Chapter 6: The Divine Ear of the Qing Dynasty (Part 1)

For half a month, Zhu Daodong would bring four bottles of Laobai Gan to the Sanqing Taoist Temple every afternoon to drink with the nameless Taoist. On Sundays, he would stay at the temple all day, drinking and chatting with the Taoist about all sorts of things. The only change in Zhu Daodong during this half month was that he had started to stuff cotton balls in his ears. He didn't know when it started, but he found that he couldn't sleep at night because of the excessive noise from the outside world, even after drinking two jin of Laobai Gan. Eventually, he had no choice but to add another layer of cotton balls to each ear for "double-layer soundproofing" to ensure he could barely get some sleep. Even so, his hearing was still much more sensitive than that of an ordinary person.

Zhu Daodong's frequent visits over the past half month made the nameless Taoist's eating habits much better. Whether drinking or eating, he no longer looked as if he was afraid someone would snatch his food. However, he still preferred not to use a wine glass when drinking and found chopsticks unnecessary when eating.

"I've had a question on my mind for half a month. Can I ask it? Of course, if it's inconvenient for you to answer, just pretend I didn't say anything," the nameless Taoist said suddenly after taking a sip of wine.

"Go ahead and ask," Zhu Daodong said noncommittally. He had learned from the nameless Taoist that one should never speak in absolutes, as it left no room for maneuver. A person without integrity cannot stand, so one must be especially cautious when making promises, otherwise, they might end up doing something that was unappreciated. Sometimes, even when you genuinely want to help someone, if you fail to do so, they might not only fail to thank you but even resent you. Why did you promise to do it in the first place?

"What's with the cotton in your ears?" The nameless Taoist, though looking old and frail, had a sharp eye. He had noticed the cotton in Zhu Daodong's ears at first glance.

"When did you notice?" Zhu Daodong was surprised by the Taoist's keen observation. In the past half month, neither teachers nor students at school had noticed his little secret.

"Half a month ago," the nameless Taoist said casually. At that time, he and Zhu Daodong were still just drinking buddies. Although he was curious about the cotton in Zhu Daodong's ears, he had refrained from asking. Now, they could be considered close friends, and it was only natural to show concern and inquire about a friend's private matters.

"Half a month ago?" Zhu Daodong was taken aback. He had just started putting the cotton in his ears, and he hadn't expected the Taoist to notice.

"Are you suffering from some hidden illness? Although I'm not a renowned doctor, I do know a few good remedies that might help you," the nameless Taoist said with concern. He hadn't shown such concern for anyone in a long time. It wasn't because Zhu Daodong bought him wine and meat every day, but because he felt that Zhu Daodong was a trustworthy person, a true friend.

"It's not a disease, but it's more troublesome than a disease. Lately, my ears have been so sensitive that I can hear everything within a few dozen meters, and it's driving me crazy," Zhu Daodong said with a self-deprecating smile. He wouldn't have answered if someone else at school had asked, but the Taoist was different. Now, Zhu Daodong considered him a close friend.

Zhu Daodong had indeed been driven to the brink of madness. A few days ago, he had just added a second layer of soundproofing, but last night, he found that it was no longer effective. He might soon need to add a third layer, making it three layers of soundproofing. But how much space was there in his ears? What would happen after the third layer? The thought of being able to hear everything was a source of great distress, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

"Are you kidding? Could it be that you've become a divine ear?" The nameless Taoist picked up a peanut, threw it into his mouth, and chewed it a couple of times before showing a hint of surprise. He was lazy, and sometimes his expressions were slow to show.

Fortunately, Zhu Daodong was used to it. If it were someone else, they might have thought he was crazy.

"Divine ear? I'd rather be deaf than be a divine ear." Zhu Daodong had been driven to the brink of madness by his ears. Every sound was a roar to him. Especially when students read aloud in class, he felt like he was being tortured. During those times, he would often take a walk around the playground to escape.

Of course, there were some benefits. Sometimes, when Zhu Daodong reduced the soundproofing in one ear to a single layer in his dormitory, he could hear everything happening in his class clearly. During self-study periods, he could pinpoint who was talking or misbehaving. When he returned to the classroom, he would call out the names of the offenders one by one.

This made his students feel on edge. It seemed as if Teacher Zhu had千里眼and顺风耳(千里眼and顺风耳are idioms meaning "千里眼" (qianliyan) - "thousand-mile eyes" and "顺风耳" (shunfeng'er) - "wind-following ears," which are metaphorical terms for someone with extraordinary vision and hearing). Even when he wasn't in the classroom, he knew everything that was happening. For the underachievers in his class, this was not good news. Now, the discipline in his class was much better, and even when he wasn't there, the students would study on their own. Once, Liu Tao saw this and praised Zhu Daodong at the weekly meeting, saying that his teaching methods were excellent and that his students could self-regulate, something other classes couldn't achieve.

"You're wrong. The true divine ear was blind," the nameless Taoist said, completely missing Zhu Daodong's distress and laughing instead.

"Are you serious? Does God give someone a strength and then compensate for it in another way? Tell me about the blind divine ear," Zhu Daodong was troubled by the thought. Blind? He didn't want to end up like that. If that happened, he might as well die!

"Don't be impatient. Let me tell you the story. The divine ear was born during the Qing Dynasty, his name was Nie Ye. He had unusually large ears. When he was a child, his father took him to a fortune-teller in town. The fortune-teller, 'One-Word-Accurate,' based on the 'Mayi Physiognomy Book,' said that Nie Ye would be wealthy and noble in the future. Nie's father was very pleased and gave 'One-Word-Accurate' a silver dollar."

"From the sound of it, 'One-Word-Accurate' was a fraud," Zhu Daodong said with disdain.

"Don't interrupt. You'll know if he was a fraud as the story goes on," the nameless Taoist said, not minding Zhu Daodong's rudeness. He was too lazy to get angry, saying it was a waste of energy and not worth it.

"Fine, go on. I won't interrupt," Zhu Daodong grabbed the Laobai Gan and took a big sip.

"But soon, Nie Ye's vision began to deteriorate, and he eventually became blind. How could his father still talk about wealth and nobility for his son? Throughout history, how many blind people have been wealthy and noble? Nie's father thought 'One-Word-Accurate' was talking nonsense and went to demand his silver dollar back. 'One-Word-Accurate' said, 'It's not time yet.' Isn't that just a bunch of nonsense? Nie's father forcibly took back the silver dollar and even smashed 'One-Word-Accurate's fortune-telling stand."

Zhu Daodong wanted to laugh. See, he was right. But thinking about what the Taoist had said, he held back his words. The Taoist was telling a story about a blind divine ear, so let him continue his tale.

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