Chapter 30: It’s Hard to Be a Good Person

The rain in Kaifeng had stopped, but the dark clouds over the city still lingered; the breaches in the river dikes had finally been sealed, yet the water inside the city had not receded; a few looters had been beheaded, but many more still roamed the streets, turning what was in your pockets into what was in theirs… In short, the biggest difficulties had passed, and the officials of Xiangfu County, Kaifeng Prefecture, the Henan Provincial Administration, the Henan Military Command, and various other offices could finally get a good night’s sleep.

Zhang Yue was very grateful to Mu Ning, a captain of the Jinyiwei. Despite his innocent-looking face, Mu Ning had gone to great lengths to extract information from a low-ranking official, revealing the kind of scoundrels who intended to commit evil deeds. This made Zhang Yue feel uneasy and also made him understand a truth: in times of prosperity, those from noble families may enjoy great glory, but in certain situations, their status makes them targets—those very people who relied on him for sustenance not only wanted to plunder the grain stores of the Daxiangguo Temple but also planned to kidnap him to extort money from the Zhang family. His safety these days could not be attributed merely to luck.

After finishing the ten calligraphy practice sheets assigned by Du Zhen, Zhang Yue rubbed his sore wrists and suddenly asked Amber beside him, without any apparent reason, “Amber, do you miss home?”

Amber raised her head in surprise, then casually lowered her eyelids again and said softly, “Young master, I no longer have a home.”

Only then did Zhang Yue remember that Amber came from a guilty official family, and the word “family” was her greatest pain. Yet he paid no attention to the momentary weakness and sadness she showed and instead turned to Qiuhen, asking the same question.

“Of course I miss home,” Qiuhen replied. She wasn’t a thoughtful person, and since others would report on Zhang Yue’s well-being, it was impossible for her to care about the servants of the Zhang family. Her heart was already in turmoil, so she blurted out, “Young master, could you send someone back to check on them? I’m really worried about them.”

“Mm, I’ll have Master Peng go and take a look tomorrow.”

“What do you mean, ‘take a look’?”

Hearing a voice from outside, Zhang Yue looked up and saw Du Zhen. He quickly suppressed all his thoughts and stood up to greet him. Only then did he notice a cold-faced young man with familiar features behind Du Zhen. Observing the two men, who seemed to be cut from the same mold, he felt puzzled.

Could it be that Mr. Du is interested in taking on another disciple? At that moment, Amber and Qiuhen exchanged a glance and quietly stepped aside. Gu Bin turned his head to look at Du Zhen, who gestured for him to speak first. So, Gu Bin bowed solemnly to Zhang Yue and said, “I heard that the water in the southwest part of the city has gradually receded. I plan to go home with my parents. Thanks to you over these past ten days or so, my parents and I were able to stay at Daxiangguo Temple. I, Gu Bin, am deeply grateful for your kindness.”

Faced with such straightforward words, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned. Having seen Gu Bin every day these past few days, he had somewhat gotten used to the boy’s awkward demeanor. He quickly helped the man, who was still bowing deeply, up and said with a smile, “If we’re talking about helping, you also did me a great favor that day on the road. There’s no need to be so formal now. We’re not only cousins but also classmates—why be so polite?”

If it had been the usual Gu Bin, he would likely have stormed off at such an indifferent tone from a wealthy young master. But after observing Zhang Yue’s actions these past days, he gradually realized that it wasn’t anyone else but himself who was good for nothing. Seeing Zhang Yue’s usual smiling face, he couldn’t help but recall the reminder from the school earlier.

So, he broke free from Zhang Yue’s hand, gritted his teeth, and quickly bowed, saying, “Your reminder last time was truly valuable advice. I will surely keep it in mind. From now on, even if I remain poor, I will never engage in such dishonorable acts again!”

Zhang Yue didn’t expect to provoke such a response from Gu Bin. He was stunned until the man left. Then, he helplessly shook his head. Turning around, he found Du Zhen staring at him thoughtfully.

Now that he understood how complicated Mr. Du’s thoughts were, he didn’t ask why Du Zhen had come with Gu Bin. Instead, he went straight to get the ten copybooks he had written in and handed them neatly to Du Zhen. Seeing Mr. Du examine each copybook carefully, he was relieved that he had some talent for reading and writing in this life. At least compared to his messy handwriting before, his progress was significant.

“Not bad.”

Receiving this concise two-word evaluation, Zhang Yue breathed a huge sigh of relief. Yet what followed was by no means an easy test, as Du Zhen began firing questions about classical texts one after another. Although it was only the Analects and The Book of Rites, he found it extremely difficult to cope. By the time he finally managed to hold on, his forehead was covered in beads of sweat.

“Do you know about the incident of distributing porridge at the Daxiangguo Temple this time? Where exactly did you go wrong in your thinking and actions?”

Zhang Yue, who was quietly wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, froze for a moment before suddenly realizing that Du Zhen, though seemingly indifferent these past few days, might have been observing every move he made. His already sweaty body felt even hotter, his scalp tingled, and his limbs grew cold.

Swallowing hard, he carefully replied, “Sir, I was too presumptuous in my thinking and actions. I thought that mere kindness and benefits would be enough to satisfy everyone.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Du Zhen’s eyes shining as if he had gained deep insights. While feeling uneasy, he heard Du Zhen suddenly burst into an unusually loud laugh before finally speaking calmly.

“It’s already quite good that you, at such a young age, can think to that extent. You’re not blindly well-intentioned, nor are you heartless like some members of noble families. In the future, just remember not to be presumptuous. Everyone says studying is difficult, but they don’t realize that being a person is harder, being a good person is even harder, and being a good person whom others trust is the hardest of all.”

Seeing Du Zhen close his fan meaningfully, Zhang Yue hurriedly nodded, finally feeling relieved—after all, it seemed that Mr. Du appreciated him and didn’t see him as a monster. Just as he was thinking about whether to take the opportunity to ask how Du Zhen would handle today’s situation, Peng Shisan’s loud voice came from outside.

“Young master, young master! Someone is here to see you!”