Chapter 59: Mom, are you tired? Your son will give you a leg massage
Goudan knew very well that since he was studying with the teacher, many people in the village were waiting to laugh at him.
In their eyes, how much knowledge could a woman have? Even though Gu Jiayue was a young lady from a marquisate who grew up in Kyoto, she could only write a few sour poems.
But only he knew that the Master was a truly talented person. If the dynasty had not prohibited women from taking the imperial examinations, with the Master's knowledge, it would have been a piece of cake for him to pass the examination and become the top scorer.
Therefore, he cherished this rare learning opportunity very much and studied hard every day.
The questions in this exam were indeed quite difficult, and he would be unwilling to disappoint his teacher because of his poor performance.
"This...what are you thinking about? You got two perfect scores in the exam. I want to talk to your parents about your future training direction." Gu Jiayue realized that her words had caused Goudan to misunderstand her. She felt secretly annoyed that she was not thoughtful enough and forgot that Goudan was a sensitive child. Such words would easily make him doubt his ability.
"Master!" Goudan's eyes were full of surprise and expectation. He couldn't believe his ears.
Facing Goudan's expectant eyes, Gu Jiayue nodded affirmatively, handed the paper back to him, and said, "Double 100 points. Go back and tell your parents, and remember to ask them to come over tonight."
Goudan held the test paper tightly, as if it was his most precious treasure.
The teacher had explained to them before the exam that only those who got all the questions right without making any mistakes could get a perfect score.
He rushed out of the yard as fast as lightning, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Mom and Dad, I got 100% on the test! 100%!"
The loud voice seemed to let the whole village hear his joy.
"Hey, that kid who just ran over was Zhang Shuigen's kid, right? What was he yelling about? 'Double 100'?"
The villagers who were working in the fields stopped their work and watched a small figure rush past them like a gust of wind.
"I don't know, but judging from the direction, it should be coming from Gu Xuanhai's house. It should be time for school to be over." Another villager guessed.
"Hey, do you think that the granddaughter of Gu Xuanhai can really teach children to read?" Someone raised the question in his heart.
"Hey, how do we know whether it is possible? Our children don't go to school, right?" someone responded.
"Maybe it's true. My grandson and Gousheng from the Gu family are good friends. They often hear Gousheng reciting things, and he speaks very clearly. It should be true." A villager recalled.
Goudan ran so fast that he didn't hear the villagers' discussions in the fields at all.
He opened the door happily, but found that his parents were not at home.
After looking around in the yard, I didn't see anyone. I could only wonder in my heart if he had gone to work in the mountains.
He couldn't wait to share this joy with his parents and didn't want to wait even for a quarter of an hour.
So he closed the door and ran towards the mountain.
At this time, the village chief's eldest grandson, Gu Zhouliang, had just returned from vacation in the county town. Seeing Goudan running out in a hurry, he hurriedly called out, "Goudan, where are you going?"
When Goudan heard someone calling him, he stopped and turned around to look.
Seeing that it was the village chief's eldest grandson, he smiled happily, walked over quickly, and said, "Brother Zhou Liang, are you back from your vacation?"
Gu Zhouliang, the eldest grandson of the village chief, is twelve years old this year. He attends a private school run by a scholar in the county town and comes back once a month.
He smiled at the boy next door and said, "Well, there was hail a few days ago. I was worried about my family, so I asked for leave to come back and see them."
Goudan is a little different from other children in the village. He has an extraordinary love for reading.
Whenever Gu Zhouliang came home on holiday, he would always see Goudan squatting in the corner of his house. At first, he thought Goudan was greedy for the food, but later he found out that his brother was eavesdropping on him reciting his lessons.
Afterwards, he deliberately recited aloud in the yard, and sure enough, he saw that the expression on Goudan's face became more serious.
He secretly hid in the corner and recited it sentence by sentence.
Gu Zhouliang was very surprised at the time. He couldn't help but wonder, is there really someone who loves reading so much? Why do they like it so much?
He brought his doubts to the school and asked the teacher.
The Master simply smiled and recited: "A half-acre square pond opens like a mirror, where the light of heaven and the shadows of clouds wander together. I ask how it can be so clear? Because it has fresh water from its source."
At first, he did not fully understand the profound meaning that the Master wanted to convey through this poem, but now when he saw Goudan again, he seemed to understand what the Master meant.
"Brother Zhou Liang, look, I've started studying now, and I got all the answers right on the test this time! The teacher said that only those who get all the answers right can get a perfect score. A perfect score, that's really amazing!"
Goudan's cheeks flushed, his eyes sparkled with excitement, and he spoke very quickly, wishing he could pour out all the joy in his heart. At this moment, he just wanted to share this honor with everyone and let everyone know that he was an amazing child.
"Oh? Is that true? Can you give me the test paper to take a look?" Gu Zhouliang raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes full of surprise and curiosity.
As a neighbor, Gu Zhouliang had a general idea of the situation in Goudan's family.
He once said to Uncle Shuigen, "Uncle Shuigen, Goudan is a very smart kid. If he is sent to the county town to study, he will surely have a great future."
But Uncle Shuigen just sighed helplessly, frowned, and said with a sad face: "Alas, my family is so poor that I really can't afford the money for education."
Unexpectedly, in just one month, Goudan actually embarked on the path of studying.
Gu Zhouliang couldn't help but wonder inwardly, who was the teacher so lucky to have such a diligent and studious student?
"Of course!" Goudan handed over the paper carefully with both hands without hesitation, his movements full of cherishment, as if it was not an ordinary test paper, but his most precious treasure.
Gu Zhouliang took it with both hands, leaned over slightly, and examined it intently.
The questions on the test paper are all common content in enlightenment books and are not too difficult.
But Goudan not only answered all the questions correctly, his handwriting was also neat and beautiful, with a sense of seriousness and persistence revealed in every stroke, and it was obvious that he had put in a lot of hard work.
Gu Zhouliang couldn't help but praise: "Not bad, it seems that Goudan has been studying hard during this period. You have to keep up the good work in the future. If you have any questions, just come and ask me." As he said that, he handed the paper back to Goudan with a smile, and that smile was full of sincerity and encouragement.
In Goudan's heart, Gu Zhouliang had always been his role model, the goal he strived to emulate. Now that he had received such praise from his idol, he felt his blood boiling, his excitement overwhelming. "Well, thank you, Brother Zhouliang! You've been traveling all the way, and I'm sure you're exhausted. You should go home and rest. I'll go find my parents right away."
As Goudan spoke, he stepped back, his eyes full of respect and gratitude.
"Okay, go ahead. Be careful on the road. The soil on the mountain hasn't dried up yet, so the road might be slippery. Be sure to watch your step." Gu Zhouliang warned with concern, his eyes full of brotherly care.
"Oh, I got it!" Goudan responded happily, turned around and ran. His excited figure was like a black lightning, quickly shuttling along the winding country road. The wild flowers and grasses on both sides swayed gently in the breeze, as if cheering for his joy.
On the other side, Gu Yuhe looked at the glaring score on the test paper, his face turned pale and red, and his heart was full of frustration and regret.
His eyes rolled around and he tiptoed to sneak away. But before he took a few steps, he was caught by Li Juhua who was waiting beside him.
Li Juhua folded her hands in front of her chest with a serious look on her face. She had clearly heard Goudan's excited shouts just now. The child from the Zhang family had scored 100 points in the exam.
Although she didn't quite understand what a perfect score meant, judging by her cheerful expression, she must have done very well in the exam.
Looking at her good-for-nothing son, Li Juhua's brows were twisted into a knot.
Seeing the situation was not good, Gu Yuhe instantly put on a big fake smile. His eight teeth were exposed, making him look like a funny clown. He quickly walked over to Li Juhua and said flatteringly, "Mom, are you tired? Let me give you a leg massage to relieve your fatigue."
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