Rêve de Jiangshan

Chapitre 16

"Ru Feng, enjoy your meal. I've decided to forgive your past disrespect," Yu Xuan said generously.

Ru Feng glanced at him, rolled her eyes, and said, "Who asked you to forgive me?"

"Ru Feng, can we still eat this later?" Yun Tianze's germaphobia disappeared. He grabbed a chicken leg in each hand and started gnawing on it, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Ru Feng.

Since the beauty was using this expression, Ru Feng readily agreed.

Yu Jue's review: "The meat is tender and smooth, and it also has the unique sweetness of mountain spring water. It's absolutely amazing. If any restaurant had it, they would be making a killing!"

Unexpectedly, Ru Feng's eyes lit up immediately, and an idea came to mind.

For the next few days, whenever there were no classes in the afternoon, everyone skipped lunch and waited for Ru Feng's beggar's chicken. Ru Feng would go for a stroll in the back mountain, but he had an extra helper with him—Yu Xuan.

Later, the aroma became so strong that it attracted students from the neighboring dormitories, leading to a few more accomplices. Eventually, the culprits spread to their entire courtyard, but they still had to keep it a secret from the other dormitories, since there weren't that many pheasants.

While holding a chicken, Bai Shaojun arrogantly shouted, "Yuchi Rufeng, our first fight when we were kids is wiped clean. We can settle the rest later."

These words angered many people who were fascinated by Ru Feng's skills, and they all glared at him angrily.

Ru Feng chuckled to herself. Her life was wonderful now; she had no worries about food or drink, and her classmates were friendly. It was truly a life of bliss! She never imagined that the skills she had learned from her master would be so useful!

However, just a few days later, the deputy headmaster said in class that he had recently noticed that the pheasants and rabbits on the back mountain seemed to have decreased significantly, and most importantly, the lotus pond in the academy had lost many lotus leaves. He asked everyone to find out the reason.

A third of the people's faces immediately fell down.

From then on, Ru Feng was idle for a long time, but life was a little uncomfortable. How could you feel comfortable if someone was always looking at you with resentful eyes?

!

Chapter 32 Study

Since learning about the existence of beggar's chicken, many people have become even more dissatisfied with the food in the canteen. At this time, the academy also began the selection of dormitory heads. A dormitory head is someone selected by the headmaster from among the outstanding students to assist the headmaster in teaching, administration, and daily management.

Ru Feng didn't pay attention to anything else, but she heard the words "assist the headmaster" very clearly, so she is now working hard to become the headmaster.

"Ru Feng, you've been very well-behaved in class lately. Did something happen to you?" Yu Xuan asked curiously.

Ru Feng smiled mysteriously and whispered, "Hehe, isn't there a selection process for dormitory head recently? It's said that they want students who are excellent in both character and academics, so I must do my best."

Yu Xuan snorted coldly: "Is it because of that headmaster again?" He looked at Ru Feng with disdain.

Ru Feng wasn't afraid of his contempt and readily admitted it.

"Remember, you must vote for me." Ru Feng looked at Yun Tianze and Yu Jue one by one.

Yu Jue laughed and said, "Don't worry, I have no interest in the position of headmaster." This remark won Ru Feng a smile.

Yun Tianze then said, "It is said that the most important factor in choosing the head of the dormitory is your grades. There will be an exam soon, and whoever gets first place will have a great chance of becoming the head of the dormitory. However, Ru Feng, you've been sleeping a lot lately, so I think you're in big trouble this time."

Ru Feng then counted on his fingers. Their courses included classics, history, literature, horsemanship and archery, music, and martial arts. After calculating, he found that the others were fine, but music was absolutely out of the question.

Ru Feng disliked learning the piano or the flute, and was tone-deaf when singing, so she always fell asleep during music lessons. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but frown.

At this point, there were still more than twenty days left until the exam.

"Who among you is the best at musicology?" Ru Feng asked eagerly.

The three people in front of her puffed out their chests with smug expressions, and Yuxuan proudly said, "I play the xiao the best."

"I played the piano quite well," Yu Jue said with a smile.

Yun Tianze, however, proudly declared, "I have a broad range of knowledge and my skills are quite good."

"Wow, you guys are all so amazing." Ru Feng frowned, wondering why he was the only one who couldn't do anything.

"Hehe, we've all been practicing since we were little. This is how most children are trained from a young age. Feng, your grandfather was a general, so it's understandable that he doesn't pay attention to these things. Luolin Academy doesn't require you to take a music exam, but they do require you to take a military strategy exam."

"If only it were military strategy." Ru Feng sighed inwardly, but decided to make the most of the remaining twenty-odd days and cram at the last minute. You know, many students used to love to cram at the last minute.

"Which one is the easiest to learn? Teach me." The exam only requires you to choose one instrument and play a complete piece.

As a result, everyone's understanding was different, but Feng immediately had this picture in his mind: a handsome young man traveling the world with a jade flute, which could also be used as a weapon.

So she excitedly announced, "I've decided to learn the xiao (vertical bamboo flute)."

Yu Xuan's face lit up with joy. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity for him to get revenge?

Yu Jue and Yun Tianze looked somewhat gloomy, unsure of where their disappointment came from.

For the next twenty days or so, Ru Feng worked very hard. She not only had to review other subjects, but also had to practice playing the xiao (vertical bamboo flute). It was quite difficult for a beginner to play a complete piece of music. So Ru Feng seemed to have returned to the time when she was learning her craft. She got up very early and went to bed very late. She was very diligent and didn't even care about the ten-day break she had been looking forward to. She didn't go down the mountain at all.

Everyone was surprised by Ru Feng's change.

"I thought Ru Feng was always indifferent and carefree, but it turns out he does care about things, and he takes them very seriously," Yun Tianze said thoughtfully.

“If Ru Feng has never been serious, how come his other subjects and martial arts are so amazing? His current grades must be the result of his past efforts, so it’s understandable that he’s working so hard now,” Yu Jue said with a smile.

Yu Xuan didn't have time to comment because he also had to review his work and teach Ru Feng the xiao (a type of Chinese flute). Because of Ru Feng's serious expression, Yu Xuan initially had the mind to tease or make fun of Ru Feng, but Ru Feng was very serious and respectful to Yu Xuan, and would never get angry no matter what he said. Sometimes, in order to please Yu Xuan, he would even go to the back mountain to make beggar's chicken.

Therefore, Yu Xuan has completely softened and decided to temporarily put aside his previous idea of competing with Ru Feng, and help him get through this hurdle first.

One taught diligently, and the other studied hard. Feng's superior memory was now fully revealed. With her excellent memory, she quickly memorized the score and could even play it.

More than twenty days later, the students of the academy faced their first entrance exam. Everyone knew how important this exam was. Doing well would not only build their prestige among classmates and teachers, but also lay a foundation for their future studies. Therefore, everyone gave it their all.

Classical studies require memorization, and some parts require understanding. Ru Feng has also read Yu Jue's notes, so she is not afraid of this at all. History is about discussing the past and present, which Ru Feng is not afraid of at all. Literature is her forte. She can compose poems and debate with ease. She also learned horseback riding and archery on the mountain before, because her master was afraid that she would go to the army, so archery was essential. Not to mention martial arts, with Ru Feng's skills, she could easily beat her teacher to a pulp.

So let's see how Ru Feng learns music.

The entire exam lasted for almost ten days, and everyone was on edge.

After the exam, there was a two-day holiday. So, although everyone felt tired, they still went down the mountain in twos and threes to relax. Ru Feng and his friends were no exception.

!

Chapter 33 Descending the Mountain

"Ru Feng, where are you going?" Yu Jue asked gently. The four of them were on their way down the mountain.

"Is that even a question? Judging from his expression, he's definitely going to have a big meal first, and then have a blast." Yu Xuan looked at Ru Feng with disdain.

Ru Feng curled her lip and replied, "That's right, that's what I'm going to do, is it any of your business?"

"Look, look, the fox's tail is showing, isn't it? He's been so good to me these past few days, but now that the exam is over, he's already forgotten about his master," Yu Xuan said loudly.

Ru Feng rolled her eyes, deciding not to argue with him.

She turned to Yun Tianze and asked, "Tianze, do you think we should call Xiaoying out? He should be on vacation too, right? Xiaoying is so withdrawn, I'm afraid he hasn't made any friends at the academy."

Yun Tianze thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"The problem is, how do we contact him?" Ru Feng pondered. It's all because we didn't tell him how to contact him beforehand. Sigh, if only we lived in modern times, we could just make a phone call and he would come right away.

"It's alright, I have a way." Yun Tianze had already seen his servant, Xiaoqing.

Upon seeing Xiaoqing, Rufeng glanced at Yun Tianze and said, "So Xiaoqing hasn't gone back yet. Where does he usually live?"

“Our family has a small courtyard in Xiangzhou City. Xiaoqing usually takes care of things there. If none of you want to go back to the academy tonight, you can stay at our house.” Since coming down the mountain hadn’t taken much effort, Yun Tianze still had the energy to talk to them.

Ru Feng's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "That's great! I don't want to go back either. That little bed is really not very comfortable to sleep in."

"Not feeling well? Then why won't you sleep with me?" Yu Xuan shouted.

"Hmph, who knows if you have any bad intentions and want to take advantage of me?" Ru Feng glanced at Yu Xuan, her eyes full of distrust.

"What? I would take advantage of you? You're not a woman." Yu Xuan's voice suddenly rose, but seeing that he had attracted the attention of those around him, he quickly lowered his voice.

Ru Feng said mysteriously in a low voice, "Who says men can't take advantage of other men? Haven't you heard of homosexuality? Male-male relationships have existed since ancient times. I'm so beautiful and charming, how would I know if you would have any ulterior motives towards me? After all, you can't judge a book by its cover, and many people are beasts in human form."

Before Yu Xuan could refute, Yu Jue asked seriously, "Ru Feng, you grew up in the mountains. Who told you these things?"

Ru Feng smiled smugly: "Hmph, what can be so difficult for me to know?"

Seeing Yu Xuan's face turn ashen, with veins bulging, he quickly added, "Actually, I, Yu Chi Ru Feng, have always been a very open-minded person. I have no objection to homosexuality. As long as they are truly in love, I will sincerely wish them well."

"Yuchi Rufeng, I have no homosexual tendencies! Stop your wild thoughts!" Yu Xuan roared, grabbing Rufeng by the collar.

Ru Feng calmly brushed his hand away and said slowly, "Don't get angry. I didn't say you were definitely gay. Even if you were gay, you wouldn't be good-looking; you're just torturing my eyes. I think to be gay, you should at least be like Tianze and Brother Jue. They're both so good-looking; they're pleasing to the eye when they stand together. But I think Tianze is doomed; he must be the bottom." After saying that, she chuckled to herself.

Although Yun Tianze didn't know what "shou" meant, judging from Ru Feng's ambiguous smile, he guessed it wasn't a good term. As a result, his fair face turned red instantly, and Yu Jue also felt a little uncomfortable.

Ru Feng never expected that her words today would cause ripples in the hearts of the other three people, planting a seed.

The immediate action was that after they returned, Yu Jue and Yun Tianze slept separately.

After sending Xiaoqing to invite Rong Yiying, Rufeng and his group went to the largest restaurant in Xiangzhou City for dinner.

They booked a private room, and Tianze still used his own bowls and chopsticks. This guy always used his own things, whether at the academy or the restaurant. He wouldn't use anything that wasn't good. So, the dishes they ordered were the most famous ones at the restaurant.

Rong Yiying arrived quickly. After introducing herself to Yu Jue and Yu Xuan, everyone sat down and waited for a while before the dishes were gradually served.

Looking at the delicious-looking dishes, Ru Feng's mouth was practically watering. She sighed, "Heaven knows how long it's been since I've had a decent meal. Once I become the headmaster, I'll try my best to get the handsome headmaster to replace the academy's cook. Damn it, the academy's food is inedible."

"But you still ate it, didn't you?" Rong Yiying said calmly.

Ru Feng curled his lips: "I'm not going to talk to you. You never pick and choose your food. Whether you're eating cabbage noodles or delicacies, your expression is the same. You're expressionless. If you want to know how bad our food is, just look at Tianze. Look at him, he's gotten so thin in just over a month that his chin is pointy. Xiao Qing was so worried about him just now."

"The food at the academy," Yun Tianze seemed to be reminded of painful memories, and even his usually indifferent expression became indignant as he said, "It's so bad that even pigs wouldn't eat it. The vegetables are too old, and the meat is tough and scarce..."

Seeing everyone staring at him in surprise, Yun Tianze immediately stopped talking, picked up a piece of braised beef with his ivory chopsticks, elegantly put it in his mouth, and then said, "This is what people should eat."

Ru Feng quickly agreed, Yu Jue kept smiling, but Yu Xuan seemed troubled and didn't say anything more to Ru Feng.

Everyone enjoyed the meal and the conversation. When it came time to pay, Yu Jue and Yun Tianze got into an argument. Ru Feng got impatient and said, "Alright, what's the big deal? Tianze will pay this time, and Jue-ge will pay next time. We're not just going out once." She then muttered, "As long as it's not me paying, I'm very poor."