That's a bit like the thief crying "stop thief!"
Upon hearing this, Tonghua jumped up and retorted to Chunlai's wife, "Chunlai, speak with your conscience! You were the one who started it, pushing Shanhe's wife and causing her to fall. This cat only pounced on you because it was protecting its owner. You brought this on yourself."
Upon hearing that it was Chunlai's wife who had pushed her mother, Xiaocao immediately glared angrily at Xuewa standing to the side! Xuewa, feeling glared at, pouted and looked like she was about to cry again.
When Chunlai's wife was pricked by a tung flower, she was too embarrassed to say anything more and could only cry out in pain.
Su Yun'er rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
"Alright, stop making a scene!" She had reached her limit!
"Mother, fetch a basin of water for Sister Chunlai, wash her face and comb her hair. She can't just sit on the ground crying like this." Su Yun'er frowned and said, then said to the others, "Xiaocao, go back to your room and continue your exam. Xuewa, Meiya, you two come here."
Mei Ya'er was right next to Su Yun'er, while Xue Wa was squatting not far away. After hearing Su Yun'er's words, the two children stood in front of her.
Tonghua and Chunlai's wife both fell silent, their eyes fixed intently on Su Yun'er.
“Sister, Xuewa, your mother sent you here hoping I would take you in to study, but as I just said, my resources are limited and I can't take in two students. I can only take in one more at most. I have no choice but to select one of you two.”
Su Yun'er paused for a moment: "Here's what we'll do. I'll recite a poem that I've never taught before. You've definitely never heard those other kids mention it. After I finish reciting it, I'll give you some time. Whoever remembers the most, I'll take on the role. Do you understand?"
Both children nodded.
Su Yun'er continued, "Next is this poem: 'Ode to the Goose: Goose, goose, goose, with its curved neck singing to the sky. White feathers float on the green water, red webbed feet stir the clear waves.'"
While Su Yun'er was reciting poetry, both children listened attentively.
Xuewa was looking at Su Yun'er's face, while Mei Ya'er lowered her head and looked at the ground beneath her feet, but it was clear that she was listening intently.
Su Yun'er repeated the poem three times in a row, and then said, "Alright, go and memorize it. I'll call you over to check it when it's time."
The two children immediately separated, each finding a spot, and began to recite in hushed tones.
Tonghua and Chunlai's wife stopped arguing and both stared intently at their child.
Old Mrs. Chen brought over a basin of well water and a handkerchief, and used the cool handkerchief to apply an ice pack to Su Yun'er.
After the space spring and the well are bound together, the water is still spring water, but the temperature is similar to that of well water. The water that is freshly drawn up is icy cold, which is perfect for applying ice.
After changing the handkerchief twice, Su Yun'er called the two children back.
"Alright, who wants to recite first?"
At this point, the person who memorizes first will be at a disadvantage, because if the person who memorizes later forgets something, they can listen to it again to fill in the gaps.
Xuewa first looked at Meiya'er. Meiya'er felt the gaze and looked over as well. She pursed her lips and thought for a moment before looking at Su Yun'er: "I'll go first."
Su Yun'er nodded without any other expression: "Let's begin."
Meiya recited it quite well and smoothly. Except for a few words that she misremembered, she had basically memorized it all.
When it was Xuewa's turn, he swallowed hard before starting to recite. His recitation was halting and disjointed, and he completely failed to recite the last sentence.
As Xuewa failed to recite, Tonghua's tense expression relaxed, and she glanced at Chunlai's wife with a hint of pride, her smile revealing undisguised joy.
Chunlai's wife's face darkened even more. Without waiting for Su Yun'er to say anything more, she took three steps forward, grabbed Xuewa, and walked out.
Outside the courtyard, the mother and son walked away, one cursing and the other crying.
Su Yun'er slowly exhaled and said to Mei Ya'er, "From now on, you will study with me. Actually, studying is just the beginning. After the beginning, if you want to continue studying, you will need to find a real teacher to teach you."
The girl nodded repeatedly with a smile on her lips.
“From now on, come to my place for class every day at 9:00 AM. Come back after your afternoon nap. Xiaocao will help you review and preview. She started school earlier than you, and she knows everything I’m teaching you now. Plus, you’re both girls, so you’ll get along well.”
The hour of Si (巳) is from 9:00 to 11:00 in the morning.
Su Yun'er gave her detailed instructions, and Mei Ya'er readily agreed. Tong Hua was overjoyed and kept turning around to thank her as she left.
After finally seeing the four people off, Su Yun'er and Old Lady Chen both breathed a long sigh of relief, then looked at each other and smiled helplessly.
The children taking the exam inside the room have all finished writing.
Su Yun'er couldn't proctor the entire exam, but Lin Xiaolan and Xiaoshu are trustworthy children who will definitely keep an eye on the other children and prevent cheating.
Although they both loved to join in the fun, Su Yun'er still had absolute confidence in them in this regard.
The children did well on their math test.
In fact, ancient people used an abacus to learn arithmetic, but Su Yun'er didn't quite remember how to use the abacus, so she could only teach it to the teacher in the school later.
After the afternoon's events, Su Yun'er taught each child individually, randomly selecting a passage from a book for them to memorize.
Then, some words were selected for dictation to check the children's understanding.
Not bad, everyone grasped it well.
That evening, Lin Moniang arrived, bringing some small loquats.
"I went to town today, and on my way back, I stopped by the shop. A regular customer came in; he wanted to eat, but we weren't open. He insisted on giving me these bright orange fruits. I just took some to Aunt He Liu. He asked what these fruits are called, something..."
“Loquat.” Su Yun’er picked up a fruit.
It's yellowish-orange, but when you smell it, you can't detect any particular scent.
“Yes, yes, it’s called loquat,” Lin Moniang said. “They say it’s good for the throat; it’s a fruit from the south.”
"This fruit is cooling in nature, so Aunt He should eat less of it," Su Yun'er said.
"Yes, Aunt He Liu is pregnant now and doesn't dare to eat anything indiscriminately. She only kept a few to try, and asked me to bring the rest to you. She said that you teach your child to read and talk a lot every day, so it's better for you to eat."
Lin Moniang agreed, then changed the subject: "I heard your cat is very powerful."
Su Yun'er raised an eyebrow: "The news spread so quickly?"
Lin Moniang covered her mouth and laughed: "Of course, Chunlai's wife was gossiping about your family today, saying things like, 'Like father, like son,' and that the cat is as fierce as a tiger and would eat people. She also said you didn't even apologize. It was really awful. Hey, why aren't you angry when you hear that?"
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