Chapter 697: Xun

"Sir, I'm not deliberately trying to cheat you; it's just that the wine you drank is indeed pricey, while the food is secondary."

The Shop Boy spoke very politely, and his attitude was excellent, leaving the old man momentarily speechless.

If the Shop Boy had been rude, he might have been able to argue a few sentences, but he kept calling him "you" and calling himself "young one."

What can you do with him?

Even if you reach out, you still won't strike the smiling man.

However, if we really stay here for over a month to earn a living, and it gets spread, the old man would feel embarrassed himself.

He then asked, "May I stay here for now, promise not to run away, and could you prepare paper and a pen for me? I'll write a letter to have someone send money over; what do you think?"

The Shop Boy replied in surprise, "Since you can have someone bring money, why didn't you say so earlier?"

The old man was instantly at a loss for words.

Talk, talk, talk—what the heck are you saying!

Spreading this would be shameful.

The Shop Boy didn't expect an answer, and smiled, "No problem, sir; please wait a moment, and I'll get you the paper and pen."

"Later we can also send someone to deliver the letter; would you like some tea or a break?"

"... No need," the old man said, his face darkening as he sat down again.

He had already been the subject of a good laugh here, and expected his own disciple to mock him later; what mood does he have for tea?

Chen Yan watched the farce with relish, was about to pull Sizi away, but found the little fellow had frozen.

He looked down and asked, "What are you doing?"

Sizi stared up with wide eyes, "Brother, I know that old uncle; he once treated my illness. Should we pay him?"

"You know him?" Chen Yan blinked, "He even treated you?"

"Yes!" Sizi replied matter‑of‑factly, "He's great; although he doesn't let me eat meat, he also doesn't make me drink nasty medicine."

"My mother said he was specially invited back by Ah Ye to treat me."

Chen Yan was startled, turned his head to gauge the old man's age, a vague suspicion forming in his mind, and hurriedly asked, "What is his name?"

"I don't know," Sizi tilted his head, hesitating, "I think his surname is Xun."

?

Chen Yan was instantly bewildered.

Xun?

What the hell kind of surname is that?

It seemed their voices were loud enough to attract the old man's attention, and he turned his head to look.

At first, upon seeing Chen Yan, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The young gentleman's attire was expensive, his bearing extraordinary; he must be either rich or noble.

Looking at the Sizi Chen Yan carried, perhaps due to his age, he seemed fond of such cute children.

He found Sizi's appearance truly rare and delightful.

So upon closer inspection, the old man's expression turned uncertain, he rubbed his eyes and looked again......

"Lord Jinyang......"

The final word hadn't left his mouth when Chen Yan stared, causing the old man's words to get stuck.

Chen Yan looked at the two, took Sizi and sat opposite the old man: "Sir, I'm here with my younger sister for an outing; I heard you once treated her, so I thank Mr Xun here."

The old man:???

Xun?

The old man was momentarily bewildered, his anger flaring as he blew his beard and glared, "What Xun? My surname is Sun, not Xun!"

Chen Yan: "......"

He stared expressionlessly at Sizi.

Sizi replied confidently, "Yes, it's Xun's Xun, exactly!"

"......"

The sentence left both silent, unable to say anything.

The atmosphere hung dead for a moment; Chen Yan sighed, "May I ask, sir, are you Sun Simiao, Sir Sun?"

Sun Simiao, hearing Chen Yan utter his name, stroked his white beard haughtily, "Indeed, I am Sun Simiao."

"Young gentleman, have you heard of me?"

Chen Yan nodded, "I've not only heard of you, I've seen you now; I must say, you truly are Sir Sun, the Medicine King."

"When traveling, you don't even need to carry money yourself; even meals require someone to send money over."

Sun Simiao: "......"

"Boy!" he exclaimed, pulling out a strand of his own beard in anger, "I can't even find fault to say such a thing!"

"Hahaha!" Chen Yan laughed, announcing loudly, "Shop Boy, no need to prepare paper and pen; put this old man's bill on my head."

The Shop Boy, returning with paper and pen, heard this and carefully asked Chen Yan whether he wanted to pay Sun Simiao, and after receiving a confirming answer, agreed.

Sun Simiao, seeing this, looked rather uneasy and said, "Young gentleman, thank you this time; where do you live? Later I will send the money back to you."

Chen Yan smiled, waving his hand, "Sir Sun, no need for the money; you previously treated my sister, so consider this a meal and a little wine to thank you."

"Speaking of it, you travel the world, and I never expected to meet you here."

Sun Simiao opened his mouth, thought about Sizi's identity, held back a refusal, and replied, "Indeed, I didn't expect to see you two here......"

Chen Yan gave a faint smile, "Never mind, let's drop that. We're about to go out for a stroll, and we're fellow travelers; perhaps you'd like to join us, and we could exchange experiences."

"Hmm?"

The words unsettled Sun Simiao.

At first, he heard Chen Yan call Sizi "sister" repeatedly and thought Chen Yan was a prince; now, hearing the words "We belong to the same path," a new speculation arose in his mind.

Sun Simiao looked at Chen Yan carefully and, with some surprise, said, "Are you surnamed Chen?"

"Yes!" Chen Yan nodded. "I really am surnamed Chen!"

"Mr. Sun, you know me?"

"How could I possibly not know?" Sun Simiao said, clearly excited. "I was planning to return to Chang'an to look for you. How exactly did you heal Du Ruhui? Eldest grandson… your mother‑in‑law, and also how you healed your sister?"

"Also, in the fourth year of the Zhenguan era a flood broke out in the Yellow River region; what particular methods do you have for preventing epidemics?"

"And… and…"

Mentioning these matters, Sun Simiao immediately became loquacious, his questions endless, forcing Chen Yan's smile to become strained.

Sizi, displeased, puffed out his cheek and said, "Mr. Xun, didn't you hear what my brother just said?"

"We're going out to have fun; do you want to join? If you do, we can go together; I'll do my thing, and you do yours—doesn't that sound good?"

"…Sorry." Sun Simiao blurted an apology, not even caring about Sizi's address to him; after realizing, he grabbed Chen Yan and said, "Let's go, let's go, we're leaving, going out to play, right now we go out to play."

Chen Yan couldn't help but laugh: "Mr. Xun, take it easy, no rush!"

"......"