Chapter Nine, Bullying

You bully others

Zhang Xiaolin lowered his voice and said in Sun Rugong's ear: "See, I told you, the gentleman will not give him a good face. At this rate, it won't be long before this bastard leaves on his own. The academy is not a place for someone like him to enter, just like a toad..."

Zhang Xiaolin immediately felt admiration; he believed that Sun Rugong truly deserved to be his friend, as this method was indeed excellent

At that moment, Zhang Xiaolin came out of the classroom, glanced at Li Diudiu, and said with a smile: "Oh, is the water from the poor well good to drink?"

He had not yet lost his temper when suddenly a clod of earth flew in from outside, striking Yan Qing's forehead with remarkable precision. The clod shattered, covering Yan Qing's face in dirt

With a gasp, Liu Shengying unexpectedly burst into tears

... ...

Walking along the path of the academy and observing the students coming and going, Li Diudiu still does not feel that he has integrated into the group.

In ordinary households, in such times, one should refrain from spending money that can be saved

Li Diudiu took several deep breaths in succession

Yes

Yan Qing spoke in a flat tone, yet every word seemed to conceal a sharp edge: "The poor can possess knowledge; although knowledge may be of no use, the poor do not need to attend moral lessons. Among a group of poor people, having good character does not necessarily earn respect, but it will certainly lead to losses. Among the wealthy, whether you have good character or not is irrelevant, for you are not one of them."

After fetching hot water from the water room, Li Diudiu carried the kettle back. The rattan kettle in his hand could be considered a small luxury for an ordinary family, as it is capable of retaining heat, although the duration of its insulation is not particularly long.

Li Diudiu picked up the water bottle and walked out of the classroom. He turned back to take a look and saw Yan Qingzhi sitting there with his legs crossed, lazily saying something. It seemed he was just casually talking about something, and that guy did not look like a first-class instructor at all.

Li Diudiu's hand clenched tightly, the veins on his small fist prominently visible

With a roar, Yan Qing turned his head to look outside, but he did not see anyone.

When Li Diudiu arrived, he found that he was actually the last one. Zhang Xiaolin and Sun Rugong had deliberately come to the cafeteria early to humiliate him a bit. It was somewhat unexpected that Liu Shengying, who clearly still had not left his mother's embrace, also arrived this early.

Zhang Xiaolin wore a proud expression

The four individuals were clearly divided into three factions. Zhang Xiaolin and Sun Rugong stood together chatting, occasionally casting disdainful glances at Li Diudiu. The two were whispering to each other, and it was unclear what they were discussing, but Li Diudiu thought to himself that it was probably not anything good.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Xiaolin ran back, sat down beside Sun Rugong, and made a gesture of success. Sun Rugong immediately followed suit and began to smile as well

Li Diudiu continued to hold the keys, remaining silent

As a tradition of the Four-Page Academy, in the first class, I will not discuss matters related to knowledge, but rather those concerning character

Liu Shengying watched for quite a while, her eyes growing redder, as if it were very difficult for her to find a place to sit. In the end, she still chose to sit in the second row, all alone, feeling quite aggrieved

He stood up and asked, "Sir, is it not time to begin the lecture?"

He entered the classroom carrying a conch shell, and Sun Rugong smiled at him and said, "Quickly sit down and read, the teacher said to study on your own. You didn't hear what the teacher just explained; do you want me to teach you?"

Li Diudiu sat down and opened the book issued by the academy. He had already read quite a bit of it last night. The coursework was very simple; these concepts had all been explained to him by his master when he was five years old, and they seemed utterly unoriginal.

Is he really cowardly, or has he also thought about it?

Yan Qing glanced at Liu Shengying and said, "Why sit so far away!"

But suddenly I thought, if Li Diudiu gets angry at the instructor, then it would give Yan Qing a reason to expel him from the academy

Li Diudiu took a deep breath again and endured it

He smiled and said: "There are rules in the academy. Students who fight, regardless of the reason, must be expelled from the academy, as it is a disgraceful act. After you have a scuffle with Li Chi in the woods, when you see the teacher coming, just pretend to be at a disadvantage and let him hit you a few times. The teacher will take advantage of your family and won't do anything to you."

After fetching the water, Yan Qingzhi came out of the classroom holding a book and glanced at Li Diu, saying: "Why are you so slow? I have already finished my lecture, and you only just brought back the water. Next time, make sure to run there and back."

Liu Shengying stood timidly at the door, glancing at Li Diudiu and then at Zhang Xiaolin and the others, unsure of whom to choose, his face displaying a sense of grievance, as if he had been bullied by the three of them

Yan Qing frowned, intending to say a few more words, but after some thought, he realized there was no need to waste his breath on such a child

Yan Qing picked up his notes and glanced at them. His expression changed, and after a moment, he tore the page down and shredded it into pieces, casually tossing it aside: "Clean up after class. If there are any more mistakes, I will expel you from the academy."

... ...

Li Diudiu stood up and said: "Yes."

When he woke from his dream and opened his eyes, his master was standing in front of him, removing the hay from his head, and then asked him if he was hungry

Li Diudiu, at only eleven years old, stood there feeling utterly helpless yet filled with anger. He truly wanted to throw down the water bottle in his hand and walk away. However, he suddenly recalled the gaze of Yan Qingzhi he had just seen; he was indeed waiting for him to lose his temper

Gao Xining muttered to herself.

After more than half an hour, Yan Qing returned. After sitting down, he glanced at the seaweed placed on the ground beside him and pointed, saying: "Li Diudiu, the water has cooled down, go fetch another pot of water."

Li Diudiu glanced at him and shook his head: "Thank you, no need."

Yan Qing said without turning his head: "I fear that using the water you fetched to brew tea will taint it with your poverty. The first pot of water is to cleanse yourself; just leave it there."

Li Diudiu was holding back his anger; ever since the first day he entered the academy, this guy who claimed to be a first-class instructor of the academy had been calling him a poor man.

Zhang Xiaolin went to find Yan Qingzhi, naturally intending to speak with him for a while before leading him to the woods by the lake. He had already thought of an excuse, initially stating that he had something important to discuss. Once they reached the woods and he saw Li Chi attacking him, he would then say that he merely wanted to thank the gentleman for helping him vent his frustrations, and was concerned that others might see and affect the gentleman's reputation, hence he requested the gentleman to speak in the woods.

Li Diudiu stood there looking at Yan Qingzhi for quite a while, and Yan Qingzhi looked back at him, then asked: "Are you trying to ask something? Are you wondering why the poor do not deserve to have good character?"

Liu Shengying opened her mouth as if to say that she could teach him too, but after seeing Sun Rugong's gaze, she lowered her head and did not dare to speak

Li Diudiu really can't hold it in any longer this time

The place where the four of them attend class is right next to that small lake, and there is a grove of trees by the lake, with the classroom located in front of the grove.

Who is it

Yan Qing glanced at several people and threw the keys in his hand to Li Diu Diu: "From now on, you must be the first to come. The matter of opening the door will be entrusted to you. Prepare hot water before I arrive; I want to brew tea"

Yan Qing's eyes narrowed slightly; he did not expect Li Diudiu to remain calm despite this, so he replied irritably, "Go find it yourself"

Li Diudiu gently exhaled and shook his head, saying: "I would like to ask, sir, where is the water room?"

Li Diudiu took notes seriously, but before he could finish writing, Yan Qingzhi suddenly stood up and walked over with large strides, his face pale with anger as he said: "I did not allow any of you to take notes, do you intend to flaunt what I have taught you outside the academy? Or is it because you are too poor and want to take your notes out to sell for money?"

Everything has been planned, just waiting for Li Diudiu to fall for it

Gao Xining squatted there and let out a soft hum

Although Zhang Xiaolin's family holds some power, the academy has its own rules. Even as a teacher, one cannot expel a student from the academy without just cause. The only option is to force Li Diudiu to leave on his own accord

There are quite a few tables and chairs in the room, allowing four people to choose their seats freely. Zhang Xiaolin and Sun Rugong are seated next to each other in the first row, while Li Diudiu also sits in the first row but has chosen a seat by the window on one side

Do not call yourself a student, as you are not one yet

Sun Rugong nodded with a smile: "You are right, but look at his expression, completely unfazed as if he were a dead pig not afraid of boiling water. It is clear that he does not want to leave and still wishes to flatter the gentleman. Why not..."

Zhang Xiaolin was beaten, and that evening his family visited the academy's instructor, Yan Qingzhi, bringing many gifts, and requested Yan Qingzhi to ensure that Li Diudiu was expelled from the academy

Yan Qing sat down on the chair and tapped the table with a teaching stick: "Li Chi, go fetch some water"

I told my husband that we agreed to meet in the woods after school today

Zhang Xiaolin and Sun Rugong both laughed simultaneously, and what they had just whispered to each other was precisely related to this matter

Gao Xining crouched behind the low wall, her heart pounding fiercely. She was truly infuriated and randomly grabbed a clod of earth to throw it, and it did not disappoint her; she hit her target accurately.

On the low wall of the garden, which is about several zhang away from the classroom, Gao Xining sat watching, her angry little face slightly pale. She was angry at Yan Qing for bullying others, and also at Li Diudiu for having no temper at all.

This key not only requires him to be the first to arrive each day, but also to be the last to leave

He leaned close to Zhang Xiaolin's ear and said, "How about after class, you ask the teacher to come to the woods by the lake for a moment? There is something important to tell him. Then we can provoke Li Chi together. Last time he hit you, that was the dean's intention to test your martial arts skills, but this time it will be different..."

Hmph

Yan Qing's eyes narrowed again as he pondered whether this child was naturally timid and submissive or truly capable of enduring. However, regardless of whether it was the former or the latter, it was evident that Li Chi would not openly confront him, which made him feel somewhat bored

Are you afraid of scaring me

They stood like that for quite a while, and soon it was time for class. The instructor, Yan Qing, approached slowly while holding several books. Upon seeing him come over, Li Diudiu and the other three simultaneously bowed in greeting.

Li Diudiu returned for the second time with water and made tea for Yan Qingzhi, then went back to his seat to attend the class. Yan Qingzhi was teaching arithmetic, which is one of the foundational subjects at the Four-Page Academy; however, many people do not like it because it is troublesome

It is good not to be hungry; if you are hungry, endure it

Having just transitioned from the outer world, where clothing barely covered the body and food was insufficient, to the inner world, characterized by luxurious attire and abundant scenery, Li Diudiu constantly felt as though he were still dreaming

Li Diudiu was taken aback

Yesterday, Li Diudiu already knew where the water room was. In fact, when he was humiliated by Yan Qingzhi in the classroom, he really wanted to stand up and question it. However, in that moment, he suddenly thought of his master, who had gone to great lengths to send him to the academy and had told him not to cause trouble, so he endured it

Upon entering the classroom, Yan Qingzhi sat down on the rattan chair, somewhat uncharacteristically for a teacher, with one leg crossed over the other. This manner of sitting would be looked down upon by respectable individuals, who would consider such a posture to be crude and impolite. It is only reasonable to expect that a scholar in the academy should not behave in this way.

It has nothing to do with you

Li Diudiu took a deep breath and nodded: "The students have remembered."

After he replied with a single word, he sat down. However, Yan Qingzhi frowned and said: "Who told you to sit down? Stand up, and keep standing until today’s suspension of classes."

After Yan Qing finished speaking, he took a step forward. Li Diudiu looked at the pot in his hand and asked, "Aren't you going to brew tea, sir?"

He left right after speaking