Chapter 199: Narcissistic Little Red Carp
Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Narcissistic Little Red Carp
Touched by the young man’s concern, Old Sir Qian sensed Li Jianjun’s goodwill.
"Haha, I’m eating well, sleeping soundly, and my health is excellent," Old Sir Qian said with a laugh. Seeing these studious children, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He sincerely hoped these young, talented, and eager-to-learn kids could have a much brighter future instead of letting their time go to waste.
Yang Guanghui’s brows furrowed, but he had no idea how to solve it. He then showed it to Zhao Nuanyue and Li Qiong, but they couldn’t figure it out either. Finally, they had no choice but to return it to Li Jianjun. "We can’t do it. You should ask Auntie to take a look for you!"
Old Madam Qian, a master of mathematics, took the problem. She simply marked two auxiliary points and drew an auxiliary line with her pencil, and the solution became clear. "Memorizing formulas is useful, certainly," she explained, "but if you can find the right auxiliary points and lines, you’ll get twice the result with half the effort. This is just one method; there are others. Take a look for yourself."
The moment Li Jianjun saw the auxiliary points and line Old Madam Qian had drawn, he understood immediately. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Auntie. I get it now."
"What a sharp young man," Old Madam Qian praised. "This is a very difficult math problem. I didn’t expect you to grasp it with just a little nudge."
"You flatter me," Li Jianjun said humbly. He then took out a pen and paper and began to scribble. He came up with three different methods, which, added to Old Madam Qian’s, made a total of four.
Yang Guanghui, Zhao Nuanyue, and Li Qiong strained their minds but still felt completely lost. It turned out the math problem was far beyond the scope of high school material.
Since there were no advanced mathematics textbooks, Old Madam Qian hand-wrote a thick stack of notes for Li Jianjun to study. In Li Jianjun’s eyes, those marvelous combinations of numbers and formulas were the most beautiful symbols in the world.
From then on, Li Jianjun often came over to ask questions, and both Old Madam Qian and Old Sir Qian would patiently explain everything to him.
「In the blink of an eye, it was March.」
The spring breeze arrived, bringing with it warmth, a touch of green, and a renewed sense of hope.
Under the direction of the village commune, the villagers began the spring plowing and started clearing the irrigation channels.
Zhao Nuanyue and the others worked during the day and studied at night. Zhao Nuanyue spent nearly all her money on candles.
During the Lunar New Year, Zhao Nuanyue and her mother, Xia Yingyu, stayed in touch, but Nuanyue never brought up going back home, and Xia Yingyu never invited her and her brother to return. This arrangement suited them just fine.
Zhao Nuanyue received two letters. One was from Xia Yingyu, containing her pension benefits and a photograph of her chubby half-brother, Zhao Yu. In the photo, Xia Yingyu held the little boy, whose bright eyes shone with an obvious cuteness, even in black and white.
None of this, however, had much to do with Zhao Nuanyue.
’As long as Mom is happy, that’s all that matters,’ she thought. ’I don’t want to be too involved in her life, and I don’t want her or the Zhao Family too involved in mine.’
The other letter was from Hua Yusen, and it came with a large package. It was filled with thoughtful gifts—some for her, some for Little Red Carp, and some for Nuanyang.
Life in Nianqiao Village was quiet and peaceful.
Wang Dadan, Li Siming, Liu Lanhua, and the others were watched by the villagers every day, so they couldn’t stir up any trouble at all.
During a lull in their work, Zhao Nuanyue brought Little Red Carp and Zhao Nuanyang to the cave to watch Zhao Nuanyang paint.
But Zhao Nuanyue couldn’t sit still, so she took Little Red Carp exploring nearby.
Zhao Nuanyang painted the scenery before him with rapt attention, his eyes filled with a captivated gaze.
Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp arrived at the place where they had previously found the treasure, their excitement palpable.
"Little Red Carp, what about the Space Artifact? The storage space?" Zhao Nuanyue asked eagerly. "It’s been over half a year. Don’t tell me you haven’t finished it yet?"
"It’s done, of course it’s done," Little Red Carp replied. "This one’s mine." Little Red Carp pointed to a small, ring-like hoop hanging around her own neck on a string of Dragon Bright Grass. "And these are for you and your brother. I made them to fit your pinky fingers."
"So, how do I use it?" Zhao Nuanyue asked, her excitement bubbling over. ’Is this a Space Ring?’
Seeing her sister’s star-struck expression, Little Red Carp was at a loss for words. "Sister, you’re the Old Master’s successor, for crying out loud. Even if you don’t have much Mana, you can’t act so ignorant! It’s just a little Space Ring."
Zhao Nuanyue didn’t like the sound of that. She rolled her eyes and retorted, "We’re in the End of Dharma Era, where cultivation is nearly impossible. You should know that better than anyone. Even if I was chosen by the Old Dragon King, I’m still just an ordinary person! Other than my Water Attribute that lets me move freely in water and my Divine Sense that can merge with it, I don’t seem to have any other special powers. My worldly knowledge is nothing compared to yours. What you dismiss as a ’little’ Space Artifact is the greatest thing in the world to me."
Hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s words, Little Red Carp was left speechless again.
’Sigh, it’s true,’ she thought. ’It’s because my Spiritual Power is exhausted that I can’t cultivate anymore. I was only able to take human form thanks to the great karmic merit the Old Dragon King left for us. Making any more progress will be next to impossible.’
"Okay, okay, I won’t make fun of you, Sister," Little Red Carp conceded. "Come on, I’ll teach you how to use it! Put it on your left pinky, then press your right thumb and index finger on it and say, ’Little Red Carp is the cutest,’ and you’ll be able to enter the space."
The muscles in Zhao Nuanyue’s face twitched when she heard Little Red Carp’s instructions.
’Everyone loves her, flowers bloom in her presence,’ Nuanyue thought wryly. ’Anyone who meets Little Red Carp praises her for being cute, and the little rascal has gotten smug about it. Then again, she really is cute. She has every right to be proud.’
’But for her to say it herself... that’s a bit narcissistic.’
"That’s... that’s it?" Zhao Nuanyue was skeptical. "I’m not sure I believe you."
"If you don’t believe me, just try it!" Little Red Carp pouted, a little miffed that her sister doubted her.
Zhao Nuanyue did as she was told and said, "Little Red Carp is the cutest!"
Suddenly, Zhao Nuanyue found herself in another place. It wasn’t bright, but it wasn’t dark either, and it looked faintly familiar. Taking a closer look, she froze. It looked like a part of the Dragon Palace from beneath the Dragon King Temple. The space was huge, about the size of two rooms.
’Oh no,’ she thought, ’I forgot to ask Little Red Carp how to get out!’
"Little Red Carp is the cutest!" Zhao Nuanyue tried, but nothing happened. She was still stuck.
"Little Red Carp is the most sensible!" she tried next. Still inside. Still no response.
"Little Red Carp is the most well-behaved!"
"Little Red Carp is the most diligent!"
"Little Red Carp is the kindest!"
...