CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: THE GAP

Bamboo Orchid Pavilion.

In the main hall, a redwood inlaid nacre desk is placed in the center, with two redwood desks carved with cloud begonia patterns placed a meter apart on either side. The desk center is spacious, bordered all around, with drawers for books and items, directly facing the blackboard on the platform.

Mr. Xun was speaking fluently on the platform.

The teaching started with the basics one, two, three, four... breaking down words into homophones, vowels, rhyme sounds...

Shen Chen had studied for a while with a teacher outside the residence and often eavesdropped at the academy, learning rather quickly—he understood it after just going over it once.

On the other side, Ye Zhi only half-understood, holding a wolf hair brush, trying hard to jot down what the teacher said!

Many incomplete and crooked characters appeared on the rice paper.

The script of the Daqing Dynasty mainly used the small seal script. Secondarily were the Han official script, Hua official script, and small regular script...

This script is unlike both the traditional Chinese characters of the 21st century and ancient times, it’s a completely new writing.

Alas, if you don’t study hard, you’ll end up illiterate.

Ye Zhi, being a proper and patriotic young lady, planned to roam the Jianghu and uphold justice; how could she not recognize the characters?

After the first calligraphy lesson ended, Mr. Xun left first, anyway, the afternoon class was also his, and overrunning the class was not his style.

Ye Zhi realized the gap between her and the Little Traitor, working hard to extend her study in the Bamboo Orchid Pavilion for another half an hour.

To sort out what Mr. Xun taught her clearly, to understand what he meant.

Holding the wolf hair brush with swift strokes, trying to make up for the lack of intelligence with effort: the difference between homophones, vowels, rhyme sounds is...

Shen Chen didn’t leave either. He understood everything the teacher taught, and he fully observed his tablemate’s half-understanding, anxious, and wistful expressions, but in the end, he still didn’t speak and accompanied her in practice.

Before they knew it, it was time for Feng Liuli’s drawing lesson.

Still in the Bamboo Orchid Pavilion.

Drawing mainly requires understanding some concepts of volume and perspective, which effectively enhance the in-depth comprehension of depicted objects; otherwise, one wouldn’t know how to start.

For beginners, fundamental skills must be taught.

An egg, a begonia flower, and an apple were placed on the podium.

Feng Liuli asked the two to draw these items, to start learning basic sketching and color training, as these three have different colors and volumes.

Meanwhile, she also wanted to assess these two students’ fundamental drawing skills to see if they had any artistic talent.

The results came out, and she herself was a bit surprised.

She had originally favored the charming and youthful Ye Zhi but unexpectedly found that it was the genteel Shen Chen who drew better.

To avoid showing favoritism: "Both of you drew well, but Ah Zhi, your painting lacks a bit of dynamics, insufficient shading. Flowers are naturally delicate; the petals should not be painted too thick to show some freshness, like painting it this way."

While explaining, she dipped the wolf hair brush into paint and started painting with swift strokes.

After teaching, she also pointed out a few minor issues for Shen Chen.

Although it was her first teaching session, she thoroughly considered the students’ psychology.

Such careful considerations were unmatched by the other two male teachers.

Feng Liuli showed no expression on the surface, but in her heart, she gave herself some praise, knowing she had a cold exterior but a warm heart, rarely showing her true thoughts.

Ye Zhi looked at her own painting, then looked at Shen Chen’s work; the differences appeared again.

Indeed, as the male protagonist, his works were much better than hers.

The flowers looked vividly alive, and both the egg and apple had a sense of volume and form.

In contrast, alas, Ye Zhi glanced at Feng Liuli, instantly understanding why she still pointed out issues in Shen Chen’s work, fearing to only point out hers and cause her embarrassment.

After all, being the protagonist of the story, it’s normal to be more outstanding than herself.