One person raised his head, and the others followed him. They said something to each other, and things became more and more exaggerated. They didn’t know who to listen to.
Everyone was so fascinated by the gossip that they did not notice that a new face had walked behind them, "Are you talking about me?"
A young man in a white brocade robe looked at the crowd with curiosity. As he got closer, he discovered that the white robe was embroidered with dark patterns.
With the person involved right in front of them, several students who were discussing right and wrong felt embarrassed and quickly apologized and left.
"Why don't you leave?" The man looked at Chen Ping who stayed and asked, "Aren't you going with them?"
"I plan to go to the library. We are not in the same direction as them." As he said this, Chen Ping shook the book in his hand towards the man.
"So that's it. It seems that I misunderstood you." The man showed his kindness, "I don't know what to call you?"
"Just call me Chen Ping."
"Chen Ping?" A sharp look flashed in the man's eyes, "But Chen Ping, Ye Wenchang's close disciple?"
Seeing the man say Mr. Ye's name directly, Chen Ping felt a little uncomfortable, but he still answered the man's question, "That's right."
"Do you dare to compete with me?"
"A competition?" Chen Ping looked wary, "Why should I compete with you?"
"Just because you are Mr. Ye's disciple." The man looked at Chen Ping's clothes with disdain, "I don't know how a down-and-out kid like you became Mr. Ye's disciple."
Chen Ping's clothes were made by Xiang. Compared with the man's brocade robe, this linen cloth is really nothing, but every stitch and thread on it is the mother's thoughts for him.
What's more, someone who comes out of nowhere to stir up trouble makes everyone angry.
Chen Ping lowered his face and his eyes were cold, "Then I will fulfill your wish today, and don't go back crying later. How do you compare?"
"I still can't tell who will lose later." The man was obviously very confident in himself. To show his solemnity, he announced his name as He Qingxuan, who had studied at Jiangxia Academy.
The two agreed to give each other questions, and whoever couldn't answer the question would lose.
Seeing that he was young, He Qingxuan asked Chen Ping to write the question first.
Chen Ping did not shirk away, and first asked a question about the square field: "Today there is a field of 18 feet wide, down from 27 feet wide. How much is the field?"
"Eight acres of land." He Qingxuan came up with the answer after thinking for a while, and then asked, "Children eat glutinous rice balls. If each person is given three glutinous rice balls, there will be 57 glutinous rice balls left; if each person is divided into five glutinous rice balls, there will be 3 glutinous rice balls left.
How many children are there and how many glutinous rice balls are there?"
"Twenty-seven people, one hundred and thirty-eight glutinous rice balls."
At first, the two of them did not use their full strength, but the other party answered directly, which made the two of them more serious and the questions became more and more difficult.
This also caused many students passing by to stop and watch the competition between the two. Some of them refused to admit defeat and even worked on the questions with the two.
As the questions became more and more complicated, Chen Ping fortunately still had pen and paper to accompany him, but He Qingxuan, who found it alone, was indeed empty-handed.
Seeing that the competition was becoming more and more unfair, Chen Ping took the lead in shouting stop.
"This is not an option, why don't we try another one?"
He Qingxuan naturally praised it. Just as he was about to change the content of the competition, he heard Mr. Ye's voice coming from afar.
"Who wants to compete with my disciples?"
Mr. Ye walked in a hurry, making it easier for Ye Chongwen behind him to catch up. The students who were joining in the fun saw Mr. Ye coming, and after a while, they dispersed.
Looking at Ye Chongwen who was still blinking at him, Chen Ping immediately knew who called Mr. Ye.
"I, He Qingxuan, once listened to your lectures in Jiangxia."
Mr. Ye recalled carefully, "Qingxuan... I seem to have some impression, are you a child of the He family cloth village?"
"That's right."
After hearing the other party's reply, Mr. Ye still had a bit of doubt on his face. In his impression, the young boy from Hejia Buzhuang was only two or three years older than Ye Chongwen and Chen Ping, but now this boy is taller than the two of them.
It’s more than just the last one.
Seeing that Mr. Ye didn't speak, he looked at him and Chen Ping repeatedly. He Qingxuan, who had long been used to it, started to explain himself, "I don't know why, but I'm growing faster this year."
"That's really amazing." Mr. Ye looked at the heads of Ye Chongwen and Chen Ping and couldn't help but sigh, "It would be nice to be taller."
Looking at the distance, there are many students looking towards this side.
With a wave of his hand, Boss Ye took the two of them to an empty study room, and Ye Chongwen followed quietly.
After entering the house, before He Qingxuan could say anything, Mr. Ye bluntly said that he would not go to his father's previous invitation. He is just an old man who is used to being idle now.
He Qingxuan pursed his lips and didn't know what he was thinking. After a while, he spoke: "The younger generation will tell the truth to my father, but my father is my father, and I am me. I have admired you for a long time since you were giving lectures at Jiangxia Academy, and I have been admiring you for a long time.
Please give Mr. Ye a chance, I want to become your disciple."
"I have already accepted the closed disciples, and it is even more impossible to accept any more disciples in the future." Mr. Ye directly rejected He Qingxuan without thinking, "There is no room for negotiation on this matter. As for you, since you have come to Huating Academy, then
Study hard here, your father is waiting for you to pass the exam early and make your family proud."
He Qingxuan looked at Chen Ping standing next to Mr. Ye without saying anything, and did not hide the dissatisfaction in his eyes.
This is more serious.
Mr. Ye sighed softly, then called Chen Ping forward and asked them what they had competed with before.
Chen Ping told the truth, and Mr. Ye nodded understandingly and then said, "Since you two haven't decided the winner yet, let's continue the competition and let me answer this question, okay?"
As he said that, he waved to Ye Chongwen, who was watching the excitement beside him, "You should also follow them."
An unreasonable disaster befell Ye Chongwen, but he had to admit it and could only stand next to Chen Ping with a sad face.
Mr. Ye thought for a moment and then came up with the topic, "Everyone talks about scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, so let's talk about why this business is considered the last reason."
As soon as this question came out, He Qingxuan's face suddenly turned ugly. Chen Ping and Ye Chongwen, who were standing beside him, clearly noticed that something was wrong with him.
Although he was the first to shoot, Ye Chongwen felt that he would die early and be born early, so he answered first.
"Naturally because it is the busiest."
Ye Chongwen replied so succinctly that Mr. Ye couldn't even react, "Is this gone?"
"No more!"
"Say it again, kid!" Mr. Ye raised the tea cup on the table as if to greet Ye Chongwen.
Seeing that something was wrong, Ye Chongwen hurriedly hid behind Chen Ping, "Just pretend I didn't say it! Besides, I won't participate in the competition."
This sounds like what he said, but Ye Chongwen's muddle-headed and perfunctory look still made Mr. Ye half-dead angry.
Dear grandson, dear grandson, bear with it.
Taking advantage of Ye Chongwen's gag, He Qingxuan came up with the answer. He looked pale and said word by word: "Because most businessmen are speculators. They manipulated people's hearts in the past and used inducements to lure Lu Buwei, who was feared by the literati. Later, he said...
How many officials and businessmen use money and silk to attract people's hearts..."
"Shut up!"
Seeing He Qingxuan talking more and more, Mr. Ye interrupted him directly and asked with a livid face, "Is this how you view your father?"