TATSD Chapter 100

Two days later, Zhang Xiaoman, unable to bear the disdainful looks and idle gossip from the students at the academy, took the initiative to request a withdrawal from school. The headmaster, wishing to eliminate any negative influence at the academy, naturally agreed.

However, before Zhang Xiaoman left, the headmaster took the time to offer him some advice and presented him with a calligraphy piece, urging him to be upright in his conduct and to remember not to stray onto the wrong path.

After Zhang Xiaoman’s departure, the incident was still discussed for a couple of days.

But once the main subject was gone, the matter gradually faded away, and no one mentioned it anymore.

After the incident involving Zhang Xiaoman’s theft, Liu Chengyin was concerned and frequently visited Liu Yimian’s dormitory to check on him, bringing along little snacks he had bought outside and often discussing schoolwork with him. The long-standing rift between the two brothers slowly closed, and it felt as if they had returned to their youth.

One day, Liu Chengyin came to visit Liu Yimian again. He held a book in his hands and sat down at the desk to quiz Liu Yimian on his studies. Suddenly, he caught sight of someone standing in the doorway, which startled him; upon closer inspection, he realized it was a familiar face.

“Lin Tai, Wen Xuan, why are you two standing at the door?” Ever since Wen Xuan returned to the county school, he had been seen daily with Lin Tai and Ji Baoshan. Lin Tai, worried that Wen Xuan couldn’t afford the hefty tuition and dormitory fees, insisted that they live together, claiming they could take care of one another.

Wen Xuan couldn’t refuse Lin Tai, so he moved into his room, paid half of the expenses, and often came to see Liu Yimian. Now seeing Liu Chengyin present, Wen Xuan smiled awkwardly.

“Liu Ge, sorry to intrude.”

“It’s no trouble. Did you come to see Erdi for something?” Liu Chengyin put down his book and looked at Liu Yimian.

The latter smacked his forehead in regret, feeling guilty as he said, “Brother, it’s my fault.”

“What fault do you have?”

“I had planned to go with Wen Xuan, Lin Tai, and Baoshan to the shop of Master Lin in town to browse some new books, but I completely forgot.” Master Lin was the owner of a bookstore on Yongle Street where they often visited together to buy books, taking turns reading them.

“That’s not a big deal, but—” Liu Chengyin frowned slightly and murmured, “A few days ago, Zhang Xiaoman stole your savings, and Qi Wei hasn’t come by for a long time. Do you still have money to go browsing for books?”

“Be careful not to waste your money; if Qi Wei finds out, he’ll blame you.”

Liu Yimian cheekily winked at Liu Chengyin and smiled, “Don’t worry, big brother. Even a clever rabbit has three burrows, let alone a living person. Brother Qi was worried I’d get into trouble alone at the academy, so he gave me quite a bit of money. I just hid it in several places because I was afraid of getting robbed. What was lost last time was only one portion of it.”

“Have you hidden it well this time?”

“Of course! The most dangerous place is the safest place. I’m clever!” Liu Yimian wrinkled his nose a bit, feeling quite proud of himself.

Liu Chengyin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and reached out to tousle Liu Yimian’s hair. In a place where Liu Yimian couldn’t see, a glimmer of light flickered in his eyes.

“That’s good. Since you’ve made plans with them, I won’t disturb you.”

Liu Chengyin stood up to pack his things, preparing to leave, when Liu Yimian called out to him.

“Are you going back now, big brother?” Liu Yimian lowered his long lashes and murmured, “You’ll have to see that person again. Why not just stay here?”

“You’re not here, so how can I stay? You go with them; I’ll find Peizhi. He has a book of mine that I need to return.” Liu Chengyin shook the wooden frame holding the books and waved goodbye to Liu Yimian with a smile.

As he passed by Wen Xuan, the usually quiet and refined Wen Xuan said, “Liu Ge, Chen Peizhi isn’t trustworthy. He doesn’t seem like a good person; it’s better to keep your distance.”

“Peizhi is my good friend. No matter how he treats others, he is very sincere with me,” Liu Chengyin said with a frown, displeased. “Wen Xuan, if someone were to speak ill of Yimian to you, what would you do?”

Wen Xuan showed a hint of guilt and stepped aside to let Liu Chengyin pass. Liu Chengyin snorted and walked away.

Once he heard Liu Chengyin’s footsteps fade, Wen Xuan quickly approached Liu Yimian and whispered, “Are you all set?”

“Yes, I’m ready,” Liu Yimian said, glancing at the small wooden box under the desk before taking Wen Xuan’s hand and heading outside.

He locked the door with a copper lock and stood in the corridor, calling out loudly to the students nearby who were either studying, playing games, or having fun, “Everyone, I heard that Master Lin has just received a new book that is selling for a thousand gold coins elsewhere and is in high demand. Would you like to join me to check it out?”

The last book that caused such a stir at the academy was the renowned Mingjingtai. That book was indeed worth its title, written beautifully and movingly, leaving readers with a sense of melancholy after reading.

Someone shouted, “Really? I haven’t heard of it!”

Lin Tai, leaning against the wall, shot a sidelong glance at that person and snorted, “You hide away here every day. How would you know what’s happening outside? Li Wei, do you know that ‘reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles’ means that if you just bury your head in books, you’ll end up a fool!”

“Hey, Lin Tai! How can you talk like that?” Li Wei raised the book in his hand, ready to throw it, but as soon as he realized it was a book, his impulse immediately subsided, and he withdrew his hand. “I won’t stoop to your level.”

“Since I’ve been sitting here for a long time, I might as well go see it together.”

“Me too! It’s been a while since I last visited a bookstore!”

“Today’s weather is just right for going out. Let’s all go together!”

“Okay!”

Liu Yimian hadn’t expected that just a few words would rally nearly ten people, causing most of the students in front of the dormitory to leave, leaving only a few behind.

When they arrived at the bookstore, Liu Yimian and Lin Tai began picking out books. In contrast to his usual restraint, this time he was quite exuberant, carrying a stack of books in his arms, looking like he was far from done.

Li Wei teased, “Have you struck it rich? Or did Zhang Xiaoman pay you back? How did you suddenly become so generous?”

“Li Wei, you’re joking. How could I have struck it rich? I merely saved some money earlier, and thankfully, it wasn’t all stolen away.”

After Liu Yimian finished speaking, the other students repeatedly praised him for being smart.

It has been more than a month since arriving at the academy. Although there are still some who look down on him and call for his expulsion and others who treat him like a stranger and refuse to engage, there are still some who are willing to be cordial.

Lin, the shopkeeper, indeed had new storybooks in his store. While they weren’t as famous as the “Mirror Platform,” they sold reasonably well. Since it was a rare occasion for the students to venture out, they all bought a copy and returned it together.

As expected, the money in the room was still there and hadn’t been stolen. After counting it, he put it back in place. For the next two days, he and a few friends went out to the market regularly, often bringing back some snacks to share with the other students.

Everyone appreciated his generosity.

Two days later, after having lunch with Lin Tai and Wen Xuan, they returned from outside, chatting and laughing happily. However, as they approached their room and saw the unlocked door, they froze momentarily and sighed heavily.

The two who had been about to say something were startled by his reaction. They quickly approached him and realized that things had indeed unfolded as they had anticipated. They felt a mix of emotions—happy that Zhang Xiaoman was innocent, but sad that someone in the academy was repeatedly stealing and showing no remorse.

Regardless, they had to catch this person.

They quietly pushed the door open and entered. The room, which had been messy last time, was now quite tidy.

—Except for the open wooden box.

Liu Yimian crouched by the box, his fingers brushing over a dark red mark on the edge, and he sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Wen Xuan bent down to look but didn’t figure out what was going on, so he straightened up.

“I had put a few razor blades in the money pouch, and it seems this person was cut by one of them.” Liu Yimian had anticipated that this person would come. He had purposely gone out every day for the past few days—not just to show this person that he still had money, but also to create an opportunity for him.

Since the thief was coming, he had to leave behind some evidence.

No matter who this person was, if he made the effort to sneak in and steal the money, he would check how much was in the pouch. When he excitedly grabbed the pouch, he would be cut by the razor blades inside.

All they needed to do was see who had cuts on their hands.

Liu Yimian hadn’t shared this plan with anyone. Upon hearing his setup, Lin Tai’s eyes widened, and Wen Xuan clapped his hands.

“Liu, I didn’t expect you to be so clever! This is a great idea! As long as this person is still in the academy, he won’t be able to escape! There’s a class in the afternoon; we’ll check everyone one by one!”

For some reason, Liu Yimian felt an ominous premonition in his heart. He bit his lip and forcibly suppressed this feeling, managing a smile. “Yeah, we’ll catch the real thief.”

As the three of them were about to leave, Lin Tai suddenly stopped. “No, I need to stay here. From the time we finish class until we finish lunch is only about an hour. The thief would take advantage of our absence to sneak in, being careful not to be discovered while grabbing the money, and he couldn’t have left for long. What if he’s still in the academy? I’ll stay here and check everyone while you go to the classroom to catch people!”

“You think things through well.” Wen Xuan said with admiration, and he left with Liu Yimian.

Once the two had gone far, Lin Tai spread his legs apart, put his hands on his hips, and shouted, “We’ve been robbed! Again! Everyone, come quick and catch the thief!”

Last time, Zhang Xiaoman’s incident had caused quite a commotion, especially among the students living in the dormitory, who felt very unsettled. They usually trusted each other and rarely locked their doors unless going far away. After Zhang Xiaoman left, everyone sighed in relief.

Now, hearing Lin Tai’s voice, those outside turned their heads, and those inside rushed out.

“What! What did you say?”

“Wasn’t Zhang Xiaoman kicked out? How could there still be a thief?”

“What was stolen? Who lost something?”

“When did it happen?”

Before long, a crowd gathered around Lin Tai, who nodded with satisfaction and raised his voice, “It’s still Liu! He just came back from outside with me, and we found the door lock broken and the hidden money pouch gone. But don’t panic! Liu is clever and leaves a trap that cuts the thief. Anyone with a cut on their hand, step forward—”

Lin Tai usually ate well, slept well, and was physically strong. When he spoke, his voice was full and commanding, making it easy for everyone, even those on the second floor, to hear him.

Upon hearing this, the students looked at one another and began to check themselves.

“I don’t have any cuts.”

“Me neither.”

“You have a cut on your hand!”

“This is from a fall! A couple of days ago, I slipped on the stairs while going up; someone can vouch for me!”

The crowd gradually quieted down. Besides the student who had fallen, no one else had cuts on their hands.

“What’s all this commotion?” They turned to see Lu Yushu, holding a fan, gently waving it as he walked over.

Lin Tai quickly approached him and explained the situation. Lu Yushu’s brow twitched, and his gaze turned icy, reflecting the authority of his father, Lu Zhanhong.

However, this was something he would never notice himself.

“Don’t worry; let’s wait for Liu for a moment; he will be back soon.” Lu Yushu suddenly looked up in the direction of the dormitory. A few people followed his gaze, only to see it empty with nothing there.

“Lin Tai, are you sure everyone in the dormitory has come down?”