The village school stood beside the water. An ancient ravine, a lone plum branch; people beside the tree, where rain-laden clouds clung to the roots. Water sounds, mountain scenery, plum blossoms—all raced to greet you.
Ten thousand stalks of green bamboo filled the mountains. When night fell, it must have become another kind of scenery: flowing water and moonlight merging into a stream of snow.
Beneath the school eaves, Yu Mian performed a formal curtsy. Yu Yu no longer showed the slightest trace of her usual liveliness. Obediently, she cupped her hands toward the young Yin Guan in salute, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and followed Emperor His Majesty in calling out, "Mr. Cheng."
Chen Ping'an nodded to them in greeting, then cupped his hands toward the two companions and said with a smile, "Mr. Cheng, Mr. Feng, you have seen something embarrassing. I am merely a junior teaching at a village school. If there is anything improper in my teaching, I hope you will not hesitate to correct me."
With outsiders present, and since one could not strike a smiling face, the two Masters nodded with stern expressions. Having listened to Chen Ji teach for over half an hour, they found that he was indeed still the same—young, yet big-mouthed. Hah. A schoolteacher who had never even polished his credentials at the county academy dared to talk about boasting of achievements and flaunting literary brilliance? To draw in more young pupils and earn a few extra coins, he had schemes coming out of every pore, yet he dared speak of conducting himself openly and honorably? It seemed that, to make a good impression before these Outsiders, he had truly thrown caution to the wind and cast aside all shame.
Yunzhou Prefect Pei Tong and Yunzhou General