Chapter 69: The Road to Wealth
Academy. Zhong Chushan tapped the surface of Zhou Wangshu’s desk and lowered his voice, "This afternoon’s chess lesson is particularly boring, why not let me take you out for some fun?"
Zhou Wangshu flipped through the chess manual in his hand, shaking his head, "I am different from you. Even if I can’t achieve scholarly fame, I must study hard and not let down Yaoguang and my mother-in-law’s good intentions."
"You are not Xiao Ci. Even if you skip class, no one cares. Your mother-in-law and that young wife are not always watching over you, why insist on this stubbornness?" Zhong Chushan scoffed.
"Indeed, Yaoguang and my mother-in-law won’t watch me every moment, but my heart knows whether it has let them down. I can deceive everyone, but not my own heart."
Jiang Yihui from the table next to them mocked, "He is not like you, even if he can’t study, he has an inheritance. If he doesn’t study, he can only go back and dig soil."
"Aren’t you the same? Oh, you might not be, since your Attendant Student has become Mountain Master’s and the teacher’s cherished one. Even if you don’t achieve scholarly fame, you can rely on the Attendant Student to walk sideways in the academy. You don’t even pay tuition now, thanks to that Attendant Student, right? You’ve got quite the fortune, having the Attendant Student support you." Zhou Wangshu shook his head, "Unlike me, I can only rely on my family’s young wife."
Jiang Yihui slammed the table, glaring coldly at Zhou Wangshu, "Say it again if you dare."
"Why so fierce, isn’t what he said true?" Zhong Chushan retorted. "You can’t let people mention the truth, what are you guilty about?"
Xiao Yanci walked in from outside and sensed the odd atmosphere in the lecture hall, his gaze landing on Zhong Chushan standing there, and following Zhong’s gaze saw Jiang Yihui.
Jiang Yihui’s eyes burned with anger, his gaze unfriendly.
He furrowed his brow.
What’s he crazy about now?
He didn’t seem to have offended him, right?
"Xiao Ci, come here and grind ink for me," Jiang Yihui shouted.
Xiao Yanci clenched his hand.
This damned lower class. How dare he...
Yet, since his household registration fell into his family, even after becoming of good status, if his family wield some trickery, he could still end up as a slave.
Suppressing his inner hatred, he slowly walked over, obediently grinding ink.
Jiang Yihui proudly tilted his head, scanning the surroundings, with an expression of ’he wouldn’t dare disobey.’
Other classmates also gave Xiao Yanci contemptuous looks.
So what if he’s the teacher’s favorite, he still can’t change the fact he’s a servant. Even with the teacher’s intervention granting him good status, he remains subject to others.
Upon entering, the teacher saw this scene and said unpleasantly, "Xiao Ci, what are you doing standing there? Sit back down."
Xiao Yanci sat at the first desk at the front.
Xiao Yanci gracefully gave a bow and returned to the front.
"Jiang Yihui, now Xiao Ci is your classmate, if you continue to order him around like this, I will ask your family to see if you have any grievances with the academy that make you act contradictory and bully your classmates."
Jiang Yihui muttered, "He was originally my Attendant Student, it’s kind enough to grant him good status, what’s wrong with asking him to grind ink?"
"What did you say?" The teacher slammed his podium.
"Teacher, I understand, I won’t order him anymore." Jiang Yihui replied reluctantly.
"That’s more like it. You are classmates, you should get along harmoniously."
Zhong Chushan commented on the side, "It’s really seeing people and then treating them differently. The other day, when you were being exacted at the canteen, he didn’t stand up for you either!"
"The teacher is ultimately the teacher. He intends to develop my abilities, let’s stop complaining about the teacher." Zhou Wangshu comforted him good-naturedly.
"This lousy class, what’s the point? Can’t even understand it. I don’t get why my family insists on sending me to study?" Zhong Chushan yawned, "Anyway, I’m destined to run a Gambling House. Have you ever seen a gambling house owner speak freshly with anyone?"
"Why hasn’t Brother Buyu attended class lately?" Zhou Wangshu asked.
"He just let a little girl escape. His family taught him a lesson, he’ll be confined for at least half a month."
"His family runs a dance house, right?"
"It is a dance house, although they pledged performing without selling bodies, somehow hard-pressing benefactors always want to exploit the girls, thus it’s not a completely legit place to work. Some girls sold into the place truly might refuse to live like this, they either try every method to break free. The young boy grew up seeing much, his heart remains tender, occasionally releases them secretly."
"Let’s visit him together tonight then!" Zhou Wangshu said, "Since arriving at this academy, I’ve made only the two of you my friends."
Inspired by his words, Zhong Chushan began planning after visiting Chen Buyu where they’d go for fun. In his view, since the few of them couldn’t get into study, they might as well happily make friends, enjoying together each today they have. Whenever his family gives up on him, only then will they cease forcing him to sit swollen with educational nonsense.
The chess lesson paired up two against two. Zhong Chushan played against Zhou Wangshu, initially making random moves, but somehow the cluttered board came to life.
The teacher inspected the room and upon passing their chessboard stroked his beard, revealing a pleased expression, "Making progress, not bad."
Zhong Chushan was utterly confused.
His chess skills improved? What kind of comment was that?
Could it be he possessed talent in chess, just unknowingly buried before?
At night, Zhou Wangshu and Zhong Chushan went to the city’s only dance house for Chen Buyu.
The dance house steward recognized Zhong Chushan, leading them over. Upon seeing Zhou Wangshu, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Mr. Zhong, is this your classmate?" the dance house steward asked.
"Of course." Zhong Chushan replied proudly, "He lives with your Mr. Zhong too!"
"Since he’s an academy scholar, he must be well-versed in music, correct?" the dance house steward excitedly asked Zhou Wangshu, "Our Piano Master is sick today, we’re troubled without someone to play, might this gentleman substitute?"
Zhong Chushan was surprised, "Why not ask me?"
"Mr. Zhong joking, everyone knows you and our Mr. Zhong only love fun, not good at anything else." The steward cheerfully delivered a painful truth.
"Why ask him then? Does he look like someone adept at music?" Zhong Chushan raised his voice further.
"Frankly, this gentleman appears knowledgeable and cultured. I’ve spent forty years here, seen all types of people—one’s aura doesn’t deceive." The steward genuinely replied.
"Haha, you might as well say he looks smart and appears clever, but sadly... you’ll misjudge." Zhong Chushan’s words were cut short by Zhou Wangshu.
Zhou Wangshu politely and gently replied, "If I am to serve as Piano Master, perhaps there’s payment? How much per performance, might I ask?"