Struggle in Ancient Times

Liao Shi broke the silence, “I will go to my er-di tomorrow. Mother listens to my younger brother the most. Don’t worry, I will make you and the child are safe.”

“He is teaching in the town; will he have the time to come back?” Wen Xiuer was a little unsure.
“He should be. My brother used to go home early, even as the teacher he should be done the same. I remember, sometimes er-di would come home even if it wasn’t the holiday. Our village wasn’t far from the town but mother afraid of delaying his study. So, he let him stay in the town instead of going back at home.” Liao Shi thought carefully and explained to Wen Xiuer.
Wen Xiuer was relieved when she heard this, she thought of Liao Tingyu’s character. Back then, he was good at speaking with others but there was a sense of dislike in his eyes. But somehow Liao Tingyu had changed; he treated everyone with respect and kindness, he helped the family situation which made her felt he was truly reliable.

.
The next day, Liao Shi got up early and walked to the town while it was still dark.
Because he arrived in the morning, he saw the students who was rushing for their class. Liao Shi was a little timid when he saw those well-dressed students. He wanted to ask them but didn’t dare to take a step toward them.

He whispered to himself, “Com one, you can do it. Little brother is a scholar, these are his students. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.” He thought about his wife and unborn baby at home, he cheered up and stopped a student who looked friendly.
“This… this… little brother, wait a minute.” These words were said using all of his courage.
The student looked at Liao Shi, who was dressed in rough clothes with dark skin and bent his back like a farmer.

“What’s wrong?”
Although, Liao Shi was embarrassed by the gaze, he still didn’t back down. He though the student would ignore him but instead the student answered. This gave him a huge courage.
“I’m sorry, um, I want to ask you something. Do you know where Liao-xiucai are?” Liao Shi stammered while playing with his hands nervously.

The student looked at him with weird eyes, “What do you want with Teacher Liao? Teacher won’t meet anyone casually.”
Liao Shi knew from the glance the student must thought he was unclean person, a poor family who couldn’t get on the stage.
But Liao Shi didn’t back down, he didn’t dare to say he was Liao Tingyu’s brother. It would be embarrassing if the student didn’t believe him, “I want to ask you, please help me send a message. Here, it’s not much but please don’t mind it.”

The student took the money from Liao Shi and weighted it in his hand with disgust. This alone wasn’t enough for him to drink in a tea house. Alright, he could do a good deed for today, “Just tell me, I have to rush for my class.”
“Well, just tell him. His eldest brother asked him to go home this afternoon if he was free.”
“Teacher Liao’s eldest brother? Okay, I will pass it on.” He was ready to leave but saw Liao Shi still standing, “Is there anything else? Are you regretting trusting me?”

“No… no, I just never saw a magnificent school. I will stay for a while, you are busy, you can go.”
The student didn’t care anymore about him and left. Liao Shi was a little worried his message wouldn’t reach Liao Tingyu but there was no way he could enter the school casually.
He could only sigh and leave silently with an uneasy feeling.