Chapter 282: Everyone Needs Mathematics
Before long, Song Yingxing arrived at the school gates.
Looking in from the main entrance, a vast sports field stretched out, a sight that immediately lifted one's spirits.
He was about to step inside when a sharp voice boomed from the gatehouse: “Who are you? What business do you have at this school?”
Song Yingxing startled, turning to see a burly man glaring at him.
It turned out this man was the school's “security guard.” Li Daoxuan took the children's safety very seriously. Instead of hiring an old man for security, he had chosen a strong, capable man who could handle any trouble that arose, unlike an elder.
Song Yingxing cupped his hands. “I am Song Yingxing, from Fengxin County, Jiangxi. I have come to the Gao Family Village School seeking knowledge.”
The burly man exclaimed, “Ah? So it's Master Song! The Heavenly Lord instructed that Master Song is welcome to visit freely. Please come in. You may enter and exit any classroom or the library as you wish, but... it would be best not to enter or exit classrooms while children are having lessons.”
Song Yingxing questioned, “Huh? The Heavenly Lord? Who is that?”
The burly man chuckled, “You’ll find out in due time.”
Stepping inside the school, Song Yingxing was immediately astonished by the five-story teaching building. What kind of engineering allowed for such a massive structure to reach five stories high? Wasn't there a fear of collapse?
He hurried into the building, forcefully knocking on a wall twice. He immediately felt its incredible solidity; the structure was unshakeable. Any thought of collapse was utterly misplaced.
This architectural skill was extraordinary! He resolved to study it thoroughly later.
He then made his way to the first classroom.
This was the first room on the first floor of the teaching building, with a small sign on the classroom door: 'First Grade, Class One.'
Song Yingxing glanced inside. A large group of children sat upright and attentive, listening to a teacher deliver an introductory lesson on the *Three Character Classic*.
Song Yingxing nodded, thinking: *This school is truly impressive.*
He continued walking: First Grade, Class Two; First Grade, Class Three; First Grade, Class Four...
The lessons were largely similar.
But when he reached First Grade, Class Five, he immediately sensed something was off. Standing at the lectern was a child who looked only twelve or thirteen, and a girl at that.
This young lady, following the Heavenly Lord’s command, was imparting divine knowledge by teaching the children “Mathematics.”
Pointing to the number 5, she instructed, “This is five. Remember it clearly: five!”
The children chanted in unison, “Five!”
Peeking from outside the door, Song Yingxing mused inwardly: *Hmm? I’ve seen this symbol before! Last night, at the noodle shop, wasn't it?*
When a child helped the noodle shop owner with his accounts, he had drawn this very symbol on paper. So, this symbol meant five! His feet suddenly felt rooted to the spot. He remained outside the door, secretly listening to the young lady’s lesson.
First-grade mathematics truly was easy to grasp. After listening for only a short while, he recognized all the Arabic numerals and learned the symbols for addition and subtraction. The calculations Gao Sanwa had listed at the noodle shop last night immediately came back to him. Running them through his mind, he had a sudden realization: “So that’s how it is!”
This so-called “Mathematics” was, in fact, a remarkably convenient way of calculating.
Using these things called “Arabic numerals,” complex problems could be simplified. For instance, three thousand two hundred thirty-two plus thirty-two could now be written as 3232+32—instantly clear and incredibly easy to calculate. This was a treasure; he had to learn it.
Song Yingxing was happily engrossed in his secret learning when break time arrived. The young lady needed a short rest before heading to another class to teach mathematics. With a giggle, she announced, “Class dismissed!” and promptly dashed out of the classroom.
The students, too, stretched and immediately relaxed.
Song Yingxing murmured, “Oh?”
He hadn't had his fill of secret learning yet.
It wasn't enough, far from it.
Then he suddenly recalled Young Master Bai mentioning a library—that there was a library in this school where one could learn all knowledge.
He wouldn't have to slowly eavesdrop on lessons one by one this way.
He quickly started running through the teaching building, searching everywhere. Nothing on the first floor, nor the second. No luck on the third or fourth either. Song Yingxing then dashed up to the fifth floor...
On the staircase between the fourth and fifth floors, he encountered a scholar. It was Zhao Sheng, also known as Dian Dengzi, who was gasping for breath as he climbed the stairs. Seeing Song Yingxing race past him like a blur, the scholar urgently wheezed, “Bro... brother... pull... pull me up... please... I... I truly can’t... climb to the fifth floor...”
Song Yingxing, startled by the scholar’s near-collapsing state, quickly lent a hand and pulled him up to the fifth floor.
Zhao Sheng panted, “Hah... Thank... thank you... brother... I thought... I was going to... to die on the fourth floor...”
Song Yingxing thought: *How utterly useless are you?*
But that thought remained unvoiced, as it would have been impolite. Aloud, he inquired, “I am currently searching for the library. Might you be able to point me in the right direction, brother?”
Zhao Sheng replied, “Fron... front... the... fifth... door...”
Song Yingxing exclaimed, “Many thanks!”
He quickly rushed to the library. Inside, rows upon rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged, laden with all sorts of books: the *Three Character Classic*, the *Hundred Family Surnames*, the *Analects*, the *Great Learning*, the *Doctrine of the Mean*...
Song Yingxing wasn’t interested in these; he quickly scanned past them. On the second row of bookshelves, he finally found what he was looking for: *Elementary Math*, a full twelve volumes neatly lined up. Next came *Middle School Physics*, six volumes side-by-side, followed by *Middle School Chemistry*, another six volumes...
Song Yingxing picked up a physics book and flipped it open, instantly overjoyed. “Gravity... I’ve long sensed this phenomenon, but never had such a detailed concept... Mass, *hiss*? Confound it, calculating mass requires learning mathematics. Gears, it talks about gears here! Blast, I need to learn mathematics again... Buoyancy and weight, oh? Still need to learn mathematics!”
He rapidly thumbed through the physics book, realizing that at least nine out of ten topics were related to mathematics. Without having learned mathematics yet, he couldn’t even properly understand the various symbols.
Song Yingxing then casually grabbed a chemistry book and flipped it open: “Properties of matter, changes, processes of change, and their phenomena... Our laboring people began manufacturing bronze artifacts in the Shang Dynasty, and started smelting iron and steel in the Spring and Autumn period...”
“Hahaha! How fascinating! This is precisely what I want to learn!”
He took a closer look...
“*Thump!*”
He slumped to the ground, defeated. *Orz*, he had to learn mathematics *again*.
“*Tap, tap, tap!*”
Someone gently knocked on the nearby desk. Song Yingxing looked up and saw the same scholar who had nearly collapsed climbing the stairs. He seemed to have caught his breath now, offering Song Yingxing a smile. “Master Song, there’s no need to despair. The Heavenly Lord said,
“These subjects might be difficult for ordinary people, but for you, it’s no challenge at all. With your intelligence, learning them will be as quick as a blink.”
Song Yingxing snapped his head up. “You are?”
Zhao Sheng replied, “I am Zhao Sheng, the vice-principal of this school.”
Comments