When Shen was a boy, he much preferred being outside in the colorful real world than stuck in the classroom every day memorizing text. So he often cut class, and if he was caught, he got a beating at school and another one at home.
沈從文因為覺得在私塾每天背書的日子，不如外面花花世界來得有趣，因此常常逃學，只要被捉到，他就會在學校和家中各挨一頓打。