Chapter 131: Dictionary, Nan Jinping Shines

Chapter 131: The Dictionary - Nan Jinping Shines

"Bing Wengu, let me show you something good." Nan Jinping cheerfully placed a book on the desk, its thickness roughly the width of a palm.

Bing Wengu, seeing the familiar thickness, had an inkling of what it might be.

"Is it a dictionary?" he asked, reaching out to flip it open—and indeed, it was.

"Wow, how did you guess?" Nan Jinping asked, leaning slightly forward, his chin resting on his hand as he gazed at Bing Wengu. His eyes shimmered with a gentle glow, glistening like starlit water reflecting in a babbling brook.

For a moment, Bing Wengu was lost in his gaze. Even after all this time together, practically old married partners, he still found himself utterly captivated by him.

Nan Jinping said helplessly, "Why do you always seem distracted when talking to me?"

"When I talk to you, it's hard to focus. What can I do? You're just too beautiful."

"You—silver-tongued devil!" Nan Jinping covered his face. "Is it just innate for you men to sweet-talk and charm young ladies and lads?"

"Probably," Bing Wengu replied seriously, even pausing to consider. "In the natural world, males compete for mates. So, perhaps persuasion is a trait all males are born with. After all, competition is fierce—if you can't charm, how can you win over a beauty's heart?"

"Hmph, nonsense." Nan Jinping gave the dictionary a couple of light taps. "Focus! Look at it properly and give me useful feedback, no flattery. This took me nearly three years to compile."

"I’ll take it seriously." Every stroke and character was a result of Nan Jinping’s painstaking effort, and Bing Wengu treated it with the utmost care.

The first page of the dictionary introduced phonetic notation, while by the tenth page, it transitioned to radicals and stroke order.

Every character inside was one Nan Jinping had recorded as he learned it, painstakingly compiled over time.

It was a herculean effort, one requiring immense patience—yet he had done it.

"My love, I’m so proud of you!" Bing Wengu felt a surge of pride, even greater than any achievement of his own.

"Why be proud? It’s just compiling characters one by one. Anyone could do it—they just lack the patience." Though pleased with his work, Nan Jinping didn’t feel particularly proud. To him, it was nothing extraordinary.

"But what people lack in achieving things is never opportunity or luck—it’s precisely this kind of patience," Bing Wengu said earnestly. "Most give up halfway for one reason or another. Those who persevere are rare."

"You’re the truly remarkable one, alright?" Nan Jinping admired him. "Airplanes, induced rainfall—those are real marvels."

Bing Wengu shook his head. He was merely standing on the shoulders of giants.

"Have you arranged for the printing house to produce copies? This is a treasure for public education—it could be sold in the capital," Bing Wengu remarked, already thinking of distribution.

"But what if people don’t recognize phonetic notation or understand radicals and stroke order? Would they reject it?" Nan Jinping asked.

"Then they’ll learn. For students, this is the most basic and simplest tool. With a little effort, they’ll grasp it in days," Bing Wengu assured him.

Nan Jinping had the printing house produce the dictionary. Once printed, Bing Wengu presented it to the county school instructors. The learned instructors immediately recognized its practicality.

"Sir, did you compile this dictionary?" the headmaster asked.

"No, it was my spouse’s work," Bing Wengu replied proudly.

The headmaster’s eyes widened. "But I’ve heard Scholar Wuwei has only been studying characters for three years?"

"So what? Some spend their whole lives on scholarship yet achieve nothing. Though my spouse’s studies were brief, the storybooks he wrote became a sensation in the capital," Bing Wengu declared, chest puffed out. "Brilliance isn’t bound by study time."

"My apologies for my narrow view," the headmaster hastily apologized. "You’ve brought dozens of copies today—are they donations for the school?"

"For now, one copy per class, for communal use. Later, outstanding exam performers can receive a personal copy," Bing Wengu explained.

"Then, on behalf of the students, I thank Your Excellency and Master Wuwei (the Non-Interventionist) first." The school superintendent inquired, "However, Your Excellency, neither the teachers nor students at the county school have been exposed to the dictionary before. They're unfamiliar with pinyin, radicals, and stroke orders. Could we possibly invite Master Wuwei to come and teach them?"

"That won't be a problem," Bing Wengu readily agreed.

When Nan Jinping learned about this, he was thrilled. He was especially willing to go to the county school. As a child, he had always longed to study, but his family was too poor back then, and he couldn't go to school. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that one day he would be able to teach at the county school as an instructor.

Teaching wasn't new to Nan Jinping. In the early days in the village, he had been the one teaching knowledge to both the Nan and Bing families. Now, teaching students again, he had some experience.

The students and teachers at the county school were all very intelligent and diligent, picking it up within days. Nan Jinping even gave dictionaries as gifts to the top-performing students.

The dictionary contained many characters and required a lot of paper, making it much more expensive than a storybook. A single copy of this dictionary was normally priced at 3 guan [about X dollars] and 750 wen at bookstores.

Considering the average income in Ji County and the purchasing power of students, Bing Wengu arranged for the local government to subsidize part of the cost, and Nan Jinping contributed another portion. In the end, the dictionary was sold for only 1 guan and 800 wen.

However, this discounted price was limited to Ji County only—outside the county, there was no such discount.

As a result, every student who obtained a dictionary treasured it like gold.

Originally, Nan Jinping should have left after teaching the pinyin and other basics. But during his teaching days, the school superintendent noticed that Nan Jinping had a solid grasp of history and some very unique insights. After conversing with him, the superintendent learned that Nan Jinping had been personally taught history by Bing Wengu—no wonder he knew his stuff. The superintendent then requested Nan Jinping to teach history at the county school, which he agreed to.

Meanwhile, Bing Wengu had someone deliver the dictionaries to Bianjing and hand them over to Jiang Jinghuai.

When Jiang Jinghuai first received them, he was dumbfounded.

"What is this?" At first, Jiang Jinghuai didn’t understand. Fortunately, the dictionary had a preface, and after reading it, he realized what it was.

He sought out Shen Qinghe and handed the dictionary to him. "Cousin, take a look at this book. This is amazing—it was compiled by Jin Geer. With this, thousands of students can learn characters more easily."

"Nan Fulang? The storybook writer?" Shen Qinghe opened the dictionary and skimmed through it, immediately recognizing its value.

"Was this written by Nan Fulang, not compiled by Yuan Ting?" Shen Qinghe remarked, looking thoughtful. "This kind of ingenious idea seems like something Yuan Ting would come up with."

"The compiler is listed solely as Master Wuwei, but the proofreaders include Yuan Ting and others," Jiang Jinghuai explained. "Compiling so many characters must have taken a long time. Previously, Yuan Ting was busy with the imperial exams, and after arriving in Ji County, he was occupied with those flying machines and rain-making projects. He probably didn’t have time to compile a dictionary. Most likely, it was his idea, and Jin Geer completed it."

Shen Qinghe’s expression was inscrutable as he said, "This dictionary is brilliant. It's the kind of legacy scholars would kill for. Some would even murder to claim such glory. Only Yuan Ting would willingly give this credit to Nan Fulang."

"Honestly, I’m really curious whether Yuan Ting treats his husband so wholeheartedly because he’s inherently good to his spouse, or because it’s specifically Jin Geer," Jiang Jinghuai mused. "There’s no denying that Jin Geer is quite charming, but not enough to turn someone into a lovesick fool, right?"

Shen Qinghe offered no opinion on this. "I suppose the idea was Yuan Ting’s, and the compilation was done by Nan Fulang. The book is excellent, but no one here understands pinyin, radicals, or stroke orders. How are we supposed to learn? Did Yuan Ting send any teachers along?"

"No," Jiang Jinghuai replied. "He must be doing this on purpose. With his intellect, he wouldn’t overlook this—he’s definitely doing it deliberately. But why would he do that?"

After a brief pause, Shen Qinghe speculated, "Perhaps Yuan Ting wants Nan Fulang to come to Bianjing to teach?"

Jiang Jinghuai was taken aback before shaking his head in realization. "Yuan Ting really has no equal when it comes to Jin Geer. He’s trying to build Jin Geer’s reputation. If Jin Geer can come to the National Academy to teach pinyin, even for just seven days, his name will be etched into the scholarly world. He’ll have firmly established himself among the literati."

Jiang Jinghuai looked at Shen Qinghe. "Cousin, are you going to help with this?"

"Of course," Shen Qinghe smiled. "Didn’t you owe him a favor before? This is the perfect way to repay it. Besides, give-and-take keeps friendships strong."

Shen Qinghe was currently the Assistant Director of the Imperial Academy. With his recommendation and the name Nan Jinping had made for himself in the capital, the Rector of the National Academy personally wrote an invitation, asking Master Wuwei to honor them with a visit.

When Nan Jinping received the letter, he was over the moon.

"Wen Gu, the National Academy actually invited me to give lectures?" Nan Jinping was as happy as a child, spinning around.

Bing Wengu’s eyes were fixed on Nan Jinping, a smile playing on his lips. "Congratulations, my husband. Who cares if you started late? Even ten years of diligent study might not earn someone the chance to teach at the National Academy. It just shows how talented you are!"

Bing Wengu was very pleased with Jiang Jinghuai and Shen Qinghe’s perceptiveness. It made all the difference between volunteering to go and being invited.

"If you like it, then go." Nan Jinping wanted to fly, so Bing Wengu made him wings. "I'll send Cong Lin to protect you along the way."

When Nan Jinping arrived at the National Academy to lecture, the students were skeptical of him at first.

After all, literacy was the most basic skill for students studying at the National Academy. At their current level, there were few characters they didn’t know.

Thus, Nan Jinping’s teaching initially faced difficulties. Fortunately, he had learned many useful and less useful tricks from Bing Wengu. Moreover, he was not one to give up easily and soon found a way to turn things around.

That way was through historical debate.

Nan Jinping’s knowledge of history had been personally taught by Bing Wengu, whose own historical perspective built on the wisdom of giants. Many of his viewpoints and arguments were novel and refreshing. A single-day public debate at the National Academy proved electrifying, ending with Nan Jinping’s overwhelming victory—solidifying his standing in scholarly circles.

The Rector of the National Academy remarked, "I had previously heard that the Bing County Magistrate was utterly bewitched by his husband. I always wondered how a country boy Shuang Er from a village, even if he later learned a few characters and wrote some sensational storybooks, could captivate such a talented and distinguished figure."

During the debate, Nan Jinping showed no trace of timidity. Instead, he spoke with grace and confidence, shining brilliantly.

"It seems I was narrow-minded. The one who could capture Lord Bing’s heart is indeed no ordinary person. To have studied for only three years yet grasp such profound insights—such brilliance is rare even among the students of the National Academy. It seems I must reread Mr. Wuwei’s storybooks with a fresh perspective, abandoning my previous ridiculous notions."

"I’ve heard that Director Jiang shares a close friendship with Lord Bing. Might I have the honor of discussing history with Mr. Wuwei?" the Rector asked Jiang Jinghuai, but received no reply for a long while. Looking up, he saw Jiang Jinghuai staring, entranced, at the radiant Nan Jinping on stage. Glancing around, he noticed that nearly all the students were similarly spellbound.

The Rector shook his head with a smile. Young hearts chase beauty—had he been a few decades younger, he might have been just as captivated by Nan Jinping’s brilliance today.

Indeed, one who could enchant a man like Lord Bing was surely no ordinary person.