Chapter 22: A Shift in Perspective

The next day.

At the hour of the Rabbit (5:00–7:00 AM), the other two boys in the room rose punctually. Seeing them already washing up, Wang Xuezhou quickly got dressed as well. When he entered the classroom, his two studious roommates were already seated and reading.

At a quarter past the hour of the Rabbit, everyone had arrived, and Master Zhou walked into the classroom right on time.

"A day's planning lies in the morning. The secret to health is to follow the natural rhythm of the heavens; only by caring for one's body can one live a long life. Regardless of whether you intend to pursue the imperial examinations or any other path, your health is of the utmost importance. Follow me in practicing the Five Animals Frolic, and only then shall we recite our lessons."

With that, he set down his cane and led the way to the courtyard.

Lu Dasheng, sniffling his runny nose, leaned toward Wang Xuezhou and whispered, "You're truly unlucky. You just arrived and already hit Master's Five Animals Frolic. I'd rather he make us jump thirty times in the courtyard instead."

Wang Xuezhou watched as the little fatty smeared more snot onto his freshly changed morning clothes. He stepped back a bit and asked in a low voice, "Does the Master lead you in physical exercise every day?"

"Of course!" Lu Dasheng’s eyes rolled around, his whispered voice filled with dissatisfaction. "We are here to study, not to perform like monkeys. These poses in the Five Animals Frolic are just too ugly."

Every day?

This teacher was certainly the right choice!

Isn't the body the most important thing of all? Without a healthy body, how can one take the exams? A single cold would be enough to lay a person low.

The children followed Master Zhou’s movements, sometimes spreading their arms like a great roc taking flight, other times lunging forward or leaning back. Master Zhou performed these movements with effortless grace and style.

The others, however, were a different story. Their movements made them look like half-evolved creatures—a scene of pure chaos. The little fatty kept tripping over himself, his face turning beet red with frustration.

He hated the Five Animals Frolic. Those movements made him feel like the monkey held by a street performer, which was deeply embarrassing. Moreover, his portly build made his attempts at the exercises look ridiculous, causing him great shame.

Under Master Zhou's guidance, the group barely managed to practice for half an hour before dragging their exhausted bodies back to the classroom to rest.

Once they rested until the top of the hour of the Rabbit, Master Zhou tapped his desk to get their attention. "Recite what I taught you yesterday. I will check you shortly; those who cannot recite it will receive five strikes of the cane."

As soon as he finished speaking, five heads in the classroom began to sway in unison. Since they were all chanting different parts at different rhythms, it was dizzying to watch.

Wang Xuezhou found it quite grating, and he couldn't bring himself to chant along. It was too easy to be led astray by the others. Besides, he had already memorized yesterday's lesson, and he didn't want to waste any more time on it.

Time is money. His family didn't have much to spare; every extra year of study meant another year of tuition and expenses.

He did not intend to hide his light.

"Master, I can recite it."

Master Zhou looked surprised. He picked up his cane and walked over. "Let me hear you."

The other students stopped their chanting, ready to watch him try. This fellow had spent the whole day yesterday laughing and playing with them; they hadn't seen him study at all, so how could he possibly know it? Telling lies would only lead to a beating.

Wang Xuezhou looked relaxed, showing no signs of nervousness. "Heaven and Earth are mysterious and yellow; the universe is vast and desolate... The sword is named Juque; the pearl is called the Night-Shiner."

He recited the entire lesson from the day before without missing a single character. He didn't stumble once, his delivery as smooth as if he had recited it a thousand times.

Master Zhou stared at him intently. After school yesterday, he had only seen Zhao Xing and Qi Xian remaining in the classroom to review, while this new student had just been wandering around the courtyard. He had gone to sleep earlier than the others and risen later.

And yet, he had memorized it?

Could it be that he had received a student with genuine natural talent this time? Zhou Mingli thought to himself, feeling a bit dazed.

"Master, I have finished."

Seeing the Master silent after he finished, Wang Xuezhou couldn't help but remind him.

Master Zhou snapped back to reality. A ripple of emotion passed through his heart, which he suppressed before saying calmly, "Yesterday was your first day, and I was worried you wouldn't be able to digest everything, so I only taught you that much. Since you have learned it well, from today on, I will instruct you at the normal pace."

"Yes, sir."

Seeing Master Zhou's calm expression, Wang Xuezhou felt a bit deflated. He had thought his performance was impressive, but it turned out the Master had just been going easy on him.

Sigh! It seemed the ancients were indeed full of talent. He would have to work even harder.

Lu Dasheng's eyes widened. What did the Master mean by that? Was he calling him stupid? He had only been able to learn ten characters a day when he started.

*Wuwuwu...* He was destined to be looked down upon wherever he went.

Once he realized Wang Xuezhou learned quickly, Master Zhou accelerated his pace of instruction.

Wang Xuezhou’s performance continued to refresh his understanding day by day. In just ten days, he had memorized all the characters in the *Thousand Character Classic*!

Such a speed of literacy shocked the other students in the classroom, yet Master Zhou’s expression remained calm, showing no signs of praise.

This left Wang Xuezhou very disappointed. He had hoped his performance would amaze the Master, leading the man to immediately take a liking to him and accept him as a personal disciple, thereby saving him the three taels of tuition a year...

In the end, he had clearly thought too much.

Ten days passed in a flash. When it was time to leave school, Wang Xuezhou packed his things and rushed out with the others.

"First place is mine!" Lu Dasheng roared. He darted past Wang Xuezhou with lightning speed and was the first to rush out of the gate. Turning back, he shouted triumphantly, "Don't you even think about snatching my top spot!"

"Who? Who wants to snatch my son's top spot!"

A booming voice came from beside a carriage outside the gate. A large man, somewhat resembling the little fatty, ran up the steps to the entrance, his belly wobbling. He was followed by a man who looked like a servant, shouting from behind, "Master, slow down!"

"Good son, tell Daddy who wants to snatch our top spot? This is outrageous!"

Lu Youliang glared with his small, bean-like eyes, wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, his gaze sweeping over the crowd at the gate with ill intent.

Seeing the landlord's appearance, Wang Xuezhou suddenly felt as if he were getting hot too.

"Choudan! Time to go home!"

Seeing Wang Xuezhou at the gate, Wang Chengzhi beamed with joy and called out happily before coming over to pick up his son.

Lu Dasheng's eyes widened as he pointed at him. "Your childhood name is Choudan? Hahahaha, how hilarious!"

Hearing this, Wang Chengzhi felt displeased. "You child, what is so funny about a name?"

Hearing someone speak to his precious son, Lu Youliang narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "My son laughs if he wants to. Do you have a problem with that?"

Wang Chengzhi wanted to step forward to argue, but Wang Xuezhou pulled him away. "Father, let's go. I want to get home early."

Watching them leave, Lu Youliang snorted, "That boy knows his place!"

Seeing Wang Xuezhou ignore him, Lu Dasheng stomped his feet in anger, complained to his father, and then wiggled his bottom as he returned to his own carriage.

"Dad! Why did you have to interfere when I was talking to my classmate? So annoying!"

"Good son, it's Daddy's fault..." Lu Youliang followed closely behind his son, apologizing profusely.