Chapter 22: Gray Fur Floating on Green Waters?
Dong Hui instantly flew into a rage. He grabbed Cheng An by the collar.
“Have you thought this through?”
Cheng An grasped his fist calmly and smiled lightly. “If you throw that punch, sir, you’ll surely be expelled from the academy! I heard your family does business in town? Your father sent you here to study... probably hoping the Dong family would produce a scholar someday, right?”
Scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant—these four words hung glaringly over every person in the Great Zhou dynasty.
Those who do business might not lack money.
But no matter how wealthy you are, you cannot escape the class sanctions of the era!
Eleven-year-old Dong Hui might be immature, but he understood the weight of these words.
If he got expelled for hitting someone...
His father would probably beat him to death.
Children fear the punishment of their elders.
Dong Hui was no exception.
Recalling the many times he had been beaten as a child, his eyes glazed over slightly, and he instinctively loosened his grip on Cheng An.
Cheng An gently straightened his wrinkled robe and said softly, “I have no interest in making enemies with you, nor do I stoop to petty tricks. But if you provoke me again...”
“I guarantee it!”
He extended a finger and lightly tapped Dong Hui’s chest.
“Within a month, I’ll make sure you’re kicked out of White Horse Academy!”
“I...”
Dong Hui opened his mouth but dared not speak.
Though this child was only eight years old and barely reached his chin when standing straight, his tone was so dark and his gaze more vicious than a wild wolf’s!
Seeing Dong Hui show fear, Cheng An smiled and patted his shoulder.
“Alright, go play...”
“B-but Senior Sister said I have to stand here for a whole hour before I can move.”
“Oh, then keep standing.”
...
The first day of school.
The teacher did not give any lessons.
Everyone gathered in the classroom, chatting and joking.
Cheng An found a quiet spot by the window, sitting down to leaf through the primer texts, occasionally tracing characters on the desk with his finger.
At noon.
Dong Hui dragged his tired body back, followed by Cheng Xiaoyuan.
A huge bruise darkened one of Dong Hui’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth were swollen and red.
No need to say—it was from being beaten!
Unable to retaliate against Cheng An, Dong Hui naturally vented his anger on Cheng Xiaoyuan.
The classroom instantly fell silent.
Everyone watched the two silently.
No one dared to speak.
Pfft!
Cheng An looked over curiously, then burst out laughing.
He hadn’t expected Dong Hui to be so quick to take revenge—and so ruthless—saving him the trouble of wasting any more time.
...
Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyuan clenched his fists tightly and glared fiercely at Cheng An, as if to say: 'Just you wait!'
...
The next day.
Du Xiu sat in the classroom.
“Good morning, teacher...”
“Greetings, teacher.”
The children entered one after another, bowing respectfully.
Du Xiu smiled and nodded in return.
Once everyone was seated, he took a piece of silk paper from the desk and hung it in the center.
“Today, no reading. Let’s learn a poem...”
It was the “Ode to the Goose” composed by Cheng An at the academy gate that day.
Du Xiu smiled at him approvingly.
Without reservation, he praised, “This poem demonstrates solid skill, both in imagery and rhetoric! The words may not be ornate, but they are concise and grand—truly a fine piece!”
“Congratulations, sir, on another fine work!”
Dong Hui flatteringly clapped.
“This poem wasn’t written by me,” Du Xiu said.
“But by Cheng An!”
His smile was full of pride.
Who?
Dozens of eyes immediately turned to the corner.
Cheng An smiled helplessly.
He stood and bowed to Du Xiu.
“Here I am.”
Du Xiu waved him over and kindly placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, “Since you composed this poem, explain its meaning to us.”
“Yes.”
Cheng An nodded shyly.
If one looked carefully, he seemed a little flushed.
“This poem...” he spoke with a slightly naive tone, softly, “When I was little playing by the river, I often saw the geese splashing there. Their calls were loud, their feathers white, and their feet paddled beneath the water... so I thought of these lines.”
“Good.”
“This is to see the subtle and know the profound!”
Du Xiu was even more pleased, grinning broadly.
“Teacher, he’s lying!”
“Hm?”
At the sound, everyone looked over.
Cheng Xiaoyuan stood up angrily.
He glared at Cheng An, “The geese in our village aren’t white at all—they’re gray! ‘White feathers floating on green water’... it’s obviously copied!”
“Right!”
Dong Hui instinctively chimed in, “My family’s restaurant often buys chickens, ducks, and geese. Their feathers are grayish-white too!”
“Liar!”
“Definitely copied!”
The children immediately erupted into noise.
Hatred for the superior!
Mockery for the unknown!
Even children are no exception...
No one wants to admit someone is better than themselves!
“Gray feathers floating on green water?”
“Sounds better, doesn’t it?”
Cheng An’s youthful face darkened.
He glanced at Dong Hui, who gasped and instinctively closed his mouth.
Cheng An turned back to Cheng Xiaoyuan with a faint smile on his lips.
“Even illiterate people know that poetry must be elegant and concise! I just think ‘white feathers’ sounds better—is that not allowed? Are you going to nag me about it?”
“Of course it is!” Du Xiu spoke loudly.
He glanced at the noisy students and said sternly, “Have I not warned you? One must be upright and honest! Never be jealous or narrow-minded!”
“Have you forgotten?”
No one dared speak after that.
Each shrank their neck and dared not look up.
“And you!”
Du Xiu’s cold gaze fixed on Cheng Xiaoyuan.
“You two are relatives—brothers by clan—and you are the elder! Why be so harsh to your brother? Do you know that once a scholar is labeled a plagiarist, his whole future is ruined?”
“Petty!”
Using such a word on a child barely ten years old showed Du Xiu’s anger.
He raised his hand and pointed to the door.
“Out! I, Du Xiu, have no student with such vile character!”
“T-teacher...”
Cheng Xiaoyuan was stunned.
He trembled, standing there in shock.
He never imagined that Cheng An, who hadn’t even attended a single day of school before, could compose such a poem, nor that the teacher’s reaction would be so severe.
To be able to study here,
His grandmother and father had squeezed his uncles for years.
If he were driven away now...
Never mind the ridicule from the villagers, just facing his parents and grandmother would be unbearable; he might even be forced to work the fields.
“I acknowledge my mistake, teacher. Please...”
Cheng Xiaoyuan knelt down with a thud, tears streaming.
“Please spare me this once!”
Du Xiu snorted coldly.
“If not for the old friendship with your father, I wouldn’t care about the gossip... Otherwise, how could such a vile person as you have made it this far?”
“Out! Face the wall for a day! No meals today.”
“Yes!”
“Th-thank you for your mercy, teacher!”
Cheng Xiaoyuan hurriedly got up and left with his head bowed.
But inside, he burned with hatred.
Back home, Cheng An was always the one bullied. Even when his uncle and aunt annoyed him, he had to soothe them carefully.
When had he ever suffered such humiliation?