Chapter 146 I like kids like this
The little devil thought that his second aunt was his brother's mother and was a kind person, so she would definitely help him.
Who knew that the more I listened to this etiquette class, the more something seemed wrong.
"…Never address elders by their given names, as this may lead to people accusing you of being disrespectful to them."
"...you must not quarrel with your elders, be disobedient, or be unfilial. You must not..."
Every time Bailiweihong teaches a new etiquette in her etiquette class, she will add a sentence "Don't do it" at the end, but it happens that these "Don'ts" are exactly what the little devil does every day.
The kid's face became darker and darker.
The quacking hands could no longer move, and the little round face was almost pulled into a donkey's face.
Xu Wan turned away from the window, fearing that she would not be able to hold back her laughter and be seen by the little devil, which would make her furious.
Seeing the little devil's face getting darker and darker, Bailiweihong quickly used her ultimate move: "Children who know manners are liked by others, but many adults are used to children who know manners and don't often praise them. On the contrary, those who didn't know manners before, once they change, will surprise the elders and they will be praised repeatedly, and they will receive more attention than ordinary people."
The wilted little devil suddenly raised his head.
Just like a blade of grass that has been exposed to the scorching sun for a whole day, it finally welcomes the coolest midnight, and is watered by the moist morning dew, sweeping away all the previous discomfort.
He asked tentatively, "Is this the kind of kid that the elders like the most?"
Bailiweihong nodded: "Of course, otherwise think about it, after your grandmother came back, has she been praising you for your great changes, even more than she praised Wenxiu?"
The little devil thought about it carefully, it's true!
Even though his brother is much better than him and his grandmother now treats him and his brother equally, he still receives the most praises!
This is all because of his big change, and the elders like good kids who have big changes!
The little devil immediately smiled happily and began to applaud, "Second Auntie, you said it well!"
Zong Wenxiu scratched his head, shaking it helplessly and amusedly.
My younger brother is really easy to please.
Xu Wan outside the window also left with peace of mind. It seemed that Baili Weihong had found the secret to teach the little devil, so she was no longer worried.
Bailiweihong’s etiquette class only lasts for fifteen minutes every day. Although it is not much, thanks to the two children’s good memory, they can master it quickly.
When Xu Wan saw the two children again, she could still see them bowing to her. Although one of them was not very willing, at least the action was standard.
"Not bad, Jincheng, you've made great progress." Xu Wan followed Baili Weihong's teaching and only praised the little devil.
Zong Jincheng's eyes lit up when he heard this. Xu Wan actually praised him?
It turned out that what the second aunt said was right. The elders like good children like this. He has an advantage over his brother because he is just learning etiquette now. He must study hard!
Although the little devil was ecstatic in his heart, he still tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth and said proudly: "Of course, this young master learns everything quickly!"
Although the second aunt said that it was not good for him to call his stepmother by her full name every day, he was too embarrassed to change his words. Calling her mother was too strange, and calling her mother also felt wrong. He always felt like he had admitted defeat to Xu Wan.
So he stubbornly refused to change the address. At most, he stopped calling her by her full name. He would just call her "Hey Hey" when there was something to say, and wouldn't call her when there was nothing to say.
Xu Wan didn't care what he shouted, just stop irritating her by making noise every day.
The next month was the time for the little devil to concentrate on his sprint for the boy's department. The private instructors had already trained a Zong Wenxiu and had accumulated a lot of experience, so they were more than adept at teaching the little devil.
Another month passed in the blink of an eye.
Pan Hongzhi placed a new test paper on Zong Jincheng's desk and said, "Jincheng, this is the test paper for the last 12-year-old Wenxiu exam. You should do this for today's quiz. Let us see how capable you are."
The little devil rolled up his sleeves and said, "It's too easy. You should let me take my brother's child-oriented exam paper."
The corners of Pan Hongzhi's mouth twitched, and he thought to himself, "Don't be so arrogant, and don't look down on your brother too much."
In the first six months after Zong Wenxiu returned home, he was mostly self-taught. He read a variety of books without a step-by-step approach, so he gave people the impression that he was only slightly better than ordinary people.
But after entering the key class and starting formal studies, Zong Wenxiu began to show his talents. His talent and hard work were not much worse than his younger brother, especially hard work, which was something the little devil always lacked.
So the little devil has been learning for half a year, but he is still running behind his brother and has not surpassed him.
"Let's take a look at the final results of this test paper first." Pan Hongzhi said, and asked someone to light a big incense stick.
Then he did not forget to instruct: "Jincheng, don't write too fast, read the questions carefully, and write neatly. You are too focused on time. There is plenty of time left until the end of the exam."
The little devil waved his hands and said, "I know, I know. I have to start the exam. Let's talk in half an hour."
Pan Hongzhi: “…”
The exam lasts for one hour, and you, you nasty boy, are planning to finish it in half an hour!
Every time Pan Hongzhi looked at his handwriting, he felt suffocated.
But Xu Wan just didn't care about the little devil's handwriting, which made him, the teacher who graded the papers, want to scratch his hair every day and force himself not to give this brat grades.
In less than half an hour, the little devil handed in his paper again.
Pan Hongzhi wanted to die right there while holding the test paper.
"Jincheng, this word is not okay..." Pan Hongzhi's brows were wrinkled so much that they could kill ten mosquitoes.
"Why is it not working?" the little devil urged, "Quick, quick, bring me the papers that my brother took for the children's exam. I'll do another set while you're marking them."
Pan Hongzhi could no longer bear it and said, "Jincheng, listen to me, your handwriting has deteriorated more and more seriously. It was okay for you to just draw casually before, as we are familiar with you and can carefully identify it. Including the Qingbo Academy, because of the dean, the teachers are willing to spend more time marking your papers. But for the boy's examination, the examiners are from the Ministry of Rites, and we don't have any connections, so even if we did, it would be impossible to cheat, you..."
The little devil said as a matter of course: "Isn't that next spring? There's still half a year left. Don't worry, I can practice then. You're overthinking it."
"I..." Pan Hongzhi was speechless. Staring at the ugly test paper, he really wanted to give him a C.
But after looking at who the other person was.
He endured it.
Pan Hongzhi couldn't hold it in for a moment and was about to explode, but Zhao Yin beside him pulled him back and shook his head at him.
Then he reminded in a voice that only two people could hear: "This monthly exam is a joint exam between the three academies of Hanlin North Academy, Suibian Academy, and Qingbo Academy. Not only are students required to take the exams in different academies, but teachers are also required to grade the papers in different academies. Master Cheng may not have the good luck he had before and be protected by the teachers of Qingbo Academy again."