Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yan Lingzhou never thought his younger cousin would be such a big shot. Yan Lingsu was amused by her eldest cousin’s dumbfounded yet dreamy expression.
She comforted him. “When father was home, he was extremely strict with us when it came to our studies. However, Mother is much more lenient with us. She also said that each of us had our talents, so all three of us could teach each other.”
“She wants us to learn from each other so that we can use our strengths to cover our weaknesses and make up for our shortcomings. I studied medicine with Grandfather, so my medical knowledge is better than my siblings.”
“Mother felt that it was necessary for all of us to have some medical knowledge, so she requested that I teach you about some of the medicinal herbs and techniques. It might come in handy one day.”
“You don’t have to learn about it if you are not interested, Cousin Yan Lingzhou. Next spring, you will be attending the exams, so you might not have the time to learn. You can always learn about it later on.”
The phrase “all three of us could teach each other” was engraved in Yan Lingzhou’s heart. He felt that his second aunt was indeed a gifted person. These words spoke to him.
He used to be very proud of himself as a young man. Even his Second Uncle had always praised his ability to learn. It was a rare occurrence in Linjiang County. If it weren’t for his fear of being too complacent, he would have participated in the exams two years prior. Although, that was also why he could do so well in the exams.
Among all of the siblings in the family, Yan Lingwei was the only one that could compete with Yan Lingzhou.
Even though they were cousins, Yan Lingzhou had always thought of Yan Lingwei as his younger brother. Yan Lingwei was three to four years younger than him. He saw Yan Lingwei as a little brother that needed to be protected. Even if Yan Lingwei’s education was better than his, he could only be happy.
But his younger cousins were already more educated than him. Yan Lingzhou was both happy and ashamed. He was their eldest cousin, and of course, he had always hoped that his younger cousins would be successful one day. That way, they can depend on each other in the future, and the Yan family would only grow stronger.
His feelings were conflicted when he realized that he wasn’t as educated as his younger cousins.
He thought back to the phrase, “all three of us could teach each other”. His feelings became even more conflicted when he looked at Gongyu Hao, lost in his thoughts.
Although his surname was Gongyu, he was still Yan Lingzhou’s biological cousin. His second aunt praised her three daughters, but Gongyu Hao was the only child that wasn’t mentioned earlier. Yan Lingzhou had previously thought that it was okay that Gongyu Hao did not like to study and that he had a mischievous personality. After all, Gongyu Hao could always rely on his siblings. But after all this, he felt worried for Gongyu Hao.
His sisters were all competent, so how could he not live up to their expectations?
Yan Lingzhou decided to encourage Gongyu Hao to smarten up, so he patted Gongyu Hao on his shoulder. “Little cousin Gongyu Hao, you are not allowed just to play around just because your father isn’t home. When Second Uncle comes back and sees that you have not been studying, I’m afraid that he will skin you alive. If your sisters can study hard, then so can you. Don’t you want to teach your sisters as well?”
Brother Monkey was confused. ‘I have been teaching them about cultivation. They seem to be enjoying it. Even Mother is learning from me.’
Brother Monkey rolled his eyes. “I’ve taught them some martial arts. Mother says that strengthening the body is more important than studying. Studying wouldn’t matter if you didn’t have a healthy body.”
Yan Lingzhou was silent. ‘No one could compare to you in that matter.’ Yan Lingzhou thought.
Both literature and martial arts were valued in the empire. Gongyu Hao might be able to join the military. But there was no one around to teach him proper martial arts techniques. If he were to join the military, he wouldn’t be able to do it with what little martial arts he knew. But with their family’s situation, where would they find a good martial arts teacher? Yan Lingzhou was very worried about his younger cousin.
When the three sisters saw Yan Lingzhou looking at their brother with a worried expression, they turned their heads and giggled.
The Monkey King glared at his three sisters and grabbed Yan Lingzhou. “Don’t worry about me. I will be fine. Yan Lingsu has some medicinal herbs drying out in the backyard. Let’s go and learn how we can identify the medicinal herbs.”
Yan Lingsu was currently teaching them how to identify the medicinal herbs. Then, she would teach them about the principles of the medicinal herbs, how to deal with the essential herbs, and how to use them whenever they were to encounter any injuries. This way, if they were to get sick in the future and could not afford a doctor, they would quickly treat themselves.
Her method of teaching was very clear and easy to understand. Yan Lingzhou listened for an hour and thought what Yan Lingsu taught was extremely educational. So he continued to listen attentively.
He did not think it was a waste of time for a scholar like him to learn these things. The Yan family was filled with scholars, and unlike the noble families that had access to real poetry and books, he was only working on the family land when he was six or seven years old. He was also working as he studied. The farm work here was the same as it was back home.
There was no such thing as a person who couldn’t work while learning more about the world. It wasn’t just him. Even Uncle Yan Yongwu had to work in the fields while studying. That was why his grandfather doted on him whenever he came home.
Yan Lingzhou felt that it was normal for him to do farm work. He also thought that it was necessary to learn some pharmacology and mathematics. Moreover, Yan Lingsu was teaching them pharmacology in case of emergencies in the future. His philosophy was very practical. Everything that could be learned was meaningful and valuable.
Gongyu Mingxi could not help but nod her head when she saw that Yan Lingzhou was serious about learning. Yan Lingzhou was modest, pragmatic, diligent, generous, able to keep his wits about him and not lose motivation. It was apparent why Yan Yongwu valued Yan Lingzhou.
Yan Lingzhou whispered to Gongyu Hao, “Cousin Gongyu Hao, your sisters are so smart. Don’t you feel any pressure?”
“Why would I feel pressured? I’m smart too, okay?”
Brother Monkey looked at Yan Lingzhou with a baffled look. He thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t you come over tomorrow morning so we can learn some martial arts together? Yan Qixun said that a healthy body was essential for the empire’s revolution. It would be pointless if we didn’t have healthy bodies.”
Yan Lingzhou felt that his body was already very healthy. Besides, was learning martial arts something an ordinary family could afford?
His younger cousin learned martial arts because he didn’t like reading or studying. He was naturally talented in martial arts, and Grandfather Gongyu Jin was a doctor. So they did not need to spend money on medicinal herbs unnecessarily.
Gongyu Hao’s family was in good condition, which allowed him to learn martial arts. However, Yan Lingzhou’s family wasn’t in good condition, so his family couldn’t afford to teach him martial arts. He had always wanted to learn martial arts. As a young man, he dreamed of being gallant and honorable.
The young man who had been energized all morning had rejected Gongyu Hao’s grand invitation to learn martial arts with him. He then returned home with a dreamy expression on his face.
When Yan Lingzhou finally reached home, he checked on his younger brother’s homework and then continued to help his family with some chores. He did not stay over at the Yan family’s house for dinner, knowing that his aunt and her family were busy.
As soon as Yan Lingzhou left, Yan Qixun went into Brother Monkey’s bedroom. Brother Monkey’s bedroom was also used as Yan Qixun’s woodworking area. Brother Monkey had bought Yan Qixun a set of woodworking tools with the money he got by selling the prey he had caught previously. However, there was no need to buy wood. Gongyu Hao had some storage space in his room, so he quietly went to the mountains to grab some wood for Yan Qixun to use.
However, he didn’t need to go deep into the mountains as collapsed trees were all around. He brought as much wood as he could home so that Yan Qixun could easily access them. It was much more convenient than cutting down live trees.
Yan Qixun was not in a hurry to complete the spinning wheel. She prioritized the tables, chairs, cabinets, and beds they needed at home. Brother Monkey was unexpectedly interested in carpentry. Yan Qixun was still young and could not do much heavy lifting, so having Brother Monkey around was of great help to her..