CHAPTER 188: CHAPTER 187: ISN’T THE ACADEMY MINE NOW?

Old Ma originally wanted to scare Yu Xiaolian by following her, but to his surprise, this girl wasn’t afraid of him at all.

His lips just moved a bit when he saw Yu Xiaolian storming towards him, and the words he was about to say disappeared in an instant.

Looking at the girl’s aggressive stance, she seemed ready with a belly full of words to scold him. He thought he might get a tongue-lashing if he spoke, so Old Ma unconsciously stepped back two steps. Seeing no one noticed him, he turned and ran away.

Yu Xiaolian: "..."

What was that?

Am I that scary?

I haven’t even gotten started, okay?

So cowardly, trying to follow me like that. Really, such a waste to live so long.

Seeing the old man running off in a flash, Yu Xiaolian turned around and headed home.

After sending Miao Yingyao off, she felt a sense of relief, and she even managed to get Miao Yingyao to deliver a message to Su Jingchen. That settled two matters.

After watering the pepper seedlings upon returning home, she sat in Taotao Residence munching on peaches while reading a storybook. Honestly, the peaches from Taohua Village were really tasty, sweet and juicy.

However, could that silly boy selling peaches really keep track of the money?

Why did his family send a silly boy to sell peaches?

The peaches were delicious, but they were all small. Yu Xiaolian ate two in one go and had just pulled out a tissue from under the counter to wipe her hands when she saw an elderly man in a long robe walk in.

The old man didn’t say what he wanted to buy; he just kept staring at Yu Xiaolian, which made her feel uneasy, so she couldn’t help asking him what he wanted to buy.

The old man shook his head, "I’m not buying anything!"

Not buying anything yet came here to look at a young girl?

Yu Xiaolian was about to lose her temper when the old man asked if her surname was Yu.

Yu Xiaolian nodded, "Yes!"

Then, the old man took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yu Xiaolian.

Yu Xiaolian leaned over to look and saw written on it:

The pheasant and rabbit are caged together,

Above are thirty-five heads,

Below are ninety-four feet,

How many pheasants and rabbits are there?

Isn’t this the chicken-and-rabbit-in-a-cage problem from fourth grade?

Why is this old man giving her this?

Looking further down, there’s another problem:

A hundred rabbits run freely into camp,

How many men and women vie for them?

One person alone has difficulty catching them all,

Three people can stop four hopping.

Villagers come, bustling about,

Each catches one to take home.

If heroes understand the calculation,

How many families then will judge the technique?

Yu Xiaolian asked, what’s the point of this? Why give me problems to solve?

A prize competition?

She had no intention of enduring the hardship of learning again; she just wanted to slack off in this life, and no one should think of straightening her out.

The old man stroked his beard, introduced himself first, saying he was the president of Shuren Academy and his surname was Ying.

He proceeded to say her two younger brothers had bragged so much about her in the classroom that he came specifically to test her, to see if she was really as exceptionally intelligent as Sun Hu and Su Jingyue claimed.

Yu Xiaolian sighed helplessly. Those two wretched little brats learned nothing else, but learned to boast outside.

They were hopelessly inept at math every night, yet had the audacity to boast outside.

Yu Xiaolian quickly apologized to President Ying for any inconvenience the two little ones caused him.

President Ying waved his hand, "No need to apologize. I made a bet with Sun Hu; if you can solve these two problems, I’ll give the entire academy to you."

Yu Xiaolian: "..."

Is it that casual?

You’re the president of an academy, betting with a seven-year-old, what are you thinking?

But...

Getting an academy for free sounds nice.

President Ying saw Yu Xiaolian’s bewildered expression, eyed her lightly and with some contempt, "These two problems, I’ll give you three days..."

These were arithmetic challenges posed by Elder Fu in last year’s Autumn Examination paper, and currently very few could solve them.

At that time during the Autumn Examination, only one person among the top candidates solved them, and it took the whole nine days.

He had seen the top candidate’s paper to know the answers. Though he didn’t really understand the specific steps now, it didn’t stop him from using these problems to make things difficult for Yu Xiaolian.

Yu Xiaolian raised an eyebrow, "Three days?"

President Ying frowned, what’s the matter? Think the time is too short?

While President Ying was speaking, Yu Xiaolian took a pencil out from under the counter, quickly did some rough calculations on the side, and then filled in the answers.

The first problem, twenty-three chickens and twelve rabbits.

The second problem, seventy-five people in total.

President Ying was about to reprimand her for scribbling nonsense, but upon seeing Yu Xiaolian’s answers, he stared blankly.

He was surprised for a moment, then angrily slapped the counter, "You little girl, you memorized the answers long ago."

Yu Xiaolian, "..."

That’s really unjust...

I’d memorized the answers? How was I supposed to know what questions you’d pose?

Yu Xiaolian defended herself by saying, "I didn’t memorize the answers; I just calculated them on the spot."

Even though her mental arithmetic had regressed a bit, it didn’t mean she was cheating!

But President Ying wouldn’t believe it.

The top candidate in the Autumn Examination took nine days to solve it, and this girl calculated it in the blink of an eye—how could he possibly believe it?

Moreover, on those examination papers, just the reasoning took up several densely written pages, and this girl simply scribbled casually beside and solved them—what a farce!

"Does your family have a scholar who took part in last year’s Autumn Examination? He must have told you the answers," President Ying said confidently.

Yu Xiaolian sighed, waved her hand, "Which learned scholar? What Autumn Examination? You’re just afraid to lose, old man, I understand. After all, such a big academy, one bet and it’s gone—who wouldn’t mind?

Just go, I’m gracious; I won’t sweat the academy issue with you."

President Ying glared angrily, "Who’s afraid to lose, you naughty child cheating, how audacious!

If you truly have talent and learning, I’ll give you another problem now. Solve it, and I’ll guarantee to honor my word!"

Yu Xiaolian, "I won’t do it; if I solve it, you’ll say I memorized the answers."

President Ying said, "I’ll give you a problem with an unknown answer, rest assured. As long as you can solve it, I’ll stand by my promise to give the academy to you."

Yu Xiaolian took a piece of blank paper, slapped it on the counter, and handed a pencil to President Ying, "Go ahead!"

President Ying had a pencil too, Little Tiger not only gave one to Teacher Meng but also to President Ying.

President Ying picked up the pencil and quickly posed another problem.

A rooster is worth five units, a hen is worth three, three chicks are worth one, use a hundred units of money to buy a hundred chickens, how many roosters, hens, and chicks should be bought?

President Ying nervously watched Yu Xiaolian, who, after reviewing the problem, drew a few X marks on the blank paper he couldn’t understand, and then wrote three answers under the posed problem.

This problem has three solutions: first, four roosters, eighteen hens, seventy-eight chicks.

Second, eight roosters, eleven hens, eighty-one chicks.

Third, twelve roosters, four hens, eighty-four chicks.

President Ying: "..."

There were actually three answers to this problem?

This time he was sure Yu Xiaolian hadn’t memorized the answers because he only knew one of them, and was unaware of the other two.

President Ying excitedly asked how Yu Xiaolian calculated it, and if she could teach him.

Just as he said that he quickly corrected himself, asking her to teach everyone instead.

"How about I hire you to be a lady instructor at the academy? Three liang silver a month!"

Yu Xiaolian: "Who’s hiring whom? Isn’t the academy already mine?"