Chapter 7

Zhang Jing, a man of note, had served as the Viceroy of Liangguang and the Minister of War, and had successively quelled the Yao rebellion and pacified Annam. Later, he became the Viceroy of the Southeast, overseeing the armies of Jiangnan, Jiangbei, Zhejiang, Shandong, Fujian, and Huguang, and was specifically tasked with suppressing the Japanese pirates. However, due to his immense power, he became embroiled in factional struggles and was ultimately harmed by Yan Song and Zhao Wenhua. Later, Zhang Jing's grandson, Zhang Maojie, appealed to the court to clear his name, and the court posthumously restored Zhang Jing's rank and granted his descendants official positions.

In the eyes of the villagers, Zhang Jing was from Hongtang Village in Houguan County, and he held the highest official rank in the village's history. The Zhang clan's descendants in the village were all proud to be his kin. There was not only a memorial archway in the village, but also one at the west gate of the prefectural city.

Walking straight into the village for several dozen steps, one would reach the Hongtang Community School where Lin Yanchao was located. Next to it was the Zhang clan's ancestral temple, which enshrined Zhang Jing. The community school was built adjacent to the ancestral temple, a common layout.

The community school usually had fewer than twenty students and covered no more than half an acre, but it was a complete facility despite its small size.

Lin Yanchao, relying on his memory, entered through the main gate. In the center was the lecture hall, with two side rooms on either side. The left room was a shrine dedicated to the sage Confucius, while the right room was where the teacher and students rested. Behind the lecture hall was a small open space used as a practice ground for archery, followed by the dormitory, kitchen, and latrine, forming a standard front-hall-back-room layout.

Some students were already in the lecture hall, and Lin Yanchao realized he was probably late. He quickly walked around the lecture hall, through the archery ground, and ran to his dormitory to put down his books and luggage.

The dormitory was a long communal bed, with neatly folded bedding on top. In front of the bed, on a table with peeling paint, lay a grayish-white scroll that a classmate had not finished reading, and a row of line-bound books was neatly arranged in the corner.

The door was half-open, and sunlight spilled in, creating a staircase-like effect as it entered the room.

"Yanchao!"

"Yanchao!"

The sound of the door opening came, and a tall, honest-looking man entered.

Lin Yanchao was momentarily stunned, then remembered that it was probably his classmate Hou Zhongshu. He tentatively responded, "Zhongshu!"

The other man chuckled, confirming that he had not called the wrong person.

Hou Zhongshu laughed, "Yanchao, are you feeling better?"

"Much better."

"Perfect, you just arrived, and there's big news. Can you guess what it is?"

Lin Yanchao smiled, "Zhongshu, you're still the same, always keeping things mysterious."

Hou Zhongshu usually liked to keep things mysterious, enjoying the anxious inquiries of others. But seeing Lin Yanchao's calm demeanor, he complained, "You should ask me. You sound so formal after your trip home. Are you going to ask or not?"

This guy, Lin Yanchao just played along, "I can't guess. Brother Zhongshu, what is it?"

Hou Zhongshu nodded in satisfaction, "That's right. You ask, and I answer. This way, I have more interest in talking. Yanchao, I just heard the teacher talking to Zhang Zongjia at the front gate. The inspector will soon visit the community school to examine our studies."

The inspector was the provincial education commissioner, often respectfully called the Grand Master, who was the chief examiner for the preliminary exams in the Three Passes. He had the responsibility of maintaining school discipline and evaluating the performance of teachers and students.

"Yanchao, the inspector's visit is a great opportunity for me to stand out. If I am recognized by the Grand Master and promoted to a scholar in the county school, I will have made it," Hou Zhongshu said confidently.

However, a provincial inspector, a fifth-rank official, coming to inspect the Hongtang Community School seemed unlikely. Lin Yanchao did not interrupt Hou Zhongshu's daydreaming and simply said, "Let's go. We're going to be late."

Hou Zhongshu suddenly realized this and the two of them left the dormitory, walked through the archery ground, and headed toward the lecture hall via the corridor.

As they approached the door, a man in his thirties, dressed in a blue robe and carrying a ruler, walked in quickly. "Oh no," Hou Zhongshu whispered, and they both walked up with trepidation.

"Teacher!"

This man was Lin Chengyi, the teacher of Lin Yanchao and Hou Zhongshu, and the only teacher at the Hongtang Community School.

Lin Chengyi, a tall man with a slightly pale complexion, wore a blue robe that was washed almost white, with a few inconspicuous patches. His appearance reminded Lin Yanchao of Kong Yiji and Fan Jin from his textbooks.

Despite his humble attire, Lin Chengyi was impeccably dressed, even in the hot weather, wearing a round-collar robe without a single wrinkle. His stern face inspired respect and awe.

Seeing Lin Chengyi, the mischievous Hou Zhongshu became subdued, not daring to breathe loudly. Everyone in Hongtang knew that although Lin Chengyi was only a scholar, he was extremely strict in his teaching, and no student dared to defy him.

Lin Chengyi sternly looked at the two of them, "A life of diligence is the foundation. Three early mornings equal one day's work! You are even late for the morning class!"

Hou Zhongshu secretly groaned, and Lin Yanchao, who was about to discuss the delay in paying the tuition, was caught off guard.

"Teacher, we know we were wrong," Lin Yanchao and Hou Zhongshu said in unison.

Lin Chengyi grunted and paused, "Yanchao, you haven't paid your tuition yet, have you?"

Isn't it said that a gentleman is ashamed to talk about profit? Why is the teacher asking for money from the students?

Lin Yanchao, with no choice, said, "Teacher, can I delay the payment until the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

In his mind, Lin Yanchao wondered if Lin Chengyi would agree. From his impression, the teacher was extremely strict, and as a scholar, he was not well-off. Lin Yanchao remembered that Lin Chengyi had an elderly mother to support.

By bringing it up, it was clear that Lin Chengyi had been thinking about it, but Lin Yanchao had no money at the moment and was likely to face his disapproval.

Lin Chengyi stroked his beard and asked, "Is there any difficulty at home?"

Lin Yanchao replied, "I was sick last time and spent a lot of money. Moreover, my family suffered from a flood, and we really don't have the money for the tuition. Therefore, I humbly request that the payment be delayed until the Mid-Autumn Festival. I am very grateful."

Lin Yanchao spoke sincerely without showing any signs of begging.

Hou Zhongshu added, "That's right, Teacher. Yanchao's family is indeed in a difficult situation. I can vouch for him."

Lin Chengyi glanced at Hou Zhongshu and scolded, "Did I ask you? Go inside."

Hou Zhongshu, seeing Lin Chengyi's reprimand, dared not say more and returned to the lecture hall, giving Lin Yanchao a sympathetic look as he left.

Lin Chengyi looked at Lin Yanchao for a moment and said, "Studying is for yourself. You cannot neglect your studies because of poverty. Your talent is not sufficient, so you need to work harder. If you don't, what's the point of studying? You might as well go home. You need to catch up on the lessons you missed in the past few days. I will examine you in the coming days, and if you don't perform well, you should go home and not come back!"

Lin Yanchao, hearing Lin Chengyi's long speech, was unsure of his intentions. It seemed like he was either dissatisfied with the lack of tuition or trying to motivate him to study harder. Regardless, he had passed the first hurdle.

Lin Yanchao entered the lecture hall, where about a dozen young boys from the village were already seated. Lin Yanchao recognized many of his classmates. They already knew about his reprimand, and some of them were gloating.

One of them said coldly, "If you can't even afford the tuition, why are you still here?"

"Respecting teachers is a matter of propriety. How can someone without manners read the classics?"

"If I were the teacher, I would have expelled him long ago."

Lin Yanchao seemed to ignore these comments and walked to the last row, where an old wooden desk was set up without a chair. He sat on the floor.

Hou Zhongshu came over and asked, "Did the teacher scold you?"

"Yes."

"Did he agree to delay the tuition until the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"Sort of, but not really."

"He said he will examine your studies in the next few days, and if you don't perform well, he will send you home."

"That's bad. The teacher has been teaching 'Yue Xue Qiong Lin' for the past few days."

"What does that mean?"

"I've been reading it for almost a month and have almost memorized it, but I've forgotten half of it. He's only giving you a few days, so he must be trying to make it difficult for you."

Soon, footsteps were heard from outside, and the lecture hall fell silent. All the students sat up straight.

Lin Chengyi, holding a ruler, walked up to each student, who were all on edge. Even Lin Yanchao felt the tension. In Confucian tradition, after heaven, earth, the emperor, and family elders, the teacher was the most respected. At this moment, absolute obedience to the teacher was required, and students had to unconditionally follow the teacher's instructions.

Lin Chengyi checked the desks, chairs, pens, inkstones, and books to ensure they were neatly arranged. If anything was out of order, he would scold or punish the student with the ruler. After reprimanding three students, he nodded slightly and began the lesson, starting with 'Meng Tong Xun'.

In the community school, Lin Chengyi taught according to the students' progress. New students read 'Meng Tong Xun' and 'Xiao Xue', while those who had been in school for a year read 'San Bai Qian', which included 'San Zi Jing', 'Bai Jia Xing', 'Qian Zi Wen', and 'Qian Jia Shi'.

New students sat on the left side, facing north, while those with a foundation sat on the right side, facing south.

The lesson began with Lin Chengyi sitting north and facing south, teaching the new students 'Meng Tong Xun' and 'Xiao Xue'. Students with a foundation sat with their backs to Lin Chengyi, reviewing their lessons. After half an hour, Lin Chengyi switched to teaching 'San Bai Qian', and the other students turned around to listen, while the first group turned to face the wall to review their lessons.

The smell of ink, the characters on the wall, and the rough table surface all inspired Lin Yanchao to study diligently.

While the new students were reading 'Meng Tong Xun', Lin Yanchao took a book and opened the anti-moth paper on the first page. It was the 'Qian Zi Wen', a required text for primary education, with a brief explanation and sentence divisions. Unfamiliar characters were annotated with phonetic readings.

The book belonged to the community school and had to be returned after use. The annotations, written by a previous student, were neat and detailed, making the book much easier to read.

Lin Yanchao enthusiastically began to read silently. By the time Lin Chengyi started teaching the 'Qian Zi Wen', he had read it thoroughly from beginning to end.

"Comfort the people and punish the guilty, as did King Wu and King Tang. Repeat!"

"Comfort the people and punish the guilty, as did King Wu and King Tang."

"Sit in court and ask questions, rule with ease. Repeat!"

"Sit in court and ask questions, rule with ease."

"Love and nurture the people, subdue the barbarians. Repeat!"

"Love and nurture the people, subdue the barbarians."

Lin Chengyi first taught the students to read each section in rhythm, then combined them into a complete reading.

Lin Chengyi read a line, and the students followed, swaying their heads. They did not discuss the central theme or the main idea; they only focused on reading in rhythm, following the ancient method of reading a text many times to understand its meaning. Lin Yanchao followed Lin Chengyi, word by word, and with his excellent memory, he quickly memorized it after two readings.

On the third reading, Lin Chengyi asked the students to put down their books, fold their hands, and recite from memory.

This was where the differences in ability became apparent. Most students were just following others, while a few who had already learned the 'Qian Zi Wen' led the recitation. Lin Yanchao, however, recited it from memory, word by word, and managed to recite the entire 'Qian Zi Wen'.

Reciting the entire 'Qian Zi Wen' after only three readings was almost unbelievable, even to Lin Yanchao himself.

Lin Yanchao felt Lin Chengyi turn to look at him, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

Lin Yanchao understood that learning was endless and that he should not be proud of his excellent memory. Even if he could recite it repeatedly, it did not mean he had truly mastered the text.

So, Lin Yanchao focused intently and read with great seriousness.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.