Chapter Seven: Peach Blossom

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  "Rouge lips and teeth, national color and heavenly fragrance" and other adjectives seem to pale in comparison when standing before the woman who had fainted away. She was dressed simply, without makeup, but her delicate features combined together were enough to exude a breathtaking beauty that possessed a magical power, making one unable to resist the urge to look again and again, with fingers itching to move.

  Chen Jianchen had seen many people, but he had never seen such a stunning beauty, it was as if she were synthesized by a computer, and was truly too perfect and flawless.

  It is precisely because of this that he instinctively produces a sense of vigilance.

  Beauty, almost enchanting.

  This is the greatest feeling that woman has given him; and now Chen Jianchen's understanding of the heterotemporal space is no longer the muddled bookworm of the past, on the white fox and the fruit, he vaguely feels that this world is not simple.

  Then, a stunning beauty "cleverly" faints on the road, isn't that also not simple?

  Compared with his calmness, Wang Fu hastily ordered Ah Shui to carry the woman into the carriage. He naturally wanted to hold her himself, but was constrained by his status.

  Chen Jianchen wanted to speak but hesitated and finally didn't make a sound. He also had no reason or grounds to stop them, after all, he couldn't just block someone from saving another person.

  "Liu Xian, how should this matter be handled?"

  Wang Fu asked.

  Chen Jianchen smiled and said: "It's all up to Brother Fu Tai to decide."

  Wang Fu said: "It is said that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Let's not go to Bishan Mountain to enjoy the snow for now, saving people is urgent, what do you think?"

  Chen Jianchen secretly thought to himself: Rescue someone? If the one who fainted was an old lady, would you be so anxious and eager? It seems like you're trying to get lucky with a pretty girl, and casually said: "Very good."

  Suddenly, the number of people in the carriage changed from two to three; the direction of the galloping horse turned back.

  The woman did not wake up for a long time, wrapped in a thick quilt, only revealing a beautiful face. After getting warm, her cheeks slightly flushed with redness, adding to the beauty, just like a peach blossom that was about to bloom.

  Looking at Wang Fu, who pretended to be serious but couldn't help sneaking a peek, Chen Jianchen found it amusing; however, after glancing at the village girl several times, his unease became more apparent.

  This is purely an intuition that has sprouted, always feeling that something is wrong, but can't quite pinpoint the key point.

  Because Wang Fu said he would take the other party into Jiangzhou City to find a doctor, Chen Jianchen got off halfway. He watched as the horse carriage went far away, and after hesitating for a long time, he couldn't figure out what was going on: "Maybe I'm thinking too much... Ah, let him go. Good fortune and misfortune have no doors, only people invite them themselves."

  Wang Fu was fond of women.

  Chen Jianchen had known this for a long time. Wang Fujia already had a wife and a concubine serving him, but he still frequently went in and out of Jiangzhou to that place of flowers and willows, indulging in pleasure and forgetting his troubles.

  Since ancient times, famous scholars have been romantic. In the Tianyun dynasty, it was common for scholars to visit brothels, and they even gave it a beautiful name: "finding inspiration for poetry and literature". The romantic affairs between famous scholars and courtesans were even more widely told and admired, passed down through the ages.

  Of course, these have nothing to do with Chen Jianchen.

  It's not that he didn't want to, but rather the old him was poor and white, without the capital for entertainment; while the current Chen Jianchen has an open mind, but also doesn't think that kind of thing is particularly glorious.

  Five days later, Wang Fu visited Chen Jianchen again. He saw that he was in high spirits and had a smile all over his face that couldn't be concealed. However, his originally rather plump cheeks had become slightly thinner.

  "Stay, let's go! I invite you to drink!"

  Without saying a word, he dragged Chen Jianchen straight to a wine shop one mile away, ordered several good dishes and heated up a pot of fine wine.

  Chen Jianchen asked: "Brother Fu Tai's face is full of spring breeze, isn't there a happy event?"

  "He who knows me is Lü Xian."

  "I'd like to hear more about it."

  "Do you still remember that girl we saved halfway last time?"

  "I remember."

  Chen Jianchen's eyebrows rose slightly, and he suddenly felt a few points clearer in his mind.

  Wang Fu said, "It turns out that her name is Taohua, and she's not a local. She came from Zhejiang to seek refuge with relatives, but when she arrived, she couldn't find anyone. With no place to turn to, and suffering from cold and hunger, she fainted by the side of the road."

  Chen Jianchen muttered "old trick" and asked: "Then what?"

  Wang Fu replied: "I saw that she was pitiful and had no relatives, no place to go, so I took her in and temporarily housed her in a separate courtyard in Jiangzhou."

  "What's next?"

  Wang Fu's face suddenly turned red with embarrassment: "Hehe, in this quiet night, I couldn't help myself and did some intimate things with her."

  So-called "reversing clothes", is actually taking off one's clothes and removing one's shirt, indeed...

  Chen Jian looked at him with a bright and clear mind: Have you done something that's turned your life upside down? You've lost weight in just five days, I think you're still doing it every day. It's hard to say whether this is good luck or bad luck.

  It's hard for Chen Jianchen to say anything at this point, what can he even say? After all, he himself cannot determine the nature of things.

  Moreover, the relationship between him and Wang Fu can be said to be just a superficial acquaintance. Even if he speaks frankly, others may not believe it, and it may even have an adverse effect, so he can only beat around the bush.

  "Brother Fu Tai, don't you think there's something wrong with this peach blossom?"

  Wang Fuyi was taken aback: "What's wrong with it? There's nothing wrong with it at all, she's fine."

  "That's good."

  Chen Jianchen smiled somewhat awkwardly.

  This drink was a bit annoying, most of the time Wang Fu was talking, talking with flying eyebrows and dancing colors, such as saying how gentle the peach blossoms were like water, how virtuous and gentle they were, and even cooking delicious dishes.

  Finally, he even mentioned preparing to bring Peach Blossom into his home as a concubine.

  Chen Jianchen listened perfunctorily, his mind elsewhere.

  At this time, Wang Fu suddenly slapped his thigh and said: "I was so focused on talking about that, I almost forgot the important thing."

  "What's the matter?"

  Wang Fu said: "It's like this, the Spring Festival is approaching, and my father asked me to invite you to write a 'Fu' character, which will be placed above the middle hall."

  Chen Jianchen smiled and said: "It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning. I'll go back and write now."

  Wang Fu cupped his hands and said: "Thank you first."

  When they finished paying the bill, they prepared to return to the Chen's home together.

  Suddenly, the sound of "ting-ting" came from outside the wine shop door. Someone loudly recited: "The world is all a dream, wealth and glory are ultimately empty; if you want to ask where my way is? In the white clouds of Mount Lu's cave heaven."

  With the sound, a Taoist priest soon stepped in, about thirty years old; he was quite tall, wearing an eight-trigram Taoist robe, with a dignified appearance, leaving three strands of long whiskers, and had an ethereal air. He was seen carrying a peach wood sword on his back, shaking a bronze bell in his right hand, holding a bamboo signboard in his left hand, inscribed with the four characters "Coll Mountain Taoist".

  He looks like a wandering Taoist priest who makes a living by fortune-telling and divination.

  Chen Jianchen and the other man didn't pay attention, walking straight out of the store. But just as they were about to brush past each other, the Taoist's nose suddenly twitched, like a dog sniffing fiercely, as if he had caught wind of something unusual. His eyes gleamed brightly for an instant before he shouted at Wang Fu: "Young master, please stay!"