Chapter 8

Although Manbao recognized quite a few characters, she still couldn't understand overly complex stories. She could only grasp the stories by feeling.

Fortunately, these books were different from the ones on Mr. Zhuang's bookshelf. They were written in simple language, and as long as she recognized the characters, she could read through the entire text. Although she didn't understand everything, she could still grasp the general story.

Manbao became excited and read the book with great interest.

Although the story was about a bad father, it didn't seem tragic at first. The first story was about the tenth-ranked emperor, Kangxi.

It described how he raised his sons like he was raising venomous insects, deliberately making them compete to ensure his own power, and maintaining a balance.

At first, Manbao didn't see how bad this father was and just read it as a story. The system reminded her, "Look at the fates of his sons. Aren't they all tragic?"

Manbao was taken aback and asked, "They are princes and emperors. How can they be tragic?"

Keko explained, "Look, they are princes, but most of them were eventually imprisoned or exiled. Do you know what imprisonment and exile mean?"

Manbao confidently replied, "No."

The system was momentarily speechless and then explained in detail what imprisonment and exile meant—essentially, being jailed and serving a sentence.

Manbao was shocked, "Their father is an emperor, and their brothers are emperors, and they still have to go to jail?"

Keko said, "That's why he's called a bad father."

Manbao pouted, feeling that this father was indeed not very good. After reading it a couple of times, she began to understand the meaning of the story.

This was a father who, to maintain his power, deliberately made his sons compete, eventually imprisoning three of them. He then chose one son to be the emperor, who in turn imprisoned and exiled several others. Thus, his sons all had tragic fates.

Manbao didn't like this story, and it gave her a headache. There were several names she didn't recognize, so she pointed them out to Keko.

Keko not only taught her how to read the characters but also explained their meanings.

Manbao flipped to the next story and then cried.

This father was even worse than the previous one because he actually starved his daughter to death just because she accepted a piece of bread from a neighbor.

Manbao, being a kind-hearted child, cried profusely and angrily said to Keko, "This father is really bad. How can he still be a famous official?"

Keko replied, "Being a famous official and a bad father are not contradictory."

Although it seemed that famous officials were good, Manbao decided to dislike him. The little girl in the story was about her age, and she was starved to death. How terrible that must have been.

Manbao cried until her eyes were red.

Mr. Zhuang returned from class, and the system, sensing his presence at the door, immediately confiscated the book from Manbao. So, Mr. Zhuang only saw Manbao sitting on the steps, crying with red eyes.

Mr. Zhuang's grandson was only a little older than Manbao and usually liked her the most. He felt very sorry for her, quickly walked over, and gently asked, "Manbao, who bullied you?"

Manbao wiped her tears, grabbed Mr. Zhuang's sleeve, and looked up, asking, "Mr. Zhuang, are you a good father?"

Mr. Zhuang was taken aback, thought for a moment, and said, "Manbao, my grandson is older than you. By seniority, I should be called Grandpa."

"Sniff, Mr. Zhuang, are there many bad fathers in the world who bully children?"

Mr. Zhuang asked, "Did your father scold you?"

Manbao shook her head, "My father is very good to me. He's not a bad father."

Mr. Zhuang sighed with relief, looked at Manbao, and, knowing she was young, sat down next to her and asked patiently, "Then why do you ask such a question?"

"I read a story about a famous official. His family had little food, and his daughter was hungry. A neighbor saw her and gave her a piece of bread. She ate it, and when he found out, he was very angry and locked her up, starving her to death."

Mr. Zhuang's face twitched, and he said, "Is there such an official?"

Manbao, trusting the book Keko had given her, insisted, "There is. I saw it with my own eyes."

Mr. Zhuang knew not to argue with a child and said, "Even if there is, such an official is just a hypocrite. He is called a famous official, but he doesn't deserve the name. A piece of bread is nothing. If he were truly honest, he would have returned two pieces to the neighbor."

"Huh?" Manbao blinked, tried to recall what the book said, and scratched her head, saying, "It wasn't just because she ate a piece of bread. It said it was because she interacted with a man outside the family. Mr. Zhuang, what is a man outside the family?"

Mr. Zhuang laughed, "That's even more absurd. A man outside the family is like me to you, or the students in the school to you. Although men and women are different, it's not necessary to guard against them so strictly. If there is, he is either a madman or a devil."

Mr. Zhuang continued, "The former is insane, and the latter is deliberately doing it, sacrificing his daughter's life for a reputation. You should stay as far away from such people as possible. But I've never heard of such a story. Where did you read it?"

Manbao immediately said, "It's in a book called 'The Ten Worst Fathers in History.'"

"Since it's history, it must be recorded. Do you know which dynasty the famous official you mentioned is from?"

"The Ming Dynasty during the Jiajing period."

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but laugh, patted her head, and said, "It seems to be a fabricated story. There is no such thing as the Ming Dynasty in this world."

Manbao blinked but still trusted Keko, asking in her mind, "Keko, did you lie to me?"

The system, which had been silent, felt a sense of joy and said, "No, host. Just because this world doesn't have the Ming Dynasty doesn't mean it doesn't exist in another world. Just like me, in this world and this era, only you have me, but in the era of my creator, I am not rare. If you have money and are willing to buy, everyone can have one."

Manbao understood somewhat but still summarized her thoughts: Keko didn't lie, but Mr. Zhuang was also right. So, she decided to listen to both.

She looked up at Mr. Zhuang and asked, "Mr. Zhuang, do you know any bad fathers in our history?"

Mr. Zhuang asked, "Why are you interested in this? Remember, a child should not speak ill of their father. Even if a father is wrong, few people would publicize it, as it would embarrass the father and the family, and what good would it do for the child?"

Manbao was taken aback. Mr. Zhuang took the opportunity to teach her about propriety, saying, "Manbao, you are a smart child. I know you love reading. Since you have finished 'The Thousand Character Classic,' it's time to learn 'The Analects of Confucius.' After that, I will teach you 'The Book of Rites.'"

Manbao was stunned, and the system reminded her, "Host, don't forget to thank your teacher."

Manbao came to her senses, immediately knelt down, and said, "Mr. Zhuang, teacher!"

Manbao bowed to Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang felt a moment of regret after speaking, but seeing her kneeling and happily calling him teacher, the regret disappeared.

Well, although she is a girl, she is smart, cute, and a comfort.

Mr. Zhuang helped her up and said, "Go home and tell your parents about today."

"Why? Teacher, you never let me tell my parents about what happens here."

Mr. Zhuang patted her head and said, "Since you have bowed to me, it should be done properly."

Mr. Zhuang patted her head and sighed.

The first time he met Manbao, she was just a little girl who could barely stand with support, probably around one and a half years old, just able to stand steadily with help.

Ms. Qian came to cook. Since it was her first job, she cherished it and always came early, cleaning inside and out, chopping wood, and cooking.

So, she inevitably neglected the child. Manbao crawled to the threshold of the classroom, climbed over, and hugged the door to listen to his lessons.

At first, Mr. Zhuang was a bit angry, thinking Ms. Qian was not doing her job well. He put down his book, picked up Manbao, and went to find Ms. Qian.

He intended to tell Ms. Qian to take care of her child, but saw her sweating and chopping wood with an axe.

Mr. Zhuang, being invited to teach in this poor village by a landlord, naturally came from a poor family himself.

He remembered his mother raising him the same way, so he hesitated, didn't call Ms. Qian, and turned back to put Manbao down, letting her sit on the threshold.

Fortunately, the child was well-behaved. She sat on the threshold, didn't cry or make a fuss, ate when given food, and when the students read aloud, she would also make sounds as if she were talking to herself.

Later, the first word she said was "teacher," and Mr. Zhuang insisted on this.

This child was very smart. At just over a year old, she could read "Heaven and Earth are dark and yellow..." with the students.

His students, the youngest of whom were six, would forget what they learned after a few days, but this child remembered clearly.

Of course, she could only repeat the words and didn't recognize the characters.

So, Mr. Zhuang copied "The Thousand Character Classic" for her.

Later, he liked her even more because he found that Manbao not only memorized things quickly, almost never forgetting, but also learned to recognize characters quickly.

After a few times, she could remember the characters.

Such a smart, cute, and kind child, why wasn't she a boy?

Mr. Zhuang often lamented this.

He couldn't resist teaching her, teaching her to recognize characters, teaching her principles, and even finding some books for her to practice writing, giving her the manuscripts to keep.

Although the idea of taking her as a disciple came out suddenly, he had been thinking about it for a long time. He just hesitated because she was a girl.

He was just a scholar who had been expelled from the prefectural school, with limited knowledge. Why should he be too concerned with empty fame?

Should he really be like the bad father in her story, seeking fame and reputation?

Mr. Zhuang rubbed Manbao's head more firmly and decided, "Go find your sister-in-law now. Have your parents choose a good day to bring you here."

Manbao left in a daze.