Volume 3: Heavenly Tribulation Chapter 87: Book Fool

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  After entering the prosperous Suzhou city, Wang Fu was still in shock and exclaimed that it was unlucky to encounter a snake in the middle of winter, especially one as enormous and terrifying as this.

  When things go against the norm, there must be evil at work.

  He specially asked Chen Jianchen many times whether the snake had become a demon, and Chen Jianchen only vaguely replied that he was not very clear about it either.

  He indeed didn't dare to be certain.

  Or, even if he did, what's the point? In the current situation, it's impossible for him to go over mountains and cross rivers to catch monsters. It's just unknown whether the government will ask someone capable to take action, they should probably follow the usual practice of posting a notice and offering a reward, similar to asking people to go up the mountain to fight tigers.

  Entering Suzhou, he found an inn to stay in and settled down. However, on the same night, for some unknown reason, Wang Fu suddenly developed a high fever. The servants hastily went out to invite a doctor, who diagnosed and prescribed medicine, saying that he would need to rest for two days to fully recover.

  Just arrived at the destination and such an accident occurred, Wang Fu was so sad that he wanted to cry but had no tears. The plan to go out with Chen Jianchen could only be put on hold for the time being.

  However, he couldn't move around much. Chen Jianchen was restless and after saying a few words to Wang Fu, he walked out of the inn alone, planning to take a stroll around and get a feel for the local customs and people.

  Suzhou Prefecture is much larger than Jiangzhou, and even more prosperous. Even in the cold winter, the streets are still bustling with people coming and going. The city is filled with pavilions, towers, and small bridges over flowing water, giving off a delicate and charming atmosphere reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan. If it were to be on a sunny day in March, with light rain falling from the sky, walking through the streets and alleys with an oil-paper umbrella would be even more delightful.

  "In books there are golden houses, in books there are jade maidens..."

  Suddenly, a loud reading voice came from the front. When I fixed my eyes on it, it was a man wearing an old blue Confucian shirt, holding a book in his hand, walking and shaking his head while reading, as if no one else existed, completely immersed in it, without paying attention to other people's gaze and opinions.

  The weather was cold, but he wore thin clothes. The shoes on his left foot were broken with a small hole, and one of his big toes was exposed. He looked very shabby.

  "Look, Bookworm is out again..."

  "It's really pitiful, I heard that after winter arrived, his family even ran out of food, poor his old mother..."

  "What can be done? He has read books to the point of stupidity. It is said that the books in his family's collection could be sold for a lot of silver, but he would rather starve than sell them."

  "Hehe, otherwise how can you be called a bookworm? Those books were all left behind by his father, he loves them as much as his life, let alone sell, even others touching them is not allowed."

  Everyone on the street pointed at the disheveled man, discussing and gossiping. Some shook their heads in dismay, some pitied him, while others looked down on him.

  Listening to these rumors, Chen Jianchen felt quite curious and inquired about it. Upon inquiry, he indeed found out that there was a "top-notch" scholar.

  His surname was Zhang, his name was Yun, and his courtesy name was Yuzhu. He was a native of Suzhou and came from a family of scholars. His ancestors had held official positions as high as that of governor, but because they were honest officials, the wealth had been passed down through generations, leaving only a house full of books.

  Zhang Huanyu had read a lot of books and was able to write excellent articles. At the age of 18, he obtained the title of Xiucai. Every year, he participated in the imperial examination, and his name was always among the top ones. However, he was unfortunate with his writings, and despite participating in several provincial examinations, his name was never on the list, and he was unable to pass the imperial examination.

  His father died early, and he was dependent on an elderly mother who had no labor ability. He himself had no business ability, and the family situation became poorer year by year. In the end, everything was sold out, leaving only a house full of books. Life became more and more difficult, almost to the point where they couldn't even afford three meals a day.

  If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely think of ways to make money if their life was difficult. Zhang Youyu was a scholar and if he put his mind to it, making money would be relatively easy. But he was different, never leaving the house, almost always staying at home reading books, studying day and night without stopping, regardless of winter or summer. He didn't even seek marriage, and when relatives or guests came to visit, after exchanging a few words, he would push them aside, pick up a book, and read aloud.

  In such a situation, where can those guests sit? Hurry up and slap your buttocks and leave.

  Actually, Zhang Wenyuan didn't have his heart set on passing the imperial examination and becoming an official. Instead, he deeply believed in the famous ancient poem: "In books there are thousands of bushels of grain, in books there are houses made of gold, in books there are beauties like jade!"

  He was so convinced because of a past experience. Once, while he was reading, a strong gust of wind blew by and blew away one of his books. Zhang Yun rushed to chase after it, but unexpectedly the book fell into an underground cellar where there were rotten weeds. When they dug it up, they found many rotten grains that had long been inedible - this place turned out to be an ancient grain storage site.

  However, Zhang Huanyu immediately determined that the book was spiritual and led him to this cellar, verifying the famous saying "There are thousands of grains in the book".

  Another time, when he was cleaning up his ancestral collection of books, on the thirty-eighth page of an ancient book, he found a beautiful portrait of a woman cut out from brocade.

  The portrait is cut very evenly and exquisitely, with brush and ink depicting the appearance of clothing, eyebrows and eyes are vividly lifelike, as if they were about to come alive.

  Zhang Huanyu saw it and was both shocked and delighted. He immediately thought of the phrase "the book has its own Yan Ruyu". As he looked at it, he became infatuated with it in an instant.

  From then on, he put the painting of the beauty on his desk every day, admiring it with great relish, to the point of "forgetting sleep and food". At night, he often dreamed of meeting the beauty, entwining in love, and couldn't help but feel a deep infatuation...

  Zhang Huanyin's elderly mother saw him as if he had gone mad, and no matter how she advised him, he wouldn't listen, so she could only sigh. Moreover, the old lady had to go out with a cane every day, beg for food on the street, and bring back some meals for her over-30-year-old son to eat.

  The common saying "white-haired people send black-haired people" is a great sorrow in the world of human relationships. How about "white-haired people raising black-haired people"?

  What kind of helplessness and sorrow is this!

  Upon hearing this, Chen Jianchen felt a few points of indignation: Take Zhang Huanyu for example, even if he has read through countless books, what's the use? He can't do academic work, he can't manage businesses, he can't accomplish anything practical, and at 60 or 70 years old, his mother still has to support him. It's simply like being a parasite, completely useless.

  Huh?

  Chen Jianchen suddenly had an epiphany, savoring the nearly absurd little story he had heard, and suddenly thought: Could it be that the portrait of a lady hidden in the ancient book has gained spiritual energy and become a demon? That's why it haunted Zhang Huanyu every night, confusing his mind.

  It's not impossible that animals become monsters, plants become spirits, stones can turn into strange things, so it's also very possible for a painting of a beautiful woman to become a spirit.

  Thinking of this, Chen Jianchen quickened his pace and followed that summons - he had already made up his mind to take charge of the matter!