Cheng Zi’an turned around and saw a flash before his eyes as an angry little bear pounced forward, wrapping its arms around his neck and baring its teeth while shouting, “You, Cheng Zi’an! Yesterday after you left, I was kept behind by Mr. Zhou and got my palms slapped. When I got home, I even got a beating from my dad!”
“Ouch, ouch!” The book box tumbled and hit Zhang Qi’s buttocks. He quickly released Cheng Zi’an, reaching back to cover the spot and wailing, even twisting his hips to bump into him.
Mengtong often roughhoused, and students passed by in twos and threes, some in a hurry, others chatting and laughing. The young boys were like morning dew, even more lively than them, and no one paid them any attention.
Seeing it was his fellow sufferer, Cheng Zi’an gave a dry laugh and said, “I got beaten by my dad too.”
Zhang Qi was instantly comforted, his face blooming into a smile. He stopped complaining and switched to a buddy-buddy intimacy. “Dads are the worst, always forcing us to study, study, study. I secretly overheard my mom saying that my dad wasn’t good at studying either. He took the Spring Imperial Examination for many years but never passed. Otherwise, how could he just be a minor clerk in the yamen?”
Cheng Zi’an wanted to laugh. Zhang Qi didn’t understand genetics, but he had almost stumbled upon the truth, correctly attributing his poor academic performance to his dad’s genes.
Having no time to chat idly with Zhang Qi, Cheng Zi’an got down to business. “What time did you go home last night? What about Fang Yin?”
Zhang Qi said, “Fang Yin was called out by Mr. Zhou for a talk. I didn’t hear what they said, and then Mr. Lu escorted him home. Heh heh, Fang Yin’s clothes were gone, and with all the mosquitoes at night, he had it rough!”
Cheng Zi’an breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he had thought, Mr. Zhou calling Fang Yin was merely to comfort him a few words.
Then Zhang Qi tugged at Cheng Zi’an, pointing at a middle-aged man in brocade robes passing by. “That’s Xin Da, the steward of Xin Jinian’s family. It’s almost the Dragon Boat Festival, and he’s only now coming to deliver festival gifts to the teachers?”
At the Fuxue, ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones were provided, and no tuition fee was required. However, during festivals, students would give their teachers festival gifts, varying in value according to their family circumstances.
While Cheng Zi’an was still ill, Cui Suniang had already prepared the festival gifts, which Cheng Zhen personally delivered to the teachers.
The gifts included seasonal Dragon Boat Festival foods: various flavored zongzi, salted duck eggs, yellow wine, large yellow croaker, along with a bolt of fine silk and a set of the four treasures of the study.
Cheng Zi’an had heard Cui Suniang sigh that for the New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Winter Solstice, the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival gifts were still manageable, but the Winter Solstice and New Year gifts would be even more expensive.
For students studying in private schools, besides paying tuition fees, they still had to give New Year and festival gifts. They gave less—a piece of meat, a basket of eggs—the gift might be light, but the sentiment was heavy. However, the gift could not be omitted.
Xin Da carried a bundle in his hand, walking with ease. Cheng Zi’an thought to himself, no matter how arrogant the Xin family was, they wouldn’t wait until this late to deliver gifts.
Unless his bundle contained gold ingots.
Cheng Zi’an guessed that yesterday Xin Jinian had bullied Fang Yin, and Mr. Zhou had informed the Xin family. Sending a servant to handle the matter was already giving them plenty of face.
Zhang Qi got excited and gossiped, “Fang Yin really hit the jackpot being able to study at the Fuxue. His family is so poor they can’t even afford books.”
For impoverished students, the biggest expense wasn’t tuition fees or writing materials, but books.
Just the Spring and Autumn Annals alone had over thirty volumes. Each volume cost more than two taels of silver. If it was annotated by a famous scholar, it was even more outrageously expensive.
Cui Suniang noticed the edges of Cheng Zi’an’s book curling and, unusually stern, she chided him, “How could you not take better care of your books? Many poor students rely on copying texts to study. Copying itself is difficult—the brush and ink must be of good quality, and the paper cannot be too poor either, or else after a few flips, the characters will smudge and the paper will tear.”
In short, it was hard for the poor to pursue education.
Mr. Zhou hurried over and greeted Xin Jinian’s father. The two exchanged bows and walked toward the student dormitory, chatting and laughing.
Zhang Qi was craning his neck to watch the commotion when Mr. Zhou, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly turned around and glared at them. “Hurry to the classroom and stop playing outside!”
Zhang Qi shrank his neck, grabbed Cheng Zi’an, and trotted on his short legs toward the Mengtong Academy. Once Mr. Zhou and Xin Jinian’s father were out of sight, he immediately slowed his pace, swinging his arms and kicking at the roadside flowers, grass, and stones as he ambled along.
At the entrance of the Mengtong Academy, Fang Yin emerged from inside. Zhang Qi looked him up and down and chuckled, “Oh, wearing new clothes, are you?”
Fang Yin was dressed in a plain, unadorned new robe of fine blue cloth, without any embroidery at the collar or hem. It seemed his mother had hastily sewn it overnight.
Hearing the mockery in Zhang Qi’s tone, Fang Yin stole a glance at Cheng Zi’an, his small face paling as he pressed his lips together without a word.
Cheng Zi’an smiled and nodded in greeting. Fang Yin seemed momentarily stunned, about to return the gesture, but Cheng Zi’an had already pulled Zhang Qi inside.
Zhang Qi grumbled discontentedly, “It’s still early. Since when have you been so diligent?”
Cheng Zi’an ignored Zhang Qi. Fang Yin, though young, had his own small pride.
Cheng Zhen was his benefactor, and to Fang Yin, Cheng Zi’an represented a natural source of pressure.
A little kindness was enough; there was no need to add to his embarrassment. They were not on the same path now, and social barriers were not easily crossed.
Half the class had already arrived in the classroom. The teacher had yet to appear, and the room buzzed with noise as students discussed exam results and the upcoming holiday.
Cheng Zi’an set down his book box. Whether he studied or not was one thing, but he had a sense of ceremony, arranging his textbooks, brushes, and ink neatly.
Xin Jinian soon arrived as well, carelessly tossing his book box onto the desk with a loud clatter. His book box was expensive, woven with auspicious patterns from vines and gleaming with a polished luster.
Dragging his stool and desk around, Xin Jinian made a commotion until Mr. Zhou stepped through the door, finally settling down.
Fang Yin also entered the classroom with Mr. Zhou. He kept his head down, his expression hidden, and silently took his seat.
The Hundred Family Surnames was not tested in the Imperial Examination but held importance in the Mengtong Class as a foundational subject of common knowledge. After they finished it, Mr. Zhou would continue teaching the classics and historical texts.
Announcing exams and releasing results always stirred excitement in the classroom. Some rejoiced, others despaired—those who did well were happy, while those who performed poorly were disheartened.
As expected, Fang Yin once again took the top spot.
Zhang Qi had already learned in advance that he had done poorly, and receiving the results felt like a second blow.
Especially when he heard that Cheng Zi’an, who was usually as hopeless as he was, had leaped to the middle of the class this time, leaving him far behind.
The second blow hit harder, and Zhang Qi kept shooting resentful glances at Cheng Zi’an.
Xin Jinian was equally displeased. His neck, thick with flesh, developed tiered folds like terraced fields from frequently turning to glare at Cheng Zi’an with a complex expression.
As a veteran academic underachiever, Cheng Zi’an’s face ached from smiling so much over his good exam results. The attitudes of Zhang Qi and Xin Jinian didn’t affect him in the slightest.
Upon hearing that Cheng Zi’an had actually scored full marks in Arithmetic, Xin Jinian grew restless.
Usually, when they took Arithmetic exams, all three of them—without exception—couldn’t count high enough on their fingers. It was a pity they couldn’t take off their shoes in class to count on their toes.
Even if they did count on their fingers, they might not get it right.
Xin Jinian didn’t dare bully Cheng Zi’an the way he did Fang Yin, but he was quite enthusiastic about upholding justice. He sprang to his feet and loudly exclaimed, “Teacher Xu, Cheng Zi’an cheated!”
“That’s right, Cheng Zi’an has never done well in Arithmetic exams before.”
“Maybe it’s just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.”
“Arithmetic is the hardest subject. Stumbling upon the right answers isn’t easy.”
“He must have cheated.”
The students in the classroom whispered to each other, discussing in hushed tones. The classroom wasn’t very large, so everyone could hear their conversations clearly.
Bolstered by the support, Xin Jinian wore a look of smug satisfaction and declared righteously, “Teacher Xu must punish Cheng Zi’an severely to uphold the integrity of the school!”
Hah. Cheng Zi’an blinked.
Teacher Xu, who taught Arithmetic, had wildly grown eyebrows of uneven lengths. Seeing the commotion in the classroom, he furrowed his brow so tightly that his left and right eyebrows joined together.