CH 58

Chapter 58 – Preferential treatment

Man Bao and Bai Shanbao lowered their heads as Mr Zhuang reprimanded them. Then, he led the two kids into his study to give them preferential treatment. 

The study is divided into two rooms, an inner and an outer room. There are two rows of bookshelves in the outer room, as well as a wide desk and a chair.

The inner room is a tearoom. As Mr Zhuang and his wife were afraid of the cold, they have requested for a kang bed to be constructed in the bedroom and the study respectively.

The short bed was covered with a mat, with a tea set in the middle. Mr Zhuang knew that tea was not suitable for children, so he did not let them have tea. He sat at the head seat and allowed the two children to sit on the opposite side.

Bai Shanbao took off his shoes, climbed up, and sat cross-legged skilfully.

Man Bao, however, had never sat like this before. The curious little girl climbed up next to him, and tried to sit cross-legged, only to immediately topple.

Although Shanbao looked steady, he was, after all, just a little boy. Although his grandmother has taught him to sit cross-legged, he rarely sits this way at home. So, the moment Man Bao knocked into him, he toppled to the side and the two children rolled into a ball.

Mr Zhuang nearly laughed out loud, but he held back his laughter as he had to behave in a dignified manner.

He stretched out his hand and straightened the two children with a smile, “People have long been accustomed to sitting on hu* stools and sleeping on hu* beds. There are many literati who are neither accustomed nor attached to these, but yet, insist on this etiquette. In the future, you will have to learn this if you want to be a scholar.”

He added, “But you are still young, so you don’t need to sit in such an upright manner.”

He was about to continue when Man Bao asked curiously, “What is literati? Is Hu stool a stool? Why is it called Hu stool?” (Good questions! )

Mr Zhuang who wanted to teach them something else paused. After pondering for a moment, he explained all these to them.

What is the literati? The simple meaning of the word means many, many scholars. Literati comprises a body of scholars.

Speaking of scholars, it was necessary to explain the social stratum of farmers, craftsmen, and merchants, as well as the untouchables. Time passed swiftly with such an interesting lesson!

Although he didn’t have the opportunity to go through his original lesson plan, he was delighted to see that the two kids thoroughly enjoyed the impromptu lesson.

He looked outside and said, “Class is about to resume in 15 minutes, lie down, close your eyes and rest.”

However, the two children felt very energetic and were not tired at all.

Mr Zhuang then said, “Although you don’t feel tired, using your brain will damage your qi and blood. Even if you don’t feel it now, you won’t be able to grow taller and will be dumber if you don’t rest. By then, it will be too late to change.” (Translator: Aiyoh, lying to kids…)

When the two kids heard those startling statements, they immediately laid on the mat and closed their eyes.

But at this point, their cortexes were still very active, and they couldn’t sleep as they kept recalling what their teacher had just taught them.

They felt it was useless to close their eyes.

But after a while, their breathing stabilized, their brains became less active, their breathing became longer and longer, and they fell asleep.

Mr Zhuang who was sitting opposite them, picked up the teapot from the stove and poured himself a cup of tea. He sipped the tea slowly and smiled when he saw that the kids were gradually spreading out their arms and legs.

He felt he can read “The Analects” throughout his lifetime, and not get bored. Every time he reads the book, he gains different insights. In addition to “The Analects”, the sages have many more books.

Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, Art of War, there were so many books that one could study, so he could teach the children many things.

Mr Zhuang has a lot of knowledge to impart, but not every student is able to learn these things.

He was a student for 30 years and a teacher for 15 years. During this time, he has also been a counsellor and a follower of an aristocrat. He knew only too well how difficult it is to find the right path for a person, how difficult it is for a student to learn the right things for himself, and how arduous it is for a teacher to pass on his knowledge.

When he decided to come to Qili Village, he had already given up on his final dream because it was too difficult, too hard, to find a suitable disciple.

There was not a suitable child to be found among the states and counties. Never in his wildest dreams could he ever imagine meeting a child who was intelligent and who met his expectations in these mountain passes.

But he found his disciples.

First was Man Bao. She was a smart, filial, and respectful child. The only downside is that she is female. (Translator: No worries, our FL will break all glass ceilings and trailblaze new grounds!)

Then, came another suitable disciple.

There are 28 students in school, some are stupid, and some are clever. However, Mr Zhuang knows that even the clever ones have merely superficial knowledge. When he teaches, some will quickly understand while others would need Mr Zhuang’s constant repetitions before they can remember.

But even the smart ones would quickly forget what they have just learnt.

So, he can’t impart deeper teachings.

Why was he willing to bring Man Bao and Shanbao to his study?

Because not only do they understand what he said, they can also deduce many things from just one example and ask more questions.

They ask superficial and subtle questions. As he talks to them, he is not just imparting knowledge, he is also gaining something by thinking as he speaks.

Mr Zhuang leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes to recuperate.

He feels very satisfied, very satisfied with the current situation.

Having one disciple is sufficient. If you have two disciples, you will have no regrets in this lifetime.

Mr Zhuang decides that he goes back to the prefecture the next time, he has to go home and bring back some things for Man Bao and Shanbao.

He closed his eyes and his thoughts wondered. When he sensed that it was almost time for class, he opened his eyes and looked at the sundial. Then, he woke the kids up and they went to class together.

The afternoon lessons were mostly arithmetic and poetry, both of which the children enjoyed, especially arithmetic. Man Bao found that she was able to calculate very fast and as such, Mr Zhuang frequently praised her. This encouraged her put in even more effort.

When it was time to dismiss the class for the day, Mr Zhuang wanted to take the two children over to his study for another lesson. However, before he could say anything, the two little ones stood up excitedly and with their classmates, bowed, to send him off. All the kids were waiting for him to wave his hand to excuse them.

By the time he tried to speak again, the two children who were clutching their books have already disappeared like a puff of smoke.

The flabbergasted Mr Zhuang…

After a while, he shook his head and laughed. Forget it, this is not urgent as the two children are still young.

When Man Bao and everyone ran out, Da Tou was already waiting outside.

When Da Tou saw the little boy next to his little aunt, he took both of them home to put their things away, before dashing outdoors.

– End of this chapter –

Depending on the dynasties, the Hu stools can either be just sitting on the floor, silk mats or straw mats.

Hu bed is an ancient foldable lightweight seating device. Taken from Baike