Roughly about 2 hours later, the car fetched Lu Yuan to Hang City.
The scenery of Hang City was very pleasant. The atmosphere was clear and breezy. This was especially so for the cool wind that blew from the western lakeside. It would cause people to feel the tranquil and refreshed atmosphere. This location had always been one of the favorite spots for scholars and poets since ancient times.
Lu Yuan gazed outside the window. A moon hung high in the air. Under the night sky, numerous colored lanterns could be seen floating up. Young men and young women surrounded the lakeside, exuding a feel of romance and bliss.
His urge to smoke came on strong.
He really felt like smoking now.
However, when he thought that he would soon arrive at the targeted place, he shook his head and endured the urge.
He had to suppress it.
At the very least, he couldn’t have a cigarette in his mouth as he swaggered into a Poetry Exchange, right?
How much loss of face would that be?
Cultured!
(I’m a cultured person now. At the very least, I have to pretend to be one, so I won’t lose face.)
Lu Yuan heaved a sigh.
“We’ve reached. The place is just around the corner. This is the entry pass, keep it well. I will wait for you here.”
“You won’t enter?” Lu Yuan took over the entry pass.
It was quite delicately made.
“That place isn’t a place where everyone is qualified to enter.”
“Then as for me…”
“Hahaha, don’t ask anymore. If someone the Old Master invited thrice is not qualified enough. Who else would be qualified?” The driver involuntarily laughed when he saw the startled look on Lu Yuan’s face.
He felt that this young man was very interesting.
This young man didn’t have an air of arrogance like those people in the literacy circle. In fact, he was even humble and extremely amiable.
It was very rare for there to be such young men in the current society.
“Oh, oh.” Lu Yuan nodded. After listening to the driver’s words, he nodded to indicate that he understood.
A place where those in the literary circle gathered naturally wasn’t a place where any common people could enter.
He himself was actually part of the ‘common people’…
Zeze (Clicking one’s tongue)
……
After he got down the car, Lu Yuan walked toward a large building named ‘Cultural Building’, located at the western lakeside.
The Poetry Exchange was held in this building.
Lu Yuan initially thought that there wouldn’t be too many people participating, at most maybe slightly over ten people. But when he got near the ‘Cultural Building’, he discovered that this place was flooded. There were even many reporters speaking into cameras.
It seemed like this Poetry Exchange might even be shown on TV.
Naturally, Lu Yuan could only feel rueful.
He didn’t feel that his literary skills were enough to be the most outstanding person in the Poetry Exchange, suppressing everyone with ease.
He knew his own limits.
“Brother, you also came to try your luck?”
“Ah?”
“I’ll do a self-introduction. My name is Li Dongqiang. I’m a student of the Chinese Studies faculty from Yan University, and I specialize in ancient poems.”
“Oh. Hello, hello.”
“Brother, this is your first time here, right?”
“Mn, it’s my first time.”
“You don’t know the way, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve never participated in such an activity before.”
“That’s fine. Mn, don’t look around aimlessly. Do you see the door where there’s a queue before it?”
“Yea, what about it?”
“There’s a test question there. The examiner is Professor Wang Mingyang from our Yan University, and he is extremely strict. Basically, those who line up there would definitely be stumped by his question. Hence, we don’t want to go there. It’s a no goal for the east gate too. The east gate is the place for girls to queue…”
“Oh, where should we go then?” Lu Yuan was startled.
There were such distinctions?
“Let’s head to the west gate. The west gate’s question is to match couplet. Although many people would fail, there’s still a chance for us to enter. Oh, by the way…what field are you specialized in, brother?”
“I… study Forestry.”
“Forestry? What? Damn, what specialized field did you say you were from?”
“Forestry.”
“Bro, awesome. You are a forestry student, but you were confident enough to come here and try your luck? Do you like poems?”
“Ah? I don’t think so…but I’m…”
“No need to say anything more. Bro, I know you! Zezeze, you came here for a look at Goddess Chen Xi right?”
“Ah, I’m not…”
“Bro, don’t need to say anything more. We are all men. I understand you. Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”
“Lu Yuan.”
“Oh, not bad. Bro, on account of your confidence and courage, I’ll bring you over to the couplets area to test your luck…I’ll show you what the words ‘literary person’ means!”
The person conversing with Lu Yuan was a tall youth in glasses.
The youth had a drifty look and there was a naughty-looking smile on his face. After he saw Lu Yuan, his expression became one of ‘i understand you’ and ‘we are very familiar with each other’.
Lu Yuan stared at the main gate of the building. He could see a few security guards, but other than them, that area was devoid of people. The question he wanted to ask was ‘why don’t we enter through the main gate’, but he eventually decided to put it at the bottom of his heart.
Maybe this might be the rules set by the Poetry Exchange?
Since he came here, he naturally also had to follow their customs, right?
Lu Yuan didn’t feel put off by this youth named Li Dongqiang.
After all, they were the same flashy type of people, and there were many similarities between the two of them.
“Bro, want to smoke?”
“Nope.” Li Dongqiang shook his head.
“Oh, then I’ll smoke.”
Lu Yuan ultimately gave in to his urge and took out a cigarette from his pocket.
After inhaling the first breath, Lu Yuan instantly felt extremely relaxed. Besides, in this environment with the bright moon and cool wind, he felt as though he had become an immortal.
When the two of them reached the west gate, Lu Yuan also saw a queue here. However, it was unknown why the number of people was lesser.
Li Dongqiang swaggered over and found a spot to queue at. Lu Yuan followed behind Li Dongqiang.
Lu Yuan glanced around aimlessly. Right now, his mind was thinking about the sort of decorations his future restaurant should have.
It was better to plan out one’s future earlier.
“I know the lower part of this couplet!”
“I think that it is…”
“What? I’m wrong? But I think it’s quite compatible and complete!”
“Give me another chance please!”
“Next…”
“My turn!”
“Next…”
“I think this is then the correct answer…”
“Next…”
The speed of the testing was very quick.
Initially, there were twenty to thirty people queueing ahead. But one person was eliminated every minute…
“What couplet is this? Why is it so difficult?!”
“I feel that my answer matches it very well. Why is it not accepted?”
“Could it be that I’m not good enough?”
“Sigh…I initially thought it would be simpler here at the west gate. I didn’t expect it to be so difficult as well…”
“What is the real answer for the lower part of the couplet? Is there no one who can match the couplet this year?”
The people who were eliminated all shook their heads. All of their moods weren’t too good right now.
Very soon, it was Li Dongqiang’s turn.
Li Dongqiang revealed a smile. He tidied his clothes and walked forward…
“Loyalty and love till the end, even when the rain becomes smoke, one’s soul and dreams still remain at the west gate. The lower part of the couplet: …” Li Dongqiang glanced at the upper part of the couplet. He then widened his eyes and looked at the requirement.
The requirement stated that the words ‘west gate’ must be matched in the lower part.
He hesitated for a long time and discovered that he couldn’t think of any verses to match…
“Next.”
An old man with white hair and beard inclined his head and cast a glance over before shaking his head and eliminating Li Dongqiang.
“Wait, please give me another chance. I’m about to get it right…”
“Next.” The old man ultimately still shook his head, being able to tell that Li Dongqiang was trying to think of a random verse to match the couplet.
“…” Li Dongqiang could only shake his head and walk away.
He felt extremely sad.
It seemed like for this year, he had no hopes of entering.
Just after Li Dongqiang left and it was Lu Yuan’s turn, Lu Yuan’s phone suddenly rang.
“Hello? Old Master? I’m here already… Eh, come in? I’m at the couplet place. I just queued and it’s my turn now…
“Ah? You are asking what couplet it is? Eh, let me take a look. The upper part is: ‘Loyalty and love till the end, even when the rain becomes smoke, one’s soul and dreams still remain at the west gate.’ What? You said that I’m in the wrong place? I should enter via the main gate?”
“What’s the lower part of the couplet?” asked the impatient old man standing before the couplet.
“Oh I got it, the answer is ‘Literary works flow overseas, if one wants to compose poetry and drink wine, they will stopover at the west gate again’. Hello, Old Master? Why are you not saying anything?”
“Ah?”
Lu Yuan felt a little dumbfounded after he heard the silence of the Old Master. He subconsciously glanced at the direction of the main gate.
After that, he turned his head and saw the shocked old man who was standing before the couplet…
Lu Yuan felt a little awkward.
Earlier, when he had been thinking about his future restaurant, his brain had gotten a little short-circuited.
He felt that he had screwed things up. He had actually gone to the wrong place.
“Sorry, sorry. I’m in the wrong place. I’m leaving now…” After hanging up the phone, he hurriedly apologized. He then turned and wanted to head to the main gate.
“Hold it. You are not in the wrong place, this is the place! Little brother, come. This is for you. What is your name?” The old man suddenly came forward and grabbed Lu Yuan’s hand. The old man was clearly feeling extremely emotional now.
“Ah?” Lu Yuan started. He cast another glance at the couplet.
Earlier, he had blurted out his answer subconsciously.
It was truly a coincidence. In his past, when he had been in college, his teacher had especially told his class to memorize this couplet as it would be tested in the exam…
Lu Yuan naturally memorized it so thoroughly that he knew it inside out.
It was just that he didn’t expect… to run into it here…
This dogshit luck…
No one could beat this…
“…” Li Dongqiang, who was about to leave, had his eyes wide open when he heard this. He then stared at Lu Yuan in disbelief.
(What’s the situation? He… matched it?)
(I’m a student from the chinese study faculty of Yan University, and I couldn’t match it. However, this guy studied forestry and he could?)
(Wait a minute? Didn’t I hear you saying something like entering via the main gate? What did this mean? Damn, is he someone that was invited specially?)
F*ck!
(Wasn’t this act of pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger too vile?)