Chapter 37

So grown up, and still resorting to calling parents.

Lin Yanchao ignored him, understanding the old man’s intentions. He was a bit sensitive, probably having only been at the school for a few days and wanting to establish his authority. But Lin Yanchao wouldn’t let himself be used as a target and said, "My home is in Hongshan Village, over ten miles away. Everyone at home has to farm and is very busy, so they can’t come over."

"I don’t care. You can only come back to school when your family comes. You’re not allowed to step into the classroom now," the old man sneered, waiting for the student to beg for mercy. He believed that such a stubborn student needed to be dealt with this way to instill fear.

But Lin Yanchao brushed his sleeve and said, "How ridiculous, Sir. If you can’t discipline me, how can you discipline my family? Is the problem with you or with me?"

The classroom erupted into low laughter.

The old man, enraged and embarrassed, waved his hand, "Do you really think I won’t expel you? Leave now."

"Fine, if you want me to leave, I will." Lin Yanchao didn’t hesitate, slamming the door as he left.

Seeing Lin Yanchao actually leave, the old man was so angry that his body trembled. He turned to the students and said, "You see, this is the consequence of defying the teacher."

But then someone walked in, almost colliding with Lin Yanchao. It was Zhang Zongjia, who said, "What’s all the noise about? I was discussing something with the clan elder at the ancestral hall, and you’ve disturbed us."

Seeing Zhang Zongjia, the old man’s expression softened. He pointed at Lin Yanchao and complained, "Zhang Zongjia, this student is extremely unruly. I’ve never seen anyone like him in my life. I want to expel him from the school."

In truth, the old man had never seen a student who wasn’t afraid of calling parents or being expelled from class.

Zhang Zongjia looked at Lin Yanchao and said with a friendly tone, "Isn’t this Yanchao? I haven’t congratulated your grandfather yet. Teacher, what’s going on? Is there some misunderstanding? Yanchao is our best student, a disciple of the great master. You should teach him carefully!"

"Indeed, it’s him, but he’s too disrespectful..." the old man continued.

Zhang Zongjia cut him off, "Teacher, I invited you to the school to teach the students, not to punish them."

Everyone could see that Zhang Zongjia was favoring Lin Yanchao. The old man said, "Zhang Zongjia, if you say that, how can I discipline the students?"

"That’s your problem. I don’t have the time for this. Don’t forget the promise you made to Young Master Zhang when you first came to the school."

The old man’s face turned pale, "Yes, Zhang Zongjia, I will teach well."

The students could see that the old man was somewhat afraid of Zhang Zongjia. Zhang Zongjia walked out of the door.

The old man looked at Lin Yanchao with a bitter and angry expression, "You made a big show in the school that day, didn’t you think it was great? Now that you’ve been taken in by Hu Tixue, do you look down on your teacher? Have you heard the story of Fang Zhongyong?"

Lin Yanchao was annoyed by such accusations. Since they had already torn their faces, he said directly, "Teacher, I’ve never thought I was great. That’s all you’re saying."

The old man put down the ruler, "You unruly student, I can’t do anything to you because of Zhang Zongjia, but you must copy the 'Yue Xue Qiong Lin' three times."

"Three times, that’s about fifty thousand characters. I can’t do that. If you insist, you might as well expel me from the school!" Lin Yanchao replied directly.

"You... Have you ever seen a student who threatens the teacher with not studying?" the old man asked, having never seen such a thing in his life.

"Teacher, copying 'Yue Xue Qiong Lin' three times is too much. How can Yanchao finish it today?"

"That’s right! Teacher, your punishment is too severe."

The students, who were friendly with Lin Yanchao, spoke up for him. The classroom was in chaos.

Seeing the students defending Lin Yanchao, the old man had no choice but to compromise, "Alright, stop making noise. I’ll give you four days to finish it. You must bring the first volume copied three times tomorrow!"

"Brother Yanchao, forget it. Why argue with him?"

"Give the teacher some face."

Lin Yanchao thought for a moment and realized his attitude was a bit too harsh. He said, "Yes, Teacher."

Lin Yanchao returned to his seat. Hou Zhongshu immediately reported to him, "This old man is more stubborn than Mr. Lin. Why did you argue with him?"

The name "old man" was fitting, summarizing his rigid and old-fashioned nature.

Lin Yanchao said, "I can’t swallow this. What’s his background?"

Hou Zhongshu signaled to Zhang Guihe, "It’s said that this old man is Zhang Guihe’s uncle, the only scholar in the village. He passed the prefectural exam at forty and failed the provincial exam three times. He’s almost fifty, hasn’t advanced in his studies, and can’t make a living. His wife died of illness a few years ago. He usually copies books for others in town and writes couplets for the villagers during festivals to support himself."

"However, he always considers himself a scholar and often quarrels with the villagers, using classical language to insult people. Living in poverty, the villagers mock him as 'old man.' Now that the school is short of a teacher, they had no choice but to hire him, thanks to Zhang Guihe’s connections."

Lin Yanchao couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for the old man. He was a teacher who had failed to advance in his studies, no wonder Zhang Zongjia showed no respect, and the students were clear about it.

Even Lin Yanchao said, "Passing the prefectural exam at forty, such a level is likely to mislead students."

"You’re not the only one who thinks so. Everyone has been whispering about it, saying he’s far worse than Mr. Lin."

At this point, the old man started teaching, "Today we’ll study 'Zeng Guang Xian Wen.' There are only three books, so you’ll have to share and take turns. Zhang Haoyuan, Zhang Guihe, Zhang Songming, you come and get them first!"

Everyone knew the old man was Zhang Guihe’s relative, and they all had complaints about his arrangement.

Because everyone had complaints about the old man, Lin Yanchao could feel that his classmates weren’t as focused during class as they were when Mr. Lin taught.

Moreover, the old man’s teaching method was very rigid. For the entire class, the new teacher just read a sentence, and the students would nod and repeat it. If a student asked about the meaning of a word, he would scold them. At the end, he would give a rough explanation. Fortunately, 'Zeng Guang Xian Wen' was relatively simple, so everyone could understand.

After the morning class, the old man left quickly, apparently not planning to come back for the afternoon or evening classes.

The students were already complaining. When Mr. Lin taught, he adjusted his teaching based on each student’s progress. This teacher, however, taught everyone the same way. Some students who were just starting to learn 'Meng Tong Xun' found 'Zeng Guang Xian Wen' too difficult, while those who had already started reading the Four Books found it too easy.

"What kind of teacher is this!" Some students started cursing in class.

At this moment, Zhang Guihe stood up, "What do you know? Mr. Lin suddenly resigned, and the village had a hard time finding a teacher. They paid him to teach a few classes temporarily. If they hire a new teacher, they’ll have to pay the full salary. Can your families afford it?"

Hearing Zhang Haoyuan’s words, Lin Yanchao realized that the new teacher was a substitute, with a low salary (no full salary), no formal position (not recognized by the inspector and village elders), and no benefits (no exemption from corvée).

The new teacher also had no formal teacher-student relationship, so there was no need for a formal ceremony. In ancient times, if students didn’t pay tuition, teachers didn’t have to teach them. Even Confucius said in the Analects that he would teach those who paid the tuition (those who brought a bundle of dried meat, I have never refused to teach).

In other words, if you didn’t pay the tuition, even Confucius might not be reliable.

"Then why bother? The old man teaches randomly. It’s better to go with me to catch clams and shrimp," a student who usually didn’t study said.

"Aren’t you afraid of the old man’s punishment?"

"What’s there to be afraid of?"

"What about the exams?"

"That’s tomorrow’s problem."

Encouraged by this student, the others also had the idea, and half of the students in the classroom left.

Zhang Haoyuan and Hou Zhongshu were also tempted and tried to persuade Lin Yanchao, "Brother Chao, come with us!"

Lin Yanchao, while laying out paper, said irritably, "You two clearly want to go but are afraid of the old man’s punishment, so you’re trying to get more people. Do you think I don’t know?"

Zhang Haoyuan and Hou Zhongshu laughed.

Lin Yanchao said, "I’m not going. The old man punished me to copy 'Yue Xue Qiong Lin.' You two go."

The two of them looked at Lin Yanchao with sympathy. Hou Zhongshu said, "The teacher’s punishment is too severe. We can each help you copy one volume."

Zhang Haoyuan said, "How can that work? Can your handwriting match Yanchao’s? The old man will see through it tomorrow."

Lin Yanchao said, "I don’t need your help. Just lend me a hard brush pen for writing small characters."

What was the point of that?

Zhang Haoyuan and Hou Zhongshu didn’t understand but followed Lin Yanchao’s request and lent him a pen each.

Lin Yanchao ground the ink, dipped all three pens in ink, and laid out three sheets of paper on the desk. Then he grabbed all three pens and wrote on all three sheets at once.

"Is this possible?"

Zhang Haoyuan and Hou Zhongshu were amazed.

"Writing with three pens at once, the characters aren’t messy. How is this possible? Yanchao, have you practiced this?" Zhang Haoyuan asked.

Hou Zhongshu was in awe, "Yanchao, you’re amazing. With this skill, teach me. I won’t be afraid of the teacher’s punishment anymore. Master, please accept my bow!"

...