Qingyin listened quietly to his two younger siblings bickering without interfering. He believed it was better for them to handle their own affairs, and that it would be better for him to get involved. This also allowed the two of them to develop their relationship.
Ge Qing, a servant in the side room, had already prepared the meal. Ge Qing was also a servant that Lin's mother had arranged for Qingyin. He was neither too young nor too old, but he was very calm and meticulous. Qingyin made him the manager of the courtyard.
Hearing the commotion, he solicitously pulled out chairs for his masters to sit down and enjoy their breakfast.
Ge Qing originally intended to serve the eldest young master his meal, but Qingyin shook her head and refused.
Seeing that their elder brother refused the service from those around him, Luo Miaoqing and Luo Jiancang exchanged glances. Their elder brother had lived a hard life in the temple before, and there must have been no one to serve him. This had led to his bad habits, and he probably didn't even know proper dining etiquette. It was truly pitiful. They wanted to be like their elder brother and give him more comfort and empathy. The two of them tacitly refused the food offered to them by those around them.
When Qingyin looked up, he saw pity in their eyes. Uh, what were these two imagining? Qingyin suddenly felt that he might be a little out of touch with society, otherwise how could he not know what his two younger siblings were thinking?
Never mind, Qingyin continued eating.
Qingyin's movements as she ate were unhurried and graceful, each bite and movement exuding a classical charm, which, combined with her face, made her even more pleasing to the eye.
The two siblings, who had been observing silently, glanced at their second brother and younger sister eating across from them. Hmm, they were the ones who had disturbed them. Compared to their eldest brother, the second brother/younger sister was extremely rough.
As expected of the eldest brother, he carries the spirit of a distinguished family no matter where he grew up.
After finishing their meal, the group returned to the study.
Qingyin took out a pile of books. It was a good thing that Qingyin had edited these textbooks during the one or two months she spent in the temple after she transmigrated to this world. Her younger brother and sister each had a set, so neither of them would be missing one.
The two desks that Ge Qing had prepared in advance were waiting for their owners to take their seats.
After having the two sit down, Qingyin laid out two test papers, one for each of them, which he had edited based on a rough estimate of their knowledge.
Luo Miaoqing and Luo Jiancang glanced at the exam paper in front of them, then at their older brother on the stage who was smiling gently. Although they didn't sense any malice, they had already grasped a bit of the future students' pain.
"Go ahead and do it, let your elder brother see your knowledge." This one sentence slowly revealed the painful life and earth-shattering changes that awaited the two of them.
The two: "..."
However, neither of them felt that way at the moment. Looking at their elder brother's gentle eyes and his stunningly beautiful face, they gritted their teeth and continued.
Luo Jiancang is alright, after all, he has studied some things and the academy is also teaching him. His elder brother grew up in a temple, so how could he possibly know more than him?
Luo Miaoqing, who was standing on the other side, shared the same idea. Although her father did not allow her to take the academy exams like her second brother, she had already learned basic literacy and enlightenment. She had even studied some basic texts such as the Analects of Confucius.
However, looking at this question, she slowly became dumbfounded. "Is it not a gentleman who is not angered when others do not understand him?" She could understand it, but how could she answer the following questions such as "Chickens and rabbits in the same cage, there are twenty heads and forty-six legs, chickens and rabbits each have?"... and "If an epidemic breaks out in the area, what is the first thing you would do...?"
Luo Jiancang followed the same line of thinking, becoming more and more confused and doubtful about life as he answered. After the final exam, the two of them stood in front of Qingyin like quails.
Qingyin chuckled and picked up the two test papers. There were quite a few words filled in, densely packed, but at a glance, there were very few correct answers.
Fortunately, Qingyin had prepared herself mentally beforehand, so she didn't feel too upset.
However, the task ahead is fraught with difficulties and will be long and arduous.
Qingyin had thought Luo Jiancang would be somewhat competent, but looking at this exam paper, she felt that Luo's father was still too lenient with him.
"To be honest, you didn't answer very well, especially Jian Cang. You've attended an academy and have always been taught by teachers, but I didn't expect..."
With each word Qingyin spoke, Luo Jiancang lowered his head further.
Even though his older brother hadn't scolded him and his tone was very calm, Luo Jiancang felt his face burning, even more uncomfortable than if the old man had scolded him a hundred times.
Luo Miaoqing couldn't care less about gloating. Looking at her older brother with a blank expression, she kept her head down, afraid that he would notice her now.
“But it’s alright. In my memory, my second brother is intelligent and well-behaved, and my little sister is also very smart. Do you know what you should do in the future?” Qingyin paused for a second.
He said in a slightly upturned tone, "I know that my second brother may be thinking that he can just become an official and my younger sister can just get married. But life is not just about marriage. You can become an official just for the sake of becoming an official. I have seen towering mountains, magnificent sunsets, husbands who sell their wives for food, and elderly people in their seventies who have collapsed in the fields. Jian Cang, Qingqing, you have a long life ahead of you. There are many ways to live. You can slowly find them. With me here, you don't have to be so tired and follow the rules. Especially you, Qingqing."
Luo Miaoqing stared blankly at her elder brother. She seemed to understand something, yet also felt something else entirely, but she was undoubtedly moved at that moment.
She initially liked the eldest brother because of his looks, but now she seems to like him even more. She can feel that he genuinely cares about her, something that her father and mother don't do. Her childhood question to her father about why her second brother could go to the academy while she couldn't seems to have lost its importance.
The same applies to Luo Jiancang.
After his elder brother passed away, his father began to groom him as his successor. He would scold him whenever he did something wrong. This was the first time he had felt such obvious protection from his father, who also told him, "With him here, there's no need to rush."
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