Lujia Village is a small village. As the name suggests, dozens of families in this village are all surnamed Lu. The head of this village is called Lu Wentao, and of course he is also the head of the clan. It is said that he was a magistrate in his early years, and after returning to his hometown, he took his tribe and took root in this place surrounded by mountains and rivers.
The old man Lu Wentao became a county magistrate only after being admitted as a Jinshi in the imperial examination, so in his eyes, everything is inferior, and only studies are high. He asked all the children in the clan to attend the ethnology school as long as they were eight years old. As for him, he personally serves as the master of this ethnology, and his wish is to teach another Jinshi to honor his family in his lifetime.
The school is located in the center of the village. It is a pavilion-like bamboo house made of bamboo. There are nine bamboo tables and chairs in the bamboo house, three horizontal and three vertical, and a rectangular desk is placed in the front. The old man sat upright in front of the desk, holding a book in his left hand and a ruler in his right, shaking his head while reading. The seats below were full of children of different ages, the older ones looked like fifteen or sixteen years old, and the younger ones were only about eight or nine years old, reciting poems after the old man.
"Singing to wine, how much life is like, like the dew in the morning, the past is full of bitterness."
"Singing to wine, how much life is like, like the dew in the morning, the past is full of bitterness."
The old man read a sentence, and the child read a sentence at the bottom. I glanced at the classroom from the corner of my eye, and suddenly raised my eyelids. In the corner on the right side of the school, an eleven or twelve-year-old boy was looking down, looking at something.
"Lu Yu, what are you looking at, kid?" the old man shouted angrily.
"Lu Yu, what are you looking at, kid?" The children below didn't respond for a while, and recited it as a poem. When the children reacted, there was another burst of laughter.
"Quiet, how decent is it?" After all, the old man was a county magistrate, and he could use a ruler as a gavel to make a "crack-crack". The child below immediately covered his mouth with his hands, and then cast his eyes on Lu Yu with a spectacle. Lu Yu also quickly raised his head at this time, pretending to be nonchalant. Lu Yu's complexion looked a bit dark, and he still had pimples that only appeared at this age on his face. His appearance was very ordinary. Although his figure was thin, he looked very strong, like a small farmer who often worked in the fields.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Lu Yu quickly stood up and bowed to the old man. He opened his mouth and said, "Reporting to grandfather, my grandson was just listening to your old recitation of Cao Gong's "Duan Ge Xing". Slowly stuff the book into the long sleeve.
"As an old man, is your eyesight dim? Are you watching "Sou Shen Ji" or "Shan Hai Jing" this time?" The old man asked with a smile. He knew this grandson quite well, and he was caught reading books about ghosts and ghosts no less than a hundred times in class. However, Lu Yu has an excellent memory, and he can remember almost all books, but unfortunately he just likes to read books about gods and ghosts. The old man had great expectations for this grandson since he was a child. Lu Yu not only has a photographic memory, but also has a very high understanding. It's a pity that such a good talent is unwilling to study.
"Grandfather, can you not confiscate this book?" Lu Yu looked at the old man pitifully, with tears in his eyes.
"No." The old man shook his head resolutely: "Hand it in. Come by and receive the punishment."
Lu Yu reluctantly moved to the desk and slowly handed the crumpled book hidden in his sleeve to the old man. The old man took the book, but Lu Yu still refused to let go. The old man looked at Lu Yu curiously. After hesitating for a long time, Lu Yu asked tentatively, "Grandpa, wait a few more times and don't confiscate the books. Is that okay?"
The old man suddenly felt a rush of unknown fire. This child would rather be beaten more than read these ghostly books. He is really obsessed with ghosts. The old man flushed with anger, and was about to get angry at Lu Yu. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed in my head and I came up with an idea. Immediately his face softened. Still holding one end of the book in his hand, he was just thinking about the pros and cons of this idea.
Seeing his grandfather's face turning red with anger just now, Lu Yu thought that his grandfather would definitely put him in confinement this time, or ask his father to give him a fat beating. Unexpectedly, my grandfather suddenly became dazed. Lu Yu thought to himself: "It's over, my grandfather must be thinking of a more powerful way to punish himself. Sigh, should I hide with my grandmother for a few days first?"
Lu Yu was still thinking wildly, but the old man had already made up his mind. The old man looked at the bewildered grandson in front of him, and let go of the book. Feeling the weight of the book, Lu Yu immediately looked up at his grandfather. The grandfather looked at him with a smile on his face, and said in a gentle tone: "Since you like to read this book, then take it. Come to my study later and take those confiscated books away."
Lu Yu looked at his grandfather in surprise, feeling a bad premonition in his heart. Lu Yu also couldn't remember how he finished the rest of the class. I have been thinking all day why my grandfather should return the book to him.
The old man has five sons. Lu Yu's father is the old man's second son. Lu Yu was smart since he was a child, but he never liked to behave in front of others. The old man also discovered by accident that Lu Yu, who was only three years old at the time, could read poems and books.
The old man asked him at the time: "Who taught you how to read and write?"
Little Lu Yu replied: "It was taught by you, grandfather."
The old man was confused and asked, "When did I teach you?"
Little Lu Yu answered earnestly: "Isn't my grandfather teaching my elder brothers and sisters how to read every day? I was playing with mud outside the house, and I could read after listening too much. Later, I secretly read the books my grandfather taught every day, and I also learned how to read. "
When the old man heard it, he suddenly realized, no wonder there are always muddy handprints on his books recently, it turned out to be made by this kid. In the following years, the old man often paid close attention to Lu Yu. I found out that Lu Yu has a photographic memory, and his comprehension is very good, but he doesn't like to read Confucian classics, but prefers to read books about Taoism, Buddhism, and ghosts.
Holding a basket of books, Lu Yu returned listlessly to his home in the west of the village.
Lu Yu's mother saw that her son was holding a large basket of books, so she quickly took the basket with her hands, and saw Lu Yu's listless look. He asked with concern: "Have you been spanked by your grandfather again?" Put the basket on the ground again, grabbed Lu Yu's hand, and carefully checked for any injuries.
"Mother, grandfather didn't hit me." Lu Yu came back to his senses and replied.
"Then why do you look like this?" Lu Yu's mother asked gently, holding her son in her arms.
"Actually, I don't know either." Lu Yu was telling the truth. "My grandfather was going to beat me, but he returned the book to me for some reason.
"It's fine if you don't hit you, mother is afraid that you will make grandfather angry again." Lu Yu's mother patted Lu Yu's back and said, "Your father was called by your grandfather just now, and I think he will know what happened when he comes back."
When Lu Yu heard this, he felt even more depressed. I thought to myself, this matter is probably a big deal, and being beaten must be the best ending. Grandpa seems to be ruthless this time.