CH 13

Chapter 13: A Row

After learning that she would be locked up if she failed the two exams, Wen Yantong lost her appetite and began to lose weight.

It’s true. In a place like Songhai Academy, how could someone be able to occupy the golden position and not study? Under the eyes of the emperor, it was natural to pay great attention to each student’s achievements in all aspects.

But now, except for mathematics, her knowledge wasn’t even as good as a ten-year-old child. Wasn't the fifteen day confinement a sure thing?

This made her sad.

After lying on the bed for two days, the custom crutches from the woodwork building were delivered. Wen Yantong tried to walk a few steps with the crutches. At first, she wasn’t couldn’t used to it, but since she was fed up with being carried by others, she gritted her teeth and stuck to practicing.

The cold winter in November made her sweat profusely from pain. After two days, her walking became much smoother, and she could go out of the room from time to time.translate(d) by puretl . com / do not steal / re po/st

Injuries in winter are always slower to heal. Although Fu Tanghuan ordered the food to be nutritious, Wen Yantong's leg remained lame, and there was no sign of recovery at all.

However, after a few days, she regained a lot of her complexion. Without the rooster disturbing her sleep, Wen Yantong's thin and yellow face slowly turned white again.

But before she could enjoy it for a few days, Songhai Academy officially started classes.

It was extremely cold during the first day of classes.

Wen Yantong got up before dawn and pulled out the uniform of the academy.

The school uniform of Songhai Academy was refined by the most famous Qiaoyi Pavilion in Chaoge City, and a set costs a couple of hundred taels[1] of silver.

Qiaoyi Pavilion's business was not catered to normal civilians. This shop was specially made for the princes and nobles in the city. The only exception was the students in Songhai Academy.

The school uniform was lotus pink and snow white in color. From a distance, it looked like the lotus flowers were clustered together and ready to bloom. This echoed the national flower of Shao Jing: the lotus.

Winter school uniforms were much thicker, and in Wen Yantong's hands was a long cotton robe and a lotus-colored jacket overlaid with white fur. The clothes were embroidered with blooming lotus flowers using silver thread.

When Wen Yantong got this uniform, she was a little puzzled. Looking at this color scheme, wouldn't a man feel too girly wearing it?

However, after she put it on, she found that the lotus color was very flattering. Because the color was light, she didn't feel effeminate but instead had a ‘flourishing vigor in the winter’ aura.

Since she transmigrated, she had three meals a day and occasionally ate some snacks. This little cannon fodder’s body had gained about four kilograms at once. Once her face became a lot rounder, Wen Yantong saw a bit of delicacy in her eyebrows.translate(d) by puretl . com / do not steal / re po/st

In fact, she was not bad-looking. However, because of being underweight and having a poor complexion, she looked ordinary.

Wen Yantong looked in the mirror for a long time before she set off. She soon was disappointed to find out that she couldn't walk on crutches while wearing a cloak.

Listening to the cold wind whistling outside the window, she had no choice but to give up her cloak and put on a thick coat. From a distance, she looked like a ball, and she walked slowly to the school with crutches.

As expected, with one blank exam and another blindly filled out, she was assigned to the Class of Dingliu.

Because of her injuries, Wen Yantong did not dare to walk fast, for fear of falling over again on the road. By the time she arrived at her study hall, the morning class had already started for a while.

Teacher Zhao stood at the door, watching Wen Yantong approach from a distance, and sighed deeply. "I knew you would definitely be assigned to the Class of Dingliu."

Wen Yantong laughed. "What a coincidence. Teacher, do you also teach Class of Dingliu?"

Teacher Zhao stroked his beard and murmured, "I am in charge of Class of Jiayi[2] and Class of Dingliu."

She really didn't expect Songhai Academy to assign teachers like this, but she pretended to be even more surprised. "This student didn't expect to be so lucky."

"Your Knowledge of Calculations was no worse than the Jiayi students." Teacher Zhao said earnestly, "It's just your Knowledge of Words exam, especially your characters... Ai, Teacher Li who teaches ‘State in Writing’ has strict requirements on calligraphy. You should be careful."

Wen Yantong bowed. "Thank you, Teacher, for your reminder. This student will keep it in mind."

Teacher Zhao liked her well-behaved look the most. He nodded with relief before asking with concern. "How is your leg?"

Wen Yantong raised her eyebrows and pretended to be pitiful. "It still hurts so badly that I couldn't sleep all night."

"But your complexion looks much better." Teacher Zhao wondered. "Your face has regained some blood, and you seem to have gained weight."

She stiffened and touched her face. "Really…?"

Teacher Zhao patted her on the shoulder. "Okay. Take care of your injury, and stop doing weird things. Go to the morning class first."

Wen Yantong replied, "Thank you, Teacher, for your concern."

Teacher Zhao left after giving her multiple warnings, and Wen Yantong staggered into the study hall with crutches.pure tl . com is the original tler / don’t re-post

Almost all of the students were already seated. Because there were only about twenty-or-so people, the room was quite spacious.

Others recited texts loudly, and the sounds of whispers also intertwined. But the moment Yantong pushed open the door, these sounds became much smaller.

Many people cast their eyes together and looked at Wen Yantong.

Because it was the first day of the class, all students had to wear their school uniforms. As far as the eye can see, the warm colors looked like a lotus flower about to bloom.

Only Wen Yantong was wrapped in a thick gray cotton-padded jacket. There were even ingots embroidered with gold thread on it; it practically screamed ‘vulgar’.

However, this was Wen Yantong’s thickest coat, and it helped block all the cold wind. Her hands were still warm now.

Wen Yantong didn’t care if these people were secretly laughing at her, she just looked around for an empty seat.

Before she could find a seat, she heard someone sarcastically say, "The big mouse in our academy is so diligent, flaunting that unsightly gray hair for others to see."

Wen Yantong recognized the speaker: it was that person who had clipped her chicken neck!

She sneered in her heart: you brought this on yourself!

Using her old trick, Wen Yantong pretended to be deaf as she continued to walk with her crutch. She aimed her crutch at the young man's feet and stomped it hard, putting her whole body weight on it.

Crush you bastard to death!pure tl . com is the original tler / don’t re-post

The young man screamed, abruptly interrupting the sound of reading. Everyone turned their attention to them.

He slapped the table in anger. "Don’t you know how to walk?!"

When Wen Yantong saw that there were no Chi Jingxi no teachers in this study hall, she thought to herself: why should I be afraid of you?

So she snorted with her nose turned to the sky and arrogantly said, "Who knew that your feet were so dishonest and insisted on getting under my crutches?"

"My foot moved under your crutches?" This is the first time this man has heard such remarks. His hand trembled when he pointed at Wen Yantong. "You- you are full of nonsense!"

Wen Yantong had a pair of solid wood crutches in her hand, so she was unafraid. She simply raised her head and slapped the man's stool. "Get out of the way! Don't block the path."

New hatred and old hatred were added together, and she didn’t hold back her strength. The man was pushed backward and fell to the ground with a bang.

The man “aiyo”-ed several times, and when he got up, he tugged on Wen Yantong's collar. He looked extremely furious.

Wen Yantong hurriedly shouted, "What are you doing! Are you bullying me, a lame man?! This is the academy, not your home! You think you can beat anyone you want? Is there no law?!"

The study hall was very quiet, and her voice was even more abrupt, which frightened the man.

But the man didn't want to show his cowardice, pointed at her, and said, "You stepped on my foot first!"

"That's because your feet were stretched out. You can’t blame me!" Wen Yantong glanced down at her shoes and exaggeratedly pouted. "I'm more afraid of getting my crutches dirty!"

"There is so much space. Why did you have to walk so close to me?!"pure tl . com is the original tler / don’t re-post

Wen Yantong laughed exaggeratedly and used another common quote from the internet. "The heaven and earth have form, and this brother is your own. However I am not your parent, so coddling you…I do not condone!"

This time, the flattering scum's mouth was crooked with anger. He wanted to grab her collar again. Just when Wen Yantong was about to shout, a loud scolding came from the door.

"What are you troublemakers doing?!"

Wen Yantong looked subconsciously and thought she saw Bao Qingtian[3].

The man standing at the door was really dark; his face seemed to be smeared with ashes from the bottom of a pot. With a frown on his face, he looked very fierce.

Footnotes:

[1] Taels: a unit of weight equal to 50 grams

[2] Jiayi: The highest scoring class. yi is the pinyin for the number one

[3] Bao Qingtian: Bao Qingtian, fictional nickname of Bao Zheng/包拯 (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty.