Top Scholar

Chapter 62 Talented Person Gets a New Job

He held it in until they were far away from the academy and no one else was around, then Li Qiyu excitedly shook Su Lu's shoulder: "Brother, you're my real brother. No, being a real brother is nothing, you're my godfather!"

As he spoke, he made a gesture to kneel on one knee, clasped his hands and said, "Qi Yu has wandered for half his life without meeting a wise ruler. If you do not abandon me, I am willing to become your godfather!"

"Save your breath, I'm not giving you any money for changing your address." Su Lu politely declined, saying, "What's gotten into you?"

“I know, it’s all thanks to our ‘Essay Writing Group’!” Su Dan was also eager to try, but Su Lu glared at her and stopped her from fooling around.

"Yes, Ah Dan is absolutely right!" Li Qiyu nodded emphatically. "Brother, your lesson during the Qingming Festival was truly amazing! After listening to it, my head was no longer a mess. I understand exactly how to write each paragraph and each sentence!"

He chuckled sheepishly and said, "Although it's still not quite right, that's because of my lack of skill, it has nothing to do with our sect's unique techniques."

"This is the first time I've ever planned out an article so clearly and logically before even putting pen to paper, and then I wrote it all in one go! Anyway, I'm extremely satisfied with it!" Li Qiyu said, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Brother, I finally see hope of staying!"

"Me too!" Su Dan's voice trembled with excitement. "Before, my essays were all disjointed and lacked any coherence. I would even go off-topic! After learning your method, I can now build upon the previous points step by step, stay focused on the central theme, and never worry about going off-topic again!"

"Brother, you are the King of Stocks!" Knowing that he didn't like being called a stock market god, Li Qiyu changed his address and said, "From now on, I'll call you the King of Stocks!"

"Get lost!" Su Lu cursed at the nonsensical guy, but he was also very happy: "Did I really help? Are you sure?"

"Of course. I can't speak for other aspects of the eight-legged essay, but its merits are judged by public opinion. It won't be biased too much," Li Qiyu said confidently.

“That’s right, we’ve read quite a few of our classmates’ articles, and mine is no worse than theirs!” Su Dan said, then asked Su Lu:

"Hey bro, how did your exam go?"

"That's fine then." Su Lu said with a wry smile, "I've explained the reasoning clearly, but that's all I can do... Asking me to do things like alternating tones and harmonious rhymes is really beyond my ability."

"Sigh..." Su Dan and the other woman's joy vanished, and they both began to worry for Su Lu. This was indeed a big problem.

"Indeed, one must learn to write poetry from a young age in order to gradually master these skills."

“Brother, don’t wait any longer. I’ll teach you how to write poetry now.” Li Qiyu volunteered, “I wouldn’t dare call myself ‘Little Li Bai of Tucheng,’ but I’m quite familiar with the rules of poetry.”

"Save your breath. No matter how experienced you are, you can't compare to my brother's father. When our teacher was composing poetry, you were still sitting there getting wet everywhere." Su Dan said, then suddenly remembered and quickly asked, "I heard that the teacher resigned from his teaching position?"

"Mm." Su Lu nodded.

"Did I unintentionally hurt him with what I said last time?" Su Dan asked sadly.

"What are you saying? My father is such a grown man, would he really let you shatter his Dao heart with just a few words?" Su Lu shook his head and said, "He just wants to change his way of life..."

As they spoke, the three arrived at the "Sweet Water Shop" at the crossroads, only to find that the storefront had been completely renovated. The top of the eye-catching signboard was adorned with various brightly colored fruits: oranges, apricots, pears, grapes, cherries, peaches…

Although they are all carved from wood, they are lifelike and have just been painted, making them stand out in the gray street!
Spring is the season for various fruits to come to market, and Sweet Water Diary constantly launches new seasonal products, greatly increasing customer repurchase rates...

There's really no way around it; these items are all tied to the availability of fruit. For example, the loquat-flavored 'Golden Jade Dew' has already been discontinued.

So if you want to try it out, you have to hurry. If you miss this wave, you'll have to wait until next year.

Sweet Water Diary now has many repeat customers, mostly women and children from middle-class families, who are always eager to try any new products.

Today, coinciding with the fifteenth day of the lunar month, even with a light drizzle, many people were still crowding into the shop, queuing to buy the newly launched 'Dan Ying Sweet Dew'.

Li Qiyu squeezed to the counter, held up three fingers, and shouted, "Shopkeeper, I want three extra-large tubs of 'Dan Ying Sweet Dew'!"

This was also Su Lu's idea. The shop currently offers three sizes of bamboo tubes: medium, large, and extra-large. The extra-large tubes are made of moso bamboo, the large tubes of Ci bamboo, and the medium tubes of green bamboo. Of course, the larger the tube, the more cost-effective it is!

"Alright. Thirty coins for you, young master. Thank you for your patronage!" At this moment, a familiar voice rang out.

Su Lu and Su Dan hadn't been queuing at the shop entrance, otherwise, if the proprietress had seen them, how could they have the nerve to ask Brother Qi Yu to treat them?

Upon hearing that sound, the two of them looked towards the counter and blurted out:
"Huh? Sir?"

"Dad? When did you become a manager?!" Su Lu was surprised, but then suddenly realized.

Behind the counter, the handsome middle-aged man dressed in a navy blue shopkeeper's uniform was none other than Su Youcai!

Upon seeing his son and disciple, Su Youcai blushed slightly, but quickly regained his composure and said, "My son, you are speaking upstairs. I have something to ask you."

~~
Sweet Water Restaurant, second floor.

"What does Father want to ask?" Su Lu looked at his father with a half-smile.

"Um..." Su Youcai coughed awkwardly twice, "How did the exam go?"

"..." Su Lu didn't want to answer. Was this the time to interrogate himself? "Don't jump to conclusions, my academy has nothing to do with this place!" Su Youcai immediately backed down: "I just came to help out..."

"I see." Su Lu nodded.

“I’ve already told you, it’s hard for someone like me to find work. The shop is too busy, so I came over to help out your godmother for a couple of days,” Su Youcai said confidently.

"Then why is Father acting like a thief when it's something so perfectly legitimate?" Su Lu asked.

"Isn't it because I'm afraid your grandfather is overthinking things?" Su Youcai said helplessly, "He has a very short temper, what if he gets sick from it?"

"I see." Su Lu nodded again, looking somewhat unconvinced.

"Sigh, I was afraid you'd overthink things, that's why I didn't tell the family." Su Youcai sighed and said, "I'll work here for a while, and when I find another job, I'll go somewhere else. There's no need to upset the old man."

"Make sure you keep this a secret from your grandfather when you get back." He then flattered Su Lu, "Dad will buy you something delicious tonight."

"Don't worry, I won't gossip. But if Grandpa asks, I won't dare to lie." Su Lu sincerely suggested, "The truth will eventually come out, so you should confess as soon as possible, Dad."

"What are you talking about, child?" Su Youcai blushed and said in a low voice, "I may not care about my reputation, but your godmother still does. It's impossible for the next two years."

"What did you think, Dad? I meant you work for your godmother." Su Lu finally understood, chuckled, and waved to his father, saying, "Don't worry about work, I'm going home now!"

"Sigh, it's not what you think..." Su Youcai sighed as he watched Su Lu disappear downstairs in a flash.
"The Duke of Zhou spread rumors during the time when Wang Mang had not yet usurped the throne."

"Time will tell."

~~
Taiping Academy, Daonan Hall.

After lunch, the teachers at the academy began grading the papers.

Headmaster Zhu attached great importance to the first monthly exam after the implementation of the "Ascension to the Upper Level" method, and came to the front hall to oversee the proceedings, ready to see how much progress these students had made.

"The progress is quite obvious." Qian Huai-ren, the vice-headmaster of the academy and another student outside the academy, said with satisfaction, "This time the question on the meaning of ink was still quite flexible, but the disciples answered much better."

"Last time we were caught off guard, but this time we're prepared, so it will be much better." Headmaster Zhu smiled slightly and asked, "As for craftsmanship, have you seen any promising candidates?"

“Yes, yes.” Qian Huai-ren nodded hurriedly and said, “For example, the top student when we entered school—Zhu Zihe, whose writing was mature beyond his years and already showed the style of a master.”

"Don't mention Zihe. I've taught my nephew since he was a child, and I know his level better than you do," Zhu Liu said with a smile, waving his hand. "Don't talk about others."

"Yes." Qian Huai-ren thought to himself, you may not listen, but I can't not say anything. If I don't mention your nephew, will you make things difficult for me?
He then took a few more graded exam papers and presented them to Zhu Liu, saying, "Lin Zhihong and several other students have shown remarkable potential. With the headmaster's guidance, I believe their advancement to higher education will be a certainty."

"Take a look." Zhu Liu took the test papers and quickly scanned them. After reading them, he said with great satisfaction, "Not bad, not bad. As expected, 'where there's a marsh, there are fragrant herbs.' These children are no worse than those in Luzhou City."

"It's all thanks to the headmaster's skillful selection of talent," Qian Huai-ren said earnestly. "It's laughable that we had some complaints back then; we were truly blinded by a leaf and couldn't see Mount Tai."

“Right?” Zhu Liu didn’t pick and choose, accepting all flattery without question, and laughed, “The main problem is that the old methods allowed mediocre people who only knew how to memorize to occupy the positions of promising talents.”

As he spoke, he raised his voice and emphasized to the examiners: "When you are grading papers, you should also pay attention. Although there are certain rules for evaluation, don't be too rigid. You must be good at discovering those gems that are not yet outstanding or have this or that flaw. For them, you can appropriately lower your standards and not dismiss them too early."

His words were actually a way of patching up his own "Three-Rank System". Although Zhu Liu loved to cause trouble, he was insightful about the ways of the world and people's hearts. He knew that when people below opposed a policy but dared not speak out, he would use excessive enforcement to create chaos and force the policymakers to change course.

Zhu Liulai personally oversaw the process out of the same concern, not because he really wanted to discover any hidden gems... The students have studied for so many years, and if they have talent, they have already shown their abilities. Why would there be so much regret about overlooking them?

Unexpectedly, a gentleman actually stood up and said, "Master, it seems that I have a piece of unpolished jade here."

As mentioned before, no matter how old a scholar is, he must refer to himself as a junior in front of a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

"You mean that guy named Su Lu?" Qian Huai Ren blurted out.

"That boy's exam paper." The other teachers also looked up, clearly having already circulated the paper.

“Su Lu?” Zhu Liu rubbed his forehead and said, “I remember this child. He was the last one to get in. When the results were posted, his name was even pushed off the list, which made Mr. Zhu have to make another trip.”

"Yes." Mr. Zhu, who posted the notice at the time, smiled and said, "I saw it a few days ago. After months of wind and rain, all the other names on the red list have disappeared. Only his name is still on the wall of the academy."

It was this Mr. Zhu who recommended Su Lu's exam paper...

"This kid's article has actually aroused so much interest in you all?" Zhu Liu's curiosity was piqued, and he asked Qian Huai Ren, "But why don't you show it to me?"

P.S. Great news! We finally topped the new book charts the day before release. Bad news! Now, if you release just two chapters and the word count exceeds 20, you'll immediately drop off the charts…

So I'd like to ask everyone for a suggestion: the next chapter will be released a little later, so that the monk can at least enjoy being at the top of the list for a day.

So it will be available for purchase at midnight tonight. The last chapter will be released in the public version before midnight, followed by four more chapters. Five chapters in a row, isn't that alright?

(End of this chapter)