"You want to learn Mandarin?"

"His other language has tones so it'll be easy!"

"I want to learn all the languages! But Mandarin first because it's important. I think I can do it. I learned Zulu by myself in three months. ...Although it's related to Chichewa which I grew up speaking, I think, and Mandarin would be harder than that. But easier with teachers and books." He is slightly bouncing again with excitement. 

"That's quite impressive. Wei Wuxian wants to teach you? The obvious trade is language for language but I don't know what else you know..."

"I know Zulu and Chichewa! Which are tonal languages too. And I know some Africaans but not fluently yet. ...I can trade lookout duty too, I'm really good at finding mals." 

"Do you prefer set time or favors to be named later?"

"....I'm not sure? I guess maybe set time, so I can plan around it. But - whatever is most helpful for you?" 

"Shanghai enclave members who do highest-risk things regularly are maintenance team, but we also need coverage for supply runs and similar."

"We should keep it as favors. We don't know what's going to come up."

He kisses Meng Yao's knee. "That's probably wise."

"...All right." 

Masozi takes a deep breath. "- Wei Wuxian says that you - try to protect everyone in your enclave and keep them alive, and that includes maintenance people and allies and - kids who aren't good at fighting yet. I'm curious why you think that's the best strategy to survive and win." 

"Do you know anything about Confucianism?"

It sounds vaguely familiar but he can't quite place it. "....Is that a different thing from Taoism?" 

"Yes. Chinese practice several... religions? Philosophies? I don't know the word."

"Confucianism speaks of five relationships-- ruler and ruled, parent and child, older sibling and younger sibling, husband and wife, and friend and friend. First four are hierarchical. Superior is to be kind and generous and considerate, inferior to be obedient and dutiful and loyal."

"Then I don't think I've heard of that." He's still not quite following why it's relevant, either. 

"The way that enclaves relate to their minions and maintenance track people is wrong. Inferior is loyal and obedient but superiors aren't returning the favor. They're demanding things from others without returning them because they're powerful enough that they can."

"And that's wrong because it...hurts people? Because it doesn't help the enclaves win? Or something else?" 

"Because-- society works better if everyone knows what to expect from their relationships and relationships are... reciprocal? Meng Yao, is that the word?"

"Yes."

"And people will be more loyal to you, as leader, if they trust that you will deal fairly with them."

Masozi's expression says that he is not exactly convinced by any of these points but he sure is engaged in the discussion. 

"- Right, I thought that too. And that people'd be more loyal to you if they'd been allies with you for longer, probably? 'Cause then they'd - know more about how you treat them. ...Wei Wuxian was saying that a different strategy is to just wait and see who dies and then ally with the people who survived to senior year. But then you wouldn't have long to earn their loyalty before graduation." 

"And then you have to live with them for rest of your life, at enclave."

"You have to do that either way, right? I guess maybe if you've worked with someone all four years then you know them better and it's easier to get along." 

"It's harder for them to be loyal at enclave if you haven't taken any care for them in three years of their life where they're most likely to die."