Chapter 13: The Difference Between Talent and Genius

Then, next, when everyone was bored after dinner, someone came to tease Zhu Ping’an, and the one leading the teasing was his great-aunt.

“An Ge’er, come play with your great-aunt.” She sat there waving, signaling Zhu Ping’an to come over.

Here we go again?

Zhu Ping’an was reluctant, but he still scampered over. What could he do? After all, he was just a child, and the most important thing was that his mother was watching with a beaming smile. With so many relatives around, he dared not throw a tantrum at that moment.

“Hello, Great-Aunt.” Zhu Ping’an’s chubby face was adorned with a smile, and his little mouth was as sweet as if it had been smeared with honey.

“An Ge’er is really well-behaved.” His great-aunt smiled widely.

“Aunt, you can’t praise him too much. This kid is quite mischievous, jumping around all day without any seriousness. If you keep praising him, he’ll go completely wild,” Chen said, demeaning Zhu Ping’an, yet her face was full of pride.

It’s a tradition for parents to downplay their children in front of others; don’t take it seriously. Most parents just use it as a polite gesture, publicly criticizing while privately praising. The main idea is to show humility and make other parents happy. Of course, sometimes parents say this to help their children recognize their shortcomings and not get too proud. Overall, parents mean well, and Zhu Ping’an understood this very clearly.

“I really like An Ge’er; he’s a little boy, and the more rambunctious he is, the smarter he becomes.” His great-aunt, for some reason, just liked this little nephew with the round face and thought they had a special connection.

She rummaged in her pocket for a while, then held out her hands—one silver bean in her left hand and two silver beans in her right—starting to tease Zhu Ping’an.

“An Ge’er, I just heard you say you want to save money to marry a wife. So, your great-aunt will sponsor you a bit, but you can only choose one. Do you want the left hand or the right hand?” she asked, smiling.

Zhu Ping’an looked at the left hand, then at the right hand, and paused for a moment.

What are you thinking? Chen was getting a bit anxious; he should definitely choose the two silver beans. What’s there to think about?

His aunt was eager to push Zhu Ping’an aside and push her own son, Zhu Pingjun, forward. She thought to herself that Zhu Ping’an was such a silly child; why even consider it? Everyone knows to take the two silver beans.

Zhu Ping’an didn’t keep everyone waiting; under the eager gazes of several people, he reached out his hand.

Hahaha…

His aunts were first surprised, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Because Zhu Ping’an had just reached out to grab the left hand and said he wanted the left one.

His great-aunt was also quite astonished, trying to hold back her laughter as she asked, “An Ge’er, why do you want the left one?”

“Because Great-Aunt’s left hand looks nice,” Zhu Ping’an replied, quite willfully.

Chen Shi’s face darkened, and she nearly wanted to give her silly son a good beating. This foolish child usually seemed quite clever; why was he being so foolish at such a critical moment? Two silver beans could easily stitch up half a month’s worth of a purse. Just look at how happy his aunt was; this little brat would see how I dealt with him later.

In no time, Zhu Ping’an’s silly choice of one silver bean over two spread throughout the entire courtyard like it had grown wings.

This news was so unbelievable that many people found it hard to believe. It was truly hard to accept; after all, the difference between one and two was significant, even a toddler could understand that. Thus, Zhu Ping’an’s choice made everyone feel like it couldn’t be real.

For example, right now.

“Little cousin, come on, choose one. Which one do you want?” An 8-year-old cousin, snuggling up to her father, stretched out her small hands, offering one silver bean in her right hand and two in her left.

Just like last time, Zhu Ping’an once again chose one silver bean.

“Haha, you see, Daddy? I didn’t lie to you! Little cousin really chose one silver bean!” 

The little cousin told her father, feeling that her little cousin was indeed a bit foolish.

Then, the second uncle also teased Zhu Ping’an in front of other relatives at the second aunt’s home. Without a doubt, Zhu Ping’an once again chose one silver bean over two.

Next came the second grandfather, the eldest aunt, and the eldest cousin…

It seemed as if everyone in the family was trying to confirm the birth of a fool. Almost all the relatives took their turn, with the wealthy second grandfather and the great-aunt using silver beans, while the family’s Aunt and Little Fourth Aunt used copper coins.

In any case, everyone watched Zhu Ping’an’s choice with satisfied smiles, feeling a sense of intellectual superiority.

Especially the eldest aunt, who smiled so brightly and with such disdain. “Can’t even tell the difference between one and two? A child like this, who forages in the dirt, still wants to go to school? Better give up on that idea.”

As for Zhu Ping’an, while others laughed, he joined in the laughter, looking like a fool.

Finally, Chen couldn’t hold back anymore. She went up and grabbed Zhu Ping’an’s arm. If it weren’t for the presence of outsiders, she would have already taken him over her knee for a good spanking. How could this embarrassing child still have the face to laugh!

“Are you foolish? Why didn’t you choose two? You had to choose one?!” Chen pulled Zhu Ping’an’s arm, demanding to know, determined that if the boy didn’t give a decent answer, she would make him pay!

“If I chose two, who would come to tease me?” Zhu Ping’an answered seriously, protecting his chubby pocket with his little hands.

Choosing one or two was also the difference between talent and genius. A talent would choose two, but a genius would choose one.

The laughter in the room abruptly stopped, and the expressions on their faces were quite diverse, especially the eldest aunt and Little Fourth Aunt, who looked like they had just swallowed a fly.

Chen, both amused and exasperated, smacked Zhu Ping’an’s bottom, “What nonsense is this? At such a young age, you’re not learning properly and are being so greedy!”

On the surface, Chen was frustrated, but deep down, she felt quite proud. She shot a glance at the eldest aunt and Little Fourth Aunt, thinking that they had just laughed at her son, hadn’t they? Could they still laugh now?

“Just because he’s young doesn’t mean he’s going to turn out well,” Little Fourth Aunt said sourly, prompting Chen to roll her eyes.

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