Zhou Gu had one virtue: he never gave up halfway.
So even though he thought the contents of this sketchbook were insanely ridiculous, he still asked Su Rong, "What happened next?"
"Well, the sequel." Su Rong lifted the sketchbook in her hand, "Wait a moment."
After she finished speaking, she bent down and continued to flip through the pages rapidly. After flipping about for the duration of one tea time, she lifted her head and said to Zhou Gu: "The unfortunate young master was originally a marquis’s son. After realizing his feelings for the female warrior, he saw her seeking new love and wasn’t willing to let go. Thus, he started to forcibly seize her love. Due to his noble status, he used his power to forcibly separate her and her new husband. The new husband was falsely accused and thrown into prison. The lady warrior, out of rage, suffered a miscarriage and due to poor recovery, heard that her new husband was going to be executed, she got a group of Jianghu friends to rob the prison. After successfully rescuing her new husband, she lost her strength and was killed. The unfortunate young master, heartbroken, committed suicide by his sword and died with her. After both of them died, the female warrior’s new husband turned out to be the current prince. He endured humiliation and staged a trap to marry the female warrior in order to get rid of the marquis’s son. Later, he was naturally married to a new wife and accepted several beautiful concubines."
Zhou Gu: "..."
This is indeed a mess!
He seriously doubted how such a terrible story could be marketable.
When he saw Su Rong throw this sketchbook aside and pick up another one, he finally couldn’t help but ask her, "Do you always read books this way?"
Su Rong nodded, "Yes."
"Always this fast?"
"Yes, indeed."
"Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you read too fast?" Zhou Gu doubted the accuracy of the story she had just recounted. He picked up the discarded sketchbook with his finger to check it out.
"Of course, people have told me." Su Rong recalled, "My mother said I read too hastily, ruining good books. Books are unlucky in my hands, and she feels sorry for them. My father said that a woman without talent is virtuous, it doesn’t matter if I don’t like to read, it’s enough to look good. I don’t need to take academic examinations. My big brother said that if I don’t want to read, I don’t have to force myself, I can do what I want to do, the sound of my flipping through books bothers him."
Zhou Gu nodded, lowered his head to look at the sketchbook she had finished talking about, and began to flip through it quickly.
Su Rong saw that he was silent, so she stopped talking and continued to read the new sketchbook in her hand at an extremely fast speed.
Zhou Gu hurriedly flipped through it and found that what Su Rong had told him was accurate. The story was exactly as she had told it. Even so, it took him nearly half an hour to flip through this sketchbook. This was still based on Su Rong telling him the story first. If he read it with curiosity without knowing anything, it would probably take an hour to finish it with his reading speed.
But he remembered clearly that Su Rong had only used three or four tea times.
He looked at Su Rong, extremely surprised, and asked her, "How can you read so fast?"
"Reading ten lines at a glance, everybody can do that." Su Rong said without lifting her head.
Zhou Gu shook his head, "Even if I read ten lines in one glance, my speed is still slower than yours." After saying this, he added, "Even if I rush through it, I am not as fast as you."
Su Rong stopped flipping the pages and looked up at him. Seeing that his eyes were full of surprise, she blinked her eyes and said, "Maybe I have good eyesight? With one glance, the whole page of text can enter my eyes."
Zhou Gu put down the sketchbook, "So, you have a photographic memory?"
"Something like that, but not exactly."
"What do you mean?" If it is, it is, and if it’s not, then it’s not. What do you mean, ’not exactly’?
"It depends on what kind of book." Su Rong gave him an example, "For example, sketchbooks and other miscellaneous books, I can read them very quickly when they come to me, which can be called photographic memory that you mentioned. But for example, when it comes to dull books of history, I read them very slowly."
"How slow?" Zhou Gu asked.
Su Rong pointed to the travel book by his side and said, "For example, for a book this thick, it would take me about an hour to finish."
Zhou Gu looked down and saw that the travel book he had chosen was twice as thick as the sketchbook he and Su Rong had just read. He fell silent.
If he were to read it, under normal circumstances, it would take him half a day.
Seeing that he had stopped speaking, Su Rong asked him, "What’s wrong?"
Zhou Gu was speechless and said to her, "This travel literature, if I were to read it, it would take me at least two hours at the very fastest."
Su Rong smiled, "About the same as my older brother."
She looked at Zhou Gu, "I never liked reading much when I was young, nor did I enjoy sitting in school, listening to the teacher drone on about one article for a couple of hours."
Since she was young, the older ladies would always scold her for being a troublemaker. Everyone thought it was because she enjoyed playing more than reading. The way she would casually flip through the book was perceived as her being impatient with reading, and she didn’t bother to explain otherwise. Additionally, she was restless as a child, always moving around in her seat and couldn’t sit still. Simply put, she didn’t enjoy school. When she first started writing, her handwriting was flamboyant and vivid. It was only because her older brother couldn’t stand it anymore and forced her to practice writing a beautiful small script. This was done out of fear that her handwriting would be embarrassed if she had to send a letter or post a note in the future. As for reading, they never bothered her about it.
Zhou Gu understood then, it wasn’t him or Su Xingze who were abnormal, it was her. Moments ago, he was close to doubting himself.
Su Rong was clever and just by looking at his expression, she could see that he was probably a bit disconcerted. She hastily said, "I’ve heard people say that Zhou Gu, the Young Master of the Duke Residence, is a prodigy and picks up new things extremely fast. If you think I read quickly, it’s just because I have a natural talent for it. For example, Yuewan has a real knack for reading picture books, she can read five or six in one day. When we read, we’re just skimming the surface, cramming it all in. You’re different from us, you’re not merely reading a book, you’re taking it in to heart. It’s a slow and meticulous process that requires brainpower and effort. So, reading slower isn’t a big deal, right?"
So, there’s no need to look as though you’ve been so badly affected.
She genuinely believes that being a fast reader isn’t necessarily a good thing. She has had some regrettable experiences due to this, the mere thought of which gives her a headache.
Zhou Gu couldn’t help but laugh, "You certainly know how to comfort people."
He shook his head, picked up the traveling literature, and said to her, "Not everyone possesses the talent of a photographic memory. If you put it to good use, you could achieve a great deal."
Su Rong, who had only ever used her gift to read books from a young age, asked him, "What sort of things could I do?"
Zhou Gu said, "Checking account books, doing calculations, reciting articles."
Su Rong nodded, she was indeed quick at checking account books, which her mother no longer required her to learn.
"Also..." Zhou Gu, suddenly having a thought, was somewhat excited. He leaned close to Su Rong and whispered, "When you visit the capital one day, I’ll take you into the imperial palace’s Book Pavilion, there are several precious books in there. You could use your eyes to ’steal’ them out, right?"
Su Rong: "..."
She looked at Zhou Gu, whose face was filled with excitement, whispered back, "That sounds pretty challenging, doesn’t it?"
"Of course it does." Zhou Gu said, "But considering your skill, I think we could give it a try."
"What kind of valuable books are you so keen about?"
"There’s a military book written by a famous general, Zhang Wu, from three hundred years ago, a statecraft thesis by a famous former statesman, Wang Cheng, from four hundred years ago, and a treasure map, rumored to be from Emperor Jingyuan’s reign. The map remains undeciphered to this day."
Su Rong: "..."
Looking at Zhou Gu’s increasingly excited face, she couldn’t help but ask, "Such valuable items should be securely stored. Are you sure we can sneak a look?"
"I have a token which allows me to visit the Book Pavilion in the palace once a month, and each time I can stay no longer than half an hour," said Zhou Gu, "I’ve skimmed through both Zhang Wu’s manual and Wang Cheng’s thesis, but due to the tight time constraint, I could barely abosrb anything from them. I long to have them in my hands so I can read them carefully, but they are not to be taken out of the Book Pavilion, quite a bother indeed. As for the treasure map, it’s hidden in a secret compartment on the top of the Pavilion. I’ve been studying hidden mechanisms and traps for the past few years, and I believe I can unlock that secret compartment now."
Su Rong: "..."
Zhou Gu looked at her and proposed: "Considering your rarity - possessing a photographic memory, I reckon a half-hour should be enough for you to remember the views, and then you can replicate them for me."
"I might read quickly, but I can’t write very quickly. Writing takes a lot of effort," Su Rong emphasized.
"That’s okay. Just as long as there’s an opportunity, if you can read ten lines at a glance and remember them, you can dictate it to me and I can write it down," said Zhou Gu, itching to put this into action, he’d take Su Rong to the Book Pavilion in the palace immediately if he could. Suddenly, he suggested, "How about it? When I return to the capital, why don’t you accompany me?"
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