Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 287 'Brother Chen'

Gao Jingming returned seven days after the good news came back. That evening, Chen Xuan returned to Gao's residence from the construction site and heard the voices of Gao Jingming and Mrs. Gao talking outside the courtyard.

"My son has grown up, so do as you wish," said Mrs. Gao. This was the last sentence Chen Xuan heard when he came back.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Madam Gao and Gao Jingming drinking tea and chatting at the stone table in the courtyard. He immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Madam. Young Master is back. Congratulations!"

"Haha, it seems that Xuan already knew about it. Congratulations, come and sit down. This is the first batch of new tea this year. Come and try it and see how it tastes," Gao Jingming said.

There was no need for formalities between them. When Chen Xuan sat down, Madam Gao patted the dust off his shoulders like she was her own child and said, "Xiao Xuan, just leave the house matters to the people below. Why bother running around and getting covered in dust every day?"

"Thank you, ma'am. It's okay. I just need to wash it. I feel a sense of participation in seeing the house being improved bit by bit. Besides, if there is anything that needs to be modified, I can point it out in time." Chen Xuan said with a smile. Although he is now a grandmaster, he usually behaves no different from an ordinary person and is too lazy to keep himself dust-free all the time.

Mrs. Gao nodded and stood up and said, "Yes, it's better to have something to do than to be bored. I'll go see how your house is doing someday. You young people can chat among yourselves. I, an old woman, won't bother you."

"Mom is not old," Gao Jingming said quickly.

Chen Xuan stood up and said, "I'll see my wife off."

Mrs. Gao waved her hand and said, "No, it's just a few steps away." Then she looked at Gao Jingming and smiled, "I'll be fifty in a few years, aren't I old? Hurry up tomorrow and marry a wife by the end of the year. While I'm still able to do it, she can help you take care of the children."

"Don't worry, mother. I will get married after I pass the imperial examination this year, and both the big and small exams will be completed at the same time," Gao Jingming said, patting his chest, his brows full of confidence.

Mrs. Gao shook her head and said, "Be careful with your words tomorrow. It's good to be confident, but this should only be said at home. Don't make it public, or you'll make a fool of yourself."

"Don't worry, mother, there are no outsiders here. Your son will know his limits when he is outside."

"Well, you guys chat, I'm leaving first."

After Madam Gao left, Chen Xuan casually asked, "What was the young master talking about with Madam just now?"

Gao Jingming gestured for him to drink tea, saying, "Just now, my mother meant that I had passed the imperial examination and wanted to hold a grand celebration, but I don't think it's necessary for now. I still have two exams to take. It won't be too late to hold a celebration after I pass the imperial examination. Then I will get married. If nothing goes wrong, I will pass the imperial examination and make some arrangements. I should be able to be a county magistrate next year."

"Then young master, you will have a busy year ahead. You have the provincial exam in summer, the Beijing exam in autumn, and then you have to get married. You also have to fill vacancies. The time is a bit tight, but I believe in your talent and learning," Chen Xuan said with some admiration. After returning from the academy, Gao Jingming had completely said goodbye to his carefree days.

Gao Jingming agreed and said, "That's right. Take your time. I'm confident. I'll be busy next and have to prepare for the exam actively. Sometimes I really envy you, Xuan. You have nothing to do and you can be as relaxed as you want."

"Master, don't envy me. I have no ambitions. I am just mud in people's eyes. You are the one to be envied. From now on, you will be able to rise to the top and have a glorious life," Chen Xuan said, shaking his head. This was a complete start and there was no need to pretend.

Xiao Gao suddenly laughed and said, "A Xuan, don't underestimate yourself. Apart from anything else, with your current cultivation level, you can at least start as a lieutenant general in the army, with thousands of troops at your command. Even if you don't want to join the army, you can just send a name card to anyone and you will be treated as a guest official."

"Come on, if I had that much time, wouldn't it be better for me to just stay at the young master's house and eat and wait for death?" Chen Xuan shook his head. Without Madam Gao and the others around, he felt like all his bones had been pulled out, and he became lazy.

"You... this is your home. How can our family be without you?" Gao Jingming shook his head helplessly and changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Ah Xuan, how's your house going?"

"It's progressing steadily. It will be completed and ready for occupancy in less than a month," Chen Xuan replied after making an estimate.

That was the time when Chen Xuan would completely resign from the Gao family and live a free life.

Gao Jingming did not feel any sense of loss or reluctance. Chen Xuan had just left the Gao family, but their relationship was still there. He did not run away, so they could meet anytime.

He nodded and said thoughtfully: "Okay."

"Okay?" Chen Xuan was speechless, not understanding what he meant.

Blinking, Gao Jingming smiled and said, "You'll know when the time comes, Xuan. I'll invite Luo Taiyun and the others to go with you when we move to your new home to help you gain some popularity."

Without any hesitation, Chen Xuan said: "Thank you very much, young master."

"You're welcome. I'm also actively preparing for the exam and have no time to waste, otherwise I would also like to go over there and take a look. But when you move to your new house, A'Xuan, I will make time even if I don't have time. Okay, I'm going to read a book, A'Xuan, you should get some rest early," Gao Jingming said as he stood up. He had to finish all the imperial examinations within a year and could not waste any time. He was full of fighting spirit and not anxious at all. Instead, he looked like reading made him happy.

Originally, Chen Xuan was supposed to accompany him when he was studying, but since Chen Xuan said he wanted to, Gao Jingming just let him go. Everyone has their own aspirations, and he couldn't force anything.

As for this person, it is not worth envying that he can do whatever he wants. What is truly worthy of envy is that he dares not to do what he wants. Anyway, Gao Jingming said before that he envied Chen Xuan, and he really envied him. With his profound cultivation as a backup, wealth and glory are really just around the corner.

And this is just the "innate" level of cultivation, and he has already achieved personal freedom. Chen Xuan also mentioned it to Gao Jingming, saying that he has the cultivation level of a grandmaster, but Gao Jingming didn't believe it at all, and even had an expression that said, "Do you think I'm a fool?"

That was indeed unbelievable. After all, Chen Xuan was only eighteen years old. A Grandmaster? Unprecedented. No one would believe it. Chen Xuan just believed it, and it was the truth. I didn't bother to prove it to him. I told you, he just didn't believe it.

On the contrary, it is easier to accept that Chen Xuan set foot on the Xiantian realm at the age of eighteen. After all, Gao Jingyu had achieved such an achievement at the age of seventeen. There is a reference and it is highly credible.

In fact, for many people, whether it is innate or master, they are all unattainable levels of cultivation and there is not much difference.

Time passed day by day, and summer had arrived by the end of April. The weather was gradually getting warmer, and Chen Xuan's residence had been completed. He was cleaning it, and would be ready to move in after adding some furniture and daily necessities.

He has been busy with this matter for more than two months since he came back and has done nothing else, but it is also an important matter, after all, it is his own property.

During this period of time, Mr. Tingfeng in the capital wrote two letters to Chen Xuan, both of which were sent to the Gao family. In addition to normal communication, he also sent Chen Xuan the dividends from the novel, a total of 30,000 taels of silver notes, which made Chen Xuan's pockets bulge again.

Mr. Tingfeng is a good brother, but unfortunately Chen Xuan only has one or two such friends. If he had more, his life would be so comfortable.

Recently, the two of them collaborated on another novel, with Chen Xuan providing inspiration and ideas, and Tingfeng Jushi completing it. This new novel tells the story of a white fox who successfully cultivates and transforms into a beautiful woman to repay a favor. Tingfeng Jushi's fame was there, and once it was released, it became an extremely popular hit, leading to a trend among the people to raise foxes, hoping to raise a beautiful woman to marry. However, foxes certainly cannot be raised into beautiful women, as they will inevitably have the smell of a fox. In addition to the normal correspondence, Tingfeng Jushi also mentioned a few personal matters. She said that her family had originally planned to arrange a marriage for her, but she was not happy about it, so let it go. Her family loved her, so they let her go, even if she never got married.

Although Chen Xuan had guessed that the other party was a girl in the past, this was the first time that the other party admitted that she was a woman.

Then Chen Xuan also saw her confusion from the letter for the first time. Although she said that her family members let her do what she wanted, that was because her husband Deng was still alive and could protect her. But her husband Deng was already old and might pass away at any time. When the person in charge was replaced, would she still be able to do what she wanted?
Women in this era often have no choice but to obey the orders of the head of the household.

Chen Xuan also wrote back to her, comforting her not to think too much. They have been good friends for many years, and if she has any troubles, he, Peach Blossom Prince, will protect her. Do you know how valuable the three-story high cultivation level is? He can definitely cover it.

Although he did not directly say that he had the cultivation level of a grandmaster, but the acquired, innate, and grandmaster levels, added together, are three levels high, and Chen Xuan is still a grandmaster.

Tingfeng Jushi hadn't replied yet, and he didn't know if he could understand how high a level of cultivation three stories high was...

That day, Chen Xuan was directing people to clean his new home. The cleaners were naturally borrowed from the Gao family. The two-story building was not big, and four or five maids could finish the cleaning in half a day.

Just as Chen Xuan was thinking about what daily necessities to buy, Gao Jingming came with a large group of people.

Seeing them carrying and picking up a large pile of things, Chen Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Master, what are you doing?"

"I heard that your house, Axuan, has been completed and you're cleaning it, but it's still empty. I'm here to deliver furniture and daily necessities to you," Gao Jingming said with a smile, patting his shoulder. He then turned around and said, "What are you standing there for? Why don't you buy them for Axuan?"

He smiled and didn't bother about how much the complete set of furniture Gao Jingming brought was worth. Chen Xuan gave a thumbs up and said, "Young Master is very considerate."

"Needless to say, we are brothers, remember to reserve a room for me," Gao Jingming said with a smile.

"necessary"

Gao Jingming then put away his smile, dismissed his attendants, took out a box from his sleeve, handed it to Chen Xuan, and said, "Ah Xuan, this is your household registration. I've got it done for you and brought it here. The address is here. From now on, you will be the head of household. The official yellow book has been deleted. Haha, don't forget me in the future."

Chen Xuan subconsciously took the box. It was light, but he felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

Household registration, head of household, this is a certificate of good citizenship. The official yellow book has been deleted, which means that the master-servant relationship with the Gao family has been terminated. From then on, he has truly gained freedom, and it also represents the end of his era in the Gao family.

It would be a lie to say that he didn't feel emotional. Things had come to this point naturally, and Chen Xuan felt somewhat complicated.

Then Gao Jingming took out another piece of paper from his sleeve and showed it to Chen Xuan, but he didn't let him see the specific content. Chen Xuan only saw the small handprint on it.

Immediately, Gao Jingming released his internal energy, and the contract signed by Chen Xuan was turned into ashes.

From the beginning to the end, Chen Xuan had no idea what contract he had signed with the Gao family. It was probably not a glorious one, so Gao Jingming did not show him the specific content.

In short, from this moment on, everything that happened yesterday has become the past.

At this point, Gao Jingming took a step back and bowed deeply to Chen Xuan, saying, "Let me introduce myself again. I'm Gao Jingming from the Gao family in Xiayang County. Nice to meet you, Brother Chen. I hope you'll take care of me in the future."

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xuan put the box into his sleeve and returned the greeting: "My humble brother Chen Xuan, nice to meet you, Brother Jingming. I have heard a lot about you."

"Same here," Gao Jingming said happily.

He knew that Chen Xuan must be in a complicated mood at this moment, so without waiting for Chen Xuan to say anything, he interrupted with a joke: "Brother Chen... Forget it, I'll just call you A Xuan, otherwise I'll feel awkward. Didn't you say last time that you wanted to find a maid who was nimble, diligent, and could cook delicious food? Well, I brought her to you, and she's pretty. You'll definitely be satisfied. Consider it a parting gift from me. You have to treat us when we move to your new home. I don't know how lazy you are. If you don't have anyone to serve you, you probably won't even be able to have a warm meal when you come here."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan's mouth twitched. You must understand me. Actually, we can order takeout. How can you say that we can't even eat hot food?

Gao Jingming turned around and waved to a girl who had been keeping her head down and looked pleasant not far away, "Su Roujia, this is your master's family. Why don't you come and meet your master?"

Chen Xuan was alone and had no parents, so it was natural for him to become the master of his own business.

"Okay, Master Gao, thank you Madam for taking care of me during this period... Su Roujia meets Master Chen Xuan. From now on, Roujia will be Master Chen Xuan's person. Feel free to order him around if you need anything. If I do anything wrong, feel free to punish me." Upon hearing this, the girl stepped forward and was about to kneel in front of Chen Xuan and said nervously.

Gao Jingming's actions had completely forgotten Chen Xuan's complicated feelings. He almost gave up. He raised his hand in vain, but the girl couldn't kneel down. She looked at Gao Jingming in astonishment and asked, "Su Roujia? Master, what are you doing?"

"Still calling me Young Master? Never mind. It's just a title anyway. Are you not satisfied with her, A Xuan? How about I find a better one for you later?" Gao Jingming said with a smile.

As soon as he said this, Su Roujia, who was trying hard to kneel before Chen Xuan, trembled all over. She raised her head nervously, looking at Chen Xuan with a timid, helpless and pitiful look, like a puppy about to be abandoned at any time. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she begged in a small voice, "Please don't despise me, Master. I am very obedient and well-behaved. I eat very little. I can work, I can do any work. Please don't despise me, okay?"

Wasn't she the charcoal-selling girl whom Chen Xuan had met once two months ago? After all, he had only seen her once. Now she had changed her clothes. Chen Xuan had not observed her carefully before and thought she was a new maid in the Gao family. He never thought that she was sent by Gao Jingming.

Su Roujia still wanted to kneel down, but she couldn't. She didn't know why, and she was so anxious that she burst into tears. Why couldn't she kneel down with her dead legs? She would be disliked.

Looking at Su Roujia who was trying hard to kneel down, Chen Xuan said with a smile: "Don't kneel, not anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Su Roujia no longer dared to kneel and stood there at a loss.

Then Chen Xuan looked at Gao Jingming in astonishment and asked, "Master, what on earth is going on?"

……

(End of this chapter)