88, Meihe

Mr. Xu who was here also felt very proud.

Mrs. Xu Liu, who was serving the dishes, looked at Xu Xiucai differently, much softer.

She just heard that Bai Gui will go to Japan soon. She had also heard of Dongyang. It was outside, a foreign country. If you go there and come back, your identity will be different.

"Get the word?"

Xu Xiucai calmed down and considered his words, "Throughout the ages, the following points have always been used in choosing names. First, naming them in order of eldest and youngest. For example, Sun Ce, King Heng of Changsha, was the eldest son of Sun, so he was named Bo Fu. Emperor Wu of Wei Cao Cao's name is Meng De, which is taken from the eldest brother of Meng, Bo, Shu and Ji."

Bai Gui nodded slightly.

In fact, there is another person who is famous, that is, Confucius, whose nickname is Zhongni, which is also derived from this principle.

Xu Xiucai continued without pausing: "The second one is the synonymous extension of the name, such as Han Shouting Hou Guan Yu's alias Yunchang, Qinglian layman Li Bai's alias Taibai, and the third one is the antonym of the name, such as Mr. Changli's Han Yu's alias Tuizhi …”

The examples he gave were very simple and they were all familiar figures.

Then, Xu Xiucai smiled and said, "Your master, Mr. Zhu, is named Zhaolian, and his nickname is Mengzhou. Do you know what the name means?"

Without waiting for Bai Gui to answer, he said to himself: "When Mr. Zhu's mother was about to give birth to Mr. Zhu, she dreamed that Mr. Lianxi came to her dream, so she named her Zhaolian. Therefore, his nickname is Mengzhou, which means It means dreaming about Mr. Lianxi.”

Mr. Lianxi is Zhou Dunyi, so the meaning of dreaming about Zhou is easy to understand. Did he dream about Zhou Dunyi?

"Probably these are the three points for choosing words."

Mr. Xu glanced at Bai Gui and muttered: "The word "Gui" is chosen. For example, Zhao Gui, one of the eight pillars of the Western Wei Dynasty, was named Yuan Gui, which is an extension of the word "Gui". However, most people cannot suppress this name, and there are also names from the Northern Wei Dynasty. Liu Gui, nicknamed Guizhen, this name is too vulgar..."

Bai Gui thought about it, and it was the same.

These two words don't sound very nice.

Xu Xiucai walked a few steps and thought carefully for a while, "The Analects of Confucius·Xue'er" said, 'Confucius said: The use of etiquette is harmony. This is the beauty of the way of the ancient kings. The small and the big follow it, and there is something. No. It is impossible to be harmonious without following etiquette.'"

The general meaning of this sentence is that the role of etiquette is to do it extremely appropriately in every situation. In the past, when the kings governed the country, what could be called "beautiful" was that no matter it was big or small things, it was like this, but there were also times when it didn't work. If it was just for the sake of being appropriate and appropriate, there was no need to use certain "etiquette" to control it. , also doesn’t work.

"Therefore..., I will name you Meihe."

Xu Xiucai said word by word.

"Meihe? Bai Meihe?"

Bai Gui was startled for a moment. This word caught him off guard, but if he thought about the meaning of the word carefully, he would feel that the word "beautiful" and "harmony" were excellent words.

Mei was mostly used as a name for women in later generations, but not for men.

But Du Fu has a beautiful character.

"Thank you, mentor!"

No matter how you choose it, you must first thank your teacher, and there is no limit to one word. He was quite satisfied with this word. After understanding this, Bai Gui immediately thanked him.

Xu Xiucai helped Bai Gui stand up and asked him to take a seat.

"Teacher, this is the pocket watch I bought from a foreign goods shop. Please accept it, please, don't refuse." Bai Gui took out a fine and precious wooden box from his sleeve, handed it to Xu Xiucai, and said.

"Pocket watch, this is too expensive..."

"Sir, I don't know how much time there is in class every day. If you just rely on estimates, you will inevitably make mistakes. A pocket watch is also useful."

When Xu Xiucai heard this, he wanted to refuse. The cheapest pocket watch cost dozens of taels of silver. It was rare in Bailuyuan and even Zishui County. But when he saw Bai Gui's sincere look, he sighed softly. He sighed and put down the pocket watch.

Seeing this scene, both Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xu Liu looked at Bai Gui with particularly cordial eyes. No matter how many gifts you give, they will eventually run out.

But a good pocket watch will almost never wear out. Even if the family is in decline, it can still be worth some money. It can be said that the pocket watch is an heirloom treasure.

On this day, the guests and hosts enjoy themselves.

The Xu family had no reason to push Bai Gui and the uncle from Bailu Village out, so they stayed overnight.

In the early morning of the next day, the two left quietly.

Not long after Bai Gui left, Gu County Magistrate and a group of government servants rushed to Xujiayuan, playing gongs and drums along the way, and directly read out some of the rewards Governor Fang had bestowed on Xu Xiucai in the imperial examination for his outstanding literary and educational achievements. , and twenty acres of farmland were allocated to the school.

Don't worry, this is a school field, but it is all in the hands of Xu Xiucai. Give more or less, it all depends on Xu Xiucai's wishes.

"Xu Sheng taught a good student!"

Magistrate Gu was also very happy. Bai Gui won three yuan in a row. Although it was inseparable from Bai Gui's own hard work, who gave birth to Bai Pheasant in the Bai family? This greatly increased Xiang Rui's reputation and brought him great success. There are few benefits, at least last year's tax deficit has been completely wiped out. Recently I got news from the provincial government office that he will be transferred to other places, and he should be promoted.

"The county magistrate praised... the students just tried their best and it was all due to their own hard work and beauty."

Xu Xiucai did not dare to take credit. Although he had his teachings, he almost treated the many Meng boys in the school equally, and he did not see other Meng boys having this ability.

"Miwa?"

The ancient county magistrate couldn't help but smile. He was also a man who read poetry and books. When he heard these two words, he thought that these were probably Bai Gui's words.

…

Not long after returning to Bailu Village, Bai Gui rushed to Zishui County without stopping.

There are many gentlemen, many connections, and likewise many social activities.

Although Mr. Zhu's status and position are much higher than Xu Xiucai's, there is a sequence. Bai Gui visited Xu Xiucai first, and then visited Mr. Zhu. When Mr. Zhu learned about this, he would also praise it.

He went with Bai Xiaowen.

Some time ago, about a month ago, Bai Zhao, the mother of the clan leader Bai Jiaxuan, died. Bai Xiaowen asked for leave from Xianning County School to go back to attend the funeral. Bai Zhao was also a happy funeral. She died in her sixties or seventies. It was rare for people to live to seventy years old in ancient times. In the countryside in ancient times, people who lived to this age were considered blessed.

Bailu Academy, back house, living room.

Zhu Baishi looked much more haggard than when Bai Gui left. Although she also went back to the village, it was inconvenient for her to stay for a long time. At this moment, seeing Bai Gui and Bai Xiaowen, she looked much happier and went to the kitchen to cook.

The food was simple and plain.

"I am old and learn slowly, otherwise I would like to go to Japan to see why people in their country can catch up..."

Mr. Zhu sighed and spoke for the first time during the meal.

"When I went to the south to give lectures, the southerners ridiculed my accent, which made me very angry. After returning from the south, I climbed Mount Huashan. After climbing, I felt refreshed, but there was always a worry in my heart."

He talked ramblingly.