A Poor Man's Son-in-Law: He Picks Up the Daughter of a Duke's Mansion at the Start

Before the morning mist had dissipated, Lu Qingyan and Lu Dashan took their two younger sisters up the mountain again.

This time, they knew the way well and headed straight for the honeysuckle grove. Dew still clung to the leaves, glistening in the sunlight. Lu Dashan put down his basket, and Er Ya and San Ya set out their own little baskets.

"Pick more today," Lu Dashan said, rubbing his hands together. "We can sell them after drying them."

The four of them dispersed to pick flowers. The woods were quiet, with only the rustling sound of picking flowers. As Lu Qingyan picked, she thought about the money she made from selling flowers yesterday and planned to pick a few more times to save enough money for her trip to the prefectural city.

After picking for a while, Sanya suddenly whispered, "Third Brother, Sister Lotus can recite poems."

Lu Qingyan's hands didn't stop moving: "What poem?"

"I don't know... anyway, she does." Sanya's voice lowered. "She also has a name, Lotus. My name is Sanya..."

Er Ya also stopped what she was doing, lowered her head, and remained silent.

Hearing this, Lu Dashan muttered, "What do girls need names for? They'll get married when they grow up."

"You should have names." Lu Qingyan looked at his two younger sisters. "The eldest brother is called Dashan, the second brother is called Xiaoshan, and I am called Qingyan. You should have names too."

He thought for a moment: "Sanya likes flowers, so let's name her Taohua. It means peach blossom, but it sounds nicer."

Sanya—Taohua—her eyes lit up: "Taohua?"

"Hmm, Lu Taohua." Lu Qingyan then looked at Er Ya, "Er Ya is quiet and skillful, her name is Shunhua. Hibiscus flowers bloom in the morning and wither in the evening, but they are pure."

Er Ya pursed her lips and nodded gently: "Shunhua... thank you, Third Brother."

"Lu Shunhua, Lu Taohua," Lu Qingyan read it aloud. "From now on, call me that at home."

Tao Hua happily whispered her name, her movements as she picked flowers becoming lighter. Shun Hua didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

Continue picking flowers. Looking at his hands full of buds, Lu Qingyan suddenly spoke: "The beginning of humanity."

Tao Hua looked up: "Huh?"

"The Three Character Classic," Lu Qingyan said. "I'll recite one line, and you can repeat after me. You can recite as you pick the fruit, so it won't take long."

He cleared his throat: "At the beginning of life—"

Tao Hua repeated, "At the beginning of life—"

Shunhua whispered, "At the beginning of life..."

Lu Dashan paused for a moment, then mumbled, "At the beginning of life..."

"Human nature is inherently good."

"Human nature is inherently good—"

In the woods, amidst the rustling sounds of picking flowers, the sound of reading aloud has been added. The voices are not uniform, but they are earnest.

Lu Qingyan taught them word by word, and they followed along, word by word. When he taught them the phrase "If you raise a child but don't teach him, it's the father's fault," Tao Hua asked, "Third Brother, did Father and Mother teach us?"

"Teaching." Lu Qingyan picked a flower. "Father taught us to be hardworking when farming, and Mother taught us to be kind to others. These are all teachings."

Tao Hua seemed to understand, but continued to recite along.

The sun gradually rose higher, and the basket slowly filled up. The sound of reading aloud came and went; sometimes Lu Qingyan would forget a word, and then read it again. Lu Dashan was slow to remember, and he always got stuck on the line "If the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness." Tao Hua would laugh at him, but he wouldn't get angry; he would just scratch his head and laugh.

When the basket was half full, Lu Qingyan changed the contents: "Picking and picking shepherd's purse, not even filling the basket."

"This is from the Book of Songs," he explained. "It's about picking wild vegetables, picking and picking, until the basket is full. Just like when we pick flowers now."

Shunhua asked softly, "What is the Book of Songs?"

"It's a very ancient poem," Lu Qingyan said. "Many of the names of flowers and plants in it come from."

Tao Hua was delighted: "My name is in the poem?"

"In similar poems," Lu Qingyan smiled, "I'll teach you to recite them later."

By midday, their baskets were full. The four of them sat under a tree to rest, drink water, and eat the flatbreads that Zhao had prepared. Tao Hua was still muttering to herself, "At the beginning of life, people are inherently good... Third Brother, I've recited up to 'Teach your five sons, and their names will all be renowned'!"

"That's amazing," Lu Qingyan praised her.

Shunhua whispered, "I've memorized the line, 'The younger brother should know first when he is older...'"

"Everything's fine." Lu Qingyan looked at Lu Dashan, "Where's my older brother?"

Lu Dashan said embarrassedly, "I only remember the first two lines..."

Take your time.

On the way down the mountain, Tao Hua was still reciting. When she came to the line, "Jade that is not carved cannot become a vessel," she asked, "Third Brother, am I jade?"

"You are," Lu Qingyan said. "We all are. We need to be polished before we can become useful."

Back home, Zhao saw two baskets full of flowers and couldn't stop smiling. Lu Dashan said, "Mother, my third brother has named my sister; he took the name from a poem."

Upon hearing the name, Zhao's eyes reddened: "A good...good name."

While drying the flowers, Tao Hua leaned close to Lu Qingyan and asked, "Third Brother, can you write down our names for us?"

Lu Qingyan used a twig to write "Lu Shunhua" and "Lu Taohua" on the ground. The two younger sisters squatted on the ground and looked at it for a long time.

That evening, Lu Qingyan was writing a storybook under the lamp. Halfway through, he heard a faint reading voice coming from the next room—Taohua was reciting the Three Character Classic, with Shunhua occasionally correcting him.

He smiled and continued writing.

The moonlight streamed in through the window, cool and clear. In the distance, insects chirped, and nearby, my younger sister could be heard reading aloud.

That night, a new voice emerged from the Lu family.