For a country bumpkin like Zhen Wanwan, the only word to describe her is "beautiful".
"My lady, please wait here for a moment while I go in and inform them."
After the servant went inside, Zhen Wanwan looked around out of boredom and unexpectedly saw an acquaintance.
The couple behind the artificial hill, isn't the man Qu Huaiyuan?
The girl had a bright and sweet smile, and would shyly steal glances at Qu Huaiyuan from time to time; it was obvious that she had fallen in love.
Qu Huaiyuan was holding several books, indicating that he had just finished class.
The two chatted happily, and occasionally the girl's bell-like laughter could be heard; they seemed like a perfect match.
Granny Zhang remarked from the side, "Mr. Qu is exceptionally talented and handsome, so it's no wonder he's so popular with women."
Xiao Mei didn't cheer, but instead glanced cautiously at Zhen Wanwan. Seeing that she didn't react, she felt much more at ease.
Having spent time together, she had already seen through Qu Huaiyuan's feelings for her wife, but her wife already had their master.
Therefore, when Zhen Wanwan and Qu Huaiyuan were together, she tried her best not to give them a chance to be alone, and stood by the side to keep an eye on the adults.
Fortunately, the master had already gotten engaged to Zhen Niangzi two days ago, so Mr. Qu's feelings were ultimately not reciprocated.
The three, master and servant, each had their own thoughts and hadn't yet figured out what was going on when the servant returned.
"Madam Zhen, my master invites you!"
The headmaster of the Guangling County School was the father-in-law of Magistrate Chen, and the students respectfully called him Headmaster Xu.
I heard that Headmaster Xu was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), served as an official for twelve years, and resigned a few years ago to return to his hometown and stay at the county school to teach students.
Zhen Wanwan came here intending to have a face-to-face talk with Yuan Huizhou's tutor, but the gatekeeper went directly to Headmaster Xu.
She saw that Master Xu was about forty years old, with a long beard, and looked at her with a kind face.
Xu Shanzhang and Chen Yong are father-in-law and son-in-law, so they naturally share information, and Xu is one of the few who knows about the relationship between Zhen Wanwan and Zhu Yuan.
While Zhen Wanwan was sizing him up, he was also observing her.
Because of Zhu Yuan's unusual identity, he had high expectations for Zhen Wanwan before they met.
After meeting her, he realized that Zhen Wanwan was not the refined young lady he had imagined.
Although the other person was dressed plainly, she had a unique demeanor, without the awkwardness and timidity of an ordinary woman.
He walks with his head held high and chest out, full of confidence, and remains calm and composed even when faced with his deliberately projected aura.
He silently gave Zhen Wanwan a high score based on his first impression; her demeanor was, for the time being, worthy of Zhu Yuan.
Unaware of his inner thoughts, Zhen Wanwan performed the salute she had practiced for half an hour before Xu Shanzhang.
"Hello, Headmaster Xu! I am Li Yuanzhou's aunt."
In order to avoid revealing Yuan Huizhou's true identity, he used the alias Li Yuanzhou while studying at the academy.
Only Zhen Wanwan and Zhu Yuan knew Yuan Huizhou's true identity.
Therefore, Xu Shanzhang only thought that he was really Zhen Wanwan's nephew.
Although Yuan Huizhou is young, his talent for studying and his demeanor far surpass those of the other students in the academy.
Xu Shanzhang also liked this student very much. If Qu Huaiyuan hadn't gotten there first, he would have liked to take Yuan Huizhou as his last disciple.
“It’s our first meeting, Madam Zhen, there’s no need to be so polite. Yuan Zhou is still in class, so you may have to wait a little longer.”
"It's nothing. I apologize for bothering you, Headmaster," Zhen Wanwan said politely.
Granny Zhang and Xiaomei, their faces showing displeasure, handed the greeting gift to the servant boy serving Master Xu.
Only then did he sit down in a chair, slowly sip his tea, and reveal the purpose of his trip.
"Headmaster Xu, I have come here today because of Zhou'er."
She paused for two seconds, looked at Xu Shanzhang's expression, and seeing that he showed no surprise, she slowly spoke.
"That's right. When Zhou'er got home last night, she told me about what happened in class. She said that she accidentally upset the teacher because she pointed out a problem."
Headmaster Xu took a sip of tea and said without any concealment, "That is indeed the case."
After this incident, he had a clear understanding of the whole story.
Yuan Huizhou recited the arithmetic formulas, which he had studied all night last night.
The person who invented this incantation has already caught his attention, and he is preparing to ask Yuan Huizhou about it. If he meets this person, he will do whatever it takes to recruit him.
Hearing Xu Shanzhang's straightforward admission, Zhen Wanwan forced a smile and said apologetically, "Zhou'er is still young and doesn't quite understand etiquette and rules. I've come today to apologize on his behalf."
At this point, she changed the subject: "Although my child's way of expressing himself is wrong, what he said is true. I don't agree with the math teacher's statement that my Zhou'er is not learning well!"
"I want to ask that gentleman myself, what did my Zhou'er do wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Headmaster Xu was taken aback, and then realized that the other party had not come to apologize, but to support his child.
In the past, students would sometimes talk back to their teachers, but their elders would always come over with generous gifts and apologize in a humble tone.
This is the first time a parent has come to cause trouble because their child was scolded by their husband.
He asked uncertainly, "Are you sure you didn't come here to apologize?"
Zhen Wanwan frowned, and the way she looked at Headmaster Xu changed.
"I apologize for making my husband sick because of my child's inappropriate way of expressing himself. But my child did not say anything wrong, so I naturally need to communicate with my husband face to face to make things clear."
She doesn't believe in the punitive education approach; she believes that a child's academic performance is related to their learning environment.
If the teachers here are all ignorant, only fond of flattery, unable to listen to others' opinions, and unwilling to accept students' questions.
She wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her child here.
Xu Shanzhang swallowed and gave her a strange look.
Yuan Huizhou was indeed correct in pointing out the errors in Mr. Ren's teaching, and his courage in doing so is commendable.
But the gentleman who was angered to the point of collapse was the one in the entire academy who valued respect for teachers the most and could not tolerate anyone saying a bad word about him.
He was also petty, and he was able to get so angry that part of the reason was that Yuan Huizhou openly humiliated him in the classroom, causing him to lose face.
The other part is that the mnemonic was actually correct; after more than ten years of hard study, he was outdone by a child who was only a few years old.
Now he's lost all face and dignity, no wonder he got sick from anger.
Even when he visited the patient, he heard him weeping bitterly, saying that he was too ashamed to continue teaching there.
When he first heard that Zhen Wanwan had come to apologize with gifts, he couldn't help but feel relieved.
Now that we know the other party's real purpose in coming here was to confront someone and force him to admit his mistake, isn't this utterly humiliating?
Although he also thought it was a bit petty to get sick over such a small thing.
But ultimately, you can't see into someone's heart; everyone has their own thoughts.
He wanted to mediate, but he didn't know if it was feasible.
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