Chapter 63 Survival Issue

  Look up at the sky and laugh, I am not a recluse of Mount Penglai.

  Outside the Chen Mansion's main gate, Xiao Fang finished reciting this poem with a loud laugh, and suddenly felt that his whole body was relieved.

  From the moment he crossed over to the present, there has been a certain kind of shackle on him that he dislikes, making it impossible for him to move or walk, and unable to do what he wants. Later, he slowly came to understand that this shackle was the Chen family.

  In his previous life, he had never tried what it was like to live under someone else's roof, so he always thought that living under someone else's roof was a very easy thing, without having to work hard, with someone supporting him, having food and drink and clothes, lacking nothing, except for a slight loss of dignity, it was almost an unattainable perfect heavenly life.

  It wasn't until after he had crossed over that he realized how utterly wrong his ideas were.

  He felt the importance of dignity, and compared to dignity, material things like food, drink, clothing, and use are simply too insignificant. To trade dignity for these things is a very foolish and losing deal.

  It's only been more than two months, and Xiao Fan has had enough of this kind of life. He hates it when others call him "Chen family's wife's brother", he even more hates the strange looks that people give him, every time someone looks at him like that, he can't help but wonder if they are secretly scolding him for being a good-for-nothing, a useless person, a freeloader...

  Alright, he's had enough! Xiao Fan isn't that kind of weak-willed person. No matter how delicious the Chen family's food is, he can't swallow it down. He has never considered the Chen house as his own home because it lacks the warmth of a home and he can't find any dignity of his own there.

  Chen Ying'er was warm and gentle, beautiful and quiet. In every aspect, she was a good choice as a wife. The way the young lady had been subtly and even directly expressing her feelings to him over the past few days, once, twice, three times, was more than enough. Xiao Fan wasn't an idiot, how could he not see it? However, Xiao Fan had been controlling his emotions, reminding himself that he mustn't fall in love with her, mustn't be moved by her, because if he fell in love with her, he would have to choose between her and his own dignity. Because she was the daughter of the Chen family, falling in love with her would mean he would have to marry her, and spend a lifetime enduring the strange looks from others, helplessly solidifying his position as the son-in-law of the Chen family.

  Xiao Fan chose dignity and gave up romance.

  No matter how others see him, he thinks his choice is right and has no regrets. In a person's life, there are many things more precious than life itself, responsibility, integrity, faith, they are all worth exchanging for life.

  Chen Ying'er can live without him, her life still has many choices. If Xiao Fang loses his dignity, then it's better to die.

  Later, Xiao Fan's series of actions, saving the Chen family from danger, fighting for the Chen family's interests and so on, on the one hand, was indeed his desire to stand out, but on the other hand, wasn't it also to prove to the Chen family that he was a capable person? He hoped to gain others' respect, only under the gaze of others' respectful eyes would he feel that he had found dignity.

  I thought I had found it in the Chen family, but today Chen Ying'er's hysterical words awakened me, the Chen family is not my home after all.

  Today's storm came suddenly, but everything was so natural. Xiao Fan knew in his heart that this scene would happen sooner or later. He and Chen Si Liu both understood that some conflicts had been accumulating for a long time, and an explosion was inevitable.

  With a clear conscience and no burdens, Xiao Fan finally felt like a complete person. As a proud and upright man of five feet tall, where couldn't he go in this vast world?

  Walking on the still bustling Jiangpu Street, Xiao Fan's heart was calm and peaceful. From now on, his identity was no longer Chen Jia's maternal uncle, but Xiao Fan, with a name and surname, dignified and upright.

  Looking down at the little beggar girl, Xiao Fang smiled slightly and said: "Alright, I'm now just like you, with no home to return to. Let's rely on each other for survival."

  The little beggar girl nodded vigorously, her expression seeming very pleased.

  What's next? Xiao Fan was worried, can't really go begging like a little beggar girl, that's too embarrassing.

  Xiao Fan's mind flashed with countless melodramatic plotlines, a couple who relied on each other for survival, the man went to the dock to carry packages during the day, and at night he came back to his wife who was heartbroken and hugged him as he spat blood from exhaustion, the couple cried bitterly, lamenting their ill-fated lives...

  Xiao Fan felt a chill run down his spine; this very ordinary occupation was not suitable for him.

  Xiao Fan is a clever person. Clever people often don't work too hard, and relying on physical labor to make a living is not the choice of clever people.

  Fortunately, Xiao Fan remembered that he had a master named Tai Xu.

  Xiao Fan found Tai Xu when Tai Xu was holding his "Iron Mouth Straight Cut" flag and swindling people all over the street.

  Seeing the little beggar girl beside Xiao Fan, Tai Xu's eyes lit up, and he said in a very authoritative and calm tone: "This little girl, you have an ominous sign..."

  Xiao Fan hastily stopped Tai Xu: "Forget it, Master. She's even poorer than you are. No matter how hard you try to deceive her, you won't be able to swindle a single cent from her..."

  Tai Xū looked at the little beggar girl again and said with a hard mouth: "What you said? I, the poor Taoist, had already calculated that there wasn't a single cent on her body..."

  Tai Xū was shocked and exclaimed, "This young girl's fate is not bad, she has a noble birth, and also has the appearance of great wealth and honor. However, her youth will be filled with hardships, but later on, she will experience a reversal of fortune..."

  Xiao Fan interrupted: "Master, spare some effort, the divination was completely wrong. Fortunately, it's a familiar person, otherwise others would have torn this broken fan apart..."

  Tai Xū Qì Dào: "Why don't you ever believe me? ... Ah, right, why aren't you staying at your Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and instead running around outside? Who is this little girl?"

  Xiao Fan smiled and said: "Master, there's a good news and a bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"

  "Let's hear the bad news first."

  "Okay, the bad news is, I've left the Chen family and from now on, I'm no longer the son-in-law of the Chen family."

  Haha, this is great news! I've said it before, the Chen family isn't your destination. This was predestined, and it's better to leave early... What's the good news?

  Xiao Fan laughed as innocently as an angel: "The good news is that the disciple and Master, you have a deep affection for each other. Now the disciple has no home to return to, and plans for the three of us to depend on each other from now on, eating and living together, using Master's own hands to create a beautiful tomorrow for the three of us..."

  Tai Xū's old face suddenly became more bitter than a bitter melon, and he sighed deeply: "What kind of good news is this? For me, it's the worst news under heaven..."

  Tai Yu's expression changed suddenly, and he exclaimed excitedly: "When you were in charge of the shop, didn't you scrape together several tens of taels of silver? It seems you really did have a long-term plan! This will be enough for us to live comfortably for a while..."

  Xiao Fang smiled complacently, people without long worries must have near troubles, it's always right to prepare some silver for self-protection...

  Xiao Fan patted his wallet at his waist and his triumphant smile froze.

  "What's wrong?" Tai Yu looked at Xiao Fang's frozen expression, and he had a bad premonition.

  Xiao Fan bitterly smiled and said: "I always thought that the idea of 'wealth not showing its face' was correct..."

  "That's right, in this world there are many wicked people, if you have wealth you can't show it off indiscriminately..."

  Xiao Fan's face turned red: "...... So I hid those several tens of taels of silver."

  Tai's expression changed slightly: "Where is it hidden?"

  "Under the bed in the west wing of the Chen estate."

  "Go get it!"

  Xiao Fan looked at him and slowly said: "I've already fallen out with the Chen family, do you think they'll let me in to take the silver?"

  He was stunned and speechless.

  Xiao Fan looked at him expectantly and said, "Master's divine skills are unparalleled in the world. Why not wait until tonight when you can sneak into the Chen Mansion by climbing over the wall and help me retrieve the silver?"

  "Hmph, if I were willing to engage in such despicable acts of stealing and thievery, would I still be struggling like a beggar until now? My Wudang is an orthodox school..."

  "What's stealing about it? That's called taking back! It was originally my silver, what's wrong with taking it back?"

  "Taking something without asking is thievery! Anyway, I, Poor Way, won't get involved in such petty theft!" Tai Xu snorted with great dignity.

  Xiao Fan was deeply impressed, he really couldn't think of it, an old swindler who made a living by cheating and deceiving people, actually had such integrity, a very strange logic, stealing things is not right, but cheating people is okay...

  A large age gap can create a generation gap, especially when it exceeds one hundred years. The old Taoist's values are still stuck in the late Southern Song Dynasty.

  The current situation is that three penniless vagrants have gathered together, everyone has no home to return to, and they need to eat every day. The old Taoist also likes to drink a couple of mouthfuls, and happens to gnaw on two greasy trotters, and then have a dog meat hot pot...

  No money, nothing can be done.

  "What to do?" Tai Yu looked at Xiao Fan with a helpless expression, left the Chen family, and the shopkeeper of Zui Xian Lou would definitely not be able to hold on either. The three of them were now facing a very serious survival problem.

  Three people looked at each other in dismay, Xiao Fan and Tai Xu were bewildered, while the little beggar girl seemed carefree, constantly looking around.

  A passerby approached: "Hey, old Taoist priest, help me calculate my luck for this year..."

  He was too bored to look at him, and impatiently said: "Your face has a killing aura, your forehead is black, your life is about to end, it's useless to calculate, go away!"

  Xiao Fan was unhappy, and in such a predicament, he still pushed the business outwards. The old Taoist priest was obviously not someone who knew how to live a good life.

  "Master, I'll take care of it for you, let me calculate... however much we earn, that's how much we count..."

  Said Xiao Fan pulled over passerby A, imitating Tai Xu's mannerisms, with an expression of sincerity and authority, began to bluff: "The blue sky has died, the yellow sky should rise..."

  Tai Yu's words were cut off as he turned pale with fright. He hastily covered his mouth, grabbed Xiao Fan and the little beggar girl, and they quickly turned around and ran away.

  Ran to a deserted alley corner before stopping, Tai Xū angrily said: "You're courting death! You dare to speak nonsense even if you lose your head!"

  Xiao Fan innocently said: "I think I didn't say anything wrong, just started a topic earlier, and then...".

  Tai Yu sighed: "It seems that you can't finish this bowl of rice, think about it, what else can the three of us do to make a living..."

  Tai Xū glanced at Xiao Fan and said: "Apart from having a belly full of bad water, what other special talents do you have?"

  "Does robbery count as a specialty? I've done this in my past life, it's an old familiar trade..."

  Xiao Fan turned his head and looked at the little beggar girl, smiling: "How about we partner up from now on? I'll rob, you keep watch."

  The little beggar girl nodded happily.

  Tai Xū wept with a sorrowful face: "The misfortune of our sect has given rise to such an evil disciple!"

  Then Tai Yu's eyes lit up: "Right, aren't you quite close to County Magistrate Cao? And you also know the Crown Prince Taishun, go find them! With these two backers, do we still need to worry about our livelihood?"

  Xiao Fan sighed and said: "I now have nothing, mixed so miserably, how can I see them with a good face? What's the difference between that and begging for food?"

  To leave the Chen's house for dignity, can't lower his dignity again to beg others? Xiao Fan is a person who wants face, can't do such things.

  "What's wrong with that?" Tai Yu didn't quite understand Xiao Fan's way of thinking, just like how he wouldn't accept stealing but had no qualms about cheating - it was a baffling logic.

  Xiao Fan smiled slightly: "In any case, we must first find a place to settle down before making plans."

  "Where do you live?"

  Xiao Fan smiled mysteriously: "The place where we live, Master, you must be satisfied. It's the closest to the gods, and you can discuss the experience of becoming an immortal with the gods at any time..."

  Tai Xū's eyes lit up, his face filled with a look of longing.

  Outside the South City Gate.

  "This is what you call the nearest place to God?" Tai Yu's face was pale with rage, his whiskers quivering.

  Inside the dilapidated mountain temple, a mountain god statue covered in spider webs stared menacingly at the three people.

  "The mountain god is also a god, Master, you're not treating the village chief as a cadre, this mistake of yours must be criticized..."

  Looking around at the desolate and dilapidated mountain temple that was only fit for ghosts to live in, Tai Xū almost cried.

  "It's been ages since I've had it this bad..."

  "Alas, Master's Festival is a calamity, it's all fate, fate..."

  "What the hell! It's all because of you! Tell me, what are we going to do next? The three of us barely have a place to live now, and in the future? How are we going to eat, wear clothes, and Old Dao still wants to drink wine, how are we going to solve this?"

  Xiao Fan smiled confidently: "I have hands and feet and a brain, what's to fear about starving to death? Master, you can rest assured."

  The Imperial Palace in Beijing, inside the Wuying Hall.

  Yuan Zhong knelt before Zhu Yuanzhang, reporting everything about Xiao Fan in a respectful tone.

  Xiao Fan, born in the tenth year of Hongwu, is nineteen years old this year. He is from Xiao Village, Jiangpu County. His father is Xiao Si Ba and his mother is Wang Shi. The Xiao family has been a farming household for three generations or more, with a clean and upright reputation. Four years ago, both of Xiao Fan's parents died due to illness. Before his death, Xiao Fan's father had saved the life of Chen Si Liu, a wealthy merchant in Jiangpu County. As a result, Chen Si Liu promised to arrange a marriage between their children as a way of repaying the kindness. After Xiao Fan's parents passed away, he followed his father's wishes and went to live with his future father-in-law, Chen Si Liu. At that time, Chen Si Liu had already become wealthy and had second thoughts about the engagement. Xiao Fan lived in the Chen household for four years, during which Chen Si Liu never mentioned the marriage between him and his daughter. The situation was very awkward. It wasn't until Xiao Fan accidentally became acquainted with Cao Yi, the newly appointed county magistrate of Jiangpu County, and they became close friends that Chen Si Liu finally made an effort to arrange the marriage between Xiao Fan and his daughter.

  Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said with some displeasure: "Xiao Fan is the son-in-law of a merchant family?"

  Yuan Zhongdao: "Your Majesty, Xiao Fan was originally the son-in-law of a merchant, but yesterday he parted ways with the Chen family."

  "Why?"

  "Because Xiao Fan had met a little beggar girl in Jiangpu a few days ago, Xiao Fan took pity on her and brought her back to the Chen residence to raise her. However, Chen Si Liu's daughter was furious and refused to allow it, so she turned against Xiao Fan. Xiao Fan then left with the little beggar girl and cut ties with the Chen family. Currently, he lives with the little beggar girl and an old Taoist priest in a dilapidated mountain temple outside the south city of Jiangpu."

  Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back in his chair, slowly closing his eyes, but a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

  His behavior can be called good and kind, he has a bit of elegance, this new friend that Yuan Rong knows isn't bad either...

  "Yuan Zhong, in three days, bring him into the palace to see me."

  "Yes, sir!"

  Yuan Zhonggong retreated out of the palace with caution.

  Zhu Yuanzhang thoughtfully tapped his fingers on the table.

  Before long, an imperial attendant outside the palace loudly announced: "The Crown Prince requests an audience—"