Chapter 336
This place has long been reduced to ashes, a memory that no longer exists—the Ying Family Manor's ancestral hall.
"Little one, who are you?"
The doorman asked.
"I am..."
Li Mo glanced at his small, tender hands and murmured.
"I am Li Mo, the son of Li County Lieutenant..."
"What brings you here?"
"I came... I came to find... find Bing Tuo... find Ying Bing!"
Li Mo's confusion faded; he had remembered everything!
The doorman didn't think much of it, assuming the child was just looking for a playmate during the New Year festivities.
"Go on in then. Miss Bing seems to have wandered off somewhere; you can look for her yourself."
"Thank you, sir."
Little Li nodded obediently and entered the Ying family's ancestral hall.
To have a manor on the edge of the city speaks volumes about the family's status; even the ancestral hall was quite grand.
At that moment, a banquet was laid out in front of the hall, with guests toasting and chatting merrily, creating a lively atmosphere. Unfortunately, everything was shrouded in a gray haze, lending a sense of emptiness to the vibrancy.
Li Mo searched with his eyes but did not find little Bing Tuo.
Instead, he spotted a couple at the head table, engaged in conversation with those beside them.
"Uncle Ying, Auntie, Happy New Year!"
Li Mo stepped forward to greet them.
These were Ying Bing's parents.
"Is this the child of Li Ge?"
Ying Xu Liang looked down and smiled, pulling out a red envelope from his pocket.
"Happy New Year! Where are Li Ge and his wife?"
"They're at home. I'm here to play with Sister Bing."
Li Mo's voice was clear and pleasant to hear.
Beside Ying Xu Liang, a woman with delicate features said, "Bing Er is sick. Once she gets better, Auntie will bring her to visit."
It seemed that this year, Bing Tuo's frail constitution had begun to show, forcing her to endure the torment of extreme cold.
Li Mo thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go in and see Sister Bing, okay? I promise I won't disturb her."
An old scholar, looking like a teacher, immediately interjected with irritation, "You... you little rascal, you must be up to no good again, right?"
"Huh?"
Li Mo was taken aback, recognizing the voice.
This teacher had only recently been the target of his mischievous antics during a nap, when he had covered the man's face with characters of righteousness...
Who would have thought that memories of the past could still come back to haunt him?
...
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Chapter 367: The Glorious Past of Little Li
"Sir, what are you doing here?"
Li Mo greeted awkwardly.
The old scholar stared at Li Mo, leaning back slightly, his face darkening as if facing a formidable enemy.
"What’s it to you? Go play somewhere else and don’t cause trouble here."
"What’s wrong with this child?"
Ying Xu Liang asked, puzzled. He only knew that Li Ge's child was naturally weak and might share a bond of sympathy with Bing Er.
He never expected the teacher to explode at the sight of Li Mo.
The old scholar, fuming, began recounting Li Mo's "glorious deeds" with a sense of pride:
"On his first day of school, he blew up the outhouse with firecrackers."
Ying Xu Liang chuckled at this, thinking the teacher was overreacting.
"Come on, it’s just a little boy being a little boy. We all did silly things when we were young. I even blew up cow dung with Li Ge back in the day."
"But I was inside at the time!"
The old scholar gritted his teeth.
"......"
Ying Xu Liang fell silent for a moment before reassuring him with a smile, "Kids are mischievous. With your guidance, they can grow up well. Just teach them properly."
"I thought so too, but not long after, he and some classmates were in my garden, competing to see who could pee the farthest. All the orchids I had cherished for so long died."
The old scholar lamented.
"Well, they say organic fertilizer is good for plants... and the outhouse had collapsed at that time..."
Li Mo's voice grew softer.
"Who blew up the outhouse?" The old scholar's eyes widened.
Ying Mu, standing beside Ying Xu Liang, covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Qinghe County wasn’t large; the couple had once been students of the old scholar and were classmates with Li Da Long.
"Teacher, it’s just a little mishap; it’s not a big deal..."
"Ask him who he was with when he did it!"
"??"
Li Mo looked confused.
The things he did as a child were so long ago, and with the awakening of memories from the womb, it was even more muddled.
"He was with a little girl, teaching her to stand and pee, competing to see who could go farther!"
"......"
Little Li fell into deep thought.
Did he really do something so outrageous as a child?
All he remembered were the times he made the old scholar "look righteous."
Ying Mu's smile froze, her gaze turning serious, as if she were looking at a little terrorist.
Ying Xu Liang awkwardly chuckled, "You can’t carve jade without breaking it; you can’t shape a child without some rough edges..."
"The key is this little rascal can’t grasp the teachings of the sages, just like his father; he’s not cut out for studying."
"People have their own struggles; that’s what my father taught me..."
Li Mo scratched the back of his head.
"Anyway, Miss Bing is already sick and shouldn’t be stimulated. I only dared to let her study because I saw this little rascal wasn’t in the private school."
The old scholar shook his head, his anger dissipating slightly, replaced by a sigh.
This little guy was indeed mischievous, but he was also clever; it was a pity his mind wasn’t on his studies.
Seeing that he couldn’t find Bing Tuo, Li Mo felt a bit anxious.
To untie the bell, one must be the one who tied it.
This was a dream formed by Bing Tuo's spirit and memories; if he couldn’t meet the dream's owner, how could he talk about unraveling it?
Moreover, time was tight; he couldn’t wait for the dream to pass and come back another day.
The disaster beast was coming to the Ying family manor tonight.
But!
He was Little Li, a genius!
Especially when it came to making old men happy; he had a bit of authority in that area.
"Old sir, a prodigal son returning is worth more than gold. I actually listened attentively in class."
"What did you hear?"
"The old sir once wrote a poem to encourage learning just for me."
Little Li Mo said earnestly, as if it were a serious matter:
"Unfortunately, I was too young and ignorant at the time to grasp its deeper meaning. Now that I think back, I realize how much care you put into it."
"?"
The old scholar stroked his beard, momentarily stunned.
When did he ever write a poem to encourage learning?
For a scholar who valued reputation, writing a fine piece was something he would never forget, especially since he was always on edge with Little Li Mo in class; where would he find the time to write poetry?
But Li Mo had already picked up a nearby twig and began to write with great seriousness.
For someone who had endured the rigors of compulsory education, many fine works were at his fingertips; not only from textbooks but also from extracurricular lessons.
When it came to classic pieces for students, the theme of "encouragement to learn" was certainly a staple.
Setting aside some that didn’t fit the situation, he could still pick out a couple.
"Youth fades, but learning is hard to achieve."
"An inch of time is worth a pound of gold."
"Unaware of the pond's spring grass dreams."
"The phoenix tree leaves have already sounded autumn."
Oh?
Ying Mu, coming from a scholarly family herself, had some knowledge of poetry and literature. Upon seeing this poem, she seemed to ponder deeply.
Around them, guests and Ying family members gathered, intrigued by the scene, murmuring in admiration.
"This is, I..."
The old scholar's face turned red, feeling a bit flustered.
The poem was excellent, but it had nothing to do with him.
"This was initially a piece from a mischievous student, which the teacher helped polish and returned to me. You even said you wanted to frame it at the school entrance to inspire other classmates."
Li Mo timely interjected, offering the old scholar a way out.
And he spoke loudly enough for the guests to hear, showering the old scholar with compliments, saying they would send their own children to the school in the future.
The flattery made the old scholar's face glow, and he let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"This little rascal... uh, Little Mo is indeed teachable; he’s finally putting his mind to studying."
"After the New Year, you should return to the private school and keep it up!"
"Thank you for your guidance, sir!"
Li Mo earnestly cupped his small hands in salute.
Ying Xu Liang watched the beaming old scholar and then cast a deep glance at little Li Mo.
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