Chapter 15

As the first batch of cloth from the dyeing workshop was about to be ready, how to sell the cloth became a crucial issue for Ye Yu. Since meeting with Pan Zhi, Ye Yu had still taken no action.

For several days, Ye Yu continued to negotiate with the silk and satin shops in Qingliu County. The result was just as Pan Zhi had said: they all spoke with one voice, preferring to spend more money to buy from the Pan family's cloth shop rather than purchase Ye Yu's cheaper cloth.

Such a united front clearly aimed to make a mockery of Ye Yu.

In the pavilion of the Su family's backyard, Ye Yu was earnestly teaching Su Yueyun mathematics. Although the knowledge Ye Yu imparted was quite basic, it was still difficult and bitter for Su Yueyun to learn. After several months, her progress was slow.

"Master Ye, Yueyun has a question, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask," Su Yueyun closed her book, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke.

Ye Yu smiled slightly, indicating that Su Yueyun could speak freely.

"Although Yueyun is not a scholar, I do have some knowledge of arithmetic. The content in Master Ye's book is truly obscure and hard to understand. Yueyun wants to ask..." She glanced at Ye Yu and hesitated again.

"Are you asking if this is intentional on my part?"

Ye Yu had anticipated this question from Su Yueyun. Seeing her silent, he continued, "To be honest, Miss Su, I do not possess the eye-measuring skill that your father mentioned. The reason I can measure accurately is not only because of my keen eyesight but also because of the calculations in arithmetic!"

After saying this, Ye Yu felt it necessary to explain further, otherwise, he would be accused of being a fraud.

He then pointed to the stone pillar of the pavilion and said solemnly, "In my book, I have explained a triangular rule. Miss Su, you can call a servant, and I can measure the height of the pillar without touching or measuring it!"

Seeing the skeptical look on Su Yueyun's face, Ye Yu whispered a few words to Guo Xiaotian, who then hurried away. A moment later, Guo Xiaotian returned with a measuring rope.

Following Ye Yu's instructions, they used the pillar as one side of a right triangle, extended another side on the ground, and finally used the measuring rope to form a hypotenuse from the top of the pillar to the ground.

In this way, a right triangle was formed. Knowing the hypotenuse and one side, Ye Yu asked Su Yueyun to calculate the height of the pillar using the triangular rule in the book. The result was almost the same as the actual measurement.

Seeing Su Yueyun's delighted expression, Ye Yu sighed, "This method was not created by me. It has existed in our great Han civilization for a long time, as recorded in the 'Zhou Bi Suan Jing.'

It's just that over time, it has been neglected. Even if there are a few brilliant mathematicians, the court will not pay attention to them! What the court values are merely essays, political treatises, and poems..."

"Then what about the angles mentioned in the book?"

"Oh, that's an extension of the triangular rule. As long as you know the angle, for a regular triangle, you only need to know one side to determine the other two. This is quite advanced, and you don't understand it yet..."

Ye Yu thought to himself that this involved the sine and cosine theorems. Since she couldn't even understand the Pythagorean theorem, he decided to put this aside for now.

"Oh!" Su Yueyun, like a diligent student, nodded seriously. She then looked up and stared at Ye Yu without saying a word.

Ye Yu felt uneasy under Su Yueyun's gaze and thought, "There's nothing on my face, why are you looking at me like that?" He then coughed awkwardly, "Miss Su, I washed my face before coming here. Is there any dirt on it...?"

"Master Ye, you are truly erudite and talented. Yueyun admires you greatly!" Su Yueyun did not directly answer Ye Yu's question but blushed and smiled shyly.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Then why haven't you called me 'Master' yet?"

Ye Yu's words made Su Yueyun feel awkward. After a long pause, she whispered, "We are about the same age. If I call you 'Master,' wouldn't it be..."

"Wouldn't it be what?"

"Wouldn't it be..."

"..."

Seeing Su Yueyun's troubled expression, Ye Yu did not want to press the issue and instead turned his face to look into the distance, muttering to himself, "I wonder if Uncle Su's trip will go smoothly..."

Ye Yu's change of topic relieved Su Yueyun, who let out a sigh of relief and comforted him, "Master Ye, don't worry. My father has many friends and will surely return safely!"

"I hope so!" Ye Yu looked at the leaves falling in the courtyard and sighed, "Time really flies. It's already autumn..."

After that, Su Yueyun asked more questions, and Ye Yu answered them carefully. By the time he left the Su family, it was already close to noon.

Passing through the market, Ye Yu felt the festive atmosphere. After asking Guo Xiaotian, he learned that the Mid-Autumn Festival was just a few days away.

Compared to later times, the Song Dynasty placed a much greater emphasis on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

A few days before the festival, shops would sell new wine and redecorate their storefronts. On this day, the Mid-Autumn night market was one of the busiest of the year.

Merchants and officials would enjoy the moon from their pavilions, playing music and reciting poetry until dawn. Ordinary citizens would vie for seats in taverns to catch the first glimpse of the moon as night fell...

The market was bustling with vendors. Ye Yu, in his wheelchair, wandered through the streets, feeling the festive atmosphere. This would be his first Mid-Autumn Festival in the Song Dynasty.

"Give me back my goose! Give me back my goose..." A peasant woman was screaming, struggling with a man in gray.

The man in gray held a basket in his right hand and pushed the woman to the ground with his left. Seeing her still resisting, he showed a fierce expression and kicked her twice, cursing, "Damn it, this goose is clearly mine. If you keep纠缠不休, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The woman's face was full of pain as she wailed, "Please give me back the goose. My family relies on it to buy rice and live... Please!"

"Stubborn woman!" The man in gray kicked her again, leaving a bruise on her right cheek.

The onlookers pointed and whispered, but no one stepped forward to help. Ye Yu listened to their comments and understood the situation.

Behind him, Guo Xiaotian, seeing the injustice, his veins bulging, clenched his fists and was about to confront the man in gray, but Ye Yu stopped him.

"Master! Why don't you let me teach that scoundrel a lesson?" Guo Xiaotian was dissatisfied with Ye Yu's restraint.

Ye Yu waved his hand, indicating Guo Xiaotian to look further, "No need for you to act. Someone is coming."

Guo Xiaotian followed Ye Yu's gaze and saw a group of officials approaching, led by an elderly man in his fifties, wearing a green official robe, looking energetic despite his small frame.

"Master, officials and scoundrels are the same. Will they be of any help?" Guo Xiaotian, having suffered much, had no faith in the government, especially the Song Dynasty's.

"Rest assured! If this matter is handled by County Magistrate Liu, it will be resolved!" Ye Yu said confidently to Guo Xiaotian. Although he had never met Liu Yuanshan, in Qingliu County, only he could wear a green official robe and patrol the streets with officials.

As they spoke, Liu Yuanshan approached, and the crowd parted to make way.

Seeing the officials, the man in gray dared not continue his violence and instead put on a fawning face, "Magistrate, please do justice for me. I was ordered by my master to bring two geese to the mansion for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet... But this stubborn woman insists on extorting me, claiming the goose is hers!"

The man in gray spoke fluently, making Ye Yu admire his talent for lying without a hint of guilt. If he hadn't known the truth, he might have been moved.

Liu Yuanshan's dark face was stern. He first looked at the man in gray and then asked, "Is this true?"

"My name is Wangcai, and my master is the Western City Master Wang. Would he cause trouble for the magistrate over two geese? Isn't that right?"

"Magistrate, I am wronged! He stole my goose. Please do justice for me!" The woman prostrated herself, and after several times, blood flowed from her forehead.

"Bold Wangcai! Stealing from others and not repenting, even accusing the victim first! Do you know your crime!?"

Wangcai, though frightened by Liu Yuanshan's stern rebuke, still argued, "Magistrate, you cannot believe the one-sided words of this stubborn woman! The goose is clearly my master's..."

"Magistrate, he is lying!"

"..."

"Magistrate, this stubborn woman claims the goose is hers. Can she provide any evidence?" Wangcai smiled coldly and posed a challenge.

The woman, asked this, was speechless. Geese mostly look the same, and no one had the leisure to study their features.

After much thought, the woman could not come up with any evidence and had to rely on the onlookers. However, the crowd, who had been indignant, now remained silent and avoided getting involved.

Liu Yuanshan, seeing the crowd's reluctance, his face turned cold, "Dare you still lie in front of me?"

Wangcai insisted, "I dare not, but I ask the magistrate to handle this fairly and not believe the one-sided words of this stubborn woman!"

"Hum! Bring them to the court for questioning!" Seeing that he could not immediately convict Wangcai, Liu Yuanshan had no choice but to take them to the court for further investigation.

Seeing the woman and Wangcai about to be taken away, Ye Yu felt he should intervene. He said, "Magistrate Liu, this aunt needs to sell the goose to buy rice. Delaying is a minor issue, but if her family goes hungry, it's a major one. Since no one is willing to testify, I am willing to testify here!"