Chapter 41 Ants Moving Home
Bai Shan Bao said, “Then you have to be as impressive as Confucius. Zigong said Teacher Confucius was gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest so everyone was willing to share stories with him.”
Man Bao was very confident. “I can definitely do it too. Right, what does gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and modest mean? It means humble, right?”
Bai Shan Bao looked down on her. “You don’t even know what they mean yet say you can do it. Bragging children aren’t good children.”
“What do you know. Ke Ke said to set a goal first before doing something. That’s how to make plans. Of course the bigger the goal the better!”
System: “……”
Bai Shan Bao’s eyes spun as he doubted her words. “Really?”
Man Bao firmly nodded. “Of course it’s true.”
“Then, then when I grow up, I want to do bigger official positions than my father. I don’t want to do the same job as him.”
Man Bao exclaimed in great interest, “What position does your father have?”
Bai Shan Bao said somewhat arrogantly yet also humbly, “My father is the county magistrate.”
Man Bao didn’t have good feelings towards county magistrates. She said, “County magistrates aren’t good people. They always take our money.”
Bai Shan Bao became unhappy. “My father is a good official. He even received praise from the imperial court.”
Teacher Zhuang had just entered the classroom and overheard the children’s conversation. He wrinkled his brows. They were still so young yet were already rashly discussing politics?
What did those brats know about what a county magistrate does?
Teacher Zhuang brought the two children out to the yard to speak.
From his experience, Bai Shan Bao felt nervous since being called out alone by the teacher was never for a good thing.
But it was different for Man Bao. Compared to sitting in the classroom to listen to lectures, she was more used to sitting in the yard and reading books with Teacher Zhuang. So she very happily followed along.
Seeing Man Bao so cheerful, Bai Shan Bao felt it shouldn’t be a bad thing and also relaxed while going over.
Teacher Zhuang sat down on the stone bench and beckoned the two children over to ask, “What were you two talking about just now?”
Shan Bao lowered his head. In his view, the teacher asking this meant reprimanding them for talking during class.
But Man Bao didn’t think that way. Hearing Teacher ask, she happily recounted everything they said just now and even asked, “Teacher, are there also good county magistrates?”
Teacher Zhuang couldn’t help asking her, “Why do you feel county magistrates are bad?”
Man Bao told him about what happened when she went to the county town the day before yesterday. How they had to pay an extra wen to enter and what her Fifth Elder Brother heard in town that eventually even pedestrians entering the city would need to pay fees.
So she felt county magistrates were bad because they only took money from the common folk like them.
Teacher Zhuang silently pondered for a bit before asking, “Do you know what a county magistrate does?”
Shan Bao looked at Man Bao then at Teacher Zhuang. Feeling this Teacher Zhuang differed from previous ones, he stopped cowering and rushed to answer, “The county magistrate is the parent official for a county responsible for the common folk.”
Teacher Zhuang stroked his beard with a smile, asking “What else?”
Bai Shan Bao originally wasn’t a docile child. If he was docile, he wouldn’t have often been called out in ancestral school before. Not to mention making faces at Man Bao yesterday right in front of the teacher and his elders.
Thus with Teacher Zhuang’s encouragement and Man Bao’s example beside him, Shan Bao rushed to answer together with her.
Man Bao said, “They collect entry fees!”
Shan Bao said, “They’re judges.”
Man Bao said, “They collect grain taxes. My family just handed over taxes not long ago.”
That was the time Zhou Si Lang accompanied the village to escort the grain. Then he picked up gambling.
Shan Bao said, “They also catch thieves and uphold justice for the common people.”
Shan Bao tilted his head and thought for a bit. Scratching his head, he said, “They also must urge the people to farm grains and plant mulberries to raise silkworms.”
Man Bao retorted him, “How dumb. Our family farms so of course we know what to plant when it’s time. Why would the county magistrate urge us?”
“They have to urge it. Don’t believe me, ask Teacher. Grandmother said county magistrates have to encourage agriculture and sericulture. It was because Father went to urge planting that he encountered bandits and died.”
Teacher Zhuang didn’t expect Shan Bao was the descendant of a martyr. His expression became even gentler. He reached out and stroked Shan Bao’s head, saying “What you both determine are merely superficial impressions and that’s wrong.”
The two children were baffled.
Seeing the children’s bewildered gazes, Teacher Zhuang had thousands of words stuck in his throat. The children were still small so even if he explained, they might not understand.
Teacher Zhuang fell into contemplation, hanging his head seemingly thinking of something unknown.
The two children quietly waited. After a long while without Teacher speaking, Man Bao scratched her head then swayed left and right. She accidentally bumped into Shan Bao.
Shan Bao glanced at Teacher before using his little body to bump her back.
Man Bao nearly fell down. Blinking her eyes, she also bumped him back.
It seemed the two children found it fun to compete in strength. While Teacher Zhuang wasn’t paying attention, their little bodies squeezed together, forcefully pushing back and forth.
Still sunk in thought, Teacher Zhuang’s gaze fell onto the nearby anthill. Instantly getting an idea, he raised his head and saw the children squeezing and shoving each other. Helplessly coughing lightly,
The two children instantly stood properly. But since Shan Bao retracted his strength faster, Man Bao was a little slow and directly crashed into him, knocking him onto the ground.
The two children tussled into a ball. Teacher Zhuang feared they would cry but surprisingly, they crawled up after rolling once.
Teacher Zhuang felt amused yet irritated. He waved them over. “Come here.”
The two children walked over so Teacher Zhuang pointed at the ants on the ground. “What’s this?”
The children rushed to say, “Ants!”
“Right. They’re ants. So are they good or bad?”
The two children were stunned. “Even ants can be divided into good and bad?”
“You categorized the county magistrate as good or bad so why can’t ants be good or bad too?”
Man Bao said, “Then it’s bad because they snatch food from us. See how they’re transporting rice. It must be stolen.”
Shan Bao nodded.
Teacher Zhuang burst into loud laughter and asked, “Then I won’t ask if the ants are good or bad now. I’ll just ask what you see.”
Shan Bao said, “They’re lining up to transport things.”
Having played with ants before, Man Bao knew a bit more to say, “When ants move, it’ll rain soon.”
Teacher Zhuang asked her, “How do you know ants moving means it’ll rain soon? Do you see rain coming?”
The two children raised their heads to look at the blazing sun in the sky, shaking their heads simultaneously. But Man Bao insisted, “Mother said so. Ants moving means it’ll rain.”
Teacher Zhuang nodded. “Then let’s see if it rains today.”
Shan Bao whispered to her, “The sun is so strong. How can it rain?”
Man Bao also started feeling doubtful. It was something oft said between mother and them so she remembered it. But she never carefully paid attention before on whether ants moving really meant imminent rain.
