Ants Moving

Bai Shanbao said, "You have to be as powerful as Confucius." Zilu said, "Teacher Confucius is warm, kind, respectful, frugal, and yielding, so everyone is willing to share stories with him.""'"

Manbao, full of confidence, said, "I can definitely do it too." By the way, what do "warm," "kind," "respectful," and "frugal" mean? Let me know, does it mean to be modest, right?

Bai Shanbao looked down on her and said, "You don't even know what it means, and you're saying you can do it." "A child who talks big is not a good child."

"Do you know anything?" Keke said, "Before doing something, you have to set a goal first so that you can make a plan." "Of course, the goal should be as big as possible."

System: "..."

Bai Shanbao's eyes rolled suspiciously. "Really?"

Manbao nodded vigorously, "Of course, it's true."

"Then, I want to become a high-ranking official in the future, even surpassing my father." "I don't want to be the same type of official as my father."

Manbao exclaimed with excitement, "What kind of official is your father?"

Bai Shanbao was somewhat proud, but also with a hint of restraint. "My father is a county magistrate."

Manbao didn't have a good feeling about the county magistrates. She said, "County magistrates are not good people." "They always take our money."

Bai Shanbao was not happy. He said, "My father is a good official and has received awards from the court."

Mr. Zhuang heard the conversation as soon as he entered the classroom. He frowned. How could such young children talk about politics?

Do these two little kids even know what a county magistrate does?

Mr. Zhuang took the two children to the courtyard to talk.

Bai Shanbao was a little uneasy at first because, in his experience, being called out by the teacher alone was never a good thing.

But Manbao was different. She was more accustomed to sitting in the courtyard with Mr. Zhuang, reading and talking, rather than sitting in the classroom.

So, she happily followed along.

Seeing Manbao's happy face, Bai Shanbao felt that it shouldn't be a bad thing, so he relaxed and went along.

Mr. Zhuang sat on a stone bench, called the two children over, and asked, "What were you talking about just now?"

Shanbao lowered his head. To him, the teacher's question felt like a reprimand for talking in class.

But Manbao didn't think so. When she heard the teacher's question, she happily told him everything they had said and even asked, "Teacher, are there good county magistrates too?"

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but ask her, "Why do you think county magistrates are bad?"

Manbao then told him about the additional fee she had to pay when entering the county the other day. She also mentioned the news her fifth brother had heard from the county, that soon, even pedestrians entering the city would have to pay an entrance fee.

She thought all county magistrates were corrupt, only interested in extorting money from the common people.

Mr. Zhuang was silent for a while and asked, "Do you know what a county magistrate does?"

Shanbao looked at Manbao, then at Mr. Zhuang, feeling that Mr. Zhuang was different from the previous teachers. Therefore, he also spoke up, "A county magistrate is like a father and mother to the county, managing the common people."

Mr. Zhuang chuckled and asked, "What else?"

Bai Shanbao was not an honest child. If he were, he wouldn't have been called out by the teacher so often in the clan school, and he wouldn't have made faces at Manbao in front of the teacher's parents yesterday.

So, with Mr. Zhuang's encouragement and Manbao as an example, he joined in.

Manbao said, "Collecting entrance fees!"

Shanbao said, "Judging cases."

Manbao said, "Collecting grain taxes." My family just paid taxes not long ago.

During that time, Zhou Sirlang also got involved in gambling, following the villagers.

Shanbao added, "And catching thieves, acting as the people's advocate."

Shanbao thought for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "They also have to persuade the people to plant crops and raise silkworms."

Manbao said to him, "You're really silly." Our family farms, so when the time comes, we will plant on our own. Do we still need the county magistrate to persuade us?

"We do." If you don't believe me, ask the teacher. My grandmother said that being a county magistrate involves persuading people to engage in farming and silkworm rearing. "My father died while persuading the people to farm and raise silkworms when he encountered bandits."

Mr. Zhuang didn't expect Shanbao to be a descendant of a martyr. His expression became even gentler. He reached out and patted his head, saying, "What you have determined is just the superficial appearance you have seen." "This is not right."

The two children were puzzled.

Seeing the two children's confused expressions, Mr. Zhuang was speechless. "They were still young," he said, "and might not be able to understand."

Mr. Zhuang pondered with his eyes downcast, unsure of his thoughts.

The two children waited quietly. After a long silence, Manbao scratched his head and swayed his body from side to side, accidentally bumping into Shanbao.

Shanbao glanced at the teacher and accidentally bumped into him with his small body.

Manbao almost fell, blinked, and then stumbled backward.

The two children seemed to be competing. When Mr. Zhuang wasn't paying attention, their small bodies pressed against each other, pushing and shoving.

Mr. Zhuang was still lost in thought. He suddenly saw an ant nest not far away and had an idea. He looked up and saw the two children pushing each other, and couldn't help but cough lightly.

Manbao and Shanbao instantly stood still. But because Shanbao stopped a little faster, Manbao was a bit slower and bumped into him, knocking him to the ground.

The two children rolled into a ball, and Mr. Zhuang was afraid they would cry, but they quickly got up from the ground and stood still.

Mr. Zhuang was both amused and exasperated. He waved to the two of them, saying, "Come here."

They approached, and Mr. Zhuang pointed to the ants on the ground and asked them, "What is this?"

The two children answered, "Ants!"

"Yes, these are ants."

The two children were stunned. "Can ants be good or bad?"

"You've judged county magistrates as good or bad, so why can't ants be judged as good or bad?"

Manbao said, "They are bad because they steal our food." "Look, they are carrying rice; it must be stolen."

Shanbao nodded.

Mr. Zhuang burst into laughter and asked, "But I'm not asking you if the ants are good or bad now. I'm asking you what you see."

Shanbao said, "They are queuing to move things."

Manbao, who had played with ants a lot, knew a little more than him, and said, "Ants move when it's going to rain."

Mr. Zhuang asked her, "How do you know that ants move when it's going to rain? Have you seen the rain coming?"

The two children looked up at the big sun in the sky and shook their heads simultaneously. But Manbao insisted, "My mother said so. Ants move when it's going to rain."

Mr. Zhuang nodded, "Then let's see if it will rain today."

Shanbao whispered to her, "The sun is so big, how can it rain?"

Manbao hesitated because this was something her mother often said, so she remembered it, but she had never paid much attention to whether ants moving meant it would definitely rain.