Chapter 53: The Character of the Person
After learning the twenty-four characters for the whole morning, I heard a bang-bang sound.
Sun Shan and the other two put down their pens, walked out of the classroom, went to the kitchen, and picked up their own lunch boxes.
Zheng Bo said, if the teacher is not in the school, you should go to the kitchen to get food when you hear noise, so that it won't get cold and taste bad.
Sun Shan opened his lunch box. Today he had bacon, fried eggs, and vegetables. The amount of rice was one third less than yesterday.
De Geer took a look and said enviously, "Aunt is really the best. She gives Shanzi delicious food every day. Look at mine. Hum, there is one less fried egg than yesterday."
Sun Shan saw that De Ge'er's meal had been changed from yesterday's sweet potato rice to taro rice, and the dish was fried eggs with vegetables.
He smiled and said, "De Ge'er, your meals are pretty good. You have eggs every day. You are much better off than the children in the village."
De Ge'er stopped talking. I know I am better than the kids in the village, but I can't compare to you.
Sun Shan took a piece of bacon and put it into De Ge'er's lunch box and said, "I can only give you one piece. There is no more."
De Ge'er didn't despise it, and said with a chuckle: "Shan Zi is still the best to me. One piece is enough. Hehe, I have meat to eat too."
Sun Shan liked De Ge'er's personality. He was greedy, but knew his limits. He would eat if you gave him food, and he wouldn't dare to ask if you didn't. He would eat as much as you gave him, and he didn't mind if it was less.
De Ge'er was lively. After taking a bite, he secretly glanced at Yang Qingbei's lunch box next to him and said enviously in a low voice: "Shanzi, Qingbei's little brother, you don't have chicken legs to eat today, but you have pork to eat. You are indeed the son of a landlord."
Sun Shan hummed, without expressing any opinion. The Sun family's days in Sunjia Village were already among the best, and one should always be content.
The students in the middle and senior classes were also eating on the stone steps. Sun Shan pretended to casually look at the students' meals. They were either sweet potato rice or taro rice. Those with better conditions were given an egg, while the average ones only had vegetables.
Their clothes were ordinary and had a few patches on them, but those who could go to school must have a decent family life.
Sun Shan had never heard of any particularly poor children in Zheng's School, nor had he ever heard of any parents selling all they had to send their children to school.
Those who could come to Zheng's school at least had some spare money and some foresight. They hoped that their children could learn to read and find jobs in the future.
Sun Dingguang asked Sun Dingqing: "Brother Qing, when will Brother Ming go to Guangzhou Prefecture to work?"
A few years ago, my aunt said she would take my cousin Dingming to the provincial capital, but yesterday I saw him working in the fields with my uncle Sun.
Sun Dingqing shook his head and said, "I don't know either. My aunt hasn't written to me yet."
My eldest aunt said that she would write to me after the Chinese New Year and ask someone to take my eldest brother to the provincial capital to work, but she never wrote to me.
Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun were waiting anxiously.
A classmate who knew Sun Dingming said enviously: "Dingming is so lucky, he has the opportunity to work in the provincial capital. After I finish this year, I won't be able to go to school next year, and I don't know where to go."
Another classmate immediately said, "It's normal for Dingming to go to the provincial capital since he has a good aunt. Oh, it's a pity that I don't have an aunt."
After hearing this, the others burst into laughter.
Sun Dingyong also envied his eldest cousin for being able to go to the capital, and said with concern: "Brother Qing, don't worry, my eldest aunt must be busy with my eldest cousin's imperial examination, so she didn't write to me."
Even if those who entered the school only learned to read, Master Zheng would still introduce them to the imperial examination.
Otherwise, after studying for several years, you still don't know what the imperial examination is and how to take it. To be literate, you can't just learn to read, you must at least understand some common sense.
Sun Shan thought the same: "Brother Yong is right. My eldest cousin is going to take the examination for a student, and then for a scholar. I'm afraid it will take until after April for my eldest aunt to write to me."
The world is big, but my cousin's imperial examination is the most important. I heard from my aunt that the old lady of the He family, He's father and mother all attach great importance to it.
Not to mention my parents, Aunt Sun and Uncle.
Qing Ge'er was also worried about his elder brother, and hoped that he could go to the capital to work and have a good future. Hearing Shanzi's words, he understood why his elder aunt hadn't written to him yet.
I'm sure he thought that his cousin would have the leisure to write to me only after he became a student.
I will go back and tell my parents this news so that they can feel at ease.
After dinner, everyone sat lazily on the stone steps to bask in the sun. When they heard the sound of bang bang bang, the students quickly walked into the school.
Just like yesterday, Master Zheng taught Sun Shan and his two companions how to read and explained again the meaning of the twenty-four new characters they had learned.
Then he said to Sun Shan and others, "Practice calligraphy well in the afternoon."
Then he called the three of them to the side of the pond and said, "Use the slate here and write well. When you are good at writing, write on paper. Remember, you must practice your handwriting well."
After Sun Shan and the other two expressed their understanding, Master Zheng left and went to other classrooms.
Only then did Sun Shan understand why a small pond was built in the yard. It was for students to practice calligraphy.
At the same time, I admired Master Zheng even more.
The students who came to Zheng's School were not from wealthy families. Brushes, ink, paper and inkstone were too precious for students, and it was impossible to ask them to practice day and night.
You can only practice with other cheap things first, and then write it down on paper.
Sun Shan also glanced at Yang Qingbei, who also brought a slate. It seemed that the landlord's son also lacked paper and ink, and might not have enough money to take the imperial examination.
Yes, Sunjia Village, Zhengjia Village, and Yangjia Village are all hidden in the mountains. Even if you are a so-called rich family, you are still not as good as people in the mountains. Compared with people outside, you are still far behind.
The area within a hundred miles of Sunjia Village is all poverty-stricken.
There were stone benches and stone tables beside the small pond. Sun Shan, De Ge'er, and Yang Qingbei sat on them obediently.
Sun Shan used ink to practice, not water. The Sun family could save on ink.
Yang Qingbei did the same, grinding ink, holding a pen, and writing on the stone slab.
As for De Ge'er, he followed Sun Shan and did whatever Sun Shan did.
Since it is traditional Chinese characters, you need to copy it from a book. Once you are proficient in it, you don't need to look at the book anymore.
Practice one by one, and the font size will change from large to small.
I feel better practicing calligraphy today than yesterday.
Sun Shan believed that practice makes perfect. He did not seek to have excellent handwriting like a calligrapher, but only to have neat and upright writing, preferably like engraved books, so that people could see it clearly and distinctly.
When the slate is full, wash it in the small pond, wipe it dry with a dry cloth, and continue writing.
Sun Shan looked at Yang Qingbei next to him and became more certain that beauty of handwriting depends on talent.
Sun Shan's handwriting is straight and upright, and full of craftsmanship.
Yang Qingbei also writes stroke by stroke, but the result has an artistic feel and looks different.
I took another look at De Ge'er's handwriting, and found that his handwriting was just like his personality, written very well.
It was clearly written stroke by stroke, but this stroke flew out, and that stroke flew in. The whole word took off.
And it's very large, with the effect being almost like writing one word on a piece of paper.
Sun Shan secretly shook his head. He didn't know whether De Ge'er was smart or not, but he had to work harder to practice writing.