Chapter 20: Practicing Calligraphy on the Drying Ground
Xie Can let out a wail of despair. “Uncle Zhong, you’re bringing up exactly what I don’t want to talk about. How can you be like this?”
“Haha.” The people around them burst into laughter. There was no mockery in their smiles, only genuine goodwill.
“Grandpa Zhong, teach us how to write characters,” a small child said. Zhu Yanyi recognized her; her name was Wu Hua. It was said that she originally didn’t belong to this village. Her father had been an educated youth who came here, married Wu Hua’s mother, and settled down in Zhuangyuan Village, where they had Wu Hua and her sister, Wu Dan. Wu Dan was the little girl who had played with mud alongside Zhu Yanyi and then gone to the riverbank to wash their hands.
“Alright.” Xie Zhong still favored diligent children. “Wait a moment. I’ll go get my basket.”
Xie Zhong’s basket was a portable square one woven by his own family. It bore some resemblance to the portable baskets people in ancient times carried when traveling, except that while those were originally designed to be carried on the back, this one had been modified to be carried by hand. Inside the basket were various items: ink, brushes, paper, and some flashcards made by Xie Zhong himself. On the front of each card was an illustration of an object, and on the back was a single character. This was Xie Zhong’s method for teaching basic literacy.
Xie Zhong returned quickly. He took out a stack of cards and called the children to stand before him. It was winter, and farm households had little work to do, so many families were quite happy to have their children learn from Xie Zhong.
Zhu Yanyi also came over and moved her small stool to Xie Zhong’s feet. Xie Zhong taught them character by character. After they had learned about ten or so characters, she began to test them.
Just as Xie Zhong finished testing the children and was putting the cards away, she noticed Zhu Yanyi staring at the cards without blinking. A thought struck her, and she casually picked out a card. “Ani, what character is this?”
“Chun. The ‘chun’ from ‘Beautiful as she is, she does not compete for spring; she only reports the arrival of spring.’” Zhu Yanyi had remembered the words Xie Zhong had just taught the others. In fact, she had discovered that although she already knew these characters, she could memorize anything spoken here instantly. In other words, she had an eidetic memory for auditory information. Of course, she didn’t yet know if she also had photographic memory, so she decided to secretly test it when she returned home that night.
“What about this one?” A flash of surprise crossed Xie Zhong’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Zhu Yanyi to remember the poetic lines she had recited.
“Yu. The ‘yu’ from ‘During the Qingming Festival, rain falls in a drizzle; travelers on the road are heartbroken.’” She had plans for her future, so certain things needed to be prepared in advance. If her ability to retain auditory information could help her achieve her goals, then letting people be surprised was acceptable.
“This one?”
“Xue. The ‘xue’ from ‘Wind and rain send spring away; flying snow welcomes spring’s arrival.’”
“This one?”
“Shui. The ‘shui’ from ‘On a fine day, I seek fragrance by the Si River; boundless scenery is renewed all at once.’”
…
One asked, and one answered. More than ten characters, and not a single mistake. Xie Zhong’s face was filled with delight, and the onlookers couldn’t help but sigh. No wonder she was Xie Zhong’s granddaughter; her talent for studying was indeed higher than anyone else’s.
“Excellent.” Xie Zhong laughed heartily. “Ani is very good.” Xie Zhong rarely evaluated people, but the surprise Zhu Yanyi had given her compelled her to speak, and the phrase “very good” carried a great deal of weight.
At this time, everything was in ruins and needed rebuilding, and the intellectual world also required a large number of talents. As long as Zhu Yanyi did not suffer the fate of Zhong Yong, she would undoubtedly have a future beyond anyone’s imagination. Xie Zhong understood this clearly. She planned to teach Zhu Yanyi comprehensively upon returning home, ensuring she would never experience the tragedy of wasted potential.