Of course, Ding Yun knew that one had to eat bite by bite and walk step by step. After figuring out how to use the Omniscient Glasses, she turned them off and diligently began her morning study.
Without a solid foundation of extensive knowledge,
doing anything would be inconvenient.
So, for now, it was best to study honestly.
After all, she didn't have to worry about food or drink, and her family had no difficulties or conflicts, so there was no need to rush to do anything.
After morning study came classes.
Foreign languages, arithmetic, a half-hour morning exercise, then back to national language and history. The last history class was quite interesting. The teacher hadn't brought any books and was freely explaining why they used the solar calendar for dating.
Ding Yun listened with great interest.
"Students know from birth that they were born in the year X of the solar calendar. You should also know that foreign countries use the Gregorian calendar, and some use the Buddhist calendar. Our domestic solar calendar is actually similar, taking the birth of the Solar King as the beginning of the era.
However, more than a hundred years ago, we didn't have the habit of using the solar calendar for dating. We used the reign titles of the current emperor as the name of the era, with the emperor's enthronement as the beginning of the era. Once the emperor died, the era name would change. This method of dating was very tedious and complicated; it was rare for an era to last fifty years.
Sometimes, two emperors would die in one year.
The two eras combined would not even add up to a full year.
Later, after the complete overthrow of the imperial system, when there were no more emperors, experts and leaders from all over the country debated for a long time. Some thought it would be appropriate to imitate foreign countries and directly use foreign dating systems. Some thought that since we had Buddhism domestically, using the Buddhist birth year would be fine. Others felt that the birth of our indigenous religious founders and deities should be used as the beginning of the era to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
In the end, the ancestral worship, which had been passed down in our country for thousands of years, gained absolute advantage, and it was jointly decided to use a great emperor from ancient times as the name of the era.
His birthday was set as the beginning of the era.
There was also considerable debate on this matter, because if we traced it back to the earliest Great Fire Calendar, it would undoubtedly be appropriate to set the birth of Suirenshi as the beginning of the era. But some people thought this would be too presumptuous. If Suirenshi's birthday were used as the beginning of the era, then this year would be over 14,000 years into the Great Fire Calendar, while foreign countries, even those using the Buddhist birth year, would be only over 2,000 years.
Not even a fraction of ours.
At that time, our country was not particularly powerful.
Doing so would be considered somewhat arrogant, so everyone reduced and reduced, eliminating many emperors, until they reached the Solar King. By then, it was impossible to reduce further.
Because the Solar King marked the beginning of a hereditary dynasty.
From then on until the complete abolition of the imperial system, it was all hereditary. No one was more suitable than the Solar King to be chosen.
Therefore, it was finally decided to use the Solar King as the dating system, with his birthday as the beginning of the era.
Then, the timeline was gradually sorted out based on historical records.
Finally, the current solar calendar was established.
It both aligned with international standards and preserved the country's traditional culture and historical depth, achieving the best of both worlds."
The history teacher would finish a section of content and then tell a related interesting story. The students were all happy to listen. Those who usually didn't pay attention in class would put down their miscellaneous tasks at this time.
They listened with considerable concentration.
Then, the class time quickly passed.
The history teacher never kept students after the bell, directly announcing the end of class and school. This was also a major reason why he was liked by students, as no one enjoyed being kept late.
When Ding Yun returned home at noon, lunch was already prepared. The family did not adhere to any rules of silence during meals or sleep. Instead, they chatted while eating at the dining table. The parents mainly talked about recent news, daily trivialities, and occasionally asked Ding Yun if she was adapting to high school life and to report any problems promptly.
The meal was finished.
The couple cleaned up together and continued chatting.
"Old Ding, you know those Qigong masters and qigong healing reported frequently in the newspapers lately, are they reliable? Old Zhang in my office specially bought a book and a DVD and is practicing at home. He said after practicing, his back pain and leg soreness disappeared, and the effect is amazing. He wouldn't lend it to me, telling me to buy one myself. Should we buy a set and try it?"
After putting down the washed plates, Ding Yun's mother, Zhu Zhishan, looked at her husband with some hesitation.
She didn't know how to describe her feelings.
She felt a bit of belief, but also a bit of doubt. However, since her colleagues said it worked, it seemed somewhat reliable. She couldn't make up her mind and wanted to ask her husband for his opinion.
Ding Guogang replied while wiping the table,
"You only just found out? Oh my goodness, you have no idea. Near our factory, in the square not far away, there's a group of people practicing every morning. Some practice Luohan Gong, some practice Yi Jin Jing, some practice that Tai Chi Health Preservation Fist or Bagua Lianhuan Palm.
They all practice with great flair.
They have secret manuals and masters.
I don't know if it's effective, but if you want to learn, then buy it. Exercising is harmless anyway. But don't expect it to actually cure illnesses. Just consider it as preemptive health preservation. If we live a few more years, we can support our daughter for a few more years, so that when our daughter gets married, her in-laws won't bully her because her maternal family has no brothers.
If you want to buy it, then buy it. Don't ask me.
I'm tired from work all day and don't want to move.
If I have free time, I'd rather lie down and read martial arts novels than practice that qigong.
After finishing, Ding Guogang went to wash the rag.
Meanwhile, Ding Yun, standing nearby, asked curiously,
"Mom and Dad, are you talking about the qigong that's written in the newspapers? Do we have newspapers at home? Can I see them?"
Ding Yun's momentary distraction was genuine; she was completely absorbed in her studies, only focusing on reading the classics, so she was truly unaware of this matter. Hearing them talk about it now naturally made her curious and a little worried.
She worried if this world was one of spiritual energy recovery or something similar. Otherwise, where would so many martial arts manuals come from? Perhaps this world had already begun its spiritual energy recovery, and since it couldn't be stated directly, they could only subtly promote martial arts, encouraging people to start practicing.
However, Ding Yun still felt it was a bit strange. She hadn't sensed any trace of spiritual energy in this world.
It felt a bit odd, problematic.
"Yes, there are plenty.
The newspapers from yesterday and today are on the coffee table in the living room. If you want to see older newspapers, you can find them in the storage room. But don't get too engrossed or take it too seriously.
Martial arts are all fake. It's good if they have some health benefits, but how could they have so many powerful effects? That kid Zhang Sanshui is a lesson; he practiced 'Grass on a Flying Leaf' for a few days and really thought he could use Qinggong.
Then he broke his leg while climbing over a wall..."
Ding Guogang vaguely pointed to the living room, telling Ding Yun where the newspapers were, and didn't forget to caution her.
Don't believe the descriptions in the newspapers too much.
Although he loved reading martial arts novels, he truly didn't believe the martial arts in them were real. If those qigong and martial arts were truly that powerful, how could there be no records in official histories? Not even in unofficial histories.
It's just that martial arts novels became popular,
and then those powerful martial arts emerged.
People read them and started blurring the lines between martial arts novels and reality, practicing martial arts as if they were real.
What a crazy idea!