It was a very quiet place, with only the sound of reading aloud coming from a house not far away. Stepping in, one would instinctively lower one's movements and make a sound.
This is probably the "talented" atmosphere that Defu's godfather was talking about.
Xiaopingzi led Qiqi along a small pebble path, about three minutes behind the school, past a corridor and lush bamboo groves, to a place with a plaque that read "Library".
A middle-aged man dressed in light blue clothes and with a thin build was waiting for them at the door. Half of his black hair had turned white, his face was ordinary, with a hint of sorrow, and he had a refined demeanor.
Upon seeing Qi Qi and Xiao Pingzi, he smiled and asked, "This must be Eunuch Lai Bao, right?"
Xiaopingzi bowed again, but this time not as deeply: "Greetings, Chen Dianji."
After exchanging a few words, Xiaopingzi led Qi Qi into the house. The interior was a world of its own, with rows of antique bookshelves and tables and chairs that were the most striking feature. The books on the shelves were neatly arranged, and the atmosphere was still inexplicably serious.
The area, which could be seen at a glance, was about the size of five of Qi Qi's small rooms. Besides the scholar surnamed Chen, there was also an old eunuch dressed in eunuch's robes who looked to be in his forties or fifties.
Chen Dianji explained, "This is Liu Shun, who also does some cleaning and tidying work in the library."
Liu Shun clearly knew Qi Qi's background and greeted him with a humble attitude.
After recognizing the person, Xiaopingzi was about to leave, but he left the box he was carrying behind, saying, "Eunuch Laibao, the top layer contains your study supplies such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and the bottom layer contains snacks. Take these to tide you over when you are hungry, and I will bring you lunch at noon."
He then carefully explained some precautions to Qi Qi, such as listening to the teacher, not going out to play in the water, and not offending the princes. Qi Defu had already told Qi Qi these things several times beforehand, and now Qi Qi had memorized them, nodding and saying, "I understand."
Xiaopingzi left, turning back every few steps. Qi Qi felt that he probably didn't trust him and was afraid he would cause trouble...
Chen Dianji watched quietly from the side. After Xiaopingzi left, he called Qi Qi to a counter-like area next to the library, where there were also study supplies, which looked like they were for recording things.
There were two tall stools against the wall. He pointed to the sets of tables and chairs in the middle of the library and said, "That is where the princes read. I was afraid that it would be inappropriate for nobles to see this when they come to use the books, so you can use the same place as me for now."
Liu Shun, the eunuch standing nearby, started wiping the bookshelf with a rag, as if he couldn't see what was happening here.
Qi Qi responded.
Chen Dianji was actually somewhat socially awkward, not very talkative, and clumsy with words. Otherwise, as a rank-eighth-grade clerk who had actually passed the imperial examinations, he wouldn't have been assigned to work in this godforsaken library of the Imperial Study. Few people came to this place, and the Hanlin Academy didn't have much use for him in compiling classics or providing advice for the court's decision-making...
It's hard to be an honest official, and it's even harder for a low-ranking official in the Hanlin Academy with no background or family connections. If it weren't for his elderly mother's serious illness and the fact that they were almost starving, how could he, a mere civil official, have gotten involved with the faction of treacherous officials?
That's a hundred taels... equivalent to more than two years' worth of my salary...
The integrity of a scholar is something only young people possess; he is no longer young, and it's time for him to stoop down.
Seeing that Qi Qi was still looking at him, Chen Dianji first arranged the school supplies that Qi Qi had brought. Then, seeing that this handsome and adorable little eunuch with a rather important background was still looking at him, he felt a little depressed.
With a somewhat hesitant expression, he asked, "Eunuch Laibao, is there any other question?"
To survive, it's not shameful to curry favor with eunuchs; if he had any sense of shame, he would have drowned himself long ago.
Qi Qi said, "Just call me Xiao Qi Zi or Lai Bao, it's fine with me."
After saying that, Qi Qi used the desk as a support to climb onto the stool.
That's right, as a chubby little guy and a short guy, Qi Qi's legs seem to be getting shorter and shorter... He sucked in his stomach and sat up straight: "The reading can begin, I'm ready."
Chen Dianji paused for a moment, then moved Qi Qi's stool forward to adjust his position and sat down next to him.
He took out a copy of the Three Character Classic and began teaching Qi Qi to read.
Ancient traditional Chinese characters and modern simplified Chinese characters have many similarities. Qi Qi still has the memories of Long Qi from his previous life, so he can still recognize some characters. It doesn't matter if his memory is a little weak; he can always learn them if he studies hard.
The innocent voices of children reciting lessons rang out, with adults reading a sentence and children reading a sentence.
"At birth, people are inherently good; their natures are similar, but their habits differ..."
Chen Dianji looked at the little eunuch beside him who was reciting along and seemed very well-behaved and obedient. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If this little fat boy hadn't listened, he really wouldn't have known what to do. He couldn't scold or beat him, and he was afraid that if he tried to discipline him, the boy would complain.
However, judging from the person who contacted him, the little eunuch seems to be a bit slow... If he can't teach Master Qi properly, he won't be able to deal with him, right?
Never mind, as long as we can communicate normally, that's fine.
...
Qi Qi ultimately overestimated himself.
Thirty minutes later, he was able to sit up again.
An hour later, I started to feel restless. It felt like ants were crawling all over my body. My legs started to wiggle involuntarily in the chair, and my buttocks were starting to feel uneasy. I wanted to move around a bit, and the world a few meters away outside the door seemed incredibly tempting.
What did I have for lunch? I'll only eat a little bit later.
Where did I learn it from? The words in the book seemed like little people dancing, and Chen Dianji's speech seemed like he was telling a story.
After cleaning, Liu Shun's father-in-law disappeared.
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