Pan Yun and Xue Shao were both good-looking, and with their appearance and accents marking them as outsiders, plus the wine and pastries Young Madam Lin had sent them, they drew even more attention.
Before long, the people Xue Shao had been waiting for came over of their own accord.
A young man dressed like a scholar pulled a companion over. His gaze slid over Pan Yun, and he smiled as he asked Xue Shao, "Where are you from, brother? I am Huang Quan, a student of the County School."
Xue Shao cupped his hands. "I am Xue Wen, from Hedong. This is my Junior Sister, Pan San. We are traveling abroad to study and heard there was a Poetry Gathering here, so we came especially for it. I did not expect it to be held on such a grand scale."
Huang Quan burst into laughter and waved a hand. "Prefect Lin encourages learning, so all of Chaozhou Prefecture is devoted to study. This Poetry Gathering is not only held in the prefectural city; I hear the counties below are holding them too. In time, it will surely become one of Chaozhou Prefecture's greatest distinctions."
Pan Yun was not particularly interested in the Poetry Gathering. What was so interesting about a group of scholars crowding together to recite poems and compose couplets? Good works took root among the people and within the heart. This so-called Poetry Gathering was merely socializing under the banner of poetry and couplets.
One only had to look at the well-dressed scholars gathering in the restaurant to know it.
Xue Shao asked, "How often is this Poetry Gathering held? Is it held regularly, or only when the mood strikes?"
Huang Quan said, "It used to be once a season, but now it is once a month.