Chapter 16

Xu Zhengying thought to himself that this kid was quite hypocritical. Clearly, it was you who asked me to meet here, yet you still use polite phrases like "I should have come to welcome you." You didn't even think of coming out to greet me. However, Xu Zhengying didn't feel that Hu Xiaotian was being impolite. Hu Xiaotian's father was his direct superior, and in his eyes, the son of his direct superior naturally had a noble aura and the demeanor of an official. That kind of authority was for others to see; in front of the son of the Secretary, one must be humble and low-key. Xu Zhengying laughed heartily and stepped forward, grabbing Hu Xiaotian's hand with great affection.

Hu Xiaotian was somewhat uncomfortable. "Damn, am I that close to you? We've met less than twice, and we haven't even had a complete conversation, and you're already holding my hand. You old guy, your face is really thick. Trying to get close? Haha, did you fail to curry favor with my father, so you decided to take a roundabout way and try to get close to me? I've seen this kind of subordinate trying to flatter a superior many times."

Xu Zhengying was definitely a natural at getting close to people. He held Hu Xiaotian's hand tightly, his small eyes squinting as he stared at Hu Xiaotian. "Nephew, I heard that you are physically weak. Recently, a friend from Yan brought me a thousand-year-old ginseng, so I specially brought it to you to help you regain your strength."

His servant handed a brocade box to Xu Zhengying, who presented it with both hands. As a Fourth Rank Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Xu Zhengying was giving a gift to Hu Xiaotian, who held no official position, and he did so with such respect, showing that he could put aside his pride.

Hu Xiaotian had long anticipated that Xu Zhengying's visit was to get closer to him. He was quite curious. A thousand-year-old ginseng, sure, just blow it up. A thousand-year-old ginseng is not easy to find; it's a treasure worth a fortune. But then he thought, one can't measure everything by past values. Maybe in Dakan, ginseng is as cheap as a radish. Hu Xiaotian understood that since someone could come to his door with a gift, it must be quite valuable.

He took the beautifully packaged brocade box and, unable to contain his curiosity, opened it in front of Xu Zhengying. Inside lay a ginseng about a foot long. Although Hu Xiaotian's main profession was Western medicine, he had some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. There was a poem specifically for identifying the quality of ginseng: "Star points, fine hairs, and long roots; a human-shaped, rhombic, short chicken leg; deep pockets, thick patterns, and a brocade-like skin; dragon-like roots with pearl-like nodules; a strong, small body with long roots, light as a sponge, wild ginseng." This means that good ginseng must have long roots and a short body; the body should be rhombic; the skin should have deep and numerous patterns; the roots and stems should be long, with small pearl-like nodules on the roots; the body must be light, not heavy.

This ginseng had many heads, roughly twelve, and according to the rule that one head is added every hundred years, it could be preliminarily deduced that this ginseng was about 1,200 years old. Hu Xiaotian thought to himself that this old guy probably wasn't lying; the quality of this ginseng was indeed good. A thousand-year-old ginseng is hard to come by and must be worth a fortune.

He smiled and closed the brocade box, handing it back to Xu Zhengying. "Uncle Xu, you are too kind. I can't accept such a valuable gift."

Xu Zhengying pushed the wild ginseng back, pretending to be unhappy. "Nephew, I and your father are close friends, like brothers. In my eyes, you are no different from my own flesh and blood. You have been ill for so many years, and now that you are recovering, your body needs nourishment. If your body can recover, I would even give you my heart's flesh, not just a mere ginseng!"

Hu Xiaotian cursed inwardly. This is just taking advantage of me. I wouldn't want to be your son even if you wanted me to. Hu Xiaotian found that flattery was a fashion here, whether it was servants or officials. Xu Zhengying's words were extremely sappy, making Hu Xiaotian's skin crawl, but the man still spoke with a straight face, sincere and humble, showing that his face was not just thick but also very flexible.

Hu Xiaotian understood the principle that when someone is polite, they must have a request. But thinking about how his father insisted on arranging a paralyzed wife for him, he decided to cause some trouble. If you don't let me be comfortable, I won't let you be comfortable either. With this thought, Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "Since Uncle Xu is so kind, I can't refuse."

Xu Zhengying had known Hu Xiaotian for a while, but he hadn't really communicated much with the kid. Everyone in the capital knew that the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, Hu Buwei, had a foolish son. It was only half a year ago that it was rumored that Hu Buwei's son had suddenly regained his sanity. In Xu Zhengying's view, even if a fool regained his sanity, he would still be a half-fool. But today, he realized that this kid was not the fool he was rumored to be. He was not only not foolish but also shrewd, cunning, and quick-witted.

Hu Xiaotian made a gesture inviting Xu Zhengying to sit. "Uncle Xu, please sit down. Let's have some tea and chat."

Xu Zhengying did not sit down but smiled. "Nephew, I came today to bring you this ginseng to help you regain your strength. I have some business to attend to, and I'll come back another time to have tea and chat with you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Uncle Xu, from your attire, it doesn't look like you are going to work."

Xu Zhengying smiled. "I have an appointment with some colleagues to attend a literary gathering at Yan Shui Pavilion."

Hu Xiaotian blinked his eyes. This guy was bored recently. Hearing that Xu Zhengying was going to a literary gathering, he suddenly had the urge to join in the fun. He smiled. "Uncle Xu, I have a request. How about I go with you to see it?"

Xu Zhengying hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Sure! It's great that you want to come!" But he was puzzled. "Can you read? That kind of elegant gathering doesn't seem suitable for you." After all, he knew that Hu Xiaotian had only learned to speak properly in the past half year and probably couldn't recognize a single word.

Before leaving, Hu Buwei had instructed Hu Xiaotian to stay at home as much as possible. If he had to go out, his six personal servants must accompany him. The servants, led by Liang Dazhuang, had always strictly followed Hu Buwei's orders.

When they heard that Hu Xiaotian was going out, the six servants immediately followed. Hu Xiaotian was already annoyed with these followers and glared at them. "What are you doing? I'm going to a literary gathering with Lord Xu. What are you following me for? That kind of elegant place is not for you to go to."

The old steward, Hu An, said, "Young Master, Lord specifically instructed us to protect you wherever you go. Please don't make it difficult for us."

If he hadn't said that, it would have been better. Hearing this, Hu Xiaotian became even more angry. "Why should I have to follow his wishes? He's not my real father..." But he knew that they were indeed blood-related, and this matter was complicated. Was a father really pushing his son into a fire? Even tigers don't eat their cubs, and Hu Buwei was quite cold and heartless. Thinking about his future marriage, Hu Xiaotian's rebelliousness surged. "Hu Buwei, if you don't let me be comfortable, I won't let you be comfortable either." With that, he glared and kicked Liang Dazhuang in the stomach.

Liang Dazhuang had been standing there silently, never expecting to be kicked. He fell to the ground, a truly innocent victim.

Hu An, who was clearly the one speaking, was over sixty years old. Hu Xiaotian, with no principles, would never hit an old man, so he chose the tall and fat Liang Dazhuang. The kick was unexpected, and not only Liang Dazhuang but everyone present was surprised.

Hu Xiaotian pointed at Liang Dazhuang and scolded, "You scoundrel, who asked you to meddle in my affairs?"

Liang Dazhuang's mouth trembled, and he was about to cry. "Damn, who did I offend? I didn't even say that."

Seeing the young master angry, the servants immediately shut up, not wanting to get into trouble. The servants of the Secretary's household had some political wisdom and knew how to protect themselves. The real culprit, Hu An, also closed his mouth, embarrassed. Liang Dazhuang, who weighed nearly 200 pounds, was kicked to the ground by the young master. If that kick had landed on him, he would have flown over the wall.

Xu Zhengying, being an outsider, felt awkward seeing Hu Xiaotian scold his servants. He didn't know whether to intervene or not.

Liang Dazhuang, with a pained expression, said, "Young Master..." He was almost in tears.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Lord Xu kindly invited me to the literary gathering. With Lord Xu's protection, what do you have to worry about? My father will not only not blame me for going out with Lord Xu but will also support it."

Xu Zhengying's head ached. "What are you talking about? When did I kindly invite you? I came to give you the ginseng, not to invite you to the literary gathering. It was you who heard I was going and insisted on coming. But I can't expose you now. I regret mentioning the literary gathering. Why did I talk about it in front of him? I must be stupid. Now he's putting all the responsibility on me. If Hu Buwei finds out, he'll think I'm luring his son away."

Hu Xiaotian affectionately put his arm around Xu Zhengying's shoulder. "Let's go. Don't let these servants ruin our literary gathering."

Xu Zhengying could only laugh awkwardly.

The servants, seeing what happened to Liang Dazhuang, dared not say anything more and could only watch as Hu Xiaotian and Xu Zhengying left.

Liang Dazhuang, rubbing his sore bottom, got up and complained, "I'm so wronged!"

***********************************************************

Thank you to the readers who have supported me, such as Crying Dě Dao, Mumu San Shou 1, GIE, Heilongguojiang 999, Ying Quan, and Zhi Ai Pangzi, and many others whose names I haven't mentioned. Squid thanks you all. I hope you will remember to bookmark this book. Squid will do his best to write a good and light-hearted historical novel for you.

Page Flip AD Start

Page Flip AD End