Chapter 22: A joke that’s not funny

Putting aside his chaotic thoughts, Yun Ye buried his head in the study. Before starting his life as a farmer, he had to organize the mathematics textbooks in the academy. The mathematics foundation on the content of elementary school had already been written in the third part. As long as he finished the fourth part in his hand, he would have a complete concept of elementary mathematics.

There is a knowledge of mathematical symbols and simple practical applications. Although Li Tai and the others strongly opposed the idiotic behavior of one pipe being used to pump water in and the other to pump water out, and asked when the water could be pumped out, they had no choice but to carefully study when the water could be pumped out under the high pressure of Yun Ye.

They didn’t want to leave a big zero on their exam papers, and the examination-oriented education of later generations showed its powerful deterrent effect in the Tang Dynasty.

In Chang’an, it was now fashionable for old friends to ask each other, “How did your second son do on the exam?” This novel way of talking, the parents of students who did well on the exam would be arrogant, but they would say humbly, “Average, third in the academy.”

As for students who did not do well in the exam, their monthly return home was like passing through the gates of hell, and they lived in constant fear, with no interest in life.

After writing the last character, Yun Ye put down the charcoal pencil in his hand, wiped his face with a damp cloth, pushed open the door, and saw Lao Zhuang standing in front of the door with a horizontal sword, like a door god.

There was no way around it. If Grandma found out that Yun Ye was writing, she would close the door tightly and refuse visitors as long as it was daytime. She would sit in a rocking chair at the door and, after Yun Ye finished writing, she would carefully clean up the study for her grandson, so that no one else would touch it.

As for the evenings, the most loyal Zhuang San would appear. Over time, the servants and maids of the house would never set foot in the study courtyard unless it was important. This change made the old lady very happy.

“Lao Zhuang, it’s already three in the morning. Go rest. I’ve finished writing tonight. You don’t have to stay here all the time.”

“Your Excellency, your important matters are important. I am old Zhuang, and I am strong. It doesn’t matter if I sleep for two hours less.”

“That’s good. Just stay and talk to me. I’ve been bored for two days, and my body is almost rusty. Take it easy and talk about it. How is the family? You just got married. It’s really true that you should spend more time with your wife. What’s the point of sitting around in the study when you have nothing to do? Don’t make your wife complain.” Yun Ye had a lot of resentment towards his grandmother for turning the study into a white tiger hall.

“My wife is a country girl, rough and clumsy. If it weren’t for her good body, I wouldn’t have married her. She dares to meddle in the affairs of the masters, and I’ll beat her to death.” When it comes to the wife, Zhuang San stops and looks like a smiling Maitreya Buddha. It is said that she is the daughter of a good family. Old Zhuang defeated many suitors with money before successfully winning the beauty. On the day of the wedding, Yun Ye went. At this time, there was no bad habit of wearing a head covering. The bride wore a bright red wedding dress, with thick eyebrows, big eyes and a big mouth. She was a standard girl from Guanzhong. She was tall and strong, and she was a good match for Old Zhuang, except that she was a little younger, only 16 years old.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Behind the scenes, I don’t know if she’s the top bench or kneeling on the edge of the bed. Now she’s here pretending to be a master.” Yun Ye doesn’t believe that an old man and a young wife can have equality.

“Really, you shouldn’t be so mean, my old man. I’m a man of the earth, and I’m not going to be criticized by a woman? If you don’t believe me, I’ll go beat her up right now.”

“Stop for a while. Who told you to beat up your wife? A good man doesn’t beat up his wife. It’s better to live a good life at home than anything else.” People in the military are like this. They can’t stand provocation and will explode at the slightest provocation.

Auntie came over from the Moon Gate with a lunchbox. When she saw Yun Ye and Zhuang San talking, she opened the lunchbox and placed it on the stone table in the courtyard. She scooped two bowls of congee from the large bowl and took out two small dishes. There was very little food in them, and there was also a small bowl of salted water boiled broad beans. The wine pot was filled with grape wine. Yun Ye had a habit of drinking a little before going to bed. This was a bad habit brought from the future, but Grandma thought it was a good rule only for wealthy families.

She asked Zhuang San to sit across from her, poured him a cup, and had one for herself. Zhuang San was familiar with Yun Ye’s temper and was not polite. He drained the wine in one gulp, picked up the bowl of porridge, and slurped it down. He didn’t touch the vegetables.

Auntie entered the study and was shuffling around, sorting out the manuscripts. Needless to say, she was sent by Grandma.

“Lao Zhuang, how are the peasants living now? Can they still eat enough?”

“Lord Hou, the peasants are all the same. There is never enough food. It’s strange. The poorer they are, the more they can eat. The younger ones eat at the mansion, and three bowls of rice are enough. At home, they don’t feel like they’ve eaten if they don’t eat four bowls. I don’t know what the reason is.”

“There’s no oil, you know, people can’t just eat grain, they also need to eat meat, vegetables, various grains, and fruit. The food at the mansion is more varied. If you eat more vegetables, you’ll eat less grain, and if you eat more fruit, you’ll eat less grain. Besides, the food at the mansion uses a lot of oil, so naturally you’ll be hungry. This is not something you can compare to your home.”

Yun Ye was very disappointed. Zhuang San stopped avoiding the actual living conditions of the farmers and used a ridiculous joke of his own to change the subject.

Yun Ye had investigated and found that 90% of the people on the farm were in a state of extreme poverty, which meant that their families did not have enough food to last a year and had to rely on wild vegetables and fruits to survive the famine.

If they raise chickens and pigs, it will only add to their burden. People are already hungry, so what else can they do? There are not a few farmers who are still digging in the fields at midnight. It is not because they are too busy during the day, but because they are afraid of wearing out their clothes while working, so they plant in the fields at night while naked.

Yun Ye’s desire to become a farmer was sparked by hearing this joke.

The academy is very important. In Yun Ye’s opinion, his dream is to rely on the academy to achieve it. This is a place to cultivate high-end talent, and it will spread in the future. From that joke, Yun Ye knew that he had made a huge mistake. A higher education institution without a popular base can only be a flash in the pan.

This is like putting a yoke around your neck. You have a happy and carefree life, but you bring suffering on yourself. Since you have ambition, you have to face suffering. Everything is self-inflicted. But as a person living in an era of great material abundance, his self-esteem does not allow this situation to occur in his territory, because it is a desecration of people. Neither Yun Ye in the future nor Yun Ye in the Tang Dynasty would allow such a joke to happen again.

The Buddhist scriptures say: If a person is in a thorn forest, he will not be hurt by the thorns if he does not move. If his delusions do not arise, he will always be in the joy of nirvana. If his delusions arise for a moment, he will be hurt by the thorns.

Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Yun Ye remained silent for a long time. Zhuang San stopped quietly and got up to patrol around. After Aunt finished tidying up the study, she saw her nephew in a daze, so she hid herself in the shadow of the eaves, looking worriedly without making a sound. She could feel that the entire courtyard was filled with unwillingness.