Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 78 Dependence on each other
Returning to the familiar yet unfamiliar courtyard, Chen Xuan was ultimately living under someone else's roof, and he didn't have much of a sense of belonging, just like his dormitory when he was in school and the rented house after work.

No matter how good this place is, not a single tile truly belongs to him.

Since Gao Jingming was not around, there was no need to hang around him, so after Chen Xuan, Xiao Cai and the others came back, they all went their separate ways. They all had things to do, and this was not Chen Xuan's first day at Gao's house.

Xiao Cai and the others were going to wash and iron Gao Jingming's clothes that they brought back. The house had not been occupied for a few days, so they also needed to be cleaned and scented. Chen Xuan was going to organize and classify the school supplies he brought back. He would seize any free time he had to practice calligraphy and study.

Over this period of time, Chen Xuan had unknowingly caught up with Gao Jingming in calligraphy practice, and had even surpassed him in word recognition. He hadn't memorized the ten or so texts in vain, but had secretly marked the pinyin. Excluding the repeated ones, he knew thousands of characters. After a while, once he had mastered the common characters, he would be able to barely start reading books on his own...

He practiced calligraphy until late at night, probably around ten o'clock in the evening. Gao Jingming never came back after returning home. Chen Xuan didn't care. It was normal for the mother and son to be close to each other after being away for so long. He would probably rest there at night.

The biological clock that had been developed over a long period of time made Chen Xuantian wake up at dawn. He could hear the crowing of chickens and saw smoke rising from outside the courtyard. He didn't know whose house it was.

The calming and health-preserving exercises practiced in school have become Chen Xuan's daily routine. He never gives up even after returning home. The refreshing feeling he gets while practicing makes him unable to stop. Moreover, he has recently truly experienced the effects of strengthening the body and refreshing the mind. After his physical fitness has gradually improved, practicing calligraphy has become easier. He is full of energy every day and will not be easily tired even after studying for a long time. These are all real things that happened to him.

"Good morning, Brother Xuan."

I had just practiced a few moves when I heard Xiao Cai greeting me from the second floor. They always wake up early.

Chen Xuan turned around and said with a smile: "Good morning, Sister Xiao Cai, you too."

The Qi-calming and health-preserving exercise is not some magical skill. It does not require one to practice quietly without being disturbed, nor does it carry the risk of going astray. Therefore, it is okay to talk while practicing.

"Master, didn't you come back last night?" Chen Xuan took the initiative to ask when greeting him.

Xiao Ye yawned slightly and shook his head, saying as if it was normal: "No, the young master often rests at the Madam's place."

Chen Xuan nodded and didn't care. Xiao Cai looked at him curiously and said in silence: "Xuan'er, those movements you are demonstrating should be the exercises you practiced in school. We also learned them when we were serving as the young master's servants in your place. Do you practice them at home as well?"

"A calming and health-preserving exercise," Xiao Ye corrected.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll just get up and stretch my muscles."

"Oh, then you can practice, we won't disturb you..."

They didn't take it seriously, so Chen Xuan continued practicing. He did it several times until the morning sun jumped out of the horizon and he stopped. Then he felt a strong hunger.

At Gao's house, he didn't need to go get food himself; he could just ring the bell and someone would bring it to him.

It was Aomame who brought the meal. According to his request, the portion was larger than usual, which made the other party jokingly say, "Xuan'er went to school with the young master, and his appetite has increased along with his education."

"The teacher said that it is a good thing for us to eat more when we are growing up," Chen Xuan said without hesitation.

She believed it directly and nodded sincerely, saying, "Sir, you must be right. They are all very knowledgeable."

The four words "being able to eat is a blessing" were more concretely reflected in ancient society. The focus was not on eating a lot, but on having enough food. According to Chen Xuan's observations during his time in school, children from wealthy families were more outstanding in height and energy than those from poor families.

Take Shu Yao for example. He was in his teens and only less than half a head taller than Gao Jingming, who was seven or eight years old. Although Shu Yao was sunny and open-minded, there was always a hint of fatigue in his eyes.

After dinner, Chen Xuan noticed a strange old man coming into the yard, carrying a ladder on his shoulder and a toolbox in his hand.

Seeing him curiously looking at her, Qingdou, who was clearing the dishes, took a look and explained, "Xuan'er, you haven't met Uncle Liang yet, right? He's the gardener at the mansion, responsible for taking care of the flowers and trees. Flowers and trees grow fast in spring, so they need to be pruned frequently to avoid looking ugly. He's been quite busy lately, and you can see him busy everywhere."

"I see," Chen Xuan nodded. It was normal for wealthy families to employ professionals in various fields, such as gardeners, grooms, cooks, embroiderers, blacksmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, etc. Would they be able to call themselves wealthy families if they didn't have the corresponding professionals at the critical moment?
You don't need it on a daily basis, but you can't live without it. Of course, saving money and trouble is also one aspect. Gao Jingming hasn't come back yet, so Chen Xuan practiced calligraphy after dinner while paying attention to the busy gardener Liang Bo.

When he was about to leave after tidying up the trimmed branches and leaves, Chen Xuan stepped forward and said, "Uncle Liang, please stay."

"Brother Xuan, is there something wrong with you calling me? Or is there something inappropriate?" Uncle Liang said nervously.

He was just the lowest-ranking gardener in the Gao family, and Chen Xuan was the eldest young master's personal servant. The gap in their status was too big. If he did anything wrong, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he could lose his job with just one word. He relied on this skill to support most of the income of his family.

People have lived to an old age and have seen through the world. Many times, children are the most likely to do bad things, so we have to be careful in dealing with them.

Chen Xuan quickly said, "Uncle Liang, don't misunderstand me." As he spoke, he pulled out the peach pit he wore as a necklace from his collar and asked, "Uncle Liang, I have a peach pit here and I plan to plant it. I just don't know where to plant it in this season and how to plant it so that it will survive. You know more about this than I do, so I came here to ask for your advice."

He had always wanted to plant the peach pit. After all, it was the only thing he had brought into this world. He was worried that the peach pit would rot if left unused for a long time. He had been delayed at school some time ago, so he only had time to start this matter now.

Hearing that he wasn't looking for trouble, Uncle Liang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I see, Xuan'er, you've asked the right person. Could you let me take a look at the peach pit first? Let me tell you, if the peach pit is already rotten, there's nothing I can do."

He actually didn't forget to get vaccinated. Chen Xuan probably understood his concerns, so he said, "Of course there is no problem."

As he was about to pull the peach pit off, the rope made of hemp twine was unexpectedly strong, so Uncle Liang came forward and helped cut it with scissors before he could take it off.

Holding the peach pit and examining it for a moment, Uncle Liang said, "This peach pit must have been taken out of the peach flesh not too long ago. For some reason, some of its vitality has already been lost..."

As he spoke, he frowned slightly.

I carry it with me every day and never take it off even when I take a shower. Many times it has been soaked in hot water, so it is normal for the vitality to be lost.

Seeing him frown, Chen Xuan was a little nervous, but it was just a peach pit. Even if it was the only thing he brought into this world, if Chen Xuan couldn't grow it, it wouldn't be like losing his life. At most, he could just treat it as a pendant in the future.

But I still asked: "Can it be grown?"

Uncle Liang nodded with certainty and said, "It can be grown, but the season has passed. It lacks vitality and is not suitable for planting directly in the soil. Let's put it this way, Xuan'er, wait a moment. I'll go get a flowerpot, add some fertile soil and ancestral potions, and I guarantee that it can be grown alive, especially the old man's family potions. After planting it, you don't have to worry about diseases and pests. Xuan'er, treat it as a potted plant for a while. I'll teach you when it needs sunlight and when it needs watering and fertilizing. Wait until it grows for a while before transplanting it."

Chen Xuan was naturally happy that he could grow crops and immediately said, "Then I'll trouble Uncle Liang."

"It's no trouble, it's a small matter. I'm happy to help Xuan Ge'er. The things are ready. Just wait for me for a moment."

As he said this, he returned the peach pit and left quickly. Not long after, he came back with a ceramic flowerpot. In the flowerpot, there was soil that he had specially prepared and mixed with medicine. Then, under Chen Xuan's gaze, he planted the peach pit in the flowerpot, and after carefully instructing him on the precautions, he left after Chen Xuan thanked him.

Originally, Chen Xuan wanted to give some money to show his appreciation, but Uncle Liang refused, saying that it was his job. In fact, he was the one who took care of all the bonsai in the Gao family's garden.

After Uncle Liang left, Chen Xuan looked at the flowerpot by the window and said to the peach core inside, "Let's grow up together in this strange world and live well."

The world is vast and from then on, in a sense, the planted peach kernel and Chen Xuan have been dependent on each other in this strange world.

Naturally, there was no strange phenomenon when the peach kernel was planted. Chen Xuan's statement that it was his companion spiritual root in this world was just a self-entertaining idea.

Considering that Gao Jingming and I often go to the school, it is inconvenient to carry the flower pot. Later, I will have to ask Qingdou, who often comes in and out of this small courtyard, to help take care of it while I am away...

(End of this chapter)