Yu Qing could not rudely drive them away, so he had to let the other three in.
He did not want to become close with these four fellows. He grabbed a towel, wet it, and wiped the furnishings in the room, hoping the four would realise he was busy and had no time to entertain them.
The four were not fools either. After chatting idly back and forth for a while, they sensed Yu Qing’s unwillingness and all felt a bit embarrassed.
After exchanging glances, Fang Wenxian made an excuse and said, “Brother Shiheng, it is lively next door at Brother Xu’s place. Do you want to go over and join the fun?” He was just waiting for the other to refuse, so the four could naturally take their leave.
Yu Qing, with his back to them while wiping the table, indeed refused. “I am a mountain villager. I cannot handle your ways. I will not join the fun. Please go ahead.”
As soon as these words came out, the four’s faces changed instantly. Their expressions all became very ugly.
What did he mean by your ways?
Making room for Zhan Muchun, claiming it was mutual help among candidates, but in reality? The four naturally knew they were flattering the top scholar.
Coming here this time, claiming to get to know Xu Fei, but in reality? The four naturally knew it was because they saw Xu Fei had gained the prefect’s favour and spotted some future possibilities for Xu Fei in Liezhou. They secretly harboured some flattery in their hearts.
Outsiders were not fools. Everyone could see that all the reasons told to others were actually just to comfort themselves.
Some things are very sensitive for some people. They can be done but not said. They can be seen through but not pointed out. That way everyone can live in peace.
Once pointed out, it becomes an extraordinary humiliation. They would become furious with shame and swear to be irreconcilable!
In fact, Yu Qing did not want to provoke them. What he said was just the plain truth about wanting to keep distance, with no other meaning.
But the speaker had no intention, while the listeners took it to heart.
The four decided that Yu Qing was mocking them. Because of the earlier room-making incident, they thought Yu Qing must have already been dissatisfied with them.
Just because of Yu Qing’s casual remark, some faces turned red with anger.
Yu Qing, still wiping, suddenly felt the atmosphere was off. He turned around and saw the four looking at him with eyes full of resentment. He was stunned on the spot. What is going on? It looked like they wanted to eat him.
Insulting without dirty words, and still pretending to be clueless? Finally someone could not hold it in. Zhang Manqu gave a cold snort. “You are wiping quite diligently. Looking at some dust, this room has probably not been lived in for some days. You probably just moved in as well, right?”
Yu Qing felt surprised inside. He discovered that these scholars had quite strong perception. They actually saw at a glance that he had just moved in.
This cleaning work, he had originally wanted to call Xu Fei’s book boy to do it. It was just that Xu Fei was temporarily too busy over there.
Zhang Manqu’s words reminded the others.
Pan Wenqing immediately spoke mockingly. “So it turns out to be a wagging-tail sort. Going wherever the meat smells good. Pretending to be what kind of person?”
What does that mean? Yu Qing frowned.
Su Yingtao scoffed. “Some people talk full of benevolence and morality, but in reality their bellies are full of filth and dirt. Measuring a gentleman’s belly with a villain’s heart. Fine, no need to associate with such people, to avoid getting stunk up. Let us go.” He flicked his sleeve and left, considering himself elegant.
The others also flicked their sleeves and left.
After going out the door, Fang Wenxian, who almost bumped into someone, even spat. “Pretending to be pure!”
The book boy Chong’er who was almost bumped into was stunned. He looked at the room the few had come out of, then at their unhappy departure, and realised who they were scolding.
But this was not his concern. There were many guests today. He still had to fetch water and boil tea. He quickly headed to the well.
He drew a bucket of water from the well, poured it into the carried bucket. Just after putting down the rope bucket, Chong’er turned his head and was stunned again.
He saw Yu Qing come out carrying his bundle and sword again. He took down the sign hanging at the door, left, went upstairs again, hung the sign at the original room again, and returned to live in the original room.
He was a bit dazed from being scolded by those four fellows. After a good while he finally realised what was going on. It was probably his words that had stimulated these fellows.
He felt both angry and amused. If it were somewhere else, daring to call him a dog, he would either beat them half to death or give them a good thrashing to vent.
However, there were many experts in this place. Plus, for the sake of considering Ah Shiheng, he could not cause trouble.
Fine. He did not want to explain anything either. He had just made some money, was in a good mood, and as a big person he was generous. He would not bother with those four brats.
If he could not afford to offend, he could avoid them. Xu Fei’s side was really too lively. He could not hide well beside it. He simply packed his things and returned to the original room to stay.
Packing was convenient for him too. He had not brought much anyway. Stuffing it all into a bundle was his entire belongings.
Chong’er’s bright eyes blinked. He watched wide-eyed as Yu Qing entered the original room, closed the door, and the person disappeared again.
Before, he still did not know where his young master got so much spiritual rice from, nor what the bottle Xu Fei stuffed to Yu Qing was. Later, guests kept coming to flatter and praise. It was hard for him not to know.
Only then did he know that his young master had actually taken first place in some word puzzle. Even the top scholar and the other provincial exam top six had been easily surpassed by his young master.
The key was that no one here knew his young master better than him. He knew a bit about Xu Fei’s level. This time making it in the provincial exam was already great luck. No matter what word game, saying that Xu Fei alone could suppress over three hundred provincial examinees, even making the top scholar and others willingly admit defeat, to him it sounded like a dream. Was this still his own Young Master Xu? Was it really talking about his own Young Master Xu?
The profound-level demon-spotting dew was given to that Brother Shiheng. The use of those thirty jin of spiritual rice also depended on Brother Shiheng’s mood. Plus, his young master and Brother Shiheng had suddenly become close. He vaguely guessed how his young master’s first place came about, though he did not know the details.
Now his young master had a room full of distinguished friends, while Brother Shiheng had been scolded and quietly huddled in the corner. The contrast in human warmth and coldness was clear from his eyes. His mood was somewhat complicated.
Some things he had no say in, and it was not his place to speak. There was still work waiting for him in the room. He could only pick up the water bucket and quickly return to the room.
At dinner time, Xu Fei’s room finally quieted down. Xu Fei had been pulled away to drink.
After drinking and returning, Xu Fei’s room gradually became lively again.
Until very late, the downstairs gradually calmed, and only then did it become completely quiet.
Not long after, the faint sound of footsteps coming upstairs could be heard again. The footsteps went all the way to outside Yu Qing’s room, and then came the sound of Xu Fei knocking on the door. “Brother Shiheng.”
Yu Qing went over, opened the door, and let him in.
The light was not lit again. Xu Fei felt a bit unaccustomed coming in in the dark. “I heard from Chong’er that someone went to your room and spoke rudely, so you moved back?”
Yu Qing pushed open the window, letting in a beam of moonlight, and half leaned on the windowsill. “It has nothing to do with a few dogs barking. The next door was too lively. I could not stand the noise, so I had to move back for quiet. I say, before no one paid attention to you, now suddenly they are all rushing to get close to you. Do you really not know the reason or are you pretending not to know? A bunch of snobbish villains, and you actually have the patience to deal with them.”
“Who can avoid being snobbish?” Xu Fei sighed, walked to the side, and leaned on the windowsill beside him. “Brother Shiheng, I cannot compare to you. I do not have your open-mindedness of viewing fame as dirt, nor your persistent determination to take the imperial exam. I am a vulgar person. After this capital exam, I will return to Liezhou to seek a position. Although I yearn for the freedom of the jianghu, I dare not go against my family’s earnest hopes for me to bring honour to the ancestors. In the future I will have to try every way to mix in the Liezhou officialdom.
Of course I know they are snobbish villains. I do not like them either, and I do not want to deal with them hypocritically. But most of these people in the future will be like me, returning to Liezhou to seek positions. No one can say what future encounters will be. Perhaps we will meet in the officialdom. Brother Shiheng, I do not like them, but I cannot create a bunch of enemies for myself in Liezhou. What do you say?”
The words made sense, but after listening it was clear they were not the same kind of people. Yu Qing smiled faintly. “Fine. I was just saying. You do your thing. Do not mind me. It will not affect me anyway.”
Xu Fei also smiled. “I knew you had not slept so early. I kept my stomach empty tonight. Chong’er has already put the spiritual rice in the pot to cook. It is probably almost ready. Let us go down and wait.” Every building here had a small kitchen, originally for the academy students to handle temporary needs.
Yu Qing gladly went downstairs with him, sat in Xu Fei’s room drinking tea, chatting, and waiting for the food.
After waiting for a while, Chong’er’s small thin body came in from outside swaying while carrying a big pot. After laboriously setting the big pot down, Chong’er quickly brought out the side dishes obtained from Chenxiang Zhai and set them up. Xu Fei got hungry easily and had the habit of eating late-night snacks. Similar side dishes were normally prepared.
Then he brought out two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Immediately after, he lifted the pot lid and served rice to the two young masters.
As soon as the lid opened, Yu Qing glanced into the steaming pot and instantly went dumb. He stared fixedly at the cooked spiritual rice in the pot. His two eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
A big pot of spiritual rice, purple and glossy like purple crystal spiritual rice, with a faint fragrance that refreshed the heart.
It needed to be emphasised that it was a big pot!
The guest comes first. Xu Fei indicated to serve the guest first. Chong’er first placed the served spiritual rice in front of Yu Qing, but when he tried to withdraw his hand he could not.
It was because Yu Qing suddenly grabbed his slender wrist. Chong’er subconsciously trembled a bit. He tried hard to pull his arm back but could not.
Xu Fei was startled. “Brother Shiheng, what is wrong?”
Yu Qing ignored him, stared at Chong’er and asked in a trembling voice, “Chong’er, you cooked all the spiritual rice?”
Chong’er shook his head. “No, I only cooked ten bags.”
“Ten jin?” Yu Qing’s lips trembled slightly. “Are you crazy? Cooking so much?”
Chong’er said pitifully and weakly, “Young master, you said to make sure it is enough to fill the stomach.”
Yu Qing cried out in alarm. “Enough to fill? Are you trying to cover tomorrow’s fill as well?”
Chong’er hurriedly said, “My young master has a big appetite. Normally one meal requires six jin of meat plus five jin of rice. Only eating more than that counts as full. There are many people eating, and not many dishes. Spiritual rice is too expensive. I did not dare cook too much. I only cooked ten jin…” As he spoke, he lowered his head in grievance.
The meaning was simple. He had not cooked according to their young master’s appetite. He had already saved by cooking less.
“You…” Yu Qing grabbed his wrist in grief and indignation. “This is spiritual rice. You really had the heart to cook it like ordinary rice?”
Chong’er already understood he had made a mistake. He bit his lips tightly, eyes brimming with tears. He also knew he could not afford to compensate, and did not know what to do.