Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Perhaps due to the unfamiliar surroundings, the three of them felt uneasy, tossing and turning in bed all night, unable to fall asleep.

After a long silence, Chen Qingsong was the first to speak. "It's been four months since we left home. I wonder how Mother and everyone else are doing."

Chen Qingyan replied, "Don't worry. Everything at home is fine."

Hearing this, Chen Qingsong propped himself up. "How do you know?"

"Just a guess." Naturally, he couldn’t tell his younger brother that he had met Wang Ying just a few days earlier. Not only did he already know the family was safe, but he’d also learned his son had recently been scolded for wasting food.

Chen Qingsong lay back down. "I miss Mother, Elder Sister, and Sister-in-law so much…"

Beside him, Chen Qinghuai felt even more distressed. It had been over a year since he last saw his parents. When he left, his youngest brother was barely over one year old—now he must be walking and talking.

Fourth Uncle’s household didn’t have many children. Besides Chen Qinghuai, the eldest son, there were two others: a daughter who was seven this year and a younger son aged three and a half. Several infants born between them had died in infancy.

Chen Jing held high hopes for his eldest son, which was why he allowed him to study under Old Liang.

Chen Qingyan comforted his younger brothers, "Hang in there. We’re far better off than those too poor to afford schooling. Let’s not let the family down."

"Mm."

Once the two had fallen asleep, Chen Qingyan quietly slipped into the experimental field. Since he had arrived late, Wang Ying was no longer there. He picked up a piece of charcoal and wrote a message on paper:

"Qingsong, Qinghuai, and I have enrolled at Laizhou Prefectural School. All is well. No need to worry."

After writing, he hurried back to the dormitory. Seeing that neither of the others had noticed, he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, they were woken by the ringing of a bell.

The loud chime echoed across the campus. Startled, the three quickly got up, put on the student uniforms they had received the day before, adjusted their scholar hats, and headed to the classroom for morning reading.

By the time they arrived, the room was already full. Morning reading began at the Yin hour (3:45 a.m.) and lasted until Mao hour (5:00 a.m.), after which students went for breakfast. Then formal classes began.

Mornings were dedicated mainly to core subjects: the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, songs, essays, and policy debates. Each class lasted one *shichen* (two hours), taught in rotation by three different instructors.

Lunch was served around noon, with a half-hour break. Afternoon classes covered supplementary subjects such as classical studies, cultivated scholarship, legal studies, character analysis, mathematics, and other topics, including the Six Arts. Classes continued until You hour (5:00 p.m.).

A curfew started at Xu hour (7:00 p.m.). Students were forbidden to leave their dorms except to use the toilet. Violators faced strict punishment; three offenses resulted in expulsion.

Open flames were strictly prohibited throughout the school. The buildings were mostly wooden, filled with large quantities of paper, books, and people—any fire would lead to unimaginable consequences. Thus, students lived by the rule of rising with the sun and retiring at dusk.

The sudden arrival of the three caused quite a stir in Class C. Everyone seemed to know they were disciples of Liang Boqing and looked at them with curiosity and envy—though some also with jealousy.

Among them, Peng Huan stood out most. In his early twenties, he had entered the prefectural school as the top county examinee from Song'an County. Originally placed in Class A, he became distracted by city life and spent his time carousing with friends. Within months, his grades plummeted, dropping him to Class B. at the start of the year, another quarterly exam pushed him down further—to Class C.

He considered himself exceptionally talented but lacked guidance from a renowned teacher. In his view, the school instructors played favorites. After just one poor performance, they demoted him from Class A—an excessive punishment, especially for someone who had once ranked first in his county.

Of course, he never voiced these thoughts openly at school, only complaining to his disreputable companions. Deep down, he had always longed to study under a famous mentor.

Seeing Chen Qingyan and the others, he sensed an opportunity. His plan was simple: befriend them first, then visit Liang Boqing together as a friend and request to become his disciple. With his talent, he was certain Old Liang would be impressed!

The more he thought about it, the more promising it seemed. Excited, he immediately stood up and called out, "There’s plenty of space here! Come sit with us!"

Chen Qingyan and his brothers had never met Peng Huan and didn’t understand his sudden friendliness. Having been deceived before, they instinctively distrusted such overtures. Pretending not to notice, they walked to the empty seats in the back row and sat down one by one.

The students around them were more reserved—offering polite but brief greetings before picking up their books and beginning their recitations.

The three took out the books they had received the previous day and began reading. They continued until the end of morning reading, when the instructor arrived.

The three instructors assigned to Class C were surnamed Zhang, Xu, and Zhou.

Instructor Zhang was primarily responsible for the class, and any questions could be directed to him.

He was elderly, thin and slightly hunched, with gray hair tied in a Taoist bun and a long beard. His stern expression made him intimidating at first glance.

He entered holding a disciplinary ruler, and the students immediately raised their voices, sitting upright in fear of punishment.

Instructor Zhang walked over to the brothers and tapped the desk with his ruler.

The three stopped reading and looked up in confusion.

"Are you disciples of Old Liang?"

The entire classroom fell silent. Everyone turned to stare at the three.

Chen Qingyan quickly pulled his younger brothers to their feet. "Students Chen Qingyan, Chen Qinghuai, and Chen Qingsong greet the instructor."

Instructor Zhang didn’t reprimand them. He simply gave them a quick look and said, "Sit down and continue reading."

Perplexed, the three obeyed and resumed their recitation.

In truth, Zhang Duan had come only to identify them. The dean had approached him the previous day, asking him to keep an eye on these new students, worried they might struggle to adapt or face bullying.

But with just one glance, he could tell these three weren’t weak—they wouldn’t be easily bullied.

After morning reading, everyone took their bowls and chopsticks to the dining hall. On the way, they met Cai Jingqi and Zhao Lan waiting for them. The three hurried over.

Cai Jingqi asked, "How was it? Are you adjusting?"

Chen Qinghuai nodded. "It’s okay. We almost slept through morning reading."

"You must’ve stayed up too late. Otherwise, you’d have woken up before dawn."

Evenings at the prefectural school were the most tedious. Reading by lamplight and wandering after curfew were both forbidden. Everyone went to bed early and usually woke around Chou hour (1:00 a.m.).

The group headed to the dining hall together. As soon as they entered, Peng Huan again enthusiastically invited them to join his table.

Seeing this, Cai Jingqi gently tugged Qinghuai’s sleeve and shook her head slightly. Again pretending not to notice, the three followed the others to sit elsewhere.

Peng Huan’s face darkened. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and stormed out.

His usual followers quickly gathered their things and left with him.

After they were gone, Cai Jingqi whispered, "Stay away from him. He used to be in Class A, but he wasted his time in pleasure quarters and neglected his studies. His grades dropped so badly he ended up in Class C."

Zhao Lan added, "He also likes forming cliques and leading campaigns to ostracize those he dislikes. When he was in Class B, he bullied a young *xiucai* so badly the boy dropped out."

Chen Qingyan asked, "Don’t the instructors intervene?"

"They do, but they couldn’t stop the covert and overt harassment. That young scholar was already very young and couldn’t handle the pressure, so he left."

Hearing this, the three immediately decided Peng Huan was someone to avoid.

After breakfast, classes resumed. The morning lectures were long, dull, and delivered in a monotonous, slow tone that made the three drowsy.

They weren’t alone—others dozed off too, only to be yanked up by the earlobes by the instructor and punished by being forced to stand outside and listen. The blazing summer sun beat down mercilessly. Standing through one class left their faces flushed and robes soaked with sweat.

The afternoon schedule was lighter, including a music theory class. Their teacher was a young Mr. Bai, an exceptional *qin* player. The piece "High Mountains and Flowing Waters" they listened to left the three of them utterly enchanted.

This was Chen Qingyan's first time hearing the sound of the *guqin*, and he secretly made a decision: once he learned to play, he would perform it for A Ying.

*

Wang Ying, however, was in no mood to enjoy the music. For days, the town had been pounded by relentless downpours, and if it continued, they'd likely have a flood on their hands.

"Boom..." A rumble of thunder echoed from outside, and the rain grew heavier.

Li Shi and Chen Rong sat inside, gazing out the window, their faces lined with worry. "It's been raining for four days straight, with no sign of stopping."

"Indeed. If this keeps up, the crops will probably drown. I wonder how A Ying and the others are doing."

Early in the morning, Wang Ying and Uncle Chen had gone to the village to rally the villagers to dig drainage ditches. Chen Village had a river where the water usually only reached calf-deep, but after days of heavy rain, the water level had risen over a meter, rushing downstream with mud and silt.

Seeing no end to the rain, Wang Ying feared the river would soon overflow and flood the fields. He had the villagers widen the river channel and build embankments along the banks using wood and soil to prevent the water from spreading. Upon hearing the news, the villagers came out with wooden shovels and stone picks to help.

Due to the heavy rain, they'd only built about 200 meters of flood barriers by noon. Worried everyone would get sick from being in the rain too long, Wang Ying sent everyone home to rest in the afternoon, planning to continue the next day.

Back home, Uncle Chen handed him a towel. "Sir, the rain is too heavy. You shouldn’t go tomorrow. I’ll lead the work."

Wang Ying wiped the rainwater from his face. "It’s fine. I won’t feel at ease if I’m not there to supervise. Later, ask Aunt Chen to make a pot of ginger tea for everyone to drink, to prevent catching a cold."

"Alright."

As soon as he pushed the door open and entered, Yuanbao came running up. "Father!"

"Father is still wet. Don’t rush over to me."

Yuanbao stopped in his tracks, grabbed his hand, and looked up at him. "Father, your hands are so cold. Let Yuanbao warm them with his breath."

Wang Ying smiled and pinched his cheek. "It’s alright. What did you do at home this morning?"

"I played hide-and-seek with Brother Mutou and Brother Chun Sheng."

"You hid in the firewood pile, didn’t you?"

Yuanbao exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know, Father!"

Wang Ying chuckled, picking bits of grass and wood chips from his hair. "Be good and play inside with your brothers. Don’t go outside, or you’ll get wet and catch a cold."

"Okay."

Wang Ying went to the bathhouse for a soak, changed into dry clothes, and returned to the backyard. For lunch, chicken soup was prepared. Li Shi, concerned about his exhaustion, had specifically asked the kitchen to make it.

"How are things outside?"

Wang Ying’s expression turned grave. "The river is almost overflowing into the fields. If the rain continues like this, the autumn harvest will likely be a total loss."