Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 22: There is a problem deep in the bamboo forest
Lu Sanlang didn't even care about the Zhang family's mansion, so he naturally didn't care about the dilapidated houses in the village that were under renovation. But when he thought about the fact that the lady of Duke Zhao's mansion was willing to spend money to renovate the village where Zhu Ying's fiancée lived, it was obvious that this marriage was not groundless, and he felt extremely refreshed.
Because of this, even though the money Zhu Ying often brought out to parade around the city was not very nice, and even though there were many ragged naughty children watching on both sides of the road, Lu Sanlang, who was notorious in the capital for occasionally letting his slaves commit crimes, remained calm. If the situation did not allow it, he would have sung loudly.
When Zhu Ying really marries that country boy... hey, he will have plenty of time to laugh at and ridicule her in the future!
When they arrived at the end of the village, dismounted and walked in the lush bamboo forest, Lu Sanlang, who had just come out of the capital early in the morning and was already sweating all over, felt the cool breeze and a hint of shade, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"What a gentleman indeed, and a great place to choose!"
This is elegant, you haven’t reached a more elegant place yet!
Liu Yin, who was walking in front, raised her head slightly with pride while thinking. When she led the master and servants, more than ten people, through the winding path, to the deepest part, she smiled and led everyone around the bamboo screen wall, just like Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying did before, and then turned around to see Lu Sanlang's reaction.
However, to her disappointment, when Lu Sanlang saw the three words "Cui Yun Jian", he not only did not show any shocking expression, but instead curled his lips in a slightly bored manner.
Don’t these hermits in the mountains have any other choices except living in bamboo houses, thatched cottages, or wooden buildings? No wonder, the great hermits hide in the court, the middle hermits hide in the world, and the small hermits hide in the wild. I don’t think anyone who builds a bamboo house so close to the capital is a famous hermit, but someone who wants to take a shortcut to Zhongnan.
Lu Sanlang thought so in his heart, but he certainly wouldn't say it out loud. He had noticed Liu Yin's gaze, and then he keenly realized that his attitude was a little off. Obviously, Miss Zhu was quite respectful to the owner of this place.
Anyway, before Zhu Ying was actually married, he had to continue to play the role of the suitor, and he immediately spoke well of her: "No wonder she is a great sage living in seclusion in the mountains, and I am just an ordinary man in the market. The difference in taste is like heaven and earth. I just hope that the old gentleman living in seclusion here will not think I am humble and allow me to stay here for a few days."
In the Qingfeng Xulai Hall in the center, Zhang Shou noticed the man mentioned by Zhu Ying as soon as Lu Sanlang appeared. He couldn't help but notice him. This guy really lived up to Zhu Ying's nickname of pig head, and was so fat that he could be called bloated. However, after he said the first sentence, he felt that this youngest son of Minister Lu might be interesting.
He stroked his chin and then gently pulled a rope in the room. Following a clear bell sound, not long after, he saw a young man in green silk clothes appear in front of Lu Sanlang and his group and Liu Yin.
That's Qi Liang.
Seeing Liuyin nodded slightly, Lu Sanlang couldn't help but look at the visitor with a critical eye. He saw that Qi Liang was thin and had an average appearance, but his gestures were not like those of an ordinary villager. He was elegant and arrogant. The youngest son of the Lu family couldn't help but snort in his stomach.
The rural hermits he had heard of were all like this. If they didn't keep two arrogant servants with eyes on their heads, it would seem like they had lost their status...
Liu Yin winked at Qi Liang, who now had a brand new look, and then said to him, "This is the third son of the Lu Shangshu family in the capital. He wants to stay in this Cui Yun room for a few days."
Then, she pointed at Qi Liang and introduced him to Lu Sanlang: "This is Xiao Qi, the disciple of the old gentleman here."
Seeing that Qi Liang really had an indifferent expression, as if he didn't know how high a position the Shangshu held, and just nodded slightly to him, Lu Sanlang felt more and more that this was a so-called hermit who was selling dog meat under the guise of selling mutton. This behavior was just to elevate his status, and the so-called problems were probably also to spread some reputation.
Anyway, he was just pretending to be a pig brother pursuing Zhu Ying, so he didn't bother to go against someone that the young lady could fancy.
At that moment, he became even more humble and asked with a smile: "Yes, I would like to stay for a few days. I wonder if your master can make it convenient for me?"
"You can choose any bamboo house you want, but I'm sure Miss Liuyin and Mr. Lu San have explained the rules, which is to solve the problem in front of the bamboo house. You can stay in one house for one night, two houses for two nights, and so on."
Qi Liang was not at all nervous in front of the so-called Third Young Master of Lu Shangshu's family. Anyone who had heard Zhu Ying call him a pighead would not feel any awe for the fat and pig-like Lu Sanlang in front of him.
Anyway, he had already prepared himself mentally, so Lu Sanlang smiled and said indifferently: "Okay, let me see what the problem is!"
He looked around and picked one of the bamboo houses that best suited his taste, then walked over. It was a bamboo house with its bottom suspended in the air, built on a bamboo platform. The house was not big, with only about two or three rooms, which could barely accommodate the people he brought. Through the round windows, he could vaguely see all kinds of bamboo furnishings and utensils inside.
However, just in front of the bamboo stairs leading to the platform, there were at least a dozen bamboo boards hung with ropes, blocking the passage. On them, there were clear ink marks, with questions written in tiny calligraphy.
Picking one at random, Lu Sanlang couldn't help but sneer, "What a terrible handwriting!"
Qi Liang, who followed him, was not annoyed, and said calmly: "This is the topic I copied. I have only studied with the teacher for three years, and I have not even mastered the basics. Naturally, I can't write a good hand that Mr. Lu would praise."
Lu Sanlang had simply moved away from the circle he was familiar with before, and he couldn't help but reveal his true nature. Thinking that Liuyin was still there , he laughed and changed the subject, not continuing to show his indifference.
However, when he picked up a bamboo board and read the question, he was stunned.
Two carriages set out from two cities and travel for four hours every day. One carriage travels eighty miles a day, and the other travels ninety miles a day. If the two carriages keep the same speed, travel during the day and rest at night, with a short rest on three days in between, they will only travel for three hours. After seven days, the two carriages will finally meet each other. What is the distance between the two cities?
What the hell is this question! Wait, if I think about it carefully, it seems quite simple...
Lu Sanlang frowned and calculated quickly in his mind. After he came up with a number, he hung the bamboo board back as if nothing had happened. Then he took down another one nonchalantly. But after looking at it this time, he couldn't help but be stunned.
There is a pond at home, with one pipe for water inflow and one for water outflow. If water only flows in but not outflows, then the empty pond will be full after 15 hours. If water only flows out but not inflows, then the full pond will be empty after 24 hours. If water only flows in but not outflows, and after two hours, both pipes are opened, how long will it take for the pond to be full?
Is this servant crazy? You are storing water and releasing it at the same time? Aren't you afraid that the master of the house will be furious and scold you?
Inside the bamboo house, Zhang Shou was waving a palm-leaf fan with a smile on his face.
To be honest, elementary school mathematics Olympiad is a bit difficult. Some application questions will be enough, right?
Back then, how many poor primary school students cried because of all those annoying math problems, such as the encounter problem, the problem of filling a pool with water, the problem of sailing on flowing water, the problem of road repair by engineering teams, the problem of overtaking, the problem of two cars crossing each other, the problem of crossing a bridge...? How many parents of top students were so angry that they turned into roaring emperors 20 years later?
