#19 - Don’t you dislike it?
“Time for school, time for school, Brother Ming~ Time for school~~~”
Early in the morning, just after Mao hour, Xu Ming had just finished breakfast when he saw Qin Qingwan running in like a little white rabbit.
On her back was an empty little book bag, and Madam Qin's personal maid, Caidie, followed behind Qin Qingwan.
“Okay, let's go then.” Xu Ming jumped off the stool, also carrying a small book bag on his back.
After Qin Qingwan and Xu Ming bid farewell to Xu's mother, Qin Qingwan took Xu Ming's little hand and skipped towards Zhixing Academy.
Zhixing Academy was actually not far away, only a street away from the Xu and Qin residences.
After arriving at the academy, Qin Qingwan saw many children about the same age as herself.
Xu Ming also saw his half-brother, Xu Pangda.
Xu Pangda was still a little fatty, possessing a burly figure at a young age.
What puzzled Xu Ming was that Xu Pangda came alone, without any maids or servants accompanying him, carrying a small book bag, looking lonely.
Xu Ming and Qin Qingwan walked into the schoolroom.
Inside the schoolroom were double desks for two people, similar to when he was in school on Blue Planet.
“Brother Ming, here, here~~~”
Qin Qingwan pulled Xu Ming to sit in the last row, then looked at everyone in front with bright eyes.
Xu Pangda also walked in.
Xu Pangda looked left and right, not knowing where to sit.
It seemed like he didn't know anyone.
But soon, Xu Pangda noticed Xu Ming and Qin Qingwan in the last row, and also walked over, sitting in the seat to Xu Ming's right.
More and more people entered the schoolroom.
These people were dressed in rich clothes, and some had an arrogance about them at a young age, like little masters.
This was normal, after all, they were all born with silver spoons in their mouths.
But more people still sat规规矩矩 in their seats, some socially awkward but curiously looking around.
There were also some social butterflies who started making friends in the class.
The whole schoolroom was very lively, like a kindergarten.
Before long, the schoolroom suddenly fell into silence, as if the turbulent sea had suddenly frozen into ice.
A man who looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old walked into the schoolroom.
The middle-aged man was wearing a Confucian blue robe, with a gentle and refined smile on his face.
“Hello, little children.” The man bowed to the children in the schoolroom. “From today onwards, I will be your teacher. My name is Xiao MoChi.”
“This is my name.”
Xiao MoChi took out a scroll from his sleeve. The scroll unfolded, and a snow-white cloth covered the wall. Xiao MoChi then took out a ruler from his sleeve, and as the ruler slid across the white cloth, words appeared.
Similar to a blackboard and chalk, but the immortal cultivation version.
“These are your books, you must take good care of them.” Xiao MoChi waved his hand, and books flew out of his sleeves, landing in front of everyone's desks.
Xu Ming looked at Xiao MoChi's sleeves and saw something similar to a storage ring in the immortal cultivation world for the first time, or perhaps it was the magic of "Universe in the Sleeve."
There were six books in total, namely—*The Analects of Confucius*, *The Doctrine of the Mean*, *The Great Learning*, *The Book of Poetry*, *The Book of Documents*, and *The Book of Rites*.
Compared to the Four Books and Five Classics of Blue Planet, *Mencius*, *The Book of Changes*, and *The Spring and Autumn Annals* were missing.
Xu Ming opened *The Analects of Confucius* and *The Book of Poetry* and took a look. Much of the content was very similar, and Xu Ming even felt a sense of familiarity.
It was like eating fried noodles from your hometown in a foreign country.
Looking at these books with nostalgia, a string of words popped into Xu Ming's mind again.
[You read one hundred characters of *The Analects of Confucius*, Righteous Qi +2]
[You read one hundred characters of *The Book of Poetry*, Righteous Qi +1, Literary Qi +1]
Xu Ming was stunned for a moment, then opened the other books and read one hundred characters each.
[You read one hundred characters of *The Doctrine of the Mean*, Righteous Qi +2]
[You read one hundred characters of *The Book of Rites*, Righteous Qi +1, Temperament +1]
[You read]
Each book provided Xu Ming with two attribute points. Some only added Righteous Qi, while others, in addition to increasing Righteous Qi, also had other attributes, such as—Literary Qi, Temperament.
“Please take out *The Analects of Confucius*, which is this book. We will now officially begin the lesson. First, everyone read the first page with me—
The Master said: 'Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals? Is it not a delight to have friends coming from afar? Is it not gentlemanly not to take offence when others fail to appreciate one's abilities?'”
Xiao MoChi's voice was like a spring breeze, calming the hearts of all the children, and they read along: “The Master said: 'Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals? Is it not a delight to have friends coming from afar? Is it not gentlemanly not to take offence when others fail to appreciate one's abilities?'”
“First, let's get to know these characters, 'The Master said,' which means 'Confucius said,' and Confucius...”
Xiao MoChi patiently explained the contents of *The Analects of Confucius* to the five-to-seven-year-old children.
To be honest, Xu Ming didn't think that children so young could understand, and estimated that they could only understand something vague at best.
But that was also true. In ancient times, there was no such systematic teaching as on Blue Planet.
[You listened to Xiao MoChi's lecture for ten minutes, Righteous Qi +5.]
[You listened to Xiao MoChi's lecture for ten minutes, Righteous Qi +5.]
Every ten minutes, five points of Righteous Qi were gained.
An entire morning passed, with thirty minutes of lessons and ten minutes of rest. Adding the Righteous Qi increased by reading, Xu Ming had nearly a hundred points, but Xu Ming didn't feel any special changes in his body.
“Today's lesson ends here. Thank you all for your hard work. You can review on your own when you go back, and I believe you will have a deeper understanding.”
Hearing Mr. Xiao say that class was dismissed, the schoolroom became lively again. The little children carried their books and ran out, hurrying to relieve their brains from the abuse of knowledge.
“Let's go, class is over.”
Xu Ming nudged Qin Qingwan's shoulder next to him.
She had already been asleep for half an hour.
This Mr. Xiao was also very gentle, and even if students slept, he wouldn't bother them.
“Mmm, oh.”
Qin Qingwan rubbed her eyes, put the books into her little book bag, hugged Xu Ming's arm, and walked out with Xu Ming.
Caidie's heart melted a little when she saw Xu Ming and her young lady being so close.
“Brother Ming~~~ School is not fun~~~” Walking on the street, Qin Qingwan hugged Xu Ming's arm, her chin resting on Xu Ming's shoulder, and said in a daze.
“School is indeed not very fun.” Xu Ming wanted to rub Qin Qingwan's head, but Caidie was there, so Xu Ming didn't do it, “Qingwan doesn't like school?”
Qin Qingwan leaned on Xu Ming's shoulder and pouted her little mouth: “I don't like it. Does Brother Ming like it?”
Xu Ming thought for a while: “I kind of like it.”
Qin Qingwan: “Then Qingwan also likes school.”
Xu Ming smiled: “Didn't you not like it?”
The girl's eyes were like the Luo River rippling: “I didn't like it just now, but if Brother Ming says he likes it, then Qingwan will try to like it~”
