Chapter 9 Old Confucian
Chapter 9 Old Confucian
After leaving Li's house, Chen Yuan returned to the courtyard, changed into worn linen clothes, put away the wooden sign indicating his identity as Baibingtang, pocketed the eighty coins he brought from home, and walked out of Xingyefang.
He followed the route Zhao Shan had described and walked for a quarter of an hour before arriving at Wenchang Street.
This is a rather quiet street. There are several bookstores along the street, which are filled with books. Some scholars, accompanied by shop servants, are selecting books. Their voices are low, and the environment is quiet and elegant.
There were more than a dozen scholars in long gowns sitting on short stools on the street. In front of them was a small table with pens, ink, paper, and inkstone on it.
There were guests standing in front of the small tables of several Confucian scholars, who were dictating something to the scholars, who were writing letters, invitations, visiting cards and the like on their behalf.
But most of the Confucian scholars' small tables were empty, waiting for customers to come.
Chen Yuan slowed down his pace, walked from the beginning of the street to the end of the street, and then from the end of the street to the beginning of the street. His eyes swept over all the Confucian scholars who were setting up stalls one by one. After walking back and forth several times, he stopped in front of the most deserted stall.
This was an old scholar in his fifties, with a thin figure, a sallow complexion, and a long gown with several conspicuous patches of coarse cloth, but it was washed so well that it looked white and very clean.
On the small table in front of him was the cheapest goat-hair brush with messy bristles. The inkstone was made of an old blue brick, and the paper was rough and low-quality hemp paper.
The old scholar was looking down at a book with great interest. He saw someone stopping in front of the stall from the corner of his eye, so he raised his head and called out:
"Young man, do you need me to write letters, invitations, or visiting cards?"
Chen Yuan nodded:
"Thank you, old man. I would like to ask you to write a letter for me."
The old scholar smiled slightly, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes became more detailed. He gently closed the book, put it aside, and said:
"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it... Five cents for a letter and three pieces of hemp paper."
Chen Yuan took out five copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the small table.
The old scholar carefully put away the copper plate and began to grind the ink. After a while, he picked up the brush and looked up at Chen Yuan:
"Please speak, little brother."
Chen Yuan thought for a moment and said:
"Dad, Mom, I'm living well in the county, you don't have to worry..."
Chen Yuan told the story slowly and clearly, but he omitted the details about Baibing Hall and his apprenticeship. He only stated that after becoming an apprentice, he would have no worries about food and clothing, and asked his parents not to worry.
The old scholar wrote very quickly. In a short while, he finished the letter and read it to Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan nodded:
"That's all, please excuse me, old man."
The old scholar added the beginning and the end, then blew the ink dry, folded it carefully, and handed it to Chen Yuan:
"Young man, I can only write letters for you. You have to prepare the envelopes yourself."
Chen Yuan took the letter and turned to leave.
The old scholar watched Chen Yuan walk away, picked up the book, continued reading, and waited for the next customer.
But Chen Yuan did not go far, but stopped at the corner of an alley.
This alley is extremely quiet and there are very few pedestrians passing by.
Chen Yuan had amazing five senses, so whenever someone approached, he would retreat into the alley to avoid them.
After everyone left, he stuck his head out again and looked at the old scholar from afar.
……
The afternoon passed slowly, the sun set, and the number of pedestrians on Wenchang Street became increasingly sparse.
The old scholar sighed, packed up his stall, moved his short stool and small table to a nearby bookstore, and walked slowly out of Wenchang Street.
Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he followed.
After he left, the old scholar had only two guests in total, and he spent most of his time sitting around waiting on guests, earning very little.
Chen Yuan followed the old scholar out of Wenchang Street and watched him buy two coarse-grained pancakes from a street-side pancake shop, and then walked all the way to the northeast corner of the county town.
The houses here are dilapidated and it is where the poor people in the county live.
The old scholar came to a small courtyard and pushed the door open.
Chen Yuan wrote down the address and turned to leave.
……
Zhao Shan came back in the evening and asked:
"Brother, have you finished writing your letter?"
Chen Yuan went back to his room, took out the letter and handed it to Zhao Shan.
Zhao Shan glanced at it casually, took out an envelope from his pocket, and put the letter in it:
"I will have someone give this letter to Chen Erhua tomorrow and take it 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 student in the village who can read the letter for me."
Zhao Shan nodded:
"That's good. Your filial piety is worth it."
……
The next day, after lunch, Chen Yuan came to Wenchang Street again and carefully observed the old scholar from a distance.
The old scholar's business was slow just like yesterday, with only two or three customers in the whole afternoon. He was reading most of the time.
As dusk approached, he closed his stall and went home, buying two coarse flour pancakes on the way.
This went on for three days, and Chen Yuan saw the old scholar's predicament.
There are many people writing letters for others on Wenchang Street, including many middle-aged people in their thirties and forties.
The old scholar was too old and frail, and his writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone were all worn out. He looked very different from the other scholars.
People who come here to write letters and invitations often prefer young Confucian scholars and stay away from old Confucian scholars.
But according to Chen Yuan's observations and comparisons over the past few days, the old scholar's handwriting looks the most comfortable and his writing speed is the fastest.
It's just that his food looks so bad that there are so few customers.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Chen Yuan no longer stayed in the distance and quietly observed the old scholar, but came to his stall.
The old scholar put down the book in his hand, looked up and greeted:
"This young man, do you need someone to write a letter for you... Oh, it turns out to be Brother Chen. Is this a letter to your parents?"
Chen Yuan smiled and said:
"I didn't expect the old man still remembered my name."
The old scholar sighed:
"There aren't many customers these days, and I still remember Brother Chen's signature."
Chen Yuan smiled and said:
"Old sir, I came to you this time not to ask you to write a letter for me, but for another business."
"Please tell me, little brother Chen. As long as I can be of service, I will definitely not refuse."
"I would like to ask you to teach me how to read and write." The old scholar was surprised.
"Can you read and write? Are you kidding me, Brother Chen?"
Chen Yuan took out a cloth bag from his arms and threw it lightly onto the small table.
Wow!
The cloth bag fell on the small table, its mouth opened, revealing the copper coins piled up inside.
"As long as you agree, I am willing to give you 300 coins per month. Here are 50 coins as my first payment. I will pay the remaining 250 coins on the fifth day of next month."
The old scholar's eyes lit up and he reached for the bag, but stopped halfway, looked up at Chen Yuan, and said hesitantly:
"Brother Chen, are you sure you want to learn Chinese from me? I have wasted half my life and failed to even pass the examination for a student. Three hundred coins a month is enough to enroll in a private school. Why do you have to come to me, an old scholar who failed to get into school..."
Chen Yuan said calmly:
"Don't worry about that, sir. If you don't want to teach me how to read and write, I will find someone else."
The old scholar smiled bitterly and said:
"Okay, I promise you, I can barely afford to eat, so there's no reason for me to refuse a business that comes to my door."
Chen Yuan smiled and said:
"Thank you very much, sir. From now on, you only need to teach me for one hour every afternoon. This should be no problem for you, right?"
The old scholar picked up the cloth bag and smiled bitterly:
"Haha, I've been sitting here in Wenchang Street for an entire afternoon, so it's not difficult to spare an hour."
"On the fifth day of next month, I will give you the remaining 250 coins. Is that okay?"
"I trust Brother Chen, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by him. These fifty cents are a timely help to me... By the way, my name is Yan Xiangpei, you don't have to be polite."
Chen Yuan's expression became serious:
"Since you are willing to teach me how to read and write, you are my teacher. How can I be unreasonable? Just call me Erniu."
"This... well, never mind. I will accept it with shame. Chen Xiao... Erniu, I will close my stall now and take you back to my residence to teach you how to read and write."
Afterwards, Chen Yuan helped the old scholar pack up his stall and followed him back to the courtyard where he lived.
The small courtyard was very shabby, with only one main house and one wing room. The old scholar introduced:
"I bought this yard a few years ago. Although it's a bit run-down, at least it's a place to stay..."
Chen Yuan followed the old scholar into the main house and looked at the furnishings inside.
In addition to tables, chairs, beds and cabinets, there are two huge bookshelves in the room, which are filled with various books.
The old scholar murmured:
"I have no other hobbies except reading. Over the past few decades, I have spent a lot of money to buy hundreds of ancient books. I think I know everything about astronomy and geography. Unfortunately, this has delayed my study of the imperial examinations and I didn't even pass the examination. In the end, I ended up like this, destitute and miserable..."
Chen Yuan said calmly:
"Don't worry, sir. Since I chose you, I naturally trust your knowledge."
A trace of embarrassment flashed across the old scholar's face:
"Ahem, I'm not bragging. I'm well-read and have read a lot of books. Not only can I teach you how to read and write, but I can also teach you poetry, prose, classics, history, and Taoist classics..."
Chen Yuan glanced at the old scholar with a half-smile:
"Don't worry, sir. What I want to learn is not just about reading and writing. If you are really well-versed, I will continue to learn from you. As for the three hundred coins per month, I will not give you a penny less."
The old scholar couldn't help but smile when he heard this:
"I will do my best!"
He quickly returned to the room, took out a book with a slightly old cover, as well as a writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, placed them on the table, and began to teach Chen Yuan how to read:
"This is the Thousand Character Classic for children to learn. Let's start with the first volume today..."
……
About an hour later, the thirsty old scholar stopped and looked Chen Yuan up and down, exclaiming in amazement:
"I have lived for decades, and today I am really enlightened. I never thought there are people in this world who have photographic memories!"
On the pieces of hemp paper in front of Chen Yuan, there were more than thirty complex characters densely written, but not a single one was erased.
Chen Yuan looked at the results of an hour's study and smiled with satisfaction:
"It's because of the good teaching of the teacher that I can learn so quickly."
As long as the old scholar explained it once, he could remember it and write it down exactly.
It’s just that the characters in this world are too complex and have too many strokes.
Each character has several meanings and there are also homophones.
The old scholar needed to explain each word one by one, which was very time-consuming, so Chen Yuan only learned more than 30 characters.
The old scholar said:
"I dare not take credit for it. You have a photographic memory, so it doesn't matter who teaches you... But are you really not going to go to a private school? With your talent, as long as you study hard, it will be easy for you to pass the imperial examination!"
Chen Yuan smiled:
"Sir, please don't persuade me anymore. I have no ambition to do this, and I have no choice. It is not easy to learn Chinese from you."
The old scholar sighed:
"What a waste of nature, what a waste of nature!"
He felt very sorry for Chen Yuan's choice, but did not ask any further questions.
This is also what Chen Yuan is most satisfied with the old Confucian scholar.
He spent three hundred coins every month to find a poor Confucian scholar to learn Chinese, which seemed illogical in any way.
But the old scholar never explored the reason behind it, and was not at all surprised at Chen Yuan's maturity at a young age. He just focused on teaching him characters, which saved him a lot of trouble.
"It's time for today. I'm leaving now. I'll come back to learn calligraphy from you tomorrow afternoon."
Chen Yuan stood up to say goodbye, and the old scholar escorted him out of the courtyard.
Chen Yuan walked around the county town, secretly observing behind him, and only when he was sure that the old scholar was not following him did he feel relieved and returned to the small courtyard in Xingyefang.
One must be on guard against others, and since Manager Li did not allow Zhao Shan to learn to read, Chen Yuan was even more afraid to reveal the fact that he was learning to read, for fear that his image would collapse and arouse Manager Li's suspicion.
Only by being careful and keeping things secret enough can you avoid getting into trouble.
……
In the following days, Chen Yuan practiced martial arts in the morning and evening, and went to the old Confucian scholar to learn writing in the afternoon. His days were extremely fulfilling.
On the fifth day of September, Chen Yuan received a monthly salary of one tael of silver.
This is a common practice for yellow-robed apprentices. Even if Chen Yuan does nothing, he can still get the money.
He took out two hundred and fifty coins and gave them to the old scholar. The old scholar was completely relieved and worked even harder to teach Chen Yuan characters.
During this period, Zhao Shan did not return for two consecutive days.
After asking, Chen Yuan learned that he was leading a guard team to escort a convoy loaded with ironware to the neighboring county.
This allowed Chen Yuan to feel more confident in infusing his body with starlight. His physical body continued to strengthen, his progress in Subduing the Tiger Power became more and more gratifying, and his physical energy continued to grow stronger.
(End of this chapter)