Recueil des beaux hommes du monde des arts martiaux

Chapitre 8

Of course, there were also honest, kind-hearted, and ungossipy people among the common people of the dynasty, such as scholars.

At that time, he was buying paper and pens at the nearby Sibaozhai shop. He witnessed everything that happened outside, from Fan Qingbo and Zhou Zice's argument to their embrace to the old general's appearance to "break up the lovers." His tightly furrowed brows never relaxed for a moment until Fan Qingbo left.

The shopkeeper, seeing that he looked unfamiliar, assumed he had only recently arrived in the capital and was waiting for him to ask about gossip. But to his surprise, the first thing he asked was, "Shopkeeper, may I ask how to get to Huanxitian?"

His eagerness to share gossip was dashed, and the shopkeeper's expression turned cold. He casually replied, "Turn right at the street corner, then turn left and go straight."

The scholar was confused and was about to ask for clarification when he heard a voice behind him say, "What a coincidence! I'm also going to the Land of Joy. Why don't we go together?"

The man was dressed in a long black robe. It was early summer, but he had his hands tucked into his sleeves. His eyes were not large, but they were frighteningly bright.

Author's Note: A perfect match, indeed... but General, your words were too harsh =-= Perhaps I should consider having my daughter change her identity to give you a piece of her mind...

6

6. Renowned far and wide, a place of joy...

Huanxitian was the largest, most profitable, and most renowned bookstore in the city. As the storyteller said, this bookstore contained classics, histories, philosophical works, poetry, and songs—everything imaginable. So, what exactly did it contain? One could find out by observing its guests.

Generally speaking, guests at Huanxi Festival fall into three categories.

One type is the impeccably dressed, well-mannered, and seemingly virtuous man—this kind of repressed, sensual man is often a loyal reader of Feng Yan's works. Feng Yan's representative works include the four-part series "Yumen Pass," "Qiaosheng Spring," "Huan Tou Banquet," and "The Record of Flood Control." These works not only depict the sensual and passionate affairs between men and women but also contain many insightful sayings that reflect the myriad aspects of life, making them truly excellent works that appeal to both the refined and the common, and are essential for those who want to appear sophisticated.

Another type, often wealthy and ostentatious or with a roguish air, sometimes even a rough, street-smart brute—these men are most fond of the latest and most complete collections of erotic art. However, most people don't know that these vividly depicted images are all the work of the top-ranked painter on the weapons ranking list. His painting skills are so exquisite that a renowned artist, upon accidentally glimpsing his work, felt ashamed and abandoned his own brush.

As for the last type, they are often servants of wealthy families, courtesans, or girls disguised as men—these are people who buy sweet, touching, and poignant romance novels.

Of course, what everyone tacitly knows is that this place occasionally sells rare aphrodisiacs and virility drugs.

This shop has only four people in total, from the owner to the creators and everyone inside and outside the shop. This shows how meticulous and calculating the owner is, making the most of everything, a classic example of "treating women like men and men like animals."

Due to staff shortages, customers are required to bring their own change to improve efficiency. To prevent customers from reading for free, only the covers and brief descriptions of the books are displayed. Customers must present their purchase list at the counter and pay upon delivery. Despite these unusual rules, the store still attracts a steady stream of customers.

Today, because the farce that happened at the street corner had already spread like wildfire, Huanxitian's customers were twice as many as usual. Not long after opening, the aunt from the clothing store across the street found an excuse to sit down next to her and chat with her, trying to get a few words out of her to use as gossip in the streets.

Having to deal with both guests and the inquiries from relatives, Fan Qingbo was really struggling.

She took out an eyebrow pencil from the drawer and began to write stroke by stroke on the paper: The shopkeeper is unhappy, so there will be a one-day strike.

"Hey Manager Fan, what are you writing? Are you writing a love letter?" the aunt asked with a gossipy look.

"It's nothing, it's not a love letter."

Fan Qingbo's brief and indifferent reply did not dampen the aunt's enthusiasm in the slightest. She let out a clucking laugh like a hen and pretended to slap her own mouth. "Look at what I said, how could such big characters be a love letter? It's not like I want people to not know! Manager Fan, you must have received a lot of love letters, right?"

"What love letters? Why is Huanxitian starting to sell love letters?"

Someone outside was saying this, and the woman's face paled at the sound of that voice. Forgetting all about gossip, she hurriedly stood up, "Greetings, Lord Jie! I'll see you back, Lord Jie!" After quickly greeting him and bowing, she dashed out the door as if chased by a ghost. Inside the shop, at least half the customers reacted the same way.

These people must have all suffered at the hands of this stingy Minister Xie.

Fan Qingbo's usually cold and aloof face finally broke into a relieved smile as he stepped aside from the counter and went out to greet them.

"What a rare guest! It is an honor to have Lord Xie grace us with his presence. I am delighted that you are such a humble scholar."

Halfway through the pleasantries, she suddenly realized that the person standing next to Jie Dongfeng was actually her new neighbor, the bookish idiot. How could she not be surprised? One was a high-ranking Minister of Revenue who had enjoyed the favor of two dynasties, and the other was an unknown private tutor in Qingmofang, a place where people from all walks of life lived. They seemed to have no connection at all.

"Greetings, Miss Fan. I met this Lord Xie on the way. We happened to be on our way to Huanxitian, so we traveled together."

The scholar bowed and explained, but Xie Dongfeng casually sniffed and stepped into Huanxitian. He wandered to the counter, saw the paper that read "The shopkeeper is unhappy, strike for a day," his eyes flashed, and a malicious smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

The next moment, the paper was snatched away from in front of me.

"Haha, just writing for fun, practicing calligraphy, just practicing calligraphy!" Fan Qingbo quickly crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it behind him, laughing dryly.

What a joke! This Lord Xie is outwardly a high-ranking official, but in reality, he has another identity—the big boss of Huanxitian, her direct superior. Stingy, miserly, and greedy as he is, if he knew she frequently used "the manager's displeasure" as an excuse to strike and slack off, who knows how he would exploit her hard-earned money?

The crumpled paper hit the scholar right in the face. He unfolded it and was greatly surprised after reading it. He stepped forward and humbly asked, "I am ignorant and cannot tell what kind of calligraphy Miss Fan is practicing?"

Fan Qingbo didn't even look up or turn her head. She slapped his face away and continued to smile obsequiously at Xie Dongfeng.

Jie Dongfeng blinked. "Why is Manager Fan treating his guests like this?"

Fan Qingbo felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing his innocent yet cunning expression. She immediately forced a smile, leaped towards the injured scholar, and enthusiastically grabbed him, "Oh, young master, I accidentally 'bumped' you just now. Are you alright? What kind of book do you want to buy? Do you need me to recommend one?"

She had never addressed him so politely as "Young Master Shu," and he had never been treated so kindly by her. In addition, having heard too many rumors about her recently, when he was pounced on like this, he felt not the softness and warmth of her body, but rather a chill down his spine and a sense of dread.

He didn't know where the strength came from, but he suddenly shoved her hand away and rushed behind Xie Dongfeng in a few steps. His face was pale and still frightened. He asked in a low voice, "Although Confucius said not to talk about strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits, but Lord Xie, is Miss Fan... possessed?"

Pfft—

Laughter erupted from the shop, and Fan Qingbo's face tightened. He turned and sat back down behind the counter.

"Lord Jie and Young Master Shu, please make yourselves at home."

Hmph, even laborers have dignity! And that bookish fool, he's biting the hand that feeds him! Now look what's happened, following that notoriously stingy and ruthless Jie Dongfeng, no wonder he's been ripped off so badly, serves him right!

Sure enough, in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the scholar brought over the list.

She glanced at the list of romance novels, erotic novels, and erotic films, her face twitching uncontrollably. "You can never judge a book by its cover," she thought. "This scholar looks honest, but he has quite the appetite and rather heavy tastes."

"Buying so much? Did you bring enough money?" In my memory, this scholar wasn't exactly wealthy.

"Don't worry, these are all regular editions, not deluxe editions. Twenty-five taels is just right," replied Xie Dongfeng.