红楼梦Chapter9_小升初阅读_小升初-查字典英语网

红楼梦Chapter9

When Chia Cheng came to scrutinise who they were， and he recognised Li Kuei， the son of Pao-yues nurse， he addressed himself to him. You people， he said， remain waiting upon him the whole day long at school， but what books has he after all read? Books indeed! why， he has read and filled his brains with a lot of trashy words and nonsensical phrases， and learnt some ingenious way of waywardness. Wait till I have a little leisure， and Ill set to work， first and foremost， and flay your skin off， and then settle accounts with that good-for-nothing!

This threat so terrified Li Kuei that he hastily fell on both his knees， pulled off his hat， knocked his head on the ground， and gave vent to repeated assenting utterances： Oh， quite so， Sir! Our elder brother Mr. Pao has， he continued， already read up to the third book of the Book of Odes， up to where theres something or other like： Yiu， Yiu， the deer bleat; the lotus leaves and duckweed. Your servant wouldnt presume to tell a lie!

As he said this， the whole company burst out into a boisterous fit of laughter， and Chia Cheng himself could not also contain his countenance and had to laugh. Were he even， he observed， to read thirty books of the Book of Odes， it would be as much an imposition upon people and no more， as (when the thief) who， in order to steal the bell， stops up his own ears! You go and present my compliments to the gentleman in the schoolroom， and tell him， from my part， that the whole lot of Odes and old writings are of no use， as they are subjects for empty show; and that he should， above all things， take the Four Books， and explain them to him， from first to last， and make him know them all thoroughly by heart，that this is the most important thing!