Chapter 9: Who is he?

  Jiangnan, this term appeared before the Qin Dynasty.

  However, unlike the "Jiangnan" of later generations which referred to the area south of the Yangtze River, during the Qin dynasty, the term "Jiangnan" specifically referred to the place where the Chu people lived.

  The difference between Chu people and Central Plains people is very obvious!

  "Since ancient times, the people of the Central Plains have regarded the Chu people as a barbarian tribe and called them 'Jing Man'. The Chu people are short in stature, with round faces, double eyelids, and to this day they still retain very primitive customs. For example, they like to get tattoos, mostly with dragon patterns that can ward off evil spirits; they shave their heads and wear a bun, are good at playing in the water, and like to eat fish and shellfish."

  "What does this have to do with me? Why would you think I'm a descendant of the Chu people?"

  The so-called descendants of the Chu people are actually the descendants of the nobles of the Chu state. When Qin destroyed Chu, many of the Chu nobles were killed, but there were still many noble families who fled to various places. The Chu state had four major descendant families, and a folk song says: "Xiong Xing Qu Dao, Lao Song Chao Xiang..." Xiong refers to the royal family of the Chu state; Qu is the descendant of the great official Qu Yuan; Lao Song was the royal family of the Song state, after the destruction of their country, they became a member of the Chu state.

  As for the "Xiang" among the four major tribes, I'm sure you've also heard of it, referring to the descendants of General Xiang Yan.

  These four tribes, Xiong and Song are descendants of the royal family, Qu and Xiang are children of loyal ministers, so among the Chu people, their prestige is naturally extremely high.

  The Chu people were worried that the descendants of these four tribes would be persecuted by the Qin people, so they changed their name to "Chu people's descendant tribe".

  It seems very comfortable to instruct Liu Jian like this, and seeing Liu Jian nodding repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, he can't help but feel proud.

  "Just now I said you were a descendant of the Chu people, because those who recognize the Chu script are mostly descendants. Their attire is not much different from that of the Central Plains people... However, looking at your head and appearance, it's impossible for you to be a Chu person, I was just speaking casually."

  Liu Quansheng was tall and majestic, with a strong northern facial features between his eyebrows and eyes.

  Shan Shi's smile said: "To be honest, your head is really majestic. When I first saw you, I thought you were a Qin person."

  Liu Jian lowered his head and examined himself, thinking about what he had seen along the way, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

  Yes, this physique is indeed astonishing!

  The wine shop is very simple!

  Although it is said to be the last wine shop in Pei County, there are no tables and chairs inside. On a grass mat of about 40 square meters, several wooden stools were placed. Xun Shi took off his shoes and walked in, sitting down with a big stretch, his legs naturally stretching out and opening up.

  This temple is not important, but it makes Liu Gong shout bad luck.

  In fact, people at that time did not wear pants or anything like that under their short clothes, let alone underwear.

  Normally everyone sits on their knees without any issues, but when they eat, with just one leg raised, you can see the thing hanging down between their legs on the grass mat.

  Liu Kan wore a long gown, but it was barely enough to cover his shame.

  If one were to sit like Xun Shi, they would definitely have to expose their stuff. If in later generations, just this getup would probably be scolded as an exhibitionist, at the very least it would be considered a crime of hurting public morals. However, in this era, everything seems so natural.

  For ordinary people, they can eat whatever they want without any worries, but for Liu Gan, it was unacceptable.

  Dislike kneeling very much, but had to grit teeth and pull up hem of garment, then kneel down.

  This won't do, it's a bit too revealing, really not suitable for young children. I'll talk to the old lady tomorrow and ask her to make something more modest.

  Liu Kan sat on the grass mat, feeling a bit unaccustomed.

  At this moment, the grass curtain was lifted, and a woman in her thirties walked in with a charming and elegant appearance. Although she only wore a simple cloth skirt and had a plain face, the captivating charm that didn't need any makeup was unmistakable. She walked with a gentle and elegant gait, as if she were a fairy.

  "Ai, it's been ages since you last came!"

  A beautiful woman held a tray of wine and dishes, placing them on the wooden stump beside Shan Shi. She seemed quite familiar with him, her words laced with playful teasing.

  Shan Shi smiled and said: "Wang Ji sister, these days aren't a bit busy, are they? Look, now that I'm free, I've come to see you."

  "Aqi, you've finally given birth to this good mouth!"

  "Hehe, isn't it good? Sister only knew after trying..."

  As he spoke, Shen Shouyi's hand was somewhat restless on the beautiful woman's plump buttocks, and she lightly scratched it. However, the beautiful woman didn't get angry, gave Shen Shouyi a white eye, and slapped his hand open, "Stop taking advantage of me, I'm almost old enough to be your mother."

  The child immediately smiled and said: "Mother, I want milk!"

  "Get out!"

  Liu Kan watched from the side, unable to help but laugh. This scene, if placed in later generations, would surely earn the beautiful woman a reputation for being unchaste. But as it happened before their eyes, everything seemed perfectly normal. The judge ate without any reserve, and the beautiful woman was equally unrestrained.

  As for the guests in the wine shop, they all seem to be smiling and laughing, as if it's nothing out of the ordinary.

  "This little brother is..."

  Wang Ji noticed Liu Kan sitting aside, his bright eyes seemed to light up, and he asked in a low voice, "Why do you look so unfamiliar, where did you come from?"

  "Princess Wang, why is it that whenever you see something new and fresh, you ignore us?"

  "Scram!" Wang Ji's eyebrows inverted in anger, and she scolded: "You bunch of good-for-nothings, I've been fed up with you for a long time. This young man is quite impressive, and his manners are impeccable - can any of you compare to him? Scram, scram, don't ruin my good fortune!"

  Liu Jian, who had also experienced many romantic entanglements in his past life, couldn't help but blush at Wang Ji's words.

  Shan Shi smiled and said, "This little fool has just arrived from Danfu and plans to settle down here. He's staying at my place, so I'll take him out for a walk to get familiar... Ah Qian, let me introduce you, this is a renowned figure in our county of Pei. If you have any trouble in the future, just mention it to Wang Jie and she'll definitely help you solve it. Hehe, why don't you hurry up and toast your sister with a cup of wine?"

  Oh... didn't expect it, this guy is actually a big shot.

  Liu Jian hurriedly raised his cup, "In the future, I'll still have to trouble sister to take care of me often!"

  "Oh, oh, oh...... Look, look. This young man is so polite, unlike you guys who drink without paying and always eat my tofu for free. Little brother, if you have any trouble in the future, just come and tell sister about it."

  Wang Ji was a generous person, poured a cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

  Liu Kan held up his wine cup to his mouth, and suddenly a sour smell assaulted his nostrils. He couldn't help but swallow hard, almost spitting out the milky white liquid. So this was what they called good wine? It smelled worse than horse urine! Oh well, when in Rome...

  Liu Gan gritted his teeth and poured the liquid into his mouth, which slid directly into his stomach.

  "Little brother, are you from Shanfu?"

  Liu Kan hastily replied: "Exactly!"

  "But what about those who came with Nara?"

  "Exactly!"

  Wang Ji let out a soft "oh" and smiled coyly, saying: "The two young ladies of the Lü family are indeed born with beauty that can topple cities. As soon as they arrived in Pei County yesterday, everyone was talking about them. It's just a pity that I was busy at the time, otherwise I would have definitely gone to take a look... Ah Qi, what kind of expression is this?"

  He watched his food with shining eyes.

  Hehe, "Nothing, I just don't believe it, is there any woman who can be more beautiful than sister?"

  Her eyes were rolling around, occasionally glancing at Liu Quan, as if she had something on her mind. That look made Liu Quan feel a chill run down his spine.

  "Sister, how's business here?"

  The queen sighed, "It was fine two days ago, but it's gotten much worse these past two days. That guy didn't come, and there are a lot fewer guests."

  "Is it at Wuji's place?"

  "No! Three or four days ago, he did appear with a group of people once, but after that, I haven't seen him again. Maybe there's something else he needs to take care of. But I'm used to it, and I suppose he'll come eventually, maybe he's back home now."

  A man sitting next to him said, "No, I heard he's in some kind of trouble."

  "What's wrong?"

  "What's happened? Within a hundred miles of Pei County, who doesn't give him some face? What can he possibly do?"

  The wine guest said, "I'm not clear. But that butcher hasn't shown up for several days either. Yesterday I happened to meet Tang Sheng, and he said he had gone to Fengyi. He also said that with the butcher's skills, he was actually beaten unconscious for two days and two nights, and the person who beat him seemed to have been seriously injured as well."

  "Unbelievable, someone can actually hurt Tuzi?"

  The wine guest shrugged his shoulders. "How would I know? That's what Tang Sheng said! He also said that this time, the guy seemed to have suffered a great loss."

  Liu Kan heard that it was shrouded in misty mountains, and everyone spoke mysteriously, but no one mentioned the person's name.

  Who?

  Who is the guy they're talking about?

  He suddenly slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth and saying: "Well done! I've said it before, that kind of person is just begging to be beaten. Doing nothing all day, idle and lazy, I really don't understand why so many people are polite to him. He's just talking big."

  "Shh!"

  Wang Ji covered Shu Qi's mouth with one hand, "A Qi, don't get me into trouble. Although he's not here, there are many eyes and ears around. I also know you can't stand that person, but... be careful, or else his people will hear about it and it'll be troublesome."

  "Go ahead and kill me, I'm afraid of what he'll do next."

  "You're not afraid, but I am."

  Wang Ji's eyes widened, and amidst her charm, there was an air of majesty. She glared at him, and he immediately shut his mouth.

  "That guy..." She sighed, "Although he's a bit of a rogue and never pays for his drinks here, he's also got a generous spirit. Not to mention, every time he shows up, business here is booming. He doesn't pay, but he brings me good business. Ah Qi, nowadays who can say what's right or wrong? Everyone's just trying to make a living, each person has their own way, don't force it."

  Shen Shi let out a hum and stopped speaking.

  But it can be seen that he is not very supportive of Wang Ji's words.

  Liu Kan's confusion grew as he listened, and he couldn't help but ask: "Shen Shi brother, Wang Ji sister, who exactly are you talking about?"