Chapter 145: The Military Officer and the Painting
The cicadas had begun to sing in the streets.
In the following days, Song You often kept the door closed and taught Lady Calico to read characters inside the house.
Of course, it wasn’t all day long; that would be too tiring. Song You generally only taught her in the afternoons after lunch, and then took a nap while she practiced.
Each day, he would teach her only a dozen or so characters.
Every time she learned a new character, he would either marvel, praise her, or express disbelief, suspecting she had secretly put in extra effort. In short, every day was different.
When they got to three or four characters, he would stop promptly, reminding her that ordinary people’s energy and intelligence were limited each day. Although Lady Calico was extraordinarily talented, she was not limitless in energy and intelligence. After her strong insistence, he would teach her a bit more.
After finishing the lesson, he would remind her not to study secretly and pretend not to notice if she did.
The shop sign outside was still up. If someone came to the door to ask for help with exorcism or catching rats, they would go. If visitors saw the door closed and didn’t come in, he didn’t feel guilty for not helping; he simply felt that they were not destined to meet and enjoyed another leisurely day.
Spring gradually ended, and summer arrived.