Testing Your Knowledge

The three waited outside for quite a while before the sound of the zither gradually ceased. The old man opened his eyes, seemingly savoring the lingering notes. Then he raised his head, noticing the three of them. His gaze first landed on Li Yanhao, then finally rested on Su Li.

The three of them bowed first, then Mr. Zhuge invited them into the pavilion to sit down.

Li Yanhao smiled and said, "Mr. Zhuge, the famous chef I mentioned to you the other day, I have invited her—this Lady Su beside me."

Mr. Zhuge had a long, white beard, and his brows carried the wisdom and world-weariness of one who had seen much. He smiled at Su Li and said, "I heard from the young master that the famous Serenity Vegetarian Bistro at Ten-Mile Slope is run by Lady Su. I imagine her culinary skills must be excellent."

Su Li quickly replied humbly, "I just know a bit about cooking, that's all."

Mr. Zhuge showed no particular reaction to Su Li's modesty. Li Yanhao quickly said, "Mr. Zhuge, why don't we wait here and try Lady Su's cooking?"

But Mr. Zhuge waved his hand and said, "I have an odd habit. When choosing a chef, besides excellent skills, they must also have knowledge. Only then will the dishes they make carry an elegant aura that delights the eater. Otherwise, it's just mediocre food, tasteless and dull. Here's the deal: I'll give Lady Su a question. If she can answer it, she may cook in the kitchen; if not, she must leave."

Su Li smiled faintly; so this so-called odd habit was like this.

Before Su Li could speak, Li Yanhao interjected, "Mr. Zhuge, Lady Su has never been to school. If you ask her questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, wouldn't that put her in a difficult position?"

Mr. Zhuge glanced at Li Yanhao without replying, then looked at Su Li and said, "Lady Su, this is my odd habit. If you want to cook for me, you must follow my rules. If you don't want to, then please leave."

Su Li thought that since she came for the academy, she had to find the right teacher. Although Mr. Zhuge had an odd habit, as Li Yanhao said, his disciples were indeed impressive. If she could really get his help, the academy's matters would be settled without worry.

So Su Li smiled easily, "Since we're all here, why not give it a try. Mr. Zhuge is a great scholar of our time, and he knows I'm just a country woman, so he wouldn't deliberately make things difficult by asking obscure, difficult questions. Otherwise, that wouldn't be testing knowledge, but just making things hard. With Mr. Zhuge's broad mind and character, he surely wouldn't want to be harsh to a country woman like me."

Su Li's words were cleverly non-committal. If Mr. Zhuge really asked the kind of questions for top scholars, she definitely wouldn't be able to answer. It was better to provoke him to lower the difficulty.

Mr. Zhuge frowned after hearing this, but then nodded and said, "You, little woman, are quite clever. Can you read?"

Su Li nodded, "I recognize a few characters."

Mr. Zhuge said, "A literate country woman, rare indeed, rare indeed. Here, take a look at this."

As Mr. Zhuge spoke, he took out a piece of paper from a wooden box beside him and was about to hand it to Su Li, when someone spoke from inside the room behind them, "Zhuge, that question was meant for me. How can you pass it to someone else to answer? If she can't answer, she should just admit defeat. Asking others for help is cheating!"

Su Li looked up in surprise towards the closed door of the room behind them. She hadn't expected anyone else to be inside, and the tone of the person speaking to Mr. Zhuge was not respectful at all, sounding more like a teacher scolding a student.