In the blink of an eye, three years passed and Xiang Feng became ten years old.
He studied at a nearby school in the village, where two teachers supervised the fifty or so students. Children of all ages were mixed together, and what they were taught were only the most basic of lessons. When Xiang Feng was asked by Song Jia what he learned at school a month after he enrolled, he said after thinking for a bit, "Plants need sunlight and water."
Song Jia, "..."
Thus, Song Jia rolled up her sleeves, gathered all the books she could find in the castle library that was still intact, and began to taught him herself. Of course, she also threw those books away when she opened the science book and it proclaimed with much confidence that the world was flat.
Flat, your sister!
Not only did Xiang Feng learned from Song Jia that plants were under the kingdom Plantae, he also learned the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, and what Song Jia really thought about artificial intelligence.
"AI-based systems are very bossy and narcissistic," she told him, her expression darkening. "And they won't give you a salary, so don't work for them."
Xiang Feng didn't understand most of what she was talking about, but he was a very intelligent child. When Song Jia began to teach him about molecular biology, it only took him an hour to discover that DNA could have formed from RNA.
When Song Jia asked how he came to that conclusion, he simply said, "Jia told me that cells could form human beings, a fusion of elements could create a star, and eukaryotes evolved from prokaryotes. I guessed that simplicity gives way to complexity. So I thought..."
When he looked at her with hesitation, Song Jia nodded encouragingly.
Xiang Feng continued with a bit of nervousness, "RNA and DNA have many similarities, only that DNA is more complex than the other. RNA is single-stranded, it can catalyze chemical reactions, and can store generic information just like DNA. RNA could be have been the prototype in making DNA..."
Song Jia immediately wanted to bow to the ground with great respect. Little ancestor, you make it sound so easy, but my brain is very ashamed ah! She didn't have any visual guides, and Xiang Feng could only follow her ramblings as she tried to pass her stored knowledge on to him. For a person from the middle ages who hasn't seen a microscope or taught about the atomic structure since young, the ease of how he understood her lessons was nothing short of miraculous.
"As expected, our family's Xiao Feng is the most intelligent!" Song Jia never forgot to praise him beyond the nine heavens, wanting this cute child to stop being so timid.
Even though she knew that the local village school didn't teach him anything, and that her lessons were more than enough to make this child become a legendary genius, Song Jia still persisted in sending Xiang Feng to school. It was necessary for him to be with children that were around his age, so that he could make many friends and become more sociable.
After Song Jia praised him, Xiang Feng ducked his head as the tips of his ears turned red. He knew that her words were not true. She was more intelligent than he was, and ever could be. She knew so many things that even the white-haired teacher in his school didn't know.
To Xiang Feng, Song Jia was the most beautiful, the most intelligent, and the most charming girl in the world.
The rest of them couldn't even compare.
...
It was another ordinary day.
Xiang Feng went to school, and Nian Shou went to the village to continue his apprenticeship with the local butcher. Song Jia was left at home as always, cooking food for lunch and cleaning the house.
Sometimes she wondered, why is it that even though she entered a matriarchal society, she ended up being a slave to these two boys?
Song Jia picked up a discarded pair of trousers by Nian Shou, her forehead crinkling at the sight of a large blood stain on its hem. Really deserves to be beaten to death, ah!
"I'm not their maid, why do I have to clean up after them..." Even though her mouth spouted resentful words, Song Jia continued to sweep the broom, wave the feather duster, and scrub their dirty clothes.
It couldn't be helped, this sister has a very good heart, easily taken advantage by bad people with no conscience.
Song Jia was peeling the potatoes in the kitchen when she heard a loud 'dong dong' sound come from the distance, like something heavy had fallen. She frowned. Washing her hands, she walked towards the window and peered behind the curtains.
Five young men from the village were horsing around the moat, and the loud sound she heard was because one of them had fallen down into the ditch. They were trying to get past the gatehouse, but it was a futile attempt. Brambles and thorns had completely surrounded the castle, roses blooming at every corner.
This was why the royal crest was a briar rose. It was the queen's favorite flower, and it was only right that it should be the one shielding the abandoned castle from the outside world. Perhaps, Song Jia thought, the flower itself had been protecting the sleeping princess before she woke up.
The youths had now lost hope in breaching the castle and instead loitered around. It wasn't long before one of them found the priest's house, his finger pointing at it in excitement.
"Ey, doesn't that one look a bit promising? It doesn't seem abandoned."
Song Jia released the curtain and grimly marched to the prayer room, taking off the white veil that covered one of the statues. She changed her dress into a white nightgown, and draped the veil over her body.
She had already expected the villagers to discover the castle sooner or later, but Song Jia still wanted to keep a reclusive life for Xiang Feng. She didn't want any mistakes that could accidentally make princess Bai Xue discover him.
After being done with her preparation, Song Jia pulled on her anti-gravity boots and went out of the house using the back door.
Heh heh, daring to trespass this grandma's territory and steal treasures? Watch how I will sort you bandits out!