A Top Scholar From A Humble Background.

Summary

The passage describes a conversation between Shen Xi, his mother Zhou Shi, and his stepmother Huiniang after the county magistrate Ye Ming Su visits their medicine shop. Zhou Shi scolds Shen Xi for disobeying her and causing trouble, but Huiniang notices that the magistrate seems infatuated with the painting Shen Xi brought. They warn Shen Xi to be careful and avoid provoking the new magistrate. Shen Xi then rewrites a book for his young student Lu Xi Er, with help from Lin Dai, who grinds ink for him. His parents discuss saving money to buy their own courtyard and separating from Shen Xi's grandmother's household. Shen Xi teases Lin Dai about her being too young to understand certain things between adults.

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