Wanjin Lady

Chapter 95: Accept Me as Your Disciple

Yao Shizhen saw Lu Ping carrying a basket of things towards the thatched cottage. Although he knew that Wen Wan was suspected of bribery, he still asked her with the mentality of teasing her, "What kind of gift are you giving me?"

Wen Wan smiled and said, "A chicken, a few eggs, a piece of tofu, and a handful of green onions."

"You're quite honest, girl. I've seen people give gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, as gifts, but I've never seen anyone give tofu and shallots." Yao Shizhen smiled. "I see you're here to eat for free, aren't you?"

"Alas, Mr. Yao, you know, my Wen family has been having a tough time lately. Right now, I have some scallion tofu to eat, but wait another month and the Xinlong Bank's debt will come due, and I'll be starving."

Yao Shizhen sneered, ignoring Wen Wan's complaints of poverty. "You're such a clever girl! Even if the people of Ping County starve, they won't let you starve!"

Not to mention, this girl's letter was enough to solve the famine crisis in Bingzhou that had plagued the court for more than half a year.

Such a strategy... Yao Shizhen subconsciously glanced at Cheng Yunzhang.

Although Yao Shizhen has retired and returned to his hometown, he is still sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. In Ping County, the fight between the Cheng and Wen families is a hot topic. Who doesn't know that Yuan Liulang and Wen Wan are fighting fiercely?
Although Cheng Yunzhang never asked about the family business, Yuan Liulang was after all Cheng Yunzhang's cousin...

The two children seemed fine in front of him, and there was even a strange harmony between them, which showed that both of them were very calm.

Cheng Yunzhang swung the fishing rod.

The bait under the fishing rod line was eaten up, leaving nothing behind, and not a single fish was caught.

This made Cheng Yunzhang a little discouraged.

Cheng Yunzhang put away the fishing rod, and Wen Wan happened to spread out her hands to signal, so Cheng Yunzhang gave the fishing rod to Wen Wan.

The young lady, like him, did not know how to fish.

Wen Wan took the fishing rod, did not observe the water surface to determine the location of the fish, nor did she have any casting skills. She just casually threw it into the river with a casual movement.

Ok.

Not even the bait was hooked.

It's really like Jiang Taigong fishing, those who are willing to take the bait will be caught.

Cheng Yunzhang thought that he had accompanied his teacher for several days, and his fishing skills were not very good, but he was a little better than Wen Wan.

Yao Shizhen was so upset, "You're right. Your fishing and chess skills are on par."

Wenwan touched her head and laughed.

Yao Shizhen frowned helplessly and pointed at her fishing line, saying, "Put out the bait!"

"Oh. Right."

Wen Wan grabbed a handful of nesting materials and heard Mr. Yao's energetic voice again: "Choose a suitable place to make a nest!"

Cheng Yunzhang hid aside and watched the fun.

The autumn weather was a bit hot, so he took a green leaf to provide shade and looked at the old man and the young man in front of him with amusement.

Wen Wan didn't even blush when she was scolded loudly. This little girl... is like a piece of meat cut into a boiling pot. She won't eat anything soft or hard. She has to be fried in oil.

Wenwan replied with a playful smile: "Mr. Yao, don't be angry. You teach slowly and I will learn slowly."

Yao Shizhen ignored her and just sat there.

Cheng Yunzhang held his chin with one hand, shielding himself from the sun with a leaf in the other. He turned his head and asked her with a smile, "I heard that Shopkeeper Wen had a good harvest in Bingzhou this time. I just wonder...how did Shopkeeper Wen come up with the idea of ​​going against the grain and collecting food in a famine-stricken area?"

Wen Wan's heart tightened, not sure whether Cheng Yunzhang was asking casually or asking on behalf of Yuan Liulang.

She could only smile and say, "How can we leak this commercial secret?"

Yao Shizhen also said: "Xiu Wen, it's rare for this girl to come here and not talk about business."

Xiuwen?

Is this Cheng Yunzhang's handwriting?

Cheng Yunzhang's progress is quite fast.

But Cheng Yunzhang agreed straightforwardly, "Teacher is right. It was the student Meng Lang who was careless."

and many more.

Cheng Yunzhang calls Master Yao "teacher"? Does that mean... Master Yao has already accepted him as a disciple?

Cheng Yunzhang saw the young lady's face cracking and laughed in his heart, so he explained: "Thanks to Shopkeeper Wen, Mr. Yao has accepted me as his disciple."

It is indeed thanks to Wenwan.

If it weren't for Wen Wan's Four Symbols Huiyuan move that established the bond between him and Mr. Yao, his becoming a disciple wouldn't have been so smooth.

Wen Wan thought more.

Cheng Yunzhang's successful apprenticeship meant that the Cheng family and Mr. Yao had established a relationship. In ancient times, apprenticeship emphasized loyalty to one person, so from then on, the Cheng family and Yao Shizhen had a strong bond.

Now she and Yuan Liulang are in a process of decline and growth. With the support of a retired third-rank official in the court, Yuan Liulang is bound to become more arrogant.

Not good.

"This is not fair!"

Suddenly.

The young lady spoke with great force.

Yao Shizhen was so startled that he moved his fishing rod. Under the shimmering river surface, water plants were vaguely visible, and a fish took the opportunity to escape.

Cheng Yunzhang and Mr. Yao looked at her.

"Mr. Yao, you are being unfair. I don't accept it."

This earth-shattering sound... left the two of them confused.

Mr. Yao's expression turned serious, and he no longer even paid attention to the fish that had escaped. "What do you mean by that?"

Wenwan's chest rose and fell slightly.

The early morning sun was still very strong, making the young lady's face look rosy and red.

"You accepted him as your disciple, but not me!"

Yao Shizhen was stunned, then burst out laughing, "Nonsense! He wants to take the imperial examination, do you have to take it too?"

The girl's eyes widened as she asked, "Does Mr. Yao think that the only purpose of studying is to pass the imperial examination?"

"I want to study because I want to clear my mind, enlighten my wisdom, improve my health and cheer myself up, inspire myself, and relieve my worries and boredom."

"Books are like medicine. Reading them well can cure stupidity and improve intelligence. A fish out of water withers, and a mind without books loses its spirit. Reading can soothe the mind. Books contain golden houses and beautiful women. Reading can help you achieve fame, wealth and power."

“Reading cultivates wisdom and virtue. It allows one to feel insignificant even in the vastness of the universe, and to maintain one’s true heart amidst chaos and change.”

The young lady's voice was deafening, like a baby bird's first clear cry to the sky.

She looked at Mr. Yao with sparkling eyes.

Yao Shizhen felt a slight tingling sensation on his back when he was looked at by her, and subconsciously took half a step back.

The young lady's eyes were so clear and bright that Yao Shizhen felt that if he rejected her, he would be a sinner for all eternity.

But after a moment, Mr. Yao snorted coldly and turned around. He pulled back the fishing rod, grabbed a handful of bait and hung it on the fish hook, then looked around the river with a confused look for a suitable place to bait the bait.

"You little girl... stop trying to pressure me." Yao Shizhen had been an official for decades, so Wen Wan couldn't fool him with her tricks. He calmly refused, "Both men and women should study. But you don't have to become my disciple to study. As long as you want to study, you can study anywhere, whether in your own courtyard or in a thatched cottage in the mountains."

Damn.

Mr. Yao is not easy to fool.

As expected of someone who passed the imperial examination, his brain works faster than others.

"Besides... in all the dynasties, which scholar... has ever accepted female disciples as his students?"

Wen Wan persisted, "So what? If there's no precedent, we'll just create one now. Wouldn't that better embody the master's philosophy of 'daring to be the first in the world' and 'teaching without distinction'?"

Yao Shizhen remained unmoved. "No matter how much you talk, it's impossible. If you want to study, you're always welcome in my thatched cottage. Being my personal disciple...that's not enough."

(End of this chapter)