lcionline Chapter 580 is a rough gem that needs careful polishing.
Chapter 580 is a rough gem that needs careful polishing.
Outside Master Li's study, two wooden doors were ajar.
Gu Qingchen stopped and peeked through the crack in the door.
The study was empty, but she immediately noticed the mess on the table.
The copy of the Classic of Filial Piety, which Master Li had swept to the ground in his rage, still lay quietly on the ground.
The pages of the book were scattered, and several calligraphy brushes and an inkstone lay scattered beside it.
Gu Qingchen's heart clenched again.
She pushed open the door and tiptoed inside. Qian Zhenyun followed behind her, watching her every move nervously.
Gu Qingchen didn't speak. She walked to the desk, squatted down, and carefully picked up the "Classic of Filial Piety".
She gently brushed the dust off the book with her sleeve, then smoothed out the scattered pages one by one and closed them.
Then, she picked up the brushes from the ground one by one and put them back in the brush holder.
She reached out to steady the inkstone, but saw a half-dried stain of ink on the ground.
She thought for a moment, then turned and ran to the corner of the study, where there was a basin of water and a cloth.
She soaked the cloth, wrung it out, ran back, knelt on the ground, and wiped away the ink stain bit by bit.
Her movements were very serious and focused.
Qian Zhenyun stood aside, watching her small figure kneeling on the ground, diligently wiping the floor.
Just then, a soft cough came from the doorway.
Master Li stood at the door, staring at the scene inside, completely stunned.
He originally went to the headmaster to resign, saying that he was not knowledgeable enough to teach the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo.
The headmaster comforted him for a long time, telling him to come back and calm down, and not to be swayed by the child's momentary impulse.
He was filled with resentment and returned to his study, only to be met with this scene.
The "stubborn little donkey" who had angered him so much that he had stormed off was now kneeling on the ground, painstakingly wiping the floor he had dirtied with the sleeves of her brand-new school uniform.
Upon hearing the voice, Gu Qingchen froze and slowly turned around.
When she saw Teacher Li, her face flushed red instantly, as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
"Master...Master." She stood up somewhat awkwardly, still clutching the damp cloth in her hand.
Master Li looked at her, then at the spotless floor and the neatly arranged books, his expression complex, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Gu Qingchen lowered her head, her small hands nervously twisting the cloth.
“Master,” she mustered her courage, raised her head, and spoke in a voice even softer than when she was under the sycamore tree, “I have figured it out.”
Master Li raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
“You’re right. A private school is not only a place to study, but also a place to learn how to be a person.” Gu Qingchen’s gaze was clear and sincere. “Yesterday, I quoted classics and seemed to have the upper hand, but in reality… I lost sight of the essence of learning.”
She took two steps forward, stood in front of Master Li, and bowed deeply.
"I was wrong, please punish me, Master."
This impeccable apology is more touching to a scholar than any direct "I'm sorry."
Looking at the little girl with her head bowed and her attitude respectful, Master Li felt his pent-up frustration dissipate like clouds blown away by a spring breeze.
He tried to keep a straight face, but found that he couldn't keep his mouth open no matter what he did.
This girl is truly... a captivating and infuriating devil.
"That's enough." He finally spoke, a hint of amusement in his voice that he himself didn't even realize. "To err is human, to forgive divine. Get up, the ground is cold."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingchen suddenly raised her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him: "Master, you...you're not angry anymore?"
Master Li cleared his throat, trying to regain his serious expression. He turned around, walked behind his desk, sat down, picked up a book, and casually flipped through it.
"You've made the study all wet; how can I not be angry?"
Even so, his eyes kept glancing at Gu Qingchen out of the corner of his eye, and he couldn't hide his satisfaction.
Upon seeing this, Gu Qingchen immediately stopped crying and started laughing. She stuffed the cloth in her hand into Qian Zhenyun's arms and skipped over to the desk.
"Master, please don't be angry. I'll fan the floor dry for you right away!"
As she spoke, she picked up a palm-leaf fan from the table and began to fan the ground with great effort, her small figure full of energy.
Master Li looked at her and finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.
This daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo is indeed not your average unruly child, but a rough gem that needs careful polishing.
He thought that perhaps teaching such a student would be more interesting than teaching ten well-behaved students.
"Alright, alright, stop fanning me." Master Li waved his hand. "If you keep fanning me, you'll blow my old bones apart."
Gu Qingchen stopped what she was doing and stuck out her tongue: "Teacher, may I go back to the schoolhouse now?"
“Go then,” Master Li nodded. “Remember what I said today, and don’t repeat it.”
"Yes!" Gu Qingchen replied, then grabbed Qian Zhenyun and ran outside, "Gungun, let's go!"
Qian Zhenyun was dragged along by her. He turned around, bowed to Master Li, and then ran out after her.
The two jogged along, Gu Qingchen in high spirits, humming a tune she'd picked up from somewhere, her voice clear and melodious.
"Sister, what you just said was really well said." Qian Zhenyun followed beside her, his eyes full of admiration. "I never expected you could come up with so many reasons."
Gu Qingchen proudly raised her chin: "Of course! This young lady has read a lot of books."
“But sister,” Qian Zhenyun said with some worry, “you really won’t talk back to the teacher anymore?”
"Of course not!" Gu Qingchen patted his chest and assured him, "I, Gu Qingchen, keep my word and will never go back on my promise!"
The two walked into the courtyard chatting and laughing, only to see a group of people gathered in front of them, pointing and talking about a child in the middle.
"You bastard, do you even deserve to study here?"
"That's right, you bastard born from your mother's affair, get out!"
"Look at your appearance, you're just a dog living under someone else's roof, and you still have the nerve to pretend to be a scholar here?"
Those words were extremely vicious, causing Gu Qingchen to frown deeply.
She stopped and looked into the crowd.
The boy in the middle was about the same age as her.
Wearing a moon-white school uniform made of decent material, he was clearly from a well-off family.
But he just stood there quietly, letting those people insult him, neither refuting them nor running away, not even crying, just hanging his head, his expression blank.
"Is this child an idiot?" Gu Qingchen muttered under his breath. "Dressed so well, how come he doesn't even put up a fight?"
Qian Zhenyun tugged at her sleeve: "Sister, let's go, let's not meddle in other people's business."
Gu Qingchen didn't move. She stared at the boy, feeling that something was off.
How could a normal child not react at all when humiliated like this?
"Hey!" she suddenly shouted, "What are you doing?"