With an otherworldly appearance and an exceptional demeanor.
“Here, here,” Yu Jinnian greeted, “Are you here for noodles?”
The girl was about to give orders, but upon seeing a young shop owner with a clean and handsome face emerge from behind the counter, her heart fluttered. He was far more attractive than the unruly servants at her own residence. She lowered her head, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks, and after a moment, stammered, “Do you have any private rooms? Our… master heard that your place has unique and interesting things as soon as he entered the city and insisted on coming to see.”
Private rooms?
Yu Jinnian glanced back at his small noodle shop, feeling troubled for a moment. However, he thought of something and smiled, “Our humble shop doesn’t have private rooms, but if your master doesn’t mind, we can use a screen to create a private area here in the main hall. How about that?”
His smile made him even more attractive, the girl thought with a blush. She glanced at Yu Jinnian before hurriedly going back to the carriage to report. After a while, she poked her head out and called from a distance, “That’ll do! Sorry to trouble you, owner!”
Yu Jinnian agreed and went to the back hall. He knew that Aunt had some wooden screens that would be perfect for this, so he explained the situation and borrowed them, managing to create a “private room” in the already cramped space.
The customers in the hall were curious and craned their necks to see what kind of master had arrived.
Their curiosity was soon satisfied. As the luxurious carriage’s curtain was lifted, two elegant ladies descended, one dressed in green and the other in blue. One was lively and playful, the other quiet and graceful. Their fragrant presence and delicate steps brought an air of elegance to the small noodle shop.
Yu Jinnian wasn’t surprised. When the little maid asked for a private room, he had guessed that a lady might be coming. Although in the Da Xia Dynasty, there were norms about the interaction between men and women, they weren’t overly strict. It was common for poor women to show their faces in public to earn a living, and noble ladies could go out for leisure, as long as they didn’t stay out overnight, go out alone, or engage in loud conversations with men.
The lively lady quickly took her seat and ordered some simple food to eat before continuing their journey.
Yu Jinnian brought out two bowls of hot noodles, a plate of cucumber salad, a dish of pickled vegetables with a spicy-sour flavor, and two pieces of snowflake cake. The lady seemed uninterested in the first few dishes but showed some interest when the snowflake cake arrived.
“This is freshly made snowflake cake,” Yu Jinnian introduced.
The lady in green examined it carefully and scoffed, “Isn’t this just glutinous rice and sesame? Why call it snowflake cake?”
Yu Jinnian nodded and smiled, “It’s just a pleasant name. Eating it makes you happy, doesn’t it?”
“Ying’er.” The lady in blue finally spoke, lifting her head slightly, “You insisted on coming here, so don’t complain now that we’re here.”
“Got it, sister.” The lady in green stuck out her tongue.
The lady in blue then asked, “How many more days until we reach Xiajing?”
The maid behind them replied, “If we hurry, we should reach in about half a month, just in time for the Qingluan Poetry Gathering. But I wonder… will that gentleman participate this year?” She had a look of longing on her face, “I heard he is extraordinary and elegant. Is it true?”
“Didn’t the new top scholar challenge him? Since he accepted, he must show up!” The lady in green said excitedly, taking a bite of the snowflake cake, “He only submitted poems in the past. No one has seen him in person. This year, I must see him!”
The lady in blue shook her head, “You might be disappointed again.”
“Don’t jinx it, sister!”
“And what if you do see him?” The maid behind them giggled, “Can the second lady marry him?”
The second lady blushed instantly, “Huo Xiang!”
Huo Xiang quickly covered her mouth, laughing as she dodged to the side.
“Qingluan Poetry Gathering…” Yu Jinnian heard this fresh term and pondered over it for a while, unintentionally muttering it out loud.
The second young lady glanced back at him and asked, “You know about the Qingluan Poetry Gathering, don’t you?”
Yu Jinnian smiled honestly and said, “I don’t know. May I ask what it is, miss?”
“You don’t know?” The second young lady looked utterly shocked, sizing Yu Jinnian up and down as if he were some rare creature from another world. Unwilling to explain to such an uncultured bumpkin, she gestured to the maid, “Huo Xiang, you explain!”
Huo Xiang then pulled Yu Jinnian aside and began to recount the origins of the Qingluan Poetry Gathering.
It turned out that outside the capital of Da Xia Dynasty, Xiajing, there was a beautiful valley with winding streams and lush trees. Every early autumn, a spectacular scene of clouds and water would appear, making the valley look like a fairyland. The previous emperor had built a viewing platform in the valley, named Qingluan Platform after the legend of a blue phoenix circling the area.
Naturally, where there was beauty, there were literati and scholars. Every early autumn, talented men and women would gather at Qingluan Platform to compete in poetry, showcasing their literary talents. Those who won were celebrated immensely.
However, a few years ago, a mysterious person started participating. For several years, he only sent his servant to submit his poems to Qingluan Platform, never showing his face. His poems were so outstanding that they outshone all other contestants, making him a legendary figure. Since the events occurred at Qingluan Platform and his name was rumored to contain the character “Luan” (phoenix), admirers gave him the elegant title of “Qingluan Master” and worshiped him.
Then, word spread that this master had an otherworldly appearance and exceptional demeanor, causing even men to feel inferior in his presence. This increased the admiration from noble ladies.
These noble ladies often set trends in the common world. Over time, the fame of the Qingluan Poetry Gathering grew. This year, as the gathering approached, a newly appointed top scholar, renowned for his talents, challenged this unseen Qingluan Master in public while riding through the streets, inviting him to a showdown at Qingluan Platform.
People initially didn’t take it seriously, given the Qingluan Master’s indifference to fame and never showing his face. But, surprisingly, within two days of the challenge, word spread that the Qingluan Master had accepted!
This was indeed an extraordinary event!
After hearing this, Yu Jinnian understood the young ladies’ excitement. It was like idolizing a celebrity believed to be unreachable, only to hear that this celestial idol was about to make a public appearance. The excitement was palpable.
He nodded with a knowing look. He not only understood but also deeply empathized.
As they conversed closely, Huo Xiang sneaked glances at him, her heart pounding. It felt like what her lady had described—like a cow rampaging in her heart.
If Yu Jinnian knew her thoughts, he would have gently corrected her, saying, “Young lady, that should be a deer.”
After the conversation, the two young ladies finished eating. When paying, the elder young lady generously gave a few silver beads, complimenting the delicious snowflake cake. Yu Jinnian accepted with a smile, offered some flattery, and saw them out.
As they left, the horses neighed and raised their hooves. Just as Yu Jinnian straightened up, he saw something fall from the carriage and land at his feet. He bent down to pick it up and found it was a silk handkerchief, embroidered with a clear lotus at one end and two lines of characters at the other.
He stared at the characters for a while. Although he could guess the meaning, he still sought out a familiar face among the customers—an old scholar who copied books for a living in East Alley—and asked, “Mr. Wang, I don’t recognize these characters. Could you take a look and tell me what they mean?”
Mr. Wang looked at Yu Jinnian, surprised that someone so clean and neat was illiterate.
Yu Jinnian smiled awkwardly. The characters were similar to ancient Chinese seal script but still difficult for him to understand. His body hadn’t attended school since he was four, following his uncle’s family. Now, he recognized some simple characters taught by his original father and some he learned haphazardly after coming here—mostly numbers and names of fruits and vegetables. Madam Xu could write, but her mental state was poor, so he couldn’t trouble her. As for schooling, he had neither the time nor the money. Thus, he remained semi-literate.
“Mr. Wang?” Yu Jinnian called again, seeing the scholar lost in thought.
Mr. Wang realized his rudeness, quickly focused on the handkerchief, and chuckled, “Ah, young Jinnian, that maid must fancy you! Look at this poem—it’s by Qingluan Master. The maid is using this clear lotus poem to express her feelings for you!”
Again, Qingluan Master.
Yu Jinnian thanked Mr. Wang, folded the handkerchief, and placed it under the counter. He wondered why this celestial idol had such great fame.
In the afternoon, as the shop quieted down, Aunt Xu’s spirits lifted a bit. Yu Jinnian brought out a recliner for her. Upon hearing about the newly made snowflake cake, she insisted on trying some. Although sticky rice wasn’t ideal for her digestive issues, her condition had deteriorated to the point where Yu Jinnian didn’t want to spoil her mood. He cut a small piece, paired it with a bowl of noodle soup, and advised her to chew slowly before swallowing.
He brought Sui Sui from the backyard to keep her mother company, then headed to the market to find Aunt Li, the vegetable vendor, to discuss the next day’s produce.
On his way back from the market, he passed a bookstore. Yu Jinnian considered buying an introductory book to teach himself how to read, thinking he couldn’t remain illiterate, unable even to read a young girl’s love letter. The shopkeeper, seeing his hesitation, invited him in.
“Poetry, history, fiction, we have it all,” the shopkeeper smiled.
To Yu Jinnian, everything looked like incomprehensible scribbles, making him feel uneasy. He picked a few thin, simple books and asked about the prices, finding them exorbitant. He reluctantly put them back after checking his money pouch.
Learning to read and buying books were necessary, he consoled himself, but he needed to save money first.
As he was about to leave, his eyes caught a dusty old book in the corner of the shop. It had a blue-green cover with a missing corner.
The shopkeeper, noticing the boy’s eagerness to learn but lack of funds, picked up the tattered book and handed it to Yu Jinnian, “This is last year’s Qingluan Poetry Collection. The spine got wet from my naughty son and later nibbled by mice. It’s unsellable. If you want it, you can have it.”
Yu Jinnian’s eyes lit up, and he gratefully accepted the book, thanking the shopkeeper multiple times, making the shopkeeper feel a bit embarrassed for giving away such a damaged book.
Yu Jinnian cherished the book and took it home. He deeply understood the saying “knowledge is wealth,” realizing that without wealth, gaining knowledge was nearly impossible. He reflected on his past achievements and now found himself starting over from scratch, feeling it was quite a humbling experience.
Sui Sui, seeing him handling the book so carefully, thought he had something delicious hidden and lost interest when she found out it was a half-damaged book.
That night, after closing the shop, Yu Jinnian eagerly lit a lamp and opened the book.
Titled “Qingluan Poetry Collection,” the shopkeeper had said it contained past works from the Qingluan Poetry Gathering. To Yu Jinnian’s surprise, half the poems were signed by “Qingluan Master.” It seemed more like a personal anthology of this idol.
Apparently, idol worship had existed since ancient times and was no less fervent than in modern days.
Yu Jinnian, barely literate, found reading poetry a dull task. He struggled through a few pages, recognizing a few new characters. As for understanding the poems’ meanings—he had no clue.
Soon, Yu Jinnian’s head drooped, and he fell onto his bed, fast asleep.
From then on, the “Qingluan Poetry Collection” stayed by Yu Jinnian’s bedside, becoming a mere decoration.
Hahaha well he tried