The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 337 Giving Name
All the farming and trading activities were arranged very well.

The most gratifying thing during the quarantine period was that no one showed any symptoms of toad plague.

It seems that the epidemic has not yet spread beyond Guazhou and is still under control.

To Gan Minglan's surprise...

The task she assigned to her hundred guards during the break was truly not easy, but three of the boys still managed to complete the reading and writing of two hundred characters.

A group of teenagers with no cultural background relied entirely on willpower and rote memorization.

Among the three was Zhu Pi, the second son of Steward Zhu.

These days, aside from sleeping and eating, Zhu Pi has devoted almost all her time to studying.

He desperately wanted to be given a name.

Having been called "Pigskin" for over a decade, even his parents probably forgot that the character "枇" in his full name isn't actually "皮" (pi).
Before reaching adulthood, one could laugh it off when others called out to them.

He really didn't want to end up like his older brother Zhu Tong, whose son was already three years old, yet he was still just a junior officer in the vanguard battalion and was still called "pighead"!
The age when you care most about your reputation.

What are some good names for these three people?

Gan Minglan appears to be deep in thought.

Before long, his gaze fell on her wooden spear.

Huh?
Got it!

Ninety-seven heads hung limply and dejectedly.

Only the three people standing at the very front held their heads high, looking proud.

Gan Minglan's expression was somewhat warm as she pointed to the three proud little roosters:

"Well done! You learned two hundred characters in just seven days, which shows that you are better at learning and more resilient than your peers."

A military treatise once said that soldiers should cultivate martial prowess as their foundation and refine their knowledge as their seed! What does this mean?

This is an analogy for wheat cultivation. Whether wheat grows well or not depends first on the quality of the seeds, and only then on the farmer's care.

You one hundred people were selected by this general from nearly ten thousand people. You are all good seeds in essence, and the three of you are the best among the good seeds.

This general hopes that you will not waste your learning ability and perseverance, and within five years, you will be able to thoroughly study military books and laws, and be able to ride a horse and wield a spear to awe all.

Such blatant praise made the three boys' eyes light up, and they nodded vigorously.

Learn, let's learn!
Study like crazy!
"You all know that my most proficient weapon is the spear, right? It is said that the spear is the king of all weapons, so I would like to name you after the spear that was commonly used by famous generals in history."

Zhu Pi, the name I gave you is—Lu Ye!
The reed-leaf spear was the weapon of Yang Liulang, one of the Yang family generals during the Northern Song Dynasty.

It was with this spear that Yang Liulang defended the three passes against the Khitan, and his family's loyalty and bravery have been passed down through the ages.

This general expects you to inherit the loyalty, courage, and responsibility of renowned generals and spearmen.

Upon hearing the last word, Zhu Pi immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times: "Thank you, Patriarch, for bestowing this name upon me. From now on, I will be Lu Ye!"

His father said that loyalty is not about what one says, but about what one does in the future.

He wouldn't even blink if asked to die in place of the family head.

He kept repeating his new name, finding it sounded wonderful no matter how he pronounced it.

He, Lu Ye, was a renowned general and a divine weapon!

The expression on the boy's face wasn't faked; he genuinely liked his new name.

Seeing his happy expression, Gan Minglan's lips twitched a few times as well.

The name "Luye" (芦叶) is a good start.

The remaining two boys, still half-grown, stared intently, eagerly anticipating their next name.

Their gazes were too eager, so Gan Minglan had no choice but to continue. "Mao Dan, your physique is the strongest among us, and I see that you like to fight with your friends, but I hope you will not take advantage of your strength to bully the weak."

Jiang Wei, a famous general of the Shu Kingdom, was not only exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but his demeanor and knowledge were also comparable to those of famous scholars in the Central Plains. He was once known as a "hero of his time".

Jiang Wei possessed a green-colored spear, which was eleven feet long and weighed sixty-seven pounds!
Jiang Wei relied on this spear to launch eleven Northern Expeditions, during which he achieved two major victories, three minor victories, four stalemates, one major defeat, and one minor defeat.

Even after the fall of Shu Han, Jiang Wei remained determined to restore the kingdom, and his life was dedicated to serving Shu Han.

The name I've given you is—Green Sinking!
When you possess exceptional martial prowess and are equally adept at demeanor and learning, someone will surely craft a unique green-colored spear just for you!
Whether it's conquering the barbarians or killing the Tatars, as long as this general goes to the battlefield, there will be a time when you'll be of use."

Mao Dan was half a year younger than Zhu Pi, but he was a head taller than Zhu Pi, making him a rare and robust young man.

Upon hearing this, his dark face burned with rage.

He felt both ashamed of his usual violent behavior with his friends and excited about the patriarch's expectations of him.

If you study well, you can get a custom-made spear?

How majestic it would be to carry such a long spear into battle!

study!
You must learn both literary and martial arts!
Mao Dan made a grand vow in his heart, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He simply imitated Zhu Pi and knelt down before Gan Minglan, then proceeded to kowtow in a chaotic manner.

What I was thinking was, if Pigskin kowtowed three times, wouldn't Angdo kowtow a few more times to appear more loyal than Pigskin?
In an instant, he knocked the sand and soil off the ground, sending it flying everywhere.
Seeing that the two friends in front of him had been given good names, the remaining skinny monkey was so anxious that his head was practically steaming.

Everyone calls him Skinny Monkey. Although he is skinny, he is quite tall.

Who would have guessed that such a slender, half-grown boy, as thin as a bamboo pole, could eat three pounds of meat in one sitting?

He eats a lot, is very strong, and is as agile as a monkey.

Such a person is born to wield a long spear.

Gan Minglan didn't pause any longer. She told the skinny monkey that the name she had given him was Liquan.

"Liquan Spear was one of the weapons of Yue Fei, the Martial Saint. General Yue was proficient in many weapons, including iron mace, spear, knife and bow and crossbow. He repeatedly defeated the enemy army with his precious spear and never suffered a defeat."

"Your agility and stamina are also among the best of your peers. This general hopes that you can inherit the military talent of the Martial Saint."

To be on par with the Martial Saint?
The skinny monkey's mind went completely blank.

For the previous fourteen years of his life, his goal in living seemed to be simply to be able to eat a full meal.

There was no way around it; his family was genuinely poor.

His mother was married to his father for eighteen years and gave birth to nine children.

Two of the pregnancies were twins.

Of the eleven children, only six survived.

He was the fourth child.

He has two older brothers who are in the military and an older sister who is married, and a pair of ten-year-old twins who are also his younger brother and sister-in-law.

The 19-year-old twin brother is still unmarried.

It was because the family couldn't afford a decent dowry.

He came specifically for Gan Minglan.

Whether it's joining the vanguard battalion or becoming a personal guard.

All I wanted was to follow her so I could have a full meal.

Unexpectedly.

The head of the family still has such high expectations for him.

The skinny monkey stood there in a daze for a long time, his eyes red-rimmed, and then he knelt down for a long time without getting up.
(End of this chapter)