Literacy
To Jingwan's surprise, after she ate that noodle dish with Lu Chang, her meals suddenly improved several levels.
Not to mention that the food is always hot, with both meat and vegetables, and occasionally there's a pig's trotter to gnaw on, and a bowl of chicken soup with yellow chicken fat on top.
Although it was bland, we ate it heartily and didn't leave much. After a few times, the two girls looked miserable. So Jingwan would deliberately set aside some before eating, specifically for the two girls to satisfy their cravings.
It's pitiful, really. These two little girls are two years younger than her. I heard that a few years ago, their parents fled famine from the south and sold these two emaciated little girls to the Gao family in exchange for two bowls of rice.
The little girl didn't even have a name; people just called her Da Ya or Er Ya as they pleased.
Although they are all servants, there are different levels of status among them. Those who are abandoned by their parents are lonely and helpless in the mansion. They are also plain-looking and have nothing to offer, so they are considered the lowest class.
Jingwan had overheard the two girls hiding and crying, comforting each other and saying that they should wait a little longer, and that their parents would come to the mansion to redeem them sooner or later.
At that moment, she felt a pang of sadness and couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she quickly went back inside.
During the war in the Northwest, many children of similar age lost their parents at a young age. Jingwan was still young then, but she could feel the fear and despair of these children who had lost their parents.
The people who loved them most in the world are no longer here. Who will love them now?
Jingwan felt powerless; all she could do was share a piece of her own pancake.
Like every person from Northwest China, she hoped that a deity would come to save this war-torn land. Later, the war in Northwest China was finally quelled, and that memory gradually faded.
That day, she specially summoned the two little girls, saying that calling them Daya and Erya was too casual and that she wanted to give them a better name.
The two little girls were naturally happy, looking at Jingwan with expectant eyes.
Jingwan herself was illiterate and couldn't come up with any poetic or meaningful names. Fortunately, she had a background in jade scavenging, so she called her older sister Qingyu (Green Jade) and her younger sister Moyu (Ink Jade).
The two maids had never seen any green jade or black jade before, let alone knew what the top-grade Hetian jade that Jingwan was talking about was. They were just happy to hear the word "top-grade" and the word "jade" in it, and they called each other's names cheerfully.
Although the children were also greedy for money, they both remembered the kindness of being named and became much more diligent in their work than before.
Jingwan couldn't stay idle in the courtyard. Occasionally, she would wash clothes with her two sisters. The three of them would sit together chatting and laughing, which made Mother Chen even more displeased, and she stopped coming to this small courtyard for several days.
Even when she found work to do for herself, Jingwan felt that time was hard to pass. It was hard and dangerous to collect jade in the Northwest, and carving jade was mentally taxing, but she did not feel that she was wasting her time. She had something to do every day. Now, she had only been in the Gao family for two months, but she already felt extremely guilty.
I only studied jade carving under a master for two years, and I haven't even mastered it yet. Now it's all going to go to waste.
After much thought, Jingwan finally went to Gao Yun and said that she had nothing to do at home and wanted Gao Yun to buy her some ordinary jade materials so that she could practice at home.
Since entering the manor, Gao Yun had been avoiding Jingwan because of Wang Shi and dared not get close to this daughter. However, he was not heartless. Seeing that Jingwan was quiet and gentle, and that this was the first time she had made a request, he naturally agreed.
It's really embarrassing for a young girl to learn jade carving. Craftsmen are of lowly status, how could they learn such a thing?
But if he refused outright, it would inevitably upset the girl. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Do you want to study? The people of Wei are open-minded, and women can also study."
"They can read."
Jingwan looked at him with wide eyes, of course she was willing!
In the Northwest, the master craftsman who taught her jade carving once told her to learn to read, saying that once she could read, she could read books, and many books recorded the methods of jade carving.
She went to her uncle and said she wanted to study, but her uncle refused outright, saying that his youngest daughter should just grow up, get married, and not study!
That was the end of it! I never expected that coming to the Gao family would give me this opportunity.
Seeing that she was willing, Gao Yun went to Wang Shi and told her that Jingwan also wanted to study with Gao Qian and Gao Yun.
The Gao family hired a tutor to teach the Duchess's two children and Gao Yun's children, and adding Jingwan to the family wouldn't be a problem.
Although Wang was unhappy, she eventually relented because she remembered what the wet nurse had said.
This somewhat eased the tension between the couple, and that night Gao Yun went into Wang's room.
The place where the Gao family children studied was called Mingyuanzhai. This was where Lu Chang studied, but he moved out a year ago to focus on the imperial examinations.
Mr. Ge, who had once taught Lu Chang, stayed at the mansion to continue teaching the Gao family children because of his excellent teaching.
Today, Jingwan was with him. He slightly raised his withered eyelids, pointed to a seat, and asked her to sit down.
The Gao family children started their early education at the age of three or four, and now they can read books fluently over and over again. Even the playful Gao Yun can speak classical Chinese.
Jingwan is different; she is truly illiterate and cannot even write her own name. The only character she knows is "jade".
The teacher placed textbooks such as the "Three Character Classic" and the "Thousand Character Classic" on her desk, then sat back down to read. The three Gao family children, on the other hand, kept their heads down and practiced writing, writing each character dozens of times without finishing.
She picked up the book and flipped through it in confusion, not recognizing a single word. Anxiously looking at Mr. Ge, she saw Gao Bojun in front of her winking and tilting his head back and forth. After a few gestures from him, Jingwan finally understood and carefully stood in front of Mr. Ge, holding the book.
"You don't recognize a single word?" the white-bearded old man asked impatiently.
Jingwan gave a shy "hmm".
Mr. Ge never put down his book, but asked Bo Jun and the others to read it aloud to Jing Wan.
Bo Jun was naturally pleased, as his handwriting was already excellent and he no longer needed to practice repeatedly like Gao Yun and the others.
Furthermore, Mr. Ge has been neglecting his teaching lately, but due to some unspeakable reasons, the Duchess, although aware that her son's studies were being delayed, could not find him another tutor. She could only study more in her own courtyard after school and then go to the corner of the city to consult her cousin.
He was getting impatient, so he figured it would be good to teach this little cousin a lesson.
Jingwan sat next to him, listening to Bojun recite the Three Character Classic word by word. He would recite it once, and then Jingwan would recite it after him.
Bo Jun was a good teacher. He not only taught her to read, but also took out the characters and explained their meanings one by one.
The words were straightforward, and Jingwan heard them clearly.
Seeing the two of them so engrossed in their writing, Gao Yun angrily threw her brush on the ground and yelled, "It's so noisy! Can't a person write in peace?!"
As she grew older, her fierce side became more and more apparent. The Gao family children had already witnessed her temper. Gao Shijun, who had been practicing calligraphy with her head down, secretly rolled her eyes in disgust, while the chubby Gao Qian, who had been dozing off, was startled awake by his younger sister.
Bo Jun picked up the book, grabbed Jing Wan's sleeve, and pulled her away, saying, "Let's go out!"
Before Jingwan could react, he pulled her out of the study and led her to the corridor.
Seeing Jingwan's uneasy expression, Bojun comforted her, saying, "Gao Yun is just like that. Don't pay attention to her. Just study with me."
After saying that, he picked up his copy of the Three Character Classic and continued reading.
With him taking such responsibility, Jingwan felt embarrassed to be distracted and picked up her book to read along.
When Lu Chang returned to retrieve his book, he saw a pair of childhood sweethearts sitting opposite each other, reading from their books, under the long corridor and beside the Jade Leaf Pond.
The childhood friend glanced at the book, then at his childhood sweetheart across from him, his eyes serious.
Qingmei wasn't bold enough to look back; she would only glance at it shyly occasionally before looking back down at her book.
Lu Chang slowly walked over, and Gao Bojun, who was facing him, saw him first and greeted him loudly.
Upon hearing the word "cousin," Jingwan turned her head and saw Lu Chang walking towards her with two scrolls in his hands and one hand behind his back.
Today he was dressed in a light blue-green bamboo-patterned robe, which made him look more like a recluse than usual.
Jingwan nodded slightly to him, then turned around and pretended to read a book.
Lu Chang stood in front of the two men, smiling as he looked at one and then at the other.
Although her cousin didn't say anything, Bo Jun knew what he meant, and immediately took the initiative to explain: "Mr. Ge asked me to teach Jing Wan to read, and I'm teaching her to read the Three Character Classic!"
Don't let his refined and gentle appearance fool you; he's the one his siblings fear the most. From childhood to adulthood, the moment he lowers his lips even slightly, his younger siblings are terrified into silence. Even Gao Yun's fierce temper vanishes in front of Cousin Lu.
Upon hearing this, Lu Chang smiled and said, "Jingwan?"
Look, just two days ago she was calling her "cousin," but today she's started calling her Jingwan.
Gao Bojun didn't notice the tone in his voice when he called out the name; he just assumed that Cousin Lu was calling his cousin!
This was the first time Jingwan had heard her cousin call her name. She nodded nervously, but kept her head down, holding her book. Her soft, black hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, and only her beautiful profile could be seen by the person who came.
Lu Chang noticed that she seemed somewhat afraid of him, so he simply smiled and left.
As Bo Jun watched him leave, he seemed to exhale slowly. When he saw Jing Wan looking over, he smiled and said, "Don't let my refined appearance fool you. I was born into a family of military generals, so I always feel a bit of a murderous aura about me."
Jingwan wholeheartedly agreed. It was a real pity that her cousin was going into literature; his sharp and fierce aura should have been suited for being a general on the battlefield!
For a moment, she imagined Lu Chang donning armor, wielding a silver spear, and charging into battle. Bo Jun called her name several times before she finally came to her senses.
With such a good teacher as Bo Jun, Jing Wan studied very diligently. In the evening, she would even light a lamp to review the lessons she had learned during the day.
On the third day at Mingyuanzhai, Master Ge contracted some serious illness and became so weak that he could not get up. He then asked the Duke's Mansion for a ten-day leave.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Duchess invited a tutor from outside to teach Bo Jun.
She valued this eldest son highly. Even though he only had to wait until he was seventeen to inherit the title, she still hoped that her son could pass the imperial examination and become a powerful official in the court, rather than inheriting a declining ducal family and living off its wealth.
So Bo Jun only served as Jing Wan's teacher for three days before apologizing and leaving. Jing Wan was not without disappointment, as Shi Jun and Gao Yun always had excuses to refuse her requests for guidance.
That day, as I was holding a book and lost in thought under the corridor, a voice rang out: "What are you thinking about? I've been watching you for ages."
She was startled and looked up to see Lu Chang standing tall and elegant, looking down at her.
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