Chapter 93 – Farming, Drinking, and Chatting Set the World for Twenty Years
Fan Xian naturally would not tell the girl beside him about the conjecture in his heart, but he just subconsciously sucked in a mouthful of cool air, as if he had a toothache. Haitang glanced at him, didn’t say anything, and walked along the Yuquan River again. Not much time to walk, then came to the periphery of a small garden, bamboo hedge for the door, well on the side of the courtyard, stone table in the western shade, yellow miscellaneous hairs of the little chicken cubs are muffled rice wealth.
This was naturally where Haitang grew vegetables.
Fan Xian shook his head hopelessly and said, ”People and people can’t always be compared. To be honest, the girl always puts on a show of being close to nature, but when this kind of elegant place is compared to those smelly pigsties in the village, this is how I know that growing vegetables and raising chickens is also about realm.”
This is explicitly praised and actually degraded, but Haitang just laughed and said, “Do you think I’m happy to stay in the Upper Capital? It’s just that Master has orders and the palace has requests, so I had to seek a quiet garden in this neighborhood.”
Fan Xian laughed and said, “I’m afraid that Shen Chong and the others are harming which good people and rich gentry by plotting this garden for you to use as a vegetable patch.”
Haitang said, “That’s something I don’t know and can’t grasp.” She said lightly, Fan Xian also listen to the light, this is he appreciate Haitang’s point, as a Beiqi transcendent figure, but did not hard to play a fairy-like, not sour, not manic, not deliberately light, just a should follow the heart, quite good.
Before the empress dowager’s birthday banquet, rare some free time, Fan Xian also temporarily put aside the gloomy mood of these days, roll up the sleeves, roll up the pants, from behind the stone mill to take out the household utensils, began to help begonias turn over the soil. After two minutes of clear yellow soil turned over, he took a bowl and filled it with grains, like a greedy dragon king, bit by bit, he threw it on the ground miserably, making those little chicks squeak and follow his footsteps and run around the small courtyard.
Haitang squatted down to organize the fruits and leaves, while smiling as she watched Fan Xian play there, her gaze falling to his left leg intentionally or unintentionally.
In the middle of the day, Fan Xian was tired of playing and was a bit hot, so he picked up a bucket of water from the well and poked his head in to drink a few mouthfuls of it, and when he was about to touch the surface of the water, he glanced at Haitang and realized that the girl’s technique of serving the vegetable beds was really pure, so he thought that he had often been doing this kind of work over the years.
Fan Xian had never done any farming since Tanyu, and his hand felt less comfortable holding a hoe than a dagger, and when he watered, it was not as easy as sprinkling poisonous powder. Under the clumsiness, finally ended up as a spectator. Rao is also so, is also tired sweaty, the top of the head hot steam.
The sun is getting hot in the middle of the day, Haitang moved two recliners and put them under the trellis, I don’t know what kind of fruits and melons are hanging on the trellis, the leaves are very big, green, green and ghostly, and blocked the sunlight on the outside.
Fan Xian exhaled a mouthful of hot air, sat down on the chaise longue, nonchalantly took the herbal tea handed over by Haitang, drank two mouthfuls, fell back and pressed the chair to creak, he closed his eyes and began to take a nap in the afternoon, just like relaxing in his own home.
Haitang glanced at him and smiled, pulling off the flower scarf on his head and wiping the sweat on the corner of his forehead, he also lay down.
Two bamboo chairs and a green shed, a cool breeze and two idlers.
Don’t know how long, Haitang suddenly broke the silence and said, “You’re really a bit strange.”
“You’re also a strange person.” Fan Xian still had his eyes closed, “At least so far, I can’t see through you either.”
The two of them had already shed such honorifics as Lord Fan and you as they spoke, and Haitang felt a bit more comfortable and smiled, “Why do you have to be able to see through someone? And what does it mean to see through?”
“Everyone who does something always has a certain purpose.” A hint of a smile spread across Fan Xian’s lips, “And I don’t know what your purpose is, girl.”
“My purpose?” Haitang waved her flower headband and fanned herself, saying, “Why must there be a purpose to living?”
Fan Xian closed his eyes, stretched out his fingers and shook them, “Living is not about having a purpose, but everything we do and everything we want to achieve is about living.”
Haitang said, “I’m not really used to this roundabout way of talking.”
“It’s just talking boring nonsense.” Fan Xian stretched his back and said, “I really like talking nonsense with you, this feeling can convince myself that I am indeed living, rather than being manipulated by the purpose of living.”
Haitang spat and said, “You’re still talking crap.”
“I just like the way you …… act.” Fan Xian couldn’t help but smile to himself after saying this, “People like you and I who don’t have friends will always be more interested in finding someone to talk to.”
“Lord Fan is so talented and his reputation is amazing, how could he not have any friends?” For some reason, Haitang replied with the title of lord.
Fan Xian fell silent, and only after a long while did he say, “It’s true that I don’t have any friends, and while you, girl, are a delicate son of Beiqi, and are in a hostile camp with me, on the contrary I feel that I can treat you as a friend. After all, you couldn’t possibly make a move to kill me during my time in Northern Qi.”
Haitang glanced at him in the afterglow, and found that this Southern Dynasty official pretty does have some assholes, and said, “Your Excellency comes from a powerful background, and after entering the capital, you have made a good living, this life is open and clear, your career is unhindered, and the monarchs of the two countries value you, this kind of life, what is there to be dissatisfied with?”
“Lonely, lonely.” Fan Xian didn’t seem to feel that these two words were somewhat pretentious and sour vomit at all.
Haitang slightly scoffed, “Lord Fan has such a powerful character as Yan Bingyun under his command, he is a powerful official under the Supervisory Court in the south, his wife is at home, and his sister is a famous talented woman, his father is in a high position, and all the people he interacts with are all talented people of the moment, so how can he say he is lonely and alone?”
“The father is the father, the wife is the wife, the sister is the sister, and Yan Bingyun is the subordinate, and the people who befriended all have interests entangled.” Fan Xian did not know why he was so frank in front of Haitang, “You think I’m posing as lonely or not, imitating despair or not, in short, I don’t have an easy time doing this official, and I don’t have a happy time doing this …… son.”
Haitang eyes flow, and the light of the sky to compete for a point of brightness, said, “Fan Taoshi is not to be a friend with me?”
“Friends or not friends for the time being.” Fan Xian said, “At least it’s more relaxing to stay in one place with a girl. That’s already an enjoyment that’s extremely difficult for me to obtain.”
“What if I have other plans for you as well?”
“You can’t.” Fan Xian replied with great confidence.
“Your honor seems to have forgotten that there is also a grudge between us.”
“No matter, at least now, if someone were to come to kill me, the girl would definitely help me out.” The exhaustion that Fan Xian had been hiding in his bones for a long time finally revealed a little.
“Lord Fan, I have always been a little curious as to why you …… would be willing to come to Northern Qi for a trip.” Haitang looked at him with a smile, in fact, the southern officialdom is not a secret in the north, of course, know that the mystery is related to those of the family of the Son of Heaven.
Fan Xian laughed and said, “…… won’t tell you.”
Haitang was furious, but Fan Xian rolled over and got out of the recliner, stretched, and said, “I’m hungry.”
Haitang responded, “There’s rice in the house, water at the bottom of the well, and vegetables in the garden. You can make it yourself.”
Fan Xian sighed, “When a man …… says he’s hungry to any woman other than his wife, he’s usually saying that the wine worm in his stomach is hungry.”
The most luxurious and quietest and most patterned restaurant in the Upper Capital City was the Hundred Years Pine Residence, which had an expensive guest arriving this day. This guest was quite expensive, so the owner of the Hundred Years Pine Residence personally waited outside the door, respectfully inviting all the guests out of the restaurant, leaving behind an empty and quiet three-story building.
The restaurant’s shopkeeper naturally felt surprised, but the boss did not explain, the boss is also in the dynasty has eyes of the top people, has long seen the identity of the man and woman. The man is the Southern Dynasty Poetry Immortal, the woman is the emperor’s little sister-in-law, these two people together, is the role of the palace can be pressed stone road walk, not to mention a restaurant.
In the elegant room facing the street, Fan Xian squinted his eyes at the view of the street while pouring wine into his own mouth, drinking three cups but frowned and called out to the boss to come in and change it.
When the boss saw that he did not look well, he immediately weakened his desire to ask for the poet’s calligraphy and went to exchange it for the most famous green rice wine in Northern Qi.
Fan Xian took a sip and nodded.
Haitang asked in some bewilderment, “Earlier it was Wuliangye, the best spirits in the whole world, and Lord Fan wasn’t satisfied?”
“I do love spirits.” Fan Xian looked back at her with a somewhat strange face and said, “But right now, I just don’t want to drink Wuliangye, because that wine has some side flavor that prevents me from relaxing too much.”
Wuliangye had the flavor of Qingyu Tang, the flavor of the surname Ye, and the flavor associated with Fan Xian, which he didn’t like today.
Haitang replied with silence, just watching Fan Xian drinking and pouring wine, but his eyes were getting brighter and brighter, as if he was admiring a very interesting thing.
Drunkenness gradually to, Fan Xian eyes slightly disoriented intention, smile also gradually sparse, said: “Is not think I this life happiness, bias but pretend to be a borrowed wine pouring sorrows, look a little funny and ridiculous?”
“Young people don’t know the taste of sorrow ……” Fan Xian held his chopsticks and knocked on the bowl and sang softly, this is the first poem he “copied” since he was reincarnated, and at this time, recalling that year, it has a more complicated taste.
He sang again in a soft voice: “Staying in celebration, staying in celebration, suddenly encountering benefactors; fortunate mother, fortunate mother, accumulating Yin Gong. I would like to advise you to help the poor and the needy. It’s not like my cruel uncle who loves money and forgets his flesh and blood. It is exactly multiply, divide, add and subtract, on the sky.”
This was Sister Qiao’s judgment in Dream of the Red Chamber: stay Yu Qing.
Haitang’s eyes brightened even more.
Fan Xian let out a long sigh, picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one go, saying, “Miss Haitang, you don’t care about me, just get drunk by me.”
Why get drunk? There were many reasons for a man to get drunk, and the best reason was that his mood was bleak and he was under pressure. Fan Xian traveled to Northern Qi, learned the secret of the temple, concluded the friendship between the two countries, and successfully gathered the spy network in the north, so it seems to be a bright spring, but I don’t know why he is gloomy, and where does the pressure come from?
In fact, it is very simple, gloomy because of a heart without a place to land, Fan Xian in the cave with Sean said, he is a guest in the world, so it is always in the mindset of sightseeing in the view of the world, even if the floating eighteen years, but still some sense of isolation from the world, if there is no Wan’er, if there is no sister, if there is no Wuzhu that guy, Fan Xian really hate to be sprinkled with a body, from the world to live happily.
But the pressure comes from that conversation in the cave, Chen Pingping let Fan Xian put the vision higher, even higher in the world, Fan Xian in the know where the temple, then began to understand, began to bear this pressure alone. And this secret about the world, which had pressed Sean for decades, did not know how long it would take to press Fan Xian.
If he went to the temple, naturally, he would die a hundred deaths, what about the people he wanted to protect? If he did not go, he would never be able to know what happened back then. Fan Xian was so annoyed that before he knew, he couldn’t wait to dig Sean’s head open, but after he really knew, he hated that he would never know.
Originally to be on the safe side, he should return to Kyoto, in the officialdom and the shopping mall a few years of good scenery, and will be buried in the heart of the temple things forever, but there is always some unwillingness – so he hated himself a little bit why he would be on the Ye Qingmei …… will be on this mother of the physical body So unforgettable, so he did not want to drink Wuliangye, and even looked at the glass wine cup in his hand and had the urge to throw it to the ground and smash it.
The judgment given to Qiao Sister in the Dream of Red Mansions really seems to be written to himself.
Fortunately, he was reborn, fortunate to meet benefactors, fortunate to have his mother to accumulate Yin Gong, so that he can easily, without effort, to obtain a large amount of wealth, a large group of bulls to help.
Stay Yu Qing, celebrate Yu Nian, what exactly should one do with the rest of one’s life?
Haitang’s bright eyes seemed to be able to see through people’s hearts, and actually said slowly, “Persuade life, help the poor and the needy.”
Fan Xian awoke with a start. Although he knew full well that even if he got drunk, it was impossible for him to spit out his secrets in front of anyone,…… why would Haitang say this?
Actually, Haitang just happened to say this.
When she looked at Fan Xian’s slightly maniacal expression, she thought of the legend that, above the night banquet in the palace of the Southern Dynasty, the Poetry Immortal’s first appearance on earth was maniacal and uninhibited, and thought that Fan Xian was mindful of the fact that the trajectory of his life had been set, and that infinite prosperity was coming down the road, but that he was born with an aversion to the world, and a heart of decadence.
This kind of situation is extremely easy to see in the literati, so Haitang softly said that sentence, is purely from the heart, want to persuade Fan Xian single-mindedly for the world’s scholars and people …… because Haitang has always conjectured the belief that, in his bones, Fan Xian is a literati!
“The world is all about profit.” Fan Xian sneered, “Miss Haitang cultivates the Way of Heaven and Man, is close to nature, and loves her people, but doesn’t realize that all they want is the word profit. This official does not have the ambition to open up the territory, also want to let the people of this world can live comfortably, but that must be I first live comfortably …… But to let the people live comfortably, I must hold power in my hands, but this world official court, if you want to be in a high position, and how can you live comfortably?”
Haitang heard the cold killing intent in his words, slightly stunned, said, “Lord Fan hand holds the power of a party, Wan hope to keep in mind the word of morality and righteousness.”
“Tacky, tacky.” Fan Xian knocked his chopsticks to the heavens, but the porcelain bowl did not break.
“People are different from beasts in a few ways.” Haitang still frowned and said, “Only those who emphasize righteousness. Although Lord Fan and I are in two countries, but the people of this world, whether they are the people of the Kingdom of Qing or the people of the Kingdom of Qi, are all unique beings, and if Lord still has any reverence for the words of morality and righteousness, I hope that when Lord returns to his country, he will try his best to stop the wars in this world from starting up again.”
To calm the world’s wars-this was Haitang’s purpose, the purpose that Fan Xian had been guessing at all along! A very big plaque, which would have been disgusting if it had come from the mouth of someone on the sidelines, but coming from Haitang’s mouth, it seemed so serenely natural that it was believable.
Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, “Then Sean is not a living being?”
Haitang said, “What’s wrong with killing Xiao En to save ten thousand people in the world?” If Xiao En got out of jail and joined hands with Uesugi Tiger and his son, his imperial power would increase greatly, and then he would spit out the secrets of the temple, and with the ambition of the young Emperor of Northern Qi, the world would be plunged into war again in a few years’ time, so there was some truth in what she said.
Fan Xian simply does not have the consciousness of politicians and moralists, said with a cold smile, “If a hundred people are going to die, kill forty-nine and live fifty-one, will the girl kill or not?”
Haitang was silent for a long time.
“So, you and I are both heartless people.” Fan Xian suddenly didn’t want to say these uninteresting topics again, and somewhat stiffly changed the topic away, “How much is a person different from a beast? The …… good fake is also.”
Haitang looked up in a slight daze.
Fan Xian said, “My martial arts cultivation is not as good as the girl’s, but if it’s really a life and death struggle, the girl may not be able to easily kill me.”
Haitang nodded.
Fan Xian drank a glass of wine, looked into her eyes, and said quietly, “Why? Because I’m good at utilizing all my tools.”
“Martial cultivation is first and foremost about cultivating the heart, and the power of external objects cannot be relied upon for long after all.” Haitang quietly responded.
Fan Xian shook his head and said, “Those who emphasize righteousness do not necessarily bring the word righteousness into play, and those who seek profit do not necessarily be an unrighteous person. Those who emphasize righteousness are also greatly interested, so as long as the end is right, why should one care about the means?”
After saying these words, Fan Xian himself froze, some casual conversation, this is a digression, but inadvertently touched his own heart, like a heavenly light, suddenly hit in his heart, suddenly let him understand what his true heart really is. Emotionless man? Perhaps a sentimental man at heart.
He always said in his life that he wanted to whirl round to live a hand, but never knew, how he should whirl round to live, today …… finally have a score. At this moment, he is sober in his heart, but his eyes are drunk, staring at Haitang, slowly said two words: “Many thanks.”
Haitang today speech on the whole fell in the wind, but also not how rattled, just listening to this many thanks two words, but the heart is slightly disoriented. Looking at Fan Xian’s eyes full of drunkenness through the trace of perseverance, her heart suddenly a little uneasy up, a little pondering, eyes are more silk clear: “To the talent of adults, the future of the South, is a good stage. Adults do not think of war, is a friend of the Begonia, but also hope that when adults vibrate the clothes of a thousand Ren Gon, careful and prudent, more to the idea of the people, do not have a little complacency, so that is the right way.”
Fan Xian gently rested his glass on the table and said softly, “Don’t worry, I’ve just gotten on the road.”
In addition to the bitter lotus, haitang is the first expert in north qi, there is this good person in the side guard, and dispersed all the hesitation, Fan Xian this drink is incomparable sound, although some children refused to drink wuliangye, but Qingmizi irrigation of more, ultimately, or the throat is dry and spicy, chest distension, cloudy in the brain, floating and rejoicing in the drunk on the table.
This was the first time Fan Xian had gotten drunk to the point of unconsciousness since he opened that chest, but in a restaurant in the enemy’s Shangjing, in front of that Haitang girl who didn’t even know if she was a friend or foe, acting in such a way was really some ancient foolishness.
“You are really a person who can’t see through.” Haitang looked at Fan Xian, who had drunkenly collapsed on the table and was sleeping sweetly like a child, and said with a smile, “The Mr. Xueqin I’ve always wanted to see.”