Chapter 111
For young children's literacy education, tutors often used the Thousand Character Classic to teach characters. First, they learned to recognize the characters, and then they gradually progressed to writing them.
The two little ones had been attending school for about three months. Initially, Luo Yan kept the lessons light, as young children’s attention spans were naturally scattered. If they could sit through class without crying or making a fuss, they were already considered well-behaved. If they managed to learn something on top of that, it was an exceptional achievement.
At first, Luo Yan was also figuring out the children’s temperaments. Seeing that the two were both diligent and eager to learn, he didn’t linger too long on the Thousand Character Classic after they had mastered it. Instead, he moved on to teaching them how to write.
Day after day, they had been reciting poems, lyrics, and passages with their heads swaying back and forth. The brushes prepared at home had gone unused for months. Now, at last, they were finally seeing the light of day.
Ruijin’s little brush had remained neatly stored in his book box, but now it was finally being put to use.
As for little Ruili’s brush, it had been taken out every few days for "inspection." Even before they started learning to write, the bristles had already split or become too sparse to use. Anyone unaware might have thought the child was exceptionally studious, having worn out his brush from overuse.
In reality, while the tutor stood at the front of the classroom reciting passages with his hands behind his back, little Ruili would obediently follow along, tilting his head, but his hands were never still, fiddling with the soft bristles of his brush.
Either he’d pluck the hairs out one by one and blow them onto Ruijin’s head in front of him, or he’d find some other mischief. Keeping his hands properly still was simply impossible.
His older brother in front of him seemed to have drunk some "growth potion," as if their father had secretly fed him extra meals. Despite eating and living together, Ruijin had shot up in height. Sitting upright in class, he only needed to lower his head slightly to completely block little Ruili from view, making it all the more convenient for the younger one to fool around.
But he wasn’t entirely foolish. The tutor’s eyes were like an eagle soaring high in the sky, even from a distance, the slightest irregularity on the ground would send it swooping down. If the chicks in the yard weren’t careful, they’d be snatched away. If the tutor caught him misbehaving, he’d get a light tap on the head with a book.
So he didn’t dare act too brazenly behind his brother’s back, lest the tutor one day say: "Little Ruili, you’re much shorter than your brother. You should move to sit in front of him."
Watching his brother in front of him, who seemed as if he’d never had the chance to study in his past life, practically burying himself in the pages, and little Xing’er beside him, soft and sweet, blinking attentively during lessons, little Ruili still managed to spare some focus for learning amidst his play.
It wasn’t because he was influenced by the environment, it was just that everyone else was too diligent. He feared falling too far behind and drawing special attention from the tutor or his father. If that happened, he wouldn’t just lose playtime, he’d also lose his beloved ice-cold drinks, big watermelons, candied honey treats…
So if the tutor assigned them to recognize ten characters from the Thousand Character Classic that day, he made sure not to show up the next day knowing only eight.
With his "exceptional" determination to learn, the rewards were equally remarkable. He achieved an outstanding ranking, proudly securing third place in the class!
But why, despite completing the tutor’s assignments diligently, did he only manage third place?
Because little Xing’er, who took second place, had started his education earlier and had long since mastered the Thousand Character Classi.
And why did his brother, who had started learning at the same time as him, outperform even little Xing’er to claim the top spot? It wasn’t just bias, his brother was simply too studious.
If the tutor assigned ten characters to memorize in a day, his brother could remember thirty in class alone. After returning home, instead of playing, he’d bury himself in the study and memorize twenty more. If little Ruili didn’t pester him, he’d probably learn even more.
How many characters could the housand Character Classic even have? It couldn’t withstand his brother’s relentless assault. In no time, he had memorized the entire text: Heaven and Earth, dark and yellow. The universe, vast and desolate. Sun and moon, wax and wane. Stars and constellations, spread across the sky… and even supplemented his studies with the Three Character Classic and Hundred Family Surnames.
[Thousand Character Classic (千字文, Qiānzì Wén): poetic Chinese text composed of exactly 1,000 unique characters. The opening line: Heaven and Earth, dark and yellow...]
[Three Character Classic (三字经, Sānzì Jīng]: Introduces Confucian morals, basic history, geography, and practical wisdom]
[Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓, Bǎijiā Xìng): A list of 507 common Chinese surnames (though "hundred" is symbolic)]
Others might not know, not even their own father. But while little Ruili was just an ordinary smart child, his brother was a true prodigy.
The poems and short verses the tutor taught during the day? His brother could recite them after just three repetitions. When little Ruili got confused and forgot characters later, he didn’t even need to ask his father, his brother had all the answers.
Despite his brilliance, his brother kept his abilities hidden, only demonstrating enough to meet the tutor’s expectations. Little Ruili was convinced it was because his brother didn’t want to make him look like a complete fool. He was deeply moved.
His brother was so good to him, of course he’d keep his secret. He wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone about having a prodigy for a brother.
The tedious character recognition phase finally passed, and they moved on to writing with brushes. But the little brush he had rubbed nearly smooth, once so friendly in his hands during reading lessons, now turned haughty when it came to its real purpose. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t control it properly. So on the first day of writing…
"The little chicken’s claw scratches look quite lively. With a bit more practice, you’ll write as well as little Xing’er."
Zhang Fangyuan held up the writing samples from class and offered this critique.
"My hand hurts," little Ruili whined, unwilling to accept the disappointing results. "This is worse than just recognizing characters."
Little Ruili is so cute lol.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update!