The Suddenly Elegant Maid

"Boss Ding, yesterday I rashly promised to present a wine poem to your esteemed establishment. My mother repeatedly warned me that one must keep their word. I've come today to fulfill that promise."

With a single sentence, neither subservient nor overbearing, refined and amiable, he also conveyed the excellent upbringing of his family.

A young master seated at the head table, who had initially worn an expression of disdain, softened his demeanor slightly.

His name was Zhang Haoran, and he came from a rather prominent background.

Ding Hai's smiling face was practically blooming: "A scholar's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold, young master, you truly live up to the title of scholar! ...Brush, please!"

A beautiful woman presented a tray to Lin Su, holding a Treasure Brush and ten sheets of Treasure Paper.

Lin Su picked up the brush, hesitating slightly. "Boss Ding, what is the signature wine of your establishment?"

His question caused an uproar. Damn! You've been preparing for nearly two days and you don't even know what you're supposed to be promoting? Your preparation is way too inadequate!

This is what you call having a concept ready?

Isn't this clearly a spur-of-the-moment idea?

Fine, let's see what kind of good poem you can write. If I don't catch you out today, I'll eat this entire stack of paper...

All the young masters present were as excited as if they'd been injected with adrenaline.

Ding Hai's gaze remained steady, but he saw the reactions of everyone in the hall. His heart sank. So you were just going through the motions, huh? Although the price paid at the restaurant was low, the price paid by that old fellow Bao Shan yesterday was even lower...

He was a businessman at heart. Last night, he had been overjoyed, thinking he'd gotten a great deal. Only today did he suddenly realize he'd been short-sighted. When the price paid is low, people simply don't take it seriously, and in the end, he was the one who suffered. What a painful realization...

Ding Hai wished he could slap himself.

Time, once gone, could not be turned back. Now, not only Lin Su was on the spot, but Ding Hai was too. He had made such a grand display and spread the word everywhere. If the result was merely a Grass Poem, Haining Tower's reputation would be ruined.

I just hope you have some integrity, kid. At the very least, give me a White Light Poem.

"Our establishment's signature wine is called Xiling."

"Oh, what does it look like? Let me see?"

Pfft! A diner spat out his drink.

If everyone had only been 50% sure before, they were now 100% sure. This kid really hadn't prepared anything.

Ding Hai's face still held a smile, but it was tinged with a hint of tears...

With a wave of his hand, a beautiful waitress brought over the Xiling wine. It was a pale yellow, quite attractive, and looked very elegant in the white jade bowl. Of course, Lin Su had no intention of tasting it; he was afraid it would ruin his appetite.

Advertising, wasn't it all about exaggeration? In modern society, even when celebrities advertise food, they can force themselves to say, "It's truly delicious!" even when they're about to gag.

Therefore, Lin Su had no psychological barrier to advertising this wine, or rather, writing a poem for it.

The brush descended:

"Xiling fine wine, like a tulip..."

There was no light, not a single spark of light. This was just a slogan.

The young masters exchanged glances, all of them excited.

"In a jade bowl, it gleams like amber..."

A silver light suddenly flashed, startling everyone. Zhang Haoran, at the head table, stopped fanning himself...

"If only the host can intoxicate the guest, Who knows where they truly are."

A golden light suddenly appeared, followed by a seven-colored radiance that spread like a peacock's tail, filling the entire wine tower.

The entire hall fell silent. Those who had raised their wine cups to drink paused, their hands frozen. The fans in mid-air almost all stopped moving. Zhang Haoran let out a loud shout: "Good!"

The young masters at his table looked at him as if he were an alien. This was the trump card they had specifically invited to deal with their opponent today. He surrendered without a word? He defected directly?

If you've already defected, what are we supposed to do?

Are we still going to deal with him or not?

Ding Hai's first instinct was to reach out and snatch the poem.

But as he grasped the manuscript, he remembered that this poem was originally his for the day; there was no need to snatch it.

Lin Su smiled slightly. "I have fulfilled my mission. Farewell!"

He put down his brush, cupped his hands, and left the wine tower.

He departed so unreservedly that the young masters had no room to react.

When Lin Su returned to the Lin residence, he was still startled. A young man in white stood before the Lin residence, quietly watching him...

"Who might you be?"

The visitor smiled slightly. "I believe now that you weren't putting on an act just now, but truly weren't paying attention to anyone!"

"Yes!"

"Why? In your eyes, no one is worth paying attention to?"

"It's not a matter of worthiness, but necessity," Lin Su said. "Even a fool could figure out that those who came were all elites, and it wouldn't take much thought to know that few of them wished me well. Since we both understand this, why pay them extra attention? Since we're not on the same path, why bother?"

Haha... The young man laughed heartily. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zhang Haoran, from the Capital City. They invited me to deal with you... but I've defected. I'd rather exchange pleasantries with you than fight you to the death."

Lin Su felt very surprised. "Why?"

"I am a cultivator, and I believe in a certain intuition."

A cultivator?

Lin Su chuckled. "Did they invite you here to chop off my head with a flying sword?"

"You think cultivators only use swords? I use a brush too!"

Lin Su was stunned. "Literary and Dao Dual Cultivation?"

He cultivated both literature and martial arts, but this person in front of him cultivated both literature and the Dao?

"My Literary and Dao Dual Cultivation was also forced upon me. You don't know how overbearing my sister is. Three years ago, she dragged me up the mountain to help her decipher ancient heavenly texts. That caused me to miss the Provincial Examination, but it also led me to the Daoist Sect by chance."

"Haha, it seems we have some things in common. I couldn't activate my Martial Root and accidentally gained a Literary Root. You were harmed by your sister and unexpectedly gained a Dao Root... Come in. You're the first guest I've had since becoming a fake scholar."

"A fake scholar?" Zhang Haoran smiled. "A fake scholar who can write three Seven-Colored Poems?"

Three Seven-Colored Poems?

A person appeared from inside the house. It was Lin Jialiang, his eyes shining with an unusual light in the setting sun. "Third Brother, another Seven-Colored Poem?"

Lin Su sheepishly touched his nose. "Second Brother, this is Zhang Haoran, from the Capital City."

The Zhang family from the Capital City?

Lin Jialiang was slightly surprised. "Could it be the Zhang family from Green Willow Villa in the suburbs of the capital?"

"I live in Xihu Hutong."

Oh, so it wasn't them. Lin Jialiang calmed down and asked about the poem at the restaurant that day. Zhang Haoran eagerly recited it. After he finished the poem, Lin Jialiang was once again captivated.

Zhang Haoran sighed. "A thousand-year Seven-Colored Poem. His poetic talent goes without saying. What's even more terrifying is that this poem is displayed in the restaurant. With this poem, Haining Tower will soar to the heavens, unstoppable. I truly don't know what luck Boss Ding has to have found a peerless genius like Brother Lin."

"It can't be that bad, can it?"

"What do you mean 'can't be that bad'? You wrote the poem yourself, don't you understand its power?" Zhang Haoran said, "The world today is plagued by constant warfare. How many people have been forced to leave their homeland? They may never return home in this life. Perhaps only Brother Lin truly understands the melancholy in their hearts. 'May the host get the guest drunk, unaware of where his homeland is.' This line perfectly captures the feeling of homesickness, a taste that a thousand cups of wine cannot resolve... Brother Lin, do you have any wine? We should have wine at this point!"

A woman walked over from the setting sun, carrying a wine pot and cups. It was Xiao Tao.

"Young Master, for tonight's dinner, would you like some meat, or noodles and buns?"

As soon as she spoke, Lin Su's eyes widened in surprise. Was this Xiao Tao? Why was she speaking like this? Didn't she always say from afar, "Young Master, are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"

How common and down-to-earth! Today, she spoke so pretentiously, it was really unaccustomed.

But Zhang Haoran was accustomed to it.

He was particularly accustomed to Xiao Tao's tone of speech, but he was not accustomed to what she was saying.

"Noodles? What are buns?"

"Reporting to Young Master, noodles and buns are both new creations my young master has developed today. Mr. Bao Shan praised them highly, as did Madam..."

Lin Su almost covered his ears. Who taught her to speak like this?

It gave him goosebumps all over.

Zhang Haoran, however, was overjoyed. "If that's the case, may I try Brother Lin's exquisite creations?"

"Go ahead, bring some up..." Lin Su waved his hand. Xiao Tao curtsied gracefully and left.

Lin Su's eyes fell on his second brother's face, filled with curiosity. It must have been Second Brother who taught her, right? There were only a few people in the family. Xiao Yao certainly couldn't have taught her. It had to be either Mother or Second Brother.

What did this mean? The Lin family was no longer ordinary; even the maids had to keep up with the times? Fine! Better not. It was better to have a garrulous girl.

Second Brother met his brother's gaze, but he didn't understand. He was an ancient person, and even the most pretentious speech wouldn't be a barrier for him.

No one knew that after escaping the scene, Xiao Tao took a deep breath, patted her chest, and resumed her elegant pace. She told herself in her heart, I want to become a learned person. I want to be worthy of warming the bed for the Third Young Master...

This was all because of one sentence Lin Jialiang had said today.

The buns and noodles were served, and Zhang Haoran began to taste them. At first, he was just tasting, but after one bite, he couldn't put down his chopsticks. In a flash, he finished the bowl of noodles and five buns. He barely took two sips of the wine he had specifically asked for.

He inhaled. "Brother Lin, if I weren't in front of a peerless genius like you, I would truly want to compose a poem."

Lin Su rolled his eyes. "Then compose it..."

"Looking back at the delicacies of my life, only today do I feel my stomach awaken..."

"Haha, write it down on Treasure Paper! Let's see what color it is..."

Lin Jialiang actually took out Treasure Paper, but Zhang Haoran quickly stopped him. "I just said it casually. If you really write it down, we'll fall out immediately..."

They descended into playful chaos.

Zhang Haoran changed the subject. "Brother Lin's talent is truly astonishing. Besides your poetic talent and these ingenious ideas, have you delved into anything else?"

"In what areas?"

"Like the Five Elements, astronomy, arithmetic, and so on..."

Five Elements? Astronomy? Forget it. Of course, he knew about the Five Elements, but these people were all about the Dao and formations. They were the ancestors of the Five Elements. Astronomy was also out; his study of astronomy was Earth-centric. Who knew which universe or starry sky they were in?

"I have some minor experience in arithmetic. Why? Do you have any arithmetic problems you need to discuss?"

"I have a problem that's quite interesting."

"Tell me about it."

Zhang Haoran said slowly, "Brother Lin, listen carefully. There are 30 heads of chickens and rabbits in a cage, with 88 feet on the ground. How many chickens and rabbits are there?"

Lin Su's eyes widened.

Lin Jialiang's eyes also widened.

But the two felt completely different.

Lin Jialiang had no clue. How would he know how many rabbits and chickens there were? Although there was the "Arithmetic Classic" (Suanjing), it was considered a minor subject and not included in the classics of the various philosophical schools. Most scholars were generally poor at arithmetic. What level would someone better at it be? Their level would be something like this: you directly tell them there are 30 chickens and rabbits in total, and 10 of them are chickens, then ask how many rabbits there are...

What surprised Lin Su was: you're asking me so solemnly about such a simple chicken-and-rabbit problem? Don't think I didn't see the glint in your eyes; you clearly think you can stump me.

Is that how you see me?

Zhang Haoran completely misunderstood. He genuinely thought the problem would be too difficult for the two brothers. Being a decent and well-mannered person, he quickly found an excuse to back down: "This problem requires counting rods, which Brother Lin doesn't have, so you naturally can't give the answer directly... Let's talk about something else. Brother Lin, are you participating in the Provincial Examination this year?"

"Yes!"

Before Lin Jialiang could speak, Lin Su answered directly.

Zhang Haoran raised his hand, and a small bag appeared in his palm. He untied it, and a pile of documents was spread across the table: "Brother Lin, we've hit it off today. I'm in the Capital City and have some advantages. These materials have annotations from my teacher, and they might be useful to you."

Lin Jialiang was overjoyed. Materials annotated by a famous teacher in the Capital City were priceless treasures.

"Don't you need them yourself?"

"My teacher is by my side, so I can ask him for guidance anytime, which is much more direct than your situation... Brother Lin, I'll also be taking the Provincial Examination this year. Unfortunately, we're not in the same examination district. I hope we can both overcome the challenges and appear in the Palace Examination together in the future."

He got up to leave, waving goodbye.

As soon as Zhang Haoran left, Lin Jialiang grabbed Lin Su: "Third Brother, are you really planning to participate in this year's Provincial Examination?"

"Yes!"

"There's less than two months left. You must study day and night. Even if you don't succeed, you have to give it your all..."

"Second Brother, to be honest, I've already studied the Four Books and Five Classics, and the histories, philosophies, and literature. I don't need to lock myself away to study."

Lin Jialiang stared at him intently: "Nonsense, when did you ever study?"

"You never saw me write poetry before either, but can I not write poetry now?"

With that single sentence, Lin Jialiang was speechless. Even though he wasn't from modern times, he felt the same confusion: Do ordinary people truly understand the world of geniuses?

Yes, he had never seen his third brother write poetry before, yet now he had become an unparalleled poet.

Had he secretly studied diligently?

"Anyway, you and Mother didn't have high hopes for this year's Provincial Examination. Let me try my method first. If I pass, I'll decide how we study from now on. If I don't, you two will decide. How about it?"

Lin Jialiang nodded slightly: "Okay! It's a deal then."

He turned to go to his mother's room. His mother didn't know about his third brother's third Seven-Colored Poem yet...

But after a few steps, he stopped: "Third Brother, although your talent far surpasses mine, there are many techniques for the Provincial Examination. I briefly looked at the materials Zhang Haoran left; the guidance from a famous teacher is truly renowned. You must seize the time to understand them carefully... Just, don't get sidetracked by miscellaneous studies like him. Arithmetic and other such subjects can be most engrossing, and once you get caught up in them, they can be most exhausting."

Lin Su smiled: "Don't worry, problems as childish as the one he posed aren't worthy of my attention, let alone exhausting me."

"Nonsense, although arithmetic isn't part of the official curriculum for the imperial examinations, it's a profound and vast field of study. Third Brother, you must not belittle it intentionally." Lin Jialiang's expression turned serious.

"I'm not belittling arithmetic; I'm just saying his question was too simple."

Lin Jialiang frowned deeply: "Third Brother, can you solve it?"

"16 chickens, 14 rabbits!"

Lin Su went to his own small courtyard. Lin Jialiang pondered for a moment, then shook his head to clear his thoughts and went to Madam Lin's side. No one noticed that Xiao Tao quietly returned to the inner room in the darkness, took out a box, and inside the box were counting rods...

Madam Lin waited at the doorway. Her eyes gleamed slightly in the darkness.

San Lang had just returned from Haining Tower. Before she could meet her son, a scholar had arrived. The three scholars were chatting and laughing together, so she couldn't join them. Now was the time to know the result.

As soon as Lin Jialiang arrived, she asked directly, "How did it go?"

"Another Seven-Colored Poem!"

"Another... Seven-Colored?" Madam Lin's voice suddenly rose.