Chapter 175: Jiangnan Tour 29

Chapter 175: Jiangnan Tour 29

Xu Zeping took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself.

He placed the teaching plan on the lecture platform in front of him, but instead of rushing into the cylindrical geometry problem, he turned around and used an ink stick to draw circles, cones, and cylinders on the marble whiteboard.

"Classmates, do you all know the commonalities among the three?"

"The top and bottom faces of a cylinder are circles!"

"The base of a cone is a circle!"

"Very good." Xu Zeping continued, "Do you all still remember the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle?"

……

Cen Jiangshu's teaching plan only had a cylindrical geometry problem, and Xu Zeping felt it would be too dry to just present this geometry problem. So, he decided to review the basic logic from circles to cylinders.

Watching Xu Zeping speak fluently on the lecture platform, Cen Jiangshu nodded in satisfaction. Indeed, he had not misjudged this young man.

With Xu Zeping's review, all the students who had been confused about the geometric volume of cylinders and cones were now clear.

In the back-and-forth of questions and answers, time flew by, and before they knew it, the class was over.

"Jiangshu, should we assign some problems?" Hearing the class dismissal bell, Xu Zeping instinctively looked at Cen Jiangshu.

Cen Jiangshu shook his head, his expression gentle but his tone very stern: "We won't assign any math problems today. Tomorrow, you can enjoy your day off. The day after tomorrow, in class, I will have my assistant teacher Xu give you all a live arithmetic quiz. In the morning, you will answer the questions, and in the afternoon, I will grade them. Anyone who fails will have to copy the formulas fifty times!"

With that, Cen Jiangshu took the teaching plan from Xu Zeping's hands and left Class A with a flourish.

Leaving behind a group of eager students who quickly surrounded Xu Zeping: "Xu classmate, will you give us difficult questions?"

Shi Hua crossed his arms: "Xu classmate, if you don't stump us, your status might be in jeopardy, you know～"

"Yes, if you don't stump us, you should ask Teacher Cen to punish you by copying the formulas fifty times!"

Xu Zeping, looking at the provocative Shi Hua, patted his chest: "If I don't stump you all, I'll call you guys big brothers!"

The students in Class A were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You really know how to get a good deal!"

"After all, you're younger than us, so calling us big brothers isn't a problem, right?"

……

The bell rang, and Teacher Jiang walked in with his teaching plan: "This class is on the eight-legged essay, everyone sit properly!"

The teachers in the private school all held multiple roles, but not in Bowie. Each teacher taught according to their strengths. Those good at the eight-legged essay taught it, and those skilled in policy discussions taught that subject.

The lowest teaching qualification at Bowie was a juren, and teachers like Ouyang Xu were all jinshi.

Before long, three afternoon classes had passed, and it was time for the last martial arts class.

The students took out their packages from their desks and went to change clothes in groups of two or three.

Leaving Xu Zeping standing there, feeling a bit lost, realizing he might have done something foolish.

Shi Hua patted Xu Zeping on the shoulder: "Xu classmate, shall we go change clothes?"

Next to Shi Hua stood Zhang Xiaolin, looking visibly uncomfortable. Though Zhang Xiaolin admired Xu Zeping, he still felt uneasy around him.

"I... I forgot to bring my clothes for the martial arts class." Coming to his senses, Xu Zeping hurriedly said, "I have to go back and get them."

"Hey, Xu, do you even know where the dorms are?"

Before Shi Hua could finish, Xu Zeping was already gone.

"Young... Young Master!"

As soon as Xu Zeping left the Class A classroom, he bumped into Little Tiger, who was running over with a bundle in his arms. Little Tiger was panting and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Here, your clothes!"

"Little Tiger, you're getting better and better!" Xu Zeping playfully tapped him on the chest. "So smart!"

Little Tiger's cheeks turned red from the praise. He scratched the back of his head. "I'm not as smart as you say, Young Master. I still have a lot to learn from you."

Xu Zeping waved to Little Tiger as he saw Shi Hua and Zhang Xiaolin walking side by side. "Little Tiger, I'm going to the martial arts class now."

"Yes," Little Tiger waved back, imitating Xu Zeping. "I'll go back first."

At the martial arts field, the students from the Arithmetic Classics department and the students from the Book of Songs department were clearly divided.

In front of each department stood a martial arts instructor. The two teachers exchanged glances, both with a look of provocation in their eyes.

Teacher Cao raised his eyebrows. "What? Teacher Li, are you not convinced?"

Teacher Li clicked his tongue twice. "It's just because you won that mid-month cuju match. What's so great about that?"

Teacher Cao grinned. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, in front of you losers, of course, we're smug!"

After Teacher Cao finished his sentence, the students from the Book of Songs department started taunting them.

— If you're not convinced, dare to have another match!

— Oh ho, still not convinced after losing!

— We can beat you once, and we can beat you countless times!

The students from the Book of Songs department's taunts made the students from the Arithmetic Classics department so angry that their faces turned red, wishing they could rush up for a rematch right away.

— Let's go! Who's scared?

Seeing the fiery atmosphere between the two departments, Teachers Cao and Li exchanged a secretive glance. That's the spirit! Students need to have some fire in them.

Both teachers shouted at the students of their respective departments. "Settle down!"

The loud commands made the entire martial arts field tremble, and the students immediately fell silent.

"You guys are full of energy today," Teacher Li said impatiently. "Shi Hua, lead them and take them running to White Deer Mountain. I'll discuss next month's cuju match with Teacher Cao!"

Hearing that Teacher Li had agreed to hold the cuju match, the students from the Arithmetic Classics department responded loudly. "Yes!"

They knew the route to White Deer Mountain by heart. At Teacher Li's command, they started running, pairing up.

As soon as the Arithmetic Classics students took off, Teacher Cao chimed in. "Students from the Book of Songs department, aren't you going to act? Are you going to back down?"

"No!"

"Alright," Teacher Cao said encouragingly. "Liu Xian, lead the team. We'll take the back trail up White Deer Mountain!"

"Once both groups of students had started running, Teacher Li laughed heartily, 'You’re a real expert at tricking the students, Teacher Cao!'"

"Teacher Cao stroked his goatee, 'It’s all thanks to your cooperation, Teacher Li. Without it, how could I have set the trap?'"

"Haha, then let’s schedule the cuju match during the martial lesson in the middle of the month?'"

"Teacher Cao smiled, 'That’s not a problem. We’ll go ask the head of the academy and see if we can swap the classes. The last match was rushed.'"

"... "

"Xu Zeping knew his limits well. To avoid exhaustion, he tried to speak as little as possible and maintain a steady breathing, keeping up with the main group."

"But the one running next to him, Zhang Xiaolin, couldn’t stand the silence and tried to strike up a conversation."

"'Hey, do you know how to play cuju?'"

"Hearing Zhang Xiaolin’s slightly raised voice, Xu Zeping turned his head expressionlessly, 'Zhang, are you talking to me?'"

"Zhang Xiaolin replied, 'Who else would I be talking to?'"

"From the martial field to the foot of White Deer Mountain, the path was relatively flat, and Xu Zeping didn’t find it strenuous."

"However, as they started going uphill from the mountain foot, the path became uneven. The mountain road wasn’t built, but rather formed by years of foot traffic."

"Running uphill required careful attention to the path, or one might get tripped by vines on the sides."

"As they ran uphill, the voices grew quieter, and the sounds of deliberate heavy breathing became more pronounced."

"Slightly panting, Xu Zeping noticed the conversations around him gradually ceasing, 'Zhang, I don’t wish to speak with you.'"

"'Why?' Zhang Xiaolin pressed on, 'Are you too tired? But we’re not even halfway there, Xu Zeping. You really need to work on your fitness!'"

"Xu Zeping turned his gaze away, looked into the distance, and said coldly, 'No, it’s because you’re being rude.'"

"Zhang Xiaolin: ..."

"Alright, if you don’t want to talk, I don’t either!"

"After about ten minutes, feeling uncomfortable from the silence, Zhang Xiaolin spoke again, 'Xu, do you know how to play cuju?'"

"As they followed the main group up the mountain, the path became increasingly rugged. Xu Zeping didn’t want to entertain Zhang Xiaolin at all. This long run was way different from regular training; it really tested one’s endurance."

"'Xu?'"

"'Xu?'"

"'Xu Zeping?'"

"Zhang Xiaolin wouldn’t stop talking, like he had nothing better to do. He seemed nothing like the serious guy from the match that day."

"Xu Zeping, unable to bear it any longer, finally turned his head, 'I don’t know how to play cuju.'"

"'Don’t know how to play?' Zhang Xiaolin said excitedly, 'No worries. Once we get down the mountain, I’ll teach you.'"