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Chapter 16: Best Fan
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 10:17:06 +0000 UTCSince recovering his health, Chen Xiao had maintained a habit of three meals a day, plus afternoon tea and late-night snacks. He continued this routine even after arriving in Fancun. The former feng shui master wasn’t about to deny himself good food, so naturally, he chose the best for his meals.
On his first day back, he had Sanshuan go to the village’s evening market to buy half a slab of meat, and also got some fine noodles for his aunt to steam into buns. He claimed it was to improve the family’s living conditions, but in truth, he ate more than anyone else.
He was already at an age where his appetite was strong, and the Chen family thought he was still in the middle of his training. So, despite eating a lot and getting hungry quickly, no one found it strange.
His aunt and Ershun took turns making him pancakes and noodles, with meat and oil in almost every meal. Chen Changgen and Sanshuan even traded some sweet potatoes with a neighbor, roasting them in the afternoon and evening to make sure he didn’t go to bed hungry. During his stay at the Chen family, even Sibao went up the mountain to gather last year’s fallen nuts for him to eat.
Chen Xiao felt guilty, knowing the village typically only ate two meals a day. He had disrupted their routine. But he couldn’t help it; once the time came, the cravings in his stomach would act up. He had tried to ignore them, but his stomach would cramp and his heart would race—it was impossible to withstand.
Thankfully, the food in the village was cheap. Otherwise, even if it wasn’t his own money, the Chen family would definitely feel the pinch.
He ate this way for several days, until the day the house renovations were completed. That morning, Chen Xiao ate as usual, but by noon, he hadn’t even noticed anything odd. It wasn’t until afternoon tea that he realized—he didn’t feel hungry at all.
So, he skipped both afternoon tea and the late-night snack, giving them to Sanshuan and Sibao. Before bed, he checked how he felt and realized he didn’t have the usual gnawing hunger that kept him awake.
The next day, before he could figure out what was going on, trouble arose with the Wu family, dragging both him and the Chen family into it. After all the commotion, he had missed both lunch and afternoon tea, but he didn’t feel the hunger anymore.
With this new evidence, he was finally sure—he had truly shaken off the inexplicable hunger.
The only unusual thing he had done in the past few days was arrange a feng shui layout for the Chen family. Chen Xiao found it hard to believe that arranging a feng shui setup could make someone stop feeling hungry.
Even tonight, he still didn’t feel unusually hungry. Chen Xiao didn’t dare jump to conclusions. It could be that his body had returned to normal, or maybe it was just a temporary change—he needed more time to observe.
The next morning, he boarded the mail carriage to the county town. The spacious and comfortable seat made Chen Xiao feel almost no discomfort. It was like sitting on a high-speed train, with the ability to adjust the backrest. He couldn’t help but appreciate the somewhat strange direction of development in this world. At least, as long as one had the money, traveling was not a painful experience.
By the time he arrived in the county, it was already late, so he had to go straight to the shopkeeper’s house to collect the store keys and report back in.
The shopkeeper’s house wasn’t far from the antiques street. Chen Xiao delivered the specialties he had bought on the way. The shopkeeper, while being polite, said, "I thought you’d be back in two more days. With the Immortal Sect selecting disciples, things at home must be a bit chaotic, I understand."
Chen Xiao smiled and replied, "Things went smoothly, so I didn’t want to delay the work at the shop. I rushed back as soon as I could."
The shopkeeper nodded. "You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and you handle things well. Now that you’re back, I’ll promote you to a higher position. You’ll work with the master at the Qi Ding Cabinet. Start by managing the display case."
It was like a dream come true!
Chen Xiao was both surprised and delighted. He quickly responded, "Thank you, Shopkeeper! But I’m just a fool, not sure how I caught your eye. Please, do enlighten me so I can continue to improve." It certainly wasn’t just because of a bag of specialties—something must have happened behind the scenes.
The shopkeeper chuckled, pointing at Chen Xiao. "You’re sharp, aren’t you? To put it simply, when you went back to your hometown for the Immortal Sect’s disciple selection, I happened to mention it to the owner. Turns out, the owner became very interested and wants to meet with you. Get ready in the next few days, think carefully about what you’ll say when the time comes."
The shopkeeper had originally planned to mention Chen Xiao’s return to the owner, to serve as a bit of a conversation starter. But he hadn’t expected the owner to be so interested that they wanted to meet with Chen Xiao directly.
Now it made sense—this was the owner wanting to meet with him. No wonder the shopkeeper had suddenly promoted him.
Though he was just a small employee, the shopkeeper was the head of the Qi Ding Cabinet, and the owner would certainly trust him more. However, if Chen Xiao were to say something inappropriate during their private meeting, it would be unpleasant. The shopkeeper had raised him simply out of goodwill, and after doing so, he expected Chen Xiao to know how to handle things properly.
Chen Xiao immediately responded, "I understand. I will never disappoint you, Shopkeeper. I’ll make sure to represent myself well when I meet the owner."
The shopkeeper nodded in satisfaction. "You can go now. It’s getting late. Also, since you’ve been promoted to managing the display case, you won’t need to do the night shifts anymore. When you next get a day off, find a place to rent and move in."
Managing the display case paid more than the lower-level employees and the average senior employees—150 copper coins a day. Those who managed the display cases usually had some knowledge of antiques and were able to handle customer transactions on their own, placing them as mid-tier employees on the antiques street.
Although he felt a little sad about leaving the cozy night shifts, where he could just sleep and get paid, Chen Xiao didn’t show it. He quietly accepted the change and excused himself.
After all, the room’s orientation was bad, it was cold in the winter and likely very damp in the summer. Renting his own place wasn’t a bad option. And besides, keeping a low profile was always better.
The next day, Chen Xiao was transferred to the Qi Ding Cabinet. Zhao Erhu was envious and jealous, but he admitted to himself that he didn’t have Chen Xiao’s dedication, the spirit to persist even when others ignored him and keep learning.
The master at the Qi Ding Cabinet and the other employee were both quite welcoming. With Chen Xiao’s arrival, both of them got a slight promotion. The employee was now able to manage the more valuable display cases, and the master didn’t have to spend all his time at the counter—things were much easier for both of them now.
Chen Xiao put his thick skin to use, flattering the store manager and the clerk, most of the specialty items he had bought were gifted to the two of them. After all, he still needed to learn about the artifacts in the shop from them, so it was essential to stay on their good side.
The clerk in charge of the display cases had two days off each month, but all the display case clerks took turns resting. Before Chen Xiao could even take his first day off, he was summoned to the master’s house.
The master, Mr. Pang, was a well-built man in his thirties. Chen Xiao had seen him a few times at the shop and had even toasted him at a celebration banquet after a big transaction was made.
However, like most important figures, Mr. Pang had forgotten both his face and his name. What he did remember, however, was that this person was known for his ability to eat.
Mr. Pang’s family had been passed down to him as an only child. His parents, unwilling to send him far away, and seeing that he lacked any exceptional talents, simply decided to keep him at home and let him enjoy the life of a wealthy man.
The things we can’t have are the things we yearn for the most. Since he was young, Mr. Pang had been fascinated by the stories of immortals and their trails. He often traveled for business, and whenever he heard rumors of immortal signs, he would rush over to check them out.
Now, married with two sons and a daughter, Mr. Pang was disappointed to find that none of his children had the talent to meet the criteria for the Immortal Sect’s recruitment. This frustration had led to his growing interest in the Immortal Sect’s process of selecting disciples.
The recruitment process for Immortal Sect disciples was strict in most major sects. Those with no connections to the candidates were not allowed to be near the selection event. These recruitment events typically only happened once every ten years, so Mr. Pang’s opportunities to witness one were limited.
This time, it had been years since he had last seen such an event, which was why he had invited a clerk to his house for a personal inquiry.
The recruitment process was pretty standard, but Chen Xiao knew exactly how to cater to Mr. Pang’s interests. He made the already intricate process sound even more thrilling and captivating.
The most exciting part was the story of Wu Xinzhi. From being eliminated in the initial screening, to being replaced on the shortlist despite being a strong candidate, and then to a surprising twist where the immortal master personally intervened this was already a plot worthy of a drama. Mr. Pang was thoroughly entertained. However, the story that followed was even more jaw-dropping. The Fan family had slandered the Wu family to sabotage the re-selection, leading to the Immortal Master questioning the Chen family.
Of course, Chen Xiao didn’t mention anything related to Feng Shui in this twisted tale.
While he could excuse himself in Fancun by saying he had learned about residential feng shui from the Taxue Xunxian Pavilion, he couldn’t reveal his secret of seeing the aura on the immortals’ antiques in front of Mr. Pang. So, he didn’t bring up Feng Shui at all.
Even so, by the time he finished the story, Mr. Pang was thoroughly satisfied.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" He slapped his thigh, not minding the pain. "I really wish I could have been there in person to witness it! Ah—what a pity I wasn’t in the county city at the time, and missed it! Such a pity—if only I could have seen what those two immortals were like!"
Mr. Pang became lost in thought for a while, before finally coming to his senses. During this time, Chen Xiao sat quietly, sipping his tea.
Mr. Pang looked at Chen Xiao and said, "This incredible experience, nothing I’ve ever seen personally compares. I must reward you properly."
Chen Xiao hurriedly declined. "I am not worthy, Master Pang. It’s just a small bit of my experience, and it’s my honor to bring some joy to you."
Mr. Pang laughed. "That joy is precisely why it’s worth something. Don’t decline, you’ve earned it." With that, he turned and called for the steward to give instructions.
Chen Xiao didn’t speak further; his polite refusal was just a formality. He felt completely at ease accepting the reward. After all, storytellers always receive payment for their tales. Furthermore, he had talked non-stop for the past half-day.
What he hadn’t expected was that Mr. Pang would be so generous, awarding him three hundred silver coins!
