Chapter 19

Ying Qing couldn’t force them out, so he let the other three enter.

He didn’t want to get too close to these four guys, so he took a towel, wet it, and started wiping the furniture, hoping they would realize he was busy and wouldn’t expect him to entertain them.

The four weren’t stupid; after a few casual exchanges, they noticed Ying Qing’s coldness and felt a bit awkward.

After exchanging glances, Fang Wenxian made an excuse, “Brother Shiheng, Brother Xu’s room next door is lively. Want to join in the fun?” He was waiting for a refusal so they could leave gracefully.

Ying Qing, who was wiping the table with his back to them, indeed refused, “I’m just a simple villager, I don’t understand your ways. I won’t join in the fun. You guys go ahead.”

Upon hearing this, the four men’s faces changed instantly, their expressions turning sour.

What did he mean by “your ways”?

When they moved to make room for Zhan Munchun, they claimed it was mutual help among candidates, but in reality, they knew they were flattering the top scholar.

When they came here, they claimed it was to get to know Xu Fei, but in reality, they saw that Xu Fei had gained the favor of the governor and recognized his potential in Lieshou, harboring some flattery in their hearts.

No one was stupid; they could all see through the pretense. All the reasons they gave to others were just to comfort themselves.

Some things are very sensitive to some people. They can be done but not spoken of, seen through but not exposed, so everyone can get along.

Once exposed, it becomes a great humiliation, leading to anger and enmity.

Ying Qing didn’t want to provoke them; he was just being honest about wanting to keep his distance, with no other intentions.

But the speaker was unintentional, while the listener was not.

The four took it as a mockery from Ying Qing, thinking he must have been dissatisfied with them all along because of the room-moving incident.

Because of Ying Qing’s casual remark, one of them even turned red with anger.

Ying Qing, still wiping, suddenly felt the atmosphere was off. He turned around and saw the four looking at him with resentment, which made him freeze. What was going on? It was as if they were about to eat him.

Cursing without using foul language and pretending to be innocent? Finally, someone couldn’t hold back. Zhang Manqu coldly snorted, “You’re quite diligent, wiping away some dust. This room hasn’t been lived in for a while, has it? You must have just moved in, right?”

Ying Qing was surprised, realizing this scholar had quite a keen eye, spotting that he had just moved in.

He had originally planned to ask Xu Fei’s servant to clean, but Xu Fei was busy at the moment.

Zhang Manqu’s words reminded the others.

Pan Wenqing immediately sneered, “So you’re a sycophant, sniffing around wherever the meat is. What a pretender.”

What did he mean? Ying Qing frowned.

Su Yingtao scoffed, “Some people talk about righteousness and morality, but their hearts are full of filth. Judging a gentleman by a small man’s standards, forget it. We shouldn’t associate with such people, lest we get stinky. Let’s go.” He turned and left, pretending to be graceful.

The others followed, also turning and leaving.

Outside the door, Fang Wenxian almost bumped into someone and spat, “Pretending to be pure!”

The servant Chong’er, who almost got bumped, was stunned. He looked at the room they came out of and their unhappy expressions, realizing they were cursing someone.

But this wasn’t his concern. With many guests today, he had to fetch water and boil tea, so he quickly headed to the well.

He drew a bucket of water, poured it into the bucket he brought, and just as he put down the rope, he turned and was stunned again.

He saw Ying Qing come out with his bag and sword, take down the sign from the door, and leave. He then went upstairs, put the sign back on the original room, and returned to his original room.

He was a bit dazed by the four guys’ insults and took a while to understand what had happened. His words might have offended them.

He was both angry and amused. If this had happened elsewhere, he would have beaten them up for calling him a dog.

But there were many skilled people here, and considering Shi Heng, he couldn’t cause trouble.

Forget it, he didn’t want to explain anything. He had just made some money and was in a good mood, so he wouldn’t hold a grudge against those four.

If he couldn’t fight them, he could avoid them. Xu Fei’s side was too lively, and he couldn’t hide there, so he packed up and returned to his original room.

He didn’t have much, so it was easy to pack. He stuffed everything into a bag and that was all his belongings.

Chong’er, with his big eyes, watched as Ying Qing entered his original room and closed the door, disappearing from sight.

Earlier, he didn’t know where his master got so much spirit rice or what the hand bottle Xu Fei gave to Ying Qing was. But with so many guests praising and flattering, it was hard not to know.

He then learned that his master had won the riddle contest, easily surpassing even the top scholar and the other top six candidates in the county exam.

The key was that no one knew his master better than he did. He knew Xu Fei’s level, and winning the county exam was already a stroke of luck. No matter how good the wordplay, saying that Xu Fei could outshine over three hundred candidates, even the top scholar, sounded like a dream. Was this really his master Xu Fei?

The Xuan-level demon-revealing dew was given to Shi Heng, and the use of the thirty pounds of spirit rice depended on Shi Heng’s approval. With his master and Shi Heng suddenly becoming close, he vaguely guessed how his master won the first place, though he didn’t know the details.

Now his master had many distinguished guests, while Shi Heng was quietly hiding in a corner. The contrast in the world’s warmth and coldness was evident in his eyes, making him feel complex.

There were some things he couldn’t speak about, and it wasn’t his place to say anything. He had work to do, so he picked up the bucket and quickly returned to the room.

At dinner time, Xu Fei’s room finally quieted down as Xu Fei was pulled out to drink.

After drinking, Xu Fei’s room gradually became lively again.

It wasn’t until late that the noise downstairs finally subsided and everything became quiet.

Soon, faint footsteps were heard going up the stairs, stopping outside Ying Qing’s room. Xu Fei knocked on the door, “Brother Shiheng.”

Ying Qing opened the door and let him in.

Without lighting a lamp, Xu Fei felt his way in, a bit uncomfortable, “Chong’er told me that some people came to your room and spoke rudely, so you moved back?”

Ying Qing opened the window, letting in the moonlight, and leaned on the windowsill, “It has nothing to do with a few barking dogs. The room next door was too noisy, and I couldn’t stand it, so I moved back for peace. I mean, no one cared about you before, but now they all want to get close. Are you really unaware of the reason, or just pretending? They’re all opportunists, and you’re still patient with them.”

“Who isn’t opportunistic?” Xu Fei sighed, walking over and leaning on the windowsill beside him, “Brother Shiheng, I can’t compare to you. I don’t have your disdain for fame and fortune, nor your determination to pass the imperial exams. I’m a commoner. After the capital exam, I’ll return to Lieshou to find a job. I yearn for the freedom of the world, but I can’t ignore my family’s expectations for glory. In the future, I’ll have to navigate the political scene in Lieshou.

I know they’re opportunists, and I don’t like them or want to pretend. But most of them will return to Lieshou to find jobs, and who knows what the future holds. We might meet again in the political arena. Brother Shiheng, I don’t like them, but I can’t make a bunch of enemies in Lieshou, do you understand?”

It made sense, but Ying Qing knew they weren’t the same kind of people. He smiled, “Alright, I was just saying. Do what you want; it doesn’t affect me.”

Xu Fei also smiled, “I knew you wouldn’t sleep early. I’ve been saving my appetite. Chong’er has already started cooking the spirit rice. It should be ready soon. Let’s go down and wait.”

Each building had a small kitchen for the students to use for temporary needs.

Ying Qing happily went downstairs with him, sitting in Xu Fei’s room to chat and wait for the food.

After a while, Chong’er, with his small frame, wobbled in with a large pot. After placing it down, he quickly brought out some small dishes from Chenxiang Hall. Xu Fei often got hungry at night and had a habit of eating snacks, so he always prepared similar small dishes.

He then brought out two sets of bowls and chopsticks, lifted the pot lid, and served the two young masters.

When the lid was lifted, Ying Qing looked into the steaming pot and was instantly stunned, staring at the cooked spirit rice, his eyes almost popping out.

A large pot of spirit rice, purple and lustrous like amethyst, with a faint, refreshing aroma.

It’s important to emphasize: a large pot!

As a guest, Xu Fei indicated that Ying Qing should be served first. Chong’er placed the bowl of spirit rice in front of Ying Qing but couldn’t pull his hand back.

Ying Qing grabbed his thin wrist, and Chong’er trembled, trying to pull his arm free but failing.

Xu Fei was surprised, “Brother Shiheng, what’s wrong?”

Ying Qing ignored him, staring at Chong’er and asked in a trembling voice, “Chong’er, did you cook all the spirit rice?”

Chong’er shook his head, “No, just ten bags.”

“Ten pounds?” Ying Qing’s lips trembled, “Are you crazy, cooking so much?”

Chong’er, looking pitiful, weakly said, “Master said to cook enough to be full.”

Ying Qing exclaimed, “Full? Are you trying to cook enough for tomorrow too?”

Chong’er quickly said, “My master has a big appetite. He usually eats six pounds of meat and five pounds of rice per meal. He needs more than that to be full. With more people and few dishes, spirit rice is too expensive, so I didn’t cook much, just ten pounds…” He lowered his head, feeling wronged.

In other words, he didn’t cook according to his master’s appetite and had already saved some.

“You…” Ying Qing, holding his wrist, said angrily, “This is spirit rice. How could you cook it like regular rice?”

Chong’er realized his mistake, bit his lip, and teared up, knowing he couldn’t afford to pay for it, unsure of what to do.