Volume 1, Chapter 25: Old Zhao's Green Pastures

Hearing that bone-melting, seductive voice behind him, Fan Xiu felt a sudden, irrepressible ripple of desire in his heart. Given such a distinctive tone, he hardly needed to guess who it was.

"Madam Guo, why are you here?" Fan Xiu forced himself to steady his mind, fearing he might otherwise lose control of his physical response.

"How dull." With a look of feigned resentment, Guo Xiulan waved her hand, which clutched a silk handkerchief, lightly brushing it past Fan Xiu’s face. The transparent silk grazed his skin, and the scent of her cosmetics instantly filled his nostrils.

Fan Xiu quickly stepped back, offering a strained, awkward smile. "Madam Guo, I am only here to deliver the cold noodles."

"I know that," she replied. With a languid sway of her hips, she moved a few steps closer until she stood right before him. She tilted her head, biting her lip slightly. "But I have been waiting here for quite a while just for you. Now that I finally see Scholar Fan, my heart is..."

As she spoke, she reached out with her slender, delicate hand, grabbed Fan Xiu’s, and pressed it firmly against her chest. She even gave a suggestive, seemingly unintentional thrust of her bosom.

"Look, can you feel how fast my heart is beating?" she whispered, her eyes brimming with desire.

Fan Xiu swallowed hard. Whether her heart was racing or not, he couldn't tell, but his own was pounding so violently he felt as if it might leap out of his chest. While Guo Xiulan was not a classic beauty, her figure was exceptional, especially those "twin peaks" of hers.

Separated by such magnificent assets, how could he possibly feel her heartbeat? Though this wasn't his first time experiencing this, the last time at the Zhao estate, he had been too panicked and rushed to truly take it in; the moment he realized what was happening, he had quickly pulled his hand away.

This time, however, his hand was firmly pressed against her, and that astonishing elasticity traveled from his palm straight to his soul. In an instant, Fan Xiu realized he had lost his composure. He hurriedly pulled his hand back, pressing it down to hide his reaction, and said in a flustered tone, "Madam... Madam Guo, didn't you test me yesterday? I’m just here to deliver noodles today—is such a test really necessary?"

Seeing Fan Xiu clutching his hand tightly and looking utterly embarrassed, Guo Xiulan covered her crimson lips with her handkerchief and burst into a giggle.

"Scholar Fan is truly worthy of the title 'Scholar'—already 'rising' to the occasion?" she teased with a flirtatious glint in her eyes.

Fan Xiu’s face darkened. *I’m a hot-blooded young man; if I didn't "rise," wouldn't that mean I was ill?*

Guo Xiulan rested her hand on Fan Xiu’s shoulder and chuckled softly, "That test was Master Zhao’s idea; when did I ever say I wanted to test you? I truly like you, Scholar Fan. Why don't you just give in to me?"

Looking into the wild, expectant eyes of Guo Xiulan, Fan Xiu finally understood the meaning behind Master Zhao’s earlier warning. Guo Xiulan was a concubine bought from a brothel, and the master had explicitly warned her not to set her sights on him. It seemed Master Zhao knew her character all too well, and she likely had a history of stepping out behind his back.

After all, one look at Guo Xiulan was enough to tell that she was a woman of insatiable desire. With Master Zhao well into his years and a household full of wives and concubines, he could never satisfy her.

In that heartbeat, Fan Xiu made up his mind: he must never provoke this woman! Setting aside her relationship with Zhao Yufei, her conduct alone made her a dangerous entanglement. One slip, and he could be ruined! Hadn't he seen the "green meadow" already growing on Zhao Defu’s head?

"Ahem!" Fan Xiu cleared his throat. "Master Zhao is still waiting for me inside; I must be going." With that, he hunched his shoulders and hurried toward the kitchen.

Watching his panicked retreat, Guo Xiulan trembled with laughter. By the time he reached the kitchen, his "scholar's pride" had subsided—a young man’s urges were as quick to rise as they were to fall.

Inside the kitchen were three cooks. Fan Xiu brought out the noodles and taught them how to season them. The process didn't require much skill, so he wasn't worried about them stealing his trade; the core of the cold noodles was something that couldn't be mastered in a day or two.

As he was teaching, a waiter ran in. "Scholar Fan, the Master heard you arrived and wants you to come upstairs for a visit."

"But I have to make the noodles," Fan Xiu replied. He only cared about making money; other matters didn't interest him.

Just then, the portly Zhao Defu walked in, patting his belly. "My friend, just teach them how to do it and leave the rest. Come upstairs with me; there are people you need to meet."

"Who is there?" Fan Xiu asked.

Zhao Defu smiled. "Many people! Word has spread that I have the delicious cold noodles created by a scholar like you, and many have gathered. Even Magistrate Wang of the county office wants to meet you."

"Very well." Fan Xiu’s interest was immediately piqued. The Magistrate was the second most powerful official after the County Governor and held real authority in Zhiyuan County. Not to mention the other officials and gentry present. These people were the Brahmins of the county! Even in the world before he traveled here, such powerful figures in a small county were terrifying entities.

If one offended them, they would find it impossible to move an inch in Zhiyuan County—even the Governor would struggle! But if one built a good relationship with them, they could essentially walk sideways through town with impunity.

Fan Xiu followed Zhao Defu to the second-floor hall. As they entered, he saw many people seated around the room; some he recognized, others he did not. But all who sat there were of considerable status. Among them, he spotted Liu Erhe, the second-in-command of the Four Seas Bank, who had processed his loan.

"Everyone, I have brought Scholar Fan," Zhao Defu announced, gesturing toward him.

Fan Xiu bowed. "Greetings, everyone."

The people in the hall all stood up at once. Although Fan Xiu was a commoner by status, he held the rank of a Scholar, which meant he did not have to bow to officials. Since he had offered them a bow, who among them dared to act superior?

"Scholar Fan is too kind."
"Scholar Fan is truly a man of impressive bearing and youthful talent!"

Even Liu Erhe of the Four Seas Bank bowed. "Scholar Fan, I have long heard of your reputation."

Magistrate Wang Shulin bowed as well. "Scholar Fan, I have yet to pay a visit to your home; I hope you will forgive me."

Fan Xiu returned the gesture. "Magistrate Wang, you are too modest. It is I who should have come to the county office to pay my respects to you and the Magistrate sooner. I wonder when you might have time so I can visit?"

Wang Shulin smiled lightly. "I will consult with the Magistrate when I return." He then narrowed his eyes, staring at Fan Xiu. "I hear you wish to go into business? Is that true?"

For the Fan family, Fan Xiu abandoning his studies for business would be a disaster. But for Wang Shulin, it was good news. A scholar was a significant threat to his position as a Magistrate. If Fan Xiu stopped taking the imperial exams and instead aimed for an official post, his status as a Scholar might well see him replace Wang Shulin entirely.

"I am simply too poor," Fan Xiu sighed. "If I don't start making money soon, my family will starve! After all, the Four Seas Bank has already inflated the twenty taels I borrowed to over two hundred."

He turned to Liu Erhe, the second-in-command of the Four Seas Bank, and smiled thinly. "Isn't that right? Would you mind telling me exactly how much it has risen to now?"