Chapter 158

Wei Shu and Cui Fei, who were eager, immediately put down their books and began to discuss the so-called Feng Shui theory of harmony between humans and nature, using the experiences of other people in the academy as evidence.

“My younger brother had suffered from a lung disease since childhood, and despite years of herbal medicine, there was no improvement. After entering the academy for just a year, his chronic illness miraculously disappeared.”

“Yes, Brother Shen, you haven’t been at the academy for long, so you wouldn’t know about my previous condition. I used to be even fatter than I am now! It was only this year in Cuiwei that I lost weight.”

After they finished speaking, they both looked at Mei Ruochu in unison.

After all, Mei Ruochu’s experiences were also quite persuasive when it came to classic examples.

But discussing such matters was not appropriate for others, so the two of them remained silent.

Mei Ruochu chuckled and said, “There’s nothing inappropriate about mentioning my experiences. I used to have incredibly bad luck. Every time I participated in the imperial examinations, I would be expelled from the examination room due to various accidents before the exams even began. It wasn’t until I came to Cuiwei that my luck changed.”

Earlier, Mu Erpang had already brought up this topic, but Shen Aoshuang simply didn’t believe in it, so Mu Erpang kept gesturing to them.

However, Wei Shu and Cui Fei were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice his hints.

Finally, when they finished speaking, Mu Erpang intervened, saying, “Brother Shen doesn’t believe in Feng Shui and all that, and that’s fine. It’s a matter of personal belief.”

Wei Shu and Cui Fei exchanged a disappointed glance. Yeah, it was pretty tasteless to talk to someone who didn’t believe in these things.

Mu Erpang was right. In the past, even if they had heard about such real examples, Shen Aoshuang would have thought they were exaggerating or simply experiencing psychological effects.

But now that he was here and had experienced the subtle changes in his body himself, and had tasted Shen Cui’s astonishing cooking, his thoughts had completely changed.

Moreover, since they had already explained their own situations, Shen Aoshuang didn’t hide anything from the others. He apologized, “I was ignorant and narrow-minded before, which is why I said I didn’t believe.”

And because they had already explained their situations, Shen Aoshuang didn’t hide anything from the others.

He continued, “I have a disability, and my five senses are far from those of an ordinary person. But since coming here, I have noticed that my senses have become much sharper than before. Especially when I tasted the soup cooked by the Headmaster himself, the taste was so vivid and intense that it was something I had never experienced before. So I lost control at the table just now, and I hope you can forgive me, gentlemen.”

The other young men, knowing about his disability and recalling what had happened earlier, all expressed understanding and sympathy.

After saying this, Shen Aoshuang turned to Mu Er Pang and said, “Brother Hanshan’s intention is sincere. I think inviting me to teach you poetry is just a pretext. He really wants me to ‘recuperate’ in the academy. This friendship, I really…”

Mu Er Pang interrupted his almost-expressed gratitude, just smiled and said, “Why would inviting you to write poetry be fake? It’s also real! We mutually benefit each other.”

After discussing their homework together, Lao Buyu gave each of them pointers, and then it was time for self-study.

Shen Aoshuang really started to impart his knowledge to Mu Er Pang.

It was a method of poetry that he had researched himself, something Mu Er Pang had never heard of.

Mei Ruochu was talented in poetry and didn’t need to follow others’ paths, which could actually dampen his own inspiration.

Wei Shu and Wei Xi were used to writing poetry like they did with exam essays, and they had also developed a habit.

It was easy to imitate others without understanding deeply.

Cui Fei was as serious as Mu Er Pang in listening, but his talent was a bit lacking compared to the others, so he couldn’t quite understand.

So, when it was time to rest, they all went to sleep first.

Mu Er Pang and Shen Aoshuang continued discussing in the classroom until Mu Er Pang went out for a bathroom break and realized that the moon was already high in the sky, the night was deep, and the candles in the other rooms of the academy were extinguished.

It was already very late.

He was usually someone who could stay awake for a long time.

He had kept Mei Ruochu awake earlier, but he hadn’t expected Shen Aoshuang’s body to be so strong.

If he hadn’t come out for a while and seen Shen Aoshuang looking not the least bit tired, Mu Er Pang would have thought it was still early.

After he returned to the classroom, he was very apologetic. “Listening to Brother Shen’s insights, I forgot about the time.”

Shen Aoshuang said it was fine. “Brother Hanshan just shared some insights earlier, which also gave me a lot of gains. As you said, we mutually benefit each other.”

“Fortunately, tomorrow is a rest day, so we can sleep in a bit later.” Saying this, Mu Er Pang took him to the washroom for a simple wash-up, then went to rest without further ado.

The next morning, Mu Er Pang woke up at his usual time.

Although he had said they could sleep in a bit later today, biological clocks are hard to change.

His physical condition hadn’t worsened, but his eyelids felt heavy. As he dressed along with the others, he thought to himself to be gentle and quiet so as not to wake Shen Aoshuang who was sleeping nearby.

But when he fully woke up and turned his head, he saw that the other side of the bed was empty, and the bedding he had taken out for Shen Aoshuang last night was neatly folded at the head of the bed, obviously indicating that he had already gotten up!

Mu Er Pang hurriedly forgot about his drowsiness, put on his shoes, and got off the bed to wash up first.

Then he took a stroll around the academy and found Shen Aoshuang in the classroom.

Since he had already disclosed his identity to the Cuiwei people, Shen Aoshuang no longer pretended but was lying on the table reading and writing.

During the time when others were doing their homework yesterday, he hadn’t disclosed his identity to everyone yet, so he was only pretending.

But now that there was no need for pretense, he resumed discussing poetry and essays with Mu Er Pang, so he was currently working on his homework in the academy.

“Why did Brother Shen wake up so early?” Mu Er Pang said as he yawned.

Shen Aoshuang looked up and smiled, “I’ve always slept very little. Today I’m actually waking up late.”

As they were talking, Shen Cui had already gathered everyone in the courtyard blowing the brass whistle.

“It’s time for morning exercises in the academy. Brother Shen is busy first. After the exercises, I’ll come to call you for breakfast.”

Shen Aoshuang nodded with a smile.

What Shen Aoshuang didn’t tell Mu Er Pang was that this morning, his senses had become a bit clearer again.

The changes were still slow and subtle, but for him, it was enough to feel ecstatic.

So, he couldn’t lie down on the bed for even a moment and immediately got up when he woke up.

Moreover, today, just like usual, when they were talking a few steps apart, he could see Mu Er Pang’s face clearly, about seven or eight points—

On the day when classes started at the academy, he couldn’t find the classroom, so he missed the introduction among the new students. Later, he hardly communicated with other classmates in the academy, and because he could only vaguely see Mu Er Pang’s outline, he always thought Mu Er Pang was about the same age as him, just a bit shorter.

But it turned out that he was two or three years younger than himself, with a hint of childishness still remaining on his face.

There was no need to tell Mu Er Pang about this, so Shen Aoshuang just couldn’t help but curl his lips.

About two quarters of an hour later, morning exercises ended, and Shen Cui set up breakfast in the main house.

Mu Er Pang came to call Shen Aoshuang to join him.

During the boys’ break, Shen Cui also gave Ah Yao half a day off, letting her come before noon to cook lunch. So breakfast consisted of bought buns, fried dough sticks, and clear porridge.

Although these things didn’t taste as strong as the soup Shen Cui had made yesterday, for Shen Aoshuang, whose sense of smell and taste had recovered a bit, they were naturally much more delicious than usual.

So this time he finished a whole bun and a bowl of porridge.

After finishing, Shen Aoshuang took the initiative to bring up, “I have an unpleasant request, I don’t know if I can join the students of Cuiwei Academy with Brother Wei, Brother Mei, and Brother Cui?”

In such a situation where the other party first proposed the intention, Shen Cui responded much more naturally.

She said, “This doesn’t count as an ‘unpleasant request’. You already know the scale of our academy. If you are willing to enroll, we naturally welcome it, but there are also some rules.”

The rules were still the same as those set for Cui Fei earlier, needing to stay in the academy for a period of time and not being allowed to bring any servants or attendants from home.

When he could return home would be determined by Shen Cui.

These rules were nothing to others, but to Shen Aoshuang… Shen Cui thought the same as Mu Er Pang earlier, thinking about switching places.

If he were her own child, she definitely wouldn’t feel at ease.

But Shen Aoshuang immediately replied, “That’s absolutely no problem. I will explain the situation to my family.”

“And there’s also the matter of tuition and living expenses…” Shen Cui paused for a moment because Shen Aoshuang’s attire was very ordinary, and he didn’t seem like someone who could afford twenty-two silver taels a month.

But if she directly mentioned extending credit to him, she feared it might hurt his sensitive pride more than others.

Shen Cui changed her wording, “Aoshuang may not know my surname. We share the same surname, and writing two ‘Shen’ characters together is fate.”

Others in the academy also sensed Shen Cui’s dilemma from her words.

Lao Buyu chuckled and said, “Indeed, among the Shens I know in this world, there are only three: the famous Elder Shen in the capital, our headmaster, and Aoshuang here. It’s fate indeed. Let’s discuss the expenses later.”

Others joined in to change the subject. Mu Er Pang asked, “Is this Elder Shen very famous?”

He had been studying in the village and had only been in the capital for a year, so he had limited knowledge in this regard.

There was no need for Lao Buyu to explain personally. Wei Shu said, “Yes, Elder Shen is a prominent figure from two dynasties. He has served as an examiner for many imperial examinations, has many students, and is known for his integrity and uprightness. He doesn’t engage in power struggles or favoritism. Nowadays, he is respected as the ‘Master Scholar of the World’.”

Wei Shu added, “He is indeed upright. Back then, he revoked my title. Remember the topic about ‘a gentleman seeks consistency within himself before seeking it from others’ in your academy exam? He is the epitome of such a gentleman. It’s said that he is lenient towards others, but strict towards himself and his descendants. He requires them to return to their ancestral home, hide their identity, and participate in the imperial examinations like everyone else. Only after achieving success can they reveal their background. He offers no special treatment. How many people in this world can do that? After all, ordinary people strive their whole lives for the sake of their descendants. I don’t hold any grudges against him. After all, his moral integrity is exemplary for us scholars.”

Mu Er Pang nodded as he listened.

Seeing them engrossed in their conversation, he realized they had left Shen Aoshuang, who had initiated the topic, out.

So, he turned to ask Shen Aoshuang, “Brother Shen, do you also know about Elder Shen?”

Shen Aoshuang moved his mouth slightly, but in the end, he just nodded without giving a definite answer.