CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: TREATMENT THE HEROINE CAN’T MATCH

On the first day of school, besides arranging the seating according to the learning progress, Mr. Zhang also assigned homework for every student to take home.

The senior students who had read the Four Books got essay topics to write, while the other students practiced writing characters.

The difference was that the middle-grade students wrote by themselves, but beginners like Tang Xiaobai were given copybooks from the teacher to practice with at home.

As the ink thickened, Tang Xiaobai spread out the paper and prepared to start on the homework.

Just as she dipped her brush into the ink, a thought crossed her mind. She raised her head and handed the pen toward the young boy: "You should write too!"

Li Mu was taken aback.

"From now on, whenever the teacher assigns homework, you’ll do it with me!" Tang Xiaobai said with a cheerful smile.

Li Mu smiled slightly and took the pen.

This little girl always considered him thoughtfully—

"Ah Yuan!"

The smile on the boy’s face froze.

Tang Xiaobai was getting up to call someone outside and didn’t notice the boy’s change in expression.

She not only called in Ah Yuan but also Tao Zi and Cheng Zi, repeating what she had just said to Ah Xiao.

They’re all children out of school. One, two, four—all can be tutored the same way, can’t they?

Tang Xiaobai then ordered a few more tables to be brought over, joining them together. The five children neatly gathered around a table, and she distributed pens and papers to each of them.

Looking at the two charming young girls on the left and the two delicate young boys on the right, Tang Xiaobai suddenly felt a sense of maternal pride.

If she ever returned to her own world, she could even write a book called "After Transmigration, I Opened a Literacy Class in Ancient Times."

Feeling pleased, she glanced over at Ah Xiao—

The boy’s lips were tightly pressed, his back stiff, exuding an aura of coldness and resistance.

Tang Xiaobai tapped her head with the tip of her pen, feeling a bit flustered.

Wasn’t he just appeased? Why is he unhappy again?

Truly like dealing with an ancestor...

...

Tang Xiaobai had never practiced with a brush before, and the ones here differed from the ones in her time, so writing was quite laborious.

After managing to practice ten large characters, she felt completely exhausted.

Putting down the pen, she rubbed her wrist while craning her neck to look over at Ah Xiao.

The boy was as sharp as ever; she hadn’t seen anything when he noticed her.

"Let me see!" Tang Xiaobai boldly leaned over the table to look at his writing.

The boy glanced at her indifferently, lifted his arm just enough to block her view.

Tang Xiaobai frowned. Still upset? That upset? What could he be angry about?

But with three other kids around, she couldn’t ask directly. Instead, she forcibly lowered his raised arm and gave him an unhappy look when he turned to her.

As if others don’t know how to get angry?

Seeing her annoyed, Li Mu quietly pulled back his arm, no longer being stubborn.

Tang Xiaobai huffed lightly and turned to look at his writing.

Seeing it, Tang Xiaobai immediately felt a pang of envy: "How do you write so nicely?" Both were students out of school, so why did his writing look so proper?

Li Mu’s mouth twitched.

He had already tried to write like a beginner. If Master Xu saw these characters, he wouldn’t know how heartbroken he’d be.

But after glancing at Second Miss Tang’s work, Li Mu chose to remain silent.

"Keep writing!" Second Miss patted his arm and threw down this sentence, stretching her neck to look past him at Ah Yuan beside him.

Li Mu pressed his lips and pulled her back forcefully. Once he got her attention, he said coldly, "Finished."

The little girl, indeed showing disbelief, lowered her head and started counting the papers in front of him.

After counting, the little girl’s glare became even more envious.

Li Mu glanced at her seat and said, "Second Miss should focus, or you’ll not finish by dark."

The little girl mumbled a few things indignantly but obediently returned to her seat...

...

At night before bed, Tang Xiaobai declined the maid’s help and organized the homework she would submit the next day by herself.

Inadvertently, she glanced at the other four’s assignments.

Lined up separately, Qin Xiao’s writing stood out like a crane among chickens.

She stared at it for a while and suddenly had an idea—

...

The next morning, at Zhiqin Academy, Mr. Zhang instructed the scholar’s attendant Qing Zhu and the temporary attendant Ah Xiao to collect the students’ homework.

Li Mu walked to the last row, the first to collect was Second Miss Tang’s assignment.

Second Miss Tang, aware of her poor writing, acted a bit furtively when handing over her homework, but her neighbor Gu Qinglan caught a glimpse.

"Pfft!" Gu Qinglan couldn’t help but laugh.

The little Miss Tang blushed.

"It’s okay! It’s okay!" Gu Qinglan smiled, showing her own work, "Look, I didn’t write well either. We’re in the same group, who’s better than whom?"

Tang Xiaobai glanced at Gu Qinglan’s work, it was indeed slightly better, but not by much, which made her feel a bit better.

"Let’s practice more, we’ll write well in the future!" Gu Qinglan comforted.

"Yeah, yeah!" The little girl smiled sweetly with dimples.

In the whole clan study, there were only four girls, besides Second Miss Tang, all were daughters from the Gu family.

One was a five-year-old from the fourth house of the Gu family, and the other two were about the same age as Tang Xiaobai, the legitimate daughter Gu Qinglan and an illegitimate daughter Gu Yulan from the third house of the Gu family.

When the seats were arranged, the sisters happened to sit on either side of Tang Xiaobai, so after she looked at Gu Qinglan’s work, she naturally turned to look at Gu Yulan’s.

Gu Yulan instinctively covered it, giving a hurried smile, shyly saying, "My writing is bad..."

"Could it be worse than mine?" Tang Xiaobai half-jokingly and half-reassuringly said.

Gu Yulan blushed but said nothing, handing her work rolled up to Ah Xiao.

Ah Xiao took it, spread it out flat, and upon seeing the writing on the paper, his eyes flickered slightly before glancing at Tang Xiaobai.

Tang Xiaobai hadn’t intended to insist on seeing Gu Yulan’s work, but after that look from him, she instinctively looked down at the stack of paper he was holding.

Whether by coincidence or not, as Ah Xiao walked forward, the topmost paper slipped down, landing right in front of Tang Xiaobai.

Tang Xiaobai took one look and understood everything.

Once the fallen page was picked up by Ah Xiao, Tang Xiaobai discreetly leaned over to ask Gu Qinglan, "Did my third uncle insist on you coming to accompany me at school?"

Gu Yulan’s handwriting obviously had been practiced.

The Gu Family was a scholarly family; even illegitimate daughters had practiced writing. There’s no way the legitimate daughter Gu Qinglan could write like that. It’s clear she wrote poorly on purpose not to embarrass Tang Xiaobai.

Since they clearly had a foundation, yet still attended the clan school with her in the beginner’s group—

Tsk tsk... Look at her treatment, even better than a protagonist!

Gu Qinglan shot her a glance: "Stop flattering yourself; if you’re allowed to play in the clan study, why can’t we?"

Tang Xiaobai giggled and was about to exchange more affectionate words when she heard Mr. Zhang suddenly call her name in front:

"Second Miss Tang—"

Looking up, she saw Mr. Zhang holding a sheet with an inscrutable expression.