Chapter 40 of 100

Chapter 40

14 min read3,576 words

"Stop it right now!"

Startled by this stern command, the little girl jumped, knowing who had arrived. Her whole body stiffened, and she slowly turned her head, her neck rigid. Indeed, it was none other than her teacher, Li Yi. Though she had braced herself, she still involuntarily took two steps back before standing still, her head lowered, not daring to speak or meet her teacher's stern gaze.

Suddenly, she felt something was amiss. Glancing to the side, she saw the little boy still standing motionless, holding the net as if he hadn't heard the stern command at all, still in the position of trying to catch the butterfly king.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly reached out to tug at the boy's sleeve, but he remained as still as a wooden statue, showing no reaction.

Oh no! The little girl raised her head to sneak a peek at her teacher, only to meet his reproachful gaze. She shivered, feeling as if her whole body was covered in goosebumps. She stuck out her tongue,缩着脖子，眼睛成了两弯小月亮，怯怯地叫了一声：“李叔叔！”

Li Yi, who knew his students well, recognized her attempt to ingratiate herself. Ignoring her coquettish behavior, he did not scold her harshly but gently reminded her, "Have you finished today's lessons?"

The little girl quickly put away her smile, composed herself, and changed her tone, "Good morning, Teacher!" Her demeanor was now meek and submissive, a stark contrast to her earlier exuberance, clearly showing her fear of the teacher.

Li Yi nodded, acknowledging her, and then asked expressionlessly, "Have you finished today's writing and reading? Was it I who taught you to shout and scream? You have been lazy and sneaky, playing without my permission."

As he spoke, he glanced at the ragged, dirty boy and frowned, continuing, "And you are playing with this unknown, um, little beggar... Where did he come from?"

Lu Zheng had been brought here by the ascetic monk. Although the monk had taken good care of him, his own monk's robe was even more tattered than Lu Zheng's. Thus, Lu Zheng still wore his ragged clothes, his hair matted, and a faint odor emanated from him, which Li Yi immediately noticed.

The teacher's voice was not loud, but it carried a natural authority that no one dared to challenge. The little girl was so nervous that she hardly dared to breathe. She didn't know Lu Zheng's background and thus didn't know how to answer. Just as she was being scolded, a joyful cry interrupted the teacher's reprimand. Lu Zheng exclaimed, "Great! I caught it! I caught it!"

Lu Zheng was completely focused, paying no attention to the stern command or the tugging on his sleeve. He waited for the right moment, and when the net was in the optimal position and the butterfly king was still unaware, he slowly tightened his grip on the end of the pole.

To catch a butterfly with a net, if you simply drop the net from above, the butterfly will be scared away by the sound of the net. If you extend the net near the flower and then flip it, the butterfly will have enough time to escape due to the slow speed of the flip. Lu Zheng knew this, so he quickly flipped his wrist, and the net, propelled by the twisting force at the end of the pole, drew a beautiful arc and instantly covered the golden flower, all in the blink of an eye.

The butterfly king, startled by the sudden sound, tried to fly away, but the net had already descended like a net from the sky, trapping it instantly. Lu Zheng quickly flipped the net to secure the butterfly and slowly retracted the pole.

Feeling an indescribable joy at his success, Lu Zheng couldn't help but cheer. He didn't realize that his cheers had also interrupted someone's lecture. He immediately turned to show the net to the little girl, saying, "Look, I caught it." But he saw her standing silently, her head hanging low, and he was taken aback, only then realizing that someone else was standing there.

Looking at the person, Lu Zheng thought, "This is like a stone statue!" The man's face was stern and solemn, with high eyebrows and deep-set eyes, as if carved from stone, and his expression was cold. He had a long beard and eyebrows that slanted sharply into his temples, adding to his imposing presence. Unlike Mr. Le, who was always kind and smiling, this man wore a black robe, a belt around his waist, and jade pendants hanging from it. Most strikingly, he wore a tall ancient hat, as if it could pierce the sky.

Lu Zheng was stunned, not knowing who this person was. Sensing his sternness, he shrank back and nodded in greeting, then turned to the little girl, "I caught the butterfly king, for you!" He handed her the net, delighted to show her his success, completely unaware of the sharp gaze the man in black was giving him.

The little girl, seeing the boy's foolishness and the teacher's terrifying gaze, felt her scalp tingle with fear. She hurriedly whispered, "Little brother, this is the teacher!"

Lu Zheng heard but didn't understand, "Teacher? Oh, your teacher?" He turned and bowed to the man, "Good morning, Teacher!" Then he asked the little girl, "When did your teacher come? Is he here to help you catch the butterfly king?"

The little girl was shocked. This boy was really fearless, standing so casually in front of the teacher and even saying he was there to catch butterflies. She quickly tugged at his sleeve, whispering to remind him to stand properly. The teacher had strict rules about posture and behavior, and he hated it when people didn't stand or sit properly.

Li Yi frowned, looking at his student. He had only been away for a short while, and the little girl had already abandoned her studies to play. And this wild, foolish boy, who knew where he came from, spoke without restraint and showed no respect. His temples throbbed with anger.

But at the same time, as he looked at the boy holding the butterfly net next to the little girl, he suddenly had a feeling that this child would always stand by his female student's side.

Although he was momentarily distracted, he quickly regained his composure. Looking at the disheveled, ragged boy who stood like a monkey and spoke like a fool, he decided not to take him seriously. He raised his hand in a polite gesture and asked, "Little brother, where are you from? Who brought you here, and what brings you to this humble cottage?"

Lu Zheng took a moment to realize that "Little brother" was addressing him. Uncertain, he decided to be cautious and not respond.

He finally came to his senses, feeling the tension from the little girl's rigid posture. Wanting to stand properly but not wanting to let go of the net, he looked around nervously. Seeing the little girl standing quietly with her head down, he quickly tightened his grip on the net and stood the same way.

Li Yi's question went unanswered. The wild boy looked around and then stood silently with the little girl, head down, without a word.

What was this? Li Yi's eyes widened, and he felt a tightness in his chest, unable to react for a moment! The two children standing silently with their heads down gave him an inexplicable sense of strangeness, and it was his own doing, leaving him both amused and frustrated. He cleared his throat and reminded, "Little brother, I'm asking you a question."

Lu Zheng looked up, pointing to his nose, "Me?"

This boy was truly foolish. Li Yi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, nodding in response. Lu Zheng was startled; the "Little brother" was indeed addressing him. But how should he answer?

Seeing the teacher's polite demeanor and refined speech, which reminded him of the officials and scholars he had seen at Qinglong Temple, he remembered how they often spoke in a way that was hard to understand. He and Tang Xiaojiu would often mimic their bows and polite exchanges, laughing until they rolled on the ground. Should he speak in the same refined manner? He was the little girl's teacher! In a panic, he tried to recall how they bowed and stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed, saying without thinking, "Great younger brother, I was brought here by the Great Monk of the Eight Sufferings."

Tang Xiaojiu had once said that Lu Zheng often became inexplicably foolish at the most critical moments, and it was impossible to stop him. Sure enough, he had called out "Great younger brother" without thinking!

The little girl turned to look at Lu Zheng, and Li Yi's eyebrows shot up, his face turning pale. He couldn't help but adjust his ancient hat, feeling as if it had been knocked askew by the "Great younger brother." Seeing the innocent and confused look on the boy's face, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. If you can't speak properly, why say anything at all? Why call him "Great younger brother"?

Li Yi struggled to control his temper. It seemed the wild boy really didn't understand manners and was just mimicking others. He wasn't sure whether to be angry or not. Should he correct him by saying, "Little brother, calling me 'Little brother' is a form of respect, but you shouldn't call me 'younger brother,' as that is impolite"? If he said that, he might as well just die.

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