Early morning, Tongluo Alley.
Morning light shone upon the beams; the first drum of the Gate of Opening sounded.
From Wang Clan School at the very end of the alley came the sound of reading once more.
The families living in the alley had long grown accustomed to it. Several mischievous children darted out of their homes and ran nimbly to the school entrance, peering inside with curiosity.
Some bolder little ones even crept beneath the classroom windowsill, secretly standing on tiptoe to peek through the open window. Yet they were quickly drawn in by what the teacher was teaching.
Without realizing it, they forgot the passage of time.
At the front of the classroom, Wang Chen dipped his brush in limewater and wrote the character "mountain" on a homemade blackboard.
"This character is read as 'mountain'—the mountain of great mountains, the mountain of mountains and rivers."
Not only that, he used his brush to sketch ranges and towering peaks, allowing the students seated below to grasp the meaning of the character more intuitively.
This could be considered Wang Chen's pioneering teaching method, a skill other teachers simply would not possess.
Writing mountains and painting mountains, writing seas and painting seas—words and images combined, vivid and engaging.
The results were naturally excellent.
A group of children recited after him, "Mountain, great mountain, the mountain of mountains and rivers!"
Children's voices mingled with the morning light, forming a scene of its own special charm.
Wang Chen taught two more characters, then had the students read and memorize the Thousand Character Classic.
Holding a book scroll in hand, he left the classroom.
The children hiding beneath the windowsill were immediately frightened. In their panic, they scattered in every direction like startled rabbits.
Only one child of about ten did not run. With