Chapter 46

The weather had grown even hotter, and the outerwear had been changed to single-layer shirts. Xia Hongsheng looked at the package his sister-in-law had prepared and suddenly felt a strong longing for his large backpack. In ancient times, when scholars went on trips, they needed to bring clothes for changing and books, which were troublesome to pack, so they used bamboo racks, which were square bamboo baskets made of bamboo, worn on the back, containing clothes and books needed for the journey. Poor scholars had to carry them themselves, while those from wealthy families would have a servant boy to carry the bamboo rack and take care of the scholar. Xia Hongsheng's family had no servant boy, and he didn't want to carry the bamboo rack, as it was hard and heavy, causing his back to ache. He disliked the package even more, as it was inconvenient to carry and prone to loosening.

"Brother-in-law, where is the tailor's shop?" Xia Hongsheng scratched his head, deciding to find a tailor to make a backpack for him. Even a single-shoulder bag would be great.

"Huh? I just sewed you new clothes. Why do you need to go to the tailor's shop? If anything is wrong, I can fix it for you." The woman said, already turning to get the sewing basket, ready to undo Xia Hongsheng's clothes, which scared him into jumping back.

"What are you doing?" Xia Hongsheng's reaction was so strong that he almost made his sister-in-law fall, causing her to glare at him with a bit of annoyance.

Xia Hongsheng scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Brother-in-law, I don't need to sew clothes. I want to sew a backpack... Let me draw it for you to see!"

As soon as he heard Xia Hongsheng was going to draw, the woman's face showed a pained expression, as it meant Xia Hongsheng would waste paper again.

Xia Hongsheng took out paper and a quill pen, and with a few strokes, he drew a backpack design on the paper. When he showed it to the woman, her eyes immediately brightened.

"This thing is so good! It can hold things and is easy to carry! Hongsheng, how did you think of it?" The woman looked at Xia Hongsheng in surprise, then her eyes twinkled and she said, "Hongsheng, has anyone else seen this thing? Why don't we make it and sell it? Men might not know, but women find these things very practical!"

Xia Hongsheng looked at his sister-in-law in surprise. It seemed she had already tasted the sweetness of business and immediately thought of making money! Ha, this is a good sign!

"These bags come in many styles, and the designs are different for men and women, all of which can be used. Yes, Brother-in-law is very skilled. If you add some patterns to the backpack, it can enhance its beauty. The more complex the pattern, the better it looks, and the more expensive we can sell it. The better the material used to make the bag, the higher the price. Hemp cloth, silk, and leather can all be used... These, yes, you can think about and handle them yourself!" Xia Hongsheng decided to train his sister-in-law's business acumen, to see if she could figure out the business side of things. Backpacks are a big market in the modern world, from high-end luxury items to everyday items for the common people. Every woman has countless bags, and this is a lucrative market!

The woman enthusiastically ran to the side to study the design Xia Hongsheng had given her, starting to think and work on it, coming up with many ideas as she worked. Xia Hongsheng continued to draw, sketching out all the bag designs he could remember. He thought to himself, the Tang Dynasty is full of business opportunities! Being lazy about carrying a bamboo rack, he could still come up with a way to make money, how easy is that?

The next day, they were set to depart. The woman told Xia Hongsheng to rest early, while she stayed up late sewing the backpack, hoping to finish it before Xia Hongsheng left so he could carry it. The bamboo rack was heavy and large, and if Xia Hongsheng really had to carry it, the woman would be heartbroken!

When Xia Hongsheng woke up in the morning, he found his sister-in-law half-reclining on the bed, the backpack mostly completed and placed beside her. It seemed she hadn't slept all night. Xia Hongsheng took a blanket from the side and covered her, then quietly walked out.

From Luozhou City to Luoyang City, if you rode a horse on the official road, it would take a little over a day. If you galloped, it would take less than a day. But if you walked, it would take at least two days. Fortunately, the academy had a carriage, which was slower than riding a horse but better than walking.

The few students selected to attend the poetry meeting spent the day preparing in the academy, gathering to discuss possible questions. The day passed quickly, and the next morning, when the sky was still gray, everyone had already gathered at the academy gate.

Yan Shigu didn't say much, just nodded at the spirited students and shook his head at the sleepy Xia Hongsheng, saying, "Let's go," and then got into the carriage with Mr. Liu and Mr. Xu Yanzu. Yan Shigu's head servant, Liu Fang, drove the carriage, and the other students quickly got in. As soon as they got in, Xia Hongsheng leaned against the carriage and dozed off.

With Yan Shigu present, the students didn't dare to speak, but now in the carriage, they weren't afraid of him hearing. One of them asked, "Xia Junior Brother, why are you here? Are you also going to the Luoyang Poetry Meeting?"

Xia Hongsheng opened his sleepy eyes and shook his head, "No, I have other business in Luoyang. I'm just going with the seniors to the poetry meeting, and Master Yan gave me a ride in the carriage."

The other students nodded in understanding. Seeing Xia Hongsheng close his eyes again, looking sleepy, they didn't ask him any more questions and took out their books to read, no one speaking.

After about an hour, Xia Hongsheng slowly opened his eyes and saw that it was already bright outside. He pulled the backpack from behind him, opened it, and took out a wooden box. Inside were a few tea eggs, which he distributed to the other students. The other students, seeing Xia Hongsheng's action, also took out their food and placed it in the middle of the carriage, making it look quite abundant.

"Xia Junior Brother, this..." Xu Qixian grabbed Xia Hongsheng's backpack, examined it for a while, and then said, "This bag is so convenient, easy to carry, and can hold a lot of things. It's much better than the bamboo rack!"

"Oh, Brother-in-law was worried I couldn't carry the bamboo rack, so she made this backpack for me," Xia Hongsheng said casually.

Everyone took out their food, and the atmosphere in the carriage became more relaxed. They started to chat and laugh, mostly discussing the poetry meeting. Listening to them for a while, Xia Hongsheng learned more about the Luoyang Poetry Meeting.

It turned out that the threshold for the Luoyang Poetry Meeting was not high. Anyone who considered themselves a scholar could participate. The academy hosting the meeting would also invite other academies to participate, and several renowned Confucian scholars would judge the best poems. The topics for the poems were not announced in advance and were decided by the judges on the spot, with little time for thinking. Xia Hongsheng felt relieved that he wasn't participating; otherwise, he might have been embarrassed. Although he had a background in Chinese literature and had memorized a lot, he couldn't guarantee that he would remember the right poems, which would be embarrassing.

"The top poems will be published with the works of the senior scholars, and the fame will spread, greatly benefiting the participants!" one of the students said.

"Brother Wan is right. Moreover, if a poem is chosen by a courtesan for a competition, that would be a very elegant and romantic affair!" Bai Jianzhi nodded and said to the student.

"I know my limits. If a courtesan were to choose my poem, it would be a pleasant surprise. But Brother Bai, why don't you try? If you win the favor of a courtesan, a warm night in the lotus bed would be a beautiful story," the student surnamed Wan replied calmly.

The students chatted and laughed in the carriage, imagining the scene of winning the poetry meeting and being favored by a courtesan, and then burst into laughter.

There were many passersby on the official road, coming and going, making it not feel lonely. Sometimes they could see vendors selling cakes and tea by the roadside. The road was a compacted earth path with a layer of fine gravel for drainage, making it relatively flat. The wooden wheels of the carriage had no elasticity, and the crossbeams directly connected to the carriage body, so the bumps were directly transmitted to the top. Xia Hongsheng, who was not used to riding in a carriage, especially one without shock absorbers, felt his internal organs shifting and had no interest in joining the conversation. Later, unable to bear it, he apologized, saying his bottom hurt from the bumps, and moved to sit next to the servant driving the carriage, which made him feel better.

"Sir, you should sit back in the carriage. I see the sky, and it looks like it might rain soon," the servant said respectfully to Xia Hongsheng. The servants were very respectful to the students from the academy.

"No problem, Brother. You often go to Luoyang City. This is my first time. Can you tell me what Luoyang City is like?" Xia Hongsheng, naturally friendly, smiled at the servant.

The servant, seeing Xia Hongsheng's polite manner, was a bit flustered and waved his hand, "I don't dare! Sir, you can call me Wang Er. Speaking of Luoyang City, it is as prosperous as Chang'an, with 120 wards, each 300 steps wide. There is the Fengdu Market, which occupies two wards, with four gates on each side. There are 312 residential areas and 100 types of goods..."

Xia Hongsheng listened to the servant describe the prosperity of Luoyang City, feeling a bit excited.

The Eastern Capital of the Tang Dynasty, the thousand-year-old prosperous city of Luoyang, I'm here!