"There is a scholar in the nearby Nanling Village who is in his thirties, named Nan Shuwen. His literary talent is excellent, but he is a bit unlucky. It is said that his strength should be enough to pass the examination, but his mother died suddenly of illness.
He was not allowed to take part in the imperial examination because of his filial piety, so he just missed it. When he waited until the last exam, he kept his filial piety for his father again." Dr. Xu said.
"With such a talent, he didn't go to school to be a teacher?" Bai Banxia asked.
"An academy had invited him before, but if he wanted to teach in the academy, he would have to live and eat in the academy. His wife was weak and sick, and the child was still young, so there was no one to take care of him at home, so he had to turn it down. He usually helps people write letters and occasionally goes to town to sell them.
Calligraphy and painting make a living.”
Dr. Xu continued: "I have seen his wife several times, and when I thought about it at night, I thought of this person. He should be taking part in the next imperial examination, but he is taking the government examination directly. The time is different from the provincial examination, so he should be able to
Teach your second brother."
"I wonder if it's convenient for me to meet Mr. Nan?" Bai Banxia asked.
Doctor Xu nodded, "I'm fine now, I can go now."
She wanted to meet Mr. Nan in person. It wasn't that she didn't believe Dr. Xu's vision. It was because Brother Erlang's situation was special. He needed a gentleman who was both knowledgeable and unconventional. If he met an old scholar, he should first read the four books and five books.
It’s too late to learn the classics.
If it is not suitable, it is not easy to change the teacher. Not only will it waste time, but you will also have to bear the name of being disrespectful to the teacher.
At this time, once you become a disciple, you can't just dislike the teacher and switch to another job.
Bai Banxia called Brother Erlang, said hello to the family, and followed Doctor Xu out.
When Qi Zhen saw him, he wanted to follow, but Bai Tian grabbed him and said, "Qi Zhen, don't leave. Please help me wash my colon."
"I'll wash it when I get back." Qi Zhen said.
Bai Tian didn't let go, "It's not far. I don't need you to accompany me, so just help me with the work."
Bai Banxia heard this and said, "Dad, let's help you do it when we come back. Let Qi Zhen go and have a look too. He's seen more people, and maybe he'll be able to remember some things."
"Okay, then." The girl said, and Bai Tian had no choice but to let him go.
After leaving the house, Doctor Xu also asked about Qi Zhen's condition. When he learned that Qi Zhen's head was still not well, he curiously took his pulse.
"My body is fine, but I can't find anything. It's hard to tell what's going on with my head." Doctor Xu shook his head helplessly, "Fortunately, he's not stupid."
"Sometimes it's really silly." Bai Banxia joked with a smile.
Bai Shengming sympathized with Qi Zhen a little, and said to Bai Banxia with sincerity: "Little sister, don't bully cousin Qi Zhen all the time."
"How could I bully him?" Bai Banxia looked at the second brother dissatisfied, and the second brother began to be partial.
"Qi Zhen is talkative and hard-working. Where can I find such a good young man?" Bai Shengming sighed with emotion.
Doctor Xu also nodded, "Indeed, it's much better than those boys in my family."
Bai Banxia was speechless, and everyone spoke up for Qi Zhen.
After that, Dr. Xu talked about Xia Nan Shuwen's situation and his wife's illness. He said that the root cause of the disease was postpartum, accompanied by rheumatic joint pain, which would be particularly serious on cloudy and rainy days.
Soon after, the four arrived at Nanling Village. Doctor Xu led the way and went straight to Nan Shuwen's house.
"Is Mr. Nan at home?" Dr. Xu knocked on the door and called.
The person who opened the door was Nan Shuwen's ten-year-old son Nancheng. He recognized Doctor Xu and asked a little strangely: "Is Doctor Xu here to treat my mother?"
"Let's find your father." Doctor Xu said and touched Nancheng's head.
Ten-year-old Nancheng looked like a young adult and looked very serious. He turned his head to avoid Doctor Xu's hand and said, "Please come in. I'll call my dad in the backyard."
He said he was shouting, but he did not shout loudly in the front yard. Instead, he walked to the back yard and said respectfully: "Dad, it's Dr. Xu who brought three guests to see him."
Doctor Xu winked at Bai Banxia and looked at the children of other scholars, are they different?
Bai Banxia nodded. No matter how he behaved when there was no one around, he still behaved neatly when there were guests, which showed that the family tradition was very good.
The four of them entered the room. Nancheng came in and poured tea for them. Nan Shuwen washed and dried his hands calmly before entering the main room.
"Doctor Xu, I haven't seen you for a long time. Why are you here?" Nan Shuwen's voice was clear and meaningful. It was very pleasant to read poetry and books.
Bai Shengming looked at him curiously, wondering if the other person would become his husband.
Doctor Xu introduced Bai Banxia and the others to him and briefly explained their purpose of coming.
"Do you want to be a scholar?" Nan Shuwen asked.
Bai Shengming nodded, "I hope something will work out."
"If you just want to be a scholar, then I advise you to go back." Nan Shuwen shook his head and said.
Bai Shengming was taken aback, "Shouldn't we do it step by step? I don't dare to think about it getting any higher."
"How many people just want to be a scholar, but they have failed all their lives. Do you know why?" Nan Shuwen asked.
Bai Shengming said nothing, but Qi Zhen spoke up and said: "The vision is not high enough, it is too limited."
Nan Shuwen nodded, "A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. If he only thinks about how to be a small soldier, it will never be possible to make progress. So if you want to achieve something, you must have a high vision and dare to fight hard."
"That's what the teacher pointed out. I understand." Bai Shengming suddenly understood.
Bai Banxia glanced at Qi Zhen quietly. Why did she think Qi Zhen was not simple?
"To tell you the truth, sir, I was studying accounting. I got some news from my family, which encouraged me to give up business and pursue literature. I originally just wanted to be a scholar and give my family an explanation. But today, my husband enlightened me and made me understand that since I chose the imperial examination, I
, we must go on with all our strength, become an official in the court, and shine on the lintel." Bai Shengming's eyes were shining brightly, as if he had found his own path at this moment.
Bai Banxia nodded secretly. Some people live a life of mediocrity, maybe because of fate, or more often because they can't find their own path.
Once a person has a direction, the road will be long and difficult, but the journey is about to begin. Once a person has a direction, even if it is difficult, his heart will be full.
It was as if she had her own path, practicing medicine to save people and making money, and she was full of motivation along the way.
Nan Shuwen was really smart and quickly grasped the key points of Bai Shengming's words.
"You only have to work hard at your age. It's definitely not possible to follow the steps. You have to choose the applicable method, endure hardships that others cannot endure, and do your best that others cannot."
The applicable method is a stepping stone, but the real core is to endure hardships that others cannot endure and to do what others cannot.
Bai Shengming stood up and bowed, "I will go all out and leave no regrets."
Nan Shuwen nodded, "You come to me because you must be looking for a suitable method, but nothing is absolute. I can't guarantee that I can teach you well. I can only say that if you believe in me, I will try my best."
Bai Shengming looked at Bai Banxia and nodded slightly. He was very satisfied with this master.
"I wonder if Mr. Nan can briefly explain the applicable method?" Bai Banxia asked.
Nan Shuwen nodded slightly, not looking down upon her because she was a woman. On the contrary, from the moment he entered the door, he discovered that this woman was vaguely the leader of the group.
"There is not much time left for him. It will be too late to just learn from scratch, so I will find the questions for him in the recent rural examinations. I will start with the questions and guess the content of the next rural examination. Of course, he needs to use more in daily life.
Work twice as hard to learn basic things." Nan Shuwen also said, "But this is just a temporary trick. You will have to go on for a long time, but you cannot use this method all the time."
"Okay, just follow the teacher's method." Bai Banxia nodded in praise. This was just like what she thought. It was a two-pronged approach to attack before the exam without losing the foundation.
This Mr. Nan is not an ordinary person. Bai Banxia feels that he will definitely be able to serve as an official in the court in the future. Brother Erlang is lucky to have such a teacher.
