CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 43: SCHEMING THIRD SON (PART 2)

Just one day after arriving, Wen Shun realized that not only were the teachers at the town school good-tempered, but his classmates were also nice. When he couldn’t find the canteen, someone enthusiastically helped him get food. When he couldn’t make his bed properly, there were even people willing to help.

Especially the upcoming courses, no matter how much he pretended to understand or dozed off, the teachers never used a ruler to beat his palm like Mr. Xie, nor did they punish him by making him write a character hundreds of times or stand outside with a book on his head.

In short, the private tutor is friendly and the classmates are good.

Whoever saw him always had a smiling face.

Wen Shun, used to mingling with genuine people, had never seen such a scene where everyone he encountered was all smiles.

He felt an inexplicable chill.

Ten days later, the town school has a bi-weekly exam.

After listening to ten days of unfathomable teachings, Wen Shun held his brush, staring at the exam paper, sweating all over.

What is written on this exam paper?

He couldn’t understand a single word, so how could he answer the questions?

Wen Shun glanced at his classmates on both sides and saw they were all confident, grinding ink, and writing immediately.

He was the only one spinning in circles like a lost bear.

He wanted to hand in a blank paper, but seeing so many diligent students around, he felt too embarrassed, so he racked his brains and remembered Mr. Xie at the Xie Family Private School once made him copy certain characters hundreds of times.

He calmed his nerves, picked up his brush, and neatly wrote each character Mr. Xie taught him fifty times before handing in the paper.

When he walked out of the exam room, Wen Shun’s back was still wet. He didn’t dare to respond when his classmates greeted him and rushed back to the study room, where he covered himself with a blanket and slept for half the afternoon.

The next morning, the results were posted.

Classmates grouped together to go and see.

Wen Shun dawdled for a while before daring to go out after everyone had left.

The list was posted at the town school plaza, visible to everyone passing by.

By the time Wen Shun got there, most had already seen it. Only a few people remained, none of whom were in Wen Shun’s class, so they didn’t recognize each other.

However, upon seeing Wen Shun, everyone’s attitude was surprisingly uniform, smiling at him.

If he were new, Wen Shun might have thought his classmates were being friendly and taking care of the newcomer, but now he had already glimpsed his name at the bottom. With classmates still smiling at him, those smiles were more terrifying than the grin of a fierce ghost.

The other people, tall and strong, neither hit him nor scolded him, and Wen Shun found no reason to get angry or bully them, so he could only run back to the study room in a huff and pack his things.

Today was a bi-weekly break.

Before Song Wei came to pick up Song Yuanbao, Mrs. Zhou already requested that he must take Wen Shun home as well.

When Song Wei arrived, Song Yuanbao was standing at the town school entrance, his little face full of cheer.

Compared to Song Yuanbao, the look on Wen Shun’s face beside him only had four words: utterly defeated.

Song Wei asked Song Yuanbao, "What’s making you so happy?"

Song Yuanbao replied, "I took first place in the bi-weekly exam this time, didn’t let dad down."

Song Wei nodded with a smile, "That’s not bad, but you should learn to be modest in the future..."

Before Song Wei could finish, Song Yuanbao continued, muttering softly, "I know, I know, being first at the town school is nothing in the county, prefecture, let alone the capital. I haven’t forgotten my swollen face from the first bi-weekly exam, it hasn’t even gone down yet."

Wen Shun was already disheartened by the bi-weekly exam, and now hearing Song Yuanbao’s words, he was even more ashamed, wanting to find a hole to crawl into.

Song Wei glanced at the bundle in Wen Shun’s hands and asked, "Why are you packing so many things?"

Wen Shun, with his head down, said, "I’m not studying anymore."

Song Wei didn’t say anything, just raised his hand to let the two get on the cart.

——

Wen Shun refused to go to the Song family and jumped off the ox cart heading home as soon as they reached the village entrance.

When Mrs. Zhou saw him coming back with bags packed, she asked what happened.

Wen Shun said he wasn’t studying anymore; he couldn’t stay at the town school.

Mrs. Zhou got anxious, "What do you mean? You’ve only been there ten days, how come you can’t stay? Did the teacher hit you, or did classmates bully you? Tell me the truth, and I’ll go find your brother-in-law."

Wen Shun grabbed his mother’s sleeve, telling her not to go, saying it wasn’t like that at all. The teachers at the town school were nice, and the classmates were easy to get along with. It was just that he felt he couldn’t stay there.

Mrs. Zhou couldn’t understand what Wen Shun meant at all. She felt there must be something wrong; otherwise, why would her son come back with his things, saying he won’t go anymore? "You wait, I’ll go to the Song family to figure it out."

"Mom!" Wen Shun looked at Mrs. Zhou, "I really can’t stay there. Every day in class, I don’t understand a word. During the bi-weekly exam, I didn’t know what was on the test paper, nor did I know what to answer. I can’t even recognize the characters. Why do you insist on having me attend classes with those people?"

Mrs. Zhou said sharply, "Song Yuanbao can stay there, why can’t you?"

Over the days at the town school, Wen Shun had heard the name Song Yuanbao numerous times. His nephew had a genius father, and with his decent talents, whether teachers or classmates mentioned him, they all gave thumbs up, the epitome of "someone else’s child."

So as soon as he heard Mrs. Zhou compare him to Song Yuanbao, Wen Shun exploded.