Chapter 147: Chapter 9 Could This Disciple Be Silly
Wei Dongliu and Jiang Liyan sat side by side under the parasol tree in the courtyard, listening to the resonant sounds of reading coming from inside.
According to Jiang the Witch, those who stayed behind to continue reading after the private school was dismissed were definitely the most honest and dutiful kind.
Wei Dongliu agreed with this, after all, he had attended high school in his previous life and knew very well the nature of those who studiously worked on problems—they were the ones who stayed behind to read a bit more even after the dismissal bell had rung.
“Speaking of which, why is Daoist Jiang so eager to assist me?” Seeing that it was still early, Wei Dongliu casually asked.
“We hit it off at first sight, what’s wrong with me helping you?” Jiang Liyan’s eyes danced flirtatiously as she glanced at him obliquely.
This was mixed with some Illusion Technique; the Kunlun Mirror was numb and could only silently block it all out.
Wei Dongliu was completely oblivious and simply continued to ask,
“What kind of bond is this ‘hitting it off’?”
“Do bonds need to be explained?” Jiang Liyan placed her hand on his leg and cooed, “This young lady fell for you at first sight, and if Daoist does not mind, I am willing to offer myself for your pillow and mat…”
“How many children do you want to have after we’re married?” Wei Dongliu suddenly asked.
“I don’t want any,” Jiang Liyan paused, then said, “Looking after children is too troublesome.”
“Then I’m sorry, I cannot accept that,” Wei Dongliu moved his body a bit further away.
Jiang Liyan was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but burst into hearty laughter, tears streaming from her laughter.
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“You really are an interesting person,” she said, wiping the corner of her eye, “We’re both cultivators, what significance do children have?”
“Then what’s the significance of a woman?” Wei Dongliu asked her in return.
Jiang Liyan was stumped by the question and after a while became somewhat angrily embarrassed.
Good, he had it planned out from the start to block me with words here!
From the beginning, Wei Dongliu had never believed her so-called “love at first sight” nonsense; he was just deliberately going along with it, using the topic of having children to block her.
“It seems like class is over,” Wei Dongliu suddenly said.
He saw a throng of young boys pouring out from the private school; boys of their age were the most restless and were already impatient to go outside and fly kites.
The old schoolteacher also walked out of the room, holding scrolls in his hand, looking somewhat weary and frustrated.
After the disciples and teacher had left, Wei Dongliu walked to the window lattice. He then saw a young boy still sitting in the corner of the schoolhouse, intently reading a book.
The young boy had a full forehead and a high nose bridge, his appearance and temperament were simple and honest.
But his eyebrows were tightly knitted, and his lips were pressed together, creating the impression of a student struggling to understand, “I’m working hard to comprehend, so why can’t I grasp it?”
“This person looks to be honest and faithful,” Jiang Liyan chuckled from the side, “Daoist Wei, does he meet your criteria?”
“Whether he fits or not, we should first ask him,” Wei Dongliu entered the school and approached him.
The young boy looked up, hurriedly stood up, and respectfully greeted,
“Good day, Teacher.”
Wei Dongliu waved his hand, indicating that the boy needn’t be so formal. He didn’t clarify that he wasn’t actually a tutor at the private school, but simply asked in a mild tone,
“What is your name?”
“Responding to Teacher, my surname is Guo, and my given name is Jin,” the young boy replied.
Wei Dongliu: ???
“Guo Jin?” He couldn’t help but laugh and said, “That’s a good name. What book are you reading?”
“Disciple is reading ‘The Commentary of Guliang’.”
“Is there anything you don’t understand?” Wei Dongliu waved his hand grandly.
‘The Commentary of Guliang’ is one of the Thirteen Confucian Classics, which Luo Yan had once read in Yuqing View to pass the time.
“Responding to Teacher, disciple hardly understands any of it,” Guo Jin confessed honestly.
Snort! Outside, Jiang Liyan couldn’t contain her amusement, and even Wei Dongliu found it difficult to keep a straight face, frowning as he said,
“If you don’t understand, why don’t you ask the schoolteacher?”
“To answer the teacher,” Guo Jin said earnestly, “the tutor has said, ‘Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself.’ I have now read it sixty-seven times.”
Ha ha ha ha ha! Jiang Liyan laughed so hard he almost rolled on the ground, and Wei Dongliu also started to hesitate.
The young man’s first impression on him was actually quite good, but now it seemed… This wasn’t honesty and earnestness; it was starting to look like foolishness!
He subconsciously thought about giving up and leaving, but then he thought that, since the youth’s name was “Guo Jin,” could he be the embodiment of apparent foolishness but hidden wisdom, the classical late bloomer?
“Let me ask you,” Wei Dongliu continued, “if you have read a hundred times and still don’t understand, what will you do?”
“I would then go and consult my tutor,” Guo Jin replied.
“What if the tutor says that if you still don’t understand after a hundred reads, it means you have no talent for studying, what would you do then?”
Upon hearing this, Guo Jin’s thick brows knitted, and it took him a long while to speak:
“Then I will find another tutor and continue learning.”
“Oh?” Wei Dongliu was somewhat surprised, “Why would you do that?”
If Guo Jin had said “then I shall not read,” he was certain to turn around and leave immediately, but he had not expected this young man to show a stubborn side.
“Replying to the teacher,” Guo Jin earnestly said, “my mother once said before she passed away, ‘One must not listen blindly to what others say about right and wrong, merit and fault.’”
“If the tutor says I have no talent for studying, then I must first verify whether it is true or not; otherwise, it would be ‘blindly believing others’ words’ and go against my mother’s admonition.”
Wei Dongliu pondered for a moment, his thoughts slightly altered.
It seemed that this young man was not foolish, just simple-minded, as shown by his adherence to his late mother’s words as his guiding principle.
In other words, being simple-minded often equates to “loyalty,” which happens to be the quality Wei Dongliu valued most at this moment.
“Your mother has passed away, do you have any other family members left?” he continued, asking gently.
“No more,” Guo Jin shook his head, “Before she died, my mother sold the house for money and entrusted the village head to hand it over to the private school so that I could stay there to study.”
Wei Dongliu nodded. This mother was quite shrewd.
Guo Jin, having lost his mother at a young age, was unlikely to keep the family property, which, in the end, would inevitably be divided by “distant relatives from who knows where.”
So by selling the property in advance, and using the village head as a guarantee (the village head definitely benefited from this) to deliver it to a city private school in exchange for a place for Guo Jin to stay and study, seemed like an apprenticeship, in essence.
The private school received a hefty tuition fee, and with the village head’s guarantee and oversight, they naturally would not refuse Guo Jin’s enrollment.
If Guo Jin excelled in his studies, the private school would do its best to nurture him, and even becoming a scholar would bring honor to the tutors.
If he did not perform well, then the private school would eventually get tired of him and wouldn’t let him stay indefinitely… but by that time, he would likely be literate and able to write, so helping the villagers draft family letters and such, he would manage to make a living.
This mother had truly done her utmost to arrange for her son before she died.
“Let me ask you,” continuing with this in mind, Wei Dongliu spoke gravely, “would you be willing to learn the ‘Way’ with me?”
Guo Jin paused for a moment and asked:
“What is ‘the Way’?”
Wei Dongliu was immediately stumped. That question is a bit terrifying! What is ‘the Way’ speaks directly to the ultimate truth.
Laozi once said, “The Way that can be told is not the eternal Way,” meaning the ‘Way’ that you can understand at your level is not the real eternal ‘Way.’
Seeing that Wei Dongliu couldn’t answer, Guo Jin kindly said:
“Thank you for your high regard, but for the time being, I have no intention of seeking another master. You should still seek someone more capable.”
You’ve used the idiom “seek someone more capable” wrong!
Wei Dongliu left the school with a sagging face, only to see Jiang Liyan covering his mouth with his left hand, leaning against the wall with his right hand, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
“What are you laughing at, fellow Daoist Jiang?” he asked, feigning indifference.
“I am not laughing,” Jiang Liyan tried to make his voice sound calm.
“You are clearly laughing!” Wei Dongliu flared up indignantly, “You haven’t stopped!”