Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 331 Not going
When drinking the first glass, Chen Xuan tried to stop Zhou Xianning from drinking. However, she couldn't taste the flavor, so she poured herself another glass.

The wine is slightly green, and it has a faint stringy appearance when poured. The mellow aroma of the wine is pervasive, with a hint of the fragrance of plants and trees. To exaggerate a bit, when you smell the aroma of the wine, you feel as if you are in a deep valley or forest.

I picked up the wine glass and took a sip. It was soft on the palate, without any spiciness. As it went down my throat, I felt warm all over and felt very comfortable. After tasting it carefully, I found that the alcohol content was about 50%.

Chen Xuan thought it was a good thing, after all, it was the emperor's treasure and had excellent health benefits, but this benefit was of no significance to him.

Although she felt a little sorry that they couldn't drink together, Zhou Xianning quickly calmed down and asked curiously, "How's the wine?"

Chen Xuan almost blurted out the classic line, put down his glass and nodded, "Good wine, the best wine I've ever had since I started drinking, bar none."

Although he was not very good at wine tasting, he had to admit this.

The little princess immediately said proudly, "Of course, this is one of my father's treasured collections. He himself is reluctant to drink it. What do you think? Am I a very considerate friend?"

"That's right. I can't guarantee anything else. But if you don't like someone in the future, tell me and I'll help you deal with him," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

She immediately waved her hands and said, "Hey, stop slicing this and that all the time, I'm not that violent."

Chen Xuan was speechless. He thought to himself that her personality was quite good and did not quite fit the image of a princess. After all, royal nobles usually had cold personalities.

Without getting hung up on it, Chen Xuan asked curiously, "Since His Majesty is reluctant to drink this wine, if you steal it and give it to me, will there be trouble later?"

"No way, my father loves me so much. He doesn't drink it himself anyway, so it would be a waste to leave it there. I might as well use it to entertain my friends," she said with a nonchalant smile.

Chen Xuan felt strange and suddenly had the feeling that he had turned into Huangmao. Is it possible that when he turns around, there will be an old man named Lao Deng coming to his door with a knife?
It's not a big problem. Even if Lao Deng really comes, as long as he is not at the Grandmaster level, you can just stand there and let him chop you. You won't get hurt even if you die of exhaustion.

After drinking another glass of wine, Chen Xuan said sincerely: "Thank you very much, it's thoughtful."

Just meeting an "online friend" offline, not only is he treated to delicious food, but even the tableware is treasure-level.

Zhou Xianning was also straightforward, and immediately said, "What's the point of just talking? Since you know that I'm a very kind friend, why don't you show some appreciation?"

I, a great grandmaster, am drinking and chatting with a little girl like you. Don’t be ungrateful. Even your father doesn’t get this kind of treatment.

While muttering in his heart, Chen Xuan reached into his sleeve and took out a small box, handed it to the other party and said: "Here, in fact, I also prepared a gift for you."

"Then I'll accept it. I want to see what gift you give me." The little princess' eyes lit up and she took it without hesitation.

This personality really makes Chen Xuan feel comfortable. It would be boring if he kept making excuses.

She opened it on the spot, and inside the box was a stack of more than a dozen different leaves, all very beautiful, and most of them were even very fresh, as if they had just been picked. In fact, it was a problem of variety. Some leaves can remain fresh for a long time after being picked.

Zhou Xianning was delighted to see the leaves, but pretended to be dissatisfied and said, "I've treated you with fine wine and delicious food, and you only gave me a few leaves?"

"The gift may be small but the thought is great. I'm a poor guy who's lazy and doesn't like to eat. I can't afford to give you anything nice. I didn't know you were a princess before, but now that I know, you probably don't lack good things. Doesn't this make me seem more special and deepen your impression?" Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Zhou Xianning picked up the leaves and examined them one by one. She said happily, "These are all the ones I haven't collected yet. Where did you get them?"

I've known for a long time that she was collecting leaves. These were specially collected by Chen Xuan on his way to Beijing. I guess they are southern varieties that she would not normally be able to get access to. It seems that I made the right gift for her.

But he was too lazy to talk nonsense, shrugged and said: "Why do you care where I came from? Anyway, I brought you a gift, so it's not free food and drink."

"Hehe, you stingy guy, a few leaves in exchange for a table full of good food and wine." She put the leaves preciously into the box, then looked up and said seriously, "This is the best gift I received this year."

"Wow, you are so easy to fool. Are you satisfied with a few leaves? It's easy to be deceived like this," Chen Xuan said exaggeratedly.

She sneered and said, "It depends on who gave it to you. You are my friend of many years. If someone else gave me a few broken leaves, I would not be happy with them."

"Am I so honored? I'm flattered," Chen Xuan said with a smile, and then added: "I thought you were too well protected since you were a child, and never saw the evil of human nature, and you were raised to be a naive and useless person."

Zhou Xianning glared and said, "Who are you looking down on? When it comes to people's evil nature, what place can compare to the palace? Forget it, you won't understand even if I tell you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan's heart twitched, and he probably understood that this little princess was not as simple as she seemed. It was just because of her personality and identity that she had no chance to play tricks on others.

Not caring too much, Chen Xuan changed the subject and said, "You said before that you'll be eighteen soon? When is that? We're friends, so I was thinking of preparing a gift for you."

"Next month, that is, on the ninth day of the seventh month, by the way, speaking of this, I will have a birthday party then. Will you go? If you do, I will ask someone to send you an invitation. If you don't go, just pretend I didn't say anything," she mentioned in passing.

As far as Chen Xuan knew, the little princess was born to the queen and was also the queen's last child, but she had passed away more than ten years ago, so she was so favored by Emperor Shang Xuan.

Filial piety is prevalent here. There is a saying that one should not grow a beard while the father is still alive, and one should not celebrate the birthday while the mother is still alive. The little princess's mother had passed away many years ago, and this extremely special birthday of hers was probably going to be a grand celebration. However, Chen Xuan disappointed her and shook his head and said, "I won't go."

"If you don't want to go, then don't go," she said nonchalantly, but couldn't help asking, "Can I know why? Or are you reluctant to give me a small gift? I don't need you to give me anything."

Smiling, Chen Xuan said, "I will still give you a gift, but first of all, although we are friends, it's not enough for me to attend your birthday party. Secondly, there will definitely be a lot of people there, and I'm not used to that kind of occasion, so forget it."

"You have social anxiety? You were the one who taught me this word," the little princess said in disbelief, as if she had discovered something interesting.

Curling his lips, Chen Xuan said bluntly, "I'm not a social phobic. I just feel that on your birthday, there will definitely be a lot of people showing their courtesy. They are not ordinary people, they are not from the same circle. I, a small person, will stand out too much if I go. What if some young masters use me as an excuse to highlight themselves? I guess I will be unable to resist and take action, which will cause trouble for you."

"I see, it's better not to go," the little princess said suddenly. She was a reasonable person and didn't force the invitation. Then she said speechlessly, "You seem to be quite violent. Why do you think the worst of things that haven't happened? You always beat this person and that person, and you even threatened to attack me at my birthday party. You are so audacious!"

"Actually, I don't like violence, but I'm a narrow-minded person and don't like hypocrisy. Violence solves problems quickly and efficiently. Otherwise, how do you think I got the nickname Sang Biao?" Chen Xuan said fiercely.

She covered her mouth and laughed: "You really have the nickname of Sang Biao, but it doesn't look like it. I thought you were joking."

"I'm not kidding. I even slaughtered a bunch of bandits on the way to Beijing. So, are you scared now?" Chen Xuan said with a smug look on his face.

This actually piqued her interest, and she asked, "Specifically, tell me what happened?"

Being a restless person, Chen Xuan waved his hands and said, "There's nothing much to say. It was just bullying. We found the bandit's lair and slaughtered them all. It didn't even take the time to eat a meal. In the end, we just set it on fire."

"It's boring. I thought you were going to tell a thrilling story. I could have written thousands of words about this kind of thing in my storybook, but you finished it in just one sentence," she said speechlessly.

"Otherwise, with my cultivation level three stories high, dealing with the bandit's nest is as easy as stepping on an ant. The process is extremely boring and there's nothing to say," Chen Xuan spread his hands.

"Just brag, I wouldn't even dare to write that in my storybook. It doesn't matter. Stop talking and eat... Uh, when did you eat so much?" She greeted him nonchalantly, but when she looked at the table, half of the dishes were gone.

Chen Xuan had no habit of pretending to be polite. He chatted and ate at the same time. After hearing this, he chewed a mouthful of the delicious dish made of unknown meat and said hesitantly, "How about I save some for you?"

"Just eat it. I'll be happier if you finish it. It proves that my hospitality didn't disappoint you," she said with a casual gesture.

Then Chen Xuan continued to eat without any courtesy.

After communicating for a period of time, he found that this little princess was a really nice person. It was pleasant to get along with her and she felt relaxed and at ease. She didn't make him feel restrained at all, as if they had known each other for many years and it was like they had known each other for a long time.

When we first met, we just talked about some ordinary trivial matters. We didn't go deep into any topic or touch upon personal privacy. It was plain but harmonious, natural and casual. We said whatever we thought of, laughed heartily when we talked about something funny, and shared a common hatred for the enemy when we talked about the evil human nature.

Time slipped away unknowingly while we were chatting.

When the table full of delicacies turned into a mess and the pot of wine was finished, it was evening and the boat stopped.

When the clear ringtone rang downstairs for the third time, the little princess said unhappily out the window, "Why are you rushing me? Don't you know I'm entertaining friends?"

Seeing this, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "It's my duty, so don't get angry. Well, it's getting late. Thank you for your hospitality. It's time for me to leave."

"Ah? You're leaving now?" the little princess said with lingering emotion.

Pointing out the window, Chen Xuan said, "It's almost dark. If you don't leave now, do you think I'll have dinner with you?"

"Time flies by so fast, I didn't even notice," she said, obviously feeling a little lost.

Chen Xuan stood up and said, "You should go back early too. Don't let your family worry. Don't send them off. If someone sees you, rumors might spread. It won't be good for you."

"You've been quite thoughtful. Okay, go ahead. I won't see you off," she also stood up and said casually, just lamenting that time passed quickly, but she didn't feel reluctant to leave.

Chen Xuan walked towards the door and said, "Okay, let's get together again when we have time."

"You are very busy?"

“Does being busy enjoying life count?”

"That means I'm free. I'll come and play with you later. It's a deal."

"You poor friendless wretch, you're a princess. Just come as long as you don't worry about gossip. I don't mind. I'll be with you till the end."

……

(End of this chapter)