Volume One, Chapter 16: Master Zhang's Ecstatic Delight—My Silver Was Well Spent!

"Sun Wukong is truly amazing! He actually defeated a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers! I want to be Sun Wukong too!"

Zhang Shengcai’s footsteps suddenly halted.

His plump, oily face darkened at once, his brows knitting together in a fierce frown.

Well, well!

That little rascal must be playing wild in the study again!

And what about that Chen Pingchuan? How dare he not persuade the young master to study diligently, but instead indulges his whims and lets him fool around—what use is he then?

A surge of nameless fury shot straight to Zhang Shengcai’s head, and his pace quickened.

In just a few strides, he stormed to the door of the study. Without a second thought, he shoved the door open with a bang!

“Zhang Jinbao!”

His voice thundered with anger.

“You useless brat, are you slacking off again instead of studying as you should?!”

The two inside were both startled.

At the sight of his father’s furious face, Zhang Jinbao shrank his little neck, hardly daring to breathe.

Chen Pingchuan, however, remained much calmer.

He rose unhurriedly, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully to the raging Zhang Shengcai.

“Master, please quell your anger.”

“The young master has been studying hard all this time. Just now, he was tired, so I allowed him to rest for a moment.”

At these words, Zhang Shengcai’s anger flared even hotter, and he nearly jabbed a finger in Chen Pingchuan’s face.

“You dare talk back!”

He poured all his pent-up fury onto Chen Pingchuan, berating him harshly: “I spent good money to buy you so you would guide Jinbao to better himself!”

“And you—what do you do? You play around with him! It seems you no longer want your position as a study attendant!”

Yet Chen Pingchuan’s expression remained composed, his voice steady and clear.

“Master, I speak the truth. I have indeed been helping the young master review his lessons.”

“The young master has made significant progress today—he is not what he was yesterday.”

He stepped aside slightly, his tone resolute: “If Master does not believe me, you may test him yourself.”

With that, he respectfully handed a copy of the “Three Character Classic” to Zhang Shengcai.

Zhang Shengcai snorted heavily, nearly breathing fire from his nostrils.

“Very well!”

“I shall see for myself what kind of nonsense he’s learned!”

Chen Pingchuan discreetly nudged Zhang Jinbao’s arm.

In a low voice, he said, “Young master, do not be afraid—just recite for your father as you did before.”

Zhang Jinbao swallowed nervously.

He took a quiet, deep breath, cleared his throat, and began to recite.

“Man—Man at birth, is naturally good.”

At first, he stumbled a little, but soon his recitation became smooth.

“Nature is similar, but habits make us different. If not taught, their nature will change…”

Zhang Jinbao’s crisp, clear voice echoed through the study.

He recited dozens of lines in one breath, not missing a single word, and his tone carried understanding, proving he was not merely parroting by rote.

The anger on Zhang Shengcai’s face froze at the very first line.

As Zhang Jinbao went on, reciting more and more fluently, Zhang Shengcai’s expression shifted from initial astonishment to undisguised amazement.

By the time Zhang Jinbao had smoothly finished a lengthy passage, the look of disbelief on Zhang Shengcai’s face melted away like snow under sunlight, replaced by a smile that brimmed with incredulous delight.

“Good boy!”

Striding energetically to his son, Zhang Shengcai’s large hand—broad as a fan—trembled slightly as he vigorously ruffled Zhang Jinbao’s hair.

His voice was filled with irrepressible gratification and excitement.

“Who would have thought that this rascal of mine has actually learned something!”

Flushed with pride at his father’s praise, Zhang Jinbao’s little face turned bright red, joy bubbling up inside him, and a new confidence blossomed.

“Father! Father!”

He exclaimed excitedly, “Not only can I recite! I—I can even write my own name now!”

With that, he hurriedly grabbed the brush from the table and, though a little clumsy, wrote three characters on the paper.

Then he lifted the paper high, offering it to Zhang Shengcai as if presenting a precious treasure.

On it, three crooked ink characters could just be made out as “Zhang Jinbao.”

Though the writing was far from elegant, every stroke was earnest and careful.

Zhang Shengcai’s gaze fixed on those three characters.

He looked up to see the hopeful little face of his son.

This beloved child of his had always acted as if recognizing a single character cost him half his life.

Whenever he was asked to write his own name, what came out was simply unbearable to look at!

And now…

Today, he had not only flawlessly recited so much text, but could also write his own name?!

Had the sun risen in the west today?!

“Oh, my precious boy!”

Zhang Shengcai suddenly burst into thunderous laughter, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

“My son can write! Incredible! Simply incredible!”

His joy was so overflowing it nearly spilled from his eyes and brows.

He laughed for a good while before finally calming down a little, turning his gaze to Chen Pingchuan, who stood quietly by.

His smile faded somewhat, but his tone had lost all trace of earlier anger.

“Was all this your teaching?”

He nodded with satisfaction.

“Very good. It seems the money I spent was not in vain!”

Chen Pingchuan lowered his eyes respectfully and bowed again.

“In response to Master’s question,”

His voice was quiet but remarkably clear.

“The young master’s great progress today is entirely thanks to Mr. Fang’s patient instruction this morning.”

“I am dull-witted and have merely helped the young master review according to the methods Mr. Fang taught. I dare not claim the credit.”

Chen Pingchuan had thought this through. Mr. Fang was the proper tutor hired for the household, while he was just the newly bought study attendant. If he claimed all the credit for himself, not only would it bring him no good, but could easily land him in trouble. Should Mr. Fang hear of it, resentment would surely build, making future dealings difficult.

Better, then, to graciously attribute most of the merit to Mr. Fang. He could quietly continue to guide the young master in private. His true aim was for the young master to gain real learning; as for who got the credit, that mattered little to him.

Besides, offering such goodwill might yield unexpected benefits in the future.

Zhang Shengcai was even more pleased with Chen Pingchuan’s modest reply.

This fellow had not only managed to get his blockheaded son to open up, but also knew to be humble and respectful, neither arrogant nor hasty.

“Good! Good! Good!”

He repeated the word three times.

“Mr. Fang truly is a learned scholar! Hiring him was worth every coin!”

“Tomorrow, I must thank him properly!”

With that, he reached into the bulging money pouch at his waist.

He drew out two shining silver ingots, weighed them, and handed them to Chen Pingchuan.

“You have served diligently, and deserve a reward!”

“Take it!”

Feeling the solid weight of the silver, Chen Pingchuan was delighted inside, though he dared not show it.

He quickly clasped the silver tight, bowed deeply, and thanked the master loudly.

“Thank you for your generous reward, Master! I will serve the young master with even more devotion from now on, without a hint of negligence!”

Zhang Shengcai nodded in satisfaction.

He then put on a stern face and gave Zhang Jinbao a few admonitions about listening to his teacher and not misbehaving.

Only then, content and with hands behind his back, did he stride out of the study, nodding and swaying with satisfaction.

When Zhang Shengcai’s footsteps faded in the distance, Zhang Jinbao finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He sidled up to Chen Pingchuan and scratched his head in confusion.

“Big brother,”

He asked in a small voice, “It was your method that worked so well—why did you say it was Mr. Fang’s credit?”