Chapter 51 Teaching you once is equivalent to learning once for me
Sun Bomin came and went quickly, grinding the stone slab in the yard, and said with a smile: "Shanzi, don't worry, Dad will definitely help you grind it into a model like the one in the school so that you can write on it."
Sun Shan squatted on the ground, earnestly practicing the characters he had learned today, and looked up and said, "Thank you, Dad."
Huang was sitting in the yard, sewing stitch by stitch, and said with a smile, "Shanzi, this is what father should do. There is nothing to thank him for."
Sun Bomin also echoed: "Silly boy."
Sun Shan thought of something and stopped practicing calligraphy. He said, "Father, Dege and I can go to school alone from now on. You don't have to send us. You don't have to pick us up from school. Zhengjia Village is very close."
On the way back to the village, Uncle Sun complained that Sun Boming was timid and cowardly. Zheng's School was so close to Sunjia Village, Shanzi would not get lost, so there was no need to pick him up.
If Sun Boming hadn't insisted, Uncle Sun would not have gone to the school to pick up De Ge'er today.
Sun Bomin said seriously, "That won't work. You have to carry the bookcase, the lunch box, and now there's a stone slab. You can't carry it. Dad will go to pick you up and help you carry your things."
Sun Bomin was worried about Shanzi going to and from school alone, so he felt uneasy if he didn't send him to school.
For so many years, Shanzi's activities have been confined to Sunjia Village. Whenever he goes beyond this range, he will be accompanied by himself.
Sun Shan said helplessly: "Father, I can lift it."
Su, who was busy in the kitchen, came out and heard the conversation between the father and son. She said quickly, "Shanzi, you are just a little kid, how can you carry so many things? Let your father carry you and help you carry the things."
If the school wasn't so sacred and a little intimidating, Su would have wanted to take Sun Boming's place and pick up Sun Shan.
Huang also echoed: "Shanzi, when you first go to school, let your father take you there. After a while, you will get used to it and you won't need to send you there anymore."
Sun Shan had no choice but to agree.
Guyu and the others heard the conversation in the yard, looked at each other, and thought that it was right for Dad to pick up Shanzi. Shanzi was so young, and it was always worrying to go back and forth without an adult to lead him.
As the night grew darker, the farmers had an early dinner. Su brought her four daughters and quickly served the food to the table.
Sun Shan ate pure rice, while his family ate sweet potatoes mixed with rice.
Sun Shan took a bite of rice and said to Su, "Mother, you have too much food for lunch today. I can't finish it. Just give me the usual serving size."
Su asked, "Mother, you didn't pack much. You use your brain to study, so you should eat more." She obviously didn't pack much, so why did Shanzi complain that it was too much?
Sun Shan shook his head and said, "It was too much. I couldn't finish it. De Ge'er even helped me eat the rest."
Sun Shan said this on purpose. If he had just kept saying that the food couldn't be finished, Su would definitely not have listened. But if he couldn't finish the food and let others eat the rest, Su would have felt bad.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Su's face changed. She glanced at her mother-in-law and said calmly, "Okay, tomorrow, mother, pack less. If it's not enough, you have to speak up."
Sun Shan nodded to show that he understood.
After dinner and a bath, Sun Shan and his family sat in the main room, lighting an oil lamp and making a fire. Huang was afraid of the cold, so she had to warm herself by the fire every night.
Part of the charcoal in the house is bought from the charcoal seller, and the other part is made by extinguishing the burnt wood and putting it in a jar after burning firewood every time, making a simple charcoal fire.
Huang took the clothes that had not been mended during the day and continued to mend them. Huang was the one who was better at sewing in the family, while Su could only mend a patch and had no idea how to make clothes.
The clothes in the house were either made by the Huang family or made by people in the village.
The four sisters followed Huang to learn, but perhaps they had no talent, or perhaps Huang's skills were just so-so, so the four sisters' needlework was not that good either.
Su and Sun Boming poured the soybeans into a winnowing basket and were carefully selecting the seeds, planning to plant the soybeans in the spring.
Sun Shan took the Three Character Classic and practiced calligraphy on the stone slab that Sun Bomin had just made. He read in the official language of Beijing while writing.
Xiaoman asked curiously, "Shanzi, what are you saying?" What is his brother reading? Why can't he understand?
Sun Shan explained: "This is what the people in the capital say. The Master taught me."
Su glared at Xiaoman, blaming her for asking so many questions and disturbing Shanzi from practicing calligraphy.
Xiaoman saw A Niang's vicious expression and lowered her head timidly.
Sun Shan finally mastered the twelve characters he had learned in class today and breathed a sigh of relief.
He said to his sisters and Mr. and Mrs. Sun Bomin, "Come, I will teach you how to write."
The four sisters looked eager.
Sun Bomin said anxiously, "Shanzi, you can learn by yourself. You don't need to teach us."
Su also quickly said: "Yes, Shanzi, you should study hard on your own. Teaching others is a waste of time. Don't waste more energy."
Sun Shan shook his head and said, "Father, mother, the teacher said that teaching you once is equivalent to learning it once for me."
Sun Bomin quickly shook his head and said, "You teach your sister, not your father. It's useless for your father to learn it, as he won't be able to use it in daily life."
Su asked doubtfully, "Is it true what Master said, that teaching once is equivalent to learning once?"
Sun Shan nodded and said, "Mother, when I teach you, do you have to write it out stroke by stroke? If I write it out, do I have to learn it again?"
Su believed it and said with a smile: "Indeed, Shanzi, can you teach my mother? My mother has not learned to read yet."
Su was indeed curious about what these tiny words meant.
Sun Shan was overjoyed. He took the slate and wrote stroke by stroke, saying, "Mother, this is the character for person."
Su was pleasantly surprised and said, "So this is the character for 'person'."
Sun Shan called his four sisters to learn to read. As for Huang, Sun Shan also asked, "Grandma, do you want to learn?"
Huang quickly shook her head: "My dear grandson, grandma is old and can’t learn it." Don’t force me to learn it, it’s a headache.
Sun Shan nodded and said, "Grandma, it's okay if you don't want to learn."
At Huang's age, he really doesn't need to learn anything. He just needs to enjoy his life.
After teaching him several times, I turned around to look for Sun Boming, but found that he had disappeared long ago.
Sun Shan asked, "Where's my father?"
Huang chuckled, pointed to the side room, and said with a smile: "Your father has been hiding in the room for a long time. Grandma can tell you honestly that he is most afraid of studying. When grandpa was still alive, he was sent to school, but he was always spanked by Master Zheng. After so many years, he probably has forgotten what he learned."
Sun Shan had heard that Sun Boming had gone to school, but only for a short year. Due to a major change in his family, he never set foot in school again.
It’s just that I didn’t expect that he would be spanked on the hand by the gentle Master Zheng. It seems that his father is not a good boy who loves to study.
Su and Guyu heard Huang's story and pursed their lips and laughed quietly. But they didn't dare to laugh too loudly, because as the head of the family, they had to save face.
Sun Shan thought to himself, if he let Sun Boming go today, he would definitely not let him go the next day. No matter what, the family could not turn a blind eye.