The Little First Grand Secretary in My House

To say this apprenticeship ceremony is complicated is true, but to say it is simple is also correct.

Lin Miao is not the kind of person who values gold and silver. Xue TingRang also asked Boss Chen and found Lin Miao has no preferences. After thinking about it, Xue TingRang decided to keep everything simple. The form is not important, but the meaning is important.

Six rites of apprenticeship are indispensable. This is an old rule that has been passed down since ancient times. You need dried meat, celery, dried longan, lotus seeds, red dates, red beans, etc. Xue TingRang also prepared two jars of good wine, which he bought on an impromptu basis.

Looking at such a simple apprenticeship ceremony, Zhao’er felt a bit complicated and always felt this was too casual. But when she was asked what to buy, she couldn't say anything. In the end, she could only listen to Xue TingRang.

With these things, Xue TingRang visited the Lin family.

In fact, it was the Lin family, but it was just a small house in the northwest of the academy. The house has doors open on both sides, you can enter the academy from the back, and there is also a door facing outward on the front. Xue TingRang had long known that the teacher's family was simple, with only one wife and one daughter.

His teacher’s wife, Dow, is a very gentle and beautiful woman who looks like she is still in her twenties. The only daughter, Lin Yanran, is seventeen this year, and she has followed Dow's appearance, calm and gentle.

When Xue TingRang came, the Lin family had just finished breakfast.

Dow cleared the table, and then took her daughter away.

She came back soon. She is the only one. She had a tray in her hand with tea on it, and when she set it aside, she went down. The Lin family cannot be called wealthy, so there is no servant in the family. Usually, Dow and her daughter do the housework.

"Don't leave yet. Please wait."

At first Xue TingRang didn't understand it. Not long after, Mao Badou also came, carrying a lot of similar things in his hand. And then he had an idea in his mind.

But Lin Miao still sat there drinking tea slowly without a sign of moving. The two troubled brothers stood there, each carrying big bags in their hands.

It was not until Li Datian came and Chen Jian came again that Lin Miao put down the tea cup in his hand.

"I think that although the four of you have different tempers, you all have good character. Accepting you as disciples today is in accord to time, flow, and my heart’s desire. I also hope that you will be diligent in the future and work hard for many days to live up to my expectations. For this so-called studying together, the examination for fame is second. You should learn from the ancient sages to cultivate the body first. The character and morals, then the knowledge, then the sincerity, and then the heart. When the heart is right, then the body is cultivated, and when the body is cultivated and the family is together, then one can govern the country, and then the world is peaceful."

Lin Miao made a long speech, but in fact, these words can be summed up into one meaning, that is, ‘self-cultivation, family harmony, country management, peace of the world’.

In fact, these words are still a bit early for the four of them. Lin Miao just wanted to tell them that everything should be righteous and self-cultivation first.

Xue TingRang guessed that the incident still had some effects on Lin Miao. Otherwise these words would not be said extraordinarily seriously.

This shall no longer be mentioned. After the ceremony, the four of them did not leave but stayed at Lin's house and continued to listen to Lin Miao's teachings.

Towards noon, the master’s wife called the four people for dinner. Mao Badou has always been outgoing and well-liked, so he wanted to help her.

Lin's family has three rooms in total, the main hall, the study room and the bedroom, and there is a back cover room at the back, which Lin Yanran lives in. Because the place is small, one can faintly hear what they say outside. Xue TingRang sat there with Li Datian and Chen Jian, listening embarrassingly to Mao Badou and the master’s wife.

His mouth is sweet, calling shi niang¹ left and right, and he also helped Dow choose vegetables and kill chickens, saying that he is used to doing things at home, saying that his sister likes to ask him to do work the most, and also said Lin Yanran is especially like his elder sister. She is good-looking and well mannered.

This made Dow and Lin Yanran laugh.

Anyway, since Xue TingRang had entered the Lin family, shi niang was okay, but he never saw Lin Yanran smile. It was also due to the Lin family's strict etiquette. As soon as she saw a man coming, as an unmarried daughter, Lin Yanran hurriedly avoided them.

Lunch is taken separately. The men are alone and Dow and her daughter avoid eating with them.

After the meal, Xue TingRang and others left.

After leaving the Lin family, the four of them stopped, looking at each other.

"You can hide so tightly." Xue TingRang scolded with a smile.

"Hey, I'm afraid that you have trouble thinking about it. I am so talented that I let the curator accept me as a disciple. I am afraid he will only accept me. I know that you would feel ashamed, so I didn't tell you." Mao Ba Dou shamelessly said.

Li Datian smiled and said nothing.

Still Chen Jian said honestly: "I have been hesitating, and I didn't intend to come." But after thinking about it, he came. Anyways, I could always ask the teacher to accept you guys as well in the future.

Xue TingRang asked curiously: "How did the teacher tell you that he wants to accept you as disciples?" In fact, after meeting for so long, he can see that Lin Miao is a thin-skinned person, and the reason why he looks very serious and introverted is mostly to conceal the tenderness of his face.

"I will act for you." Mao Badou said.

After he finished speaking, he put his hands behind his back, stuck out his belly, and walked forward two steps. He looked back at the three with extremely profound eyes, stroked his imaginary beard, and said, "You want to pay respect to me as a master?"

The people here all laughed til they had cramps. Not far from the back, Lin Miao looked at the little rascals with a dark expression.

It stands to reason that after the apprenticeship ceremony, the teacher will give the students a gift. Lin Miao had told Dow to prepare them for a long time, but unfortunately he forgot that Dow was interrupted by Mao Badou and forgot this. Afterwards,when they had all left, Dow mentioned it. Thinking that they probably hadn't gone far, he [Lin Miao] chased after them.

Who would ever think he would see this scene!

Lin Miao tucked what was pinched in his hand into his sleeve, turned his head and left.

The little rascals who don't respect the teacher, why should they get gifts?

1. what the apprentices call their master’s wife. ↑