Chapter 83

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Chen Xi didn’t go to the recruitment platform at all. After leaving the government office, he was planning to skip work. As for whether he would be caught by Man Chong for misconduct, Chen Xi had already prepared his excuse—being the governor, he needed to understand the situation in his jurisdiction to avoid being misled, so he intended to investigate the public sentiment, which was a perfectly legitimate reason!

Skipping work to go home, Fan Jian was reading at home, a family heirloom-level book that was said to be worth a thousand gold pieces per volume. Fan Jian had read quite a bit of it, and according to Chen Xi, there was no need to understand everything deeply; it was enough to have a general idea.

"Jian, are you going out?" Chen Xi pushed the door open, only to see Fan Jian quickly stuffing something under the quilt.

"Ouch!" Fan Jian, who was hiding something, inadvertently touched something and winced, whispering in pain.

"Embroidery?" Chen Xi asked curiously.

"Not for you to see." Fan Jian said unhappily, still having a child's temper.

"Is your embroidery not good? Show me your hand." Chen Xi teased.

But Chen Xi soon realized that Fan Jian had probably been pricked by a needle accidentally.

Pulling Fan Jian's left hand over, he saw a few small dots on her slender, fair fingers, likely from previous embroidery or other needlework. Thinking about it, it seemed like something was missing from Fan Jian's hand.

"Let's go, I'll take you and Lan out to buy some cosmetics. Staying at home all day, you might grow moss." Chen Xi reached out and pulled Fan Jian up, tossing the needle and thread into a nearby bamboo basket.

"Going out?" Fan Jian, who rarely went out, had already gotten used to everything at home and didn’t have much desire to go out. However, as Chen Xi’s wife, she couldn’t refuse her husband’s invitation. After a moment’s thought, she nodded, "Let me change my clothes."

"Alright, hurry up. I’ll go tell Lan." Chen Xi glanced at Fan Jian and left.

Chen Xi then went to the back yard to inform Chen Lan. After being expelled from the Chen family, Chen Xi had freed Chen Lan from her slave status. She was now a free person but still lived in Chen Xi’s home. Chen Xi didn’t mind, and neither did Fan Jian, who didn’t care whether Chen Lan was there or not.

Because of this, Chen Lan still did what she used to do, not dancing or singing, but taking care of Chen Xi. As for serving tea, washing clothes, and cooking, the old steward had assigned these tasks to the newly hired servants. Chen Xi generally didn’t need anyone to take care of him, so Chen Lan’s duties were similar to Fan Jian’s. At the time, there were many people who had sold themselves into slavery, and buying servants to provide them with food was actually a good thing, though it was a helpless society…

Sure enough, when Chen Xi pushed the door open, Chen Lan was lying lazily on the bed, reading a book.

"Ah!" Chen Lan was clearly startled by Chen Xi’s entrance and immediately sat up with a scream.

"What’s the matter? Get up, lazy pig. I’m taking you and Jian out to buy some cosmetics. Fenggao is finally built, and I haven’t had a good look around yet. Tell me what you want to buy, and I’ll bring the money." Chen Xi said helplessly, watching Chen Lan hurriedly throw the book to the ground.

If those who loved books saw this, they might have beaten Chen Lan, but Chen Xi clearly didn’t intend to make a fuss over such a small matter. His mindset hadn’t been twisted yet.

"Master…" Chen Lan said softly, kneeling on the bed.

"What is it?" Chen Xi didn’t bother making Chen Lan change her address, as he quite liked being called "Master." Although Chen Lan was no longer his songstress, she would occasionally dance for him, performing fan dances and twirling, which was quite entertaining in the dim light. As for Fan Jian, Chen Xi had only seen her dance once when she was drunk, and it was quite stunning, but Fan Jian firmly refused to let Chen Xi mention that incident, turning red even to her neck whenever he brought it up.

"If Lady goes, I shouldn’t go." Chen Lan said softly, her head down, fidgeting with the quilt. It was clear she really wanted to go.

"Don’t worry, Jian is a bit simple and doesn’t have much awareness. As long as you don’t bully her, she’s easy to deal with." Chen Xi said nonchalantly, having spent four months with Fan Jian and understanding her personality.

Fan Jian was very obedient, doing whatever Chen Xi asked. Most of the time, she stayed in her room and rarely came out. Chen Xi believed that staying at home for too long made one naturally simple and even a bit cute. However, this was also good, as he didn’t worry about Fan Jian deliberately causing trouble for Chen Lan. After all, compared to Fan Jian, Chen Lan had truly been through hardships with him. In such a situation, shouldn’t she have offered herself to him?

Chen Lan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, then asked Chen Xi to leave her room so she could change her clothes.

"Too slow." Chen Xi sat at the stone table outside, wondering why changing clothes took so long. He remembered that he usually just threw on a new set of clothes. Speaking of which, who handled his laundry? He only remembered that new clothes were always placed by his bed in the morning. He should wake up early tomorrow to see who prepared his clothes.

Just as Chen Xi was getting bored, Fan Jian and Chen Lan crossed the moon gate one after the other.

Wearing a simple white blouse, her hair styled in a married woman’s bun with a gold hairpin, her fair face blushed slightly.

Chen Xi stared at Fan Jian’s lips, wondering if she had used lipstick.

"Master, why are you staring at me? Are you tired of waiting?" Fan Jian asked curiously, looking at Chen Xi.

"Just curious. Let’s go, I’ll take you shopping. After all, I finally built Fenggao, and I haven’t had a good look around yet." Chen Xi shook his head, deciding to maintain his dignity in public and ask later.

Fan Jian reached out and held Chen Xi’s arm, leaning against him, slightly behind him. Chen Lan followed behind, looking at Fan Jian with a hint of envy. She could have done the same, and she knew Chen Xi wouldn’t refuse, but she felt a bit embarrassed with Chen Lan around.

Walking down the street, Chen Xi felt the softness of the body next to him, his heart stirring. After all, Fan Jian was quite beautiful and his fiancée, and with Fan Liang’s hints, if not for her young age, Chen Xi would have already acted on his desires.

At first, Chen Xi and Fan Jian shared a bed, but it was a torment. Fan Jian would unconsciously lean against him, and Chen Xi couldn’t act, so they eventually started sleeping separately. When he suggested this, he noticed that Fan Jian’s eyes had a strange look.

Walking down the street, Chen Xi felt a sense of pride. The cobblestone road and the neatly lined shops were a far cry from the dilapidated state a few months ago. The dirty and polluted streets had been cleaned up by Chen Xi’s strict regulations, and no one now defecated or urinated in the streets. If animals soiled the streets, the owner had to clean it up.

Chen Xi knew that in this era, there were no good disease prevention measures. The cleaner, the safer. If an epidemic broke out, the recently revived Taishan would collapse, and the entire city might become a dead zone.

Chen Xi took a few steps in one direction, then turned back and asked Fan Jian, "Do you know where the shops selling cosmetics are?" Chen Xi clearly felt a bit uncomfortable, as he was also a homebody, but in the government office.

"I don’t know. Didn’t you order the city to be built? Don’t you know?" Fan Jian shook her head, curious, "Lan probably knows. I haven’t left the house since I came to Taishan."

Chen Xi and Fan Jian’s gazes made Chen Lan uncomfortable, and she mumbled, "I haven’t been out either!"

Well, three homebodies stood at their doorstep, looking at the street, and sighed in unison. Then Chen Xi laughed.

"Never mind, this shows what the city lacks. I’ll have someone make signposts and even earn some money. Let’s go ask for directions." Chen Xi said helplessly, realizing that none of them knew the way. They were all homebodies.

Thinking about it, Chen Xi spent his days in the government office, Fan Jian had never left the house, and Chen Lan, as a songstress, naturally didn’t go out. When someone stays at home for too long, they lose the desire to go out.

As the head of the household, Chen Xi couldn’t let the two women, who rarely interacted with outsiders, ask for directions. While asking for directions, they wandered around, and Chen Xi, who had initially skipped work under the pretext of investigating public sentiment, noticed many issues.

Chen Xi smiled as he put a bracelet on Fan Jian. For girls like Fan Jian and Chen Lan, who had everything, buying things wasn’t important; what mattered was finding something they liked. As long as they weren’t hungry, Chen Xi had all the time in the world to indulge them, but once his stomach started to protest, he wouldn’t hesitate.

After the tax increase, Liu Bei wasn’t poor anymore. He had paid all the salaries and given a substantial reward, so Chen Xi had plenty of money. Whenever Fan Jian or Chen Lan lingered over a piece of jewelry or cosmetics for more than five seconds, Chen Xi would immediately buy it, not giving them time to choose. They swept through the street, which would have taken much longer, and soon reached the end, both satisfied.