Chapter 40: Full of Romance

Lin Feng smiled and said, "Alright, let Xiaodie handle it. Go call your brother over so he can have something to eat as well, since he's been working hard for most of the day. Xiaodie, make two extra bowls."

"Got it, Big Brother!"

Tian Xi'er quickly went to fetch Tian Zhong. Upon seeing Lin Feng, Tian Zhong's face was filled with immense gratitude. "I was burying my head in work out in the fields earlier and didn't see what happened here. Little sister only told me about it afterwards. Thank goodness Brother Lin chased that Young Master Zhang away, otherwise my sister would have been bullied by him."

"Of course I wouldn't let them bully Xi'er. Xi'er is my apprentice, after all."

Tian Zhong nodded. "Still, I'm afraid that Young Master Zhang won't let this go and will bring people back to make trouble. He's nothing but an unruly bully."

"What? He dares to come back and cause trouble for Big Brother?!" Liu Xi cursed. "If he comes back, I'll finish him off! I was just regretting missing out on a good fight earlier, so this will make up for it!"

Xiaodie also rolled up her sleeves and picked up a kitchen knife. "I'll fight them to the death!"

Tian Zhong was dumbfounded. Lin Feng's sworn brother and sister were truly fierce!

How could they not know the depth of Liu Xi and Xiaodie's affection for Lin Feng? To them, he was practically a savior who had given them a second lease on life. Naturally, they would be furious the moment they heard someone was coming to cause trouble for him.

Lin Feng laughed. "Why fear him? When the enemy comes, you block; when the water rises, you earth-fill. If he comes back, I'll just beat him again!"

Was he, the notorious prodigal son of Capital Chu, supposed to be afraid of the likes of him?

Even though he had fallen on hard times now, dealing with a petty village bully was still effortless. Even if he returned to Capital Chu city, Lin Feng would still dare to fight those people.

In his past life, Lin Feng's favorite quote from a great figure was: Fighting with heaven is a boundless joy; fighting with earth is a boundless joy; fighting with humans is a boundless joy.

Having carried out countless missions, survived brushes with death, and played various roles to observe all sorts of people in his previous life, he had gradually found an indescribable joy in it all and deeply understood both the beauty and ugliness of human nature.

Therefore, he feared neither open plots nor hidden schemes. After all, wherever there are people, there is a world of martial chivalry, full of open struggles and secret clashes. Only by embracing the experience could one remain fearless.

To fight meant to see it through to the end and completely crush the enemy. Since that Young Master Zhang refused to accept defeat, he would beat him a second and a third time until he learned to submit.

However, as the afternoon passed, that Young Master Zhang did not bring anyone back.

As they were preparing to pack up their stalls at dusk, Zhang Yuan arrived with a few of his sworn brothers in casual clothes, each carrying a jar of wine.

Lin Feng immediately had Liu Xi hang a few oil lamps from the trees by the river, illuminating the riverbank brightly.

Fortunately, Li He and Li Shang had caught plenty of fish and shrimp, and they still had the boiled beef prepared for the beef noodles, along with the first harvest of chives and baby bok choy Tian Xi'er had picked that day. Putting together a table of dishes was not a problem at all.

Using just the fish and shrimp, Lin Feng could whip up at least twenty different dishes.

Lin Feng told Tian Zhong, his sister, Li He, and Li Shang to head back, keeping only Xiaodie and Liu Xi to assist him.

Although Tian Xi'er wanted to stay, Tian Zhong firmly dragged her away. If they returned too late, their parents would worry, and Madam Tian might even come looking for them.

Tian Zhenggen and his wife actually cherished their daughter dearly; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent her to study at a private school when she was young, nor would they make her do heavy farm labor now.

Therefore, when Lin Feng mentioned taking Tian Xi'er away, they felt both anxious and reluctant.

Lin Feng felt that the hope of bringing Tian Xi'er with him to Jiangcheng was growing slimmer by the day.

Soon, Lin Feng finished preparing a large table of dishes. He pushed several small tables together, placed the food and wine upon them, and the group began to eat and drink.

Lin Feng's culinary skills won enthusiastic praise from Zhang Yuan and his companions.

"Brother, you truly are a man of many talents. Your culinary skills are superb, your medical skills are brilliant, and your handwriting is exceptional as well. My brother-in-law mentioned in private that your calligraphy has a unique style of its own, possessing the grand aura of a true master."

Lin Feng's handwriting, of course, was learned from his master in his past life—a unique script invented by his master called the Bamboo-Orchid Style.

The Bamboo-Orchid Style was a distinctive script researched and developed by his master by combining the running-cursive scripts of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji, and Wang Xizhi, and it was quite highly regarded in contemporary times.

Xiaodie said proudly, "My big brother is a proper scholar and holds the rank of a Xiucai. How could his handwriting possibly be bad?"

Zhang Yuan clasped his fists in astonishment. "I have been disrespectful! I never imagined Brother Chen also held an official academic rank."

Lin Feng smiled. "Just a Xiucai, nothing more."

"You shouldn't look down on a Xiucai. Not only can you meet officials without kneeling, but you are also exempt from corvée labor. If Brother had told me earlier, a portion of your taxes could have been exempted as well."

"Didn't I not know Brother Zhang back then?" Lin Feng was utterly speechless. The crux of the matter was that neither he, Xiaodie, nor Liu Xi had remembered his Xiucai status at the time.

And it wasn't just them; almost no one in Capital Chu city knew either. Because shortly after passing the imperial examinations to become a Xiucai, he had cast his books aside and embarked on the life of a prodigal son, wandering dissolutely for a full decade. Thus, it was hard for most people to connect this prodigal son with a scholar.

Furthermore, scholars were hardly rare in the Lin family; virtually all the younger generation held academic ranks, so nobody regarded his Xiucai status as anything remarkable.

"No matter, just think of it as my contribution to the Great Chu."

"Brother, your state of mind is truly lofty. Come, bottoms up!"

For a time, the group drank heartily and enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

After several rounds of drinks, Zhang Yuan leaned close to Lin Feng's ear and whispered in a low voice, "Drinking here lacks a bit of romantic ambiance. Another day, let's go into town for a drink. You know what? I heard that the famous Heavenly Sound Troupe will be passing through Luping Town in a couple of days and staying for a day. Why don't we go listen to the music and drink? That would have a proper atmosphere."

Regarding the Heavenly Sound Troupe, his past self had relevant memories.

The Heavenly Sound Troupe was composed entirely of women, most of whom were daughters of official households. After their families suffered various misfortunes and were confiscated by the government, they fell into humble registers and were bought by the Heavenly Sound Troupe because they were skilled in singing, dancing, or proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Traveling far and wide to perform wherever they went, they always attracted hordes of self-proclaimed romantic literati and poets rushing in pursuit.

They had once stayed in Capital Chu for a month, and Lin Feng had also been fortunate enough to witness their elegance.

The only regret was that they all wore veils, concealing their true faces.

Unless one could become the favored guest behind the curtain of one of them, catching a glimpse of their visage was practically impossible.

"Why would they come to a small place like Luping Town?" Lin Feng asked, feeling rather puzzled.

"Didn't I just tell you? They are merely passing through; their destination is Jiangcheng. But they can't stay idle on the road, so they drop by to earn a bit of spending money as well," Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "What do you say, brother? Are you interested?"

"Going, I'm definitely going!" Lin Feng glanced at Xiaodie, who was busy reheating dishes by the stove, and thought to himself that this little girl kept too tight a grip on the money. If she found out he was going to such a place, she probably wouldn't give him a single copper coin. Fortunately, the money Zhang Yuan had given him earlier was hidden away instead of given to Xiaodie. A man needed his own secret stash; otherwise, if he wanted to go out and have fun one day, he wouldn't be nearly as carefree.

A man without money has no affinity with anyone.

Lin Feng lowered his voice and said, "When the time comes and they arrive, Brother Zhang must send someone over to give me a shout."