After Being Abducted by the General

chapter 120

Yuan Li began to suspect if Chu Hechao's brain had gone bad. With a smile on his face, he playfully hit Chu Hechao several times, almost knocking him off the horse.

Chu Hechao didn't retaliate until someone turned their heads to look at them. He suddenly grabbed Yuan Li's wrist, coughed, and sternly said, "Alright, you've hit me enough, calm down."

He then quickly lowered his voice, "Le Jun, show me some face in front of others."

Yuan Li's expression remained unchanged.

Because of Chu Hechao's annoying remark, Yuan Li was angry with him the whole day and didn't want to pay him any attention.

When they went to sleep that night, Yuan Li decided that Chu Hechao's infuriating behavior needed to change, and he had to rectify his unruly character.

Early the next morning, Yuan Li dragged Chu Hechao into the study, made him sit down, and instructed him to read and practice calligraphy to clear his mind.

He placed the Confucian classic, "Spring and Autumn Annals," on the table and said seriously, "You need to finish reading this book within three days."

Chu Hechao was a clever person, and he had the rare ability of photographic memory. Yuan Li had been hoping to utilize his talent, but Chu Hechao was reluctant to read more books. In Yuan Li's eyes, this was a complete waste.

Chu Hechao frowned, "Do I really have to read it?"

Yuan Li straightforwardly responded, "Yes, you do."

He patiently explained, "Common people from ordinary families might never see the appearance of 'books' in their entire lives. But you come from a noble background, and there are the Four Books and Five Classics for you to read. So, you must read them."

Chu Hechao helplessly said, "But I have already read 'Spring and Autumn Annals' before."

"Then read it again," Yuan Li took over the conversation, "There's nothing wrong with learning more and gaining knowledge."

Chu Hechao had no choice but to pick up the book and start reading.

Yuan Li pressed him to read the book for the whole day, and whenever Chu Hechao tried to slack off, he would frown at him. Reluctantly, Chu Hechao managed to finish about half of the book and surprisingly remembered quite a lot.

Yuan Li became even more delighted, and he was determined not to let Chu Hechao's talent go to waste. He collected all the books he could find and calligraphy practice scripts that scholars had used, making Chu Hechao read the books while practicing his elegant handwriting, "You have great potential. You only had limited learning opportunities when you joined the army as a youth. But it's never too late to start now. Once you finish reading these books, you'll be accomplished."

Chu Hechao felt a headache looking at the books on the table and sighed, "My parents wanted me to study, but I never did. I never expected to end up studying under you."

Yuan Li chuckled. He wasn't trying to exploit Chu Hechao, but rather treating him fairly, "I'll study with you too, how about that?"

Chu Hechao's interest still wasn't very high, "What's the benefit of learning all these?"

"Well, there are many benefits," Yuan Li replied.

Yuan Li talked endlessly, explaining to Chu Hechao the numerous benefits of learning and reading more. But before he finished his words, Chu Hechao lazily held Yuan Li's chin and taught him, "Yuan Le Jun, we're both mature adults. If you want me to do something, you naturally need to offer me some benefits I'm interested in..."