"What's wrong with big sister-in-law today?" The village women were accustomed to Madam Li's gentle demeanor and had clearly sensed her distraction.
"Zhan Lao Er is also acting strange," another aunt chimed in. Normally, Zhan Lao Er would be cheerfully sharing news from the county.
A sharp-eyed aunt whispered, "Sister Li's hair is messy, and her palm has scrapes."
"How could I forget this? This morning, I ran into big sister-in-law, and she said she was taking Xiao Yu to buy brushes and ink. That means they went to South Street." The young woman who said this slapped her thigh, and everyone finally understood.
"Lao Er, you're back." In the Zhan family courtyard, young Madam Yao, who was washing vegetables, hurried to greet him.
Glancing at the basket full of items Madam Li was carrying, young Madam Yao pouted and said sarcastically, "Mother, look at how much big sister-in-law bought. She must have spent a lot of money, right?"
"Shut your mouth! Did your big sister-in-law spend your private savings?" the usually harsh Old Madam Zhan reprimanded sharply. Then, with a smile, she turned to Zhan Fei Yu, "Xiao Yu is back. The sugarcane from the fields is sweet. Grandma saved a piece for you."
Zhan Lao Er was watering the cow. Madam Li carried her basket into the house, and Old Madam Zhan took Zhan Fei Yu into the kitchen to eat sugarcane. Young Madam Yao was thus ignored by everyone.
Her face turning green with anger, young Madam Yao complained to Madam Ma beside her, "Sister-in-law, look. Ever since Xiao Yu started attending the private school, our second and third branches have no place in the old Zhan family anymore!"
"Second sister-in-law, if you don't like Xiao Yu, don't drag us into it." Madam Ma looked at the jealous young Madam Yao and chuckled smugly. "My third brother and I are not capable. In the future, we'll rely on Xiao Yu for support. It's just a piece of sugarcane. When Xiao Yu marries into Master Zhu's family, she'll eat meat every day!"
"Er Lang found bird eggs at noon. I saved two for Xiao Yu. I'll go get them now." Madam Ma said this and followed into the kitchen. Third brother was right; in the future, Xiao Yu would be the most promising in the Zhan family. She wasn't as foolish as second sister-in-law.
"This life is unbearable!" Young Madam Yao threw the radish in her hand fiercely into the wooden basin. Hearing Madam Ma's triumphant laughter from the kitchen, she trembled with anger.
...
"Learning is gained through diligence, ten thousand scrolls by the glow of a firefly. The three winters are now sufficient, who will laugh at an empty mind... In the morning a farmer's son, in the evening a scholar of the imperial court..." Clear reading voices emanated from the private school. Inside, twenty to thirty students chanted with swaying heads, while Tutor Lin was grading the assignments submitted that morning.
"Zhan Da Lang has glared at you three times this morning," the chubby boy to his left winked at Zhu Peng, motioning him to look at Zhan Da Lang sitting behind him.
"Ignore him!" Zhu Peng replied irritably, his gaze involuntarily drifting to Zhan Fei Yu in the first row in the middle. The seven-year-old girl was barely as tall as the desk. Although she looked clever, who would want a short, fat person as a wife!
"Fine, I'll deal with him after school," the chubby boy grinned sinisterly.
"No!" Zhu Peng slammed the table. If this marriage went through, Zhan Da Lang would be his brother-in-law!
Wow! The children who were studying suddenly looked at Zhu Peng with admiration. After Tutor Lin had used his ruler to make an example of someone, no one dared to cause trouble during study time.
Uh... Zhu Peng, realizing his mistake, swallowed and nervously raised his head, meeting Tutor Lin's stern gaze. A chill ran down his spine.
Tutor Lin was usually a gentle scholar, but he was exceptionally strict when teaching his students, truly embodying the meaning of "strict teacher."
"Zhu Peng, why study the 'Four Books' before the 'Five Classics'?" Tutor Lin held his ruler, his face solemn. His gaze swept over them, and the other students immediately sat up straighter.
Zhu Peng tremblingly stood up. He wasn't cut out for studying. Although he had entered the private school at the age of four, and had been studying longer than Lin Xiu Yuan, his academic level was similar to Zhan Da Lang's.
"Replying to the tutor, the 'Four Books' are easier to learn, and the 'Five Classics' are too complex," Zhu Peng recalled the 'Four Books' and 'Five Classics' on the study shelf. He recognized the characters, but when they were put together, Zhu Peng couldn't read them smoothly, let alone explain their meaning.
After five strokes of the ruler, Zhu Peng grimaced in pain, wishing he could severely beat Zhan Da Lang, the "culprit." As for Zhan Fei Yu, she was Tutor Lin's favored student, and Zhu Peng wouldn't dare to trouble her even if he had the courage of a leopard.
"Zhan Fei Yu, you answer," Tutor Lin's words made the students who were sitting properly secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn't them being punished.
Zhan Fei Yu stood up and said, "The ancients once said: If one asks about the essence of the classics, where should one begin? From the 'Analects' and 'Mencius,' one can understand their key points, and then one can study the 'Five Classics.' Reading requires gradual progress, and the 'Four Books' are easier than the 'Five Classics,' so one reads the 'Four Books' first. Among the 'Four Books,' the 'Great Learning' comes first."
Tutor Lin nodded with satisfaction. Among the students he was teaching, perhaps only Xiao Yu would truly follow the path of the imperial examinations. Most other students would find jobs as accountants after three to five years.
Half an hour later, seeing Tutor Lin returning to the study with Zhan Fei Yu, Zhu Peng looked at his red and swollen left palm and murmured, "Isn't what Zhan Fei Yu said the same as what I said?"
"Uh..." The chubby boy swallowed the chestnut cake he had stuffed into his mouth. Looking at the indignant Zhu Peng, could he say that he hadn't understood what Zhan Fei Yu said at all?
"What you say is nonsense, but what a scholar says is called 'expelling empty gas.' So even if you said the same thing as Xiao Yu, you'd still get hit." A classmate sitting beside him explained, and everyone else roared with laughter, slapping the table.
"Yes, we scholars are just that particular!"
"In the morning a farmer's son, in the evening a scholar of the imperial court." A group of mischievous children laughed again.