NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53 Bluffing
The Song Residence was very close to the County Magistrate's Office, so Li Nuo could sleep in a bit in the morning.
He woke up to find the bedding by the bed neatly tidied and his wife nowhere in sight.
Li Nuo had grown accustomed to this routine and, after a simple wash, he and Housekeeper Wu set out together for the County Magistrate's Office.
As they left the main gate of the Song Residence, he once again brushed past that elder with the graying hair.
Mr. Chen had arrived at the Song Residence early that day. He had pondered over that mathematical problem all night but had made no headway, which now filled him with some regret.
He really shouldn't have boasted in front of those few old fellows. If Li Nuo didn't know the answer either, he would lose face big time.
Passing through several long corridors and the moon gate, he arrived at a room. At that moment, it wasn't yet time for lessons, so Song Mu'er and Song Ning'er hadn't come over.
Another fifteen minutes passed before the two sisters walked into the room carrying small bags.
"Good day, Teacher!"
After they greeted him, Mr. Chen feigned nonchalance and asked, "Did you finish the homework I assigned you yesterday?"
Unlike before, this time, both sisters shook their heads simultaneously.
Mr. Chen's heart skipped a beat. Surely not, he thought. Could it be that the person from yesterday couldn't solve it either?
At that moment, his heart was filled with both disappointment and relief.
Disappointment that he couldn't continue to show off in front of those three old men, and relief because that young man wasn't all-knowing after all, which restored a bit of the self-respect he'd garnered from a lifetime of teaching mathematics.
Nevertheless, to be cautious, he decided to clarify.
He looked at the two of them and asked, "Well, Mumu… Which one of you is Mumu?"
The sisters not only looked identical, but their clothing was also indistinguishable. Even after teaching them for two months, he couldn't tell them apart.
Song Mu'er stood up and said, "Teacher, I am Mumu."
Mr. Chen's gaze shifted to her as he asked, "About yesterday's homework problem, does your brother Li Nuo not know the answer either?"
Song Mu'er shook her head and said, "Of course Brother Li Nuo knows how to solve it, but the problem is so difficult. I couldn't understand his explanation…"
This problem was obviously tough; all four of those old fellows together hadn't been able to figure it out. What surprised Mr. Chen was that not even this problem could stump Li Nuo, and it seemed that he had provided a solution in a very short time.
Mr. Chen eagerly asked, "How did he explain it?"
Song Mu'er, who couldn't remember the esoteric process, simply handed over her booklet and said, "Here, Brother Li Nuo wrote down the solution here. Teacher, you can see for yourself."
Mr. Chen carefully took the booklet and flipped to the last page, casting his gaze upon it.
One second.
Two seconds.
A quarter of an hour.
For a full fifteen minutes, he maintained that posture, motionless and silent as a wood carving, with only his eyeballs occasionally moving.
Song Mu'er and Song Ning'er had long since run out to play—they didn't have the patience to wait around.
After what seemed like an eternity, Mr. Chen finally slowly placed the booklet down.
He couldn't understand it…
At that moment, he deeply sympathized with Song Mu'er. Not only could she not understand it, but he couldn't either.
But although he couldn't comprehend it, a lifetime of studying mathematics and his intuition told him that the seemingly random lines on the paper were not carelessly drawn by Li Nuo; he just hadn't grasped their profound meaning yet.
This Li Nuo might very well be a mathematics genius rarely seen in the world.
They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but his mathematical talent even surpassed that of his father, Li Xuanjing.
At a certain moment, he suddenly remembered the handsome young man he had encountered at the entrance of the Song Residence these past few days.
Could it be that he was Li Nuo?
Mr. Chen stepped out of the room and saw the little girl kicking a vine ball nearby. He asked, "Mumu, when is your brother Li Nuo coming back?"
Song Ning'er didn't answer him, but huffed and ran off.
Song Mumu jumped down from a swing and said, "Brother Li Nuo left in the morning and won't be back until dinner time. Sometimes he visits our house, sometimes he goes to his own. I don't know if he'll come today or not..."
Mr. Chen sighed and murmured, "By the afternoon, I'm afraid it will be too late..."
Having finished teaching the two sisters and reviewed some mathematics fundamentals with them, Mr. Chen didn't assign them any homework today and hurriedly left the Song Residence.
Qingfeng Academy.
A small building by the lake.
Three old men sat around a table, glancing occasionally towards the direction of the gate.
They all looked a bit weary, due to a sleepless night.
All titans of mathematics, they had competed their whole lives, none wanting to admit inferiority to a man surnamed Chen. They pondered the problem overnight, but as dawn broke, they were still clueless.
At a certain moment, footsteps finally echoed from beyond the courtyard gate.
Mr. Chen, holding his books, had just stepped into the courtyard when three pairs of eyes immediately turned to gaze at him.
Their stares made him feel somewhat guilty.
However, he didn't show any sign of it, and as he walked up to them, he said, "You all seem tired, did you not sleep well last night?"
It wasn't that they had not slept well; they hadn't slept at all.
One elder waved his hand and got straight to the point, "Let's cut the chatter. That problem from yesterday, have you really come up with a solution?"
Mr. Chen glanced at him and replied, "Of course, do you think I would lie to you?"
He pulled a sheet of paper from his book and handed it over to the elder.
The elder took the paper, and the other two immediately gathered around, their eyes racing to scan it.
On it was the same problem, but now with additional lines, both solid and dashed, suggesting significant meaning.
In the blank space, there was a solution written, but it was incomprehensible to them...
Unlike yesterday's horse-drinking problem which was clear at a glance, the solution to this problem, even though written in great detail, had key steps they didn't understand how to derive.
Just as one elder was about to ask a question, Mr. Chen felt a pang in his heart and immediately remarked, "No way, no way. You three are renowned as titans of mathematics. Not understanding the problem is one thing, but don't tell me you can't even understand the solution?"
His words stopped the elder in his tracks and made the other two temporarily suppress the urge to inquire further.
His comment, casual and dismissive, was deeply insulting.
In the realm of mathematics, they had devoted their lives to diligent study. Across all of Daxia, and even the surrounding nations, they were the absolute authority.
Of course, mathematics were profound and vast, and they didn't consider themselves omniscient, with many challenges remaining unsolved to this day.
But not being able to solve a problem was one thing; it was entirely another to not understand a solution when someone else had solved it...
Even if they truly couldn't comprehend it, they wouldn't directly ask this old fellow.
Perhaps after some pondering on their own, they would understand its mysteries.
One elder focused intently on the paper, committing its content to memory, then said, "Mr. Chen, you underestimate me too much. Of course, I understand the solution to this problem. It's just that I've suddenly remembered an urgent matter. As for this problem, let's discuss it tomorrow..."
After these words, his gaze lingered on the paper for a moment longer before he swept away.
Another elder also shifted his gaze away from the paper and said, "I also just remembered, I have a fishing appointment today..."
Having his invented excuse snatched away, the last elder pressed his forehead and said, "I suddenly feel unwell, I must rest. We shall meet again tomorrow..."
Soon, only Mr. Chen remained in the courtyard.
"Heh, such feeble excuses," Mr. Chen watched the three quickly making their escape, his face showing a trace of scorn.
A moment later, he left the academy, looked around to ensure no one was following, and once again dashed towards the Song Residence.