Song Ci was invited to the scholars’ academic exchange. The scholars present were bewildered, but since it was Cui Changxiao who invited her, they couldn’t say anything, as the name Cui Changxiao commanded their admiration.
Listening in is one thing, but she’s just an old lady, and it’s said that the mother of Prime Minister Song hasn’t even been to school. Her literacy is limited—what could she possibly understand?
As for Song Ci, she was quite willing, bringing a small stool and a few of her grandsons along, she seized the opportunity to teach them.
"A large academic exchange is a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity. Each of you should listen carefully to how people talk about their knowledge, jot down what you hear quickly, and later write a reflection to submit. Grandmother will be checking." Song Ci pointed at the charcoal pencils and notebooks in their hands.
Such a large academic exchange is like numerous top students coming together to share their insights and knowledge, it’s indeed a great opportunity to learn. Missing it would be unworthy of being called a scholar.
Before coming here, Song Ci had already instructed someone to bring along the charcoal pencil notebooks produced by the Song Family for her grandsons to take notes.
As for these items, they were naturally invented by Song Ci herself to make it easy for the children to jot down things.
Thus, Song Lingsu and his brothers found nothing novel about it.
But while they didn’t find it new, the scholars did. Hearing what Song Ci said, they all looked over in unison.
They saw each little gentleman of the Song Family holding a sharpened charcoal pencil and a sewn notebook that looked like a book, though completely blank inside, clearly meant for recording. The most update n0vels are published on ⓝovelFire.net
Everyone was somewhat surprised.
Cui Changxiao’s eyes brightened as he asked Song Ci, "Madam, do you have any more of these pencils and notebooks? Could you spare one for me?"
It was just a pencil and notebook, so Song Ci didn’t mind giving one to him, fetching it from a servant.
Cui Changxiao observed the way the Song Family gentlemen held the pencils, slightly different from holding a brush, and couldn’t help but imitate it to write a few characters himself.
The characters appeared quickly on the notebook, slender and clear, the key being there was no need to dip in ink. It made recording swift and convenient.
Cui Changxiao smiled in gratitude, saying, "This pencil and notebook are excellent, convenient for note-taking while traveling."
Song Ci said proudly, "Of course, it was invented by me. As the saying goes, ’a good memory is not as good as a bad pen.’ It’s easy to carry and handy, helping avoid forgetfulness."
"Of course, after all, I raised the Prime Minister."
This lady is indeed not humble, but it happens to be the truth.
Hmm, they’ll make one of those charcoal pencil notebooks later as well.
Song Ci didn’t know that the charcoal pencil and notebooks would soon become all the rage in Great Qing, and not only would students use them to take notes, but others would also use them for jotting things down. Later, some would name these notebooks "notebooks."
Song Lingzhou asked, "Grandmother, should we write down everything?"
"If you have the ability, you could transcribe everything quickly and reflect on it later."
"Even the good and bad? What if what someone says is unpleasant to hear?"
"Write it down. Some words may seem unpleasant, but when analyzed carefully, they contain different insights," Song Ci replied. "In any event, there are always different voices on a matter. Just like it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat. Similarly, a person might not seem ideal, but might still teach you a lesson. For example, their mishaps and bad ideas can be used to help you avoid them and circumvent some detours, can’t they?"
They felt a profound sense of malice!