Hahahaha.
The newcomer was nearly fifty years old, dressed in a long blue robe, the sleeves of which fluttered in the wind.
His face was thin and his complexion slightly yellow. He had thick eyebrows that reached his temples, and deep-set eyes that held a smile of admiration.
He had a half-foot-long beard, black and white, neatly arranged. His hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, giving him a simple yet scholarly air.
A few strands of silver hair shimmered among his black hair, giving him an exceptionally refined appearance.
He stroked his small tuft of beard and walked over with a hearty laugh: "That's right, it is indeed Su Shi's 'On Chao Cuo'."
Lili blinked, looking at the person with some curiosity.
Wow, whoever it is, they met!
Seeing that he came from the academy and was of that age, Yang guessed that he must be a teacher at the academy.
Since her husband was still studying at the academy, Yang naturally couldn't hold him back and leave a bad impression on the teachers.
Yang straightened herself up and smiled somewhat awkwardly.
Mr. Liu glanced at the food box in Madam Yang's hand and understood: "Madam has brought the child to visit your husband, hasn't she?"
Yang replied, "Yes, my husband is about to take the exam, so I passed on a few words from the family to him."
Mr. Liu thought for a moment: "The exam is coming soon? Is it the provincial exam in August? Let me think, among those who will be taking the provincial exam in August, there is such a virtuous wife and such a lovely daughter... Could it be the third son of the Shen family?"
When it comes to social etiquette, I still have to help my dad build up this little bit of goodwill!
So Lili clapped her hands happily and said, "Yes, yes, this uncle is really amazing! I am the daughter of Shen Sanlang!"
Mr. Liu was amused by Lili's way of referring to her father as "Shen Jia Sanlang": "I'm old enough to be your grandfather, why call me uncle?"
Lili looked at him carefully and said very seriously, "Are you trying to take advantage of me? My grandpa's hair is all white! You only have a few white hairs, how can you be my grandpa?"
Madam Yang quickly pulled Lili back: "Lili, you can't be rude."
She apologized to Mr. Liu, saying, "The child is still young, please don't mind."
Mr. Liu had worked hard for his elderly mother and never married or had any children. He usually spent his days with his students, so he found it quite novel to meet such a clever and mischievous little girl as Lili.
"How could that be? Your name is Lili, right?" Mr. Liu waved his hand with a smile. "Call me Uncle then. You little girl, you're so interesting. You're clearly so smart for such a young age, yet you can tell which article it is, but you're still so confused. Hahaha, so interesting."
Pear Pear stood with her hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out, and pretended to be angry: "Pear Pear isn't confused at all! Daddy said that Pear Pear is the smartest child in the world!"
Mr. Liu agreed, saying, "Your father is right. It's truly remarkable that you, at your age, already know some words, especially as a girl."
After saying that, Mr. Liu thought about Shen Laosan's usual performance at the academy: "Sanlang has always performed very well at the academy. He is also quite talented in studying and is hardworking and ambitious. No wonder he can raise such a smart child."
Madam Yang was somewhat surprised and tentatively asked, "Do you know my husband?"
Mr. Liu nodded: "I am the headmaster of this academy, and I occasionally lecture the students on literature. Sanlang is quite talented and writes well, so I have some impression of him. In the academy's exams, Sanlang's grades have always been far ahead, and the teachers have praised him highly."
Upon hearing this, Yang felt a surge of pride and happiness for Shen Laosan. She quickly thanked Mr. Liu, saying, "So you are Mr. Liu. My husband has mentioned you before. He said you are very learned. Sanlang has benefited greatly from your and the other teachers' guidance at the academy. Next time I come, I will definitely bring some homemade snacks for the teachers to try, so that they can take good care of Sanlang."
Lili said very sensibly, "Thank you, Uncle Liu, for taking care of my dad!"
Mr. Liu smiled and said, "It's not a matter of taking care of him. Everyone is the same in the academy. It's all thanks to Sanlang's own hard work."
After saying that, he sighed again and frowned slightly: "Speaking of which, with Sanlang's level, he should have passed the academy examination long ago. It's a pity that fate is so cruel."
Mr. Liu was naturally aware of Shen Laosan's misfortunes, and while he sighed, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
"You can give him a good talking-to this time. If he fails the exam again this year, he'll have to wait another two years."
Madam Yang nodded repeatedly: "Of course, thank you for the reminder, Mr. Liu. I will definitely pass it on to Sanlang."
Mr. Liu smiled and said nothing more.
"Shall we go in?" Mr. Liu asked. "There's still a while before school ends, let me take you to the garden."
Mr. Liu had already turned away, so Mrs. Yang naturally agreed: "Then I'll trouble Mr. Liu."
Mr. Liu led the two into the academy, and after passing through an open space in front of the courtyard, they found that all four study rooms were filled with students.
As they passed the third bookstore, Lili spotted Shen Laosan, who was standing up to answer the teacher's questions. She tugged at Yang's sleeve to let her see.
"Mother, it's Father!"
When Yang looked over, she saw that it was indeed Shen Laosan, who was wearing a dark blue robe.
Just as Shen Laosan finished answering the question and sat down, he seemed to sense something and turned to look out the window.
Upon seeing his wife and daughter outside the window, Shen Laosan was visibly delighted and quickly smiled at Yang Shi.
Yang was also quite happy and wanted to wave to him, but considering that the teacher was still lecturing in the study, she only returned a slight smile and quickly pulled Lili to follow Mr. Liu ahead.
Shen Laosan watched his wife and daughter disappear into the front yard before turning around. His classmate noticed and asked him enviously, "Your wife came to visit you again, and this time she brought your daughter? Your daughter is indeed as cute as you said, round and chubby. At first, I thought you were exaggerating!"
Old Shen couldn't help but feel a little smug: "Heh, I never lie."
"Look at how smug you are. I know you have a sweet little girl now. Don't laugh at me."
Old Shen couldn't bring himself to smile, so he clenched his fist to cover it.
Mr. Liu had already led the two to the garden. He said to them, "Madam and Lili, please wait here for a moment. School will be over soon."
Mrs. Yang quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you very much, Mr. Liu."
Mr. Liu waved his hand, and suddenly a coughing sound came from behind the garden wall.
A short, hoarse cough, interspersed with heavy breathing, as if he had used up all his strength.
Mr. Liu's expression immediately changed, and he said no more to the two of them, "Please go ahead, I'll be leaving now."
Having said that, the person turned and left.
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