On his fifth day of school, Zhou Xiaozhou finally discovered something he couldn’t master right away, no matter how hard he tried.
Writing.
He was quick to recognize characters and could understand Teacher Shen’s lessons without much trouble.
But the moment he picked up a writing brush, it was as though he became an entirely different person.
One day, his horizontal strokes slanted every which way.
The next, his vertical strokes looked like crooked blades of grass.
Even Gu Xiaoman couldn’t bear to watch anymore.
“Xiaozhou, did you write that character backward?”
Zhou Xiaozhou lowered his head and took a look.
He really had.
Silently, he slid the paper a little closer to himself.
Gu Xiaoman struggled to hold back his laughter.
“My mother says my handwriting is ugly. When she sees yours, she’ll definitely stop scolding me!”
Zhou Xiaozhou gave him a long, reproachful look.
“Gu Xiaoman.”
“What?”
“Are we still good friends or not?”
“Of course!”
“Then could you please stop laughing so loudly?”
Gu Xiaoman finally lost control. He collapsed over his desk, laughing.
Teacher Shen happened to walk by and see the whole scene.
“Xiaoman, have you finished your handwriting practice for today?”
Gu Xiaoman immediately sat up straight.
“Teacher, I still have two characters left.”
“Since that’s the case, finish your own work first.”
Gu Xiaoman quickly lowered his head.
Zhou Xiaozhou pressed his lips together, secretly laughing.
The next moment, Teacher Shen turned to him.
“Xiaozhou, the same goes for you.”
Zhou Xiaozhou’s smile vanished at once.
“Yes, Teacher.”
Teacher Shen took his paper and examined it carefully.
“Your writing is steadier than it was a few days ago.”
Zhou Xiaozhou’s eyes lit up.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Teacher Shen pointed to one of his strokes.
“It’s just that you’re gripping the brush too tightly. Your fingers don’t have much strength yet, and the more you worry about writing crookedly, the less steady your hand becomes.”
He took the child’s little hand and showed him how to relax his fingers.
“Writing isn’t about using brute force. Take your time.”
Zhou Xiaozhou committed the advice to memory.
After Teacher Shen left, he tried writing another character.
This time, it really did look a little better.
It still wasn’t particularly neat, but at least it stayed within the space instead of slanting off the page.
Zhou Xiaozhou nodded in satisfaction.
Gu Xiaoman leaned over to look.
“You’ve improved!”
“Of course!”
Zhou Xiaozhou puffed out his little chest.
“I’ve been practicing hard!”
During the midday break, several students ran out into the courtyard to play.
Zhou Xiaozhou had wanted to join them, too, but his fingers felt a little sore.
So he stayed beneath the covered walkway, gently massaging his hand.
Gu Xiaoman played for a while. When he noticed Xiaozhou hadn’t come out, he ran back to find him.
“Xiaozhou, why aren’t you playing?”
“My hand’s tired.”
“Then that’s perfect!”
Gu Xiaoman pulled two roasted chestnuts from inside his clothes.
“My mother packed these for me today.”
Zhou Xiaozhou’s eyes lit up.
“Chestnuts!”
He took one, then suddenly remembered how his sisters used to gather chestnuts on the mountain.
He asked, “Did your mother buy them?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Are they good?”
“They’re really sweet!”
Zhou Xiaozhou peeled one and took a bite. Sure enough, it was fragrant and sweet.
He couldn’t help narrowing his eyes in delight.
Gu Xiaoman watched his expression and laughed along with him.
“How can eating just one chestnut make you so happy?”
“Because it’s delicious!”
Zhou Xiaozhou answered earnestly.
“And my Eldest Sister used to sell chestnuts, too.”
“Really?”
“Really! My Eldest Sister is really good at keeping accounts.”
Gu Xiaoman suddenly remembered something and lowered his voice.
“My mother also says that knowing how to keep accounts is important when doing business. Last time, my father miscalculated some money, and my mother scolded him for half the day.”
Zhou Xiaozhou laughed.
“What did your father do afterward?”
“He bought my mother some sweet rice cakes that evening.”
The two children burst into laughter.
In the afternoon, they continued practicing their handwriting.
Zhou Xiaozhou wrote several lines before his fingers began to ache again.
Remembering Teacher Shen’s advice, he stopped on his own and took a break.
Once his hand felt better, he continued writing.
At the end of the school day, Teacher Shen checked the students’ work. Although Xiaozhou hadn’t written very much, each character was neater than before. Teacher Shen nodded in approval.
“Now you know how to practice properly.”
Zhou Xiaozhou gave a cheeky grin.
When he got home, he once again took his book to his Second Sister.
Seeing the characters he’d written, Zhou Qingzhu couldn’t help praising him.
“Your handwriting looks better today than it did yesterday!”
Zhou Xiaozhou was positively delighted.
“The Teacher said the same thing!”
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he yawned.
Seeing that, Qingzhu quickly took the brush away.
“That’s enough practice. Let’s eat first.”
“I want to write two more characters.”
“No.”
Qingzhu imitated the Teacher’s serious tone.
“When your hand gets tired, you rest. You mustn’t overdo it.”
Watching his sister put on such a solemn expression, Zhou Xiaozhou couldn’t help laughing.
“Second Sister, you’re starting to sound more and more like a teacher!”
Qingzhu laughed, too.
She carried her younger brother to the kang and gently massaged his fingers.
“Our Xiaozhou has many years of studying ahead of him. We can’t let him wear out his hand in the very first year.”
Zhou Xiaozhou leaned against his sister and obediently nodded.
A moment later, he suddenly said, “Second Sister, when I grow up, I’ll buy you lots and lots of paper.”
Qingzhu looked down at him.
“What would I do with all that paper?”
“So you can write as many characters as you want!”
Qingzhu’s hands slowed.
She lowered her eyes to look at her younger brother and smiled softly.
“All right.”
The autumn wind swept through the courtyard outside.
As Qingzhu gazed at the several sheets of old paper on the table, now completely covered in writing, she felt for the first time that perhaps she really could keep studying for as long as she wished.
On the tenth day after enrollment, Teacher Shen suddenly announced that he would be checking all the beginners’ lessons.
As soon as the news spread, every child in the classroom grew nervous.
Gu Xiaoman was especially anxious.
“I’m doomed! I’m doomed! I fell asleep while memorizing yesterday!”
Zhou Xiaozhou was organizing his book bag.
Hearing this, he couldn’t help asking, “Did you memorize it afterward?”
“I did.”
“Then what’s there to worry about?”
“I fell asleep again while memorizing.”
Zhou Xiaozhou fell silent.
A moment later, he reached over and patted Gu Xiaoman on the shoulder.
“Xiaoman, you must have slept really well last night.”
Gu Xiaoman shot him a miserable look.
When Teacher Shen entered the room, the students immediately sat up straight.
Today’s assessment covered everything they had studied recently.
First, they had to recognize characters. Then they had to recite their lessons. Finally, Teacher Shen would ask questions about the meaning of the texts.
When Gu Xiaoman’s turn came, he predictably got stuck.
Teacher Shen waited for a while. Seeing that he really couldn’t remember, he told him to sit down for the time being.
“Xiaoman, recite it again tomorrow.”
Gu Xiaoman hung his head dejectedly.
When Zhou Xiaozhou’s turn came, he recited his lesson without any trouble.
He also answered Teacher Shen’s questions about the meanings of several characters.
But he hesitated at the final question.
The Teacher had asked about a passage concerning how brothers should treat one another.
Zhou Xiaozhou thought of his father and his eldest uncle.
After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke.
“Teacher, I think brothers should help each other.”
Teacher Shen nodded.
“What else?”
“They shouldn’t expect only one person to keep helping the other.”
After answering, Zhou Xiaozhou added another thought.
“If a younger brother keeps giving things to his older brother, the older brother should think about his younger brother, too.”
Several children in the classroom laughed.
Teacher Shen, however, didn’t laugh.
“Is that what you came up with yourself?”
Zhou Xiaozhou nodded.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because my father has to earn money to support all of us, too.”
Zhou Xiaozhou furrowed his little brows.
“But my father gets tired sometimes, and my eldest uncle has children of his own. Everyone has their own life to take care of. We can’t let the same person keep getting the short end of the stick.”
After listening, Teacher Shen fell silent for a moment.
“What you’re talking about is the principle of getting along in everyday life.”
He flipped through the book.
“But what this passage originally emphasizes is that brothers should love and live in harmony with one another.”
Zhou Xiaozhou was taken aback.
“Then did I answer incorrectly?”
“Your answer wasn’t complete.”
Teacher Shen spoke gently.
“It’s good to connect what you read with your own life. But when studying, you must first understand what the author is saying before considering your own interpretation.”
Zhou Xiaozhou nodded earnestly.
“This student will remember.”
Teacher Shen continued.
“If you only remember what you yourself want to say and refuse to listen to what someone else originally meant, it’s easy to misunderstand them.”
He looked toward the other students.
“The same goes for all of you. Being able to recite a passage is certainly good, but understanding the principles behind it is even more important.”
Gu Xiaoman, sitting nearby, nodded repeatedly as he listened.
After class, he went over to Zhou Xiaozhou.
“You gave a really good answer just now.”
Zhou Xiaozhou shook his head.
“The Teacher said my answer wasn’t complete.”
“Still, it was good!”
Gu Xiaoman said earnestly.
“I couldn’t even recite the passage!”
His words made Zhou Xiaozhou laugh.
“Then make sure you memorize it properly tomorrow.”
Gu Xiaoman let out a long sigh.
“Looks like I can’t go to bed so early tonight.”
“If you finish memorizing it early, you’ll still have time to sleep.”
“Then will you help me?”
“Sure!”
The two children sat beneath the covered walkway. One recited while the other followed along.
Gu Xiaoman forgot the passage twice, but eventually managed to recite it smoothly.
He was so happy he nearly jumped to his feet.
“Xiaozhou, you’re amazing!”
“You memorized it yourself!”
Zhou Xiaozhou said with a cheerful smile.
“I only reminded you of a few things.”
After afternoon classes ended, Teacher Shen called Zhou Xiaozhou over.
Xiaozhou’s heart tightened.
Did I answer incorrectly this morning? Is the Teacher going to give me a private lecture about it?
But Teacher Shen simply handed him a sheet of paper.
Several characters were written on it, all of which he needed to practice repeatedly.
“You’ve been making mistakes when writing these characters lately. Take them home and practice slowly.”
Zhou Xiaozhou accepted the paper with both hands.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Teacher Shen looked at him and suddenly asked, “When I pointed out that your answer was incomplete today, did you feel upset?”
Zhou Xiaozhou thought for a moment.
“A little.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to get it right.”
Xiaozhou’s voice was soft.
“But what the Teacher said makes sense. I haven’t fully understood the lesson yet.”
Teacher Shen smiled.
“Once you’ve made a mistake, knowing where you went wrong is what allows you to keep moving forward.”
He patted the child’s head.
“You’re still young. Don’t be in such a hurry to come out ahead in everything.”
Zhou Xiaozhou nodded.
When he left the academy, he carefully folded the sheet of paper and put it into the book bag his Eldest Sister had sewn for him.
After returning home, his Second Sister asked how his lessons had gone that day.
This time, he didn’t just tell her about the Teacher’s praise.
He also explained the question he’d answered incorrectly, recounting everything in detail.
After listening, Zhou Qingzhu thought for a long while.
“Xiaozhou, the Teacher is right.”
“Mm-hmm!”
“Then from now on, when we study, let’s first make sure we understand what the book is actually saying.”
Zhou Xiaozhou smiled and nodded.
The siblings were still talking when Old Madam Feng’s voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
“Wenli’s back!”
Zhou Xiaozhou looked up.
His older cousin has returned from the county town?
He hadn’t seen this older cousin, who had been studying for so many years, more than a handful of times.
The area outside was already bustling with activity.
Madam Ma’s voice was especially loud.
“Wenli, hurry inside! Your mother saved some eggs for you. You need to eat well and build up your strength today!”
Zhou Qingzhu closed the book and said softly, “Cousin Wenli is back. Grandmother must be happy.”
Zhou Xiaozhou jumped down from his stool.
“Come on, Second Sister.”
“Let’s go see Cousin, too.”