Chapter 21: Getting Close to the True Self and Seeing One's Nature

  Xue Xiang lazily ignored them and said, "Are you Chen Fosheng? Come out, I have something to discuss with you." Xue Xiang directly disregarded the dog skin hat and called out Chen Fosheng.

  Chen Fosheng's face turned bitter, and before he could speak, Xue Xiang's words were intercepted by Dogskin Hat: "What? Snatching from Master Buddha, snatching from my brother Sheng's head, you've blinded your dog eyes. Brothers, someone is coming to snatch food from our bowl, what do you think we should do?"

  Eight or nine young men behind him shouted in unison: "Get lost!"

  Xue Xiang couldn't help but feel a little amused, thinking that the fights he had been in over the past two days were more than he had experienced in his entire previous life. Before Xue Xiang could respond, someone nearby shouted: "Everyone come quick! Someone is fighting with Third Brother!" It turned out that some "concerned onlookers" from the neighborhood had discovered the commotion and, upon seeing that one of the parties involved was Third Brother, loudly called out for others to come. Clearly, this person enjoyed watching a good fight and wasn't afraid of getting involved in other people's business.

  The enthusiastic crowd shouted, and the ice rink suddenly became like boiling water, thoroughly bubbling up. Several hundred people slid towards this side at the same time, scaring the students and young workers who were sliding on the ice to hurry and make way. In the chaos, it was unknown how many fell down. Some slid while shouting: "Today's trip to the ice rink is worthwhile, not only did we meet San Ge, but also met someone who dared to play with San Ge, it's really fresh, it's been a long time since we've had so much fun." The crowd laughed in unison and agreed.

  The dog skin hat didn't think that just grabbing a pair of roller skates and catching a Buddha would cause such a big commotion. Several hundred people slid closer and closer, eventually forming a small circle, with the leader of the gang standing in front, coldly staring at the dog skin hat and his companions.

  "Third Brother, is this the group of people you're looking for? Take a break and let us have some fun." The speaker was a sturdy young man with a ruddy complexion.

  "Who knows where these guys are from."

  "I know, I know, they're from South City, and now they've come to our East City to catch the Buddha."

  "Damn it, our own Buddha is not enough, do we need these guys to come and help?"

  "Who dares to compete with me for food?"

  …………

  The crowd suddenly became excited, and the curses flew back and forth. Xue Xiang raised his hand to calm them down, and the crowd immediately fell silent. Xue Xiang turned to the red-faced young man and said: "Qiangzi, I'll leave these people in your care. Pay special attention to this dog-skin hat-wearing guy, especially his eyes. Help him get some color on his face." Xue Xiang was determined to get revenge, still remembering the insults from the dog-skin hat-wearing guy earlier. The young man called Qiangzi responded with a "yes" and summoned his younger brothers to drag away the guys who had been scared pale.

  Chen Fosheng stood by, his eyes wide with wonder, not knowing who the tall young man in front of him was. He only saw that with a few words, the dog skin hat was dragged away. For a moment, Chen Fosheng's admiration for Xue Xiang was like Zhou Xingxing's famous phrase "horse's fart", of course, Chen Fosheng's heart was purely admiring.

  Li Hongjun slapped Chen Fosheng on the shoulder and said, "You're still so reckless. Why don't you dare to fight with them? Come see San Ge, we have something to discuss with you."

  Chen Fosheng hastily made a bow to Xue Xiang, saying: "Third Brother is great, I've long heard of your great name, in this ice rink it's even gotten to the point where my ears are numb from hearing about you. Unfortunately, I'm not lucky and have never had the chance to meet you. Today we met and you helped me out so much, no need to say more. For lunch, I'll treat you, at Jingcheng Restaurant, how about it?" Chen Fosheng said this while looking at Xue Xiang with a hopeful face, hoping he would agree, so that in the future he could brag about it when going out.

  Xue Xiangdao: "Eating is not urgent, I'm looking for you today because there's something important. This isn't a place to talk, let's find somewhere else to discuss it in detail." As he spoke, Xue Xiang led the way out of the arena, exchanging greetings with Qiangzi and his friends as they left. The group was busy collecting dog skin hats, and from afar, they could hear the sound of wailing.

  Xue Xiang and several others left the ice rink, found a pavilion nearby to sit down, and explained their intention to Chen Fusheng. As soon as Chen Fusheng heard this, he patted his chest and said: "I guarantee that Lao Touzi will buy it. Let's say I broke your vase, so Lao Touzi won't be able to not buy it." He was eager to sell out his ancestors for personal gain, while others were just harming their fathers, he had already reached the level of harming his grandfather.

  Xue Xiang listened and couldn't help but laugh, saying: "Buddha's birth, it doesn't have to be like this. We are conducting a proper transaction, so let's speak the truth. Whether Lao Zu is willing to buy or not depends on his own will. Who knows, maybe in the future we'll need to trouble him again for something good."

  Chen Fosheng was unhappy as soon as he heard it, saying: "Third brother, just give me a face, I'll take care of this thing. There are only two people in my family now, my uncle and aunt are all working outside, if he dares not to buy, I'll burn down his whole house of treasures." He always had the habit of being a mouse who carries a gun - being bullied at home but pretending to be smiling when going out, once back home he becomes the king.

  Xue Xiang didn't bother to entangle with him on this issue, and in response to his enthusiasm, no explanation was suitable: "Then let's go to your house now, hurry up and finish lunch, is the old man at home?"

  Chen Fosheng said, "Alright, alright, he's semi-retired now and only goes to school in the afternoons. Since Third Brother is so anxious, let's have lunch at my place this noon and then go to Jingcheng Restaurant tonight. It just so happens that the old man's special wine is something he can't enjoy, we'll suffer a bit and help him out."

  Having spoken, Xue followed Chen Fosheng and several others towards the Zhongke University.

  As they entered the school gate, all that could be seen were ancient trees reaching for the sky and cypress forests standing tall. Although it was early spring, what met the eye was a lush green landscape. The main roads in the campus were wide and straight, while the smaller paths were deep and winding. Along the way, they didn't encounter any students who would laugh and joke like those of later generations; everyone walked quickly and wore formal attire. Xue Xiang and his companions followed Chen Fusheng through a small path between the trees and crossed a lake bridge to arrive in front of an independent villa. The villa was a two-story building with a small courtyard, and there were two guards standing at attention at the entrance. When they saw that it was Chen Fusheng leading the group, the guards didn't block their way and let them pass.

  As soon as they entered the small courtyard, they heard the sound of Peking Opera singing coming from inside the house, but didn't know if it was a phonograph or a radio. Chen Fosheng opened the door and welcomed Xue Zhi and others into the house. The living room of Chen Fosheng's home was very spacious, but the furnishings were extremely simple. On the left side, there was a huge dining table, next to which was a kitchen. Except for this, there were no other rooms on the first floor. More than ten meters away from the dining table, a set of purple sofas was placed, with four chairs in total, each one very wide and large. The several sofas surrounded a red wooden tea table.

  Mr. Chen Kai Zhen was a charming and unrestrained young man, with over ten daughters and countless grandchildren, so it's easy to understand why the furnishings in his home are so spacious, obviously prepared for the needs of his family gatherings.

  Xue Xiang walked in and immediately saw an old man leaning on the sofa listening to the opera. The old man's hair was sparse and white, but it was combed into a neat parting, with a few age spots scattered across his face. He wore a gray Changshan suit that was buttoned up all the way to the top, even at home, giving off an air of solemnity and a hint of class struggle. If Xue Xiang hadn't known about this old man's temperament from history books, he would have been intimidated by his appearance.

  Xue Xiang didn't feel any excitement at meeting a historical figure, partly because he wasn't particularly fond of this old man, and partly because there were only a handful of historical figures who could stir up such emotions in him. This old man clearly didn't measure up.

  The Chen Laoxian in front of him seemed to be in good spirits, unlike his historical counterpart who had been bedridden with illness. Chen Fusheng led Xue Xiang and the others to sit down on three other sofas, then went to pour them water. As he passed by the kitchen door, he yelled out to the maid who was cooking inside: "Add a few more dishes at noon, add some meat, and cook an extra pot of rice, I'm inviting friends over for lunch." He seemed to know his own appetite well.

  Chen Kai was very curious, this kid has always been lazy and gluttonous, never even pouring water for himself, how could he be so diligent now? He had also never brought friends home before, why did he bring people home today? It must have something to do with the old man. The young men in front of him were dressed in a way that was not common, their posture was very upright, they looked like they had good family education, not ordinary civilians. Especially the leader, who was dignified and handsome, with a strong spirit, reminiscent of the old man's style when he was younger. His military uniform and otter fur hat were clearly issued during the 55th anniversary celebration, it seemed that this young man was also from a military family. Chen Kai was indeed cunning and experienced, pretending to listen to the play with half-closed eyes, secretly guessing the origins and intentions of the group. It was fortunate that he was so cunning and able to stand firm in the treacherous literary and official circles.

  Xue Xiang didn't say a word, and Lei Xiaotian and the others wouldn't dare to speak either. They all followed the old man's lead, leaning their heads against the sofa and closing their eyes to listen to the show. This left Mr. Chen confused, as he was waiting for Xue Xiang and the others to speak up so that he could take control of the conversation. Mr. Chen was well-versed in the ways of officialdom, and even when facing a few young whippersnappers, he wouldn't relax his guard or abandon his principles for dealing with people. It was actually Chen Fusheng who broke the silence by bringing over a tray of water. Chen Fusheng walked forward and turned off the radio, ignoring the old man's glare. Chen Kai had no way to deal with this grandson of his - although he had many children and grandchildren, only this one grandson stayed by his side in his old age. Although he often said that he wanted to send him off to join the army, in reality, he didn't have any such thoughts in his heart. In his old age, what he feared most was loneliness, and having a lazy grandson like Chen Fusheng around to keep him company was actually a way to alleviate his boredom. He doted on Chen Fusheng excessively.

  Chen Fosheng plopped himself down beside Chen Kaiyan, grinning from ear to ear. "Old man, I've brought my friend here today to offer you a treasure. If you like it, he'll sell it to you; if not, you can buy it from him and give it to me as a gift." Chen Fosheng had always addressed him in this manner, and although the old man had initially found it unbearable, over time he'd grown accustomed to it and even felt affection for it.

  Chen Kai Zhen rolled her eyes: "You little brat, isn't this just another way of forcing me to buy? This is extortion!"

  Chen Fosheng said: "You're right, it's you who forced the purchase, and I reluctantly sold it to you through my friend."

  Chen Kai was momentarily choked with anger, and he had never won an argument with him before. He simply ignored him and turned to Xue and the others: "You young friends have come today with a purpose, I've already understood what it is. Take out your things, let me take a look. If they're good stuff, I'll make sure you don't lose out. Even if they're not up to par, I'll still take them back home and give you a show. I won't let you young friends leave empty-handed." His Mandarin was thick with a Sichuan accent, his words and phrases still in the old style, not at all like the new culture, GM culture he had always advocated for in the literary world.

  Xue Xiang heard this and nodded to Kang Tong, who took the large vase out of the hemp sack. Kang Tong understood and carefully placed the vase on the tea table in front of him. As soon as Kang Tong took the vase out of the sack, Chen Kai's eyes, which had been narrowed, suddenly widened, and a pair of piercing eyes shone brightly, banishing all signs of drowsiness and fatigue. Chen Kai immediately pulled out two glasses - reading glasses and a magnifying glass - from his breast pocket. As soon as Kang Tong put the vase down, the old man rushed forward with extremely swift movements. Chen Kai grasped the mouth of the vase, held the magnifying glass close, and slowly moved it while shifting his eyes. After examining the vase for about half an hour, Chen Kai finally spoke: "What a pity! A national treasure like this...it's such a shame that even if it's repaired perfectly, it can't restore the original charm of the artwork. It's a waste of a masterpiece!"