"Your handwriting is not good, and your pen holding posture is not correct."
Sister Lin's heart skipped a beat and she bit her lip, feeling a loss that was hard to conceal in her heart. However, the next second, Li Xiucai's words made her regain her confidence.
"You've studied for over two months, and you've already memorized all three hundred thousand characters. This speaks volumes about your intelligence and diligence. Even though this is your first time holding a brush, and your handwriting isn't perfect, the strokes are all correct, and you can write quite a few characters. Despite your poverty, you've still studied, which shows you're a studious person. If you have the conditions and can persevere, you'll definitely achieve something in time."
With every word Li Xiucai spoke, Sister Lin's eyes brightened a little.
Li Xiucai saw the desire and hope for learning in the child's eyes, and a rare smile appeared on her face, which usually did not show her emotions. She touched Lin Jie'er's head and said gently, "I accept you as my student."
-
Zhao family
Zhang Xiuyuan was squatting in the yard, watering the crabapple tree while looking out the door.
The crabapple tree was planted by him and his wife themselves. It was just a small seedling at first, but now it has grown a lot.
Both of them attached great importance to this crabapple tree, as if it was their engagement gift.
Today, Zhao Chuchu, the head of the family, took Lin Jie'er to Li Xiucai's house in the county town.
Zhang Xiuyuan was waiting here according to the time.
I heard that Li Xiucai is very strict in accepting students, and I don’t know if Sister Lin can pass her test.
Sister Lin has loved reading since she was a child. When her mother was still alive and the family was living a happy life, she once said that she wanted to study and take the imperial examinations so that her family could live a better life.
Zhang Xiuyuan's heart was beating fast, and he prayed silently in his heart that Sister Lin would be successful.
"Big brother."
A familiar and tender voice came from the front. Zhang Xiuyuan looked up and saw the little girl running towards him with a bright smile. The slim figure following behind her was actually his wife.
"Brother, I have passed Mr. Li's test, and I can go to a private school." As I approached, the little girl's cheerful chattering voice came.
"Really?" Zhang Xiuyuan's worried heart suddenly calmed down.
Zhang Xiulin surrounded him and kept talking about what happened at Li Xiucai's place today, especially her nervousness when she was writing and her excitement when she learned that Li Xiucai accepted her as a student.
Looking at the lively and cheerful little girl in front of him, Zhang Xiuyuan was a little dazed for a moment.
It had been a long time since he saw Sister Lin so cheerful.
It seems that there has not been much joy in the family since the family fled famine and left their hometown. Later, the mother died of illness, the father was bedridden, and the family was in debt, which cast a shadow over the already poor family.
Zhang Xiuyuan still remembers the depression and sadness that lingered over his family during that period.
Now, looking at the little girl's happy smile, Zhang Xiuyuan's heart unconsciously became more open.
What he wants now is nothing but the safety, health and happiness of his family.
And it all seemed to have started when he met his wife.
Zhang Xiuyuan's gaze fell on Zhao Chuchu.
After Sister Lin finished her excited talk with her eldest brother, she shared her joy with Brother Wen and Mr. Zhang who had just come out.
Zhao Chuchu was talking to Zhang Xiuyuan about going to become his disciple tomorrow.
At present, Li Xiucai accepted Lin Jie'er as his student, but she still needed to pay tuition.
"I plan to buy two strips of bacon, some vegetables, and two taels of silver as a gift." Zhao Chuchu said her plan.
"Well, everything is arranged by my wife."
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