Chapter 9

"Good poem, truly a good poem! ... It's so great, when I saw that white fool's face, I felt so relieved! Hahaha..." Even after being dragged to the back of the mountain by Xia Hongsheng, Xu Qixian was still laughing uncontrollably. Xia Hongsheng rolled his eyes at him a few times, but seeing that it had no effect, he ignored him.

The back of the academy's mountain was vast, with a view of the entire Luozhou city from the forest, making it a wonderful place. They found a spot under a tree far from the headmaster's courtyard, sat on a rock, and took in the scenery of Luozhou city. The towering peak of Laojun Mountain stood opposite, majestic and beautiful, truly a fine mountain.

"Brother Xu, can your servant find us? I'm eagerly waiting for him to come back." Xia Hongsheng sat on the green stone, leaning back against the tree trunk, and looked at the scenery of Luozhou city below, feeling comfortable. He said this to Xu Qixian, who was still excited.

"Don't worry, I've already told him to come to the back of the mountain with the chicken after buying the things. I often come here, so he can find us." Xu Qixian said, leaning back against the tree trunk like Xia Hongsheng. He then looked at Xia Hongsheng as if he were a stranger, examining him for a long time before sighing and saying, "Junior Brother Jingshi, why do I feel like you've suddenly become older than me? Whether it's in speech, action, studies, or behavior, it's as if you've become a different person, making me feel like I don't recognize you anymore."

"The world has only passed a day, but in my dream, a thousand years have passed. Brother Xu, when I was unconscious, I had a very long dream, experiencing half a life. When I woke up, I felt as if I were already in my forties. Perhaps because I've lived half a life in my dream, my mind has indeed matured a lot." Xia Hongsheng smiled and replied, "But Xia Hongsheng is still Xia Hongsheng, and Brother Xu is still Brother Xu. Just remember this. Let's not talk about this. Brother Xu, do you remember the Beggar's Chicken I mentioned a few days ago?"

"Beggar's Chicken? Yes, you did mention it and criticized the braised chicken made by my cook as worthless." Xu Qixian remembered and felt a bit annoyed, giving Xia Hongsheng a dirty look. After all, his cook was hired by his uncle from Chang'an. If anyone in the small city of Luozhou had the best-tasting food, it was either the Yixiangju in the market or his home!

Xia Hongsheng sat up, picked up a branch from the ground, and started digging. As he dug, he said to Xu Qixian, "Hehe, today I'll let Brother taste the delicious Beggar's Chicken and see my skills."

"You? Heh, not to be rude, but you're just a kid. Even if I believe your story about living half a life in your dream, I can't believe you can cook anything. Even if you know how to do it, you must have learned it from your sister-in-law." Xu Qixian said, "But, Junior Brother Jingshi, the sages taught us that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. How can you do it yourself? We'll let Liu Qing do it. He's the cook's second son. Although he hasn't learned his father's skills, his food is still edible! If you want to eat chicken, just let him do it."

Hearing this, Xia Hongsheng shook his head and waved his finger in front of Xu Qixian, saying, "Not at all, not at all! Brother Xu, you're wrong!"

Xu Qixian opened his eyes wide and looked at Xia Hongsheng as if he were a patient, "Junior Brother Jingshi, don't joke. The sage Mencius said: 'It is not harmful, it is a humane act, seeing the ox but not the sheep. A gentleman, when he sees an animal alive, cannot bear to see it die; when he hears its voice, he cannot bear to eat its flesh. Therefore, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.' So, a gentleman should stay away from the place where animals are killed and cooked, and should not do these things himself. Junior Brother Jingshi, you haven't learned this yet. I'll tell you now, and you must never do this again."

"Hehe... Brother Xu, your interpretation is wrong. Mencius's meaning is not what you said." Xia Hongsheng raised his chin at Xu Qixian and said, swaying his head.

"Oh?" Xu Qixian, who considered himself very learned, became interested, "I wonder what Junior Brother Jingshi's interpretation is? Since Liu Qing hasn't returned yet, can you discuss it with me? I'm all ears to hear your insights."

"Ah, you don't seem to agree! Hehe, Xia Hongsheng stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said loudly, "Mencius said: 'It is not harmful, it is a humane act, seeing the ox but not the sheep. A gentleman, when he sees an animal alive, cannot bear to see it die; when he hears its voice, cannot bear to eat its flesh. Therefore, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.' Most people interpret Mencius's words literally, thinking a gentleman should stay away from the place where animals are killed and cooked. But if that's the case, a gentleman who eats meat must also kill animals, yet pretends to be unwilling to do so. If he really can't bear to kill animals, he should just not eat meat. But by staying away from the kitchen, he avoids seeing and hearing the killing, and can then eat the meat from the kitchen with a clear conscience. Isn't this hypocritical and contrary to the sages' teachings? In fact, Mencius's words are not so superficial. They contain a deeper moral concept."

Xia Hongsheng spoke with a scholarly air, a habit from his past life as a teacher. When he started to show off, he always ended up like this.

"The people who work in the kitchen should not be gentlemen. Cooks often kill chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep, and are covered in blood, oil, and smoke, which is not the appearance of a gentleman. A gentleman should be neatly dressed, dignified, holding a book of sages, and speaking of righteousness. But look at those cooks, all of them are dressed in rough clothes, with dirty faces, holding knives, and talking about which one is fat and which one is thin. Thus, the difference between a gentleman and a cook, between high culture and low culture, between civilization and vulgarity, becomes clear. People aspire to be gentlemen, so they look down on the vulgar. Even those with dirty minds, thick faces, and black hearts, like that white fool, will find a beautiful excuse to disguise themselves. Such people are also clean and well-dressed, but can they be called gentlemen? And Brother Xu, has your cook ever done anything evil or sinister?"

Xu Qixian shook his head, already stunned by Xia Hongsheng's words, "No, Uncle Liu has always been diligent and loyal to my family, never having a second thought."

"That's right. If all those who stay away from the kitchen are gentlemen, and those who work in the kitchen are all villains, how do you explain it? So, this interpretation is too one-sided." Xia Hongsheng took two steps forward, standing in front of Xu Qixian. Seeing Xu Qixian's confused look, he decided to give him a wake-up call. He took a deep breath and suddenly raised his voice, shouting, "In fact, what Mencius really meant is: meat should be eaten, but the heart of compassion should also be present. So, the compassion of staying away from the kitchen is not for the animals, but for the compassion in one's heart. With this compassion, one will be compassionate to people, be kind to one's kind, and have a sense of righteousness. Only then can the world practice benevolent governance and achieve 'respecting the elderly and caring for the young'! This is the true meaning Mencius wanted to convey to King Liang Hui!"

"Huh? Why is it so quiet?" Xia Hongsheng looked down and saw Xu Qixian with a blank look, staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth open wide, as if his jaw had dropped. Hehe, the wake-up call worked. Xia Hongsheng missed the feeling of giving others a wake-up call. He politely nodded to Xu Qixian, showing a row of white teeth, and smiled, "How about it, Brother Xu, is my interpretation correct?"

Xu Qixian remained stunned, as if he had lost his soul, too shocked to make a sound. Xia Hongsheng was about to sit down when he suddenly heard clapping from behind Xu Qixian. He looked up and saw the headmaster and other teachers walking out from the forest!

This is terrible! You are all respected people, how can you hide and eavesdrop on your students' conversations! Xia Hongsheng felt a pang of sorrow and looked at the teachers with trepidation.

The teachers all had thoughtful expressions, their heads slightly lowered, deep in thought. Xia Hongsheng's teacher was there, his face full of surprise and joy, looking at his two students with pride. The old headmaster, however, had a faint smile, stroking his beard, his eyes shining, and said, "Seeing it alive, not seeing it die, hearing its voice, not eating its flesh... compassion is benevolence, not the dirt of the kitchen, but the heart of righteousness... Hahaha, today, I am very pleased! ... Hahaha, Jingshi, good! Good! Good! Good Xia Jingshi!"

When the old headmaster made this comment, everyone's attention focused on Xia Hongsheng. Xia Hongsheng didn't expect his interpretation from his past life's textbooks to be heard by the old headmaster and the academy's teachers. He felt a surge of excitement. Yes, in ancient culture, there are many errors and misinterpretations, turning good ideas into dross. Perhaps, I can prevent this?

"Compassion is benevolence, not the dirt of the kitchen, but the heart of righteousness..." Xu Qixian, who was in a daze, sat against the tree trunk, not even noticing the arrival of the teachers, repeating the phrase over ten times before suddenly standing up and bowing deeply to Xia Hongsheng, saying in a manic tone, "Today, today I have learned, Junior Brother Jingshi, your interpretation will surely change the world of Confucian scholars... Hahaha, Junior Brother, no wonder the headmaster accepted you as a student. Your talent is unparalleled, I am convinced. Not only should you be a student, but you are also qualified to be a teacher at the academy!"

Xia Hongsheng's face turned pale, his mouth open, staring at the teachers behind Xu Qixian. When Xu Qixian finally noticed Xia Hongsheng's expression and turned around, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the back of the academy's mountain.

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