Chapter Thirteen: The Uncle Takes Action
"Why don't I give it a try..."
Xiao Fan said this with a sly and charming smile, like a refreshed Zhou Xingchi version of Tang Bohu after taking a bath and changing into new clothes.
Chen Jia and his daughter stared at Xiao Fan in disbelief, as if they were looking at a madman.
Xiao Fan bitterly smiled. He had already gotten used to being treated as a madman, but he still couldn't get accustomed to the gaze of others looking at him like a madman.
Foolish people, don't they know that the madman and genius are only a thin line apart? In other words, Chen Jia's uncle is currently just one step away from being a genius. Xiao Fan thinks they should treat themselves as treasures, holding themselves in their palms and carefully nurturing them at all times.
"Since Cao County Magistrate has already made up his mind to take over the Chen family, I'll say something unpleasant: if you all pin your hopes on Huang Zhixian, it's rather too foolish..."
Chen family father and daughter: "………"
"County Magistrate Cao is coming with a mighty momentum, and behind him stands the powerful Prince of Yan. County Magistrate Huang may also have his own backers, but they are certainly not as strong as those of Prince Yan. In other words, unless something unexpected happens, in the future Jiangpu County, County Magistrate Cao will surely overpower County Magistrate Huang. This trend is so obvious that even I can see it, and I believe County Magistrate Huang can see it even more clearly..."
Chen family father and daughter: "………"
"Huang Zhixian may not be willing to watch his nominal subordinate suppress him, he may not be willing to be a puppet county magistrate, however... no matter what Huang Zhixian will do in the future, for now he must avoid offending Cao Xiancheng, and definitely won't offend Cao Xiancheng just because of the Chen family's small business..."
Chen family father and daughter: "………"
Xiao Fan looked at Chen Ying'er's delicate face, which was as lovely as a pear blossom in the rain, and slowly shook his head: "...Even if Uncle Yue marries my fiancée to the son of Huang Zhizhou as a concubine, Huang Zhizhou will not easily take the lead for the Chen family. I dare to say that if Uncle Yue really does this, the final outcome will inevitably be a loss of both people and wealth."
The county magistrate is the head of a county and the highest administrative official, while the county lieutenant is the second-in-command of the county, one rank lower than the county magistrate. In ancient times, it was extremely rare for the second-in-command to suppress the first-in-command, creating an abnormal political atmosphere that would not last long. The two would soon be divided into winners and losers: either the first-in-command would win, suppressing the arrogance of the second-in-command, or the second-in-command would win, forcing the first-in-command to be transferred or retired, allowing the second-in-command to smoothly take over. However, if Huang, the county magistrate, is a timid and weak person who dares not provoke Cao, the county lieutenant, who has the backing of Prince Yan, then he will willingly become a puppet and obey orders, which is a different story altogether.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Fan's mouth as he looked at the father and daughter, making a concluding remark: "...... So, the Chen family is finished, they can't be any more finished. Marrying off their daughter and giving away their property are all useless."
Chen family father and daughter: "………"
Xiao Fan finished speaking and let out a gentle sigh. Such complex things, he was able to analyze them clearly, it seemed that he possessed very high wisdom.
One should not be too arrogant as a person, but also cannot belittle oneself. When it's time to give affirmation, one must do so without hesitation. Xiao Fan thinks his self-evaluation is quite objective.
However, Xiao Fan's triumphant mood was soon crushed.
After finishing this speech, Xiao Fan looked at Chen Jia's father and daughter, hoping to see a few points of frenzy and worship on their faces. Perhaps Chen Siliu would immediately kowtow to the ground, crying and shouting that he wanted Xiao Fan to take him as his younger brother. Chen Ying'er, on the other hand, was like a crazy person, disregarding everything and rushing forward, pushing him down forcefully, while he himself was half-willing and half-unwilling, wanting to accept yet reject...
Logically, a traverser should have such treatment. After all, Xiao Fan felt that when he just said those words, he still emitted a few faint king-like aura, although not so strong, but it was enough to subdue a merchant family...
Unfortunately, Xiao Fan overestimated his own charm and underestimated the intelligence of the ancients.
Chen Jia and his daughter stared straight at Xiao Fan, their eyes fixed on him, expressionless, without moving.
Xiao Fan couldn't help but touch his nose, Chen Jia's father and daughter's expressions made him feel a bit defeated...
"I say... do you two think what I said makes sense? Can't you give me some reaction?" Xiao Fan coughed dryly.
Chen and his daughter were still petrified...
For a long time...
Chen Siliu suddenly spoke up, with a puzzled expression: "Are you Xiao Fan?"
"What did you say? Xiao Fan was a bit puzzled: "Of course I am.""
"You're just a farmer's child, how can you have such insight? I almost don't recognize you..."
Chen Ying'er on the side also nodded, her beautiful eyes full of unusual colors.
"It's like this, Father-in-law. After eating breakfast today, I went out for a walk and suddenly a thunderbolt struck me on the forehead. I instantly felt as light as a swallow, with a clear and empty mind..."
"What... what does this mean?"
Xiao Fan's voice became very sentimental: "I've come to a realization, Father-in-law, I've come to a realization..."
“…………”
The father and daughter were stunned.
It's clear that now is not the time for studying that thunderbolt out of a clear sky. There are more important things to attend to.
"What you said does make some sense..." Chen Siliu stroked his chin thoughtfully, his gaze at Xiao Fan filled with a hint of surprise.
It turned out to be a father-daughter connection, and Chen Ying'er's eyes were also filled with the same astonishment.
It is well-known that Xiao Fan used to be a timid and introverted young farmer, afraid of trouble. When did this timid guy suddenly have the guts to speak face-to-face with them? Moreover, he could analyze the situation clearly and logically, pointing out key points that even they hadn't thought of...
Could he have really been struck by lightning and become intelligent due to heavenly blessing? If that's the case, Chen 46 would like to try holding an iron rod on a high ground during a thunderstorm...
"What are you going to do?" Chen Siliu's eyes stared intensely at Xiao Fan, and in the face of a family crisis, he couldn't care less about thinking about the reason for Xiao Fan's drastic change in personality.
Chen Ying'er, who was standing beside him, also looked at Xiao Fan with an expectant gaze in her eyes. It was as if a drowning person had grabbed onto a life-saving straw - although this straw was a bit unreliable, an unreliable straw was still better than no straw at all. Since the Chen family had already become a dead horse, why not try to treat it like a live horse for once?
The straw-cow-like man smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, Father-in-law, I may be able to resolve the crisis of the Chen family..."
…………
…………
Half an hour later, Xiao Fan stood alone at the gate of Jiangpu County Government Office, looking helpless.
In front of the Chen father and daughter, he blew the cowhide to make a loud noise, but until now standing at the gate of the government inn, Xiao Fan still couldn't think of a way to rescue the Chen family from their predicament.
Boasting is a behavior that inevitably involves some deception. After humans mastered language, boasting became unavoidable. It takes the form of exaggerating or fabricating events to satisfy one's strong inner need for recognition and admiration. Simply put, it's a very vain behavior. A straw can only be a straw; it cannot transform into a towering tree in the blink of an eye.
The Chen family cannot be left unrescued. No matter how the Chen family treated him, at least they had raised him for four years, which was a kindness. Moreover, before he fully understood this era, he still had to continue staying with the Chen family.
So, Xiao Fan had no choice but to force the ducks onto the shelves and do something he was completely unsure about.
Xiao Fan stood at the gate of the government inn, took a deep breath and psyched himself up. For his own long-term meal ticket, he was going all out!
As for how to get there, Xiao Fan had not yet come up with a specific plan, and he should at least see the newly appointed Cao County Magistrate first.
Xiao Fan was not like the ordinary people of this era, who had an innate fear of officials. He was bolder, after all, he came from modern times and seeing a low-ranking official was nothing to him.
The official postal station in Jiangpu County was built a bit luxuriously, because Jiangpu County is close to the capital city of Beijing, many officials from other places who come to Beijing for duty will stay at the Jiangpu Official Postal Station before entering the capital. Therefore, the Jiangpu County government has renovated the official postal station quite finely, which can also be regarded as an image project for Jiangpu's opening up to the outside world, and it is also a political achievement that local officials should take credit for.
It was said to be an official post house, but in reality it was a large mansion with three courtyards, located on the left side of the county government office. The main gate was painted with bright red lacquer and shone brightly, while the wall inside the gate was adorned with carvings of auspicious animals, radiating a faintly majestic aura in the sunlight. By the side door, a courier dressed in light blue livery leaned against a vermilion pillar, staring coldly at Xiao Fan, who didn't speak, and he also didn't speak.
The official gate was quiet and deserted in front of them, the two people stood there silently looking at each other, with a somewhat "holding hands and gazing into each other's tearful eyes, yet unable to speak" atmosphere.
The atmosphere is a bit awkward...
For a long time...
The station officer couldn't help but raise his hand and point at Xiao Fan, saying lazily: "Hey, hey, you... who are you talking to? What's your business?"
Xiao Fang let out a sigh of relief, hastily opened his mouth and smiled at the courier: "This officer, I believe with your intelligence and wisdom, you must be able to see that... actually, I'm just a delivery guy..."
