The moment Pei Qingyan said this, the students shuddered in unison, and even Ye Jinghe's heart tightened.
The fear of being controlled by a teacher during one's school days is carved into the bones!
Beyond that, the shiny black iron ruler placed on Pei Qingyan's desk was quite intimidating, leaving the students afraid to even breathe loudly.
"Ranked from worst to best, those whose names I call will come up to collect their exam papers. Pei Yu—"
A small, thin figure stood up. Pei Qingyan's brows were knitted tightly, and after a long moment, he let out a sigh:
"One hundred and twenty characters, and you got one hundred and five wrong. Considering that you truly did put in effort, this time I'll only punish you by copying the text ten times."
Pei Yu sniffled, but snot quickly dripped down, and Pei Yu casually wiped it with his sleeve. Pei Qingyan looked closely and noticed that Pei Yu's sleeve already had a shiny layer of dried snot caked onto it.
Pei Yu scratched his head and said in a small voice:
"M-Master, could I write it out for you on the ground with a twig? Paper and brushes are too expensive—my mother has to stay up ten whole nights to earn enough for one brush. I, I promise I'll write carefully. Could you let me not use ink and paper?"
Pei Yu said with reddened eyes:
"I know I'm slow-witted. From now on, I'll write more and memorize more. I beg you, just this once, don't let me waste paper and brushes!"
"How can studying ever be considered a waste?"
Pei Qingyan handed Pei Yu's paper back to him:
"After class, come with me."
Pei Yu looked a bit bewildered but could only nod obediently. He wasn't cut out for studying—if it weren't to save his family a meal, he… wouldn't have come to the family school either.
"Next, Pei Xin…"
After that, five or six students trudged up with their heads hanging low. Their utterly devastated expressions made Pei Qingyan unable to hold back a cold remark:
"You few have been negligent in your studies on ordinary days. One day soon, I will pay a visit to your homes and see how your parents have been teaching you!"
"No! Please, Master!"
The students wailed in dismay. Pei Qingyan gave a cold snort, ignored them, and continued calling out names.
However, he soon finished the stack of papers in his hand, and neither Ye Jinghe's nor Pei Peng's names had been called.
At once, the students who knew about the two's bet all looked toward them. Pei Peng couldn't help but try to kill Ye Jinghe with his glare.
Ye Jinghe simply sat upright in place, eyes on his nose and nose on his heart, looking so calm and composed that no one could guess what he was thinking.
"Hah, putting on airs!" Pei Peng spat with contempt.
Then, Pei Qingyan picked up another stack:
"Next are the failing grades. Those whose names are called will copy their exam papers five times each!"
At these words, Pei Peng's expression shifted slightly. He looked at Ye Jinghe with uncertainty:
Wait—he actually studied?!
Ye Jinghe raised his eyes to meet Pei Peng's gaze and simply smiled slightly. Pei Peng snorted. So what if he wasn't in the failing group? If he was in the failing group, he'd still be kicked out!
After Pei Qingyan called out a few names, he suddenly paused. His eyes, which carried frost and snow, suddenly exuded a tangible chill:
"Pei Peng, you got nineteen characters wrong this time. Your father asked me about your studies three days ago. Since today's paper is right here, take it back and let him have a good look."
"Master, please, don't let my father know!"
This was about his studies—his mother couldn't stop his father!
Pei Peng said urgently, but Pei Qingyan replied calmly:
"If your father doesn't know, when will you ever memorize all one hundred and twenty characters?"
"Master, give me one more chance! I, I promise—just, just three days!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Very well. A gentleman's word is his bond. Return to your seat."
Pei Qingyan knew very well that some of these children had restless, monkey-like natures and needed someone strong enough to keep them in check. Pei Peng's nemesis was his father!
After returning to his seat, Pei Peng wiped the sweat from his palms. When he looked up, he met Ye Jinghe's half-smiling eyes. He was only two desks away from Ye Jinghe, and he said hatefully:
"What are you looking at? The failing names aren't done being called yet! You might not be better than me!"
Pei Du, meanwhile, was even more anxious, biting his lower lip hard. He wasn't even this worried about his own grades:
"Changfeng…"
Pei Du's apricot eyes were full of worry. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end, they all converged into one:
Perhaps he was simply born to be a burden.
Xiaobai had been drowned by An Xin because of his cowardice.
His mother had argued with his grandmother because of him.
Changfeng had been punished and targeted for being close to him—even his wish to study couldn't come true.
Maybe he really was a jinx.
But this time, no matter what, he wouldn't let Changfeng be sent away!
Ye Jinghe watched as Pei Du's gaze gradually dimmed from worry and tension, and he couldn't help feeling concerned.
But with the Master still watching from the front like a hawk, Ye Jinghe could only suppress his feelings. Little did he know that this expression on his face caught the eye of Pei Feng beside him, who let out a derisive laugh:
"Scared now? Some things just aren't something people like us can resist."
"Little book boy, you've tasted bitter fruit now, haven't you? Pei Du is the young master—if he gets scolded, there are plenty of people who'll stand up for him. Why did you have to go and make a fuss?"
Pei Feng spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, making no effort to hide his contempt in front of Ye Jinghe.
Ye Jinghe gave Pei Feng a cool glance.
"I am different from you!"
Pei Feng was taken aback, then clicked his tongue.
"Once you're kicked out of the family school, don't come begging me for help!"
Originally, he had planned to plead with his third uncle. His father had died for the Pei family, and his mother had always told him not to ask his third uncle for favors—saying that favors should be saved for when they truly mattered.
He had deeply agreed with that.
But today, watching that book boy speak so passionately on Pei Du's behalf… he… unexpectedly didn't want him to leave.
Yet his kindness had been repaid with ingratitude!
Meanwhile, Pei Huan glanced at Ye Jinghe from a distance, then clenched his fist and thumped it against his chest—a gesture that said everything without words.
Pei Qingyan kept his head lowered, as if oblivious to the undercurrents stirring among the children below, and continued reading out two more names. As the last of the failing exam papers in Pei Qingyan's hand was handed out, the expressions on the students' faces were nothing short of spectacular!
Pei Peng was dumbfounded, Pei Du was stunned, Pei Huan was bewildered, and Pei Feng was frozen—it was absolutely comical!
"You, you, you…"
Pei Peng stared at Ye Jinghe, wanting to say something, his eyes red with frustration, yet unable to utter a single word.
After Pei Feng snapped back to his senses, he fixed his gaze on Ye Jinghe for a long moment before murmuring, almost to himself:
"So you're the one who's been hiding the deepest all along."
Pei Du, meanwhile, was overjoyed—Changfeng didn't have to leave! Changfeng was amazing!
He was like an ecstatic puppy, and had they not been in class, he would certainly have grabbed Ye Jinghe's sleeve and shaken it, bouncing up and down to express his joy.
Pei Huan let out a relieved breath, and his gaze toward Ye Jinghe carried a new note of admiration.
Afterward, Pei Qingyan brought out the passing exam papers—only two thin sheets, belonging to Pei Feng and Pei Huan, both of whom had gotten seven characters wrong.
Pei Qingyan looked at the two of them and said with weight:
"Your exam papers both suffered from carelessness. I hope you will guard against arrogance and impatience in the future, and achieve even greater results."
"Thank you for your instruction, Master!"
The two held their papers and bowed in unison.
Pei Qingyan gave a slight nod, then picked up the single outstanding exam paper:
"Next, the outstanding score—Pei Du!"
Pei Du stood up, his little face flushed red, but Pei Qingyan frowned:
"Du'er, you could recognize a thousand characters at age three, yet today you got three characters wrong. I'm punishing you by having you copy those three characters a hundred times each. Do you have any objection?"
Pei Du's rosy complexion paled. He lowered his head:
"Yes, Master. This student has no objection."
With that, Pei Du carried his exam paper back to his seat. He pursed his lips, and when he met Pei Peng's look of amusement, he forced the tears back down.
He refused to let Pei Peng see him as a joke!
Once all the exam papers had been distributed, Pei Qingyan picked up the final one and called out:
"Changfeng."
The moment Ye Jinghe stood up, Pei Peng's eyes lit up, as if a thought had struck him, and he said with gleeful malice:
"Whatever's saved for last is either the best or the worst—could it be that Changfeng's paper was so terrible it couldn't even bear looking at, so Master had to set it aside separately!"
Pei Peng spoke at a volume neither too loud nor too soft—loud enough even for Pei Qingyan to hear. Before Ye Jinghe could respond, Pei Qingyan said:
"Indeed, Changfeng's exam paper is extremely poor…"
Pei Peng's smile had barely begun to spread when Pei Qingyan let out a sigh:
"But also extremely good."
Pei Qingyan gave Ye Jinghe a complicated look, then held up his exam paper:
"By all rights, Changfeng should be the undisputed first place in this month's examination. Of the one hundred and twenty characters he wrote, not a single one was wrong—in this regard, none of you can match him!
For the past month, as a book boy, he had to look after Pei Du. Even while dividing his attention, he still managed to memorize all the lessons. But what about you all?!"
At these words, the students lowered their heads in shame. Then Pei Qingyan shifted his tone:
"But… look at his handwriting. Even if a chicken dipped its claws in ink and scattered rice on the paper, it would still walk more beautifully than this! You must all take this as a warning! This time, his score will be counted as passing."
The classroom immediately erupted in laughter. Ye Jinghe was mortified, keeping his head bowed low—when had he ever realized the Master had such a sharp tongue?!
But Pei Qingyan wasn't done with Ye Jinghe yet. He continued:
"Changfeng! From now on, your calligraphy practice will be double that of your classmates. Only when you show improvement will you be allowed to practice the same amount as them!"
With these words, Pei Qingyan had fully acknowledged Ye Jinghe.
Pei Qingyan himself found it strange—this little book boy usually kept a low profile, sometimes seeming distracted, yet he had managed to memorize every single character he had taught!
It was just that ugly handwriting that was truly a headache, though it was clear he had never received formal training.
Hearing this, Ye Jinghe mumbled his acknowledgment and plopped back down into his seat, his face burning hot, wishing he could bury himself in his desk.
Among a bunch of little sprouts, being told that his handwriting—belonging to a grown man's mind—was ugly was nothing short of a bare-faced humiliation!
But oddly enough, Ye Jinghe had seen other people's calligraphy—it really was better than his own chicken scratch. It was a wonder the tutor could even tell that he'd written the characters correctly.
Today's test had snapped the students, who had been growing lax, right back to attention. Pei Qingyan understood the principle of balancing tension and relaxation, and knowing they were too distracted to focus after being punished with copying, he dismissed class early.
The moment Pei Qingyan stepped out of the classroom, Ye Jinghe cooled his burning cheeks with the back of his hand before looking up—only to see Pei Peng, who usually acted like a little tyrant, charging over like a cannonball:
"You did that on purpose, didn't you? You were just trying to make a fool of me!"
Ye Jinghe tilted his head up slightly, calmly watching Pei Peng:
"Did I force you to bet?"
One stood, one sat, yet Pei Peng felt as though he should be crouching before Ye Jinghe, which only made him angrier:
"You didn't force me, but—"
"But what? It was you, Master Pei Peng, who looked down on others. It was you, Master Pei Peng, who insisted on the bet. Or are you saying I used some kind of sorcery to bewitch you?"
Ye Jinghe lazily draped one arm over the desk behind him, and that faintly contemptuous look instantly pricked at Pei Peng's sensitive nerves:
"You! A lowly—"
"A lowly servant, a lowly servant, a lowly servant…"
Ye Jinghe picked up the words, a half-smile playing on his lips:
"I can say that myself—a hundred times, a thousand times, it doesn't matter. It's the truth, and I dare to say it and own it. But you, Master Pei Peng, do you dare to accept your loss like a man?!"