Chapter 58: Special Class
Manbao and Bai Shanbao lowered their heads and listened to the teacher's scolding, which also stuffed a bunch of things into their heads. Only then did he start to give them special lessons.
Mr. Zhuang led them into the study.
The study is divided into two rooms, the outer room has two rows of bookshelves, a large desk and a chair.
The inner room is the tea room. Because Mr. Zhuang is afraid of the cold and his old wife is also afraid of the cold, when they moved here, they asked for a kang bed in the bedroom and study.
The kang bed was very low, covered with a mat, with a set of tea sets placed in the middle. Mr. Zhuang knew that children were not suitable for drinking tea, so he did not let them drink it. Therefore, he sat in the first seat and let the two children sit opposite him.
Bai Shanbao took off his shoes and climbed up, then sat down with his legs crossed, very skillfully.
Manbao had never sat like this before, so he crawled to his side out of curiosity. However, as soon as he crossed his legs, his body tilted and he fell to the side.
Bai Shanbao was just a show-off. He was young after all. Although his grandmother had taught him to sit like this, he seldom sat like this at home. When Manbao bumped into him, he was shaken without even a sway. He fell to the side, and the two children rolled into a ball.
A smile flashed in Mr. Zhuang's eyes, and he almost couldn't help laughing out loud, but thinking of the gentleman's majesty, he didn't laugh.
He stretched out his big hand, held back his laughter and straightened the two children, saying: "People have long been accustomed to sitting on Hu stools and sleeping on Hu beds, but in the scholar community, there are still many people who insist on sitting on seats, either out of habit or to show off their elegance. If you want to be scholars in the future, you must learn this aspect of etiquette."
Mr. Zhuang said, "But you are still young, so you don't have to sit so straight."
Just as Mr. Zhuang was about to continue, Manbao asked curiously, "What is Shilin? Is Hu Deng a stool? Why is it called Hu Deng?"
What Mr. Zhuang wanted to say was stuck in his throat. After thinking for a while, he started from the beginning again.
What is Shilin? The simple meaning is a lot of scholars, and the circle of scholars is called Shilin.
After talking about scholars, we have to talk about the classes of farmers, merchants, industrialists and the lower classes. When Mr. Zhuang finished talking about all this, the two children asked many more questions, and then they found that time had passed.
He suddenly didn't have the chance to talk about the topic he had planned to talk about, but he didn't feel sorry about it. Seeing that the two children were listening with great interest, he smiled with satisfaction.
He glanced outside and said, "The class will start in a quarter of an hour. You guys should lie down, close your eyes and take a rest."
The two children felt particularly energetic and not tired at all.
Mr. Zhuang said, "Although you don't feel tired, using your brain will damage your Qi and blood. You don't feel it now, but in the future you won't grow taller and become stupider. It will be too late to change it."
When the two children heard that not only would they not grow taller but they would also become dumber, they immediately stopped arguing and flopped down on the mat and closed their eyes.
But at this time their cerebral cortex was still very active. They kept thinking about the knowledge that the teacher had just said and couldn't fall asleep at all.
They think that closing their eyes is useless.
But after a while, their breathing gradually calmed down, their brains were less active, their breathing became longer and longer, and they actually fell into a drowsy sleep.
Mr. Zhuang was sitting opposite him. He picked up the teapot from the stove and poured himself a cup of tea. He drank it slowly and looked at the child opposite him who was gradually stretching out his arms and legs, revealing a faint smile.
Mr. Zhuang has been in a good mood these past two days. Although a few bad things happened after his disciples entered the school, the atmosphere in the school has become more lively, and he has also discovered two good talents.
You can read "The Analects of Confucius" for your whole life without getting bored, and you can have different insights every time you recite it. There are many more books of sages besides "The Analects of Confucius".
Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, Military Science, there are so many books to read, so he can teach his children a lot.
Mr. Zhuang has a lot of knowledge to teach his students, but not every student is suitable to learn it.
Mr. Zhuang had been a student for thirty years and a teacher for fifteen years. During this period, he had also been a counselor and a disciple. He knew too well how difficult it was to find the right path for a person, how difficult it was for a student to learn the knowledge that was right for him, and how hard it was for a teacher to pass on his knowledge.
When he decided to come to Qili Village, he had already given up his last ideal, because finding a suitable child was too difficult, too difficult.
He couldn't find a suitable child in any of the prefectures and counties, and he didn't think there would be a child in these mountains who was both smart and met his expectations.
But he found it.
First there was Manbao, a smart, filial, and respectful child, the only drawback being that she was a girl.
Now here comes another one.
There were a total of twenty-eight students in the entire school. Some were stupid, but quite a few were smart. However, Mr. Zhuang knew that they were not that smart. When he explained some basic knowledge, some of them understood, but others needed to be repeated many times before they could remember.
Those who understand will forget it as soon as they turn around.
So he can't teach anything deeper.
Why was he willing to bring Manbao and Shanbao to his side to give him special treatment?
Because they not only understood what he said, but they were also able to draw inferences and ask more questions.
Those questions were both superficial and subtle. When he talked to them, he was not only imparting knowledge, but also gaining something by thinking while talking.
Mr. Zhuang leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.
He is very satisfied with his current situation, extremely satisfied.
One proud disciple is enough; if you have two, your life will be without regrets.
Mr. Zhuang decided to go back to the provincial capital during his next day off. He had to bring some things back home as Manbao and Shanbao both needed them.
Mr. Zhuang closed his eyes and thought about something. When he realized it was almost time, he opened his eyes and looked at the sundial. Then he woke up the two children and went to class together.
The afternoon classes were mostly arithmetic and poetry. Both children liked these two subjects very much, especially arithmetic. Manbao found that she was very fast at calculation and was praised by the teacher in almost every class, so she studied harder.
After school in the afternoon, Mr. Zhuang wanted to take the two children over to give them some special lessons. However, before he could even open his mouth, the two little guys excitedly stood up and bowed to see him off with their classmates. When he waved his hand to signal everyone not to be polite, and wanted to speak again, the two children ran away with their books.
Mr. Zhuang, who hadn’t had time to speak yet, said: …
After a while, he shook his head and laughed. Forget it. The two children are still young. Why rush it?
Manbao and the others ran out, and Datou was already waiting outside.
He was used to seeing the little boy next to his aunt, so he took them both home, put his things away and ran out.