After showing Li Muyang and his sister out, Lin Zhengyin returned to the study. Looking at the couplet on the desk, he sighed softly and said, “The couplet looks great! His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful. Besides, each character looks upright and lofty. He must have had a profound foundation of writing. But as for the writing content, there still seems to be some complaints in his heart.”
“It was my fault.” Zhao Mingzhu apologized to Lin Zhengyin at once and said, “When some students in my class excluded and bullied Li Muyang, I did not fulfill my duty as a teacher. If I had stepped forward to defend him at that time, perhaps he would not have written such a second line of the couplet. Those children had gone too far. Luckily, you could distinguish between right and wrong, and that young crane-riding boy brought the good news in time. Otherwise, I’m afraid it would have been tough for Li Muyang to get through this day.”
Lin Zhengyin waved his hand and said, “Well, forget it. Why do you still talk about past matters? But in the future, we should pay more attention to students like Li Muyang. Don’t judge a person by his performance in the study. After all, many heroes in the empire were uneducated who had never been to any school.”
“Yes. I will learn this lesson and treat all the students equally in the future.” Zhao Mingzhu bowed and promised.
“It will be the good fortune of both the school and the student,” Lin Zhengyin said.
Zhao Mingzhu looked at the weird couplet on the table and asked, “Principal, these two sentences… Are you going to engrave them on the school motto stone at the school gate?”
“I never eat my words,” Lin Zhengyin said with a severe look. “It’s just that I will only engrave the first line for now.”
“Will you only engrave the line ‘Keep Company with Wise People’?”
“Yes. This sentence is simple and straightforward but contains the great wisdom of life. On the school motto stone, it can correspond with Li Muyang’s achievement, being the No. 1 in the Liberal-arts Exam of the imperial…” Lin Zhengyin said with a brilliant smile on his face. “As for the second line, let’s leave it out for the time being. I can see the firmness in his eyes. Besides, he is smart and penetrating enough. Being humiliated to this extent, he didn’t give up on himself. I believe he can accomplish much in the future. Perhaps, he will be able to roam in the Starry Sky, making some achievements that will be on everybody’s lips. At that time, we can engrave the second line on the stone. Anyway, whatever he says when he has succeeded will be correct. You know Ma Yun, the richest man in the empire, once said before he made his fortune: ‘You treat the present me like nothing while you will be out of my league later.’ This sentence is now widespread.”
“Principal, Ma Yun didn’t say that.” Zhao Mingzhu reminded him in a low voice.
“Didn’t he?” Lin Zhengyin was stunned.
“Yes. According to the research… Most likely, he didn’t say that.” Zhao Mingzhu did not dare to go against her superior’s will and spoke with a lack of confidence.
“Well, you see, slanders always cluster around celebrities. Busybodies always like to spread some sentences that these famous people have never said.” Lin Zhengyin laughed and said, “Anyway, today is a big day.”
“Congratulations, principal.”
“Congratulations, Ms. Zhao.”
Then they looked at each other and laughed.
Just when they were out of the school gate, Li Sinian reached out her hands and held Li Muyang’s arm, giggling.
“Brother, why would you write such a sentence? Did you notice the face of Ms. Zhao at that time? You know, she was also one of the people against you. You put her in an embarrassing situation that she couldn’t find a way out. Fortunately, the principal was quick-witted, who immediately started to talk with you about the character’s structure so that the atmosphere didn’t become awkward.”
Li Muyang shook his head and said, “Actually, I didn’t mean to criticize Ms. Zhao.”
“Ah? Then who are you talking about? Zhang Chen? Wu Man and the others? Or those students who used to bully you?”
“Yes. Or, perhaps, no.” Li Muyang shook his head once again and said with a soft sigh, “In the past, I always felt much wronged. I didn’t say bad things about anyone, nor did I do any bad things to them. I just felt physically uncomfortable, and I knew that I was a little weak in learning. But why would those people always despise and bully me? What happened today suddenly makes me understand a lot of truths.”
“What do you understand?”
“Many times, people choose to like or hate someone is not because he is a person of excellent or bad character. Instead, based on people’s strength or background, they butter up some people and look down on some others. For example, Senior Brother Wuyou, the sharp words that he said hurt almost everyone’s feelings. However, as he was the one standing on the high platform, how many people on the spot dared to retaliate against him in public?”
“Brother, you mean that…” With bright eyes, Li Sinian looked at Li Muyang, her brother, whom she found it increasingly difficult to see through, and asked, “You want to be as strong as Xie Wuyou so that you don’t have to do things according to other people’s favors in the future, don’t you?”
“I hope I can be stronger, but the reason is not that I want to do things freely without observing others’ facial expressions.” Li Muyang looked at Li Sinian’s delicate and pretty little face and said, “I just hope that I can protect you and our parents from being bullied by others. No one will say that I’m a good-for-nothing. When we encounter danger, I can stand in front of you, instead of letting you step forward to fight for me again and again.”
“Brother…” Li Sinian held Li Muyang’s arm tight and said, “We are families. You are my brother, my most beloved brother. Why do you say something like that?”
Li Muyang rubbed Li Sinian’s head and said, “You are my sister, whom I love the most. Thus, no matter what happens, I will not allow others to bully you.”
“Brother, what if I say I find that you’re getting more and more handsome?”
“Really?” Li Muyang’s face was full of surprise.
“It’s not true.” Li Sinian pouted and said, “You are always my brother Coal.”
“…”
“Brother, do you think the principal will carve both of the two sentences you wrote on the school motto stone at the school gate?”
“It doesn’t matter whether he will engrave them or not. They insisted that I should write something for our school, so I wrote what I wanted to say. I wrote ‘Keep Company with Wise People’ because I don’t think I’m smart enough. Our mom and dad are wise people, for they taught me how to take care of my families. You are a wise girl who showed me how to love and protect my family. Cui Xiaoxin is also a wise girl because she told me to recognize my strengths and weaknesses and never give up. Also, the principal Lin, he could distinguish right and wrong and was willing to listen to both sides. Ms. Zhao, as a teacher, she could own up to the wrong things she had done to a student and make a change.”
“The reason that I wrote ‘Keep Getting Turned Down by Fools’ was because I thought I cared too much about what the irrelevant people thought of me. I felt that they shouldn’t have bullied me that much. I thought that they didn’t know me well enough and that they should have shown me some respect. However, even if they did as what I expected them to, would I become someone else other than the useless Li Muyang? After I become strong and outstanding enough, will I still care about the opinions of these fools? What Senior Brother Wuyou had said is right: ‘You can choose to believe or not, but what’s that got to do with me?'”
“Brother, I really feel that you are becoming more and more handsome.” Li Sinian did not smile this time but looked at Li Muyang with a serious face, her jet-black eyes sparkling with some unusual radiance.
She felt that her brother had changed into someone wise, calm, and persistent.
In the past, her brother was confused, dispirited, or even cowardly.
But now he finally found the path he was going to take, and he was willing to make the greatest effort for it.
Such a brother gave Li Sinian endless security, which was what a brother was supposed to provide for his sister.
Li Muyang smiled and said, “I hope so. Anyway, I won’t believe whatever you say.”
“Bro…” Li Sinian lengthened the end sound in a sweet, charming manner.
“I don’t believe it.”
“You really, really, really, really, really, really…”
“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it…”
…
Luo Qi felt ill at ease.
She felt annoyed whenever she was sitting or standing, and she was even more agitated while she was doing the housework.
When she washed the dishes, she broke the bowl. After finishing washing the chopsticks, she threw them directly into the trash can…
Li Yan was also waiting for his children at home. Seeing Luo Qi walking back and forth in front of him, he complained, saying, “Can’t you sit down and rest for a while? I’m dazzled by your whirls.”
“Was there anyone who ordered you to stare at me? If you hadn’t been staring at me, how could your eyes have been dazzled?”
“Can’t you be more reasonable? You are right in front of me, so I don’t know whom else I can look at.”
“You can watch the book! What are you doing with this book in your arms? Didn’t you notice that you held the book upside down?”
“…”
Li Yan could no longer conceal his restless mood. He threw the “Book of Songs” in his hand on the table and walked up to Luo Qi, saying, “Don’t worry. It’s no use being anxious. Muyang and Sinian have gone to see the Hero List. If the results of the exam come out, they will come back in time to inform us.”
“But they should be back by now,” Luo Qi said with some concern. “There won’t be problems, will there?”
“They just go there to see the Hero List. What kind of big problems can there be? Muyang will be either on the list or not.”
“Isn’t it a big problem that he is not on the list? If Muyang finds out that he’s not on the list, how sad will he become? No, this won’t do. I’d better go out to look for him. What if he takes the result very much to heart?”
“Bang!”
The door of their yard burst open.
Li Sinian, who was out of breath because of running, shouted, “Dad, mom, my brother took the first place.”
Luo Qi’s face turned pale when she heard that. She instantly comforted her, saying, “It’s all right. It’s all right. It’s okay that he took the first place. He had been the first before. Where is your brother?”
As she saw Li Muyang, who entered the door after his sister, Luo Qi quickly ran over to hold him in her arms and said, “Muyang, don’t take it to heart. A great man said that failure is the mother of success. It doesn’t matter if you failed this time. You can take the exam once again next year. With your talent and hard work, you will definitely be on the list then.”
“Mom, I said that my brother took the first place in the Xifeng Empire. He is the real No.1.” Li Sinian rolled her eyes and explained helplessly.
“What?” Both Luo Qi and Li Yan widened their eyes, and they asked in unison, “The real No. 1?”