I, Sun Shan, and the Imperial Examination

Sun Shan looked at Zheng Tongsheng, who was wearing a scholar's long gown, with a few strands of silver in his hair. He was about 50 years old, and looked kind and gentle, especially his bright eyes, which showed that he was a scholar.

Zheng Tongsheng was the first scholar Sun Shan had ever met in the true sense, the kind of person who took the imperial examinations.

When Sun Shan looked at Zheng Tongsheng, Zheng Tongsheng had already noticed him. He was a small, thin and frail child, and looked too short compared to De Ge'er next to him.

He smiled and said, "Okay, your family is the most focused on studying that I have ever seen. Whether or not to take the imperial examination is one thing, but at least you are not blind."

Uncle Sun responded, "Yes, my eldest sister said that if you want to have a good future, you must be able to read and write, at least you can read the contract and not be cheated."

Zheng Tongsheng stroked his beard and said approvingly, "Your elder sister is very knowledgeable."

Sun Bomin echoed, "Master, today my son has come to register for school. I will leave everything to you from now on."

Zheng Tongsheng called Sun Shan and De Ge'er over and said seriously, "If you come to my Zheng's school, you must study hard and live up to the tuition your father paid. It's very difficult for us peasants to study. You two have this opportunity, so I hope you will cherish it."

Sun Shan looked at Zheng Tongsheng in astonishment. He did not have the qualifications he had imagined, nor did he pretend to ask why he came to study.

Instead, I tell you frankly that we are farmers, our family is poor, and the reason we can go to school is that your father worked very hard to earn money to support your education. We should not aim too high, but be down-to-earth, study hard, and prepare to find a good job in the future.

As for the imperial examination, Zheng Tongsheng did not mention a word about it. Perhaps he knew that for a farmer's son to take the examination, his chances were slim.

Zheng Tongsheng saw Sun Shan's surprised expression and didn't understand why the boy was surprised. He touched his head and said, "Your name is Sun Shan, right? You must study hard in the future. Similarly, I will teach you wholeheartedly."

He touched Dege'er's big head again and said lovingly, "Sun Dingde, you too, don't let your father and mother down."

Sun Shan and De Ge'er nodded obediently, indicating that they would study hard.

Afterwards, Sun Bomin and Sun Sanshu handed over 1 tael of bondage and presented the six gifts.

Zheng Tongsheng held an enlightenment ceremony on the spot.

Zheng Tongsheng helped Sun Shan and De Ge'er straighten their clothes.

He smiled and said, "You two follow me." Sun Boming and Uncle Sun stopped.

The three of them came to the school, passed through the small door, and walked to the innermost part, where there was a statue of the great sage Confucius hanging on the wall.

Zheng Tongsheng said: "You two kneel down, kneel on both knees and kowtow nine times."

Sun Shan and De Ge knelt on the mats and performed the kneeling ceremony.

Zheng Tongsheng said with satisfaction: "Come out with me."

Then walked to the reception room.

Zheng Bo found two cushions from somewhere and asked Sun Shan and De Ge'er to kneel down.

Zheng Bo said, "My dear children, I will read a sentence and you read a sentence."

Sun Shan and De Ge'er nodded.

The first bow is to thank you for teaching me how to read, the second bow is to thank you for teaching me how to be a good person, and the third bow is to thank you for never forgetting your teachings.

Sun Shan and De Ge'er kowtowed three times and offered tea to Zheng Tongsheng.

After drinking tea, Zheng Tongsheng taught the two to respect their teachers, be united and friendly, study hard, and integrate knowledge and practice.

After completing the apprenticeship ceremony, he went to Zhusha to enlighten his mind.

Zheng Tongsheng put cinnabar on the foreheads of Sun Shan and De Ge'er, which meant opening the door to wisdom.

The third step is to point out.

Zheng Tongsheng pinched Sun Shan's ear and said, "Smart, smart, smart, use your ears."

He pointed at Sun Shan's eyes and said, "Ming, Ming, Ming, use your eyes."

It means that students should listen with their ears and see with their eyes, listen in all directions and look in all directions, so as to be a clear-headed person.

After finishing what Sun Shan did, he did it again to De Ge'er, teaching him the same principles of being a human being and doing things.

The last step, giving books as gifts, symbolizes that the students have officially entered school and started their journey of study.

Zheng Tongsheng gave De Ge'er and Sun Shan a copy of the Three Character Classic and said gently, "Study hard and make progress every day."

Sun Shan took the gift of the handwritten book from Zheng Tongsheng and said solemnly, "Thank you, Master. We will study hard."

After the enlightenment ceremony was completed, Zheng Tongsheng asked Sun Boming and Sun Sanshu to sit down, and asked Zheng Bo to take Sun Shan and De Ge'er to familiarize themselves with the school environment.

Zheng Tongsheng said: "If you have any questions, you can ask directly."

Uncle Sun said there was no problem, he had already asked all the questions he needed to ask. This was already his third time experiencing the ceremony of becoming a disciple, and he was not in a mood to do so.

Sun Boming, on the contrary, seemed extremely excited. The salute just now was so solemn that he could hardly breathe.

Watching Shanzi following Zheng Tongsheng in bowing, my life was instantly elevated, and I became even more looking forward to Shanzi's studies.

Sun Bomin hesitated and did not dare to speak loudly: "Master, what other books do they need to buy for their studies?" He only saw that Zheng Tongsheng gave him one book, which was obviously not enough.

Zheng Tongsheng was familiar with this question, and he said gently, "Is your child preparing for the imperial examination, or is he just learning to read and studying for a few years so that he can find a job outside?"

Sun Bomin said without thinking: "Master, I want to teach Shanzi to read and do accounting, so that he can find a job that is not too strenuous in the future."

Zheng Tongsheng could not say he was disappointed, he nodded in understanding: "If you don't take the imperial examination, you will learn much less knowledge, and you will also have to read much less books. When the time comes, I will ask you to buy books according to your progress and when you need them."

After a pause, he added: "It won't be a lot of books, and it won't be too expensive, don't worry."

Sun Boming and Uncle Sun said thank you.

Zheng Tongsheng chatted with them about family matters and farm matters.

On the other side, Sun Shan and De Ge'er were taken out of the reception room by Zheng Bo and brought to the big yard.

Zheng Tongsheng's house is divided into a front yard and a back yard. There are three rooms in the front yard and five rooms in the back yard, separated by a door.

Zheng Bo said, "From now on, you two will study in the front yard. The back yard is where the Master lives. You are not allowed to cross over."

Pointing to the three rooms in the front yard, he said, "These three rooms are the school. You will go to school here when the time comes."

Sun Shan pretended not to understand and asked innocently, "Zheng Bo, how many students are there in the school?"

Zheng Bo said patiently: "The school is divided into three classes. The big class is for students who need to study for another year and don't need to continue. There are currently 3 people. The middle class is for students who have studied for a year and currently has 8 people. As for the small class, there are currently 3 people, including the two of you and the one who signed up yesterday.

Sun Shan opened his eyes wide and said in surprise, "Uncle Zheng, that means there are 14 people in our Zheng's School."

Are you kidding me? There are only 14 students, pitifully few in total.

Zheng Bo was also surprised and asked, "Oh, you are amazing, you can actually calculate." He touched Sun Shan's head lovingly.

Sun Shan was speechless. He was already 6 years old. He didn’t know how to calculate 3+8+3. He might as well become mute.

De Geer, who was standing by, said proudly, "Shanzi is really good at math, especially at counting copper coins. He can count them clearly. Even the peddler can't beat him."

Sun Shan had a lot of pocket money. Occasionally, when a peddler came to the village to sell goods, Sun Shan would take De Ge'er to buy things and buy whatever he liked.

The peddler was surrounded by a circle of women from Sunjia Village. Sometimes, when business was booming, the peddler couldn't keep up with the calculations, or he made a mistake in the calculations. Sun Shan couldn't stand it and would help him calculate the bills directly.

When De Ge'er saw this, his eyes sparkled and he was so impressed that he often stuck to Sun Shan and played with him.

But Sun Shan thought that the reason why De Ge'er played with him, a taciturn person, was mainly because he coveted his private money, because he would also buy him some food when he bought it.