CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: A FLOWER GROWS ON A GRAVE

In the afternoon, Cui Fu, with eight guards, bid farewell and departed from the Chen family.

Before leaving, he carried down a lot of gifts from the carriage, saying they were presented by the patriarch.

Chen Xu naturally wanted to refuse, but Cui Fu simply put on a pitiful face and said, "I beg Master Chen to have mercy on me.

I made a huge mistake not escorting you to the Prefecture City. If I fail to deliver these gifts, I might as well not return tomorrow.

I would be better off finding a hole on the road to bury myself. Maybe a flower could grow on the grave soon enough.

If I can win Master Chen’s favor, I could die in peace."

After speaking, under the shocked stares of Fang Taiye and the others, he swiftly leaped onto the carriage.

The coachman cracked the whip, and the shiny black horse lifted its four hooves, kicking up dust, galloping away at full speed.

The eight guards followed behind in swift strides, each step covering a long distance.

Their brisk pace was like wolves bolting with arrows, and the united force of eight was mighty, like rippling waves sweeping through village roads, astonishing all spectators beyond words.

No one knew how much time passed until their figures were no longer visible.

In front of the Chen family’s gate, the trembling Fang Taiye finally clutched his chest and exclaimed "Oh dear".

His voice faded, and he appeared as if he was about to collapse.

Fang Xinbai hurriedly supported him, preventing the old man from embarrassing himself in public.

"Huff huff..." Fang Taiye gasped heavily, regaining his composure and blurted out, "These people, how is it that they seem to fly?

Why didn’t they say so earlier? Just now, just now I was even fighting for wine with them!"

Speaking of fighting for wine, Fang Xinbai couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.

Earlier at the wine table, he couldn’t resist competing for wine with Butler Cui and others.

But the focus now was not just how formidable Butler Cui was, but how someone like him was so humble and ingratiating towards Chen Erlang of their village.

Fang Xinbai suddenly shivered, hurriedly turning to Chen Qianshan and said, "Brother Qianshan, by the way, didn’t our eldest mention going to repair the canal the other day? About that, that silver..."

Chen Qianshan was still somewhat dazed, half a day had passed and he was still in a fog.

Upon hearing, he hazily replied, "Oh, silver. Yes, our eldest will not go to repair the canal. I, I..."

His face turned pale again instinctively intending to say he didn’t have ten taels of silver.

But he heard Chen Xu say, "Village Chief Uncle, here are ten taels of silver. Please do us the favor of removing my brother’s name from the canal repair list."

Fang Xinbai dared not accept the ten taels of silver from Chen Xu.

He quickly said, "Erlang, how could it require ten taels of silver? Eight taels, eight taels is..."

"Enough," he hadn’t finished saying when Fang Xinbai suddenly realized he had misspoken.

He looked up in panic, stared at Chen Xu.

Chen Xu’s expression remained unchanged, only those dark eyes were as deep as stars in a cold pool.

Fang Xinbai felt his back bend yet suddenly a cool sensation on his hand.

It turned out that Chen Xu had at some point grasped his hand and stuffed two ingots of five-tael silver into it.

Chen Xu said, "How could I let Village Chief Uncle make a trip for nothing? The task of removing the canal repair name requires Uncle’s effort.

Besides, I will soon go to the Prefecture City for the exam, and matters at home will trouble Village Chief Uncle for more care.

If there are complicated matters I cannot handle, I rely on Uncle’s timely assistance."

Hearing this, the panic on Fang Xinbai’s face disappeared, quickly replaced with an indescribable joy and sense of honor.

Yes, being entrusted by Chen Xu made Fang Xinbai feel extraordinarily privileged.

He straightened up, patted his chest and laughed heartily, "Erlang, don’t worry, you go to the Prefecture City for the exam, how could your Uncle Xinbai not look after your family?

Besides, we’re all village folks, Brother Qianshan and I have been acquainted since childhood. The friendship between our families doesn’t need such words between us.

Erlang, just rest assured, rest assured, hahaha."

Chen Xu said, "Being in one’s native land, I have complete peace of mind. By the way, Village Chief Uncle’s brother Lihui is grown now, isn’t he? Any plans for his future?"

"Future plans?" Fang Xinbai’s eyes lit up, he cautiously glanced at Chen Xu, "Erlang, this child Lihui has always troubled me, he never had any aptitude for studying, going to school is impossible.

I wanted him to learn a craft but he was unwilling. Told him to farm silently, but he couldn’t stand it, and only loved to quarrel with his brother at home.

I was thinking, if in the future he could find a government official post, or follow some noble, it would be great...

Erlang, don’t you think? Your brother Lihui may not be witty, but he is honest and reliable, suitable for practical work."

Chen Xu smiled, "I also feel that Lihui has the capability for real work. Uncle Xinbai’s plan is excellent."

They exchanged glances, Chen Xu with a light smile, and Fang Xinbai was overjoyed, quickly cupping his hand towards Chen Xu, exclaiming, "Scholars are indeed insightful, every word hits the mark. Uncle thanks you, Erlang."

With that, he laughed again, pocketed the silver, and assisted Fang Taiye away.

Chen Xu’s visit home resolved the anticipated troublesome issues with ease, and some previously unclear matters were also smoothly resolved.

All of this seemingly started because of Butler Cui Fu.

Cui Fu’s abrupt visit suddenly elevated Chen Xu’s reputation to an unexpected level among the villagers.

It truly was a vivid demonstration of the world’s unpredictable changes.

And quite amusing.

Then why did Cui Fu visit Chen Xu so suddenly?

Was it as he claimed, purely because the Cui Family’s patriarch valued talent and admired scholars?

Chen Xu speculated that the Cui Family might indeed have some intention to invest in him. But if it were just for investment, it would be too extreme for a steward to make such an exaggerated move.

So, was it a scheme of flattery unto destruction?

It seemed so, yet not quite.

Chen Xu pondered over the Cui Family’s matters, until Chen An joyfully approached him, the young man enthusiastically remarked, "Second Brother, you are amazing, Village Chief Uncle just nodded and bowed to you.

I have never seen him that friendly before. When he walks by us, he always has a stern face, nose pointed up. Like this... hmm!"

For emphasis, Chen An imitated Fang Xinbai’s usual serious demeanor.

Immediately, Chen Qianshan gave him a playful knock on the head, "You brat, who told you to mimic others like this? Why not learn something better?"

What does "learn something better" mean?

Though Chen An got a knock on his head, he laughed while pulling his head back.

The family returned home, closed the courtyard gate, and gathered in the main room.

Only then did they truly have time to chat.

As Chen Xu reunited with his family, he was unaware that at that moment, two mice far away in Ping’an Lane encountered a troubling situation.