CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: BAD KIDS

As long as there was a scholar preparing for his studies in a household, no one could guarantee that he wouldn’t become an official or achieve a similar high rank in the future. Thus, shopkeepers treated every customer who came to buy pens, ink, paper, and inkstones with great courtesy and kindness.

At this moment, seeing Zhao Dong specifically asking for the cheapest items, the shopkeeper didn’t look down on him. He smiled and turned to retrieve them, saying, "Yes, I have some. Just wait a moment."

Soon, the shopkeeper brought out a pen and an inkstick, smiling as he said, "This Lingnan Pen is very cheap, only 10 coins a piece. This one, Rongzhou Pine Soot Ink, costs 100 coins. These are the cheapest ones I have."

Since the price was already the lowest, Zhao Dong gritted his teeth and bought them all.

After leaving the shop, he couldn’t help but lament. No wonder many farming families couldn’t afford to support a scholar! The cost of books, pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and gifts for the teacher during festivals alone would be immense. This could truly crush a family relying solely on farming for their livelihood.A sense of crisis welled up in him; he realized he needed to find a new way to make money. Although selling tofu was profitable now, people weren’t stupid, especially the skilled cooks at the restaurants. After tasting the tofu, it wouldn’t take them long to figure out how to make it. Then, it would no longer be profitable.

So, making a mental note of this, Zhao Dong carefully stored the stationery, placed it in the cart, and then the three of them went to buy some fabric and leather goods before starting their journey home.

「...」

As it turned out, Zhao Zhitong was actually late for school on the very second day after becoming a disciple!

The reason was that when Zhao Zhitong woke up, she discovered her father and two uncles had gone to the county town without her. She immediately became upset, refusing to get out of bed and crying.

Zhao Zhitong declared, "I won’t get up! I just won’t!"

Sun Mei, her face stern, said angrily, "Fine, then just stay in bed. No one will bother with you. When your cousins arrive later and see you still lazing in bed, won’t you be ashamed?"

Zhao Zhitong rolled on the bed, wailing, "I don’t want to! I want Daddy! I want Daddy!"

Sun Mei retorted, "Your Daddy has gone to the county town. Where am I supposed to find a Daddy for you now?"

Zhao Zhitong was still unwilling and said with an adorably fierce pout, "I don’t care! I want to go to the county town to find Daddy!"

Sun Mei said exasperatedly, "You just became a disciple yesterday and started school. Are you not going to class today? Your Teacher will be so sad if he finds out."

The moment school was mentioned, Zhao Zhitong immediately stopped crying. However, the fact that her father and two uncles had gone to the county town without her still made her feel terribly wronged. Although she wasn’t crying anymore, she lay on the bed with her little head buried in the quilt, refusing to move.

Sun Mei’s eyes were red as she said, "Don’t try to act spoiled with me. Think about it yourself. Was it right to cause such a fuss this morning? Why do you think your Daddy and I sent you to school? If you don’t want to study anymore, then tell your Teacher. You won’t have to go in the future, and you can go play wherever you want."

Zhao Zhitong, buried in the quilt, felt a pang in her heart. She turned her head to look at Sun Mei and saw her wiping away tears.

Instantly, her own tears began to flow. She scrambled out of bed, ran to Sun Mei, and burst out wailing, "Mother, I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I won’t make a fuss anymore. Please don’t cry, and don’t be angry, okay?"

Zhao Zhitong cried so hard she was gasping for breath. Sun Mei’s heart ached watching her, but she maintained a stern expression and squatted down to ask, "So, are you going to school now?"

Zhao Zhitong nodded tearfully. "I’ll go to school. I... I’ll apologize to the Teacher."

Only then did Sun Mei’s expression soften.

And so, with red-rimmed eyes, Zhao Zhitong arrived at the school.

By then, the Teacher had already started class. Zhao Zhitong apologized to him and sat back down in her seat.

Today, Zhao Zhitong not only arrived late for class but also had red, teary eyes. This caused Qiao Muchen to be unable to concentrate during class, and he kept sneaking glances at her.

Qiao Muchen assumed that, like him, Zhao Zhitong must have been upset about their argument yesterday. She probably hadn’t slept well all night, and that’s why she couldn’t get up this morning.Seeing that she had even cried her eyes swollen, his dissatisfaction about her ignoring him and breaking their promise yesterday instantly vanished.So, he decided to listen to his mother and take the initiative to apologize to Zhao Zhitong after class.

It could only be said that this was a beautiful misunderstanding.

At this moment, Zhao Zhitong had long forgotten their argument from yesterday. She was sad because she felt she was a bad child for making her mother cry and for wanting to skip school to play.

Because Zhao Zhitong’s spirits were low in class, the Teacher noticed. After finishing the day’s lesson, he called her out.

Qiao Muchen immediately tensed. In his mind, being called out by the Teacher for a private talk meant you had made a mistake.It had to be Zhao Zhitong’s tardiness that had displeased the Teacher; the Teacher was going to punish her!Guilt immediately washed over him. His mother was right; he shouldn’t have been so petty. He should have accepted Zhao Zhitong’s apology last night. That way, she wouldn’t have been late today and wouldn’t be punished by the Teacher.

Wei Shulan was also extremely worried. She already considered Zhao Zhitong her friend—her first good friend. Now her friend was about to be punished by the Teacher, and it made her very anxious.

However, some children who didn’t get along with Zhao Zhitong were openly reveling in her misfortune.

Among them, Zhao Yue, who sat in the third row, was the most excited. "Hey, hey, look!" he whispered loudly. "That pest Zhao Zhitong is going to be punished by the Teacher!"

Saying this, he excitedly pressed himself against the window to look out. "Wow, look! The Teacher made Zhao Zhitong cry!"

At that, WITH A RUSH, a whole line of students crowded against the windows to look outside.

At that moment, under the parasol tree, the Teacher sat on a chair, looking at Zhao Zhitong with a gentle expression. He asked kindly, "Young girl, what happened today? Did you encounter some trouble?"

The moment Scholar Meng spoke with such concern, Zhao Zhitong’s tears fell. She sobbed, full of self-blame, "Teacher, Tongtong is a bad child."

Scholar Meng was taken aback and asked, "Why would you say that, young girl?"

So, Zhao Zhitong recounted how she’d refused to get out of bed that morning, made her mother cry, and ended up being late for school. "The Teacher works so hard to teach Tongtong to read, and my parents work hard to earn money so Tongtong can go to school. But Tongtong is thoughtless, throws tantrums, and even wanted to skip school to go play in the county town. Tongtong is a bad child."

The more Zhao Zhitong spoke, the more she felt like a truly bad child, and she cried even harder.

Scholar Meng didn’t speak immediately. Instead, he waited for Zhao Zhitong to calm down a little before saying, "Young girl, how old are you now? Four and a half, right?"

Zhao Zhitong shook her head. "No, no, I’m almost five years old already. I’m a big child now."

To insist on debating her age even while crying—her earnest little expression made Scholar Meng chuckle helplessly.

"Alright, let’s say you’re five. When I was your age, I also loved to play a great deal. Wanting to play is a child’s nature. If it can be done in moderation, balancing work and rest can actually help one learn better. However, while loving to play is natural, self-discipline is a choice. Today, young girl, you ultimately chose not to go play and came to school instead. That shows self-discipline triumphing over natural inclination. You’ve done a very good job already. If you can continue to let self-discipline win over your natural inclinations, you will become a remarkable person in the future."

The Teacher hadn’t scolded her; instead, he had praised her for doing a great job! Zhao Zhitong suddenly felt she had accomplished something truly incredible today.

Instantly, it was as if the storm had passed and the sun had come out. She stopped crying and loudly assured the Teacher that from now on, she would never be late again.