范仲淹從小家境貧寒，為了讀書，他省吃儉用。終於，他的勤奮好學感動了寺院長老，長老送他到南都學舍學習。范仲淹依然堅持簡樸的生活習慣，不接受富家子弟的饋贈，以磨礪自己的意志。經過刻苦攻讀，他終於成為了偉大的文學家。
Everybody ran inside the school as Fan Zhong Yan watched with a bundle of twigs on his back. The teacher glared at him and slammed the door on him. He looked around and found a window. He poked his head in as the teacher began his lessons. The teacher glared at him from the window.
” Go away!” he barked. Zhong Yan took it by surprise and stumbled back, making the bundle on his back fall and the twigs fell. Then he began to reorganize them.
Back at home, Zhong Yan asked his Mother,” Mother, are there any schools that don’t accept money?”
On the mountain there is a monk who has alot of knowledge. You can go there and clean and cook for him and he might teach you something.” his mother replied.
“Huh?” Zhong Yan asked as he climbed onto a bed. He put himself into a meditating pose. ” Learn what? Meditate?”
Fan Zhong Yan soon became a student. As the monk was teaching, his stomach grumbled. He sighed.
He and his classmate went into their room,” Hurry up and cook! I’m starving to death!”
Zhong Yan obediently reached for the rice sack. He poured some in, then poured some back.
His classmate groaned,” That’s too less! We already canceled three meals a day to two meals a day and we still eat so less! Plus, that rice won’t even become rice! There’s not even enough to make porridge!” he stumbled onto the bed and fainted.
” Huh? He fainted from hunger?”
” NO! I fainted because you made me angry!”
Zhong Yan read while he waited for the porridge to cook. When he was ready, he poured some into the bowl.
” Huh?! Only that little?! If we eat it then it would be all gone!”
” Right, this porridge is so tempting! I should just put it aside so when we’re really starving then we can eat it or else if we see it we would be tempted.” Zhong Yan said as he climbed onto a stool and started reading.
“No! I just randomly said something and he thought I was serious! I’m going to eat my half first!” his classmate said as he chunked down the whole thing.
Soon it was morning and the rooster woke them. Zhong Yan went to the river and washed his face. Then he started reciting his book. When he was, his classmate groaned and his stomach growled.
” Huh? you’re hungry?”
” Of course I would be hungry with one bowl of porridge each day!”
” Then let me give you something good to eat!” he said going back to his room.
” Huh?! Really!Something good? What is it?!”
Zhong Yan walked to the leaft over porridge last night. He tip the pot over and a rectangular gello slipped into the bowl.
” It’s gello?!” his classmate cried in delight.
Zhong Yan sliced it in half. and dumped hishalf back into the pot.
” Huh?! That little only?”
The monk came in and said,” Do you eat this everyday?”
” This porridge gello is really good.” Zhong Yan replied.
” ReallY?! I want to try!” his classmate bent down and licked it. ” This is so gross!”
” The temple doesn’t have any extra food for you. I’ll introduce you to another teacher. One day, you will become someone great.”
Zhong Yan threw the bowl in the air. ” Really?!!” The porridge splashed onto his face and the bowl landed on his head as he chuckled.
