Su Binglan genuinely thought Lin Zhen was intelligent. She praised him, "You are smart and excel at learning, so why does your father think you can't compare to your big brother?"
Lin Zhen was doing his calculations seriously when he heard his boss's words. He laughed happily, like a primary school student getting praise from his teacher.
Despite that, he thought of his father and said, "I never wanted to learn tedious subjects. I just like kung fu and want to learn from you. Also, I enjoy learning more practical things."
Su Binglan understood what Lin Zheng meant.
Lin Zheng loved learning things he could use to his advantage. He wanted to learn fundamental skills, not things one would need for the imperial exams.
Su Binglan agreed. "It's great to learn more useful skills, especially in this chaotic world."
She often heard Lin Zheng talk about things happening in the outside world and understood that wars often occurred outside Dingzhou City.
