Chapter 23: Parting on Bad Terms

  Chen Ying'er laughed a few times, then fell silent again.

  Looking at Xiao Fan's elegant and refined face, Chen Ying'er suddenly felt a surge of resentment in her heart.

  She should hate him.

  Ordinary people's fifteen or sixteen-year-old daughters have already married and become mothers, but she, an eighteen-year-old big girl, is still being raised in the boudoir, with no end in sight for her marriage day. She has quietly become a joke in the Chen family and even the entire Jiangpu County. Chen Si Liu did not want to marry her off to this poor and humble farmer's son, and her youth was thus delayed.

  All of this is because of Xiao Fan! Because he's too poor, too useless!

  A woman's youth is wasted, it's more serious than a father's revenge.

  Especially today, she heard that Xiao Fan would rather take only five pieces of silver in front of Chen Si Liu, and never mention marrying her. Chen Ying Er felt even more ashamed and humiliated, thinking to herself: am I not even worth five pieces of silver in his eyes? Of course, as a young unmarried girl, these words were impossible for her to ask aloud.

  "I heard that Father has handed over the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the south of the city to you to manage?" Chen Ying'er's smile faded, her voice turning cold. Looking at Xiao Fan's handsome face, a faint sense of annoyance inexplicably arose in her heart.

  I, Chen Ying'er, have never compromised on wifely virtues and have never been dismissive of you. Why didn't you seize the excellent opportunity today to ask Father for my hand in marriage? What is it about me that's not good enough?

  Thinking of today's events, Chen Ying'er suddenly felt that she had been greatly insulted. It was not related to emotions, but rather that Xiao Fangning would rather give her five silver coins than agree to marry her. Anyone would feel insulted in this situation.

  Xiao Fan felt a little strange, he didn't understand why Chen Ying'er, who was just laughing and talking, suddenly changed her face.

  A woman's mind is really hard to grasp, her emotions change so quickly, it's like she's crazy.

  Xiao Fan nodded and said: "That's right, your father has appointed me as the manager of Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

  Your father? Chen Ying'er's long eyelashes fluttered slightly.

  She heard it sensitively. He used to call his father "Uncle" before, after a serious illness, he voluntarily called his father "Father-in-law", later resolved the crisis of Chen's family, and now calls him "Lord".

  The title can reflect a person's inner changes, he... didn't intentionally want to form an alliance with the Chen family? Otherwise, why did Father hint so clearly today, yet still not mention the engagement?

  Suddenly, Chen Ying'er felt a chill in her heart.

  A surge of indescribable emotions filled my chest, anger, shame, resentment, and grievances...

  Suppressing the sorrow in her heart, Chen Ying'er's voice was cold as ice: "Since Father trusts you, you should take good care of the Chen family."

  There is a subtle tone of a superior speaking to an inferior, and a hint of condescension.

  Xiao Fan's eyebrows rose as he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. --Alright, you're not my wife, you're my superior.

  "Yes, miss, please be at ease, I will definitely be careful. If nothing is wrong, I will take my leave."

  Having said that, Xiao Fan turned around and walked out of the pavilion without waiting for Chen Ying'er's response.

  He felt some regret in his heart, what a broken appointment! He really shouldn't have come!

  The originally joyful atmosphere ended in a dismal dispersal.

  Inside the pavilion, Chen Ying'er watched as Xiao Fang's figure gradually disappeared into the distance. She bit her lower lip tightly and suddenly went mad, kicking the wooden pillar of the pavilion with all her might, one kick after another, venting her grievances and anger in her heart. As she kicked, her beautiful eyes became moist, and two lines of tears flowed down her face, but she didn't notice...

  Xiao Fan, I've wasted several years of my youth for you, and yet you can't even say a word to comfort me?

  Xiao Fan returned to his bedroom without looking back.

  He doesn't understand those twists and turns in a woman's mind at all, nor is he lazy about understanding them.

  When people respect me by an inch, I will respect them by a foot. If you treat me with courtesy, I'll be even more courteous to you. But if you show me your cold face, sorry, I'm not desperate enough to care about your deadpan expression.

  Women need to be coaxed and spoiled, but don't go overboard. Don't think that everyone in the world is your mother and will spoil you.

  Xiao Fan lay on the bed, licking his lips, really regretting that he shouldn't have gone to that appointment. But instead, it was a naive and straightforward hug from Qing, which made the corner of his mouth involuntarily curve into a faint smile. This little girl is not bad, she's moving, and if possible in the future, marrying her would be quite suitable. Although her chest is a bit small, with more development, it will naturally become bigger. The little girl is only 16 years old this year, and there is still a lot of room for development...

  Xiao Fan fell asleep with a mind full of wild thoughts, and had a very sultry dream. The things that happened in the dream made him too embarrassed to say, anyway if it were past life, the plot would definitely not be allowed on TV...

  In the morning when he woke up, he was shocked to find himself hard and wet...

  He is now only 19 years old and still in the development stage, has been vegetarian for a long time, little brother is unhappy, wants to eat Oreo...

  Alas, after washing his dirty pants, Xiao Fan put away the heavy copper key and headed out the door towards the Drunken Immortal Building.

  From today on, he is Xiao Zhanggui of Zui Xian Lou.

  There's a line of poetry that goes like this: "Spring breeze is delightful, horse hooves are swift", yeah, it's that kind of atmosphere.

  Chengnan is a bustling area within Jiangpu County, adjacent to Yishi, with extremely high foot traffic. As Jiangpu County originally belonged to the jurisdiction of Jing Shi Ying Tian and was located in the prosperous Jiangnan region, many merchants from various places during the Ming dynasty chose to conduct transactions here. There were mules, horses, and even camels from outside the region, which merchants used to transport various spices, luxury goods, local specialties, and other commodities, swarming in from all directions like a market, earning silver or directly bartering for Jiangnan's rice, silk, porcelain, and tea leaves, and then carrying them back home to sell.

  The world is full of bustling activity, with everyone rushing about in pursuit of profit.

  Merchants traveled north and south, exchanging goods and bringing vitality to the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, the government was plagued by corruption, and Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Hongwu era despised commerce and discriminated against merchants. During his reign, he repeatedly issued edicts banning and restricting trade, even going so far as to ban maritime trade. The country needed commerce to drive the needs of its citizens, but he believed that merchants did not engage in production or labor. In Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, merchants were basically classified as social parasites. A leaf blocking one's view, unable to see Mount Tai - it is unclear whether this is a tragedy for the ruler or for the merchant.

  Things in the world are constantly developing, and facts have proven that banning business with government orders has little effect. The Ming dynasty's commerce continued to develop in the direction it needed, a fact that even Zhu Yuanzhang could not change.

  Zui Xian Lou is located on the edge of Yi Market, with a good geographical location, situated on Qing Shi Street at the side of the market. It's a must-pass place for merchants and travelers coming from south to north.

  It has to be said that Chen Siliu is quite sharp when it comes to business, the location of Zui Xian Lou is extremely well-chosen.

  After wandering around for half a day, Xiao Fan finally stood in front of the Drunken Immortal Building. He carefully observed the surrounding environment and silently counted the number of people passing by in front of the building, making a rough estimate of the business situation inside. Only then did he raise his head to take a closer look at the towering Drunken Immortal Building before him. From now on, this would be the place where he would fight and strive for himself.

  The Xianlou building is three stories high, with a large wooden gate and window frames painted with bright red lacquer. The interior hall is spacious and bright, filled with an ancient atmosphere. On the first floor, there are over a dozen tables arranged in the main hall, and to the right of the entrance, there is a counter about half a person's height high. On the shelves inside the counter, several jars of Huadiao wine are neatly arranged, each jar adorned with a diamond-shaped red paper label bearing a large character for "wine".

  After a glance at the sky, it was already time for lunch. What surprised Xiao Fan was that there wasn't a single customer in the main hall, empty and desolate, which seemed especially bleak compared to the surging crowds outside.

  What's going on? Xiao Fan was perplexed, I didn't enter the wrong place, did I?

  Inside the counter, a middle-aged man in his forties was lazily fiddling with the abacus beads, without even lifting an eyelid.

  Inside the hall, on a table where guests should be eating, two young shop assistants were huddled together, their eyes fixed intently on a ceramic bowl on the table. The bowl was making a clear ringing sound. Xiaofan leaned in to take a closer look - damn! They were gambling with dice.

  At this moment, Xiao Fan's face was full of joy, -- I didn't expect my career to be so easy.

  That old scoundrel Chen Si Liu has been fooling me!