Chapter 1 You Can’t Just Go Herd Cattle

It was March, the wind was blowing in the southeast, and it was raining in the south of the Yangtze River. It was a good time to enter the painting.

It is said that the spring breeze brings green to the south bank of the river, but it is always difficult for people to decide where the first touch of green appears. Just when I look back, I see colorful flowers on the branches, and the seasonal change happens quietly.

Pedestrians in Yangzhou City often judge by the young men and ladies playing along the street. When the girl puts on the emerald green and fresh Qiluo, and the scholars exchange cups and cups and talk loudly in the restaurant, the restless spring must have arrived.

The girl's laughter was intoxicated by the spring breeze, and it was like a lead that led the long-awaited kite out of the restaurant. The scholars stood on tiptoe and looked at the young ladies passing by on the street. If their companions asked what they were looking at, they would say: The mountains in the distance are like black daisy. If you don't drink, you will be drunk.

The sound of a song is slow, and the kite misses both ends. The theater troupe on the street corner is rehearsing "North and West Chamber" intensively. Those salt merchants who have just become prosperous will not be embarrassed to say that their doorrails are full of books if they don't order it a few times.

It's a pity that the excitement in Yangzhou city has nothing to do with Shanxi Village a hundred miles away. If the spring breeze in Yangzhou City carries a faint fragrance, then the spring breeze in Shanxi Village is filled with soil and cow dung, which smells really good.

"Cow, ox, ox." The young Chen Ergou sighed loudly, his face full of grief and anger. The hanging hands held Qingniu's lunch in front of him. Looking at the teeth marks on the grass, it was obvious that the big Qingniu was not satisfied with Chen Ergou's offering. He turned his head after eating a few mouthfuls and even took a poop.

It stinks. Chen Ergou grimaced, thinking that in his previous life, he was a college student studying hard in a poor family. When he encountered time travel, he turned out to be a cowherd boy and was unemployed. What kind of thing is this?

In his two lifetimes combined, his surname is not Xu.

Faced with the joke played on him by fate, five-year-old Chen Ergou could only roll up his sleeves and clean out the cow dung from the cowshed. Now that spring plowing is approaching, seven or eight members of the family are counting on this cow for work.

Things are rare and valuable. It is worth more than gold now. Just wait for it.

After finishing the work with some effort, Chen Ergou didn't move around, so he moved a wooden stool and sat next to Qingniu. He had to take advantage of now to develop a relationship with Da Qing Niu. After all, his grandfather said that he would teach him to herd cattle in two years.

This is a job that our old Chen family doesn’t pass on from son to daughter. After all, even a female child can’t do it. Grandpa Chen Gaishan said so.

But Chen Ergou was really unhappy. In his previous life, his family said: If you don't study hard, you will go back to your hometown to farm. He can still feel confident. If he really wanted to go in this life, Chen Ergou started to panic.

I didn't realize it back in 1996, but now I can really feel the hard work of farming when I see the elders farming in the wind and sun. What’s more important is that it’s really not profitable to farm now. Different from the ordinary time-traveling to seize the house, Chen Ergou was born through fetal transmigration. His parents were very affectionate. He was the only son in their lap, and they doted on him even more.

The family has been together day and night for five years, and even a dog has feelings, let alone Chen Ergou. He naturally hopes that his two elders can live a good life in the future. After all, he was in such a hurry in his previous life that he didn't even have time to honor his parents in his previous life.

Some regrets, once is enough. Chen Ergou sighed, his small body sitting on the wooden stool, his left hand holding his chin, showing his hard thinking. Before he could think about it, there was a sound of footsteps at the door of his house.

"Er Gou, Er Gou, come out and play."

"I told you, call me Chen Heng." Chen Ergou looked angry, why couldn't he teach these naughty kids.

"Ergou sounds so nice. I want it but I don't have it yet." One of the three children said this. Chen Ergou took a look and actually sympathized with the other person.

This unlucky kid's name is Chen Qisuo, and Chen is the surname in Shanxi Village. His father loves to play horses, so he got this name for some unknown reason. Maybe his father just lacked this card when Qisuo was born.

At first glance, the name seems a bit confusing, but it sounds easy to pronounce. But in the dialect of Shanxi Village, the pronunciation of Qisuo is very similar to the pronunciation of toilet.

So, everyone understands.

Compared with his nickname, Chen Heng felt that Ergou's nickname was much more elegant.

"Two dogs can't leave, there's a lot of excitement in the village today."

How could this small village be so lively? Chen Heng was about to wave his hands when he heard them say again.

"I heard that Mrs. Wang from the county has returned to the village."

"Chen Heng, you were named after him."

"So is my name."

Chen Qisuo didn't want to talk, he just wanted to cry.

"My father said that Mrs. Wang is very good at reading. He is the only scholar in our village. The car he took back to the village today was driven by my father."

I asked you, why are you so well-informed? The more Chen Heng listened, the brighter his eyes became. He stood up from the wooden stool and ran towards the children playing outside the door.

…………

In the evening, Chen Heng had dinner with his family, and the family's topic inevitably fell on the wife who returned to the village.

When Chen Heng arrived at the village head during the day, there were so many adults there. Not to mention taking a look at Mrs. Wang, he still grabbed the candies that Mrs. Wang gave to the children in the village and handed them to him with seven ropes.

Chen Heng could not help but pay more attention to the conversation his family had at this time.

It was his grandfather Chen Gaishan who started the conversation. According to his own words, he and Wang Xianming grew up together. Unfortunately, his family was poor at the time and his great-grandfather did not allow him to study. He also told his two sons that now that Wang Xianming is old, they should go to his house to help more often when they have nothing to do.

Chen Qi is Chen Heng's father, and his name was also given by Mrs. Wang. He is an honest man and the eldest son in the family. He has been working with Chen Gaishan for a long time. He is not very good at answering words and can only nod in agreement.

On the contrary, it was Chen Heng's second uncle, Chen Huaijin, who was arguing at the table.

"Dad, why did I hear that Master Wang came back this time because someone drove him back from the county?"

"What nonsense?!" Chen Gaishan showed a trace of displeasure. He was in awe of scholars, not to mention that this person was his childhood friend.

"Really?" Chen Huaijin shook his head, "Didn't I just go to the county some time ago? I heard that a new scholar came to the county and stopped all the children in the county to go to his school. Master Wang is just a student. How can he compete with him in terms of knowledge and ability?"

Chen Gaishan's face was a little ugly. If it weren't for the fact that Chen Heng and other grandchildren were standing by, he would have taught this talkative son a lesson on the spot.

"I asked you to go to the county to find a job, why do you know to ask about useless things?"

"I didn't find it." Chen Huaijin was also a scoundrel, and he didn't see his father's embarrassment and anger at all.

"You are so unruly all day long. Come to the fields with me to work tomorrow."

Chen Huaijin immediately showed a bitter look on his face, which made several younger generations snicker.

"Okay, okay. Let's eat first. Ergou and the others are here." It was grandma Zhou who came out to smooth things over. Compared with the taciturn elder son, she still loved the talkative younger son more.

After the family had dinner, Chen Heng was taken back to his room by his mother Gu. He was five years old and it was time for him to sleep in a separate bed from his parents. However, because he was not honest when sleeping, Gu asked Chen Qi to make a wooden bed in his room so that he could take care of Chen Heng at night.

Chen Heng also has an older sister named Chen Qing, who is eight years old and shares a room with his second uncle's daughter. I have to wait until tomorrow to see her when I wake up, so I won't talk about it here.

Gu was comforting Chen Heng lying on the small bed, and Chen Qi, who had just finished washing outside, pushed the door in. As soon as he entered the room, he said, "I won't eat at home tomorrow at noon."

"What did Dad tell you?"

"Let me go to Master Wang's house to see if he wants to make some furniture for him." Chen Qi sat down on the bedside. Under the dim light, he looked at his son's blinking eyes and threatened with a smile, "If Heng'er doesn't sleep, the wolves in the mountains will take you away."

Scare the child? Chen Heng rolled his eyes silently.

"Then I'll make it and let Daya send it to you..." Gu ignored Chen Qi's nonsense and just thought about tomorrow's arrangements.

But before she finished speaking, Chen Heng had raised his hand and interrupted, "Mom, why do you bother your sister for such a small matter? Let me send it to Dad. Sister wants to follow you to make lace."

"It's okay for you to go, but don't make trouble when you go to Master's house." Gu didn't think about it, but just reminded.

Chen Heng nodded gently like a little adult, and said seriously: "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely not cause trouble."

Chen Qi may have found his son's appearance amusing, and joked: "Heng'er's temperament is like me, he is a calm person. When you grow up, Dad will teach you the skills, okay?"

Chen Qi's carpentry skills are also famous in Shanxi Village. In addition to farming, he can also make some extra money for the family.

"Look at you." Gu said indifferently, "If you want to teach, you have to see if Heng'er wants to learn. What if he likes farming and herding cattle?"

Mom, can I not like it? Hiding a little protest in his heart, Chen Heng lay back on the wooden bed under Gu's pull.

Perhaps it was true that mother and son were connected by heart, and Gu said something that came to her mind: "What if Heng'er also goes to school like Master Wang in the future? When he passes the exam, he will become a certain kind of student."

Chen Qi laughed: "You may not know that there has never been a scholar in our Chen family for eight generations. Let's not talk about whether Heng'er can pass the exam, whether he likes to study is also a question. If he really passes the exam, it will not be smoke coming out of the ancestral grave, but his great grandfather will jump out of the ground."

Dad, you wait for me. Chen Heng clenched his fists in the quilt.

"Why are you still joking with your elders?" Gu patted her enemy, covered Chen Heng with a small quilt, and persuaded the child: "Go to bed quickly, go to bed quickly, and let you go out to play with Qisuo and others tomorrow morning."