Chapter 12 Consistent Money

Li Guanyi halted his steps, giving way to the carriage.

Once the carriage came to a steady stop, a maidservant with double buns dressed in duck green hopped down first, then turned around and extended her hand to help a lady alight. Judging by her build, she wasn't short, clad in a green skirt and lotus-colored shoes with white silk stockings. Her hair flowed like clouds at the temples, and although only her back could be seen, she was escorted inside.

The coachman flicked the whip, and the carriage came to a rest against the walls on both sides.

Li Guanyi did not pay attention to this minor episode.

He simply handed over the letter to someone inside the private school and was led inside. The school occupied a vast area. The disciple asked Li Guanyi to walk around outside and wait; he would go and pass the letter to the Liu Family's Master. Li Guanyi nodded and waited there, his gaze sweeping over the place.

The Liu Family's Private School, huh.

Although he had known it was large, the feel from the inside was completely different from that of the outside. Bamboo and orchids were cultivated everywhere, buildings hidden among them. People came and went, the younger ones around seven or eight years old, and the older ones just over twenty, all dressed in silk robes, adorned with Jade, swords, and sachets, walking elegantly with books in hand.

Li Guanyi, dressed in a greyish-brown robe that had been washed until it was somewhat faded, stood there, his gaze steady.

Yet he pondered.

Indeed, the Liu Family's Private School was already immense. If he could stay here, it would be a great help for later dealings with official documents. Moreover, it's difficult for freelancers to find work, let alone in places that let them become regulars. With the letter from the old Shopkeeper in hand, why not give it a try?

While thinking, he also took a leisurely walk around the private school.

Just as he was growing bored, he noticed a group of youths arguing about something.

Listening carefully, they were debating the solution to a mathematical problem.

Li Guanyi thoughtfully considered showing some of his abilities if he wished to stay here.

He walked over, observed for a while, and then suddenly said,

"You've got it wrong."

Those students had been agonizing over this problem that had stumped them for a full month, and at his interjection, they were startled, turning around to see a plainly dressed, impoverished-looking young man. A month of wrestling with this math problem had their brains as twisted as laundered clothing, and they now replied irritably,

"You say we got it wrong, how exactly?"

"If you know the solution, why don't you show us?"

One slightly older student asked,

"Little brother claims we are mistaken, but how so?"

"This is a secret problem that our Master gave us a month ago. We've been pondering it laboriously without finding the method. The problem is, 'Arrange the numbers one through nine into three columns in such a way that adding any three numbers vertically, horizontally, or diagonally equals fifteen. How should it be done?'"

"Do you have any solution, little brother?"

Li Guanyi looked at the Nine Palace Diagram on the table.

Unlike in his previous life, mathematics was one of the Six Arts of a gentleman in this era, and not easy to master.

This Nine Palace Diagram wasn't a difficult thing in his past life, but in this world, without secret teachings to guide one's thoughts, the process was indeed painfully time-consuming. With nine numbers and nine choices for each, the permutations and combinations were overwhelmingly complex enough to make anyone's head spin.

He picked up the brush, surrounded by the well-dressed youths, and as Li Guanyi began to write, he softly said, "The essence of the Nine Palaces lies in the spirit turtle, where two and four are shoulders, six and eight are feet, three on the left and seven on the right, wearing nine on the head and one underfoot, with five at the very center."

In the blink of an eye, the puzzle that had confounded these young scholars for a month was solved.

The onlooking students showed a kaleidoscope of expressions, and for a moment, there was silence.

Upstairs in the attic, the Miss who was originally watching her younger brother saw this unfold. Observing the stupefied look on the proud scholars' faces, she thoughtfully instructed her maidservant to hurry down. The maidservant smiled in acknowledgment and made her way downstairs.

At that moment, the disciple who had gone to report earlier came out. Li Guanyi put down the pen and followed him to a teahouse, where they were separated from the outside by a screen. A man in his early forties sat there holding the letter, inviting Li Guanyi to sit and pouring a cup of tea for him, saying,

"I understand your purpose for coming."

"Since it's Brother Zhao's recommendation, I should indeed keep you."

"However, we are a bit full here, and the position Manager Zhao mentioned is unfortunately taken. We only have some minor jobs left. You can try working here for two months, doing some cleaning. The money will be less for the first two months—please don't blame us."

A trial period?

Li Guanyi inquired, "How much?"

The Confucian Scholar stroked his beard and held out five fingers. Li Guanyi said, "One and five coins?"

It was indeed not far off from the original amount.

The scholar laughed, "No, five hundred in small denominations."

Normally one hundred copper coins make a standard string, but in actual transactions, people often used "short strings," which were more advantageous, and even the Court acknowledged this practice. Only in legal texts was it specified that "anyone who steals five thousand standard strings must be executed." Clearly, the scholar was referring to short strings.

For example, 'full strings' and 'full gold' indicate complete amounts.

With a standard string being seventy-five coins, earning three hundred and seventy-five a month did not even meet the lowest cost of living of twenty coins a day. Li Guanyi detected an undercurrent, sensing that he was being encouraged to decline the offer. Without wanting to offend the old Shopkeeper yet reluctant to take on new staff, the scholar sipped his tea with a smile, cordially suggesting,

"However, I would advise you to stay."

"Aside from working, you can listen in on the students' scholarly discussions, learn to recognize characters and sentences. It's a good opportunity, not something you'd find just anywhere."

Li Guanyi took a sip of tea.

Ah, starting off with a soft approach, followed by dangling a carrot.

The five hundred small denomination coins per month would definitely not be enough to live on; the Court's welfare payment during years of famine was more than this. Most people would be driven away by such terms, thus the scholar would maintain face with the Shopkeeper and claim he invited Li Guanyi to stay; it would appear that it was Li Guanyi who refused, with Li Guanyi shouldering the blame.

What a fine Confucian Scholar!

Thoroughly book-learned.

Li Guanyi stood up and said, "No need."

A true man with both hands and feet, possessing medical skills and martial arts, need not suffer indignity.

The scholar's face showed regret while his eyes betrayed a hint of amusement. He rose to see him out, leading the way and even courteously holding the door open for Li Guanyi, his demeanor warm and apologetic, but then a clear, mocking laugh rang out, "Mr. Liu Zhuang, you really have no idea about household expenses."

"Five hundred coins a month, and the short kind? Even our temporary workers make more than that in just a few days."

Outside stood the maidservant, about fifteen or sixteen years old, slightly chubby with bright eyes, looking cute and playful as she teased. Mr. Liu Zhuang naturally joined in the conversation without taking offense at the sarcasm from inside, merely returning a mild smile,

"Scholars are indeed poor, and gentlemen keep their distance from the kitchen; Miss Qing'er is right,"

"But I really have no idea about household necessities."

"Unaware indeed. Today, Miss Xue visited, possibly to play the zither? Ah, I wonder if I might have the opportunity to listen..."

Qing'er, the maid, rolled her eyes and paid no attention to the scholar, whose attitude had greatly changed.

But when she saw this young man of impoverished background, noting his handsome appearance, she greeted him with a smile and said, "Miss Liu Zhuang saw the thing you just did and guessed that you're skilled in mathematics. If you're not willing to work here, Miss Xue has a good job for you. How about that?"

Li Guanyi pondered briefly before agreeing. Qing'er smiled, grabbed Li Guanyi's arm, and walked ahead without paying any heed to Mr. Liu Zhuang. They arrived at a building, where behind the screen came the sound of a zither, and a silhouette could be faintly seen. Li Guanyi sat down, and Qing'er explained the reason.

They were planning to find a study companion for her young brother.

But first, they had to test him.

Qing'er went behind the screen and returned with a piece of white paper containing some simple arithmetic problems.

Li Guanyi glanced at them. They were all simple questions, and he quickly began to answer.

Martial and cultural skills weren't comparable.

Li Guanyi, for example, was a complete novice in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, constantly berated by his aunt over the past ten years.

But mathematics was different.

In his previous life, every child had to study mathematics, beginning with counting in kindergarten, followed by nine years of compulsory education and three years of high school. At least fifteen years of systematic education in mathematics made him a monster among the mathematical scholars of this era.

Qing'er quickly took the answers back. The young lady exhaled in surprise, asking, "Finished so quickly?" Qing'er replied, "Yes, he was very fast."

The young lady took a look and said, "They're all correct."

"Just by seeing the expressions on those arrogant mathematicians' faces, I knew he must be good, and indeed he is."

Qing'er smiled and said, "So, shall we hire him?"

"Mmm, no rush. I want to see what he's truly capable of," the young lady responded.

Knowing that her mistress always had an interest in mathematics, Qing'er watched as she wrote down a more challenging problem involving the "square field," asking for the area of the square field. Li Guanyi glanced at it, recognized it to be about calculating the area of plane geometry, and began to write with ease.

He finished quickly, and Qing'er took the problem back.

After a glance, the young lady's face showed some astonishment; she then wrote down the "Corn Problem."

Li Guanyi glanced at the question about ratio conversion for grains and responded promptly.

"Decaying division problem" was just an issue of proportionate distribution.

"Shao Guang's problem" was about calculating one side's length from a known area.

"Business problem" dealt with the calculation of solid volumes.

Qing'er's green dress fluttered back and forth behind the screen, like a blooming green lotus. On the screen was ink painting of "Seven Sons Seeking Wisdom," and on one side was the young lady, dressed in flowing clothes. On the other side sat a young man with clear eyes and plain clothes, calmly seated at the desk.

Qing'er started to breathe slightly heavily.

It was the sixth problem. The speed at which the young lady was writing was slowing down, and the initial smile that came with discovering talent on her face was gradually turning solemn, marked by a hint of surprise at seeing a monster. Yet, the replies returned as steadily and frighteningly as ever.

Finally, she bit her lip and wrote down a problem that had previously stumped her, one to which she had not found a solution.

Li Guanyi glanced at it.

It seemed to be about a system of linear equations from his previous life.

Was the mathematics of this world so outrageous? Did a child's study companion need this level of knowledge?

Yet, having seen dragons, it somehow seemed normal.

Li Guanyi pondered briefly, then answered with his brush.

The other side of the screen was quiet. The young lady looked down and silently counted.

One, two...

The sound of the brush on paper was unsettlingly steady.

Ultimately, even this ninth-level problem from the "Nine Chapters of Mathematical Arts," supposedly the most difficult, only took as long to solve as the first question had.

He set down the brush.

Qing'er, feeling the gravity of the moment, slowed her breathing.

After looking over the answer, the young lady closed her eyes and sighed.

Li Guanyi asked, "May I ask, how did I do?"

The young lady spoke a few words to the side, and someone came and pulled the screen open. Into Li Guanyi's view came a hand, a pale jade-like palm, with one finger raised. After hesitation, she said, "If you don't think it's too little, what do you think of this number?"

Li Guanyi pondered reflectively, "One string of cash? Acceptable."

The screen opened.

The young lady, dressed in a green gown, with a clear and beautiful face as pale as jade and a single flower dot between her brows, smiled softly, "Yes, one string of cash."

"Per day, one string of cash."

Li Guanyi's thoughts congealed slightly.

He looked at the young lady in front of him, extending one finger.

One string of cash per day?

In that instant.

He found the young lady very beautiful.