so his life wasn't too difficult, which was much better than being a salt merchant or a rural scholar.

  Now, Jia Yucun has discovered a great opportunity in front of him. Lin Jing, although he had heard that this child was stupid, but he is the young master of the Lin family, the only son of Mr. Lin. Mr. Lin may not have paid much attention to him before, but now it seems that he still cares about his son. As a descendant of a marquis and with his own official position, how could that child turn out badly in the future? Even if he is not successful in his studies, Mr. Lin can completely secure an official position for him.

  If I were to accept this disciple, given the current emphasis on respecting teachers and valuing morality, and hearing that the child's character is not bad, wouldn't I be able to make use of them in the future? Even if it doesn't work out, it would still be better than handing over a female disciple who can only stay within the inner courtyard. Moreover, when this female disciple grows older, even as her teacher, I would have to avoid suspicion.

  So, after Jia Yucun figured out Lin Ruhai's intention, he was overjoyed in his heart and couldn't wait to express his feelings. However, having been in the official circle for a long time, he knew that some things had to be handled with care, lest others look down on him and suspect his character, so he forcibly suppressed his emotions.

  He merely extolled Lin Jing's virtues in every possible way, dwelling on his pure and filial character. Of course, to show his sincerity, he did not entirely avoid the subject of talent, but tactfully expressed his appreciation for moral worth.

  Jia Yucun thought he had made his intentions clear enough, and now that the female disciple was ill, he was idle, and the government was busy, thinking that Lin would soon let Lin Jing come to him as a teacher, so he rubbed his fists and palms, carefully tidied up his books, and prepared a chapter for teaching Lin Jing.

  But unexpectedly, those days passed and Master Lin didn't mention that matter again. And as for that old man, he came in and out of Master Lin's study every day, it was said that even in his busy schedule, Master Lin still had to guide that child.

  Jia Yucun thought for a moment, could it be that he had misunderstood the meaning from the very beginning? Or was there something wrong with what he said? After repeatedly thinking about the events of that day, Jia Yucun realized that it couldn't be!

  Is Lord Lin at fault?

  Jia Yucun found a reason for himself and thought of ways to remind Lin Daxian. He just said it was impossible, so Jia Yucun pondered for a moment and began to frequently go out of the mansion. Hoped to attract attention in this way, and then let people mention themselves in front of Lin Daxian.

  Being able to make Lin sir hear his own name and finding himself with nothing to do, isn't this a reminder in disguise?

  Unfortunately, what made Jia Yu Cun feel depressed was precisely this. As for Lin's side, there was no reaction at all!

  At this point, Jia Yucun's excuse for himself was also pierced by himself.

  On this day, Jia Yucun had been wandering outside for half a day and didn't return to the Lin's residence until near dusk. Not feeling like drinking much, Jia Yucun only had a few cups of light wine, still remembering the situation at the Lin's and not overindulging. He had just disembarked from a boat on the shore of West Lake and walked a few steps when he was bumped into by someone.

  The two men who bumped into him were half his size, one of whom was still holding a small basket with some wine in it, but the wine had spilled all over, and his hem was also stained. To make matters worse, one of them even stepped on his foot.

  At this moment, those two little guys looked at him with their hands and feet in a mess, repeatedly saying sorry, making bows and apologizing, and they seemed to be on the verge of tears.

  Jia Yucun was eager to vent his frustrations, but he noticed that some people were looking in this direction, and that boatman was also staring at him. It didn't matter if others looked, but this boatman had chatted with him for days and knew he was the western scholar of the Lin family. If he spoke a few careless words, letting those who recognized him point fingers at him, it wouldn't be good, nor would it be like a scholar's demeanor.

  Jia Yucun could only suppress his anger and repeatedly said it was nothing, nothing. His gentle demeanor actually reassured the two young men. However, these two youngsters were not bad, saying they had accidentally stepped on Mr. Jia's foot and insisted on sending him back home.

  Jia Yucun reluctantly agreed, and with the smell of wine on him and his aching feet throbbing with each step, he nodded. The two young men spent five copper coins to hire a rickshaw to send Jia Yucun back home.

  As they went along, those two children were no longer as frightened as at first and looked up to Jia Yucun with a smile. As they talked, the conversation turned to the Lin family.

  A child said, these days Lin's family has been searching for teachers all over the world for their grandfather, but it's not clear what kind of teacher they're looking for to satisfy Old Master Lin. It seems that the eldest son of the Lin family is highly valued by Old Master Lin.

  It's not just others, but Jia Yucun felt as if he had been slapped in the face. The preparations he made were now openly mocking him. It turned out that he had been deceiving himself all along and bringing shame upon himself.

  Those two kids were still muttering among themselves, one of them said: "Can't be, right? Didn't we hear that the Lin family already has a Western teacher?"

  The one who spoke first gave him a white eye, "That's just the teacher of the eldest daughter of Lin's mansion. A woman who teaches girls, how can she teach the master of Lin's mansion?"

  "Huh? Didn't I hear that Mr. Xi is quite knowledgeable?"

  "Hmph, if he really had any learning, why didn't Master Lin let him be the teacher of that solitary genius? Unless, this person has a problem with his character. Ah, I heard that the original one was an official, but because of his character, he was demoted. It's said that Master Lin is a straightforward and honest person, so he must look down on someone like that."

  Jia Yucun listened to their chatter, feeling utterly ashamed, and thought that the dignity and prestige of scholars had been trampled in the mud by others.

  Just to avoid embarrassment, Jia Yucun endured it. When they arrived at the Lin's house, he hastily called for a stop and got out of the carriage, refusing to let anyone send him off again. Those two young men tried to persuade him, but Jia Yucun wouldn't listen. In the end, those two could only speak and walk away. Before leaving, they also gave Jia Yucun another high hat.

  Jia Yucun suppressed his emotions and walked a few steps before arriving at the Lin family gate.

  The gatekeeper saw Jia Yucun walking unsteadily and reeking of wine, and assumed he had been out carousing. The family was still in mourning, yet here he was, drunk as a lord! He didn't even bother to show Jia Yucun respect, but instead scolded him roundly.

  Jia Yucun felt extremely humiliated that a coarse and inferior servant dared to criticize him, his heart was pained to the extreme, originally no one really took him seriously!

  At this moment, Jia Yucun's emotions were stirred up again after hearing so many words today. It was already unbearable for his uncle and aunt. The servants could sense their master's meaning, and if they dared to treat themselves like this, it seemed that the master also had this attitude. Forget it, since they looked down on themselves like this, what else were they waiting for? Did they still want others to speak up and drive them away?

  Jia Yucun thought he had figured it out and burst into a loud guffaw, then ran back to his own residence, determined to leave.

  Jia Yucun had drunk a few cups of wine and was now in high spirits, not caring about anything else, but striding forward with big steps. As he walked further and further, he felt that he had the demeanor of a Wei-Jin scholar, although he didn't have his feet bare and his hair disheveled, it wasn't much different either.

  Suddenly had an episode of madness, didn't even look at the road, and collided with someone.

  Today is really unsettling... Wishing you peace!