Chapter 76: Big Brother, I Was Wrong

"What?" Su Lu thought to himself, what on earth is that about? Who could possibly love mugwort? He stared in disbelief, blurting out, "Sir, are you serious?"

"Of course. You must understand, there are no rehearsals in life, and exams will always throw unexpected questions at you. Will you give up then?" Master Zhu replied with great conviction.

"If I give up, I won't get into the academy..." Su Lu couldn't help but mutter a sarcastic comment under his breath.

"Ahem, it's not that I'm deliberately making things hard for you," the headmaster replied, his face untroubled. "It's just the way of the world—examinations are perilous. Haven't you heard? The examiners nowadays are coming up with more obscure and difficult topics. You need to get used to this from a young age."

"Yes, I will remember your teaching," Su Lu replied, unable to think of anything else to say—he had no choice but to agree.

"Besides, I'm not asking you to write the essay on the spot. Just hand it in three days from now. That's all for today—class dismissed," Zhu Liu said, waving him away.

The lesson had ended quickly enough; thankfully, there was no extra tuition fee...

"Thank you, Master. I take my leave," Su Lu saluted once more and departed.

~

As Su Lu exited, he saw Zhu Zi He, the "First of the Lower Study," waiting outside with a blank expression.

"Zhu," Su Lu greeted with a polite clasp of hands.

"Su," Zhu Zi He nodded and walked straight past him into the study.

"I've been waiting for ages," Zhu Zi He complained to his uncle as soon as he entered.

"I just spent a bit more time talking with the student," Zhu Liu replied, settling behind his desk and taking up Zhu Zi He's homework.

"What is there to talk to him about?" Zhu Zi He muttered.

"There's plenty to talk about—and talk well," Zhu Liu smiled. "In this whole academy, he's the only one who can engage in a deep and thorough conversation with me."

He glanced at his nephew, saying, "You should get to know this Su fellow better. It will do you good."

"Oh," Zhu Zi He replied, clearly unconvinced. What good could come from a top student from the city mingling with a country bumpkin?

"Do you know why I brought you here and not Zi Gong?" Zhu Liu asked quietly.

"Because Zi Gong is frail and not as capable academically as I am," Zhu Zi He replied without hesitation. "Bringing him here would only harm him."

"Is that really what you think?" Zhu Liu looked surprised.

"Isn't it?" Zhu Zi He asked, puzzled.

Zhu Liu sighed helplessly. His nephew had always been the brightest in the family; since he became sensible, the family's fortunes improved. He had never known hardship or suffering, and naturally developed a conceited, self-important attitude.

But his talent was not enough to make the world revolve around him...

Zhu Liu was much the same in his youth, and naturally didn't want his nephew to repeat his own difficult path. That was why he brought him to the countryside—to let him face some hardship, so that when he stumbled in the future, he could endure it without falling apart.

"Fine, it's as you say." Zhu Liu decided to let him have a taste of what a 'country bumpkin' could do, and instructed, "There's an extra assignment today: imitate 'Ode to the Lotus.'"

"Uncle, I've already done that before," Zhu Zi He quickly reminded him.

"Did you eat yesterday?" Zhu Liu smiled slyly.

"Of course," Zhu Zi He replied, not catching on.

"Then why are you eating again today?" Zhu Liu rolled his eyes at him.

"Sigh... Yes, sir," Zhu Zi He could only agree helplessly.

~

Su Lu had not expected the headmaster to be so talkative once he got going. If the days weren't getting longer, the sun would have set by now.

He left the Hall of the Southern Way and called to Su Dan, who was waiting in the lecture room finishing his homework, and the two hurried home after gathering their things.

On the way, as usual, they recited from memory the essay they had learned yesterday—"A Gentleman Without Dignity Commands No Respect," written by another young laureate, Fei Hong.

Su Dan recited the next line:

"Though one may say he studies to understand goodness, I know such understanding is fleeting, not truly ingrained and unforgotten."

Su Lu followed with the next:

"Though one may say he seeks to return to his origins, I know such gains are easily lost, not necessarily pursued with diligence to reach perfection."

Su Dan continued: "...Sincerity is the foundation of goodness. What is kept in the heart must be guided by loyalty and faithfulness, neither feigned nor empty."

Su Lu responded: "Deceit is the doorway to evil. What is revealed in action must be guided by loyalty and faithfulness, without fraud or falsehood."

Thus, line by line, they recited the entire essay between them. Just as they were about to start on the next, three dark figures emerged from the small grove by the roadside.

The brothers fell silent at once, like their throats had been seized, eyes wary as they reached for the clubs stashed behind their book boxes.

"Looks like that's Cheng Sanwan..." Su Dan, sharp-eyed, was first to recognize the trio.

Su Lu saw that they too carried book boxes and relaxed. He had thought perhaps the Daomang or the Roro tribes had come after them...

Though they were outnumbered, the three Cheng brothers were nothing to fear for the Su brothers.

If it was the Chengs, running wasn't an option; even if they escaped, they'd be beaten half to death at home. So, as always: Stand firm, don't lose face!

As the group drew near, it was indeed Pockmarked Cheng Wantang, Bucktoothed Cheng Wan Fan, and Effeminate Cheng Wanzhou.

Su Dan gripped his whistle club behind his back and smiled, "What do you want? Finally can't hold back and want a fight?"

Su Lu quietly swapped his iron rod for a wooden one. A gentleman must have dignity, but they were classmates, after all; a broken arm would be enough...

The three Cheng brothers exchanged looks. Cheng Wantang's face flushed, veins throbbing on his forehead—he was clearly on the verge of an outburst!

But to their surprise, he suddenly bowed at a right angle, offering Su Lu a deep salute and declared, "We were young and foolish, misled by our anger, and have repeatedly spoken out of turn, insulting your honor. It was the height of rudeness and unworthy of a gentleman!"

Cheng Wan Fan, bucktoothed, also bowed deeply and continued, "Today, in self-reflection, I am overwhelmed with shame—having studied the classics, yet forgetting the teachings of the sages, I have brought shame to both you and the scholarly tradition!"

Effeminate Cheng Wanzhou made a coy bow and piped up in a sharp voice, "Today, I come to offer my apologies and submit to your judgment. From now on, I shall be careful in word and deed, treat you with respect, and hope you will forgive us."

The Su brothers, of course, understood perfectly, but deliberately replied in a gruff voice, "Speak plainly, I don't understand you!"

"Big brother, I'm sorry!" Cheng Wantang said in embarrassment.

"We won't do it again!" Cheng Wan Fan muttered, face red.

"Please forgive us!" Cheng Wanzhou said, eyes shut tight.

"You're not apologizing because you realize your mistake, but because you want my brother to teach you how to write essays," Su Dan exposed them mercilessly.

"That's part of it," Cheng Wan Fan admitted, blushing. "But it's not the main reason."

"The main reason is that Su has won us over these past three months," Cheng Wanzhou said coyly.

"Your conduct is upright, you are diligent and eager to learn, help others readily, and treat everyone with courtesy!" Cheng Wantang's pimples flushed even redder, whether from excitement or embarrassment.

"Ha, stop trying to flatter me!" Su Lu laughed as he walked home. "I've never gone out of my way to provoke you; every time, it's been you coming after me. If you behave yourselves, we'll stay out of each other's way."

In truth, the "Three Chengs" had already been behaving themselves lately—from openly mocking him to gossiping behind his back, and now only daring to grumble quietly, mirroring Su Lu's steadily rising status in the students' quarters.

After all, someone who could help classmates improve their grades was remarkable.

Now, even the other members of the "Seven Sons of Ren Dorm" had distanced themselves from the Chengs and were mending fences with Su Lu. The three, if they didn't act soon, would be completely isolated.

So, they had no choice but to apologize—and chose a deserted spot to do it...

"So, you'll forgive us?" they asked nervously, following behind Su Lu.

"That depends on how you behave," Su Lu replied coolly.

"Yes, big brother! We'll behave ourselves!" The three lit up at his words—they were all too familiar with this line... Every time their parents finished beating them, they'd say this before letting things go.

In fact, Su Lu had no interest in these childish squabbles. They all came from Erlang Shoal, yet spent their days pecking at each other like fighting cocks—wasn't it laughable?

Of course, he wouldn't forgive them right away; he would have to teach them a lesson first.

But the three couldn't wait; all the way home they spoke in humble tones, apologizing endlessly, desperate for him to forgive them.

Su Dan was right—if they simply didn't want any more trouble, they could have just ignored each other. There had to be something more.

The truth was, the three of them had been studying as hard as they could, no less than Su Lu himself—but Su Lu not only taught his classmates methods, he also helped point out flaws in the structure and arguments of their essays.

As a result, everyone else had improved in the monthly exam, while they were stuck in place.

Rowing against the current, not advancing means falling behind—watching others surpass them one by one, how could they not feel anxious?

They were young and proud, Cheng family sons, but first and foremost, students of the academy. Nothing was more important than their studies!

At this point, if Su Lu would teach them, they'd even be willing to call him "godfather"...

As they neared Erlang Shoal, Su Lu finally sighed and said to Cheng Wantang, who had failed twice in a row, "Honestly, what I'm about to say may sound like the pot calling the kettle black, but even if you learn my methods, I doubt it will help much. There's nothing magical about what I do, or I wouldn't have only scored half a point myself."

"I understand," Cheng Wantang nodded. The night concealed his face, making his voice sound unusually calm. "I know very well now that I'm not cut out to become a licentiate, just as the master said—there's no harm in leaving school early."

"Then why do you keep trying?" Su Dan couldn't help but ask.

"I can't leave with three failures!" Cheng Wantang suddenly raised his voice. "I've been studying since I was seven, for seven long years! Through cold winters and hot summers, never missing a day! It wasn't easy to get into the Taiping Academy I've dreamed of. I have to leave something behind, to put a period on these years of hard work!"

"I understand," Su Lu nodded gently. "I'll teach you tomorrow."

"Thank you, brother," Cheng Wantang bowed deeply.

Su Lu patted his trembling shoulder, offering comfort in a low voice, "Honestly, my situation is just as precarious. Let's give it our all together, and hope for a miracle."

"Alright!" Cheng Wantang nodded firmly.

Cheng Wan Fan and Cheng Wanzhou rested their hands on his shoulders, hoping to give their cousin a bit of support.