Way of Choices: Book I - Youths We Were, Schoolmates

by Mao Ni

  An awkward scene was a very embarrassing matter. An awkward scene under the gazes of numerous onlookers reached the peak of embarrassment, especially when Tang Thirty-Six wanted to show his open-mindedness and familiarize Chen Changsheng with a side of himself. Fortunately, in the end, he was still a bit older than Chen Changsheng, so after a moment's contemplation, he finally found a question to break this awkward atmosphere. He said, "A guest has come, but you don't invite him to sit?"

  This caused Chen Changsheng to awake from his stupor and invite him into his room. Taking out a dozen or so copper coins, he asked the waiter of the inn to brew a pot of tea. In a moment, the tea was brewed. There was one table, one teapot, and two tea cups filled to seventy percent full. Chen Changsheng invited him to drink, and then the situation once again fell into awkwardness.

  A long period of silence was really very embarrassing, and Tang Thirty-Six truly found it hard to bear. Going straight to the point, he asked, "You haven't succeeded in passing an entrance examination yet, right?"

  Chen Changsheng honestly replied, "It's my fourth time failing to make the list."

  After a period of silence, Tang Thirty-Six said, "I know it's because the Divine General of the East's estate is moving behind the scenes."

  Chen Changsheng raised his head. He was surprised that this youth actually knew of the inside information about this matter, but he didn't know how much this youth knew. Now carrying a hint of suspicion, his gaze was naturally somewhat different from before.

  Tang Thirty-Six's impression was that Chen Changsheng was a normal youth with promising talent, an amiable disposition, and a laudable spirit. Now he came to the sudden realization that this kid's gaze was as sharp as a dazzling blade. He couldn't help but be a little surprised and narrowed his eyes. He became even more interested in what Chen Changsheng was hiding.

  What made Tang Thirty-Six somewhat depressed was that when he said, ‘Divine General of the East's estate,’ Chen Changsheng was obviously shaken, but he didn't give the answer that Tang Thirty-Six wanted, only remained silent like a useless quail. He was somewhat angry and his two eyebrows shot up like two swords being unsheathed as he yelled, "Could it be that you're not angry? That you're not furious?"

  Chen Changsheng raised his head and glanced at him, and then slowly rolled his eyes.

  Tang Thirty-Six was just then drinking tea and almost spit his tea out. He had not imagined that this old-fashioned and even inflexible kid would also have this sort of childish side.

  Chen Changsheng thought, I'm so depressed that I feel like I'm about to die, but do I really have to let you know?

  He wasn't even willing to reveal this matter of the engagement to other people, so why would he reveal that it was the engagement that caused this injustice of him failing four entrance examinations?

  At this point, the engagement was still a secret between him and the Divine General of the East's estate. Even if the Divine General of the East's estate continuously beat him down, even if that middle-aged lady's words made him very angry, he was still not prepared to announce this matter to the world. It wasn't because he was scared of the Divine General's estate's threats, and he was even less afraid that the Divine General's estate would have him killed because, in the end, he still believed that he would return the marriage contract to the Divine General's estate, so what need was there to make noise about this matter until it was the talk of the streets? The young lady of the Xu clan might be cold and aloof, as vile as her parents, but since the Divine General's estate would have apologized by then, was there any need to make it harder for this girl to marry someone else in the future?

  Yes, he believed that he would ultimately end the engagement because he firmly believed that the Divine General's estate would one day apologize to him. In addition, he didn't want his own name to become widely known because of the young lady of the Xu family. Perhaps it was pride, perhaps it was stubbornness, but in brief, he wanted to persevere for a while. His view of this world was still that he should persevere upon this path of innocence.

  Very interestingly, Chen Changsheng had clearly said nothing and Tang Thirty-Six knew absolutely nothing, but Tang Thirty-Six had managed to roughly comprehend Chen Changsheng's intention. Without cause, he was filled with even more admiration for Chen Changsheng. Draining the cup of warm tea in one gulp, he patted Chen Changsheng on the shoulder and said, "I really admire you."

  Although he was a young genius ranked thirty-sixth on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, an existence that stood amongst the human crowd like a crane that no one dared to provoke, in the end, he was still a youth. As a result, his actions somewhat feigned maturity and as he said those words, his gaze and posture made it seem like he was looking down on Chen Changsheng. If it were another person, they would probably feel very uncomfortable, and perhaps some people would get angry, but Chen Changsheng did not. He understood that this kid was expressing kindness and consolation, only it was very obvious that this kid rarely did this sort of thing and so came off as rather clumsy.

  He said, "Thank you."

  Tang Thirty-Six replied, "Verbally expressing thanks is not enough. Treat me to a meal."

  It was still a very clumsy way of showing kindness and a desire to make friends—Chen Changsheng suddenly felt sympathetic for this kid. He thought to himself, I'm afraid this kid spent his entire life cultivating. No wonder his cultivation is so profound at such an age, but his way of dealing with others is a complete mess. I really don't how he'll deal with it in the future.

  He had always thought about things in a very focused manner and so looked rather stupefied. Tang Thirty-Six couldn't help but shake his head at this sight, very much sympathizing with this kid. He thought to himself, I'm afraid this kid spent his entire life reading books. No wonder he could remember so many books and teachings at such a young age. His way of dealing with others is a complete mess. I really don't know how he'll deal with it in the future.

  In brief, neither kid had the qualifications to sympathize with the other kid. Receiving each other's sympathetic and friendly intentions, they once again began to continue that social interaction they had started in the Heavenly Dao Academy.

  Chen Changsheng had the inn waiter bring over the menu. After calculating that the money his master had given as well as that which his senior brother had privately gifted him was enough for him to live out several years of good life in the capital, he didn't spend any more time thinking about it and pushed the menu over to Tang Thirty-Six. "Order what you want…yeah, this is the first time I've ever treated anyone to a meal."

  He had no idea that these words caused Tang Thirty-Six to sympathize with him even more. Tang Thirty-Six thought, Just what hole in a mountain did this kid come out of?

  Chapter 12 – A Friend That Makes Others Speechless, Part One

  Chen Changsheng had said 'order what you want.' In Tang Thirty-Six's view, the words 'order what you want' could equally mean ordering whatever dish he wanted or interacting with him whenever he wanted. Filled with sympathy for Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six did not pay much attention to price when he ordered dishes. Taking up the menu, he casually ordered a few of the inn's signature dishes. The first two dishes were flying sparrow soup and a steamed two-headed fish…as he was ordering, he glimpsed that Chen Changsheng's brow was creased. Thinking that he didn't have enough money, Tang Thirty-Six felt a little regretful. He said to the waiter, "I don't need the double-headed fish anymore, switch it out for a perch. And also…switch the flying sparrow soup for water shield soup."

  Just as expected, Chen Changsheng's brows relaxed.

  Tang Thirty-Six smiled, thinking to himself, I really can observe everything down to the smallest detail and have a good understanding of others. He casually said, "Also add on a bowl of plum flower dumplings with deer meat filling."

  Chen Changsheng wrinkled his brow.

  Tang Thirty-Six glanced at him, then said, "Change that to…bring a bowl of braised pork."

  Chen Cha
ngsheng's brow was still wrinkled.

  Tang Thirty-Six was rather displeased. He thought to himself, It’s a bowl of fatty pork; on a normal day at home, I would even be too lazy to eat it, and you still aren't willing to pay for it?

  He said to the waiter, "Bring over a plate of cold fishwort in sauce! And add on a plate of pig ears in chili oil!"

  Chen Changsheng still had that same appearance, his face brimming with disapproval.

  Tang Thirty-Six was really quite annoyed now. He said, "It seems like this is your first time treating someone else to a meal and you don't quite understand the ways of the world, so I won't say anything about it."

  Chen Changsheng was a little surprised. He asked, "Where was I wrong?"

  Tang Thirty-Six scolded, "Just because you don't have enough money doesn't mean you should show such an expression in front of your guest! It really makes people irritated! Since you're a man, your head can be cut, your blood can flow, but you must never lose face! Even if in a little while you have to sell off your big furskin coat, so what?"

  He had believed this reasoning of his to be very proper and thought the feeling of teaching a friend to be rather nice. Chen Changsheng, on the other hand, felt it to be somewhat weird. He asked, "Is this what it means to slap your face to make it look more imposing?"

  Tang Thirty-Six was a little incensed at these words and asked, "Where did these words come from?"

  "This is a common saying in Xining," Chen Changsheng sincerely explained.

  Tang Thirty-Six was stunned as he thought to himself, Is this what I was asking about? Just as he was about to fly into rage, he heard Chen Changsheng say something else.

  "…Also, I don't have a big furskin coat."

  The room became somewhat quiet.

  Tang Thirty-Six forgot about getting angry. He thought that this matter was truly far too distressing and this kid was really too pitiful.

  He had seen elders and senior brothers of his clan and school who were down on their luck frequently taking up their furskins and exchanging them for wine and food, but no one had ever told him how people who were so poor to not even have this would treat someone to a meal without losing face. As for himself…in the first place, he had never lacked for money. Secondly, he had never treated anyone to a meal before.

  He looked at Chen Changsheng and firmly said, "I will treat you for this meal."

  Chen Changsheng found this a little odd and asked, "Why?"

  Tang Thirty-Six gazed at him with a gentle expression. "You don't have a big fur coat, so you definitely don't have any other valuable things. How could I let you treat me?"

  Somewhat innocently, Chen Changsheng said, "But…I do have the money."

  The scene once again became awkward.

  Tang Thirty-Six had a rather ugly look on his face. He asked, "Then previously, when I was ordering food, why was your expression so nasty?"

  Chen Changsheng recalled the previous scene and comprehended what was going on. Rather embarrassed, he explained, "Because…you ordered flying sparrow soup, famous for being very warm and known for its excessive dry properties. In the autumn and winter, it's very helpful, but now it's spring. Drinking this sort of soup can easily cause an excess of heat and isn't good for the body."

  For this kid to be considering these sorts of questions was completely out of Tang Thirty-Six's expectations. He asked, "Could it be that all the other dishes are no good too? Those are all signature dishes though.”

  "The double-headed fish is a fish from the deep ocean, living off a diet of fish, shrimp, and sea snakes, so its body has accumulated a lot of poison. It would be fine if it were boiled in water, and it would be perfectly fine as soup, but to steam it in broth is not healthy. In addition, we are just two people, and too many meat dishes is also unhealthy. Especially the braised pork, which uses the pork belly. It's far too fatty, so it's best not to eat it."

  Finally, Chen Changsheng added, "The pig ears in chili oil really are rather good, but chili oil really isn't. As for the fishwort, eating too much will upset the stomach and disorder the heart. For the body, it's also…"

  "Stop!"

  Tang Thirty-Six couldn't hear anymore—Chen Changsheng's words were like a fly, buzzing round and round his ear, making him feel very uncomfortable. Anyone would become unhappy if they were happily ordering food and heard the phrase 'it's not healthy' repeated so many times—it was naturally impossible for every type of food to be healthy, but who would pay attention to these things when eating? And to focus on it with such severity? If Chen Changsheng were some old man who valued his health, that would be fine, but he was clearly just a fourteen-year-old youth…

  "So what if it's not good for your body? Don't tell me I'll die if I eat it?"

  Chen Changsheng earnestly said, "You won't die on the spot, but you'll definitely die a little earlier."

  Tang Thirty-Six felt like he had nothing to reply to this. Very curious, he asked, "Then what do you eat normally?"

  Chen Changsheng replied, "Two taels of meat, beef or lamb being best; two catties of vegetables, wild herbs being best; sweet potatoes and grains can be eaten at will; every two days, I eat one freshwater fish, with scales is best; lastly, I don't drink soup."

  Tang Thirty-Six asked, "How long have you eaten this way?"

  Chen Changsheng replied, "From the moment I could remember, I've always eaten this way."

  This time it was Tang Thirty-Six's turn to wrinkle his brow.

  He felt that these foods even sounded bad. If he really ate this meal for fourteen years, just how miserable of a life would that be?

  He felt himself sympathizing more and more with this kid.

  As they ate, the two were very quiet. Tang Thirty-Six felt that the dishes were too ordinary while Chen Changsheng felt that the dishes were too unhealthy. In brief, they were each dissatisfied in their own way. Of course, it was impossible to reconcile these two matters. The flavor of food and the pursuit of health was always the area of the three outlooks of humans [8]with the fiercest clashes.

  Just like this, Chen Changsheng's first time treating someone to a meal hastily concluded. With two full cups of tea in front of them, the two casually chatted about the contents of the Heavenly Dao Academy's entrance exam. Tang Thirty-Six also asked about the particulars of Chen Changsheng's experiences at the Star Seizer Academy and the other two schools. He displayed his incomprehension and doubt about how the Great Zhou military could also be influenced by the Divine General's estate. Afterwards, they ran out of things to talk about.

  Newly acquainted friends in their first few conversations would always give stories from their childhood and their experiences growing up, seeking some common hobby. However, the stories that could be told by these two from their childhoods were so dull and monotonous they could make someone rise up in anger, so it was impossible for them to do this. In order to avoid the excessive embarrassment of looking each other in the eyes without anything to say, Tang Thirty-Six stood up and began walking around the room with his cup of tea. As he paced from the living room to the balcony and back, he thought, For this kid to be able afford such a large room with such high rent so close to the Mausoleum of Books, it's obvious that he's not lacking in money. My previous misunderstanding was truly rather ridiculous.

  When he wandered up to the display stand in the living room, Tang Thirty-Six's gaze inadvertently fell on the stand and found it impossible to pull away—there was a sword there.

  That sword was very delicate, not much longer than an ordinary dagger. Moreover, it was very slender and gave off a very graceful air. The sheath was an ordinary leather sheath and the hilt of the sword was very ordinary. It gave off a thoroughly ordinary air without any place that could attract a gaze, and it lacked any dust or bloodstains. In brief, this sword was ordinary to the extreme, yet it made him want to get close to it.

  Tang Thirty-Six stretched out his hand to grip the dagger.

  Chen Changsheng's hand obstructed him, gripping the handle of t
he dagger before he could.

  Tang Thirty-Six glanced at him.

  Chen Changsheng looked back at him and said, "This is mine."

  Tang Thirty-Six was still holding the teacup. As the steam wafted up from the teacup, his handsome face amidst the steam seemed all the more cold. "So I can't touch it?"

  Chen Changsheng noticed that he was rather unhappy and somewhat uneasy, but he continued to persist, "You should first ask me. After I agree, you can hold it."

  Tang Thirty-Six drew back his right hand, flicked his sleeve and returned to his seat, placing the teacup in front of him on the table.

  Chen Changsheng was somewhat embarrassed, feeling that he had done something wrong—actually, he didn't really think he had done something wrong, but this was his first friend after all. When he saw his friend being unhappy, he felt rather confused. Walking up to the table, he offered the dagger in his hand.

  Tang Thirty-Six raised his head and glanced at him, then continued to ignore him.