Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 33 Buying Books

Early morning, inside the school.

Master Zhao Shide changed into a dark-colored straight robe.

"From today onwards, we will no longer teach the words of the Analects, but will instead teach the Great Learning."

Master Zhao cleared his throat, his gaze sharp as lightning sweeping over the students seated below. “The Analects teaches you how to be a person, while the Great Learning teaches you how to govern. ‘The way of great learning consists in manifesting one’s bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding in perfect goodness.’ This is the gateway to virtue and the foundation for governing the world.”

Wang Lang and the others listened with blank expressions, and habitually began to turn the pages of their books in preparation for rote memorization.

When Lu Chuan heard the eight characters "investigate things, extend knowledge, make one's will sincere, and rectify one's mind," a glimmer of light, which only he himself could understand, flashed in his eyes.

The so-called "investigation of things" is simply stripping away appearances to uncover the essential laws governing things. The so-called "attainment of knowledge" is simply deducing the developmental logic of things after mastering the core data.

"Lu Chuan, you read a passage," Master Zhao called upon him.

Lu Chuan stood up, his voice clear yet steady: "Those in ancient times who wished to manifest their virtue to the world first ordered well their states; those who wished to order well their states first regulated their families; those who wished to regulate their families first cultivated their personal lives..."

Lu Chuan paused for a moment after reading this.

His mind raced through images of the leaky mud house of the Lu family, Lu Shouye's rough hands, and his mother's pained gaze.

"Master, I believe that the word 'managing the family' means not only harmony, but also 'clear division of responsibilities'." Lu Chuan spoke up before the Master could ask, his words startling everyone: "The disharmony in a family lies in poor food production, unclear accounts, and disorder between elders and juniors."

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd, clearly indicating that everyone found Lu Chuan's explanation too mercenary.

Master Zhao looked at Lu Chuan and nodded.

"Then tell me, what is 'investigating things'?" Master Zhao pressed.

"Investigating things means clarifying them. Investigating a single plant or tree reveals its medicinal properties and their interactions; investigating a single person or official reveals their desires and their gains and losses."

Master Zhao's hand trembled slightly, and the ruler struck his palm with a dull thud.

......

Meanwhile, at this time, in the county town, at the Ji'an Hall.

Manager Lin was holding a basket of clean, white pinellia tubers, praising them repeatedly to his several highly respected senior doctors.

"Look at this quality, the original state before processing, it's amazing. Compared to this, all the goods you used to collect are just garbage."

The doctors gathered around, marveling at the quality of the medicine: "Manager Lin, which herb garden produced this top-quality product? The medicinal properties are preserved so well; if it were used in a prescription for a serious illness, the effect would be..."

"It's a secret." Manager Lin squinted.

In Liutang Village, late at night, Lu Shouye was lying on the barren land behind the mountain, carefully burying the first batch of carefully selected seed blocks into the soil by the moonlight, as instructed by Lu Chuan.

Each shovelful of soil fell so softly it was almost inaudible. Lu Shouye held his breath, his expression unusually devout.

As Lu Shouye filled the soil, he recalled his son's last words to him.

"Dad, this pit shouldn't be dug too deep, three fingers' thickness is enough. The soil should be loosened so that it can breathe."

Although Lu Shouye didn't understand any cultivation techniques, he remembered the child's words. His calloused hands gently brushed across the soil.

Inside the academy's dormitory, Lu Chuan sat before a flickering candlelight, his pen flying across the paper.

Based on the reaction of Manager Lin of Ji'antang, he deduced the level of demand from several pharmacies in the town.

He knew very well that once the Qingming Festival passed, the amount of wild Pinellia ternata harvested would drop sharply, and as the weather got warmer, heatstroke and gastrointestinal diseases would increase, leading to a peak in demand for the medicine.

"The price should fluctuate by at least another 20% around the Dragon Boat Festival in May." Lu Chuan put down his pen and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.

......

Master Zhao was pleased to see Lu Chuan's steady progress in calligraphy.

On this day, Master Zhao noticed that Lu Chuan's calligraphy of the Analects was beginning to show neatness, but the strokes were slightly hesitant at the end. So he called him to the corridor and spoke to him earnestly:

"Lu Chuan, you have been practicing calligraphy for over a month, and your structure is accurate and your wrist strength is steady. However, although your handwriting is neat, it still lacks style and spirit. If you want to truly master the art, you need to have model calligraphy to follow and study the brushstrokes of the ancients."

After a moment's thought, the master recommended: "For beginners learning regular script, Yan Zhenqing's 'Duobao Pagoda Stele' is most suitable. Its characters are plump and robust, with a solemn and dignified style, which is most conducive to you laying a solid foundation. Next time you go home, you can discuss with your family about purchasing a rubbing of it as a model for copying."

Lu Chuan's heart skipped a beat, and he respectfully asked, "Master, what is the value of this calligraphy copybook?"

"A clear and usable one would cost approximately four qian of silver, equivalent to about five hundred copper coins."

"Five hundred coins..."

Lu Chuan silently recited the words in his heart, and although he still respectfully agreed on the surface, a ripple of emotion stirred in his heart.

Five hundred coins.

If this had happened half a month ago, it would have been almost a year's worth of food for the entire Lu family.

Watching the Master's departing figure, his blue robe stood tall and upright.

Back in the dormitory, Lu Chuan pulled a heavy cloth bag from the cotton wadding inside his pillow.

That was the exorbitant medical bill that Li Ji and Zhang Fugui's families had jointly paid to him.

Aside from the portion he brought home, he still had a whole ounce left in his hand.

Lu Chuan directly blocked the rich kids, Li Ji and Zhang Fugui, who had injured him earlier.

Ever since they lost money, the two men have regarded Lu Chuan as a plague god, fearing that they would be swindled out of another sum of money.

"Lu...Lu Chuan, why are you stopping us? We've already paid off all the money!" Li Ji said warily.

Lu Chuan remained calm, took out a copper coin from his pocket, and placed it in his palm.

"Brother Zhang, Brother Li, don't be nervous. My teacher asked me to buy a copy of the 'Duobao Pagoda Stele,' which costs five hundred coins. I'm just a country bumpkin who doesn't know the way, and I'm afraid I'll get ripped off by the bookseller."

He handed the copper coins to Li Ji, saying, "Take this money and use it to buy what I need. The extra amount is for treating you all to tea. If the Master asks, I'll just say it's a special apology from you."

Li Ji and Zhang Fugui were stunned.

They already had a bad reputation at the school because they had injured Lu Chuan and been scolded by the teacher, and were also reprimanded by their elders. If they could gain a reputation for admitting their mistakes and making amends with their classmates by helping Lu Chuan buy books, it would be like a windfall.

"Is this really true?" Li Ji's eyes lit up.

"The accounts are crystal clear, the reputation belongs to you, and the calligraphy copybooks belong to me," Lu Chuan said with a faint smile.

Li Ji grabbed the heavy bag of copper coins, as if afraid Lu Chuan would change his mind, and hurriedly agreed: "Okay, leave it to me. The owner of 'Moxiangzhai' in the south of the city is acquainted with my second uncle, and he can definitely pick out the clearest rubbing for you."

Having said that, he immediately left in a hurry.

Watching the two figures leave, Lu Chuan returned to his classroom.

For Li Ji and Zhang Fugui, this was a good opportunity to clear their names as unruly scoundrels.