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墨書 Inktalez
The oldest Zhang San Zhu sat on a stool, just high enough to see over the table, looking nervously at the Master in front of him, his eyes wide open, unsure of what to smile about.
Fearing that Liu Qingyan might say something that would hurt Kid, Liu Qingxi quickly stepped forward: "Yan, you go teach someone else; let me teach Zhang San Zhu!"
Six-year-old Zhang San Zhu still hadn't grasped the situation, but the usually gentle Sister Qingxi made him feel less anxious: "Sister Qingxi, did I write it wrong?"
"That's right! Zhang San Zhu is very impressive; look how well you wrote!"
Receiving praise, Kid suddenly slid off the chair, excited and unsure where to put his hands and feet.
"However, Zhang San Zhu, look at everyone else; they are all standing while you are lying down. People only lie down when they are sleeping. We need to write while standing, understand? Come on, let me teach you again!"
Liu Qingxi held his hand and began practicing again, but Kid's hand naturally drifted to the side, requiring Liu Qingxi to exert effort to guide it back.
By the second round, it was noticeably better. By the time the sand tray was filled and smoothed out for another start, Zhang San Zhu's Human Character had nearly improved.
"Good! Zhang San Zhu, keep practicing like this. Make sure your Human Character stands up properly, okay?"
At this point, Liu Qingxi couldn't help but think of the children in kindergarten. Many of them insisted on writing characters lying down and couldn't be corrected.
Every time she saw this, she couldn't help but laugh. Young children often struggle with direction; they just do whatever feels comfortable. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that several others had written their characters slanted or even upside down.
Some even had strokes written incorrectly; although it was just two simple strokes, it posed a challenge for many.
Soon after, Liu Qingyan checked everyone's work and prepared to start learning the next character.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Liu Qingxi opened the door, and a large group of eager villagers rushed in. "Qingxi, we heard the children are learning here, can we come and take a look?"
"Of course, uncles and aunts, but they are practicing their writing right now, so let's not disturb them."
"We understand!" The group led by Liu nodded vigorously.
This was literacy and education, something they had never witnessed in their lifetime.
Through the window, they could see the children diligently practicing inside, while Liu Qingyan walked back and forth with his hands behind his back like an adult.
They lowered their voices to discuss, "Wow, so this is what a school looks like. Hey, hey? What character is Hammer writing?"
"How would I know? If I knew, I would teach my son. But it looks really nice!"
"Exactly! If only my Child could read too!"
Hearing their discussions, Liu couldn't help but raise her head proudly. "Look at my Er Zhuzi and Zhang San Zhu! They are doing so well!" Although she didn't know what the children were actually writing.
Even if they made mistakes, to parents, it was still the best.
No matter how others viewed their children, they would always be a source of pride in their eyes. Even if they didn't praise them much in front of the kids, whenever talking to outsiders, they would definitely boast about them.
"Yes, yes! Er Zhuzi and Zhang San Zhu are learning so diligently. Oh sister-in-law, your family will have scholars in the future!"
"Hey, it's just recognizing a few simple characters. At least they won't be like our parents who lived their whole lives blind to the world!" Though she said that, the pride on her face was unmistakable.
The envious gazes from others were a great enjoyment for her.
For these parents, even if they did nothing but sit on a stool and watch their children write, it was quite interesting. Their focus was more serious than the children's learning.
The children studied for two hours, while the parents watched for the same duration.
Some of the better ones learned two or three characters, while those who struggled managed to learn the simplest human character.
Although various mistakes led to many laughs along the way, and some needed to be taught many times before they understood, their first learning experience brought them great rewards.
The children tidied up their learning materials and carefully carried their sand trays outside, afraid that someone might bump into them and ruin the results of their morning's work. The best characters they had written were on top.
Liu stood at the door, glancing at Er Zhuzi one moment and then at Zhang San Zhu the next. The two children kept her busy, and her smile never faded.
When class ended, she quickly stepped forward and stood at the entrance: "Son, let me help you carry that!"
Zhang San Zhu, feeling sore from carrying for a while due to his age, quickly handed it over: "Mom, don't mess up my writing! This is my human character, the character for 'person'!"
"Alright then, I won't mess it up. Zhang San Zhu is really impressive! Come on, let's go home. What do you want to eat? I'll make something delicious!"
"Mm-hmm, I want scallion noodles and steamed buns!" The kid was not shy; in his mind, aside from meat, noodles and steamed buns were the best things to eat.
You have to understand that white flour is a luxury for farmers; they only steam a pot during the New Year and share two each, so they can't eat too much. Just having that is very satisfying.
However, since her son performed well today, Liu was pleased and waved her hand: "Alright, today I'll listen to you. You and your second brother can each have a bowl of noodles—enough to fill you up. How does that sound?"
Zhang San Zhu immediately jumped up, waving his hands excitedly, "Great! Hahaha, thank you, Mom!"
Then with a thud, the branch he had sharpened fell from his bag. Kid chuckled and quickly picked it up, bouncing ahead.
The situation was similar for Song's family, but Hammer's copper hammer was larger and didn't show as much on his face as Zhang San Zhu did.
As for those who didn't have the chance to send their children over, they could only envy the families leaving.
"Sigh, if only I had helped Qingxi more back then, the kids could be literate by now."
"It's too late for anything now. Who knew Qingxi and Qingyan would have such good fortune!"
If they had known earlier, they would have worked hard to help. But not everyone had the luck of the village chief and Zhang Sanyou.
What they failed to consider was that the rewards others received were based on their previous efforts.
With envy came jealousy. A flower-like woman trailing behind scoffed, "Hmph, what's so great about that? It's just knowing a few characters, and they act like they're worshiping a Buddha!"
She smoothed her messy hair and turned to leave with a sway of her hips.
Once home, she shouted at the man inside, "Look at what you can do! What skills do you have? Their kids are going to Human Character school; why can't you send our son there too?"
A dark-skinned man with obvious wrinkles and mismatched patched clothes came out of the room. He looked nothing like her and said, "Why are you shouting again? What’s this nonsense about literacy? What did you go out for?"
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