Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

Xu Family School.

"Today's quiz will start with memorization. For every wrong word, you'll get a spanking!"

Master Xu brandished his ruler, his gaze sweeping across the students below the hall, whose faces were filled with fear and dared not meet his eyes.

He finally looked at the students in the front row who were standing tall and proud with their heads held high, and said: "Lin Er, you recite the 'Elementary Learning Forest: Astronomy Chapter'."

Lin Er glanced at the handwritten primer filled with pinyin, closed the book, stood up, and recited aloud the pinyin from the book: "hùn dùn chū kāi, qián kūn shǐ diàn..."

The pinyin was annotated by him privately, which is very different from the current method of spelling characters using fanqie (a method of indicating pronunciation).

The boy had attended a second-rate university in his previous life, but he hadn't forgotten the most basic pinyin. In this life, he continues to shine.

His voice was warm, melodious, fluent, and full of emotion.

Master Xu squinted his eyes, listened attentively, and occasionally stroked his beard and nodded, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After Lin Er finished reciting, Master Xu was still not satisfied, so he selected six more pieces, including "Teachers and Students" and "Literary Affairs". After listening to them to his heart's content, he asked about the meaning of the sentences, and Lin Er answered fluently.

The teacher nodded in satisfaction: "Now that you've passed the elementary education hurdle, let's test your knowledge of mathematics. The Nine Chapters on Mathematics is a bit too simple, so you'll have to memorize the 'Six Mathematical Classics - Metal Mathematical Classic'."

"Granaries and currency are exchanged for goods and services, hence the gold department is next. Now, 565 households are required to pay 1 jin, 11 liang, and 8 zhu of silk. How much silk is that? The answer is: 8 shi, 5 jin, 3 liang, and 8 zhu..."

"Do you know the answer?" Master Xu interrupted and asked.

"One jin is equivalent to sixteen liang. Adding eleven liang gives twenty-seven liang, multiplying by twenty-four zhu gives eight zhu, which gives six hundred and fifty-six zhu, multiplying by five hundred and sixty-five gives..."

Master Xu tested Lin Er with more than a dozen arithmetic questions. Seeing that Lin Er answered fluently, he nodded and said, "Not bad! You've only been in school for half a year, yet you've already finished learning elementary and mathematical classics. This shows you have exceptional talent. You're a promising student with a limitless future. It would be a bit inappropriate to still call you Lin Er."

Lin Er understood and immediately bowed, saying, "Please bestow a name upon me, teacher!"

"Excellent, you have a knack for it!" Master Xu was overjoyed and stroked his beard as he commented.

"You were born into a humble rural family, generations of poor farmers, with no one to rely on, and no one to help you. I see that you are diligent in your studies and have talent, and you are quick-witted and insightful in your actions; you will surely rise to prominence sooner or later. When you achieve great success, I hope you will walk on thin ice, as if standing on the edge of an abyss, always cautious and prudent, day by day. Your surname is Lin, so let your given name be Yuan, Lin Yuan!"

"Student Lin Yuan thanks the teacher for bestowing upon him this name!" Lin Yuan bowed again.

"Yes, you must study hard and not tarnish my reputation!" Master Xu personally helped him up, formally acknowledging him and accepting him as his true disciple.

Lin Yuan's outstanding performance naturally aroused the envy and admiration of his classmates.

Having lived two lives, Lin Yuan had long lost the desire to show off, but his family was too poor and tuition was too expensive, so he wanted to graduate as soon as possible to save money.

"Next, Hu Cai, you?" Seeing that he was a student who had repeated a grade for many years, Teacher Xu shook his head and said, "Never mind, you can recite the 'Thousand Character Classic'..."

Hu Cai's voice was unclear and he stumbled over the words. He got stuck on "sea salt and river fresh" and glanced at his deskmate Lin Yuan. He saw "scales swimming and feathers soaring" in the book, but he couldn't remember the pronunciation. He could only read it quietly using the fanqie method.

Seeing him switching back and forth without getting the pronunciation right, Lin Yuan was secretly pleased, thinking that the pinyin from his previous life was much better.

"Enough! A ten-foot lash as a warning!" Master Xu couldn't bear to listen any longer and brandished the ruler in reprimand. "You entered school at eight, and six years have passed, yet you remain unworthy... Summon your father in a few days!"

Hu Cai was hit ten feet, his hand was swollen, and when he heard that his parents were being called, his face turned green.

Master Xu continued to examine the students. After a round of tests, out of the twenty or so young students, only three to five were outstanding in terms of sentence punctuation and pronunciation, with Lin Yuan being the best among them.

When it comes to solving mathematical problems, there are only two or three outstanding individuals. Lin Yuan is not the fastest, but he is the most accurate and never makes a mistake.

In mathematics, speed is not the key; being both fast and accurate is.

The Xu family school teaches literacy and basic literacy, but does not teach the meaning of classics. The focus is on teaching the "Six Offices Mathematical Classic": Household Office, Military Office, Collection Office, Granary Office, Metal Office, and Crafts Office.

After completing their studies, they could find employment as clerks in prefectures, counties, townships, or villages, or as accountants in shops owned by their employers.

It can be said that they are not only respectable, but also have a good income, and are highly regarded by people in the countryside.

As for the meaning of the classics? That's not something a country bumpkin should touch.

In Daliang, there are only three paths to success: studying, practicing martial arts, or cultivating Taoism.

The founding of the Great Liang Dynasty valued martial arts and Taoism, believing that those with martial skills could become generals and ministers. They also revered the Taoist principle of non-action in governance, and highly praised both martial arts and Taoist philosophy.

Since Emperor Xuan of Liang dismissed all other schools of thought and exclusively honored Taoism, the Nine-Rank System of Officials was formally established. Taoist temples were built in various prefectures, counties, and districts, and the abbots of these temples concurrently held the positions of Grand, Middle, and Small Officials.

The Zhongzheng (a high-ranking official) can evaluate the family background, virtue, and talent of scholars, and then determine their rank for the court to select officials; it can also evaluate the family background, aptitude, and temperament of local youths, and then select promising young immortals for various immortal sects to choose disciples.

Nowadays, the world is not what it used to be. Whether selecting scholars or promising talents, family background is valued more than ability and aptitude.

To enter the path of cultivation and immortality, one must be born into a powerful and wealthy family.

To become a high-ranking official, one must be from a prominent family.

Lin Yuan was a small, impoverished family in the countryside. They had little land and were frequently flooded, making life difficult. Such a family could not even be classified as a low-ranking poor family, let alone meet the threshold for a low-ranking poor scholar.

Although the upper limit for the poor is strictly limited, it is not without opportunities for advancement.

The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts; studying is the cheapest option.

Only after his desperate pleas did his father finally lend him money to send him to school.

His father said that even if the Lin family were to go bankrupt, they could only afford to support his studies for two years at most. After two years, regardless of whether he succeeds in his studies or not, he would have to rely on himself to get married and start a family.

Fortunately, outstanding students at the Xu Family School will be accepted as disciples by Master Xu, who will recommend them for jobs after graduation, which is a decent way out.

Therefore, his tuition was the highest in the entire Taoli Township, at five taels of silver a year.

It is indeed expensive, but the man is truly capable. Master Xu came from a humble background, studied diligently in his early years, worked as an accountant for the shops of the Li family, the Earl of Duting, and married a woman from a collateral branch of the Li family. Later, he worked as a tutor in the Li family school for several years, and then took advantage of the situation to become a clerk in the Lishui Pavilion. He was later transferred to the Linyuan County government as a clerk in the Water Affairs Department, then promoted to Assistant Clerk in the Collection Department, and finally climbed to the position of Water Affairs Director (Deputy Director of the County Water Conservancy Bureau).

Now that Master Xu is getting old, he has let his only son, Xu Shanding, take over as the county's water official, while he himself has returned to his hometown to run a school and also works as an accountant in a shop at the Zhang family mansion of Marquis Jiuling.

It can be said that Master Xu was good at business, had good interpersonal relationships, knew how to make money, and had a substantial family fortune.

Tomorrow, in early July, Master Xu will be going to the Zhang family's shops to check accounts. Therefore, he instructed everyone, "This small exam is over. You are all given three days off. The major written exam will be held in three days!"

The students were initially delighted, but then their joy turned to sorrow.

After speaking, Master Xu beckoned to Lin Yuan alone, saying, "Come with me!"

Everyone watched the two leave. This was a special treatment for true disciples: they were allowed to enter the inner sanctum, receive private lessons, and be taught the true teachings.

"envious!"

"eccentric!"

"Sigh, comparisons are odious..."

"Hey, stop worrying about that. No classes this afternoon, anyone want to go to Hongliu Lane?" Hu Cai was very interested in everything except studying.

"Hehe, let's go together!"

"Let's go together!"

……

The Xu family's two-courtyard residence was adjacent to the ancestral home of the Li family. The front courtyard was used for teaching, while the back courtyard was used for family members to live.

Master Xu led Lin Yuan to the main hall. It was Lin Yuan's first time there, so he couldn't help but take a few glances at the place.

Master Xu had tea served and gestured for Lin Yuan to sit down. He said earnestly, "Hu Cai and his gang usually spend their time either fighting cocks and chasing dogs, or going to brothels and gambling dens. It wasn't easy for your family to send you to school, so don't go astray with them."

"The teacher's teachings are correct, and I understand," Lin Yuan said with a self-deprecating laugh. "They know I'm poor, so they never call me."

Master Xu chuckled upon hearing this, stroked his beard, and pulled out five exam answer sheets from a stack of books on the table. They were filled with crooked, small regular script: "You did well on these exams, but your handwriting is a bit lacking. You need to practice more. I have some small regular script copybooks of the 'Thousand Character Classic' and 'Elementary Learning Collection' here. You can take them and practice later."

"Thank you, teacher."

Lin Yuan thought to himself that he had borrowed a calligraphy copybook from Master Xu a few months ago, but was criticized for trying to run before he could walk.

"Your solutions to the arithmetic problems are excellent, extremely accurate, and never make a mistake, which shows your meticulousness... It seems you have thoroughly mastered the Six Mathematical Classics."

"I only have a basic understanding; please give me more guidance, teacher." Lin Yuan had a second-rate science and engineering undergraduate degree in his previous life, so he had a foundation in science and engineering and the ability to learn on his own.

In the past six months, he borrowed elementary and mathematical notes from his classmates and studied them on his own, which is why he has been getting top marks in recent tests.

Master Xu nodded in approval of his learning attitude and planned to give him special training.

Of course, he also had other plans. After all, he was getting old, his eyesight was failing, and it was difficult for him to read the account book. He needed a servant to do his work.

His standards for cattle and horses were simple: they had to be able to endure hardship and be obedient.

People like Lin Yuan, who come from poor backgrounds and have no connections, have no choice but to rely on him in order to find a way out; he is the best candidate to be a slave.

Master Xu continued to test Lin Yuan on some more complex accounting matters, which Lin Yuan answered fluently. Seeing that he could teach him nothing more, Master Xu offered a pie-in-the-sky promise: "I know it's not easy for you to study. If you can complete three years of study, I will recommend you for an accounting job. That way, you can settle down and start a family, and your father won't have to worry about you anymore."

Three years of graduate school research?

In order to escape the mountain village, Lin Yuan immediately bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, teacher. Please accept my bow!"

"Very good!" Master Xu stroked his beard and laughed. "Tomorrow I'll go to the Zhang family's pharmacy to check the accounts, which will be a good opportunity for you to gain some experience."

"Yes." Lin Yuan then feigned embarrassment and said, "Teacher, I originally wanted to study for a few more years, but my family is poor. My father has borrowed all he could, and at most he can only afford to support me for another year of study. What should we do?"

Master Xu said dismissively, "It's alright. I know Manager Zhang of the pharmacy. If you have any difficulties, I'll put in a good word for you, and you can borrow some money from him."

"Thank you so much for your help, teacher!" Lin Yuan said with a beaming face, inwardly cursing that he had to take out a loan to work, but feigning grievance on the surface, "It's just that I'm afraid I might live to borrow the money, but not to repay it..."

"Don't worry! You are my student, he wouldn't dare to cheat you. I've been an official for many years and have always treated people kindly, ensuring everyone gets what they need. Just listen to my instructions honestly and work diligently, and I'll give you a bright future."

Lin Yuan nodded in agreement, intending to take it one step at a time. If it really involved compound interest, he would never dare to lend it.

Master Xu then comforted her, saying, "You live in Xiawei Village? It's more than ten miles of mountain road to the town, isn't it? With the floods, we have to take a detour, and it's too much of a hassle to travel back and forth every day. You can stay in the woodshed in the front yard for now. I'll ask Granny Li to tidy it up and set up a bed for you."

Thank you, teacher!

Lin Yuan thought to himself, "I was refused when I asked to stay at the woodshed before, and now I'm trying to make up for it. It turns out I'm not high enough status."

This teacher is the type who won't act until he sees a clear benefit; indeed, there's no such thing as love without a reason.

Master Xu looked Lin Yuan up and down, noticing his tattered clothes, and frowned, saying, "You can't lose face when you go to the Zhang family's shop tomorrow. There are some old clothes your senior brother wore at home; you can borrow them for a few days. Take good care of them."

Master Xu had seen many wealthy families, most of whom looked down on others. True disciples were his own face and reputation, and he couldn't afford to lower his status.

Lin Yuan's two big toes peeked out from the hole in his straw sandal, looked at each other silently, and nodded in agreement.

At this moment, the farmhand Granny Li came to invite the teacher to lunch, and the teacher politely invited her to stay.

Lin Yuan politely declined, but seeing that the teacher did not insist, he had no choice but to return to the front courtyard school, take out the roasted sweet potato he had brought that morning, add some dried salted fish, and borrow some hot water from Granny Li to soak it, and make do with a meal.

In the afternoon, Lin Yuan and Granny Li tidied up the woodshed.

In the evening, he arrived at the ferry dock in Taoli Town and found the older brother carrying sacks.

Working hard in the sweltering summer heat, my older brother was scorched by the sun, looking like a half-cooked roasted sweet potato.

Lin Yuan told his elder brother about the school, and his brother was overjoyed, which attracted a crowd of fellow villagers and laborers who came to watch and praise him.

When the foreman heard that he was studying at the Xu family school, he treated the two brothers to a bowl of coarse tea, which was salty.

Before parting, the elder brother stuffed all the copper coins he had earned that day into his hands, a total of thirty-three coins, as living expenses for his younger brother.

Each copper coin weighs five zhu (a unit of weight), and is inscribed with the characters "five zhu". It is called the Five Zhu coin and was made by Emperor Xuan of Liang. It is still in use today.

Fearing the coins would be stolen, Lin Yuan hid them in an egg bag and went to a noodle shop near the school.

This place's Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste) is a bit pricey, but it tastes like something from a past life.

Today I feel completely integrated into this world, and I want to celebrate. I ordered a bowl of noodles and asked the shopkeeper for garlic cloves. I ate a bite of garlic and a bite of noodles, and finished with satisfaction. Before leaving, I handed over five coins.

"Erlang, the price has gone up, ten coins now!" The shopkeeper recognized him.

"Doubled in price?"

"The price has gone up several times already. Ever since the floods in Yuanhu Lake, which submerged the fields, the price of grain has been rising continuously. Our small businesses can't survive without raising prices." The shopkeeper said helplessly, noting that fewer customers have come since the price increase.

Lin Yuan paid the money, feeling a bit of a headache.

If the price of coarse flour steamed buns also goes up, then he will have to go home to replenish his supplies in the next day or the day after.

Sigh, why is it so difficult to dedicate myself to studying in this lifetime?

Sigh, if I had this kind of drive in my past life, I wouldn't have ended up in a second-rate university.

He returned to the Xu family's woodshed and stayed there, then borrowed some old paper from Master Xu to practice calligraphy.

This time, Master Xu suddenly became generous, not only lending him old paper but also giving him a new brush when he noticed his brush was worn out.

This new calligraphy brush was also used by Master Xu, but it makes practicing calligraphy incredibly smooth.

He practiced calligraphy until dark, but since he couldn't afford candles, he went to bed early.

Unable to sleep due to the sweltering heat of the dog days of summer, he closed his eyes and concentrated. A mirror appeared in his mind, invisible and intangible to outsiders, visible only to himself.

The mirror is neither gold nor jade; its front is a blank white expanse, making it impossible to see clearly; its back is pitch black, making it impossible to see through.

Lin Yuan named it the Black and White Mirror.

In his past life, when he had an appendectomy, a friend gave him a peace mirror to ensure his safety. However, the surgery failed, and he died. The mirror came into this world with him.

Until this year, the Year of the Dragon (Bingchen year), his first birth year, the black and white mirror reappeared, helping him break through the mystery of his birth and awaken his past.

After awakening, he wanted to leave the mountain village and climb up to the highest point.

He had been secretly studying the Black and White Mirror for half a year, but he still couldn't find the right way to use the cheat.

The only finding so far is that there haven't been any major discoveries!