The other two also looked over, their eyes showing surprise.

Such an outstanding young man, how come he's missing half a hand? Although the wound seems to have been treated well, and the scar isn't particularly gruesome, it's still not very aesthetically pleasing.

Mr. Wen noticed that Jiaren had his head slightly lowered, and there was no sign of indignation or shame on his face. He couldn't help but feel even more fond of this disciple. It was not easy for someone so young to be so calm.

He briefly recounted the dangers he encountered while traversing the mountains, emphasizing how Jiaren risked his life to save his younger brother, and how he later practiced writing with his left hand and made some progress.

The three gentlemen's expressions changed as they listened, their hearts filled with alternating joy and worry. After hearing the whole story, the gentleman who had first exclaimed that Jiaren was clumsy felt quite ashamed.

"What a good child. If you don't mind, could you show us a few words? We've done some research on writing ourselves."

Jiaren nodded in agreement. Soon, he spread out paper, ground ink, thought for a moment, and then wrote a line of words: "As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement!"

The teenager had only been practicing calligraphy with his left hand for about half a year. While he couldn't be described as exceptionally talented or rare, he was far better than many people who had been practicing calligraphy for seven or eight years.

"Excellent, excellent! The brushstrokes are steady and smooth, yet occasionally sharp, demonstrating the virtues of a gentleman!"

"Yes, compared to this, my handwriting is simply not presentable."

"People often say that hard work is important, but I say that talent is the most important. Although this child has lost half of his right hand, his left hand calligraphy will definitely shine in the future."

“Brother Wen, Mr. Tang Yuan from Kyoto has also come here. He is a master of the left-handed calligraphy style in Tianwu. If there is an opportunity another day, take this child to visit him. If he can get some guidance, the child will benefit immensely.”

Mr. Wen was pleased to see his disciple being praised and nodded in agreement.

“I’m usually busy and don’t have much time to teach this child, so I plan to send him to Luo’an Academy. I heard that Mr. Tang is also going to teach at the academy, so this is killing two birds with one stone.”

"Haha, no wonder you invited us here to play today, it turns out you had this planned all along."

“Yes, we all have children in our families attending Luoan Academy. Your disciple hasn’t even entered the academy yet, but you’ve already found him a few classmates and friends.”

The group laughed and teased Mr. Wen, but no one was angry.

Their children and nephews are all good students and of decent character, but being born into wealth, some of them are oblivious to the hardships of life.

Having a poor student like Jiaren as a friend would be a good thing.

After exchanging a few jokes, everyone wanted to go for a soak in the hot spring. The room was naturally more private, but there were more people on the other side of the pool, and a few people, eager for excitement, headed there.

When Jiaren had some free time, he went back to the valley entrance, where Old Lady Li, Second Brother Li, and Fourth Brother Li were all waiting with their legs crossed.

Jiayin wasn't worried. Mr. Wen used to be somewhat decadent and cowardly, but the power of love is great. Ever since Mrs. Cui divorced him, he has unleashed his inner potential.

Now, not only has he become an imperial censor, wielding his words like a sword, but he has also intimidated both established families and rising stars, who dare not provoke him. He acts with great steadiness, and every move he makes is successful.

He wouldn't have brought the person if he wasn't confident.

Sure enough, when Jiaren returned, his face lit up.

"Grandma, Daddy, I'm going to school. My teacher found me a school called Luo'an, and there's a master there who writes with his left hand."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Grandma Li pulled her grandson, her eyes almost welling up with tears.

Ever since our grandson injured his hand, everyone in the family has felt a heavy weight on their hearts, but now we can finally move away completely.

Jia Huan hugged his older brother and spun him around twice, overjoyed.

"Hongying, Mr. Wen is so busy, yet he hasn't forgotten about Jiaren. We should thank him properly. Let's cook some good dishes for lunch!"

Old Mrs. Li loudly instructed her daughter-in-law, and then called to her second son, "Make sure to keep clear records in the accounts. Our family should pay for it ourselves, don't use public funds."

"I understand, Mother." Li Lao Er replied happily, feeling extremely grateful. If it weren't for his poor cooking skills, he would have loved to cook for himself.

Just then, the village chief strolled by and, upon hearing of this good opportunity, waved his pipe and shouted out.

“Jiaren is also a child from the village, and going to school is a great thing. Does he think he'll forget about the villagers once he becomes successful? We must use public funds, we absolutely must use public funds! Consider this a way for everyone to congratulate Jiaren!”

After thinking for a moment, Old Lady Li stopped being polite and said, "Alright, I'll listen to the village chief. Jiaren will study hard from now on, and when he finishes his studies, he will be a pillar of our village."

Sure enough, the village chief was even happier to hear this.

While everyone was chatting and laughing, Li Lao Er remembered his elder brother's matter, so he used the excuse of thanking him to go find Mr. Wen.

It just so happened that Mr. Wen had settled a few friends in and came over to ask for tea.

Li Lao Er then recounted what had happened the previous night, and added at the end, "Sir, we don't know if my elder brother has some kind of hardship that prevents us from acknowledging him so readily. We were just thinking of finding out more about that family. We heard that they are a collateral branch of a large clan, and the main branch also has many officials and scholars."

Mr. Wen nodded and replied, "Our family, the Cui family, and even the Liu family have all lived here for over a century, so we are naturally more familiar with the area than others and can get information more easily. You can rest assured and wait for my news."

"Okay, thank you, sir. Our family can't be of much help, but we've troubled you many times." Li Lao Er's words were sincere, and tinged with guilt.

Mr. Wen laughed and said, "We've been through thick and thin together, and Jiaren is my disciple. They say a teacher for a day is a father for life. If you think about it, I'm going to compete with you for the title of father. Let's not stand on ceremony."

Li Lao Er laughed, and that was the end of it.

Mr. Wen and several friends had a sumptuous lunch and even drank a few glasses of wine. Slightly tipsy, they went down into the hot spring pool, where the effects of the alcohol quickly dissipated.

As the sun set behind the western mountains, they bid farewell, feeling completely refreshed.

The next day, Li Lao Er couldn't contain his excitement and took Jia Ren and Jia Yi to see what Luo'an Academy was like.

The accounts for the valley were handed over to Liu the镖头's wife.

Liu's wife was originally from Jiangnan. She had studied and learned to write since childhood, and she was also gentle and meticulous.

These past few days, she's been helping out with logistics, checking accounts every night, just in case something happens to Li Lao Er and the valley's accounts aren't left unattended.

By dusk, the work in the valley was mostly finished, and the accounts were clear and the calculations were thorough.

Everyone was happy. The village chief personally assigned Sister Liu eight work points, and she would work as Li Lao Er's assistant from now on.

This is the second highest work point among the women in the village; the first is Tao Hongying.

The women felt that Sister Liu had made them proud, and since they were close to her, they insisted that Tao Hongying cook two dishes and pour a pot of wine to celebrate Sister Liu's good fortune.

When the men found out, they didn't dare to stop it at all. They joked in private that they were worried about losing their status in the family.

Nowadays, the women in the village also receive work points and earn wages, sometimes not much less than the villagers.

If I'm in a bad mood, I can still scold him a few times, but now I don't dare to say a single word.