Qingmu was incredibly diligent in the schoolhouse. He knew that being able to sit here listening to Mr. Zhou’s lectures was sothing his parents and sister had earned for him with their hard work at ho. Besides, the questions Juhua asked him every day were so strange that if he didn’t listen attentively, he really couldn’t answer them.
He wasn’t a talkative person by nature, but to fully grasp a concept, he would sotis have to ask Mr. Zhou for clarification again and again. Over ti, Mr. Zhou grew accustod to this and would explain the texts in ticulous detail.
For example, today Mr. Zhou was lecturing on a line from the *Xian Wen* Chapter of the *Analects*: "The Master said, ’The scholars of old studied for their own improvent; the scholars of today study to impress others.’" He explained, "What does this sentence an? It ans that the ancients studied diligently with an emphasis on improving their own knowledge and character. People today, however, study more for the sake of obtaining official positions and showing off to others."
He scanned the farm children of all ages seated before him and said gravely, "We endure long years of hard study to broaden our knowledge and prepare ourselves to accomplish sothing in the future, not rely to seek official rank or to show off to others.
"If you can acquire world-altering talent, you can naturally beco generals and chancellors, bringing prosperity to the people. But even if you don’t achieve official rank, there’s no need to be afraid. As long as you can read and understand reason, even if you beco a farr or a rchant, you will still be able to plan and strategize. You can still conduct your affairs with principle and make sothing of yourself."
He then elaborated further, citing many examples to prove that "in every one of the three hundred sixty professions, a Champion Scholar can erge," and that when knowledge is applied to its fullest, all the great principles of the world are interconnected.
As he said this, he cast a aningful glance at Qingmu and Zhang Huai.
These two were the oldest students in the schoolhouse, and their purpose for being here was clear—wasn’t it to learn to read more, to gain more knowledge and understanding? They studied very diligently, and he was quite fond of them. He always tried to explain the lessons in simple, plain language, hoping they could absorb as much as possible.
After class was dismissed, Qingmu remained seated for a long while, pensively mulling over Mr. Zhou’s words before finally getting up.
He first helped Mr. Zhou tidy and clean his quarters, then heated up his dinner. Only then did he leave the schoolhouse, carrying the dishes Mr. Zhou had used for lunch.
The mont he stepped out of the schoolhouse gate, he saw Zhang Huai waiting to the side. When Zhang Huai saw him, he hurried over and called out, "Qingmu!"
Qingmu looked at him, puzzled. "Why haven’t you gone ho yet? Do you need to talk to about sothing?"
Zhang Huai blinked hard, rubbed his nose, and mumbled, "Yeah. I wanted to talk to you."
Qingmu glanced at him. "Then let’s go. Walk to the edge of the village." With that, he set off, his feet making CRUNCH, CRUNCH sounds on the frozen ground.
Once the sun set, the ground where the snow had lted quickly froze solid. Any patches of water had turned to ice.
The two walked side by side, their crunching footsteps falling into a steady rhythm.
Seeing that Zhang Huai still hadn’t said anything, Qingmu couldn’t help but break the silence. "If you don’t speak up, I’ll be ho soon."
Zhang Huai glanced around. They were almost at the edge of the village, and there was no one else around—it was so cold that everyone was cooped up at ho by the fire at this hour.
He stopped in his tracks, looked up at Qingmu, and said softly, "Qingmu, I want to marry Juhua!"
Qingmu stopped dead in his tracks, gaping at him. After a long mont, he demanded furiously, "You think you can marry her just because you say you want to? Then why did you say those things back then?"
This ti, however, Zhang Huai didn’t apologize. He stared into Qingmu’s eyes and said earnestly, "Qingmu, we’re good friends. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? Would I deliberately put Juhua down? She’s still young. I never thought about her that way before; just like you, I saw her as a little sister. My mother’s question was so sudden, I just blurted that out without thinking. I wasn’t rejecting Juhua. It’s just like you and Liu’er."
Qingmu retorted, flustered and angry, "What nonsense are you spouting? Why are you dragging into this? There’s nothing going on between and Liu’er!"
Zhang Huai said, "I know there’s nothing going on between you two. But Liu’er likes you—did you think I couldn’t see that? You’ve just never considered marrying her. Does that an you find her wanting, too? I know you don’t. You just haven’t thought about marrying her. Even if she approached you, you still wouldn’t want to marry her, am I right?"
Qingmu was silent for a long ti. His face was taut, and after a good while, he asked, "Then why do you want to marry Juhua now? You think you can marry her just by saying so?"
Zhang Huai gave a bitter smile. "I’d never thought about it before, but after the incident with Juhua at Jing Lake, I started thinking about it every day. It’s like my mother said—Juhua is wonderful in every way. If it weren’t for her disfigured face, I’d never be worthy of her. At first, the thought of marrying her did make uneasy. But as ti went on, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. It’s strange, but... I can’t forget Juhua! I’ve been thinking about her all day. I guess I’ve liked her for a long ti, and I didn’t even know it myself. The other day, I overheard that cursed matchmaker talking to Granny Hua about arranging a marriage between Juhua and so widower in his forties. You have no idea how terrible that made feel! I just kept telling myself, ’Qingmu will never agree, and neither will Uncle and Aunt Zheng.’ I realized just how scared I was. If you had really agreed to marry her off, I don’t know what I would have done. I can’t go on like this, with this weighing on my mind day and night. I’ve thought it all through now. I’m telling you this because I want you to understand my feelings. Juhua is still young, and I know I can’t possibly marry her right now—didn’t she say she wouldn’t consider marriage for another four years? That gives four years to prove my sincerity to you all."
Qingmu listened quietly as Zhang Huai spoke his mind. Seeing his determination, Qingmu’s heart was a maelstrom of emotions. He had reconciled with Huai Zi not just because of what Juhua had said, but also because he had never truly held it against him.
He knew it too. It was incredibly difficult to ask a young man to marry Juhua without the slightest reservation. This wasn’t like that family in Xiatang Market who was willing to marry off their daughter without a betrothal gift. Poverty, in the end, was temporary; you could earn your way out of it with your own two hands. But if Juhua’s face couldn’t be healed, she would have to live with it for the rest of her life. As her brother, of course he wouldn’t mind. But it was hard to expect an outsider to feel the sa.
He was at once happy and worried. Happy that Huai Zi ultimately had good taste and could see his sister’s worth. Worried because his sister would likely not agree to this marriage so easily now—she was becoming more and more a woman with her own mind.
He glanced at Huai Zi and said with a hint of schadenfreude, "It’s no use telling all this. Juhua has a mind of her own these days. My parents even said that her marriage is for her to decide."
Hearing this, Zhang Huai grew even more miserable. "I know," he said, utterly crestfallen. "She won’t even look in the eye!"
Seeing him looking so dejected, Qingmu said irritably, "You still have four years, don’t you? Look at how pathetic you are. If you don’t get your act together, you can forget about marrying Juhua. I’m telling you, Juhua just closed another big business deal yesterday. If you don’t start trying harder, you’ll have plenty to cry about later!"
Zhang Huai was stunned. "A big deal?"
’Isn’t Juhua getting farther and farther out of my reach?’ All he knew was how to farm a few acres of land; what kind of skills did he possess? His spirits sank even lower.
Qingmu pulled him forward a few steps. "Did you forget what Mr. Zhou said earlier? We have to apply what we learn; just burying our heads in books is useless. Look, our Qingnan Village is backed by Little Qing Mountain and sits by the Little Qing River. It’s a good location. We just need to use our heads..."
The normally taciturn Qingmu spoke at length for once, telling Zhang Huai all his ideas: how acorns could be used to feed pigs and chickens, how fish and shrimp could be raised in Jing Lake, how even the wild chrysanthemums in the fields could be used for tea or to stuff pillows, and how the bamboo on the mountain had great potential too.
He concluded, "We can’t let our studies go to waste; we have to use our heads. You live off the mountain when you’re by a mountain, and live off the water when you’re by water. As long as we put our minds to it, we’ll definitely find good ways to make money. Isn’t that how Juhua ca up with the idea of cooking and selling pig offal? She used her head."
Zhang Huai stared at Qingmu in astonishnt. ’He’d figured all this out by himself, without saying a word?’ For a mont, he felt both admiration and a sense of inadequacy. ’I’m really lagging so far behind.’ But then he steeled himself. ’It’s fine. As long as I work hard, I won’t fall behind Qingmu.’
"We’ll have to start with raising pigs for now; the initial cost is low. Once the snow lts, I’ll talk to my parents and have them go gather acorns—can you still find any now?" He had quickly made up his mind.
Qingmu smiled. "Of course. you just have to go a bit farther. My family has already picked the back mountain clean. Co with , I’ll show you how to process the acorns to remove the bitter taste. You can take so ho tonight to feed your pigs and see if they’ll eat them."
Zhang Huai was overjoyed. ’This is a perfect chance to see Juhua!’ He’d been tossing and turning since the night before last, completely lovesick. Besides, he couldn’t let Qingmu’s kindness go to waste. Qingmu wanted to strive with him, to achieve sothing respectable together.
He said quickly, "Wait here. I’m going to run ho and tell my mom not to wait for for dinner." With that, he turned and ran off.
Qingmu pursed his lips and muttered, "I never said I was inviting you to dinner."
’I’m taking all this trouble to give Zhang Huai advice not just because we’re good friends,’ Qingmu thought. ’More than that, I hope Juhua marries him.’ He could vouch for his friend’s character. If Juhua married him, he could rest easy. But given how Juhua was now, she probably had no intention of marrying him, which was why he had to give him a helping hand.
Suddenly, he rembered sothing and shouted after Zhang Huai, who was just about to disappear around the corner of a house, "I have to go to Li the carpenter’s to pick up a wooden bucket! Wait for here!"
Zhang Huai paused for a second and called back an affirmative from the distance.
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