In the principal's office, Lin Ming and Liang Huiyang sat drinking tea.
Teacher Liang said nothing, occasionally sighing as he looked at the principal with a hint of resentment.
Principal Lin naturally understood what was on his mind and knew this request really did put him in a difficult position, so he had made a pot of especially good tea.
"Come on, Old Liang, try this. If it were anyone but you here today, I wouldn't have the heart to brew it."
"...What kind of tea deserves such high praise from Principal Lin?" Despite his gloom, Teacher Liang was a little curious.
"Heh, Profound Peak Snow Bud. Shi'an brought it specially from the temple."
"Shi'an brought it?"
"Here, try it first."
With that, Principal Lin poured him a cup.
Teacher Liang did not know tea as well as Principal Lin did, but even he could appreciate its quality-the liquor was emerald green, the buds and leaves stood upright, and a delicate fragrance filled the air. It was neither cloudy nor overly strong; simply smelling it left him refreshed.
He took a small sip, and his tightly knitted brows slowly relaxed. Even the gloom in his heart seemed to dissipate a little.
Seeing his expression soften, Principal Lin smiled and asked, "Well? Good tea, isn't it?"
"It is."
Teacher Liang nodded, unable to resist lifting his cup for a closer look.
"I've bought Profound Peak Snow Bud before, but it wasn't as good as this... No, it wasn't even close. Did I buy a counterfeit last time? After drinking this, I feel as though my whole body is brimming with vitality, and the aftertaste lingers for so long..."
"Heh, Old Daoist Master Chen and Shi'an grew this tea themselves. You won't find it anywhere else!"
"Do they grow it differently?"
"It's the people growing it who are different."
"Huh?"
Teacher Liang clearly did not know Chen Shi'an and his master as well as Principal Lin did. He also knew the principal must have some history with the pair, but since Principal Lin did not elaborate, he did not press him.
The conversation then returned to Chen Shi'an.
"Principal Lin, it's not that I'm unwilling to take this on. It's just that Shi'an has no foundation at all. If he transfers straight into Class Five, I'm afraid he won't be able to keep up. How about letting him start in the first year of high school and build up his basics?"
"I know, Old Liang! It's precisely because I know how far behind Shi'an is that I'm entrusting this to you. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him with anyone else."
What followed was a torrent of flattery that made Teacher Liang sound like a miracle doctor who could bring the dead back to life, capable of getting even the worst student into a prestigious university. The praise left him feeling rather pleased with himself.
Having drunk the tea and swallowed the promises, Teacher Liang knew the matter was settled. Resigned, he could only cover himself first.
"Principal Lin, all I can promise is that I'll do my very best to give Shi'an extra lessons. As for whether he can catch up, I can't guarantee that."
"Don't worry, Old Liang. Just do your best. I have faith in Shi'an."
Principal Lin refilled Teacher Liang's cup, then asked, "Is Meng Qiu still sitting by herself?"
"Yes. She doesn't like sharing a desk with anyone. Since we have spare seats in class, she's been sitting alone."
"Then when Shi'an joins your class, arrange for him to sit with Meng Qiu. She can help him catch up with his studies, too."
"...Will she agree to that? It's not as if you don't know what she's like, Principal Lin."
"I'll have a word with her later."
"Then you talk to her. I can't make that decision."
As the two men chatted over tea, a soft knock came at the office door.
It was Chen Shi'an, holding his exam papers.
"Shi'an? Have you finished all the assessment papers?" Principal Lin asked.
"Yes. I didn't do well. There were some questions I really couldn't answer, so I decided not to waste any more time."
Chen Shi'an made no attempt to hide it, frankly admitting that he had not understood many of the questions.
There was no sign of dejection on his face. He remained as composed and calm as ever.
Having just gained a new understanding of the state of "a mind like a clear mirror, aware of where one stands," Chen Shi'an began trying to replace nebulous confidence with an unwavering will to act-the reason for doing something was no longer "I'm confident I can succeed," but "I must succeed."
With a little guidance and experience, he could understand obscure principles that many people might spend half their lives failing to grasp. Chen Shi'an truly was a genius in cultivating the Dao.
Of course, understanding principles alone was useless. In the end, he had to be able to put them into practice.
The process of understanding a principle and then testing it through action was what cultivation meant.
"I answered almost everything on the Chinese paper, but I really struggled with math, English, physics, chemistry, and biology. Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Liang, but could you look them over for me?"
"Of course. Let me see."
Teacher Liang took his glasses from his shirt pocket, put them on, and accepted the papers.
Grades aside, he actually admired the boy. Even though Chen Shi'an had done terribly, he still examined the papers with particular care.
As a Chinese teacher, Teacher Liang looked at Chen Shi'an's Chinese paper first.
The neatness of the paper was a pleasure to behold, and the boy's handwriting was especially fine. His orderly small regular script carried something of a master's elegance, each stroke steady and firm. There was not a single corrected character anywhere, clear evidence of years of calligraphy practice.
Handwriting was a scholar's second face. People said it reflected the writer, and good handwriting always earned a little extra goodwill.
"Your handwriting is excellent, Shi'an."
Teacher Liang readily offered praise, then frowned slightly. "But... why did you write everything in traditional characters?"
"I'm used to writing traditional characters, and I often read classical works and old texts, so I did it without thinking."
"Hmm... can you write simplified characters?"
"Yes."
"Then use simplified characters when answering exam questions from now on. We follow a uniform standard."
"All right."
Chen Shi'an nodded, taking note.
After a quick scan of the paper, Teacher Liang began examining the individual answers. This was the monthly exam paper they had used just last week, so he knew it thoroughly. Yet as he read Chen Shi'an's answers, his brows knitted again.
"You got all the memorization questions right, but these modern reading comprehension answers... I can't exactly say you're wrong, but they don't meet the marking criteria. And... why did you answer in classical Chinese?"
Teacher Liang paused, then continued, "The same goes for your essay. It's very well written, but writing in classical Chinese is too risky. We generally don't encourage it."
"Shi'an, you haven't received a standardized education, so you might think what I'm saying is wrong. But this is how school exams work-you can have your own personality and interpretations, but in the end, they have to fit within the framework we've established. This kind of standardization may overlook a few gems, but it's the fairest and most broadly applicable way to assess the vast majority of people."
Teacher Liang's feedback was meticulous, and the answers led him to explain many other things. After all, Chen Shi'an was different from the other students. He had never attended school and had
no concept of the rules that many students already knew by instinct. First, he had to be made aware of them.
Chen Shi'an accepted this readily. Nothing could function without rules. The mountain had its rules, and naturally, the school had its own. He understood that principle.
"You're right, Teacher Liang. I'll remember that."
"Yes. I can tell you have a very solid grounding in Chinese, and your insights into many questions are profound and original. With more practice, you'll adapt quickly."
After finishing the Chinese paper, Teacher Liang breathed a small sigh of relief. For a young Daoist who had never attended school to possess such literary accomplishment was truly remarkable.
Before a stone could be carved into fine jade, it had to be jade in the first place!
He did not give the paper a score, nor was it easy to assign one, but he was confident that with standardized training, Chen Shi'an could quickly raise his Chinese score above 120.
Next, Teacher Liang picked up the papers for the other subjects.
"Hmm..."
"..."
The silence stretched on and on.
When he had been looking at the Chinese paper, Teacher Liang had offered plenty of comments. Now, faced with the other subjects, he pondered for a long time before finally squeezing out a single sentence.
"As for the other subjects... your foundation is almost nonexistent."
Teacher Liang wanted to offer him some encouragement, but judging by Chen Shi'an's calm expression, he hardly seemed to need it. Even so, he said earnestly, "Shi'an, you'll have to work very hard from now on...!"
"I will." Chen Shi'an nodded seriously.
Looking at the humble, innocent-faced boy, Teacher Liang was secretly thankful he taught Chinese. At least he could still hold up half the sky.
If the other subject teachers saw these papers, they would probably feel as though the sky was falling...
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