Xiao Beishang smiled at the child in front of her, who was even younger than her.
This was Chang Guo'er, the son of Uncle Zhuzi, who followed her around all day, clamoring for her to be his wife.
Looking at his impish face, he was young but quite bold.
“Chang Guo’er, do you know what it means to marry a wife?”
“I do! It means we can kiss! If you’re my wife, we can kiss. That’s how my dad and mom play!”
Xiao Beishang laughed even harder, revealing her pretty little teeth. “Alright, I’ll be your wife, and we can kiss.”
Chang Guo’er was overjoyed. Beishang Sister hadn’t agreed before, so why did she agree today? That was great! He had a wife, and it was the little fairy everyone in the village talked about.
He pouted and leaned in, kissing something with a “smooch.”
It felt cool.
“Wow—”
A snake’s head was flicking its tongue in front of his face. Chang Guo was so scared that he rolled his eyes and fainted.
“Oh no, I think I’ve caused trouble. Why is this kid so easily scared!”
“Xiao Beiyue, what should we do!”
“Destroy the evidence, of course! You idiot!”
“Huh? You’re going to kill Chang Guo’er?”
Xiao Beiyue slapped his forehead. “Third Uncle is right, women are so stupid! You should throw away your snake!”
Xiao Beishang hung the harmless, fanged snake around her brother’s neck and ran off.
Why hang it on his neck? This stupid sister didn’t understand a word!
Xiao Beiyue had just grabbed the snake’s head when he heard a howl.
“Oh my! Chang Guo’er, what happened to you?”
It was Chang Guo’s mother. It was over; they were caught red-handed. This brat Beishang was truly both stupid and wicked.
“Beiyue, you, you…”
Chang Guo’er’s mother looked at the snake in his hand, too shocked to speak.
“Auntie, this snake scared Chang Guo’er unconscious. I just caught it. We didn’t know each other before, do you believe me?”
Looking at Xiao Beiyue’s gem-like eyes and his cute little face, like a child Bodhisattva,
Zhuzi’s wife shook her head. No!
The two little ones had caused trouble again!
Chang Guo’er was so scared by the snake that he had nightmares for days, crying that he would never marry again.
Although Liu Zhuzi tried to stop his wife from going to find Xue Niang, his wife still found an opportunity to complain to Xue Niang.
Then, the two little ones were punished by kneeling.
Xue Niang felt a bit dejected and asked Xiao Shan, “Am I not a good mother?”
The village children used to love running to play with the two little ones, but now they were afraid to come. Last time one was poisoned, and this time one was scared half to death. Although the villagers didn’t say anything, they must have been unhappy.
These two children weren’t bad, just too spirited. Who did they get that from?
“You’ve done more than enough. What you wear, what you have on your heads, it’s all made by you. Besides, it’s not the children’s fault. That kid was being a hooligan, learning bad habits at such a young age.”
“Chang Guo’er isn’t even three years old!”
“I’ve watched them grow up. Anyway, it’s not my daughter’s fault. I still need to settle accounts with Zhuzi!”
“I think you’re becoming a village bully!”
Xue Niang stood up, looking at the two children kneeling obediently, and felt a pang of heartache. They hadn’t been raised by her side since they were young, and now she couldn’t bear to see them suffer. This wouldn’t do; doting mothers spoil their children. It’s better to send them to school.
The two little ones embarked on their path of learning.
However, after a few days, Mr. Zeng from the school came to resign.
Everyone knew that Xiao Shan funded most of the school and hired the teacher. Facing his employer, Mr. Zeng felt helpless and heartbroken.
He needed this job, but he was afraid of corrupting the students!
“I am truly lacking in talent and knowledge and cannot continue this job.”
He was a scholar, yet he couldn’t teach a few young children? This school was just for basic enlightenment, not a prestigious academy in the city. How could he not teach them?
Xue Niang already had a guess and soothed him, “Teacher, don’t worry. Tell me if you have any difficulties. You’ve been teaching well. Did Beiyue and Beishang cause any trouble again?”
The man spoke kindly and wasn’t a harsh person. Mr. Zeng, in his forties, looked ashamed and explained everything.
Since the twins went to school, their learning was undeniable. Though the youngest, they were the smartest. They learned everything after hearing it once, making the other children seem like idiots.
After learning, they had more questions.
“Teacher, why does the sunflower always turn towards the sun? Does it have eyes like people?”
“Teacher, why do people say that at the beginning of life, human nature is inherently good? When one knows nothing, there is no distinction between good and evil. Shouldn’t it be changed to ‘at the beginning of life, human nature is inherently foolish’?”
“Teacher, you said earlier that Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena or supernatural events, but then you said that the person struck by lightning died because they did evil deeds and were punished by the gods. What exactly are you talking about?”
…
There were too many such questions, which led other students to start asking random questions. He was only teaching the “Thousand Character Classic” and “Disciples’ Rules.” He really couldn’t answer those bizarre questions.
Mr. Zeng sighed and lamented, while Xiao Shan secretly thought, “He is indeed lacking in talent and knowledge, only suitable for teaching ordinary children. And he has the nerve to complain.”
Xue Niang looked at Xiao Shan. “What do you think we should do?”
“Alas!” Xiao Shan sighed. “The two children take after you, too smart. We’ll have to find another master.”
Mr. Zeng’s heart sank.
Was he really going to be dismissed?
If it weren’t for the presence of outsiders, Xue Niang would have twisted his ear again and told him not to flatter her so indiscriminately.
“Alright, Mr. Zeng, continue teaching. The two children won’t be going to school anymore.”
Mr. Zeng felt as if he had come back to life after a drought, his excitement clearly visible. Xue Niang knew that he was actually here to express his difficulties, not to truly resign, and didn’t mind. She asked Xiao Shan to send him off properly.
“These ordinary people simply cannot teach our children; we need someone capable.”
“What capable person? You? Or Third Brother? I think they’re already capable enough to shake the heavens.” Xue Niang was going crazy.
Third Brother had also run off without so much as a word.
“Only Mr. Jing Tao can teach them,” Xiao Shan uttered a name with profound mystery.
“Who is Mr. Jing Tao?”
“You should know that Wu Zhoubai’s ancestor was a disciple of Guiguzi, right?”
Xue Niang nodded. Everyone said so, but the Guiguzi sect had disappeared for thousands of years. Wu Zhoubai must have been a distant descendant of some side branch.
“Mr. Jing Tao is the true descendant of Mr. Wei Shan, a renowned scholar who was as famous as Guiguzi in his time. He now lives in seclusion in Jing Tao Mountain, Huizhou. Wu Zhoubai once took me to visit him, but we were refused, and I didn’t get to meet him.”
“You didn’t even meet him? Then how can we apprentice?”
What nonsense!
Besides, these reclusive masters were all eccentric old men. She would never entrust her children to him.
“But he threw out a Xuan Tie spear, the weapon I use, and said, ‘One spear can settle the universe.’”
Huh? So the Xuan Tie spear was given by him? That counts as a connection.
“I heard his voice, and it sounded like a young man’s.”
Xiao Shan recalled, and thought it unlikely, how could he be so young? But he was definitely not an old man.
Let’s try our luck. Maybe those two brats will catch his eye.
To be honest, the two brats were indeed difficult to teach. He could only teach them martial arts; he couldn’t do anything else.