Chapter 66: 66. Chapter 66: The Process of Solving the Problem

66. Chapter 66: The Process of Solving the Problem

"You woman, you just guessed a number randomly and want Young Master Jiang to give you the rabbits and chickens. Who do you think you are?!"

Several scholars watching from the sidelines showed unkind expressions. After mocking Jiang Wei, they turned to Jiang Yu and said in a conciliatory tone: "Young Master Jiang, don't bother with such an ignorant woman. Let's continue to discuss the 'Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage' problem you posed."

Even Shopkeeper Zhou, who was watching from the side without interfering, frowned slightly. This group of people was too ill-bred; they were unworthy of being called scholars.

Jiang Xiaoxiao sighed in her heart. Although the status of women in ancient times was low, she hadn't expected this group of people to be so contemptuous of women. Very well, then let's see how her mother slaps this group of scholars in the face!

She walked up, deliberately tugged on Jiang Wei's sleeve, and said in a soft, sweet voice: "Mother, how did you calculate it? Teach me, so I can solve such difficult problems myself in the future."

According to her mother's temperament, she would be too lazy to bother with this group of people, let alone explain how she calculated how many chickens and rabbits were in the cage. But if it were her asking, it would be different.

"Calculate?" Jiang Yu tilted his head and asked with genuine confusion: "Is it possible that this Little Lady didn't guess it, but calculated it?"

"Of course, my mother is amazing!" Jiang Xiaoxiao puffed out her little chest and glanced sideways at the group of scholars.

I'll let you all witness the "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" that our country has passed down for thousands of years!

Jiang Wei looked at Shopkeeper Zhou and said: "Shopkeeper Zhou, please find me a piece of paper and some charcoal."

"Go and get my paper and brush." Jiang Yu clearly knew what Jiang Wei was going to do, so he turned his head and gave an order to Shopkeeper Zhou.

Shopkeeper Zhou turned around and returned to the restaurant. Before long, he came out with a piece of Xuan paper and a writing brush.

Jiang Xiaoxiao took two looks, and her gaze couldn't help but stop. That paper and brush were not cheap. She had gone to the bookstore with her mother last time to buy books and had seen an identical brush; it cost two taels of silver each.

Of course, there were cheaper brushes, some costing five or six hundred wen each, but she hadn't expected Shopkeeper Zhou to bring out such an expensive brush the moment he was asked.

The scholars nearby were jealous. Those who often frequented bookstores naturally knew the price of that brush. It was Young Master Jiang's brush; they hadn't expected it to be given to an outsider to use, and a country woman at that!

Jiang Wei took the brush and Xuan paper. Her original intention was to use charcoal on scrap paper to explain it casually, but she hadn't expected Young Master Jiang to be so generous, so she didn't stand on ceremony. She turned her head and asked Jiang Xiaoxiao: "Xiaoxiao, what are the two known conditions for the 'Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage' problem that Young Master Jiang posed?"

Her mother's posture was indeed to teach her. Jiang Xiaoxiao immediately said: "We only know that there are thirty-five chickens and rabbits in the cage in total, and also—"

Before she could finish speaking, a scholar on the side coldly interrupted: "And the total number of feet is ninety-four."

Hmph, they wanted to see what kind of tricks a woman could come up with!

The scholars surrounded them, all looking on with schadenfreude. Having used such expensive paper and brush, if she couldn't provide a good explanation, the Jiang Family Young Master of the Fu'an Trading House was not someone to be trifled with!

Seeing this, the passersby nearby also gathered around one after another.

In a short while, quite a few people had gathered here, almost blocking the street completely.

Jiang Wei glanced at the scholar who had spoken, still ignoring him, and just raised her brush to write down the two known conditions.

Jiang Xiaoxiao specifically looked at the Xuan paper. In this era, there were no Arabic numerals like those they used in modern times; the numbers Jiang Wei wrote were also in Chinese characters.

The crowd watching from the side saw the beautiful calligraphy on the Xuan paper and were almost shocked to the point of widening their eyes.

Especially the few scholars, whose complexions were somewhat unsightly.

The country woman they looked down upon not only knew how to read and write, but her calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, better than what any of them, the scholars, could write!

Jiang Wei didn't care how the people around her viewed it, but looked at Jiang Xiaoxiao and asked: "Xiaoxiao, we know there are thirty-five chickens and rabbits, so we can first assume an unknown number. For example, the number of chickens in the cage is..."

Before she could finish speaking, the few scholars spoke up unhappily again: "Assume what? If you can't calculate, you can't calculate. Why play mystery with 'assumptions'? I think you just guessed this answer!"

They had interrupted and found fault time and time again. This time, even Jiang Wei had a look of anger on her face.

Seeing this, Jiang Yu's expression also turned cold, and he said in a calm tone: "If you gentlemen cannot bear to watch, please leave on your own. If you make things difficult for the person solving the problem for me again, don't blame me, Jiang, for making things difficult for you."

After his words fell, the complexions of the few scholars became sheepish. They hadn't expected the Jiang Family Young Master to actually speak up for a country woman.

In their hearts, besides anger, there was also confusion.

But fortunately, they all settled down and didn't interrupt again.

Only then did Jiang Yu say: "Little Lady, please continue."

Jiang Wei looked back at the paper, raised her brush, drew a symbol, and said: "Xiaoxiao, let's assume this symbol represents the chickens in the cage. Then tell me, how many rabbits are there in the cage?"

The people surrounding them looked on with question marks on their faces. What is this "X" symbol?

Jiang Xiaoxiao held back her laughter, but on the surface, she said with a serious face: "The number of rabbits is thirty-five minus this symbol, right?"

"Correct." Jiang Wei nodded with satisfaction, then raised her brush and wrote it on the paper, and immediately asked again: "Then Mother will ask you another question: how many feet does a rabbit have, and how many feet does a chicken have?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao answered readily: "A rabbit has four feet, and a chicken has two feet!"

It seems her mother is really teaching her with heart, using step-by-step guidance to teach her how to solve this "Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage" problem.

"Therefore, we can derive a formula..."

Jiang Wei continued to raise her brush, drawing an equation on the Xuan paper: the number of rabbits multiplied by four, plus the number of chickens multiplied by two, equals the total number of feet, ninety-four...

For a time, the onlookers were all silent.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the calligraphy and the formula on the Xuan paper. Some hadn't reacted yet, while others had fallen into deep thought, beginning to understand what Jiang Wei had just said. And don't say, through this formula, one could really calculate the number of chickens and rabbits.

Jiang Xiaoxiao calmly observed the expressions of the people around her. In this era, there was no such form of solving math problems using equations, and these people were coming into contact with it for the first time. I'm afraid their hearts were quite shocked.

Only Jiang Yu walked up with eyes shining, squatting in front of the Xuan paper with Jiang Xiaoxiao without any airs, his eyes full of wonder and joy: "Then how do you solve for this 'cross', uh, this unknown number?"

This formula still looked too complicated.

Although the most basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division had already appeared in this era, these people still didn't know how to handle overly complex formula problems.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 67 =====