Chapter 106 The Gift: A Cake
Pei Wenjing came this time because he figured the time was almost up. If he continued to hide, Shen Cangyu's interest in him would wane, which would be a loss.
He intended to play hard to get, but he didn't expect to push people away completely.
So he voluntarily came outside the classroom and listened to Shen Cangyu's entire lesson, just to wait for her to finish class.
This was the first time Pei Wenjing had ever listened to Shen Cangyu's entire lecture from beginning to end. Her classes were very different, unlike anything he had ever done, unlike anything he had ever done in Kunlun, or even in anyone else he had ever met. Teachers are supposed to be those who impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts, but in Shen Cangyu's classes, the focus shifted from the teacher to the students themselves. She preferred teaching them how to discover their own unique qualities rather than simply imparting knowledge.
Pei Wenjing realized that compared to Shen Cangyu, his classes were just teaching, while Shen Cangyu's were truly enlightenment.
Just as Shen Cangyu said, reading is something that can be done at any time. She taught everyone how to learn, and even without her, they can find their own way forward. Perhaps this is the true meaning of "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Pei Wenjing was thinking when he happened to hear her say "turn stone into gold".
Is it a stubborn rock or a beautiful jade? This question has perplexed too many people in Kunlun, including Pei Wenjing. Kunlun has too many geniuses, and Pei Wenjing doesn't consider himself a talented person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent more than half a month studying Shen Cangyu's moves and routines to defeat her. Lacking talent, he can only rely on such unorthodox methods to win.
There were many people in Kunlun who were smarter than him, so he had to spend more time than others to earn the title of the chief disciple of his generation. After constant refinement, he realized that he was not a beautiful jade, but a stubborn stone. But he did not give up and continued to grind himself until the stubborn stone turned to dust and he had nothing left.
Pei Wenjing walked through this world for so long, but in the end, he didn't retain anything, whether it was friends, relatives, or Shen Cangyu.
Until I heard Shen Cangyu say, "So what if it's a stone? If you want, you can still turn stone into gold."
The dust that had settled in Pei Wenjing's heart began to coalesce again. He suddenly realized that he had thought he had left nothing behind, but in reality, every step he had taken still counted. The books he had read, the knowledge he had acquired, the mental techniques he had mastered, the principles he had understood... everything still existed in his mind.
Even though he was reborn and his memories were erased, these mental techniques and Taoist arts still remained. With a single thought, he could regain these skills. He was not as destitute as he had previously believed.
He possessed so much, yet he couldn't see it; even the affection he had always longed for surrounded him. Even Senior Sister Qiu Sheng and Senior Brother Chu Xun showed him great care, but every time he approached them, he couldn't help but feel guilty towards them. He felt he shouldn't get close to them, that as long as he did, he would bring them misfortune.
He also thought that Qiu Sheng was killed by Bai Mujing back then because Bai Mujing transformed into his appearance to lure Qiu Sheng into a trap. If their relationship hadn't been so good, perhaps Qiu Sheng wouldn't have died. Therefore, Pei Wenjing kept pushing those around him away, afraid they would get hurt. In truth, he had so much, but he simply pushed them away himself.
Pei Wenjing walked into the classroom and saw Shen Cangyu playing with the seashell the girl had given him. It turned out he wasn't the only one with the seashell; the girl had given it to many people, and he had carefully placed it on the top shelf of the display case. Shen Cangyu, preoccupied with stroking the seashell in his hand, ignored him.
Pei Wenjing ground his back teeth and said provocatively, "You're very good at manipulating people." Even his thousand-year-old heart couldn't help but flutter; it was too infuriating. If it weren't for the special circumstances today, after hearing her words, he would definitely have pondered them carefully and begun to have an epiphany.
"The word 'incite' is not appropriate; I'm just good at encouraging others."
"Whether you're trying to persuade Wan Qianzhong or to teach those money-grubbing types, when did you become so concerned about others?"
Shen Cangyu's eyes curved into a smile as her gaze fell on the headband on Pei Wenjing's head: "You're not jealous, are you, Pei Wenjing?"
Pei Wenjing felt a jolt, his eyelids twitched, and he turned to walk away. Seeing Shen Cangyu's unserious demeanor, he knew she had definitely forgotten what day it was. He had come to see her today, and it turned out she really had forgotten.
"Hey, Pei Wenjing!" Shen Cangyu chased after him. "Why are you running so fast? Don't you still want your birthday present?"
These words made Pei Wenjing's feet firmly planted, and he stood rooted to the spot.
Shen Cangyu chuckled as she walked around to look at him. "Let me count how many days you've ignored me, and you're only showing up now." Seeing Pei Wenjing's smug expression, she knew what he was thinking. This guy had been avoiding her for so many days, and then specially waited until his birthday to appear at her classroom door, just to test if she still remembered his birthday so he could ask her for a gift.
Pei Wenjing felt a little guilty and looked away.
Shen Cangyu smiled and said, "The gift I prepared for you has been arranged, but it's not finished yet. Just wait for me, and I'll come to see you again tonight."
Pei Wenjing suddenly spoke up: "I don't want longevity noodles."
Shen Cangyu was taken aback for a moment: "I remember you really liked noodles."
Pei Wenjing looked at her, clenched his fist, and finally mustered up the courage to say, "I lied to you. I don't actually prefer noodles. I just wanted you to remember that I'm different."
Long ago, Shen Cangyu would bake a cake for herself every birthday, and she would also bake cakes for the other disciples of Wanqi Guixin on their birthdays. Perhaps it was from that time that Pei Wenjing realized that Shen Cangyu was a different person; she could create many things that did not exist in this world.
Pei Wenjing always wanted something different. If Shen Cangyu made cakes for everyone, he would refuse them. He wanted to be unique, someone who could leave a different impression on Shen Cangyu. So, on his birthday, he would always say that he didn't like cakes, but preferred longevity noodles.
The longevity noodles were delicious, but he couldn't stop thinking about that cake. The rich, creamy filling was like a swamp, drawing him deeper and deeper. The more he craved it, the less he dared to approach it, and then the more he craved it...
Even after Shen Cangyu passed away, he secretly recalled her appearance and tried to make a cake himself, but his creations were terrible and could never compare to hers. The cake he stubbornly refused to eat back then became a permanent knot in his heart.
In this life, Shen Cangyu rarely celebrated her birthday, not even her own. Pei Wenjing realized that he probably wouldn't live to see that cake. Before the story ended, before this world ended, Pei Wenjing said to Shen Cangyu, "I want to try a piece of cake."
Shen Cangyu was somewhat surprised, because she had just prepared the ingredients for making a cake. Pei Wenjing had memories of so many lifetimes; Shen Cangyu figured he had naturally tasted all the delicacies in the world, and none of those things would surprise him anymore. But a birthday celebration should be a surprise. Shen Cangyu thought for a long time and then decided to prepare a cake for him.
She prepared the cake-making ingredients well in advance. There was no refined flour available, so she had to make flour that could be used to make cakes. She also had to ask a special craftsman to customize a mold and make sugar without impurities or off-flavors. When her skills were lacking, she made up for it with her cunning. To this end, she even taught many craftsmen how to use their cunning.
Pei Wenjing really should thank her. She rarely cared so much about someone, just to appease her. After all, Pei Wenjing always said "Never mind, it's okay, I don't care" but his eyes were full of "Why are you like this?" He was too difficult to please.
"Okay, I promise to complete the mission. You go back first, and I'll come find you when I'm ready."
When Pei Wenjing returned to his room, he saw a box at the door containing the Four Treasures of the Study. It wasn't something Shen Cangyu would give him; only one person came to mind.
When Pei Wenjing arrived at the teahouse, the man had disappeared.
He released a thread of cause and effect, pulling a red thread as he walked away. The person at the other end of the red thread kept moving, seemingly avoiding him and deliberately preventing him from following. But if she really wanted to avoid him, she could have simply left White Dragon Beach; there was no need for her to stay here today.
Perhaps sensing his thoughts, the person finally stopped moving. She stood on the high platform, bathed in sunlight, the sea breeze carrying birds through the air. He looked at the myriad figures receding into the distance and asked, "Why did you send me this?"
They had already tacitly agreed to treat each other as strangers, so why did Wan Qianzhong personally disrupt this balance?
He had spent hundreds of years trying to accept that he had no mother. Wan Qianzhong disliked him, seeing him as a burden, and he, in turn, had no expectation of receiving any care from his mother. Since he was going to sever ties, he wanted to do it cleanly. If it weren't for Shen Cangyu's connection to the Copper Coin Eye, and if Shen Cangyu hadn't wanted to cooperate with Wan Qianzhong, he would never have set foot in this place again.
Wan Qianzhong gave him a house and tacitly allowed him to enter the library at will, treating him like he was invisible. Even during meetings, Wan Qianzhong would ignore him.
But now, Wan Qianzhong has actually given him the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper). What does this mean? Is it just a polite gesture? Or does she feel guilty and finally want to make up for the twenty years she's been belatedly giving him?
Today marks the end of his coming-of-age ceremony, but like Shen Cangyu, he has no intention of holding any ceremonies or following any rules. He doesn't need any elders to handle things for him. Is Wan Qianzhong giving him these things to cultivate a good relationship with him and to personally organize his coming-of-age ceremony?
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