Who is the fool?

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Song Jingchen said, “A little rabbit has four legs, a little chicken has two legs. If you just hide two legs of the rabbit, then the number of legs of the chicken and rabbit become the same.”

“All right, now there are thirty-five heads, each head with only two legs counted. Count how many legs there are now; the missing legs must be the hidden rabbit legs. Each rabbit hides two legs. Count how many ‘two legs’ there are, and you will know how many rabbits there are.”

Everyone was silent.

It sounded so simple, even a three-year-old could do it.

Song Sanlang was puzzled.

The problem became so easy when it came to his son!

Then came a more difficult question.

It was Brother Chen who solved this problem, so—

Which of the two children should be accepted as a disciple by Master Chen the Great Scholar?

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Song Sanlang cleared his throat and spoke first, “There’s something I forgot to tell Mother. A few days ago, my son took Brother Chen to the Li residence. Old Master Li said he felt a great affinity with Brother Chen and wanted to introduce him to Master Xiao of the Xiao family as a disciple. So today, the Song family has double blessings. How about a celebration tonight?”

The Song family was speechless.

Who am I? Where am I? This must be a dream.

The rivalry between Chen in the south and Xiao in the north was so simply resolved by a little child named Brother Chen?

Wait, who said this child was foolish in the first place?

For the Song family, this was destined to be a sleepless night.

After the excitement died down, the moon rose high, its gentle light soaking into the watery night like a tender embrace.

The old lady lay in bed, unable to hold back her tears, which silently welled up. The pillow still seemed to carry the familiar scent of her husband:

“Miss, please don’t blame me for my abruptness.”

“My lady, don’t be like that fierce woman from Hedong. Your husband apologizes to you.”

“My lady, I’m sorry. I’m leaving this mess of the Song family to you...”

“Zhu’er, I was selfish in this life, deliberately provoking you first. If there’s... if there’s a next life, wait for me in the same place. No one else shall look at you or speak a word. Just wait only for your husband. Do you... do you remember this?”

Her soul was lost, only dreams remained. Except for the moon in the sky, no one knew.

...

The following morning, Song Jingrui woke up with dark circles under his eyes. After a night of thought, he finally made his decision: a true man must know what to do and what not to do.

The child sat at the table, carefully grinding ink, then retrieved the letter to return to Master Chen, solemnly adding a sentence at the end: “Jingrui is slow-witted and unable to understand, failing to meet your expectations. This problem was solved by my younger brother, Jingchen.”

The letter was soon sent to the Chen residence.

Master Chen, whose name was Chen Yan’an.

He was the grandson of Chen Yong, the renowned founding minister of the Great Xia dynasty, a prodigy who passed the imperial examination at twenty-four. He served successively as deputy minister of personnel, deputy minister of revenue, and minister of rites, deeply trusted by the emperor. When he retired, the emperor repeatedly urged him to stay.

Not to mention his noble character, his scholarship spanned classics, history, philosophy, poetry, and prose. His background and connections alone attracted countless students.

But Chen Yan’an detested people using connections to force students upon him. He never intended to accept Song Jingrui. The puzzle he casually threw out, which no six-year-old could solve, was just to maintain face with the Marquis of Yongchang’s household.

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Unexpectedly, he was pleasantly surprised. The solution given by the younger brother was remarkably similar to his own, but the child’s approach was more straightforward and accessible. Simply saying to hide the extra two legs of the rabbit directly hit the key to the problem. Hearing his explanation, even those unfamiliar with mathematics could grasp the reasoning.

The younger brother’s rare talent was thrilling to behold; the elder brother’s steadfast character at such a young age was equally admirable. At once, Chen Yan’an wrote a personal letter, expressing his intention to visit in person.

When the invitation arrived at the Song household, the entire family was stunned.

These past few days felt like a dream. It was too unreal—had their ancestral tomb caught fire every day? It was eerie.

So eerie that the whole family didn’t even know how to feel—dizzy, lost in a fog.

Only Song Jingrui knew that Master Chen was coming for the younger brother. While happy for him, he also felt a hint of sadness and jealousy. He was used to being the center of the family’s praise, but suddenly discovered the smartest one was actually his brother. It hurt.

Song Jingchen naturally assumed Master Chen was there for his elder brother. Well, it didn’t stop him from eating pastries—Uncle Li’s pastries were especially delicious, particularly the glutinous rice cakes filled with red bean paste.

“Brother, here, this is the last piece. Let’s split it in half,” Song Jingchen said, holding half a cake and feeding it to his brother.

Song Jingrui’s eyes reddened. “You solved that problem, but they say it was me. Aren’t you angry?”

Song Jingchen, chewing the cake, casually replied, “Why should I be angry?”

Annoyed by his brother’s nonchalance and focus only on eating, Song Jingrui pinched his little ear. “You glutton, all you think about is eating.”

Song Jingchen said, “So you study hard, grow up to be a high official, and make me the official little brother.”

Song Jingrui said, “Why don’t you study hard and become a high official yourself?”

Song Jingchen replied, “I love food so much. If someone bribes me with good food, should I accept or not? If I don’t accept, I feel bad; if I do, it’s not enjoyable. Why would I want to be an official if it’s so miserable?”

Song Jingrui laughed at his brother’s words, “You even know the word ‘bribe’? You must have heard it from a storyteller.”

Song Jingchen blinked. “Brother, when you grow up, will you be an honest official or a corrupt one?”

Without hesitation, Song Jingrui said, “Of course, an upright official who pleads for the people. A parent official. Would I become the despised corrupt official?”

Song Jingchen poured cold water on him. “But storytellers say emperors prefer corrupt officials.”

Song Jingrui frowned. “Only foolish emperors like corrupt officials. Wise emperors don’t.”

Song Jingchen asked, “What if you meet a foolish emperor?”

Song Jingrui was speechless.

Song Jingchen said, “I have a solution.”

“What solution?”

“Just change the emperor.”

Song Jingrui was speechless.

Master Chen’s visit was a huge event for the Song family. The old lady mobilized the whole household to clean rooms and the courtyard, preparing everything for the reception.

Song Erlang, worried the women might overlook something, took two days off to help. When requesting leave, he worried Master Chen might disapprove, so he kept the family’s good news secret from his colleagues.

Madam Wang from the main house silently brought her nephew, who was studying, to the Song residence. Song Dalang scolded her lightly for being unclear-headed but was too embarrassed to actually send him away.

Madam Wang smiled silently, saying she didn’t think much—just wanting to give her nephew a chance to broaden his horizons.

Song Dalang saw the boy was well-behaved and didn’t question further.

But the old lady was furious and summoned Madam Wang to her room.

Madam Wang entered hesitantly and saw the old lady sitting coldly, making her nervous. The old lady was normally gentle, and in all these years she had never seen her mother-in-law angry.

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“You’re here,” Madam Wang said.

“Madam, kneel down.”

Madam Wang was stunned.

“How come your mother-in-law can’t make you kneel?”

“I dare not,” Madam Wang kneeled before the old lady with a wronged expression.

The old lady said, “Don’t feel wronged. I didn’t punish you publicly to spare your dignity as the eldest madam.”

After a pause, she continued, “Do you know why I want you to kneel?”

Madam Wang tried to explain, “I meant no harm. My nephew has admired Master Chen for a long time. I thought this would be a good opportunity for him to see the world.”

The old lady snorted, “That excuse might fool the eldest son, but don’t try to play the pity card on me. We are women together. Wanting to help your relatives is not wrong, but your mistake was not understanding what’s important.”

“If our Jingrui becomes Master Chen’s disciple, over time, with their bond, with Jingrui’s connections, how could it be hard for your nephew to get a chance to show up? If your nephew impresses Master Chen, mutual support among relatives benefits all. I would gladly see it happen. But what you did?”

“You couldn’t hold yourself back. You stirred trouble at the crucial moment when Jingrui was becoming a disciple.”

“Let me ask you—if your nephew offends Master Chen, who benefits? Your Wang family or my Song family? Would the second son’s family not come after you? Could the relationship between Dalang and Erlang remain good?”

“Even if you don’t think about the Song family, have you considered Maoge and Sister Zhu? Do you think it would benefit Sister Zhu more if it were the Song family rising, or if your Wang family were negotiating her marriage?”

The old lady’s words chilled Madam Wang to the bone. She collapsed, realizing the foolishness of her actions.

“Do you feel wronged by my punishment?”

Madam Wang bowed deeply, choking with tears, “I was careless and almost made a big mistake. I know my fault.”

Seeing her sincere remorse, the old lady spoke earnestly, “It’s good to know your mistake. You were the first to marry into the Song family and are the eldest daughter-in-law. You are different from the others. The second son’s family lacks your tact, and the third son’s family is even worse. I am old, and this family still depends on you. How could you act so rashly and be so unclear?”

The old lady appealed to her emotions and reason, making Madam Wang utterly ashamed, weeping and repenting.

When she felt it was enough, the old lady said, “Enough. You’re nearly forty and have worked hard to care for the eldest son and the children these years. You kneeling here doesn’t ease my heart. Go back and think carefully on what I said.”

Madam Wang clung to the old lady’s leg, crying “Mother.” It was sincere.

The old lady was deeply moved. Among her three unworthy sons, if even one had followed her or Yulang, she wouldn’t have had to worry so much. Fortunately, after hardship comes sweetness—the two little grandsons made her proud!

In the second house, Song Jingchen was also crying. The cause was that Song Sanlang accidentally stepped on and killed his “general.” The child was heartbroken; Song Sanlang had no choice but to go out half the night to catch crickets.

At Jingchen’s age, fantasy and reality easily blurred. He was afraid of ghosts and dared not go out at night, but he had to supervise his father to catch an identical cricket. Song Sanlang carried him on his back.

Jingchen lay on his father’s broad shoulder. “Dad, why don’t you catch two?”

Song Sanlang didn’t want to catch even one. “Isn’t one enough for you to play with?”

Jingchen said, “I want to find it a companion, just like you and Mom. Then they can happily play every day. They can play by day and maybe have a little general at night.”

Song Sanlang was speechless.

Jingchen asked, “Dad, why do little kids sneak into adults’ beds at night? What happens if they’re caught?”