Lu Pingan couldn’t wait for it. Since he failed the exam, he has been studying every day. He didn’t slack off. He has been looking for opportunities to prove himself.

Xu Xiansheng took a glance at Zhou Xiaofeng and he had an idea in his heart. He asked Lu Pingan the same question. Comparing their answers, he will see his level as a teacher. Lu Pingan was the most hardworking student he has. He was also his promising student.

Bai Zhi, who was also sitting, played with her hair in boredom until Xu Xiansheng asked her: “Are you literate?”

Bai Zhi nodded her head: “I know some.”

Xu Xiansheng asked with a smile: “Would you like to try it?”

Bai Zhi thought since she was idle, why not try it. Even if she can’t answer it right, no one will laugh at her. And so, she nodded her head: “Okay, but my handwriting is ugly. You can’t laugh at me.”

Xu Xiansheng quickly wrote the same question.

A Gentleman worries about the way, not about poverty!

On a slight yellow rice paper, he sharply wrote these words.

Bai Zhi was a little dumbfounded. What does he want her to write? Does he want her to explain the meaning of this sentence? Or does he want to know her point of view on this sentence?

After pondering for a while, she felt that the chance of him wanting to know her point of view would be greater. After all, the literal meaning was very clear, and not so profound that she needed to explain it again.

Bai Zhi took the smallest brush and stroke two words: It’s ridiculous!

A Gentleman is not worried about poverty: First of all, this gentleman must be born into a wealthy family. His family has enough money for his studies and can provide enough assistance for him to become a gentleman. Otherwise, if you are a person that can’t even eat enough food, why would you live a way of a gentleman? If you don’t worry about poverty, then are you just going to wait and starve to death? That gentleman, in fact, is just a hypocrite.

If you are poor, you should be good at yourself. If you can’t even do this simple goal, how can you help the world? This is the real way of a gentleman.

But whether it is a gentleman who doesn’t worry about poverty or a gentleman who is good at himself, the first thing a person should do is to make himself a real gentleman. 

Only by becoming a real gentleman will have the heart to worry and help others.

By the time Bai Zhi finished writing, Zhou Xiaofeng and Lu Pingan had already handed in their papers. The two were standing behind her and watching her write each word on the paper with a complex look in the face.

When Bai Zhi handed in her paper, she asked the two: “Why do you look like this?”

Lu Pingan said: “If we didn’t live in the same village, I wouldn’t believe that you never went to school.”

Bai Zhi smiled and said: “Didn’t I often deliver Bai Xiaofeng’s meals before? I’ve come to the academy many times. I often hide outside to listen to Xu Xiansheng’s lectures. In fact, it’s not like I’ve never gone to school to read books, it’s just I never paid tuition fees.”

Zhou Xiaofeng was amused by her, but he still said very seriously: “Your point of view is very special. Some people may find it offensive, but I think you are right. Whether you worry about poverty or not, first of all, you need to become a real gentleman and not just ordinary weeds. There were some real gentlemen and some hypocrites. Those who cannot speak their mind are hypocrites.”

Zhou Xiaofeng stepped back and cupped his hands toward Bai Zhi, then said: “Listening to you, is worth reading books for 10 years.”

Seeing his actions, Bai Zhi was confused. She just blindly wrote what she thinks. Why would he worship her? Is this what you call a blind cat run into a dead mouse?

Xu Xiansheng looked at the answer sheet submitted by the three people and pondered for a long time. The three people have a different point of view. Although Bai Zhi sounded a bit rebellious, it was the truth. Zhou Xiaofeng’s answer was also very refined. It can be seen that he really went to school and learned well.

 

* A blind cat finds a dead mouse (idiom) – blind luck, accidental fortune.

---

Thanks for reading, likes, and comments.

TL’s Request: This site run on ads, so please kindly turn off your adblocker or add this site to your whitelist to support my translation, if you can.

No spoilers, please!