Chapter 41

With Yan Shigu's permission, Xia Hongsheng didn't have to attend the lectures given by the teachers. Although he was officially a student of the academy, he was essentially a free man within its walls. In the morning, he went to the market with Lin Ergou and the others, watching them set up their stalls. Only then did he slowly make his way back to the academy. As he approached the gate, he felt a tickle in his nose and sneezed, noticing for the first time the occasional floating catkins in the air. A warm breeze, carrying the scent of early summer, brushed past his face, filling the air with the fragrance of budding plants. This sudden realization made Xia Hongsheng realize that summer was almost here! Xia Hongsheng loved summer, but who would have thought that fate could be so peculiar? The previous summer, he was still in the village, chatting and boasting with his colleagues and students. This summer, however, he found himself in the early Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Taizong. This made Xia Hongsheng feel a sense of沧桑 (cang桑) and a deep, indescribable loneliness.

"Hey? Isn't that Brother Xia? Why aren't you in class? What are you doing out here alone?" At that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind. "Oh... I get it, you must have been punished and told to stand outside, right?"

Xia Hongsheng turned around and saw Xu Hui standing there with two younger boys, followed by a servant from the Xu family, who was smiling at Xia Hongsheng.

"Little girl, what are you doing here?" Xia Hongsheng asked. "Did you manage to retrieve the bowl this morning? Are you here to serve as my maid, admitting defeat?"

"My name is Xu Hui, not some little girl!" The little girl was unhappy with Xia Hongsheng's nickname and rolled her eyes, retorting, "Hmph, I want to retrieve the bowl in front of you so you can't accuse me of cheating and say I poured the water away!"

"You're a clever little thing, aren't you?" Xia Hongsheng rolled his eyes. "Your brother is in the classroom. You might have to wait a bit."

"I'm not here to see him. My two younger brothers were causing a ruckus at home, so Mother asked me to bring them out to play. I didn't have anywhere to go, and I remembered I've never been to the Luozhou Academy, so I brought them here." Xu Hui looked around curiously. "I didn't expect the Luozhou Academy to be so big, much larger than the official school in Yique."

The Tang Dynasty was known for its open and liberal social customs, making it one of the most progressive dynasties in ancient China. Therefore, it was not inappropriate for Xu Hui, a young girl, to go out and play.

With nothing better to do, Xia Hongsheng took Xu Hui and her two younger brothers on a tour of the Luozhou Academy and then headed to the back mountain. The scenery on the back mountain was beautiful, offering a panoramic view of Luozhou City and a distant view of Laojun Mountain. The winding paths and mountain streams made it a perfect place to play. Xia Hongsheng, with his gift for storytelling, entertained the three of them with various tales he had heard in Luozhou City. He also found wild fruits that they had never seen before, which greatly amused them. Xia Hongsheng, having taught in a village school in his previous life, was experienced in dealing with young children.

"… The back mountain of the Luozhou Academy is called Kuishan. I heard a story about it. Many years ago, this back mountain was a mass grave, right where we are standing now. At that time, a poor man had no place to live, so he found a cave on the back mountain and lived there. He worked hard during the day and returned to the cave at night. One evening, after a long day of work, he passed by the mass grave and saw a man sitting under the moonlight, drinking alone. The poor man was startled and was about to run away, but the man called out, 'Brother, why are you running away as soon as you see me? I'm feeling down, come and have a drink with me, will you?' The poor man, hearing this, calmed down and turned back. They drank until late at night, and the man didn't say a word, but the poor man was drunk. The next morning, he woke up in the cave, not knowing how he got there. He couldn't remember the man's face. The next day, he went back to check, but there was no trace of the man."

Xia Hongsheng lowered his voice and spoke in a mysterious tone. Xu Hui and her two younger brothers blinked their eyes, looking around nervously and swallowing hard.

"For several nights, the man would appear and invite the poor man to drink. The poor man began to fear, not knowing if the man was human or ghost, but he didn't dare to ask, afraid that if the man was a ghost, he might reveal his identity and harm him. So, he had no choice but to accompany him every night. After a few days, the poor man couldn't take it anymore. A traveling Taoist happened to pass through Luozhou City, and the poor man asked him for help. The Taoist told him not to worry and to first determine if the man was human or ghost. He also taught him a trick: if the man appeared again, look at his hands and see if he has palm lines. If he does, he's human; if not, he's a ghost. The poor man remembered this. That night, he returned to the cave and saw the man waiting for him. As soon as he arrived, the man invited him to drink. The poor man, remembering the Taoist's words, paid close attention. The man filled a cup and handed it to him. The poor man took the opportunity to look at his hands…"

Xu Hui and her two younger brothers were completely engrossed, their eyes wide and fixed on Xia Hongsheng. Suddenly, Xia Hongsheng grabbed Xu Hui's hand and shouted, "Let me see your hand!"

"Ahh!" Xu Hui screamed and jumped up. Her two younger brothers were also startled and fell to the ground.

"Ha ha ha…" Xia Hongsheng clutched his stomach and pointed at the three of them, laughing uncontrollably.

Xu Hui's face turned pale with fear, her heart pounding. Seeing Xia Hongsheng laughing at her, she realized she had been tricked. She was both angry and frustrated, and she stomped on Xia Hongsheng's foot with all her might, "Xia Hongsheng! You did that on purpose, you're so hateful!"

"Ha ha, don't be angry, it was just a joke. You can scare your brother too, ha ha ha… I have more stories, do you want to hear them?" Xia Hongsheng, not feeling the pain from her stomp, laughed and pulled the two boys up from the ground.

"No!" Xu Hui was still angry, glaring at Xia Hongsheng. The sudden scare had almost frightened her to death, and she couldn't help but be furious.

Xu Hui, still fuming, pulled her two younger brothers and turned to leave. Xia Hongsheng followed, but she ignored him. Realizing he might have gone too far, Xia Hongsheng said, "Hey, are you really that angry? You have such a small heart…"

"Hmph, I am a girl, so my heart is naturally small. But isn't Lord Xia's heart big enough to make up stories and trick me, a mere girl?" Xu Hui shot a glance at Xia Hongsheng and sneered.

Xia Hongsheng rubbed his nose, "Alright, alright, I apologize. Don't be angry. You're quite a feisty little girl."

"Lord Xia, you say it so easily. I was almost scared to death, and my two younger brothers were so frightened they fell to the ground. They haven't recovered yet…" Xu Hui's eyes welled up with tears, and she squatted down, rubbing her brothers' heads.

Well, she's really taking advantage of the situation! Xia Hongsheng laughed, thinking how clever this little girl was. "Alright, since it's getting hot, I'll buy you some ice cream to make up for it, how about that?"

"Ice cream?" Xu Hui's eyes lit up, but she was confused. "What's that? I've had jujube cake and osmanthus cake, but I've never heard of ice cream! Besides, it's already early summer, and there are no ice houses. Where would you get ice from?"

"Hey, I can draw water from the soil, so making ice in the heat shouldn't be too difficult." Xia Hongsheng waved his fan, looking very smug.

"I don't believe you can draw water from the soil! We'll go back together at noon, and I'll expose you!" Xu Hui raised her chin proudly, and the sunlight illuminated her face, making Xia Hongsheng momentarily dazed.

To be honest, this little girl is really beautiful! The goddesses in his previous life couldn't compare to her.

By the time they finished talking, they had already reached the academy. The students were coming out of the classrooms. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them and laughed, "Ha ha, you two, what's going on with all this 'Lord' and 'Lady'?"

Looking up, they saw Xu Qixian. The little girl immediately pouted and ran up to him, "Brother! Xia Hongsheng bullied me! He deliberately scared me and my brothers with a story! Punish him for me!"

Xia Hongsheng almost fell over. This girl must be a fox, her mood changes so quickly!

"Brother, Xia Hongsheng is boasting again. He says he can draw water from the soil and even make ice in the heat!" Xu Hui smiled slyly and called out to Xu Qixian.

Her words caught the attention of the surrounding students. Recognizing Xia Hongsheng, they remembered his promise to perform a magic trick. They started teasing him, "Xia Junior Brother, last time you promised a magic trick, but we didn't see it. What trick are you going to perform this time? Did we hear correctly that you can draw water from the soil and make ice in the heat?"

The students around them burst into laughter.

"A bunch of narrow-minded people, hmpf. I'm going to Xu Senior Brother's house at noon to make ice and demonstrate how to draw water from the soil. Don't believe me? Come and see for yourself!" Xia Hongsheng rolled his eyes at the student who spoke and mocked him.

"Oh?" The student's eyes lit up and looked at Xu Qixian.

"Xu Senior Brother, Xia Junior Brother did indeed create a mechanism at home yesterday to draw water from the soil. It hasn't been revealed yet, and we're about to go home to see the results," Xu Qixian said with a bitter smile.

The student's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and he leaned in, "They say spilled water can't be retrieved, but how did Xia Junior Brother manage to do it? And to make ice in the heat… Wow, that's really amazing. Xu Senior Brother, can I visit your home at noon?"

Xu Qixian was about to respond when Xia Hongsheng suddenly grinned and said, "Sure! How about this, any fellow students who want to witness it, why don't we make a bet? One string of coins each, are you up for it?"

The students looked at each other, and the student surnamed Fang suddenly clapped his hands, "Such an amazing thing, why not? I'm in!"

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