Chapter 7: Ignis Skill (2/2)
”These pictures are the working flow of Internal Qi!” Wang Tianlei said to himself without any doubts. ”What a pity! These pictures are only able to be fully understood when coordinated with the characters on them!”
”It doesn't matter. You can learn it!” Little Shiba focused his eyes on the last page of Ignis Skill and blurted out, ”The old blind man can recognize the characters!”
”Right! Why didn't I think of it?” Wang Tianlei suddenly made a strange cry and straightened his body from the chair. ”The old blind man can see nothing, however, he still can teach us.”
”Yeap! Yeap! I also want to learn it!” Little Shiba said. He cast a last glance at the book and gently put it down. ”Brother, can you teach me after you've learned it? Is that ok?”
”Anyway, that old swindler has nothing to do, and he's not able to support himself. We might as well give him a chance to teach us. It's not just for me, but for all people in the village. Whoever wants to study, it's ok. Especially those little kids, troublemakers, all of them should be forced to study. There are also some hunters who are full of energy. After practicing every day, these hunters can learn to recognize words, which could develop their minds and improve their hot tempers. In this way, the old swindler can get rewards, and doesn't have to pretend to be poor in the village all day!”
”Is that all right?” There were some doubts flashing on Zhou Hua's face after she heard that. ”Will someone else come to study?”
”I don't care whether they come. In this case, they'll decide on their own. But all village kids like Little Shiba should. Hey, I suffered a lot from being illiterate.”
At that moment, he sighed with a sense of bitterness.
”You're just 20 years old, don't act like an old man.”
Hearing Wang Tianlei's sigh, Zhou Hua frowned and pinched him unhappily.
”Teach us?” Little Shiba was stunned by that until he digested what he meant, which made Little Shiba idolize him more. Was that not a campaign to wipe out illiteracy? It was a time when people's literacy was extremely backward. Like their village, excluding Little Shiba, only the old swindler, incapable of seeing things, was literate.
Moreover, in this era, at least in the eyes of these villagers, there was no use in improving their literacy. For the villagers, only the gentlemen who lived in the county town could read and write, while their lives were to hunt and farm during the day and to create the next generation with their wives at night.
What Wang Tianlei planned was much greater than these ordinary mountain villagers. It might, however, be very difficult to carry this matter out.
”Well, brother, I also want to learn to read. Can you talk to my father about letting me go to school? Can you?!”
”Of course, it's beneficial for you to learn at a young age. Hasn't father-in-law said that you'll be sent to Qingyang Market as an apprentice? If you learn to read, your prospects are much brighter than ordinary people's!” Wang Tianlei said with laughter, patting Little Shiba's little head.
Little Shiba twisted several times and got his head out of Wang Tianlei's big hands. ”Well, my brother, if the old blind man teaches you, you must tell me!”
”Don't call him the old blind man anymore. He'll be your teacher, so you should respect him!” Suddenly, Wang Tianlei said with a solemn look, ”These are rules and principles. You should keep in mind that rules and principles shouldn't be abandoned at any time!”
”Yes, brother!” Little Shiba nodded quickly, with an appearance of willingness to accept instructions.
”Well, boy, you've already had your meal, and it's time for you to go home. Our mother will blame you again if you don't go home immediately!”
After Little Shiba heard the words from his brother-in-law, he felt amnesty in his heart and said, ”Oh, ok, thank you, my brother. I'm leaving.” He then trotted off and left Wang Tianlei's home.
This is awesome. Now, the last picture has been ensured, and the fact that I can read will be covered up. Good, really good, my brother-in-law is talented. It's a pity for him to stay in the village. But if not for his help, however, I wouldn't be so lucky!
Little Shiba, Boxer, and Houndie lived in one very large room. Although the Zhou's were not a rich family, they had enough room. The three brothers lived in one room but were very far away from each other. What was more, they had their own soil bed. Though the soil bed was quite cheesy and inferior, it was very warm and practical.
Little Shiba's bed was against the south wall where there was a hole whose size was just enough to let the bright moonlight through the window.
After he climbed on his bed and covered up with his quilt, he groped around the mattress a few times and took out several pieces of crumpled paper. He then carefully looked at these papers with the dim moonlight through the small hole. A naked figure drawn by charcoal pencils was presented on the paper, and the figure was made up by a few black lines. At the junction of the black lines, acupoints were written down one by one, and it was the pictures that Little Shiba memorized from Ignis Skill. Today he was going to make a final confirmation!