Chapter 56 How great it would be if I could pass the exam to become a scholar

Chapter 56 How great it would be if I could pass the exam to become a scholar

The next day, Sun Shan was pulled out of bed by Su again, who urged him to eat breakfast and urged Sun Boming to get his lunch box.

Sun Bomin and Sun Shan went to Uncle Sun's house, took De Ge'er out, and rushed to the school.

Master Zheng taught 12 words on the first day, 24 words on the second day, and 24 words on the third day. He did not teach according to the rule of progressiveness.

Like the previous two days, I first reviewed yesterday’s content, randomly checked students’ recitation, and then taught new knowledge.

He read it in Guangnan dialect, explained the meaning and the story behind it, and then read it several times in Shangjing Mandarin.

Sun Shan shook his head and read with difficulty. The same was true for the two children beside him. The more they learned, the harder it was to digest.

Only after teaching the three students to read did Master Zheng teach them to write word by word.

Just like yesterday’s steps, after learning 24 words, it was already noon.

Master Zheng said, "Have lunch first, then go down and practice calligraphy."

After Master Zheng left, Sun Shan and the other two slumped in their chairs, their eyes dazed and lifeless.

Oh, studying is too difficult.

The quiet Yang Qingbei sighed: "Ade, Ashan, do you find it difficult?"

Sun Shan and De Ge'er nodded their heads. It was so difficult, really so difficult.

Sun Shan discovered that none of the three of them were child prodigies, but just ordinary people.

Whether you are memorizing or reading, you have to repeat it over and over again in order to remember it.

Unlike some geniuses who can learn after just one teaching.

The only thing that made Sun Shan better than his two schoolmates was that he could recognize and write characters quickly, and this was supported by what he had learned in his previous life.

After three days of study, Sun Shan understood his situation. He wanted to take the imperial examination, but he had neither the right time, the right place, nor the right people.

What gives Sun Shan an advantage over other students is that he is not a real child. He is more sensible, self-disciplined and has clear goals than them.

The biggest thing in the world.

The three of them quickly went to the kitchen to get their lunch boxes and squatted on the stone steps to eat.

Qing Ge'er from the second room asked, "Shanzi, will uncle go to serve in the army tomorrow?"

Sun Shan nodded and said, "Yes, I will go there tomorrow. I heard they are going to build a canal in the suburbs of the county town."

Dingnan next to him also said: "My father goes there too. He comes twice a year. It's too tiring."

Another classmate shook his head and said, "Huangyang County is not bad. They usually build bridges, roads and canals. I heard that in the neighboring county, they have to dig stones in the mountains, which is even more tiring."

A student in gray clothes added: "I heard that once when they were digging rocks, rocks rolled down the mountain and crushed several people to death. Some of those who survived were crushed half to death and could never stand up again."

When the students spoke, they showed fear on their faces, perhaps because they thought that one day they would have to do corvee labor and might encounter such misfortune.

De Ge'er exclaimed, "Being crushed to death by a rock is so tragic." His body trembled uncontrollably as he was frightened at the thought of the bloody scene.

When Guang'er saw his third brother's expression, he shook his head. These things would be mentioned every time he did labor service, so he was used to it.

He sighed and said, "I heard that those who were forced to do corvée labor will die if they die. The government will not compensate them."

When it comes to this, everyone fell silent. Country kids are not stupid. They know what they should know. For example, this kind of military service, which happens twice a year, is something even a child would know.

One of the students sighed: "It would be great if I could pass the exam and become a scholar, so that I don't have to do corvée labor."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter.

What kind of dream is this? To take the exam to become a scholar? Even the teacher is not a scholar.

I heard that Huangyang County hasn't produced a scholar for many years. Currently, there are only two scholars in the entire county, and there are also 2-4 students.

It is not easy to pass the examination and become a scholar.

A gossipy student asked the Sun family again: "Dingyong, I heard that your uncle's family has produced many scholars."

Everyone within a hundred miles knew about Aunt Sun, and they all knew that she had married into the provincial capital and became a wealthy person.

Sun Dingyong said proudly, "There are not only scholars, but also juren and jinshi. I heard from my eldest aunt that their uncle, who is not out of the fifth degree of mourning, is an official in the capital."

After hearing this, the students of Zheng’s Academy expressed their envy.

Even the quiet Yang Qingbei sighed and said: "It's better to go to the capital city. It's easier to take the imperial examinations when you go to school there."

Sun Shan also believes that the teaching staff is very important. In addition to the students' talents, the acquired learning environment is more likely to influence the students.

Everyone chatted about this and that, and Dingnan, the grandson of the village chief, whispered, "I just heard that the master's family also wants to do corvée labor, but they chose not to go and chose to pay. Guess how much it will cost?"

Everyone rolled their eyes at him. Who doesn’t know that?

The student in gray sneered, "It's always 5 taels every year. Why not this year?"

The unspoken rule in Huangyang County is that rich people without any official title do not have to perform corvee labor as long as they can afford it.

For corvée labor twice a year, 5 taels of silver were required.

Sun Dingnan ignored his classmates' ridicule and looked around. The teacher and Zheng Bo were not there. He felt relieved and whispered, "It's not 5 taels. The price has increased. It needs 6 taels."

Everyone was shocked when they heard that the price had actually increased.

6 taels, which is more than an ordinary farmer can earn in a year.

Our tuition and miscellaneous fees are only three taels a year.

6 taels is enough for us to study for two years.

Sun Dingnan was satisfied to see the surprised expressions of his classmates, and said with a smile: "Huangyang County is a poor county, and the county magistrate must want to collect more money. Anyway, the rich and powerful families will definitely choose to pay silver instead of doing corvée."

For example, there is no thought of not going to Sunjia Village, and the government has no chance of making a penny from Sunjia Village.

The more they talked about corvee labor, the heavier their mood became.

Including Sun Shan.

Sun Bomin and his wife have always been worried that Sun Shan's body cannot withstand the military service.

Plan ahead and earn a few more coins.

When Sun Shan was old enough to serve in the army, and Sun Bomin was too old to serve, they chose to pay the government money, paying as much as they could, in order to prevent Sun Shan from having to serve.

It is pitiful to see the love of parents in the world. Parents always think the most about their children.

With the sound of bang bang bang, the afternoon class at Zheng’s School officially began.

Zheng Tongsheng walked in and started to check the knowledge that the students had just learned.

Sun Shan and Yang Qingbei recited it word for word and read it correctly in Beijing dialect.

As for De Ge'er, he had difficulty reciting and reading.

Zheng Tongsheng said sternly: "You must be able to recite and read today before you can leave the class." This meant that De Ge'er had to stay in the classroom alone to recite and read.

As soon as Master Zheng left, De Ge looked at Sun Shan with grievance.

Sun Shan ignored him and took Yang Qingbei to the small pond to practice calligraphy.

De Ge'er, you'd better memorize and read carefully.

Today, just like yesterday, Sun Shan wrote, read, practiced, and recited at the same time.

If you forget how to read something, ask Yang Qingbei.

Similarly, Yang Qingbei did not understand what he meant and asked Sun Shan. The two of them became closer as they learned from each other.