I'm coming clean: I'm the reincarnation of the God of Literature.

A few days later.

Gu Ci's reputation at the county school grew louder and louder, and every day people would come to inquire about the child prodigy who dared to present his arguments at the literary gathering at the age of eight.

But in the Gu family courtyard, the one who was truly holding back his anger was Gu Ang.

Before dawn, there was movement in the yard.

Gu Ang squatted by the well and washed his face with cold water.

The well water was icy cold in spring, and he grimaced but still put his head in the water.

cold.

wide awake.

He reached for the table, lit the oil lamp, and began to practice calligraphy.

The strokes are one horizontal and one vertical, and they're incredibly slow.

He's not smart; he knows that in his heart.

But he has plenty of time.

If his younger brother can become a child prodigy, he, as the older brother, can't hold him back.

Last night, Gu Ci taught him a few more tricks of couplets, such as the importance and urgency of different parts, and the interplay of the real and the unreal.

His head ached from listening, but he still managed to memorize it.

If you can't remember, just copy it down, then memorize it, and then think about it again.

A simple method works, as long as it's effective.

The sky outside the window is gradually brightening.

Lin got up to cook and saw that the light was still on, so she pushed the door open and came in.

"Ang'er, stayed up all night again?"

"It's alright, Mother."

Gu Ang put down his pen and stretched his stiff wrists.

"Ci'er said that I have a weak foundation and need to practice more."

Mrs. Lin was heartbroken and wanted to comfort her, but she didn't know how to start.

This child was sensible from a young age. His family was poor, and he started working in the fields when he was twelve.

Now that there's finally hope, how could she bear to stop it?

"You still need to eat. Mom will cook you a bowl of noodles."

Gu Ang smiled.

"Mom, I'm hungry."

The courtyard gradually became lively.

Gu Qingqing ran out and tugged at her brother's clothes.

"Big brother, where are second brother?"

"Your second brother went to the county school."

"Then, big brother, play with me!"

Gu Ang patted her head.

"Wait until Big Brother finishes writing this page."

The little girl pouted and leaned over the table to watch.

"Big brother's handwriting is beautiful."

"No one writes as well as your second brother."

"It looks good too!"

Gu Ang felt a warmth in his heart.

All the hard work these past few days has paid off.

......

Around noon, a few people came to the village entrance.

He was well-dressed and spoke politely; he was clearly a businessman from the city.

The leader, surnamed Li, was in the cloth business. He had heard that a child prodigy had emerged in Qinghe County, so he made a special detour to come here.

Is Mr. Gu home?

Gu Mingzhe was reading a book at the door when he heard the noise and quickly got up.

"Yes, yes, please come in, esteemed guests."

He ushered the people into the courtyard and brewed some tea.

Manager Li looked around; the courtyard wasn't large, but it was very clean.

"I heard that the young master of the Gu family, at the tender age of eight, has already outshone all the scholars at the literary gathering. I am filled with admiration and have come to pay him a visit."

Gu Mingzhe couldn't stop smiling.

"Not at all, my son was just lucky."

"Mr. Gu is too modest."

Manager Li picked up his teacup.

"Is the young master at home?"

"My son has gone to the county school and will be back later."

Disappointment flashed across Manager Li's face.

"That's really unfortunate."

Gu Ang walked over with a teapot and poured water for the group.

Manager Li glanced at him, and his eyes lit up.

"Who is this?"

"It is my son's elder brother, Gu Ang."

"So he's the prodigy's older brother."

Manager Li stood up and bowed.

"Disrespectful, disrespectful."

Gu Ang was a little flustered. He put down the teapot and stepped aside.

Another, younger businessman laughed.

"Manager Li, I've heard that this young master Gu has also studied?"

"Exactly."

The man suddenly became interested.

"Since we can't see the child prodigy, why not have a friendly spar with this young master?"

Gu Ang was stunned.

A friendly exchange?

He doesn't have that ability.

Manager Li, however, got really into it.

"Great idea!"

He stood up and fanned himself.

"I have a couplet, I wonder if Young Master Gu would be willing to respond?"

Gu Ang glanced at his father.

Gu Mingzhe nodded at him.

"Then... I'll give it a try."

"The wind blows through the horse's tail, creating a thousand threads."

After finishing reading, Manager Li looked at him with a smile.

This couplet is neither difficult nor simple.

The key is to answer cleverly.

Gu Ang went through it in his mind.

Wind against rain, horse against sheep, thousand against one.

He took a deep breath.

"Rain beats down on wool, turning it into a felt mat."

Manager Li was taken aback.

He then clapped his hands.

"Good! Neatly matched!"

A crowd had gathered outside the courtyard, and they all squeezed in to see what was going on when they heard the commotion.

"Gu Jia Dalang is quite talented!"

"Both brothers are academically inclined!"

"The Gu family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

Gu Mingzhe and Lin Shi stood in the crowd, their faces beaming with smiles.

Manager Li became more and more satisfied as he looked at it.

"One more!"

He cleared his throat.

"Many stars in the sky, but the moon is obscured."

This is the first line of a rhyming poem.

Gu Ang frowned.

Many stars, unclear moon...

He remembered what Ci'er had taught him last night.

"The road is uneven due to the many stones underground."

Manager Li's eyes lit up.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

He turned to look at Gu Mingzhe.

"Mr. Gu, both of your sons are exceptional individuals!"

More and more people gathered around, praising it all at once.

"The Gu family is truly a celestial being descended from heaven!"

"Our village might produce two scholars in the future, no, they might even become Jinshi!"

Gu Ang stood there, his ears turning red.

He had never been praised by so many people before, from childhood to adulthood.

I used to always be at the bottom of the class in exams.

The villagers said behind his back that he was stupid and that he wasn't cut out for studying.

just now…

He looked down at his hands.

The calluses I've developed these past few days have been worth it.

Just then, a mocking laugh came from outside the crowd.

"Is this even worth praising?"

Everyone turned around.

A young man in his early twenties, dressed in a blue robe, squeezed in, fanning himself with a fan.

His face showed disdain.

"This kind of response is only at the level of a toddler."

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly froze.

Manager Li frowned.

"Who is this?"

"I am Zhang Wenbin, a scholar from a neighboring county."

The young man flicked his sleeves.

"I was passing through your county when I heard that a child prodigy had emerged, so I came here to learn from him."

He looked Gu Ang up and down.

"But judging from the looks of it, it's nothing special."

Gu Ang's face flushed red.

What does this person mean?

"I'll give you a couplet; if you can match it, I'll admit defeat."

Zhang Wenbin closed his fan and pointed at Gu Ang.

"Three teachers from one village and two li, who are ignorant of the Four Books, Five Classics, and Six Principles, dare to teach seven, eight, or nine children—how audacious!"

Upon hearing this couplet, the entire courtyard fell silent.

All ten numbers, from one to ten, are included.

It also needs to be perfectly matched and the meaning must be accurate.

This is downright obstruction!

Gu Ang's mind went completely blank.

He opened his mouth, but was too nervous to speak.

Zhang Wenbin smiled smugly.

"What's wrong? It doesn't match up?"

He turned to Manager Li and flicked his fan.

"Manager Li, you just said this young master was talented, but I think he's just so-so. A child prodigy from Qinghe County? I'm afraid he's just overrated."

Gu Mingzhe grew anxious and stepped forward.

"Young master, this couplet is far too tricky..."

"Difficult?"

Zhang Wenbin interrupted him, his eyes full of contempt.

"Scholars should be able to handle these kinds of difficult questions. If you can't answer them, don't embarrass yourself here."

He looked around and raised his voice.

"I think Qinghe County is nothing special. All those child prodigies and talented scholars are just boasting from country bumpkins!"

Gu Ang gritted his teeth.

Embarrassing…

What he feared most was bringing shame to his younger brother.

But this couplet…

It really doesn't match.

Although he had been studying hard these past few days, his foundation was weak, and he was no match for such tricky questions.

The surrounding villagers fell silent, and the atmosphere was very oppressive.

Someone muttered under their breath, "This scholar is really bullying people..."

"But what they said isn't wrong either; if it doesn't match, it just doesn't match..."

Zhang Wenbin became increasingly smug and was about to speak again when a clear voice came from the courtyard gate.

"Nine out of ten households are poor; even scraping together eight taels, seven mace, six fen, five hao, and four li, they are still half-hearted—utterly despicable!"