In the Northern Song Dynasty, he started by marrying the eighth daughter of the Su family.

Han Zhi finally understood—although it might sound a bit harsh, it sounded like… Zhou Yanjun was entrusting his son to someone?

Or rather, do you want me to help Zhou Xi out later?

Zhou Yanjun sighed slightly, his face full of helplessness, and said, "Actually, I have some selfish reasons for this. I know that I am in a dangerous situation now. If they really catch me red-handed, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to get out of this predicament."

“Xi’er is still young. He has lost his mother. If he loses me too, he will be all alone and I will really worry about him. I know this is a bit unfair to you. You are already busy with official duties and the family is about to have a new baby. But I really have no other choice.”

Seeing Zhou Yanjun like this, Han Zhi felt a little sorry for him and said, "Uncle, please don't say that. My cousin is also my family. You entrusting him to me is a sign of your trust in me."

Zhou Yanjun stood up at this moment, looking somewhat surprised. He quickly took Han Zhi's hand and said, "Xi'er is all in your hands now. Not to mention that you can teach him well, if something happens to me, it would be best if you could take good care of him."

"Well..." Zhou Yanjun sniffed and then called out, "Xi'er, bring the gifts!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xi walked in with slightly nervous steps, holding a carefully prepared gift. His eyes revealed a hint of unease and anticipation as he cautiously approached Han Zhi and curtsied slightly.

As a parent of a student, Zhou Yanjun helped Han Zhi to the main seat and then said to Zhou Xi, "Zhou Xi, please bow quickly."

Zhou Xi composed himself, gently placed the tray containing the donation on the table beside him, straightened his clothes again, and took a few steps back. He clasped his hands together in his sleeves, slowly raised them to his forehead, and then leaned forward slightly with the movement of his arms, performing a solemn bow.

Next, Zhou Xi stepped forward, knelt on both knees, straightened his back, and performed the "sitting upright" posture. After a short pause, Zhou Xi slowly bent down, his forehead gently touching the ground, while his hands stretched forward. He held this posture for a long time, performing the "bowing" posture.

After Zhou Xi finished performing the kowtow, Han Zhi nodded slightly, signaling Zhou Xi to rise. Zhou Xi slowly stood up, took another step forward, picked up the gift of gifts from the table, raised it above his head again, and said:

“Cousin, I am honored that you have accepted me as your disciple. From this day forward, I will diligently follow your teachings, study hard, and strive to achieve something so as not to fail your kindness in nurturing me.”

Han Zhi bowed slightly, accepted the tray with both hands, placed it aside, and said, "I have accepted the tuition fee. I hope you will remember the vow you made today and study diligently."

Zhou Xi bowed respectfully again, and that was the end of it.

Zhou Yanjun nodded slightly, turned to face Han Zhi, and bowed, saying, "Zhi'er, Xi'er is entirely in your hands. This child is kind-hearted, but I am usually busy with official duties and have neglected to discipline him. If he is naughty, I hope you will strictly restrain him."

Han Zhi smiled slightly and said, "Of course, I will do my best to teach my cousin."

All of this was just polite talk. Given Han Zhi's working hours at the Dali Temple, it was highly unlikely he would actually teach Zhou Xi. Bao Zheng only took him on as a student because of his mother's influence, hoping to protect him.

Of course, there are exceptions. When Ouyang Xiu wanted to take him as a disciple, he probably really wanted to teach him something useful.

In conclusion, Zhou Yanjun wasn't looking for a tutor for his son; he genuinely wanted Han Zhi to be the one to bail out his son.

Although Han Zhi understood Zhou Yanjun's thoughts, he knew he had to do some work since he had already agreed. So he said, "I still have a copy of my answer sheet from when I took the imperial examination. Wait for me, I'll go get it."

After saying that, Han Zhi turned around and walked quickly towards the study, thinking that the examination paper might give Zhou Xi some inspiration, which could also be considered a small token of his appreciation as his cousin and teacher.

Inside the study, the bookshelves were filled with various classics. Han Zhi skillfully searched through the piles of books and finally found the copy in an inconspicuous corner.

He carefully picked up the copy, took it back to the front hall, and handed it to Zhou Xi, saying, "Although only the 'Mo Yi' and 'Ce Lun' sections are relatively practical, you can still take them back and use them as a reference."

Zhou Xi accepted the copy with both hands, nodded slightly, and said respectfully, "Teacher, I will study it carefully in the future and live up to your painstaking efforts."

At this moment, Zhou Yanjun glanced at the sky and said, "Zhi'er, it's getting late, Xi'er and I should go back. You still have to take care of your wife, so we won't bother you any longer."

Han Zhi bowed slightly and said, "Uncle, take care on your journey. If you have any questions, cousin, feel free to ask me."

He escorted the father and son to the door and watched them leave. Zhou Miao'an then approached and asked, "Zhi'er, how did the talk go?"

"I've already taken my cousin on as a student."

Zhou Miaoan nodded and said, "That's good then. You should go back and take care of Eighth Sister."

"Yes, mother."

......

Back in the room, he first looked towards the couch, but didn't see Su Zhen. He then turned to look at the bed. Su Zhen was indeed there, still holding the Rubik's Cube, turning it repeatedly, but her eyes were somewhat vacant—

Clearly, his mind wasn't entirely on this little Rubik's Cube.

Han Zhi gently walked to the bedside and sat down, reaching out to hold Su Zhen's hand holding the Rubik's Cube, and said softly, "Eighth Sister, why are you playing with this again? Are you feeling down again?"

Su Zhen slowly turned her head to look at Han Zhi, forcing a smile. "My lord, there's no need to worry. I'm fine. I just wanted to find something to do to pass the time."

Seeing Su Zhen's state, Han Zhi felt a pang of sympathy and said, "Would you like to see how I solve a Rubik's Cube, Eighth Sister? I'll teach you again."

Su Zhen nodded slightly and gently handed the Rubik's Cube to Han Zhi, looking at him with quiet eyes, as if trying to show that she was looking forward to it.

Seeing this, Han Zhi smiled gently, took the Rubik's Cube from Su Zhen's hand, and began to patiently turn it, explaining to her as he did so.

His fingers moved deftly between the different surfaces. However, a portion of his attention remained focused on Su Zhen, observing her reactions. When he saw her brow furrow slightly, he slowed down, trying to make sure she could understand.

Silence reigned, with only the sound of the Rubik's Cube turning and breathing filling the room.