Chapter Thirty: The Great Snow

  The body was properly buried, and both of them felt a sense of relief. Xu Xian bid farewell to Jin Wancheng, who said: "Thank you for your help this time, Mr. Xu. I should have given you some gifts, but I'm afraid it would be an insult to you." The debate over the distinction between righteousness and profit among scholars has been going on for thousands of years, but in the end, they are still ashamed to talk about profit.

  Xu Xian smiled and said: "I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you!"

  "What!" Jin Wancheng exclaimed in surprise.

  "Come on, horse, trample me to death!"

  A gentleman loves wealth, and is open-minded. Jin Wancheng heard this and couldn't help but smile, feeling that Xu Xian was not like an ordinary scholar. He patted him on the shoulder and said: "Come to Jinling another day, and let me fulfill my duties as a host!"

  Xu Xian smiled and nodded his head, then left with a splash.

  Jin Wancheng stood for a while longer, then a young man came over and said, "Dad, it's getting cool at night, let's go back!"

  Jin Wancheng nodded and asked: "Has the Magistrate sent him back?"

  "He was sent back, we were worried sick, but he slept like a dead pig."

  Jin Wancheng glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking about? If you had half the virtue of Xu Xian's family, I'd be at ease!" This is probably a bad habit that parents of any era and social status can't change.

  Young people were somewhat dissatisfied: "It doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary!"

  "What else can you see besides prostitutes? You're surrounded by drinking buddies, not a decent one among them. Forget it, these words are useless to you now, but someday you'll understand. Aren't you good at writing satirical essays? Write an obituary for this brother."

  The young man said in a huff: "I can't write it, how annoying!"

  Jin Wancheng stopped in his tracks, turned around and stared at him with a fierce gaze. "He died for the sake of our Jin family."

  An ordinary young man would have been scared stiff by now, but this young fellow refused to back down. "You're just using others for your own writing."

  Jin Wancheng shook his head and said, "You don't understand!" With power comes no borrowing, yet he can't even take this step. But someone died for him without sorrow, and that's an even more impossible step. True feelings and false intentions, the complexity of human hearts has never been easily judged by true or false. "You have to write, whether you want to or not."

  "I'll just write it then." The young man echoed, and also secretly remembered Xu Xian's name in his heart.

  Xu Xian knocked on the door of the Xuangui Guan, and soon the door creaked open, but only a sliver of it. "Shifu," said a voice from within.

  "What's going on? Let me in."

  "Master is going into seclusion, from today on, no one can see him except for Zhūn'r, hehe!" Zhūn'r had a smug look on his face.

  Xu Xian reached out and tapped her forehead "What's with the hehe, why are you closing the door for no reason!" Zhū ér immediately forgot to block the door, covering his head and wanting to kill Xu Xian with his eyes.

  Xu Xian naturally ignored her gaze attack, just about to walk in, Yu Xuanji's voice came faintly: "Junior brother, I will be closed for retreat and practice these days, you don't need to come, what I can teach you has been taught, you just cultivate well."

  Xu Xian was taken aback, and inwardly smiled wryly: it seemed that he had offended someone this time. However, he also felt somewhat resentful - wasn't it you who made me run away? Now you're not even acknowledging me. But in the end, he was the one who benefited the most. At this point, all Xu Xian could do was turn around and leave, saying: "I'll come again tomorrow."

  In the depths of the courtyard, a sigh echoes, lingering and entwining, but what is it that causes this sigh?

  Standing at the gate of the mysterious machine, Xu Xian let out a deep sigh. So many days had passed, yet he was still in seclusion.

  It's just a backpack, it won't make you lose weight, is it worth it? Xuxian muttered.

  Heavy snow is falling outside the door, and this snow has been falling for three days. Who would have thought that such a big snowfall would suddenly come at this time?

  Xu Xian took a deep breath of cold air and felt his heart clear. He exclaimed loudly: "What great snow!"

  Headed towards West Lake, the road was sparse with people, and it was even more quiet by the lake, with only the sound of snow falling heavily. However, this did not diminish my enthusiasm for sightseeing at all. After walking around the lake for a while, I saw a boat moored by the willows, and Xu Xian walked closer and said, "Is anyone inside?"

  "What's going on?" An old man wearing a raincoat came out of the boat, seemingly a fisherman.

  Xu Xian said: "Old gentleman, if you're not busy, take me with you. I'd like to go and have a look at the Lake Heart Pavilion."

  The old man didn't ask Xu Xian why he wanted to go or how much money he had, but after sizing him up with a glance, said: "Come in!"

  Xu Xian felt that he had met a wonderful person, and without saying much more, he entered the boat, but saw in the corner a white figure, a little girl sitting with her knees tucked under her.

  Xu Xian exclaimed in surprise: "Eh, little sister, what are you doing here?" It turned out that this little girl was the one he had met on the night of the First Snow Festival last time.

  The little girl glared at him and said: "Who is your sister, stay away from me." Big eyes, glare even more like a doll.

  The fisherman pushed the boat, and the small boat left the shore. However, he heard the fisherman's voice, like a loud bell, coming from afar: "My granddaughter has been spoiled since she was young, with a stubborn temper, don't blame her, sir."

  Xu Xian braved the wind and snow to walk into the cabin, smiling: "You're still young, it's right that you should be spoiled a bit, when you grow up you'll understand things." He thought this little girl was only twelve or thirteen years old, so he spoke like this. But in this era, at this age, getting married wasn't uncommon. This showed some difference in their way of thinking.

  The old man laughed and said: "I'm already not young." But this ordinary fisherman had a majestic aura, which was revealed in his words and made people's hearts move.

  Xu Xian asked: "Old fellow, why have you come here? With such a big snowfall, why aren't you resting at home?"

  The old man sighed: "It's for the sake of this granddaughter, I entrusted her to my relatives in Hangzhou, but she ran back to find me, so I sent her back."

  "It's none of my business, but I'll just say this: I've managed to catch up with you this time, won't I be holding you back?"

  "No trouble at all, it's on my way."

  Xu Xian didn't say much more, and through the thick snow veil, he gazed far into the distance, where misty clouds shrouded everything. The sky, clouds, mountains, and water all blended together in a vast expanse of white. On the lake's surface, only a few shadows were visible: the long dike was just a thin line, the pavilion on the lake's center was a single point, and the boat was merely a small speck, with two or three tiny dots representing people inside. It was truly a majestic sight, with the vastness of heaven and earth, and the beauty of the scene.

  As they gradually approached the Lake Heart Pavilion, faint voices could be heard, and Xu Xian was surprised. Were there still people at this hour?

  "This young master, the old man will take a step first. There are people above who will take you back." The old man finished speaking and rowed the boat back, not mentioning the fare at all. Xu Xian knew he was an extraordinary person and didn't say much either, bowing his hands to say: "Thank you, old sir."

  The boat has gone far away, and the snow seems to be getting bigger. Before long, the small boat disappeared into the snowy curtain, and the old man's singing voice came faintly: "The water of Canglang is moving, and my voice can be heard. The water of Canglang is calm, and my shape can be hidden."

  The song floats gently, unbroken like a thread. In Xu Xian's mind, such a scene emerges: white snow covers the black cloak, the old man sings and laughs, and sails away on a boat.

  "Who comes?" A loud shout, Xu Xian turned his head and saw a young man in red clothes standing on the pavilion, questioning him. Xu Xian saw that he was being rude and didn't answer him, walking straight into the pavilion. As he went up, he was taken aback - there were actually quite a few people here. The ground was covered with mats, a stove was placed in the middle, and there was wine and food, with servant girls serving. A group of people were holding cups and chatting, and when they saw Xu Xian, they all turned their faces towards him, including several familiar faces.

  Xia Zi period saw Xu Xian and immediately put on a smiling face: "I thought who had such elegant interest, alone in the boat. It turned out to be Xu Tan Hua." With a smile on his face, he was disgusted to death in his heart. But with this remark, people at the banquet table, whether they knew Xu Xian or not, all stood up respectfully, and that "Qing Yu An" had already spread, and everyone who heard it was moved to tears!

  Before Xu Xian could respond, the young man in red approached him, laughing and pulling him along, saying: "I thought it was some blind fool who had stumbled into our poetry gathering. I didn't expect it to be an honored guest arriving at our door. My name is Jin Shengjie, and I was quite rude just now, so I'll punish myself with three cups of wine." With that, he downed three full cups from the wine table.

  After drinking, he pulled Xu Xian to his seat. After a brief introduction by others, Xu Xian only then learned that Jin Shengjie was the youngest son of Jin Wancheng, the richest man in Jiangnan, and had recently arrived in Hangzhou. Upon inquiry, it turned out that he had come to visit because he had heard that the number one talented woman in Jiangnan was here, and couldn't even wait until after the New Year.

  He invited scholars from Hangzhou to gather and drink together. When they had drunk half, a heavy snowfall began, so he moved the party here, where they admired the snow while drinking wine and discussing literature and poetry.

  "It turned out to be Mr. Jin's son, and Xu Xian showed respect." Xu Xian still had some respect for Jin Wancheng.

  Jin Shengjie had a playful smile on his face, Xuxian forgot him, but he still remembered Xuxian's appearance. On the night of Yuanxiao, under the Dinggu Tower, he sat with two beauties, later helped Lao Die to retrieve those six black diamonds, and was scolded again, truly an unforgettable memory. Today, he had to find a way to regain his composure.

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