Inside the carriage, Li Xuan had his face turned to the side as he spoke with Shen Wanjun, the owner of the Abundant Harvest Rice Shop.
The curtain fell. The carriage rolled past.
The rouge box in Xu Yulian's hand dropped onto the stall with a snap.
"Mother! That's Li Xuan... sitting with Shen Wanjun."
Xu Wang froze and followed her gaze-the carriage had stopped outside the Drunken Immortal House.
Li Xuan stepped down, with Shen Wanjun following behind him, and the two entered the restaurant, still talking.
The Drunken Immortal House, where a plate of greens cost two taels of silver.
Xu Wang's mouth still hung open, her insults stuck in her throat.
The rouge seller gave a derisive snort:
"Oh, isn't that the poor lad you kept saying was sucking up to your daughter? Didn't you call him a wastrel? What wastrel could afford to enter the Drunken Immortal House?"
"Shut your mouth!" Xu Wang snapped out of her daze, her face flushing scarlet.
"Who knows what freak stroke of luck he stumbled into! That brat's belly is full of dirty schemes. No telling what shady business he's been up to-"
"Enough, enough. He's doing perfectly well. What are you being so sour about? If you've got time to stand here hurling abuse, go home and look in a mirror instead. See whether that old face of yours deserves so much as a second glance from him."
Several women nearby burst out laughing.
Xu Wang's face went from red to purple.
"Me, jealous of some mud-legged peasant? He-"
"Mother!" Xu Yulian wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.
More and more people gathered to watch.
The door of the Drunken Immortal House opened.
Li Xuan stood in the doorway, with Shen Wanjun beside him.
The crowd parted of its own accord.
Xu Wang's voice cut off abruptly.
Li Xuan glanced at her. His gaze was calm, as though he were looking at a stray dog by the roadside.
Shen Wanjun walked over. "Were you the one hurling insults just now? At Li Xuan?"
Xu Wang said nothing.
Shen Wanjun smiled.
"Li Xuan is my savior. Today, on West Mountain Road, he single-handedly slew six armed bandits and saved my daughter and young son from their blades. Constable Wang of the County Office personally verified this heroic deed. The entire town knows of it!"
The crowd erupted into a buzzing uproar.
"And this old hag was just accusing him of swindling people?"
"He saved lives, and she's here splashing filth on his name?"
Xu Wang's face turned as white as paper.
"I hosted a banquet at the Drunken Immortal House today to thank him. Before we had even finished our wine, I heard someone outside insulting him."
Shen Wanjun paused. "I've lived for more than fifty years, and I've never seen such a slap in the face."
"Guards. Throw these two whores out. Take them far away-don't let them foul the grounds of the Drunken Immortal House. Teach them a lesson they won't forget."
"Yes!"
The guards seized them and hauled them away.
"Ah! Help-"
A burly man swung his arm in a full arc and slapped the wretched old hag across the face.
Smack!
Two teeth flew out, and the blow spun her a full circle.
"Get lost, you old hag!"
Xu Wang was flung into a heap of rotten vegetable leaves several dozen paces away.
Dozens of people formed a circle around her, pointing and commenting.
"Oh, isn't that the one who was hurling insults just now?"
"Serves her right!"
"Who'd dare shop at her store after this?"
Xu Yulian stood beside her, her face alternating between green and white. She wanted to help her mother up, but feared dirtying her hands.
The laughter around them grew louder and louder.
Li Xuan... when had he become so formidable?
Why hadn't I noticed before?
An overwhelming sense of regret welled up within her.
In a private dining room upstairs.
Shen Wanjun raised his cup. "A few filthy wretches spoiled the mood. Let me offer you a toast, both to settle your nerves and to apologize."
Li Xuan raised his cup in return. "You're too kind, Master Shen. A few capering clowns are hardly worth mentioning."
His mind was clear as a mirror: after today, no one in this little town would look down on him for coming from a hunter's family again.
Shen Wanjun's thunderous fury had proved more effective than gold or silver.
The banquet was drawing to a close.
Shen Qingyi, who had been sitting quietly in the seat below her father's, suddenly lifted her eyes, clear as autumn waters, and looked at Li Xuan:
"~Big Brother Li"
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