Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Don’t You Dislike It?

“School~school~Big Brother Ming~let’s go to school~~~”

At the crack of dawn, just as the hour of the Rabbit struck, Xu Ming had barely finished breakfast when he saw Qin Qingwan come bouncing in like a little bunny.

On her back hung an empty little bookcase, and Lady Qin’s maidservant, Caidie, followed closely behind Qingwan.

“Hmm, then let’s go.” Xu Ming hopped off his stool, also carrying a small bookcase.

After bidding farewell to Mother Xu, Qingwan grabbed Little Brother Ming’s hand and skipped happily towards the Zhi Xing Lecture Hall.

The Zhi Xing Lecture Hall wasn’t really far, only a street away from the Xu and Qin residences.

Upon arriving at the lecture hall, Qingwan saw several children about her own age.

Xu Ming nudged Qingwan’s shoulder beside him.

Caidie, seeing how close Xu Ming was to her young mistress, felt her heart melt just a bit.

There were six books in total: “The Analects,” “The Doctrine of the Mean,” “The Great Learning,” “The Book of Songs,” “The Book of Documents,” and “The Book of Rites.”

[By listening to Mochi’s lecture for ten minutes, Righteous Aura +5.]

Qingwan pulled Xu Ming to sit at the very last row, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at everyone in front.

[You read…]

Zi Yue said: ‘Is it not delightful to learn with regular practice? Isn’t it joyful when friends visit from afar? If people do not recognize you but you are not upset, aren’t you a gentleman?’

Some social butterflies started making friends in the class.

To be honest, Xu Ming didn’t think these little kids could understand much, probably at best hearing something vague.

Qingwan rubbed her eyes, placed the book into her little bookcase, hugged Xu Ming’s arm, and walked out together with him.

Mochi patiently explained the contents of the Analects to the five-to-seven-year-old toddlers.

A man who looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight entered the lecture hall.

However, soon after, Xu Pangda noticed Xu Ming and Qin Qingwan at the last row and walked over, sitting on Xu Ming’s right side.

Qingwan leaned against Xu Ming’s shoulder, pouting cutely: “I don’t like it. Does Big Brother Ming like it?”

“Hmm…”

Compared to the Four Books and Five Classics of Blue Ocean Star, “Mencius,” “The Book of Changes,” and “Spring and Autumn Annals” were missing.

The middle-aged man wore Confucian blue robes, with a refined and gentle smile.

Xu Ming also saw his half-brother—Xu Pangda.

Xu Ming paused, flipping through other books, reading a hundred words each.

It was like eating your hometown fried noodles in a foreign land.

It seemed like no one knew him.

Every ten minutes, there would be an addition of five points to the Righteous Aura.

“This is my name.”

Mochi’s voice was like a gentle spring breeze, calming all the children down as they followed along: “Zi Yue said: ‘Is it not delightful to learn with regular practice? Isn’t it joyful when friends visit from afar? If people do not recognize you but you are not upset, aren’t you a gentleman?'”

Xu Pangda looked around left and right, unsure where he should sit.

[By listening to Mochi’s lecture for ten minutes, Righteous Aura +5.]

“These are your books, take good care of them.” Mochi waved his hand, and books floated out from his sleeves, landing before each child.

The lecture hall was lively, like a kindergarten.

Soon, the lecture hall suddenly fell into a peaceful silence, like stormy seas suddenly freezing over.

Nostalgically looking at these books, another line of text popped up in Xu Ming’s mind.

[You’ve read a hundred words of the Analects, Righteous Aura +2]

“Today’s lesson ends here. Thank you all. Please review at home; I believe you’ll gain deeper insights.”

“Going to school isn’t really fun.” Xu Ming wanted to ruffle Qingwan’s head but refrained because Caidie was present, “Does Qingwan dislike going to school?”

As Mr. Xiao announced the end of class, the lecture hall became lively again. Little toddlers scrambled out with their books, eager to relieve their brains from the strain of knowledge.

This was normal, after all, they were all born with silver spoons.

“Please take out the Analects, this particular book. Now we start our formal lessons. First, everyone follow me and read the first page—”

Each book provided Xu Ming with two attribute points; some only added Righteous Aura, others added additional attributes like Literary Aura and Elegance.

Xu Ming stared at Mochi’s sleeves, seeing for the first time something akin to a storage ring in the cultivation world, possibly the spell known as “Sleeve of Vastness.”

“Greetings, little ones.” The man bowed to the children in the lecture hall, “Starting today, I am your teacher. My name is Xiao Mo Chi.”

“Class dismissed.”

Similar to blackboards and chalk, but the cultivation version.

What puzzled Xu Ming was that Xu Pangda came alone, without any maidservants or attendants, carrying a small bookcase, looking rather lonely.

[You read a hundred words of the Book of Songs, Righteous Aura +1, Literary Aura +1]

Inside the lecture hall were double desks, similar to what they had in Blue Ocean Star’s schooling.

Xu Pangda also entered.

This Mr. Xiao was quite lenient; even if students slept, he wouldn’t interfere.

Half a morning passed, with thirty minutes of lessons followed by ten-minute breaks. With the Righteous Aura gained from reading, Xu Ming accumulated nearly a hundred points but didn’t feel any special changes in his body.

Xu Ming flipped through the Analects and the Book of Songs, noticing many similarities in content. He even felt a sense of familiarity.

“Big Brother Ming~~~ School isn’t fun~~~” On the street, Qingwan hugged Xu Ming’s arm, her chin resting on his shoulder, half asleep as she spoke.

But most people still sat obediently in their seats, some socially awkward yet curious, glancing around.

“Big Brother Ming, here, here~~~”

Xu Ming and Qingwan entered the lecture hall.

Qingwan: “If Big Brother Ming likes it, then Qingwan will try to like it too.”

“First, let us get familiar with these characters. ‘Zi Yue’ means ‘Confucius said,’ and Confucius…”

Xu Pangda was still a chubby little kid, already having a robust figure at such a young age.

[You read a hundred words of the Doctrine of the Mean, Righteous Aura +2]

[You read a hundred words of the Book of Rites, Righteous Aura +1, Elegance +1]

More and more people entered the lecture hall.

Still, it was understandable; in ancient times, there was no systematic teaching like in Blue Ocean Star.

Xu Ming thought for a moment: “I guess I kind of like it.”

These people dressed in expensive clothing, some exuding arrogance even at such a young age, resembling little lords.

Mochi took out a scroll from the remnants, unrolled it, and a white cloth spread across the wall. He then took out a ruler from his sleeve, sliding it across the white cloth to produce text.

She had already been asleep for half an hour.

Xu Ming smiled: “Didn’t you say you disliked it?”

The girl’s eyes sparkled like the rippling Luo River: “I didn’t like it earlier, but since Big Brother Ming likes it, Qingwan will try to like it too~”