“If it comes to it, just have a fight! A bunch of boys together and they won’t even fight?”
Li Fei and the others: “……”
How could they fight? They hadn’t stolen anything, hadn’t argued—better to just stick to repairing the road.
They carried the children inside. Lu Liu stayed in the house with the kids to keep his brother company, while Li Feng chatted with Xie Yan in the courtyard.
The household had bought a lot of firewood—some already chopped, some still in logs. Li Feng helped split the wood.
Xie Yan said to him, “I’m not trying to take advantage of you. I’ve had some free time while reading lately, and I’ve been painting. I painted one for your mother, and one for my mother. I don’t have time for more now. Soon I’ll go to the capital and stay there for two months. I’ll paint your whole family together while I’m there.”
Li Feng thought this was impressive. “How did you learn that? I’ll have Xiao Mai try to learn too.”
Xie Yan explained, “There’s no fixed method. My family wasn’t wealthy when I was young, so we saved on books. Later, when I learned painting, my teacher’s skills were ordinary too. I looked at how my mother painted—her patterns were clearer—and she told me to observe and copy. That’s how I learned. At first, I liked still life, especially straight-edged objects, like tables and boxes. No curves, just longer, shorter, bigger, smaller—differences aren’t obvious. If you want Xiao Mai to learn, have him copy and draw freely. Once he’s older, his hand steadier, and his eye more precise, you can hire a teacher. He doesn’t have to follow the teacher entirely; he can learn techniques and then paint whatever he likes.”
Previously, when talking about teaching reading, he had said the children were too young. Now he had been thinking and shared a plan with Li Feng.
“In the early years, while children are small, treat reading like sowing grass. Scatter seeds and let them grow. Primer books are tedious, but you can teach simple phrases, tell stories, introduce anecdotes, and then have them recite a few lines of the original text. The next day, recite the original text again and have them explain the meaning to you.
“In the first few years, their speech may be unclear, but they learn quickly. After growing a few years freely, if they develop interest in reading, you can have them practice writing, cultivating the habit of penmanship. Once they enter school, the teacher will teach new things, but they will have heard some of it before. When they write, they will do it decently, and praise will increase their interest.
“Don’t rush them to write essays; that’s like keeping them caged. Once they develop interest, make sure they learn characters, string together the anecdotes they’ve learned, and explore independently. Self-discovery brings surprise. Children need encouragement—let them share their discoveries and praise them. A few years like this, they’ll be eight or nine.”
Xie Yan said, “If you’re willing, you could send him here. I’ll teach him reading.”
Li Fei would start studying in the prefectural city at twelve. Zhuangzhuang, a few years younger, would be fine.
Li Feng frowned and asked, “How do you explain the anecdotes and stories? Xiao Liu and I know characters, but our knowledge is limited.”
Hiring a teacher might not meet the standard.
Xie Yan smiled. “You could ask our godfather for help. My husband learned many anecdotes from him as a child and understood many principles—more than enough.”
He then explained how to link anecdotes during intensive character learning.
If the household could afford it, give the child complete books. When he finds an article he likes, he reads it fully, gaining a sense of accomplishment, which likely leads him to explore other pieces.
If resources are limited, provide single articles. Let him accumulate knowledge piece by piece, noting new characters and words. This habit must be cultivated, and characters should be reviewed frequently. Later, these skills are essential for writing.
The family had a study room, and books were a minor concern, but proper guidance was necessary—they must learn to treasure books. A scholar must love books.
Other matters could wait.
Then there was what Xie Yan’s father had taught him: reading alone cannot occupy the mind entirely; one must switch activities. Xie Yan had been learning painting, but he advised Li Feng to have the two children learn some martial skills as well.
Whether due to a change in mindset or not, his own period of physical strengthening coincided with intense effort in study. When the body was healthy, he felt his reading energy increased. After moving and stretching, his mind was sharper for study. He shared this approach with Li Feng.
For a family seeking to rise in status, the imperial examinations were the most direct path.
Li Feng and Lu Liu were already past the prime, but fortunately, the next generation could be cultivated.
One generation’s success would make Zhuangzhuang a prodigy. Given Xie Yan’s age, it would take twenty years.
In twenty years, they would still only be middle-aged.
Xie Yan gave Li Feng a vision: “You’ll see in the capital someday.”
Li Feng didn’t know if it would work, but he agreed.
If Zhuangzhuang succeeded, he would become a scholar’s father. If not, he would at least give the child a beating.
After discussing this, Xie Yan entrusted Li Feng with another matter:
“While I’m away, visit our home often. My husband is strong-minded and takes everything on himself. Let Brother Liu ask him questions. If I haven’t returned by the time he gives birth, help care for him. Be attentive—his health was fragile before, and now that he’s carrying, people say overfeeding the child can make delivery difficult. I dare not give him too much supplementation.”
Even if unsaid, Li Feng and Lu Liu would care for them. Saying it aloud was just a formality, to reassure Xie Yan.
While this side of the household was harmonious, elsewhere, Chen Guizhi took Shun Ge’er to Hai Youtian’s home.
Their home was a rented small house—a simple earthen dwelling, ordinary in layout. Father, mother, younger brothers, and sisters all lived there.
Daily life required constant expenses. With so many mouths to feed and no special skills, it was hard to save money. The marriage hadn’t even been formalized yet. No wonder Hai Youtian worried about life after leaving the guild.
Chen Guizhi had three children and knew the household well. She introduced Shun Ge’er to the family, treating him like a young man, greeting and chatting with the family, explaining the household’s situation, and asking about expectations.
Hai Youtian handled matters reliably. He had promised to persuade his family, managing everything respectfully. On paper, the household met the conditions. Even visitation frequency had been discussed.
Seeing that the family still seemed uneasy, and with daylight left, Chen Guizhi said, “Why don’t we go to our house? Get familiar with each other—after all, we’ll be relatives. It will be convenient in the future.”
Hai Youtian agreed. Their family couldn’t all fit in the carriage, so only his parents went.
The Third Water Lane was lively. Entering, they saw one household related, another household related, their legs trembling. Hai Youtian, marrying into the family, was an outsider—they didn’t know how people would treat him.
Chen Guizhi led them inside and called Lu Liu to assist, keeping Li Feng away, saying he was busy outside.
In front of everyone, she praised Lu Liu as unmatched. Using him as an example, she explained how Lu Liu’s two elders lived in the prefectural city.
“Rest assured. I arranged the marriage for the children for the sake of life together—prosperity ahead. No scheming, no bullying. I’m a widow raising three children. The eldest and second are sons; this youngest is close to me. I couldn’t bear to marry him off lightly, so I sought a suitable match. I like Hai Youtian’s character after spending months with him. He’s clever, kind-hearted, and knows my eldest son—they get along like brothers. That’s why I chose him.”
Hai Youtian’s parents feared he might be mistreated in another home. Even here, their hearts were uneasy. Hearing Chen Guizhi’s explanation, similar to what she had told Hai Youtian, and knowing the families had known each other long before arranging the match, they felt reassured.
They arrived late. Lunch was over; in the afternoon, a meal was arranged, prepared by Lu Liu and Shun Ge’er.
Hai Youtian sat with his three elders, while Chen Guizhi continued explaining, “My Shun Ge’er grew up in the mountains. He had a hard childhood and worked diligently. He learned household chores young and never had pampering. In the future, if he is to be cared for, it will be when they have children. Otherwise, the two of them are just ordinary husband and husband, helping each other out.”
During the meal, after a couple of cups of wine, Hai Youtian’s parents finally opened their hearts.
