Chapter 17: Being Disliked

After noon, Uncle Wang took Fan Xiaoxiao out to the dock.

Throughout the journey, Fan Xiaoxiao's expression remained somewhat somber. She urgently needed to confirm where the plot of the novel had progressed. This morning, she had mentioned to the Fan family that she wanted to leave Guqu Town, but there was another reason she hadn't revealed.

Old Zhao mentioned Yizhou last night. Fan Xiaoxiao remembered reading in the book that Yizhou became the first place where people rose up in rebellion after the Bai family's death. In other words, it might soon become a battlefield…

Thinking of this, Fan Xiaoxiao slowed her pace and looked around at the bustling crowd. The place was so lively it didn't seem like it had been mistreated; vendors could be heard everywhere. She couldn't imagine what kind of hell this place would become in the future.

"Fish! Fresh fish!"

"Buying groceries! Homegrown vegetables!"

Uncle Wang turned around and found Fan Xiaoxiao lagging behind him. Thinking she was wondering about the commotion, he went over and explained in a low voice, "This place is under the control of the Huang family. As long as you set up a stall, you have to pay rent. The rent is paid every half day, with the morning rent being more expensive and the afternoon rent being cheaper. I guess it's to keep these people from returning late so they can collect that night tour tax."

Fan Xiaoxiao nodded somewhat blankly, and didn't linger there any longer. After hurriedly passing through the vendors, Uncle Wang led Fan Xiaoxiao around several corners until they arrived at a small teahouse.

There weren't many people in front of the teahouse. A young man dressed as a waiter behind the counter was frowning and sighing, his chin resting on his hand. Upon seeing Uncle Wang and his group approaching, the young man immediately stood up to greet them. His previously troubled face softened into a smile: "Uncle Wang! What brings you here so late? When did you arrive?"

"I came last night, paid my taxes this morning, and only now have time to come over. Where's your old man?"

"They're brewing tea inside. Come on in and let's chat!"

The young waiter lifted the straw mat curtain, gesturing for Uncle Wang to enter. Fan Xiaoxiao followed behind Uncle Wang, looking around the small teahouse. The outer room was a thatched shed, small but very clean. Although the overall furnishings looked somewhat old, they had a rustic charm. Behind the counter hung a calligraphy scroll, written in a flamboyant, calligraphic style.

Seeing Fan Xiaoxiao staring at the words, the young man smiled and introduced, "These words were written by my grandfather himself. They mean 'free and unrestrained.'"

Fan Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow and chuckled—this old man is an interesting person. Even here, he can still write the words "free and unrestrained." He must be quite a character.

"Girl, keep up."

Fan Xiaoxiao responded, nodded to the boy, and hurriedly followed Uncle Wang. The three of them passed through a small gate and entered the backyard. It was a two-courtyard house, with a persimmon tree on one side where an old man with white hair and a youthful face was sitting, brewing tea. Seeing them enter, he fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan and slowly greeted them, "Brother Wang, you've arrived."

"Yeah, big brother! You still look great!"

The old man smiled and said, "What's so good or bad about it? It's just a way to pass the time. Come, come, have some tea."

Uncle Wang responded and led Fan Xiaoxiao to sit down at the small table in front of the old man. Two bowls of clear tea were then placed in front of them, their rich aroma tingling with a sweetness that made one's tongue tingle. Uncle Wang blew on the floating tea leaves, took a small sip, and sighed, "Good tea indeed."

The old man stroked his beard and laughed, "It's just some thorny leaves, yet you've tasted its flavor."

Uncle Wang scratched his head and chuckled twice, then put down his teacup. The old man remained silent, quietly continuing to brew his tea. Uncle Wang sighed, finally getting to the point: "Brother, to be honest, I've come here today because there are some things I'd like to ask you."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Brother, there are so many people coming and going here. Have you heard any news from Jingchuan County?"

"Jingchuan County!?"

The boy, who had just walked in from the front yard, overheard Uncle Wang's words and repeated them in a strange tone, asking, "Uncle Wang, why are you asking about Jingchuan County?"

Uncle Wang sensed something was off about the boy's tone. He exchanged a glance with Fan Xiaoxiao and said with a wry smile, "Jingchuan County is my wife's hometown. We heard that it seems to have suffered a disaster there, so we're a little worried."

Upon hearing this, the boy immediately showed a look of sympathy: "Oh... that place is a bit uncomfortable..."

"Huh? This? Xiao Fan, do you know something?"

Uncle Wang's voice carried a hint of panic; his wife still had relatives she cared about at home! The boy called Xiao Fan scratched his head, somewhat unable to meet Uncle Wang's gaze: "Um... there... there..."

The old man sighed, "Ah, brother, Jingchuan County was hit by a major flood recently, and the situation is quite serious. If you have relatives there..."

Uncle Wang's body felt a little weak, and he said with a wry smile, "I'm alright, but my old woman, sigh..."

"Uncle Wang, you...you don't need to worry too much. I heard from the people at the docks that the magistrate of Jingchuan County is a good official! He should...he should be fine!"

The old man nodded repeatedly and continued, picking up where Xiao Fan left off: "That's true. The county magistrate of Jingchuan County, Lord Guo, is a student of Chief Minister Bai and is a rare good official. However, some time ago, Chief Minister Bai was confined to his residence for some unknown reason, and most of his students have scattered to various small counties to serve as county magistrates."

Hearing the familiar opening scene, Fan Xiaoxiao's hand trembled violently, spilling a considerable amount of scalding tea. Scalded, she hurriedly put down the cup, hissing in pain, her hand turning bright red. The old man frowned, quickly asking, "Hey! Little girl! Are you alright?"

"No...it's nothing...my hand just cramped up, it's okay, I'll be fine after a while."

Seeing that Fan Xiaoxiao was grimacing and clearly didn't look alright, Uncle Wang quickly called her to the well to fetch water to cool her hands. Fan Xiaoxiao shook her head, her face stiffening. "Uncle, don't worry about me for now. Let's go back and discuss what to do with Auntie."

Uncle Wang turned to look at Fan Xiaoxiao somewhat slowly, then seemed to realize what was happening and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, we need to discuss it with your aunt first, brother... I..."

The old man waved his hand: "Go, go."

Leaving the small teahouse, the two men, their faces grim, walked back against the flow of people. They remained silent the entire way, returning twice as fast as they had come. When they entered Old Zhao's house, Granny Wang and Madam Fan were helping Xiao Bao bathe, while Old Zhao sat under the eaves weaving bamboo baskets.

When Aunt Wang saw the two of them return, she wiped the water off her hands and stood up, saying, "Hey! You're back just in time. Fan Niang and I need to go buy some groceries. We've finished the food we brought yesterday, so we need to buy some food for tonight."

Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at Uncle Wang and quickly stepped forward to say, "Auntie, I'll go. We just came back from there, I know where it is."

Having said that, without waiting for Wang Da Niang and the others to react, he picked up the basket by the door and went out.

(End of this chapter)