The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 8: The Proud Snow and the Cold Plum Blossom—Mei Hanxue

When Li Xuanba walked down the street again, people on both sides pointed and whispered at him, clad as he was in a robe of green leaves. The men looked on with a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment, while the women gazed at him with sparkling eyes—yet no one dared to approach him or pester him. Only the beautiful women from the brothels, waving their jade-like hands scented with cosmetics, called out to Li Xuanba in sweet, coquettish voices, their cries of “Young Master” ringing out ceaselessly. “Heh heh, I’m quite the hit, aren’t I?” Faced with this stark contrast, Li Xuanba shrugged, a mischievous grin playing at the corners of his mouth. Yet he didn’t turn around to greet the courtesans—talking was one thing, but when it came to getting physical, that was a line he wouldn’t cross. Strolling along, Li Xuanba found the Hongyun Gambling House—not because anyone had directed him there, but because he’d found it on his own. The reason was simple: when he’d entered Lantian County with Du Xingxuan, he’d only taken a dozen or so steps before spotting the lavishly decorated Hongyun Gambling House. So, he simply retraced his steps from memory and arrived there. When he reached the entrance of the Hongyun Casino, Li Xuanba didn’t go inside, because two people were facing off right there at the door. On the left stood a lovely young woman in her early twenties. She wore a light blue short tunic over a full-length, light blue brocade skirt, the hem of which was embroidered with scattered white plum blossoms. Her jet-black hair was styled into a “ruyi” bun, adorned with only a single white jade hairpin shaped like a plum blossom. Her appearance was simple and dignified, yet fresh and elegant. Her entire ensemble could be described in four words: “Pride of the Snow, Cold Plum Blossom.” Seated across from the beautiful young woman was a burly, middle-aged man with a rugged, muscular build and a face full of coarse features. The man wore a savage grin, his eyes—small as mung beans—constantly darting back and forth over the beautiful woman, clearly hatching some sinister scheme. A gleam flashed in Li Xuanba’s eyes as the identities of the beautiful woman and the burly man appeared before him. Name: Mei Hanxue Gender: Female Age: 19 Occupation: Owner of the Plum Blossom Restaurant Rank: Level 1 Status: Angry Personality: Kind, Gracious, Filial, aloof [Base Attributes]: Strength: 6 Intelligence: 15 Leadership: 5 Political: 1 Name: Hong Dangtou Gender: Male Age: 35 Title: Owner of Hongyun Casino Rank: Level 2 State: Excited, smug; 108 vengeful spirits swarming around him Personality: Bullys the weak, a weathervane, money-grubbing, petty [Base Attributes]: Strength: 26 Intelligence: 15 Leadership: 5 Political: 2 Just as Li Xuanba was reviewing the two women’s profiles, Hong Dangtou looked at Mei Hanxue with a smirk and said smugly, ““Miss Mei, your father owed us a hundred guan before he passed away. We didn’t raid your home and let you pay it back gradually, but you’ve been repaying it for nearly two years now and have only paid fifty guan. Our boss needs a large sum of money recently, so your Plum Blossom Restaurant will have to close. We’ll settle the debt between our two families for fifty guan! What do you say?” “Nonsense!” Hearing these words from Hong Dangtou, the proprietress of the Plum Blossom Restaurant—the lovely young woman named Mei Hanxue—glared fiercely at him with her beautiful eyes and rebuked him, “Hong Dangtou! Two years ago, my father did indeed owe the Hongyun Casino one hundred guan, but over the past two years, I’ve repaid well over two hundred guan. Our accounts should have been settled long ago!” “Hahahaha!” Hearing Mei Hanxue’s words, Hong Dangtou looked at her with a smirk and sneered, ““Miss Mei, if you had paid back the hundred guan in a single day two years ago, there would certainly be no debt between us. But according to the rules of the underworld—‘nine out, thirteen back’—with compound interest, you actually still owe Hongyun Casino fifty guan. If you can pay back those fifty guan by tomorrow, we’ll gladly call it even. Otherwise, we’ll just have to settle the debt with your Plum Blossom Restaurant!” After Hongyun Dangtou finished speaking, his eyes—no bigger than mung beans—scanned Mei Hanxue from head to toe, and he said with the arrogance of a toad coveting a swan: ““If you’re worried about losing the restaurant and having nowhere to live, big brother’s home has plenty of room. As long as you become my seventh concubine, I’ll make sure you’re well-fed and well-fed every day, and I’ll never let those fair little hands of yours touch that ‘Yangchun Water’ again.” “You, you…” Enraged by Hong Dangtou’s words, Mei Hanxue raised her jade-like finger to point at him. Her lovely face flushed crimson with anger, her eyes brimming with hurt and indignation, yet she couldn’t bring herself to say a single word. She was just a frail young woman—she couldn’t beat this Hong Dangtou in a fight, nor could she out-argue him. Aside from paying back the money, what else could a frail young woman like her possibly do? “Miss Mei, give me one cash, and I’ll help you earn back those fifty guan. How about that?” Just as a thread of despair and resolve began to take root in Mei Hanxue’s heart, a clear, resonant voice rang out beside her—it was Li Xuanba, who had been waiting nearby. “Who are you?” Hearing the sky-high arrogance in Li Xuanba’s modest request, Mei Hanxue gazed in puzzlement at Li Xuanba, who was clad in a green leaf-patterned outfit. “Xuanxing’s older brother!” Though it was only five words, Li Xuanba made it clear to Mei Hanxue that he harbored no ill will toward this beautiful young woman, while also revealing his identity. “Hahahaha! How laughable! In your current state, you’re not even worth as much as a lowly beggar, yet you dare to dream of winning fifty guan of copper coins with a single coin? You’re truly like a toad yawning—what a huge claim!” Just as Mei Hanxue was about to pull out that single coin—which no one would give a second glance—the man named Hong Dangtou glared at Li Xuanba with eyes the size of mung beans. His words were laced with contempt, and his gaze was filled with malice. “Whether this young master can win fifty guan is none of your business. You’d better go back and get your money ready—otherwise, don’t blame me if my fists don’t discriminate.” Li Xuanba spoke with a calm yet arrogant tone, not even glancing at Hong Dangtou. His clear eyes fixed on Mei Hanxue, who stood before him as aloof and dignified as a solitary winter plum blossom. “Miss Mei, do you accept my proposal? Oh,by the way, if you have any spare cash, give me a little more so I can buy a new outfit. This green leaf outfit may be eco-friendly, but wearing it right now makes this young master feel a bit uncomfortable!” If Mei Hanxue had been an ugly and fierce-looking woman, Li Xuanba might not have cared at all what he was wearing! However, he was now beginning to harbor some interest in this Miss Mei Hanxue, so he didn’t want to make a complete fool of himself in front of her. “Fine! I believe you! Here’s your money!” Whether it was because Li Xuanba’s eyes were too clear and bright, or because his sky-high arrogance had moved Mei Hanxue, she didn’t even give it a second thought—she simply pulled out a guan and handed it to Li Xuanba. “Haha! Thanks for the copper coins! You’ll be glad you did this. I’m off to buy some clothes now.” Li Xuanba tossed the extra string of coins—which felt light as a feather to him—in his hand, gave Mei Hanxue a faint smile, and turned to walk toward the tailor’s shop. “Huh! I admire this beautiful, headstrong young woman—she actually carries a guan of copper coins weighing over six jin with her. I suppose that’s the money she needs to pay off her debts? I’d better settle her account to repay her for this gift.” After taking just three steps, Li Xuanba turned back. Under Mei Hanxue’s puzzled gaze, he leaned in close to her ear—paying no mind to the faint blush on her cheeks—and whispered, “The plum blossoms vie for spring’s favor, refusing to yield; poets set down their pens, at a loss for praise. The plum must yield to the snow in whiteness by three parts, yet the snow falls short of the plum in fragrance by one measure. The proud winter plum, Mei Hanxue—Miss Mei’s beauty, however, surpasses even that of the winter plum blossom.” Having finished plagiarizing Lu Meipo’s “Snow and Plum Blossoms,” Li Xingba let out a hearty laugh and strode purposefully toward the tailor’s shop. All that remained was Mei Hanxue, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushed. “The plum blossom must yield to the snow in whiteness by three parts, yet the snow falls short of the plum blossom in fragrance by one part.” “Proud Snow, Cold Plum, Mei Hanxue” Mei Hanxue murmured to herself the final line of poetry Li Xuanba had left behind, along with his assessment of her. Two patches of crimson flushed her cool, lovely face, and her heart—which had always been calm—now began to pound wildly. As she gazed at Li Xuanba’s towering silhouette, an inexplicable emotion gradually and quietly welled up within Mei Hanxue’s heart. That feeling—it couldn’t be put into words, nor could it be expressed. It was simply indescribable.