On the first day of class, the three Lans were dressed the same way. They all wore a fruit green round-necked thin forged straight long jacket with apricot yellow broken branches of flowers embroidered on the chest, a plain white cloud silk long skirt, a jade lock on the chest, and a dazzling gold necklace around their necks. The garland pattern and fine gold wire pendant on it were extremely delicate and beautiful.
"This gold necklace is so beautiful. I'm sorry that my grandmother spent so much money on it. I must go and thank her later." Molan said to Minglan with a smile; because there was class the day before, Mrs. Sheng asked everyone to go to the private school early, so they didn't have to pay their respects.
"It's beautiful, but it's just so-so. I already have a gold necklace that weighs more than ten taels." Rulan said indifferently. Changbai, who was flipping through a book, glanced at her unhappily.
"More than ten taels? Wouldn't that weigh your neck down? No wonder I never see you wearing it. I think this necklace is very heavy." Minglan rubbed her neck and muttered.
"Sixth sister, this jade locket is of very high quality. It looks like the seed jade from Kunlun Mountain in the Western Regions." Chang Feng looked at Minglan's jade locket carefully.
Molan had actually noticed the jade locket a long time ago. When her brother brought up the topic, she went over and took Minglan's locket for a closer look. She saw that the locket was a smooth white jade with a hint of emerald green, but when the luster turned, it looked like yellow jadeite as the water flowed. The whole piece of jade was fine and smooth, elegant and refreshing, crystal clear and round, pure and flawless. She praised it, "It's really fine jade. I've never seen such a beautiful jade color before."
She was secretly jealous and thought that the quality of this jade was even better than her own. If she could enter Shou'an Hall, wouldn't this jade be hers? Thinking of being rejected by Old Lady Sheng, she couldn't help but feel secretly resentful.
Rulan over there didn't know much about jade. Ever since she entered the academy, she had been staring at the jade on Molan's chest. She had only remembered Wang's advice and had been patient. But now, seeing everyone talking about jade, she couldn't help but say, "Sixth sister, be careful. Fourth sister might take a fancy to your jade and go back to father to act coquettishly and wipe her tears. Maybe your jade will end up in Fourth Sister's pocket."
Chang Feng frowned and turned back to read. Mo Lan blushed and said angrily, "Fifth sister, what do you mean by this? Do you think I only steal things from my sisters?"
Rulan received Changbai's warning look and, remembering the beating, softened her voice and said slowly, "It's nothing serious. I just saw Fourth Sister's jade lock and had some silly thoughts. You don't have to take it to heart, Sister."
Minglan immediately looked at the jade locket on Molan's chest. It was also a piece of warm, fine white jade. What was particularly remarkable was that the color of the locket was a combination of dark and light ink, with a pleasant balance of shades. At first glance, it looked like a landscape painting in ink, and she couldn't help but marvel at it. Molan angrily said, "It's true that this jade was originally sent by the Wang family. My father gave it to me because it matched my name. Then he immediately asked people to find you a piece of top-grade hibiscus jade that would even suit you. Why are you still refusing to give up?"
Rulan gave a fake smile and said, "I don't know if the jade is good or not, I only know that it was a token of my uncle's love."
Molan smiled hypocritically and said, "Fifth sister, have you forgotten that he is also my uncle?"
Rulan gritted her teeth and glared at Molan, but she didn't dare mention the issue of legitimate or illegitimate children. At this time, Changbai coughed heavily and whispered, "The master is here." Everyone sat down immediately.
Sure enough, there was a sound of footsteps, and Mr. Zhuang came in from the back hall, around the screen.
…
"Today, most students study to pass the imperial examinations. They say success leads to the benefit of the nation, and aspiring to become an official is perfectly acceptable. But after passing, if one's vision is short-sighted and one's words are dull, how can one last in the officialdom? Even if one rises, one will eventually fall! With a solid academic record and a well-rounded mind, success will come naturally."
Mr. Zhuang knew his target students very well, and they were even more clear about their purpose of studying, so he started by talking directly about the Four Books and Five Classics, and used the surrounding content of the Classics, History, and Miscellaneous Works to explain them, and also supplemented them with many examination questions from past dynasties. Because almost all of his students had participated in the imperial examinations, he had a large number of success and failure cases at hand. He would use essays as examples, pointing out the strengths of the good ones and the shortcomings of the unsuccessful ones.
This clear-cut, well-organized teaching method immediately instilled in Minglan a deep respect for this ancient master. She had always felt that the ancient Confucian scholars were somewhat hypocritical. Clearly, they were all aiming for the imperial examinations and becoming officials, yet they spent their days pretending that studying was for the purpose of cultivating moral character and moral principles. However, Mr. Zhuang made no secret of this: "In ancient times, those who wished to manifest virtue throughout the world first governed their country. Those who wished to govern their country first brought order to their family. Those who wished to bring order to their family first cultivated themselves. Those who wished to cultivate themselves first rectified their hearts. ... After the heart is rectified, the body can be cultivated; after the body is cultivated, the family can be brought into order; after the family is brought into order, the state can be governed; after the state is governed, the world can be at peace. Learning is not about a few articles or poems; it is about self-cultivation and self-cultivation. To gain a lasting foothold, solid learning is essential!"
Changbai and Changfeng were sitting in the front row. Boys of their age were still growing taller. Shenghong had good genes, which was not noticeable in the little Changdong sitting at the end. However, both boys had tall and straight figures. The three girls in the second row were also pretty and polite, with every move being quite standard. Although they were still young, two of them had already revealed their beauty. Mr. Zhuang looked at them and smiled, stroking his sparse beard and nodding repeatedly. Well, this was a good pair of eyes, and at his age and with such an old look, he was no longer the ideal man, so there was no need to avoid suspicion with the female students.
There are a total of six students and one teacher in the private school. Several maids and servants are waiting in the porch outside to make tea and add firewood. From ancient times to the present, there is an inevitable step in the class - reading aloud, and it has to be the kind that involves shaking the head.
No matter whether you have memorized it by heart or not, you still have to shake your neck, tilt your head, squint your eyes, and read it sentence by sentence with a long tone. You have to read it with feeling, with rhythm, and with infinite mystery. Molan thinks that girls don't look good in this action, so she always refuses to do it. Rulan feels dizzy after shaking it twice, so she goes on strike. Anyway, Mr. Zhuang never cares about them.
Only Minglan felt the benefits. This circular motion of the neck could just relieve the cervical vertebrae that was sore from bending over to write and do needlework. After shaking it a few times, her shoulders and neck immediately felt much more comfortable. Minglan finally understood how the ancient scholars who had spent ten years studying with their heads down did not suffer from cervical spondylitis. So she studied even harder, shaking her head, which attracted Mr. Zhuang to look at her twice that morning.
Mr. Zhuang was very strict and didn't allow servants to come in, so everyone had to grind the ink and add paper by themselves. Everyone else was fine, but Changdong was young after all, and his tiny hands couldn't even hold the ink stick steadily. He also happened to be sitting behind Minglan.
Minglan heard the chaotic collision sounds coming from behind and felt that she should draw her sword to help. While Mr. Zhuang was not paying attention, she quickly turned around and neatly exchanged the inkstone she had ground with the inkstone on the back table. It was a perfect move that combined decisiveness and lightness. When Mr. Zhuang looked up, Minglan was already seated, grinding ink with her wrist suspended, looking very serious and focused.
Mr. Zhuang's eyes twinkled as he continued his lecture. Minglan breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, a little boy's voice, as thin as a mole's, came from behind: "...Thank you, Sixth Sister."
Minglan didn't look back, but just nodded to show that she got it.
Because of this revolutionary friendship, the next day when Dongge'er came to Shou'an Hall to pay his respects, he secretly pulled Minglan's sleeve at the door, twisted his little body, and cupped his fist to express his gratitude. Then he mumbled for a long time. Minglan looked at Changdong, who was a head shorter than her, and found this height ratio very satisfactory. She patiently said, "What's the matter, fourth brother? Just tell me."
Encouraged, Changdong stammered out his meaning. He was neither the heir nor the favorite. Concubine Xiang was born into the Wang family as a servant. Even the master couldn't read, let alone her. Dong'er was five years old and still hadn't learned anything. Listening to Mr. Zhuang's lessons was like listening to a foreign language. It was both difficult and embarrassing. "Big brother...he taught me a few words before, but then he had to prepare for the exam, and I didn't want to bother him...Sixth sister, I..."
He rarely sees people, is timid, and speaks incoherently.
Minglan uttered a soft "oh" and wondered, which is better, staying out of trouble or helping others? In a blink of an eye, she saw Changdong with a timid face, full of anticipation and longing, but carefully holding it back, fearing rejection.
Minglan suddenly felt compassion and looked inside. She saw the old lady talking to Wang. Thinking that there was still some time before school started, she led Changdong into the pear blossom cabinet and rummaged through a small pearwood table carved in the style of the Eight Immortals paying homage to a birthday. She found a red tracing book and handed it to Changdong, saying softly, "This is what the old lady gave me for calligraphy. I haven't used it yet; it's still new. I'm giving it to you to practice with first. You're young, so there's no need to rush. Just learn ten characters a day and you'll be smart. From now on, I'll assign you a few characters every day at school. You can memorize them while listening to Mr. Zhuang's lectures. How's that?"
A huge smile broke out on Changdong's little face. He nodded desperately and thanked them repeatedly. Seeing his grateful look, Minglan remembered the desperate look on her own nephew's face when he was coaxed and begged by four or five adults to go to school. She suddenly felt very sad.
That day, she taught Changdong five characters on the spot, demonstrating the starting and ending strokes. Changdong stared at her with wide eyes, and took great pains to memorize them one by one. Then, during class, he wrote the characters according to the tracing book. After tracing, he practiced back and forth on the rice paper. When the class was over, Minglan looked back and saw that the five characters had taken shape.
"Dong'er is so smart. Father will be very happy when he finds out." Minglan touched Changdong's soft head with a smile.
Changdong's little face flushed with joy.
Minglan originally thought that the child was immature, but from then on, Changdong came to pay his respects half an hour earlier every day, and took advantage of the time to learn calligraphy from Minglan. But Minglan was a lazy and sleepy pig, and she had to get up at a fixed time every day. Many times, Danju almost had to pour water on her face before she was willing to get up. This was really annoying.
"Sixth sister, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you should sleep well. It's my fault for coming too early. I'll wait for you outside..." Changdong knew Minglan was still in bed, so he stopped by the door and said in panic. He turned around and was about to run, but Danju hugged him and stopped him. He looked through the bed curtains in a reproachful manner at Minglan who was holding on to the quilt and refused to let go. In addition, Mother Cui beside the bed was smiling bitterly, and Xiao Tiao beside the washbasin rack was squinting. Minglan's scalp tingled, and she got up honestly.
A little kid of four or five years old is at the age when he is sleepy and ignorant, but little Changdong has the perseverance to get up before dawn to learn characters. If he was born in a modern family with only one child, the elders would probably be so happy that they would set off firecrackers and burn incense all night long. For such an admirable studious spirit, Minglan could not bear to let a little kid wait, so she had to get up early every day with a bitter face and gritted her teeth.
"Remember, the strokes should be from left to right, from top to bottom. You should start the stroke against the tip of the brush, and you should take a deep breath when ending the stroke. You should slowly lift your wrist when you write horizontal strokes, so that the strokes will look good..." Minglan and Xiao Changdong sat side by side in front of the kang table, demonstrating stroke by stroke. Mother Cui came in from outside, holding a small tea tray with a black lacquer round flower carving and two small white porcelain lidded cups painted with colorful flowers.
"Thank you, Madam Cui. I'm sorry for causing you trouble. It's all my fault. I made Madam Cui so tired." Changdong blushed as he took the covered cup brought by Madam Cui and thanked her softly. He had been living with Wang and never dared to go out on weekdays. The only person he talked to all day was Concubine Xiang, and he could not say more than a few words a day. After Minglan's teaching in the past few days, he not only learned to write well, but also spoke fluently.
"Amitabha, my young master, what are you talking about? It's a blessing that you're here, otherwise it would have taken a lot of effort just to get the young lady to get up!" Mother Cui laughed and scolded Minglan. Minglan pretended not to hear and just lowered her head to blow on the covered cup in her hand. Mother Cui then said to Changdong, "Fourth Young Master, drink it quickly. This is a sweet tea made from the newly arrived monk fruit and plum pink brown sugar. It moistens the lungs and warms the stomach. It's best to drink it in the morning and it will also stimulate your appetite with breakfast."
Changdong held the covered cup with both hands and took a sip. His little mouth turned red from the smoke, and his fair cheeks puffed up. The sweetness penetrated his heart, and he said shyly, "It's delicious, thank you, Mom... But coming here every day, it's a waste of money for you. You'd better not do it in the future. I don't need to drink it..." He spoke softly.
Mother Cui laughed and said, "Fourth Young Master is embarrassing us. What's the big deal about this little tea? If you come every day, I'll serve you tea every day! I just don't know how patient your Sixth Sister is..."
As he said this, he looked at Minglan with a smile. Minglan smiled bitterly in her heart. Which book said that if you traveled back to ancient times and became a young lady, you could sleep in? It was really a lie!
Outside the pear blossom cabinet, Danju was packing Minglan's school bag and the bamboo basket box filled with pens, inkstones, and paper. Xiaotao was helping her and asked innocently, "Sister Danju, it's good that the Fourth Young Master is here, but our young lady is really tired. Look at her, she keeps yawning. I'd rather let her sleep a little longer. Why doesn't she teach the Fourth Young Master at noon?"
Danju had delicate features. She made a closure gesture to Xiaotao and said softly, "Stop gossiping! There are so many young masters and young ladies in this mansion. It's hard for the old lady too. Being a grandmother, you have to treat everyone equally. Our girl is lucky to be raised by the old lady, but she's just using the excuse of Aunt Wei's death. Even so, there are still so many people who are jealous and trying to stir up trouble! They flatter openly and slander secretly. Even if there's an extra needle or a bundle of thread, there will be rumors and no end. Fortunately, our girl is magnanimous and never takes these trivial matters to heart.
If she gets close to the Fourth Young Master again and lets him in and out of Shou'an Hall all the time, there will be another round of trouble. But the Fourth Young Master looks really pitiful, and the young lady can't just ignore it. Even the old lady has to pretend she doesn't know. Now, she's taking the opportunity of paying her respects to teach him a few words, so that's all."
Xiao Tao was stunned for a long moment, then a look of melancholy suddenly crossed her freckled face. "...Sister Danju, our daughter is so kind and never argues with her sisters. It's just that the old lady took pity on her and treated her a little more kindly. Why is there so much trouble?"
Danju smiled softly and said, "Don't worry. Most things in the inner house are like this, not just in our house. At least we have the old master and the old lady to keep things under control, so we're relatively peaceful. You came from a farming family out in the countryside, you're used to being free and honest, so you don't know all these twists and turns. You'll be fine once you get used to them. Don't be afraid of them. Kind people are often bullied, so you have to pay what you owe. Otherwise, losing face for us is the least of it, but losing face for the young lady is the worst."
Xiao Tao nodded seriously, lowered her head and continued to work, then suddenly said, "Oh, right, I have to tell those four green-eyed people not to go out and tell them nonsense about the young lady teaching the fourth young master calligraphy!"
Danju covered her mouth and laughed, imitating Minglan's behavior, and said pretentiously: "Very good, very good, you can draw inferences from one example. You are a teachable child."
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