Let's study mathematics

However, she wisely refrained from arguing in front of Zhao Ruxi and Zhao Jingli, and obediently replied, "Okay, thank you for your concern, sister."

Zhao Ruxi ignored her.

She and Zhao Ruyu have completely different philosophies about life.

She hopes to be able to support herself and not depend on others. Even if life is poor, she will stand tall and straight.

Zhao Ruyu, on the other hand, takes marriage as her mission, insisting on being a parasitic vine clinging to a high-ranking man, even if it means having to be subservient to others and handing her fate over to them, rather than enduring hardship and struggling on her own.

You can't talk about ice with a summer insect; she'd better not waste her breath arguing with Zhao Ruyu.

She took a pen and paper, wrote down a few questions, handed them to Zhao Jingli, and said, "When you're done, have the maid bring them to me to take a look." With that, she went out and went back to her bedroom to change her clothes.

After she changed her clothes and had Matron Yuan restyle her hair into a simple home bun, Yicui came in with the homework Zhao Jingli had prepared and reported, "Miss, the young master has finished."

Zhao Ruxi was fairly satisfied with the speed.

She took the paper and looked it over, finding that she had solved all the problems except for the last two, which were a bit more difficult.

She took the paper to the hall and said to Zhao Jingli, "I'll explain these two questions to you, see if you can understand them."

As she spoke, she began to explain the problem to Zhao Jingli.

Zhao Ruyu had wanted to leave for a while. However, since she had insisted on coming with Zhao Jingli, she couldn't leave alone now, so she had to wait patiently.

To prepare for his mathematics tutor's challenge, Zhao Ruxi had already devoured all the mathematics books of the era.

Now she is using ancient mathematical knowledge to explain things to Zhao Jingli. She is speaking at a deliberately fast pace to see how well Zhao Jingli can understand it.

After she finished speaking, she asked, "Did you understand?"

Zhao Jingli nodded.

Zhao Ruxi, fearing he might pretend to understand when he didn't, resorted to her teacher's trump card. "Then explain it to me."

Zhao Jingli was not intimidated and explained the solutions to the two questions.

That's absolutely right. And he added his own interpretation, so he clearly understands it.

Zhao Ruxi was very satisfied.

It seems Zhao Jingli has focused his skill points on mathematics.

Modern mathematics is far more advanced than ancient arithmetic. If Zhao Jingli can master the mathematical knowledge in her mind, becoming a master of mathematics would not be a problem.

Whether he goes to teach at an academy or becomes a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, he will be able to establish himself. He won't be left to stay at home, inherit the family business, and become a lazy bum.

She came up with the idea of teaching Zhao Jingli mathematics when she heard Xiao Lingyan talk about Guo Shutong. By then, Zhao Jingli had already shown that he was not good at drawing.

Guo Shutong's actions were so flamboyant and his behavior quite egregious, giving him a bad reputation in the court. So why didn't Xiao Ge demote or dismiss him? Wasn't it because he was shrewd enough to calculate the consequences?

Therefore, if Zhao Jingli excelled in mathematics, he could make a living in officialdom even without taking the imperial examinations. However, without official rank, he could only become a minor, insignificant official.

Ever since she started preparing to train Qingfeng to be the chief accountant, Zhao Ruxi had been taking the time to teach Qingfeng her mathematical knowledge bit by bit. Zhao Ruxi could have easily had Qingfeng teach Zhao Jingli instead.

However, considering that both of them were young and good-looking, it was inevitable that sparks of love would fly if they spent a lot of time alone together. As soon as this thought popped into Zhao Ruxi's head, she nipped it in the bud.

If Qingfeng could marry Zhao Jingli as his wife, that would be fine. But given the social conditions of this era, even if she released Qingfeng's indenture, Qingfeng, who had once been a maid in the Earl of Suiping's Residence, could only become Zhao Jingli's concubine if she wanted to marry him.

She can't let Qingfeng get hurt.

So Zhao Ruxi had no choice but to roll up her sleeves and do it herself.

"Send someone to keep watch at the crossroads at this time every day. If they see my carriage returning, come over. If I have time, I'll spend half an hour each day teaching you arithmetic," Zhao Ruxi said.

When Zhao Ruxi explained the problem to Zhao Jingli, she used a wide range of examples and analogies, demonstrating a strong foundation in mathematics. Zhao Jingli was impressed by her mathematical abilities.

He nodded and said, "Alright, thank you for your trouble, Fifth Sister."

However, he was quite puzzled; this fifth sister was simply too strong.

Drawing can be considered a talent, but mathematics requires instruction, right? Could it be that the teachers at the Women's Academy are really that skilled?

He turned his gaze to Zhao Ruyu: "Sixth Sister, can you solve these problems?"

Zhao Ruyu: "..." Why was her name called out? What did she do wrong this time?

"No, I don't understand it. I'm terrible at arithmetic." She waved her hands repeatedly, glad that she had rejected Zhao Ruxi from the start.

Who is Zhao Ruxi? Just by hearing Zhao Jingli's words, she knew what he was thinking.

A thought suddenly struck her, and she slapped her forehead, saying, "Why don't you learn from the academy's teacher first? Our current mathematics teacher used to work in the Ministry of Revenue, but he's now retired. His expertise in mathematics is unparalleled. I'll ask him first, and if he agrees to teach you, I'll take you there. Just prepare a generous gift."

Given how much that teacher liked her, surely he wouldn't refuse her request?

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant..." Zhao Jingli quickly said.

Zhao Ruxi waved her hand. "It's settled then."

As the year draws to a close, although there are fewer training classes, she is still extremely busy with accounting and distributing employee benefits.

It was her own mother who switched Zhao Jingli's body; what did Zhao Ruxi do wrong? Now she has to shoulder the heavy responsibility of training Zhao Jingli to be successful. She's so busy she doesn't even have time to sleep. Why put herself through this? If Zhao Jingli doesn't learn well, people will wonder if she wasn't doing her job properly. She's doing all this for nothing.

Let's just throw Zhao Jingli out and let him suffer the beatings of society.

After he has learned all his knowledge from the great mathematicians of the Great Jin, he can then compete with her and discover that she is even more skilled than his teacher. Teaching him then would be easier, firstly because he would have a foundation, and secondly because he would be more willing and submissive to learn, making him cherish the opportunity more. This would be best for both of them.

Zhao Ruyu glanced at Zhao Ruxi, then at Zhao Jingli, shrugging her shoulders and not daring to make a sound.

Zhao Jingli had no idea what Zhao Ruxi was thinking; he only felt that she was angry. He felt helpless, but there was nothing he could do.

He was once a proud young man.

Thinking back to when Zhao Ruxi was first brought back to the manor, and comparing his status with Zhao Ruxi, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Fifth Sister. I'm really sorry to have to ask you to ask for help," he said.

"It's okay, just wait for my message."

Realizing that Zhao Jingli seemed to have misunderstood, Zhao Ruxi didn't bother to explain. Teaching Zhao Jingli was a favor, not an obligation. If Zhao Jingli held a grudge against her because of this, then her good intentions would have been wasted.