Goldfield
Chapter 96: Skinny

Two old men, who were about seventy years old, unexpectedly fought over the fish in public like they were children. When the teachers in the canteen saw this side of the famous scholar, the majestic and dignified image in their hearts instantly collapsed. Holy hooch! Was it really the loner and mysterious Principal Yuan? He's obviously an old piglet!

Taking advantage of the time when his old friends were pushing and blocking each other, Supervisor Meng also came. He had just tasted a piece of boiled pork head meat when he was pushed by his friend who was trying to protect his food. Great Student Yuan was so angry that his face turned red. He loudly shouted, “Good! You all stole my culinary delights! This old man! This old man is going to cut ties with you two! ”

Xiaocao and his father were both stunned by the sight. If they were not in Rongxuan Academy, he would think that Great Student Yuan was a con man. These were the three most important people of Rongxuan Academy. If they were hostile towards each other because of the boiled food he brought, then he would be very sinful.

He hurriedly walked forward and persuaded, “Chief School Yuan, please quench your anger. If you don't mind, every time Little Shitou comes back after a break, I'll bring you some small side dishes.

School Head Yuan had been waiting for him to say this, so when he heard his words, his anger turned into happiness. He said, “Girl well, this old man did not misjudge you. You really have a good heart! Shishu, are you done eating? If you're done, take Yu Fan to the main class dorm and help him calm down. ”

Shishu was slightly stunned in his heart. He was just a small freshman from the elementary grade, yet the Headmaster had asked him, his personal assistant to personally find a place for him to settle down. It was obvious how much the Headmaster valued this little boy so much!

Although Shishu was surprised, he did not reveal his feelings on his face. He replied with ‘ya’, and said to Yu Hai and his children, “Please come with me!”

The principal's personal assistant, Teacher Shishu, actually came to elementary class to help a new student named “Yu Fan” to complete the registration procedure. He also personally arranged rooms for new students in the dormitory. This news quickly spread throughout the entire Rongxuan Academy. Everyone was very curious as to who the new disciple was, to be able to make Master Shishu do all that for him.

Little Shitou did not know that she had already become famous on her first day in the academy. Right now, he happily placed his little bag on top of his bed in the dormitory. He stretched out his hand and touched the new bed that was loose and soft. Seeing his dormitory complete with tables and benches, he immediately felt very lucky to be able to live and study in such a comfortable environment. He secretly made the firm decision to study hard and not to disappoint his parents and older sister!

Xiaocao looked at his younger brother's roommate. One of his roommates was around ten years old, while the other was slightly younger and looked to be around seven or eight years old. There was no humiliation reflected in their eyes when they saw the tattered clothes that he and his father were wearing. At such a young age, they already had a sense of civility, and were not arrogant or rash. Thus, Xiaocao's tense heart finally relaxed.

Little Shitou had just sat down when Qian Wen walked into the room with a porcelain bowl in her hand. The two students from the elementary grade hurriedly got up to greet their seniors.

Qian Wen slightly nodded her head towards the two younger disciples, then said to Little Shitou, “I have food for you. Eat fast because there is a morning reading class. Elementary school started about a month ago. So, if you have something you don't understand, you can come and find me. I live in the third room from the left there. ”

Little Shitou was very worried when she heard that she had missed class for almost a month. So, when she heard Qian Wen offer to help her, she replied, “Thank you Brother Xiaowen. I'll often ask for guidance if you don't feel I'm troublesome. I had breakfast, so you have to bring the food back to eat by yourself! ”

“Evening starts around three in the afternoon. Since you have breakfast so early in the morning, if you don't eat something now, how can you last until the afternoon? You won't be able to learn anything on an empty stomach! ” Qian Wen push porcelain bowl towards Shitou, urge him, “Quick feeding!”

Xiaocao noticed that the rice in the bowl was made with a mixture of white rice and millet. Although there was only radish and white cabbage on it, they had used sufficient amounts of oil to saute vegetables, which was about the same as the standard of living of the family in general. He suddenly asked, “Brother Xiaowen, how much does one serving of this food cost?”

“It was just one copper coin for a bowl of white rice mixed with millet and vegetables. If you want white rice with only the same vegetables, then it costs two copper coins. This would be five copper coins for white rice with meat. There was bread made with wheat flour, as well as mixed grains. ”Qian Wen understood his point so he reported all the food prices from the canteen to her.

As the saying goes, ‘save at home and spend time freely while traveling’. So of course Xiaocao would not molest his younger brother, who was studying away from home. He gets a two-day break after every five days of study. He set aside eight copper coins every day for his food and counted an additional ten copper coins as allowances, and thus gave a total of fifty copper coins to Little Shitou.

Qian Wen was somewhat surprised to see Xiaocao give Little Shitou fifty copper coins. The cost of living for five days was only thirty to forty copper coins. The living conditions of her family were much better than Xiaocao, but she was still willing to give that much money to her brother.

Little Shitou looked at the strand of coin that her sister had given him and refused to take everything no matter what. He said, “Second Brother, just two copper coins are enough for me to eat a day. Why did you give me so much money? Our family is not rich. To earn enough money to pay for my school fees, everyone in the family was busy without a break. You can give me ten copper coins for five days! ”

Xiaocao pulled him to the side and firmly gave the strand of coin to him. He said, “Take the money first. If you can't use all of them, use the rest to buy paper and brushes. Shitou, you are at an age when your body is growing. Don't always think about saving up and eating something delicious from time to time! You should know about your second sister's abilities. The money I made from selling boiled food was enough for our family's living expenses. Quickly take the money, otherwise I will be angry.. ”.

Little Shitou's eyes reddened as she received the money. Sniffing his nose, he said, “Dad, Second Brother, rest assured because I will definitely study hard ..”

Little Shitou wiped her tears and tried to remove their reluctance to part with laughter, “Second Sister, you are truly Mother's daughter. Even the words you say are the same as him! ”

Yu Hai forced himself to smile and said, “Isn't it because your mother and sister care about you? They're worried about you. All right, eat fast. Don't be late for your first class. ” He turned towards Qian Wen, solemnly cupped his fists, and said, “Xiaowen ah, Shitou is young and she is also new to the academy. Please help me take care of him. ”

Qian Wen hurriedly bowed in reply and laughed, “Uncle Dahai, I will take care of her even if you do not ask me! Worry not! In addition to the teachers in the academy, there were also staff who supervised the lives of the students in every row of houses. There are also doctors dedicated exclusively to the academy. If any student has a headache or fever, he or she may receive free treatment from a doctor. Uncle Dahai, Shitou is very hardworking, so she won't have any problems! ”

Xiaocao walked out of Rongxuan Academy with red eyes. Ever since he had moved to this foreign world, he had always been accompanied by this clever and wise boy.

As she lay on the bed, she got bird eggs for him, chatted with him and laughed with him. As they dug wild plants, he held a small basket and worked harder than he did. She was always by his side when they went to the pier to sell boiled food …

In her heart, she already considered Little Shitou as her biological sister. He was only six years old, yet he had to stay in the city to study at the academy alone. He was very reluctant to part with her and did not feel reassured at all.

Yu Hai felt very pleased with the deep bond between his brother and sister. He comforted her, saying, “Cao’er, don't be sad anymore. You will see it after five days. At that time, let's come early to pick her up! Didn't you say you wanted to go to the cattle and horse market? Let's go!”

Xiaocao wiped the tears in his eyes, sniffed his nose, and cheered, “Let's go visit Oldest Brother at the woodworking shop first. Let's give him some shoes. ”

The father and son pair went to the main street and arrived at Zhang Ji's Carpentry Shop. Perhaps it was because Yu Hai was present, the shop assistant had an ugly expression on his face but he did not intentionally make things difficult for them. He immediately called Yu Hang out.

After not seeing her older brother for a few days, Xiaocao felt his older brother growing thinner. There was a sense of tiredness in his withered and yellow skin. Although he forced himself to appear energetic in front of them, they could still see how tired he was.

“Sister, is it tiring to be an intern here? Or because you're not feeling well? Your skin does not look good.. ”Xiaocao asked with concern. After all, Yu Hang was only eleven to twelve years old. Most of the jobs in the woodworking shop required physical strength, so it was considered heavy work for a youngster like Yu Hang.

The wise Yu Hang was afraid that he would make his family worry, so he laughed recklessly and said, “Business has been going well these few days. Even the artisan chief had to work overtime. I was just an assistant who stayed up a while later. After the busy period has passed, I will be fine! ”

Yu Hai sighed deeply as he looked at his son who was acting like an adult. He wanted to say something but after hesitating for a while, he swallowed back his words. Xiaocao looked at his father and said, “Dad, our family's daily income is very good now. We also lack people helping out at home. Why don't we take Older Brother home? ”

Yu Hang did not wait for his father's reply and interrupted, “sister Second, I am fine! Which head craftsman doesn't start an internship? After enduring two years as a newcomer, I will be able to start learning woodcrafts. Don't worry, your brother's health is good! ”

Xiaocao stuffed the parcel he held into his elder brother's hand and said, “Sister, here's a pair of shoes that mom made for you. There were also a hundred copper coins inside. Take.....”

Yu Hang lowered his head and looked at his shoes whose toes were open. He quickly replied, “I'll take his shoes, but take his money back! Our family is not rich. I have enough food and drinks here, so I don't need any money. ”

Xiaocao stubbornly stuffed a strand of coin into his brother's hand and said, “Xiaolian and I took turns selling food on the dock. Our business is doing very well, so the state of our family is not as difficult as you think. In just a few days, we were able to raise enough money for the month-long tuition fee for Little Shitou. So, a hundred copper coins is not much. When you are away from home, it is best to have some money for emergencies. ”

Yu Hai also urged, “Your sister is right. Just take! You are growing now, so buy food and eat when you are hungry at night.We will not delay you any longer. Quick in. ”

After leaving the carpentry shop, the father and daughter did not speak for long. When they were almost at the cattle and horse market, Xiaocao finally said, “Dad, after a few days, let's return Oldest Brother. Difficult to live as an intern .... ”.

Yu Hai nodded and replied, “En.” After that, he did not say anything more and only sighed.