Chapter 163: Jiu Jiu’s Inferiority Complex

Chapter 163: Jiu Jiu's Inferiority Complex

The two kids outside were screaming and running around like typical children.

Yet this little girl had read extensively and possessed extraordinary knowledge.

And at such a critical moment, she had saved the lives of her husband and his younger sister.

You shouldn't underestimate someone's abilities just because they're young.

And then there's that clueless boy next to her, who can only say "Princess" over and over.

Madam Xu couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.

He's a year older, yet the gap between them is huge.

Xu Xinshu and her brother had recovered, and the emperor was ready to head back to the palace.

He was truly busy every day.

Bei Heng scooped up the little rascal, who was still playing, and asked, "Father is leaving first. Do you want to come with me now, or return later?"

"Father, go ahead. I'll return later."

"Since I don't get out of Tai Chi Palace often, I don't want to go back just yet. I haven't had my fill of fun."

No surprise, this little rascal isn't in a hurry to go home.

He left this stubborn daughter behind and headed off.

He had other matters to attend to. Now that he knew unboiled water contained harmful organisms that could cause death, he needed to inform the common people too.

If even someone like Xu Lanqi didn't know about the harmful organisms in unboiled water, the common people certainly wouldn't know either.

Chuer had pointed out that drinking unboiled water could lead to a high death rate, which seemed very plausible.

Since boiling water could prevent unnecessary deaths, this knowledge must be spread.

The nobility knew that boiled water was good; they always drank boiled water, but they didn't know there were bugs in it.

However, firewood was an expense for the common people, and to save money, most of them drank the water directly after fetching it.

They might die without ever realizing that unboiled water was the cause.

He needed to get back and tell the Ministry of Rites to spread this information throughout the entire Yue Dynasty.

......

After a routine assessment result came out in the central hall, Zhou Huanjiu had been listless.

At first, Bei Jingchu thought she just hadn't slept well, but when she noticed Zhou Huanjiu's prolonged sluggishness, she asked what was wrong.

It turned out she had been hit hard by the last assessment results.

Except for arithmetic, where she steadily held the top position, she was at the bottom in other subjects.

But Bei Jingchu didn't understand, "This isn't the first time. The results have always been like this, so why start caring suddenly?"

Hearing this inner thought made Zhou Huanjiu even sadder, almost on the verge of tears.

"Beiqin came after me, and now he has already transferred to Bo Tang."

"I study late into the night by the lamp every day, studying hard for three months, but the result is still the same."

"Jingchu, am I really that stupid?"

"Of course not."

Bei Jingchu looked for her strengths: "But your arithmetic is very good."

"What's the use of being good at arithmetic? I'm only good at arithmetic, but I'm much worse than Huanhuan at keeping accounts."

"I don’t have a chance to put my skills to use."

Zhou Huanjiu counted on her fingers, "Look at our close friends, Nian'er is talented in both literature and martial arts, Beiqin is skilled in both literature and arithmetic, and Huanhuan is already helping you manage the accounts."

"You, especially, are well-rounded and excel in everything."

At this point, she paused and added, "Except for poetry."

Bei Jingchu's poetry was really not good. She was excellent in all other subjects, except poetry.

She could barely string together a few lines that rhymed, with no emotion, just technique.

Fortunately, Bei Jingchu was not lacking in the ability to appreciate good poetry; she just couldn't write it herself.

The High Priest had reported this situation to the emperor, who indicated it wasn't important as long as she could understand others' writings.

The teacher then gave up.

But Zhou Huanjiu really envied them. Surrounded by a group of extraordinarily talented friends, she felt useless.

"Come on, Jiu Jiu, you’re amazing. You just haven't found the opportunity to shine yet."

"Once you find your direction, you’ll be as amazing as Xu Xinshu."

But Bei Jingchu's words didn’t succeed in encouraging Zhou Huanjiu. The girl firmly believed she was just being reassured.

There’s no way she could be as amazing as Xu Xinshu.

Xu Xinshu was now a role model for all the women in the Capital City, and even outside the city, though they hadn’t been out, they assumed the same.

So Xu Xinshu was a role model for women across Dayue, while she was just the ordinary Zhou Huanjiu. Jingchu was exaggerating too much to comfort her.

Bei Jingchu felt frustrated.

"The system has identified you as a chemistry genius, how could you not be awesome?"

"Don’t underestimate yourself, Jiu Jiu."

A genius in something called 'hua studies'?

What is 'hua studies'?

She had always known there was something supernatural about Jingchu, and something she couldn’t hear had determined that she was a genius in 'hua studies'.

But what is 'hua studies'? What good would that do?

[Ding~ Congratulations host, the mall has been upgraded, please check it out right away.]

Bei Jingchu couldn't wait to click in and see what goodies were available.

As soon as she entered, if she weren’t in the academy with so many people watching, she would have screamed, spun around, and danced a waltz of love.

[Books! Introduction to Chemistry textbook!]

[Oh my gosh, and seeds too! Cotton seeds, chili seeds, and also sweet potato and potato seeds!]

[Wow!]

However, there was one thing Bei Jingchu was not satisfied with: [Why are the seeds available as physical items, but the books are only in electronic versions?]

System: [Be grateful you got anything at all, don’t be picky. Don’t be too hard on the system.]

[......Alright.]

[System, I finally get it. You're called the "State Management System," not the "Spectating System."]

[So you're a serious system after all!]

System: [......When have I ever been unserious?]

But Bei Jingchu didn’t pay attention to the system’s little tantrum. She suppressed her excitement and estimated how long it would take to copy everything.

In her best imitation of a smug tycoon, she whispered mysteriously to Zhou Huanjiu: “Girl, trust me, in half a month, I’ll give you something good. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

Zhou Huanjiu: ......

What got into Jingchu?

A perfectly lovely and pretty little sister, but why did Jingchu suddenly seem less appealing?

Half a month later, Bei Jingchu finally finished copying the Introduction to Chemistry textbook and gave it to Zhou Huanjiu. She had also translated the font and writing format into what was used in the Yue Dynasty.

She felt incredibly thoughtful.

Zhou Huanjiu took the strange book, unsure what to expect, and was instantly captivated as soon as she opened it.

She was transported to a world unlike anything she'd ever seen.