In the eyes of the elderly farmers, sons were the pillars of the household; the more sons a family had, the better. It was already difficult enough to provide for them, let alone afford their education.
A family would struggle to support just one or two book-loving and somewhat clever boys in their studies—a truly difficult endeavor.
The most renowned in the village was now the Scholar, with not a few emerging from the population. It was said to be due to the favorable feng shui of their ancestral graves which, despite never having been seen emitting blue smoke in this village, produced many strong men capable of becoming high-ranking officials in the capital.
Speaking of those who passed exams to become high-ranking officials in the capital, to have one or two in the entire county was already famous; so many people from countless provinces and cities vying for the narrow path to success was by no means easy.
If it was difficult for men to study, then of what use was it for a smart girl to learn to read? In the end, she’d just marry someone else and bear children.
More importantly, if there was money, it was to be prioritized for the boys’ education; it didn’t matter if girls could read or not, as long as they mastered needlework and household chores.
However, ever since Mrs. Li gave birth to Ye Shiqi, the family began to prosper. This little girl also brought along a younger brother, which could be said to have brought wealth to the family.
In others’ eyes, Ye Shiqi was always a bringer of good fortune to the household. Who wouldn’t envy Mrs. Li? This frail woman, who knew but a few characters, bore such a clever and quick-witted daughter and immediately brought immense wealth to her family.
From being pitied by everyone, she abruptly became the object of envy and jealousy—a contrast that was truly unbelievable.
In every place here, there was a legend of an immortal, and statues of immortals were worshipped.
The elders also deeply believed in feng shui; when building houses or selecting burial sites for ancestors, they would invite a feng shui teacher to determine if it was a geomantic treasure spot for reburial.
Some elders speculated that since Mrs. Li was stung by a wasp before giving birth, the daughter born thereafter appeared to be smarter.
There were even rumors that the place where Mrs. Li had gone to cut grass on the mountain before giving birth was where she had inadvertently met an immortal; thus, the child she bore was a descended immortal.
If not, they had never seen such a young child able to learn Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting so well; even if she had been learning these skills in the womb, she couldn’t have been so capable.
Not to mention writing and reading characters, even her skill in painting surpassed some of the masters they had seen, who were nothing more than Scholars proficient in writing.
These Scholars had also spent many years learning before they could practice good handwriting.
Ye Shiqi had always been at home, or playing with playmates, and when she came outside, she also received a lot of attention. Compared to the great stars she had seen in her previous life, ancient people were a bit more conservative.
Ye Shiqi had just peered through the wide-open gates of the ancestral hall and spotted a group of boys between ten and fourteen or fifteen practicing lion dance.
The sound of gongs and drums coming from within did not interfere, as a teacher was instructing some of the younger boys in Martial Arts.
Teachers had disciples, and not all children from the village were selected; this was why some boys stood at the gates watching and following along, unable to go inside to learn.
Ye Shiqi was asked by the girls to play the flute, while the girls danced to aerobics.
If some older girls played the flute, they might be the subject of gossip or idle talk. But seeing this two or three-year-old girl playing the flute only drew admiration from the listeners, who, even if they didn’t understand music, pretended to know and moved their bodies along.
The inside "dong-dong qiang" sounds and the outside flute playing did not clash.
Ye Shiqi could not compose music but followed the drumbeats and rhythm of the musical instruments being played.
Amidst the sound of the flute, the girls began their regular aerobics routine.
However, Ye Shiqi’s gaze was not on the girls; these doors were never open before, and girls were not allowed to go inside.
She had never seen boys practice dancing and lion dance training before, and she took this excellent opportunity to firmly memorize their movements, which could be called stealing skills.
During festivals, she had seen adults bring some children to perform lion dances at houses, but it was just playing around briefly before leaving.
For these farmer families, practicing Martial Arts was merely for strengthening the body and had nothing to do with showing off outside or using it to fight and cause trouble.
Ye Shiqi had thought before of acquiring more skills, pondering that one day they might come in handy.