Chapter 2

In 2013, on December 23rd, a Friday, in Chengdu, Sichuan:

"Fatso, are you still not coming? My butt is numb from waiting for you!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming, Yanzi! I'll be there right away!"

Putting down the phone, Xu Yan turned his head to look at the KFC window, where his reflection was visible. In the window, Xu Yan saw himself: a very sunny and handsome young man, tall and slender, with fair and quiet skin, bright and gentle eyes—his appearance gave people a very gentle first impression.

Xu Yan, nineteen years old, is a sophomore in the Business Management Department of the School of Economics and Management at Chengdu University in Sichuan Province.

Today is Friday, and it also happens to be Christmas Eve, so the streets are very lively. Looking out through the KFC window, colorful flags fluttered at the entrance of the mall, and Christmas trees of various colors were placed everywhere. On Chunjiang Road, couples were seen everywhere, holding hands and leaning against each other. Seeing those couples immersed in sweetness, Xu Yan felt a bit envious, but he could only envy: as a poor college student with no money, no house, and no job, love was a luxury for him.

After finishing the so-called couple's meal, Xu Yan's friend still hadn't shown up, and the sky suddenly turned dark. Dark clouds covered the sky, and several lightning bolts suddenly streaked across the night, their brightness even surpassing the colorful lights on the street, making the street look ghastly white.

After the lightning, it took two seconds before a loud crack of thunder echoed, making Xu Yan's ears ring!

"What kind of weather is this?" Xu Yan was surprised. "It's already December, and there's still such a big thunderstorm?"

After the sudden lightning, the rain started pouring down, with dense raindrops pattering heavily. The fierce storm came very suddenly, and the crowd on the street let out a chorus of exclamations. People rushed into the malls like a tide to avoid the rain, and many people also flooded into the KFC where Xu Yan was eating.

Seeing the young couples with red Santa hats drenched and looking miserable, Xu Yan smiled. Suddenly, someone caught his attention: it was a girl dressed in ancient attire, carrying a long sword.

"Huh?"

At the first glance, Xu Yan was stunned—this was a beautiful girl, of medium height, with a high bun, a slender figure, and a delicate face with light eyebrows. Under the store lights, the girl's face glowed softly, like pure, flawless white jade. She wore a white ancient robe, with a purple sash around her waist, the robe flowing like clouds, her figure standing tall and graceful like bamboo, fluttering like a butterfly.

Xu Yan knew that Chengdu had many Hanfu enthusiasts who often wore Hanfu on the streets, and many people organized Hanfu cosplay exhibitions. Seeing a girl in Hanfu in a KFC wasn't really a strange thing.

Xu Yan had seen Hanfu performances before, and he always felt that the performers had a strange, indescribable awkwardness—people were people, and clothes were clothes; the modern demeanor and ancient attire couldn't blend together. Even when the performers made gestures like playing the flute, dancing with a sword, or sipping tea, it didn't feel very ancient.

But the girl in front of him was different. Her features were like a painting, her demeanor was calm and elegant, her posture and gait were dignified, and her graceful and noble aura perfectly matched her ancient attire, giving a sense of harmony.

Xu Yan, who often read Reader's Digest, had heard of so-called noble demeanor but never understood what it was—until this moment, seeing the girl, he finally understood what true noble demeanor was.

True noble demeanor isn't about flaunting wealth or putting on a show of politeness; it's not about being arrogant and condescending. It's a genuine confidence and etiquette from within. Now, in Xu Yan's eyes, every cell of this girl exuded true noble demeanor, making those around her feel inferior.

Xu Yan couldn't help but think: if this girl were to act in ancient costume martial arts films, she wouldn't even need makeup. Her appearance alone would outshine all the current popular actresses.

Clearly, Xu Yan wasn't the only one who noticed the girl's beauty. The men and women in the KFC, either avoiding the rain or eating, also looked at her with admiration or jealousy. As she walked, many poor male companions were pinched by their girlfriends.

The girl, being the center of attention, seemed very uncomfortable. She frowned and looked around seriously, her beautiful and innocent face showing a stern dignity. But strangely, her eyes were filled with suspicion and caution, as if she were a villager entering the city for the first time—dignity and shyness, two completely different auras, alternated on her, which was quite surprising.

When the girl passed by Xu Yan, he had just finished his juice and was getting up to get a refill. He stood up and followed the girl, joining the queue to buy food. Standing behind the girl, Xu Yan admired her beautiful back and could smell the faint, elegant fragrance she emitted, a fresh scent like grass and trees. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.

As if sensing something, the girl turned around and glared at Xu Yan angrily, muttering something and quickly turning back.

"What did she say? Pervert... pervert?"

Xu Yan took a step back, embarrassed: although he didn't hear clearly what the girl said, her angry expression clearly wasn't a good sign. His face turned red instantly. But now, he was in the queue, and if he left after being glared at, it would seem like he was guilty.

Xu Yan was hesitating when, at that moment, the person in front of him finished ordering, and it was the girl's turn to order.

"Welcome, what would you like to order?" the KFC cashier asked quickly.

Xu Yan heard the girl say, "Shopkeeper, I want—what the person in front of me ordered."

The cashier was taken aback by the strange address but quickly reacted, "Understood, please wait a moment."

The young cashier quickly pressed a few buttons on the machine, "One McSpicy Chicken Meal, one Coke, a total of 17.5 yuan. Would you like anything else?"

"Just that, shopkeeper, please serve the food."

"Okay, miss, please pay 17.5 yuan, thank you."

"Pay—does that mean settle the bill?" the girl asked, nodding to herself, "I guess it should be."

Then, she took out a money pouch from her sleeve and handed over something, "Shopkeeper, 17 coins, please take them."

Seeing what the girl handed over, the female cashier was surprised, "Sorry, miss, we only accept RMB. This kind of—uh, this kind of thing, we don't accept. Please pay in RMB, thank you!"

As she spoke, she blocked the girl's hand, and a round object fell from the girl's hand, spinning on the counter and making a clear sound. Xu Yan looked over: the shape and material were clearly a round copper coin with a square hole.

Seeing this, several customers in the queue laughed, "This girl, is she playing a costume game and lost her mind? Using copper coins to buy things?"

"You're right, those copper coins look very real, the sound is just like the real thing, and they're quite heavy."

Amid the laughter, the girl's face turned slightly red. She looked puzzled, looking at the copper coin in her hand and then at the cashier. After a moment, she said seriously, "Shopkeeper, please rest assured, this is not counterfeit money. This is the official currency of the Ming Dynasty, the Da Ming Tong Bao, of full weight and genuine."

Hearing this, the onlookers burst into laughter, "Haha, this girl is really silly!"

"Hey, beautiful, stop playing! Hurry up, are you done yet? We're still waiting in the queue!"

The cashier also laughed, "Sorry, miss, we only accept RMB. Miss, we've never heard of your copper coins, and we don't accept them."

The girl was stunned, asking in disbelief, "What, you don't accept Da Ming Tong Bao?"

"Sorry, we really don't accept it, miss. Please pay in RMB."

The girl looked confused, hesitating for a moment, as if confirming that the cashier wasn't joking. Then, she seriously searched her sleeve and took out a few small silver pieces, "Here are a few ounces of silver, do you accept them?"

The cashier shook her head, "Sorry, miss, we only accept RMB—sorry, miss, please hurry up, there are other customers waiting."

"Oh." The girl held the copper coins and silver pieces, her face turning red. Being refused in front of everyone, she felt very embarrassed and at a loss. At this moment, Xu Yan, standing behind her, couldn't bear to see her in such a predicament. He stepped forward and handed a 50-yuan note to the cashier, "Sorry, my friend likes to joke. One McSpicy Chicken Meal, please add an orange juice and an ice cream, thank you."

The cashier looked at Xu Yan and the girl, seemingly misunderstanding something, and smiled understandingly, "Okay, that's 29 yuan in total. I'll take 50 yuan from you and give you 21 yuan in change. Please wait, your order will be ready soon."

Seeing that Xu Yan had bought the food for her, the girl was surprised. She took a step back, opened her eyes wide, and glared at Xu Yan suspiciously, silently asking: What do you want? What's your purpose?

Xu Yan smiled bitterly: throughout his life, he had always been a well-behaved student, and being misunderstood as having ulterior motives was a first for him.

He raised his hand and said calmly, "No other intention, when you're out, everyone has their moments of inconvenience. It's just a small favor, miss..."

Xu Yan hesitated—modern Chinese had given the word "miss" too many connotations, and the girl was already very cautious. Afraid of being misunderstood, Xu Yan didn't dare to use the word. Seeing her age, he thought she was probably still a student, so he said, "Miss... classmate, don't worry, it's a small matter."

Perhaps because of Xu Yan's sincere tone or the upright demeanor in his eyes, the girl stared at him for a while, and her expression gradually softened. She lifted her skirt and bowed, "Thank you, sir, for your help today. May I ask your name and where you are from? Please leave your address, so I can repay your kindness in the future."

Hearing the girl's words, Xu Yan felt a headache: he knew she was playing a Hanfu cosplay, but she didn't have to be so into it. Seeing her perform the ancient bow so smoothly and naturally, it was clear she was a serious Hanfu enthusiast.

"Miss, you're too kind. Helping others is a small matter, not worth mentioning."

Seeing the girl's performance, Xu Yan was also infected and dropped a line of classical Chinese. He wanted to talk more, but the cashier had already brought the food, "Here you are, one chicken leg burger for the miss, one iced black tea, one orange juice, and one ice cream for the sir. Please enjoy."

Xu Yan nodded to the girl and took his food back to his seat. He sat down, but before he could start eating, he suddenly froze: the girl was standing in front of his seat, holding a tray.

"You..."

Before Xu Yan could speak, the girl spoke first, "Sir, you are generous and don't seek repayment, but I am not ungrateful. According to my family's tradition, we don't accept favors without repayment. Since you are of high character and do good without seeking recognition, I would like to repay you with Da Ming Tong Bao. Would you accept it?"

"Ah? What kind of Tong Bao?"

"Sir, may I sit down?"

"Ah... yes, yes, please sit, please sit."

The girl nodded in thanks and sat down gracefully. She took out a purse from her sleeve, "The shopkeeper said you spent '17 yuan.' I don't know how much '17 yuan' is, but I would like to repay you with 17 Da Ming Tong Bao. Would that be acceptable?"

She paused, seeing Xu Yan's stunned expression, and thought for a moment, bowing slightly, "Perhaps the food here is very expensive, and 17 coins are not enough to repay you. That... is indeed my fault. Please don't be angry."

She thought for a moment and took out a gold ingot from her purse, "This is a five-tael gold ingot, officially minted by the Ministry of Revenue. It should cover your expenses. Please accept it."

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