I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Zheng Youde said with a smile.

"As expected, it would be terrifyingly profound if he could pull some kind of trick on Zhou Shi'an. This is normal."

However, I'm happy if the Chen family suffers a setback. I used to be the one who put up with their bullying; now it's time they tasted what it's like to be stabbed in the back.

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked away with his hands behind his back, his steps light and quick, as if he had become several years younger.

……

……

When Xiao Mingyuan returned to the Xiao residence, Xiao Lanzhi was still sitting in the main room, not asleep.

The two children stood before her, nodding sleepily like chicks pecking at rice.

Xiao Mingyuan knew that his sister was having the two children wait for good news together.

Xiao Lanzhi sat under the lamp, sewing a garment.

But the stitches were crooked and uneven, clearly indicating that his heart was trembling.

Xiao Mingyuan placed the divorce papers in front of her and said.

"It's settled. He signed the confession and will leave after he's been flogged. The two children will be yours. Although he said he didn't want a single penny, I still gave him one hundred taels of silver as a way of getting rid of him."

"I gave it to him, and he treated me fairly well in previous years. Consider the hundred taels as a way of settling things once and for all."

Xiao Lanzhi looked at the signature on the divorce agreement and put down her needlework.

She lowered her head, remained silent for a long time, then folded the divorce papers and put them in her arms, hugging her two children and whispering something.

"At least from now on, your troublesome father won't be here to beat us anymore."

Xiao Mingyuan watched as his sister's tears flowed, but he did not help.

Because she knew that these tears could also be considered tears of happiness.

……

……

The next morning, just as dawn broke.

Xiao Mingyuan was suddenly pulled out of bed.

He jumped up with a roar.

He saw Xu Qing standing by the bed, clutching a book in her hand, looking at him with an expression that left no room for negotiation.

Xiao Mingyuan rubbed his eyes and muttered something.

"What are you doing so early in the morning?"

Xu Qing pushed the book in front of him.

"Studying, huh? You forgot? There's a math class at the academy today. With your current level, you can definitely make a name for yourself in class."

Xiao Mingyuan wanted to lie back down, but said, "Are you serious?"

Xu Qing grabbed him.

"What happened when you went to my house yesterday? And also, your dad spent so much money sending you to school, and you always boast that doing one good deed a day accumulates great virtue, doing two good deeds a day accumulates even greater virtue. Today it's your turn to accumulate virtue."

Xiao Mingyuan stumbled as he was pulled, and reluctantly got up.

Xu Qing made him recite half an article and practice two math problems before the two of them set off for the academy.

Those people at Songlin Academy who used to be at odds with Xiao Mingyuan became noticeably more polite when they saw him arrive.

Someone stepped aside to make way for them.

Someone nodded at him;

A shorter classmate struck up a conversation with him in the hallway. "Brother Xiao, you're here early today."

Xiao Mingyuan was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

The news about the bra had spread throughout the city, and even the people in the academy had benefited from it to some extent.

They gave them face because of the Xiao family's current prominence, and also because of the group of people behind Xiao Mingyuan.

Upon entering the classroom, Xu Qing noticed a detail.

Chen Shijin and Zhou Kang were not there.

Chen Shijin's seat was empty, and Zhou Kang's seat was also empty.

Both tables were covered with a thin layer of dust, indicating that no one had sat on them for several days.

Sun Decai has been expelled from the academy. Although Zhou Kang and Chen Shijin have not been expelled, they both took leave.

Considering the recent rumors, anyone with a modicum of common sense can connect the dots.

The mathematics teacher's surname was Fang, his given name was Cheng, he was in his early forties, and he had a neat short beard.

He liked to pace around the classroom while lecturing, always holding a thin vine in his hand.

It wasn't used to hit people; it was used to point out the math problems on the blackboard.

"Listen carefully, everyone. Today I will give you a question. It will be the most difficult question in the county school exams, or at least one of medium to high difficulty in the prefectural school exams."

As he spoke, he wrote the questions on the blackboard.

"Alright, now you can use abacus to solve the problem."

In class, most students started fiddling with counting rods.

Only Xu Qing and Xiao Mingyuan remained still.

There was a piece of paper in front of them, and they each held a pen in their hand, writing and drawing on the paper with their heads down.

Fang Cheng walked around the desks with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over Li Yan's counting rods, then over several students who were working hard on their calculations, and finally landing on the paper in front of Xu Qing.

He paused for a moment.

When he saw what Xu Qing had written on the paper, he was immediately stunned.

On Xu Qing's paper, the steps to solve the problem and the final answer were written neatly. He did not use a single counting rod or make any drafts from beginning to end.

Fang Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

He silently turned his gaze to Xiao Mingyuan beside him.

He was thinking to himself, Xu Qing was admitted with special permission from the headmaster. It was one thing to be accomplished in couplets, but to be so steady in mathematics, Xiao Mingyuan must be acting recklessly.

His feet inexplicably moved behind Xiao Mingyuan.

When they saw what Xiao Mingyuan had written on the paper, they were equally shocked.

Xiao Mingyuan also wrote the answer on his paper. Although the process was a bit simpler than Xu Qing's, and he skipped a few calculation steps, the result was completely correct.

Moreover, the approach she used from beginning to end was different from Xu Qing's; it was clear that the two of them had calculated it separately without having seen each other's work.

Fang Cheng stood behind the two people and watched for a while.

I felt an indescribable excitement rush from my spine to the back of my head.

He didn't make a sound, but turned around, tapped the blackboard with a rattan cane, and cleared his throat.

"Xiao Mingyuan, tell us how you solved this problem. Explain your solution to everyone."

Xiao Mingyuan was still a little nervous when he stood up.

But the approach to that problem was something he had practiced before under Xu Qing's pressure.

At this moment, the steps in my mind are already very clear.

He picked up his paper, walked to the blackboard, and began gesturing and speaking.

"I first divided the total into two halves, took an approximate number for the first half and the second half, and then compared them."

As Xiao Mingyuan spoke, he drew two lines and made a label.

He continued talking.

"If you make up for the extra stuff here, the error will gradually decrease."

He spoke slowly, and every step was clear and distinct.

Li Yan listened from below, putting down the counting rods in his hand.

His two classmates, who were often with him, also put down their counting rods and listened intently.

Even the other students who originally had no interest in mathematics couldn't help but look up.

After Xiao Mingyuan finished speaking the last word, the classroom fell silent.

Then, Li Yan led the applause, and his two classmates followed suit.

More applause erupted.

Someone shouted first, "Well done!"

Someone even patted the table.

As Xiao Mingyuan stood on the stage, the tension on his face slowly dissipated, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

Fang Cheng clapped his hands with a smile and announced in a loud voice.

"School's out, I'm happy today."

As he tidied up his lecture notes, he spoke to the students below the stage who were still in a daze.

"If you can reach Xiao Mingyuan's level, no one will need to be afraid of the county-level arithmetic exam. You used to say that arithmetic was a miscellaneous subject and useless."

Now that you've seen Xiao Mingyuan's poetry skills, who among you can compare? No one, right? He's also so good at math. If you don't study hard, you'll really fall behind. Go back and think about it carefully.”

After he finished speaking, he happily walked away with his lecture notes.

That cheerful figure looked as if he had unearthed a gem.

When Xiao Mingyuan returned to his seat, Li Yan turned around.

"Fatty Xiao, you really made a name for yourself today."

Xiao Mingyuan chuckled.

"Let's go to Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant. I still have something to thank you for, so it's on me. The gentleman has made an early decision to leave today, so let's all go out for a good meal together."

Li Yan didn't refuse, and stood up to greet his two classmates, "Let's go, together."

As the group exited the academy gate, before they even stepped down the stairs, they saw a maid in green standing at the entrance.