"Grandma, take a rest!"

Beside the well, a robust-looking child stopped an elderly man with gray hair. Amidst the admiring glances of onlookers, the child picked up two wooden buckets filled with water, one in each hand, and then strode quickly with his little legs to carry the water home.

"Wow, this kid is only seven years old, and he's already so strong. What will he be like when he grows up!"

A man squatted by the well, watching the child carrying water home, and couldn't help but admire him.

"Judging from this pace, I reckon he'll be as strong as an ox when he grows up!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you all blind? Don't you even know whose grandson he is? He's just like us, destined to toil in the fields for a living, while others are scholars."

"Hey, you can't be sure. Fortune changes every year. His family's previous generation was a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), but his grandfather was only a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations), and his father was even worse, barely managing to become a Tongsheng (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations)."

"Before you laugh at others, take a look at yourself. Even if Xiao Wen's father is just a student who has passed the imperial examination, he's still dozens of times better than you. He can still get a job in the government office by pulling some strings. Can you do that?"

"Are you asking for a beating, you woman? What I mean is that his family has fallen on hard times? Each generation is worse than the last, and I don't think Xiaowen is cut out for studying."

"You don't care whether he's good at studying or not. With his physique, he'd be more comfortable farming than you."

The villagers were chatting about everyday matters around the well. Feng Bingwen, who was carrying a bucket of water in one hand, was sharp-eared and could hear some of the conversation behind him, but he didn't care.

People in the countryside may lack experience, but they are not stupid or foolish. The changes he has undergone in the past six months cannot be simply explained away by the fact that he has grown taller.

But his family could shamelessly claim to be a scholarly family. Although each generation was not as good as the last, they were still a respectable family in the surrounding area, so there was no need for them to explain anything.

After carrying water back home, Feng Bingwen took the initiative to do all the strenuous work. He wasn't a glutton, oh no, he was quite greedy, but he wasn't lazy.

However, his diligence was not appreciated by another elderly person in the family.

"Judging by your age, you're seven years old now, and it's time for you to go to school in the county. It's not good for you to just stay at home all day. Pack your things tomorrow and come with me to the county."

At dinner, Feng Lingjun, who had just returned from the county school, suddenly spoke up. Feng Bingwen was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head and ate the rice in his bowl without objecting. However, the old woman beside him seemed somewhat displeased.

"Wen'er is so young, why are you sending him to school?"

"Seven years old, that's not a little kid anymore."

Feng Lingjun glanced at his wife and explained.

“The neighboring Mengshan Prefecture produced a child prodigy who could compose poems at the age of seven. Wen’er only started elementary school at the age of seven, which is already very late.”

"child prodigy?"

But to everyone's surprise, Grandma just scoffed at what she heard.

"How many child prodigies are there in the entire Daqian region? Is it meaningful to compare your grandson to someone like this, who seems to be a star descended from heaven?"

"Oh, that's not what I meant."

Feng Lingjun picked up his chopsticks and shook them.

"I'll take him to the school tomorrow, and then we'll go see Doctor Zhang so he can take Wen'er's pulse."

"Then let's go early tomorrow and come back early."

After hearing this, Grandma stopped objecting and even quite agreed.

Feng Bingwen ate his rice silently. The two elderly people seemed a little uneasy about the changes in his health; neither of them were the type to live a life of aimless drifting.

As for Feng Bingwen himself, he did not dislike going to school; in fact, he was quite looking forward to it, though not particularly eager to study, take the imperial examinations, and obtain official rank.

He knew his own limitations. If he worked hard, he should be able to pass the preliminary examination. If he studied diligently, he could probably become a scholar. As for becoming a provincial graduate, that was a long-term goal. He didn't want to pursue the highest degree.

What he truly cared about was good deeds. Half a year ago, he exchanged one hundred good deeds for a bird carrying a vermilion fruit. After consuming the fruit, his body grew stronger day by day, and the benefits were something he could directly and clearly feel.

Having tasted the sweetness, he naturally wanted to do it a second and a third time. However, the good deeds he had done earlier were accumulated slowly over several years, mainly by rescuing some poor toads, dragonflies, and other beneficial insects from the hands of naughty children.

But this was far too slow. Feng Bingwen was not satisfied with this, but what could he do? Fengjia Village only had a dozen or so households, and his activity range was limited. Even if he wanted to do good deeds, he was powerless to do so.

Now that the old man is willing to arrange for him to study at the county school, that's naturally a good thing. This expands his scope of activities many times over, and naturally provides him with more opportunities to do good deeds.

Therefore, the next morning, without the elders in the family having to call him, Feng Bingwen was already dressed and sitting in the hall waiting, looking eager to try.

"Let's go!"

Feng Lingjun didn't take his grandson's behavior to heart, simply assuming it was a child's anticipation and curiosity about new things.

Feng Bingwen was indeed curious about and even had expectations for the county town not far from Fengjia Village, but when he actually arrived at Qingshan County, which was only half an hour away from Fengjia Village, his original expectations turned into disappointment.

How to put it? A bustling county town is impressive to an ordinary rural child. But for someone who has only ever seen the far more magnificent steel jungle in their dreams, it's really... meaningless.

"This is Qingshan City!"

Standing before the somewhat dilapidated city gate, the child's tone carried undisguised disappointment. The gate tower standing majestically on the city wall was indeed imposing, but it held no impact on him.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Feng Lingjun was surprised by his grandson's attitude. Shouldn't the children in the village be amazed to see the county town?

"I don't think the county town is very big!"

Actually, it wasn't just a feeling; Feng Bingwen genuinely felt that the county town wasn't very big. Before he even entered the town, he followed the wide street and saw the city gate tower faintly visible across the street. Although it seemed quite far away, he could indeed see the edge of the county town.

"Small? Qingshan County has nearly 30,000 households and 100,000 residents. Even in the entire Longchuan Prefecture, it ranks among the top five counties!"

"kindness!"

Feng Bingwen gave a perfunctory reply, and seeing the old man who seemed somewhat proud, he couldn't be truly amazed.

"Brother Wenzi! Brother Wenzi!"

Just then, a surprised and excited voice came from behind. Feng Bingwen turned around and immediately saw a familiar figure.

"Ju Zi! What are you doing here?"

Feng Bingwen was quite surprised to see the little guy in front of him who was a head shorter than him. He was a naughty boy from the village who was almost a year younger than him.

“I came to the market with my dad. He said he would buy me candied hawthorns after we sold all the chickens!”

The children laughed happily, their faces filled with anticipation.