SWDnovel Chapter 34 You didn't even ask me!
Chapter 34 You didn't even ask me!
Seeing this, the old scholar's face flushed slightly. He coughed lightly, then straightened up to cover up his unease.
"Okay, I understand."
The old scholar gave a curt reply, turned and walked back to his desk, his gaze casually sweeping over Qin Chuan once more.
Although his expression was calm, he couldn't suppress the excitement in his eyes.
Qin Chuan glanced at the sky; the sun was already high in the sky, and noon was approaching.
He hesitated for a moment, then stood up, walked to the old scholar's desk, cupped his hands, and said, "Master, I must take my leave now."
The old scholar was taken aback: "You've only finished half the story, why are you leaving already?"
"Sir, I still have work to do later," Qin Chuan replied.
Upon hearing this, the old scholar suddenly remembered that the child had acted similarly a few days ago.
We must leave at noon.
Considering his previous statement that he came from a beggar background,
The old scholar suddenly realized that the studious young man before him was not one of those students who could sit in the classroom all day without studying.
He still has the burden of making a living on his shoulders, so it's already quite an achievement that he can squeeze out a few hours in the morning to read.
"If that's the case," the old master didn't insist on keeping him. He simply nodded, his gaze falling on the commentary on the classics on the table. After a moment's thought, he reached out, picked it up, and handed it to him. "Take this book back with you. If you have some free time tonight, take a look at it. Bring it back to me when you come tomorrow."
Qin Chuan took the book and learned that the teacher was worried that he didn't have a textbook, so he specially asked him to take it back to review.
He carefully tucked the book into his robes, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, sir. I will return it tomorrow."
"Go ahead," the old scholar waved his hand, "Be careful on the road."
Qin Chuan turned around and strode out of the school.
The old master stood at the door, watching Qin Chuan's departing figure.
He recalled the child's performance when he was teaching the commentary earlier; at first, the child had stumbled a bit.
But once you understand it, it's like opening up your Ren and Du meridians; you can grasp the rest almost instantly and even apply what you've learned to other situations.
That keen comprehension, that natural talent to learn faster and ask deeper questions, was truly rare in the old master's teaching career.
"What a pity," the old scholar muttered to himself, letting out a soft sigh. "If this lad had come a few months earlier..."
Given the child's comprehension and learning ability shown today, with a few more months of careful instruction, he may well have a fighting chance in this year's imperial examinations.
Although this kid started learning to read and write late, he learns things incredibly fast. A few months is enough for him to catch up on his elementary education and then put in a lot of hard work on the classics. I can't say he's guaranteed to pass, but at least he can give it a try.
But now, it's still a little too late.
The children's examination is imminent, less than two months away.
Even if this boy possessed extraordinary comprehension and could be called a "child prodigy," it was still somewhat beyond his capabilities to learn all the Four Books and Five Classics required for the imperial examinations in less than two months.
The classics are profound and complex, and one cannot become an expert overnight simply by being clever.
We'll have to wait until next year.
The old scholar shook his head, a hint of regret in his eyes.
But that's fine too, it gives the child a year to solidify their foundation.
When the time comes next year, things will fall into place, and he will surely pass the imperial examination with flying colors.
Not to mention the county examination, even the prefectural and provincial examinations can be passed on the first try.
......
On the way back,
Qin Chuan also opened his own panel.
Occupation: Scholar
[Level: lv2 (31/200)]
[Professional Skill: Literacy]
This time, the scholar's profession has been upgraded to level 2, and his proficiency has also increased by 31 points.
If things continue like this, the [Scholar]'s profession level will be raised again in less than a week.
Of course, Qin Chuan also knew that his experience had improved so much today, all thanks to the old master's serious and meticulous teaching.
There may not be such a good thing again after tomorrow.
There were still a dozen or so students waiting for the old teacher to give them lessons in the schoolroom.
It's impossible for someone to spend a lot of time on him every day.
......
Back in Aunt Liu's house,
Qin Chuan glanced towards the kitchen.
A familiar figure was holding a bowl of food, eating with greasy mouth.
It was Liu Ding.
Ever since this person asked Qin Chuan to help deliver a letter last time, he has completely regarded him as one of his own.
Every day around noon, Liu Ding would appear here on time, shamelessly and without any politeness, freeloading off the food.
Seeing Qin Chuan return, he didn't shy away from the situation and, holding his rice bowl, immediately said, "Oh, you're back? Come on, come on, this food is really good today." He then shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth. "Your cooking skills are getting better and better. To be honest, I think you could become a chef."
Qin Chuan didn't want to pay him any attention. After putting away the commentary on the classic text, he prepared to leave.
After leaving the house, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Hey, how did you end up offending the Iron Hand Gang?"
"Didn't I tell you? They set me up." Liu Ding was furious as he said this, his words filled with anger.
"I want to hear the details." Qin Chuan recalled the scene he saw Wu Laosi and Zhao Fuquan on the second floor and had a feeling that the two of them had no good intentions.
Seeing that he was really interested, Liu Ding put the bowl on the table, wiped his mouth, and straightened his expression: "This is a long story, it has to start from when I left Huizhou..."
"Then let's get straight to the point!" Qin Chuan interrupted him.
Liu Ding was taken aback by his words. He opened his mouth, then coughed awkwardly and reorganized his thoughts: "Alright, alright, let's get to the point."
After thinking for a moment, he said, "To put it bluntly, I came here to do business with some money on me, but someone pressured me to join the game. After a few rounds of persuasion, I got to sit down at the table. At first, I won a few rounds and got a taste of success, but then..."
As Liu Ding recounted his ordeal, Qin Chuan frowned slightly, then noticed a blind spot.
"You're saying you beat up Zhou Bapi and his three accomplices all by yourself?"
"Yes," Liu Ding nodded. "How could those people possibly be a match for me? They were down in the first exchange."
Qin Chuan looked at Liu Ding with some disbelief, then asked, "You know martial arts?"
"Yes," Liu Ding nodded, "Well, I just practiced haphazardly and managed to develop some strength."
"You've even developed strength?"
Qin Chuan's voice suddenly rose, his eyes fixed on Liu Ding.
Liu Ding was startled by this sudden scene and said, "What are you doing? You startled me."
Qin Chuan didn't bother to explain. He took a deep breath, suppressed the surging excitement in his heart, and said, word by word, "Teach me."
"Teach you?" Liu Ding blinked, not quite understanding at first. "Teach you what?"
"Practice martial arts." Qin Chuan uttered the two words decisively, without the slightest hint of joking.
Liu Ding was stunned. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Qin Chuan ignored his astonished expression, his mind already racing with countless thoughts.
Why did he go to work as a errand boy at the gambling den in the first place? Why did he try so hard to impress the casino owner and rack his brains to come up with ways to make money?
It's all so that they can catch the eye of the Iron Hand Gang's higher-ups, have a chance to learn martial arts, or save up money to go to a martial arts school and have more self-defense skills in this cannibalistic world.
He had walked this road for so long and taken such a big detour, but he never expected that there was a martial arts expert living at his house who would freeload off him every day, doing so with such a sense of entitlement, and he had no idea at all!
Thinking of this, Qin Chuan felt a mix of emotions, both angry and wanting to laugh.
He grabbed Liu Ding's sleeve, his voice tinged with urgency: "You come here for meals every day, how come you've never mentioned that you know martial arts?"
Liu Ding was pulled so hard he swayed, and replied sheepishly, "You didn't ask me either."