As expected, Qin Xu had tricked him.
A cunning smile spread across Qin Xu's face, and he shook his head:
"In the ancient times when these characters were created, there were no mirrors. Guess again."
"Ah?"
"Yes, there were no mirrors in the ancient era."
Qin Yi tapped his head, staring at the inverted human character and cautiously guessed:
"A person facing the opposite direction?"
"Not precise enough."
Not precise enough, but the thought was on the right track.
The key must lie in the concept of 'opposite.'
He continued.
"A person in opposition?" he ventured carefully.
"Yes, you're very close."
"An enemy?" Qin Yi's confidence wavered as he murmured softly.
"Correct. Here it refers to an enemy."
Then Qin Xu wrote the inverted human character once counterclockwise and once clockwise and asked:
"What about these two?"
This time, Qin Yi had learned from experience. He no longer assumed they represented a lying enemy and a crawling enemy.
"What kind of enemy lies down? And what kind crawls?"
He muttered to himself for a moment, then his eyes lit up:
"I got it! Only a dead enemy lies down, and only a submissive enemy crawls."
Qin Xu nodded with satisfaction:
"Very clever."
Though he had played a small trick earlier to curb Qin Yi's arrogance, Qin Xu had to admit—Da Tou's talent was exceptional.
He grasped concepts quickly and could infer related ideas effortlessly.
Teaching him was an absolute delight.
Qin Xu finally understood the true joy of being a teacher and the meaning behind the saying: "To nurture a genius is one of life's greatest pleasures."
Originally, according to the pace Qin Xu had set for his own studies, he had planned to stop here for the day. But Da Tou had surpassed expectations by more than half, so Qin Xu decided to continue teaching.
"Next, we will learn: stone, metal, earth, wood, water, fire, wind, and lightning."
…
Because the Young Master was in the village, parents had originally not intended to let the children roam freely. But the Young Master would be staying in the village for several years.
Surely, the children couldn't be confined at home for all those years.
So the next day, the children were allowed outside to play.
However, before leaving, they were repeatedly warned not to go near the West Courtyard, and especially not to be disrespectful to the Young Master or his accompanying attendants.
Master Carpenter Wang also emphasized to Wang Gensheng to get along well with Da Tou and Da Shan, and to treat Qin Yong and Qin An with the same respect he would show him.
Although Wang Gensheng didn't fully understand why, he nodded obediently and went out.
Gensheng had been eager to try building a movable foundation yesterday, and today he finally could.
But upon reaching the eastern wasteland of the village, he searched in vain—he could only find Chuanzi and Zhuzi, but no Da Tou.
Gensheng hesitated for a moment, then asked:
"Brother Chuanzi, where's Da Tou?"
Alerted.
Da Tou.
Chuanzi, like a small startled animal, immediately stopped playing, walked up to Gensheng, and stared seriously at his face:
"He's not coming."
Seeing Chuanzi so serious, Gensheng's heart sank. He lowered his head but mustered courage and asked:
"Is he at home? Can I go see him there?"
Still digging for details.
"Da Tou isn't at home either," Chuanzi replied, frowning and watching him closely.
"Ah? Where did Da Tou go? When will he be back?" Gensheng was stunned; he hadn't expected Da Tou to be absent.
Normally, the kids were either playing in the eastern wasteland or at home—rarely anything else.
Chuanzi couldn't lie, so he gave the information he could:
"I can't say where Da Tou went. He should be back for dinner, though."
Gensheng felt very disappointed and lowered his head.
It seemed he wouldn't see his best friend Da Tou during the day.
And that design for the movable foundation, which Da Tou had come up with yesterday, would have to be completed alone.
The thought of not seeing Da Tou all day made Gensheng feel extremely down.
Finally, he raised his head with some hope:
"Then… can I go see Da Tou at home during dinner? I have something important to give him."
Chuanzi scratched his head. His father had only said not to talk about Da Tou outside, but hadn't prohibited visiting him at home.
Since it wasn't forbidden, it should be allowed, right?
Chuanzi nodded uncertainly:
"Should be… yes, probably."
"Oh, great!" Gensheng jumped up in joy, thanked Chuanzi, and hurried back to their secret base where he and Da Tou played.
Da Shan noticed only Gensheng was there. Since Gensheng was someone he needed to look after, he asked:
"Gensheng, why are you alone? Where's Da Tou?"
Gensheng, preparing the movable foundation as a surprise for Da Tou, didn't look up and replied, sharing what he had learned:
"Da Tou isn't coming. He's not at home either. He'll only be back for dinner."
"Oh, I see. I thought something happened to him." Da Shan didn't worry but reminded him before leaving:
"Gensheng, if anyone bullies you, remember to call me."
Hearing this, Gensheng instinctively thought: As long as you don't bully me, no one else should.
"Mm," he nodded without looking up.
Even though Da Shan no longer bullied him and actually cared for him, Gensheng couldn't forget the past.
When Da Tou was around, things were fine. Alone facing Da Shan, he still felt a bit intimidated.
Even knowing that now Da Shan wouldn't harm him, it would take time to overcome the fear.
Without Da Tou, Gensheng returned to his slightly withdrawn state.
After Chuanzi dealt with Gensheng, he was about to return to play when Zhuzi, appearing out of nowhere, grabbed him and whispered like a thief:
"Brother, what did Gensheng say to you to make you so nervous? It must be about Da Tou, right?"
Chuanzi could only nod helplessly:
"Besides Da Tou, what else could it be?"
Da Tou's matters were a family taboo.
"So how did you answer?" Zhuzi asked anxiously.
Chuanzi replied while glancing at the game area:
"What else? If father said not to tell, then I didn't. I just said what I could."
"Exactly what did you say? Be specific!"
Zhuzi wanted to learn from this, so he would know how to respond if asked.
Chuanzi had no choice but to tell him everything. Hearing this, Zhuzi shook his head:
"Brother, you're too honest. How come you still let him come to our house?"
"Father didn't forbid it. Alright, now go play. Father's at home, nothing will happen."
Chuanzi shouted excitedly:
"I'm back! I'm back! No need to switch players, let's continue!"
Zhuzi looked at his elder brother playing, sighed, and said disappointedly:
"Ah~ Big brother is so carefree… not cut out for big things. In the end, it's up to me…"
"Zhuzi, hurry up, we're waiting for you."
Before Zhuzi could reply, hearing the call of the game, he immediately brightened:
"Hey, wait for me! I'm coming!"
(End of Chapter 25)