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In Chen Xi’s eyes, Dong Zhuo would die in a few months, and the Xiliang Army would be in great chaos. It was not easy to provoke the reorganized forces of the Xiliang Army; for instance, making a purchase now would probably cost less, as if giving you face, otherwise the Xiliang Army might just swindle you outright. After all, at this time, who would dare take advantage of the Xiliang Army? The upper echelons would make sure you know who rules Yongzhou!
Waiting a few more months, once Dong Zhuo falls, Hua Xiong might even consider swindling, but the Xiliang Army would likely not be in the mood to govern. However, what concerned Chen Xi now was whether the other party could wait three to four months without selling?
"There’s no need to do such a thing," Mi Zhu advised, as for a law-abiding merchant, this kind of activity was much too damaging to one’s reputation.
"The Han and the traitors cannot coexist," Chen Xi retorted with a trump card, leaving Mi Zhu with nothing to say.
And so, the matter was settled. Wanting goods without money—other than swindling, what else could be done? In Chen Xi’s view, once Dong Zhuo was dead, those goods would count as inheritance and, without a formal heir, donating to the state was only right. As a Han Imperial Kinsman, it was appropriate for Liu Bei to receive them.
As the year’s end drew near, the festive atmosphere was entirely absent. There were no red papers, no couplets, no firecrackers, only small wooden plaques with characters hung above the doors. Hmm, at most, there would be a bit more food at home, but other than that, there was no difference from any other day. The New Year during the Late Eastern Han Dynasty showed no distinctiveness, and probably the commoners at the bottom of society hardly felt any festive spirit at all.
The Chen Family was now a bit more lively, but the only relatives Chen Xi acknowledged were Elder Master Chen, Chen Lan, and Fan Jian. Surprisingly, Fan Jian, as the young mistress, even knew how to prepare some New Year dishes like lotus root patties and meatballs, and she did quite well at that.
Looking at the table laden with sweet and sour meatballs, steamed meatballs, stir-fried meatballs, braised meatballs, tofu meatballs, fried meatballs, and more, large and small, meat and vegetarian, Chen Xi suddenly thought to himself that Fan Jian intended to turn him into a meatball.
However, seeing Fan Jian’s slightly coy expression, Chen Xi sighed. The food that was meant to be eaten needed to be eaten after all. Disregarding Fan Jian’s efforts would probably upset her.
"Jian’er, did you make all these?" Chen Xi asked, using chopsticks to sample one of each variety. Except for a few meatballs with truly peculiar tastes, the rest were unexpectedly delicious.
"Mm-hmm!" Fan Jian nodded vigorously, a touch of pride on her face as she watched Chen Xi and then fell silent.
Drawning inferences from one instance deserved praise at any time, and it was clear Fan Jian was very confident about her culinary skills.
"You should try some yourself," Chen Xi suggested, picking a few of the oddly tasting meatballs from each dish into a small bowl, "Here, open your mouth."
Fan Jian was clearly startled, then her face blushed down to her neck, but still, she closed her eyes slightly and opened her mouth, waiting for Chen Xi to feed her.
"Click~" Chen Lan appeared just in time, standing at the door. Seeing this scene, her face flushed red, she decided to close the door and go back to sleep.
"Come here," Chen Xi demanded, stopping Chen Lan.
Chen Lan ambled over languidly, seated himself beside Fan Jian, and then obediently closed his eyes, waiting to be fed.
"..." Chen Xi was speechless. Chen Lan, you’re being exceptionally well-behaved today. Now he didn’t know who to give the meatball in his hand to first, while Fan Jian had already begun to half-squint at Chen Xi’s reaction, though the blush on her face hadn’t faded yet.
Chen Xi slowly withdrew his hand, shoveling the entire bowl of suspiciously flavored meatballs into his mouth, chewed a few times, and forcefully swallowed them down. The burst of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors in his mouth was a torment he had brought upon himself.
"Husband seems to really enjoy these meatballs," Fan Jian’s eyes sparkled with joy, and then she quickly filled Chen Xi’s bowl again. Chen Lan followed suit, "Please eat more, husband," he said, though his eyes betrayed a hint of pity.
Looking down at a bowl full of dark cuisine-grade meatballs, and then at the other ones that could be considered delicious, Chen Xi silently turned his head and, with a smile, said, "Come here, Jian’er, Ran’er, let your husband feed you. You both remember which ones you picked, right?"
A couple, a couple, naturally should share difficulties. He fed each of them three to five meatballs, and then steeled himself to swallow the rest, watching both of them painfully gulp down the meatballs, and Chen Xi immediately felt balanced. However, he still felt something wasn’t quite right.
"Are the meatballs I made really that bad?" Fan Jian, who had been laughing and happy, suddenly looked like she was on the verge of crying.
"Eat yours," Chen Xi said as he stuffed another meatball into Fan Jian’s mouth, "It’s quite an accomplishment for only a few to be distasteful when making so many for the first time."
"Eat up, and afterwards, I’ll make a piece of jewelry for each of you. Mi Zizhong told me his family is in the business of making jewelry. I’ll take you there, and custom-made is always much better than mass-produced ones. We’ll craft whatever design you like," Chen Xi consoled Fan Jian, adding that he couldn’t have achieved this standard on his first try, and for Fan Jian to have succeeded so far on her first attempt was commendable.
In this bland New Year without couplets, firecrackers, and incense candles, where dumplings still required Chen Xi’s own effort, as he lay down with Fan Jian, he vaguely felt that the heartache had faded too much. Perhaps time really was the best way to erode memories and pain.
Though it lacked the festive atmosphere, the New Year was still spent warmly. For the first time, Chen Xi felt that his life had other goals to strive for beyond his distant ideals.
Days of plain warmth seemed to pass quickly with little sensation, and all was calm at Mount Tai after the New Year. Chen Xi continued his habit of gathering refugees. No matter the time, Chen Xi always believed that population was the fundamental factor affecting everything in this era.
Chen Xi had accepted Fan Jian, a far cry from the indifference he showed in Yingchuan, where he just wanted someone to accompany him through life. Now, Fan Jian was important to Chen Xi, and could barely cover the shadow in his heart. Regrettably, the one who is etched in one’s heart is always the one who has passed away. Fan Jian could never surpass the girl who now lay beneath the weeds and soil of a forlorn grave.
April’s sunlight spilt onto Chen Xi, bringing with it a touch of warmth. As he took the intelligence report from Liu Ye, Chen Xi sighed. It had finally begun—the feudal lords, every ambitious figure in the world, were about to step onto the stage of the Late Han.
On this day, Chen Xi received a ceaseless stream of reports from all directions, as if the heavens had chosen this day to unveil this grand drama.
In April of the year 192, Gongsun Zan launched an offensive in Jizhou, which Yuan Shao went forth to meet. Yuan Shu dispatched troops from Yangzhou, met by Yuan Yi. At the same time, news from Yongzhou reported that Emperor Xian would soon abdicate in favor of Dong Zhuo. The latest intelligence announced that a million Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou had mobilized in Yanzhou!
This chaos, this grand drama of tumultuous times, had at this moment finally raised its curtain!
