Chapter 9: The Old Scholar

After leaving the Li residence, Chen Yuan returned to his small courtyard, changed into his worn-out hemp clothes, tucked away the wooden plaque that identified him as a member of the Hundred Soldiers Hall, and pocketed the eighty wen he had brought from home before heading out of Xingye Ward.

Following the route Zhao Shan had described, he walked for a quarter of an hour until he reached Wenchang Street.

It was a rather quiet street lined with several bookstores. Inside, the shops were filled with books, and a few scholars, accompanied by shop assistants, were browsing and selecting titles. Their voices were low, and the atmosphere was tranquil and elegant.

Along the roadside, more than a dozen scholars in long gowns sat on short stools, each with a small table set up in front of them, upon which were brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

A few of the scholars had customers standing before their tables, dictating letters, invitations, or formal petitions for them to transcribe.

However, the majority of the scholars sat before empty tables, waiting for customers to arrive.

Chen Yuan slowed his pace, walking from one end of the street to the other and back again. He scanned each of the scholars at their stalls one by one. After pacing back and forth several times, he stopped in front of the most desolate-looking stall.

The man was an elderly scholar of about fifty, thin and withered with a sallow complexion. His long gown had several conspicuous patches of coarse cloth, but it was washed white and kept very clean.

On the small table in front of him lay the cheapest type of goat-hair brush, its bristles messy and frayed. The inkstone was made from an old, weathered brick, and the paper was rough, low-quality hemp paper.

The old scholar was bowing his head, reading a book with great interest. Seeing someone stop at his stall out of the corner of his eye, he quickly looked up and called out

"Young man, are you in need of someone to write a letter, an invitation, or a petition?"

Chen Yuan nodded.

"If you would be so kind, sir, I would like to have a letter written."

A smile appeared on the old scholar's face, deepening the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He gently closed his book, set it aside, and said

"You are too kind, too kind... A letter is five wen, including three sheets of hemp paper."

Chen Yuan took five copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the small table.

The old scholar carefully collected the coins and began to grind the ink. A moment later, he picked up his brush and looked up at Chen Yuan.

"Please proceed, young man."

Chen Yuan thought for a moment and said

"Father, Mother, I am doing very well in the county town, so you need not worry..."

Chen Yuan spoke at length, though he omitted any mention of the Hundred Soldiers Hall or his apprenticeship. He simply stated that since becoming an apprentice, he had no worries about food or clothing, and urged his parents not to fret.

The old scholar’s brush flew across the paper. Before long, he finished the letter and read it aloud to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan nodded.

"That will do. Thank you for your trouble, sir."

The old scholar added the salutation and the closing, blew the ink dry, folded it carefully, and handed it to Chen Yuan.

"Young man, I only transcribe the letters; you will need to provide your own envelope."

Chen Yuan took the letter and turned to leave.

The old scholar watched Chen Yuan walk away, picked up his book, and resumed reading, waiting for the next customer.

But Chen Yuan did not go far; he stopped at the corner of a small alley.

This alley was extremely secluded, with very few pedestrians passing through.

Chen Yuan’s five senses were extraordinary; whenever someone approached, he would retreat into the alley to avoid them.

Once they had passed, he would poke his head out again, watching the old scholar from afar.

...

The afternoon slowly passed. The sun sank in the west, and the pedestrians on Wenchang Street grew increasingly sparse.

The old scholar let out a long sigh, packed up his stall, moved his stool and table into a nearby bookstore, and slowly walked out of Wenchang Street.

Chen Yuan’s eyes flashed, and he set off to follow him.

Since he had started watching, the old scholar had only had two customers. Most of the time, he sat idle, his income meager.

Chen Yuan followed the old scholar out of Wenchang Street, watching as he bought two coarse flour cakes from a roadside shop, then continued walking until he reached the northeast corner of the county town.

The houses here were dilapidated; it was a place where the poor of the county gathered.

The old scholar arrived at a small courtyard and pushed the door open to enter.

Chen Yuan memorized the address and turned to leave.

...

That evening, when Zhao Shan returned, he asked

"Junior brother, is your letter written?"

Chen Yuan returned to his room, took out the letter, and handed it to Zhao Shan.

Zhao Shan glanced at it casually, took an envelope from his pocket, and tucked the letter inside.

"I’ll have someone deliver this to Chen Erhua tomorrow to take back to your parents... Is there anyone in your family who can read?"

Chen Yuan said gratefully

"Thank you, Senior Brother. No one in my family can read, but there is an old scholar in the village who can read it for them."

Zhao Shan nodded.

"That’s good. It’s a testament to your filial piety."

...

The next day, after lunch, Chen Yuan returned to Wenchang Street and carefully observed the old scholar from a distance.

The old scholar was the same as the day before—business was dismal, with only two or three customers all afternoon, and he spent most of his time reading.

Near dusk, he packed up his stall and went home, buying two coarse flour cakes on the way.

Three days passed in this manner, and Chen Yuan saw the old scholar’s predicament.

There were many people on Wenchang Street who transcribed letters, including many men in their thirties and forties.

The old scholar was too old and frail, and his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were too shabby; he looked vastly different from the other scholars.

Those who came to have letters or invitations written usually preferred the younger scholars and kept their distance from the old man.

However, based on Chen Yuan’s observations and comparisons over the past few days, the old scholar’s handwriting was the most pleasing to the eye, and his writing speed was the fastest.

It was simply that his appearance was too poor, which was why his customers were so scarce.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, Chen Yuan stopped watching from afar and walked directly to the old scholar’s stall.

The old scholar put down his book and looked up to greet him.

"Young man, are you in need of a letter... Oh, it’s you, Young Chen. Are you writing to your parents again?"

Chen Yuan smiled.

"I didn't expect you to remember my name, sir."

The old scholar sighed softly.

"There haven't been many customers these past few days, and I remembered Young Chen’s signature."

Chen Yuan smiled.

"Sir, I haven't come to you today to have a letter written, but for another matter of business."

"Please speak, Young Chen. As long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."

"I would like to ask you to teach me how to read and write."

The old scholar was stunned.

"Read and write? Young Chen, you aren't joking with me, are you?"

Chen Yuan reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth bag, tossing it onto the small table with a soft thud.

*Clatter!*

The bag landed on the table, its mouth opening to reveal a stack of copper coins inside.

"As long as you agree, I am willing to pay you three hundred wen per month. There are fifty wen here as my first payment for tuition. On the fifth of next month, I will pay the remaining two hundred and fifty."

The old scholar’s eyes lit up. He reached for the bag but stopped halfway. He looked up at Chen Yuan, hesitating.

"Young Chen, are you certain you want to learn from me? I have wasted half my life and never even passed the preliminary county exam. Three hundred wen a month is enough to enroll in a private school; why come to an old scholar like me who never even made it into the academy..."

Chen Yuan said calmly

"That is not for you to worry about, sir. If you do not wish to teach me, I shall look elsewhere."

The old scholar gave a bitter smile.

"Very well, I agree. I can barely afford to eat as it is; there is no reason to refuse business that comes to my door."

Chen Yuan smiled.

"Then thank you, sir. From now on, you only need to teach me for one hour every afternoon. That shouldn't be a problem for you, should it?"

The old scholar picked up the bag and gave a wry smile.

"Heh, I sit here on Wenchang Street all afternoon anyway; sparing an hour is certainly no trouble."

"I will bring you the remaining two hundred and fifty wen on the fifth of next month. Is that acceptable?"

"I trust you, Young Chen. If you don't mind me saying, these fifty wen are like charcoal in the snow for me... By the way, my name is Yan Xiangpei. You don't need to be so formal."

Chen Yuan’s expression turned serious.

"Since you are willing to teach me, you are my teacher. How could I be disrespectful? Please, just call me Erniu."

"This... well, very well. I shall accept it. Young Chen... Erniu, I will pack up my stall now and take you to my residence to begin your lessons."

Afterward, Chen Yuan helped the old scholar pack his stall and followed him back to his small courtyard.

The courtyard was quite shabby, with only a main room and a side room. The old scholar explained

"I bought this courtyard a few years ago. It’s a bit dilapidated, but at least it’s a place to live..."

Chen Yuan followed the old man into the main room and looked at the furnishings.

Inside, apart from the table, chairs, bed, and cabinet, there were two massive bookshelves filled with all sorts of books.

The old scholar murmured

"I have no other hobbies, only a love for reading. Over the decades, I have spent a fortune acquiring hundreds of volumes of ancient texts. I consider myself knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, but unfortunately, this distracted me from studying for the imperial examinations. I never even passed the preliminary exam, and in the end, I have fallen to this state of poverty..."

Chen Yuan said calmly

"You need not worry, sir. Since I chose you, I naturally trust in your knowledge."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across the old scholar’s face.

"Ahem, it is not that I am boasting, but I have read widely. I can not only teach you to read and write, but also poetry, history, classics, and Taoist texts..."

Chen Yuan looked at the old scholar with a faint smile.

"Do not worry, sir. What I want to learn is not just simple literacy. If you truly are as learned as you say, I will naturally continue to study under you, and the three hundred wen per month will not be a single coin short."

Hearing this, the old scholar beamed with joy.

"I will do my utmost!"

He hurried back into the room, took out a book with a slightly worn cover, along with brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone, placed them on the table, and began to teach Chen Yuan.

"This is the 'Thousand Character Classic' used for children's enlightenment. Today, we shall start with the first volume..."

...

About an hour later, the old scholar, his throat dry, stopped and looked Chen Yuan up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"I have lived for decades, but today I have truly seen something new. I never expected that there was someone in this world with a photographic memory!"

On the sheets of hemp paper in front of Chen Yuan, more than thirty complex characters were written densely, without a single correction.

Chen Yuan looked at the results of his hour of study and smiled with satisfaction.

"It is because you teach well that I am able to learn so quickly."

As long as the old scholar explained it once, he could remember it and write it down perfectly.

However, because the characters in this world were overly complex with many strokes, and each character had several meanings, along with interchangeable characters, the old scholar had to explain each one individually, which was very time-consuming. That was why Chen Yuan had only learned thirty-odd characters.

The old scholar said

"I dare not take the credit. With your ability to remember everything you see, it would be the same no matter who taught you... But are you really not going to attend a private school? With your talent, as long as you study diligently, to say nothing of more, passing the scholar exam would be as easy as reaching into a bag!"

Chen Yuan smiled.

"You don't need to persuade me, sir. My ambitions lie elsewhere, and I have my own constraints. Being able to learn from you is already a great fortune."

The old scholar sighed deeply.

"A waste of talent, a waste of talent!"

He felt great regret for Chen Yuan’s choice, but he did not ask any further questions.

This was what Chen Yuan was most satisfied with regarding the old scholar.

Paying three hundred wen a month to a down-and-out scholar to learn to read seemed unreasonable by any measure.

But the old scholar never probed for the reasons behind it, nor was he surprised by Chen Yuan’s precociousness. He simply focused on teaching, which saved Chen Yuan a lot of trouble.

"It is time for today's lesson. I will take my leave now and return tomorrow afternoon to continue."

Chen Yuan stood up to bid farewell, and the old scholar saw him to the gate.

Chen Yuan circled the county town, secretly observing behind him to ensure the old scholar was not following him, before he felt relieved and returned to his courtyard in Xingye Ward.

One must always be on guard. Moreover, since Manager Li did not allow Zhao Shan to learn to read, Chen Yuan dared not expose the fact that he was learning, lest his persona collapse and arouse Manager Li’s suspicion.

Only by being cautious and keeping things sufficiently secret could he avoid disaster.

...

In the following days, Chen Yuan practiced martial arts in the morning and evening, and went to the old scholar to learn characters in the afternoon. His days were extremely fulfilling.

On the fifth of the ninth month, Chen Yuan received his monthly salary of one tael of silver.

This was the standard allowance for a Yellow-robed apprentice; even if Chen Yuan did nothing, he would still receive this money.

He took out two hundred and fifty wen and gave it to the old scholar. The old scholar was completely relieved and began to teach Chen Yuan with even greater effort.

During this period, Zhao Shan did not return for two consecutive days.

After asking, Chen Yuan learned that he had led the guard team to escort a convoy of ironware to a neighboring county.

This allowed Chen Yuan to perform the starlight infusion with even greater peace of mind. His physical body continued to strengthen, the progress of his Tiger-Subduing Force became increasingly gratifying, and his physical strength and internal energy grew steadily.