Chapter 16: Ye Chongwen, Who Feared Mathematics

As the two tidied up the room, their conversation grew increasingly lively. Chen Ping had also learned from Ye Chongwen that the academy had dedicated teachers giving lessons, and occasionally distinguished experts would come to lecture—for instance, Old Ye himself was scheduled to arrive the next day.

Chen Ping was likely to be quite interested, since Old Ye specialized in arithmetic, a subject that made Ye Chongwen shudder whenever it was mentioned. On ordinary days, one could visit the library to browse through countless books and seek help directly if anything was unclear. Many students even helped repair books, for which the academy provided some subsidies.

A few days prior, with Li Feng’s assistance, Chen Ping had learned quite a bit, but compared to Ye Chongwen, who frequently quoted classical texts and could even improvise a couplet now and then, he still had a long way to go.

After finishing their chores, Chen Ping noticed the daylight was still ample, so he opened the window, took out paper and brush, and began practicing calligraphy. To write well, there was truly no shortcut—only relentless practice.

Ye Chongwen, who had initially flopped onto the bed to rest, noticed Chen Ping’s calligraphy and pulled out a book himself, leaning on the bed to read. But the occasional enthusiastic exclamations from Chen Ping were impossible to ignore.

Ye Chongwen fixed his gaze on him, but instead of warning him to keep quiet, the young man suddenly sprang from the bed, book in hand, and approached Chen Ping eagerly.

“Let me tell you, this is the hottest booklet on the market right now. The mountain and forest spirits the protagonist encounters are absolutely fascinating!” Without waiting for a response, he spread the book open right under Chen Ping’s nose—such engaging content was naturally meant to be shared with a good brother.

The ink freshly ground on the table was still plentiful, and Chen Ping had no spare time for such trivialities. Besides, web novels in his previous life were far more thrilling—one could find any kind of content there.

Rejected softly, Ye Chongwen sadly took back his book. “Alas, what a pity. How can you not appreciate this?” he lamented.

His words sank into Chen Ping’s ears and settled in his heart.

The next morning, as Old Ye’s lecture was about to begin, Chen Ping tugged the still groggy Ye Chongwen toward the lecture hall.

Roused so early, Ye Chongwen hadn’t yet registered what was happening before Chen Ping hurried him to wash, dress, and leave. When the destination came into sight, he realized it was the very place where Old Ye gave his lectures. Sensing something amiss, Ye Chongwen tried to pull free from Chen Ping’s grasp.

“What’s going on? Brother, you’re really overestimating me,” Ye Chongwen said, his face sour, as he attempted to retreat.

Chen Ping blocked his way firmly. “I’m doing this for your own good, isn’t it? You say arithmetic is your weak spot, and as luck would have it, Old Ye is lecturing on it today. Why not seize this chance to patch up your gaps? Good brothers share everything!”

“No need, no need. I’m not that blessed. You go ahead, or you’ll be late,” Ye Chongwen insisted.

They stood locked in a stalemate along the corridor. No matter how much Ye Chongwen struggled, he couldn’t break free from Chen Ping’s hold. Many students arriving nearby noticed the commotion, so Ye Chongwen had no choice but to trail reluctantly behind Chen Ping into the hall.

Inside, the seats were full, though more students still filtered in. With limited space, latecomers had to find spots standing.

Old Ye was already seated and, as usual, the room was packed with eager learners. This scene was nothing new to him. He briefly recapped the previous lecture and then launched into the new material.

Chen Ping listened intently, captivated by these algorithms that ventured beyond mere letters.

Poor Ye Chongwen, who had little interest in arithmetic, quickly went from trying to engage to giving up altogether. One word from Old Ye was enough to send him into a drowsy stupor.

Their starkly contrasting attitudes were perfectly clear to Old Ye, who sat above them observing keenly.

Though he masked his displeasure in front of others, a trace of anger crept into his tone as he suddenly called out Ye Chongwen’s name, drawing every eye in the hall.

Startled, Ye Chongwen’s sleep vanished instantly. Swallowing his embarrassment, he lowered his hand to stealthily tug at Chen Ping’s sleeve, the trembling fabric betraying his nervousness.

“I’m asking you, not dragging others into my business,” Old Ye said with a raised eyelid, knowing exactly what Ye Chongwen was attempting.

Caught in his own scheme, Ye Chongwen dared not argue and forced a sheepish laugh, then bowed properly to Old Ye in apology: “Student acknowledges his fault.”

Fortunately, Old Ye was not a petty man. Seeing Ye Chongwen admit his mistake, he let the matter drop.

After the lesson, Chen Ping hurriedly apologized to Ye Chongwen. He hadn’t anticipated how things would unfold—rather than sparking some interest in arithmetic, he had inadvertently worsened Ye Chongwen’s standing before Old Ye.

Yet Ye Chongwen cared little and comforted Chen Ping: “It’s no big deal. By the way, want to join me at the night market? Let me tell you, the market under the night sky is a wonderful place! I heard some new books arrived today. Want to come along and have a look?”

Feeling guilty, Chen Ping naturally did not refuse.

Having lived in the village all his life, this was Chen Ping’s first glimpse of the bustling night market.

Stalls lined both sides of the street, each brightly lit by lanterns spaced every twenty or thirty steps, bathing the entire street in radiant light.

Vendors sang out their different calls, and Chen Ping found everything novel, wanting to stop and examine this and that after only a few steps.

But Ye Chongwen, long accustomed to such lively scenes, was already itching to dive into the crowd. He pulled Chen Ping along until they reached a bookshop, where he finally paused.

Clearly, Ye Chongwen was no stranger here. He strode inside confidently and called out to the busy shopkeeper for the new books.

Chen Ping, content to be left alone, browsed the shelves at his leisure.

Once the new books were in hand, Ye Chongwen wanted to share them with Chen Ping, but in a blink, Chen Ping had already made his way to the arithmetic section.

This discovery caused Ye Chongwen to shudder involuntarily.

How had he never realized his classmate was so fond of arithmetic? Luckily, he still had the new book to soothe his heart, bruised by all the numbers.

But now, he dared not disturb Chen Ping, the arithmetic enthusiast.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping remained oblivious to Ye Chongwen’s inner turmoil, having simply happened upon the arithmetic books by chance.

After lingering in the shop for quite some time, the two prepared to leave, only to collide directly with Old Ye upon stepping outside.