Chapter Eighteen: The Ancestors of the Chen Family

  Others were guessing how he had persuaded Cao County Magistrate, but Xiao Fan couldn't say it clearly. Some words, if said a bit deeper, would inevitably involve the issue of Prince Yan's succession, which was too sensitive and too deadly to be touched upon. Zhu Yuanzhang is still alive now, and Prince Yan Zhu Di dare not show any sign of dissent. As for why he wanted to transfer Cao Yi, a hundred households in the army, into a civil official, and then place him as a small eighth-rank county magistrate in Jiangpu County, which was only dozens of miles away from the capital city of Nanjing...

  Alright, Xiao Fan can pretend he doesn't know anything.

  He's just a humble commoner, there are some things that even if he knows, he absolutely can't say, or it'll cost him his life.

  As time passed, Xiao Fan gradually discovered that the advantages of being a transmigrant were not as obvious as he thought. Even with some foreknowledge, as a grassroots commoner, he didn't have the qualifications to play this game that belonged to the big shots.

  It's better to just be an onlooker, thought Xiao Fan, perhaps a bit unambitious, but this attitude was the safest.

  Xiao Fan is willing to be a low-key and unremarkable person. At least for now, he hasn't had any excessive thoughts.

  Zhu Yuanzhang, the King of Yan, the imperial court, these were still very distant and unfamiliar terms to him. He was just an ordinary person, in the most inconspicuous corner of the world, silently watching the clouds rolling in the sky.

  Xiao Fan can pretend not to know the intention of Zhu Di's appointment of Cao Yi in Jiangpu County, but Chen Si Liu cannot pretend not to know that Xiao Fan saved the Chen family. As the head of a merchant family whose purpose is to make money, when others owe him debts, Chen Si Liu will be so worried that he can't sleep at night. Similarly, if Chen Si Liu owes someone a great favor, he will also be so worried that he can't sleep at night.

  Businessmen believe in "no gain without risk", high risk means high returns, but if others have already paid Chen Si Liu a huge return, Chen Si Liu can't help but be more frightened. ——What kind of risk must he take to deserve such a high return?

  The crisis in the Chen family has been resolved for three days, and Chen 46 has also been sleepless for three days. Getting up early to look in the mirror, Chen 46 was dismayed to find that he had actually lost weight. His previously plump and rotund figure, like a meatball, had silently and quietly shrunk away.

  This is simply a tragedy.

  A life-saving favor should be repaid with a gushing spring, —— that's what people say, but Chen Si Liu always thought this saying was too exaggerated. The spring had all been poured out for Xiao Fan, what was left for himself? It would be better to have been destroyed by Cao Xian Cheng.

  It can't be given, and it's not possible. As a shrewd businessman, Chen Siliu felt that although he didn't know what method Xiao Fan used to persuade County Magistrate Cao to let off the Chen family, he vaguely felt that the newly arrived County Magistrate Cao might have a good impression of Xiao Fan. If Xiao Fan had rescued the Chen family and they hadn't shown any gratitude towards him, would the Chen family still be able to enjoy good fortune if this got back to County Magistrate Cao's ears?

  So the question came back again. What kind of return should be given to Xiao Fang? This degree is not easy to grasp.

  Marrying off our daughter to him? — Let me think about it.

  Should he be given a share of the family property? — This... if he doesn't bring it up, just pretend you don't know. It's better for young people to be more motivated and not just enjoy the benefits without doing anything.

  Should we give him a bit more of his monthly allowance? — That's alright.

  Chen Si Liu looked at himself in the mirror, seeing his increasingly haggard appearance, and finally gritted his teeth.

  "Someone, call Xiao...Xianxu to come to the front hall and see me."

  When Xiao Fan walked into the front hall with a calm face, Chen Si Liu had already recovered his usual silly and smiling appearance. His fat body was squeezed by the red wooden armrests of the Taishi chair, deformed in circles, just like the Goodyear tires in advertisements.

  Chen Siliu was gazing at a calligraphy and painting with his eyes narrowed, occasionally shaking his head and swaying to and fro, as if he was deeply immersed in the artistic conception and couldn't extricate himself.

  Xiao Fan frowned, he really disliked Chen Si Liu's appearance.

  As it happens, he knew that Chen Si Liu was actually illiterate and couldn't recognize any characters except for the numbers on account books.

  It's nauseating to see you pretending to be elegant and refined.

  Chen Sili suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had just seen Xiao Fan come in. He smiled and beckoned: "Xian... son-in-law, come quickly to see! Hehe, I've just bought a genuine work of our ancestors from Molin Xuan. This is the Chen family heirloom! As a descendant of the Chen family, how could we let it fall into outsiders' hands? Our ancestors are protecting us, and finally, I was able to buy it... damn it! It cost me 100 taels of silver, not even a discount, Molin Xuan's old Zhou is really a black-hearted turtle egg...

  The last sentence fully exposed Chen Siliu's businessman nature.

  But Chen Sisi's filial piety is a model for all descendants.

  Xiao Fan heard this and couldn't help but stand up straight with respect: "I don't know which great and virtuous ancestor of yours was the father of General Yue?"

  Chen Si Liu's eyes gleamed with pride, and then he feigned surprise, saying: "You don't even know the ancestors of my Chen family? Son-in-law, we'll soon be one family. As a son, you can't forget your roots. Remember, the ancestor of the Chen family was Chen Zi'ang of the early Tang Dynasty, also known as Mr. Shi Yi. Hehe, son-in-law, my Chen family is also a descendant of a famous family...

  Xiao Fan was shocked: "Chen Zi'ang is your ancestor? Really? Ah! This is truly a long-cherished wish...... As the son-in-law of the Chen family, it's an unparalleled honor. May I ask, sir, if you could lend me the family tree to take a look? Which generation of your ancestors was Chen Zi'ang?"

  "This...". Chen Siliu's fat face suddenly turned red, and then a hint of embarrassment quickly floated up: "Cough cough... I forgot where the genealogy was placed... Anyway, he is my ancestor, no mistake! Let's come and pay our respects to the ancestors' relics first..."

  Xiao Fan's eyes lit up with understanding.

  I understand, old man Chen is recklessly claiming ancestors, this behavior is equivalent to slapping gold on one's own face, quite similar to the shamelessness of the high-ranking officials in the previous dynasty.

  However, Chen Siliu's psychology is understandable. When people have money, they will come up with many high-level ideas. Finding a famous person to be their ancestor is normal, it's a win-win situation. Even the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't avoid this trend. After founding the country, he shamelessly claimed that Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty was his ancestor, leaving the whole nation speechless about old Zhu...

  Xiao Fan was a bit skeptical, wondering if people in the early Ming dynasty all had a habit of randomly claiming ancestors. Is this considered a fashion trend? If so, should he follow the trend and flip through history books to see which famous Xiao family member would be suitable as his ancestor, Xiao He of the Western Han or Xiao Feng, the Southern Institute's Grand King?

  Xiao Fan was very thick-skinned and didn't expose Chen Si Liu, the other person cried and shouted to recognize someone as their ancestor, and he couldn't stop them either. After all, they liked this kind of thing...

  Chen Si's face was filled with a hint of pride as he slowly turned the "ancestral treasure" in his hand towards Xiao Fan. The faintly yellowed ancient bamboo paper revealed several lines of majestic and elegant calligraphy, which seemed to leap off the page. Xiao Fan's heart skipped a beat as he gazed at it, this was indeed an antique! Having lived for two lifetimes, he had finally seen what an antique looked like for the first time. Xiao Fan felt a little excited.

  Xiao Fan slightly bent down, carefully appreciating the words on the paper that emitted a faint ink fragrance. Chen Si Liu held it up high with great care, not without a hint of pride, loudly reciting the poem: "'In front, no ancient people are seen, behind, no future generations are seen, thinking about the vastness of heaven and earth, I am moved to tears.' This is the handwriting of our ancestors, their concern for the country and its people is so touching. As a descendant who inherited their legacy, I still cannot help but be moved to tears..."

  Xiao Fan became even more solemn and respectful, carefully looking for a while before standing up straight and sincerely praising: "Father-in-law's emotions are truly rich, however..."

  "But what?"

  "You're missing two words, Father-in-law..." Xiao Fan said with a strange expression.

  "Less... two words less?" Chen 46 was stunned: "What does it mean?"

  Xiao Fan's gaze at Chen Si Liu was somewhat complex: "'The past is not seen by the ancients, and the future is not seen by those who come later. Thinking of the vastness of heaven and earth, I am moved to tears alone' - what are these few words?"

  "Twenty-two characters." Chen Si Liu answered quickly, he was very talented in math.

  "How many characters are there in this picture?"

  Chen Si Liu was shocked, and with his thick fingers like a radish, he counted back and forth several times.

  "Twenty." Chen Si Liu's fat face twitched violently several times, he felt that something was off.

  Xiao Fan nodded and praised: "Father-in-law is really clever...... so it's two words short."

  "Could it be that our ancestors intentionally left out two words?" Chen Si Liu's face looked a bit awkward, but the question he raised was still naive and innocent.

  Xiao Fan slowly shook his head and looked at Chen Si Liu with a pitiful gaze. He was a serious person, loved his father-in-law, but loved truth more.

  "Cough, actually..." Xiao Fan glanced at Chen Si Liu and said seriously: "What's written here is indeed a poem, but it has nothing to do with your ancestor. It has a name, 'Quiet Night Thoughts', and the author's surname is not Chen, but Li."

  "Quiet... Quiet Night Thoughts? What is Quiet Night Thoughts?" Chen Siliu looked bewildered, his chubby old face slightly sweating.

  "The bright moonlight in front of the bed, I suspect it is frost on the ground. Ah, respected father-in-law... Even a five-year-old child can recite this poem."

  Chen Si Liu was like being hit by a heavy club, his mouth wide open for a long time, unable to speak.

  "Can you read?" Chen Si Liu's face was full of astonishment.

  "I roughly understand." Xiao Fan said with a hint of pride.

  It's been a long time...

  "That damned old Zhou, he cheated me out of one hundred taels of silver!" Chen Si Liu's fat face turned bright red as he loudly bellowed in a state of utter exasperation.

  Xiao Fan gazed at Chen Si Liu who was sitting on the ground, his eyes filled with sympathy.

  Lack of culture is really terrifying.

  Scolding for a while, Chen 46 rushed forward and tore the "ancestral true trace" in his hand to pieces, then covered his chest and sat in pain for half a day. Only then did he sigh and say: "Xianxu ah..."

  "My son-in-law is here."

  "Let's get down to business."

  "......Alright."

  Division line

  Thank you all for your rewards and recommendations, I will remember it deeply in my heart...

  That's it... I was too wasteful the past few days and didn't have the energy, so I'll make up for it tomorrow, just to show my gratitude.

  PS: Two updates tomorrow.