The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 35 Talent

In troubled times, don't underestimate anyone who survives.

The Confucian scholar in front of me looked a little silly, like what people call a nerd.

But if he was just a nerd, how did he survive?

Therefore, County Captain Zhou was always on guard against him, always suspecting that there were accomplices of the other party following him in secret.

Wen Gu looked at the sky and said to County Lieutenant Zhou, "You two should take a rest first."

He turned around again, performed a scholar's greeting to the Confucian scholar in the town, and invited him to sit on the dry stone next to him.

Wen Gu took out a teacup, poured a cup of hot water and handed it over.

Just now, when County Lieutenant Zhou and his men entered the town to investigate, Wen Gu asked Mrs. Ma to boil a pot of water for everyone to replenish their water.

The scholar hesitated for a moment, tugging at the rice bag in his hand. Finally, he stood up, bowed awkwardly, and took the teacup, saying, "Thank you!"

Perhaps because he saw that Wen Gu also had the temperament and demeanor of a scholar and seemed easy to talk to, the scholar drank a glass of water to moisten his throat, and his somewhat tense expression relaxed a lot.

He also felt that Wen Gu and the others were not indeed vicious people, and he even saw a few children.

The Confucian scholar adjusted his mindset and introduced himself.

This man's surname was Cheng, and his name was Cheng Zhi. He had been studying at the academy in the county town, where news spread faster. When he heard that the world was about to turn into chaos, he hurried home.

There are also mother and brother and sister-in-law at home.

Wen Gu sat down next to him, sighed, and said, "I was also traveling and studying, and I heard rumors from all sides. Seeing that the world was in chaos, I hurried back home... but it was too late. Brother Cheng is luckier than me."

Hearing Wen Gu's story, Cheng Zhi's heart was filled with regret. In comparison, he was indeed much luckier, at least his most important family was by his side.

Wen Gu did not immediately ask about the other party's family affairs, but with a confused look on his face, he asked about the "Song of Righteousness" that Cheng Zhi recited to the evil creature.

Cheng Zhi's expression, which had just relaxed, became awkward again:
"I once read in a book that it could ward off evil, change luck, and gather positive energy. I used to study at the academy, but my academic performance wasn't great, so I might have taken it out of context..."

Wen Gu thought to himself: This is the drawback of taking all the information directly into your head without filtering it. You can't distinguish true from false, and if you follow it, you can end up in a bad situation.

Cheng Zhi was ashamed: "Every time the academy evaluates, I always rank last."

Nowadays, examinations are not often conducted within academies, but there are regular evaluations.

Whether it was the academy's internal inspections or literary gatherings outside, he had always been a marginal figure. There was no way around it; in terms of academic talent and critical thinking, he was truly at the bottom of the class. He simply didn't have the talent.

"What a waste of family money!"

When talking about sad things, Cheng Zhi's words were full of guilt and his eyes were red.

"When I was little, I studied with a teacher in town. He praised me for my extraordinary talent and potential..."

In a word, let the family make a decision and use all their wealth to support him.

The gentleman in the town also recommended him to enter the county academy.

The county offers generous rewards to students with excellent academic performance, but he has never received any rewards or commendations in all these years of study, and often ranks last in assessments.

He remembered every word in the book, but didn't know how to use it.

He Da and his companions, who were not far away, were drinking water from a bamboo tube and listening to the conversation over there.

He Da even took two steps deliberately, slightly sideways, and turned his ear towards that side.

While he was eavesdropping, a follower came over and said to He Da:
"Brother Daqiu, his family's situation is a bit similar to yours. Both families support one scholar..."

Before the other party could finish speaking, He Da glared at him, thinking that this was the worst time his family had been slandered.

"Nonsence!"

He looked around and lowered his voice again, but continued to speak in a series of angry words:
"How can he be similar? Is he worthy enough to be compared with my brother?!"

"My brother has always been a top student in the county academy. Whenever County Magistrate Tan asks students to do something for him, he's always accepted as an exception. What's wrong with this guy?"

"He's already twenty and still hasn't passed the exam. The teachers at the school don't think highly of him. Even with his intelligence, his family still tightened their belts to support his studies. This is all the blessing he has accumulated over several lifetimes!"

This is a bookworm who studies blindly. He has a dull mind but is stubbornly determined to follow this path to fame and fortune without even considering whether he has the talent!
The attendant thought for a moment and said, "That's right. In our village, families with brothers would have to split up the family."

"That's right, how could his brother and sister-in-law bear it?"

He Da clearly remembered the scene of the other party raising his hand to throw glutinous rice, and his first impression of Cheng Zhi was extremely bad.

Someone from the Yu family was secretly listening in. Although he didn't express his opinion, he agreed with He Da and the others in his heart.

Education is expensive. Even in the county, many well-off families have been ruined by it. Studying like a rote, insisting on this path without any talent, drains the family's blood and sweat.

However, there must be other advantages for Cheng Zhi and his family to be able to survive until now.

"I've read books about epidemics before and know some ways to deal with them. I knew not to drink raw water or eat raw food, keep a distance from others, etc., so I avoided the initial disaster. I have average academic talent and only have an acceptable memory," said Cheng Zhi.

Wen Gu thought: Your memory ability is not just okay, how many people's memory level is -

Open the book "A, B, C, D"

Close the book and say "Ahhhhhhhhh"

However, during this dynasty, with its flourishing culture and education, countless scholars possessed memories far superior to those of ordinary people, some gifted, others cultivated through training. Cheng Zhi possessed a powerful memory, but his comprehension lagged behind. He was unable to cope with the various types of questions in the academy's examinations, and thus always ranked last.

When facing such an inflexible person, you cannot be too euphemistic or obscure in your words. You must be more direct so that the other person can understand.

Wen Gu held up a charcoal pencil and a notebook and asked, "How did your family survive hiding in the town? Did you manage to store so much food?"

Cheng Zhi said, "That's not the case. We initially lived in our own home. The big merchants in town had all fled, and the living were becoming increasingly scarce. We could often hear monsters roaring and people screaming. We didn't dare go out, so we hid in our own home with the doors and windows closed.

"My mother once prayed for a statue of a deity and burned a stick of incense at home every day. Thanks to the gods, we survived!"

Xiao Liu, who was eavesdropping not far away, really wanted to ask, "Which kind of god did you invite to your home?", but seeing that the other party was still chatting, he had to endure it and ask later.

Cheng Zhi was lost in his memories at this point, and he slowly recounted, "Not long after, the weather turned cold, and the monsters became less active, so my brother and his wife went out to look for some food and firewood."

"Then it snowed, and those monsters rarely go out on snowy days. We really have nothing to eat. I remember there's a vinegar brewing business across the street. Making vinegar requires grain, so maybe there's plenty of food there."

"The residents there had long since fled, and there was only so much they could take away. We found quite a bit of food there. His house was sturdy, and the walls were high, so my family and I took advantage of the opportunity to move in, and we've lived there ever since. Now that my mother is weak and my brother is exhausted, my sister-in-law has to take care of them, so I've taken on the responsibility of going out to find food."

Wen Gu took notes and took a deep breath.

He lowered his eyes, not letting the other person see his gaze.

What a great place to make vinegar!

The scent on Cheng Zhi turned out to be vinegar. Or rather, a mixture of vinegar and the various odors from the brewing and fermentation process.

Huh?
Wen Gu asked, "After you hid in the vinegar brewery, did you rarely encounter attacks from evil spirits?"

Cheng Zhi nodded repeatedly: "Yes! My mother also invited the statue of the deity over. Although the incense has burned out, she still kowtows to it every day!"

Wen Gu said bluntly, "The evil creature probably doesn't like the smell of vinegar, or some of the smells from the vinegar fermentation process... Wait, when you were chased by the evil creature before, did it attack you first?"

Cheng Zhi said, "I came across it while looking for glutinous rice, so I hit it with a stick."

Wen Gu: "And then?"

Cheng Zhi: "The stick was shaken off, and I ran away grabbing the rice bag. It kept chasing me." Wen Gu: "..."

Forget it, let’s get back to the issue of town layout.

"We're just passing through and want to restock our supplies. We won't be staying long. So, I'd like to ask, what's the general layout of the town? Are there any guesthouses, restaurants, teahouses, or residential buildings at the entrance to the town? Are there any supplies left there?"

Cheng Zhi said, "At the beginning of the chaos, most people in the town left, but there were still many people left. Many people had already visited places like guesthouses, restaurants, and teahouses."

But Cheng Zhi still told Wen Gu where the shops were after they entered the town. His narration was very smooth.

Wen Gu paused his pen tip slightly.

Remember so clearly?
Is it an extraordinary memory or just a fabrication?
This was not the rough information obtained when asking He Da. Cheng Zhi now described it in great detail.

Cheng Zhi was even quick to point out a few inverted messages that were deliberately tested.

Wen Gu remained calm.

"So, what about the houses?"

"Residential houses..." Cheng Zhi recalled carefully.

"The best ones are those with a yard and those who have raised livestock at home," said Wen Gu.

"Oh, not far from the town, there lives a peddler, next to the pastry shop. He often carries his goods on his shoulders to various villages, and when he stays in town, he also sets up a stall in front of his house."

Review and write down.

A peddler is a walking grocery store, a simplified version of a department store.

He asked, "I heard that the peddler still sells medicinal herbs. I wonder if he has any herbs left at home."

"He didn't sell medicinal herbs. The peddler didn't have a wide variety of goods, but they were affordable. My mother once bought needles, thread, and scissors from him. But the peddler left early. The day I returned to town from the county seat, his family drove a mule cart out of town."

Cheng Zhi thought that the peddler drove a mule cart on the day he left, so there might be a barn for livestock in the yard. Adding the shelves and other items he usually put on the shelves, the space in the yard must be quite large.

However, the focus of reviewing the old material is not on this at all.

"Is the peddler in town so well-informed?" Wen Gu asked.

Cheng Zhi first learned the news from the academy, where there were no shortage of prominent figures. Even though Cheng Zhi was a marginal figure, the situation was chaotic at the time, so even if he tried to keep it a secret, it wouldn't have lasted long. The latest news spread quickly among the students at the academy.

After receiving the news, Cheng Zhi immediately returned to the town.

It took time for the peddler to pack up his belongings. When Cheng Zhi returned to the town, the peddler had just driven away.

If you do the math, they both got the news about the same time. This isn't the information age.

"What does he sell? How many people does he know? How can he be so well-informed?" Wen Gu asked.

"This... peddlers go from street to street, know many people, and have a wide range of sources of information." Cheng Zhi hesitated.

"He often goes to the village to sell goods, and the variety of goods he sells is not large, but he got the news almost at the same time as you." Wen Gu said.

Cheng Zhi didn't know how to respond.

Wen Gu smiled and said, "It's okay. Let's go to the pastry shops next to the peddler's house and visit them one by one."

Restaurants, teahouses, guesthouses, houses, pastry shops...

He kept asking questions one by one, and Cheng Zhi no longer had time to pay attention to other people around him. At this moment, he was concentrating on digging out the answers from the corners of his memory.

He also wondered if he had missed a lot of things and maybe he could find some for his own use.

at the same time.

The other people in the team who were originally eavesdropping and whispering gradually quieted down.

Even He Da, who was full of opinions, looked at the two scholars over there like a fool.

I felt a stream of information coming at me, and I was in a panic, but I didn't remember many of them.

Although there were no harsh words or bad words coming from the other side, they felt a strange and tense atmosphere.

The review and questioning speed is also getting faster and faster.

The charcoal pencil in my hand was moving without stopping.

Cheng Zhi, who kept answering questions, felt the pressure increasing. He kept trying hard to recall and search for the corresponding information from his memory.

My head started to swell.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

The eyes become fixed and gradually lose focus.

Gollum-

My stomach is rumbling with hunger.

Cheng Zhi hasn't eaten anything today, and just drank some hot water. He can't hold on any longer after continuous brain drain.

Wen Gu stopped at this time, smiled apologetically, and took out a small paper bag.

Inside is dry grain powder.

"We've processed this twice, so you can eat it directly."

He also asked Mrs. Ma to bring a glass of warm water.

Cheng Zhi no longer had time to worry about it. He thanked him repeatedly and took it.

Wen Gu turned around and raised his hand to greet Zhou Shan.

"County Lieutenant Zhou!"

Cheng Zhi was shocked and almost choked.

The guy holding the knife just now was actually... a county lieutenant!

Wen Gu stood up, tore off a piece of paper from his notebook, and whispered a few words to Zhou Shan.

Even though Zhou Shan was calm, he couldn't help but look surprised.

Wen Gu said, "It's getting late, so we need to clean up the place where we'll spend the night as soon as possible."

"Okay, I'll pay attention."

Zhou Shan went to find someone to discuss the action.

Wen Gu turned around and looked at Cheng Zhi, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but then he suppressed it hard.

What kind of intelligent navigation talent is this!
It would be a waste if such talents were placed in the wrong position!
Review the past with a clear and open gaze.

I'll go to his house later to check things out. If there's no problem, then... I'll ask him to be my secretary.

(End of this chapter)