Chapter 69 Mountain Home Hearth 69

Chapter 69: A Scholar's Hearth

The Qingming Festival break soon ended, and Qin Rongshi returned to Luming Academy.

The academy bell rang, signaling the start of class, and students gradually made their way into the study hall.

Xie Baozhu was pestering Qin Rongshi, leaning over the desk and whispering, "Qin Rongshi, we have riding and archery class this afternoon. Want me to teach you how to ride a horse?"

A gentleman values horsemanship and archery, but these skills were only affordable for wealthy families. Even when the Qin family was better off, they couldn’t afford to let Qin Rongshi learn horseback riding.

The academy held riding and archery classes three times a month, partly to teach students horseback riding and archery, and partly to strengthen their bodies, ensuring they didn’t become mere bookworms.

Qin Rongshi was a natural at studying, but his progress in horsemanship and archery was rather slow. After over a month, he could only manage to ride slowly around the field and shoot arrows without missing the target.

Before he could respond to Xie Baozhu, Master Qian walked in slowly.

The old gentleman held a scroll in his hand and seemed to be in a good mood.

"I’ve reviewed the assignments from last time, and several students gave excellent answers."

As the master spoke, the room fell silent. Even Xie Baozhu, who had been whispering to Qin Rongshi, stopped talking.

Xu Xing, sitting in the front row, instinctively straightened his back, waiting for the master to call his name.

He was top of the class and was always praised by the master. He was ready to stand up and receive his classmates’ applause as soon as his name was called.

"Standing out among his peers, rising above the masses, since the beginning of humanity, no one has surpassed Confucius. Qin Rongshi, your interpretation of this line is quite interesting. Please stand and share your thoughts with the class."

Xu Xing, who had just been about to rise, froze in place. He turned sharply to glare at Qin Rongshi in the back row, unable to hide the anger on his face.

…

After the class ended, Master Qian called Qin Rongshi out before leaving and handed him a booklet, instructing him to study it carefully.

Master Qian seemed to favor this student, noting that he was the youngest and had started later than the others, making him unfamiliar with some topics. Thus, the master had specially prepared some lecture notes for him to read through.

Qin Rongshi accepted it gratefully, bowed to express his gratitude, and watched the master leave.

Only then did he turn back to the study hall, just in time to hear the discussions inside.

"Xu Xing, you’d better be careful. Don’t let anyone snatch the top spot from you in this month’s exam!"

"Speaking of which, that Qin fellow really has some talent. He’s been here less than two months, yet he made the top five in the February exam. This month, he might even compete for first place!"

"How old is he? Fourteen?"

"I heard he passed the Student Scholar exam at just ten! You could call him a prodigy. If not for his family’s misfortunes, he might have already taken the Xiucai exam! No wonder even a traditionalist like Master Qian likes him!"

…

Qin Rongshi heard everything but didn't care what others thought. He looked down and walked to his seat without even glancing at the speakers.

Xu Xing was already annoyed, and the classmates’ discussions only made him even angrier. He glared fiercely at Qin Rongshi, hoping to see some emotion—nervousness, worry, fear, or perhaps arrogance?

But he saw nothing. Qin Rongshi didn’t even look at him, simply walked past his desk with the booklet, his expression calm and natural, showing neither pride nor agitation.

Xu Xing grew even angrier!

He roomed with Qin Rongshi, but aside from their brief interaction on the first day, they'd barely spoken.

He looked down on Qin Rongshi for being from a farming family yet cozying up to Xie Baozhu, who came from a merchant background.

Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants were ranked in that order, with merchants considered low-class, reeking of money. Qin Rongshi’s willingness to lower himself to befriend such a person disgusted him!

Moreover, Qin Rongshi’s academic performance kept improving, earning praise from many masters who called him a real talent.

Last month, he made the top five after just over a month. Given more time, he'd likely do even better.

Xu Xing felt both jealous and uneasy, worried that Qin Rongshi might indeed snatch the top spot from him.

Especially since Qin Rongshi was younger than him—if he outperformed Xu Xing, it would be incredibly embarrassing, inviting ridicule from everyone!

Qin Rongshi returned to his seat, and Xie Baozhu immediately scooted over, asking curiously, "What did the master say to you? Did he give you something good?"

Qin Rongshi didn’t answer but handed him the handwritten notes.

Xie Baozhu took it and skimmed through it, his frown deepening with each page. After just a couple of pages, he grew impatient but still handed it back gently.

Pouting, he said, "I can’t understand any of this! Well, the master must really like you, giving you special treatment. You’d better study hard and aim to surpass Xu Xing in the next exam! Let’s see how he acts so smug without the top spot!"

Before Qin Rongshi could respond, Li Anyuan approached and asked sheepishly, "Classmate Qin, may I take a look?"

Qin Rongshi was happy to share knowledge and handed it over immediately, adding, "Please handle it carefully."

Li Anyuan nodded, carefully opened the booklet, and read it thoroughly.

After several pages, he remarked, "This was all covered last year. Classmate Xie, you’ve forgotten again! The master probably compiled these key points because Classmate Qin started late and might have missed some lessons."

Xie Baozhu scratched his head, his eyes full of confusion. "Huh? We learned this? I have no memory of it at all!"

Li Anyuan sighed, shaking his head wisely. "Classmate Xie, you need to work harder. As *Increased Words of the Wise* says, 'Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop behind!' It also says, 'A slow sparrow should make an early start.' If Classmate Xie puts in ten times more effort than others, you’ll surely rank at the top."

Xie Baozhu: "You’re calling me stupid."

Li Anyuan: "...Classmate Xie, I meant that even a slow sparrow starts early. If you work harder than a slow sparrow, then surely 'after three days apart, one should view a man with new eyes.'"

Xie Baozhu: "You called me stupid. I won’t buy your goat milk anymore."

Li Anyuan: "..."

As the two bickered, Qin Rongshi quietly retrieved his booklet and began reading carefully.

*

In the afternoon, it was time for riding and archery class, and all the students changed into lighter clothing.

Qin Rongshi had no riding clothes, so he wore old clothes to avoid soiling or damaging his better ones.

Luming Academy was built on Luming Mountain, with a horse ranch opened on the back hills where horses were kept. However, horses were expensive, and the academy only had fifteen, each registered and numbered. Students in a class had to take turns riding them.

"Qin Rongshi, you’re too tense! Relax a bit! You’ll hurt your knees like that!"

"Ugh, you’re so smart at studying! Why do you ride like a block of wood?"

"Get down! Get down! Let me show you how it’s done!"

…

True to his word, Xie Baozhu began teaching Qin Rongshi how to ride during the equestrian class. He briefly enjoyed the thrill of being a teacher but soon grew impatient, feeling that "this pupil is beyond teaching"!

Xie Baozhu never thought he’d say such a thing to someone else—it felt strangely satisfying!

Qin Rongshi didn't get angry; instead, he listened very attentively to Xie Baozhu's explanations. Sometimes Xie Baozhu would get so frustrated that he grabbed his head in frustration, scrubbing at his hair, but after calming down, he continued teaching earnestly.

The two took turns riding the horse. When it was Xie Baozhu's turn, he mounted the horse with a fluid, practiced motion, gave the reins a shake, and the horse shot forward.

He effortlessly made a lap and came back, swung down from the horse, summarized the techniques once more, and then let Qin Rongshi continue riding.

Xie Baozhu stretched his arms and legs, then looked toward Li Anyuan, who was hiding under a tree not far from them. He tiptoed over and snatched the small notebook from Li Anyuan's hands.

"What are you writing?! I saw you eavesdropping on me earlier!"

Li Anyuan: "!!!"

Li Anyuan stood up, anxiously reaching out to grab the notebook back from Xie Baozhu, and cried out nervously, "It's nothing important! Give it back to me!"

Unfortunately, Xie Baozhu was not as delicate as his name suggested—tall and sturdy, he held the notebook high above his head. Li Anyuan jumped but still couldn't reach it, and could only stomp his feet in frustration.

Xie Baozhu held the notebook up high, tilting his head back to read.

"Neutral riding posture, ears, shoulders, and hips aligned vertically, don't push the stirrups too deep, press the heels down... Li Anyuan, you're sneakily taking notes!"

Li Anyuan flushed red, hanging his head too embarrassed to speak, and didn't dare try to grab it back anymore.

After a long while, he mumbled, "...Many students at the academy don't know how to ride. I thought I could quietly write a few copies and lend them out for twenty wen a day. I figured a lot of students would be interested."

Xie Baozhu was stunned, speechless for a good while before finally exclaiming, "...Li Anyuan, you're a genius!"

Li Anyuan thought he was genuinely praising him and scratched his head shyly, then said seriously, "Classmate Xie, you flatter me. If you're willing, I can give you ten wen, just please help me check if what I've written is correct?"

Xie Baozhu: "..."

Xie Baozhu was left speechless. He slapped the booklet back into the money-grubber's hands and shook his head as he looked toward Qin Rongshi.

Qin Rongshi had already ridden two laps around the field, his posture becoming more relaxed and his speed gradually picking up.

Xie Baozhu nodded with satisfaction, then imitated Master Qian's gesture by stroking his non-existent beard and shaking his head, saying, "Hmm, not bad. It seems this old man's teaching methods are quite effective."

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly saw a wooden arrow with a wrapped tip shoot toward the front of Qin Rongshi's horse, landing less than half a *zhang* away from the horse's hooves.

The white horse Qin Rongshi was riding neighed in fright, its front hooves rearing high, and the next moment it burst through the field's fence like mad, galloping wildly toward the forest.

Xie Baozhu: "!!!"

Xie Baozhu was so frightened his eyes nearly popped out. He glared fiercely at the person who shot the arrow and immediately spotted Xu Xing, who looked panicked and seemed completely stunned.

Xu Xing was also on horseback, frozen in place.

Xie Baozhu quickly ran over, grabbed Xu Xing's clothes, and yanked him off the horse. Then he seized the horse, mounted it, and turned around.

Xu Xing was still shouting, "I didn't mean to! I didn't see Classmate Qin! I really didn't mean to!"

Xie Baozhu didn't bother listening to his excuses. He whipped Xu Xing's right hand, which was still trying to grab the saddle, and shouted sharply, "Get away!"

With that, he whipped the horse again and galloped off in the direction Qin Rongshi had gone.

Xu Xing wanted to chase after them, but how could two feet outrun a horse? He could only watch helplessly as Xie Baozhu rode off in pursuit.

Xie Baozhu galloped away and soon caught up to Qin Rongshi.

"Qin Rongshi!"

"Grip the horse's belly tightly! Hold onto the saddle ring! Don't pull the reins too hard—if you tighten them too much, the horse will get even more scared!"

"Relax! You control the horse, not the other way around!"

Qin Rongshi heard him clearly. He didn't dare look back, so he followed Xie Baozhu's instructions step by step. It worked quite well—the horse gradually slowed down and wasn't as bumpy as before.

But the horse didn't stop; it kept charging forward. Qin Rongshi took a deep breath and continued doing as Xie Baozhu had taught, a light sweat forming on his forehead that he didn't have time to wipe.

Qin Rongshi remained relatively calm, but Xie Baozhu was starting to get scared.

He often went to the back hills of Luming Mountain in his free time to hunt for bird eggs to eat, so he knew that ahead was a steep downhill path. Only experienced riders could control a horse there, let alone a beginner like Qin Rongshi.

He quickly whipped his horse again, caught up to Qin Rongshi's side, and shouted, "Let go!"

Qin Rongshi was slightly stunned but obediently released his grip. Xie Baozhu swiftly leaned over, pulled him off the horse, and the two tumbled together, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Just then, the Riding and Archery Master, who had received the news, finally caught up, followed by a group of students.

Before anyone could spot Qin Rongshi and Xie Baozhu, they heard a curse that echoed through the skies.

"Damn that Xu Xing! I'll curse his ancestors eighteen generations!"

-----------------------

Author's Note: ① Quoted from Mencius.

This is set in a fictional background with the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, but the merchant class isn't as restricted as in real history—for example, merchants' children aren't barred from imperial exams (otherwise, Classmate Xie wouldn't be able to take them). Consider it a fictional setting.

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