Chapter 1053: This Kid's Sharp
Sun Chuanting was incredibly frustrated. He didn't want to abandon the military academy he had built from scratch, yet he knew he had to take the position of Shaanxi Governor.
He understood perfectly how crucial Shaanxi was to the Heavenly Lord. It was the cradle of a new era, a revolutionary base, a liberated zone rooted in pure ideology.
If he didn't assume the role of Shaanxi Governor, Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, might impulsively appoint some baffling official, which would only lead to further struggles against the imperial court and unnecessary trouble.
As he was brooding, Padi Tu sneaked out from a corner of the training grounds, moving with a suspicious, furtive air.
"Padi Tu, what mischief are you up to now?" Sun Chuanting called out, annoyed.
"Huh?" Padi Tu jumped, startled, and immediately snapped to attention, hiding his hands behind his back. "I wasn't doing anything."
Sun Chuanting ordered, "Hands in front."
Padi Tu coughed. "Ugh, I've got this ailment where if I put my hands in front of me, I'll, you know, die."
Sun Chuanting countered, "Then turn 180 degrees and face away from me."
Fine, he knew he couldn't hide it any longer. He reluctantly brought his hands forward.
Sun Chuanting peered closer. In Padi Tu's hands was a book, its cover emblazoned with large characters: "Huashan Sword Techniques."
Sun Chuanting was greatly surprised. "There's actually such a thing in the world?"
Padi Tu puffed out his chest. "This rabbit managed to find it after a long search! I scoured many bookstores and finally located it tucked away in a dusty corner of a tiny, rundown shop. Just judging by how well it was hidden, you know it's a superb secret manual. Once mastered, I'll surely be invincible, my sword shattering the heavens!"
Sun Chuanting's curiosity was genuinely piqued. "Let me see it."
Padi Tu handed him the book.
Sun Chuanting flipped it open casually, glancing first at the author's name: Gao Sanwa.
An oddly awkward silence filled the air.
"Didn't you even bother to look inside before buying it?" Sun Chuanting roared, furious. "This isn't a sword manual at all! It's a comic book, telling the story of a Huashan sword master's chivalrous deeds. It has absolutely nothing to do with sword techniques!"
Padi Tu uttered, "Huh?"
He quickly flipped it open himself. He hadn't realized before, but sure enough, it was indeed a story written by Gao Sanwa.
With a thud, Padi Tu collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball of utter dejection.
Sun Chuanting let out a long sigh. "Everyone has their dreams and their troubles, don't they? Ah, well."
Padi Tu, surprised, asked, "Principal, you seem to be bothered by something?"
Sun Chuanting replied, "The imperial court has appointed me Shaanxi Governor. If I take office, the Yellow Pole Military Academy will be in trouble."
Padi Tu chuckled. "Oh, is that all? Why don't you just open another Yellow Pole Military Academy campus in Xi'an? And for the Puzhou campus, you can just find another sub-principal later!"
Padi Tu's words were a revelation. Sun Chuanting couldn't help but let out a wry laugh. "You're right! It can be done that way. It's true, when it's your own problem, you can't see the solution, but for others, it seems so simple."
Padi Tu sprang to his feet. "Then I can go to Xi'an with Principal Sun too! Hehehe, I quite like Xi'an."
Sun Chuanting looked at him, puzzled.
Padi Tu declared, "I'm not boasting, but I once served as the Grand Steward of Xi'an, personally appointed by the Heavenly Lord! Hahahaha."
Sun Chuanting gasped, as if a cool wind had suddenly hit him. "You? You were capable of being a steward?"
Sun Chuanting truly struggled to comprehend this.
Yet, it wasn't long before Sun Chuanting, accompanied by Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi, arrived in Xi'an to take up his new post. Only then did he truly understand: Padi Tu was, surprisingly, a remarkably popular figure in Xi'an. As they walked the streets, impoverished folk would frequently bow to him and offer greetings.
Even a richly dressed merchant, clearly a man of means, bowed deeply to Padi Tu. "Padi Tu, you're back in Xi'an! It's been too long, I've missed you greatly."
Padi Tu laughed heartily. "Well, well, you've made it big, haven't you? Back then, you were begging for scraps by the roadside, and now you're dressed so finely."
The merchant bowed respectfully. "It was all thanks to you, Padi Tu, for giving me those three copper coins. I used them to fill my belly, gained strength, found work, saved up, and then started a small business. I finally pulled through, and now my business is growing, steadily on track. Everything I have today is thanks to your benevolence, Padi Tu. Since I've met you here today, I absolutely must treat you to a good meal."
The merchant, overflowing with enthusiasm, ushered Padi Tu, Sun Chuanting, and Zheng Gouzi to the top floor of Xi'an's grandest restaurant. As soon as they were seated, he declared, "Bring us your newest seafood set menu!"
"Seafood?" Sun Chuanting's face was a mask of utter bewilderment. "Did I hear that right? This is Xi'an! How can there possibly be seafood here?"
The merchant smiled. "It's a recent development. I heard the Heavenly Lord had it brought back from the coast on great ships; it's truly remarkable. A simple meal for the four of us, even then, would cost at least a hundred taels of silver."
Padi Tu gasped. "That expensive? I only gave you three copper coins back then, and now you're treating me to a hundred tael meal? I can't possibly accept!"
"Please, don't say that," the merchant replied. "If you hadn't given me those three copper coins back then, I'd have starved to death. How could I have what I have today? You absolutely must not be polite with me. Waiter, quickly, bring the dishes!"
The waiter acknowledged with a crisp "Yes, sir!" and hurried off to prepare.
Hearing all this, Sun Chuanting couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Who would have thought? A man like Padi Tu, and yet he found people everywhere who were grateful for his kindness. How many people had he truly helped here back then? This prosperous merchant was just one example.
Just as he was contemplating this, figures stirred at the stairwell, and another group of guests began ascending to the top floor.
Surprisingly, it was three children. The eldest could be called a young man, a Han Chinese, dressed in simple, understated clothes made of excellent fabric, clearly from a well-off family but not ostentatious.
The other two children were younger, and their traditional Mongolian attire made it clear they were not Han Chinese.
Sun Chuanting uttered a soft "Oh?" to himself.
The eldest child immediately recognized Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi and greeted them with a smile: "Ah, Uncle Tu, Uncle Gouzi, are you two also dining here?"
Padi Tu responded, "Who are you?"
"It's me!" the boy chirped. "The 'Handsome Enough to Bubble'—son of the 'Rich as Oil' man!"
Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi exchanged a glance, both thinking: *We're not even that familiar with Liu You, so why is this kid calling us 'uncle' the moment he arrives?*
Liu Maopao, with a completely familiar air, quickly sidled over. "What great luck to run into Uncle Tu and Uncle Gouzi here! Why don't we share a table? Oh, and who are these two gentlemen?"
Sun Chuanting stated, "I am Sun Chuanting."
"Ah?" Liu Maopao gasped, genuinely astonished. "So you're Principal Sun of the Yellow Pole Military Academy! My sincerest apologies, sir. Uncle Sun, this junior had no idea I'd encounter you here today and came unprepared with a gift. It's truly inexcusable! I'll certainly visit your residence another day to offer my apologies, and I'll bring you the finest wool sweater from our factory."
Sun Chuanting thought to himself: *This kid, he latched right on! What a sharp youngster.*
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