Chapter 50: Class Dismissed

With a lowering and raising of the head, the rhythmic tapping sounds came from outside, and Master Zheng walked in, announcing, "That is all for today's lesson. Class dismissed."

As soon as Master Zheng left, Brother De bounced up and said with great excitement, "Shanzi, pack up quickly! We're going home. School is finally out!"

His smile was plain for all to see, and he looked as though he wished to sprout wings and fly right out the door.

Sun Shan leisurely put his brush, ink, stone, paper, and books into his book box, bowed respectfully to Master Zheng alongside Brother De and Yang Qingbei, and said with a smile, "Qingbei, see you tomorrow."

Yang Qingbei also packed his belongings, nodded, and said, "See you tomorrow."

The three of them walked out of the classroom together, passed by the kitchen to pick up their lunchboxes, and hurried to the front courtyard gate.

Uncle Zheng was already stationed at the door acting as the gatekeeper.

The three boys exchanged greetings with him and bid him farewell.

The gates of the Zheng Family School were already open, and Sun Shan caught sight of Sun Bomin and a very reluctant-looking Third Uncle Sun.

"Father, Third Uncle," Sun Shan called out.

Following right behind, Brother De shouted loudly, "Father, Eldest Uncle, why are you two here?"

Sun Bomin pulled Sun Shan over, and seeing that his complexion and spirits were quite good, asked with concern, "How were your studies? Are they difficult?"

Sun Shan looked up and replied, "They're quite good, and the Master teaches wonderfully."

This was spoken from the heart. Master Zheng was not one of those stereotypical, rigid, and severe teachers from the legends who would immediately reach for the cane if a student struggled slightly.

Master Zheng taught with great patience, and even if a mistake was made, he would correct it promptly.

Brother De rolled his eyes at Sun Shan and protested indignantly, "Eldest Uncle, don't listen to Shanzi. It's so hard to learn! There's so much I don't understand, especially writing—that is by far the hardest thing ever."

Before he could finish his sentence, a resounding smack landed on the back of his head courtesy of Third Uncle Sun. Brother De aggrievedly rubbed his head.

Third Uncle Sun glared at him fiercely and said, "Were you not listening? Were you slacking off in class? Shanzi said the learning is going well, so it's only lazy minds like yours that find it difficult."

Sun Shan quickly intervened, "Third Uncle, Brother De paid close attention in class; he wasn't talking nonstop like he does at home."

Well, he might not have been talking, but his eyeballs had been darting all over the place. Still, by any measure, it was a vast improvement over his usual hyperactivity at home.

Third Uncle Sun smiled and said, "Since Shanzi has spoken up for you, I'll let you off this time. Listen closely and study seriously! Your father paid the tuition, and that is hard-earned money right out of my pocket."

The four of them walked out of the Zheng Family School and glanced not far away at Yang Qingbei, who was walking in the direction of Yang Family Village accompanied by a middle-aged man.

Sun Shan said, "Father, that is our classmate from Yang Family Village. He is even a year younger than me."

When Yang Qingbei had walked out, he even greeted the Sun family members. He was such a fair, clean, and well-mannered little boy. Sun Bomin smiled and said, "You two must get along well with your classmates."

Brother De said with an air of haughty pride, "Eldest Uncle, rest assured, we will get along just fine. Besides, Little Qingbei had a chicken leg for lunch today!"

He cast a resentful glance at Third Uncle Sun. Shanzi got to eat meat too, while all he got were two pitiful eggs.

Sun Shan asked, "Father, do you know whose family he belongs to?"

Sun Bomin shook his head and replied, "I have no idea. The Village Chief probably knows."

The Village Chief of Sun Family Village was a walking encyclopedia; if you asked him about anyone within a radius of a hundred miles, he was bound to know.

Third Uncle Sun chimed in eagerly, "Eldest Uncle, there's no need to ask the Village Chief. Just ask me!"

Sun Shan and Brother De looked at Third Uncle Sun with curious, gossipy expressions.

Wearing an expression that suggested there was nothing in the world he didn't know, Third Uncle Sun declared, "That is the youngest son of Landlord Yang from Yang Family Village."

Sun Shan asked curiously, "Third Uncle, how on earth do you know that?" He already knew his third uncle was a gossip, but he never imagined he would be gossipy enough to recognize the son of every family in the surrounding area down to the last detail.

Third Uncle Sun struck a pose as haughty as Brother De's and said triumphantly, "First of all, in Yang Family Village, the only households that can afford to send their children to school are Village Chief Yang's and Landlord Yang's. Secondly, I once went to work at Landlord Yang's estate and caught sight of his eldest son.

Just now, your classmate looked the spitting image of that eldest son. Anyone could tell at a glance they were biological brothers.

Landlord Yang only has two sons, so this one has got to be the younger brother."

Sun Shan praised him sincerely, "Third Uncle, you really are amazing."

Brother De also chimed in with unconcealed admiration, "Father, I was wrong. I always thought Mother was more capable than you, but today I've discovered you're even greater than her! Oh, by the way, Father, is Landlord Yang very rich?"

Third Uncle Sun desperately wanted to swat Brother De into the horizon, but considering it was his first day of school, he managed to restrain himself.

He patiently explained, "He is called a Landlord, so figure out for yourself whether he has money or not. Most of the land in Yang Family Village belongs to Landlord Yang, and every single household in the entire village rents his fields to farm. I don't know if he has piles of cash, but his family certainly has bowls of white rice that they can never finish eating."

Upon hearing the words "white rice," Brother De complained, "Father, Shanzi gets to eat white rice, and Little Qingbei gets to eat white rice, but I'm the only one stuck eating sweet potato rice. It seems I was wrong again—you aren't impressive at all. Following you around, I'm the one who suffers."

In the end, Third Uncle Sun failed to hold back, treating Brother De to a few large bumps on the forehead right outside the entrance of the Zheng Family School.

After the four of them waited for a short while, the students from the intermediate and senior classes were also dismissed. The rest of the Sun family boys came pouring out, and finally, the whole group was assembled.

Third Uncle Sun immediately began questioning Guang Geer, Yong Geer, Qing Geer, and Brother De about how they had behaved in school and whether any of them had acted up.

Setting aside the small interlude at noon, Brother De had indeed been much quieter at school than he ever was at home.

The three older cousins also praised Brother De for his conduct.

Sun Bomin smiled and said, "As expected, schooling really works its magic. Look at that—even Brother De is starting to become sensible."

After walking for half an hour, the group arrived at Sun Family Village.

Sun Bomin held Sun Shan's hand as they walked into the old Sun family residence.

Madam Huang and Madam Su were sitting in the courtyard, their gazes fixed on the front gate.

Seeing Sun Shan return, the two women immediately stood up. Madam Huang gently patted Sun Shan's little head and asked with deep concern, "Shanzi, how was school today? Did everything go smoothly?"

Sun Shan replied, "Grandmother, everything went smoothly, and the Master is wonderful."

Madam Su anxiously hurried out of the main room holding a cup of warm water and said affectionately, "Shanzi, drink a cup of water first."

The physician had explicitly stated that Shanzi had a frail constitution and that great care must be taken with his diet, specifically warning that he must not drink cold water.

Madam Su had consistently followed the physician's advice, providing the absolute best conditions possible within their limited means.

Sun Shan took the cup, gulped down the water, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said, "Grandmother, Mother, Father, the Master said we need to get a smooth slate for practicing calligraphy, and that we must bring it to school with us."

While Sun Bomin was waiting for school to be dismissed at the entrance, Uncle Zheng had already informed him of this requirement and even shown him a sample.

As for Third Uncle Sun, he had known about it all along since his own two older sons had gone through the exact same thing.

Sun Bomin nodded and said, "I'll head over to the Village Chief's house right now. He has such slates at home. I'll ask for one, polish it down a bit, and it'll be ready to use."

Hearing this, Madam Huang walked into her bedroom, retrieved a package of flaky pastries, and handed it to Sun Bomin. "When you ask someone for a favor, you cannot go empty-handed. Take this package of pastries and have a proper chat with the Village Chief."

Sun Bomin gave a soft acknowledgment, took the pastries, and walked straight out the door.

Watching his father's retreating figure, Sun Shan's face remained as calm as still water, but inside, a wave of bittersweet emotion washed over him.

In this lifetime, he was undoubtedly far luckier than in his previous one. He had a grandmother, a mother, and a father who cherished him—a family that loved him with all their hearts.