Chen Zhancai was a drunkard; he would get drunk easily, and when drunk, he would talk without restraint, boasting endlessly.
"...Do you know what my greatest hobby is?" Chen Zhancai asked smugly, his breath reeking of alcohol as he stared intently at the two men.
"I don't know." They both shook their heads at the same time.
Chen Zhancai chuckled, "Guess?"
"Drinking and making merry?" the shopkeeper said casually.
The waiter frowned and scratched his head. "You like beautiful women?"
"Wrong, wrong, wrong, you've all guessed wrong." Chen Zhancai shook his head and waved his hands, talking nonsense. "To tell you the truth, my greatest hobby is to go into our family's silver vault every now and then to count those boxes of silver ingots. Just counting isn't enough; I have to hold each silver ingot in my hand and play with it properly."
These words nearly made the shopkeeper's eyes pop out of his head. "My goodness, you have so much money! You even have a silver vault!"
"Yes, how long will it take to play with all these things?" The waiter's mouth dropped open.
Chen Zhancai had reached a state of complete absorption; he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, then began to speak while gesturing with his hands.
"What's one silver vault? If I told you the truth, you'd be scared to death. Let me tell you, we have five silver vaults in our house. The smallest one is bigger than this room. The boxes for storing silver ingots are as big as the table. I start counting them in the morning and I still can't finish counting them until the sun goes down. It's like my hands cramp up from counting money. But even with cramps, I still enjoy counting."
"Yes, yes, if I had that much money, I wouldn't get tired of counting it eight times a day." The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly with a fawning expression.
The waiter quickly filled Chen Zhancai's wine cup, his face full of flattery, "Young Master Chen's family is so wealthy, they are truly richer than a country!"
Chen Zhancai's vanity was satisfied like never before. He waved his hand smugly and continued to boast, "If you have the chance, go to Anyang. I will show you around. If you really want to explore our mansion carefully, it would take three days. Without servants to accompany you, you would all get lost."
The shopkeeper nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll definitely visit Anyang when I have the chance. I'll have to trouble you, Young Master Chen, to spend some money then."
"What are you saying? Acquaintances are friends. Money is nothing to me, Chen Zhancai. I dare not say anything else, but if you really go to Anyang, you must be treated as a first-class VIP. Whether it's food or accommodation, you will never have to leave the house. You will have a maid to serve you anytime, anywhere."
"Oh my goodness, this is the life of an immortal!"
"What's this? Who told me I'm not short of money? When you're rich, you can do whatever you want; when you're poor, you have to accept your fate."
To tell you the truth, as long as they are guests of the Chen family, don't say anything, just give them three or five beautiful maids, and you can do whatever you want with them.
That's nothing. Before leaving, we also give them fifty taels of silver for travel expenses. That's how the Chen family treats its guests." Chen Zhancai spoke with great enthusiasm, his words becoming increasingly rambling and incoherent.
The shopkeeper was a bit of a snob, always dreaming of getting rich overnight.
At this moment, they were completely fooled by Chen Zhancai's boastful words and believed him without a doubt.
In his eyes, Chen Zhancai had already become a wealthy young master with a fortune, and if he treated him well, he would surely reap the benefits in the future.
From then on, he treated Chen Zhancai as an honored guest, serving him the finest food and drink at every meal.
They even arranged for a waiter to take care of his daily needs.
Chen Zhancai lived a carefree and comfortable life.
All he does every day is drink, brag, or sleep in.
As the saying goes, "When one is well-fed and drunk, one thinks of lust; when one is hungry, cold, and destitute, one thinks of stealing."
As time went on like this, Chen Zhancai's mind began to wander.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a beautiful young lady by your side during such a carefree time?
With this idea in mind, he spent his days pretending to be a rich young master, wandering aimlessly through the streets, hoping for a romantic encounter.
If you were to catch the eye of the daughter of a high-ranking official or noble family, you would have everything: status, wealth, and beauty.
But things didn't go as planned; Chen Zhancai wandered the streets for more than ten days.
Apart from a few beggars who would try to talk to him, no one else would even glance at him.
Chen Zhancai was puzzled. There were plenty of beautiful women on the street, but why did no one notice him?
Although he was a bit older, he was still handsome and dashing, absolutely charming and lovable.
As the saying goes, "Those destined to meet will find each other even from a thousand miles away; those not destined will not meet even face to face."
No one is paying attention to you, not because of your own shortcomings, but because your destined partner hasn't arrived yet.
Yes, that's absolutely right.
Well, the scientific expedition is coming up soon, so it's probably just a matter of time before the opportunity arises. I should prioritize the exam.
If he succeeds in one fell swoop and wins the heart of his beloved, wouldn't that be a double blessing?
Thinking about it this way, I felt much more at ease.
They then ordered the waiter to prepare a feast, and began to eat and drink heartily.
Time flies, and soon it was time for the scientific expedition.
Chen Zhancai confidently entered the examination room. After glancing at the questions, a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.
As if inspiration were flowing freely, I rolled up my sleeves, picked up my pen, and began to write with gusto...
He handed in his exam paper early and returned to the inn before the exam was over.
The shopkeeper greeted him with a beaming smile, as if he had seen his long-lost father. "Oh, Mr. Chen, you're finally back! How did the exam go?"
Chen Zhancai smiled smugly, "I didn't expect the question to be so simple. If I hadn't run out of paper and ink, I could have continued writing."
"Young Master Chen is truly exceptionally talented; he will surely succeed with ease. The title of Jieyuan (top scholar in the imperial examination) is undoubtedly his!" the shopkeeper chimed in.
"No, no, it's too early to say. Let's not talk about these things for now. Quickly prepare a feast to calm my nerves."
"The banquet has been prepared long ago. Please come in, Young Master Chen."
Although the shopkeeper regarded Chen Zhancai as a god of wealth, he was, after all, a businessman.
Chen Zhancai had been staying at the shop for more than twenty days, and he had already spent dozens of taels of silver on food and drink. He was starting to feel the strain.
As Chen Zhancai walked inside, the shopkeeper said in a tactful tone, "Young Master Chen, the exams are over. How about settling the shop fees for the past few days?"
When he heard him ask for money, Chen Zhancai's heart skipped a beat. These days he had been so busy bragging that he had started to believe he was a rich man.
What to do? He only had forty taels of silver. If he gave it to the shopkeeper, he would be left with nothing.
No, I haven't met my benefactor yet, I still need to keep fooling around.
Thinking it over, Chen Zhancai's face darkened, and he said unhappily, "Shopkeeper, I certainly won't owe you a penny of the shop fees. I'll give you the reward money along with the exam results. Do you think I would renege on such a small amount of money!"
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I hope you won't misunderstand, Young Master Chen. I trust your character, so I'll do as you say. We'll settle the accounts together with the reward money on the day the notice is posted."
"Hmph, that's more like it." Chen Zhancai felt slightly relieved seeing that he had intimidated him...
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