Chapter 11: Like Jade

When Xu Xian woke up again, the sky was already dark. He touched his head, there was no pain, just a terrible thirst.


That banquet had been truly satisfying.



“Brother Xu, you’re awake? There’s some cool tea on the table.” Following Pan Yu’s suggestion, Xu Xian gulped down several cups of water, then looked around to get his bearings. He saw Pan Yu leaning by the window reading a book. After turning the last page, Pan Yu looked back and smiled, “Brother Xu, you really compose excellent poetry!”



The sky was already dim, the room’s furnishings antique and elegant. Xu Xian was still savoring the dreams of his past life, and was momentarily stunned by Pan Yu’s words. “What poem?”



Pan Yu recited the poem Xu Xian had drunkenly sung, praising it at length. Only then did Xu Xian understand, and he quickly demurred, “I don’t have such poetic talent. That was something a wandering Daoist sang to me when I was a child.” After a moment, he added, “Brother Pan, it’s best not to tell anyone about that poem.”



Pan Yu was puzzled. If this poem spread, it would surely make him famous throughout the land. Yet the man before him not only claimed it wasn’t his, but also asked him not to share it, how strange. But then he thought, while the poem was excellent, it might give people the impression of a fondness for drink, which wouldn’t help an official career. He felt relieved, and found Xu Xian even more unfathomable.



“Please rest assured, Brother Xu, I will keep it secret for you.”



Xu Xian thanked him, then laughed, “Calling each other Brother Xu and Brother Pan is a bit much. Why don’t we just use our names? Just call me Xu Xian.”



“My courtesy name is Mingyu. Brother Hanwen, you can call me Mingyu.”



“Beautiful as jade?” Xu Xian showed a strange expression.



“No, it’s ‘a gentleman like jade.’” Pan Yu immediately corrected him, dead serious.



Xu Xian laughed, “You really have it all, both beauty and virtue.”



Unexpectedly, Pan Yu’s face turned stern. “I, Pan Yu, am a man of seven feet. Please don’t joke like that, Brother Xu. Otherwise, just call me Pan Yu.”



Xu Xian hurriedly apologized, guessing that the more handsome a man, the more he cared about such things. He said a lot of nice things before Pan Yu’s anger subsided. But Xu Xian thought to himself, even when angry, this Pan Yu was as gentle as jade. As for the “beauty and gentleman” comment, he dared not bring it up again.



As they spoke, night had fully fallen.



Jintian Academy was a place for selecting talent for the nation. These young xiucai were a key investment, and all their living expenses were paid from the government coffers. Xu Xian also received a stipend from Qiantang County each year, a kind of scholarship. The county magistrate, seeing Xu Xian’s bright future and spending public money, was happy to build a good relationship.



After more than ten years in this world, Xu Xian finally had a little spare cash, though it was only a few bits of silver, truly a disgrace among transmigrators. He was satisfied, though. After years of extravagance in his previous life, now that he had a little money, he couldn’t help but want to spend it.



“Mingyu, how about I treat you to dinner tonight?”



Pan Yu, eager to befriend Xu Xian, naturally agreed. So Xu Xian led Pan Yu around West Lake, but all the restaurants were high-end. Xu Xian patted his money pouch and smiled bitterly, so they kept walking.



Pan Yu, with his keen mind, saw through Xu Xian’s thoughts but said nothing, just watching with amusement. After a while, Xu Xian brightened up, he’d spotted a small tavern ahead, and was delighted, but then hesitated, a little embarrassed.



Pan Yu smiled, “Brother Hanwen, you clearly know your stuff. The best food in Hangzhou is always in these little places. Don’t be fooled by those fancy restaurants, the real flavor is here.”



Xu Xian wasn’t stupid; he knew Pan Yu was helping him save face. But now that things had come to this, he relaxed and said cheerfully, “I’m short on cash today, but when I’m rich, I’ll treat you to the most expensive restaurant in Hangzhou.”



He hadn’t made his fortune yet, but already had the air of a nouveau riche. Normally, Pan Yu would have found this off-putting, but coming from this poor scholar, it was endearing.



He joked, “Just don’t be stingy when the time comes. And if you say you’re broke, I won’t let you off.”



Xu Xian promised he wouldn’t. The two went in, ordered a few small dishes, and didn’t drink. When the tea came, Pan Yu tasted it and stopped, he’d never had such bad tea, nor been to such a place.



The tavern was busy, filled with the sounds of customers playing drinking games and laughing, the boss greeting guests, and waiters shouting and complaining. The small space was full of heat, vulgarity, and life.



But it was also noisy. Pan Yu frowned slightly, and Xu Xian noticed, feeling regret. Pan Yu, in his clean clothes and long, ink-black hair, looked out of place in this tavern, like a flawless piece of jade covered in dust. Just sitting there, he seemed at odds with the surroundings.



Xu Xian sighed, “How can pure white be stained by worldly dust? Let’s go somewhere else.” He was quoting Qu Yuan’s “Fisherman.”



Pan Yu smiled and shook his head, “It’s all the water of the Canglang. The noise of the world is everywhere, who can remain unstained?” He picked up his teacup and drank it in one gulp.



The food arrived. The small plates were clean and delicate enough to make Xu Xian quietly sigh in relief. He’d eaten and drunk enough at lunch, so he wasn’t hungry. Pan Yu, busy with socializing earlier, was actually hungry. Eating the simple food, he found it had a unique flavor.



Watching him, Xu Xian suddenly thought of the phrase “elegance to the bone.” This was what people in his previous life called an Eastern aristocrat, polite, yet free and unrestrained. Far beyond those Western nobles obsessed with wine vintages and fashion, always talking about “sir” and “madam.” True nobility came from a thousand years of culture.



After dinner, Pan Yu rinsed his mouth with tea, wiped his lips with a white handkerchief, and smiled at Xu Xian, “All done. Thank you for the meal.”



Xu Xian was stunned, then realized what he meant. He thought, “If only Pan Yu were a woman.” But he quickly shook his head, this was “Legend of the White Snake,” not “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.” He silently repeated to himself, “I am a man,” ten times before getting up to pay.



From the moment they entered, a pair of lecherous eyes had been fixed on them. Now, emboldened by drink, the man couldn’t hold back. Seeing only two frail scholars, he walked over and said, “Such a beauty is rare.” As he spoke, he reached his rough hand toward Pan Yu’s chin. His companions at the table banged the table and whistled.



Bang! Not only did the whistling stop, but the whole tavern fell silent, all eyes on Xu Xian.



Xu Xian stood up, full of anger, holding the bench he’d been sitting on. The lecherous middle-aged man was now sitting on the floor, clutching his head, blood seeping through his fingers, too stunned to even groan. After a while, he began to moan.



No one expected such a frail scholar to act so suddenly, without warning. Even Pan Yu, who had remained calm as the hand reached for him, now stared at Xu Xian in shock, was this really a scholar?



The man’s companions finally rushed over, shouting, “Brother, brother!”



The middle-aged man, one hand on his head, the other trembling as he pointed at Xu Xian, “Kill him!” His companions immediately surrounded them.



Xu Xian stood his ground, raising his voice, “I am a xiucai of Jintian Academy, a man of rank. If you dare touch me, are you not afraid of being cut to pieces?” His words were fierce, nothing like his usual easygoing self.



The man on the ground howled, “Kill him!” But his companions looked to the only one at the table who hadn’t moved, a man with a scholar’s air. After a moment’s thought, he waved his hand, and the group helped the injured man out. The man wanted to protest, but the scholar’s cold gaze silenced him.



Xu Xian kept his guard up with the bench until they were all gone, then finally relaxed. He turned to Pan Yu, “Didn’t you see my signal just now?”



Sweat beaded on Xu Xian’s forehead, but Pan Yu looked as calm as ever.



Pan Yu blinked and pretended not to understand, “What signal?” Xu Xian had been signaling under the table for Pan Yu to run, but Pan Yu had ignored him.



Xu Xian said anxiously, “I was telling you to run!”



Pan Yu smiled, “Brother Hanwen, you were so heroic, scaring off those ruffians, why would I run?”



Xu Xian said, “Those guys weren’t ordinary thugs. Some of them were reaching for weapons. These bandits will do anything. If I hadn’t bluffed them, you could have been in real danger.”



Pan Yu smiled, “If I’d run, wouldn’t that have ruined your momentum and put you in danger instead?”



Xu Xian could only sigh, “Forget it, forget it. It’s late, let’s go back.”



The two left the tavern, chatting and laughing. In the corner, a pair of eyes watched them, then hurried off after seeing which way they went.



“That bench of yours was earth-shaking, truly impressive. But if you’d announced you were from Jintian Academy at the start, they wouldn’t have dared act. If you’d provoked them, it could have been worse.”



Xu Xian shook his head, “Mingyu, you grew up in a house of gold,you don’t understand these people. They bully the weak and fear the strong. If you reason with them, they think you’re scared. If you don’t give them a hard lesson, they’ll just push further.”



Pan Yu lowered his head in thought, then looked up and smiled, “That’s true, isn’t it?”