Looking again at the sketch in his hand, another image suddenly popped into his mind. At that moment, he understood how the artwork had come to be.

“So, this drawing… you just used charcoal to sketch it?” Mo Shanhua couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes. Before coming here, we had already prepared these charcoal pencils. Mother said using charcoal not only saves time but also makes the drawing more refined.”

Mo Shanhua: “…”

Why had he, a man who had spent his entire life teaching and educating, never thought of this?

After witnessing this, Mo Shanhua’s gaze toward Jian Xiu changed.

It was filled with intrigue and curiosity…

In fact, his question had simply slipped out. He never truly doubted the two children.

But upon seeing their portraits, he was genuinely astonished.

More importantly, he had never imagined that they had used charcoal to draw them.

Now, it all made sense—why his ink and brush had remained untouched.

What Mo Shanhua didn’t know was that Jian Xiu herself was also taken aback when she heard his apology.

She hadn’t expected Mo Shanhua to be so straightforward.

Compared to those so-called “righteous gentlemen,” Jian Xiu actually preferred people like Mo Shanhua, who took responsibility for their actions.

The fact that he was willing to apologize to two six- and seven-year-old children showed that she had made the right decision in coming here today.

Xuewen Academy was indeed worth spending money on to send her two sons to study.

Since that was the case, she didn’t mind sharing some of her knowledge with him.

Next was arithmetic.

“Can you two draw again in front of the headmaster?” Mo Shanhua asked once more.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them; he genuinely wanted to see how they could make such a lifelike portrait using charcoal.

Hearing this, the brothers didn’t immediately agree. Instead, they turned to look at Jian Xiu.

Their eyes were filled with inquiry.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu answered without hesitation, “Of course you can. This is a rather unique style of illustration.”

She wasn’t lying.

The wanted posters she had seen at the local government office lately were so poorly drawn that they hardly resembled real people.

Posting such portraits was utterly meaningless in her eyes.

Compared to those, Feixuan and Feiyi’s drawings were far superior.

At least they depicted a person’s features clearly.

As if suddenly recalling something, Jian Xiu squatted down in front of the two children and said:

“Feixuan, Feiyi, today I want to teach you something—when we have knowledge that can be shared, we should be generous in sharing it. Only by sharing can the world progress and become a better place. Do you understand?”

She spoke at length, but in a way that was simple and easy to understand.

If possible, she didn’t want her sons to grow up selfish.

“Of course, but when it’s time to be generous, we should be generous. When something rightfully belongs to us, we should strive to protect it. Do you understand?”

“Mother, we understand!” Feixuan(Lui Tou) and Feiyi(Qi Tou) replied in unison.

After saying this, they turned and nodded at Mo Shanhua.

Then, they took the rice paper from his hands, sat to the side, and began drawing again.

Their movements seemed casual, but in reality, every stroke was precise.

The more Mo Shanhua watched, the more amazed he became.

At first, he had no idea what they were drawing.

All he saw was them scribbling and sketching on the rice paper.

But as their strokes connected and the image took shape, it became increasingly clear.

He didn’t even realize when it happened.

One moment, he saw nothing but rough lines. The next moment, a sharp and lifelike portrait had appeared before his eyes.

“Headmaster, I’m finished!” Six-year-old Zhang Feixuan was the first to speak.

Being a year older than Zhang Feiyi, he was slightly more dexterous and, therefore, faster.

“Good, good, very good! Do you know how valuable portraits like yours would be to the imperial court?”

Mo Shanhua asked in astonishment.

Hearing this, Jian Xiu immediately understood what he was thinking.

Clearly, his thoughts aligned with hers.

Just as she had this realization, Mo Shanhua spoke again.

“Young lady, would you mind if I spread this drawing technique?”

His eyes were filled with undisguised eagerness.

“Of course not,” Jian Xiu replied with a smile. “As I said earlier, only by sharing can our Da Shun dynasty progress and flourish!”

“Good, good! Sharing, indeed! I must thank you, young lady. With this technique, Xuewen Academy will surely gain even greater renown, hahahaha…”

Mo Shanhua couldn’t help but laugh.

Acquiring this drawing technique would undoubtedly strengthen the academy’s foundation.

For some reason, he had a strong feeling—

That Xuewen Academy would gain widespread fame because of this technique.

With that thought, Mo Shanhua turned to Jian Xiu again and said:

“Young lady, this drawing technique is one thing, and I deeply appreciate your generosity. However, your sons’ entrance exam still cannot be skipped. Here’s my offer: if Feixuan and Feiyi pass my test, I will personally waive their tuition fees. How about that?”

Jian Xiu’s eyes immediately lit up.

She hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise!

“Headmaster, do you mean it?”

She had shared the drawing technique without expecting anything in return—she simply thought it would be useful for the government.

As it turned out, being generous had its rewards!

Heaven really did look after those who shared.

After all, tuition for both children amounted to over twenty taels of silver per year.

For her current situation, that was a fortune.

Even in the future, no matter how wealthy she became, twenty taels would never be a small sum.

“Of course, I mean it. But only if they pass my test,” Mo Shanhua confirmed.

“Headmaster, is this test on arithmetic?” Jian Xiu asked curiously.

Earlier, Mo Shanhua had mentioned testing both drawing and arithmetic.

But she couldn’t be sure if he might change his mind.

“Naturally! But don’t underestimate arithmetic—it’s not so easy to pass!” Mo Shanhua reminded her.