The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 310 Reading
The master of ceremonies looked at Du Yuan intently for a long time before finally bowing deeply.

He was just a little short of succeeding tonight, but he had nothing to regret about receiving this sentence.

It wasn't because he received some divine advice, but because someone affirmed what he truly desired.

"Thank you, senior!"

Du Yuan smiled and nodded, indicating that she understood. Then, Du Yuan took out a sword-washing stone and asked:

"Fellow Daoist, do you know if the Sword Washing Stone has any other uses?"
The emcee asked curiously:

“If even someone as accomplished as you, senior, doesn’t know this, how could I possibly know? All I know is that it can be used as a whetstone for various weapons to improve their quality. Of course, it can also be used for bartering, but beyond that, I have truly never heard of it.”

Throughout history, the sword-washing stone has only had one use: a 'sharpening stone'.

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan understood.

It seems we didn't use the wrong method back then.

He then cupped his hands and smiled, saying:

"Well then, farewell!"

The emcee bowed to make way, and Du Yuan strode away.

However, before leaving, Du Yuan suddenly stopped and asked another question:
"Fellow Daoist, do you know of any rivers or waterways nearby?"

The emcee recalled for a moment, then pointed northwest and said:
"To the northwest, I remember there's a small river, but it doesn't have a specific name. It's very easy to find."

"Thank you."

Du Yuan then strode towards the northwest.
-
The stream murmurs gently; it is indeed small, which explains why it is nameless.

Even so, that's enough.

The only thing that surprised Du Yuan was that it was already late at night when he arrived here.

But there were several children here.

Tonight, Kyoto may indeed be experiencing too much wind and rain, causing unease and anxiety for those living in the mountains.

But for ordinary people, who were always kept in the dark by the layers of secrets, it seemed to be the same as always.

Could this be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune?

Seeing a gentleman leaning on a sword approaching, the children all stopped what they were doing, wiped the mud off their faces, and, by the firelight, approached Du Yuan and said:
"Sir, what are you doing here alone so late at night?"

The gentleman wasn't dressed in fancy clothes, and the sword he was holding was rusty, but he still looked exceptionally bright and pleasant.

Du Yuan asked curiously:
"And what are those young friends doing here?"

Several children raised their crab traps and said:
"We've come to catch crabs. Sir, you don't know, this is the best time to catch crabs! Every time we come, we can catch a whole cageful and sell it for twenty or thirty coins!"

The few bluish-brown crabs inside the cage were still baring their teeth and claws at Du Yuan.

"That's twenty or thirty coins!" A girl with pigtails next to her nodded in agreement, gesturing with her little hands. "If we save up enough, we can send Little Monkey to school!"

She turned and tugged at the child behind her. The little monkey blushed and shrank back, but still whispered, "Master Li said that reading can help you recognize many characters and even know where the crabs in the river come from."

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan paused slightly in his grip on the sword hilt and looked down at the group of children.

Although Kyoto is a city where the world converges, these children do not live the kind of extravagance that comes with the city. Instead, they are all dressed in coarse clothes, many of which are patched.

In the chilly night, everyone unconsciously leaned against the torches for warmth.

The child called Little Monkey had the most and smallest holes in his clothes among them.

His shoes were so worn that they had holes in them, revealing his toes, which were red and frozen. The children were very understanding and didn't ask the youngest of them to take off their shoes and go into the water with him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be the only one there still wearing shoes. He's also very shy and timid, but his eyes light up remarkably only when talking about school. "How old is the little monkey this year?"

Du Yuan spoke gently.

A child nearby chimed in:

"He's six years old, two years younger than the youngest of us! But Little Monkey is the smartest among us. Even Teacher Li from the village says he's the most likely to be able to read!"

But as they were talking, the child who answered first asked curiously:

"But how could something be read out?"

The girl with pigtails said nonchalantly:

"Why worry about that? As long as we know that studying is good, that's all that matters. Anyway, we're saving up to send the little monkey to school!"

Du Yuan pointed at them and asked:
"What about you?"

The children's expressions turned slightly melancholy:

“Our family is poor and can’t afford to send our child to school, and so is Little Monkey’s family. But he’s different from us; he’s the only one Master Li says can read. We wouldn’t understand anything anyway, so we definitely have to send Little Monkey to school!”

Du Yuan gripped the sword hilt even tighter and asked again:
"What about your parents? This burden shouldn't fall on your shoulders!"

This burden is too heavy for a group of children to bear.

The children pointed to the brightly lit Kyoto and said:

“Since this river dried up, the adults in my family have been unable to fish for a living. They have to go there to work for the gentlemen in the city, and we only see them a few times a month.”

"And I'm getting much less money than before, barely enough to get by!"

"Yes, yes, I remember when this river wasn't this small, we could eat pork during festivals!"

The children huddled together, piecing together the whole story of Du Yuan through their conversations.

This river wasn't originally this small, but it gradually dried up, so much so that the fishermen who relied on the water for a living lost their livelihood and had to go to Kyoto to make a living.

But with all their skills on the water, how much money can they possibly earn in Kyoto?
Naturally, let alone providing for the children's education, even just ensuring their basic needs are met is exhausting.

Du Yuan sighed inwardly, then smiled again.

Holding onto the sword hilt, he squatted down, pinched the children's cheeks, and smiled:

Do you know what the use of reading is?

The children shook their heads blankly. They only knew that studying was a good thing, but they didn't know exactly how good it was.

Du Yuan raised her hand and gently brushed away the grass clippings and mud from the children's heads and shoulders.

"Reading books allows you to learn about many, many stories, about rivers wider than the riverbank, about creatures more interesting than crabs, and about principles that can help you find all the answers."

These words were still a bit profound for a group of innocent children, but they also developed a deep longing for more of the stories Du Yuan told.

Lost in their daydreams, the children said to the little monkey one after another:
"Little monkey, you must study hard in the future and tell us all the stories you read!"

The little monkey nodded earnestly, afraid of forgetting.

Du Yuan laughed at this moment:
"Hey, you don't need him to memorize it and tell it to you; you can read it yourselves!"

The children looked on blankly.

Du Yuan stood up and pointed to the barely discernible riverbed in front of her, saying:
"Reading has countless benefits. It can help you understand principles and justice, broaden your horizons and increase your knowledge. It can even make you like me today!"

(End of this chapter)