Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 313 - 312: Writing a Letter

Liu Ji, feeling wronged, defended himself: "I figured all this out by myself following Landlord Ding’s notes. The teacher didn’t teach it, and there’s no teacher I can ask for the true meaning, so you can’t blame it all on me."

Qin Yao rubbed her twitching temples, thinking, damn, this actually makes some sense!

"Come over here." Qin Yao motioned for him to stand up, gave him her seat, pulled over a chair by the door to sit next to the table, and said, "Show me what you’ve been studying recently and what you’re confused about."

Liu Ji had no idea what she intended to do, but since he wasn’t getting beaten, maybe he dodged a bullet?

He sat at the table timidly, not daring to sit fully, as nervous as a scaredy-cat, which sparked a nameless fire in Qin Yao’s heart, "You’re a grown man, can you have a little backbone?! Sit up straight!"

Liu Ji hurriedly straightened his back, mumbling to himself, "My backbone’s already been beaten out of me by you..."

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow, "What did you say?"

"Nothing, I didn’t say anything." Liu Ji had a bewildered look, doing a fairly good job at pretending.

Qin Yao, too lazy to argue, told him to point out what he was confused about and attempted to tutor him.

Just then, the four siblings who had just stomped through puddles in the backyard returned to the main room, only to hear a shout from next door: "You can’t even do this?!"

The four siblings shivered in unison, thinking they had been caught, froze for three seconds before realizing that they were not the ones being scolded, and quickly dashed past the small room’s door to return to their rooms to change into dry clothes.

While they were changing, there was a loud slap on the table, "Liu Ji! What are you, dumb as a rock? If Confucius knew you were twisting his ideas this way, his coffin would explode!"

This time, the four siblings didn’t dare breathe heavily.

In the main room, Ah Wang was also intimidated by the atmosphere, silently carried a basket of peanuts to the kitchen, and closed the kitchen door, muttering in his heart, "You can’t see me, you can’t see me."

In fact, tutoring is truly not something just anyone can do. Qin Yao thought she had a good temper and strong patience, but seeing Liu Ji argue with her three times in a row, she still couldn’t control the urge to strangle him.

Fortunately, the remaining rationality told her that the sunk cost was high, and that stopped her from actually laying hands on him.

For a time, the atmosphere in the house was heavy; the whole family went about things cautiously, avoiding confrontation.

Si Niang began to hope that this autumn rain would end soon; she suddenly missed her classmates and the strict teacher at the school.

At dinner, the family sat around the table, a stark contrast to the usual liveliness. Even the usually talkative Second Lang and Sanlang quickly finished their meal and quietly set down their bowls before retreating to their rooms.

Qin Yao noticed the children’s behavior and realized that her mood was off. Later in the evening, she was much more restrained when tutoring Liu Ji again.

Because she suddenly realized the crux of the problem—the old saying "pulling up seedlings to help them grow" is not a solution.

Liu Li started his education at seven and only passed the scholar exam after fifteen years of hard study.

Ding Shi, influenced by his father, the scholar, from a young age, managed to pass the provincial exam and earned the scholar title at the age of sixteen on his second attempt.

These all prove that there are no shortcuts on the path of the imperial examinations.

Even if she forced Liu Ji to memorize the Four Books and Five Classics until he was fluent, he still wouldn’t understand how to answer the questions.

Each sentence has different interpretations, and knowledge monopoly makes it very difficult for ordinary people to access more information and fully grasp the meaning, hence the pursuit of famous teachers by students.

Qin Yao found herself with a headache, realizing she had underestimated the civil service examinations.

The content written on the exams is for the Chief Examiner to see, and this alone carries a great deal of subjectivity from the examiner.

Many talented individuals write excellent essays and provide deep analysis, yet repeatedly fail to pass.

A significant reason is that they haven’t hit the examiner’s sweet spots.

Most people in the world are ordinary; the probability of encountering someone of truly noble character and utmost morality in daily life is even lower than Liu Ji suddenly transforming into a model of loyalty and integrity.

"Dear?"

Seeing Qin Yao staring at her desk, unblinking, Liu Ji raised his hand to wave it in front of her eyes.

He was expectantly thinking, is she tired or sleepy? Can he go to bed for a nap?

"Why hasn’t Gongliang Liao arrived yet?"

"Huh?"

Qin Yao’s random question left Liu Ji momentarily dumbfounded. Then he realized what she was talking about, and said a little awkwardly while scratching his head:

"Lady, you’re serious about that, huh? Let me tell you something from the heart; I actually think people were just being polite."

Of course, at first, he indeed held expectations, but as time went on without news, he slowly returned to reality.

Liu Ji was confident, but not blindly so. "He’s a distinguished scholar, and with a genius disciple like Qi Xian under his tutelage, he’s probably long forgotten about me, the entertainer."

Qin Yao suddenly said seriously, "Forgetting is not an option!"

She swept all the books on the desk to the corner, spread a sheet of white paper, shoved a brush into Liu Ji’s hand, and personally ground the ink, instructing, "You must write a letter to the Qi Family to remind him."

Liu Ji’s eyes brightened, and he suppressed his excitement to tentatively ask, "Really write it? Won’t they think I’m too thick-skinned?"

"Ha~" Qin Yao found this question quite amusing, "Do you even need to worry? You’re already thick-skinned!"

"Alright, with your confirmation, I’m relieved to write it!" Liu Ji coughed excitedly twice, picked up the pen to start writing, and then suddenly paused, "Dear, what should I write?"

Qin Yao thought for a moment and guided him, "You’re both smart, no need for nonsense and probing. Just be direct: say you miss the teacher very much, that you’ve been waiting for him to come, and you’re so worried you’re losing your appetite and sleep. Ask why he hasn’t come to see you yet, is he inconvenienced, and volunteer to fetch him."

"Oh, right, also paint a picture of how suitable our village’s scenery is for cultivation and meditation. Anyway, just get him interested enough to come, the rest is up to you."

As thick-skinned as Liu Ji was, hearing these suggestions from Qin Yao made his ears blush red.

It’s... really quite shameless.

He even suspected the letter wouldn’t reach Gongliang Liao, as it might be intercepted by the Qi Family halfway.

Liu Ji expressed his concerns, and Qin Yao thought for a while, patted his shoulder, "You just write it; don’t worry about sending it, I have my ways."

Professional tasks should be left to professionals.

The next day at noon, just as Ah Wang had escorted Liu Ji and his four sons back to the academic institute and returned home, he saw Qin Yao lying by the window smiling and waving him over, "Come, you come."

Ah Wang walked over, still holding a large fish he had just caught on his way back from the river.

The fish, out of water but not quite dead, occasionally thrashed its tail, fish scales splattering onto Ah Wang’s strong, muscular arms.

He slightly raised his brows, applied internal strength to tighten the grass rope in his hand, and the big fish instantly rested in peace.

"Madam, what do you need me for?" His eyes were bright and pure, like a crystal without any impurities.