“Half a month ago?” Edward Brooks was shocked. At that time, he had just planted the cotton, and never expected it to be discovered by him.

“You don’t have some hidden illness, do you? Old Elder—although I’m not a famous doctor, I do know a few good remedies. Maybe I can help you a bit.” Unknown Elder looked genuinely concerned. He couldn’t remember the last time he cared so much about someone else. It wasn’t just because Edward Brooks bought him wine and meat every day, but because he felt Edward Brooks was someone worth befriending—a true friend.

“This isn’t an illness, but it’s even more unbearable than being sick. I don’t know what’s going on lately, but my ears haven’t had a moment’s peace. Within dozens of meters, I can hear every sound clearly, and it’s driving me crazy.” Edward Brooks gave a self-deprecating smile. If anyone else at school had asked, he definitely wouldn’t have answered. But Old Elder was different—now Edward Brooks also considered him a close friend.

These days, Edward Brooks really was at his wit’s end. Just a few days ago, he had installed double soundproofing, but last night he found that even that wasn’t working anymore. Maybe soon he’d have to add another layer—triple soundproofing. But how much space is there in his ears? And after three layers, then what? Just thinking about the torment of hearing every sound made him furrow his brow tightly.

“No way, have you become a ‘divine ear’ or something?” Unknown Elder picked up a peanut, tossed it into his mouth with precision, chewed a couple of times, and finally showed a hint of surprise. He was lazy, and sometimes his expressions lagged behind.

Luckily, Edward Brooks was already used to it. If it were someone else, they might think he was crazy.

“Divine ear? I’d rather be deaf than some so-called ‘divine ear.’” Edward Brooks had been driven mad by his own ears these past few days. Every sound was deafening to him. Especially when he had students read aloud in class, he felt like he was being tortured. Every time, he’d find an excuse to go for a walk on the playground.

Of course, it wasn’t without any benefits. Sometimes, when Edward Brooks changed the double soundproofing in one ear to single in his dorm, he could hear everything happening in his class with perfect clarity. Especially during self-study periods—who was whispering, who was goofing off—he could tell instantly. When he returned to the classroom, he would call out each student by name and criticize them.

This trick made his students nervous. It was as if Teacher Zhu had clairvoyance and super-hearing. He wasn’t even in the classroom, yet he knew everything that happened inside. For the underachievers in his class, this was not good news. Now, the discipline in his class was much better than before. Even when he wasn’t there, the students would study and follow the rules on their own. Once, David Clark happened to see this and praised Edward Brooks at the weekly meeting, saying his students could follow the rules on their own—something no other class could achieve.

“That’s where you’re wrong. The real ‘divine ear’ was actually blind.” Unknown Elder didn’t sympathize with Edward Brooks’s troubles at all, and instead chuckled.

“No way, are you saying that when God gives someone a gift, he has to take something else away? Tell me about this blind ‘divine ear.’” Charles Brooks was getting agitated by him. Blind? Was he going to end up the same way? If that really happened, he’d rather die!

“Don’t rush, let me tell it slowly. The ‘divine ear’ was born in the Qing Dynasty, with the full name Samuel Nye. He had unusually large ears. When he was a child, his father took him to have his fortune told. The town’s fortune-teller, ‘Mr. Sure,’ consulted the ‘Book of Physiognomy’ and said he would be rich and powerful in the future. Samuel Nye’s father was delighted and gave ‘Mr. Sure’ a silver dollar.” Unknown Elder started spinning his tale again. Whenever he talked about these anecdotes, he became animated and excited.

“Anyone can tell that ‘Mr. Sure’ was a fraud.” Edward Brooks looked disdainful.

“Don’t interrupt—whether he was a fraud or not, you’ll know after you hear the story.” Unknown Elder didn’t mind Edward Brooks’s rudeness at all. He was so lazy that he couldn’t even be bothered to get angry. As he said himself, it was a waste of energy—not worth it.

“Fine, go ahead, I won’t interrupt.” Edward Brooks grabbed the baijiu and took a big swig.

“Not long after, Samuel Nye’s eyesight started to deteriorate. Things became blurry, and eventually, he went blind. So how could his son ever become rich and powerful? Has there ever been a blind man who became rich and powerful? Samuel Nye’s father thought ‘Mr. Sure’ was talking nonsense and went to get his silver dollar back. But ‘Mr. Sure’ said, ‘It’s not time yet.’ What nonsense! Samuel Nye’s father forcibly took back the silver dollar and even smashed ‘Mr. Sure’s fortune-telling stall.”

Edward Brooks couldn’t help but laugh. See, he was right. But thinking of what was just said, the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat. Since Unknown Elder was telling the story of the blind ‘divine ear,’ he might as well let him keep making things up.

Chapter 7: The Qing Dynasty’s Divine Ear (Part 2)

“After Samuel Nye became blind, it seemed like something went wrong with his nerves too. He often said, ‘Dad, the sound of our sugarcane growing isn’t as loud as before. Hurry and fertilize them.’ ‘Dad, there’s a southern snake on the roof, hissing and flicking its tongue.’ ‘Dad, a swarm of hornets has built a nest in Mr. Sure’s mosquito net, buzzing all day long. Oh no, Dad, an official boat on the West River has been robbed—it’s so noisy! Oh my, the bandits are killing people. Not good, someone’s been thrown into the river!’…”