The following evening, Lu Baichuan went to the clinic an hour early to pick up He Jiuniang and take her home. He was hosting Mr. Kang and his group for dinner that night, and as the host, he couldn't arrive too late.
This was the first time Lou Chong and his group had eaten together with Kang Xiucai. Kang Xiucai was initially a little reserved and even uncomfortable.
After all, he was just a minor scholar, nothing special, yet he was able to associate with the adults at Xishuiyuan, which made him feel quite apprehensive.
Fortunately, the children at home were very sensible and knew he was a little reserved, so they all surrounded him and asked him questions.
Firstly, it was to ease his tension, and secondly, they really didn't understand some of the knowledge they were learning, so they wanted to take this opportunity to ask Mr. Kang more questions.
It must be said that this method did have some effect. Before long, Kang Xiucai adapted and began to seriously discuss scholarship with the children.
When Lianhua and the others returned, they saw Mr. Kang lecturing to Leizi and the others, and they hurriedly ran over to listen.
The women didn't have a proper place to learn; what they knew was taught to them by the children in their families who were already studying. Now that they could listen to the teacher lecture in person, they were naturally incredibly excited. They were all eager to learn and listened attentively. Occasionally, when they encountered a problem they didn't understand, they would cautiously ask a question.
Of course, Kang Xiucai did not ostracize them because they were girls. He still explained things earnestly and even explained them more clearly because he was worried that their foundation was not very good.
Lianhua and Youya were both very excited. They hadn't expected Mr. Kang to be so approachable. No wonder the kids who used to go to school would tell their families how good Mr. Kang was every day when they got home. Now they had seen it for themselves.
Lou Chong and his friends were chatting and waiting for dinner when they saw a group of children learning so enthusiastically. They became interested and moved their little stools over to listen to what the children were saying.
Once you start listening, you really get absorbed; Kang Xiucai's lectures are so entertaining!
Even though the poems and texts are very dry, he will contextualize them, immersing the students in the author's environment and state of mind at the time.
When discussing a poem, he doesn't just talk about the poem itself, but also begins by explaining why the author wrote it.
Then the rhythm of the poem, the related explanations, and finally the poet's state of mind were all explained clearly.
After listening for a while, Lou Chong exclaimed, "So this is how interesting poetry is!"
Another person exclaimed, "Yes, Mr. Kang speaks very well; even a roughneck like me can understand him!"
The speaker was named Vida, a true roughneck. In terms of scholarship, he thought he was already quite accomplished just by being able to read and write letters.
When we were in Nantai, we hired a teacher to teach them all, but he couldn't listen to anything and would fall asleep in class, so he got scolded a lot.
However, he has good combat skills, which is why he stands out in the team. If he could also improve his cultural knowledge, he would definitely have a lot more room for advancement.
With that thought, he was instantly motivated and shouted, "Mr. Kang, please teach us too!"
Kang Xiucai was teaching the children with great enthusiasm when he heard someone calling him. He turned around and found a group of grown men sitting right behind him, openly eavesdropping, which confused him.
When did they arrive?
How could he not know?
After realizing what had happened, Kang Xiucai smiled somewhat shyly and said, "Please forgive my ignorance, everyone. I am only knowledgeable to a very basic extent."
He's been quite emotional lately because that incident had a significant impact on him. If it weren't for these kids who frequently come to visit him and chat with him, he probably wouldn't have made it this far.
Of course, during this period I was also deeply self-doubting about my own knowledge, feeling that I was not suited for academic pursuits.
But now, besides these children, there are so many people in high positions praising him for speaking well. Whether it's true or not, at this moment, he feels comforted and feels the kindness of many people towards him.
He felt that meeting Dr. He and his family was probably the biggest turning point in his life.
His previously fragile health was cured, and he was fortunate enough to participate in this year's scientific expedition. He also met so many prominent figures. In this life, he has not lost out.
Wei Da continued, "Mr. Kang is too modest. We are not very learned, and sometimes we can't understand what His Highness is saying. We still need to learn more. If Mr. Kang has time, could you teach us? We will pay you! Right?"
Wei Da turned to look at Lou Chong, who then turned to look at Lu Baichuan, since Lu Baichuan was the one in charge in the Fire Cloud Division.
Lu Baichuan directly refused, saying, "What are you thinking? The results of the imperial examination will be out tomorrow, and Mr. Kang will definitely be on the list. After that, he will have to prepare for next year's spring examination. How can he have time to lecture to everyone? If you really want to learn, you can hire another teacher. Don't delay Mr. Kang's important business."
Lu Baichuan said this not because he didn't want Kang Xiucai to teach them, but simply because Kang was too busy. Otherwise, his children wouldn't have had to go to other academies.
Kang Xiucai was unsure how to refuse when Lu Baichuan spoke up for him, and Kang gave him a grateful look.
It would be an honor to lecture to these people, but that was not his ambition.
If he had the chance in this life, he would still like to rely on his own abilities to see the emperor's face in the palace and do something for the people with his own strength, instead of being confined to a lecture platform and only talking about military strategy on paper.
"Yes, yes, we forgot that Mr. Kang is waiting for the results of the imperial examination. We really shouldn't have done that. I will definitely punish myself with three drinks at dinner later!"
Wei Da stood up quite calmly, bowed to Kang Xiucai with his hands clasped, and said, "Mr. Kang, I am truly sorry for offending you!"
Although he was a roughneck, he wasn't completely ignorant. He had spoken from the bottom of his heart and had genuinely forgotten that Scholar Kang was waiting for the imperial examination results. Therefore, it was only right for him to apologize frankly.
Kang Xiucai was flattered and hurriedly returned the bow, saying, "It is my honor to be appreciated by you gentlemen."
"Mr. Kang is so talented, he'll definitely be on the list tomorrow! Let's drink until we drop tonight, then go home and get some sleep, and check the list first thing tomorrow morning!"
Just then, He Jiuniang came out and called for dinner. Two large tables of food and drink had already been set up. The women and children sat at one table, and the men who were drinking sat at another table, so that they would not disturb each other.
Kang Xiucai hadn't planned to drink before he arrived, but the atmosphere got to him, and he ended up having a full bowl. Paired with He Jiuniang's newly developed braised meat dishes, it was absolutely delicious. He chatted and laughed with everyone at the table, having a wonderful time.
I was worried that they were too narrow-minded, one being intellectual and the other martial.
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