Chapter 42: [Repaying Kindness] (Part II)

After the song finished, everyone burst into applause. Yuan Shiqing produced one tael of silver; Murong Feiyan felt her purse and gave all the loose silver inside to that father‑daughter pair. Altogether it came to about one tael—no more, no less.

Zhan Peng was merely a hunter, with little silver on him, yet he tipped them over a hundred copper coins—now he didn't even have money to pay the bill.

Murong Feiyan fixed her gaze on Hu Xiaotian; among those present he was surely the wealthiest. That father‑daughter pair were so pitiful—if this guy had even a shred of humanity, he ought to show some compassion. If Hu Xiaotian would now bring out his generosity, perhaps Murong Feiyan's opinion of him could improve, and she could reassess his character. But Hu Xiaotian had the will to tip, not the money; this fellow never carries even half a copper coin when he goes out. Whenever there's a place to spend money, the servants rush to pay first. In this era, a person of real status who walks around with a money pouch either spends too little for fear of loss, or carries so much it's like lugging a dumbbell—anyway, the servants are always there holding the money for him. Hu Xiaotian has never had the concept of paying.

He went through the motion, but his pockets were empty—in fact he had no pockets at all. Fang Zhitang bowed with a smile, approached Hu Xiaotian and waited for his reward, but Hu Xiaotian fumbled for ages without producing a single copper coin. The fellow grew embarrassed: "Er… uh… I didn't bring any money…"

Hearing that, Fang Zhitang didn't mind; the folk customs of Dakang are simple and honest—tipping is a matter of willingness, giving more or less as one feels, and forcing others to pay is something this father‑daughter pair have never done. Whether they give or not, Fang Zhitang remains humble and smiling, telling his daughter: "Fang Fang, thank you, sirs, for your generosity. Let's go."

Hu Xiaotian scratched his head awkwardly, wondering whether to go downstairs and ask the servants for some money, when Murong Feiyan gave him a look of utter contempt.

Hu Xiaotian felt he had never been this embarrassed in this life or the last: "I… I really didn't bring any money…"

"No problem, no problem!" Yuan Shiqing laughed.

Hu Xiaotian looked at Murong Feiyan and said, "Don't look at me like that—it makes me seem heartless toward the wealthy."

Murong Feiyan smiled faintly: "I don't understand Mr. Hu's character, and I don't care to."

Even the outsider Zhan Peng could see it—apparently Captain Murong harbors some prejudice against her benefactor. Seeing how Hu Xiaotian helps his own father and even a complete stranger with enthusiasm, he certainly isn't a miser.

Hu Xiaotian was stirred by Murong Feiyan's attitude. He thought, "Damn it, Murong lass, if I don't strip and punish you this life, I'll take your name!" Actually Murong Feiyan hasn't offended him, yet he's turned extreme—it looks like his very nature bears an evil seed, so his wicked thoughts keep springing up.

Yuan Shiqing hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over: "Forget it if you didn't bring money; tipping isn't compulsory."

Hu Xiaotian thought, "You old fool, you make it sound easy—you're obviously helping the Fang family on purpose; listening to the song was just a pretext, genuinely helping someone is the real motive." Hu Xiaotian said, "Alright, when I get back I'll have someone send over five taels of gold—isn't that just the consultation fee? I'll take care of this for them." Given his family's wealth, five taels of gold is nothing; he might as well be generous once more and do another good deed.

Yuan Shiqing, hearing Hu Xiaotian's generous promise, hurriedly thanked the Fang father and daughter and was about to call them back to thank Hu Xiaotian for his great kindness. Murong Feiyan shook her head: "No rush—I'm afraid some people will forget what they said. If they promise so nicely now and then forget it all after the meal, wouldn't that just give the father‑daughter pair empty joy?"

Hu Xiaotian figured it out—Murong Feiyan was using the goading tactic, afraid he wouldn't keep his promise. He laughed: "Captain Murong's right; after this meal, let's go home together."

Murong Feiyan glared at him: "What do you want me to come home with you for?"

"To fetch the gold! If you don't trust me, at least trust yourself."

Murong Feiyan said: "Let's go—who's afraid of whom?"

At that moment the waiter came up with the dishes. Yuan Shiqing ordered a jar of fine wine; Zhan Peng rose, took the jar and voluntarily poured drinks for everyone. Though in age Murong Feiyan and Hu Xiaotian are younger than him, one is a government official, the other a second‑generation official, and Hu Xiaotian is his benefactor, so Zhan Peng poured the wine wholeheartedly.

Although Yuan Shiqing was the host, his tolerance for alcohol was poor. Originally Li Yifeng was a drinking expert, but just now Hu Xiaotian's nauseating vomiting kept him from attending. Though Hu Xiaotian often drank and partied in his past life and had a decent tolerance, he lacks confidence in how much alcohol this body can handle; in fact he hasn't taken a single sip so far.

Hu Xiaotian tentatively took a sip; the alcohol content at this time was low, but the flavor was mellow, being brewed from grain rather than distilled spirits. Following his principle of wading in slowly, he drank a bowl, felt no reaction, his mind stayed clear and his speech articulate—it seems his drinking ability hasn't been completely lost across time and space.

However, when drinking, Hu Xiaotian still appeared very shy and polite, for he had no confidence; he kept saying he couldn't hold his liquor, just short of saying he was allergic to alcohol, and when the words reached his lips he feared these ancient people would accept incompetence,

Zhan Peng could drink a lot; in this era, showing respect at the table means offering a toast. He lifted Hu Xiaotian's wine bowl with both hands to toast him; Hu Xiaotian took the bowl, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said, "Brother Zhan, you've already toasted me three bowls."

Zhan Peng said: "For your great kindness, three bowls of wine aren't enough—thirty wouldn't be too much."

Hu Xiaotian thought, "Thirty bowls? You're trying to drink your benefactor to death—that's not gratitude, it's revenge! You're really honest, but wait—today Yuan Shiqing is the host; you're guzzling away, thinking it's not your money being spent? This guy always puts his nasty thoughts first."

Murong Feiyan saw Hu Xiaotian pushing and yielding; each time he drank he went through a hassle. Unable to hold back, she said: "If you can drink, drink; if you can't, don't. A proper seven‑foot man, you're not the least bit straightforward."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You're straightforward—go ahead and drink three big bowls for me to see!"

Zhan Peng and Yuan Shiqing exchanged a glance and couldn't help but chuckle; these two are clearly destined to be rivals, trading barbs from the moment they met.

Murong Feiyan said: "Three bowls? What's that? Let's drink the whole jar! Waiter, bring two jars of wine!"

Hu Xiaotian froze upon hearing that—who said women are inferior to men? Murong Feiyan is not only highly skilled in martial arts, her drinking capacity is also quite frightening.

Murong Feiyan gave Hu Xiaotian a cold stare: "Scared, huh!"

Hu Xiaotian replied: "If I'm afraid, then you're my mother!"

Murong Feiyan was still unmarried, the daughter of Yun Ying. Hearing him say that, her pretty face flushed red and she spat, "Shameless!" Actually she had wanted to curse him **, but recalling the story Hu Xiaotian had told, those two characters ** were hard to utter.

Hu Xiaotian eyed the two jars of wine that had been brought up; each jar held at least three catties of liquor, plus the weight of the jar itself, making about five catties total. Set on the table, they looked heavy and intimidating. He shook his head: "Forget it, I'm not drinking—if I did, I'd lose my life; can I even bear that?"

Murong Feiyan was truly at a loss with this fellow. Just now he said he was afraid because she had given birth to him, and now he says he's scared—doesn't that amount to admitting she bore him, even though she's still a young lady who hasn't left the pavilion? How could she have given birth? This brat is truly hateful; whenever she's with him she can't gain any advantage, only suffers loss. Different paths, no joint plans—she herself wonders why she's sitting here eating with this spoiled rich kid.

Just then a commotion arose outside. Hu Xiaotian seized the chance to rise and said, "I'll go see what's happening out there." He realized that arguing with a woman gets him nowhere.

Zhan Peng said, "Please stay seated, Sir Hu, I'll go check!" Being already seated near the door, coming and going was convenient; without waiting for Hu Xiaotian to rise, he opened the door and left.

*************************************************** Looking for a few Dream Cup tickets; they're just below the content summary—not asking for a ranking, just hoping to make the cut.