Chapter 11 Shen Feng’s Learning Ability

The key is, it’s one thing for my little sister to be talented, but the key is that she’s also very diligent.

Other children her age are rolling around on the floor, crying and following their families around, but she’s different. Ever since she learned to write, she’s been dragging her brothers out of bed early every day to study. When she sits on her little stool listening to lessons, she looks so serious, it’s almost too much. If her brothers dare to slack off, she’ll give them a look of disdain and contempt.

Faced with such a sister, even if they dislike reading, they have to study hard. They can’t be outdone by their little sister.

Shen Xue and Shen Bo took a deep breath and, under Shen Nian’s smiling gaze, picked up their bowls to drink porridge.

The porridge was a mixed grain porridge. Shen Feng had never eaten it before, nor had he ever used a bowl or spoon, so he didn’t know how to use them.

Seeing this, Shen Nian quickly picked up her own small wooden bowl and demonstrated.

Seeing her drink it with gusto, it looked very delicious.

Shen Feng also learned to hold the bowl and drink the porridge. After one mouthful, he almost spat it out. It tasted so strange!

It wasn’t like the meat he ate in the mountains.

Seeing Shen Nian drinking it with relish, Shen Feng tried hard to swallow the porridge in his mouth, then continued to drink it with a frown and a look of deep sorrow.

A bowl of porridge quickly disappeared, followed by eggs.

Each of the four children got an egg.

Shen Feng knew how to eat eggs, and he even peeled the shell for Shen Nian.

After eating an egg, Shen Feng felt like he hadn’t eaten enough, but seeing that everyone else had finished, he didn’t say anything.

Shen Nian didn’t know that Shen Feng wasn’t full. After finishing her egg, she climbed down from the stool, took Shen Feng’s hand, and said to Shen Bo and Shen Xue, “Big brothers, read (books).”

Ever since she saw the books of her fourth uncle, she had been horrified to discover that the characters in this world were different from the ones she knew. She didn’t recognize a single one. She had become illiterate.

This was a big deal. Illiteracy was a huge disadvantage. Their family was so poor, and she wanted to lead them to wealth. She couldn’t fall behind in knowledge, so she had to study hard.

Anyway, she was still young and couldn’t do much, so she would follow her fourth uncle and learn to read first. When she got older, she would farm, build a farm, do business, make money, build a big house, and open a clinic.

Shen Nian felt a heavy responsibility. She not only had to study, but she also had to motivate her family. As she grew older, she would gradually put her various skills to use.

Seeing their sister’s determination to study, Shen Xue and Shen Bo were helpless.

Snowflakes were falling in the courtyard. When the four of them went out, Shen Nian’s other brothers also came out. Seeing them, Shen Nian took the lead in sweetly calling out to her brothers, and Shen Feng followed suit.

Shen Bo told them Shen Feng’s name.

Hearing this, the brothers greeted Shen Feng and took out the small gifts they had prepared for him, including food and toys.

Shen Nian helped Shen Feng accept them and said thank you.

The nine children went together to Shen Bei’s place. Shen Bei, with his son (seventh brother, Shen Xuan), cleared the main room and set up small stools, with fine sand placed beside them.

In those days, paper and pens were expensive. The Shen family had many children, and their paper consumption was high, so Shen Bei usually had the children practice writing on the ground with fine sand, small twigs, or charcoal. Their homework was done with pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.

When they reached the fourth family’s door, Shen Nian patted Shen Feng’s hand and asked him to let go of her, then took his hand and walked into the main room. As soon as they entered, she sweetly called out to Shen Bei and Shen Xuan, “Fourth Uncle! Seventh Brother!”

Shen Feng followed suit, “Fourth Uncle! Seventh Brother!”

“Oh! Nian Nian is here for class!” Shen Bei walked over with a smile and picked up Shen Nian, “My dear little niece is so diligent in her studies.”

He looked down at Shen Feng and said gently, “Jiulang is here too! Don’t be restrained at Fourth Uncle’s place, just act like you’re at home.”

Shen Feng didn’t say anything, just looked at Shen Nian.

Shen Bei turned to Shen Bo and the others and said, “Everything is ready. Go to your seats. I’m going to check the homework I assigned you the day before yesterday.”

As he spoke, he carried Shen Nian to a small stool with a backrest and safety handles. It was made for her by her third uncle, Shen Xi.

As soon as Shen Nian sat down, Shen Feng quickly sat down next to her.

This seat was originally Shen Ang’s, but now it was occupied by him. Shen Ang was a little angry and was about to say something, but Shen Bo pulled him back, “Eighth Brother, be good. Ninth Brother just came to our house. We can’t bully him. Let Ninth Brother have this seat today, okay?”

Shen Ang said unhappily, “But I want to sit next to my sister.”

Shen Xue took a stool and placed it to Shen Nian’s left, humming, “What’s there to argue about? You can sit on Little Sister’s left. You two can sit on either side. You two stinky boys are getting a good deal.”

Having successfully sat next to his sister, Shen Ang was immediately satisfied.

Shen Xue said with a sneer, “I’m telling you, you better take good care of your sister. If she falls off the stool, I’ll beat you.”

Shen Nian: “…”

She wouldn’t fall off!

Shen Feng suddenly stretched out his arm to block her.

Shen Nian was puzzled, “What are you doing?”

Shen Feng looked serious, “I’m afraid you’ll fall.”

Shen Nian: “…”

Shen Xue raised an eyebrow, “Ninth Brother is thoughtful. Yes, that’s how it should be.”

Shen Bei began the lesson. First, he checked the homework of the eight boys. They had to recite two poems. Shen Ang, Shen Xuan, and Shen Xue couldn’t complete them and were punished with ten strokes of a thin stick on the palm of their hands.

Shen Ang cried so hard that his tears flowed like a river.

Then, when he saw Shen Nian using her chubby little hand to hold a small twig and write a sheep character in the fine sand, Shen Ang cried even harder.

Because he couldn’t write that character.

But the next second, Shen Feng saw Shen Nian writing and also found a twig to learn from her in the fine sand, copying her exactly and writing a sheep character.

Shen Ang cried even more miserably!

Even a wild boy was better than him. It was too unfair!

Shen Qi (fifth brother), annoyed by his crying, slapped him on the back of the head, “Shut up! Don’t cry! You’re so big, you can’t even recognize characters better than your sister. You’re still crying. Sit down and study hard. Otherwise, I won’t take you to dig for bird nests next time!”

Shen Bei looked at the character Shen Feng wrote and saw the trick. This kid couldn’t write, he was just copying what Nian Nian wrote. His handwriting was exactly the same as hers.

Shen Bei quickly wrote a “dong” character in the fine sand and asked Shen Feng to write one too.

Shen Feng didn’t move.

Shen Nian pointed at the “dong” character and said, “Feng Brother, write.”

Shen Feng then moved.

The character he wrote was exactly the same as Shen Bei’s.

Shen Bei wrote another very complex character, and Shen Feng, under Shen Nian’s guidance, wrote it again!

And he wrote it beautifully.

Shen Bei looked at Shen Feng with a treasure, “You’re a genius! From now on, you come here every day. I’ll teach you everything I know.”

Shen Feng didn’t say anything. Shen Nian answered for him, “Okay!”

She hadn’t expected Shen Feng’s learning ability to be so strong. It was a pity that Shen Feng was only willing to listen to her and wouldn’t talk to others, otherwise, she could correct his speech faster.

Wait.

She suddenly had an idea.

Shen Nian raised her smiling face and said to Shen Feng, “Feng Brother, learn to talk like Fourth Uncle.”

Shen Feng didn’t even think before he said, “You’re a genius! From now on, you come here every day. I’ll teach you everything I know.”

His voice was different, his articulation was extremely clear, and even his tone was exactly the same.

Shen Nian: “…”

Shen Bei: “…”

Eight brothers: “…”