Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 19 A family?

Following Butler He and the others as they walked towards the street, Chen Xuan was the last one left. No one was watching him specifically, and they were not afraid that he would take the opportunity to escape.

I don’t know whether he was confident that Chen Xuan wouldn’t run away, or whether it was impossible for him to escape.

Chen Xuan had no plans to flee for the time being. With the world so vast, where could he go? Following Steward He and the others, at least he had a place to stay. He could make plans for the future later.

Chen Xuan vaguely noticed that there were many envious or jealous glances coming from the surrounding cages.

Those children in the cages who were treated as goods to be picked by others, although they were young, also realized that Chen Xuan had gone to a rich family. Children cannot hide their true feelings on their faces, so how could they not be envious and jealous.

Chen Xuan didn't care about this. Instead, he was wondering where they were going if Butler He said they had to leave tomorrow. Didn't they live in this city? It couldn't be that buying him had fulfilled the purpose of their trip, right?

Soon Chen Xuan had no time to think about these things. He walked out of the street and came to the street outside. He was attracted by the surrounding scenery.

As the lights came on, lanterns were lit on both sides of the street, and the stone-paved streets were quite lively.

There was a constant stream of people, visiting noodle stalls, pancake stalls, tea stalls, rice shops, cloth shops, cosmetics shops, restaurants, tea houses, and red-sleeved shops. There were also jugglers, hawkers carrying loads on their shoulders, and beggars along the streets...

The atmosphere of the city is everywhere.

Some people are well-dressed, while many wear coarse linen clothes. The buildings on the street are not very tall, and there are only a few that are more than three stories high. They are all full of an old and aged atmosphere.

In this situation, Chen Xuan felt as if he was in the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, and suddenly he had a dreamlike sense of unreality.

A gentle word came, interrupting Chen Xuan's thoughts.

"Is this your first time in Jinxia County?"

This was said by Butler He. He did not turn around, but walked calmly. Then he continued to answer his own question: "I think so. Anyone who sees such a prosperous place for the first time will be lost in thought. In fact, it will be just like that after seeing it many times. If you want to see it, go ahead and see it. You don't know when you will come back again. Just don't get distracted and lose your way. You are not familiar with the place, and it will be troublesome to find it if you lose your way."

Is this talking to me?
Chen Xuan reacted quickly and realized that Butler He and the others were actually paying attention to his every move.

"Jinxia County..." Chen Xuan murmured, remembering the name. He was sold here. He thought that Butler He would not be like the old boatman who made up a random name to deceive him.

I don’t know what other places in this world are like, but for Chen Xuan, everything around him has nothing to do with the word prosperity.

Butler He actually heard Chen Xuan's muttering, knowing that it was very noisy around.

He walked without stopping, nodded and said warmly: "Yes, Jinxia County, with a population of 100,000, is surrounded by mountains. In autumn, yellow leaves cover the mountains, just like a golden haze. It is a beautiful sight. Unfortunately, it is deep spring now, so I have no chance to see it. I will have a chance in the future."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan thought to himself that this was the origin of the name of Jinxia County. With 100,000 households, and assuming each household has at least three people, that would mean a population of several hundred thousand.

No wonder he said this place was prosperous. In ancient times, a city with a population of hundreds of thousands was really not small. The daily necessities alone were an astronomical figure. After all, freight here was not as convenient as in the time when Chen Xuan lived. Everything was carried on the shoulders of people and pulled by horses.

After that, Butler He stopped talking. Perhaps he wanted Chen Xuan to take a closer look at this prosperous place, so he walked slowly.

After walking a few hundred meters, the leading steward, He, suddenly paused and looked up at a brightly lit building on the street. Inside, there were many beautiful women, a place for pleasure and entertainment, and it was even more lively after dark.

Seeing him stop, Chen Xuan was puzzled, thinking that this housekeeper He also had the intention of pursuing prostitutes and wanted to go and help the young ladies there?

The next moment, Chen Xuan knew that he had thought too much. He saw a window on the third floor of the building facing the street suddenly shatter, and a disheveled figure fell out from a height of more than ten meters, hitting the cobblestone street where the crowd was hurriedly dodging. He hit the ground face first with a bang that looked painful.

The man immediately turned over and stood up, vomited a mouthful of blood, mumbled something that must have been very unpleasant, and then looked coldly at the broken window. Then, while Chen Xuan was glaring at him, he turned around, jumped more than ten meters into the air and jumped onto the roof on the other side, making the tiles crackle under his feet, and quickly disappeared into the night.

No, brother, you've vomited blood, how can you still jump so high?
"Chase him! He dares to snatch my woman. I will skin him alive today!" Angry curses were heard from the broken window. Then several more people jumped out. After landing, some of them jumped onto the roof and chased in the direction of the previous man.

Is this a case of jealousy?

As Chen Xuan was stunned, a snow-white figure faintly flashed through the broken window, but the light was too dim for him to see clearly...

"Let's go," Butler He's voice rang out after a brief commotion, and then they walked forward calmly again.

Chen Xuan looked at his back with a strange look in his eyes. This Butler He is not simple!
Otherwise, how could he predict it in advance? If they followed their previous pace and didn't stop, the person falling out of the window would either hit them or be nearby!
"In a basement several meters high, human traffickers can freely enter and exit with their bare hands. Here, there are people who fall from a height of over ten meters, vomit blood, and then jump up over ten meters high and leave. People are not surprised by this. What kind of world is this?"

Based on all these factors, Chen Xuan guessed that this was definitely not an ordinary ancient society.

Looking at Butler He's back, he, who was originally gentle and elegant, now seemed a little more mysterious to Chen Xuan.

No wonder they hadn't kept a close eye on me along the way. I was afraid they would have caught me if I made any unusual move, and I might have suffered a lot, or even wouldn't have been treated so easily...

After a while, Butler He brought Chen Xuan to an inn on the street. It seemed to be the best inn around, because there was no better decorated building around.

There was a plaque on the grand door curtain, which should have written the name of the inn, but unfortunately Chen Xuan didn't recognize a single word.

Amidst the smiling greetings of an old man at the counter, they passed through the hall and arrived at a separate courtyard at the back. Two knife-wielding guards were concentrating on performing their duties under a lantern at the door. When they saw Butler He and the others with cold eyes, they immediately bowed with a smile.

After entering the courtyard, a quick glance revealed more than a dozen rooms. Steward He pointed to a room on the side and said to Chen Xuan, "You will stay in this room tonight. There is hot water inside for washing. Go to bed early because you have to get up early to travel tomorrow."

After a pause, he continued, "If you're hungry at night, just call out at the door and the guards will ask the store to bring you food. Although you've just arrived, you'll be family from now on, so don't be too reserved."

After giving his instructions, Butler He went to another room and closed the door, and the two attendants who had been following him also dispersed.

For some reason, Chen Xuan always felt that the two followers who had been silent all the time looked at him with some envy when they left. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but there was no malice in their eyes.

"A family? I can even order the guards at the door around? Is the treatment so good?"

Chen Xuan was a little confused. This short experience caught him off guard. No, he had to sort it out.

When he pushed open the door to the room arranged by Butler He, it was dark and Chen Xuan was in a dilemma. Where is the light? How do I turn it on?
……

(End of this chapter)