The system started to play dead.
Shen Cui lay on the recliner with her eyes closed, swaying contentedly while calling him in her mind.
First he called out [system], then called out his number [962464], and after calling out dozens of times, the system said helplessly: [I know, I know, stop calling out! I will integrate the system resources now, and will release new tasks to replace the original ones by tomorrow morning at the latest! 】
Chen Cui quickly responded in a flattering manner: [Okay, okay, you go ahead. I won't bother you. The tasks will be integrated and released at any time. I'm always ready! 】
[Host, don't be happy too soon. After the task is adjusted, the difficulty of the task will increase in a step-by-step manner. 】
[Will that allow me to directly send Erpang to take the imperial examination? 】
[That won’t happen!] 】The system's male god voice was so loud that it was out of tune: [That's not called step-by-step growth, that's directly requiring the host to pass the level! 】
[That's okay, hehe.] 】
The system hummed coldly and then went offline.
Shen Cui was still cheerful, the smile on her lips never fading.
Soon Zhou noticed that something was wrong with her, but she was not a talkative person, so she did not ask any questions.
It was still evening when Zhou returned home, and Mu Erpang asked his mother what she was laughing at. I have been laughing for most of the day.
Chen Cui said it was nothing, and then said mysteriously: "Go to sleep, you should read new things tomorrow. It will be tiring."
According to the inertia of the tasks released by the system in the past, Mu Erpang is the main force in completing the tasks. The system said that the tasks released tomorrow will be much more difficult, and it is estimated that his fat son will have to work hard.
"I'm not afraid of being tired!" Mu Erpang assured her with sparkling eyes, "I already know everything my mother taught me before, and I'm just waiting to learn new knowledge!"
Anticipating that the next day would be busy, Shen Cui didn't speak to him again, and the mother and son dropped the subject without further mention.
The next morning, early in the morning, the rooster crowed and the system issued a new task with a ding.
Shen Cui sat up as soon as she heard the prompt tone - it would have been absolutely impossible in the past. She was now a lazy bug, and the weather had not warmed up that much after the New Year. She would not get up until she woke up bright and clear.
She would not lie in bed today and immediately started checking the system tasks.
【System Task: Please host, choose a teacher for the training object.】 The qualification cannot be lower than 85. The so-called "qualification" refers to the average attributes including IQ, EQ, memory, imagination and charm. 】
[During this mission, the system will allow the host to detect the qualifications of others. 】
【Mission time: three days.】 】
[Note: This task is a cross-level task. If the host fails the challenge, he will not be punished by the stripping system. Only all shopping points on the account will be deducted and the previous task progress will be returned. 】
You know what, the system was right the day before, this task of selecting a famous teacher is much more difficult than the previous task of practicing calligraphy!
Chen Cui stared in silence, not worrying about the difficulty, but asking the system: [Is this the task you mentioned that can make me money? 】
This mission doesn't look like a money-making one at all, but rather a money-losing one!
At that time, people paid attention to heaven, earth, the emperor, parents and teachers when offering sacrifices. What does it mean? A teacher is like half a father to his students.
If students get into trouble, the teachers will be implicated to some extent. All will prosper and all will suffer.
Of course, teachers have to pay more attention to accepting students. First, they have to collect the students' studies, and also they have to examine the students' character and knowledge.
Although Mu Erpang's growth progress is encouraging, that is only compared to his past.
Compared with children of the same age, the little knowledge he has is really not enough.
Unless you spend a lot of money to bribe the other party.
The system said unhappily: [Host, if you want to make money, you must complete the prerequisite tasks first? I have already told the host that adjusting the task progress will come at the cost of a step-by-step increase in difficulty. If you don’t want to do it…】
Shen Cui was still skeptical at first, but when she noticed how angry the system was, she no longer had any doubts!
She quickly waved her hand and said goodbye, "I'll go right away." Let me ask one more question, how many prerequisite tasks are there before the money-making task? 】
She was afraid that the system would assign her a series of pre-tasks, and before she could get the money, she would squander all her little family fortune.
[Just this one!] 】
The system master was particularly unhappy today, so Chen Cui stopped asking questions and started to flatter him: [Okay, the task you arranged is really good. Before, the Shen family thought that Erpang was studying with his eldest brother, and his eldest brother probably thought that I hired a teacher for him. This is equivalent to hiding the truth from both sides. It is okay now as the time is short, but in the future his elder brother will leave the county and Zhou will come here often, so this will definitely be impossible to hide. Besides, I don’t have much knowledge of this era, and it will become increasingly difficult to teach him in the future. It’s time to hire a teacher for him... If this mission fails, you won’t send me back to the original world to die... You are really very nice, the most generous, considerate, and caring system I have ever seen. 】
After all the flattery, the system's anger value seemed to have decreased a lot, but it was still not very happy. [The host just knows it. 】
Shen Cui shrank her neck and dared not say any more. She stood up and immediately turned on the system's [Qualification Detection] function.
After opening it, the world in front of Shen Cui did not change at all, but when she looked at Mu Erpang, there was a line of words above the head of Mu Erpang who was still sleeping -
[Qualification: 35]
His original attributes were in the single digits, but after taking a [Enlightenment Pill], each of his attributes increased by 20 points.
In addition to the reading, calligraphy practice and mental firmness during this period, I have added a few points to each of them.
So on average, it comes down to 35 points of qualifications.
Later, Chen Cui quickly went to boil water. As soon as the water was boiled, she called Mu Erpang to get up, and the mother and son washed together.
While washing, Shen Cui looked at herself in the basin, but there was no sign of qualification on her head.
So this feature is only available to certain people?
With this question in mind, Shen Cui and Mu Erpang left the house together in the dim morning light.
At this time in Shuiyun Village, most of the farmers had already gotten up, but it was early spring and winter and it was cold, so few people went out.
However, in the school at the entrance of the village, the teacher had already started morning reading with a group of children.
"When chaos first began, the universe began to be established..."
"The light and clear air that floats upward is the sky, and the heavy and turbid air that condenses downward is the earth..." (from "Youxue Qionglin").
Following the sound of reading aloud, Chen Cui and Mu Erpang soon arrived outside the school.
Just as she guessed, the system's [Qualification Detection] function is only useful for people who have already started school. For example, parents who drop their children off at the school gate do not have such a line of words above their heads.
Shen Cui looked inside the school again. Sure enough, including the Master, everyone had the word "qualified" above their heads!
However, to her disappointment, the children, needless to say, had attributes similar to Mu Erpang, while the teacher who was holding a book and reading with his head shaking had a qualification of only 70.
In fact, it makes sense. The attributes of the original book's hero, Mu Yunchuan, were close to their peak, so he was able to win six prizes in a row.
The teacher in this village is an old scholar. He took exams for half his life but failed and so he returned to his hometown to teach. Naturally, his qualifications can only be considered above average among the scholars.
There was no one in the village with higher qualifications than him, so Shen Cui did not stay in the village and walked quickly towards the city.
And he had hardly ever been to the city, so he had to ask his mother Zheng for help.
Another quarter of an hour later, Shen Cui and Mu Erpang entered the city and went to Teapot Lane.
The men in the Shen family had all gone out to work at this time, leaving only Zheng and her two daughters-in-law at home.
Zheng has lived in the city for several years, so of course she is more informed than Shen Cui.
When Zheng heard Chen Cui say that she wanted to find a teacher for Mu Erpang who was better than the village teacher, she did not disagree.
"I heard from the old woman of the Chen family that their son, Danniu, found a scholar to be his teacher. I thought that our son, Erpang, should not fall behind, so I went to ask about it a few days ago. The scholar that the Chen family found lives not far from our house. After the Chinese New Year, many people came to his house with gifts and wanted to become his disciple. Someone happened to pass by that day, so I asked about it and was told that he had to pay 10 taels a year for tuition. If you eat and stay at his house, it would be charged separately. In addition, you have to prepare your own pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, and you have to prepare gifts for festivals. All in all, it would cost at least 15 or 16 taels a year."
Shen Cui and Mu Erpang came out with empty stomachs. At that time, the mother and son were eating the noodles that Zheng prepared for them.
Hearing what Zheng said, Mu Erpang was so frightened that he forgot to eat his noodles, while Shen Cui almost choked on a mouthful of noodles.
Zheng gave her a sidelong glance of reproach, patted her on the back and said, "I know you are used to being stingy with money, let alone you. I was shocked when I heard it, so I didn't make up my mind whether to discuss it with you or not."
Fifteen or sixteen taels of silver is really not cheap. For people like Shen Da and Shen Er, who have worked hard in the city for many years to make a name for themselves, they only earn five taels of silver a month, which adds up to about sixty taels a year.
But there are still many people in each family. Life in the city is different from life in the village. Everything costs money.
Adults may be more frugal, but of course we should not skimp on children's food, clothing and other expenses.
Therefore, the two brothers would only hand over half of the money to the public treasury, and keep the rest for their own expenses.
The sons give thirty taels of silver as filial piety every year. It's not that Zheng and Mr. Shen are unwilling to give half of it to their eldest grandson, but if they really have to spend such a large sum of money openly, not to mention the younger daughter-in-law, Li, the eldest daughter-in-law, Chen, will probably make a big fuss.
He was not afraid of anything else but Chen, who was afraid that since Erpang could go to school, his son was not much younger than Erpang and should go to school as well.
Although Zheng and Mr. Shen favor Mu Erpang more in their hearts, they have to treat all the children equally in public.
That money is definitely not enough.
Shen Cui took a sip of the noodle soup and swallowed the noodles.
After a long moment of pain, she closed her eyes and said, "Mother, take me to the old scholar first. If he is really a learned man, fifteen taels is fifteen taels!"
You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb. Anyway, the system won't lie to her. After completing the preliminary tasks, she will definitely get the money later!
After hearing what she said, Zheng said unhappily, "I thought you had changed a lot earlier, but now I know I was overthinking it. You are really a baldheaded person, and you are so arrogant! Fifteen taels is the normal standard. If you fail the test, I heard you have to pay a lot more!"
Cursing aside, by the time Chen Cui finished her bowl of noodles, Zheng had thought it through. It would not be a good idea to keep hesitating like this. She should go and see the old scholar with her own eyes. If he is really a man of both talent and learning, she would have to decide on him as soon as possible. Otherwise, she would have to wait another year if she hesitated. So she really took Shen Cui and Mu Erpang with her.
As Zheng said, the old scholar's house was very lively, with many people eager to send their children to study.
His house was not big, but it was already full of people. The line was more than ten meters long. They were all parents who were quietly lining up with their children, holding gifts.
Shen Cui and the others arrived late, so they were at the end of the line.
They were lucky because not long after they stood there, the old scholar came out, bowed to everyone and said very politely, "I will not be here for long, thank you for waiting."
Everyone naturally responded politely and said no.
As he said this, the old scholar asked his students to help distribute some paper.
What was written on those papers were naturally test questions, which were issued according to the age of the children.
If the children are younger, they can simply recite enlightenment books such as "Three Hundred Thousand" or "Youxue Qionglin".
If you are older, you need to read "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius".
At Mu Erpang's age, the test questions he received required him to have read the Four Books.
After receiving the test questions, the other children immediately straightened their expressions and began to prepare seriously.
Mu Erpang's expression remained unchanged - because let alone reciting, he didn't even know what the Four Books were. He was completely confused and forgot how to react.
Chen Cui was also stunned for a moment - even though he was such a popular candidate in the city, the qualification mark on the old scholar's head only read 80.
You know there is a saying that goes "A poor scholar is a rich juren"!
Not only can a Juren be exempted from taxes, but if he is good at scheming, he can also be demoted to a minor official.
He is such a top figure, but his qualification is only 80 points in the system assessment? !
If the system wasn't still sulking, Shen Cui would have complained a bit.
After informing everyone, the old scholar went back, and everyone continued to line up.
Shen Cui quietly pulled Zheng and whispered, "Mom, let's go back."
Zheng stretched her neck and counted the people in front of her, and said, "There are only a dozen or so families, and it will take about an hour to queue. If you are tired, you can take Erpang home to rest, and I will wait here."
"No, I just don't think it's appropriate. Let's talk about it when we get back."
Zheng was surprised and said, "Isn't it appropriate for this scholar to be our second fat man's teacher? You are so arrogant, little girl!"
It's no wonder that Zheng was so surprised. The people around couldn't help but say, "You are so arrogant. Mr. Huang is a real scholar. If he wasn't so old and incapable, he might have gone to Qingzhu Academy to teach. How could it be our turn?"
"That's right! Maybe your child couldn't answer Mr. Huang's question, so he said that on purpose to save face."
"Yes, if you don't even look down on Mr. Huang, why don't you send your child to Qingzhu Academy? Now is the time for the academy to recruit students!"
Of course, that person was not really kind enough to remind Chen Cui, but was deliberately teasing her!
Qingzhu Academy, where Mu Yunchuan is studying, is a well-known academy in the state.
The headmaster was a successful candidate in two imperial examinations. He resigned from his official post for some reason and founded the academy here to teach and educate people.
The number of students coming to study is as numerous as the number of fish crossing the river.
The requirements for admission to academies are even more stringent, and the ratio of selected students is less than one in ten.
I heard that there were students who had passed the examination and had achieved honors and came to study here, but were all rejected by the headmaster.
At present, Mu Erpang's qualification is 35 points, and his learning progress has just reached 300,000, so it is naturally unable to meet the admission standards.
Otherwise, Shen Cui would have gone straight to the academy.
The system, which had been pretending to be dead for the whole morning, suddenly spoke up: [Look, host, this task was originally going to be released after the subject had studied on his own for a year with the help of the system, which is about this time next year. By then, the difficulty of this task will be greatly reduced. Since one cannot become fat in one bite, the host had better give up and return to the previous task progress. Isn’t it just a year of hardship? Host, have you ever heard of this saying, "A sword is sharpened by constant grinding"...】
[Why are you more depressed than me?] It's not just half a day. I also want to ask you if you have ever heard a saying: Nothing is difficult in the world as long as you want to make money! 】
[Host you...you...] The system said "you" for a long time without uttering a complete sentence.
While Shen Cui was talking to him, Zheng also started arguing with someone else.
She can say whatever she wants to her daughter, but is it the right of outsiders to point fingers in front of her mother?
"What's wrong with Qingzhu Academy? My second fat man's elder brother studied there! It's just that my second fat man is young, so my daughter wanted to find a teacher to teach him first. Is it your turn to say such sour words?"
Zheng was really not afraid of his tongue being blown away by the strong wind. Mu Erpang was almost becoming the second Mu Yunchuan in his mouth.
Chen Cui had no choice but to bow to the other party apologetically and then pull her mother out of the crowd.
After being pulled out of the crowd, Zheng was still furious. She turned around and spat on the ground, "It's just a juren. I'll find a better one for my child later!"
After calming down, Zheng took Shen Cui back home.
Chen had eavesdropped from the corner and learned that the mother and daughter had gone to look for Mr. Huang, but she didn't have the courage to stop them, so she was walking around the house in worry.
Suddenly seeing them come back, Zheng's face was still filled with anger. Chen knew that the task had not been accomplished, so she suddenly burst into laughter.
Zheng glared at him unhappily, but she didn't scold her in front of the child. She just scared Chen so much that she went back to her room.
Later, Zheng asked Shen Cui what the rules were, but Shen Cui didn't dare let her participate anymore - if she hadn't pulled him out in time, Zheng might have started a fight!
She said, "I haven't made up my mind yet. Please calm down first. Don't let yourself get hurt by anger. We will go back first."
Zheng was still angry and did not keep them. She just said that she would find a way to find out about others and inform Chen Cui later.
After leaving Teapot Lane, Shen Cui certainly did not take Mu Erpang home directly.
This task takes three days. If she misses it, she will have to wait another year according to the original task schedule. She will not give up unless she works hard until the last moment!
Perhaps because she heard someone mention Qingzhu Academy, while Shen Cui was thinking about something, she unconsciously took Mu Erpang to the vicinity of Academy Street.
The child was particularly well-behaved today and followed me for a long time without saying a word.
The noodles they had eaten in the morning should have been digested by now, so Chen Cui took Mu Erpang to find a wonton stall at the corner of the street and sat down.
"Are you tired?" Shen Cui asked the stall owner to serve a bowl of wontons, then turned around and took out a handkerchief. While wiping her chopsticks, she consoled him, "Don't worry, we'll be able to eat soon."
Mu Erpang shook his head, and then said sullenly: "Mom, I am so useless. I couldn't even do the questions just now. I couldn't even recognize most of the words."
"So that's why." Shen Cui touched his head apologetically, "You started learning late, so it's normal that you can't do it. If you study more, you will catch up soon."
These were not words from Shen Cui simply to comfort him, but as the system said, this was originally a task that would only arrive a year later.
Coincidentally, not long after the mother and son sat down at the stall, a scholar with extraordinary bearing passed by the stall with his hands behind his back, and the pedestrians on Shuyuan Street politely made way.
If the person is a scholar, he will bow and call the master respectfully "Master".
This person is the headmaster of Qingzhu Academy. Chen Cui was envious when she saw the 92 points of qualification above his head.
But no matter how jealous he was, his own Mu Erpang couldn't even answer the questions from Mr. Huang, let alone the examination of Qingzhu Academy.
Is it really impossible to complete the task one year in advance as the system said?
As she was thinking this, another pair of young men in brocade clothes passed by them.
One of them was wearing a lake blue round-necked silk shirt, and the other was wearing a sky blue brocade straight-collared gown. Both of them were handsome and dignified, with extraordinary demeanor.
There are many people coming and going on Shuyuan Street, and it is not uncommon to see children from wealthy families coming here to study. But what is new is that the faces of these two people are surprisingly similar. It is no exaggeration to say that they were carved from the same mold.
But there is indeed a difference in their heights, so they are not twins.
Both of them are very handsome and look 99% alike, but they are not twin brothers. Isn't it interesting to see them?
However, what Chen Cui looked at was not the faces of the two people, but the words above their heads!
The qualifications of these two brothers are amazing, one has 85 and the other has 88!
It’s a pity that they both look young, probably in their teens, and they haven’t had enough time to study hard, so it’s naturally impossible for them to be teachers for others.
The two brothers were talking quietly, but it seemed that they had not come to an agreement. The taller one looked at the older one and said, "I don't know what to say to you. Why are you so stubborn and stuck in that dead end? You must go to Master Lao, but Master Lao won't accept you. Are you going to wait forever? Today is the last day of our academy's spring recruitment. The dean has already passed. If you don't go, it will be too late!"
The other one, who was younger, was pale and started coughing before he could speak. After a long while, he gasped and said, "I am stubborn and I will stick to my own opinion. I will take Master Lao as my teacher!"
After saying this, he started coughing again, and his body looked so weak that it seemed like he would faint at any time. Naturally, his elder brother didn't dare to pull him anymore.
The voices of the two people talking later became lower. The two brothers argued for a while, and finally parted on bad terms, each going in different directions.
Chen Cui reluctantly watched the two leave, but she also extracted key information from their conversation - a teacher who made students insist on becoming his disciples rather than going to Qingzhu Academy, his surname was Lao!
The surname Lao is not common even in novels.
It seems that Shen Cui has indeed been seen in the plot of the original book, but she is not a character who appears explicitly. Instead, she is mentioned several times by people around the protagonist.
While Mu Erpang finished a bowl of wontons, Chen Cui's head ached from thinking about it. Finally, she remembered this person - Lao Buyu!
This person has nothing to do with the male protagonist Mu Yunchuan, but is related to his mentor, the principal of Qingzhu Academy who passed by her earlier.
This Lao Buyu is the dean’s junior fellow.
They were both disciples of a great scholar. They were of similar age but had completely different personalities.
The headmaster was a pragmatic person. Although he was extremely talented, he was hardworking and studied diligently for more than ten years before he was admitted to the imperial examination.
Lao Buyu is a negative example. He relied purely on his talent and did not work hard at all. He wasted his time until he was 25. He felt that it was time to take the imperial examination. He passed the exam with a score of second place.
Although they were not as prestigious as the first-class No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 candidates, who were not directly appointed as editors or compilers, the second- and third-class Jinshi could also be appointed as officials such as Shujishi, Zhushi, Zhongshu, Xingren, Pingshi, Boshi, Tuiguan, Zhizhou and Xianzhi.
Lao Buyu was appointed as a Hanlin Academy Scholar. However, before he even reported for the position, he was demoted to a commoner because he wrote an extremely disrespectful and obscene poem in a brothel during the imperial examination period. Someone reported the case to the emperor and the emperor refused to accept the position.
Didn't it say earlier that the headmaster resigned for some reason? It was because of this fellow disciple from the same clan. Others knew that they had the same master and grew up together, so they couldn't help but use this matter to tease him.
The headmaster was a man who attached great importance to his reputation. This incident made him feel ashamed to stay in the capital, so he resigned in anger.
This matter is not glorious, so most people don't know about it. Only a few close students of the dean, like Mu Yunchuan, know something about it, so they also stand up for their teacher in private.
It was also Shen Cuiguang's fault for thinking that the qualifications of scholars and juren were not enough at 85, and those with qualifications above 85 must be people at the level of the principal of Qingzhu Academy, but he forgot that there was such a person with extraordinary talent in the original book but was reduced to a commoner.
As soon as she remembered, Shen Cui quickly pulled Mu Erpang and followed the young man in front.
Of course, the man had been walking there for nearly a quarter of an hour, so the mother and son certainly couldn't keep up, but as long as they had a general direction, Shen Cui was confident that she could find the man.
First of all, of course, the county town is not big, and the surname Lao is special, so as long as you are willing to open your mouth and ask others, you will be able to find out.
Secondly, Lao Buyu was a genius, and the system’s aptitude detection function could mark him out immediately. She can recognize people in a crowd!
Later, as Chen Cui had thought, she found Master Wei Lao's home without much effort.
Like the old scholar's home, Mr. Lao's home was also a small house that was not particularly prominent.
It was also bustling with people coming and going, but unlike Mr. Huang's house which was tightly organized, Mr. Lao's house was as lively as a vegetable market!
Shen Cui held Mu Erpang with one hand and pushed forward with the other, and finally saw Master Lao in the crowd.
After seeing this, Shen Cui was a little unsure.
The man in the middle of the crowd was no more than forty years old, with a fair and handsome face and no beard. He wore a long gown that was neither new nor old, and a silk scarf on his head. His appearance and clothes gave him the air of a hermit.
But at this moment, he had one foot on the stool, holding a sieve in both hands and shaking the dice vigorously. He did not look like a scholar at all.
Shen Cui was not frightened by his wild behavior, but by the fact that this person's qualification was only 85, which was firmly on the passing line required for this mission.
They are not as good as the pair of brothers he had seen before? !
Is this really the Lao Buyu in the original book whose talent and learning are as good as those of the headmaster?
Just as Shen Cui was wondering, the middle-aged man stopped and slammed the sieve on the table with a bang.
The other person who was betting against him also stopped.
“Open, open, open!”
The noisy crowd became more and more restless, waiting for the two men to uncover the sieve.
Under the urging of the crowd, the two men successively unveiled the sieves in front of them.
The other person's sieve contained four, five, and six, totaling fifteen.
And in the sieve of the middle-aged scholar, there were three sixes, eighteen points!
The two were competing in terms of size, and the middle-aged scholar won the game without a doubt!
"Thank you, thank you!" The middle-aged scholar bowed to the other party with a smile, and then the other party handed over a tael of silver dejectedly and walked away through the crowd.
Chen Cui asked the people around her what was going on, saying, "Isn't this Master Lao's home? Why are people gambling here in broad daylight?"
Before the person next to him could answer, the middle-aged scholar collected the money and explained, "Is this lady new here? I'm not gambling, I'm taking a student assessment!"
As he spoke, he began to explain to Shen Cui the rules for accepting students.
When he accepts students, he doesn't look at the tuition, the talent, or the learning progress. The only thing he does is that the student or the parent has to be better than him!
No matter what the competition is, as long as you beat him, he will not take a penny and will personally teach you at home for three years. He will also swear in public that he will teach you with all his heart and will never hide anything from you!
Moreover, the result of the competition is not decided by him alone, but by other people.
His "three no-looks" were perfect for Shen Cui, as if they were tailor-made for her!
Shen Cui murmured unconsciously: "There is, there is such a good thing?"
The middle-aged scholar just smiled and said nothing, "Of course, because my energy is limited, so after a competition, I will only charge one or two taels of silver as tea money."
One tael of silver is not too much, but not too little either. It is something that Chen Cui can fully afford now.
Especially compared with the salary of Mr. Huang, it seems very cheap.
And if you can really beat him and get three years of free education resources, it is definitely worth the small risk for a big gain!
The clothes that Chen Cui and Mu Erpang were wearing were not particularly expensive, and important events like becoming a disciple were usually handled by men. They were the only mother and son who came, so it was probably because the men in the family were not around or were useless.
Seeing that she was interested, the person next to her kindly whispered to her, "Sister, you should think it over before you answer. I don't think you come from a wealthy family. This little tael of silver is at least half a month's wages!"
Another person next to him said, "Yes, you are new here, so you don't know how many people got involved in the process. People like us present here, sigh..."
Shen Cui first called the other party "Big Brother", and then asked them about the whole story.
Although she was dressed like a woman, she was young, beautiful and had a graceful attitude. The person who had advised her listened to her carefully.
After Shen Cui listened to him carefully, she realized that there was a lot of mystery behind the setting of this competition!
First of all, anything can be compared, but no one is stupid enough to compare their talents with those of the two lists of Jinshi, as there are all kinds of things.
Some people are born strong and want to compete with him in strength.
Some people have sharp vision or hearing, so they want to compete with him in vision and hearing.
There was also someone who was good at needlework and wanted to compete with him, a grown man, in needlework.
Why didn't they succeed? Because Lao Buyu didn't agree. A competition that was initiated unilaterally and made difficult by the other party would naturally not succeed!
Of course, he couldn't refuse everything, and he accepted most competitions.
But what he learned were all things he was good at, including rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, mathematics, music, chess, painting, poetry, wine, tea, and also gambling techniques like betting on big or small, playing card nine, and guessing odd or even. There was nothing he didn't know.
"There's something even more outrageous. Last time, the owner of Tianxianglou in the city specially brought his own chef with him! It turned out that Master Lao was really good at cooking. He competed with the chef in knife skills, cooking speed, and even red and white cases. As a result, the owner of Tianxianglou lost more than ten taels of silver in vain, and returned to the city with his people in disgrace."
Chen Cui still asked with some doubt: "Tianxianglou is a famous restaurant in the prefectural city and even in the capital. How can the skills of their chef be bad?"
The other party replied, "There is another rule in Master Lao's rules, 'Win or lose, let someone judge'. It seems fair, right? But he asked us to judge. Sister, don't think we are petty. We have wasted a lot of money, how can we let others win so easily? So if the strength of both sides is similar, we will still let Master Lao win."
This is of course human nature. You won't easily give away something you spent a lot of money to get but still can't get.
Even if the other party didn't say it, Shen Cui could naturally think of it.
So she shook her head and said no, but praised him sincerely: "Brother, you are so open-minded!"
Well, after hearing what people said, Chen Cui can confirm that this middle-aged scholar is undoubtedly Lao Buyu in the original book!
This man wasted a whole ten years on the imperial examination, probably studying all kinds of strange and ingenious skills.
It's true that this business is quite profitable. Mr. Huang works diligently and works day and night to teach one student, and he only earns ten taels of silver a year.
It would be better for Lao Buyu to just organize a competition. It's a no-cost business and he only charges one or two taels of silver for each competition.
Everyone present was a "victim", and these people alone could collect more than ten taels of silver. Not to mention the so-called owner of Tianxiang Tower mentioned by these people, and the young master that Chen Cui met earlier, who probably gave him a lot of money for free.
If he has made enough money in one place, he can start over in another place.
What a business genius!
If we can recruit such a business genius, we won’t have to worry about money in the future.
As for why this guy's aptitude was only 85, Shen Cui roughly understood it - he probably thought that people were dissatisfied with him for doing this kind of thing, and his charm was extremely low, which lowered his overall aptitude!
Just as Chen Cui thought, there are indeed fewer and fewer people coming to compete recently, and Lao Buyu is indeed preparing to change places to continue making money, no, to continue looking for his favorite student.
It was a rare occasion for a newcomer to come. Although Lao Buyu's true identity was exposed by everyone, he did not seem to be flustered at all. He smiled and said, "Since Madam is here, wouldn't it be a pity if you don't have a competition before leaving? I think your young master has a handsome appearance and an extraordinary demeanor. He is not an ordinary person. I really like him."
Lao Buyu is really a liar, as he can praise the fat boy Mu Erpang as "handsome and of extraordinary appearance" without blushing or feeling nervous.
In the contemptuous eyes of everyone, Shen Cui smiled faintly, "Okay, then I will compete with the master in cooking skills, how about it?"
"Okay, okay, okay!" Lao Buyu smiled and said three good words in a row.
And everyone gasped in shock.
"Is this woman stupid? We told her everything about Tianxiang Tower."
"Yeah, it's a pity that he has such a good-looking face. I didn't expect him to be stupid."
Amid the regretful and puzzled gazes of the crowd, Shen Cui looked back with an apologetic look, "Master and I are not competing to see who cooks the best, but only to see who cooks the worst. Do you dare to accept it, Master?"
The author has something to say:
Chen Cui: I'm sorry everyone, for the sake of money and the future of the geese, the manure pit here has to be blown up!
…………
References
"Draft History of Qing Dynasty·Election Records Volume 3": The first place winner of the first class is appointed as editor, the second and third place winners are appointed as editors, and the second and third place winners are appointed as Shujishi, Zhushi, Zhongshu, Xingren, Pingshi, Boshi, Tuiguan, Zhizhou, and Zhixian, with different ranks.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
