Notes on Longevity

Chapter 15 Li Wenren, whose story of You'an is difficult to tell, writes history on paper with ink and brush.

"Why is Brother Li doing this?" Yang Youan was puzzled. He didn't understand why Li Chengru insisted on paying for the room, especially since they were not related. He really couldn't figure it out.

“I already said, I love reading,” Li Chengru replied casually.

Yang Youan was speechless for a moment. You love reading, but what does that have to do with you paying my rent?

"By the way, who is this Zhang Ze'an?" Yang You'an thought to himself, then turned to Li Chengru and asked.

“Zhang Ze’an is a real headache.” Li Chengru hissed, scratching his head in pain. He turned and strode to the table, poured a cup of tea, and said to Yang You’an, who looked puzzled and confused, “This guy is very strange. He’s from a prominent family, and he’s usually very friendly, appearing like a kind and scholarly gentleman. But in private, he’s a treacherous and cunning villain. Yet, he’s different from ordinary villains; he’s very strange, very cunning…”

As Li Chengru spoke, he squinted his eyes, then paced back and forth in the room, muttering to himself.

Yang Youan frowned as he watched Li Chengru pace back and forth in the room, constantly talking about Zhang Ze'an. He didn't really care about Zhang Ze'an anymore; instead, he found Li Chengru quite strange, his demeanor changing constantly.

And so, Yang Youan watched Li Chengru pace back and forth in the room until he grew tired and finally turned his gaze to the window. Sometimes he looked at the bustling street below, and sometimes he looked up at the azure sky.

But the sound of Li Chengru's murmurs still echoed in my ears.

From his words, he roughly understood what kind of person Zhang Ze'an was, but at the same time he felt that Li Chengru was also a strange person, just like Zhang Ze'an, and like many other people he had met on the road, except that he was not as complicated as the two of them.

Although I haven't met Zhang Ze'an yet.

Yang Youan's gaze was fixed on a tall building in the distance when a sudden gust of wind blew, blinding him. When he opened his eyes, the nagging in his ears stopped.

He turned his head curiously, frowning with a pained expression as he looked at Li Chengru, who was already sitting upright in the chair, sipping his tea with complete ease, and finally remarked, "Tea is no ordinary thing; it is the essence of Wenren's freedom."

After saying that, he slumped back in his chair, picked up the folded fan on the table, unfolded it, and slowly fanned himself, looking quite relaxed!
Yang Youan was truly troubled, because he had never met anyone like Li Chengru before: sometimes refined, sometimes rude, and sometimes crazy. He had never seen such a complex person.

Although Yang Youan had a headache over Li Chengru, he was even more curious about Zhang Ze'an. Someone who could give Li Chengru, who looked crazy, a headache must be someone who gave him an even bigger headache.

"Master Li."

Just as Yang Youan was frowning, Li Chengru called from the doorway.

Upon hearing the sound, Yang Youan glanced at Li Chengru and saw him slumped in a chair, motionless. So he walked to the door and opened it.

After the door opened, a young, smiling waiter stood in the doorway. When he saw that the person who opened the door was Yang Youan, he bowed to him and said, "Young Master Yang, your room is ready. Let me take you there."

Yang Youan turned to look at Li Chengru, who was sitting upright, quietly brewing tea. Yang Youan couldn't stand it any longer, so he turned to Li Chengru and bowed, saying, "Brother Li, I'll go back to my room now. I'll pay you back for the room."

"No rush," Li Chengru said with a serious expression before Yang Youan could finish speaking, "Let's talk about it when the day of our bet arrives."

"Then I wonder if Brother Li is betting on whether he wins or loses?" Yang Youan asked. Although there was a bet and stakes, the outcome was still undecided.

"What are you betting on him for?" Li Chengru sipped his tea, fanning himself, and looked calmly at Yang Youan. "When I first entered the shop, I heard from others that Brother Li is also a senior student taking the imperial examination. In half a month, scholars from all over the country will gather. I am still young and somewhat worried about passing the exam. With Brother Li's experience, passing the exam this time should not be difficult, but getting into the top three will be difficult, let alone first place. Therefore, I bet on losing."

Yang Youan's words were sharp and his arguments were well-reasoned, but Li Chengru just chuckled and said, "Then I'll win the bet."

After Li Chengru finished speaking, he stood up, walked to Yang Youan's side, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "You're bound to lose. Go check out the rooms first, and if they're not suitable, we can change them. I'll take you out to have some fun tonight."

After saying that, he walked past Yang Youan and the waiter, laughing loudly as he went out the door.

The two watched Li Chengru leave. The waiter was a little confused, but Yang Youan looked completely calm and collected.

After a brief encounter with Li Chengru, Yang Youan was led by the waiter to the rightmost room.

After the waiter left, Yang Youan closed the door, put down his box, and sighed.

Ever since entering Fuyang City, he'd felt like nothing good had come of it. He'd gone to several inns, only to be turned away by their exorbitant prices. After much searching, he finally arrived at Bailai Inn, where the room rate was acceptable, but then he encountered the strange Li Chengru. He was truly at a loss for words.

Yang Youan opened the chest, took out some books, and placed them on the table. Then he took out the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper) and placed them on the table according to their positions.

Once everything was ready, I began grinding the ink, and at the same time, I picked up a book and placed it in front of me, grinding the ink while reading.

After grinding the ink, he closed the book and began to write down what he had just read from memory.

"In the spring of the first year of Tianyan, the nation was founded and everything was in ruins. The divine decree ordered all officials and people to cultivate the fields, plant rice and grain, raise livestock, and work together for one hundred days to build the Great Yan..."

What Yang Youan wrote is the history of Yan Kingdom in the past.

That year, Emperor Shenwu of Dayan defeated the previous emperor and seized the throne. After years of war, the people were destitute and the fields were abandoned. In order to stabilize the hearts of the people, the newly enthroned Emperor Shenwu ordered all officials, large and small, in all prefectures and counties to go to the fields with the people and sow grain together for one hundred days.

It was from that time that Yan Dynasty began a practice that lasted for hundreds of years: every spring, all officials would go to the fields and cultivate the land with the people.

On the one hand, it was to investigate and collect statistics on the grain situation in various prefectures and counties; on the other hand, it was to let officials know the hardships of the people and understand their difficulties, while also stabilizing public sentiment.

This is why the Yan Dynasty lasted for hundreds of years.

When people live in peace and contentment, naturally no one will cause trouble.

This historical event was a recurring topic in every imperial examination, but the questions asked were different each time.

After Yang Youan finished writing this part of history, he put the pen back in its place. He weighed the paper down with an inkstone, and once the ink on it was dry, he took it to the street to sell for money.

(End of this chapter)