Kings and nobles visit each other's gates; Liang and Zhu keep their appointment.

Meng Wenlang then reconsidered and temporarily suppressed the idea of ​​taking Liang Shanbo as his disciple:

"This matter is not urgent. This young man is new here, having only been in the academy for two or three days. When accepting a disciple, talent is one aspect, family background is another, but character is the most important. Throughout history, there have been countless individuals who were highly talented but lacked virtue. The higher one's learning, the more serious the harm one will cause if one's conduct is flawed."

I, Meng Wenlang, have always valued character above all else when accepting disciples. I trust Wang Shu's character. Though he is outwardly sharp, he is upright and honest, never deceiving in secret. I trust Gu Jun's character even more. He is gentle and refined, humble and self-disciplined. As for Liang Shanbo's character, I am not yet very familiar with him.

Let's observe him for a while longer. See how he gets along with his classmates, whether he becomes arrogant or indifferent when praised, and whether he blames others or reflects on his own actions when faced with setbacks. In time, his character will naturally become clear.

Meng Wenlang snapped out of his reverie, his gaze returning to Wang Shu and Gu Jun. He smiled slightly and said, "I have no intention of continuing my lectures today, so I'll stop here. I'll continue for another half hour tomorrow."

Wang Shu and Gu Jun quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

The two left the thatched hut.

……

……

It was late afternoon. The sun was beginning to set.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai walked out of the schoolhouse side by side, with Yin Xin following behind them.

The three of them walked along the blue stone path toward the cafeteria.

Liang Shanbo suddenly spoke up: "Brother."

Zhu Yingtai turned her head to look at him.

Liang Shanbo smiled faintly: "What shall we eat today?"

Without hesitation, Zhu Yingtai replied decisively, "Naturally, it's wild rice and mutton stew."

Liang Shanbo stopped, turned around, faced Zhu Yingtai, smiled, and said, "My dear brother, for the past two days, we've been eating wild rice and mutton stew. Eating like this every day is not only expensive, but also quite boring."

Zhu Yingtai was slightly taken aback.

Liang Shanbo continued, "Today, we'll have millet or wheat rice for our meal. As for meat, we'll have chicken, dried fish, or fish paste. Basically, if you order meat, you can eat at the fine kitchen."

Zhu Yingtai paused, then her lips curved into a smile. She knew that while Liang might genuinely find her words cloying, at least half of it was because he didn't want her to spend too much money.

She didn't point it out, but simply smiled and said, "Alright. I'll listen to Brother Liang."

Liang Shanbo nodded and was about to take a step forward.

Suddenly a shout came from behind.

"Brother Liang! Brother Zhu!"

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai turned around.

Sun Yuangui jogged up from behind, one hand pressing down on the headscarf on his head as if afraid it would fall off. He took a couple of breaths, then his face broke into a wide smile: "Brother Liang, Brother Zhu!"

Liang Shanbo cupped his hands and said, "Brother Sun."

Zhu Yingtai also cupped her hands in greeting: "Brother Sun."

Sun Yuangui chuckled twice, patted Liang Shanbo on the shoulder, and said loudly, "Today's meal is for you two: wild rice and mutton stew! Consider it a welcome to your enrollment as classmates!"

He puffed out his chest and raised his chin slightly, giving off an air of "this is settled."

Actually, there was something else he wanted to say but didn't.

In yesterday's debate, he witnessed firsthand how Liang Shanbo rendered Jia Boyang speechless and how he articulated the profound relationship between self-cultivation and practical application.

Sun Yuangui had been in Jiazhai for a year, and he was usually the one who got refuted in debates. He admired Liang Shanbo's talent from the bottom of his heart.

As for Zhu Jiuling, this handsome young man, when he stood up to refute Yu Yan yesterday, he quoted classics and remained calm and composed. Although he was eventually stumped by Jia Boyang, his courage and talent impressed Jia Boyang.

These are two people worth befriending.

When Sun Yuangui made friends, he didn't consider family background or wealth; he only looked at whether a person was interesting and talented.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai exchanged a glance, their eyes meeting, and their lips curved into a knowing smile. Just moments before, they had been discussing skipping the wild rice and mutton stew for their meal. Well, no sooner had they spoken than Sun Yuangui suddenly appeared, offering them wild rice and mutton stew.

What is this? It's just a coincidence.

Liang Shanbo did not refuse and bowed to Sun Yuangui, saying, "In that case, thank you very much, Brother Sun."

He knew in his heart that since Sun Yuangui had such a sentiment, it would be impolite for him to refuse. In dealing with people, one should accept their kindness and gratitude. This wasn't about taking advantage of them, but about giving them face. Besides, Sun Yuangui was the first classmate he and Zhu Yingtai had met.

Seeing that Liang Shanbo had accepted, Zhu Yingtai bowed to Sun Yuangui and said, "Thank you, Brother Sun."

Seeing that both of them had agreed, Sun Yuangui's smile widened, and his eyes narrowed into slits. He reached out and patted Liang Shanbo's shoulder, then tried to pat Zhu Yingtai's shoulder as well. Halfway there, he saw Zhu Yingtai slightly turn her body, so he withdrew his hand and chuckled twice.

"Let's go! The mutton will be gone if we're late!"

The three of them then walked together toward the cafeteria.

Yin Xin followed behind, watching her mistress walk side by side with the two gentlemen, and chuckled inwardly. Just the other day, her mistress was worried about sharing a room with Liang Shanbo, and today, well, she's been invited to dinner by Sun Yuangui as well. Life at Wansong Academy is much more lively than at home in Shangyu.

Upon entering the kitchen, Sun Yuangui strode up to the cook, Zhang, and shouted, "Three servings of wild rice! Three servings of mutton stew! Three servings of vegetable soup! Put them all on my menu!"

Zhang glanced at him, then at Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai behind him, shook her head with a smile, and turned to serve the rice.

The three of them, carrying a food tray, knelt down side by side on a straw mat. Sun Yuangui was on the left, Liang Shanbo in the middle, and Zhu Yingtai on the right.

Zhu Yingtai turned her head and glanced at Liang Shanbo. He continued eating at a leisurely pace, his expression focused. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then shifted to Sun Yuangui's. Sun Yuangui was slurping his food, his cheeks bulging, as if he had a grudge against that bowl of mutton stew.

She couldn't help but smile, then lowered her head and began to eat.

This meal was more lively than the previous ones.

Although the rule of "not talking while eating" still applies, how could Sun Yuangui possibly resist?

Sun Yuangui would occasionally raise his head and whisper to Liang Shanbo, "This mutton stew is so tender." A little while later, he would say, "Today's wild rice is more fragrant than yesterday's." And a little while later, he would say to Zhu Yingtai, "Brother Zhu, you're eating too slowly."

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai simply smiled and nodded, occasionally uttering an "uh-huh," without replying.

This Sun Yuangui is a very straightforward person.

After finishing their meal, the three of them walked out of the fine kitchen together. Just as they stepped out of the canteen courtyard, they saw two people standing outside the door.

Wang Shu. Gu Jun.

Wang Shu stood with his hands behind his back, his posture upright. Gu Jun stood beside him, his expression gentle.

The two seemed to have been waiting there for a while.

Upon seeing Liang Shanbo and the other two emerge, Wang Shu's gaze lingered on Liang Shanbo's face for a moment before he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother Liang."

Liang Shanbo returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Brother Wang, Brother Gu."

Wang Shu cut to the chase without a word of pleasantries: "Brother Liang, I benefited greatly from yesterday's debate on the concept of 'the unity of substance and function, the inseparability of the manifest and the subtle.' Today I would like to have a private debate with you, Brother Liang. Would you be willing to offer your guidance?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yuangui's eyes lit up immediately.

Zhu Yingtai's eyes lit up as well.

She's very interested in this!

Although Brother Liang performed brilliantly in yesterday's debate, it was, after all, a debate in a public setting. Brother Liang only stood up to respond to Jia Boyang's questions and did not actually engage in a direct confrontation with anyone.

She had already heard from Sun Yuangui that Wang Shu was the most learned person in Jiazhai, and his debating skills were sharp and incisive. Among all the students in Wansong Academy, no one could rival his debating talent.

If Brother Liang could have a private debate with Wang Shu—

How wonderful that would be!

She couldn't help but look at Liang Shanbo, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Sun Yuangui also looked at Liang Shanbo, his eyes filled with an expectation even more intense than Zhu Yingtai's. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Brother Liang, just agree! I'd rather be a bystander!"

Liang Shanbo looked at Wang Shu. Wang Shu's eyes shone brightly, as if flames burned within them. It wasn't hostility, nor provocation, but a pure thirst for knowledge.

Liang Shanbo smiled slightly: "Alright."

Wang Shu smiled and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Brother Liang."

Gu Jun said gently from the side, "In that case, let's go to the lecture hall."

The group walked towards the Jiazhai Lecture Hall.

The news spread quickly.

When some students from Jiazhai learned that Wang Shu was going to debate with Liang Shanbo alone, they watched out of curiosity, including Yu Yanzhi and Jia Boyang.

Liang Shanbo and Wang Shu entered the lecture hall and knelt down facing each other.

Gu Jun knelt to the side to preside over the debate. His gaze lingered on each of their faces for a moment before he slowly said, "Today, Brother Wang and Brother Liang will have a private debate. The rules will be simple. One person will state their argument, and the other will challenge it. After the challenge, the person who stated their argument may respond. This will continue until one side concedes defeat, or both sides agree to end the debate voluntarily."

He paused, then looked at Wang Shu: "Brother Wang, between you and Brother Liang, who will set the question?"

Wang Shu was silent for a moment, then spoke up: "If I set the question, it would be unfair to Brother Liang. Brother Liang is new to the academy and does not know what kind of topics I am good at, nor do he know my debating style. If I set the question, Brother Liang might think that I will definitely set a topic that I am good at. If I win in that way, it will not be a fair victory."

He looked at Liang Shanbo: "Brother Liang, please give me a question."

Liang Shanbo smiled slightly, shook his head, and said, "Brother Wang, you are mistaken. If I were to set the question, it would be unfair to you. Although I am new to the academy, I have already learned from Brother Sun that you are the most learned in the Jia Zhai and have unparalleled eloquence. If I were to set the question, you might think that I would set a question that I am good at. If I win in that way, it would be an unfair victory."

Their eyes met, neither of them willing to back down.

The hall was quiet.

Zhu Yingtai, watching the stalemate between the two, felt a strange sensation.

Wang Shu doesn't want to take advantage, and neither does Brother Liang. These two are quite similar.

As she was thinking, Liang Shanbo suddenly turned to look at her, a smile appearing on his lips: "Brother."

Zhu Yingtai was taken aback.

Liang Shanbo smiled and said, "Please give us a question, my dear brother."

Zhu Yingtai: "..."