My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

After Chun Bo's mother left cursing, Si Xingzhi sat in a chair in a daze, his face full of loneliness.

He had been a noble son of a marquisate since childhood. His grandfather said that although he was not a man of great ambition, he had the ability to maintain the status quo and ensure the stability of the mansion for decades. Therefore, his grandfather's only expectation of him was that he would teach children.

My grandfather said that if the child was well educated, and nothing serious happened, the wealth and prosperity of the Marquis's Mansion would continue.

However, to his grandfather's disappointment, the Marquisate was no longer viable before his children grew up.

After so many years of living in poverty, everything in the family depends on Jingyu and Jingyuan, and on his elder and younger sisters. He seems to be useless, and it is good enough that he does not hold his children back.

At the end of last year, he was very happy to take the children in the village to study. In this literacy class he started this year, he watched these hardworking and motivated children gradually become better under his guidance.

He works hard on teaching and educating little by little. The children not only learn knowledge, but also learn manners and etiquette. They are changing, and he is changing too.

But at this moment, Chun Bo's mother's scolding made him hesitate and doubt. Did he teach wrongly?

In fact, he really wants all children to practice calligraphy with pen and paper, rather than sandboxes. After all, sandboxes and wooden sticks can only teach you how to write characters, but they can't help you develop the rhythm of the characters.

Song Chunbo was a student preparing for the imperial examinations. If he were to teach him, he would definitely not be the way he is now. What he lacked was not hard work, but a qualified teacher. He didn't even need a teacher; occasional guidance would be enough.

The atmosphere in the class was a bit depressing. When the children saw that the teacher was unhappy, they did not dare to speak and wrote quietly on the sand table. When they encountered something they could not write, they hesitated and did not dare to ask.

After an unknown amount of time, the oldest child, Gangzi, mustered up the courage to stand up and said, "Sir, you still have us."

The other children also said so.

"Yes, sir, we are willing to learn to read."

"After you came here, I realized that we can also learn to read."

Gangzi said, "Sir, we love reading!"

Si Xingzhi looked up at the children, moved. Most of them had come of their own accord, but a few had been forced to come by their families. They were often naughty and refusing to study properly. He never criticized them; in his opinion, different approaches suited each person.

Teach knowledge to those who love to learn, and teach principles to those who don’t like to learn.

Now all the children stood there, their eyes full of worry. For two months, this place had become their second home, and their husband had become their family.

"Song Chunbo is not good, sir, please don't teach him anymore."

Gangzi's proposal was met with widespread agreement from everyone.

Si Xingzhi smiled and said, "My mission is to guide and teach you well. Come, today we won't practice calligraphy. Let's go for a walk in the fields and write poetry."

Gangzi asked in surprise: "Sir, we write poetry...we don't know how!"

"You've already memorized so much. You can learn to write poetry or doggerel. If you really can't, just recite what you've learned. If you can't memorize it all, just one or two lines will do."

The children went outside together, chattering away. The diligent students consolidated their learning and even those who were not usually interested in studying memorized a line or two.

As long as students could recite the poem, Si Xingzhi would give them two candies, and everyone was very happy.

When Song Chunbo returned to Songji Village in the evening, the first thing he did was not to go home, but to rush to Si's house and shouted as soon as he entered the door.

"gentlemen."

When Si Xing saw that it was him, he didn't say much. He called him over and asked a few questions about his studies today. After a moment of silence, he took out two books from his desk.

"This one is Xiao An's book. He's finished it. You can take it. Remember to read it through and memorize it. The other one is a policy essay I wrote from memory. In addition to the original content, it also contains my own insights. You can take a look at it as well. It will help you in your county exam next year."

Song Chunbo was overjoyed. Holding the two books in his hands, he couldn't wait to recite them. "Sir, are you saying I can refer to them next year?"

Si Xingzhi said, "You can give the county exam a try, but think about whether you want to take the academy exam. If you can't bear it, just take the county exam as a try."

Song Chunbo understood this sentence. He would definitely pass the county examination next year, but not necessarily the academy examination.

But he was still a little unwilling to give up, so he asked again: "Sir, if I recite all of this, is there any chance I can pass the college entrance examination?"

"Chunbo, you're good in every way, except that you're a bit radical. That's why I asked you to practice calligraphy every day so that you can give your all."

Song Chunbo nodded in agreement. "Sir, your advice is correct. I will study these two books carefully when I get back and will not disappoint you. As for the exam, we'll talk about it at the end of the year."

Si Xingzhi thought of what Chunbo's mother had done today, sighed slightly, and reached out to touch Song Chunbo's head. "You're still young. You'll only be fourteen next year. Take the next exam as a test, and you'll gain more experience. Imperial examinations aren't just about reading sage books; you also need to understand the affairs of heaven and earth. The further you go, the harder it will be. Fortunately, the court values ​​talent these days. As long as you work hard, you'll have a chance to shine."

"Yes." Song Chunbo agreed and continued, "Sir, I'd like to ask, when I practice calligraphy in the future, can I use a sandbox to practice so as not to waste paper?"

"Your mother... isn't going to buy you paper and pen?" Si Xingzhi asked, and before he could answer, he immediately added, "You've been writing since you were a child, and you already know a lot of characters. Practicing calligraphy is not only for calming your mind, but also for practicing character formation. The wooden sticks used in the sand table are different from the pens you use for everyday writing. Once you're used to the sand table, switching to regular pen and ink will be difficult, and it will also be very disadvantageous for you. So, cancel the half-hour of calligraphy practice every day."

Song Chunbo couldn't think of a better way at the moment, so he could only nod as he was told.

Si Xingzhi added, "If you just want to calm your mind, then meditating every day or going for a walk is also very good."

Song Chunbo agreed and went back to his home. As soon as he got home, he smelled the aroma of meat and knew that his mother had stewed the meat.

"Why are you back so late again, Chunbo? Come and have dinner."

Song Chunbo was about to go back and put away the book Si Xingzhi gave him, but before he could go, the book he was holding was snatched away by his mother.

"What is this? Did the teacher give you books?" Chunbo's mother was illiterate, but she was not stupid. When she saw the two books and saw Song Chunbo's nervous expression, she immediately understood and threw the books heavily to the ground.

Song Chunbo hurried to pick it up, but Chunbo's mother stepped on the book.

"Song Chunbo, I worked so hard to send you to school, why don't you study hard and go study with that lousy Mr. Si?" Chunbo's mother grew angrier and angrier as she thought about it. She bent down, picked up a book, and was about to tear it up. "I scolded him today, and he still dared to lead you to slack off? I'm going to tear up all these books!"