Chapter 54

Xia Hongsheng returned to his room, where he wrote down the ideas about herbal tea and flower tea that had suddenly come to him. He carefully recalled and recorded the methods of preparation he could remember, adding more details to make it more comprehensive. By the time he had finished, the sun was setting. As he went downstairs, he heard some familiar voices. Looking up, he saw several students from Luozhou Academy already inside. Xu Qixian and Bai Jianzhi stood on either side, these two not getting along, each looking down on the other. However, being away from home, they represented the reputation of Luozhou Academy, so they didn't dare to really quarrel, though they didn't speak much to each other. When the others saw Xia Hongsheng, they immediately came over. It was just about dinnertime, so they found a table in the hall and sat down. Other students were also coming down from upstairs or returning from outside, making the hall noisy with chatter.

"Hey, isn't that Brother Wan?" As they just sat down, a voice came from the next table. They turned to see a student standing up and looking at them, saying, "Brother Wan, you didn't even get a place in the last poetry competition. Why are you here again? Is it because there's no one else at Luozhou Academy? Ha ha..."

This was a direct insult, and the faces of the Luozhou Academy students darkened instantly. The student surnamed Wan was about to stand up in anger but was held back by Xia Hongsheng. Xia Hongsheng poured a cup of tea for the student surnamed Wan, smiling calmly as if he hadn't heard the other student's words. He said to the student surnamed Wan, "Ah, Senior Brother Wan, come and sit down and have some tea. Why so agitated? The big mangy dog at the foot of the academy barks at us every time we pass by, but you never get this upset. Are you planning to bite the dog back after being bitten? Ha ha..."

Hearing Xia Hongsheng's words, the hall erupted in laughter. All the students understood that Xia Hongsheng was insulting the other student. Senior Brother Wan also laughed and said, "Exactly, exactly! Junior Brother Xia is right. I almost fell for that dog's trick and became a mangy dog myself. Ha ha! People shouldn't stoop to the level of a dog. Let's just ignore it."

The hall erupted in laughter again. The student who had provoked them was now red with anger, his face alternating between red and white. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "You brat! How dare you insult me!"

He was about to rush over but was held back by the other students at his table.

Xia Hongsheng looked at the furious student with a feigned look of surprise and asked, "Eh? Brother, we were talking about a mangy dog at the foot of Luozhou Academy. You see, that dog is very annoying. Every day, when the students pass by, it barks at them for no reason, which is very irritating. Brother, how did we insult you? Did we mention your name? Ha ha, please don't take it personally and embarrass yourself!"

Xia Hongsheng's innocent tone and expression made the hall burst into laughter again. The student was so angry that he trembled, but he had no response. Xia Hongsheng's meaning was clear: we were talking about a dog, and if you're not a dog, don't speak up. If you insist on being a dog, then it's on you. The student knew they were insulting him but couldn't say anything. If he spoke up, it would mean he considered himself a dog. This young man, though young, had a sharp tongue. His words were full of traps, making people grind their teeth in frustration. The student glared at Xia Hongsheng but had no response, angrily sitting back down and then stomping upstairs in a huff.

Seeing the student leave in humiliation, the hall burst into laughter again. The other students from his academy also felt embarrassed and quickly finished their meals before going upstairs to their rooms. They couldn't say anything to Xia Hongsheng and the others, as all the students in the hall were watching. Their own student had insulted others first, and now they were being retaliated against. This was their own fault, as the young man had said, they had brought it upon themselves.

After this small incident, the hall became even more lively. Several students from other academies came over to introduce themselves to Xia Hongsheng and the others. Xia Hongsheng and his friends were very polite, with elegant manners and graceful movements. Bai Jianzhi and Xu Qixian were both handsome, and with their fans in hand, they looked incredibly charming. When they spoke, they would open and close their fans, making them even more attractive, drawing the attention of the surrounding students.

"Junior Brother Xia, where did they get those fancy fans? They are really... hmm, tsk tsk..." The student surnamed Wan couldn't think of words like charming or stylish, so he just clicked his tongue, watching Xu Qixian and Bai Jianzhi talking to other students, his eyes following the movement of their fans, filled with envy, as if he wanted to snatch the fans for himself.

"Ha ha, those are folding fans. I heard they are sold at Mingxiangju in Luoyang. If Senior Brother Wan wants one, you can go look for them," Xia Hongsheng said with a smile, raising his voice slightly. Sure enough, some nearby students looked pleased and turned to tell their classmates.

Folding fans were not enough to have their own shop, so they were sold at Mingxiangju. This was a promotional offer: buy tea, get a fan. However, the fans given away were blank, and the recipients could have them inscribed or painted. If they managed to get a famous person to inscribe them, it would be even more impressive. As the saying goes, the most lethal form of showing off is the subtle kind, and this applied to the fans as well. If you wanted a fan with an inscription, the tea shop had them, but the price would depend on the fame of the person who inscribed it.

In the next few days, many students would likely go to Mingxiangju to buy fans. Some of them, from wealthy families, would want fans with famous inscriptions to show off. This would spread the fame of the fans among the literati attending the poetry competition.

Xia Hongsheng chuckled to himself. It seemed he had chosen the right people to spread the word. If Master Yan could appear at the Luoyang poetry competition with a fan, the promotional effect would be even greater. Tomorrow, when he went to Mingxiangju to deliver the information about the iced herbal tea and flower tea, he would remind the shopkeeper to stock up on fans.

"Senior Brother Wan, who were those students from earlier? Do you have a grudge with them?" Xia Hongsheng asked while Bai Jianzhi and Xu Qixian were talking to others.

"Ah! It's from the last poetry competition! It's embarrassing to say, but in the last competition, many talented people emerged, and I didn't even get a place. That person was pushed out by me and harbored a grudge. The first place in the last competition was from their academy, so they saw me this year and insulted me. Speaking of which, I haven't thanked Junior Brother Xia for helping me. Otherwise, I might have lost my temper and started a fight, which would have been a laughingstock and damaged the reputation of Luozhou Academy," Senior Brother Wan sighed and explained.

Xia Hongsheng nodded in understanding and comforted him, "Senior Brother Wan, don't be like that. A scholar should be judged by his recent actions. Since the last competition, you have worked hard and improved a lot. I heard from Master Wang and Master Yan that they deliberately let you fail last time to motivate you to study harder. This time, you will surely redeem yourself!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Junior Brother Xia. Ha ha, I will definitely try my best!" Senior Brother Wan smiled. "But, Junior Brother Xia, why aren't you participating in the poetry competition? Your talent is well-known in the academy, and the masters have praised you highly. If you participate, our academy's chances of winning would be much higher."

"Junior Brother Xia is young and has limited knowledge. If I had a few days to think, I might be able to write a poem, but if I have to write on the spot, I might not be able to come up with a single word," Xia Hongsheng shook his head and said to Senior Brother Wan.

The students got to know each other, and those who got along well made plans to drink together during the day. The inn, following the instructions of the academy, did not serve alcohol to the students, so they had to go elsewhere. During this time, a student from the academy that had provoked Senior Brother Wan came over. He introduced himself as the first-place winner of the last competition. He apologized to Senior Brother Wan on behalf of his junior and invited everyone to a meal and drinks at Yixiangju in Luoyang the next day as an apology.

Senior Brother Wan was still a bit upset, but Xia Hongsheng secretly advised him. The students from Luozhou Academy then forgave them with great magnanimity and politeness, saying they were at fault, which earned them praise from the surrounding students.

Of course, they had to be magnanimous and polite. This was a great opportunity to boost their reputation, and they couldn't let it slip away.

(PS: Just a quick promotion, I didn't know this book had a Baidu Tieba. Although there aren't many people there... Search for "Zhen Guan Di Shi" to find it ^_^)

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