Fox Road Travel Notes

"At this time, drizzle began to fall from the sky."

"The Taoist priest praised: This Dongting smoke wave is worthy of painting, but it is a pity that there is no wine, and it fails to live up to the beautiful scenery!"

"The ancestors took out the home-brewed rice wine from the cabin and offered it to the Taoist whale. The Taoist whale took a sip and the gourd full of wine was empty.

"He roared loudly and stepped on the bow of the ship."

"This boat is like an arrow leaving the string, cutting through the waves and wind, flying close to the water and heading towards Junshan..."

"Only then did my ancestor know that he met a god today."

"The journey of a hundred miles of water was approaching in an instant. The Taoist jumped out of the boat, his clothes still fluttering and not wet at all."

"He smiled and said: Thank you for giving me a ride in the rain. We are destined to be together. I can give you something to pay for the ship. What do you want?"

"My ancestor prostrated on the ground, kowtowed and said: If I can get a small portrait of you, let me keep it at home and worship it every day, that will be enough..."

"The Taoist laughed loudly and said: Go!"

"With a wave of his hand, my ancestor somehow got to the boat, and the boat flew back to its original place without even needing to rock the oars..."

"After getting off the boat, my ancestor was still in a trance, as if he was in a dream."

"When I entered the house, I saw this "Picture of Feidu in the Dongting" hanging on the wall!"

"what--"

Everyone listened with rapt attention, and then they exclaimed, it turned out that this is how this painting came to be!

"My ancestors also read the inscriptions on the paintings and realized that the person they met was actually Lu Zu!"

"Since then, my ancestor has burned incense and worshiped in front of the painting every day."

"It's like God is protecting him. When he fishes, his net is always full and his harvest is much more than others."

"When he sells fish, he always meets noble people and sells much more than others."

"Within a few years, he bought a village by the lake and owned land."

"It's strange to say that other people's homes suffer from chicken plague and dog disease every year, but my Xi family suffers from six livestock diseases."

“Other people’s homes are infested with insects and rats every year, but my home has a bumper harvest every year…

"This goes on from generation to generation. By the time of my great-grandfather, our Xi family was already known as the "Half Dongting"..."

"Oh--"

"Tsk tsk!"

Everyone sighed after hearing this, and they were even more jealous of the painting.

As long as the authentic relics of gods are worshiped devoutly, how can they not be protected by God?

If this painting comes to my home...

"Mr. Xi, please sell this painting to me. I, Liu, am selling iron at the expense of others..."

Sure enough, it was Liu Jinshi who spoke first.

"Shut up, is it your turn? How much money do your Liu family have?"

It was the same dark-faced and bearded squire, and today he went all out to confront Liu Jinshi.

Everyone started chattering again, eager to try.

Seeing that they were about to pounce on them again, Chen Zican was so frightened that he took two steps back and raised his chair to block him.

"Hey, everyone, the reason why I am telling you this is to let you know how precious this painting is to my Xi family!"

"Why do you still force others to make things difficult for you and take away their love?"

"This, is this still a humble gentleman?"

People don't care about this, they stand up and get entangled.

Sun Shangshu stroked his long gray beard and said with a smile: "Master Xi, the disaster in Handan County is serious. Xian Kunzhong has seen it with his own eyes."

"As far as I know, there are no less than 110,000 people fleeing the famine inside and outside the city."

He glanced at Liu Jinshi, who immediately understood and echoed.

"What Mr. Sun said is true. From what I have seen, it should be no less than this number."

Sun Shangshu continued: "Today, thanks to Xian Kunzhong's generous donation, we have raised thirty-four thousand taels of silver."

"According to the rice price in Zhili this year, you can get enough Japonica rice for 4,800 shi."

"If you want to survive rather than be fed, ten liters per person per month is enough. Even so, this rice can barely sustain you for less than half a month..."

"Master Zhou, do you think this is the case?"

County Magistrate Zhou nodded when he heard this and sighed: "Old Mr. Sun understands this very well."

Zhongxian Cheng didn't know what he meant and showed hesitation.

I thought to myself, this old guy doesn't care if he doesn't get a cent, but he seems to want to use morality to suppress the Xi brothers.

He said, "With this rain, the drought will be relieved."

"The locusts have passed away in the past few days, and the green seedlings in the fields are growing. It will be better after all..."

Sun Shangshu sneered: "Expecting green seedlings in the fields? You'll have to wait at least a few months!"

"Sending Buddha to the West, are we going to ask these victims to eat dirt in the second half of the month?"

Zhongxian Cheng was also angry and protested: "The leading figures in our city have a house full of people. Are they just waiting for Mr. Xi's paintings to support more than 100,000 Handan people?"

He was directly appointed as county magistrate by the supervisor, and his family was quite powerful in Beizhili, so he was not afraid of this outdated minister.

Anyway, he is not the chief official of the county, so it does not matter to him whether the local gentry cooperates or not.

Sun Shangshu's face darkened, and County Magistrate Zhou quickly tried to persuade him.

He took a sip of tea and said to Chen Zican: "Master Xi, please don't misunderstand me watching the fire from the other side!"

"The victims of the disaster are still short of about 60,000 dan to meet their needs for one month. I am grateful to you for your righteousness, and I am willing to save the whole family on food and clothing, and support them with another 20,000 dan."

"Then--"

The black-faced and bearded squire looked dissatisfied. Just as he was about to speak, Sun Shangshu suddenly raised his head and looked at him, with a fierce light in his triangular eyes.

It immediately made him shiver, and he swallowed the words that were stuck in his throat.

Chen Zican, however, was holding the teacup, just bowed his head and smiled, and did not answer.

Sun Shangshu glanced at the four seats, his face full of wrinkles.

"Then, how about buying Mr. Xi's painting for another 50,000 taels of silver?"

Seeing everyone looking at him, Chen Zican sighed.

"It's not like this painting can't be sold!"

"This time, my father asked me to take it to the capital and present it to His Majesty. That means I am not reluctant to part with it."

"only--"

Sun Shangshu was a little relieved when he heard his words, and he couldn't help being overjoyed and asked quickly: "Just what?"

"Master Xi, what else do you want? Just say it..."

Chen Zican shook his head and said seriously: "Xi just thinks it's not worth so much money."

"This painting has been hanging in my house for three hundred years. Apart from the fact that the Taoist priest wears a crown on a sunny day and wears a hat when it rains, there is no other difference."

"You can't eat or drink. Mr. Sun spent so much money, what's the use of buying it back?"

Everyone secretly shook their heads. This painting, just based on this magical feature, is already priceless and unparalleled in the world!

What's more, it is made by gods to ward off evil spirits, increase blessings, and protect the family, needless to say.

After all, this Young Master Xi Xiuyu is young and ignorant, and is still much worse than his cousin!

Sun Shangshu chuckled and said: "I am old and my time is short."

"I've always been indifferent and indifferent to desires. But with this painting and calligraphy, I've become addicted to love. I can't change it!"

Chen Zican shook his head again: "I understand what you mean."

"As for some people saying that the Xi family's wealth and success in Jiangnan came from this painting, I definitely don't believe it."

"Mr. Long Xi once stayed at the Xi family to give lectures. The children of the Xi family can be considered to be of the same lineage of Xinxue."

"Mr. Yangming once said: If my heart leaves my heart, there will be no ghosts, gods, and all things in the world. The so-called "with a heart" is true, but without a heart it is an illusion."

"You are all well-educated people, so you won't be fooled by these nonsense..."

Everyone shook their heads when they saw that this doll was not only inexperienced but also so headstrong.

It seems that the Xi family's good luck has indeed come to an end.

No wonder, today everyone has the chance to see this painting and even have the chance to get it!

Three hundred years, it has protected the Xi family for three hundred years!

Things are changing, so it’s time to change the owner...