Original subtitles

Poetry Collection:

You're the fattest, I'll eat you first. You

're the tenderest, I'll keep you for steaming.

Your mom will make soup.

What

are you looking at? If

you look again, I 'll eat you up. Then

look at my grandma first. Why did you

come out? If I didn't come out

, you'd circled the chickens blue.

Grandma, I'm drawing.

What

am

I drawing? Family

portrait. Family portrait with those two words...

uh, that's an auspicious

saying. You said that two years ago

, and that's how your uncle's chickens died that night.

Grandma

, I've grown up.

I'm not that kind of person anymore.

You...

you said that last time too.

Hmph.

Okay, then I'm going out to play.

Chicken brother, wait for me to come back.

Come back early tonight .

Your grandpa has something important to say.

Is he going to stew chicken?

These past few years have been good

, and our family is better off.

I'm planning to send one of my children to school

, Dad. A year's tuition is twelve taels for a chest binder,

plus the cost of writing materials.

We don't have that kind of

money ; we

only have fifteen taels

, and you dare to even think about education?

My grandfather has had good fortune these past few years

, and he's gotten a bit arrogant. We have fifteen taels left over

. The thing I want to discuss today is

who

to

send.

I have two older brothers; it's not my turn. Besides

, the imperial examinations are

incredibly competitive ; my parents were both university professors

, and they spent their lives proving I was useless

. Forget about the imperial examinations; I can work in the fields.

Let my younger brother go

. I don't want to leave home; I

don't want to be punished.

The teacher's beatings hurt so much!

My cousin's hand is swollen like a bun!

You, kid, will never have to work the land again if you study and learn

to read. What's a beating

? No way! I just won't go!

Sigh, neither of them wants to

go. You can't force a cow to drink water.

If you ask me, sending Gouwa to school

is something only smart people do.

Gouwa's been cunning since he was little...

cough cough cough cough.

Grandma, what do you say

? Yes

, Gouwa should go .

As long as Gouwa's away from home

, my two sons won't have to take the blame anymore.

Who understands

the frustration of watching your son get beaten up for someone else?

Gouwa, do you want to go to school? No!

I don't

want to go! I can't bear to leave Grandpa and Grandma ,

I can't bear to leave Mom and Dad, I

can't bear to leave Uncle...

Mother, I 'm so sad to leave you all, brothers, sisters

, I'm leaving, who will keep you company?

Okay, just for this filial piety, I've decided

to go to the private school in town tomorrow

, etc. That's not what I meant

, hahaha!

I have a piece of cloth in my room

for Gouwa to make a schoolbag.

Second brother's family, come to my room and get some cloth to make new clothes

! Great, I don't have to go to school anymore!

Sigh, alright,

Grandma, since you've already let me go to school,

can you stew a chicken

? Okay

, when I come back from school

, none of you will be able to escape, hahaha!

Gouwa, wake up,

we've arrived!

Dad, aren't we too early?

It's only a little past six o'clock at most.

Coming to school so early? There

are so many students here... "Too much!

The timing is just right.

Shun Ning Town isn't big;

there are only three private schools in total.

This is where my great-grandfather's cousin studied.

I heard that Master Xu here passed the imperial examination at the age of 20, but

later injured his leg while taking the exam,

making further studies impossible.

That's why he opened the private school

. The other two schools are run by two other scholars, one by an old scholar

and the other by a fellow student.

Judging by the master's scholarship

, this should be the best private school in town.

It's already past

the enrollment period; I don't know if they'll still accept students.

If this one doesn't accept

, we'll have to ask elsewhere

. But we need to send our child to school.

Old Zhang, do you think my son will be accepted?

" Whether I, Xu Bo,

accept or not is not up to me.

Before that,

let me explain the rules of the private school.

After you hear them,

if you are still interested,

I will inform Master Xu.

Ah, you say, we hear that

the private school's teaching is divided into two

types: long-term and short-term.

If you only want your child to recognize characters, keep accounts, and study, that's enough.

Short-term students have two days off every half month.

There are holidays during the autumn harvest and winter,

lasting for a year. The tuition is three taels of silver

. Short boots are a luxury.

Now it's almost the autumn

harvest. After the autumn harvest, the weather will turn cold,

and the winter in the north is particularly long.

So, if you calculate it this way,

a year is only half a year of classes.

The most important thing is

the tuition. Three

taels is definitely not the twelve taels my cousin mentioned.

Another type is the "regular study

" students, most of whom aspire to take the imperial examinations

. Regular study students have two days off per month,

except for a few days off during the New Year;

there are no long holidays.

The annual cost is twelve taels of silver.

Students can commute

or live in the private school.

Commute students pay 200 cash per month

for maintenance fees, while those living in the private school pay 500 cash per month

. An additional one tael of silver is charged annually for lodging.

Regular study costs twelve

taels a year, while living in the private school requires an additional 500 cash per month for maintenance fees

plus one tael for lodging

, totaling nineteen taels a year.

This doesn't even include the cost of writing materials, paper, inkstones, and books;

my grandfather saved for several years to accumulate fifteen taels.

We still want to support a scholar. Let alone

the whole family's resources , even

if we sold the whole family,

it would only be enough for me to study

for two years, provided that our family can fetch a good price.

Uncle Xu, may I ask if

the long-term and short-term schools are taught in the same place

or separately? Of course,

they are taught together,

but the teachers' teaching methods will be different

. Father, we attend the short-term school

and the long-term school are not divided into classes,

we all study in the same school.

The short-term school and mathematics cost three taels,

plus the repair costs and accommodation,

which will only cost six taels a year.

The fifteen taels of silver in our family is enough .

After buying the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone

, we might even have some left.

Let's go back and discuss it with the family

. Thank you. Uncle Xu

, you can discuss this further.

We can't afford the

long-term education, and the short-term education will only teach you to recognize characters

and do bookkeeping,

which isn't what your grandfather expected,

Dad. Let's

go to the short-term education. Your grandfather wants you to be like your cousin and aim for the imperial examinations.

What can you learn in the short-term education

? Didn't Uncle Xu just say that

whether it's long-term or short-term education, it's all in the same school?

I'll enroll in the short-term education and then study with the long-term education, isn't

that enough? Paying for the short-term education to learn the knowledge of the long-term education, isn't

that a good deal? If it were any other child,

my father definitely wouldn't believe it,

but I've done enough in the past two years,

so he has some confidence in me.

Go back and tell Grandpa

to let me study in the short-term education first

to see if I have any talent

. If I do, it won't be too late to switch to the long-term education.

You really can study with the long-term education,

how will you know if you don't try

?

Let's try the short-term education first.

Hurry back,

or someone else will take the spot

. You 're back so quickly?

You've already discussed this,

Uncle Xu. Please inform him that

my son wants to attend the short-

term education. If it's the short-term education, there's no need to trouble Master Xu.

The short-term education is just simple elementary education,

and there's no need for the master to test you in person.

The private school happens to have three short-term study spots left,

so I can make the decision.

It seems Xu Bo is not only the gatekeeper

but also the first hurdle in selecting students.

If Master

Xu sees every student who comes seeking knowledge

, he won't have time to teach; he

'll be too busy just receiving people.

You should go and prepare the apprenticeship ceremony.

Come back at noon when you're ready.

What

do you need for the ceremony? We need to prepare six li of tree sap, celery, lotus seeds, red beans, red dates, longan, dried fruit, and lean meat strips.

There are ready-made sets available near the school; they're not hard to buy.

In addition,

you'll need to bring your own writing materials and books.

Uncle, for now, one copy of the Three Character Classic will be enough.

Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Xu.

Hahaha,

you should greet me like this from now on

, understand?

Yes,

thank you, Uncle Xu. Go and prepare with your father.

Don't be late at noon. The time

is good, let's come back at noon

. Xu Bo was afraid we wouldn't understand,

so he explained everything we needed to prepare clearly.

He's a very nice person. There

's one right here in six miles, we can't run away.

Let's go buy some writing brushes, ink, and the Three Character Classic first. Let's buy the books first.

This shop looks impressive.

There are two bookstores

on the same street.

The more impressive the storefront,

the cheaper the items are

. The ink is naturally elegant and the

style is

evident. The person who can write these three characters is exceptionally skilled.

Everyone here is a scholar.

Is it appropriate for us to go in like this?

We're here to buy things ,

what's inappropriate?

Dad, let's go!

This level is something I can't compare to even after years of extracurricular classes.

Shopkeeper,

can I ask how much that landscape painting costs?

Where is he?

Shopkeeper: How much is that painting?

This landscape painting costs 200 coins.

So it's only 200 coins? The price of

books and paintings will only be lower.

My words might fool laymen, but if

I put them in front of the shopkeeper,

he probably wouldn't even accept them.

Making my first fortune through painting is temporarily out of the question.

You can sell

the printed version of the Three Character Classic for 230 coins

, and the handwritten copy for 120 coins.

Dad, we'll buy the handwritten copy. We'll listen to you,

shopkeeper. We also need

the cheapest kind of writing implements—pen, ink, paper

, and inkstone. The

cheaper the better. Okay

, I'll get you the cheapest. I'm poor,

that's a fact.

What's there to be ashamed of?

Besides, even if I wanted to act like a big shot

, I needed money.

Copying books is indeed a way to make money

, but I can only do it after I've improved my calligraphy

. I can't even reach a book to look at.

This book-like display is not friendly to me at all,

shopkeeper. Uncle,

what is this?

That's cooking oil.

Little customer, how much do you want?

One of the boxes has been used a little.

If you want it,

I can make the decision

and sell it to you for 150 coins.

This also bought me

some cooking oil. It's not necessary for early education.

Shopkeeper, you probably think my father won't agree.

Shopkeeper

, calculate how much it costs in total.

Shopkeeper ,

how much is this

? Father, no need to buy that.

Just go home and weave a smaller one for me with willow branches.

This is too big ,

I can't carry it.

Everyone in my family knows how to weave things

, there's no need to spend this money

. It's alright, you can take a closer look.

Thank you, shopkeeper

, I'll go take a look.

I won't break it

. It's fine .

There aren't that many people who cause trouble for no reason.

The few I met today

were all very friendly.

Everyone... Opening a business is all about making a good living.

This paper is indeed the cheapest;

the quality is truly worth the price.

Uncle Shopkeeper,

give me another roll of that kind of paper.

This is bamboo paper;

the texture is relatively fine.

One roll costs 100 coins .

Uncle Shopkeeper

, please calculate the total.

Hemp paper costs 50 coins per roll

, bamboo paper costs 100 coins per roll

, totaling 510 coins.

Okay, my attempt

to be cute failed

. Looks like you're not buying it, Uncle Shopkeeper.

Thank you, Uncle

Shopkeeper.

Take care. Dad, are you worried

about spending so much

money ? What? I've never spent so much money at once in my life. I

originally thought we wouldn't have enough, but

now we'll have quite a bit left.

Your grandma will be happy when she finds out.

So , from the bottom of my heart, Dad doesn't feel like

he's spending his own money. That's

right, family... There was no division of the family property.

My father never managed the money;

he only knew how to work hard.

Is this what they call spending

other people's money without a care?

A courtyard was specially set aside for students to live in.

It seems that Master Xu's family is indeed quite wealthy.

There is still a vacancy in this room

. Shen Xingyun, you can stay in the one on the far end.

No wonder this room is empty.

It turns out to be a cold house.

In winter,

the whole wall will be cold,

and the room probably won't be very warm either.

Fortunately, I am studying short-term courses.

I should have already gone home for the coldest time.

Although the house isn't very warm either

. Gouwa, is this room okay?

If not,

Dad will ask Uncle Xu again. As long as you can sleep, it's fine.

I'm not picky. This is your

first time away from home

. If you are scared at night, I will come to find you. Cousin

, don't worry,

I'm not picky about food. Don't be a fuss about food.

Remember to cover yourself well at night

and don't fight with the other kids.

Okay, I know. Dad ,

let's hurry up and see the teacher

. Don't be late.

At birth, people are inherently

good. People are similar in nature,

but they become more refined through practice.

Qingyun, keep up with

the teacher. The teacher is still waiting for you to become his disciple.

Hmm,

he's here. Uncle Xu is kind ,

but I don't know if this Teacher Xu will be easy to get along with

. Teacher, the newly accepted short-term student has arrived. After

a whole morning of fuss

, I finally see Teacher Xu's true face.

Hmm, now that you're in the private school,

you must abide by the rules.

I understand. Is

Teacher Xu's knowledge

as good as the rumors say?

I can't tell yet,

but judging from his temperament,

I'm afraid my future days won't be easy.

The apprenticeship ceremony is complete

. You can officially start school tomorrow.

You can arrange

the rest of the time

yourself. Sigh, thank you, Uncle Xu. Take care, Uncle Xu.

Doggy , let's go home and get some bedding first

, Dad. Or you can go back and get it yourself.

I'll wait here.

Is it alright if you're here by yourself?

What could possibly happen in the private school?

I'm going to live here alone anyway.

My little arms and legs

won't be of any help if I

go back with you.

I'll just slow you down.

Dad

, you can walk faster and come back

sooner.

I'll stay in the private school

and won't wander off .

Don't leave the private school

and don't cause trouble for others.

I understand.

Do n't worry. You

're just idling around anyway.

It'll be good for you to get familiar with the area where I'll be active in the future.

The layout of the private school is simple.

The east side is the dormitory area,

and the middle is the school, which

occupies the largest area.

Behind the canteen is

a small door to the west.

I heard that behind that door is Master Xu's living area.

It's quite a large place, but

unfortunately, not even a chicken is kept there.

That sound... someone got a slap on the hand.

It sounds so painful.

I have to see which unlucky guy it is .

I recognized him by his eyes.

This poor guy crying his eyes out

is my older cousin, Shen Zhixuan.

Come in and sit next to Shen Zhixuan.

I didn't hear anything.

Shen Qingyun, did you hear what I said?

Master, I went to get my pen, ink, and books

. No need. Today, you just need to sit aside and listen

. I should have known better than to watch this commotion

. I didn't get to watch the commotion and ended up getting caught up in it myself.

Sigh.

Most of the afternoon's classes are calligraphy practice.

There are already written characters on the desks.

Master Xu must have been checking the

homework just now. It's so perfunctory. It's obviously done hastily.

No wonder he got a slap on the hand

. Brother Tang's hand hurts. One slap

for Brother Tang

, oh dear, now it's two slaps.

Brother Tang, you should rewrite it.

It's a pity that

all the writing before was wasted.

Brother Tang, don't worry

, when I learn to write, I'll write for you.

Brother Tang, privately... Is the school food good?

There's no meat, and

we only eat it every few days.

Brother Tang, you need to be serious!

Father and son are watching you!

Brother Tang, don't be afraid,

your swollen hands are quite beautiful!

The teacher won't hit you anymore!

Can you please stop talking?

How come I didn't know

my eldest cousin was so easily teased?

How come I didn't know

my little cousin was such a chatterbox?

What's the point

of Teacher Xu calling me in ?

All the other students went to listen to the lecture one by one

; it was none of my business.

I've attended calligraphy classes for two years, so

even if my handwriting is bad, it should still be legible, right

? This blob

is really my handwriting

! These hands are... I can't even control the pressure

when I'm

being told what to do. I thought reading would be easy once I learned all the characters, but

I

never imagined I'd have to start practicing

writing from scratch. There are no shortcuts

to calligraphy ; you can only slowly work on pen control and strength.

You and I,

my writing is a bit messy ,

but it shouldn't be enough to get a beating right after starting school!

Open the book and read along with me

: "At the beginning of life, people are inherently

good ; their natures are similar, but their habits differ."

The left tone is heavy and short

, the right tone is light and long.

So this is the tune for the introductory reading here: "

At the beginning of life, people are inherently

good; their natures

are similar, but their habits differ." Hmph, I just got a beating on the head with a ruler before

school even officially started

! The ruler

doesn't hurt that much

, but it's not very harmful, but

extremely humiliating!

Read aloud:

" At the beginning of

life, people are inherently good.

" "At the beginning

of life, people are inherently good; their natures are similar,

but their habits differ.

" "At the beginning of life, people are inherently good;

their natures are similar, but their habits differ." "Uh, their habits differ."

Keep your voice down! The ruler only moves a little.

Master Xu, are you using the ruler to boost my morale?

But I understand, I understand,

please stop now!

If you keep shouting like this,

my throat will be burning!

Then you read it aloud for me

: "At the beginning of life, people are inherently

good ; their natures are similar, but their habits

differ." "If not taught, their nature will change." "

The way of teaching is to focus on one thing."

Finally, it's over

. Good.

Continue reading with me:

"Once upon a time,

Mencius' mother chose a good neighborhood; when her

son didn't study, she cut the threads of her loom. " "A son

who doesn't learn the art of cutting the loom" - thanks to my professor father,

I memorized the Three Character Classic by heart when I was a child.

Learning it again

is no problem, just a bit tiring on the throat.

I always have to drink more water when I get home at night.

"Dou Yanshan has a righteous method

to teach his five sons to be famous."

"Dou Yanshan has a righteous method" -

this child has truly never been to school.

It's not uncommon for a child to memorize four lines

of the Three Character Classic on the spot after being led to read it

, but I've only ever met one person who

could recite it fluently from beginning to end

, and that's my youngest son. Could it

be that Shen Qingyun also has

an amazing memory like him?

Unconsciously, he's already read up to "Take over Changyi's knowledge first.

" If we count six characters per line,

this is already... I 've already read up to sentence 20,

Qingyun. Read it from beginning to end.

Hmm ... "

At the beginning of life, people are inherently good

; their natures are similar,

but their habits

differ. If they are not taught, their nature will change." "If a child is not raised and

taught, it is

the father 's fault; if the teaching is not strict,

it is the teacher's fault

." I forgot the rest of the text.

That's all for today.

You can go back to your room

now . Yes, teacher. At such a young age, his skills are amazing,

yet he knows how to hide his abilities.

Why is that?

If he were from an official or wealthy family,

perhaps there would be other hidden reasons

, but he is clearly from a farming

family. What complicated reasons could his family possibly have?

It seems that being a child for too long

has made him less intelligent. I

almost gave myself away.

I don't want to establish a prodigy persona.

The foundation I inherited from my previous life is only three words.

I haven't memorized the classics, the

Hundred Family Surnames, the Thousand Character Classic, or any other primers.

If I appear too clever,

the teacher can easily change the book

and test me; I'll be labeled a prodigy sooner or later

. Most importantly, what

if the teacher thinks I'm learning too fast

and sends me home early?

I've already paid a year's tuition; it

would be such a waste not to study!

Gouwa: Heh, I just saw you studying in the school. That's

great!

My son can read now!

That voice sounds so nice.

It's just that Dad's memory

is bad; I didn't remember what you were reading.

Luckily, the teacher called me into the school today. After

today, unless something urgent happens,

Dad can't go to the private school at will anymore.

It was worth it for him to see me study.

He shouted for so long this afternoon.

I'll go back and tell your grandfather about Fourth Uncle.

This year, you can study here peacefully.

Although Dad didn't say it explicitly

, the family situation is what it is.

After this year, perhaps... They won't be able to afford to send me to school anymore.

If I hadn't paid for my studies first, my family

might not have even made it through the year.

In the end, it's because I'm useless and

my family is too

poor to support me.

Dad, don't worry,

I will study hard and

try to learn more.

Study hard. Make sure

you 're covered up at night

. If you need

anything, go to your

older cousin. Don't be afraid

, and don't try to tough it out on your own. I understand, Dad. Go back

now. Practice your calligraphy a little longer

before it gets dark

. People always like to set goals for themselves and

work hard towards them.

But my experience in my previous life tells me

that living like that is too tiring

. I didn't want to experience

that frustration and helplessness

again, even though I had tried my

best but still couldn't reach my goal.

There are many paths to Rome.

There's more than one way to succeed

here than the imperial examination

. But no matter which path

I take in the future, I have to prepare in advance.

What I can do now is to learn as much as possible

to build up my resources for the future.

At least you can't keep crawling around like a dog.

Yun Di, open the door quickly!

I'll take you to breakfast.

Where is this?

Yun Di, get up quickly

, or you'll be late.

Oh right, I went to the private school yesterday.

Thank you, Tang Ge.

Let me wash up first.

Hehe, I knew you might not be able to get up

. Take your time, no rush

. I was just lying to you

earlier, Tang Ge. You

can leave me there; I'm

fine. You're still young,

and I have to take care of you for Second Uncle. It's

my luck that you came to the Shen

family. Although we're poor

, we don't have those awful

relatives. If you're not full here,

you can get

more, but there's a rule: take only what you can eat, don't leave any,

and don't take food out without permission

. Got it? After living such hard times for so long

, even my standards have lowered.

Now,

I feel happy just eating a bite of white flour steamed bun

. Oh right, the canteen will have meat once every five days.

Next time... When will the meat be

ready ? Three

days isn't a long time, we can wait.

Yun-di, don't look at them,

they're bad.

They bullied you?

How could they bully me?

I'm just afraid they'll bully you because you

're young. But don't be afraid,

if they really do bully you

, I'll protect you.

Then thank you, big cousin. Don't

worry, with big cousin here,

no one can bully you.

With that confidence and that

look, who would believe you haven't been bullied?

Indeed, wherever there are people, there is conflict.

Even in a small private school,

the town students look down on the village students.

The older village students

, relying on their age, bully the younger students from the same background.

I, your nine-year-old big

cousin , happen to be at the very bottom of the school's food chain

. Yun-di, are you full?

Do you want another one?

I'm full. I don't know how they make these steamed buns,

one is bigger than my face!

Luckily, big cousin is here,

otherwise I really wouldn't be able to finish them.

Let 's go to the school.

No

need to guess, this first row seat against the wall is definitely the corner behind

me. It's so nice

—quiet and inconspicuous

. I wonder what conditions I need to meet to sit there.

Brother Yun, sit down quickly, the Master is coming!

Master, sit still! The Great Learning states: "The

way of the Great Learning lies in manifesting one's bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding

in perfect goodness . This is what it

means to govern a country not for profit,

but for righteousness.

" This is from the Four Books, the Great Learning.

It's only about 1000 characters long.

If I put in the effort

, I should be able to memorize it

. "The unrighteous use their bodies to make money ."

It's one thing to ask about the middle part of the sentence, but why is it phrased backwards?

"The benevolent use their wealth to make money."

"You're in good shape

, go back now.

Master ,

this isn't

just memorizing, it's reciting backwards! That's

outrageous!

I'm definitely not going to university.

In my previous life, I only really memorized

a few well-known ancient poems.

But as long as the question is appropriate,

I can answer the previous line without hesitation.

For example, I can instantly answer 'I

raise my head to gaze at the bright moon'

before 'I bow my head and think of my hometown

.' Shen Qingyun:

Starting tomorrow, I will study the Analects.

Remember to review the old to learn the new

. Students, remember,

where there are top students, there are also underachievers. I will take the initiative to go up and

check. Now it's time for Master to call roll

. Lin Tao:

The way of the university lies in manifesting virtue and being close to the people

. Go back and stand up." Uncle Wen

, copy Ke Ye five more times today

. This spot is pretty good,

with a wide field of vision

and no blind spots

, perfect for watching the excitement.

Shen Zhixuan, have you memorized what I taught you yesterday?

The Great Learning teaches us

to manifest virtue, to love the people, and to...

Copy what you learned yesterday three times.

I'll teach you before school ends today. Teacher,

I've only been at this private school for two days and

my older cousin has already been punished for two days.

I hope he won't be punished every day.

That's so pitiful.

Shen Qingyun ,

recite it!

Recite it!

At the beginning of life, people are inherently

good. Their natures are similar, but their habits

are far apart. If they are not taught, their nature will change.

The way of teaching is to focus on one thing at a time. Teacher

, why aren't you saying anything

? Do you want me to ask you questions

? Luckily, I know these ten sentences well enough.

I should be able to answer any questions you ask me.

Teacher, I've only memorized these.

Mencius' mother chose a good neighborhood.

If a child doesn't study, I'll cut the loom.

Yesterday I taught ten sentences,

how come today it's fifteen?

Go back and memorize

them, I'll test you tomorrow. Are you a teacher?

Heaven and Earth , Dark and Yellow,

Universe, Vast and Untamed, Sun and

Moon, Waxing and

Drifting, Stars and Constellations, Zhang.

Heaven and Earth,

Dark and Yellow, Universe

, Vast and Untamed, Sun and

Moon, Waxing and Drifting,

Stars and Constellations , Zhang. To

learn and practice what you have learned is a pleasure. To learn and practice what you have learned is a pleasure.

No wonder I was shouting and repeating after others yesterday, and

they didn't find it strange at all.

It turns out that in private schools, everyone reads aloud according to their own pace. The

introductory progress of the short course has already reached the Thousand Character Classic.

Master Xu

has been teaching me separately these past two days, trying to help me catch up with them as soon

as possible. But that

won't do . Catching up

means I have to graduate with those who entered school two months earlier than me, and

pay the same year's tuition.

If I study two months less on my tablet, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

From today onwards, I will be called Shen Shi.

Each time , I can only

memorize a maximum of ten sentences

; I can't even memorize one more .

" Heaven and Earth, Mysterious and Unknown,

Universe and Primordial Chaos,

It's Noon, Let's Go Eat First."

These people are really good at studying; they shout at the top of their lungs,

and just shouting isn't enough

—they all shake their heads and sway their bodies.

Maybe I'm just too likable,

but if I slack off even a little,

Master Xu's gaze immediately sweeps over me. "

Brother Yun, wait for me , let's

go to the cafeteria together."

"Brother Yun, why are you running so fast?"

"Big Brother, you go eat first,

don't wait for me."

They don't even give me a convenient time

during class. This whole learning experience is terrible! Terrible!

I thought only those two older students in the morning were bullying Big Brother,

but now it seems he's being bossed around by a whole group.

"Is this for me?" "

Thank you, Big Brother."

"Hmm, your dishes today are good

, stewed vegetables."

"Hmm, no need for you to take it,

I'll put it on the table for you."

Okay

, I'll go get you some steamed buns.

Big cousin, you don't need to get

any. There were enough for us earlier.

Zhixuan, I'm still waiting for my food.

I'm new to the private school,

may I ask your name? My name

is Lin Tao, Brother

Lin .

I'll settle my younger brother first,

then I'll get you some food.

Why do you need my older cousin to get the food

? Did the teacher punish you by making you copy too many characters

and your hand is too sore to hold the bowl?

I remember this person

today, if ranked by the number of characters copied,

he would at least be in the top three.

You and I weren't punished by the teacher today,

so our hands aren't sore;

we can get our food ourselves.

Shen Zhixuan,

you seem to have a backer now.

I was the one who abandoned him, so

why is he only eyeing my older cousin?

Wu is the most arrogant.

They look down on Lin Tao

for not even taking me seriously.

Big cousin

, I saw you helping serve the food. Are

you working in the private school cafeteria?

Big cousin

, I saw you helping serve the food. Are

you working in the private school cafeteria?

How much does the teacher pay you

a month ? Do you think the teacher would accept me?

Even a small amount is fine. It's

not work,

there's no pay.

Oh, then why were you helping them serve food

? It was voluntary

. Oh, so you were helping your classmates.

I thought you were being bullied

and was about to ask the teacher.

Don't go, they said if things get out of hand, you'll be expelled from the private school.

So they were just using expulsion to scare you. Big cousin

, they think you're timid

and afraid you won't be able to continue your studies

. It's okay, I'm not afraid.

My family doesn't have money

. I'll only

study for one year . Big cousin, I'm young and can't argue with them.

Do you think they'll be afraid

if I follow them around nagging every day?

Why do I nag? Nagging while eating, nagging while walking, nagging before

sleeping, nagging even before bed.

If anyone bullies you,

I'll... He kept nagging from morning till night, making

his head buzz.

If I got tired of nagging, I'd go home and find my grandma.

My grandma is amazing;

just give her a stool,

and she can sit at the entrance of the private school

from dawn till dusk,

never repeating a single word. Second

Grandma is indeed good at nagging

, but she's not at the private school.

You can't find her now

. It's okay, I'll nag myself first.

Everyone who's alive

has to eat, sleep, and go to school.

I'll figure out where he is every day

and then go after him and nag him.

You're here to study,

not to think about nagging all day.

My older cousin really didn't understand

; he thought I just wanted to talk to someone.

Okay,

then I'll stop nagging

for now. Anyway, nobody's messing with me .

A bunch of kids who haven't even grown their hair yet,

I can't handle you.

Hold the pen with your thumb and forefinger,

and support your wrist from the outside with your middle

finger. Don't be stiff

when you put down the pen, and don't use brute force.

Is that how it is, Master?

Lift your wrist a little more

. Practice horizontal and vertical strokes first.

Write each stroke steadily

and don't be impatient.

Yes, Master.

Everyone else is being punished by standing and copying,

but Master Xu only teaches me how to be an undercover agent.

It seems I'm still... During the newbie protection period

, I don't know how long this protection period will last.

Right now, the most important thing is to master pen control as soon as possible

and recognize and write all the characters correctly.

Yun Di, do you have any clothes to wash?

Give them to me. I'm going to wash

my clothes and I'll wash yours

while I'm at it. I don't have any yet

. Didn't you just wash your clothes yesterday?

Why do you need to wash them again today? If you

don't have any ,

then I'll go first.

Something's wrong.

These two long robes are obviously not my eldest cousin's.

Yun Di, go play. You

don't need to stay here with me

, Tang Ge. I thought about it yesterday. Just

nagging won't work. It's too tiring for my voice. So

you should nag less and

study hard.

So I thought of an easier way.

If anyone owes money and doesn't pay it back,

I'll write a big "owe" on a piece of paper

and hang it at their door.

If one isn't enough, I'll write two.

If they don't write it well,

I'll stand next to them and nag.

I guarantee everyone will understand.

You can't even write well now.

Can others understand it?

It's okay if they don't understand.

I can draw a person

and two pieces of clothing

below . Yun Di, are you craving meat again?

Tomorrow... The canteen serves meat,

so just bear with it a little longer and stop thinking about it.

What kind of meat

is it ? Maybe it's pork.

Brother Tang, do you think people who don't pay their debts

have skin thicker than pigskin?

That's not the same.

You can eat pigskin,

but you can't eat a face.

Brother Tang, you're truly the eldest brother.

You understand every word clearly,

yet it seems like you don't understand a single one

. Brother Tang, these two garments belong to Lin Tao, right?

I don't need to answer

; just looking at your expression tells me I guessed right.

Brother Lin, washing one garment costs three coins

, and two long robes cost six coins in total.

Please settle the bill.

Why should I pay?

That was Shen Zhixuan's choice.

I don't know

if she was willing before, but from now on

, she's not.

Six coins, thank you

. What can you do to me if I don't pay

? What are you looking at?

The door isn't big.

Hanging a "debt" sign should be enough.

If you write it down more clearly, specifying who owes whom and

how many coins they signed, you'll need two sheets of paper.

You dare to write nonsense?

I just wanted to keep a clear record of the accounts.

I didn't write

anything wrong. Stop

messing around here and leave. Lala, not only does she

not pay, but she's also unreasonable.

It seems that just me nagging isn't enough.

Lin Tao owes Shen Zhixuan money for laundry. Liu Wen

, what are you yelling about?

Lin Tao owes Shen Zhixuan money for laundry. Liu Wen

,

what are you yelling about?

This is the first time

. Wait until I yell it a hundred times.

If you still don't pay

me, go find the teacher.

I don't owe him any money.

You asked him to do laundry,

and he did the work, so you should pay him.

Even if you don't want to pay,

you should at least say thank you

. You can't take other people's help for granted.

Lin Tao owes Shen Zhixuan money for laundry. (First time) Liu Wen (Second time)

Lin Tao owes Shen Zhixuan money for laundry. (First time) Liu Wen (Third time)

I always forget that I'm only five years old.

Why waste time with

unreasonable people?

Find someone who can manage them.

Lin Tao owes Shen Zhixuan money for laundry. Liu Wen

, Shen Zhixuan, quickly call your brother back.

It's fine if you order me around

, but why are you yelling at my cousin?

I only said a few words to him

and didn't do anything to him

. You wash your own clothes.

Are you really not going to wash them?

I still have to finish my studies

and take care of Yun Di.

From now on, I won't take care of your food, clothes, or housing.

Lin Tao owes Shen Zhixuan money for laundry. Liu Wen The film tells the story

of Lin Tao, who owes Shen Zhixuan six washes. The sixth time, the question is posed

: "Who is shouting like that in my courtyard

? Teacher! Someone is bullying

my cousin

!

I want to go home

! I want to go home and tell my grandma!

Let her sit at my fourth uncle's door and nag her

from dawn till dusk,

so everyone knows!

Someone in the private school is making children wear clothes

and not paying them!

This child seems young,

but he's quite cunning

! He came to me to seek justice,

and he even brought up his grandma!

Let go of him! How can I help you seek justice if

you're holding him like this

? Teacher, it's Lin Tao who bullied my cousin!

He made my cousin serve him food

, wash his clothes, and clean his house,

without paying me a single penny!

I went to ask for six coins for my cousin, but

he wouldn't give them to me and even locked

the door! This is truly

unacceptable! The wooden basin for washing clothes is still there,

and the two pieces of clothing in the courtyard

are also there! Teacher , you can tell at a glance!

I, the teacher , will take a look!"

Who exactly is bullying the weak in this private school?

He orders people around!

He makes my cousin fetch his meals

, wash his clothes, and clean his room

every day . My cousin has no time to study

or finish his lessons,

which is why he's punished every day.

Now that I'm here,

my cousin has to take care of me,

so he has even less time to study.

We're both so busy,

and we still get bullied.

I'm going home to find my grandmother.

If you want me to back you up

, don't mention her again.

Can you, Master, back me and my older cousin up?

If what you say is true

, I will handle it fairly.

With your words, my

older cousin will have some peace and quiet from now on.

Shen Zhixuan, are you really not going to care?

You wash your own clothes! My

older cousin finally dares to say no.

It seems my nagging wasn't in

vain. But... Master Xu's expression... Why does she look so ugly ?

Did someone make her angry

before I arrived? She's been doing

all the cooking, laundry, cleaning,

and even threatening her older cousin with the threat of not being able to continue studying. She

's filed all the complaints she could, so she

shouldn't have missed anything

. Teacher, let's go!

Shen

Zhixuan

, you said you wouldn't wash

the clothes halfway through , so you just stopped.

These are your clothes,

you should wash them yourself.

I still need to review my studies

, so I can't help you anymore.

You always helped voluntarily before

, why

are you pretending to be wronged now? Just because I didn't dare refuse before

doesn't mean I really wanted to.

Okay, older cousin, I'll help you!

Oh no, I'm dirty! My pants!

Lin Tao's laundry water soaked my pants!

How can you blame me?

You clearly washed them yourself!

These are new clothes my mother made

, and they're already dirty after only two days!

Everyone stand still!

Whose clothes are these? The student's

clothes are yours,

so why is Shen Zhixuan washing

them? Teacher, I washed them for her.

Did you wash them willingly

or because you didn't dare to refuse?

I didn't dare to refuse before, Teacher.

I didn't force her

. She never said

she didn't want to. Even when she said

she didn't want to, you didn't agree.

I only asked her why she didn't like it.

Then why did you make my eldest cousin serve meals and clean the room?

If he didn't agree,

you said you would make him unable to stay in the private school.

Lin Tao, is that true?

I only said a few jokes to him.

My eldest cousin is worried every day.

What kind of joke is this?

Students enter school to study and understand principles,

not to eat for fun

, let alone to delay other people's studies.

Lin Tao bullies the weak.

Shen Zhixuan always gives in and doesn't report to

Shen Qingyun. You three are all at fault for

making a lot of noise and disturbing the private school.

If you don't even understand the most basic rules,

you can go home tomorrow

and don't need to come to the private school anymore

. Teacher

, I know I was wrong

. Please forgive me. This student

is taking the imperial examination next year and

cannot leave the private school now.

The teacher,

Yun Di, is helping me.

She's young

and has only been in the school for two days.

I beg the teacher to give her a chance.

I've only studied for two days.

If I'm really sent back ,

can I get a full refund of my tuition for the year?

Teacher, I think there's still room for negotiation.

Do you know what the consequences will be for

your crying and fussing tonight

, even writing "owe" on someone's door with charcoal?

I was just trying to scare him.

If I hadn't come , would

you really have plastered the whole courtyard with "Qian

" ? No, at most I'll write one

to let Lin Tao know I'm not joking.

If a classmate makes a mistake, the school rules will handle it.

If you really make this public,

you'll be using your reputation to intimidate

people . Just complaining to the teacher

will only solve this once.

After a few days, we'll have someone else to manage things.

What about my

older cousin? Timid and

always afraid of being kicked out of the private school,

as long as she dares not refuse, if

Lin Tao is not here today , someone else will be there to fetch her food and do her laundry tomorrow

. I just want them to know that

my eldest cousin is not unattended

and not someone anyone can order around.

Brother Yun,

it's not wrong for you to want to protect your cousin

, but your method is wrong .

When something happens, you should first distinguish right from

wrong and then deal with it according to the rules.

You can't just act recklessly because of your cleverness.

Student, remember this.

Take out the charcoal stick.

Teacher, this can

also be used to write. Whose door are you writing?

If you don't write the door

, write on paper so it won't be hard

to erase. Are you trying to scare Lin Tao

or this teacher

? How could I? You are

the teacher I respect the most. You

are the most important person besides my parents and grandparents.

I'm speaking so sincerely.

Why do you still look doubtful?

Lin Tao, do you know you're wrong?

Teacher, I know I'm wrong.

I will never let Shen Zhixuan do things for me again

. Please, teacher, stay. "Master

, he already knows he was wrong.

My cousin and I have decided not to

hold it against him. Thank you, Master, for upholding justice for us.

You certainly know how to arrange

things . In just a few words, you admitted Lin Tao's mistake,

made a decision for Shen Zhixuan,

and even closed the case for me.

It's all thanks to your teaching, Master.

When have I ever taught you

anything like that? You taught us to be reasonable.

I have already explained the reasoning clearly.

This is nothing like a five-year-old child.

He is thoughtful, quick-witted

, and can grasp the key points in chaos.

In just two days,

this child has shown different qualities in every way.

His memory is amazing

, yet he deliberately hides it.

Although he is young, he knows how to use rules to protect his cousin.

My son has an amazing memory

, but his nature is too pure

. He has never stopped testing his

knowledge in the imperial examinations and has no sense of self-preservation. This may not be a good thing.

If this child's character is not corrupt, he may be

able to accompany my son in the future."

We should support each other

, but we can't rush things.

Whether he is clever and quick-witted or just opportunistic,

we need to examine him carefully.

Since you have all admitted

your mistakes, I will forgive you for now.

If there is a next time, I will not be lenient.

Thank you, Master.

But mistakes must be punished.

Lin Tao bullied the weak and delayed

his classmates' studies.

He was punished by copying the Analects and Mencius about virtue ten times

. The students accepted

the punishment. There is no separate chapter on virtue in the Analects and Mencius.

The Master's intention was clearly

to copy all the content related to virtue in the two books

ten times.

It was a punishment,

but it was also forcing him to study.

Master Xu didn't waste any time.

Shen Zhixuan kept backing down and concealed the truth

, which delayed his studies . He was punished

by copying the Great Learning three times.

The students accepted the punishment.

It turned out that it was just copying books.

In two days, I learned a total of 25 sentences of the Three Character Classic,

each with six characters.

It's not that much in total.

Even if the teacher punishes me by making me copy it ten times

, it's not a difficult task.

As for memorizing the entire Three Character Classic within three days,

after three days, I, the teacher, will personally test you.

If you can't memorize it,

you can go home.

What kind of punishment is this?

Did he already know that Shen Shiju was faking it?

My teacher and cousin are all trying to help me memorize the Three Character Classic in three days.

It's really too difficult.

Can you make it a little less?

I can help him copy the book a few times

, but I can't memorize it for him.

Brother Tang,

stop talking .

What you're saying doesn't sound like a plea,

it sounds like you're going to cheat for me.

You want to copy for him

? Oh, no, no, I was just saying it casually.

Three days. Any objections

? There are objections.

The clothes are dirty, ten sentences won't be enough,

and I still have to memorize the Three Character Classic in three days.

This trip to complain has finally given my older cousin some peace

, but I feel like the one who will suffer the most punishment in the end is me,

Shen Qingyun.

What do you think of this punishment, Master?

Master, if I leave the private school,

will the tuition be refunded?

You want to leave the private school?

If the tuition can be fully refunded, it's not impossible. Which

farmer's son wouldn't cherish the

opportunity to study in a private school?

How could he so easily give up?

In the past two days,

I've figured out

the local characters and the teaching methods of the private school.

I can learn

to recognize and practice characters

at home . At this stage, Master Xu is mainly responsible for leading the reading,

correcting pronunciation, and punctuation.

For now... The formal explanation of the classics

is, frankly, a kind of cramming-in-the-breadth teaching method.

First, memorize all four books

, then slowly digest them.

Only three people in the private school have memorized all four books

and heard Master Xu explain them in their entirety.

Now they are preparing for next year's county and city

exams. Master Xu usually gives them private lessons.

I can't possibly audit these lessons now.

Even if I could, I wouldn't understand the four books and five classics, let alone

the eight-legged essay.

Listening to it would leave me completely clueless

. But my older cousin is still here waiting for Master Xu's next formal lesson.

I'll ask my older cousin to tell me

when I get home so I can come back for a few more days of short-term study

and audit a few lessons

, and then find an excuse to leave.

Shu Xiu: If I could come back

... It's not that I can't keep both ends in

peace, Master.

If I leave this time

and want to enroll again

, can I come back?

What is this child planning?

It seems that whether or not he withdraws from the tuition is very important to him.

You were expelled from the private school for making a mistake.

Tuition: No, I won't withdraw

.

No, that won't do.

Tuition:

Since I won't withdraw,

I must stay.

At least I must complete this whole year's worth of studies.

I can't let him down even for a single day. Master

, I know.

I will definitely memorize the Three Character Classic within three days.

He

didn't panic at all

. Could it be that he had already memorized the whole book?

There are more and more suspicious points about this child.

I must observe him for a while longer.

Remember what you said today.

I will personally test you in three days. Yes, Master. Brother

Lin, the Master has already left.

You don't need to keep your head down.

You picked it up. What are you doing with it

? It's nothing. Keep it as a souvenir

. What, Brother

Lin owes my eldest cousin six

coins and almost made me write "I owe you money" on my clothes?

I don't owe him any money.

My eldest cousin has already washed half of

those two clothes.

At three coins per garment,

he should still pay three coins even if he only washed half. Brother Lin,

you should pay

three coins . Brother Lin,

you haven't even taken your clothes back yet.

You don't even give a scholar the face of

three coins. You really can't judge a scholar by common sense

. But this charcoal stick is not bad

. It can be used to write and collect debts.

Keeping it is not a loss.

Emperor Yun, it's all my

fault for dragging you into this. I caused you to be punished by the teacher and

almost expelled from the private school.

Alas, if you really think that way,

then make it up to me.

Brother Yun, tell me how you want me to make it up to you.

I heard that Grandma raises six chickens.

Next time I have a day off,

I will definitely ask Grandma to kill a chicken for you to eat.

See, people

can get chicken just by asking. When it's

finally my turn to eat chicken

, I have to rack my brains and rack my brains.

I'm essentially a good boy, okay?

Big brother, it's a deal

, it's a deal!

In the end, it's all about money

. Did you hear

? Did you hear?

Shen Qingyun blocked Ling Tao's door last night, demanding a penny.

I heard he even brought charcoal sticks

to write "I owe" all over Ling Tao's door.

And that's not all!

He said if there wasn't enough space on the door,

he 'd write it all over the mountain—

"I owe money" on the front, "

I won't pay" on the back. Sure enough

, overnight

the whole school knew.

With such a commotion last night

, and more than just the three of us living in the school,

it was expected the news would spread.

But

these guys are really patient!

Last night they heard the argument

but not a single one came out to ask

what happened. Just for that,

they're not worth befriending.

Really, he really dared to bring charcoal... Without hesitation ,

he wrote on Lin Tao's clothes.

Really, we heard it with our own ears.

He was crying and saying he wanted to find his grandmother.

Master Xu even went there personally.

How could this be fake

? Hehe, stop laughing.

Your eyes aren't big to begin with

, and with that laugh, you can't see them at all.

Are you kidding me?

Shen Qingyun looks harmless;

how could he do such a thing?

Young Master Gao, how could we dare lie to you?

Every word is true.

His crying last night was very loud;

half of Fourth Uncle heard it.

It seems harmless

has nothing to do with being able to collect

debts . The teacher sat down and began to review the text.

Gao Yiming is seven years old this year,

not very old

, but she has already been in the private school for two years.

The Gao family is not short of money;

they enrolled her in a long-term program.

Unfortunately, she has no interest in studying.

No matter how much Master Xu urges

her, she... Unwavering in his original aspiration, he

barely managed to memorize a Three Character Classic after two whole years.

His determination is truly extraordinary.

Gao Yiming and

Bei learned yesterday's lessons:

Heaven and Earth, the Primordial Chaos, the Sun and Moon.

Luckily, Gao Yiming had his back to Master Xu;

otherwise, people might have

thought they were gazing deeply into each other's eyes

. Two years later, still like this—

what should be done with this student?

What did you write?

I forgot my characters .

Only I can barely recognize them now.

Hmm,

you really dared to help me cheat under the Master's nose!

I didn't believe them before, but

now I do.

You're really bold

!

Wait a minute, you've only been at the private school for three days at most.

How could you have memorized the Thousand Character Classic? You couldn't have just written it randomly, could you?

Keep it in mind, it's good.

Go back now, I didn't even get a beating today!

I can recite the Thousand Character Classic from three hundred characters!

I only need to spend some time re-familiarizing myself with the texts.

Besides practicing calligraphy

, I can't waste the rest of my time.

After finishing the three hundred and one thousand characters, there's

also the *Di Zi Gui* (Standards for Being a Good Student) in the *Elementary Learning*,

which I can put aside for now

. I want to memorize the *University

* first . Since early education in this era starts

with memorization, memorizing it in advance is an advantage.

Others only start

learning at eight or nine, but I can start at five.

From a time perspective,

I have at least two more years to prepare.

I also want to know if I'm suited for the imperial examination path.

Unfortunately, I don't have a university now. My

older cousin's learning pace is exactly that of a university student, so I'll follow him and study.

Everyone else who transmigrates can do anything with ease,

so why is it so difficult for me to even write a few characters?

I've attended calligraphy classes for a few years and

practiced for three days.

If I write even slightly small characters,

they become a jumbled mess.

Ugly characters aren't

a problem; I'll practice slowly.

But writing too large characters

wastes paper

. At this rate

, the paper will run out before we can even repair the wood.

I need to find a cheaper method.

The stone table in the courtyard is perfect for practicing calligraphy.

Shen Qingyun: "At the beginning of life, human nature is good."

At birth, people are inherently good

, and their natures are similar, but their habits differ greatly

. Uncle Xu has indeed put a lot of effort into me

, but next time when you lead the reading,

could you please let me read while sitting or standing?

It

's so uncomfortable!

At birth, people are inherently good.

By repeatedly reciting the poem in the teacher's tone,

one can gradually hear the rhythm and rhyme

. Shaking one's head and swaying is not just for show

, but to let students feel the rhythm of the words. As they

accumulate more and

more knowledge and read more books

, they will naturally be able to speak fluently. The

saying goes, "Read 300 Tang poems thoroughly

, and even if you can't compose poetry, you can still recite

it." In this context, it means being able to both compose and recite poetry.

This kind of dry teaching method

does have its uses.

Brother Yun's place is

indeed a private school, full of hidden talents

, even the kitchen helpers are there. Such superb knife skills!

The slices of meat are as thin as paper,

the swift movements are almost visible through them.

Brother Tang,

is this the meat you mentioned once every five days?

Yes,

there's a little less meat

, but it's still very fragrant.

I know Yun Di loves meat,

so it's all yours.

Thank you, Brother Tang.

500 coins a month for repairs,

and you only get a few slices of meat?

Heh, that's really expensive!

Shen Qingyun, come and eat!

Brother Liming, Brother Yun, sit down, come and eat!

The dishes my family sent include meat.

This is more than just meat;

all three dishes are meat—

chicken, fish

, and a big pork knuckle. I ca

n't accept such a reward!

Brother Yiming, why is this?

Thank you for your help today, Brother

Yun. I didn't really help much;

just avoiding the ruler is a huge help.

If it were someone else, I might not even invite them to eat

! Brother, you can sit next to me from now on,

okay?

Yiming,

the food you brought is very thoughtful.

Of course,

Yundi is amazing.

He's only been at the private school for three days and he's already become good friends with Gao Yiming.

It's a pity that Yundi will be leaving the private school in three days.

How could you possibly memorize the Three Character Classic in three days?

Yundi, you'd better hurry up and memorize the Three Character Classic,

otherwise you'll really be kicked out of the private school

by the teacher in three days. Yes, yes,

I've heard about it too,

Yundi. As long as you stay,

we'll have plenty of time to play later.

Now let's go back to our studies.

Hurry up,

wait a minute

, you haven't even memorized the Three Character Classic,

how can you know the Thousand Character Classic? Oh no!

I was so busy giving Gao Yiming the note that

I forgot he's also been at the private school for two years.

What's wrong with you

?

Shen Qingyun is in trouble now.

Before he could even explain one problem,

another one came along that's even harder to fool

. All I know is that one line

, "Hmph, oh well ,

you're trying to trick me.

Give me back my meat!

Hey

, give it back! Let go of me first. How are

you going to give it back

? Uh... Uh... Uh... Uh...

Shen Qingyun, you're disgusting!

Teacher, I'm going back to my seat.

I've already eaten the meat.

You think you can make me throw it up

? You wish! " He still needs to practice

his calligraphy.

In the future, whether he's copying books or doing anything else,

he can't let his calligraphy hold him back.

Brother Yun, are you going to do laundry?

Why didn't you tell me?

I was just about to do laundry,

so I'll do it for you

. I 'm not doing laundry

; I just wanted to practice calligraphy here

. Brother Yun, I have a lot of paper that I can give you. Whether you use

it or not, you can practice.

A lot of paper has already been used up.

The water stains on the stone table will disappear once they dry,

which is perfect for practicing pen control

and won't waste paper.

Brother Tang, you can recite here,

which is also good for me to practice my ear for sound.

Okay, I'll go get the books now

. Making money seems to need to be put on the agenda.

Not having books really slows down the progress

. "The Great Learning teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and

to attain the highest good

." Brother Tang, how do you write

this character? Is the "bright" in "bright sun and moon"

correct?

Regarding this, it means that a country does not consider profit as profit,

but righteousness as profit.

Brother Tang ,

I think it wo n't be long before

you can learn the Analects.

Hmm, when I learn the Analects,

I'll teach Brother Yun.

Even if I can't stay after three days,

I can go home and teach him.

As long as he's willing to learn,

he can learn slowly.

Then tell me what this sentence in the Great Learning means

. I haven't learned this yet. The teacher's explanation

... Hmph, it seems my older cousin has only memorized it

but hasn't truly understood it.

Relying on him to explain the Four Books and Five Classics clearly

is still a

long shot. It's getting late,

let's stop here for today.

Okay,

at least I don't have to rush

to deal with the teacher today. I'll practice

my calligraphy

first. My

painting skills aren't up to par;

I can't create anything of artistic conception . However, I can manage

ordinary copying and reproduction.

I plan to start by painting the God

of Wealth. I remember the image of the God of Wealth I saw in my previous life quite clearly, so

painting it shouldn't be too difficult. I can't control

the fine lines well with a brush

yet

, so I'll use a charred wooden stick for now.

It

's a bit troublesome; after

a few strokes, I have to re-charred it.

I have to try and see if I can make money.

If

I succeed, I'll save some money

and try taking the imperial examination

to see if I can really take this path.

I always thought the imperial examination was difficult,

so I gave up early on.

But in two days,

I'll be reciting the entire Three Character Classic in front of Teacher Xu.

Since my plan to hide my abilities will be seen through sooner or later

, I might as well take this opportunity to try. If I succeed,

I'll continue

; if not, I'll go back to my original plan. It won't be a loss.

Of course, all plans have one premise:

you need to have money.

I'll stop here

for now and finish the rest tomorrow. After

two years here

, I still can't tell the exact time.

I can't rush anything.

I'm still growing

and can't ruin my health

by staying

up late. So what if he made such a scene in front of the teacher last time?

He still got kicked out of the private school.

It was a lot of money my family scraped together to send him to learn to read,

but he didn't appreciate it

and caused so much trouble.

He's really naughty

. Shut up, you're disturbing me. Brother Gao,

Shen Qingyun

is only on good terms with you so he can eat your meat and vegetables every day and take advantage of you.

Why are you protecting him so much?

I'm willing!

Brother Yun, ignore them

. Humph ,

people who have meat to eat speak with confidence.

Teacher, please sit still

. Qingyun, come here.

At the beginning of life, people are inherently

good . Their natures are similar, but their habits are far apart. If

they are not taught, their nature will change.

The way of teaching is to focus on one thing.

It 's impossible.

Shen Qingyun has been practicing calligraphy for the past three days.

I haven't seen him reading at all.

How could he memorize it?

He memorized the entire Three Character Classic

in three days. It took me two years to memorize it.

How did he do it?

Although he was young, he was already an official. You should study hard in your youth and aspire to achieve something. If

Emperor Yun really memorized it,

the Master won't send him away.

That's great!

If he stays,

I'll have someone to play with from now on.

Diligence brings success, play brings no benefit; take heed of this .

With this as encouragement, I've finally

finished memorizing it.

Now, whether to stay or pack up and go home

depends on what the Master says

. Wait a minute

, he clearly hasn't studied much these past three days,

how can he memorize it so well?

Brother Yun,

you're amazing! You

memorized it well , but this Master still has a few questions to ask you.

Just as I expected,

this kid is a treacherous fellow.

Since you have fulfilled my requirements,

you should study diligently here from now on.

Remember not to cause any more trouble.

Student, please remember

this for now. Follow me and read

Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, and Zheng

. I will test you in two days. It's Master

Xu! Teaching here is such a lucrative business

! He just reads the text twice

and then I don't have to worry about anything

else. When I pass the imperial examination

and become a scholar, I'll open my own private school.

Life will be leisurely, I'll

be respected

, and I can make money!

What a wonderful business!

Yun Di, you're staying!

I've prepared a farewell gift for nothing!

From today onwards,

my image in the school will probably change.

Except for Gao Yiming, who 's just coasting along

, everyone else probably feels a sense of urgency.

They're the youngest and arrived the latest

. If I catch up with them ,

they won't be able to focus on their studies.

Brother Yun, you're really amazing!

I thought you were leaving today ,

so I specifically told my family I'd be back late.

Now look what's happened, nowhere to go!

I even prepared a farewell gift for you!

I even prepared a farewell gift for you!

Brother Yiming

,

even if I don't leave the school,

I'll accept your gift.

I've never seen anyone so shameless as to

give you this!

Don't think I don't know you've always wanted this book.

Every time I study... Someone in the hall was reciting the university textbook,

and you listened more attentively than anyone else

, even asking Shen Zhixuan questions from time to time. We've only known each other for a few days

, yet he's already figured out what I want.

Thanks, Brother Yiming

. Hey, it's not anything valuable.

Since Yiming, you're not in a hurry to go home,

why don't you come with us to the dormitory for a while?

Okay

, tsk, you two are living such a hard life.

You have a bed to sleep in and books to read,

how is that hard?

The room is small, there are few things,

not even a decent desk.

The standards of rich young masters are indeed different from ours, the standards of farm children.

You wouldn't let me come over to watch you do laundry, would you?

Of course not,

Brother Yun,

I can give you some paper.

Brother Yiming,

do you have many friends?

Not many.

Why do you ask?

Because you're very generous to your friends

—more than

generous, practically heartfelt.

If I had bad intentions,

he'd probably be willing to spend money to support me forever.

Isn't it only natural for me to be good to my friends?

Brother Yiming,

you should know

what "a little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment"

means. It's my

fault for being so talkative, why am I

saying these things to a child? "The

Great Learning

teaches that the way of learning lies

in manifesting one's bright virtue

, in loving the people, and in abiding in perfect goodness.

Is this how you invited me to be your guest ? Haven't you learned enough after

studying all day? You want to continue studying even

after school is over? You can join me too.

No, no

, no, I don't want to study. Fine,

in two days, our learning progress will be the same.

Then we can be together

. Wait, what?

In two days? What? Together ? After

memorizing the Hundred Family Surnames, won't we have to learn the Thousand Character Classic?

Yes,

then you can recite it for the teacher. Then

Emperor Yun can remind you.

Having someone who has only been at the private school for a few days remind me of my studies

, and this person is only five years old

? No

, I absolutely cannot let Emperor Yun catch up with the progress so quickly,

otherwise I will seem too incompetent.

Wait, I'm going to the school. Emperor Yun, what

is he going to the school for? Maybe to get something.

Heaven and earth, black and yellow,

universe, vast and boundless

, sun and moon, waxing and

waning, stars and

constellations, all arranged. Emperor Yun can learn the Three Character Classic in a few days

. At this speed, he will catch up with me sooner or later.

Now even Gao Yiming has started reciting.

I am the oldest,

so I can't possibly catch up with him." To make my two younger brothers outshine

Yun Suiyi, who sits in my high hall

, and I love Yu Li, who is headed by the head of the court, I know that

things have roots and branches, and

things have beginnings and ends

. Knowing what comes first and what comes last, one is close to the Way

. My eldest cousin recites

the Great Learning, and

Gao Yiming recites the Thousand Character Classic.

I can listen to them first to familiarize myself with the content

, so that I can put less effort into formal learning later.

Why do we have to compete to see who can read the loudest?

The stone table in this courtyard is probably going to crack from their noise.

It's getting late,

let's stop here for today.

It's only been a short time,

and I haven't even finished reciting this section yet. I still have

classes tomorrow, and

I can't skip sleep while reading.

Don't worry, Yun Di ,

once I learn the Analects, I will definitely teach

you well. Then thank you in advance, eldest cousin.

Heaven and earth are dark and yellow,

the universe is vast and desolate

, and the great tree treads the shallow lake.

Uncle Xu, what brings you here?

I've come to tell Gao Yiming

that his family has come to pick him up.

It's so late, I'm sorry to trouble you

. Uncle Xu,

let's go.

Yiming, come and play with us after school tomorrow.

What's wrong

with me today?

Why did I have to read with them for so long?

Let's talk about it tomorrow

, Brother Yiming. Don't forget to bring meat and vegetables.

You just remember that studying is

brain-draining, so of course you need to replenish your brain.

Hmm, hehe. Now

that I have books and study partners,

I should figure out how to earn my first pot of money.

Yundi won't stop playing with me from now on, right?

When I first entered the private school,

I had a few close classmates,

but I didn't want to study, and my

grades gradually fell behind

, and the gap between me and them widened.

In their eyes,

I was just a piece of rotten wood,

and it was better for them to stay away from me. My

classmates who studied for a short time would leave

after a while, so I didn't dare to easily befriend anyone.

I finally met a Yun Emperor who gets along with me,

I can't let him stop playing with me.

As long as I memorize the Thousand Character

Classic faster than Yun Emperor,

he won't stop playing with me.

Heaven and earth, black and yellow,

universe, vast wilderness

, oh,

sun and moon, waxing and

waning, stars and constellations, Young

Master Zhang is actually reading

! Ahhh! Master, Madam,

please go see Young Master!

Young Master isn't sleeping, he's reading!

Cough cough...

What?

Master, wait

a minute, Madam, didn't someone just say Ming'er is reading?

It seems the servants in the manor are getting more and more unruly,

daring to talk such nonsense.

It's really time to set some rules! Stop! You

're so impulsive, don't startle us!

Master and Madam ,

Li Ma, what's the matter?

Come in and speak!

Master, Madam,

please go see Young Master!

Young Master is really reading

?!

Take me to see him!

Could it be that my son has been disturbed by something?

Heaven and earth... The universe was vast and boundless

, the sun and moon had long since passed away . Oh

dear, my Ming'er,

what's wrong with you

? Let your mother see you quickly!

Thankfully,

you don't have a fever. What are you all doing? Why

aren't you asleep so late?

Of course, your mother is worried about you

. I'm fine, I

just wanted to read.

It's because you wanted to read that

we were scared. We

've tried everything at home

to get you

to study. Why did you suddenly become so carefree

? Ming'er, was it because Master Xu was too strict today?

Tomorrow, I'll have your father talk to

him and ask him to be gentler.

Or is someone bullying you at the private school?

No,

Mother, don't worry,

I'm fine .

Since Ming'er wants to study ,

let's go out first and

not disturb him.

Son, you continue reading,

but don't stay up too late.

What's wrong? It's

so strange.

Li Ma, quickly get some snacks for Ming'er. He's working

hard at his studies, he can't go hungry. Li Ma,

brew some more tea.

The snacks are too dry, let Ming'er moisten them a bit.

Master, do you think I should go and keep Ming'er company

? If she needs anything, I'll let her know immediately

. Madam, please sit down first.

We need to find out why Ming'er suddenly changed her mind. We need

to inquire what happened to the young master

at the private school today. Master,

after school today, the young master

went to Shen Qingyun's dormitory

and practiced calligraphy with Shen Qingyun and Shen Zhixuan

until dark before being called back by Uncle Xu

. Hahaha, good!

My son is finally going to be successful!

Madam, tomorrow you prepare some gifts for Teacher Xu.

I want to visit him personally.

This is why

I'm planning to have Ming'er stay at the private school soon.

Master, the conditions at the private school are simple;

I'm afraid Ming'er won't be used

to it .

Why should she stay at the private school?

These past two years studying at home have been quite good. It's just

a woman's perspective

. Ming'er's initiative to study

is all because of those two good classmates.

Now she's finally... Since you've decided to study,

we should naturally seize this opportunity.

However, Ming'er has never left home before

, and it's precisely because she's never left

that we should let her hone her skills at the private school.

Besides, those two children are here,

so she won't be lonely.

So, that's fine,

Master. But you should prepare more bedding, clothes, and snacks

for Ming'er, of course

. Master, should we also prepare some gifts for those two classmates

? Sure

, since they are Ming'er's friends

, we can't be impolite.

Heaven and earth,

universe and primordial chaos,

Mother and Father, are you really going to leave me at the private school

, Ming'er? This is for your studies.

You must study hard with Master Xu. If you

need anything, just have someone go home

and get some snacks. I've prepared some for you too,

so you wo n't go hungry.

But I didn't say I wanted to live here.

Didn't you study very well yesterday ?

From now on, just study here in peace.

I just want to recite the Thousand Character Classic to Emperor Yun.

Having this thought is... Good news

, Ming'er, listen to your teacher,

eat well and sleep well

. Mother , don't go yet,

I haven't finished speaking.

I've been kicked out of my home.

My parents don't want me anymore.

I've been kicked out of my home.

Should I ask my parents to take you back

? Will your parents want me?

I don't know.

Should I go home and ask Yun Di ?

Or should I do it myself

? My parents don't want me

anymore, and you still complain that I cry badly?

It's not that I complain that you cry badly

, it's that you have too many tears to wipe

away. Stop crying, wipe your tears first.

Yun Di, you can't cover your eyes like that,

you'll feel suffocated.

Yi Ming , I just wanted him to pause for a moment.

Hehe

, I'm hungry .

Dinner time has passed,

and we don't have any food.

I'm going to go hungry on my first day after being kicked out of my home.

Don't cry, I have a way.

You have food, you don't have

any. What way?

Brother Tang

, go find Uncle Xu

and tell him that Gao Yi Ming just arrived.

The dinner sent from home hasn't arrived yet. Ask

the canteen if there's any leftover food.

If not

, go

find the teacher. Will it bother Teacher Xu?

You're almost crying from hunger.

This is a plea for help

, not a disturbance to

Emperor Yun. I'm really not kicked out of my home, am I

? Of course not! Then

why won't my parents let me go home?

They just want you to study hard outside.

Does that mean they still don't want me?

How can a rich young master's heart be softer than a steamed bun?

It's just a change of residence. Is it

really necessary to cry like this?

Don't cry.

After you've eaten,

I'll help you recite the Thousand Character Classic again.

I'm so hungry,

and you still want me to recite

? It's precisely because I'm hungry that I have to recite. Reading is hard

on the brain. After reciting, I'll be even hungrier.

When you're hungry , you should eat.

What kind of logic is that,

Gouwa? Logic!

Emperor Yun Yiming,

Uncle Xu said, "There are still two steamed buns and a bowl of soup in the canteen

. Let's go eat .

What should we do with these?

Leave them for now." Your parents have already settled you in.

Do they really want to move back?

I've really been kicked out of the house!

I need to

eat first,

then I can cry and have the energy.

All the good food should be stored in here

, but the cabinet is locked.

What should we do

? Maybe we should use the spatula to knock on the cabinet door

and see if the steamed buns inside can come out by themselves?

I'll knock, I'm strong!

No, no, the steamed

buns don't have legs,

how could they come out by themselves?

Yun Di, you can't cause any more trouble!

If you break anything in the cafeteria,

the teacher will really kick you out

! Big Brother is right.

I think I'm still under investigation. If you

cause any more trouble,

you'll lose your tuition for the year.

Since the steamed buns won't come out by themselves,

we'll have to try another way.

Hmm...

In a little while, Yi Ming, go in and find the teacher.

Tell him

you just moved into the private school and missed dinner,

and now you're so hungry you can't sleep.

Remember, just say you're hungry, don't say

you've been kicked out of the house.

Your parents will be sad if they hear that,

and the teacher will get a headache if he hears that.

If the teacher blames you... What should we do?

You're a new boarding student.

The teacher can't let you go hungry

. Besides, if the teacher really doesn't let you stay at the private school,

you can go home, right?

Oh, that makes sense.

Wait, shall we

start?

Why am I the only one going in?

You guys are so unfair!

Brother Yiming, your home is in town.

If the teacher is angry ,

you can take a carriage home.

My cousin and I are different;

we have to stay here.

So, you're letting me go alone.

Do as I say.

No matter if you can go home tonight,

at least you'll have something to eat.

You have to wait here

and not sneak away

. Don't worry, we'll guard the door.

If anything goes wrong, we'll come out and speak up for you.

Humph

, teacher, I'm hungry!

In all these years of running this private school,

no student has ever run to my courtyard at night to say they're hungry.

First, Shen Qingyun came to complain ,

and now Gao Yiming has come too

. What's going on at this private school lately?

Teacher, I'm hungry

. I want to eat chicken legs. Hmph,

fine.

I thought it was just Gao Yiming,

but I didn't expect Shen Zhixuan to come too.

What should I do, Emperor Yun

? The teacher saw me.

Brother Tang, since you've already been seen,

you can wait here.

What about you ?

I'll go back to my room first.

Didn't we agree to wait together?

You didn't do anything, so

the teacher won't blame you.

If the teacher asks,

you and Yiming can just push the blame onto me.

But this idea was originally yours,

so you're pushing it onto me.

I didn't deny it.

Teacher Xu won't make things difficult for his student over such a small matter.

Gao Yiming can get something to eat ,

and the teacher's peaceful night can be a bit more lively.

It's a win-win situation.

Teacher Xu, today... I just moved into the private school

and haven't even had dinner yet.

I'm so hungry!

Let go

, let go! Will there be food later?

Thank you so much,

Master

Shen Zhixuan! There are

primers and the Four Books

available . At least for a while,

I won't have to worry about not having books to read.

He who eats another's food is bound to do so.

It turns out that Master Xu's teaching involves both healing and learning.

Besides the Three Hundred Classics, I also have to study the Disciple's Rules.

It seems that memorizing the Great Learning

will have to be put on hold for now.

I also need to find an opportunity to tell Master Xu something. Judging

from his current way of addressing me

, the little knowledge I have from my previous life

will soon be completely squeezed out.

I must repay you for all these

expensive gifts.

But whatever I want to prepare,

I need money first.

The tomb needs repairing in a few days, so

I'll finish painting the God of Wealth statue

and try this method in town to see if it makes money.

Brother Yun

, come out quickly! The Master is here

! What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling?

Normally,

the Master would just give Brother Yingming some snacks and steamed buns

to send him back.

Why did you come in person?

Master, it was all my idea.

Please don't blame Brother Yiming and my eldest cousin.

Although I came back first

, I still have to bear the responsibility when it's due.

If you're really not afraid of being blamed,

why did you run faster than anyone else

just now? The Master has nothing to do with Emperor Yun.

I was hungry,

that's why I came to find you. Master, I brought the immigrants... The past

Emperor Yun didn't know that his eldest cousin's lie wasn't very clever. The teacher

saw the corner of my clothes peeking out from the doorway.

You should be quieter.

The student will heed the teacher's teachings.

This helplessness feels somewhat familiar; perhaps

only my aunt

can understand Teacher Xu's feelings at this moment.

It turns out that finding the teacher really does bring food

. From now on, you still need to eat dinner on time

and not bother the teacher so often.

Pigs in the private school don't seem so miserable

; it's quite interesting.

Brother Yiming, this time you missed dinner

because it was your first night's accommodation.

Next time you're hungry, the teacher might not give you pastries again.

These are all my ideas ; they

're what I came up with.

Sharing one piece isn't too much, is it?

Only one piece .

Why did you choose the biggest one? Use your

brain! The most strenuous task

, of course, requires more supplementation

.

The fifth word, "Blessings,"

concludes the study of the Thousand Character Classic.

In three days,

this teacher will test you. You are the teacher;

I finally managed to memorize the Thousand Character Classic

. Emperor Yun has caught up so quickly!

Even if I start memorizing the Disciple's Rules now

, Emperor Yun will still catch up to me in a few days at this speed.

Brother Ming, what's wrong?

Brother Yun, can you learn a little slower?

This matter probably needs to be asked of the teacher.

It's because he's pushing too hard

, not because I'm catching up too fast.

After preparing for so long,

it's finally time to test the money-making method.

Brother Yun, what are you holding? Whether you can make money

depends on it.

Let me see! I

can't see it now;

opening too many things will easily damage it.

When you come back, you must... Tell me if I've transferred

the painting or not, and whether it will sell.

We'll find out today.

Sure enough, no one came to pick me up.

My father only knows that students in short-term programs get two days off every half month,

but he doesn't know the exact date .

I've been in the private school for less than 15 days.

This time, I'm repairing things with other short-term students.

It's normal that my family doesn't know.

Since no one came to pick me up

, I have plenty of time to sell the painting.

These shops are all potential customers.

Whether I can earn my first pot of gold

depends on this

. The God of Wealth has arrived, bringing good

business and wealth from all directions.

I'm sending the God of Wealth to your home,

wishing the shop owner great fortune,

daily profits, and

a constant stream of customers

. Shop owner, please accept the God of Wealth!

Where did this child

come from? Stop causing trouble here

! Go find your parents!

It wasn't that easy,

as expected. But when I came up with this idea,

I was prepared to be kicked out. Wait,

little

boy, unfold your God of Wealth painting

so I can take a closer look. My painting

isn't exactly artistic , but

I managed to make the figures a bit more three-dimensional

. I was just saying,

"Why did I keep hearing magpies chirping

this morning? Turns out,

the God of Wealth is here to deliver good fortune!"

Manager Wang , if you become rich

, don't forget to pay for our meals. Give us a discount!

Yes,

the God of Wealth has come to our door!

Manager Wang, you're going to make a fortune!

Hahaha!

We'll have to come often

and share in the good fortune of Fulaiju

! Hahahaha!

May I ask, little boy,

how should we receive this God of Wealth?

It doesn't matter how much, it

all depends on the manager's wishes.

Hmm, is this alright? I still can't tell how much this piece of silver is worth

after winning this God of Wealth

painting,

but since it's silver,

it should be worth at least 100 coins,

which meets my expectations.

I wish the shopkeeper a prosperous business and abundant wealth.

This God of Wealth painting took me about ten days to complete, but thankfully

the price is good.

All my efforts have n't been in vain.

That boy from the shopkeeper's shop is clearly here to sell paintings.

Why didn't you let me drive him away

and even spent so much money to buy it?

What kind of God of Wealth did he bring?

Since he brought the God of Wealth,

if I chased him away,

wouldn't that be like

driving the God of Wealth out the door?

Even ordinary people

don't turn away the God of Wealth

when the God of Wealth personally delivers himself to their door;

the money he gives shouldn't be too little

. "Wouldn't it seem insincere

if I gave too little ?

So that's how it is

. You can get a piece of silver just by making a trip

. This is truly a good business.

Don't overthink it.

Welcoming the God of Wealth depends on what kind of God of Wealth is brought.

Just based on this painting,

this business is unmatched by others.

Most people who paint are scholars who

are too

proud

to sell their paintings on the street.

Ordinary people would like to do it

, but they can't paint it.

A good business

is n't

something everyone can do.

Ah, young sir, what would you like to buy today? Uncle shopkeeper,

do

you have any paper of a stiffer texture?

That's leather.

Ordinary leather is 300 coins a ream

, while the best quality is 1000 coins

a ream. Ordinary leather is 300 coins.

The silver I just earned from selling paintings

might not be enough to buy a ream of

paper. " "Shopkeeper, could you please check if this is enough for me

? This piece of silver is worth 500 coins.

After buying a ream of ordinary leather, I'll still have 200 coins left.

500 coins !

That painting of the God of Wealth just now sold for a whole 500 coins.

Hmm,

then could you please give me a ream of ordinary leather?

Just a moment,

one painting can sell for 500 coins.

If this method continues to work,

it's truly promising.

Thank you, shopkeeper. Take care . Uncle

, give me ten catties of meat. Ten catties , can

you carry that much as a child?

Weigh it first, I can figure something out. Hehehe... Hmm

,

you were so quick to buy things that

you forgot I'm only five years old.

Uncle,

could you please have this brother

help me carry these things outside of town

? Yes, you can't carry that much as a child,

Dazhuang." Go help this young man.

I've been here for two years, and this is the first time

anyone's called me "young man."

It feels strange.

Go on

, I've met another kind person today.

They didn't even

mention payment for the errand .

Thank you, uncle! Thank you, brother

! Hahahaha,

scholars are different!

Brother Dazhuang, thank you so

much! You left too quickly

, you didn't even let me finish my thanks.

Gouwa, where did you get so much meat?

Grandpa Zhao, you'll know when we get back to the village.

The fortune-telling method is done!

Now we'll see how your family reacts.

Tsk tsk, Gouwa,

where did you get so much meat

? Was it a gift from my classmate?

Or is it because you're so studious?

You've only been at the private school for a few days,

and your classmate has already given you so much meat!

Shen Lao Er's family is so poor...

"If they can send their grandsons to a private school,

and my family has fields and cattle

, surely we can afford to support a little

Gouwa? He's only been there a few days and he's already made such wealthy classmates.

How bad can my grandsons be?

Hey Gouwa, you came back alone,

how come you have so much meat?

That must be about ten pounds!

A classmate gave it to me.

What kind of classmate is this,

so generous

? No wonder the Shen family is willing to send their children to a private school;

those are all children from wealthy families.

What if I send my Zhuzi there too?

Forget it!

Your family is dirt poor,

yet you want to send your child to school

? What a pipe dream!

Why am I dreaming?

If

the Shen family can send them, why can't we?

Can

your family even afford to repair the trees?

We could sell everything we own, but

we can't." Don't underestimate the aunties and grandmas in the village.

They're sure to be the first to know

what's been happening there lately.

I've been listening the whole way and haven't heard anything about home. Looks like everything's been peaceful while I was at the private school. Hehe, you're so small, you can't carry this. Sit up, I'll take you to your door. Thank you, Grandpa Zhao

. We 're so

grateful to

you

today. It's

a good thing we're neighbors, helping out each other. Go home

now , don't worry your grandparents.

You three are lucky.

I'm rich now , I don't need

your little bit of meat.

I'll keep it for now.

I used to go to great lengths

to feed you a single bite of meat;

thinking about it now, it's quite amusing.

Gouwa, why are you back?

Hmm, you haven't lost weight,

you seem to have gained some.

All that money at home wasn't wasted after

all. Auntie's been keeping an eye on me...

When he returned,

the first thing he protected was still his

aunt. Auntie

, I came back by myself

today because the private school was repairing the tomb.

There are some things at the door that I can't carry.

Auntie: Help me carry these.

Aren't you carrying your bag?

What else is at the door?

Auntie: Go and see.

My God, where did all this meat come from?

Dog boy, tell your auntie the truth,

where did these things come from?

Auntie,

don't worry

, I bought all these things myself

, and the money came from legitimate sources

. Where did you get the money?

This is a long story.

I'll tell you all at once when everyone comes home tonight, so

I don't have to repeat myself several times

. Okay, your auntie believes you.

When your grandfather comes home tonight,

you must explain clearly

. Okay, I'll put the meat away first.

Take this paper to your room,

don't let it get wet.

It's better at home, Gouwa.

You can rest for a while

or go out to play. Just

don't wake your sister, okay?

Auntie, you go ahead and do your work.

I won't wake your sister.

With so much pork today,

Gouwa won't be thinking about those three chickens anymore.

If your sister wakes up

, call me from inside the house.

This is what Dad made for me.

He only looked at it for a short while in the library

and then made it up himself

. It's so detailed;

I don't know how much effort he put into it.

The size is just right,

and it's quite lightweight.

I want to make a set of playing cards

, but not ordinary playing cards.

They are the "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child" playing cards.

If my characters are any smaller,

they will be squeezed together

. The cards have to be made bigger. The

"Standards for Being a Good Student and Child" has a total of 1080 characters

, three characters per line, two lines per rhyme.

These playing cards are not for myself,

but for Gao Yiming.

He is too playful.

It's really difficult

for him to sit still and memorize the book.

So,

I changed my approach.

The Gao family gave my eldest cousin and me books and writing materials.

Since I accepted the gifts, I had to give

something back.

I couldn't prepare an expensive return gift

with my current abilities,

so I tried to get Gao Yiming to memorize the "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child" ( 弟子规)

. There would be more than 300 pages if

he finished all three chapters.

It seems I'll be busy

these two days while the tombs are closed.

When I get back to the private school,

I'll memorize the "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child" first, and

then this set of playing cards will come in

handy. What's the deal with the meat from my mother's family?

My sister-in-law said it was brought back by Gouwa.

And it was a full ten pounds of it! She

said she'd explain when we got back.

Gouwa is back.

We didn't even tell you in advance.

Were you hungry or

tired on the way? It's good that you're back. Come

quickly so Grandpa can see how you're doing at the private school.

I've only been away from home for a few days

, but seeing them makes it seem like I haven't seen

Grandpa and Grandma for a long time. "Father,

Mother, I'm back!

Gouwa, how did you get back

?

Father, today the private school was repairing the tomb, so

I came back in the village oxcart.

Where did you get the money for the oxcart

? Did you forget to pay

me ? If not,

have your father take it to Old Man Zhao later.

No need, I've already paid.

Where did you get the money? I

sold a painting today,

so I bought some meat to paint with.

Sister-in-law, when did Gouwa learn to paint?

I don't know either.

Gouwa, when did you learn to paint ? You

couldn't have learned it at the private school.

Zhixuan went to the private school for three years and I never heard of him painting,

let alone selling his paintings for money.

I used to draw on the ground with a stick every day.

Later, I went to the private school

and learned to use a brush,

so naturally I could draw on paper." I have

indeed seen Gouwa squatting on the ground drawing things.

I've seen him a few times too.

I even thought he was poking at an ant nest.

Even if you draw on the ground with a stick every day

, you can't just pick up a brush and draw something that can be sold.

If it were that easy

, wouldn't everyone be able to make money by drawing?

Oh my, my good grandson is

really promising .

He can make money at such a young age.

Gouwa has been smart since he was little.

It's not surprising that he can draw.

As long as the money comes from a legitimate source and

the child has the ability, that's good.

I really believe what Gouwa says.

What can't I believe?

Gouwa has always been smart.

Maybe he really has this ability.

Well, as long as he

can make money, that's a good thing.

Who cares how he learned it?

Mom, Gouwa bought so much meat

. How are we going to prepare it? "What meat?

Where did it come from?

I knew Mom didn't doubt Yaqiong at all.

She thought Gouwa only earned

enough for a ride on the oxcart by selling paintings. Gouwa bought back a good ten jin!

Gouwa, tell Grandma honestly

how much you sold that painting for

. This time, we just happened to meet a shopkeeper who likes paintings of the God of Wealth.

Next time, we don't know how much we'll get,

or even if we'll sell it at all. We got 500 coins.

But this time we met someone who liked that painting.

Next time, we might not be able to sell it for that much

, or we might not be able to sell it at all.

500 coins is enough for our family to eat for half a month.

500 coins is enough for our family to eat for half a month."

This is even more unbelievable than ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke!

A five-year-old child can paint

and sell a painting for 500 coins.

What ordinary child has such talent ?

My Shen family's ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious smoke!

They've produced a prodigy!

Good, I knew Gouwa wasn't an ordinary child. Gouwa has always been

different from others since he was little.

Our Gouwa is truly promising!

Hehehe...

I hadn't even figured out how to smooth things over yet,

but they'd already figured it out for me!

Auntie,

I want to eat braised pork.

Gouwa bought the meat himself ;

he can eat it however he wants.

Okay , I'll make it right now

. Hey, finally I can eat braised pork openly! Gouwa

... Child, come here and tell Grandpa

how you're doing at the private school

. Tell us quickly,

what did the teacher teach you?

Are you eating well at the school? Are you

sleeping well at night?

Is anyone bullying you?

The school is pretty good.

We eat white flour buns every day.

The teacher is very good to me too.

As long as I'm full, that's good.

What has the teacher taught you?

How many characters can you recognize now?

The teacher first taught me to read the Three Character Classic

, then taught me to write.

I followed along and learned.

As for how far I've progressed,

Grandpa and the others might not understand if

I told them. But right now , there's something more important that

we can bring up today.

Grandpa, Uncle,

I met a classmate at the private school.

His family is in business

... It's that classmate who gave you the meat.

Yes, it's him. I bought the meat myself

, but everyone on the oxcart heard it was from a classmate.

For now, I can only keep that story.

That kid is so generous; he

not only gave you books

but also so much meat.

His family runs a business

and needs a lot of boxes to store things.

My family can weave baskets from willow branches.

If we could weave them more finely

and turn them into delicate little boxes,

maybe we could sell them to his family.

Willow branches can be woven into boxes.

The book-shaped baskets Dad made for me are

similar to the bamboo book-shaped baskets sold in the temple, right?

We could make small boxes based on those book-shaped

baskets. We shouldn't make them

too big;

it's convenient. That's enough.

Weave the outside finely,

tidy the edges, and

it would be best to add a lid

. Such boxes can hold snacks,

jewelry, and

small items from the shop. They're more exquisite than ordinary baskets,

so the price would naturally be higher. Every

household in the village makes framed baskets.

If someone actually pays for such things,

what if we make them and

they don't want them

? Wouldn't that be a waste of effort?

So don't make too many yet.

We'll just make one sample

. Next time we repair the tomb,

I'll take it to

my classmate's house to see. If they think it's usable

, we'll make more .

If they don't want it,

we can keep it for storage; it won't be a waste.

We 'll just make one to try;

it won't use many

willow branches

. If it sells, it'll

be extra income . We have willow

trees near our village;

the capital for weaving boxes isn't much. If it's well-made

, we'll sell our craft.

This child not only draws and earns money,

but also knows how to find work for the family.

If this isn't a prodigy,

what is? Let's

make one to try.

The second child will make one based on Gouwa's drawing, and

the eldest will help with the editing. The willow branches

must be trimmed carefully

. I'll go pick out some willow branches

later. I'll think about it tonight and try to

weave one in the next couple of days.

I'm too young. If I

suddenly said I wanted to start a business before,

my family might not have taken it seriously.

Now that I'm in a private school

and have met my classmates in town,

this idea

is much more believable. The braised

pork is almost ready.

Go wash your hands and get ready to eat.

Grandpa, Uncle, Dad, we'll talk about

the box

after we eat. The braised pork is important , hahaha.

He's still just a child.

He can't care about anything else once he smells meat.

Paintings can be sold for money

, and the box business has a start.

Today's braised pork

will definitely taste especially delicious.

Gouwa, are you serious?

Can your classmate make the decision?

You're only five years old.

The classmates you can play with

are at most eight or nine years old.

What can a little kid like you make decisions about?

He can't make the decision.

Hmm

, but I've met his father

and heard him say that if

we have this kind of box

by October,

he will... We'll take as many as we can

, but the requirements are very high;

they must be exquisitely woven.

I've seen what they want;

I'll draw it out for you later.

Gouwa, we've never met your classmate's father.

If this doesn't

work out,

the willow branches will be wasted.

Besides, it takes a lot of effort

to weave them finely.

Gouwa, what you said

is all true

, but the finished product must meet their requirements.

One box costs five copper coins.

Willow-woven items aren't worth much;

every household in the village has someone who can weave. Five copper coins

each is just something I said offhand.

I never intended to make money from these boxes.

The real plan will be implemented in October

. Letting the family practice beforehand

is good preparation.

Willow branches are readily available near our village;

the cost isn't high.

I just don't know if we can weave such exquisite boxes.

Didn't Dad already weave Shuxiang?

If Shuxiang can weave, he can definitely try making small boxes too.

I'll try it out first.

Okay,

starting tomorrow, we'll start weaving boxes at home. Eldest

brother

and second brother,

go cut willow branches whenever you have time tomorrow.

I'll go tomorrow too

, Gouwa. Draw a clear picture of the box so

I can try it out. While

Gouwa's still home,

let his father weave one first.

If it works,

we can all weave boxes whenever we have free

time.

If we can sell them,

we'll have another source of income

, and maybe even save some money .

Let everyone practice their skills so

we won't be caught off guard

when the real opportunity comes.

Grandpa, Uncle, Father,

you two discuss it first.

I'm going to check on the meat.

This child had just finished talking about making money

and was already thinking about meat again.

Just as I expected,

ten catties of meat!

Three thrifty women... In the blink of an eye

, there's only this little bit left.

Gouwa, why did you run into the kitchen?

The braised pork will have to wait a while

. Auntie,

the meat I bought...

some will be used for soup,

some for braised pork ,

and the rest will be marinated to eat slowly.

I worked hard for over ten days

to earn 500 coins

and bought ten catties of meat,

but before I could even take a bite, it

was all taken care of.

Gouwa, the meat is all here.

The braised pork is ready,

I guarantee you can have some.

I want to eat pure meat.

Pure meat, how can I eat it all in one meal?

There are so many people in the family.

But this meat was bought by me

. Yes, it was Gouwa who bought it.

Tonight, I'll give you a few

extra pieces. A few extra pieces is

more than the meat in your private school. Alright,

at least the meat should be visible

but not translucent.

Don't worry

, tonight's meat won't be so thin

you can see the chopsticks

. I'll wait here while

it heats up in the kitchen.

You go to the yard and wait until the meat is ready.

I'll call you here to help watch the fire.

You came to see the meat, right?

Watching the fire and watching the meat aren't mutually exclusive

. Okay

, then sit down. Do

n't stick your nose into the pot.

The box matter is settled,

and the fortune-telling has earned its first sum of money.

As long as tonight's meat

doesn't disappoint me,

today will be a complete

success. Auntie, when can we eat?

It's only just started cooking, what's the rush?

Time passes especially slowly after the meat goes into the pot

, hahaha.

Grandma, what about the rest of the meat?

Let's cook it all so

the family can have a good meal. What

are you thinking?

Life is good enough as

long as

we have meat to eat

. So much meat can be preserved for a long time

if we process it properly.

We can eat it slowly.

But I'm working hard to earn money through painting. Money

is just so the family can eat meat to their hearts' content.

Why are you crying over meat?

Alright

,

make plenty of meat tonight

so everyone can eat their fill.

Grandma, you promised to make lots of meat

, you promised! Get out of

here, don't block the way.

Looks like I do have some acting talent! You've finally

settled down

and are getting some sustenance.

Luckily, I went to the private school

, otherwise

, who knows when we'd get to eat meat like this.

It's still early ,

you can sleep a little longer.

Dad, I've had enough sleep

, I have things to do.

Aunt ,

let's buy a few more chickens. We

don't have enough chickens at home,

we ca n't even bear to kill one.

Okay

, I'll tell your grandma later

why you're up so

early. Why didn't you sleep a little longer?

Hmm,

this is the second person to ask me why I'm up so early.

I used to get up early all the time.

My family used to just let me play by myself,

but now they seem to be paying more attention to me. " You

've had your sleep,

so you can play by yourself

while I cook."

My aunt and mother take turns cooking every day. My mother

also has to look after my two younger sisters,

so my aunt

makes breakfast so my mother can sleep a little longer. Once I've memorized the *Di Zi Gui* (Standards for Being a Good

Student and Child

), that's considered the end of my studies.

I vaguely feel that Master Xu wants to break with convention

and teach me more.

Whether my guess is right or wrong,

I have to prepare within my capabilities.

Just reciting it silently isn't enough;

I have to read it aloud. Only

over time can I become familiar with its nuances

and lay the foundation for composing poetry later. The *Di Zi Gui*

is the teaching of the sages:

first filial

piety, then brotherly love, then caution and trustworthiness

, love all people and be close to the virtuous

. Since Gouwa has the desire to study,

his family... We should do our best to support him

and not let poverty hinder his

education. If we have the resources, he can study.

These flashcards can be used as literacy cards, using

characters from family members' names

and commonly used words

. My friend only has two days to learn about the church and the cemetery; he

has to go back to the private school early tomorrow morning

. Everything else can wait.

Today, I'm using the time to teach my two older cousins ​​to read.

If our money-making plan goes smoothly,

maybe next year or the year after,

my two older cousins ​​can also go to the private school

. Gouwa seems to have changed.

He's no longer the cousin who used to

play with me every day and

give me advice. Will going to the private school really change him that much?

If I went, would I become like that too

? Gouwa, do you want to go out and play with us?

Big brother, I have things to do, I can't go out to play.

Big brother, you can't go out to play today either

. Come over. I taught you to read

, have you forgotten?

I said I'd come back and teach you when I learned.

We haven't forgotten,

that's great!

Gouwa is still the same Gouwa who's always been the best to us.

Gouwa didn't look down on us just because we went to the private school

. Let's go to the yard.

Gouwa, is it hard to learn to read

? Can I learn?

What if I ca n't

? No, it's not hard, you can definitely learn. It's

very simple.

As long as you're not stupid

, how could you not learn?

Gouwa, didn't you say you were going to teach us to read?

What are you looking for?

I originally wanted them to practice writing on the ground with sticks

, but the ground in this yard has been used for many years

and is

very compacted. We can't just dig up the yard, can we?

Even if we did, it would just be hard soil,

impossible to write on.

Let's not learn to read yet.

There's something else we need to do

. What else do we need to do?

Come with me.

First, let's find a place to write.

Luckily, I'm not wearing a long

robe today, so I'm not worried about getting the dirt dirty.

There's no suitable place to write in the yard, so

we can only bring back some dirt.

Since we're going to do it

anyway, let's get it right the first time

. Let's find some fine soil

and dig some rare soil to practice writing.

Okay, digging soil is something I'm good at.

Writing with fine soil feels pretty good, but

it's not good to preserve the

soil if we just spread it directly in the yard.

Let's put that aside for now. Teaching is the important thing.

Gouwa, what are you doing? You've

brought so much dirt into the yard, it's so dirty!

Second Auntie, it's Gouwa

who's teaching us to read, that's why we're doing this.

Don't blame him.

Second Auntie never hits Gouwa

, and she speaks softly.

We can't let Second Auntie be angry with Gouwa.

Since

you're learning to read, then learn.

Come find us if you need anything. Hehe

,

this character is pronounced "Shen," which is also our surname.

Watch me write the

traditional Chinese character "Shen," it has quite a few

strokes. Logically, I shouldn't teach this first

, but my two older brothers are just starting out and it's very interesting.

Learn to write your surname first

, then you can learn your given name.

Later you can show it to Grandpa and Grandma.

This character has so many strokes, can you write it

well? I'm afraid

I won't do well. You try

, don't worry about not doing well.

When I first started writing,

what I wrote was just a blob of black ink.

Writing isn't difficult, is it?

Eldest brother, hold the stick like this: first, grip it firmly

, then write stroke by stroke.

Don't rush, follow this order.

You wrote so well for the first time! You

're truly amazing

, my brother!

Not as good as Gouwa.

I didn't write well. I didn't write well.

Second brother, I did

n't even write well at first... You write so well!

You're even better than me

, really

!

I write well now because I write often.

If you practice often, you

'll definitely write better than me,

really?

We can write like you someday!

Of course we can!

As long as you practice, your handwriting will get better and better.

Big brother, move your finger down a little more. Second

brother, write this stroke first,

then the next.

Don't rush, don't try to finish it in one go.

Okay, I'll write it again.

Qingyun only has these two cousins.

If they can help each other like real brothers in the future

, it will make up for a little regret in my heart.

But bending over like this

is tiring for both the eyes and the body.

This won't do.

First, find the wooden board

and wait for Changhe to come back

so he can make a simple table

so the children can sit and write.

Old Shen's family... The children are indeed quite bright;

both older brothers learn very quickly.

I originally thought this aunt would teach them for a long time,

but I didn't expect them to learn so fast.

As long as they have the means,

it's not too late for them to go to a private school now.

It seems I need to find a way to earn money as soon as possible.

Next, I'll teach you your own names.

Read this character carefully

. Both your eldest and second eldest brothers' names contain

the character "青青" (Qingqing). Eldest brother, first remember what this character looks like

, then write it slowly.

Don't focus on writing quickly at the beginning.

Second brother, don't be afraid of making mistakes

; just erase them and start over.

This is the character from your eldest brother's name, "羊" (

Yang). This is the character from your second brother's name, "风" (Feng)

. Shen Qingyang, Shen Qingfeng.

Write the left side of "羊" (Yang) first, then write the right side.

Don't forget the stroke inside "风" (Feng).

Practice writing on your own first.

Take a break when

you're tired

. Don't worry about the strokes. Hurry up and scribble something

, we know we'll write it properly. Time is money.

While we rest, we need to finish writing these cards as soon as possible.

After returning to the private school,

we can use our spare time to draw images of the God of Wealth. It

's not just that my two older brothers need money to go to the private school;

I also need capital to think of ways to earn money for the family. This time when I

return to the village

, I need to prepare for the persimmon cake business.

This time when I return to the village, I need to prepare for the Lion Peak business.

Qingshan Village is backed by a big mountain,

and there are many wild persimmon trees on the back mountain.

Every family in the village also grows persimmon trees.

We have two in our backyard.

The people here only know that persimmons can be eaten after they ripen,

but they don't know how to deal with excess persimmons.

Persimmon trees are too common.

If you pick them before they are ripe and

take them to town, they won't fetch a good price.

After they ripen...

Every household

has more persimmons than they can eat,

but they've never thought of making persimmon

cakes. Making persimmon cakes isn't difficult,

and they can be stored for a long time.

Once the fresh persimmon season is over and

there are no fresh persimmons on the market

, selling persimmon cakes

will definitely fetch a good price.

Of course, to start this business,

you first need enough jars to store the persimmon cakes.

The family weaves willow boxes

for packaging the persimmon cakes later.

Good

packaging is very important;

exquisite packaging

will fetch a higher price.

As for how many jars to buy,

that depends on how much I can earn in this period.

I never thought of asking my family to use their savings to start a business;

they are honest and hardworking farmers.

Asking them to empty their savings all at once... Going on an adventure is too difficult.

I need to find a way to earn the capital myself before

my family will dare to take this step.

Gouwa, come out and see!

I can write my own name

now!

Look, Shen Qingyang

and my Shen Qingfeng

are written well.

It seems you didn't slack off

while I was away.

So, can we go to the private school soon?

As long as the family saves enough money,

you can go.

How long will it take to save

? Not too long.

As long as we work together,

we can always save enough.

We'll also help with chores

to save money sooner. I'll help too.

If the money-making plan goes smoothly,

my two older brothers will definitely be able to go to the private school with me

next year or the year after.

But before that,

we need to finish making Gao Yiming's Disciple Rules playing cards.

Come on , let's practice a little longer. I

'll teach you other characters after

I finish writing on the cards.

It's

indeed a bit better than before,

but writing on the ground isn't a long-term solution.

In the end, we

still need money. We need money everywhere.

Big brother, second brother

, you two keep practicing for a little while longer.

When Grandpa and the others come back, write for them to see

. Do you really want to write for him when Grandpa comes back?

Of course! If you write well,

Grandpa will definitely praise you.

I will also write well.

I have to go back to the private school early tomorrow morning. I wo

n't be back for another half month.

If no one supervises their practice during this time,

they will forget everything I taught them today.

It seems I need to tell the elders in the family to take some

time to watch over the two older brothers.

This is the character in Uncle Chang's name and Dad's name.

This is the character in Uncle Shan's name,

Changshan. Changshan

, every time I see my grandparents and family members,

I think about the characters in their names

so they can remember them better.

Teaching too many characters at once won't help them remember them all.

Let's teach the family members their names first,

and then gradually add more as they become familiar.

What are you doing

, Grandpa? I can write my own name now! I'll show you

! I can too!

You're teaching them to read?

Hmm, a little anxious.

Grandpa, you'll have to take a good look.

Grandpa can't even write his own name!

Grandpa, look, this

is 'Shen,' this is 'Qing,

' this is 'Yang,'

and this is 'Shen Qingfeng

.' Good, my Qingyang Qingfeng can read too!

That's great!

Grandpa, I can also write 'Chang

, ' I can write 'Shan,' and 'Feng.'

Good, good, you write them all well!

My grandson is so smart

! Dad, what's going on?

Gouwa is teaching two children to read!

Hmm, eldest brother, second brother can already write their own names... Good

boy,

I never thought

my two children would be able to read and write one day.

Gouwa, did you draw

the box ?

I was so busy teaching my brother to read

that I almost forgot about the box.

Grandpa, the box doesn't need to be too complicated,

just finely woven.

These shapes are all fine

, the size doesn't need to be too big, just

enough to hold things.

It must have a lid,

the edges and corners must be neat, and

the willow branches can't have any burrs showing.

These requirements don't seem too difficult.

Every family in our village knows how to weave willow boxes.

These boxes are really tempting; they

can really make money.

The second son's wife has the most skillful hands.

Let him weave one based on these shapes first.

Tomorrow when we take Gouwa back to the private school,

we can show it to that classmate's family.

If they're willing to buy

it, we can continue

weaving. If it's broken, that's impossible.

Where am I supposed to find

someone to show them,

Grandpa? My classmate's surname is Gao.

His father is usually very busy

and wouldn't personally concern himself with such trivial matters.

Since my classmate told me,

he certainly wouldn't lie to me.

We're both studying at the same private school,

so he has no reason to lie to me about something like this.

It's really not appropriate to bother him rashly

. These willow branches aren't worth much anyway , and even if

we don't collect them in the end

, it'll only take some effort and time.

So let's try weaving one first.

That's settled then. Let

's weave one for the second son's family first and

see if it meets the requirements.

If it does, we'll weave one together when we have time.

Farmers have no shortage of strength and time.

As long as we get them started ,

the rest of the plan will go more smoothly.

Sister-in-law, go and rest.

I'll make lunch.

Isn't it my turn to make it today?

You're busy with your

work. Teaching the two children to read

is a big deal

. Besides, the box needs to be woven first.

So thank you for your hard work. Sister-in-law,

Mother

is making meat again today.

Gouwa is going back to the private school tomorrow,

so let her eat her fill today. She

's already eaten quite a bit these past two days.

The meat was bought by Gouwa, so

let her eat

as much as she wants. As usual,

this amount of meat is enough to last until the autumn harvest

, or even until the New Year.

But now that

Gouwa has been back for two days, so much meat is gone.

However, since Gouwa is going back to the private school tomorrow,

we can still keep some of the meat. First, we

need to pick out the willow twigs of similar thickness,

instead of mixing them all together.

We'll use the thicker ones for the borders and the

thinner ones

for the lining. I'll try making it

based on what Gouwa drew

. Father, can this sell for five coins later?

If someone really wants to buy it, it should be possible.

Can I help too?

You need to learn to read well

so you can help with anything when you grow up.

The real plan is to make persimmon cakes.

We'll see how it works in October. Okay or not,

you can write your milk. Just sit next to me and watch,

I won't bother you. If

your pen runs out of ink,

just dip it and write milk again

. I can do it myself.

You can write your milk, you're just killing time

anyway. Before, whatever I did at home,

everyone just thought I was a playful kid.

Now that I say I want to make money

, they're willing to try.

I teach my older brothers to read,

and they're willing to learn seriously.

It seems like the family is really starting to believe that I can accomplish something.

Second brother, this stroke is written like this.

I know I've already learned it.

Before I go back to the private school tomorrow, I'll teach them a few more flashcards

. When I get back to the school,

they'll definitely be able to write even better.

Gouwa hasn't changed; even after learning new skills, he still worries about his family.

Is the table too high?

Gouwa, standing like that must be tiring writing.

The light in the room isn't very bright

; don't ruin your eyes.

Am I disturbing you?

He must be hungry;

I'll go call your mother.

Mother

, you feed your sister.

I don't want to watch.

Gouwa

has become much more sensible since

starting school . I need

to be more careful about these things in the future

so the child doesn't feel embarrassed.

What's up,

my dear wife?

How about we put a table here

and a bookshelf there?

I think

that's fine. Our room is spacious enough

to fit everything . Gouwa can live with us from now on.

Our room is bright

so he

can study without hurting his eyes.

We old folks can move around quietly and

won't disturb him.

Qingyang and Qingfeng are getting old too

; they can't always stay in

one room with their parents. When we have more money, we need to build them a room,

but we don't have much money left.

Everything costs money.

Things will get better,

so we'll take it slow. Let's

make a lower table first. Gouwa is too small ;

a

table that's too high

won't be comfortable

for him. Okay, I'll remember that

. Seeing Qingyang and Qingfeng writing on the ground every day isn't a long-term solution.

Didn't the second son's family say they wanted to make a box for storing books? Why not

make it

too? That would be good. Gouwa is going to school,

and neither child should fall behind.

As long as both families care about their children,

there won't be any estrangement because of the difference in their children's education.

Gouwa can live with us, the two of us.

The house is bright

and convenient for him to study

. Your house is spacious

, so it's good for Gouwa

to live with you. This way,

it's not good for Gouwa to get up in the dark at night.

There are only a few rooms in the house,

so it doesn't matter

who he lives with . Gouwa is busy studying now

, so living in the main house is more convenient

. Okay, I'll listen to you, grandpa and grandma. Living with your parents

might lead to some awkward situations at night.

I don't have my own room yet, so moving to

your place is good .

After moving there, I'll study hard and

tell you if I need anything. I

understand. If my

money-making plan goes smoothly this year

, it's not impossible

for

memorizing a single word.

The difficulty lies in memorizing it thoroughly enough so that

I can continue

reciting it at any time.

Fortunately, I understand its meaning;

otherwise, memorizing it would be even slower.

Once I memorize the Disciple's Rules

, I'll have learned almost everything I need to know.

If Master Xu really wants to teach me more,

I need to prepare in advance.

Brother Yun is here!

Master Xu, come

riding on Qingyun. Sure enough, as soon as I returned

from my summer retreat

, Master Xu wanted to test me.

Master Xu truly considers me a gifted child.

The Disciple's Rules: The sage's teachings

begin with filial piety and brotherly love, followed by caution and trustworthiness,

universal love for all and closeness to the virtuous.

If there is any energy left, then study literature

and cultivate virtue. The last sentence

is: One should cultivate oneself and refine one's sword. "Did you read the book

when you were repairing the tomb

?

I did,

but it was too short a time

to fully master it.

You could memorize the Three Hundred Thousand Classics in just a few days,

so why can't you do the Disciple

's Rules? Master,

do you really think I'm some kind of genius with a photographic memory?

I'm just an ordinary person

, I don't have that ability.

Learning takes time

. I memorized it quickly before because I had studied those parts in advance.

As for the Disciple's Rules,

I haven't been exposed to them for long.

I suppose Shen Zhixuan taught them at home. He

was able to memorize the Three Hundred Thousand Classics in such a short time. This

child's aptitude is still quite good.

Since he has such talent

, we can't let it go to waste.

Hands up

! Master, we can't do this.

I've already tried very hard,

and my progress isn't slow.

This Master allows..." It's been a long time since I've encountered a student who dared to talk back.

To be punished for not answering

is obvious

; it's clearly a personal vendetta.

Although I didn't answer

, I had already memorized it very quickly.

The teacher wasn't just concerned about the homework

; he simply wanted to hit me

.

Teacher, I genuinely did

n't remember; it wasn't intentional.

It's precisely because you have talent that you can't be negligent,

but that doesn't mean you have to be punished.

This beating with the ruler is unavoidable today.

Sure enough , the teacher is doing it on purpose;

he's so petty.

Teacher

, you're including what I owe you before!

If you say another word

, you'll add another to your scheme.

I knew being a clever child wasn't good. If

I had known I'd be punished today,

I should have memorized it more during the tomb-building session.

Thank you, Teacher, for sparing

me punishment

! I said I wouldn't be punished, but the

teacher was just using this as an excuse

to discipline me.

He was n't really angry

. I'm not stupid;

why would I hand my hand back?

So that's how it works?

All those hand spankings I got before

were for nothing!

Teacher, I haven't

memorized today's lesson.

Please punish me directly.

Hmm, you're punishing me without even trying?

I'm afraid of wasting your time.

Thank you, teacher, for waiving the punishment.

This is the first time I've done something like this; it's so exciting!

My heart is about to jump out of my chest!

I absolutely mustn't make a sound now.

I'm an honest child

, quietly writing.

Hehehe,

teacher, put down your book

. Shen Qingyun has memorized the lesson. What about you? You

haven't memorized it all yet?

Want to learn his methods?

I... I really haven't memorized it today.

Then copy what you've learned today five times

and recite it in front of me.

If you can't memorize it, then keep reviewing.

Students know that if they haven't finished their assignments,

no one

can expect to be excused by

simply bowing. First, understand the book—

that's your method,

Master . Why doesn't it work on me?

Brother Yiming

, I'm writing. I

don't know any methods.

Hmm,

Gao Yiming, it's not my problem that he didn't memorize it

.

I'm very honest

and obedient.

Hey,

Yiming,

why did you do that today?

Look how angry you've made the Master suffer!

The Master is biased!

Even Yundi did the same thing,

so why didn't the Master punish him?

Because I completed the assignments the Master gave me.

How could that be?

Then why did the Master still hit you with the ruler?

A beating is a sign of affection, a scolding is a sign of love.

The Master is showing me affection,

but it seems the Master is closer to you.

I don't want to be close to the teacher.

Why don't you raise your left hand?

Look, your right hand is swollen.

How

am I supposed

to write this afternoon?

Yes , I can't write with my right hand.

Does that mean I don't have to do anything

this afternoon? Yun Di, do you think the teacher will be understanding

this afternoon? He's trying to slack off again.

No rush.

There should be some excitement this afternoon.

Also, a certain teacher

's hand is still hurting.

So, I'll slow down.

I can't skip my homework

. Hmm

, shh,

even if it hurts

, the teacher has to finish writing.

The teacher is unusually unusual today

. Usually , because of her leg problems,

she rarely walks around the classroom. But

today, she walks around like she's on patrol.

Nobody dares to slack off.

This stroke was written too quickly.

Rewrite it. Teacher

, do you still remember me

in the teacher's little notebook

? Right now, being obedient

is my only way to survive.

Ge Nai also wanted to write.

Finally, I had time to finish writing the rest of the texts.

After practicing for so long, my handwriting has finally improved.

At least it doesn't fill the whole page anymore,

and it's much faster to write

now. I'm

finally done resting. Haha, Yun Di, you're finally done.

I made something fun.

What is this?

How do I play with it

? Yun Di, you wrote all of this.

Hmm,

don't take it randomly. Wait

until I finish. " Great

game , Yundi!

Tell me quickly

! These cards say 'Disciple's Rules' (弟子规).

How exactly do you play

'Disciple's Rules '

? Tell me quickly!

The rules are simple:

the three of us take turns drawing cards,

one for each person,

until all the cards are dealt.

Whoever draws the face-up card

goes first . Whatever

card is played first

, reveal the content on the face-up card.

The others must follow the order of the 'Disciple's Rules' and play the next line.

They can only play a card if

they have the next line in their hand. The person with the most cards left at the end

loses .

Got it? Deal the cards quickly!

Thinking about it carefully, there are quite a few loopholes in these rules

, but my purpose wasn't really to play with the face-up cards that I

could use temporarily

. In my case,

I go first

. When Brother Yu Li

and Brother Da Tang play their cards, they must read the content aloud.

Why read it?

First, think about it in your mind

, then look at it, and then

read it aloud.

The others can hear it too,

so they remember it better

and learn the text." I don't know the next line,

it's Brother Yiming's turn.

Here I am, here I am,

my parents are calling for Yun Di ,

you haven't played a single card

, I've already played two.

Sigh, Brother Liming, you're really lucky

! You must tell me what's next,

the card is in his hand

, but he doesn't know

it or what the next line is. It's a

small matter, but

don't act arbitrarily. If you act arbitrarily, you'll regret it

. Why don't you ask me

if it's my turn?

Brother Liming, do you know what the next line is?

If

you know,

then play it.

I haven't found it yet.

Playing against Yiming with Yun Di

seems quite interesting.

Since I haven't found it,

I'll continue.

Trust comes first, deception is deceit. Brother Liming, you lost,

how did I lose?

I clearly played the most at the beginning

, but in the end you had the most cards.

According to the rules we agreed on... So

,

what kind of punishment should I give you for losing

? It can't be too harsh.

Since it's a punishment, it

should be something you dislike the most.

Brother Yiming dislikes studying the most,

so I'll punish you by making you memorize a few more lines of the Disciple's Rules. Why

do we still have to memorize in the end

when playing a game of literary cards?

Because these are literary

cards, and the cards are all written.

What's the point of memorizing if you don't memorize?

I should have known better than to play.

But Brother Yiming has already agreed to follow the rules.

Hmph ,

I'll memorize then

. I'm not someone who can't stand losing.

Oh, so Emperor Yun made these literary cards

so that Yiming would memorize while playing.

Emperor Yun always thinks of his friends.

No wonder Yiming likes to play with him so much.

Emperor Yun's aptitude is better than mine

, but he can only study for a short time.

Next time my brother and I go home,

I have to talk to Grandpa

to see if we can get some money from the family

to support Brother Yun's long-term studies.

As long as Emperor Yun becomes successful in the future

, he will definitely not forget his family

. No, you two are just bullying me because

I didn't memorize the Disciple's Rules. I'm not playing anymore.

Brother Yiming, if you lose, you won't play anymore

. How can we play with you with peace of mind in the future ? We agreed

beforehand to follow the rules , and if I lost,

I would go back on my

word. That's not keeping my word.

Who says I can't afford to lose?

Let's continue!

In the fourth round, another brother lost.

Why is it always me?

Because you don't know too many sentences. "When you

go out, you must inform me; when you return, you must face me.

" "You have a regular residence and your occupation is unchanged

." Not bad, much more fluent than before.

Should I thank you?

No need to be polite.

We're all friends.

Let's stop here for today and

go back to rest.

Brother Yun, don't be so smug.

Wait until I memorize the entire "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child"

and see how you beat me then

. Okay, I'm waiting.

Brother Yun, your method is really good.

Yiming has only played four rounds

and has already memorized eight more sentences.

It's not that he can't learn,

it's just that he doesn't want to read quietly.

If you change the method he likes, he

will naturally be willing to learn.

Emperor Yun is really smart. "

Standards for Being a Good Student and Child," the teachings of the sages,

first filial piety and brotherly love, then prudence and trustworthiness.

It really works.

As long as you make him feel at ease

, he will learn on his own

without being urged by others. I need to hurry up and

draw more pictures

to earn money

and save up for making persimmon cakes.

Parents should

respond promptly and not be lazy.

Playing cards with him will take up a lot of time,

and this activity can't be stopped in the short term.

From today onwards, I can only rest later

to make up for the time lost during the day.

I must memorize it all; I absolutely

cannot lose again next time.

Parents should respond promptly and

not be lazy .

Parents should teach respectfully.

I won! This time, no one can punish me.

Yiming, you really memorized the Disciple's Rules!

Not bad , you

finally climbed out from the bottom of the card game.

What do you mean by climbing out

? This is the

result of accumulated knowledge and experience. Gao Yiming, give me the Thousand Character Classic tomorrow for inspection.

Why is it me again

, Yun Di? Didn't you say you could rest after memorizing the Disciple's Rules?

I said the card game could be updated with new content,

not that the Master would let you rest.

Shen Qingyun,

don't forget about your university either.

I knew the Master wouldn't just be targeting Gao Yiming.

123 Dog, wow,

can these persimmons really be sold for money?

Will they be more valuable than meat after being made into cakes?

As long as they're made well,

it'll be better than selling persimmons directly.

Hang them up in a well-ventilated place,

not too close together. Wait

until the surface is frosted before putting them in the box

. Got it. The boxes are already made.

The first batch is the perfect size .

If people really want to buy these

, aren't dried persimmons still persimmons?

When you sell things, you're not just selling food,

but also something rare and convenient.

Our persimmon cakes look good in boxes.

Our persimmon cakes look best in boxes.

People in town will naturally want to buy them.

Let's take a batch to town to try

selling them. If they sell, we'll continue making more.

Oh my, the money-bringing boy is here

. What is he bringing this time? The God of Wealth

is giving us persimmon cakes this time

! They're sweet and have a real persimmon aroma.

Shopkeeper Wang

, what new treat is this ? Haha

, these are persimmon cakes from Qingshan Village

. If you want to try them, come and get some yourself. They're

sweet but not cloying

, and easy to take home.

Do you sell this box too? It

would make a presentable gift.

Little Boss, how much is this box?

The persimmon cakes and the box together are 20 coins.

Hehe

, give me 100 boxes

first

. If they sell well,

I'll ask for another 300. Deal

! Hahahaha! This God of Wealth truly lives up to his name.

These persimmon cakes are really sold!

It's a 100-coin deposit.

Shopkeeper Wang said if they sell well, he'll keep asking.

So, can my second brother and I go to the private school now?

After this batch of persimmon cakes is sold,

my brothers will have their chest binders.

Gouwa, good!

Starting next year

... Yang Qingfeng is going to the private school too,

that's great!

We can study now

. My little Gouwa is really promising !

Grandma , can we stew another chicken tonight?

You've only made a few bucks and you're already thinking about chicken

again. Earning money is all about making sure the family eats well!

Okay, stew chicken tonight!

Good luck! Chicken

dinner tonight! The fortune-making myth is just the beginning.

Persimmon cakes are the Shen family's first business.

First, let the family eat their fill

, then let the brothers study.

Once the business is established

, we'll make the whole Qingshan Village rich! "

At the beginning of life, people are inherently good."

Shen Qingyun, you wait

! This time I'll definitely memorize faster than you!

You'd better hurry!

We'll have another competition next time we repair the tomb! Okay?

This season, the Shen family has meat to eat and books to read.

Next season, we'll sell Qingshan Village's persimmons to even more distant places!