14 The Sea Salt Merchan (1/2)
Chapter 14: The Sea Salt Merchant
Translator: Nyoi_Bo_StudioEditor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio
It was early in the morning, and the birds were chirping away. The maids had just finished cleaning the house and were starting to prepare breakfast. The return to the city of Count Sinan’s daughter, Miss Fan Ruoruo, left only one and a half person to answer to, so there wasn’t much to be done.
After having completed all her chores, Dong’er, an older maid, went to wake Fan Xian , but was instead shocked by his poor condition. She called the doctor right away, who informed the maid that it was nothing serious after having checked the young boy’s pulse, reasoning that it was probably something the boy ate, afterwards leaving a prescription and parting with his pay.
After Fei Jie came to Count Sinan’s house, Mr. Xixi, who was a fan of classical literature, left subtly, as if he was the morning wind. Fie Jie looked at the young boy, who had two dark circles under his eye, and chuckled.
”They say that the hearts of youths are like the sun, ignorant to human hardships. But what happened to you? How did you end up so sleep-deprived that you needed a doctor?”
Fan Xian had been thinking the whole night but still hadn’t decided whether he should continue with his zhenqi training. His original intention was to treat this nameless spiritual art as entertainment in this boundless life. However, if it endangered his survival, it was best that he be cautious.
Due to the lack of sleep, he became absent-minded. Having heard his teacher Fei Jie talk about the ignorance of human hardships, he recited intuitively, ”I was young and ignorant of hardship and sorrows, and I loved climbing high. I climbed high, I feigned hardship and sorrow to help me create, yet now that I’ve tasted hardship and sorrow, I speak but hold back, I speak but hold back. O how exquisitely cool this autumn day is.”
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The study room quickly fell silent. Fan Xian, who had not made a single sound for half a day struggled to pry open his heavy eyelids and yawned, ”Don’t be angry, Teacher. I had a late night.”
Fie Jie watched the boy as he stroked his beard subconsciously, and without realizing it, he stabbed his chin with a goose feather pen. Painfully awakened, he questioned sluggishly, ”Earlier...that poem...who wrote it?”
”Poor old man Xin”
Without thinking, Fan Xian accidently revealed Xin Qizi’s surname, only to realize his mistake.
Fan Xian stuttered as Fie Jie’s eyes lit up.
”Old man Xin is a two-way merchant who collected sea salt last month.”
”Hmm. Not bad for a merchant. I wonder what his full name is.”
”Xin...Qizi.” Fan Xian snuck a peak.
Fie Jie had already resumed being his normal self and began teaching. There was so much more to teach than just biological points, and so his load was a heavy one.
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Fan Xian returned to his bedroom after lunch and was once again faced with the complicated question of whether he should continue with the dangerous zhenqi training. As he held the yellow book in his hand, he began to feel depressed.
More than anything else, he should probably be depressed about the poem he accidently recited in the study room.