Farm Girl's Small Blessings

Chapter 8: Taking in a Disciple

Although Man Bao recognizes many characters, she still cannot understand overly complex stories, and can only rely on her instincts to comprehend them.

Fortunately, these books are different from the books on Mr. Zhuang's bookshelf, as they are written in plain language. As long as one recognizes the characters, they can read through the text. While not necessarily understanding everything, they can still grasp the general idea of the story.

Man Bao became excited and engrossed in reading the book with great relish.

Although it is about a despicable father, she did not initially see the tragedy in it. The first story ranked tenth, about an emperor named Kangxi.

It narrates how he raised his sons like raising gu insects, deliberately causing them to compete with each other to ensure his own power and maintain balance.

Initially, Man Bao did not see how wicked this father was. She simply viewed it as a story. The system then reminded her, saying, "Have you seen how tragic the fates of his sons are?"

Man Bao was puzzled and asked, "Aren't they all princes and emperors? What's so tragic about that?"

Keke analyzed it for her, saying, "You see, they are princes, but most of them ended up being confined and exiled. Do you know what confinement and exile mean?"

Man Bao confidently replied, "I do not know."

The system hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to explain to her in detail about confinement and exile, essentially equating it to imprisonment and serving a sentence.

Man Bao was astonished, "Their father is the emperor, their brothers are emperors, and they still have to be imprisoned?"

Keke replied, "That's why he's called a despicable father."

Man Bao pouted, feeling that this father was indeed not good. She read through the story twice and began to grasp some of its meaning.

This was essentially a father who wanted to safeguard his own power. For the sake of balance, he deliberately caused his sons to compete with each other. In the end, he confined three of his sons, then chose one son to be the emperor. That emperor son then also confined and exiled several others, resulting in a tragic fate for his sons.

Man Bao did not particularly like this story. It gave her a headache to read, especially since she did not recognize the names of several people in it. She pointed and asked Keke for help.

Keke not only taught her how to pronounce the characters but also explained their meanings.

Man Bao turned to the next story and burst into tears.

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

Man Bao was a kind-hearted child, and she cried uncontrollably. She angrily said to Keke, "This father is truly despicable. How can he still be an official in the Qing dynasty?"

Keke replied, "Being an upright official and a despicable father are not mutually exclusive."

Although being an upright official may seem good, Man Bao decided to despise him. The little girl was about the same age as her and yet she was starved to death. How unbearable it must have been.

Man Bao cried until her eyes were red.

When Mr. Zhuang returned from class, the system detected his presence at the door and immediately confiscated the book from Man Bao's hands. So when Mr. Zhuang arrived, he only saw Man Bao sitting alone on the steps, crying with red eyes.

Mr. Zhuang's grandson was slightly older than Man Bao and adored her the most. He was heartbroken to see her like this, so he quickly walked up to her and asked softly, "Man Bao, who has bullied you?"

Man Bao wiped her tears and grabbed Mr. Zhuang's sleeve, looking up at him and asking, "Sir, are you a good father?"

Mr. Zhuang was momentarily stunned, and after some contemplation, he said, "Man Bao, my grandson is older than you, so even in terms of seniority, I should be addressed as grandpa."

"Wuwuwu, sir, are there many bad fathers in this world who specifically bully children?"

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

Man Bao shook her head, "My father is very good to me, he is not a bad father."

Mr. Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Man Bao, and knowing she was still young, he sat beside her patiently and asked, "Then why are you asking such questions?"

"I read a story about an upright official whose family had little to eat. When his daughter was hungry, a neighbor gave her a piece of bread. When he found out, he became very angry and locked his daughter up, starving her to death."

Mr. Zhuang's face twitched, "How could such an official exist?"

Man Bao trusted the book Keke had shown her and insisted, "There is, I saw it with my own eyes."

Mr. Zhuang knew not to argue with a child, so he said, "Even if there are such officials, they are only seeking fame and reputation. To be called an upright official while not living up to the name. It was just a piece of bread; why go to such extremes? If truly honest and upright, they would have shared two pieces with their neighbors."

"Hmm?" Man Bao blinked her eyes, trying hard to recall what was written in the book earlier. She scratched her head and said, "It seems like it wasn't just because she ate a piece of bread. It was said... it was because his daughter had contact with an outsider. Sir, what is an outsider?"

Mr. Zhuang chuckled, "That is even more absurd. An outsider is someone like me to you, or a student in the school to you. Although there are distinctions between men and women, it should not be so strictly guarded to such an extent. If there are such extreme measures, then that person is either insane or a devil."

Mr. Zhuang continued, "The former is mad, thinking in such a way. The latter does it intentionally, exchanging his daughter's life for a reputation. For such a person, you should stay as far away as possible in the future. However, I have never heard of such a story. Where did you come across it?"

Man Bao immediately replied, "It's from a book called 'The Ten Worst Fathers in History'."

"Since it's history, it must have been recorded. Do you know which era the upright official you mentioned earlier belonged to?"

"He was from the era of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty."

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but burst into laughter, patting her little head and said, "It's clear that these are all fabricated characters and experiences. Where on earth would you find a Ming Dynasty?"

Man Bao blinked, but still believed in Keke, silently asking in her mind, "Keke, are you lying to me?"

The usually silent system unexpectedly showed a sense of delight and said, "No, host, just because there is no Ming Dynasty in your space, doesn't mean it doesn't exist in other spaces. Just because it doesn't exist now, doesn't mean it won't exist in the future. It's like me, in this current space and time, only you possess me. But in the era where my inventor resides, I am not rare. I dare not say everyone owns one, but as long as they have the money and are willing to purchase, everyone can buy one."

Man Bao seemed to grasp the concept vaguely, but she still summarized her understanding: Keke did not lie, but Mr. Zhuang's words were also valid. Therefore, she decided to heed both of their advice.

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

Mr. Zhuang inquired, "Why are you interested in this? Remember, a child does not speak ill of their father. Even if a father has faults, few would publicize them to the world, as it would bring shame to the father and the family. What benefit would there be in doing so?"

Man Bao was taken aback, so Mr. Zhuang took this opportunity to give her a lesson. After a brief lecture, he said, "Man Bao, you are a clever child. I know you love to read. Since that's the case, focus on your studies. You have already finished learning the 'Thousand Character Classic'. Now, it's time to study the 'Analects of Confucius'. Once you have completed that, your teacher will explain 'The Rites' to you."

Man Bao was dazed, prompting the system to remind her, "Host, why don't you thank your teacher quickly?"

Awakening from her thoughts, Man Bao immediately knelt down, "Sir, Teacher!"

Man Bao bowed to Mr. Zhuang, expressing her gratitude.

Mr. Zhuang felt a moment of regret as soon as the words left his lips, but when he saw her happily kneeling on the ground and addressing him as 'teacher', that hint of regret vanished.

Oh well, even though she is a female disciple, she is clever, lovely, and comforting.

Mr. Zhuang helped the child up and said, "Go back and tell your parents about what happened today."

“Why? Didn't you always tell me not to inform my parents about what happens here, teacher?”

Mr. Zhuang patted her head and said, "Since I allowed you to kneel and pay respect, it is only right to inform them."

With a gentle sigh, Mr. Zhuang gently touched her head.

The first time he saw Man Bao, she was just a little girl who could barely stand with the support of a wall, seemingly only eight or nine months old, barely able to stand steady with the wall's support.

Xiao Qian, who came to cook, cherished the job as she had just taken it up. She always arrived early, not only cleaning inside and out but also chopping wood, cooking, and preparing meals.

Therefore, the child was inadvertently neglected. At that time, Man Bao climbed to the threshold of the classroom, crossed over, and stood at the door to listen to him lecture.

Initially, Mr. Zhuang was somewhat angry, thinking Xiao Qian was incompetent. He set aside his book, picked her up, and went to find Xiao Qian.

Originally intending for Xiao Qian to take care of her own child, Mr. Zhuang instead saw her sweating profusely while chopping wood with an axe.

Mr. Zhuang was invited by the wealthy landowner to come and teach in this remote mountain village, so naturally his family was not well-off. In fact, he had also experienced poverty himself.

In his memory, his mother had raised him in a similar manner. Therefore, Mr. Zhuang hesitated for a moment, did not call Xiao Qian, turned around, picked up Man Bao again, and let her sit on the doorstep.

Fortunately, the child was obedient. She sat on the doorstep without crying or making a fuss, ate when given food, and when she saw the students reading aloud, she would babble to herself.

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

This child was truly intelligent. At just over a year old, when most children were just starting to speak, she was already reciting along with the students, "Heaven and Earth are mysterious and yellow..."

The students he taught were at least six years old, and after reading something ten times, they would remember it, only to forget it the next day. But this child's young mind remembered things very clearly.

Of course, she could only babble and did not yet recognize words.

So, Mr. Zhuang copied a copy of the Thousand Character Classic and gave it to her.

Afterward, Mr. Zhuang grew fonder of her because he discovered that Man Bao not only memorized things quickly but also had a remarkable memory and a fast recognition of words.

After going through it a few times, she could remember the character.

How could such an intelligent, lovely, and kind child not be a boy?

Mr. Zhuang lamented more than once.

Then he couldn't help but teach her, teach her to recognize characters, teach her principles, and even specially found some books for calligraphy practice, then gave her the manuscript to keep.

Although the words to take her as his disciple were spoken suddenly, this idea had been in his mind for more than just one or two days; it was only hesitated upon because she was a girl.

In truth, he was just a scholar expelled from the government school, with limited knowledge. Why bother caring too much about those empty accolades?

Did he really have to seek fame and reputation like the bad father she mentioned?

Mr. Zhuang rubbed Man Bao's head more vigorously and made up his mind, saying, "Go find your sister-in-law now, and let your parents choose a good day to bring you over."

Man Bao left in a daze.