Chapter 27: The Unusual Behavior of Elder Ye

The next morning, Ye Chongwen, who had spent the previous night in high spirits, finally looked listless. It was as if the rising crimson sun had instantly stripped away all his defenses, forcing him to face the harsh reality.

Chen Ping pulled Ye Chongwen into Elder Ye’s classroom. Shortly after the lesson began, Chen Ping noticed that the elder, usually diligent and even somewhat stern, seemed off today. Ye Chongwen had fallen asleep at his desk shortly after sitting down; by all past standards, he would have been reprimanded repeatedly or even struck with the cane. Yet, today, Elder Ye acted as if he had seen nothing, keeping his face tense and trying his best to maintain the quality of his teaching. Perhaps because the lesson proceeded without any errors, Chen Ping was likely the only one to notice the anomaly; the other students remained completely oblivious, immersed in the ocean of mathematical knowledge.

No matter how perplexed Chen Ping was, he dared not speak in class, so he could only bottle it up and wait for the session to end. The more urgent one feels, the more agonizingly slow time passes. Finally, when the servant in charge of timekeeping looked at the sundial and manually rang the copper bell, Elder Ye reacted as if relieved of a burden, quickly setting down his cane and hurrying away.

Chen Ping quickly hauled the groggy Ye Chongwen up and chased after the elder. They reached the side gate of the academy just in time to see Elder Ye preparing to board his carriage, anxiously urging the coachman, "Hurry! I am already an hour late; we cannot afford any more delays!"

Seeing his grandfather in such a panic, the newly awakened Ye Chongwen was shocked and rushed to block the path. "Grandfather, where are you going? Take me with you. At least I can help you… help you…" Halfway through his sentence, Ye Chongwen scratched his head in embarrassment, his voice trailing off into a whisper. It seemed, apparently, probably, that he couldn't help his grandfather with anything at all.

Seeing the two boys, Elder Ye, despite his anxiety, felt compelled to explain. Before the math lesson began, he had received an urgent letter from Magistrate Wang. The supplies for road repairs had been prepared, and to avoid the upcoming harvest season, the magistrate had mobilized thousands of laborers to begin renovating the main road from Yongshun County to Qingsong Town.

Before construction began, they had assumed everything was fully prepared and that they could adapt to any difficulties that arose. They hadn't expected that the project would involve so many complex personnel and material issues, with expenses scattered across multiple ledgers, quickly overwhelming the clerk in charge of finance. At this critical juncture, the clerk had claimed illness, dumped all the ledgers on the magistrate, and gone home, nearly causing Magistrate Wang to cough up blood. The magistrate had vowed that once things were sorted out, he would not deal with the clerk lightly.

"Magistrate Wang’s impatience is one thing, but the critical point is that once construction starts, it must not be abandoned halfway, or the wasted materials and money will be impossible to recover," Elder Ye explained. "As your teacher, I had to finish the lesson even if the sky were falling, but I don't know what a mess the accounts have become in the time I’ve lost!"

As he spoke, Elder Ye grew increasingly anxious, wishing he could sprout wings and fly there. Seeing that he couldn't help, Ye Chongwen could only fret, but Chen Ping spoke up, "I will go with you, Teacher!"

Seeing Chen Ping volunteer to assist, Elder Ye felt a sense of relief, his own anxiety easing slightly. However, he refused the offer without hesitation; the construction site was chaotic, and he couldn't bring himself to bring a child there.

Seeing the elder urge the coachman to depart, Chen Ping shouted, "Teacher, wait! If I only sit in the academy to work on the forms Magistrate Wang asked for, how could I possibly do it well? Why not take me to the site to see the reality of the situation? That way, I can finish the forms sooner. Official business comes first, Teacher!"

These words moved Elder Ye. After a moment of hesitation, he ordered the coachman to help Chen Ping into the carriage. He then turned to the crestfallen Ye Chongwen and said, "While I am away, I will find someone to cover my math classes. When I return, I will definitely test your progress. If you haven't learned well, don't blame me for using the cane." Ye Chongwen shivered, whether from the thought of math or the threat of the cane, it was unclear. Before the words had fully faded, the carriage sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

In the carriage, Chen Ping was curious about the scenery at first, but less than a quarter of an hour later, he couldn't help but groan. "Teacher, this road is too bumpy! The whole carriage feels like it’s about to fly apart. It’s one thing for an ordinary person to travel, but what about the elderly, the weak, women, and children? Wouldn't they be rattled to the point of illness?"

Elder Ye was struggling to maintain his posture, his face turning pale—clearly, he was suffering even more. When the carriage finally steadied, he let out a long, weary sigh. "This is when it hasn't even rained. If a storm hits, merchants and couriers alike have to stop at inns for five to ten days, waiting for the road to dry before they can proceed. This dilapidated road, long in disrepair, has delayed countless urgent and important matters. Why else would Magistrate Wang be so desperate to start construction?"

Chen Ping fell silent. He finally had a preliminary understanding of the state of the roads in this world. It turned out that smooth, accessible paths were not a natural occurrence, nor were they formed just by people walking on them. Every road required the government to organize and mobilize vast numbers of people and resources. Each project involved such intricate, mundane details that officials unfamiliar with practical affairs were often daunted.

Is this the essence of governance? In the jolting carriage, Chen Ping began to reflect for the first time. Since he had come to this world, could he use the knowledge from his previous life to do something for this still-unfamiliar place? He couldn't just watch the people live day after day in such dire conditions; even if it were just to improve his own surroundings and make life more comfortable, he should contribute some effort.

The thought lasted only a moment before Chen Ping smiled to himself. He was only a seven-year-old child; even if he had ideas, who would take them seriously? He should focus on his studies. If he could earn a position in the future, perhaps then his opinions would carry some weight.

Inside the cramped carriage, Elder Ye, resting with his eyes closed, did not know that his final disciple was experiencing a profound transformation of the mind.