The Mortal World

"The immortal strokes my crown, I bind my hair and attain eternal life."

Zhao Jianzi was not the first to pray for immortality, nor was he the only one who had the chance to seek it yet failed.

It is just that eight or nine out of ten things in life do not go as planned, let alone something as lofty as seeking immortality.

Time is precious yet ruthless; when it slips away, even if one exhausts their life's blood and all the wealth in the world, they cannot buy back a single second.

Liu Chang'an walked out of the warehouse, clutching the tiger tally, its surface smooth and its weight substantial.

The Xiangnan Museum houses over two hundred thousand artifacts. Naturally, one cannot see them all here, but the most worth-seeing replicas for the average visitor were present. During the museum's free-admission period, this hundred-yuan viewing fee could be considered money well spent.

As for Zhang Xingliang using public property for private gain, Liu Chang'an did not care. From ancient times to the present, saints and commoners alike have had their own conduct and wisdom for living; all are merely inevitable components of a social population.

The world of "everyone is a saint" under the rule of sages that the Master yearned for does not exist. Zhuangzi was more realistic; in The Human World, it is said: "Names and realities are things that even a sage cannot overcome, let alone someone like me?"

Liu Chang'an is no sage, nor has he ever met a true one; those closest to being sages were but a handful.

He, too, once wished to allow someone to live for many more years, thinking that person might bring a different atmosphere to this world. But history has no "what ifs." Liu Chang'an himself is merely a splash on the long river, one that has not yet dissipated, yet he lacks the power to reverse the current.

The Master stood by the river and said: "It passes on like this, never ceasing day or night."

Liu Chang'an walked out of the warehouse and squinted. It was already noon. The mustard greens at this hour were likely not as fresh and tender as they were in the morning, but since they were primarily for air-drying and salt-curing, it mattered little.

"Off you go then, come back when you have time." Zhang Xingliang handed him a pack of betel nuts with a grin.

Liu Chang'an waved his hand and walked into a small alley. He saw another man dressed similarly to Zhang Xingliang, chatting and laughing with an elderly couple who looked like tourists from out of town, leading them toward the warehouse.

Zhang Xingliang clicked his tongue a few times. Their favorite customers were elderly tourists from out of town; they had to be given a "free tour," and then a few "antiques" would be pushed onto them to take home.

Liu Chang'an did not return the way he came. He sensed a mixture of fresh and stale scents. After walking a short distance into the alley, he saw a small vegetable market where an old farmer was selling fresh mustard greens.

In the Xiang River basin, mustard greens can be harvested three times a year. They are sown in late April and can be harvested in thirty to fifty days. The hearts are air-dried, the stalks are lightly salted, and after being sun-dried, they are mixed with a little cooking wine, sugar, and oil, then steamed and dried again before being bottled—a perfect accompaniment to rice.

"Good harvest this year, isn't it?"

"One mu yielded six thousand... nearly seven thousand catties, but it's hard to sell..."

"You should have a local agricultural product online guidance center. You should find a way to sell them online."

"Online... heh... this old man doesn't know how to use the internet, can't even figure out WeChat..."

"Learn it... Old man, how much for these bamboo shoots?"

"Three yuan a catty."

"That's cheap. You should sell them for at least five..."

Liu Chang'an chatted with the old man for a while and bought the mustard greens and bamboo shoots. As he turned, he saw a pair of exquisitely carved high heels. The black silk stockings were of a fine, dense texture with a deep luster, lacking the cheap feel of inexpensive hosiery. Paired with slender, straight calves, they didn't carry the vulgarity usually associated with black silk. Her tall figure was wrapped in a well-fitted uniform, her curves rounded and moving, especially the firm, uplifted amplitude of her soft lining, which was full of rhythmic momentum.

Liu Chang'an stood up and looked at the small, beautiful face behind rimless glasses, whose expression was icy cold, staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Would you like to buy some mustard greens?" Liu Chang'an helped the old man promote them; the mustard greens the old man grew were indeed plump and tender.

Zhong Qing was stunned. She was very surprised to run into Liu Chang'an here, and even more surprised by his opening line.

Seeing no reaction from the other party, Liu Chang'an picked up his things and walked away.

"Liu Chang'an!"

The sound of high heels behind him swayed with a feminine charm, sounding melodious. Liu Chang'an turned around and received a business card. It was much more refined than Zhang Xingliang's; it had no titles, only the name "Zhong Qing," a phone number, and a company email address.

"Hello, may I ask if you still remember Zhu Juntang?" Zhong Qing asked, knowing the answer. She felt that no one could forget Zhu Juntang. Before Qin Yanan came to Junsha, Zhong Qing had never seen a woman who could rival her.

"I don't remember, and I don't know her."

This answer was somewhat unexpected. Zhong Qing frowned slightly and looked at the young man again. Unlike her first impression of him as a vagrant or a laborer, he was clean and fresh, exuding a feeling like a lush green forest from the inside out, making one wonder if they would want to take a deep breath when standing close to him.

Zhong Qing hated other people's body odor and bad breath, but she noticed his skin was delicate and smooth, and he actually possessed an alluring scent similar to Zhu Juntang's.

"I want to know why she is looking for you." Zhong Qing turned a deaf ear to Liu Chang'an's denial. She wouldn't dwell on his refusal, nor would she demand he admit it; that would be meaningless. Zhong Qing valued efficiency; once she had determined something, there was no need to waste time on disputes.

"I don't know."

There was no pretense or playing hard to get in his calm tone. Zhong Qing was not just Zhu Juntang's assistant; she had a greater responsibility to understand the people and events surrounding Zhu Juntang.

Ever since she found Liu Chang's phone number that day, Zhong Qing had begun investigating him. Anyone who shops online or leaves personal information is no longer safe from the threat of privacy leaks. Liu Chang'an's personal information was easy to find, but the problem was: what had such an unremarkable young man done, and what was it about him that had aroused Zhu Juntang's intense interest?

Undoubtedly, Zhu Juntang had checked the surveillance footage afterward, ordered Zhong Qing to find Liu Chang'an, repeatedly climbed onto the roof in the middle of the night to look around, waited for dawn in the dew, wandered around the construction site with her dog for no reason, and even chatted with that little foreman, Fan Jian... these abnormal behaviors were all related to Liu Chang'an.

Fortunately, Qin Yanan had arrived. Zhu Juntang spent every day with her and wasn't as bored, but Zhong Qing understood Zhu Juntang's temperament well—she would still go looking for Liu Chang'an.

"How does she know you?" Zhong Qing watched Liu Chang'an turn to leave and hurriedly followed.

Liu Chang'an felt that Zhong Qing walked with a charming grace, especially her footsteps, which were light, as if playing a musical instrument, so he did not quicken his pace to shake her off.

"I don't know." Liu Chang'an looked at Zhong Qing with confusion. "I think all the questions you're asking should be directed at Zhu Juntang, not me."

Zhong Qing was momentarily speechless, then said faintly, "I am only her assistant. There are some things that even if I ask her, she might not tell me."

"In other words, you're just a dog catching mice—meddling in business that isn't yours?" Liu Chang'an said with a sudden realization.

"You..." Zhong Qing adjusted her glasses before she felt the irritation brewing. Liu Chang'an was wearing clothes from the last century that were hopelessly outdated, yet the words he spoke with that gentle, calm expression were particularly easy to provoke one's temper.

An electric scooter suddenly swerved toward them. Zhong Qing was staring angrily at Liu Chang'an and didn't notice. The scooter let out a shrill screech of brakes, leaving a foul-smelling skid mark on the ground. Liu Chang'an reached out and wrapped his arm around Zhong Qing's slender waist, pulling her tightly against him just in time to avoid the scooter.

"Damn your mother! Are you blind? You're a complete idiot, I tell you, I'll..."

The man riding the electric scooter was reeking of alcohol. As he cursed, he saw a traffic policeman on a motorcycle approaching from the front and hurriedly turned, fleeing in a panic through the crowd.

Zhong Qing's heart hammered violently against her ribs. Had she been struck just now, she surely would have ended up in the hospital. Fortunately, Liu Chang'an had been quick-witted and agile... Yet, the fact that she had been lost in thought was his fault. She wanted to thank him, but what slipped out instead was, "What did he just say?"

"You aren't a local, are you?" Liu Chang'an translated. "The gist of it is that he has a very good relationship with your mother and admires her deeply. As the saying goes, 'A fair, sweet maiden, a gentleman's good mate; a fair, sweet maiden, awake and asleep he seeks her. Unable to find her, awake and asleep he thinks of her. Longing and pining, he tosses and turns.' That's why his electric scooter was tossing and turning until it nearly flipped over."

"You... do you take me for a fool?" Zhong Qing pointed a finger at Liu Chang'an, trembling with rage. She had lived in Junsha for a long time and understood the dialect perfectly well; she had only asked to cover up her own embarrassment.

Liu Chang'an released Zhong Qing's waist. It was barely a handful, with a wonderful texture; a beautiful woman truly possessed not a single spot that wasn't worth savoring.

Standing not far away, Chen Changxiu hurriedly sent the scene he had just captured to An Nuan. Naturally, he had only taken photos of Liu Chang'an holding Zhong Qing, but since Liu Chang'an had held her for quite a while and the woman hadn't pushed him away immediately, it wouldn't be a stretch to claim they were flirting.

Liu Chang'an noticed Chen Changxiu but didn't pay him any mind. Ignoring Zhong Qing as well, he headed home.