Fang Daniu led Douya and the others away. The old woman muttered a few curses and almost choked when she got back to the house.
The house was completely ransacked, and there was even a pile of cow dung on her bed in the inner room.
With the ox found, Fang Daniu and Zhao Shi were finally able to get a good night's sleep.
But things weren't quiet at Zhang's house.
First, Da Shan's father came over and argued with Zhang Shi, and then Zhang Shi was beaten by Fang Lao Er.
He suspected that Zhang was having an affair with Fang Guangzong, so he beat Zhang severely, leaving her unable to get out of bed.
The news spread throughout the village, and Zhang was utterly humiliated. Those who used to be on good terms with her gradually distanced themselves from her after hearing that she and Fang Guangzong had stolen Douya's cow.
Even when Da Shan encountered Zhang Shi in the village, he ignored her.
Zhang had never been treated like this before. She cursed at Fang Qing's door for two days. Fang Sanhua couldn't stand it anymore and tied her big black dog to Fang Qing's door. Zhang then quieted down.
Before long, winter arrived, and the weather grew even colder, so Fang Daniu stopped going up the mountain.
Now that she has some free time, Fang Qing always wants to find something to do. After thinking it over, she finally told Fang Daniu that she wanted to study.
"Don't worry, Father. I still have the money from selling herbs last time. It's enough for my brother and me to go to school."
Children in the village who wanted to study usually sought out the village's scholar.
There was only one scholar named Sun in the surrounding villages, and children from nearby villages all studied at the private school in their village.
Sun Xiucai was from Fangjia Village. Although he was called Sun Xiucai, his surname was not Sun. His given name was Fanghe Sun, and everyone called him Sun Xiucai.
"Does Bean Sprout want to study?"
"Yes, I want to learn to read. I want to do business and make a lot of money in the future, so I can't be illiterate."
Fang Daniu laughed, but took it as just a child's joke.
"Alright, then I'll send you two to study under Scholar Sun."
Zhao Shi'an pursed his lips. He originally wanted to refuse, but seeing Fang Qing's expectant look, he didn't say anything more.
Fang Daniu took them to the county town, where each of them selected a set of stationery.
The next day, Fang Daniu led them, carrying two bags of wheat, to Sun Xiucai's house.
The two bags of wheat represented six months' tuition for the two of them.
Sun Xiucai's house was located at the west end of the village, diagonally opposite Fang Qing's house. From a distance, one could hear the sound of children reciting poetry coming from the private school.
Sun Xiucai led Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an into the house.
A room full of boys suddenly erupted into chaos when a girl with pigtails walked in.
"It's a woman."
"Why do girls need to study?"
"Isn't that a bean sprout?"
Sun Xiucai told them to be quiet.
"What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket in the classroom? Sit down, all of you!"
The group of kids immediately sat down obediently.
“Bean Sprout, Zhao Shi’an, the two of you will share a desk.”
Among the group of children, Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an were among the shortest, so Sun Xiucai arranged for them to sit at the very front.
The village conditions were rudimentary; most children shared a single desk.
After Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an sat down, they put away their writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Sun Xiucai then led them in reciting the Three Character Classic.
Fang Qing sat upright, her hands folded on the desk, finding it very interesting, and also read the Three Character Classic aloud.
Zhao Shi'an remained silent.
Who could have imagined that a seven-year-old body housed the soul of a well-read prime minister, absurdly sitting here reciting the Three Character Classic with a bunch of immature children?
Fang Daniu kept his eyes fixed on the door, watching Zhao Shi'an give him meaningful glances while keeping his mouth tightly shut.
Zhao Shi'an's lips twitched, and he could only repeat after him, but he only opened his mouth perfunctorily and didn't make much of a sound.
Fang Daniu left only after seeing that the two had adapted to the school.
The teacher taught them to recite the Three Character Classic for a while, and then taught them to write large characters.
There were thirty children in the room, and each of them was at a different pace. The teacher taught them one by one. When he came to Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an, he only taught them to use a brush dipped in water to draw horizontal lines on the desk to practice brush control.
Fang Qing had never learned calligraphy in her previous life, but she practiced it diligently.
As she wiped the water off the table for the third time, a small pebble hit their desk.
Fang Qing turned around and saw several somewhat familiar faces.
One of them was Xiao Dong, who had played with Fang Dashan before, and another was Fang Xiaoshuan's eldest son. As for the other one, Fang Qing didn't know him and he probably wasn't from their village.
"Bean Sprout, aren't you ashamed to be studying with so many boys like us?"
Because Xiao Dong pushed Fang Qing into the water before, he was beaten up by Da Shan. Xiao Dong still holds a grudge against Fang Qing, and he is obviously looking for trouble now.
Fang Qing rolled her eyes at him.
"What's shameful about reading and writing? On the contrary, you should read more books so that your ignorance won't be exposed the moment you open your mouth."
As she spoke, Fang Qing turned back to continue practicing horizontal lines.
The teacher was teaching others to practice calligraphy in the back, and the room was noisy. Seeing that the teacher wouldn't notice them, Xiao Dong left his seat and went to Fang Qing's desk to lie down.
"You're still sharp-tongued. Humph, I'm too lazy to bother with you. Otherwise, I'll show you what I'm capable of."
As he spoke, he caught sight of Zhao Shi'an, who was looking at him with a gloomy gaze, and anger suddenly surged from his chest.
"What are you looking at? You little bastard with no parents, how dare you sit here and study with us? You don't deserve to!"
Before he could finish speaking, Fang Qing flicked a calligraphy brush at his face, splashing water from the brush all over his face.
"What are you doing, bean sprout!"
"Why are you talking to me? If you don't want that filthy mouth of yours, I'll tear it apart for you."
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