At the beginning of the famine, I became famous all over the world with my useless system

Chapter 39: Flattery is unacceptable

When Gu Changqing saw Lin Qing enter the room, he hurriedly stood up and saluted.

Gu Damao's attention was completely drawn to his mother's words. He urged with shining eyes, "Mom, please stop keeping me in suspense. I wonder what good idea you're talking about?"

Lin Qing was not in a hurry. She smiled and asked, "Don't worry. Answer me a question first. Who is the best writer in the world?"

The three children were lost in thought.

After a brief thought, Gu Changqing answered first.

"It should be the current Prime Minister, Wang Taifu. The headmaster once said in his lectures that the emperor praised the Taifu's writing, saying that every word was worth a thousand gold coins, and that his writing, without any embellishment, was as majestic as thousands of rivers returning to the sea."

Seeing that Lin Qing remained noncommittal and even shook her head slightly, Gu Ermiao said anxiously, "Mother, since His Majesty is praising the Grand Tutor so much, then his own writing must be the best, right? He's wealthy and in control of the world, so naturally everything he does is the best!"

Instead of praising him, Lin Qing's expression turned cold. He tapped Gu Ermiao's forehead and lectured him seriously, "Ermiao, how come I didn't notice your flattery and scheming skills? No matter how high a position you hold, you must not have such bad habits!

"Always remember to tell the truth, do practical things, and be down-to-earth in order to succeed. Remember?"

Gu Ermiao's face turned red with embarrassment when his mother scolded him in front of his elder brother and Changqing.

But he still reflected on himself and thought about what his mother said. Only then did he realize that he had really said the wrong thing, so he shut up and stood aside without saying anything.

Lin Qing patted Gu Ermiao on the shoulder, signaling him not to think too much, and then looked at his eldest son who was still silent.

"Da Mao, it's okay. There's no right or wrong in our private discussion. Tell me what you think."

Gu Damao hesitated and said, "I don't know what you're asking about, mother, but the essays that were chosen as the top scholar in each imperial examination?"

Lin Qing clapped his hands and smiled.

No wonder teachers liked top students when I was in school. Is this what it feels like?

Just one look from you and he will understand what you want to say!

"Da Mao is right! You two are students who also want to enter the officialdom. You must know that the imperial examination is to select people who can get things done for the court. The essay can well reflect the attitude of people and work.

Therefore, truly good writing is not about piling up flowery rhetoric or flattery, but about being practical and useful, truly being able to be put into practice, to benefit the people, and to clarify the direction for the common people.

Gu Damao nodded heavily. "Mother is absolutely right! Ever since I was a child, I've always wanted to see the top scholar's essay, but I've had trouble finding it. After all, our dynasty only posts rankings, but never publishes the essays."

Gu Changqing also echoed, "Indeed, even in the library of Songyang Academy, I have never seen a copy of the top scholar's essay. The dean did mention it once or twice, but it was only a few words."

Lin Qing smiled and said, "Who said you should copy? Even if you can't find the article, there must be a topic, right? You can practice writing based on the topic."

Lin Qing's words left the two young scholars confused for a moment, and then it was as if they had suddenly been enlightened. They looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes.

Gu Changqing excitedly shook Gu Damao's hand and said excitedly, "That's right! If you don't listen to your aunt, you'll be reading the sage's book in vain! That's right, let's practice with the previous policy essays. It will definitely improve your writing skills in a month..."

Lin Qing interrupted Gu Changqing and refuted him directly.

"I'm not trying to offend you, Changqing. Have you ever heard of the imperial court giving the same policy essay question twice in the imperial examination?"

Gu Changqing didn't react for a moment to what Lin Qing meant by asking this, but he still answered truthfully: "Of course not."

The so-called policy essays are essays that offer suggestions and advice to the court based on current affairs and worldly affairs. Times have changed, so how can there be the same topics?

"If that's the case, what's the point of practicing past policy essays? Isn't that just comparing the past to the present?"

Gu Changqing, whose mind had just cleared up, fell into self-doubt again.

Lin Qing smiled and guided the two to continue thinking:

"Since we can't think of anything, let's try a different approach. Damao, Changqing, if you were the ones setting the questions for this college entrance examination, what would you be testing on?"

The two were deep in thought when they suddenly heard Gu Sanmu say loudly, "Mom, the meal is ready!"

Lin Qing clapped his hands and stood up, saying, "Why don't you continue thinking while you eat, and tell me the answer after dinner. Now, both of you come out with me, wash your hands, and get ready for dinner!"

The two children thought that they would have no appetite because of their worries, but they didn't expect that once the meal was served, they immediately threw their worries away.

Everyone had a full bowl of rice, the rice grains were distinct, the potatoes were soft, glutinous and salty, and with just one bite, you were conquered by the rich flavor of the sauce.

They hadn't had a proper meal for nearly half a year, let alone such delicious rice!

Gu Changqing originally wanted to be more reserved and leave more food for his aunt's family, but seeing that his brothers were eating voraciously, he couldn't help but pick up the chopsticks and take a bite.

Then his eyes lit up, and he almost instinctively wanted to satisfy his mouthful of food. He couldn't stop at all, and when he came to his senses, he had already eaten more than half a bowl.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had eaten such a delicious meal!

Although the chef of Songyang Academy was Chef Fang, who was specially invited from Shuangxi Restaurant, since the famine, all they had to eat every day were steamed buns, unknown wild vegetables and clear soup without any meat.

Although he was not particular about food, he felt relieved when he ate such delicious food. He could not help but praise:

"I didn't expect my aunt's cooking skills to be so superb. She can make something as common as rice taste delicious. She truly shines in the simple things!"

Gu Changqing took another mouthful of rice and said, "I think not only the chef of the academy, but also Chef Yu of Shuangxi Restaurant would feel ashamed to see you!"

Seeing that he praised her so sincerely, Lin Qing couldn't help but blushing, thinking that this was all thanks to the system and chopsticks!

She knows exactly how much she weighs!

The system gave a ding sound, and the sound sounded somewhat pleasant.

[Ding, thank you for your trust~ Looking forward to more positive comments from you! ]

Gu Changqing picked up a potato from the bowl and asked curiously, "I just don't know what this is. I've never seen it before. It has a unique texture, crispy and crispy on the edges, but soft and delicious on the inside, with a lingering fragrance."

As Lin listened to his description, she felt that the potatoes in her mouth became much more fragrant. She thought to herself that if Gu Changqing was born in her era, even if he could not pass the imperial examination, he would definitely be an excellent food blogger.

As the first person to dig out the potatoes with his mother, Gu Sanmu naturally took it upon himself to answer all the questions about them. He answered with some pride:

"This is what Mom and I found on the mountain. Mom named him Potato!"