Chapter 95 Sleeping with My Cousin

Torches were burning inside the house.

The firelight illuminated the small main room.

Several people were sitting around the low table, including Cheng Wanwan and four boys. Even Wu Huiniang in the inner room sat up slightly, listening attentively to Tiezhu's lecture.

Zhao Tiezhu shook his head and said, "...Even dogs have to obey, so we humans have to be even more obedient..."

"Cough cough!"

Cheng Zhao stood at the door and coughed loudly, interrupting Zhao Tiezhu's lecture.

He spoke calmly, “If a child is not taught, his nature will change. The word ‘苟’ does not mean ‘dog’ in the sense of a small dog, but rather ‘if’. This poem means that if a child is not properly educated, his kind nature will gradually turn bad.”

Cheng Wanwan looked at him.

She saw no contempt or disdain on his face, only focus and seriousness.

She saw Cheng Zhao stand by the low table, dip his hand in the water in the bowl, and write this sentence on the table: "If not taught, nature will change."

Zhao Sidan's eyes widened: "Big cousin, your handwriting is so beautiful."

He ran into the inner room and brought out the only precious book in the house: "My older cousin's handwriting is exactly the same as the one in the book."

Cheng Zhao was stunned. Wasn't this the book he copied for Dehetang? How did it end up in his second aunt's house?

Cheng Wanwan said, "These are early childhood books recommended by the bookstore owner. I also want the children to read more. Reading makes them smarter, right?"

Cheng Zhao nodded: "Reading can make people wise and reasonable. As the ancients said, one should learn until old age. Even if you are farming, it is always good to know more characters."

Zhao Tiezhu asked, "The next line is 'The way of teaching, crawling into the cabinet.' What does that line of poetry mean?"

He was the most educated person in the whole village, and there was no one to ask him about things he didn't understand, so he had to seize this opportunity to find out.

"The key to teaching is focus." Cheng Zhao smiled slightly. "The most important method to prevent people from changing their nature is to educate them with utmost dedication."

He seemed to recall his childhood, when the old scholar placed him on his lap and taught him word by word.

When he was only four years old, he had already memorized the Three Character Classic. The old scholar said that he had a talent for reading and would surely achieve great things in the future.

But now, he can't even participate in the provincial examination, so how can he talk about achieving great things?

Zhao Tiezhu had quite a few questions to ask. He asked one question, and Cheng Zhao answered one question. The four children next to him listened with blank expressions. There was nothing they could do; their level of understanding was too low, and they couldn't understand what Cheng Zhao was saying at all.

Zhao Sidan used to dislike the Cheng family, but at this moment, as he looked up at Cheng Zhao reciting poetry, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes. He wished he could be as talented as his older cousin...

I've been studying the Three Character Classic for too long, so tonight's arithmetic lesson is canceled.

Cheng Wanwan took an egg out of the cabinet and handed it to him: "Tiezhu, take this carefully, don't break it."

Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly. He had always thought he had learned a lot, but now he realized that much of what he had learned was wrong.

He solemnly handed the egg to Cheng Zhao: "Cousin Cheng, here you go."

Fearing that Cheng Zhao would refuse, he got up and ran away.

Cheng Zhao held the eggs, somewhat dazed.

Zhao Sidan licked his lips: "Big cousin, eggs can be boiled or fried. If you don't know how, I'll help you, but you have to give me half, slurp..."

He couldn't help but drool.

Cheng Wanwan covered her face.

We haven't had any eggs at home lately, so why is this kid still so greedy?

She took the egg from Cheng Zhao's hand: "I'll make you an egg and wild vegetable pancake tomorrow morning. Go wash up and go to bed, we have to go to town tomorrow."

Zhao Sidan pulled Cheng Zhao into the inner room: "Big cousin, can you squeeze in with me tonight? I have so many questions for you..."

Cheng Wanwan's face almost split open.

She could barely accept sleeping in the same bed with three half-grown boys, since the three children were her own.

But Cheng Zhao is eighteen this year, which is considered a mature man in ancient times. She can't accept having another half-grown boy in her bed...

"Well..." Cheng Wanwan began, "Zhao'er, you can just sleep on the floor for the night. Si Dan, go out and get some reeds and dry grass to put on the floor. Da Shan, there's an old bed sheet in your room, take it out and let your cousin use it..."

Zhao Sidan dared not disobey her orders and could only regretfully go to pick up hay.

He deliberately picked up extra sheets, made a thick layer on the ground, and then laid out a sheet. He rolled around on the floor, saying, "Big cousin, let me sleep with you. I've never slept on the floor before."

Cheng Zhao has never slept on the ground.

At home, the best mattress and pillows are on the bed, and everything is clean and tidy.

But now, lying on the hay, even with a sheet in between, some of the hay inevitably pricked his body, making him itchy and uncomfortable.

Zhao Sidan kept asking him about the academy, and he casually gave him a couple of replies. Then he heard Zhao Sidan snoring, and on the bed next to it, he also heard Zhao Ergou and Zhao Sanniu snoring.

Cheng Zhao couldn't sleep at all.

He tossed and turned, and before he knew it, the sky had gone from its darkest hour to a sliver of light.

Dawn broke on the second day.

Cheng Zhao got up from the ground with dark circles under his eyes.

Upon hearing the noise, Cheng Wanwan woke up as well. She sat up and asked softly, "Didn't you sleep well?"

Cheng Zhao shook his head: "I have something on my mind, that's why I can't sleep."

Cheng Wanwan didn't expose him. She got up to prepare breakfast. As soon as she stepped out of the main room, she saw Wu Huiniang sitting in the courtyard, washing clothes.

She was startled: "Huiniang, why are you up?"

Wu Huiniang smiled and said, "Mother, I feel much better now. After I finish washing this basin of clothes, I'll lie down in bed for a while. I'll be fine..."

Cheng Wanwan saw that she was indeed fine, and the pregnancy-preserving pills she bought from the mall were indeed effective.

Now that the eldest daughter-in-law has recovered, Zhao Fugui should be released.

She wasn't in a hurry to find Zhao Fugui. Instead, she leisurely prepared breakfast, first making a multigrain egg pancake for Cheng Zhao, and then cooking seven bowls of dumpling noodles.

The four boys got up as soon as they smelled the aroma and lined up to wash their faces and rinse their mouths.

The whole family gathered around the dining table and slurped down the seven bowls of noodles. However, Cheng Zhao couldn't finish them all, so he divided the wild vegetable pancakes into seven portions so that each person could have a little.

Zhao Sidan squinted his eyes: "Big cousin, you're so kind."

Zhao Ergou flicked him on the head: "You think you can be bribed with a little food, you idiot."

Zhao Sidan covered his head: "Second brother, you hit too hard, it hurts so much."

Cheng Wanwan asked Zhao Sanniu to clean up and wash the dishes, and asked Zhao Dashan and Zhao Ergou to load the goods, while she went to the big locust tree.

Before dawn, Aunt Fugui leaned against the big locust tree, Zhao Fugui's head resting on Aunt Fugui's lap, both of their eyes closed.

Hearing footsteps, Aunt Fugui opened her eyes. She looked at Cheng Wanwan and said, "Zhao Fugui had nightmares all night, and his high fever hasn't gone down. Is Dashan really going to take his life?"