Ill-feeling, dagger-likewords, hostilelooksonthepartofthestepdaughters-in-law—, -in-law, , .
Althoughshecouldneitherreadnorwrite, mymotherstakedallherhopeonmyeducation.IwasaprecociouschildandbeforeIwasthreehadlearnedover800characters, , , becauseofmycompletelackofchildplay, IwasgiventhenicknameofShien-seng（theMaster） , atCornellUniversity, Iwasnicknamed“Doc” whenIwasasophomore, andforthissameweakness.
, amanwho, shesaid, —-openeyes, butsherarelygaveupthismorningsermonexceptwhensomeladyguestwasstayingwithusinthesameroom.
Whendaylightcame, , Iwasalwaysthefirsttoarriveatschoolandalmosteverymorningknockedatmyteacher’, wheneachboybowedtothebigpictureofConfuciusincrimsonrubbingandtotheteacherandwenthome.Theaveragelengthoftheschooldaywas12h.
Whileallowingmenochildplayofanykind, mymothergavemeeveryencouragementinmychildishattempttobuildatempleofworshiptothegreatsage, -sister, , ’, secretlybelievingthatthespiritofConfuciuswouldsurelyrewardmebymakingmearenownedscholarandsuccessfulcandidateintheliteraryexaminations.
MyfatherwasaclassicalscholarandasternfolloweroftheNeo-ConfucianistRationalPhilosophyofChuHsi （1130–1200A.D.）.’shouse （whichwasmyfirstschool） asun-bleachedsignbearingthewords “NoAlmsforBuddhistMonksorTaoistPriests,” which, Ilearnedafterward, , myscholarlyunclesoonlefthometobecomeapettyofficiainnorthernAnhui, andmyelderbrotherswereinShanghai.
