Chapter 6: The Initial Encounter with the Art of Qi Huang

Yun Mu Yang held the booklet and replied, "Mm, I will go right away," then swiftly entered another room

A few people walked for a while and soon arrived at the village school. On the way, they encountered several villagers. Before the couple, Green Branch and his wife, could speak, Yun Mu Yang had already called out to the uncles and elders. The villagers, who were fond of the child, were delighted to see him heading to school today and offered a few words of praise and encouragement. Yun Mu Yang was also extremely happy. Upon reaching the school gate, only a handful of people had arrived, all from neighboring villages. Due to the long distance and the fear of being late, which would be disrespectful to the teacher, they had come a bit early. The Green Branch couple greeted everyone one by one, and before long, they began to chat. Meanwhile, a few children nearby had already formed a group, playing joyfully as if they were long-lost friends reunited, like a few sparrows chirping incessantly.

Oh, Yang Er understands now. The couple finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Yang Er, go rest now! You still have to go to the Master tomorrow, go on!"

After a few people had breakfast, Yun Mu Yang eagerly shouted that he wanted to go to school. The Green Branch couple then packed their things and took Zhong Jian, heading towards the village school with Yun Mu Yang

Wait until your younger brother recognizes one thousand characters before discussing it; even your father and I cannot read it

Green Branch also felt that this was reasonable, tears welling in her eyes, yet still holding the whip in her hand. Zhong An set down Yun Mu Yang, only to see several red marks on Yun Mu Yang's hand, with red-rimmed eyes, biting his lip to hold back tears. Upon seeing this, Green Branch felt a pang in her heart, slightly softening her tone, "Tell me, why did you come back so late today? Don't you know that everyone at home is very anxious? Haven't I taught you this before?"

"Yang'er, this is a book that has been passed down in our family for three hundred years. Your father does not enjoy reading, hence he is also too lazy to look at it." As she spoke, she nudged Zhong An with her elbow, and Zhong An simply replied with a "yes" and said no more.

"But isn't this Dad's?" As soon as Yun Mu Yang said this, Lu Zhi was instantly speechless. It was still Zhong An who spoke, "Dad is no longer eight years old and cannot be looked at like that."

Mother, today I learned to identify medicinal herbs from the Master. You always cough when autumn deepens, and I want to cure you. The Master is also a doctor, so I asked him to teach me. He said that if I could identify those more than ten kinds of herbs today, he would teach me. That is why it is late now.

Mother, what is this? There isn't even a cover! Yun Mu Yang held the booklet, flipping it back and forth, pouting.

Silly boy, they all say you are a man now, and your mother is a woman! Naturally, you cannot be compared to this little man. In the past, your mother only taught you that a man should not shed tears easily, today your mother tells you the next line: 'It is just that the heart has not yet reached the point of sorrow,' so you have not shed tears lightly!

Yun Mu Yang could no longer hold back and tears streamed down his face. Beside him, Zhong An felt a pang in his heart upon hearing this and took the opportunity to go inside to check on Zhong Jian

Yang'er, today I was too impulsive, it was all my fault. Will you forgive me?

As soon as the father and son arrived at the doorstep, they saw Green Branch coming out of the house. Grabbing a thin bamboo stick from beside the house, Green Branch struck Yun Mu Yang, who was being held in Zhong An's arms, several times with the small stick. Zhong An was taken aback, having never seen his wife so fierce before. Only after witnessing Green Branch whip Yun Mu Yang did Zhong An react, holding Yun Mu Yang with one arm. The whip in Green Branch's hand then landed on Zhong An instead. Seeing Zhong An holding Yun Mu Yang, Green Branch cried out, "Put him down, let me teach him a lesson." Zhong An was once again stunned, having never seen his wife so ruthless before. After seeing Green Branch strike Yun Mu Yang a few times, he finally reacted, holding Yun Mu Yang with one arm, while the whip in Green Branch's hand struck Zhong An. Seeing Zhong An holding Yun Mu Yang, Green Branch cried out again, "Put him down, let me teach him a lesson."

A few people waited for a short while, and soon more individuals began to arrive. The open space in front of the school was already crowded with people, among whom were more than twenty children aged between six and twelve, following closely behind their respective adults. The crowd in the open space was not in a hurry, but the children were extremely anxious, seemingly very excited at the prospect of entering the school

"Yang'er, this booklet has been passed down through our family for generations, you must take good care of it." The words of Lu Zhi were very solemn.

Mother of the child, should I go look for her?

Green Branch listened to the clouds and bathed in the sun, acknowledging the mistake as tears flowed down again. She was also reflecting on how overly emotional she had been just now, and then asked, "Tell me, why did you come back so late? If you can't provide a satisfactory explanation, I will still have to punish you."

A creaking sound echoed, causing everyone engaged in conversation to fall silent. The children, having never witnessed such a scene, also hushed. From the door emerged an elderly man, over seventy years of age, with a head full of white hair, a kind expression, and bright eyes. The adults, upon seeing him, bowed their heads and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Zhang." The children in the vicinity mimicked the adults, having been taught this greeting at home countless times, thus it did not seem awkward. The old man, noticing this, nodded in return, exchanged a few words with the crowd, and then led a group of children into the school to pay their respects to the teacher.

Before long, Yun Mu Yang realized that the two individuals were a pair of cousins from the neighboring Linshui Village. The slightly shorter one was named Zhang Jinhao, who, despite his shorter stature, was the elder brother, while the other was named Zhang Jinshan

"Mother, the child knows their mistake and will never dare to do it again in the future" Yun Mu Yang bit his lip, his nose slightly red, speaking with a faint sobbing tone

Still not yet, let's wait a little longer

"No matter what you say, I will still go find it myself," Zhong An said as he walked away. However, after just a few steps, he saw a child running towards him with a small bag in hand. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his own son. He immediately called out excitedly, "Yang'er, be careful, run slowly." He then shouted towards home, "Your mother, Yang'er is back!" When Yun Mu Yang saw his father, he also stopped, panting heavily. Zhong An noticed his son was out of breath and quickly walked over, scooping Yun Mu Yang up with one arm, laughing heartily, "Oh, you finally came back, your mother was so worried!" He then carried Yun Mu Yang home.

I... said it, but you wouldn't understand. The green branches are becoming increasingly anxious.

"Yang'er, you must study diligently under the Master, listen to his words, respect him, and be friendly with your classmates. If you do not understand something, you must ask the Master. Remember, to know is to know, and to not know is to not know. Do not learn with only half-understanding. Do you understand clearly?" The expression on Lvzhi's face was serious, conveying a sense of earnest instruction.

This booklet has been passed down from our ancestors. Originally, it was said that every boy in our family, upon reaching the age of 8 and having learned a thousand characters and understood some matters, should study this health manual for six years. If after six years there is no progress, he may disregard it, but it is essential to pass down this book and this rule. I initially intended to wait until you turned 8 to discuss this, but although you are only 6, you have already learned nearly a thousand characters, and I have imparted all the characters I know to you. You are also quite sensible, so I will give you this book in advance. However, you must not look at this small book until you are 8 years old, and you cannot show it to anyone else besides yourself, do you understand? In fact, Yun Bo really did not say that one must wait until the age of 8 to read it; he only mentioned that by the age of 8, the child should memorize this book and pass down the family rules. However, Lu Zhi felt that her husband must have had his reasons for saying so, which is why she gave such instructions.

Child's mother, listen to Yang'er as he speaks. Why is it that you are only scolding him now for coming back so late today? It is not too late to scold him! Do not frighten him!

"Um, can grandfather see it? Can mother see it? What about younger brother?" Yun Mu Yang looked up at Liu Lü Zhi and asked

"Father, Mother, I will do my best. I want to set a good example for my younger brother, and in the future, I will continue to honor you both well." Upon hearing this, the couple, who had been serious, revealed a hint of a smile.

I said I would go find you, but you won't let me; yet you are so anxious on your own. I asked, what is wrong with you?

"Alright, I have forgiven Mother. In fact, Yang Er is also at fault for not returning home late and not informing Father and Mother. Mother should also forgive me."

Good Yang'er, your mother has forgiven you. After dinner, tell your father and mother what happened today!" As she spoke, Lvzhi took Yun Mu Yang's hand and led him into the inner room

By evening, as the sun was about to set, Qingzhi paced back and forth at the doorstep, holding a clock sword. "It is already this late, why hasn't Yang come back yet? Usually, when he goes out to play, he would at least inform us, and he would return after a while. Why has he forgotten the family rules on the very first day of school?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi's tears flowed like a flood that had burst its banks. She embraced Yun Mu Yang tightly and said, "I am sorry, my child, I wronged you..."

Green Branch held onto Yun Mu Yang and cried for a long time before finally letting go. Yun Mu Yang wiped the tears that had not yet dried from the corners of Green Branch's eyes with his small hand and said, "Mother, you taught me that a man should not shed tears lightly. Why are you crying? Aren't you supposed to set an example for others? You have made Yang Er cry for a long time too"

After the apprenticeship ceremony concluded, it was already noon. The crowd offered a few words of advice to their own children before returning home