Chapter 19

Respectfully, Xia Hongsheng saw the group off at the door. Seeing them turn the corner, he grinned and returned home. He was somewhat surprised, never having thought things would become so easy. He didn’t know how Master Yan had seen through his intentions, but he truly had a keen eye. Recalling the words Master Yan had said before he left, Xia Hongsheng felt delighted. The fact that the head attendant Liu Fang called him "Master Yan" rather than "Mr. Yan" or "Master Yan" indicated something—this old man had an official background. No wonder the county magistrate had to bow respectfully and address him as "Master Yan" when he saw him. With his approval, the things Xia Hongsheng wanted to do at the Luozhou Academy would face much less resistance. At least, the teaching masters wouldn’t question or obstruct him. As for the other students, they were no problem for Xia Hongsheng. After all, he knew what he did in his later life, and he was most skilled at dealing with these enthusiastic young people.

"Jing Shi, you have a great opportunity, having received teachings from a celestial being in your dreams. The knowledge you have learned under the celestial being is surely sufficient to form your own school. I have heard your arguments, which, though slightly different from the words of the sages in my heart, are ultimately the same in essence. Yesterday, you wrote a poem to encourage Wang Xuance, and I already knew you intended to leave the academy. What you said yesterday was very correct. There are countless fields of knowledge in the world, and no one can learn them all. Learning is valuable when it is specialized. I cannot teach you, for fear of mixing my knowledge with yours, which would ruin your studies. If you end up being neither fish nor fowl, it would be impossible for you to achieve anything. I allow you not to attend classes and to form your own school, but I cannot allow you to leave the academy. To put it nicely, I am very curious about what you have learned and want to see the celestial knowledge, to compare it with Confucianism and perhaps learn a thing or two. To put it bluntly, I want to keep an eye on you. If you can benefit the people, I will celebrate and toast to your success. If you cannot control yourself and become a demon, do not blame me for my severe measures!"

These were the words Master Yan said to Xia Hongsheng before he left, pulling him aside from the others. The old man was a true scholar and a truly wise person. Xia Hongsheng recalled his words, sighing inwardly. For new things, he neither promoted nor rejected them, but observed them objectively. This was indeed the attitude of a great literary master.

Master Yan, after learning his full name through Xu Qixian, spent a sleepless night trying to recall who he was. He finally remembered. Confucius had a disciple named Yan Hui, and the Yan family was his descendant. They were all scholars, though they held important positions, they did not involve themselves in court affairs. They remained upright and focused on their studies, adhering to their principles. The reason why most of the history of the Tang Dynasty is credible is that the Tang history and the daily records of the Tang emperors were mostly written by the Yan family. If others had written them, who would have recorded the emperor’s crimes, such as the murder of his brothers and the killing of a bird by a minister, which damaged the royal dignity? Especially the daily records, which were kept by the Yan family, objectively recorded the emperor’s words and deeds, and even under threats and pressure, they would not alter a single word or allow the emperor to see them. What a noble character and virtue!

However, shouldn’t he be writing the daily records in the palace? Why was he in this small Luozhou city, serving as the head of the academy? Knowing his identity, Xia Hongsheng could not ignore his words about severe measures. One word from him could make the whole world attack someone, labeling them as a scoundrel, and could make a field of study disappear. In the Zhen Guan era, there were only two people with such power: one was Confucius’s descendant, the great Confucian scholar Kong Yingda, and the other was this literary master.

However, Xia Hongsheng was not too worried. A true scholar who cared for the people would not suppress a field of study that could benefit the people and strengthen the country. However, the foundation of Confucianism was unshakable, and most scholars in the world were Confucians. For science to develop smoothly and avoid sectarian disputes, it still needed the support of Confucianism to grow into a towering tree that even Confucianism could not shake. Moreover, science was too rational, and without ethical and moral constraints, it could turn people into machines, devoid of human emotions. Confucianism was needed to correct it morally and ideologically. Xia Hongsheng unfolded a piece of paper and wrote two large characters with a quill pen—“Ge Wu” (investigating things).

Xia Hongsheng did not go to the academy all day, thinking about how to promote this. Interest is the best teacher, a timeless truth. With interest, there is a desire to explore, and with this desire, one can firmly walk down this path. Therefore, Xia Hongsheng thought of a way to form interest groups in the academy, to stimulate the students' interest in “Ge Wu” during their free time. With interest as the foundation, the rest would be easier.

However, this was bound to be a long road, and he could only take it step by step, slowly.

Xia Hongsheng consoled himself and then fell onto the bed, feeling as if he had slept for a long time. In a daze, he smelled a hint of cooking smoke and slowly woke up, thinking it was morning. When he went outside, he saw the sun hanging on the wall, and his sister-in-law had already returned, busy in the kitchen.

After helping his sister-in-law with the kitchen work, he looked down at the bucket by the wall, and the brine inside was only one-third left. Xia Hongsheng sighed, thinking he had procrastinated so much that he had used up the brine without even trying to make salt.

"Sister-in-law, how much money do we have?" Xia Hongsheng asked his sister-in-law during dinner.

The woman put down her chopsticks, went to the inner room, and took out a package. She opened it and took out a cloth bag, spreading it on the table and smiling happily, "Hongsheng, we have three guan of money!"

Xia Hongsheng reached out, and the three guan of money were in his hand, which he put in his pocket.

"Hongsheng..." The woman's tone changed, and she was about to get angry.

"I had Zhang Da make some things recently, and I need to pay him. When the blacksmith comes, I will also need to make some things. Zhang Da’s things are ready, and I think they will be delivered tomorrow or the day after. After they are delivered, I will explain how to use them." Xia Hongsheng explained to the woman, "Sister-in-law, do you know how to make the snacks I gave you?"

"Of course, it’s not difficult, but Hongsheng, those things are not like scallion pancakes, which can be eaten by hand. They need bowls and chopsticks and a place to sit. We don’t have a storefront, so how can we sell them?" The woman was troubled. Although these snacks were fresh and cost only a few coins, the things needed to make scallion pancakes were already enough, and she couldn’t carry so many bowls and chopsticks, let alone have a place for people to sit and eat a dish called tofu pudding.

Xia Hongsheng chuckled, "Didn’t I just say that I had Zhang Da make some things? Don’t worry, when Zhang Da delivers them, you will know."

After dinner, it was still early, and the days were getting longer. The sky was not dark after dinner. Xia Hongsheng looked at the large bag of tea leaves Liu Fang had sent. Since he had nothing to do, he decided to roast the tea. Although the wok was not ready, roasting tea did not require a thin wok. The thick-bottomed black wok in the kitchen was perfect.

Using a low fire, he wilted the tea leaves in the wok, then kneaded them by hand to quickly evaporate the moisture, stopping the fermentation and preserving the essence of the tea. Roasting green tea was a significant advancement in tea-making history. A college classmate from Xinyang had a tea plantation, and Xia Hongsheng had visited his home and seen the tea roasting process, finding it very interesting and even trying it himself. There is a saying: the first pot is full of rotation, the second pot is strong, and the third pot is a handle. These are the three steps of roasting tea. The first pot, called the raw pot, is used to kill the green, requiring the tea to be rotated and evenly heated to lose moisture. The second pot is for shaping, requiring more force, so it is called "strong," making the leaves begin to roll into strips. The third pot, called the mature pot, is for refining the strips. After these three steps, the leaves become tightly rolled and emit a refreshing tea aroma. When they are about three to four-tenths dry, they can be taken out of the pot, and the tea is roasted.

The aroma of the tea was delightful, filling the room with a fresh scent, driving away all the leftover pig oil smell.

After cooling the tea leaves, Xia Hongsheng boiled water and put a small pinch in a bowl, bringing it to his nose and deeply inhaling the tea aroma, feeling refreshed. He took a sip, the light and slightly bitter taste invigorating his spirit. As he slowly swallowed, a cold, fresh aroma spread through his throat. True friendship is like water, light and fresh, yet infinitely回味ful, just like this tea, with a continuous, unbroken flavor. Life, with its twists and turns, is like the tea leaves in the cup, silently unfolding, calmly ending, serene and bitter, the lingering bitterness on the taste buds is the taste of life, and the original flavor of the tea.

Xia Hongsheng nodded in satisfaction. Seeing Xia Hongsheng’s calm and composed enjoyment, the woman beside him was very curious, gently lifting the bowl and sipping it, but she frowned slightly and put the bowl down again.

Xia Hongsheng spread out the roasted tea leaves, gave some to his sister-in-law to tidy up, and divided the rest into two portions. After thinking, he took a little from each portion to make another small portion.

This tea, which has been passed down for a thousand years, has captivated countless scholars and heroes. After coming to the Tang Dynasty, his first real income would come from these few packets of tea.