Childhood Friend

"Junior Brother Duan, someone is looking for you!" A few days later, Duan Xuan was about to go to lunch when he heard other senior brothers calling out from the door.

Duan Xuan frowned: "Looking for me?"

When they reached the door, Duan Xuan's eyebrows and the corners of his mouth suddenly curved in opposite directions.

"Brother Zhao and Sister Chun, why are you back?"

More than a month ago, the two said goodbye to Duan Xuan in front of thatched house in Shetougou, and the next day they embarked on their journey to Huangshe County.

That day, Zhao Rui and Liu Chunmei were wearing the most common tattered hemp and brown clothes found in hunters' homes, and their hands and faces were covered in chilblains.

Today, Zhao Rui wore a pair of ill-fitting, oversized boots.

Her upper body was covered by a plain-colored long robe, and her hair was tied up high in a bun, secured with a bright silver hairpin.

My face looked like it had been smeared with lard, shiny and oily, and the skin on my hands had also improved a lot.

Liu Chunmei, on the other hand, was dressed in brand-new servant's clothes for the Wang family, a combination of light pink and light white, which looked quite fitting on her.

She doesn't look like a maid; she looks more like a refined young lady from an official family.

In such wealthy households, servants and maids naturally had to wear clean and tidy clothes.

  

Otherwise, if outsiders see it, it will tarnish the reputation of the host family.

Today, the little girl wore two buns in her hair. Although her face was still rosy, it looked much better than before.

However, in Duan Xuan's view, the biggest change in the two was their demeanor.

Zhao Rui has always been outspoken and sometimes makes mistakes due to recklessness.

Liu Chunmei is a timid little girl who doesn't even dare to catch a rabbit.

When the three of them are together, if anyone suddenly glares or speaks loudly, Liu Chunmei will be so frightened that she will shrink back.

But in just one month, everything has changed. Zhao Rui is straightforward, but not reckless. Liu Chunmei is still timid, but her eyes are much more lively than before.

The three of them found a cheap tea stall, where a pot of chrysanthemum tea cost two coins, enough for them to chat until dark.

"I had a day off today, so I thought I'd ask Chunmei to come over so we could come back and see you together."

If you were still in Snakehead Village, we might not have met. But since you're in the outer city, it's just a matter of time!

Zhao Rui poured a bowl of tea for Duan Xuan and Liu Chunmei, then picked it up himself and slowly tasted it: "The tea is still too poor, but it's barely drinkable."

Liu Chunmei held the bowl with both hands and nodded: "It is indeed a bit unsatisfactory; it's far inferior to the tea at the Prince's Mansion!"

Duan Xuan was genuinely happy to see the two of them getting along better and better. He didn't say anything, just listened to their endless chatter.

"Are we close to breaking through the second threshold now?"

Duan Xuan shook his head: "How could it be that fast? I haven't even reached the Ming Jin stage yet."

But it won't be long; by the end of this month, I think it will be about done.

"Go for it, Duan Ge!"

Brother Zhao and I are both waiting for you to become a great martial artist.

"We martial artists who guard the houses are so powerful now, eating fish and meat every day, and receiving huge sums of money as a stipend."

"With your support, I will continue on the path of martial arts."

"I'll pay you back that silver when I have the funds."

Zhao Rui gently patted Duan Xuan's head: "What's wrong?"

Have you changed your ways after a month?

If we wanted this money, how could we have waited until now?

You should study diligently. Once I become an official, I will use the imperial salary to solidify your martial arts skills.

Chunmei too, we'll just bestow upon you the title of Lady of the First Rank.

Duan Xuan scratched his head.

Chunmei stared at him wide-eyed and pressed him for an answer: What is a Lady of Imperial Decree? A skilled physician?

The three were chatting animatedly when suddenly a clear voice interrupted them.

"Duan Xuan, Zhao Rui, Liu Chunmei?"

Looking towards the sound, behind Duan Xuan stood a beautiful woman dressed in a scholar's robe, exuding an air of refinement.

From above, she has a delicate, pointed face with large eyes that are slightly slanted downwards.

Looking down, she wore a light blue cotton dress.

She wore a pair of blue cotton shoes, and this outfit made everyone on the street take notice.

"Liu Xuan'er?"

The three of them stared for a long time before they could recognize who had interrupted them.

These are the three childhood playmates who all lived together in Shetou Village.

However, when Liu Xuan'er was eight or nine years old, her father passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. As a result, the whole family benefited and moved into the inner city of Huangshe County.

Otherwise, the four of them would probably still be good playmates by now.

To their surprise, they actually saw Liu Xuan'er here in the outer city.

Just as Zhao Rui was about to greet her warmly, he noticed that Liu Xuan'er was followed by someone with an equally scholarly air.

But he was a man with a very strong and imposing presence.

He had a short sword hanging at his waist, which was out of place with the scholar's attire.

His pectoral muscles were ridiculously large, making the scholar's clothes look bulky.

Especially his eyes, which were frighteningly sharp, glared at Zhao Rui and Liu Chunmei.

Liu Chunmei immediately shuddered and sat obediently in the chair, not daring to get up.

Liu Xuan'er covered her mouth and chuckled, "What a coincidence, to meet you here!"

"It's been many years since we last met. Everyone's appearance has changed a lot. Brother Zhao, you didn't end up working as a minor official in the government, did you?"

These boots are so big! They don't fit at all.

Chunmei, you're still so unsophisticated. How come you haven't grown any boldness? With this outfit, could it be that you were a lowly maid in the Wang family?

"Sigh, it must have been tough on your dad. With so many children in the family, it's a miracle he didn't sell you off!"

Liu Xuan'er looks gentle and refined, but her words are quite sharp.

She slowly looked at Duan Xuan, sizing him up several times, raised her eyebrows slightly, and turned to the man behind her, saying, "Brother Peng, this is the hunter I often mention to you."

When I was a child, if I pretended to cry, they would immediately go up the mountain to hunt wild game for me.

Look at it, it still looks so shabby. Oh, right.

My good friend's father was arrested by the government.

"I might have to trouble you, Peng, to help me look for it. It's okay if you can't find it."

These few words made Zhao Rui, Liu Chunmei, and the other two feel nauseous and want to vomit.

They just couldn't understand how, after all, they had been poor people from the same village, and only a few years after moving into the inner city, their temperaments had changed so drastically.

Why bother mocking them in the first place?

Just because he wasn't dressed decently enough, just because he was sitting at a roadside tea stall drinking tea?

Only Duan Xuan saw through Liu Xuan'er's true nature at a glance, just like those wealthy young men who went abroad to study in his previous life.

She came back and transformed from a traditional Chinese lady into a hot American West Coast girl. There must have been many "interventions" behind the scenes.

"Don't worry, Xuan'er, this little thing is no problem for me. After all, the Han family still has a place in Huangshe County."

"Checking on a peasant is too easy. It stinks here, let's hurry up and leave. My dad's waiting for us to bring him back!"

Liu Xuan'er nodded gently, no longer glancing at her three childhood friends who were drinking tea, as if she had never met them before.

To Duan Xuan's surprise, Liu Xuan'er and her companion knocked on the door of the Poshan Martial Arts School.