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Xu Qingyi chatted with Heng for a while before returning to her account books. Worried he might feel bored, she set out some ink, brushes, and paper for him to doodle with.
In wealthy families, a four-year-old child would typically have already begun their studies. However, Heng hadn’t.
The Old Madam had inquired about it several times, but Madam Qin always brushed her off, claiming she hadn’t found a suitable tutor yet.
Fine then, Xu Qingyi thought. At least this way, Madam Qin wouldn’t casually hire someone unfit just to get it over with.
After all, the concern wasn’t just about not learning much—having bad habits instilled in the child would be far worse.
Heng’s aptitude for academics wasn’t on par with his eldest brother, Lin, who was naturally gifted. With dedication, Heng could reach a decent level, though still better than his second brother, Zhen.
For now, the little one was contentedly sitting at the desk, happily doodling whatever came to mind.
“What’s Heng drawing there?” Xu Qingyi asked with a smile after finishing her accounts, leaning over to inspect the young artist’s masterpiece.
Heng shyly placed his hand over the xuan paper, not wanting to show his drawing to his mother.
He thought it was too ugly, not nearly as good as his elder brother’s artwork.
“Don’t want to show me?” Xu Qingyi pretended to look disappointed.
This tactic worked wonders on Heng. He immediately pulled his hand away, revealing a smudgy, black blob on the paper.
Xu Qingyi tilted her head and examined it for a long time, unable to make sense of it. “What is this that Heng drew?”
Heng, embarrassed, shyly explained, “It’s a frog.”
Xu Qingyi couldn’t make it out, but with a smile that didn’t quite match her thoughts, she said, “It does look like one.”
Realizing it was getting late, she lifted Heng in her arms. “Let’s go wash your hands and find your second brother. It’s time for dinner.”
The Marquis’s household had dinner around the hour of You (roughly 6 p.m.).
In the summer, it was still light outside at this time, and they wouldn’t need to light the oil lamps until later.
Zhen had been in the study for about half an hour. He hadn’t written much of his big characters, but he had gotten absorbed in reading miscellaneous books.
He was so engrossed that he didn’t even notice Xu Qingyi coming in with his younger brother.
“Cough, Zhen?” Xu Qingyi glanced at the desk and saw the crooked characters sprawled on the paper. She couldn’t bring herself to offer an honest compliment, so she hesitated before saying, “Have you finished writing your big characters?”
Zhen jumped in shock. “Mother…”
He quickly tried to hide the book, but Xu Qingyi still caught sight of it. She extended her hand. “Let me see. What book is this?”
Not having hidden it in time, Zhen, with a glum expression, timidly handed the book over.
“Travel memoirs? Where did you get this book?” Xu Qingyi relaxed a little since such books couldn’t harm a person.
“I… I took it from Father’s room,” Zhen answered carefully, his head lowered. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken things without permission.”
“It’s fine. It’s good that you like to read. The more you read, the more you can understand the world without leaving home.”
Xu Qingyi’s expression softened as she continued, her tone becoming more earnest. “But you need to understand priorities. You can’t be reading leisure books when your big characters aren’t finished. What will you do if the tutor scolds you tomorrow in class?”
Zhen opened his mouth as if to say something but then hesitated, seemingly afraid that his mother might be upset. So, he closed his mouth again.
Xu Qingyi, seeing his reluctance, said gently, “If you have something to say, say it. I’m not unreasonable. Whether right or wrong, I’ll allow you to express any opinion.”
Zhen, hearing this, finally spoke up. “The tutor doesn’t like me at all. He doesn’t care about me. Whether I write or not, he doesn’t mind.”
Not only did no one care about his studies at the academy, but the same applied in the Marquis’s household.
Whether he wrote well or poorly, the result was always the same.
Over time, Zhen grew more and more disinterested in learning.
He knew he wasn’t good at it, and afraid of making Xu Qingyi upset, he whispered, “Mother, I’m just not made for studying. Anyway, they’ve all given up on me… I don’t want to study anymore.”
Xu Qingyi didn’t get angry. Instead, she asked, “But if you don’t study, you still haven’t learned all the characters. How will you understand the books you want to read in the future?”
Even as a general, you would need to know how to read and write.
“Even if you don’t like studying, at least you should learn all the characters.”
Xu Qingyi no longer expected him to excel in academics.
She solemnly handed the travel memoir back to him.
“From now on, aim to recognize the characters. When you’ve learned all of them, you can consider it your graduation.”
Zhen was slightly confused. He vaguely understood something, but still couldn’t quite believe it.
What his mother meant was that she wasn’t forcing him to be good at studying, was it?
This thought was almost unbelievable.
In a world where status and livelihood were so deeply tied to education, the notion that the only path to distinction was through books still held true.
Families with even a little bit of status would go to great lengths to push their children to excel in their studies.
Zhen was already on the cusp of adulthood.
Having been raised in the Marquis’s household for these years, he understood the world and the expectations placed on him.
He knew full well what the standards of this era were.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened. It seemed his mother was just as disappointed in him as the others.
Perhaps she didn’t see him as someone with potential.
Or perhaps she simply didn’t care about him that much.
If he were her own flesh and blood, would she be so indifferent?
“Zhen, what are you thinking?” Xu Qingyi noticed his complex expression and furrowed her brow, guessing, “You don’t think I’ve given up on you, do you?”
Zhen looked up at Xu Qingyi, his hurt expression clearly saying: Isn’t that the case?
“Of course not,” Xu Qingyi said earnestly, placing her hand gently on Zhen’s arm. “As the saying goes, teaching according to one’s talents. Since you’re not suited for studying, why should I force you to? What good would that do?”
Zhen didn’t find comfort in her words. To him, it still sounded like his mother was implying that he was useless.
“There are so many scholars in the world. How many actually succeed? If you think that way, does it mean that all those who didn’t pass the exams shouldn’t live anymore?” Xu Qingyi continued. “Heaven has given everyone a talent. Just because you’re not good at studying doesn’t mean you lack talent in other areas.”
Zhen furrowed his brow, thinking deeply, but his face still fell. “But I don’t have any other talents.”
This child…
Xu Qingyi gently pinched his face, offering comfort. “You’re only eight. This isn’t the time to worry about these things. Trust me, just focus on learning your characters first, and we’ll figure out the rest later.”
She added with firm certainty, “You will definitely succeed in the future. I haven’t given up on you. I wouldn’t even give up on meat, let alone you.”
How could Xu Qingyi possibly give up on such a promising child?
She still hoped that Zhen would be the one to take care of her in her old age.
The vow to not give up meat might sound trivial or even absurd to others, but for Zhen, it was a monumental promise.
At that moment, he immediately understood how important he was to Xu Qingyi. His place in her heart was heavy.
“Mother, I understand,” he said, his voice full of joy.
Although he didn’t quite understand how Xu Qingyi could care for someone like him, someone who felt so useless, it didn’t stop him from feeling happy.
Xu Qingyi smiled. She knew that comforting children also required sweet words. “Alright, let’s go. We’ll pick up your older brother.”
Zhen nodded eagerly. “Mm!”