BSI Chapter 78 0076 [A Farewell Banquet in the Cafeteria]
Chapter 78 0076 [A Farewell Banquet in the Cafeteria]
Chapter 78 0076 [A Farewell Banquet in the Cafeteria]
I set off from the West Garden of the Jinglue Division in the late afternoon, and strolled back to school just in time for dinner.
Before Xu Lai even entered the cafeteria, someone shouted, "Xingzhi is here!"
However, the canteen was already full of four tables, but no one touched their chopsticks; everyone was waiting to bid him farewell.
This includes Nei Shesheng, who had previously harbored a subtle hostility towards him.
how so?
Because all the Guangdong scholars who went to Beijing last year failed the Ministry of Rites examination this year. It wasn't just Guangzhou; the entire Guangdong province didn't produce any Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) this year!
Xu Lai is about to go to the capital to present his memorial to the new emperor, and his classmates even guessed that he would be going to the Imperial Academy.
Once you enter the Imperial Academy, you will use the quota allocated to the Imperial College, and you will no longer have to take up a quota from Guangzhou.
Moreover, if Xu Lai were to pass the imperial examination one day, all the scholars from Guangdong would likely benefit. Since they were from the same hometown, minor conflicts back home wouldn't matter, but they would definitely help each other out in the outside world.
The fewer successful candidates a region has in the imperial examinations, the more precious the bonds of kinship become.
"Sanlang, come here quickly!" Yang Shu dragged Xu Lai to sit down.
As they were talking, the teachers arrived at the cafeteria, followed by many students.
In the blink of an eye, three tables were filled again.
Xu Lai glanced around and noticed many students holding folding fans: "Have you all finished your folding fans?"
"Haha, Xingzhi doesn't know yet," Liang Wensu laughed. "The heads of the calligraphy and painting trade and the fan trade held a banquet a couple of days ago to discuss which trade should handle folding fans. One side said that folding fans are elegant objects for writing poems and painting, while the other side said that folding fans are fans used for fanning."
The two sides are almost at each other's throats!
"Folding fans are so popular?" Xu Lai was somewhat surprised; he thought that in the short term, they would at most spread among scholars.
Besides being a status symbol, folding fans are also easy to carry. They can be tucked into a sleeve or a belt, and won't get in the way when walking, sitting, or lying down.
In addition, it can be used as a gift, which is popular not only with students, but also with officials and merchants.
Xu Lai gave away six or seven folding fans to his classmates in one go, which greatly accelerated the spread of folding fans.
For example, Chen Yanhong's fan caught the eye of his uncle.
His uncle was extremely generous, choosing more expensive materials to customize the product and completing it in just four or five days. When he brought it out to discuss business, his business partner took a liking to it.
The one that was given to Yang Shu was then given to Chen Congyi, the transport judge.
Chen Congyi's officials followed suit and went to the shops to inquire about the situation.
With many students placing orders, this novelty of folding fans spread throughout Guangzhou's calligraphy and painting shops and fan shops in less than half a month. The two industries even clashed, each trying to monopolize the production and sales of folding fans.
Alas, it's a pity we can't collect patent fees, and it's difficult to get involved in business as well.
"Xingzhi, when are you leaving?" a classmate asked.
Xu Lai shook his head: "I don't know, we'll have to wait until the flood season is over."
Another classmate asked, "What official position can one be appointed for presenting tribute to the new emperor?"
"I'm not quite sure," Xu said.
Principal Chen Cigong eats in the cafeteria every day. He is sitting at the teachers' table at this moment: "The last time we presented gifts to the new emperor was decades ago. Back then, the bestowal of official titles was very generous. Things are different now. More and more people are receiving official positions through hereditary privilege. I'm afraid there will be some twists and turns."
"What kind of trouble could there be? Are we going to travel a thousand miles to present tribute to the new emperor and not even be given a minor official position?" another teacher laughed.
Chen Cigong said, "It's hard to say."
Although these were casual remarks, they lowered Xu Lai's expectations.
If they don't get an official position, that's fine. Getting into the Imperial Academy is already lucky. In the end, you still have to rely on your own hard work to pass the exams.
After chatting for a while, more and more students arrived, including Chen Yanhong and Ding Zhengchen.
Chen Yanhong is feeling particularly proud lately. Although more and more people are using folding fans, he's the first. Everyone else is just following the trend; he's the one leading the way.
Today, to bid farewell to Xu Lai, Chen Yanhong even violated regulations by bringing his page into the school.
"Xingzhi is about to embark on a long journey, and I cannot express my feelings with a farewell gift," Chen Yanhong said, pointing to his page. "I will give you a book and a copy of the 'Correct Interpretation of the Book of Rites.' Please do not refuse."
Many students, upon seeing the books, secretly marveled at how wealthy this guy was.
Lacquered with rattan!
It possesses both the portability of rattan-woven bookbinding and the luxurious durability of lacquerware.
Xu Lai, who had originally planned to extort several dozen strings of cash from him using the folding fan, found it somewhat inconvenient to accept it upon seeing the item and couldn't help but ask, "What is the value of this?"
Chen Yanhong smiled and said, "It's not expensive, only three hundred strings of cash."
A group of people in the cafeteria gasped, as if they had sucked away all the cool air, causing the temperature to rise several degrees.
The classmate sitting next to Guo Shen couldn't help but whisper, "What kind of business does this guy's family run?"
Guo Shen said, "His family used to own a silver mine, which they mined for decades. Now they run a gold and silver shop and a jewelry business."
"No wonder," the listener exclaimed in sudden realization.
The fact that there used to be silver mines and now there are gold and silver shops indicates that lending has been ongoing. Even if the silver mines were nationalized, there would definitely be officials or penny-pinchers secretly taking silver to the Chen family to exchange for copper coins. If they were to sell it to the government according to the law, the price would be severely reduced, and penny-pinchers who hoard silver would easily be caught.
To put it bluntly, they run a bank!
Xu Lai walked over, took the book, put it down, opened it again, and took out the "Correct Meaning of the Book of Rites" inside. It contained more than two million words and was piled up in a large stack.
Xu Lai bowed and said, "I appreciate Brother Wenyuan's kindness. I can accept the book, but I cannot accept the book case. This item is far too valuable."
"It's alright. With our friendship, a book is nothing," Chen Yanhong said with a smile.
This statement reveals that his mindset has not changed; he remains the same arrogant and conceited person he always was.
His improved manners were merely a facade.
He had no friends at school because he looked down on his classmates from the bottom of his heart.
Xu Lai presented him with a folding fan and wrote a poem specifically for him, praising his character.
This poem touched Chen Yanhong's heart, so he truly regarded Xu Lai as a confidant—since they were confidants, it didn't matter what expensive gifts he received.
Xu Lai insisted, "The books can be accepted, but the book collection is absolutely unacceptable."
Chen Yanhong hesitated, but ultimately said nothing more.
Ding Zhengchen's gift was less conspicuous; he presented an ink box with five ink sticks inside.
As soon as the ink cartridge was opened, a pleasant fragrance was detected.
Xu Lai was both amused and exasperated: "Second Brother, these inks of yours probably weren't cheap, were they?"
Ding Zhengchen said, "They're not as expensive as books; five coins cost a total of twenty strings of cash."
"This ink is so expensive, I wouldn't want to use it even if I got it," Xu said.
Ding Zhengchen said, "It can be kept as a collectible. It can also be given away as a gift."
The price of ink varies greatly.
The lowest grade of ink can be bought by weight, and a pound can be bought for one or two hundred coins.
And what about top-tier ink?
One 10-string coin is just the minimum.
If a famous ink maker dies, his surviving works become increasingly rare, and their prices rise accordingly, with a single inkstick potentially fetching tens of strings of cash.
After thinking it over, Xu Lai decided to accept it, as he really couldn't refuse.
Ding Zhengchen was actually quite disappointed; he had hoped Xu Lai would become his brother-in-law. But before anything was even confirmed, Xu Lai was about to leave for the capital.
He didn't dare tell his younger sister the news, as she often wondered why Xu Sanlang never came to visit.
Seeing that Xu Lai had accepted the ink box, other classmates also came to give him gifts.
Apart from Liang Wensu's slightly expensive gift, most of the rest were quite ordinary. And there were a lot of people giving calligraphy brushes; Xu Lai received over twenty at once, enough to keep him from buying brushes for several years.
"Thank you all for your friendship," Xu Lai said, raising his bowl. "During this period of national mourning, we cannot drink alcohol. So let me offer this bowl of rice porridge to you all, wishing you all success in your exams!"
Everyone loved hearing this, and they all raised their bowls to drink the rice porridge.
Perhaps many years later, the classmates will go their separate ways, with few becoming officials, and even fewer continuing their studies. The memories of school will be mostly forgotten, but that bowl of rice porridge will remain vivid.
It's much more meaningful than drinking, and leaves a deeper impression.
They would remember a classmate who, after only half a year of studying in Guangzhou, created the mulberry shears that spread to every household, and made folding fans that were loved by scholars, merchants, and officials. He also led everyone to survey water conservancy projects, ensuring that the people of the city no longer lacked drinking water in winter.
Even the teachers were astounded; they had never seen a student like this before. This student disliked attending classes, but his study methods circulated throughout the school. His study notes on the *Zuo Zhuan* were copied and circulated among generations of students in the state.
Wow, she's really got things done in just six months! It's hard for her teachers and classmates not to remember her!
After eating until he was half full, Chen Yanhong walked out of the canteen and took the guqin from his servant.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the teachers and students, he sat cross-legged on the ground, placing the zither on his lap: "I will play 'Yangguan Sandie' to entertain you all and to bid farewell to Xingzhi."
His ancestor was Chen Zhuo, a legendary qin player from the late Tang Dynasty.
Chen Zhuo was the first person to systematize the techniques and insights of the guqin and write them down so that they could be passed down through generations. He was also the first person to define "yun" (韵), thus creating a completely new aesthetic category for China.
Chen Yanhong started practicing piano at the age of three!
The tinkling sound of the piano began, and those who hadn't paid any attention before all turned to look at him, and even the talking in the cafeteria stopped.
Even though Xu Lai doesn't have much musical knowledge, he can tell that Chen Yanhong played exceptionally well.
After finishing the first piece, no matter how much the teachers and students tried to persuade him, Chen Yanhong resolutely refused to play a second piece.
He seemed to have reverted to his aloof and arrogant nature, leaving expressionlessly with his zither. Reaching the entrance to the dining hall, he suddenly handed the zither to his servant, then returned to bow and bid farewell to the teachers and students.
Then he left, drifting away without even finishing his meal.
The classmate who had been sitting next to him called out, "Chen Wenyuan, you forgot your folding fan!"
Chen Yanhong, who had been walking with his hands behind his back, stumbled upon hearing this, seemingly about to fall due to the uneven road. He quickly steadied himself and said to his page, "Go back and fetch my folding fan."
The teachers and students stopped paying attention to him.
Although there was no wine, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the rice porridge. They even tapped their bowls with chopsticks as a form of accompaniment, laughing and singing together.
Songs from the Northern Song Dynasty were a free and unrestrained form of poetry, unconventional in their meter and rules.
Also called a ballad.
Goethe-Dummer is still alive at this time.
The word "杜撰" originally meant that Du Mo wrote poems haphazardly.
Principal Chen Cigong was quite amusing, leading the chanting of Du Mo's "Six-Character Song": "Galloping on the path of benevolence and righteousness, leisurely in the mansion of poetry and books—claws and talons chase away foxes and rabbits, tigers before the gates of sages. Overthrowing Yang Zhu and Mo Di, supporting Confucius and the Duke of Zhou—"
After the song was finished, a student asked, "Sir, do you know Du Shixiong (Du Mo)?"
Recalling the past, Chen Cigong said with emotion, "I drank with him a few times and sang songs together. He was the one who saw through things. He knew that the new policies were bound to fail, so he resigned from his post and went into seclusion at the age of twenty."
Did he resign from his official post at the age of twenty and retire into seclusion?
Xu Lai thought he had misheard the age.
Yang Shu then held up a bowl of rice porridge: "Come on, come on, we won't leave until we're full tonight! Drink the soup, sing a song!"
"Hahaha!"
Upon hearing this, the students burst into laughter, banging their bowls and singing with abandon.
They hadn't had a gathering like this in a long time, and had forgotten that it was a farewell dinner, treating it more like a school talent show.
As they sang, some people got up from their tables and started laughing and dancing.
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