Early in the morning of the 17th day of the first lunar month, Teacher Song returned to the residence. She should have come back yesterday, but something happened in the Song family that delayed her return.
Yuxi heard that Teacher Song had returned to Magnolia Courtyard. She did not
expect to meet Teacher Song, who happened to be going to the main house halfway down the road.
Teacher Song said indifferently, "I have work to do. You go back first. Come back to Magnolia Courtyard later. "
When Yuxi heard this, there was a thump in her heart. However, she did not
want to lose her composure in front of Teacher Song, so she replied
respectfully, "Okay." What if she decided not to go back? Could she still brazenly follow Teacher Song to the main house? The Old Lady would definitely get angry with her again at that time.
Once Yuxi arrived at Rose Courtyard, she went into the study. She looked at the pile of books on the desk and gave a wry smile. No matter how hard she tried, she could never compare to Yuchen. This was hard. However, the result was also as she expected.
Being in grief couldn't solve any problems, and Yuxi didn't like to let this
emotion surround her all the time, so she simply picked up the chess score
on her desk and read it.
Moju whispered to Mama Shen, "Mama, what do you think Miss will do if Teacher
Song doesn't accept her?"
Mama Shen said, "I only hope that Teacher Song will make an exception for our
Miss for the sake of her hard work." As for Fourth Miss' desperate efforts,
she was moved by it, and she hoped it would also be able to move Teacher
Song.
At the end of chenshi[1], a servant
girl from Magnolia Courtyard came to deliver a message, "Fourth Miss, Teacher
Song asked you to come over."
When Teacher Song saw Yuxi, she did not beat around the bush and directly
said, "I have decided to accept Yuchen as my last student." In other words,
Yuchen was the last student she would teach, so there was nothing more for
Yuxi to hope for.
Yuxi tried to speak by opening her mouth, but before she could say anything,
her tears had already fallen.
Seeing Yuxi like this, Teacher Song had difficulty continuing to say her following words. She could see Yuxi's painstaking efforts in the past three months. Without Yuchen, she would have accepted Yuxi as a
student. Only that, with Yuchen around, she didn't want to take any other students. Yuchen had fantastic talent. She could learn everything as soon as she was taught. She also worked very hard and had an outstanding character, which could be said to be nearly perfect. Therefore, Teacher Song decided to teach Yuchen everything she could.
Teacher Song hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Yuxi, if you have any problems
in the future, you can come and ask me at Magnolia Courtyard." It meant that she still could give her extra guidance.
Yuxi wiped her tears and said, "Teacher, can I ask for one thing from you?"
Over the past few months, she had also thought of many ways to deal with this
situation, but in the end, none could bring the outcome she wanted.
Teacher Song nodded. "Tell me. As long as I can do it, I will promise
you."
Yuxi's request was elementary. She only hoped that when Teacher Song taught
Yuchen, she would be allowed to listen in. To put it simply, she would be a
guest student. She sincerely requested, "Teacher, I really like the
«Analects of Confucius»
and «Mencius» you spoke of. It will be my lifelong regret if I cannot finish the
four books and five classics." Self-studying was totally different from being taught by a teacher. Therefore, she didn't want to study alone because she couldn't learn anything.
This was the first time Teacher Song encountered this kind of
situation, and she was momentarily stunned.
Seeing this, Yuxi knelt down on the ground and cried, "Teacher, please give me a chance! Teacher, rest assured, I will just listen in, and I
absolutely won't bother San Jie[2]." It didn't matter if she had to swallow her pride as long as she could achieve her goal. At least for now, she could still ask for a favour. If she couldn't ask for a favour, then she was afraid that she had to go begging, which was the most terrible thing for her to do.
Teacher Song looked at Yuxi kneeling on the ground with a complicated look in her eyes. However, she still refused Yuxi's request. "Fourth Miss, my energy
is limited, and I can't teach two people." Even if Yuxi were just listening on the sidelines, it still wouldn't work.
Yuxi didn't expect her pleading unable to make Teacher Song yield.
People said that the human heart was squashy. Only Teacher Song's heart was too hard. "Teacher, please give me a chance!"
Teacher Song shook her head. "Get up. What I said will not change."
Yuxi walked out of Magnolia Courtyard with red eyes.
Moju said, "Miss, if Teacher Song didn't want to teach you, just forget her.
Miss has already learned so many words that it doesn't matter if Miss doesn't learn anymore. If Miss wants to learn more, Miss can buy more books to
read!"
Yuxi kept her head down and did not say a thing. When they reached a fork down the road, she said, "Let's go to the main house." She was absolutely
unwilling to resign to fate without giving her last effort.
Yuxi went to look for Yuchen. Now, the only person who could help to intercede was Yuchen. Yuxi, with her eyes red, started to beg Yuchen, "San Jie[2], can you help me talk to the teacher?"
Yuchen was not stupid. How could she not know what Yuxi was asking for? "Si Mei[3], it is not that I don't want to help you. However, it is still useless even if I
help you!" Although Teacher Song promised to accept her, she could not use that advantage to force her to accept Yuxi.
Yuxi shook her head. "San Jie[2], I don't expect the teacher to accept me as her student. I only hope that when she teaches you, she will allow me to listen in. San Jie[2], you can help me to say something in front of the teacher! San Jie[2], I really like to study. "
When Yuchen listened to Yuxi's words, she was moved. Moreover, her request was not particularly excessive. She thought about it and said, "Okay, I'll
go now."
A ray of hope rose in Yuxi's heart, and she felt really thankful to Yuchen. "Thank you, San Jie[2]." Of course, if Teacher Song adamantly refused, she would have to give it up forever.
Yuchen said softly, "Don't thank me yet. I can't guarantee that Teacher Song
will agree to this."
Yuchen went to the main room and told the Old Lady about it first.
The Old Lady did not support Yuchen in interceding for Yuxi. "Since Teacher Song
has already refused, why should you try to ask again on her behalf?" Yuxi had been studying with Teacher Song for three months, so it was enough for her to at least be a household bookkeeper.
Yuchen had her own thoughts. "Grandmother, Si Mei[3] is so eager to learn, and what she requested was not too much. Grandmother,
Si Mei[3]
and I are sisters of the first kin anyway. I still want to help her if I can." If Yuxi had asked her to let Teacher Song accept her as a student, she would undoubtedly have refused. But with Yuxi's simple request, she felt that if she was the one who interceded, Teacher Song should be able to accommodate.
The Old Lady still disagreed.
Yuchen said, "Grandmother, Si Mei[3] is so eager to learn, so let her do as she wishes. Later on, outsiders will surely praise us sisters for our outstanding performance. This is also a good
thing for the residence."
The Old Lady hesitated for a bit.
"Grandmother," said Yuchen with a smile, "This matter still depends on the teacher to decide. I will only be talking about this situation with her, which will not harm my status as her student. The teacher will also not
have another opinion of me over such a trifle matter."
The Old Lady was moved by Yuchen's last words. "Since you are determined to
go, then go!" Since Teacher Song had decided to accept Yuchen as her last disciple, she should not be dissatisfied with Yuchen over such a minor issue.
After Yuchen came out, she asked Yuxi to return to Rose Courtyard and waited
for her news.
Yuxi wanted to know the result as soon as possible, regardless of whether she succeeded. "San Jie[2], I will not enter Magnolia Courtyard; I will wait outside. Do you think I
can do that?"
Yuchen nodded. "Okay, let's go together!"
When Teacher Song heard Yuchen begging on behalf of Yuxi, she asked, "Yuchen,
you are gifted, and you will learn what you've been taught. If you let Fourth
Miss listen in, it will certainly affect you. I didn't promise her because I
was thinking of you." For the first three months, she was holding back the pace of teaching because, unfortunately, Yuxi had some difficulty learning. If she sped up the learning process in the future, Yuxi would surely not be able to keep up with it, and then Yuchen would be dragged behind. After careful consideration, she decided to refuse Yuxi's request.
Yuchen did not know that Teacher Song refused Yuxi because of her. She said,
"Teacher, Yuxi is not poor in talent. She is not slow in learning and will
certainly not drag me down."
Teacher Song looked at Yuchen and asked again, "Do you really not care that
Fourth Miss will delay your study?"
Yuchen shook her head. "Teacher, I believe Si Mei[3]
will not drag me down."
Teacher Song was silent for a moment, then said, "If you say so, I won't be a
hard-hearted person. You let Fourth Miss in!"
When Yuxi got the news, she went into Magnolia Courtyard with a feeling of
restlessness.
Teacher Song thought that Yuxi's perseverance was worthy of praise. She was so persistent that she did not give up easily. "Fourth Miss, I can allow you to listen in, but I must tell you that Third Miss is a
quick learner, and I will teach on her basis. Are you sure you can
keep up with the progress then?" That was to say that Yuxi was only a drag,
and also to let Yuxi know the difficulties and made her back down by herself.
How could Yuxi back down? However, she also knew herself well. She certainly could not match Yuchen's genial talent. "Teacher, if I learn everything, I
will definitely be unable to keep up. So, Teacher, I won't learn the four arts. I merely just study together."
When Teacher Song heard these words, she had a new respect for Yuxi.
If Yuxi said that she could keep up, she would refuse
Yuxi's request directly, but now, Yuxi only chose to study certain subjects,
which would undoubtedly not delay her. "Why only choose to study certain subjects? Don't you like to play chess?"
Without thinking about it, Yuxi said, "I like playing chess, but I prefer studying. Teacher, I know I can't compete with San Jie[2] even if I try hard. In that case, I might as well choose my favourite one." To be exact, she chose the one which she deemed as useful. Chess could be studied in private and asked later if she didn't understand it. However,
if there was no analysis of knowledge of the books she read, even if she read them many times, she might not understand them.
Teacher Song looked at Yuxi carefully. After a long time, she finally said,
"Even if you are just a guest student, you can't just study. You have to learn
chess and painting skills, and you have to practice every day." Words were learned by practice, not in just one day.
Yuxi's face was radiant with joy.
When Teacher Song saw Yuxi's face, she did not know why, but she felt a
complex emotion which was hard for her to distinguish. "Fourth Miss, since this is what you asked for, you must be prepared. I will not slow down the
teaching process because of you."
Yuxi answered without hesitation, "Don't worry, teacher, I won't hold
San Jie[2]
back."
Teacher Song grunted, "If you don't understand anything, you can ask me after
class."
Yuxi kowtowed three times towards Teacher Song. "Thank you, teacher." It
was expected that she would not be able to learn directly from a teacher,
though it was also good to be a guest student now.
Teacher Song nodded. "Come to Magnolia Courtyard two-quarter until
maoshi[4] tomorrow."
Yuxi happily went out of Magnolia Courtyard.
Footnotes Full List
- time between 7-9 am
- san=third, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie
- si=fourth, mei=younger sister, short form for Meimei
- 5-7 am
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi
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