Sturnan gave a "hey," weaved through the crowd, and finally managed to squeeze to the front, taking three steps at a time to climb the steps.
He first bowed to Dean Lin and the other teachers, then turned to Shen Yaozu and said, "I can complete your first line of the couplet."
Shen Yaozu didn't take it seriously at all: "Where did this little beggar come from? Don't cause trouble!"
After he finished speaking, he took out two copper coins from his money bag, tossed them at Stunan's feet, and said, "Take the money and leave quickly, or you'll get beaten up if the guards come after you!"
Out of professional habit, Sturnan picked up the copper coin without thinking.
Only after he had the copper coin in his hand did he remember to ask Shen Yaozu, "If I don't leave, will you give this money back to me?"
"You still dare not leave?!"
"What's there to be afraid of!" Stu Nan practically had "Are you crazy?" written all over his face: "Is this your front door? Did you pee here and leave a mark?"
"What did you say, you little brat?" Shen Yaozu rushed up to punch him.
Si Tu Nan darted to the back of one of the scholars at the very edge and continued to berate Shen Yaozu: "You're kicking me out just because you're afraid I'll give you the matching line and make you lose face."
"With such a narrow mind, I think you should never say you are a student of Qing Tong Academy in the future, lest you bring shame to the Dean and the other teachers."
"What right do you, you filthy beggar, have to criticize me, this young master!"
As Shen Yaozu spoke, he tried to grab him again, but was stopped by the teacher in the gray cloth robe.
This scholar's surname was Wu, and his given name was Changshuo.
He was in his sixties, sporting a goatee, and was not tall and rather thin.
He shielded Sturnan behind him, his gaze towards Shen Yaozu revealing a hint of displeasure, and said in a deep voice, "So what if he's a beggar? You pride yourself on being well-versed in the classics, don't you even understand the principle that 'a hero's origins are irrelevant'?"
"...Master, please calm down, Master, please calm down." Shen Yaozu changed his arrogant attitude from before and became like a mouse seeing a cat: "I am just afraid that he is a beggar and will dirty the academy's grounds."
Master Wu's face fell upon hearing this, and he became even more displeased: "What's wrong with a beggar?! Did a beggar steal your money? Burn down your house? Dig up your ancestral graves?"
Master Wu pressed him relentlessly, which frightened Shen Yaozu so much that he repeatedly bowed and was almost kneeling down to kowtow.
Curious, someone asked the person next to them, "Why is the teacher so angry?"
"Don't you know? This Master Wu used to beg for food when he was a child! Although Young Master Shen is targeting this little beggar, do you think that Master Wu will feel good about it?"
"I think it's going to be tough for Young Master Shen at Qing Tong Academy from now on."
Shen Yaozu had no idea about any of this!
However, seeing that Master Wu was protecting the little beggar, he could no longer stop him. Instead, he said, "Since it is the Master's teaching, I cannot disobey. I will let you, little beggar, finish the couplet and see what you can do!"
He refused to believe that a lowly beggar like him could be knowledgeable!
Sturnan, however, was still thinking about the two copper coins: "Then this money..."
Shen Yaozu: "Here you go."
"So that you won't cry later when you can't match the answers, making it seem like I've bullied you."
But upon hearing this, Si Tu Nan raised his chin and threw the two copper coins back at him, which hit him right at the foot.
He said, "A person would rather not accept food offered with contempt!"
"If you have the guts, let's make a bet. If I win, you'll give me all the silver in your purse."
Shen Yaozu scoffed: "And what if you lost?"
"I'll do whatever you tell me to do!"
"Fine!" This was exactly what Shen Yaozu had been waiting for: "If you lose, you'll kneel on the ground and kowtow three times to me, then crawl between my legs!"
Upon hearing this, Dean Lin and Master Wu's faces instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Shen Qiyin watched this scene from afar, her smile beyond description!
He truly deserves to be called her "good second brother." She doesn't even need to lift a finger; he can kill himself on his own.
Master Wu squatted down in front of Si Tu Nan and wiped the dust off his face with a handkerchief. It was dirt that Shen Qi Yin had smeared on his face on the way here.
He asked Stuart, "Baby, have you thought it through?"
A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.
"If you change your mind now, I can step in and help you resolve this bet."
Upon hearing this, Si Tu Nan glanced into the crowd.
No one knew what he was looking at. In just a moment, he turned his gaze to Master Wu and said firmly, "Thank you, Master. But a man should keep his word. I will never do anything that goes against my promise."
"Even if I lose, I am willing to accept the punishment; there is nothing shameful about it."
"Well said!" A look of admiration appeared in Master Wu's eyes.
He patted Si Tu Nan on the shoulder approvingly and said, "Kid, if you can match this couplet, you can enter my Qing Tong Academy."
"Even if it doesn't match, if you are willing to study and understand principles, I..."
“Brother Changshuo,” Dean Lin suddenly spoke, interrupting Master Wu, “it’s not too late to take a look first.”
"……Um."
Dean Lin then looked at Si Tu Nan and said, "Little boy, Master Wu has high hopes for you. Go and write down your matching line so we can see what it is."
"yes."
Sturnan walked to the table and picked up a pen.
Several steps below, the people below couldn't see what he had written, but Shen Yaozu, standing next to him, could see it clearly.
He couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw Si Tu Nan write the first word.
"Ha!" he sneered. "This dog-scrambled handwriting is worse than what I could write with my feet."
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