Spring scenery in the fields

"There is a saying that goes, 'You never stop learning'. No matter how old you are, people who study hard and learn to read will not be ridiculed. Those who ridicule are just jealous."

She wanted to teach them to read herself, but the characters here were all traditional Chinese, and she didn't recognize some of them and couldn't write them.

Ji Wenhe looked up at the people above him and said, "Brother Shen, can you go to Uncle Xiucai's house and borrow a book?"

Shen Rongshan lowered his head, a puzzled look in his eyes: "Can you read?"

Given her situation, her family probably wouldn't send her to a private school.

"I know a little bit. I used to go pick wild vegetables. There was a little sister in the neighboring village. Her father knew how to read and often taught her at home. After we met, she also taught me a lot of words."

She didn't know how many lies she had told since she came here.

"But I don't know many. If you want to learn, I can teach you what I know. At least you have to learn your own name."

Shen Yunshan's eyes lit up instantly: "Really, sister-in-law, we want to learn."

"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you? But I haven't written for a long time. I've forgotten a lot. I need a book to recall it."

She had to learn the language of this world so as not to become illiterate, and to avoid being cheated when signing contracts with others in the future.

Ji Wenhe raised his smiling face and said, "Brother Shen, can you borrow a book for me?"

Shen Rongshan nodded: "Yes, you can also teach me how to read."

She smiled even more brightly: "Okay, let's learn together."

After finishing their meal, the two brothers continued to weave round baskets.

It wasn't until the evening that the shed was finally set up.

Ji Wenhe stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding his waist and looking up at the built shed: "No need to worry about getting wet in the rain when going in and out in the future."

Near the courtyard gate, a space of about one meter is reserved for drying quilts and other things.

Shen Rongshan brushed off the dust on his body and washed his hands: "Wen He, I'm going to borrow a book from Uncle Xiucai's house. Any book is fine?"

"Well, it's something they don't use often. Tell them we want to borrow it for a while."

A scholar should have a lot of books at home.

"Okay, I'll be back soon. I'll cook when I get back."

He looked at her with tenderness in his eyes.

Ji Wenhe smiled sweetly: "Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."

Shen Rongshan went to the scholar's house with a smile. They were having dinner in the house, and he heard someone say "Eat well and stop playing" from inside.

"Uncle Qingyang, I am Rongshan."

A woman holding chopsticks came out. She was Ma Shuangping, the scholar's wife. She looked young and beautiful.

She walked over and opened the gate with a smile: "Rongshan, why are you here at this time? Have you eaten yet? Come and have something at my house."

"No, Aunt Ma, is Uncle Qingyang home?"

"Yes, I'm eating in the house."

Then Shen Qingyang's voice came from inside the house: "Rongshan, what do you want from me?"

Shen Rongshan walked to the kitchen door and saw that his complexion had improved a lot, so he should be better now.

"Aunt He, Uncle Qingyang, I want to borrow a book, any book will do. You don't read it often, I'll come back and return it to you later."

The people around all had puzzled expressions on their faces. They all knew that Shen Rongshan was illiterate, as were his younger brothers.

"Okay." He looked at Ma Shuangping, "There are a few books at the bottom of the box that I don't read often. Take them out and let him choose."

Ma Shuangping nodded: "Rongshan, come with me."

As soon as he left, He Yuxiang lowered her voice and said, "Father-in-law, aren't all the Shen Rongshan family illiterate? What do they need books for?"

Then he thought of Ji Wenhe: "Could it be that his wife can read? Looking at her appearance, it doesn't look like her family would send her to a private school."

Shen Qingyang didn't say anything and just ate his meal.

He Yuxiang was not angry when she didn't get a response. She had long understood her father-in-law's temper. As the only scholar in the area, he was naturally a bit arrogant.

Shen Rongshan couldn't read, so he just picked up a book and walked to the kitchen door: "Uncle Qingyang, Aunt He, Aunt Ma, I'm going to go back first, you guys eat slowly."

Just as he was about to leave, Shen Qingyang couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "Rongshan, are you borrowing books to learn how to read?"

He repeated what Ji Wenhe had said to them, but did not tell them that Ji Wenhe wanted to teach them to read.

"My wife said that she had forgotten a lot of what she had learned before, and she wanted to borrow a book to take home. Uncle Qingyang, I will return the book to you later."

"Don't worry, you can change to other books after you finish reading. Your wife can read, so you might as well learn to read from her."

Shen Rongshan agreed: "I understand, Uncle Qingyang, I'll leave first."

Shen Qingyang nodded: "Go back."

Ma Shuangping closed the gate and came back to whisper, "I never knew his wife could read."

It was surprising that she looked so thin and small, and looked like she had difficulty giving birth.

Shen Rongshan returned home and gave the book to Ji Wenhe.

"Brother Shen, Uncle Xiucai didn't say anything, right?"

He repeated what Shen Qingyang said to her again: "Nothing else was said."

"The scholar is not as conservative as I imagined."

She thought that when the scholar heard that a girl could read and wanted to learn to read, she would be looked down upon and would be told a lot of things like "a girl's virtue lies in her lack of talent."

"Uncle Qingyang is the only scholar in the area. He is a little arrogant, but he won't look down on others."

Ji Wenhe understood and opened the book to take a look.

I recognize some of the characters, but for most of the characters I don't know, I can still guess what they are based on the radicals and the context.

Shen Rongshan’s name is on the land deed, and it was written by a scholar. You can teach him how to write his name first.

At the dinner table, Ji Wenhe scooped up some water, dipped his index finger in the water, and wrote the word "mountain" on the table.

"This character is pronounced 'shan'. It is the last character of your name and is also the simplest."

The three of them listened attentively to her explanation of how to write.

After the strokes were handed over to them, each of them wrote them several times on the table, and gradually their writing became more and more formal.

Ji Wenhe nodded with satisfaction: "Well, not bad, practice writing it a few more times. After you remember it well, I will teach you the rest."

Adults are not as difficult to teach as children. After being taught once, they will basically remember it.

After dinner, the two of them soaked their feet while writing the new words they learned today on their knees.

Ji Wenhe washed up early and went into the house. There were a hundred kilograms of black flour outside, which he would take out to sell tomorrow.

Shen Yuanshan looked at the person who came into the room with the basin and said, "Brother, I didn't expect my sister-in-law could read."

"I didn't expect that either."

After knowing that she can read, I feel that there are many things wrong with her.

But it doesn't matter, she is his wife now, no matter what she was like in the past, it doesn't matter.

"Don't spread the news that your sister-in-law can read, so as not to cause her unnecessary trouble."

The two brothers nodded.

They understand that some people may appear to be friendly with others on the surface, but in their hearts they cannot bear to see others living better than themselves, and everyone is jealous.