Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 99 There must be a master behind
The sun was high in the sky, and cicadas were chirping at the top of their lungs somewhere. Even the flowers, plants, and trees seemed to be buzzing weakly.

In this awful weather, I break out in sweat the moment I move.

Chen Xuan glanced at Gao Jingming, who was standing across the stone table, with some envy. Gao Jingming was wearing a dragon horn pendant and didn't feel the heat at all. Although he could feel a little cool if he got close to him, Chen Xuan wouldn't go near him. If he gave people the impression that he had a strange habit, not only would he feel uncomfortable, but he would also be afraid that his current job, which was always profitable, would be ruined.

The two of them were reading books under the plum tree in the courtyard. The difference was that Chen Xuan was reading a serious book, while Gao Jingming was reading the new volume of The Legend of the White Horse Sword Master. This book was serialized and was now in the sixth volume.

Just a children's book of about a hundred pages, which Chen Xuan considered a picture book, actually cost three taels of silver. It was ridiculously expensive, equivalent to his current monthly salary.

By the way, Chen Xuan had already paid off the ten taels of silver he owed Gao Jingming. It was more than three months' wages. He had no expenses himself, so he went to the accounting office to withdraw the money and paid it back to Gao Jingming. He took the IOU back and destroyed it.

The picture book in Gao Jingming's hand was the one that Chen Xuan and he had bought a few days ago at Tian Xueyu's bookstore. It was even discounted. The original market retail price was five taels of silver, which was simply not affordable for ordinary people.

"It's wonderful, really wonderful, I wish I could replace it," said Gao Jingming after watching it again, feeling unsatisfied.

He has watched it more than ten times and still enjoys it.

Chen Xuan thought to himself, "You can't even recognize all the characters now. When you can understand text novels in the future, that will be fascinating." But he said, "I don't know what the White Horse Swordsman will do next. Will he kill the evil woman he loves, or forgive her and live together from now on?"

This is the content and plot of the picture book, which depicts a white-horse swordsman who falls in love with a woman who kills innocent people. After learning the truth, he is tormented and can't make up his mind whether to be a hero or fall in love with a beautiful woman. The content ends here, and the publishing house is really hateful.

Chen Xuan had also read this picture book and remembered its general content.

Gao Jingming thought seriously after hearing this and said, "I think he should be a chivalrous man who destroys beautiful women. After all, that's what he did in the past."

"I don't agree with this. He used to kill only ugly people. Look, this woman is so beautiful now, he shouldn't be able to do it. Didn't the teacher say that men like beauty and hate ugliness, and he should be no exception," Chen Xuan retorted.

"That's not necessarily true. If he really lets that woman go, his reputation will be ruined. I will hate him and won't like this book anymore," Gao Jingming said in a troubled tone.

That’s because you are still young. When you grow up, you will understand that many men’s values ​​are based on their appearance.

"Master, you guys should take a rest. Reading for a long time under the sun is bad for your eyes. Eat some red melon to cool down," Xiao Cai said, coming over with a tray.

There was a porcelain plate on the tray, with sliced ​​red melon on it and a small silver fork inserted in it. It was actually the watermelon that Chen Xuan knew, but it was called differently.

"Xiao Cai, A Xuan said that the White Horse Swordsman will let that woman go, but I think he will kill her. Who of us do you think is right?" Gao Jingming threw the question to Xiao Cai.

She was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said, "How should I know? Won't I know when the next volume comes out?"

"Yes, but how long will it take?" Gao Jingming said in frustration.

Having long understood his position, Chen Xuan, though a servant, was actually a playmate, friend, and secretary, was no longer as cautious as he had been at first. Furthermore, since the occasion was informal, he naturally felt more relaxed. He forked a piece of watermelon and placed it in his mouth. It was icy cold, and after chewing and swallowing it, he asked in surprise, "Ice-cold?"

Xiao Cai shook her head and smiled, "No, we don't have much ice in our house, so we have to use it sparingly, but it's enough. This red melon was frozen by someone in our house using their icy inner strength."

Chen Xuan understood immediately, martial arts and internal strength are certainly not just for fighting and killing, they can be used in daily life as well. He also learned that Xiao Cai and the others have already started practicing martial arts, one with a cold attribute and the other with a yang attribute. The purpose is self-evident. In the future, when it is cold, the yang one will warm the bed, and when it is hot, the cold one will cool down. If Gao Jingming has a more dirty mind, he will be blessed in the future. Tsk tsk, it cannot be said, it is indescribable anyway, it is so wonderful and so exciting.

The topic was ended by Xiao Cai's words. Gao Jingming took two bites of melon, slumped on the stool and said listlessly: "Oh, it's so boring. When I'm in school, I want to have a holiday, and after the holiday, I want to go back to school."

This is just the eldest young master's worry. If it were an ordinary family, they would be exhausted from working every day and would not have the time to think so much.

Chen Xuan took his eyes off the book and suggested, "How about we play chess?"

Playing with others is also a job, and it can also kill time, killing two birds with one stone. Now both of them are familiar with the rules of Go, but it is still a case of a general meeting a talented player. To put it bluntly, the other is a bad player, and the game is hard to decide.

"Not interested," Gao Jingming shook his head listlessly.

Then he suddenly thought of something, and suddenly he jumped up and said, "Oh, didn't the teacher say that we should try our best to learn how to swim during this vacation, so that we won't accidentally fall into the water and die in the future? It just so happens that my family has a summer resort in the countryside outside the county, and there is a stream not far away. I can stay there for a while to escape the summer heat and learn to swim at the same time. Yes, that's what we should do."

With that, he turned around and ran away impatiently, saying: "A Xuan, you guys get ready, I'll go tell mother, we'll leave in a while, and we can take a bath in the creek in the afternoon." What else could Chen Xuan do? Just do as he was told. This kid was the same, he just did whatever he wanted.

This person is really two-faced. Take Gao Jingming for example. He has one thing in Yang County, another in Yushan, and another in the countryside. Who knows how many more there are...

Of course Chen Xuan could swim. He had learned it in his previous life. It was just like riding a bicycle. Once you know how to swim, it’s like it’s engraved in your genes and you’ll never forget it.

It is said that a person who can swim drowns in a river, but he, who can swim, came into this world because he fell into the water. But it had nothing to do with whether he could swim or not. It was mainly because the peach tree on the cliff by the river was too high from the water surface, and he fainted directly after falling in.

"The young master said he wants to go to the countryside to escape the summer heat for a while. Does he need to prepare anything?" Chen Xuan asked Xiao Cai. He had never experienced this before, so he had to ask.

She said, "No need to prepare anything special, just some spare clothes and books. It's no different from going to school. You can just ask someone to come back and get or buy whatever you need."

Chen Xuan thought about it and agreed. After all, he wasn't leaving his hometown to travel far away. He said, "Then I'll go pack up."

Regardless of whether Mrs. Gao agrees or not, it’s better to be prepared, so as to avoid the annoying boy urging her, and it won’t delay anything anyway.

While packing up, Chen Xuan looked at the peach seedlings he had planted and felt a little melancholy. He was growing taller and taller, but why were the seedlings not growing at all? It had been several months since they were planted, and now they were only two or three centimeters tall, as if they had not grown at all.

But it was alive and well. Chen Xuan asked Uncle Liang about it, and he said there was no problem. He also thought it might be a different variety. It was normal for some plants to grow slowly. Anyway, it was the first time he saw a peach tree growing so slowly.

If it continues like this, who knows how long it will take for it to grow to the point where it can be transplanted. It will be a long time before we can taste the flavor of home.

The seedlings planted in the pots are not convenient to move up and down and carry around, so Chen Xuan has to ask Qingdou to help take care of them. Who knows how long Gao Jingming will stay in the countryside.

It took more than half an hour for Gao Jingming to come back. Mrs. Gao naturally agreed and probably gave him some safety advice during the trip.

Chen Xuan and his men set off after they were ready.

As a result, there was a team of twenty or thirty people, because Gao Jingming was not the only one going, but also several other young masters and young ladies of the Gao family. In Gao Jingming's words, they should spend more time together and cultivate their feelings, and this was a good opportunity.

So there were a lot of maids, servants and guards, and they set off in a mighty procession towards the summer estate in the countryside.

Madam Gao, the third madam, and the fourth madam naturally did not accompany them. Madam Gao had to preside over the entire Gao Mansion, and the other two concubines could not show up in public.

The children were very enthusiastic about going to the countryside to play, and they chirped like eight hundred ducks.

Having been in the Gao family for so long, Chen Xuan has seen Gao Jingming's brothers and sisters every day. From oldest to youngest, they are Gao Jingming, Gao Jinghao, Gao Jingxue, Gao Jingning, Gao Jingfei, and Gao Jingxun.

Among them, Gao Jingfei and Gao Jingxun are girls, five and three years old respectively. They are at the age when they are lively and active, and need someone to look after them all the time.

Of course, the eldest of this generation of the Gao family is Gao Jingyu, Gao Jingming’s sister and now the Princess of Qing.

The group left Yang County and headed straight for the summer resort. Under the scorching sun, crops could already be seen filling up in the fields, and they looked like rolling waves in the warm breeze.

However, in Chen Xuan's opinion, the crop plants are slender and the yield is certainly not high. If the weather is good and the crops are ripe, it would be good if he can harvest two or three hundred kilograms per acre.

The people who suffered the most and were the most tired were the lower-class farmers. Not only did they have to bear heavy taxes, but they also had to serve in the military, do labor service, and serve as yamen runners. It was truly sad.

About ten miles away from Yang County, there is a concave hill called Qingliang Mountain. Gao Jingming's family's summer resort is located in the concave valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides. The resort in the valley is quite cool, but this is only relative in this season and is not that much better.

A few hundred meters ahead, a stream more than ten meters wide meandered into the distance.

Even though Chen Xuan didn't know much about geography, the feng shui of this place, surrounded by mountains and water, was really good. It seemed that the Gao family had a master behind them. Not only was their family business prosperous, but they also had a princess. They were truly rich and noble.

"Ah Xuan, hurry up, let's go down to the river." Before entering the manor, Gao Jingming couldn't wait to jump out of the carriage and ran towards the stream...

(End of this chapter)