Scholar ng stroked his beard and chuckled, "Hmm, not bad, there has been a significant improvent already. However, when practicing calligraphy, it’s crucial to master the correct way of holding and using the brush first. Now that the young girl has got that down well, she can start learning from the rubbings of steles."
Zhao Zhitong blinked and asked, "Teacher, what are steles?"
Scholar ng smiled, "Steles are the calligraphy works of great calligraphers from the past, engraved on stones. Later generations would use the rubbing thod to copy these inscriptions, making it easier for us to learn from them."
Seeing the curious look in the little girl’s eyes, he said, "After school, co to my study."
"Yes, Teacher."
Zhao Zhitong could hardly contain her excitent, as she enjoyed talking to Teacher one-on-one the most.
She then happily folded up her "calligraphy" and tucked it into her book, placing her hands behind her back and giving Teacher her full attention during class.
Zhao Yue was now without the friend who used to pull pranks and whisper with him during class, so he started behaving more obediently. Moreover, the words Qiao Muchen had said to him that day in the woods had genuinely hurt him.
As a result, in the enthusiastic learning atmosphere, where both Qiao Muchen and Zhao Zhitong actively answered questions and read aloud, Zhao Yue, for the first ti, listened attentively to a lesson.
There were two classes in the afternoon during the sumr, and the Teacher would give them a 15-minute break in between. At that ti, Zhao Zhitong stood up and scampered off to the Teacher’s study.
The Teacher’s study also had many books, and he cherished them. She often ca here too to help him clean the shelves.
Seeing Zhao Zhitong co in, Scholar ng smiled and gestured her over, "Co, young girl, co here."
He then took down a few books from the shelf and said, "Here we have so rubbings of steles from calligraphers such as Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, Zhu Suiliang, and Wang Xizhi. Do you want to practice any of them?"
Zhao Zhitong’s eyes sparkled with excitent as she approached and flipped through the books one by one, exclaiming, "Wow, they all look so beautiful!"
Then she looked at her Teacher and said, "Teacher, I don’t know which one to choose. Can you pick one for ?"
Scholar ng laughed heartily and handed her one book, "This one, Ouyang Xun’s regular script. It’s suitable for beginners to learn from, easy to start, elegant, and beautiful, with hidden edges both inside and out.
Once you have a good foundation in calligraphy, you can learn from Wang Xizhi’s works. Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy is the most exquisite, revered by later generations as the ’Sage of Calligraphy.’ No one can match his running script. It’s truly the best. As long as you put in the effort, you’ll undoubtedly achieve sothing."
Zhao Zhitong listened with sparkling eyes, admiring the calligraphy master in her Teacher’s words. She happily accepted the book of rubbings, cradled it in her arms like a treasure, and earnestly said, "Thank you, Teacher. I will practice diligently."
Scholar ng stroked his beard and smiled, "Alright, off you go."
After bidding farewell to the Teacher, Zhao Zhitong held the copybook like a treasure as she returned to her seat.
Qiao Muchen asked with concern, "Tongtong, what did the Teacher ask you to do? Did he punish you?"
Zhao Yue sat behind her, smirking.
Zhao Zhitong laughed, "No, no. Teacher told to practice my calligraphy and even gave a book of rubbings to practice."
Then, Zhao Yue’s annoying voice ca, "He must have given you the book of rubbings because your writing is too ugly, and he couldn’t bear to look at it."
Zhao Zhitong glared back, "That’s not true!"
Zhao Yue, "Yes, it is."
Zhao Zhitong raised her small hand and angrily knocked on Zhao Yue’s head, "Absolutely not!"
It looked like Zhao Zhitong’s little fist hit Zhao Yue’s head hard, but in reality, it didn’t hurt at all. As a result, Zhao Yue was not afraid and instead made faces at her.
Qiao Muchen, who was sitting beside them, gave Zhao Yue a glare and said to Zhao Zhitong, "Tongtong, don’t pay attention to him. He’s just jealous."
As if caught red-handed, Zhao Yue’s face turned red as he shouted, "Jealous of her? Would I be jealous of her? My writing is much better looking than hers!"
Zhao Zhitong stood in front of Zhao Yue and said fiercely, "How about a competition then? In one month, we’ll see whose writing looks better. Are you in or not?"
Zhao Yue snorted and stubbornly said, "Who said I’m not in? Bring it on! I will ask my dad to buy lots of rubbings when I get ho!"
Zhao Zhitong rolled her eyes and retorted, "You’re so dumb. You should be focused and dedicated while learning, and trying to multitask won’t work. If you practice too many styles at once, you’ll end up being bad at all of them."
Zhao Yue’s face turned slightly red, "Well, let see what you’re practicing, and I’ll practice that too so we can compare."
Although she was now in a competition with Zhao Yue, Zhao Zhitong generously showed him the book and kindly advised him, "This is Ouyang Xun’s script. The Teacher said it’s suitable for beginners to practice. You should ask your dad to buy this one for you too."
Grandpa Bai in the space was satisfied with the young girl’s approach to her competitor, smiling happily. The girl’s temperant was excellent, and he was glad he had chosen her!
Zhao Yue looked more determined, "Alright, I’ll definitely win!"
Thus, Zhao Yue, who had never been motivated to learn and only ever thought of inheriting his dad’s trade as a butcher when he grew up, asked Butcher Zhao to buy him so rubbings from the county town for the first ti.
Butcher Zhao was so happy he nearly cried. He felt he had finally done sothing right for once!
He imdiately agreed and went to the county town the next day, bringing back the rubbings for his son.
And for the next few days, Zhao Yue wouldn’t run off to play with his usual group of friends as before. Instead, he would diligently practice his writing in the courtyard. Seeing his serious attitude, Butcher Zhao was even more satisfied.
That night, he excitedly brought a piece of pork to the Dong Family as a gift.
Zhao Dong, startled by the offering, asked if sothing had happened. After listening to Butcher Zhao’s excited recount of events, he finally laughed, "Children learning and progressing together is a good thing, and it shows that they’ve beco more sensible. But I cannot accept this gift without earning it first. Your gesture is appreciated, but I cannot take the at."
Butcher Zhao naturally did not relent, and in the end, they agreed to exchange the pork for so tofu, which seed to satisfy him as he went ho.
While Zhao Yue was working hard, Zhao Zhitong wasn’t idle either. After school, she would take her little luggage box and go to Qiao Muchen’s house with her two best friends to read and practice writing.
Qiao Muchen was already studying the Analects, which made Zhao Zhitong quite envious. However, he had learned it on his own after consulting the Teacher.
The Teacher told her that she needed a good foundation before she could start studying the Analects.
She obediently agreed, but she still found herself unconsciously reciting the Analects along with Qiao Muchen.
The little cousins in the family were also busy. On days when they had no chores, or when they were sent to collect pig forage, they would also dig up so one-point red. Afterward, the big cousin and little cousin would carry the one-point red back ho.
Now, they already had a whole sack of one-point red at ho.
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