Mu Er Pang had seen the Chen family several times before.

According to custom, he should address Mrs. Chen as “Yin Bo Po,” but this title was too difficult for him to remember.

Today, however, it was strange that as soon as he saw Mrs. Chen, this title that he had been taught many times automatically came to his mind.

He called out, and Mrs. Chen was quite surprised.

“Come here, good child!” Zheng Shi had dealt with her in-laws for several years, so when she saw Mrs. Chen smile like that, she knew there wouldn’t be anything good coming out of her mouth.

Zheng Shi wasn’t afraid of her, but she didn’t want to make a scene in front of the children either. So, she called Mu Er Pang over.

Mu Er Pang obediently walked over, and Zheng Shi affectionately took his hand.

When she took his hand, Zheng Shi’s smile faded a bit. Mu Er Pang’s hand was unexpectedly cold.

She glanced at Li Shi and Li Shi hesitantly explained, “We didn’t wait for the ox cart at the village entrance, and the weather changed, so I…”

Zheng Shi didn’t want to talk about her daughter-in-law in front of the Chen family, so she glanced at her, waved her hand, indicating she would explain later.

Although no one responded to her, Mrs. Chen didn’t feel the awkwardness. She continued, “I think you shouldn’t spoil the child too much. Your daughter lives in Shuiyun Village, not far from the county town. Even for such a big child, walking that short distance shouldn’t be a problem. My children, who are younger, wouldn’t have any problem walking such a short distance.”

Zheng Shi rolled her eyes. “Is my Er Pang the same as others?”

Mrs. Chen also rolled her eyes, implying, “He’s different.”

After saying that, Mrs. Chen still smiled and looked at Mu Er Pang, “Er Pang, it’s rare to see you. I heard you’ve been studying recently?”

Mu Er Pang nodded openly, then smiled somewhat embarrassedly, “But I’ve only been studying for a few days, and I’ve learned three books.”

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence! My eldest grandson also just started studying this year.” Mrs. Chen happily called over her grandson who was playing nearby, “You two are about the same level, let’s compare.”

Comparing children at family gatherings was very common. If Mrs. Chen wanted to compare with the other Shen family children, Zheng Shi would definitely agree.

But her beloved grandson was “different.” How could he possibly recite books? Zheng Shi couldn’t bear to let him be compared!

Just as Zheng Shi was about to help him refuse, she noticed Mu Er Pang shaking her hand.

“Grandma, it’s okay, let’s just compare, and if we can’t compare, it’s okay.”

Mrs. Chen wanted him to be unable to compare. Hearing this, she smiled even more, “That’s right, it’s okay if you can’t compare. We’re not having a serious competition, just having fun at the New Year!”

Mu Er Pang nodded and asked, “Compare what?”

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“You’re just starting to learn, so let’s compare in reciting a book! Recite one that you both have learned,” Mrs. Chen said, paused, then turned to Chen Da Niu and asked, “Da Niu, what was the one you learned before?”

“It’s called ‘Three Character Classic.'”

“Alright, then you two will recite this! Each person recites one line, and we’ll see who can’t continue first.” Mrs. Chen smiled, her wrinkles showing.

Chen Da Niu started off, “At the beginning, people’s nature is inherently good.”

Mu Er Pang calmly continued, “Their natures are similar; their habits become different.”

“…”

…

Chen Da Niu had only just started learning and had been in school for only a year. Children of this age are the most restless, especially after such a long New Year holiday, during which many things had been forgotten.

After a while, Chen Da Niu’s forehead was sweating, “In ancient times, Meng Zi’s mother, chose… chose…”

He struggled for a long time but couldn’t remember the next part. Mu Er Pang helped him, “In ancient times, Meng Zi’s mother, chose their neighborhood. If a child did not learn, she would break his shuttle.”

Chen Da Niu’s face turned red, and he cried loudly, “I know! I know!”

At the age of only six, he burst into tears, ending the competition. Mu Er Pang had undoubtedly won.

Mrs. Chen could not laugh anymore. She could only comfort her grandson, feeling embarrassed, “You really know how to recite, but you’re several years older than our Da Niu. It’s normal for you to be more skilled than him.”

Zheng Shi also brought Mu Er Pang over, wiping his non-existent sweat and giving him hot tea. She also couldn’t help but boast, “How can they be the same? Our Er Pang has only been studying for a few days. How long has your Da Niu been studying? Oh, people, you just have to believe in fate!”

“Why bring fate into this when we’re just reciting a passage from the ‘Three Character Classic’?” Mrs. Chen retorted angrily.

“Why not talk about fate? His older brother, Mu Yunchuan, is famous for being a talented person in the academy. My Er Pang is his real brother. How could he be inferior to his older brother? Let me tell you, in a few years, he might achieve something!” Zheng Shi couldn’t resist bringing up Mu Yunchuan to boost Er Pang’s confidence.

Qingzhu Academy was a famous academy in the prefectural capital, and many scholars from outside came to study there. The Chen family intended to cultivate their children to follow the path of studying, so they had naturally done some research.

Most students of the Qingzhu Academy would give Mu Yunchuan a thumbs up when mentioned. They praised him for his outstanding talent and character, calling him a dragon and phoenix among men.

Mrs. Chen, despite her disdain for the Shen family, couldn’t find fault with the well-known Mu Yunchuan.

Looking at Mu Er Pang, who could only recite a few sentences from the “Three Character Classic” at the age of ten, was he really worthy of being called Mu Yunchuan’s younger brother? If it weren’t for the fact that the two families were related, Mrs. Chen would have thought it was a joke!

However, Mrs. Chen also thought that Mu Er Pang was undoubtedly a fool. Her clever grandson was losing to such a fool, which was truly embarrassing!

She had to stand up reluctantly, saying it was getting late and it was time to go home.

Zheng Shi didn’t stop her, only letting her eldest daughter-in-law, see her mother off.

Chen Shi had been silent all along, but when she left the Shen family with her mother, she couldn’t help but complain, “Mother came to give gifts, why bring up that fat fool for no reason?”

Mrs. Chen was annoyed and said, “Why did I give birth to such a useless person like you? I wanted your mother-in-law to know that our Chen family will produce scholars. Who knows, we might even have a great success in the future. I don’t want her to look down on you!”

Of course, her mother was thinking for her own good. Chen Shi quickly calmed down and apologized, saying, “I know mother is thinking for my own good, but please don’t mention this again in the future.”

It’s a good thing that the fool seems to have had a sudden awakening today. If he had embarrassed himself and caused a scene, would my mother-in-law forgive me?

“You’re right. But I’m really surprised. He used to be such a child. How did he suddenly seem like a different person? Could it be true what your mother-in-law said, that the Mu family are naturally gifted scholars, and reading makes them smarter?”

“You mean Mu Er Lang?” Chen Shi chuckled. “If you don’t often visit the Shen family, you don’t know what kind of useless child he was. Today… I guess it’s just a fluke. Maybe he’ll say a few words like that.”

Chen Shi’s intuition was actually somewhat correct. Today, the two children were only comparing their memorization of introductory books, which Mu Er Pang had studied twice a few days ago, so it was fresh in his memory. If they were comparing the understanding of the content, Mu Er Pang would definitely not be as good as Chen Da Niu, who had been studying for a year.

Mrs. Chen nodded in agreement. “I almost forgot to ask who taught that fool. But I think his mother, like your mother-in-law, is unclear, so it must not be her. I understand now. That fool must be studying with his older brother. It’s only natural that he can’t compare to our Da Niu.”

“Forget about him. Let’s talk about earlier. Are you really planning to send Da Niu to school?”

Mrs. Chen nodded with a smile. “Da Niu just didn’t perform well this time. Wait and see, in three to five years, let alone that Mu Er Lang, even Mu Yunchuan might be surpassed by our Da Niu!”

Chen Shi also laughed, saying, “When our Da Niu succeeds, let’s see if my mother-in-law dares to keep her eyes on top of her head!”

The mother and daughter became more and more cheerful as they talked, as if they could already see the day when they would step on Zheng Shi and Mu Er Pang in the future.