Chapter 77 Worthy of the Title of Mr.
Tang Xiaoyun looked at the headmaster in surprise and pointed at the question on the wall book. "Isn't this just the area word problem we learned in elementary school? It's very simple."
The headmaster was shocked. "It's so simple? Do you know that this question has been here for three months, and no student has ever solved it?"
Tang Xiaoyun was speechless: "This..."
The dean's exclamation attracted some students to watch, and Goudan was naturally among them.
When they saw that the problem that had troubled them for three months was solved by a cleaning boy, they were a little bit unbelievable.
"Principal, did he really solve this problem?" asked a student.
The headmaster nodded and said, "Yes, I saw him write the answer with my own eyes."
Then he turned to look at Tang Xiaoyun and asked, "Have you ever studied before?"
How should I answer this?
[Of course I've read books, but the original owner hasn't. If I say I have, what will happen if I get caught later?]
After struggling for a while, Tang Xiaoyun replied, "I've never been to school, but I've loved reading since I was a kid."
The headmaster's hand trembled violently, and the brush in his hand rolled against the bluestone slab.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the young man in coarse cloth and shorts in front of him, and suddenly felt that his way of teaching and educating people over the years was wrong.
"In other words, you learned all this by yourself?" The headmaster's voice was like the strings of a guqin soaked in rainwater, with an unusual vibrato.
Tang Xiaoyun thought about it and nodded: "You can say that."
After getting the correct answer, the headmaster became even more excited. "Genius! You haven't learned anything, yet you can write down the answer so accurately. You are truly a rare talent. I even think it's a bit of a waste of your talent to just do menial work!"
The students watching felt that the dean was making a big deal out of nothing. It was just a question, why was he so excited?
"It's just a question. Give me some time and I can do it!"
Tang Xiaoyun turned his head and looked at the person who said this.
He was a young man wearing a gray robe and a school cap, probably about the same age as Goudan.
When Goudan heard this, he immediately retorted unhappily, "Hu Ming, you only know how to boast. This problem has been here for a long time, and I haven't seen you solve it yet!"
"That's right, everyone can brag."
Listening to the rebuttals from several people, Hu Ming's face looked a little unhappy, but he was a person who didn't read books, so he would never easily admit that he was not as good as Tang Xiaoyun.
Pointing at the question, he said, "There's only an answer but no formula. I think he just guessed it. It's just luck!"
As soon as these words were spoken, many students looked at Tang Xiaoyun.
Tang Xiaoyun was amused. He had just solved a problem for fun on a whim, but ended up getting into trouble.
[Hey, I wanted to keep a low profile, but they won't let me!]
The system rolled its eyes and said with a pout: [Host, I just want to see you pretend!]
He looked at Hu Ming and said casually, "It's not that difficult to write out the calculation formula."
After that, he picked up the pen and wrote down the calculation formula of this problem on the wall book again.
"To put it bluntly, this is an area problem: length multiplied by width. Just apply the formula. Since 1 mu = 240 square paces, and 168 square paces doesn't add up to 1 mu, the answer is 168 square paces. Do you understand now?"
Hu Ming looked at the calculation formula he wrote, but couldn't understand it at all.
"What kind of symbols are those? Our Nine Chapters of Arithmetic are not written like that!"
Tang Xiaoyun was stunned and asked, "You haven't learned multiplication, and you haven't learned the multiplication table?"
"What is multiplication? What is the multiplication table?" the dean asked twice in succession.
The system then reminded: [Host, there is only the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic here, no multiplication.]
Tang Xiaoyun: [I see.]
"Multiplication is about being able to calculate the desired answer accurately and quickly."
The headmaster was stunned when he heard this and became very interested in the multiplication.
"I've been teaching for half my life, and I've never seen such a rapid calculation method. It's true that there are always people better than you. You deserve the title of sir from me."
Seeing that the dean's attitude towards Tang Xiaoyun had become respectful, the students dared not disrespect him, except Hu Ming.
Hearing the headmaster address him as "Mr.", Tang Xiaoyun felt a little embarrassed: "How can I, who only scored over 300 on the college entrance exam, be called Mr."
"Master, you are too kind. I don't deserve the title of sir."
"Tsk, it's just one..."
Before Hu Ming could finish, Goudan, who was standing by, gave him a strong push, squeezed to the front, and said to the headmaster, "Headmaster, not only is Brother Tang good at solving problems like this, he also helps me with my homework. Otherwise, how could I have gotten first place on the quiz?"
"No wonder. I was wondering why your academic performance has improved so rapidly. It turns out that you have Mr. Tang as your tutor." The dean said from the bottom of his heart while stroking his beard.
Whenever Hu Ming mentioned that Goudan got first place in the exam, he became furious, after all, he had always been first in the past.
Ever since Tang Er started tutoring Goudan, the person in charge has changed.
Seeing the two of them acting so arrogantly in front of the headmaster, jealousy made his eyes red, and he secretly vowed to teach Tang Xiaoyun a lesson.
“Ding ding ding!!”
The bell rang and the headmaster urged everyone to return to the classroom. Tang Xiaoyun also planned to do his own thing.
The headmaster stopped him and said, "Wait a minute, Mr. Tang."
Tang Xiaoyun turned around and asked, "Does the headmaster have anything else to tell you?"
The headmaster smiled and shook his head. "It's not really an order, I just wanted to ask if Mr. Tang is interested in changing jobs."
"What job?" Tang Xiaoyun asked.
"You seem quite accomplished in arithmetic. Would you be willing to teach them arithmetic?"
[You want me to teach? Forget it.]
He first clasped his fists towards the headmaster, then said, "To be honest, my level of skill isn't up to the level of teaching anyone, and I don't enjoy it anyway."
The headmaster didn't expect Tang Xiaoyun to refuse so bluntly, which made him at a loss as to what to say next.
He sighed helplessly, shook his head and said, "That's such a pity. In a month, our Qingwu Academy will compete with other major academies in the academic test. If you join us, our academy will definitely be in the top three. It's just a pity..."
The headmaster hesitated to speak and deliberately stole a glance at Tang Xiaoyun's expression.
"Academic test competition? What is that?" Tang Xiaoyun asked.
Seeing that Tang Xiaoyun was indeed interested, the headmaster quickly explained, "Every two years, Lushan Academy holds an academic test. To put it simply, they select talented students from various academies or schools to enroll them in Lushan Academy. You know, many people desperately want to get into Lushan Academy, but getting in is not easy, so they set up an academic test, and the top three students will all enter Lushan Academy."
When Tang Xiaoyun heard this, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. After all, he was not familiar with the background here, and it was difficult for him to understand what qualifications an academy had.
Seeing him like this, the headmaster slowly stroked his beard and said, "Lushan Academy is a sacred place in the hearts of scholars all over the world."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone becoming more serious: "You know, there are thousands of students taking the entrance exam every year, but only a handful can finally enter Lushan Academy."
Hearing this, Tang Xiaoyun understood: [It's probably something like a normal university.]
"Last year, a child prodigy arrived from the south. He passed the imperial examination at the tender age of twelve, but failed the exam. What a pity." The headmaster shook his head and sighed. "It's said that he studied hard behind closed doors for three years after returning, and hasn't dared to take the exam again."
"Last year, a student from our school took the college entrance examination. When he came back, he said that the first round of questions on the interpretation of the classics alone eliminated 90% of the candidates. The questions were so difficult that even many candidates were at a loss."
"The teachers at Lushan Academy are all great scholars of the time, with extremely high standards. Those who can catch their eye are all extremely talented."
The headmaster said this, looking at Tang Xiaoyun with a meaningful look, and said hesitantly: "You have this ability, wouldn't it be a pity to let it go?"
[This Lushan Academy is so awesome, what can I do? I'd better not join in the fun.]
Sensing that Tang Xiaoyun had no intention of helping, the headmaster continued to lobby, "I don't ask for a top three, top ten, no, top twenty would satisfy me. Mr. Tang, are you really unwilling to take on this sweet job?"
Tang Xiaoyun muttered to himself, "I don't think it's a good job, it's more like a hard job."
But the headmaster was so sincere. If he still refused, it would seem a bit unkind.
"Headmaster, my skills are limited. I can't even guarantee whether I can make it into the top 20. So you still want me to teach them?"
Seeing him give in, the headmaster quickly said, "I don't ask for a ranking. As long as I can show my face at Lushan Academy, I will be satisfied."
Having said that...
"Well, in that case, I promise you."
Seeing that he agreed, the headmaster was delighted and quickly said, "Don't worry, Mr. Tang, you won't be paid even a penny less."
"The pay is small, but a month is a bit too short... By the way, can you tell me what exams Lushan Academy takes?"
"Okay, come over to my place and have some tea while we discuss this in detail, Mr. Tang, please."
After a few cups of tea, Tang Xiaoyun learned from the principal that the exam questions at Lushan Academy are different every time, and this year's questions are even different from previous years.
The written test has been cancelled and an oral test method has been adopted. This will make the test more rigorous and cheating will be impossible.
In addition to the required poetry, songs and essays, the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art and annotations were also added.
After understanding the situation, the headmaster brought Tang Xiaoyun to the classroom. When the students saw the headmaster bringing Tang Xiaoyun, they immediately made a commotion.
The headmaster's face was filled with displeasure. He picked up his pointer and slammed the table, saying, "Quiet! I have something to announce!"
Hu Ming looked at Tang Xiaoyun on the stage with disdain, and muttered, "It's him again."
Goudan, who was standing by, glared at him unhappily when he heard this, then turned to look at Tang Xiaoyun with a crazy look on his face.
The dean cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, starting today for a month, your Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art will be taught by Mr. Tang. Treat yourselves as you would my own. Behave yourself. If I discover that anyone is disrespectful to Mr. Tang, I will expel you from the school immediately!"
Hu Ming was immediately displeased when he heard this: "Headmaster, he only knows the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. I won't accept your asking him to teach us!"
After he finished speaking, he quickly winked at the students who were on good terms with him, and they immediately followed Hu Ming's words.
Tang Xiaoyun looked at Hu Ming. This man had been making sarcastic remarks to him from the very beginning. No matter how good his temper was, he couldn't stand it anymore.
"Your name is Hu Ming, right?"
"My name is Hu Ming."
"Oh, you're quite impressive. How about this? I'll ask you a question. If you can answer it within an incense stick, I'll leave immediately. How about that?"
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