"Why do you like to read?"
Ji Mingfang had never asked himself this question before. Only after Ji Huan brought it up did he begin to truly think about it.
He wanted to go to the village school and become a man of learning, but was there a more practical reason behind it?
There must have been.
For example, before Ji Liantang went to the village school, Ji Qingshan would teach him calligraphy and would teach Ji Mingfang along the way. Whenever Ji Mingfang learned something before Ji Liantang did, the normally stern Ji Qingshan would smile at him.
That smile and silent praise were things Ji Mingfang could never earn, no matter how much other work he did.
'When you're used to being ignored, and someone finally looks your way, you want to grab hold of that attention and never let go. You desperately try to prove yourself—prove that you won't be a disappointment, prove that you can be even better.'
