Joy of Life: The Mei Family's Son Grows Up

Chapter 404 What Then? (Two in One)

Mr. He's age is unknown. He has a warrior hairstyle with two long strands of hair casually floating on both sides of his cheeks. His skin is slightly dark and he has a short but somewhat messy beard. However, he has a handsome face, a thin and upright figure, and bright eyes. He has the temperament of a decadent handsome uncle.

Judging from his appearance alone, he is not much different from Cheng Jushu, so it is hard to imagine that he would be Cheng Jushu's master. The opposite is also true.

He Daoren was not walking very fast, which gave Mei Chengan enough time to look at him carefully and make comments in his mind. It was just something he could do anyway.

After a moment, He Daoren stopped two steps in front of the three people, swept his eyes over the three people, and finally landed on Fan Xian who was standing in the middle.

"Are you Fan Xian?"

"Exactly."

Fan Xian folded his arms and looked him up and down, but did not lower his attitude because of his skills. He did not want to, and did not need to.

"You are Taoist He? The ninth-rank swordsman of Northern Qi?"

Taoist He looked at him quietly and nodded lightly.

"Let me get straight to the point. I am sending you this anonymous letter because I was asked by Chen Pingping to help you in Shangjing City."

His tone was very flat, even a little listless. It was obvious that he was not enthusiastic about this matter. This could be seen from the fact that he only greeted Fan Xian and had no interest in knowing who the two people next to him were.

Mei Cheng'an smiled and didn't care about it. If he were in his shoes, he wouldn't be interested in getting to know irrelevant people. There was no need.

However, from this point it can be inferred that the relationship between him and Chen Pingping is not friendly, and he may even be being manipulated.

I just don't know what Chen Pingping's grasp on him is.

He Daoren went straight to the point and his attitude of not saying much nonsense was quite to Fan Xian's liking. After all, both parties were cooperating just this once, so it was better to be direct so as to avoid wasting each other's time.

"How do you prove your identity?"

Taoist He didn't say much, he just took out a wooden token and handed it to him.

Fan Xian took it, glanced at it casually, and then handed it directly to Wang Qinian, leaving professional matters to professionals.

Wang Qinian took the token, turned it left to right, looked at it, rubbed it with his fingers for a while, looked up and said.

"The token is correct, sir. It is the seal of the Overwatch Council. The wood grain on it is special. People who don't know it well can't see the secret."

Fan Xian, who had unknowingly gained some knowledge, hummed lightly, took back the token and was about to hand it back to He Daoren.

Unexpectedly, He Daoren suddenly stretched out his hand to block it and refused to accept it.

"No need, I only agreed to help Chen Pingping this time, I won't need you again in the future."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian put away the token without saying much, and asked casually as if unintentionally.

"Your willingness to help Chen Pingping, is it related to your apprentice Cheng Jushu?"

Taoist He was silent for a moment.

"Nothing to do with you."

"alright."

Fan Xian shrugged.

"How are you going to help us? In other words, what can you do for us?"

Mr. He speaks frankly.

"I won't take action, nor will I help you take action, and I won't expose myself rashly. At most... I will convey the information."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows.

"what's the message?"

Taoist He silently took out a folded piece of paper from his waist and handed it to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian took the note and opened it to read.

"What is this?"

"The address of the Neiku store in Shangjing City."

Fan Xian raised his head, somewhat surprised.

"What do you want me to do with this address?"

Taoist He explained.

"Chen Pingping means that you will soon take over the financial power of the inner treasury. Take this opportunity to look through the account books and familiarize yourself with the shops here in advance."

Is this necessary? Yes, but it is not a high priority in Fan Xian's mind. In comparison, saving Yan Bingyun is more important.

"We are being watched closely. It's not easy to get away. If we go in hastily, we might expose the store's location. Let's wait..."

Taoist He interrupted directly.

"It doesn't matter. Everyone here knows that this is a business of Qing's domestic treasury."

Fan Xian was startled when he heard this.

"Everyone knows? No one has checked it?"

The reason why he was so surprised was that, in his concept, the Neiku shops were different from ordinary shops and belonged to the royal family of Qing. The Northern Qi Dynasty should not allow such shops to operate openly.

He Daoren said calmly.

"The art of commerce is the source of money. Money is exchanged for goods. Everyone gets what they need. All parties benefit. Who would cut off their own path to wealth?"

"Emperor's Guards don't care?"

Taoist He smiled slightly.

"It's the Jinyiwei doing business with the inner treasury!"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Fan Xian turned his head and looked at his fellow villager with emotion.

"This princess's reach is really far-reaching."

Mei Chengan smiled.

"Otherwise, why would they cooperate with the Northern Qi royal family to deceive you?"

"..."

Fan Xian was speechless, but his words were true. This could explain why the eldest princess, who was thousands of miles away in Qing Kingdom, was able to get in touch with the Northern Qi royal family and cooperate with them frequently.

Neiku business is a great medium!
After thinking about it, Fan Xian put away his thoughts and looked at Master He.

"What is your current status in Northern Qi?"

Taoist He said frankly.

"I have taken refuge with the Queen Mother."

Fan Xian thought about it.

"Do you know where Yan Bingyun is imprisoned?"

He asked this question knowing the answer in order to get some indirect information about He Daoren's position under the Queen Mother of Northern Qi.

"do not know."

Well, it seems that he has only been here for a short time and does not have much status.

Taoist He gave another explanation.

"Yan Bingyun was imprisoned by Shen Zhong himself, and very few people know his whereabouts."

Fan Xian nodded.

"Then do you know the whereabouts of the other secret agents of the Overwatch Council?"

"do not know."

"..."

They don't know what love is, let alone Fan Xian, even Wang Qinian was speechless after hearing this.

Mei Cheng'an curled the corners of his mouth. From a bystander's perspective, this matter was quite funny.

Perhaps irritated by the expressions of Fan Xian and Wang Qinian, He Dao Ren became angry and said coldly.

"You'd better understand that just because Chen Pingping asked me to take care of you and help you do things, it doesn't mean that I am under the command of your Supervisory Council!"

I just asked two questions, and no one said you were under the Supervisory Commission. Why are you suddenly getting angry?

Fan Xian blinked and became even more speechless. After thinking for a while, he turned his head to look at his fellow villager.

"Look, people don't like me asking, so come on."

Mei Cheng'an looked at him, smiled, and without refusing, turned directly to Taoist He and asked.

"Then do you know where Yan Bingyun went before he was arrested?"

"this…"

Seeing him pause, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian were stunned for a moment and then their eyes widened, their eyes full of anticipation, Masaka.

Taoist He glanced at the two of them.

"Know!"

Wuhu~He actually knew! He finally knew!
Fan Xian slapped his thigh in excitement, and Wang Qinian also breathed a sigh of relief, overjoyed.

It’s not easy!
Although there was no sound, the expressions and actions of the two people could be seen clearly.

Mei Cheng'an smiled, and He Daoren's face turned dark.

……

Not long after, the three men and He Daoren evacuated separately.

Walking quickly along the busy streets, Wang Qinian couldn't help but sigh, "I don't know what tricks Dean Chen used to subdue this ninth-grade swordsman from Northern Qi. He's really amazing!"

Mei Cheng'an put his hands behind his back and smiled when he heard the words. He felt the mystery only after he knew it. When it was revealed, it was nothing more than coercion and inducement, which was not surprising.

The real strength of Chen Pingping is that he is very good at using all the resources you can think of and can't think of, and he can do what you can't. Fan Xian waved his hand.

"Time is running out, let's split up."

Wang Qinian's face became serious.

"My lord, please give me your instructions."

Fan Xian said.

"We will go to Yan Bingyun's residence. You should follow our agreement before we set out to explore the way to the place where Yan Bingyun is imprisoned. Remember, do not reveal your tracks or alert the spies of the Imperial Guards. If things get out of hand, retreat."

Wang Qinian asked another question.

"Do you need the Neiku store..."

"There's no rush over there, let's get down to business first."

"it is good."

After Wang Qinian responded, he looked at his young master.

"Master, do you have any other instructions?"

Mei Chengan thought for a while and said.

"When you're done, meet up at the Mei's cafeteria. First come, first served."

Wang Qinian's eyes lit up.

"Master, are you treating us?"

"No, it's your turn. You won a lot of money playing mahjong on the way!"

"what?"

Wang Qinian's expression suddenly turned bitter and he muttered softly.

“That’s how much I won.”

Fan Xian has something to say.

"Two hundred taels, no more, no less."

Wang Qinian was shocked.

"How do you know, sir?"

Fan Xian's head was filled with black lines.

"Nonsense! Lao Mei broke even, and Hong Shu made a small profit, which means that all your winnings are my money, so how much you lose is something I should know?"

"Ah this..."

Wang Qinian scratched his head with a wry smile, his eyes rolling around.

"Well, my Lord, be careful on the road. I'm leaving now."

Before he finished speaking, he quickly turned his head to roughly confirm the direction he was going to go, and then he yo-yoed away without looking back.

Seeing his hastily fleeing figure, Mei Cheng was relieved. Fan Xian snorted with contempt, and when they reached the next intersection, the two of them quietly turned around and soon disappeared into the crowd.

……

The east of Shangjing City is slightly different from the east of Qing City. It is not only a gathering place for dignitaries, but also a place where wealthy merchants linger. It is equivalent to a combination of the east and south of Qing City. The streets here are wider, the houses are bigger, the shops are denser, and the flow of people is more bustling.

This was where Yan Bingyun took shelter when he was captured.

Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian arrived at their destination and glanced from afar at the street-facing house where Yan Bingyun had previously lived. The gate of the house was closed and there was no one guarding the door, but the two of them were in no hurry to go in to check. Instead, they looked around and slipped away to the tea stall on the corner.

The tea stall is not big, located at the two corners of the T-junction. There are two tea tables on each corner. The business is pretty good. There are customers sitting at each tea table, but none of them are full, and there are empty seats.

Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian naturally chose a tea table that was closest to Yan Bingyun's former residence, where they could see the door clearly at a glance and there were two empty seats left. They ordered two bowls of hot tea and sat down.

The performance began the moment they sat down. Fan Xian stroked his forehead and sighed, while Mei Chengan said nothing, but just patted his shoulders to comfort him silently.

The two guests at the same table who were originally chatting were stunned when they saw this, looked at each other, then looked at the two of them, seeming to want to say something but stopping themselves.

After the tea stall owner served tea to the two and left, one of the two guests at the table couldn't help but ask.

"What happened to you two gentlemen? Why are you sighing?"

Mei Cheng'an opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after hesitating for a moment, he closed his mouth again, sighed and shook his head.

Fan Xian stroked his forehead with his left hand and waved his right hand towards the two of them.

"Oh, don't mention it. It's hard to put it into words. It's hard to put it into words."

Seeing the two of them like this, Guest A and Guest B's curiosity was completely aroused, and they wanted to listen even more.

Guest A said.

"Don't keep things in your heart, it will easily make you sick."

Guest B said.

"That's right. If you encounter any difficulties, don't keep them to yourself. Tell everyone and let them help you. Maybe there will be a way to solve it. At the very least, it can help you relieve the depression in your heart."

Mei Cheng'an sighed.

"His business, how should I put it, is just fucked up!"

Fan Xian put down his left hand, looked miserable, and sighed deeply.

"It's a long story. It all started with a baby marriage seventeen years ago. Seventeen years ago, my family was a well-known wealthy family in Fancheng, and we were in the timber business. My father had a very good friend at the time. The two of us were childhood friends. We went to school together, played together, grew up together, and met nice girls together. We got married at the same time, and even the two ladies got pregnant within a day or two of each other. My father and his friend were very happy at the time, and they immediately arranged a baby marriage for me and Lianmei, hoping to continue the relationship between the two families..."

The two of them had never discussed the matter of acting beforehand, and their performance depended entirely on tacit understanding. In other words, this was the first time Mei Cheng'an had heard this story. Although he knew where Fan Xian's story was going after just the beginning, when he heard the name "Sister Lian", two names instantly popped up in Mei Cheng'an's mind, one was Pan Jinlian, and the other was something he himself found puzzling, which was Dongfang Bubai. No matter which of these two names was called out by Fan Xian in that extremely intimate tone, it was full of contrast and laughter. He almost couldn't hold it back, so he had to force himself to hold it back, and quickly turned his head to the side, for fear of bursting out laughing.

Fan Xian's story continued, and it became increasingly fascinating. Guests A and B listened attentively.

"However, the good times did not last long. The business of my father's good friend Liu Shibo suddenly encountered big problems. Even though my father tried his best to rescue him, it was of no avail. Not only did Liu Shibo's business disappear, but he also owed a lot of debts. My father did not sit idly by and watched. He sold a lot of his family items to help him pay off his foreign debts. Liu Shibo was depressed for several days and decided not to do business anymore. He focused on the imperial examination. Perhaps God rewards those who work hard. Liu Shibo fought for six years and finally passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi official in Beijing. His family also moved to Shangjing. Since then, our two families have never met again. At the beginning, the two families communicated frequently through letters, and they never stopped sending gifts to each other during festivals. However, I don't know how, as the years went by, the correspondence between the two families became less and less, from intermittent to no news at all. I found it very strange and often asked my father if something happened to Shibo's family. However, my father always shook his head and denied it, sighed and refused to say much, and gradually I stopped asking."

Speaking of this, Fan Xian suddenly laughed bitterly.

"Time flies, and several years have passed in a flash. My memory of Uncle Liu's family has become very faint. I can't think of them at all. However, three years ago, my family's business suddenly ran into big problems for some reason, and we urgently needed funds to turn around. We finally scraped together enough money, but it was too late. The family business collapsed in an instant, and my father was so angry that he passed away. Not long after I returned all the borrowed money, my mother also passed away with my father. I was the only one left in such a big family. Before my mother died, she repeatedly told me to I must obey my father's last wish, complete the engagement, and continue the friendship between the two families. I kept this in mind, dealt with my mother's funeral, and stayed at home for three years to mourn for the two elders. I dismissed the few servants in the family, sold the family property, and rushed to Shangjing with my good friends with the engagement. I thought that considering the previous relationship between the two families, Liu Shibo would fulfill my engagement with Lianmei. Unexpectedly, as soon as I mentioned the engagement, my aunt's face changed drastically, and she said that my family was now a poor family and was not worthy of Lianmei. She wanted to cancel the engagement. With my father and mother's will, I certainly refused, and then I drove out of the house. "

Passerby A was so angry that he slammed the table.

"How could this happen? It's outrageous! The Liu family is so ungrateful, they are nothing!"

There was no indignation on Passerby B's face, but rather a look of vicissitudes.

"Alas, human nature is fickle, and the world is fickle. It has been like this since ancient times."

Mei Cheng glanced sideways and said, "You're not the eldest brother, but why do I feel like you're more into the role than the protagonist? Have you experienced this or have you seen and heard this a lot?"
After sighing quietly, Guest B asked.

"What are you going to do next?"

Fan Xian put down the tea bowl and wiped his mouth.

"To be honest, I don't know what to do. Anyway, I'll rent a house in Shangjing and live there first, and then I'll find a dental clinic."

Passerby A clapped his hands and said "Hey" when he heard this.

"What a coincidence, isn't it? Sir, you are so lucky!"

Fan Xian was stunned for a moment when he heard this.

"Brother, what do you mean by this?"

Passerby A pointed to Yan Bingyun's previous residence and said with a smile.

"Sir, aren't you looking to rent a house? Do you see that house over there? It just so happens that no one lives there right now."

Fan Xian and Mei Cheng'an immediately looked in the direction he pointed, and Mei Cheng'an was extremely surprised.

"Is this true? Is it such a coincidence?"

Passerby B laughed.

"It's such a coincidence."

Fan Xian opened his eyes wide, pointed at the house with a hint of excitement, his tone filled with surprise and disbelief.

"It's been vacant all this time? Just waiting for me?"

Passerby A coughed.

"That's not the case. This place is in high demand. How could it be vacant waiting for you to come? Someone lived here before. Something happened not long ago."

Passerby B took over the conversation.

"The house has just been vacated and you are here, sir."

Fan Xian clapped his hands.

"Hearing you put it that way, it feels even more like a coincidence."

Mei Cheng'an let out a sound and asked curiously.

"Who lived there before? What happened?"

Passerby A rushed to speak.

"This place was previously occupied by a young master. He was no ordinary man. All the people who came to his house were high-ranking officials or rich people. It was quite a grand occasion."

Passerby B took over the conversation.

"Then a girl came, hey..."

Fan Xian, who was drinking tea, was stunned when he heard this and almost choked.

"girl?"

Mei Chengan on the side looked impatient.

"A girl comes and then what?"

……

(End of this chapter)