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Chapter 20: The Immortal’s Antique
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 10:30:18 +0000 UTCTo the neighbors, Chen Xiao appeared to be a man without parents, someone whose wife would directly take charge of the household and not have to deal with a meddling mother-in-law. He had a decent job with reportedly good pay. On top of that, he was capable, managing to furnish the entire house on his own, which suggested that he wasn’t lacking in wealth.
Aunt Huang, seeing that Chen Xiao left early and returned late every day, didn’t feel it was appropriate to visit after dark, so she waited for his next day off.
Chen Xiao wasn’t unaware of the curious gazes directed at him by the elderly people on the street every morning. He didn’t think it was due to his charm, but rather, it just made him deeply uncomfortable.
When his day off arrived again, Aunt Huang showed up at his door early in the morning. Chen Xiao knew she was coming, so he purposely didn’t sleep in, afraid she might catch him in bed, which would give her the perfect opportunity to bring up marriage again.
This time, Chen Xiao had already boiled the water in advance. After Aunt Huang had only sat for a short while, the hot tea was served.
Aunt Huang took the cup, lifted the lid, and immediately recognized the quality of the tea. Since the tea was too hot to drink, she placed the cup by her side, adjusted her posture, and casually started talking to Chen Xiao.
"Well, Xiao Han, how have you thought things through?" Aunt Huang asked affectionately.
In fact, if Chen Xiao had a choice, he preferred people to call him by his full name. The name “Chen Xiao” was fine, whether it was used in full or just as a first name. He wasn’t particular about how it was said, as it didn’t necessarily convey closeness.
But ever since Aunt Huang had overheard someone in the restaurant where he often ate calling him “Xiao Han,” she had taken a liking to the nickname and began calling him that.
It was the same at Taxue Xunxian Pavilion. His full name had been written on the nameplate, and despite Chen Xiao insisting that they call him by his full name in the shop, neither the owner nor the staff ever changed the habit. After all, it wasn’t a formal setting, and people often used both formal and informal names casually. If he insisted on changing it, it would seem too peculiar, so he simply accepted it.
Thus, “Xiao Han” had stuck as his nickname, and he figured it could be considered as one, at least making him distinguishable from the nickname “Hanwa.”
In the ten days since, Chen Xiao had been busy planning how to handle the situation. He certainly wasn’t going to accept Aunt Huang’s suggestion to marry an unfamiliar girl and settle down here.
But Aunt Huang meant well, and he didn’t want to outright reject her. One reason was that rejecting her directly would make things awkward, potentially souring their relationship. After all, he still had to live here for a few more months and didn’t want to deal with unnecessary complications.
The other reason was that Chen Xiao had been trying to make himself seem more like a native of this world. As a young man, rejecting a marriage proposal without a proper reason would only make him seem strange and abnormal—something that went against the way he wanted to conduct himself.
Although Chen Xiao’s voice wasn’t loud, it was clear in the quiet room. He said, “Aunt Huang, thank you for your kindness, but I’m not in a place to consider such things right now.”
Upon hearing this, Aunt Huang’s eyes brightened, relieved that he finally responded rather than staying silent like last time. Now that he was talking, she saw a chance to convince him. She said, “How can you not think about it? Marriage is a big deal, and you need to plan ahead. I’m only looking out for you, don’t take it the wrong way. At your age, there are already people who’ve married and brought their wives home. How many families have their children meet and get engaged when they’re eleven or twelve, and by thirteen or fourteen, they’re already betrothed? Since your parents aren’t around, you’ll have to think for yourself.”
Chen Xiao nodded. “I understand that you mean well, Aunt Huang, but I can’t lie to the girl and mislead her.”
Aunt Huang froze for a moment, a confused expression appearing on her face. “What do you mean by that?”
With a particularly sincere expression, Chen Xiao replied with the story he had carefully crafted. “Actually, when I was young, my family arranged a marriage for me.”
"Ah?" Aunt Huang's chubby face showed a look of surprise as she stared at him. "You were betrothed? Why didn't you mention it before?"
At this point, Aunt Huang's feelings were starting to turn. Anyone who tried to help, arranging one marriage proposal after another, would be frustrated if all their efforts were in vain. She felt irritated. If Chen Xiao had just mentioned he was already engaged ten days ago during his previous day off, she wouldn't have wasted her time trying to arrange anything.
Her displeasure showed on her face, and her tone became less friendly. Chen Xiao, however, acted as if he hadn’t noticed, lowering his eyes and showing a faintly melancholic expression. "When I was young, a disaster struck my hometown—an animal plague ravaged the area, and half the county fled. On the way, we were caught in a heavy downpour, and my parents both fell ill from the cold and passed away. The money my family had left couldn’t even buy a coffin. We had to use two straw mats to bury them quickly, and then I continued on with my uncle's family."
Chen Xiao appeared deeply saddened, and Aunt Huang, seeing this, felt guilty for her earlier frustration. She sighed. "You’ve had a hard life. But you’re capable now, and your parents’ spirits must be at peace knowing you’ve done well."
Chen Xiao gave a soft sigh. If they truly had spirits, perhaps they would already have been reunited as a family. Whether they’d be happy or sad about it, he couldn’t say.
Aunt Huang asked, "So, what happened with your betrothal?"
Chen Xiao spoke quietly, "We got separated along the way. I haven’t heard from her since, and I’ve been searching for her all these years."
"I see," Aunt Huang said, her mood complicated. She guessed that Chen Xiao hadn’t mentioned this before because he didn’t want to revisit those painful memories.
As for the marriage proposals, Chen Xiao’s insistence on not marrying until he found the girl he was betrothed to, or at least had news of her, put an end to it. He said that one must meet the person alive and the body in death before making any decisions. He wanted to know the situation before considering his own future. If he married and the girl was still waiting for him, he would only be causing her harm.
The older folks who learned about this all praised Chen Xiao for his loyalty and noble character.
As for Chen Xiao, he couldn’t help but feel proud of his cleverness. With this fabricated excuse, no one would question his single status anymore. In the future, when he left, the reason would be clear and ready.
Having successfully dealt with the marriage issue, the very next day, Chen Xiao found himself facing something that genuinely made him happy.
The head steward had gone out with the boss to collect items, and returned with a bronze cauldron that had an ancient, dignified design. The cauldron was intricately adorned with elaborate patterns and had a perfect patina, in remarkably good condition despite a few minor scratches.
The head steward and the boss both agreed that this cauldron was a great find, one that would fetch a very good price.
Chen Xiao’s joy wasn’t because of its value, but because the cauldron radiated a stable aura, indicating that it was a genuine immortal’s antique. The remarkable part was that no one else seemed to notice this, except for him.
