Chapter 20

The system began to play dead.

Shen Cui lay back on the recliner with her eyes closed, swaying leisurely. Meanwhile, she kept calling out to him in her mind.

First she called him the system, then she called him by his ID, 962464. She repeated it dozens of times until the system reluctantly responded, saying he knew, he knew, and to stop calling.

He said he would integrate the system resources now, and at the latest by tomorrow morning, new tasks would be released to replace the old ones.

Shen Cui quickly responded, “Okay, okay. You’re busy. I won’t bother you. Just release the tasks whenever the integration is done. I’m ready anytime.”

“Don’t get too excited too soon, Host. After adjusting the tasks, the difficulty will definitely increase.”

“Then it’s fine. Hehe.”

The system snorted coldly and then went offline.

Shen Cui remained cheerful, and the smile on her lips didn’t fade away.

Soon, even Zhou noticed that something was off with her, but Mrs.Zhou wasn’t someone who pried, so she didn’t ask.

In the evening, Zhou went back home. Mu Er Pang [another nickname] asked his mother why she was smiling so much.

Shen Cui said it was nothing and mysteriously added, “You should sleep soon. You’ll be tired tomorrow. There will be more to learn.”

According to the inertia of the tasks previously issued by the system, Mu Er Pang was the main force in completing tasks, while she was just accompanying him. The system said that tomorrow’s tasks would be much harder, so her chubby son might have to work hard.

“I’m not afraid of being tired,” Mu Er Pang assured her with sparkling eyes. “I’ve learned everything you taught me before. I’m just waiting to learn new knowledge.”

Anticipating a busy day ahead, Shen Cui didn’t speak to Mu Er Pang anymore, and they both rested without further mention.

Early the next morning, the system gave a beep and announced the new task.

Shen Cui, who normally wouldn’t budge upon hearing the notification sound, sat up immediately. She had become a bit lazy lately, and the weather after the Chinese New Year wasn’t as warm as before. She wouldn’t get up until daylight unless necessary.

But today, she wasn’t going to laze around anymore. She immediately checked the system task.

The task assigned by the system was to choose a teacher for the her son Er Pang. The qualifications must not be lower than 85. Qualifications include intelligence, emotional intelligence, memory, imagination, and charm.

During this task, the system would open up the host’s ability to assess the qualifications of others.

The task duration was three days.

Note: This task is a cross-level task. If the host fails the challenge, there will be no punishment of being stripped of the system, only all shopping points on the account will be deducted, and the task progress will be returned to the previous level.

Sure enough, the system was right the previous day. This task of selecting a teacher was much more difficult than the previous task of practicing calligraphy.

Shen Cui stared at the task silently, not because she was worried about the difficulty, but because she questioned the system. “Is this the task you mentioned that could make me money? This task doesn’t look like it’s about making money; it seems more like a loss.”

In modern times, people pay respect to Heaven, Earth, Ancestors, Parents, and Teachers. What this means is that the teacher is considered half of a student’s parent. If a student gets into trouble, the teacher is often implicated to some extent. They share both honor and disgrace.

Teacher.

With the practice of accepting students, there naturally arose many more requirements. First, one must discipline oneself, and even more importantly, assess the student’s character and knowledge.

Although Mu Er Pang’s progress was commendable compared to his past self, when compared to children his age, his level of knowledge was really lacking.

Unless one were to directly spend a hefty sum of money to buy off the other party.

The system said impatiently, “Host, if you want to make money, you must first complete the prerequisite tasks. I’ve already told the host before, adjusting task progress comes with a price: an increasing difficulty level. If you don’t want to do it…”

Shen Cui, sensing the system’s irritation, quickly waved her hand and said, “No, I’ll go now. Just one more question though, how many prerequisite tasks are there before the money-making task?”

She was afraid that the system would arrange a series of prerequisite tasks for her. If that happened, she might end up depleting her meager savings before earning any money.

“Just this one.”

The system was unusually irritable today, so Shen Cui didn’t ask any more questions. She started praising the system instead, “Wow, the tasks you arranged are really good. Previously, Mu Er Pang’s family thought he was studying with his elder brother, and his elder brother probably thought I had hired a tutor for him. It’s like deceiving both sides. It’s manageable for now, but in the future, when his elder brother leaves the county and Zhou comes over frequently, it won’t be possible to keep it a secret. Besides, I don’t have much knowledge of this era. Teaching him will become increasingly difficult. It’s time to hire a tutor. Even if this task fails, you won’t send me back to the original world to die. You’re truly generous, thoughtful, and caring. You’re the most generous, appropriate, and caring system I’ve ever encountered.”

After praising the system with a long string of flattery, the system’s anger seemed to decrease somewhat, but it was still not very happy. “As long as the host knows.”

Shen Cui shrank her neck and dared not say more. She immediately got up and opened the system’s qualification assessment function.

After opening it, there was no apparent change in the world before Shen Cui’s eyes. However, when she looked at Mu Er Pang, who was still asleep, there was an additional line of text above his head.

Qualification: 35.

His original attributes were single-digit numbers, but later he took a enlightenment pill, and each attribute increased by 20 points.

With the addition of reading, practicing calligraphy, and strengthening his mind during this period, each attribute increased by a few more points.

So when averaged out, it amounted to these 35 points of qualification.

Afterward, Shen Cui quickly boiled some water. Once the water was hot, she called Mu Er Pang to get up, and they both washed up together.

While washing up, Shen Cui also looked into the basin, but she didn’t see any qualifications appearing above her head. So this function was only available for specific individuals.

With this question in mind, as the dawn approached, Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang left the house together.

At this time in Shuiyun Village, most farmers were already up, but due to the cold winter days of early spring, not many people were going out.

However, at the village school entrance, the teacher was already leading a group of children in their early morning studies.

“In the beginning, chaos opened, and the universe was established.”

“The light and clear rise to become heaven, while the heavy and turbid condense to become earth.” This excerpt comes from early education classics.

Following the melodious reading, Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang soon arrived outside the village school.

As she suspected, the system’s qualification assessment function was only useful for those who had already begun their studies. Parents bringing their children to the school gate did not have that additional line above their heads.

Top of Form

Shen Cui took another glance inside the village school. Sure enough, including the teacher, everyone had the word “qualification” above their heads.

However, what disappointed her was that, besides the children who were not worth mentioning, most people’s attributes were similar to Mu Er Pang’s. Even the teacher, who was shaking his head and leading the reading, had only a qualification of 70.

It was understandable, really. The original male lead, Mu Yunchuan, had attributes close to their peak, which allowed him to achieve extraordinary feats.

The teacher in the village was an old scholar who had spent half his life taking exams without passing before returning to his hometown to teach. Naturally, his qualification could only be considered above average among readers.

Since there was no one in the village with a higher qualification, Shen Cui didn’t linger and quickly headed towards the city.

Having never been to the city much herself, she needed to seek help from her mother-in-law, Mrs. Zheng.

After another two quarters of an hour, Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang arrived in the city and went to Teapot Alley.

The men of the Shen family were already out working at this time, leaving only Mrs. Zheng and two daughters-in-law at home.

Having lived in the city for several years, Mrs. Zheng was naturally more well-informed than Shen Cui.

When Shen Cui mentioned wanting to find a teacher better than the village school teacher for Mu Er Pang, Mrs. Zheng didn’t object.

“I heard from Mrs. Chen earlier that their eldest son found a Jinshi [successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations] to be their teacher. I thought our Er Pang shouldn’t fall behind, so I went to inquire about it a few days ago when I had some free time. The Jinshi Mrs. Chen found lives not far from our house. After the New Year, many people went to his house with gifts, hoping to be accepted as students. I happened to hear from someone passing by that tuition fees are ten taels per year. If the student stays at his house, additional charges apply. Besides, the student must provide their own writing materials, and gifts are expected for festivals and holidays. All in all, it would cost at least fifteen or sixteen taels per year.”

Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang came out on empty stomachs, and they were currently eating the noodles Mrs. Zheng had prepared for them.

Hearing Mrs. Zheng’s words, Mu Er Pang was so frightened that he forgot to eat his noodles, while Shen Cui nearly choked on hers.

Mrs. Zheng cast a sidelong glance at Shen Cui, while patting her back, she said, “I know you’re always concerned about money. Don’t think it’s just you; I was shocked when I heard it too. That’s why I didn’t decide whether to discuss it with you.”

Fifteen or sixteen taels was indeed not cheap. People like Shen Da and Shen Er, who had struggled in the city for years, barely managed to save up around five taels of silver per month. So, in total, it amounted to about sixty taels per year.

But there were still many people in both households, and living in the city was expensive, requiring money for everything.

While adults could cut back on expenses, it wasn’t easy to skimp on the children’s necessities.

So the two brothers would only contribute half of the money to the public fund and keep the rest for their own expenses.

Although Mrs. Zheng and Mr. Shen were more partial to Mu Er Pang in their hearts, they had to treat all the children equally on the surface.

However, the silver was absolutely insufficient.

Shen Cui took a sip of the noodle soup and swallowed the noodles.

After the pain subsided for a while, she abruptly stopped speaking.

Shen Cui nodded and said, “Mom, let’s go see the old Jinshi first. If he’s knowledgeable, then fifteen taels it is.”

Preferring not to let the child fall into the clutches of a wolf, since the system wouldn’t deceive her, once the prerequisite tasks were completed, she could definitely make money.

Hearing Shen Cui’s words, Mrs. Zheng couldn’t help but retort, “I thought you had changed before, but today’s words make me realize I was mistaken. You’re still as boastful as ever. Fifteen taels is just the standard; if the exams aren’t passed, I heard there will be additional expenses.”

Though scolding, once Shen Cui finished her bowl of noodles, Mrs. Zheng also reconsidered. It wasn’t good to keep hesitating like this. It was time to see the old Jinshi with her own eyes. If he was indeed knowledgeable, they needed to make a decision sooner rather than later. Otherwise, another year of waiting would be in vain. So, she truly brought Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang along.

As Mrs. Zheng had said, the old Jinshi’s home was bustling with activity, with many people eager to send their children there for schooling.

His house wasn’t large, and it was already packed with people. The queue stretched for over ten meters, all parents quietly holding gifts and leading their children in line.

Shen Cui and her group arrived late, so they were at the end of the line.

Luckily, they hadn’t waited long before the old Jinshi emerged, bowing politely to the crowd and saying, “I apologize for the delay. Thank you all for waiting.”

Naturally, everyone responded politely, assuring him it was no trouble.

With that, the old Jinshi asked his students to distribute some papers. These papers naturally contained exam questions tailored to the students’ ages.

For younger students, they were simple memorization tasks, such as reciting Three Hundred Tang Poems or basic children’s literature.

For older students, they needed to be familiar with Confucian classics like The Analects and Mencius.

As for Mu Er Pang, at his age, the exam questions he received already required him to have read the Four Books.

Other children immediately adjusted their expressions upon receiving the exam questions, preparing themselves vigilantly.

However, Mu Er Pang’s expression remained unchanged. Not only did he not know what the Four Books were, but he was also completely puzzled, forgetting how to react.

Similarly, Shen Cui also had a moment of bewilderment. Even for such a popular candidate in the city, the Jinshi’s attribute displayed above his head was only 80.

There’s a saying: “Poor scholars aspire to be rich Jinshi.”

A Jinshi not only exempts from taxes but with a bit of maneuvering, one could even become a low-ranking official.

Yet, even for such a prominent figure, his attribute score was only 80 according to the system’s evaluation.

If the system weren’t currently sulking, Shen Cui would have definitely complained a bit about it.

After informing everyone, the old Jinshi returned inside, and the queue remained.

Shen Cui quietly tugged at Mrs. Zheng and whispered, “Mom, let’s go back.”

Mrs. Zheng stretched her neck to count the people in front and said, “There are only about a dozen families. It’ll take about an hour or two. If you’re tired, take Mu Er Pang home to rest, and I’ll stay here in line.”

“No, I just feel it’s not quite right. Let’s discuss it again when we get back.”

Surprised, Mrs. Zheng said, “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate for the Jinshi to be Mu Er Pang’s teacher? You’re quite audacious, my girl.”

It’s no wonder Mrs. Zheng was so surprised. Nearby, someone couldn’t help but interject, “You have quite the audacity. Huang Jinshi is a genuine Jinshi. If it weren’t for his age and declining strength, he could still be a distinguished figure.”

“We might as well go teach at Qingzhu Academy. We don’t need to bother here.”

“It’s probably because their own child couldn’t answer Huang Jurén’s questions, so they’re saying this on purpose to save face.”

“Yeah, if you can’t even impress Huang Jurén, why not send your child to Qingzhu Academy? It’s enrollment season there now.”

The person wasn’t genuinely trying to advise Shen Cui, they were teasing her on purpose.

Qingzhu Academy, where Mu Yunchuan studied, was a well-known academy in the provincial capital.

The headmaster was a scholar who passed both the provincial and imperial exams. He resigned from his official position to establish the academy and educate students.

Many students came to study, too numerous to count.

However, the requirements for enrollment were very strict, with a ratio of ten applicants for every one accepted.

It was said that even students who had already passed the imperial exams and held official titles were turned away by the headmaster.

Currently, Mu Er Pang, with his 35 points of talent and just having completed a small portion of his studies, naturally did not meet the academy’s enrollment standards.

Otherwise, Shen Cui would have definitely headed straight to the academy.

The system, which had been dormant all morning, suddenly spoke up, “See, host? This task was originally supposed to be given to the accompanying student to self-study with the help of the system for a year, which would be next year at this time. By then, the difficulty of this task would significantly decrease. You can’t achieve everything at once. Host, you might as well honestly give up and revert to the previous task progress. It’s just spending a year in hardship. Host, have you ever heard the saying, ‘A sharp sword is forged from hard work’?”

Why are you more pessimistic than I am? It’s only been half a day. I wanted to ask you, have you ever heard the saying, “Nothing is difficult in this world, as long as you want to make money”?

Host, you’ve been “you-ing” for half a day and still haven’t said a complete sentence.

Meanwhile, while Shen Cui was talking to him, Mrs. Zheng started arguing with someone else.

Her daughter could say anything she wanted, but it wasn’t appropriate for outsiders to point fingers in her presence.