The Fox Spirit went far away, but in just a moment returned: "Consider yourself lucky, Mr. Wuliu has surprisingly returned. Presumably, he must have heard about the changes at Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, so he had to come back hastily."
"Go prepare some gifts for me, and prepare a few sets of clothes as well. I need to visit Mr. Wuliu," said Zhang Chen.
Fox Fairy Nannan cast a resentful look at Zhang Chen: "Now you’re treating me like your servant or errand runner."
Even so, Fox Fairy Nannan still went off, and within half an hour, returned with clothes made of fine silk and satin, along with a box filled with silver placed in front of Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen extended his arms to support himself, and the Fox Spirit reluctantly dressed him. To think that Fox Fairy Nannan, who held a position beneath only one and above thousands in the Fox Race, had fallen to such a state—it was truly a sign of the declining world.
The clothes didn’t fit very well, being slightly too big. Zhang Chen assessed himself from top to bottom and immediately felt quite distinguished, looking like a wealthy young master. He was quite satisfied internally. The Fox Spirit surveyed Zhang Chen up and down, frowning, prompting Zhang Chen to ask, "Is something wrong?"
"I don’t know why, but seeing you in this fine silk and satin, you still seem unbearably vulgar," said the Fox Spirit.
Zhang Chen smiled and replied indifferently, "Is there anything I should pay attention to when seeking a mentor?"
"I’m not human; how would I know your human customs?" replied Fox Fairy Nannan.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen thought it made sense and happily carried the food box towards Mr. Wuliu’s cottage.
"Stop, who are you?" Just as Zhang Chen reached halfway up the mountain, a guard spotted him, quickly stepping forward to reprimand him and stood in front of Zhang Chen. However, seeing Zhang Chen’s noble appearance in fine satin, he dared not offend him.
"I wish to see Mr. Wuliu," Zhang Chen said leisurely.
Upon hearing this, the guard hesitated slightly. At this time, the door of the house opened, and a young girl in white slowly stepped out. Her presence made all the colors of the mountain fade.
It was the same young girl, Zhang Qingyan, who had previously bought Zhang Chen’s swan meat.
The girl paused upon seeing Zhang Chen and then looked at his fine satin attire, her eyes filled with surprise: "It seems you have made a fortune since we last met."
"Greetings, young lady," Zhang Chen saluted.
The young lady waved off the guard, came to Zhang Chen’s side, and sighed softly while observing his attire: "This is not a place you should be!"
"I wish to see Mr. Wuliu," Zhang Chen pleaded earnestly.
Recalling Zhang Chen’s previous purpose for visiting, Zhang Qingyan’s brows knitted, now fully aware of the young man’s intentions.
"I advise you to go back, you will surely leave disappointed!" Zhang Qingyan urged.
"Since I’m here, I must try," Zhang Chen said sincerely. "I hope the young lady will be kind enough to grant me the chance to meet Mr. Wuliu."
"What is your reason?" Zhang Qingyan inquired.
"To change one’s destiny, one needs to seize every possible opportunity. Meeting Mr. Wuliu is such an opportunity for me," said Zhang Chen.
Zhang Qingyan sighed softly, "Seeing your sincerity, I can put in a good word for you, giving you a chance to meet the master."
Zhang Qingyan asked Zhang Chen to wait in the mountains and then turned back inside. Not long after, she gestured at Zhang Chen to come forward, which he did promptly.
"The master has agreed to see you on my account. Whether you can seize this opportunity is up to you," said Zhang Qingyan.
With that, she stepped aside, and Zhang Chen entered the house, only to find himself stunned—there were two people inside.
One was older, around fifty, with smooth, well-cared-for skin, clearly someone who lived in luxury, sitting at a desk transcribing a book.
The other was a young man, about twenty, wearing the attire of a disciple of Huangli Temple, kneeling on the ground, his face clouded.
The furnishings inside, despite it being a cottage, were not simple. The incense burner emitted purple smoke, clearly of extraordinary quality.
A large red python-back chair stood prominently, flanked by plum-blossom-style lacquered small tables. On the left table was a kingly incense box with chopsticks; on the right table was a Ru kiln vase filled with fresh flowers alongside teacups and ashtrays. Underneath, four chairs lined against the west wall were draped with silver red-flower chair covers, with four footrests at the base. On either side of the chairs stood a tall table, equipped with teacups and flowers.
Not to mention the rest of the exquisite furnishings inside the room, even having fresh flowers in such a dry season was evidence of decadence.
A bookshelf in the room was densely packed with books.
All the numerous ornaments in the cottage were unfamiliar to Zhang Chen.
"This is Mr. Wuliu," introduced Zhang Qingyan.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen quickly bowed, "Disciple Chen Qingdu greets the master."
"I heard from Qingyan that you wish to see me?" Mr. Wuliu observed Zhang Chen with a lofty gaze.
"I’ve long admired your great reputation, hoping to study under your guidance. I humbly request your instruction."
He also hurriedly opened the box, revealing neatly arranged five hundred taels of silver, along with various jewels and treasures.
Mr. Wuliu glanced at Zhang Chen, leisurely sipping his tea before putting down the cup, "The world has indeed changed, now any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come study."
Zhang Chen’s expression changed upon hearing this, but Mr. Wuliu continued, "Do you think a bit of scrap metal can buy you the right to learn from me? This is wishful thinking. The red door will always be the red door, the wooden door will always be the wooden door. How dare a mere trader’s son like you even think to meet with me?"
"Go, throw out these things and expel him," Mr. Wuliu’s voice was filled with disdain.
The disciple of Huangli Temple who was kneeling sprang into action, kicking Zhang Chen’s jewel box to the ground and began beating him:
"Boy, have you considered your worth? You think you are deserving of learning literacy? Literacy is reserved for the nobility, not something a commoner like you can covet. Just because you have some money, don’t think you can buy knowledge. You’re truly ignorant of your limits."
The disciple of Huangli Temple had evidently practiced martial arts; his movements were swift. Zhang Chen, having been kicked thrice, was dumbfoundedly thrown out the door, not even knowing what had transpired, or why Mr. Wuliu had suddenly turned hostile.
"Stop! It’s my fault! Don’t blame him," Zhang Qingyan intervened as the young man was about to continue his assault on Zhang Chen.
Upon her words, the disciple ceased his actions, then mocked Zhang Chen: "Boy, a wild chicken can never become a phoenix. Knowledge isn’t something you common folk can acquire. You’d best rid yourself of this dream."
With that, he turned and walked back into the house.
Zhang Qingyan approached Zhang Chen slowly, smiling bitterly, "I told you, this is not a place you should come to. If I didn’t let you try, you would eventually blame me, thinking I had secretly sabotaged your path to learning and improvement."
Stunned by this, Zhang Chen listened as Zhang Qingyan continued, "Are you unaware of the unspoken rules of the powerful? Knowledge is only shared among the nobility and is never disseminated to ordinary wealthy families or commoners. A commoner may become rich through their wits and business, but to cross class boundaries is impossible. A scholar’s son will always be a scholar, and a farmer’s son will always be a farmer. Reading and literacy are the privileges of scholars; your presumption was indeed offensive."
Stunned by Zhang Qingyan’s words, Zhang Chen’s face showed confusion. He knew it was difficult to acquire knowledge, but he hadn’t imagined it would be to this extent.
No wonder there’s not a single private school in sight in this world!