Chapter 16: Number One Talent of Jiangnan

Xu Xian stood at the entrance of this ancient version of a university dining hall, taking a deep breath. The aroma of food filled his nose and mouth, and he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. In his previous life, a life without worry for food and clothing hadn’t brought him much happiness, but only after losing it did he learn to cherish it.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with a dark beard also entered the small dining hall. Wherever he went, students respectfully greeted him as “Sir.”

This middle-aged man was elegant and scholarly, his face like polished jade, clearly well-maintained. He was the teacher who had lectured in class that day. Now, he was no longer the solemn, strict figure from the classroom, but wore a gentle smile and nodded slightly, displaying an extraordinary bearing. He was a famous scholar in Jiangnan, said to have held the title Number One Talent of Jiangnan in his youth.

Li Siming had just sat down when he saw Pan Yu standing at the door. His eyes lit up, and he waved his wide sleeve at Pan Yu, “Come, come, Pan Yu! You, the ‘latter’ Number One Talent of Jiangnan, come to the academy and don’t even pay respects to this ‘former’ Number One Talent of Jiangnan, so ill-mannered!”

Pan Yu laughed heartily, “A student only knows of being first, not of before and after.” Saying this, he pulled Xu Xian over to sit at Li Siming’s table, clearly very familiar.

“Truly, teaching a disciple means losing your own place. Back in my day, I made friends through literature and defeated all heroes to earn that title. You think you can just sit down and take the position so easily?”

Pan Yu snorted, “I’ve heard your stories eight hundred times already. Let’s see how I do this year, whether I can sit in the seat of Number One Talent of Jiangnan.”

“Good, good, good! You have some of my old boldness. Let’s see how you perform this year.” Li Siming said “good” three times, clearly very pleased.

Xu Xian found it strange. Normally, Pan Yu was as modest as could be, why was he suddenly boasting? And he didn’t quite understand what they were talking about, so he asked, “Mingyu, what’s happening this year?”

Before Pan Yu could answer, Li Siming cut in, “You must be Xu Xian! Fine jade does not mix with rubble. If you lack talent and virtue, stay away from this disciple of the Number One Talent of Jiangnan, lest you bring trouble.” With that, he sipped his tea, not even glancing at Xu Xian.

Xu Xian scratched his head. What kind of person was this? He glanced apologetically at Pan Yu, who was about to defend him. But Xu Xian turned to Li Siming, face serious, then suddenly pulled down his eyelids and stuck out his tongue, making a face at Li Siming.

“Pfft! Cough… cough, cough…!” Li Siming hadn’t swallowed his tea and sprayed it everywhere, coughing until his face turned red. The whole dining hall looked over, while Xu Xian smiled nonchalantly, signaling that it was just an accident.

Since their table was in a corner, only Li Siming and Pan Yu saw Xu Xian’s face. Pan Yu patted Li Siming’s back while giving Xu Xian a sidelong glance, but couldn’t help but smile.

Li Siming finally stopped coughing. Pan Yu sat back down, glaring at Xu Xian, now understanding the meaning behind his look. She thought: Who says honest people are easy to bully? Here’s one you can’t.

To Xu Xian’s surprise, once he recovered from choking, Li Siming laughed and said to Pan Yu, “Good, good, good! I misjudged him. This kid is even bolder than you.” Then he turned to Xu Xian, “Now we’re even. What I hate most are weaklings. Looks like you’re not so bad.”

Pan Yu explained from the side, “Hanwen, Sir Li has another nickname, ‘Mad Confucian.’ He’s the most unrestrained of men. That was just a joke, don’t take it to heart.”

Xu Xian shrugged, showing he didn’t mind. Li Siming’s eyes lit up at the gesture, finding it oddly dashing. He praised, “To be unruffled by surprise, and not angered by insult, such composure at your age is rare. I was just testing your character, no offense.” With that, he toasted with tea as if it were wine and drank it as a self-punishment.

Xu Xian asked curiously, “Testing me? How?”

He thought to himself: Why do older people always do this? But if you counted his two lives, Xu Xian was nearly forty, though his mentality was shaped by his environment; without marriage or children, he wasn’t quite an “uncle” yet.

Li Siming laughed, “If you’d flared up and argued, it would show you lack composure. If you’d suppressed your anger out of respect for my status, it would show you’re scheming.”

Xu Xian was speechless. “So either way I lose? What if I beat you up?”

Li Siming waved a fist, “With those skinny arms and legs, I doubt you’d win.”

Xu Xian turned to Pan Yu, “Mingyu, Sir Li doesn’t have a twin brother, does he?” Seeing a learned scholar turn into a rogue uncle, Xu Xian was a bit overwhelmed.

Pan Yu just shook her head with a smile, finding it amusing. Li Siming’s playful personality might be common in modern times, but among ancient scholars, it was a rare animal. Even sociable Pan Yu often didn’t know how to handle him.

Xu Xian, though, felt like he’d met an old friend in a foreign land. After so long in this world, to meet someone so modern in spirit was a delightful surprise, and he spoke more freely.

Li Siming was also more and more delighted, often drawing out Xu Xian’s modern views, which he found very much to his taste. They talked so animatedly that they forgot to eat.

Pan Yu watched the two, one big and one small, chatting away, sometimes trading sharp barbs that even made her frown, but they both brushed it off, as if it didn’t matter.

To be left out of a group conversation was a rare feeling for Pan Yu. Watching the lively Li Siming, who had taught her since she was a teen, she realized that, though he often debated and argued, he rarely enjoyed himself as much as now. Even when he did, it was usually about classics, history, poetry, or essays, never such aimless banter.

Xu Xian, what kind of person are you?

If Pan Yu was still pondering, someone else had already made up their mind. Since Xu Xian entered, Xia Ziqi had been watching. Now, seeing him so familiar with Li Siming, he was sure Xu Xian had connections, otherwise, how could he treat the son of the assistant magistrate so “rudely”?

“Hmph, just a lowly teacher, does he really think he’s someone important?” Xia Ziqi sneered inwardly.

In fact, teachers at official academies did have rank, Li Siming was seventh rank, half a rank above an assistant magistrate, but with little real power, they rarely got respect from the likes of Xia Ziqi. The assistant magistrate, though lower in rank, held supervisory duties; even the prefect had to show respect, let alone minor officials. Living in such an environment, Xia Ziqi was inevitably arrogant, and after being made a fool of by Xu Xian, he felt deeply humiliated and would not let it go.

Xu Xian suddenly recalled the earlier talk between Li Siming and Pan Yu and asked, “What’s this literary contest and Number One Talent of Jiangnan all about?”

Pan Yu thought for a moment and explained, “It’s a grand event for the Jiangnan scholarly world, held every three years. Jintian Academy leads the organization, inviting scholars from all the major academies in Jiangnan to West Lake for a contest of literature and poetry. If you can outshine all the others, you earn the title Number One Talent of Jiangnan. Though it’s just a popular nickname, all the academies value it highly. Sir Li once bested all rivals and was the previous Number One Talent of Jiangnan. Since it always starts at the First Snow Festival, it’s also called the First Snow Contest.”

Xu Xian glanced at Li Siming, “Can even uncles join this contest?” Since Pan Yu called him the previous Number One Talent, but the contest should produce a new one each time.

Ignoring Li Siming’s glare, Pan Yu smiled, “Winning doesn’t always mean you become the Number One Talent of Jiangnan. It’s been a long time since anyone truly earned that title.”

Xu Xian understood: to “crush” all rivals didn’t just mean being first, but having an overwhelming advantage, like in his high school days, when one student always led the grade by dozens of points, even as everyone else worked desperately hard. Only such people could be called Number One Talent of Jiangnan.

He looked at Li Siming in amazement, he hadn’t expected such a mischievous uncle to have such ability. But thinking of his teaching, he had to admit the man was truly learned, and couldn’t help but admire him.

Li Siming, enjoying Xu Xian’s admiration, waved it off, “It’s all in the past. This year, I think Pan Yu can take the crown.” He showed great confidence in Pan Yu.

“Yes, the waves of the Yangtze push the old ones forward, and the old ones die on the beach. When a man is about to die, his words are kind. I’d better care more about Mingyu!” Xu Xian sighed, immediately ruining Li Siming’s good mood.

Pan Yu burst out laughing, “What’s this about dying on the beach, Hanwen? Don’t talk nonsense.” His beautiful face was like the first thaw of ice and snow, a thousand flowers blooming. Xu Xian hadn’t expected such a common modern quip to bring such a sight, and was stunned, muttering, “If only you were Zhu Yingtai!”

He quickly snapped out of it, silently repeating ten times: I’m not glass, I’m not glass. Then he told himself seriously: Xu Xian, you must be loyal to your future wife, don’t fall for male beauty!