Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

The facade of Xigu Pavilion is not large, but the interior is a hidden world.

The courtyard has three sections. The first section is the shop, with antique shelves displaying porcelain, jade, and bronze artifacts. The second section is the reception room, furnished with a set of old rosewood furniture, and several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls. The third section is Old Zhou's own study and storeroom, which is generally not open to outsiders.

Old Zhou invited Old Xia to the reception room, brewed a pot of Pu'er tea, and then brought out three calligraphy and paintings from the inner room.

"These are all recent acquisitions," Old Zhou said, unfolding the paintings. "This one is a landscape from the mid-Qing Dynasty. The artist was a minor local painter; he painted quite well, but wasn't very famous. This one is a flower-and-bird painting from the Republican era; the colors are elegant, and it's well-preserved. This one is…"

He opened the third piece, a work of running script: "This is the handwriting of a scholar who passed the imperial examination during the Qianlong era, and it has a touch of Dong Qichang's style."

Old Xia looked through the paintings one by one, finally settling his gaze on the landscape painting.

The painting depicts a scene from a water town in southern China. In the foreground is a stone bridge with two pedestrians on it; in the middle ground are several houses with white walls and black tiles, nestled behind willow trees; and in the distance are faint mountain shadows. The brushwork is not particularly exquisite, but it possesses a rustic charm.

"How much is this painting?"

Old Zhou looked at the painting, thought for a moment, and said, "Brother Xia, if you really like it, I'll give it to you at cost price, 80,000."

Old Xia hesitated for a moment.

Eighty thousand is no small sum. Although he is currently financially well-off, it's not something he can just throw away casually.

Old Zhou noticed his hesitation and said with a smile, "No rush, go back and think about it. I'll reserve this painting for you first."

Old Xia nodded.

A few days later, Lao Zhou invited Lao Xia to have tea again.

This time, Lao Zhou brought an even better painting.

"Just received it, hasn't put it on the shelf yet." Old Zhou unfolded the painting, his movements very gentle.

It is a small landscape painting, not large in size, but the brushwork is extremely exquisite. The texture of the rocks is skillful and the moss on the trees is lively and vivid. The whole painting is full of charm and vitality.

Old Xia's eyes lit up when he saw it.

"This one's a bit pricey," Old Zhou said. "150,000. But if you really like it, Brother Xia, I can hold it for you."

Old Xia gritted his teeth and bought it.

When he got home, he hung the painting in the living room and stood in front of it every night after dinner, looking at it more and more.

Liu Yuping came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands as she glanced at him: "What did you buy this time?"

"Hmm." Old Xia replied without turning his head.

"How much?"

"Not expensive."

"How much is 'not expensive'?"

Old Xia gave a number in a vague way.

Liu Yuping threw a rag at him: "Xia Weidong! You buy two paintings a month! Does our money grow on trees?"

Old Xia took the rag, smiling apologetically: "This is a really good piece. I had Old Zhou take a look at it; it's by a genuine master of the Qing Dynasty."

"You said that 'microwave safe' one last time was genuine too!"

"That's different..."

From then on, Lao Xia would go to Xigu Pavilion every few days.

Old Zhou always treated him warmly, bringing out good tea and showing him a few things. Sometimes Old Xia wouldn't buy anything, but Old Zhou didn't mind and would still chat with him for an afternoon.

The two quickly became sworn brothers.

Old Zhou calls Old Xia "Brother Xia", and Old Xia calls Old Zhou "Old Zhou".

Sometimes, if Lao Zhou finds something good, he'll call Lao Xia to come and see it. He doesn't necessarily sell it to him; he just wants to share it.

Old Xia felt he had finally met a kindred spirit.

……

After listening to Lao Zhou's story, Na Ruhu remained silent for two seconds.

What a coincidence!

He instructed Lao Zhou: "Use business as an excuse to protect Lao Xia and his wife."

Without asking why, Lao Zhou simply said, "Don't worry, Brother Tiger, I'll take care of it."

Na Ruhu grunted in response and hung up the phone.

Old Zhou put down the phone, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and shook his head.

Things in this world are sometimes just so coincidental.

……

The next day, Lao Zhou invited Lao Xia to have tea.

It was the same teahouse, and I was still sitting by the window.

After chatting about antiques for a while, Old Zhou suddenly changed the subject: "Brother Xia, have you heard? Several factories nearby have run into trouble recently."

Old Xia put down his teacup: "What is it?"

"The garment factory on the east side was vandalized last month, and the electronics factory on the west side was also robbed, with a lot of things stolen."

Old Xia frowned: "Is the security this bad?"

"It's not entirely a security issue," Old Zhou sighed. "Sometimes it's competitors causing trouble, and sometimes it's local thugs collecting protection money. When you're in business, it's sometimes impossible to guard against everything."

Old Xia thought about his shoe factory and realized he had never encountered anything like this before.

"I'm fine there, nothing's happened."

"That's good." Old Zhou nodded. "But Brother Xia, you need to be careful with your factory. Although things are peaceful now, you never know when someone might try to take advantage of you."

Old Xia thought that made sense: "That's true."

Old Zhou put down his teacup, as if he had suddenly remembered something: "How about this, I'll arrange for two people to visit your factory from time to time."

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Old Xia said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's too much trouble for you."

"No trouble at all." Old Zhou waved his hand. "I have a warehouse over there that I was going to have someone guard anyway. I'll just drop by your place while I'm at it, just to keep an eye on things for me. Besides, you're my brother, your factory is my factory, we're practically family."

Old Zhou said this in a very natural tone, as if it were truly a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Old Xia was touched by his sincerity: "Then... I'll have to trouble you."

"Brother Xia, you're being too polite."

The two toasted each other with tea instead of wine.

And so, the people from Xiguge began to operate "legitimately" near the shoe factory.

Every morning, when the shoe factory workers arrive at work, they can always see one or two young people in casual clothes wandering around outside the factory area. They don't go into the factory, but just stroll around the streets outside, occasionally having breakfast at a roadside breakfast stall or buying a newspaper at a newsstand.

The workers were a little confused at first, but they got used to it and stopped caring.

When Lao Xia occasionally bumps into them, he'll greet them. The young men are very respectful and call him "Uncle Xia" affectionately.

Old Xia thought Old Zhou was a really good guy.

……

On the train.

Xia He lay on the lower bunk, holding up her phone to call home.

"Dad, I'm almost in Xiangfan."

"You've arrived?" Old Xia's voice was filled with joy. "Great! I just made plans to have dinner with some friends tonight, you should come too."

"What friend?"

"He deals in antiques, his surname is Zhou, and he's a really nice guy."

Cheng Mo listened from the side, frowning, feeling that this matter was not so simple.

The train arrived at the station, and the two got off.

As Cheng Mo and Xia He exited the station, they saw Lao Xia standing at the exit, tiptoeing and peering into the crowd. He was wearing a dark blue jacket, his hair was neatly combed, and he looked much younger than his actual age.

Liu Yuping stood next to him, wearing a beige trench coat, with her hair permed into big curls, and her eyebrows and eyes resembled Xia He's by about six or seven points.

"Dad! Mom!"

Xia He released Cheng Mo's hand and ran over quickly.

Liu Yuping hugged her daughter tightly: "You've lost weight! Did you not eat properly while you were out?"

Xia He shook her head with a smile: "Mom, I haven't lost weight, I've actually gained two pounds."

Liu Yuping didn't believe it: "Fat? What do you mean fat? Your face is all pointy now."

Old Xia watched from the side, wanting to say something but unable to get a word in edgewise.

Once the mother and daughter were separated, Xia He pulled Cheng Mo to her parents.

"Dad, Mom, this is Cheng Mo," she said confidently, "my future other half."

The smile on Lao Xia's face froze for a fraction of a second.

Liu Yuping's eyes lit up as she looked Cheng Mo up and down, becoming more and more satisfied with him.

"Xiao Cheng, right?" Liu Yuping smiled broadly. "Xiao He keeps mentioning you on the phone. You look so handsome."

Cheng Mo gave a slight bow: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt."

Old Xia snapped out of his daze and forced a smile: "Hello, hello."

"Let's go home first." Liu Yuping linked arms with her daughter and beckoned to Cheng Mo with the other, "Is this your first time in Xiangfan, Cheng Mo? Auntie will make you something delicious."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Xia He secretly laughed from the side.

Old Xia walked at the very back, watching Cheng Mo's back, his feelings were complicated.

This young man looks quite energetic, but he's taken away the daughter he's raised for twenty years, so he can't help but feel a little uneasy.

Upon arriving at the parking lot, Lao Xia pressed the car key, and the lights of a black SUV came on.

"Xiao Cheng, can you drive?" Lao Xia asked.

"Yes, Uncle."

"Then you drive." Old Xia handed over the car keys.

Cheng Mo took the key, opened the driver's side door, adjusted the seat, and fastened his seatbelt. His movements were practiced and unhurried.

Xia He sat in the passenger seat, while Lao Xia and Liu Yuping sat in the back.

The car drove smoothly out of the parking lot.