Training the Heavens

Chapter 240 Literacy
"A Tu, come on, I'll take you to the Baicao Garden. You teach me how to catch birds. We'll go together when it snows." As soon as A Zhang finished his work, he hurried back to play with Runtu.

There are two versions of the origin of the name Ah Zhang. One version says that his birthday, September 1881, 9, was the third day of the eighth lunar month, which was also the birthday of the Kitchen God. The Kitchen God's surname was Zhang, so his family gave him the nickname Ah Zhang.

Another version is that when the news of his birth reached his grandfather Zhou Fuqing, Zhang Zhidong happened to be a guest at his home, and his grandfather used what happened to him as his nickname.

Later he also used this name as a pen name. Since Runtu came to the Zhou family, one called him A Tu and the other called him A Zhang, which was quite intimate. The two were still young and did not realize the difference in status.

When he came back several years later, he had to call him Master, and thus a thick barrier was formed between the two of them, separating their childhood friendship.

The two men found a rope and a bamboo sieve and went to the Baicao Garden in the backyard, a vegetable garden covering an area of ​​nearly 2000 square meters. They usually planted some melons and vegetables there, and used them to dry grain in autumn.

It is also a paradise for children, who often come here to play and have fun, taste purple mulberries and sweet and sour raspberries, catch crickets and pull out Polygonum multiflorum near the low mud walls, cool off in the garden in summer, and catch birds on the snow in winter.

As soon as he entered, Zhang started talking about his favorite activities. "It's boring when it's not snowing, but it's fun when it snows. You can take pictures of snowmen and make snow arhats. But there are not many people here, and few people cheer. It's not very interesting."

To make a snow arhat is to build a snowman, which Runtu had played a lot in his previous lives. To pat a snowman is to lie flat on the snow and imprint your entire body on it.

After he finished speaking, Runtu began to teach him how to catch birds. "A thin layer of snow won't do. You need to wait until the snow covers the ground for a day or two, so that the birds have nowhere to find food. Sweep away a patch of snow to expose the ground, then use a short stick to prop up a large bamboo sieve. Sprinkle some chaff underneath, and tie a long rope to the stick. Hold the sieve from a distance, and when you see a bird coming down to peck at the food, pull the rope to catch it."

"There aren't that many bird species in the city. Here, you can only catch sparrows and jays. Oh, the ones with white cheeks. Jays are very irritable and can't survive overnight. If you see one, just let it go. It would be better to go to the beach. There are more birds there."

"Is this okay?" Ah Zhang was happy to hear this and tried to prop up the bamboo sieve.

Runtu kept correcting him, "The stick is too short. It's hard for the bird to get under the bamboo sieve. You have to run further away and hide behind a tree. Otherwise, the bird will not dare to come over when it sees you."

After a while of noise, Ah Zhang was satisfied and packed up to leave. "I haven't practiced my calligraphy yet. If I don't go back soon, my father will definitely spank me. I'll come see you tomorrow!"

"Let me help you!" Runtu immediately realized that this was an opportunity, so he said quickly, "I heard from the bookkeeper that when the top scholar writes, his servant helps him grind the ink. Can I grind the ink for you?"

"Do you know how to do it?" Zhang looked at him doubtfully, then waved his hand nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter if you don't know how to do it. I'll teach you. It's very simple, much easier than catching birds!"

The two of them returned the bamboo sieve rope and ran back to the study. A Zhang's younger brothers were still young, and his father was busy with household chores, so the study became their territory. Runtu quickly learned how to grind ink, and A Zhang began to practice calligraphy.

"The Xun brothers are known as the Eight Dragons; the brothers from Hedong are known as the Three Phoenixes." This is a sentence from "Youxue Qionglin". The whole book is written in parallel sentences, which are easy to recite and remember. The content is broad and comprehensive. Many people use it to enlighten their children. It is just right for Ah Zhang to read it at this age.

When he saw Ah Zhang finish copying a line, Runtu pointed at the character he had just written and asked, "Is this the character eight? And is this the character in the second line three?"

"Huh? Ah Tu, you actually recognized it? Aren't you illiterate?" Ah Zhang asked in surprise. "I haven't learned it, but these two words are so common and simple that I'll learn them over time," Run Tu said, then asked, "How do you pronounce the other words? What do these two sentences mean?"

"The Xun brothers were known as the Eight Dragons; the brothers from Hedong were known as the Three Phoenixes." Zhang read it over again, shaking his head, and then explained, "During the Three Kingdoms period, the Xun family produced eight remarkable talents, known as the Eight Dragons of the Xun Family; and during the Tang Dynasty, the Xue family had three uncles and nephews known as the Three Phoenixes."

"The Three Kingdoms? Was it during the time of Lord Guan? Was there Xue Rengui among the three beauties of the Xue family?" Runtu asked hurriedly. These were all told by the storyteller.

"Even during the time of Lord Guan, Xue Rengui was not among the three phoenixes of the Xue family." Ah Zhang did not remember the names of the uncle and nephew Xue Shou, Xue Deyin, and Xue Yuanjing, but he was sure that Xue Rengui was not among them.

He was afraid that Runtu would ask more questions, so he quickly changed the subject. "Let me teach you how to read. Since you know three and eight, do you know other numbers?"

Runtu was so happy that he agreed immediately. Ah Zhang opened the book and found the simplest numbers and asked one by one, "Do you know this one? And this one... Forget it, one, two, three is too easy. Let's try something a little harder."

When Zhang encountered a character Runtu didn't recognize, he smiled smugly, "Hey, you don't recognize this one, right? Actually, this is also the number four. There are several ways to write four, and this one is a little more difficult. Let me teach you how to write it."

Ah Zhang wrote it stroke by stroke first, then handed the brush to Runtu, saying, "You try it."

"How do I hold a pen?" Runtu didn't dare to be polite. He was afraid that if he refused, Ah Zhang would really stop teaching him. He was still a child, and children often have no perseverance.

"—Push two, press three, and support. Fingers are firm, palms are empty, and wrists are flexible." Ah Zhang recited the formula his father taught him and helped Runtu adjust his posture step by step.

Runtu awkwardly wrote the word "Si" on the paper. The strokes were crooked and looked like those of an insect crawling or a chicken pecking, but at least it was clearly a word.

"You're learning pretty fast?" Zhang said, becoming increasingly interested. "Come on, let me teach you how to write five."

The two of them, one teaching and the other practicing, passed by unknowingly until someone called them to eat.

From that day on, whenever Ah Zhang practiced calligraphy, he would always call Runtu along, and Runtu's handwriting became more and more neat day by day, with obvious progress.

After seeing off the guests that day, A Zhang's father Zhou Fengyi suddenly decided to check A Zhang's homework. When he arrived at the study door, he saw A Zhang teaching Runtu how to write, and he stopped immediately.

He just stood there, quietly watching the two children making noise. As he watched, the expression on his face became serious.

(End of this chapter)