Chapter 21: A Child Worth Teaching

After finishing their introductions, they rushed to the canteen with their belongings. Although they were all going to eat, only Zhao Hang, Qi Xian, and he were actually dining at the academy. Zheng Guangyuan, Xia Qianli, and Lü Dasheng lived in the town; they did not stay at the academy at night and brought their own meals.

The dining area was essentially a small room with an earthen stove and a large pot. Tables and chairs were set up in the remaining space to serve as a dining area. The cook was the gatekeeper, Xiao Wu, a man who held multiple roles—not only was he responsible for guarding the gate, but he also cooked, washed dishes, and ran errands for the teacher.

"Two steamed buns and a bowl of vegetables per person. Do not waste anything. If you cannot finish, you may take it back for the evening. If I catch anyone throwing food away, don't blame me for reporting you to the teacher."

Xiao Wu was a tall, sturdy man, and he looked quite intimidating as he stared sternly at the three of them. Qi Xian shrank his neck in fear. Zhao Hang, being the oldest, immediately promised, "Don't worry, Brother Xiao Wu, we definitely won't waste any food!"

The teacher’s meals were delivered separately by Xiao Wu, so only they were present in the canteen. Lü Dasheng’s meal was quite lavish: two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and two large steamed buns—it looked and smelled delicious. Zheng Guangyuan and Xia Qianli’s combined meal consisted of one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, and since they both brought congee, their spread looked quite good as well.

During the meal, Lü Dasheng noticed Chou Dan’s food and looked at it with disdain. He pushed his own plate toward him, raised his chin, and said proudly, "Since you’re younger than me, you can have some of mine!"

Chou Dan refused. Just kidding! Although he was hungry, he had his pride. Besides, accepting favors meant owing debts; if he took a bite, he would feel inferior to this chubby boy from then on. That wouldn't do!

Actually, their food wasn't bad. The dried meat that Chou Dan’s family had brought as a gift for the teacher that morning had been stewed with beans and eggplant for lunch. Although the taste was average, the steamed buns were made of white flour and were very fragrant and sweet. For the Wang family, such a meal was already quite decent, and Chou Dan didn't have a single complaint; he ate heartily. Lü Dasheng, good-natured and chubby, simply pursed his lips when rejected and went back to his own meal.

After eating, the group rested together, and Chou Dan took the opportunity to learn more about the academy. Master Zhou had arrived in Baishan County two years ago to open the academy, but people didn't know much about his background. Because of this, the student body was small; most of the promising candidates for the imperial examinations had flocked to the prestigious Ruhai Academy. Those who remained were either beginners or from poor families.

Even so, there were quite a few left, but Master Zhou didn't accept just anyone. He had his own criteria for selecting students, though no one knew what they were. Because the teacher was unmarried, only Xiao Wu helped with chores; Master Zhou was completely helpless with anything outside of teaching.

As for the students, the Lü family were major landowners in Baishan County. The reason their son was here despite their wealth was that the teacher at the other academy had seen Lü Dasheng and deemed him too dull, fearing he wouldn't even pass the basic entrance exam for a scholar and would tarnish the academy’s reputation, so he refused to admit him. Lü’s father had sent him to Shangshan Academy in a fit of rage.

Zheng Guangyuan and Xia Qianli were there because they had started their studies too late and had too poor a foundation to get into Ruhai Academy. As for Zhao Hang and Qi Xian, their reasons were simpler and quite modest, just like Chou Dan’s: the tuition here was cheaper than anywhere else in town.

Although the six of them arrived for various reasons, they shared a common goal: the imperial examinations.

They chatted until the early afternoon, when Master Zhou arrived to begin the lesson. First, he checked what they had learned in the morning before teaching them how to hold the brush.

"When writing, the posture is crucial. If your grip is incorrect, you will tire easily after writing just a little. Within a few years, your wrists will give out, and it will be impossible to hold a brush. Therefore, you must use the techniques of 'pressing, pushing, hooking, topping, and resisting' to secure the brush, ensuring each of the five fingers performs its duty..."

Master Zhou picked up the brush to demonstrate, and Chou Dan listened with extreme focus. Reading and recognizing characters was not difficult for him, but writing was the challenge. Having been accustomed to modern pens in his past life, the soft, pliable brush felt unruly in his hands. Yet, in the imperial examinations, calligraphy was paramount. He had seen the papers of top scholars in museums in his past life, and their writing looked like it had been printed, proving its importance. After all, the examiner’s first impression was based on the calligraphy. If the handwriting was unsightly, no matter how well the essay was written, the examiner would have no patience to read it. Thus, the calligraphy had to be mastered.

Except for Zhao Hang, the others were still young, so Master Zhou didn't rush them to use ink and paper. He had them learn the grip first, then practice writing on the desk with water, adjusting them individually as needed. This was a welcome outcome for Wang Xuezhuo; after all, paper was far too expensive, and avoiding waste was a good thing.

After wetting his brush, he began to write on the low table. Unfortunately, once his hand took hold of the brush, it refused to obey, and his strokes looked like wriggling earthworms. Seeing this, Master Zhou stepped forward to correct his posture: "Keep your wrist natural, not stiff, and keep your palm and fingers in a straight line..."

After Master Zhou’s correction, his next strokes were indeed less strained.

"A child worth teaching!"

By the end of the day, Master Zhou was extremely satisfied with his new student. When it was time to dismiss the class, Lü Dasheng let out a cry and dashed out like a piglet being let out of a pen. Zheng Guangyuan and Xia Qianli also packed up quickly, scrambling to leave. Today’s tasks were finally finished!

In an instant, only Qi Xian, Zhao Hang, and Wang Xuezhuo remained in the classroom.

"Should we go out and play?" Wang Xuezhuo asked, feeling a bit excited that he didn't have to beg his parents to take him out.

Qi Xian shook his head: "I want to stay and study a bit more." He was the only son for three generations, and to support his studies, his parents and grandparents had sold his older sister. He dared not waste this hard-won opportunity. Seeing Qi Xian so diligent, Zhao Hang was not to be outdone: "I won't go either."

Good heavens, his two classmates were both overachievers! However, he had already guessed and learned most of the characters in the text, and the teacher had warned that because they were young, they shouldn't practice calligraphy for too long to avoid wrist injuries. He didn't want to sit there doing nothing, so he decisively said, "Then you two stay here; I’m going out to buy something."

Zhao Hang looked at him: "You can't go out by yourself. The academy originally didn't allow students to stay overnight. It was only because the teacher saw that we lived too far away that he made an exception and cleared out a storage room for us to live in. But to prevent us from wandering off and getting into trouble, the teacher said no one is allowed to leave without a reason. If you really need something, ask Brother Xiao Wu for help."

...Age was truly a significant problem.