The oppressive atmosphere in the Zhou family dining hall was instantly ignited by Zhou Yulin’s return.

He practically charged inside, his face bearing a mix of excitement, shock, and fervor, completely lacking the steadiness expected of a young master from an established family.

“Father!”

Zhou Wenhai was holding a teacup. Seeing his son in such a state, his brows furrowed slightly. “What matter has you so flustered? This is utterly unbecoming!”

Zhou Kang, who had been sitting awkwardly to the side unsure whether to leave or stay, also looked up curiously.

Zhou Yulin paid no heed to his father’s scolding. He rushed to the table in a few quick strides, his breathing somewhat unsteady from running so urgently.

“Father! That Su Ming… he… he is absolutely no ordinary person!”

Zhou Wenhai’s hand, holding the teacup, paused mid-air. His sharp gaze settled on his son.

“Explain in detail.”

“Yes!” Zhou Yulin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and recounted everything he had seen and heard in the backyard exactly as it happened.

Imitating Su Ming’s tone, he named the three ugly clay pots the “Natural Way Group,” the “External Intervention Group,” and the “Adversity Survival Group.”

He quoted Su Ming’s statement about “peering into the principles of the minute to gaze upon the Great Way.”

With each sentence he spoke, the gravity on Zhou Wenhai’s face deepened.

Meanwhile, Zhou Kang’s face beside them turned from pale to green, then from green to purple, as if he had been publicly slapped back and forth over a dozen times, his cheeks burning with shame.

The very jokes he had used to mock Su Ming earlier were now, spoken from his own nephew’s mouth, becoming profound insights containing supreme wisdom.

This was simply absurd!

“…And that’s what happened.” After finishing, Zhou Yulin looked at his father with blazing eyes. “Father, I presume to ask, could I also set aside a plot in our backyard to emulate Brother Su’s method, establishing these three groups for verification? Observing and recording day and night, within half a month, my Investigation of Things essay will surely achieve a breakthrough in understanding!”

He expected his father to readily agree, perhaps even praise him extensively.

*Crack!*

A sharp sound rang out.

Zhou Wenhai slammed the teacup heavily onto the table. Tea splashed out, leaving a few dark stains on his meticulously kept scholar’s robe.

“Foolish!”

Zhou Wenhai’s voice wasn’t loud, but it struck Zhou Yulin’s heart like a heavy hammer.

Zhou Yulin was stunned. “Father, I…”

“I ask you,” Zhou Wenhai stared at him, his gaze cold and sharp as ice, “who created this verification method?”

“It’s… it’s Su Ming, Brother Su,” Zhou Yulin answered instinctively.

“Since you know it was obtained through another’s diligent thought, you wish to take it for your own use without his permission? What difference is there between you and a roof-sneaking gentleman or a street-side thief?!”

Zhou Wenhai’s voice suddenly rose sharply: “My son, Zhou Wenhai’s son, the prized child of the Zhou family, is your way of scholarship to take without asking?!”

*Whoosh*—Zhou Yulin’s face instantly flushed a purplish-red, shame and grievance twisting together within him.

“Father, this… this can’t be considered stealing!” he argued urgently. “The path of learning is inherently about mutual verification and borrowing from each other. Since Brother Su’s method is for investigating things, it belongs to the world as a public tool, I…”

“Silence!” Zhou Wenhai stood up abruptly, pointing at his son’s nose. “Borrowing? You don’t even say a word, secretly imitating behind his back, and you call that borrowing? That’s plagiarism! The most despised conduct for a scholar! If you engage in such underhandedness today, tomorrow you’ll entertain crooked ideas in the examination hall! Where have all your studies of the sage’s books gone?!”

He paced back and forth in the hall, furious, his chest heaving violently.

Zhou Yulin was thoroughly scolded, hanging his head, fists clenched so tightly his nails nearly dug into his palms, his heart filled with resentment.

He didn’t understand. Why was a clear shortcut to success seen by his father as such a despicable, unorthodox path?

Just as the father and son were locked in a stalemate, the atmosphere so thick it felt about to drip with tension, a gentle voice came from behind the beaded curtain, like a spring breeze melting frost.

“Master, what has provoked such great anger? Be careful not to harm your health.”

Before the words faded, a woman dressed in an elegant long gown, with a gentle face and a refined, serene demeanor, gracefully stepped out. She was Zhou Yulin’s mother, Zhou Wenhai’s wife, Lady Liu.

Lady Liu immediately sensed the discord in the hall. She first soothingly patted her husband’s arm, then glanced at her son’s flushed face with concern.

“Lin’er, speak properly with your father. What is all this about?”

Seeing his mother, Zhou Yulin seemed to find his anchor. He recounted the whole story from beginning to end again, his tone full of grievance.

Lady Liu listened quietly, an understanding expression appearing on her face.

She didn’t directly comment on who was right or wrong, but instead said softly to Zhou Wenhai, “Husband, Lin’er is also acting out of eagerness for his studies. Calm your anger first.”

She paused, then shifted her tone. “In my humble opinion, this matter might not be as simple as Lin’er thinks, nor as despicable as you say, husband.”

Zhou Wenhai looked at his wife, the fire in his eyes subsiding slightly.

Lady Liu continued, “From what Lin’er says, that young master Su, though young, possesses extraordinary insight and, more importantly, a broad mind. Since he could explain this method fully in front of Lin’er, it shows he is not someone who hoards his knowledge.”

“Our Zhou family is a scholarly family; we value etiquette above all. For Lin’er to imitate directly was indeed improper. But why can’t we try a different approach?”

Her voice was gentle, yet each word was clear: “Husband, why not have Lin’er prepare a modest gift and visit him personally tomorrow morning under the pretext of seeking guidance? Honestly state our intention, saying we greatly admire his ‘method for investigating things through verification’ and wish to learn a little from it, to see if he agrees.”

“If he agrees, we owe him a favor and will treat him well in the future. If he doesn’t, that is his right, and we will desist without pestering. This way, we neither lose the dignity of our Zhou family nor thwart Lin’er’s sincere desire to learn. Wouldn’t that achieve both goals?”

These words gradually smoothed the furrow in Zhou Wenhai’s brow.

Observing the change in her husband’s expression, Lady Liu gently added, “Husband, think about it. Could someone who devised such a marvelous method be an ordinary village child? Teacher Zhou recommended him; there must be a deeper meaning. Today, if we set aside our pride, interact with him respectfully, and forge a positive connection, for Lin’er’s future… perhaps it could be a tremendous opportunity?”

The word “opportunity” acted like a key, finally unlocking the lock named “principle” in Zhou Wenhai’s heart.

Yes.

He himself was a scholar and understood one truth better than anyone: true knowledge is more precious than any gold or treasure. A youth with such uniquely clear thinking, his value far exceeded just one essay on Investigating Things.

Forming a connection, rather than simply taking.

That was the superior strategy.

Zhou Wenhai let out a long sigh. The tense atmosphere in the hall dissipated along with it.

He sat down again, looking at Zhou Yulin, his gaze having returned to its usual calm and authority.

“Your mother is right. I… was being narrow-minded.” He frankly admitted his own bias, then his tone shifted, becoming extremely serious. “I was also worried you would seek quick success and take a crooked path.”

“Your son recognizes his mistake.” Seeing his father’s attitude soften, Zhou Yulin quickly bowed in acknowledgment.

“Recognizing your mistake is good.” Zhou Wenhai nodded. “Tomorrow morning, you will go to the backyard yourself.”

He pondered for a moment, then made a decision.

“From my study, take that ‘Layered Peaks Amidst Clouds’ Duan inkstone, paired with that pair of wolf hair brushes made by the Li family of Huizhou. Take them together.”

Both Zhou Yulin and Lady Liu were startled.

That Duan inkstone was Zhou Wenhai’s beloved possession; he usually hesitated to use it frequently himself.

“Father, this… isn’t this gift too heavy?” Zhou Yulin asked hesitantly.

“Not heavy!” Zhou Wenhai stated decisively. “Knowledge is priceless! We are going to seek guidance, not to bestow charity. A heavy gift shows our sincerity. Remember, when you see Su Ming tomorrow, your posture must be even lower than today, your words even more earnest than today. You must make him understand that our Zhou family genuinely admires his scholarship, not that we merely covet his method.”

“Your son… your son understands!” Zhou Yulin’s heart settled greatly. His face regained its brightness, and he nodded firmly.

As this family meeting, triggered by “planting beans,” moved towards a satisfactory conclusion, no one noticed that Zhou Kang, the head of the second branch who had been like a transparent presence from start to finish, had already silently withdrawn from the dining hall.

He walked into the shadows under the corridor. The evening breeze blew past, bringing a touch of coolness, but it couldn’t disperse the humiliation and jealous fire in his heart.

His face contorted in the dim light, appearing particularly vicious.

His elder brother’s reprimand, his nephew’s admiration, the trouble his wife brought back… each and every incident pierced his heart like needles.

Why?

Some poor brat who crawled out from who knows which forgotten corner, with a few broken clay pots and some twisted reasoning, becomes the “extraordinary youth” in his elder brother’s mouth, the “Brother Su” whom his nephew must treat with formal courtesy?

And they want the Zhou family to take out a treasured Duan inkstone as a gift of respect?

Lady Liu immediately sensed the discord in the hall. She first soothingly patted her husband’s arm, then glanced at her son’s flushed face with heartache.

A sinister thought, like a venomous snake, slithered out from the darkest corner of his heart.

He tightened the fist hidden in his sleeve, his knuckles turning white.

He couldn’t let that kid step on his, Zhou Kang’s, dignity so easily and rise swiftly to success.

Absolutely not!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep