Chapter 13: The Difference Between Talent and Genius

So next, once everyone had finished eating and boredom set in, people began to come and tease Zhu Ping'an. The one who took the lead was his Great-Aunt.

"An-er, come over here and play with Great-Aunt," Great-Aunt said, sitting there and beckoning for Zhu Ping'an to come over.

Again?

Despite his reluctance, Zhu Ping'an waddled over nonetheless. There was no helping it; he was just a child, and more importantly, his mother was watching from the side with a beaming smile. With so many relatives around, he didn't dare to throw a tantrum.

"Hello, Great-Aunt," Zhu Ping'an said, his chubby face wearing a smile, his little mouth as sweet as honey.

"An-er is such a good boy," Great-Aunt said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Auntie, you mustn't praise him. This boy is incredibly rambunctious; he's jumping around all day without a moment's peace. If you keep praising him, he'll go completely wild," Mrs. Chen said from the side, disparaging Zhu Ping'an, though her face was filled with pride.

It was a tradition to belittle one's own child in front of others—don't take it seriously. Most parents were merely being polite; it was a form of "praising through disparagement," mainly to be humble and to make other parents feel good. Of course, sometimes parents said such things to make their children realize their shortcomings so they wouldn't become arrogant. In short, parents acted out of good intentions, something Zhu Ping'an understood very well.

"I just love An-er so much. He's a little boy, after all; the more boisterous they are, the smarter they are," Great-Aunt said. For some reason, she simply adored this bright-eyed, sturdy little nephew and felt a deep kinship with him.

Great-Aunt fumbled in her pocket for a moment before extending her hands. She held one silver bean in her left hand and two silver beans in her right, beginning to tease Zhu Ping'an.

"An-er, I heard you say earlier that you're saving money to marry a wife. Well, Great-Aunt will give you a little sponsorship. But you can only choose one: do you want the left hand or the right hand?" Great-Aunt asked with a smile, holding out her hands.

Zhu Ping'an looked at his left hand, then at his right, and froze for a moment.

*You silly boy!* Mrs. Chen felt a surge of anxiety. *Of course he should choose the two silver beans! What is there to think about?*

His eldest aunt was almost itching to push Zhu Ping'an aside and put her own son, Zhu Pingjun, forward. She thought to herself that Zhu Ping'an was such a foolish child—one or two, what was there to consider? Everyone knew you take two silver beans.

Zhu Ping'an didn't keep them waiting. Under their expectant gazes, he reached out a claw-like hand.

Huh?

What?

Hahaha...

The eldest aunt and the others were startled at first, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Because the "claw" Zhu Ping'an had just extended was toward the left hand, and he had said, "I want the left one."

Great-Aunt was equally bewildered. Suppressing her laughter, she asked, "An-er, why the left hand?"

"Great-Aunt's left hand is pretty," Zhu Ping'an replied willfully.

Mrs. Chen's face went dark. She almost wanted to give her foolish son a beating. This boy was usually quite clever, so why did he turn into a fool at the critical moment? Two silver beans were enough to cover half a month's worth of sewing pouches! *Look at your eldest aunt laughing. You little brat, just wait until I deal with you later.*

In an instant, the news of Zhu Ping'an foolishly choosing one silver bean instead of two spread through the courtyard like it had wings.

The news was so inconceivable that many people didn't believe it. They truly didn't believe it; after all, even a toddler who couldn't speak clearly knew whether one or two was greater. Thus, the idea of Zhu Ping'an choosing one felt unreal to everyone.

For example, right now.

"Little cousin, come, pick one. Which one do you choose?" An eight-year-old female cousin, leaning against her father, held out her two small hands toward Zhu Ping'an. This time, there was one silver bean in the right hand and two in the left.

Just like last time, Zhu Ping'an chose the single silver bean.

"Haha, look, Daddy! I wasn't lying, was I? Little cousin really did choose the one silver bean!"

The little cousin said to her father, thinking that her little cousin was truly a bit dim-witted.

After that, Second Uncle teased Zhu Ping'an in front of the other relatives at Second Aunt's house, and without fail, Zhu Ping'an once again chose the single silver bean over the two.

Next came Second Grandfather, the eldest aunt, the eldest cousin...

It was as if they were all trying to confirm the birth of a fool; almost every relative in the family took a turn. The wealthy ones, like Second Grandfather and Great-Aunt's family, used silver beans, while others, like the eldest aunt and Fourth Aunt, used copper coins.

In any case, they all watched with satisfied smiles as Zhu Ping'an chose one instead of two, feeling a sense of intellectual superiority.

The eldest aunt, in particular, laughed with brilliant contempt. *He can't even tell if 1 is bigger than 2. A boy born to dig in the dirt dreaming of schooling—he should give up that idea early.*

As for Zhu Ping'an, as others laughed, he laughed along with them, looking just as silly as they thought he was.

Finally, Mrs. Chen couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward and grabbed Zhu Ping'an by the arm. If there hadn't been outsiders present, she would have pinned him to her lap and given him a thorough spanking. *You embarrassing little thing, how dare you laugh!*

"Are you stupid? Why didn't you choose two? Why did you insist on one?!" Mrs. Chen asked aggressively, gripping his arm, determined that if the boy couldn't give a sensible answer, she would definitely teach him a lesson!

"If I chose two, who would come to tease me anymore?" Zhu Ping'an replied with total seriousness, using his chubby little hands to protect his bulging pocket like a mother hen.

Choosing one or choosing two—that was the difference between a talent and a genius. A talent chooses two, but a genius chooses one.

Huh?

The laughter in the room came to a dead halt. The expressions on everyone's faces were incredibly varied, especially the eldest aunt and Fourth Aunt, who both looked as if they had swallowed flies.

Mrs. Chen, caught between laughter and tears, gave Zhu Ping'an a smack on the butt. "Tease my foot! At such a young age, you're not learning good things, only being greedy for money!"

On the surface, Mrs. Chen acted as if she were disappointed in him, but inwardly, she was quite proud. She shot a glance at the eldest aunt and Fourth Aunt, thinking: *You were laughing at my son just now, weren't you? Can you still laugh now?*

"He's bright as a child, but may not be so in adulthood," Fourth Aunt said sourly, earning a roll of the eyes from Mrs. Chen.

(End of Chapter)