CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 77: THE UPWARD HOOK IS "LAO," THE DOWNWARD HOOK IS "KAO

Yu Xiaolian came with a pushcart today. Before she could unload the goods, Su Jingchen approached her to talk about the house rental, and soon after, Zheng Yuanfeng joined them.

"Just in time, help me move the stuff over there." Yu Xiaolian pointed to the hexagonal pavilion in the center of Qingquan Academy and said to Zheng Yuanfeng.

Zheng Yuanfeng had barely arrived and was already being used as free labor. Though somewhat displeased, he still dutifully helped Yu Xiaolian move her things into the pavilion.

Without waiting for Yu Xiaolian to order, Su Jingchen also pitched in to help move the items.

"Hey, hey, hey... My sister’s stuff, I’ll handle it. You don’t need to." Zheng Yuanfeng felt an inexplicable hostility towards the boy who looked better than him.

"She’s my sister too!" Su Jingchen said, immediately carrying the items and walking toward the pavilion.

"Yu Xiaolian, what’s going on? You adopted another brother?" Zheng Yuanfeng glared at Yu Xiaolian as if someone had stolen from him, his eyes wide with indignation.

Yu Xiaolian, carrying a bamboo basket full of soap, found it terribly heavy and had no time to deal with Zheng Yuanfeng’s whining.

"More brothers, easier travel; the more brothers, the more paths."

"You..." Zheng Yuanfeng pouted, "I alone am all your paths, you blind fool who doesn’t recognize greatness."

Seeing Zheng Yuanfeng looking as aggrieved as a jilted bride, Yu Xiaolian was about to comfort him when Su Jingchen, returning, said, "I think, though she’s not very smart, at least she managed to recognize a good person and has foresight."

Indirectly being addressed, Yu Xiaolian didn’t get angry about Su Jingchen calling her not smart; instead, she felt that being able to hold onto several big opportunities at once was a skill in itself.

Zheng Yuanfeng had long wanted to retort at Su Jingchen, but since he didn’t know him, he held back.

But now that Su Jingchen had taken up his words, he could take this opportunity to retaliate, "You sure know how to flatter yourself, claiming the little girl has keen insight. What if she’s deceived by some frauds?"

Su Jingchen gave Zheng Yuanfeng a serious look, "Later, the principal will give a topic. I’d be willing to have a match with Brother Zheng."

"If I don’t accept, it would seem like I’m afraid of you. But later, if I can’t match it, don’t say I’m bullying you because you’re younger."

Yu Xiaolian didn’t expect that on their first meeting, Zheng Yuanfeng and Su Jingchen would clash with such intensity.

Once Yu Xiaolian set up the prize area, the bell gathered the students of Qingquan Academy sounded.

Bai Shixi stood in the hexagonal pavilion, with students from the male and female academies sitting on either side of him.

"A mind adorned with poetry exudes an aura of elegance, and befriending sages elevates one’s character.

I hope you’ll not only learn something useful at this poetry and book meeting but also make some good friends.

Though previous meetings have been extraordinary, to encourage your active participation in learning, I’ve prepared rich prizes for this event.

I hope you’ll speak up enthusiastically, strive hard, and come out on top."

As Bai Shixi finished speaking, the students below erupted into a buzz of conversation.

The discussion primarily revolved around how Bai Shixi, usually stingy, suddenly became generous enough to offer prizes.

"Even if there are prizes, it’s probably just a brush, maybe even a low-quality one."

"If it’s a brush, that’d be good; I’m just afraid he’ll give us a test paper as a prize."

"To fuel your ambition to win, let me first tell you about the prizes." Yu Xiaolian’s somewhat immature voice suddenly rang out, quieting the crowd instantly.

Yu Xiaolian took out a solid air freshener, letting the teachers in the pavilion smell it one by one. Then she ran outside the pavilion to give one each to the girls from the Women’s Virtue Academy and the boys from Qingquan Academy so they could pass it around to smell the scent.

As the lively discussion continued, Yu Xiaolian raised her voice again, "This is called an air freshener, and it can keep a room fragrant for a month."

"This is good, I want this!"

"I want one too!"

"You always score a C in exams, what makes you think you can compete with me?"

"Hmph, I’ll just buy it for double the price, I have money."

Listening to the conversations among the girls below, Yu Xiaolian curved her lips in satisfaction, "This air freshener is only the third prize; Principal Bai has prepared even better prizes for you all."

Yu Xiaolian then took out soap, also handing out pieces for everyone to smell and examine.

"This is called soap; it’s an upgraded version of bath beans. I’m sure those from affluent families have used top-quality bath beans.

But this soap is imported from the West, different from ordinary bath beans. It can be used for washing your face, bathing, it cleans effectively and also moisturizes the skin with a long-lasting fragrance."

"This soap smells so good, I want this."

"Me too!"

The girls who smelled the soap were eager, with everyone’s gaze fixed on Yu Xiaolian’s small figure.

"You might think this soap is a great gift already? Then get ready for a double surprise."

Yu Xiaolian placed several items on the wooden table, "This is the grand prize: a super gift package containing shampoo, body wash, and a box of premium red lipstick."

Recently, Yu Xiaolian and Mrs. Sun had put in a lot of effort to repackage, buy containers, and fill these products.

Hopefully, after today’s advertising, they can earn a good profit, making all their hard work worthwhile.

Yu Xiaolian took out a box of lipstick, dabbed a little with her finger, and applied it to the back of her hand, specifically going to the girls’ section to show them.

She also asked them to smell her hair and chirped explanations to the girls who were asking questions.

Seeing this, Bai Shixi had to call Yu Xiaolian back, or this poetry meeting would turn into Yu Xiaolian’s personal sales expo.

"This time, Principal Bai prepared six prize sets; only the top three in the men’s and women’s academies will receive them, so participate actively, everyone.

If you don’t win a prize and want something, have your servants go to Mingxiang Pavilion to buy it."

Yu Xiaolian felt she was just starting to get the hang of sales when she was forced to step back.

Fortunately, after all the bustling, she discovered there were many potential customers, which was a substantial gain.

"This semester, our academy welcomed a new group of excellent students, among whom the most notable is the eleven-year-old Su Jingchen, who surpassed some older correlative students to become top of the autumn exam. Many others, despite years of attempts, can only remain correlative students for life.

Thus, inspired, I composed a couplet."

Bai Shixi glanced around, cleared his throat, and slowly said, "An age of exams, and exams over years, old students study, and students study till older."

In ancient times, the imperial exam was the only way for poor families to advance, and many could not succeed in their youth and spent a lifetime attempting.

This cost left aging parents painstakingly supporting their children, as those scholars usually knew nothing besides reading.

Bai Shixi’s couplet reflected a deep appreciation for these situations.

This couplet is highly ingenious, with its greatest artistry lying in the words "old" and "exam." The difference between the two characters lies in the final stroke’s direction, one upwards and one downwards, hence "upwards stroke signifies age, downwards stroke signifies exam."

The last two lines cleverly incorporated both "age" and "exam," drawing praise for its meticulous structure and prompting reflection.