Wang Mian
However, there used to be an upright man in the late Yuan dynasty. He, named Wang Mian, lived in a village in Zhou Ji county. After he had lost his father at the age of seven, his mother earned money to support his study in the village school by doing some needlework. Three years later, when he was ten years old, his mother said to him,“my son, I am not willing to delay your study, but I, as a widow, can’t have afforded our life, let alone your study since your father died. What’s worse, these years are bad in harvest, and the daily necessities are expensive. Besides, there have several old clothes and old furniture been impawned or sold. Now we make a living only by my needlework which is not enough. Nowadays, I have no choice but send you to look after cows for one of our neighbors which you can not only earn little money but also get yourself some meals. And you will start the work tomorrow.”Wang Mian said,“what Mom said is true. If I stay in the school all the day, I will feel boring. It is more pleasure for me to herd the cattle. If I want to study, I can bring some books to read.” They reached to an agreement that night.
The next day, Wang Mian along with his mother went to Old Qin’s house, next to Wang’s house. After providing them with breakfast, Old Qin pulled a buffalo and hand it to Wang.
Since then, Wang Mian had spent time looking after Old Qin’s buffalo. Every evening he went back home to accompany his mother and to sleep. When sometimes the Qin gave him some cooked fish and bacon, he would take it to his mother, which was packed with lotus leaves. He saved the money for one or two months, which he should have used for buying some dessert every day, He would go to the village school and with the money he bought several used books from people who visited the school, after he found free time. Every day when he tied the buffalo, he would read his books sitting under the shallow of willows.
彭晶英教一班2012090118。