Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 306 Farewell
The weather in June changes suddenly. The moon was bright last night, but the next morning the sky was overcast and it started to drizzle.

As usual, Chen Xuan got up early and practiced the calming and health-preserving exercises several times. Standing under the eaves of the Du family's guesthouse, he looked at the overcast sky and thought that he had to set off even if it rained. Tomorrow was the day Gao Jingming would leave for Beijing, so he had to rush to the provincial capital to meet him today.

"Good morning, Mr. Chen. Madam asked me to come and see if you've woken up. Breakfast is ready. Please come and have a meal," the maid from the Du family came to ask for permission. She didn't dare to look at him directly, as she would blush and her heart would beat fast. She could only sneak a glance at him, and she would feel guilty if she didn't even glance at him.

Having washed and packed up long ago, Chen Xuan took his only luggage, the white sword that Madam Gao had given him before he left. He nodded and said with a smile, "Please lead the way, young lady."

"Sir, you are welcome, please come in," the girl almost floated up in joy when she was called "sister".

Arriving at the dining room, the hustle and bustle of yesterday was gone. Qinghe and Du Zijian were already waiting there. Chen Xuan greeted them, "Brother Du, Sister Qinghe, good morning."

"Good morning, Brother Chen, please take a seat," Du Zijian stood up and gestured.

Qing He asked with concern, "Did Xuan Ge'er get used to the rest he had yesterday?"

"How could I not be used to it? I almost didn't want to get up. By the way, Sister Qinghe, where are those people from the martial arts world yesterday?" Chen Xuan said with a smile.

She said, "Let's sit down and eat. We can talk while we eat... Yesterday, those people ate and drank well and left in the middle of the night. We are not relatives or friends, so it is not convenient for us to stay overnight."

That’s right, Chen Xuan didn’t care. He sat down and started eating without being polite to them. Being more casual actually made him look more friendly.

Du Zijian smiled and said, "The two wild boars from last night have been divided and distributed to the farmers overnight. Each family received over 100 kilograms. In addition, I kept some valuable items from the wild boars. Brother Chen, what do you think?"

Wild boar meat is actually the least valuable part of the animal. It is difficult to eat if not handled properly, but it is a rare delicacy for ordinary people. On the contrary, the pig skin, pig bones, internal organs, and stomach sac are more precious. However, the most precious fangs were requested by Chen Xuan in advance.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Brother Du, just handle it yourself. Don't ask me. It's useless for me to give it to you."

"In that case, I won't be polite," Du Zijian said with a smile. He would be very useful with those things. Even as gifts, the things from a wild boar weighing tens of thousands of pounds were rare. Of course, he was not a short-sighted person, so he would not take advantage of Chen Xuan.

After eating and drinking to their heart's content and chatting for a while, Chen Xuan wiped his mouth with the towel prepared by the maid, bowed and said thoughtfully: "Sister Qinghe, Brother Du, I'm afraid I have to say goodbye to you from now on."

"Brother Xuan, are you in such a hurry? Just stay a little longer. Besides, it's raining outside, so it will be inconvenient to travel," Qinghe said reluctantly.

Chen Xuan was a lazy person to begin with. If time wasn't pressing, he wouldn't be in a hurry to leave. He could only say helplessly, "Sister Qinghe, please forgive me. I don't want to leave in a hurry, but there's no other way. I have to rush to the provincial capital to meet up with the young master today, and then I have to set off from there to Beijing tomorrow."

"In that case, I won't keep you any longer. Young Master's business is more important." Qing He would not try to keep him anymore, no matter how reluctant she was. She still knew what was important and what was not. Although she had left the Gao family for many years, she still put the Gao family first in many things.

Du Zijian naturally hoped that Chen Xuan would stay longer. After all, it was just an extra pair of chopsticks. At this time, he said regretfully: "In this case, I wish Brother Chen a safe journey in the future."

He turned around and said, "Come here, bring the things over."

Soon, a servant of the Du family brought a package that looked quite heavy. As Chen Xuan stared in silence, Du Zijian smiled and said, "Brother Chen, I've had someone do some simple processing on the four fangs you requested yesterday and put them in boxes. They're all here. Also, there's the braised pig's trotter you requested, which is in a food box. There's also a set of clothes that your sister Qinghe made herself last night. They should fit you well. Since you're here for the last time, I don't have much to give you. Here's two pounds of tea and some money for your travel. I hope you don't mind if I can't go with you. Please let my husband and I say hello to Young Master Gao later."

Looking at the large bag, Chen Xuan said embarrassedly, "How can this be done?"

"Why not, Xuan'er? You call me sister all the time. Just accept the things I give you. Remember to come again when you have time." Qinghe smiled reluctantly, her eyes a little red. She lost her family when she was very young, and the Gao family was like her mother's family. People like Chen Xuan were considered her few 'relatives'.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said, "I'll come when I'm free. Sister Qinghe, please don't think I'm annoying. Since it's a gift from you, I'll accept it. It's just such a big bag, it's hard for me to carry it."

Du Zijian felt relieved when he heard Chen Xuan agreed to accept it. If he didn't accept it, it would be difficult for him.

Originally, she was feeling quite sad, but after hearing Chen Xuan's next words, Qing He chuckled and said, "Xuan'er is so capable, it's not difficult for him to carry such a package."

"That's true," Chen Xuan agreed, and then stood up and said, "Since that's the case, Sister Qinghe, Brother Du, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave. We still have more than two hundred miles to go."

As he spoke, he easily picked up a package that weighed about seventy or eighty kilograms. It was quite big.

Qing He's eyes turned red again, and he stood up and said, "Come here, get a cloak and a hat."

After the servants brought it, she put the clothes on Chen Xuan herself and said, "Xuan'er, I won't keep you anymore. Please drive slowly on the way, okay? It's windy and rainy, it's hard for you." "Brother Chen, let me see you off," Du Zijian also stood up and said.

Waving his hand, Chen Xuan said: "No, it's raining outside, don't get wet, I'm leaving now, I'll come back later"

He said he would come again, but he didn’t know when the next time would be.

Even so, they still held umbrellas and escorted Chen Xuan all the way to the official road. Only when they saw Chen Xuan riding away on his horse did they look away.

"My wife, let's go home. Brother Chen will surely have a smooth journey," Du Zijian said, holding Qinghe's hand.

Qing He nodded with a somewhat depressed mood and said sadly, "After I married my husband, we occasionally exchanged letters, but we never met again. Now that Xuan Ge'er has finally come, we have to say goodbye in a hurry. I feel a little sad."

"It's okay, my lady. You still have me and our child. I'll take some time to accompany you back to the Gao family. Even if I have to be shameless, just think of it as a trip back to your parents' home," Du Zijian said seriously.

Delighted, Qing He said, "Really?"

"Of course I take it seriously," Du Zijian promised.

Qing He immediately said with a happy face: "My husband is so nice"

"You and I are husband and wife, so why do we need to do this? But my lady, I'm still a little worried. Brother Chen killed two wild boars, but he only asked for the tusks and gave the rest to us. I'm afraid that little token of his appreciation is not enough," Du Zijian pondered.

It is true that businessmen pursue profits, but he is not a fool. He cares about his wife's feelings and understands the meaning of Chen Xuan's skills. He is worried about causing her displeasure.

Qing He, however, consoled him, "Don't overthink it, my dear. Xuan Ge'er isn't that kind of person. If we treat him sincerely, he wouldn't care that much. If he really cared that much, he wouldn't have done you such a big favor. You must know how grateful the farmers are to you right now. Besides, with Xuan Ge'er's abilities, what can he not get?"

"Well, now that Madam has said that, I feel relieved," Du Zijian finally breathed a sigh of relief...

Chen Xuan had to arrive before the state government closed its gates, so he was in a hurry. Of course, this was only in terms of riding a horse. If he went at full speed, he could arrive in a cup of tea. However, why should we rush in life?

It is really not a pleasant thing to travel on a rainy day. Although the rain is not heavy, the fog makes people feel not very happy.

In such weather, how pleasant it would be to make a pot of tea, lie down lazily and take a nap, listening to the rain hitting the banana leaves?
He simply didn't bother to fight off the rain, so he let his clothes get wet and rode his horse forward in the rain like a child. It was actually quite fun.

He did not rest on the way. The horse he was riding was very strong and could run directly to the provincial capital without any problem. When he was hungry, he ate on horseback. He ate pig's trotters for two meals. The Du family's braised pig's trotters tasted surprisingly good.

The pig's trotter was too big, each one was almost the size of a washbasin. Apart from the bones, he barely finished one after he was so full that he planned to let Gao Jingming try the remaining one after he met up with him.

During the process, he also noticed Du Zijian's intentions. He said it was a gift for Chen Xuan's travel expenses, but it was a full five hundred taels of silver notes. Even though he was the richest man in Dujiazhuang, such a large sum of money was really not a small amount. Although it would not break his bones, it was enough to make him feel painful for a while.

However, Chen Xuan also understood that the other party was trying to make things easier for him and not take advantage of him. By letting the other party handle two such large wild boars, the other party would gain more benefits. But then again, many things cannot be measured by money.

For example, the set of clothes that Qinghe sewed by hand last night, Chen Xuan felt that even ten big wild boars like that could not compare to this thoughtfulness.

There were almost no pedestrians on the road on a rainy day. Chen Xuan rode his horse all the way for more than 200 miles and arrived at the provincial capital Wancheng in the evening. He was in high spirits and had been wet in the rain all day. When he arrived, he was soaked, but the silver bills and other things on his body were well protected and did not get wet.

Wancheng is the capital of Shangyunzhou and is located in the prosperous south. It is no less prosperous than Mocheng. It should be noted that the prosperity of Mocheng is largely driven by the economy of Liuyu Academy.

He encountered no difficulty in entering the city. Although it was a bit embarrassing, at least he had the title of Tongsheng. The proof of Tongsheng's title was much more useful than a travel permit. He could go anywhere within the Jing Kingdom. Having the title of a scholar, no matter how big or small, was a convenience that countless ordinary people envied.

"Xiao Gao's current place of residence is Yunlai Restaurant. Judging from the name, it's not cheap."

After entering the city, Chen Xuan made some inquiries and headed straight for the place. He thought to himself, "Xiao Gao, I've been soaked to the skin just to meet you and send you to Beijing. I just want to ask if you're touched..."

(End of this chapter)