The First Volume of Qinghe County

  Ximen Qing suddenly let out a loud shout, and the two nerds next to him immediately changed their expression, pulling up their legs and running away while loudly shouting: "The government is catching people! Run quickly!"

  "What's going on? Are they arresting someone?" The crowd that had been surrounding the teahouse suddenly stirred, and everyone's first reaction was to quickly disperse.

  Are you here to watch the commotion? People come to see beautiful women, not to watch government officials arresting people. What if things go wrong and you get caught up in it? Who knows who the officials are after?

  After a while, the tea shop was suddenly empty, and Wang Po, who was confused, hurriedly chased after people to collect money. Meanwhile, Pan Jinlian, who had been entangled in a complicated situation, looked up and met Ximen Qing's gaze from afar!

  For a moment, both of them were speechless, with only the banner on top of the teahouse fluttering in the wind.

  "Ximen the great official, Jinlian pays her respects!"

  "Oh dear, isn't this County Magistrate Ximen's esteemed self?" Wang Po turned around and bowed from a distance: "Magistrate, please come quickly and have a bowl of my harmonious soup. There is something that I, an old woman, want to discuss with you."

  Then Wang Po urged Pan Jinlian: "Sixth lady, hurry up and serve the soup, it should be hot!"

  Pan Jinlian's heart was in a flurry, and she hastily performed a courtesy, then went to ladle out the soup.

  Ximen Qing coughed and, of course, didn't want to say that he was the one who had just let out a loud shout, which had disrupted the business at Wang Po's teahouse. He walked over with a swagger and tossed a banknote onto the table: "Wang Po, this is for the tea."

  Wang Po took a look at what was in her hand, and it turned out to be Zhang Shiyuan's IOU note. Instantly, the walnut lines on her face all smiled open: "Master is too polite, where did you use so much?"

  Although Old Lady Wang said so with her mouth, her hands were very clear and direct, and she directly put away the IOU.

  My dear! Even if you open a tea house for a year, it's unlikely that you'll be able to make ten taels of silver.

  "It doesn't matter, if you can't use it now, just save it for next time." Ximen Qing's eyes were fixed on Pan Jinlian's back, completely ignoring Wang Po.

  The old woman saw this situation, and in her heart she was secretly delighted. If this matter were to be successful, it would not be just a matter of ten taels. At the very least, she could get several tens of taels from Ximen Qing, and she wouldn't even need to open her tea house anymore. She could directly buy two maidservants and enjoy a life of ease and comfort.

  Before long, Pan Jinlian carefully brought over the wonton soup, looking very thrifty with it filled to the brim. Ximen Qing stood up intending to take the soup from her, but for some reason, he shamelessly grasped both of Pan Jinlian's slender hands instead.

  Pan Jinlian held a bowl of wonton soup and had nowhere to hide. Ximen Qing's large hand grasped Pan Jinlian's small hand, steadily holding the bowl of wonton soup.

  The atmosphere on the scene suddenly became subtle.

  "Ah, Master Ximen, what's this?" Pan Jinlian felt the warmth transmitted from Ximen Qing's palm, and her heart was suddenly in great turmoil.

  What's going on with this Director Xi? Last time, he touched my chest by accident, but this time, he directly held my hands, isn't that intentional?

  "Huh, what's wrong with me?" Ximen Qing didn't come to his senses for a moment, and it wasn't until several seconds later that he realized he was still tightly holding onto Pan Jinlian's small hand.

  Why am I doing this myself? Is it because of muscle memory from practicing martial arts to the extreme?

  Anyway, it's better to let go of the girl's hand first, holding on to it all the time is not a big deal, so Ximen Qing coughed and somewhat awkwardly released his hand.

  What Ximen Qing did not expect was that Pan Jinlian also pulled her hand back at the same time, and as a result, the originally stable bowl of wonton soup directly fell down and came into close contact with the table.

  What a bowl of harmonious and delicious soup!

  Bowl, shattered into pieces; soup, splashing everywhere.

  Pan Jinlian dodged in time, and the hem of her clothes was only slightly wet, while Ximen Qing happened to be facing her directly. The new robe he had changed into that morning was now utterly ruined. Not only was his abdomen soaked, but his chest was also splattered with lilies and silver fungus.

  This...

  "Good heavens, sir! Why so impatient to drink the soup?" Just then, Wang Po appeared at the right moment: "Jinlian, don't you hurry up and get a handkerchief for the master to wipe his mouth?"

  Pan Jinlian, in a flurry, couldn't find the handkerchief no matter how hard she looked. Ximen Qing, smelling the sweet scent on himself, felt somewhat tearfully amused. Fortunately, he had scared most people away with his shout earlier, so no one was watching the commotion. Otherwise, the image of County Magistrate Ximen being utterly humiliated would have spread throughout Qinghe County, and perhaps even Yanggu County would be telling this story as a joke.

  Damn it, no matter how I look at it, it seems like County Magistrate was trying to flirt with a common woman but ended up getting splashed with hot water instead.

  Watching Pan Jinlian patting herself all over, she couldn't find a handkerchief anywhere. Ximen Qing simply took out his own handkerchief and was about to wipe himself clean when Pan Jinlian's face turned slightly red as she came over to take the handkerchief from him: "Sir, let me do it for you."

  The old woman Wang stood still on one side, watching the commotion with no intention of coming over to help.

  Ximen Qing stood up straight, while Pan Jinlian bent down and used a handkerchief to wipe away the splashed soup and ingredients, using various techniques such as wiping, dusting, and pinching.

  Smelling the faint scent emanating from Pan Jinlian's hair, Ximen Qing suddenly felt a special sensation. Before crossing over, although he had girlfriends, he often fantasized about beautiful female celebrities - it was only human nature.

  But now, a beautiful woman who looks even better than a movie star is rubbing, dusting and pinching herself, causing Ximen Qing to fall into a daze, until Pan Jinlian suddenly cries out in surprise, only then does he come back to his senses.

  Ximen the official was enjoying himself when he suddenly found that he had hardened, and the position just happened to be stuck with a piece of silver fungus. Pan Jinlian wiped it off and pinched it by hand...

  The silver earrings were pinched off, but inevitably, Pan Jinlian also pinched a small place that shouldn't be pinched. Very naturally, the hard thing bounced back slightly.

  Pan Jinlian was originally half squatting, but now she didn't know whether to stand up or continue wiping, because Ximen Qing's lower garment had obviously been tented.

  Ximen Qing coughed shamelessly, shifted half a step to the side, bent down and dusted himself off, while also tilting the tent to the side: "Alright, alright, that's enough."

  The old woman watched from the side with a clear understanding, and in her heart she was already overjoyed. These several dozen strings of cash, it seemed, were about to fall into her own pocket.

  Pan Jinlian's face turned red as she stood up and bowed: "Sir, I apologize for the offense."

  "Sixth lady, what's wrong? What's wrong?" Old Lady Wang smiled and walked up: "The official is still happy, how can he be offended?"

  "Is that so, sir?"

  Ximen Qing was stared at by Wang Po, making him feel quite uncomfortable. He couldn't just turn a blind eye, so he coughed and said, "It's nothing, just spilled some soup, no big deal."

  "Sixth Lady, I'll go refill the official's bowl." Wang Po seemed to have stolen a chicken and couldn't stop smiling: "Sixth Lady, stay here and chat with the official for a while."

  Can't talk anymore, if we keep talking something will happen!

  Ximen Qing watched as the old woman walked towards the back, not to fetch soup, but to hide and give himself and Pan Jinlian an opportunity. However, this was a bustling market!

  What is this old lady thinking!!!! Doesn't care about time or place or occasion at all.

  Seeing several passersby casting ambiguous glances, Ximen Qing hastily withdrew from the teahouse: "This... I still have some business at the Jade Emperor Temple, let's drink again next time!"

  "Sir, don't forget!" Wang Po waved goodbye reluctantly: "Often go to Lao Baba's teahouse and sit for a while, I'll get Liu Niang to keep you company!"

  Wiping away the sweat, Ximen Qing continued to walk up the mountain, while Pan Jinlian gazed at his back, her heart filled with a mix of emotions, vaguely feeling that in her own heart, Ximen Qing was slowly taking over the main position.

  "A bowl of tea!" A fat man walked into a teahouse, shouting loudly: "I've been squeezed all day and I'm dying of thirst!"

  "Sorry, the teahouse is closing." Wang Po directly refused with one word and then immediately drove people out.

  "What's what?" The fatty stamped his foot and said, "You're already resting at this early hour? Don't you want to do business anymore, old lady? Master has plenty of money!"

  "That's enough, I'm tired, rest!" Wang Po roughly pushed the fat man out and started cleaning up: "Sixth Lady come help me."

  Kidding me? With ten taels already in hand and several tens more waiting for myself, who would be willing to continue slaving away in this broken-down teahouse?

  "You!" The fat man left helplessly.

  "Mother-in-law, why don't you do business anymore?" Pan Jinlian asked in puzzlement.

  "Sixth Lady, your matter is urgent, what business are you still doing?" Wang Po laughed.

  "Nothing's going on at our place?"

  "The great official must have gone to the front of the Jade Emperor Temple to burn incense, let's hurry up and pack up, we'll also go burn some incense, try to exchange a few more words with the great official." Wang Po thought to herself with satisfaction: "Such a good opportunity, can't be missed, just now the great official must have been looking at the crowd, didn't dare to say much."

  Pan Jinlian was not given time to think much, and was urged by Wang Po to pack up this and that. Wang Po simply packed everything hastily, piling all the things together, covering them with a mat, and pulling Pan Jinlian along as she went up the mountain.

  "Is your master at home?" Ximen Qing asked directly, grabbing a small Taoist priest from the crowd in front of the Jade Emperor Palace.

  "Isn't this Lord Ximen?" The little Taoist priest seemed to have met Ximen Qing a few times before, and he said with delight: "Today is crowded, my master is idle in the back hall, and only a few senior brothers are in charge at the front. Lord, please follow me."

  "Alright! Lead the way!"

  The little Taoist led Ximen Qing to make three turns, opened the corner door on the side, and brought Ximen Qing to the back. It was exactly the Taoist temple of Wu Daoguan, the master of the Jade Emperor Palace, where ordinary people were not allowed to enter.

  Ximen Qing raised his head and saw a couplet posted on the door pillars on both sides:

  The cave has no end of years, and the sky outside has another universe.