Lishan Bookstore
Tang Feng slept soundly that night, sleeping until the sun was high in the sky. He was still groggy when he opened his eyes and remembered Zhou Ziliang was still in the room. He quickly sat up, only to find the room empty except for himself. Just as he was about to get up, Zhou Ziliang pushed open the door, carrying a tray. "You're up! Come and eat after you've washed up!" he said, taking out breakfast. "The innkeeper brought you chicken soup this morning, saying it would nourish you, along with steamed buns and pickles."
Tang Feng glanced at the pot of chicken soup on the table, feeling something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He simply nodded to indicate he understood, then started getting dressed. At that moment, Zhou Ziliang walked up to him, bent down, and wrapped his arms around his waist. Tang Feng shivered, pushed Zhou Ziliang away, and hugged his chest. "What are you doing! I thought you were quite well-behaved last night, a gentleman. I didn't expect you to be such a scoundrel who attacked me during the day!"
Zhou Ziliang was quite bewildered after being scolded. This was the third time he had been unjustly insulted. Learning from his previous experience, and not wanting to escalate the conflict, Zhou Ziliang quickly explained, "Your belt is on backwards." Tang Feng looked down and realized he was right, but he certainly wasn't going to apologize to Zhou Ziliang! He retorted defiantly, "I like it this way! Mind your own business!" Then he sat down and started eating.
When Tang Feng came downstairs, the proprietress rushed over to him as if she had seen a treasure, asking, "Oh my! You're down! How are you feeling? I got up early this morning to start making chicken soup!"
Tang Feng was completely bewildered by the question, but given his ambition with Zhou Ziliang so early in the morning, he had no time to chat with the landlady. He simply smiled and replied, "It's fine, the chicken soup is delicious too, thank you, landlady." At that moment, all he wanted to do was get on the carriage and talk to Zhang Mobai for a while. The landlady smiled even more broadly after hearing this, and as she left, she offered Tang Feng a jar of pickled vegetables for them to eat on the road.
As Tang Feng stepped outside, he saw Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei already standing there. Yang Fei was clutching his horse's neck, groaning and complaining, "What happened?" Tang Feng walked over to Zhang Mobai and whispered, "Could it be that the wound on your foot from yesterday has moved?"
"No way! I brought it on myself." Zhang Mobai covered his mouth and chuckled.
Just then, Zhou Ziliang came out and saw Yang Fei clutching his buttocks. He immediately laughed, "Senior brother, there was a cat stealing fish on the roof last night. I wonder if you heard it?" Yang Fei glanced at Zhou Ziliang, pointed at him for a long time without saying a word, and finally rolled his eyes, enduring the pain as he mounted his horse.
After leaving Fenghe City, the four of them hurriedly arrived in Lanxi in early May. Once in Lanxi, they no longer worried about being late for the apprenticeship ceremony at Lishan Academy. Having gone through this journey, Tang Feng had become more easygoing. Initially, he was at odds with Zhou Ziliang, but later he simply closed his eyes, out of sight, out of mind. This, however, worried Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei to no end. Seeing their little rascal acting like he was about to enter a monastic life, practically chanting "Emptiness is form, form is emptiness," Tang Feng was already in a difficult situation, but Zhou Ziliang was also incredibly dense. Zhang Mobai didn't even know if Zhou Ziliang knew anything about all the things he had done.
Looking at Tang Feng, who was sleeping soundly beside him, Zhang Mobai couldn't help but sigh. What sins had he committed in his past life that he had to play matchmaker for this little devil? Tang Feng turned over, as if he had woken up, and mumbled, "It's not here yet!"
"Almost there, almost there," Zhang Mobai patted Tang Feng on the shoulder. "Get up! You've been sleeping on and off all day. How will you be able to sleep tonight?"
Tang Feng slowly sat up, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked at the bustling street outside. "Lanxi is quite lively! It's just as good as Xiling."
Zhang Mobai wrapped an orange and handed it to Tang Feng. "Lanxi is the birthplace of culture. Whether it was the Da Ruan of yesteryear or the Yan Yun of today, it has produced many top scholars! Keep going south ahead, and you'll reach the academy."
"Does that mean it'll be a long time?"
"It's hard to say, it could take two hours at the earliest, three or four hours at the latest." Upon hearing this, Tang Feng started fussing about getting off the carriage. After more than ten days of riding, his backside was practically flat from sitting so long. He clung to Zhang Mobai's arm, begging him to get off and walk around with him. Zhang Mobai agreed. Firstly, he genuinely found staying in the carriage very boring, and secondly, if Tang Feng didn't get off, he might fall asleep and cause trouble at night.
After Zhang Mobai finished speaking with Yang Fei, he led Tang Feng out of the carriage. The two of them didn't have any particular destination in mind; they simply strolled around. However, it was the first time for both Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai to visit Lanxi, so everything they saw seemed new and exciting. They didn't return to the carriage until their hands were so full of purchases that they couldn't carry them all. Tang Feng admired his purchases from the carriage, brimming with excitement. "Little madman, look at this lotus leaf glutinous rice bun! It smells delicious. And this mortise and tenon joint—I've never seen anything like it before!" Zhang Mobai, standing beside him, also held up and examined the various trinkets.
"Tsk tsk tsk, so easy to coax, a few little gadgets and they're this funny." Yang Fei glanced towards the carriage, listening to Zhang Mobai and Tang Feng laughing so hard they were breathless inside.
A two-hour journey wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. At least for Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai, it was quite enjoyable. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Tang Feng couldn't wait to get off and looked around, but he didn't see the academy that had been rumored to be there. "Didn't you say we were here? Where is the academy?!"
At this moment, Zhou Ziliang pointed behind Tang Feng, "It's right here." Tang Feng turned around and saw a staircase with hundreds of steps leading straight up the mountain. The staircase was lined with sycamore trees, and in May, during the sycamore's blooming season, pink flowers blossomed on the branches, filling the air with fragrance. Between every two sycamore trees, a lamp was lit to illuminate the path up the mountain. Tang Feng looked up at the staircase, "We're not going to have to climb such high steps, are we?" The staircase was divided into three levels, each with over a hundred steps. Just looking at it made Tang Feng feel exhausted, let alone climbing it. At this moment, Zhang Mobai got out of the carriage and looked at the staircase, "Yes! This suspended staircase is called the Jingdu Long Staircase. There are nine hundred and ninety-nine steps in total, and we have to climb them one by one. But don't worry, little brother, the luggage will still be in the carriage, and someone will come to pick it up later."
Climb up step by step? Tang Feng's eyes widened. This was practically killing him! Someone like him, breathless after just a few steps and suffering from muscle weakness if he didn't lie down for a day... wouldn't he suddenly die on the way?! Although that's what he thought, his body betrayed him, and he followed Zhang Mobai up the stairs. The first level was manageable; after all, Tang Feng had been lying down all day and still had some stamina. But by the second level, the difference in their abilities became obvious. Zhou Ziliang and Yang Fei, both with martial arts backgrounds, were in the lead. Zhang Mobai, though less physically fit, wasn't far behind. Tang Feng, however, was different. He had no martial arts background, and years of pampered life, always traveling by sedan chair, clearly lacked the stamina to keep up. He fell far behind, and was even using a thick tree branch for support to avoid looking too embarrassed.
Zhang Mobai turned around and saw Tang Feng so exhausted, so he called out to Zhou Ziliang above, "Brother Ziliang!" Zhou Ziliang glanced at Zhang Mobai, who then turned his head behind him and said, "I'm too weak. Why don't you go check on me?" Zhou Ziliang nodded, turned around and walked down to Tang Feng. He knelt down and said softly, "Don't push yourself if you're not feeling well. I'll carry you up!"
Tang Feng, who was already nearly delirious from the stairs, suddenly became competitive when he saw Zhou Ziliang squatting in front of him, offering to carry him. He threw down the branch he was holding, walked past Zhou Ziliang, and said, "Who needs you to carry me! How am I being stubborn! A man can't say he can't do it!" He then ran a few steps, as if to prove himself. Zhou Ziliang stood there stunned, while Zhang Mobai was speechless, slapping his face and not even wanting to look at him.
However, Tang Feng still went up by himself, though in the end he had to use both hands and feet, pushing and pulling. Lying on the ground, Tang Feng looked up at the plaque hanging from the beam, which read 'Lishan Academy' in four large characters. On either side were the inscription 'As long as there are many books, there will be a bountiful harvest.' Tang Feng was half-pulled, half-dragged up by Zhang Mobai, and carefully examined the academy for a while. The entire academy was simple yet grand in its structure. Although Tang Feng hadn't gone inside, he knew it must be quite large. The buildings were all made of blue bricks and gray tiles, appearing clean and refined. Entering the courtyard, the ground was covered with withered crabapple petals and fallen paulownia blossoms. Tang Feng walked onto the petal-strewn bluestone bricks and slowly went inside to look around. At first, there was nothing particularly special about it; it was just a small courtyard. After passing through the main building, there was a winding corridor. At the end of the corridor stood two servants. "Gentlemen, may I take a look at your recommendation letters?"
Zhang Mobai took out several letters from his pocket and handed them to the two servants. After carefully reading them several times to confirm their identities, the servants said, "Gentlemen, please follow me! The rooms are ready."
Following the two servants, Tang Feng and his companions passed through several corridors and pavilions before finally arriving at their lodgings along a quiet path. A row of dozens of wooden doors stretched out before them, each with a small wooden table displaying an inkstone and brush. One of the servants walked to one of the doors, removed the seal, and then took out a wooden plaque from his robes. He picked up a brush from the table, dipped it in ink, and wrote down the names of four people. He then said, "There are two rooms in the courtyard, accommodating four people. Gentlemen, please feel free to assign them as you wish." With that, he bowed and left.
Seeing the two men leave, Tang Feng pulled Zhang Mobai inside. The courtyard wasn't luxurious, but it had everything one could need. A fringe tree stood in the center, its age evident, and next to it was an old well, presumably for their daily washing. Zhou Ziliang and Yang Fei also entered. Zhou Ziliang said, "The east wing is the sunny room, with good lighting and not cold in winter. You two can sleep there! My senior brother and I will sleep in the west wing."
Zhang Mobai nodded in agreement. After all, the west wing was a bit damp, while the east wing was drier and more comfortable. Once everyone had their rooms assigned, Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai went into the east room. Just as the servant had said, everything was ready: neatly arranged bedding, a spotless desk, and tea on the table.
"Let's get some rest early tonight! We need to collect tuition and clothes tomorrow. We arrived relatively early, so we can wander around and get familiar with the area. I heard that the apprenticeship ceremony will be held in a couple of days once everyone is here." Zhang Mobai tidied the bedding, then picked up the washbasin to go fetch water. "Hey, come with me! I can help you."
Tang Feng nodded and they went out together. Strangely enough, even in May, one would normally break a light sweat even in light clothing, but at Lishan Academy, let alone sweat, there was even a slight chill in the air at night. Zhang Mobai slowly hung the bucket on the well rope and then threw it into the well. Tang Feng sat to the side, looking up at the snow-white fringe flowers in full bloom. Perhaps it was because the academy was on a mountain, closer to the vast sky, that Tang Feng even felt the stars at night were brighter than those in Xiling City.
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