Top Scholar

Chapter 198 Everything is the motivation for learning
The boys and girls rushed back just before the city gates closed; having finally caught a chance, they were determined to make the most of it...

After entering Linjiang Gate, She Yunluo and Huang E left Miss Zhu and He Tiantian behind, bid farewell to everyone, and then took a carriage back to the west of the city.

Huang E didn't say goodbye to Su Lu in a special way. Although he knew she was shy, he still felt a little disappointed...

Su Lu couldn't help but silently remind himself, "Su Lu, you're too easily distracted! Remember, without tranquility, one cannot go far! Everything that distracts you is harmful..."

So for the rest of the journey, Su Lu adjusted herself, and finally calmed down before returning home...

After parting ways with the Zhu siblings, Xiao Tiantian handed a heavy book box to Su Lu: "Brother, this is what Sister Huang is giving you back. She also said..."

"What is she?" Su Lu asked eagerly.

"She also said she wanted to borrow your 'Kunxue Chicken Literature' to take a look again," He Tiantian recalled with difficulty.

"What?" Su Lu was taken aback before he realized, "You mean she wants to borrow 'Records of Learning in Difficulty'?"

"Yes." He Tiantian lowered her head shyly, secretly resolving to study hard and not let her brothers down.

For a little girl who only started learning to read after learning phonetic symbols, some book titles were indeed a bit difficult to pronounce. It's quite an achievement that she can remember them this well...

She added, "Sister Huang also said that I don't need to give her all seven books. That would be too heavy and would affect your reading, so this time I'll borrow them one by one."

"Don't worry about the weight, I'll help you carry it over." Su Tai is the best brother in the world.

Su Lu sighed helplessly: "I do need to see more, so let's do as Miss Huang suggests."

"Oh." Sutai nodded.

When they got home, Su Youcai and the landlady had already returned before them...

As soon as the three entered the door, Su Youcai said irritably, "Why are you back so late? You're always out and about and never home."

"Alright, alright, it's a rare treat for the kids to go out and have fun, of course they should enjoy themselves to the fullest." The proprietress was delighted and urged the three of them to quickly wash up and have dinner.

~~
After dinner, the two brothers went to the study in the east wing to study. Su Youcai and his wife, on the other hand, tried to subtly probe Xiao Tiantian to find out where the two boys had been that day.

As expected, Xiaotian kept her word and didn't reveal a single word about her two older brothers, only talking about how good her older sisters were to her...

"Sister Zhu gave me this hair accessory and said she would teach me how to grow flowers in the future." She laid all the gifts she received on the table and handed them over to the proprietress to handle.

"Is this flower real or fake?" The proprietress, who had seen a lot in the mountains, was still stunned by the peony that looked like it had just been picked with dew on it.

The moon-white enamel petals shimmered with pearly light, the cloisonné gold patterns flowed and the folds looked as if they had been blown by the wind. If it weren't for the brilliance under the candlelight, they would be no different from fresh flowers.

"At first I thought they were real flowers too, but then Sister Zhu picked one and let me touch it, and that's when I realized they were fake." Xiao Tiantian said with a shocked expression, "She said she wanted to give it to me as a gift..."

"How could you accept such an expensive gift?" the proprietress said, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I told her I didn't want to, but Sister Zhu got angry. What could I do?" Xiao Tiantian's eyes immediately reddened. "Then should I give it back to her?"

"No way!" Su Youcai quickly protected Xiao Tiantian, saying, "What would it mean if you returned a gift from a wealthy family? Would you be cutting ties with them?"

As he spoke, he tucked the flower into Xiaotian's hair, examined her for a moment, and laughed, "What a pretty little girl! You can wear it without worry."

Xiaotian couldn't help but burst into laughter through her tears, but she had to hold it in.

"Just keep indulging her," the proprietress said helplessly. "It's all a favor, and we have to repay it."

"You don't need to pay it back, daughter." Su Youcai waved his hand, thinking to himself that he didn't need to pay it back anyway.

"Sigh." The proprietress sighed, then asked, "Is there any more?"

"Yes." Xiaotian nodded and carefully placed a pendant on the table.

"Hiss..." The proprietress gasped, this was even more exaggerated.

There was a perfectly round pigeon-blood ruby, adorned with dark silk ribbons, its surface shimmering with a silky sheen.

The saying goes, "The finest jade is not carved." This gemstone is almost uncarved, and its naturally formed six-rayed star is faintly visible under candlelight, making its value immeasurable.

"Who gave you this?" Su Youcai asked, frowning slightly. "It doesn't look like something that belongs to a Han Chinese woman."

"That guy..." Xiao Tiantian stammered, caught in a dilemma. She couldn't not confess about such a valuable item, but confessing would be suspected of betraying her second brother.

"Hmph, you don't need to cover for Xia-ge'er!" Su Youcai immediately understood and snorted, "Did Miss She go too?"

"Hmm." Xiaotian could only nod, quickly adding, "But they didn't say anything."

"Sigh, is there any need to say anything?" Su Youcai said with experience, "Exchanging glances is enough, words are superfluous." "Didn't you say it yourself? They are classmates, you can't stop them." The landlady advised the anxious Su Youcai, "Relax, just let nature take its course."

"Sigh..." Su Youcai sighed again and fell silent.

Xiao Tiantian then presented a white jade bracelet. "This was taken off Sister Huang's wrist."

The proprietress took it, and felt its smooth, creamy texture against her skin. It was round and elegant, the jade pure and delicate, without a single flaw. In the candlelight, its white sheen shone brilliantly, captivating all who looked upon it.

"This is truly the finest mutton-fat jade..." Even Su Youcai exclaimed in admiration. A gentleman is like jade; there is no scholar who doesn't appreciate jade.

"Sister Huang also told me to go to her house every other day," Xiao Tiantian reported.

"Where are you going?" the landlady asked hurriedly.

“She said she would teach me to read,” Xiaotian said.

"What?" The proprietress was stunned. Giving Xiaotian an expensive gift was understandable; after all, the daughter of a high-ranking official had no concept of money. But who wouldn't have a concept of their own time?
"Did you save Miss Huang's life? Why is she so kind to you?" The proprietress sized up her daughter.

Xiao Tiantian had just exposed her second brother, and dared not betray another one, so she quickly shook her head and said, "I don't know anything. If Mother thinks it's inappropriate, I'll tell Sister Huang."

"How could it be inappropriate? It's absolutely perfect!" Su Youcai said decisively, "Do you know what the words 'Huang E's female disciple' mean?"

“In the future you will be able to…” Su Youcai held up two fingers, then thought it was too vulgar, so he laughed and said, “In short, it will be very beneficial to you. Learn from Miss Huang well, this is a great thing that many girls would never dare to dream of.”

"It's like a dream..." Xiaotian murmured.

"Are these the kinds of friends Xia Ge'er and Qiu Ge'er are making now?" The landlady, however, grasped the essence of the matter and couldn't help but sigh, "It would have been unimaginable a year ago."

"Don't worry about these things too much." Su Youcai was well-read, and although he wasn't as worldly-wise as the proprietress, he was far more insightful about the ways of the world.

Then he said to Xiaotian in a deep voice, "Now your brother is surrounded by many powerful and influential friends. He seems to be living a glamorous life, but in this world, friendships are often born out of circumstance and gathered out of self-interest."

"As the saying goes, 'Friendship based on power will break down when power is lost; friendship based on profit will scatter when profit is exhausted.' Those friends of high status are now associating with you and your siblings because they see your third brother's potential to pass the imperial examinations and rise to prominence. If he cannot realize this potential, they will leave you. As Sima Qian said, 'True friendship is revealed when people are rich or poor.' Only then can you see who your true friends are."

"Yes." Little Tiantian nodded as if she understood, "Uncle, I'll remember."

"I know it's too early to tell you all this now, but I just want you to keep a calm mind. Don't be complacent because you have friends who are more noble than you, and don't be sad when they leave you in the future," Su Youcai earnestly advised.

"Second Brother..." The landlady was overjoyed, cupping her warm cheeks in her hands and saying, "Your words have benefited me greatly."

"Ahem, I'm teaching a child." Su Youcai coughed awkwardly.

Xiao Tiantian was also very touched, which showed that Uncle Su really treated her as his child and was teaching her. She nodded emphatically and said, "Uncle, don't worry, I will definitely remember your words and always be myself."

"That's right." Su Youcai nodded happily and said, "What a sensible child."

"Then I'm going to sleep." Xiaotian decided to be more sensible and got up to go back to the west room. The three valuable gifts were still on the table, but she didn't even glance at them.

"Second brother, you are such a good father..." The proprietress bit her lower lip tightly, her peach blossom eyes almost overflowing with tears, shining brighter than gemstones under the light.

"I'm also a good husband!" Su Youcai laughed and lifted the landlady's smooth chin.

He's not yet as old as the eldest brother, yet he can still confront them head-on and storm the tiger's den! No pain, no gain.
~~
In the study in the east wing.

After eating lion's head meatballs all day, Su Tai unsurprisingly fell asleep on the table again, snoring louder than usual...

Su Lu couldn't help but sigh. Women are such a drain on men; this hasn't even happened yet, and she's already exhausted my second brother like this…

He got up and draped a blanket over Su Tai, then opened the box containing the "Chronicles of Huayang," took out four books, and a quaint sandalwood plaque came into view.

Before even picking it up, the clear and lingering fragrance already lingers in the air, calming the mind and body.

Su Lu picked it up and saw that the wooden plaque was carved on both sides. On the front, with just a few strokes, the noble spirit of a solitary orchid on a rock was vividly depicted.

On the back are two lines of poetry engraved in intaglio: "The fragrance of ink stains the plain paper, the scroll is borrowed and the chapters are returned." The signature next to it is "Yilan," which should be the elegant name Huang E gave himself...

The thought that she had even told him her private name filled Su Lu's heart with warmth, and he couldn't help but smile.

This is likely a wooden plaque handcrafted by Huang E. It can be played with casually, used as a bookmark, or placed by the pillow to help one sleep. As a thank-you gift, it is neither excessive nor stingy, but just right.

But this "nothing to worry about" plaque couldn't calm Su Lu's mind. He would read for a while, then couldn't help but take it out to look at and play with it, making him much less efficient than usual.

Fortunately, he adjusted his mindset in time and told himself, "Su Lu, if you continue to slack off, you will never have a chance to get ahead in this life... Not to mention Huang E, you won't even have a chance with a fluttering moth!"
This successfully transformed the boy's passion into motivation for progress. Far from losing focus, he studied even more diligently!

(End of this chapter)