Chapter 124: A Freebie and A Perfect Ending

Money?

Mo Xiaobai blinked. When he left, he should have given his mother a sum of money, right?

“Mom, is that a tutor you hired? To teach Little Dot the Classic of Filial Piety?”

“He should be learning the Classic of Filial Piety first, right? I don’t understand ancient texts, I just know he is a good teacher.”

Hearing Mother Mo say this, Mo Xiaobai was dumbfounded.

So, you don’t understand, yet you dare to say he is a good teacher?

“What if he is a liar?”

Speaking in a low voice, Mo Xiaobai shook his head and said, “In an ordinary Plane private school, even for half a year’s tuition, it only costs a few Silver Coins. You weren’t fooled, were you?”

“I am such a shrewd person, how could I be fooled by others? Don’t you disbelieve me, he is really a very impressive teacher. Do you know who his students include?”

Mother Mo also lowered her voice, seemingly afraid that speaking too loudly would annoy that ‘tutor’.

“Who?”

Mo Xiaobai asked casually. When it came to the profession of a teacher, Mo Xiaobai really did not believe anyone could compare to the old man Zheng Xuan whom he had abducted.

Under Zheng Xuan, there were a whole bunch of High Officials.

Unless the man outside taught the Emperor, he could not compare with Zheng Xuan.

Mo Xiaobai thought this way, but Mother Mo widened her eyes and said, “You kid, listen to me. I don’t know the tutor’s other students, but I do know Sima Yi. He is Sima Yi’s teacher.”

What?

Sima Yi’s teacher?

Mo Xiaobai was still waiting for his mother to name someone, planning to figure out a way to persuade her not to be deceived. But once Mother Mo said this, Mo Xiaobai almost failed to catch his breath, choking on it.

“Cough, cough, he is Sima Zhongda’s teacher?”

“Isn’t he? I even saw Sima Yi, otherwise I wouldn’t know he is Sima Yi’s teacher.” Seeing Mo Xiaobai’s surprised face, Mother Mo said proudly, “Originally, he didn’t want to teach Xiaoyou, but after chatting with Xiaoyou for a while, he agreed. He tutored Xiaoyou for a month anyway. It was agreed at fifteen Gold per month. You, as the Big Brother, shouldn’t have a problem paying some money for your sister’s tutoring fees, right?”

One month, 15 Gold!

What kind of tutoring class is this? Studying with the Crown Prince wouldn’t cost this much money.

Mo Xiaobai complained in his heart, but he did not blame his mother for making a promise rashly.

His mother had such a personality. Back then, giving the County Magistrate that little bit of money would make her struggle for a long time, but if it was really spent on them, the brother and sister, the mother never saved.

Besides, if the man outside was really Sima Yi’s teacher, that End of Han hermit Hu Zhao, Mo Xiaobai instead felt his mother was really too smart.

Keep the person first, whether to take him away or not didn’t matter, wait until he came.

Now that he was here, how could he let him leave?

If he couldn’t bring him back to Daming Village, count Mo Xiaobai as the loser!

The reason Mo Xiaobai had this confidence was entirely because he now held a power ful weapon specifically used to deal with reclusive hermits.

Zheng Xuan!

What did Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fight over Zheng Xuan for? Wasn’t it precisely for this point of Zheng Xuan?

“You don’t need to worry about the money, Mom. Leave this tutor to me.” A smile flashed across his face, and Mo Xiaobai walked back into the courtyard. By then, Zheng Xuan and the others had also entered. The old man was looking with great interest at the bamboo slip in the Scholar’s hand.

After Mo Xiaobai came out, he also leaned over. After a casual glance, he discovered it was actually a simple math problem about chickens and rabbits in the same cage.

What the hell is this thing?

Hu Zhao is a language teacher, and he can also teach math part-time?

No wonder Mo Xiaobai thought this way, because chickens and rabbits in the same cage happened to be a math problem for fourth or fifth graders in elementary school, and if one were to trace the source of this problem, it was exactly from the Wei and Jin period.

Although this thought was ridiculous, perhaps Hu Zhao was a genius in both arts and science?

Mo Xiaobai continued to look with this thought in mind. When he saw calculation symbols appearing one by one, he understood in his heart that this was definitely not the way ancients understood the problem of chickens and rabbits in the same cage.

Little Dot told him, right?

Although he didn’t know what exactly his mother and sister had experienced during this month, if the person before him was really Hu Zhao, Mo Xiaobai naturally would not miss out.

He immediately coughed low and spoke, “May I ask if you are Mr. Kongming from Yingchuan?”

A very famous courtesy name, exactly the same as a certain big shot who liked to farm at home and brag.

The Scholar who was pondering the chickens and rabbits in the same cage put down the bamboo slip in his hand upon hearing this and looked at Mo Xiaobai, “I am indeed Hu Zhao from Yingchuan. You are…”

“I am Xiaoyou’s Big Brother, holding the title of Baron of the Great Han.”

Seeing Hu Zhao nod and admit without hesitation, a light immediately flashed in Mo Xiaobai’s eyes, “These are all my elders and friends. Yingchuan’s Guo Jia, Huainan’s Liu Ye, Le’an’s Guo Yuan, and the Duke Kangcheng from Beihai.”

When Mo Xiaobai announced the first few names, Hu Zhao didn’t pay much attention. Even though he had heard of the reputations of Guo Jia and Guo Yuan, he wasn’t very moved.

But when the three words “Duke Kangcheng” came out, Hu Zhao looked at the skinny old man who was smiling, and he could no longer sit still.

With a “clatter”, he stood up, dropping the bamboo slip without caring, and just bowed in salute, “I am Hu Zhao, greetings to Master Zheng.”

“It is fine. To be able to immerse oneself in study at such an age, you are very good.”

Zheng Xuan nodded with a smile. He was long used to the etiquette of these younger Scholars. Then he looked at Mo Xiaobai, “Just now, the Baron wanted me to hide a room full of scrolls but could not get it. Now, This old man will help you once to call it even, how about that?”

Mo Xiaobai was just looking for a chance to ask the old man to act, but he didn’t expect Zheng Xuan had already seen through it, so he immediately nodded in response.

He and Hu Zhao were strangers, so the success rate of recruiting him with words was too low.

But with Zheng Xuan stepping in, the result would likely be very different.

Zheng Xuan first bent down to pick up the bamboo slip from the ground, scanned it twice, and then said, “I see that your knowledge of calculation scriptures is not detailed, but your handwriting has a touch of boldness. This old man has intended to re-annotate the Confucian School classics in recent years, but I am old and increasingly unable to do as I wish. I am in need of someone to write for me. If you are willing, you can follow me and study Confucian classics.”

Zheng Xuan spoke!

As soon as he opened his mouth, he threw out a huge pie.

Re-annotating Confucian classics together with Zheng Xuan!

This kind of pie was definitely something End of Han Scholars would want but couldn’t get.

Hu Zhao was also stunned upon hearing this, but when his eyes swept over Mo Xiaobai at the side, he immediately understood in his heart. He shook his head and said, “Zhao is unwilling to enter officialdom and become an official.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to be an official. Duke Kangcheng is not asking you to be an official. You can research your Confucian classics, and just occasionally, like teaching my sister, give a few days of classes.”

Mo Xiaobai immediately gave his promise. A hermit like Hu Zhao didn’t need to be an official. He had a suitable position for him, and taking him back could still produce a very big promoting effect on Daming Village.

Not be an official?

Just teach occasionally?

After hearing Mo Xiaobai’s conditions, obvious hesitation appeared in Hu Zhao’s eyes. If it was really like this, following Zheng Xuan for a period of time, he would definitely learn a lot.

As for where Zheng Xuan was going, this was not within Hu Zhao’s consideration. Since leaving Yingchuan early on, he had traveled to many places over the years, so going a bit further was no issue.

Hu Zhao did not know that the “far” of Daming Village was completely different from the “far” he imagined.

When he nodded in agreement, it meant that this life was tied to Daming Village.

Regarding this result, the most proud was naturally Mo Xiaobai.

He picked up a Hu Zhao for free. Mother and Little Dot really did a beautiful job.

“The Guandu Instance can now be considered a perfect ending!”