Whose fault was it to steal food?
Tang Feng swore that these past two days had truly been the most diligent he had ever been in his life, even more so than during his college entrance exams in his previous life. Fearing that Xu Chang'an would be playing Go the next day, Tang Feng even dragged Zhang Mobai along to explain Go scores until midnight. But who would have thought that it would rain that very day? Zhou Ziliang looked at the heavy rain outside and shook his head, "With such heavy rain, it seems we can't go to Xionghu Hunting Ground today."
Tang Feng, however, was having second thoughts. This was unacceptable; he'd worked so hard learning archery and horsemanship for so long, and now it was raining all of a sudden! He really should have listened to Yang Fei yesterday and prayed to the heavens. "Then...it's not really going to be a Go test, is it?" Tang Feng tugged at Zhang Mobai's sleeve and asked pitifully, "If it really is a test, then I'm doomed!" Tang Feng felt he truly couldn't learn Go. Yesterday, Zhang Mobai had been lecturing on and on for hours, and he'd actually fallen asleep listening to him.
Zhang Mobai shook his head. "I don't know. Don't think too much about it, little brother. It's hard to say anything right now. There's no use in you worrying here!"
Along the way, Tang Feng repeatedly flipped through the book, but no matter what he did, he couldn't remember anything. "Oh dear, Brother Tang, it seems your last-minute cramming isn't very effective!" Lu Changyuan seemed to be running a few steps to catch up with Tang Feng and the others, and he was a little out of breath as he spoke. Bai Wuren was bowing and scraping as he held an umbrella for Lu Changyuan, while Chen Liang followed behind, not forgetting to chime in with a comment.
Tang Feng glanced at Lu Changyuan, quickened his pace, and tossed Lu Changyuan a sentence, "I think Brother Lu should catch his breath before speaking, otherwise I'm afraid you'll suffocate." Before Lu Changyuan could reply, Tang Feng had already strode away.
When Tang Feng and his group arrived at the agreed-upon Dongting Villa, Xu Chang'an was already waiting for them. Xu Chang'an stood on the steps, fanning himself, looking down at Tang Feng with a broad smile.
"The next time I see him laughing like that, I'll twist his head off."
"Alright, alright, you still want to have anything to do with him?" Zhang Mobai saw Tang Feng standing there, so angry he was practically bristling, and tugged at Tang Feng's sleeve with a smile. "Next time, stay away from him."
"Brother Tang, you've kept us waiting! Look, I've even invited the Dean today," Xu Chang'an said, bowing to Tang Feng with a hint of mockery in his eyes. Tang Feng frowned. Goodness! This guy's really going to make a big deal out of this! Inviting the teacher is one thing, but even the Dean has come! Tang Feng clenched his fists, but maintained a smiling face. "Brother Chang'an, you've even invited the Dean; it seems you take this competition very seriously."
"Yes! It's raining heavily today, so we can't go to the Xionghu hunting grounds. Let's have a game of 'Flying Flowers' here at Dongting Villa. What do you think, Brother Tang?" Xu Chang'an squinted, as if waiting for Tang Feng to embarrass himself. Tang Feng was notoriously talentless and incompetent in Xiling. Xu Chang'an had heard of Tang Feng's four-line frontier poem from a few years ago, but what did that prove? He hadn't produced any masterpieces since; he must have run out of ideas.
"What's 'Flying Flower Order'?" Tang Feng asked in a low voice, nudging Zhang Mobai beside him after hearing the question.
"You don't even know the Flying Flower Order game? I think we shouldn't even bother competing. You're exactly the same as before, you don't know anything. Those four lines of poetry, you copied them, didn't you!"
"Hahaha"
Before Zhang Mobai could speak, Lu Changyuan, who was walking behind, climbed up and interjected, causing everyone to burst into laughter. At this moment, Zhou Ziliang glared at Lu Changyuan, walked to Tang Feng's side, and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "The 'Flying Flower Order' is a word game. Perhaps the dean will choose a character, and you and your opponent must each compose a line of poetry containing that character. Whoever can't answer loses."
"That's just reciting poems! What's so difficult about that?" Tang Feng muttered under his breath. "Flying Flower Order is fine, do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Xu Chang'an smiled, said nothing, turned around and bowed to the dean, saying, "Dean Yan, please give me the question!"
Old Mr. Yan looked outside and stretched his hand out. Raindrops the size of soybeans pattered against the trees, knocking down the osmanthus blossoms that had been in full bloom just days before. One of the blossoms landed right in the old dean's hand. "Well... let's use flowers as the theme!" Old Mr. Yan gazed at the yellow blossoms scattered on the ground, placed the one in his hand by the window, and smiled. "Tang Feng, you go first!"
Tang Feng bowed to the dean, pondered for a moment, and said, "A pot of wine among the flowers, I drink alone, without a companion."
Lu Changyuan also offered a line: "It can make the autumn moon fall and the flowers bloom in February."
Tang Feng smiled, pushed aside the umbrella Zhang Mobai had held for him, and stood alone in the rain, shaking off his clothes. "The forest flowers have faded, spring's beauty gone too soon; helpless against the morning's cold rain and the evening's wind."
Yang Fei moved closer to Zhang Mobai from Zhou Ziliang and said, "Your little brother is amazing! After 'The Untamed Horsemen Crossing Yinshan,' he's about to produce another masterpiece!" Zhang Mobai smiled and said, "What do you know? How could my little brother's talent be limited to this?" Zhou Ziliang held up his umbrella, watching Tang Feng and Lu Changyuan composing poems in the rain. Tang Feng was so free, arrogant, and disdainful. What else do I not know about him, Tang Feng? It seemed that their acquaintance in earlier years had not allowed Zhou Ziliang to see through him.
Lu Changyuan quickly added, "At dawn, I see the red petals damp with dew; fallen blossoms grace Chengdu."
"The willows of Yongfeng, their blossoms falling like snow all day long, unseen by anyone."
Lu Changyuan would carefully consider each line of poetry he composed, fearing he might choose the wrong words, while Tang Feng could speak fluently without hesitation. Lu Changyuan stared at the osmanthus blossoms battered by the rain for a long time before slowly uttering, "Flowers bloom and fade, regardless of the passing years."
"Flying blossoms, light as a dream; endless drizzle, fine as sorrow." Tang Feng, at this point, no longer cared about winning or losing; he simply found the game very enjoyable. Even more delightful was seeing Lu Changyuan's responses slowing and Xu Chang'an's face darkening. Upon hearing this line of poetry, Lu Changyuan was unable to respond, remaining silent for a long time. Meanwhile, Bai Wuren, waiting behind him, suddenly interjected, "Having made an appointment, he didn't come past midnight; idly tapping chess pieces, the lamplight flickers."
Tang Feng looked up at Bai Wuren standing on the steps. He had originally wanted to say, "Isn't it just him and Lu Changyuan competing? If Bai can't answer, then I've won!" But the words stuck in his throat. After careful consideration, he decided that since he had already won, he might as well play along. Although he wasn't good at much else, at least he could recite poems without a problem: "Spring breeze, peach and plum blossoms in bloom; autumn rain, paulownia trees, setting sun."
"Uh..." Bai Wuren glanced at Chen Liang beside him. Chen Liang frowned before managing to reply, "The flowers have faded, the red petals are gone, the green apricots are small; when the swallows fly, green waters surround the houses."
"While the flowers of April have faded in the human world, the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are just beginning to bloom."
"Flower ornaments lie scattered on the ground, uncollected; jade hairpins and golden sparrow ornaments adorn her head." At this moment, the students in the academy began to stand at the entrance, all wanting to exchange a line with Tang Feng. Zhang Mobai, holding an umbrella, took a few steps forward, feeling that this was going too far. Just as he was about to speak, Tang Feng stopped him.
"Flowers near the tall building wound the traveler's heart; amidst widespread hardship, this ascent is undertaken."
"The wind has ceased, the dust has settled, the flowers are gone, and it's late; I'm too weary to comb my hair." Hearing this, even the old gentleman sitting at the innermost seat couldn't sit still any longer. He slowly rose and said to Master Chen beside him, "Quickly, take some paper and write this down! I've heard Tang Feng's frontier poem, 'If only the Flying General of Longcheng were here, the barbarian horses would never dare cross the Yin Mountains.' I always thought it was just a fluke, but I never imagined this child was so gifted!" Master Chen nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Flowing water and falling flowers, spring has gone, heaven and earth are separated." The "Flying Flower Order" game continued, starting with Tang Feng's response to Lu Changyuan and gradually spreading to Tang Feng's response to all the students of the academy. Everyone wanted to write a line.
"When the swallows arrive, it's the new year; when the pear blossoms fall, it's Qingming Festival." Tang Feng wasn't worried about losing at all; on the contrary, he felt victory was assured. Tang Feng wrung out the rainwater from his sleeves. Although the summer rain was damp and stuffy, Tang Feng felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
"Half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers, mist and rain shrouding a thousand homes."
Tang Feng looked at the dean who came out of the villa in shock. "Why did you stop? What? Can't this old man play a game of 'Flying Flowers' with you?" Old Master Yan stood in front of the door with his hands behind his back, looking at Tang Feng with a smile.
Tang Feng smiled, bowed slightly, and said, "It's not that I particularly love chrysanthemums among flowers, but that after this flower blooms, there are no more flowers left."
“What a fine line! It’s not that I particularly love chrysanthemums among flowers, but that after this flower blooms, there are no more flowers left. Tang Feng, such a beautiful line will surely be passed down through the ages.” Old Master Yan stroked his beard, took an umbrella from a student beside him, and walked down the steps to shield Tang Feng from the rain. “You recited the flower-themed poem well today! I’m truly impressed!” With that, Old Master Yan handed the umbrella to Tang Feng, put his hands behind his back, and, like Tang Feng, walked down the mountain in the rain, muttering, “A shadow falls through the window screen, who has come to pluck the flowers?”
Several students followed closely behind, carrying umbrellas, and chased after him. Tang Feng looked up at Xu Chang'an and smiled, "Brother Chang'an, it's unfortunate that you chose my strongest event for the competition. Thank you for your kindness, Brother Chang'an." Tang Feng bowed to Xu Chang'an.
Xu Chang'an picked up his umbrella and walked down, exchanging a glance with Tang Feng for a moment before saying, "Why do you say that? Brother Tang is truly talented. It is a great fortune for Yan Yun to have such a talented man. How can you say it's unfortunate?" He then smiled and added, "Brother Tang, we have a long future ahead of us."
Seeing Xu Chang'an leave, Zhang Mobai walked over to Tang Feng and said, "Little brother, you're amazing! You didn't even see how green their faces turned just now. I knew you could write poetry."
Tang Feng simply smiled at Zhang Mobai, then turned to look at Lu Changyuan standing behind him. Lu Changyuan grinned at Tang Feng and said, "I knew it. With Tang Feng's talent, he could definitely surpass me by a million. They just wouldn't believe it." After saying that, he kicked Bai Wuren twice and said, "I can't stand it anymore that you guys look down on Brother Tang!"
Tang Feng walked up to Lu Changyuan and said in a low voice, "Brother Changyuan, shouldn't you put the copying of the academy rules that you promised me a few days ago on the agenda? I don't care if you don't copy them, and I don't mind if the other students in the academy know that you sat on the floor at my house and wouldn't leave, pestering me for the poem."
"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond," Lu Changyuan stammered, his face turning pale. But he was too proud to admit it and had no choice but to agree. If everyone found out about what happened back then, how could he ever live in Xiling again?
Seeing that Lu Changyuan agreed, Tang Feng turned and left. After descending the steps, Zhang Mobai put his arm around Tang Feng's shoulder and said, "Little brother, you're really something! Come on! Let's go to the corridor hall, I'll treat you to dinner."
Tang Feng shook his head. "I don't want to eat right now, I want to sleep!" With that, Tang Feng closed his eyes and leaned back. Zhou Ziliang, standing behind him, reacted quickly, catching Tang Feng and gently helping him sit down against him.
"Little brother!" Zhang Mobai shook Tang Feng, and Zhou Ziliang tugged at him, signaling him to be quiet. Then, Zhou Ziliang took Tang Feng's hand to check his pulse, and sighed, "It's nothing, he's just asleep. He's probably too tired yesterday." Zhang Mobai nodded, and Yang Fei and Zhang Mobai together helped to lift Tang Feng onto Zhou Ziliang's back.
Tang Feng was indeed exhausted. Aside from the cramming of lessons in the past few days, he had been on edge the entire time during the poetry recitation competition, terrified of accidentally uttering "Tang, Li Bai." Now that he had finally gotten through that, he relaxed and fell asleep instantly. Tang Feng slept very well, and when he woke up, it was already dark. He sat up and looked around in the moonlight. Zhang Mobai was lying on the opposite bed, breathing evenly; it must be late at night. His stomach growled inappropriately. Tang Feng frowned; he hadn't eaten anything all day except breakfast! He glanced at the still-sleeping Zhang Mobai, quietly put on his shoes, and slipped into the side room in the backyard.
"My God! What are they doing! They've eaten so cleanly!" Previously, Tang Feng and his friends would leave unfinished food from the corridor hall on a small table in the side room, but today the table was spotless. Tang Feng rubbed his stomach, showing no sign of stopping. Then he thought, why not go check out the corridor hall? Tang Feng quietly grabbed a coat from inside the house and left. It was summer, so the night wasn't cold. Tang Feng strolled along, listening to the cicadas chirping. He arrived at the corridor hall shortly after. Tang Feng tugged at the door, saw it was locked, scoffed, and climbed over the wall. He jumped down, brushing the dust off his clothes. "That lousy lock thinks it can stop me? I've been in the Tang manor for so many years, what wall haven't I climbed... Waaaaah..." Before Tang Feng could finish, someone covered his mouth and dragged him aside.
"What are you doing in the corridor in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" Tang Feng turned his head and saw Zhou Ziliang frowning at him.
"How dare you ask?" Tang Feng grabbed the leaves he had just picked and threw them at Zhou Ziliang. "It's all your fault! You didn't even leave me any food. I'm starving! Listen to how my stomach is growling!"
"Pfft!" Zhou Ziliang couldn't help but laugh out loud. "We saw you sleeping soundly and thought you were going to sleep until the next morning. Besides, it's the middle of summer now, and you can't eat food that's been sitting overnight. But you're really brave; you dared to climb over the wall of the corridor!"
Tang Feng rolled his eyes at Zhou Ziliang nonchalantly. "What do I care! Can't a person eat if they're hungry?" With that, Tang Feng started to walk into the house.
Zhou Ziliang grabbed Tang Feng and pulled him into his arms. "They really don't allow eating. Article 431 of the academy rules states that eating is not permitted after curfew; Article 756 states that no one is allowed to enter the corridor after curfew."
Tang Feng pried Zhou Ziliang's hand off him. "You're a devil! You've memorized so many rules?" Tang Feng patted the wrinkles on his clothes. "Rules are rules, but people are flexible. I won't... Waaaaah..." Before Tang Feng could finish, Zhou Ziliang covered his mouth again. Tang Feng hit Zhou Ziliang's arm a few times, trying to make him let go.
Shh! Keep your voice down, there are people outside!
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