A poor man visits to express his gratitude for mending clothes; he awaits the arrival of

Liang Shanbo returned to the schoolhouse from Songzha.

As always, Zhu Yingtai waited for him while reading a book.

Seeing him return, Zhu Yingtai put down her book and said, "Brother Liang is back. What did the teacher talk about today? Was it the Records of the Three Kingdoms?"

Liang Shanbo sat down on the wooden couch opposite her and nodded: "Yes. Today, the teacher talked about Cao Cao's military farming and Zhuge Liang's governance of Shu, comparing the two."

Zhu Yingtai hummed in agreement.

Six months ago, on the day Liang became her apprentice, he told her that he would study with her everything the master taught him. He said it, and he did it; whatever the master taught, he taught her. Over the past six months, she had gotten used to it.

Liang Shanbo said, "Today, sir, you have also entrusted me with an important matter."

Zhu Yingtai leaned forward slightly: "What is it?"

Liang Shanbo recounted in detail how Meng Wenlang had asked him to write two more essays, making a total of three essays and three poems, and how Meng Wenlang had introduced him to the group.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yingtai's eyes lit up, and her voice rang with joy: "This is truly wonderful news! With your introduction, sir, Brother Liang's talent will surely be recognized and supported by a noble person."

She bowed to Liang Shanbo and said, "Congratulations, Brother Liang!"

Liang Shanbo returned the greeting with a cupped hand and a smile, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer, brother. As the master said, this is merely a preliminary arrangement, not an imminent official appointment. I still need to devote myself to my studies for another two or three years before the time is right."

Zhu Yingtai nodded, the joy in her eyes not fading.

In her view, a talent like Brother Liang was destined for officialdom and great achievements sooner or later. Now that the Master was personally preparing him for this opportunity, it was only a matter of time.

Liang Shanbo then said, "The master asked me to write two more essays. One of them, 'On the Difference Between Talent and Lack of Talent,' will simply be a record of our conversation at Zhuyun Pavilion yesterday. As for the remaining one, I'm at a loss for what to write. Do you have any suggestions, my worthy brother?"

Zhu Yingtai immediately began to think seriously.

A moment later, she raised her head, a glint of light in her eyes: "Brother Liang, do you still remember what happened a few days after we first arrived at the academy?"

Liang Shanbo looked at her and asked, "What is it?"

Zhu Yingtai said, "That day, Wang Shu debated with you alone, and you asked me to give you a topic. I used the 'Chu Ci' as the topic, and you and Wang Shu debated the merits of Qu Yuan and Song Yu. You compared Qu Yuan to a raging fire and Song Yu to autumn water, saying, 'A raging fire and autumn water are neither superior nor inferior.' I was very impressed when I heard those words."

Liang Shanbo nodded: "Of course I remember."

Zhu Yingtai looked on with a hint of anticipation: "Brother Liang, what do you think about writing an essay titled 'On the Superiority of Qu Yuan and Song Yu'? You could turn your insightful views from that day into an argumentative essay. Those views were excellent; if written down, they would surely be first-rate."

After a moment's thought, Liang Shanbo nodded: "Brother, that's a good idea. The debate over whether Qu Yuan or Song Yu is superior has been a topic of contention for centuries. Although my argument that day had some shallow insights, I have never put it into writing. This is a good opportunity to carefully consider my thoughts from that day and write them into an article."

Seeing how readily he accepted her proposal, Zhu Yingtai's lips curved into a smile, her eyes filled with laughter.

……

……

That afternoon, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had just finished their meal at the fine kitchen and returned to their dormitory when there was a knock on the door.

Silverheart opened the door.

Yu Yanzhi stood outside the door.

His face was thin, and he wore an old, faded cotton-padded jacket with two patches. However, his hair was still neatly combed and tied up with a bamboo hairpin.

He stood at the door, looking somewhat uneasy.

Yin Xin led him to the doorway of the inner room.

He glanced inside and saw that Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were both there. Without going into the inner room, he bowed respectfully to Liang Shanbo and said, "Brother Liang, the school awarded me two thousand coins today. This is no small sum for me, so I came to thank you."

Liang Shanbo returned the greeting: "Brother Yu, there's no need for thanks. We studied together at the academy and were classmates, so it's only right that we support each other. This money was a reward from your elders; I'm merely distributing it to you on their behalf."

Yu Yanzhi shook his head, his expression serious: "Although it was a gift from our elders, it was Brother Liang who offered to share it with us. If Brother Liang hadn't said those words yesterday, this money wouldn't have reached us. I will remember Brother Liang's kindness."

He paused, then said, "Brother Liang himself comes from a poor family, yet he is willing to share the money he receives with people like us. I admire his magnanimity."

After he finished speaking, he bowed to Liang Shanbo again, straightened up, nodded, and then turned and left.

Zhu Yingtai, watching this scene from the side, couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.

Yesterday at Zhuyun Pavilion, Brother Liang divided 40,000 coins into four portions, one of which was given to several impoverished students at the academy. As she listened, she felt that Brother Liang had done the right thing, and done well.

But today, seeing Yu Yanzhi come to express his gratitude, seeing his patched old clothes, and seeing the heartfelt gratitude in his eyes, she truly understood what Brother Liang's words meant to those impoverished students.

"This ten thousand coins isn't much. But if we buy them some writing brushes, ink, paper, a warm coat, and a new pair of shoes, it will be of some use."

Two thousand coins would be enough for them to have more confidence to persevere in their predicament.

Brother Liang's loyalty has truly been put into practice.

……

……

A few days later.

After breakfast that day, Liang Shanbo, Wang Shu, and Gu Jun arrived at Songzha as usual.

The snow on the pine fence in front of the house had long since melted, and the mountain stream was flowing more swiftly than it had a few days ago.

Meng Wenlang is still lecturing on the Records of the Three Kingdoms today.

He spoke of Jiang Wan and Fei Yi, recounting Zhuge Liang's secret memorial to Liu Shan before his death, recommending them as his successors. He likened Jiang Wan to "still water" and Fei Yi to "swift knife," saying that Jiang Wan's composure would be too slow without Fei Yi's decisiveness, and Fei Yi's swiftness would be too light without Jiang Wan's prudence. Only when the two jointly governed Shu could they maintain the peace of Shu Han for more than ten years after Zhuge Liang's death.

After the lecture, Wang Shu and Gu Jun got up to take their leave.

Liang Shanbo stayed.

He took out three manuscripts, held them with both hands, and respectfully handed them to Meng Wenlang.

"Sir, I have prepared three essays. Please take a look."

Meng Wenlang took the manuscript and looked down at it.

The first essay is titled "The Theory of the Inseparability of Substance and Function, and the Non-duality of Manifestation and Subtlety," which is the viewpoint that Liang Shanbo put forward when he first came to the academy and debated in the Jia Zhai. Later, the teacher asked him to write this viewpoint into a well-argued argumentative essay.

The second piece is "On the Difference Between Talent and Lack of Talent," which organizes the philosophical discussions in the "Collection of Pure Sounds in the Cold Winter" into an essay, progressing step by step with a firm and orderly style.

The third essay is titled "On the Superiority and Inferiority of Qu Yuan and Song Yu," which compares Qu Yuan's valor and Song Yu's sorrow to raging fire and autumn water, discussing the difference in their circumstances rather than their superiority or inferiority. This approach is novel.

Meng Wenlang carefully read through the three manuscripts from beginning to end, then looked at Liang Shanbo with some admiration: "Well written. However, there are still a few places that need to be revised. After I revise these manuscripts, I will give them to you to rewrite tomorrow. Make two copies of each of the three manuscripts. When rewriting, the characters should be neat and the ink should be even. Do not be careless."

Liang Shanbo respectfully replied, "This disciple will remember."