Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 215 I have a friend...

Chen Xuan seemed oblivious to the reactions of the people around him, seemingly immersed in the unique rhythm of the piano. He not only swayed his head to the music, but also shook his legs.

This music was so addictive and contagious that some of the onlookers who had lost their composure almost started shaking.

Among those who were shaking along, some realized that this was inappropriate and pinched themselves hard to control their bodies from shaking with the music.

Chen Xuan seemed not to care about his surroundings, but in fact he was secretly observing people's every move. He thought that although there was a wealth of entertainment in this era, most of it was too particular about style. When his novel and cheerful tune came out, the reaction was too great. People's acceptance ability was not good, and they almost all looked down on him and rejected him.

But they just couldn't control themselves, and the charm of the music was undoubtedly revealed.

"But don't just look at it, come up and ask about the product. Otherwise, how can I take the money out of your pockets and make it for myself?"

No one came forward, so Chen Xuan played even harder, and his movements became more exaggerated.

Still no one came forward. These people must have been too embarrassed to admit defeat. Chen Xuan simply stood up, holding the zither in one hand and playing with the other, swaying his whole body, completely letting himself go.

Normally, as a scholar, he has to observe etiquette and manners. Now that he has changed his appearance, it can be considered a rare relaxation. Anyway, it was done by others, so what does it have to do with him, Chen Xuan?
More people gathered around, pointing and talking at him. Even the doors and windows of Deyixuan were almost all opened. Heads were sticking out to look over here, and there were even some disheveled young ladies showing off their kindness.

After a while, someone finally couldn't stand his unconventional behavior anymore and stepped forward with a troubled look on his face and said, "Brother, that's enough! Stop, stop it right now, stop the music!"

Chen Xuan thought to himself that this was unbearable. It didn't look like he wanted to buy anything.

This is just pure music. If I use sonic martial arts, I can probably kill a large number of people without any effort.

Even though someone had come to visit him, Chen Xuan stopped to show courtesy, reached out to press the strings, and asked, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

The man who stepped forward to stop them was a man in his twenties. He was well-dressed, not very good-looking, and his face was covered with acne. The white pimples were a bit disgusting, and one would want to squeeze them one by one.

Facing Chen Xuan's puzzled gaze, he shook his head and said, "It's okay, but can you please stop your indecent behavior? This is too disgraceful and not what a gentleman should do."

I'm not a gentleman, Chen Xuan muttered in his heart, but said: "Is it illegal?"

"No," the other party shook his head subconsciously.

Then he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Ah... no," the other party shook his head again.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said: "In that case, please move aside and don't affect my business. Thank you."

"You...I...how can you do business like this? You are too dishonest," the other party said hesitantly.

Looking around, Chen Xuan gestured, "This is my business style. Look, there are a lot of people watching. When there are more people, there might be more business. If you are not interested in buying, please don't bother me. Thank you again."

"Who wants to buy that kind of stuff from you? I'm in good health," the other person said with a flushed face.

Chen Xuan looked at him and said, "I have some knowledge of medicine. I see that your face is pale, especially your cheeks are red. This is the most direct sign of insufficient kidney water. I think you need the help of Xiaoyao Pills."

When doing business, you naturally want to climb up the ladder when you get the chance. It's rare for someone to talk to you without any hesitation. How could Chen Xuan miss such an opportunity?

"You...you...you are talking nonsense. I don't have insufficient kidney water. This is simply unreasonable." The other person said with a flushed face, and then walked away in shame with gritted teeth.

This scene caused the people around to burst into laughter.

You see, scholars are still reasonable. Even if you talk about his pain, he will just leave in shame and anger. If it were a gangster, he would probably be beaten up.

Chen Xuan was not affected by the other party's interruption. He nodded to the people around him and continued to play, his body swaying again.

You know what, when he stopped playing just now, some people were still reluctant to leave, so when he started playing again, they started swaying along.

This is exactly the effect Chen Xuan wants. It doesn’t matter if no one buys it for the time being. There are enough viewers anyway, and the advertisement has been released. There will always be people who can’t help but try it.

After a while, someone came to Chen Xuan's stall, swaying to the music. He was even more crazy, unable to control himself. He walked up to Chen Xuan, threw three big coins on the table and said with a smile: "Brother, you are interesting. I have never heard of such a novel way of playing. I am happy for you. Here is your reward. Keep playing and dancing."

Seeing this, Chen Xuan raised his hand to press the strings of the zither and shook his head, indicating the sign to decline politely: "Thank you, my friend. I am not a performer, I am doing business, so no need for money. Are you interested in taking a Xiaoyao Pill? I guarantee that it will make you vigorous and strong and become a real man, for you and her. Deyixuan is not far away, you can try the effect, it will definitely make you feel refreshed the next day, and you will become my repeat customer."

He took the opportunity to start selling.

The other party laughed awkwardly and shook his head, saying: "No, thank you, I don't need it, you should continue to play."

As he hummed a cheerful rhythm, he swayed his body and walked away, not even taking the money from the table. He was quite generous. Three big coins was equivalent to a few days' wages for an ordinary waiter. Even though the business was not going well, Chen Xuan did not care and continued to play.

However, with that person's example, someone else came forward and threw a few copper coins, saying with a smile: "It's rare for you to be so shameless as to do something like this. You are quite capable. I don't mean anything else. I'll just treat it to tea. Go on."

With these words he staggered away.

Although Chen Xuan's behavior is too unorthodox, we have to admit that his music is truly magical and contagious. Whether it is belittlement or rejection, it evokes people's emotions.

So people came forward one after another to give tips, and the money on the table became more and more. Some people even threw two taels of silver directly. In a few minutes, the total amount of money on the table was almost five taels of silver.

Chen Xuan: “…”

I'm running a serious business, not performing arts. Have you got it wrong? Who wants your tips? They should ask about the products instead.

They definitely felt embarrassed.

Chen Xuan had no choice but to press the strings again, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Everyone, thank you for your kindness. I'm really not a performer. That's enough. No need for tips. Whoever took the money just now can take it back. If you're interested, you can buy a Xiaoyao Pill to try the effect."

That being said, people were even more active in giving tips, with some even urging him to continue: "Stop talking, I haven't heard enough."

"Hmph, although it's insulting, I admire your willingness to sacrifice your dignity and do such an indecent act. Just accept the reward, you deserve it."

No, why do you say one thing and do another? It’s fine if you belittle me, but what’s the point of actively rewarding me?
Forget it, let them be. Even though the items were not sold, it wasn't a waste of time. It's just that the reward is somewhat inconsistent with the original intention. Even if I can come up with something new, this little money won't be of much use.

Then Chen Xuan continued to perform, letting people come to his shop as they pleased. As long as the shop was open, he would not worry about not having repeat customers. As long as someone tried it, word would spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and word of mouth would surely rise.

At the end of the night, he hadn't sold a single pearl, but he did earn more than ten taels of silver in reward money, which was a considerable income.

It was late at night and there were fewer people on the road. Even Deyixuan, which was not far away, gradually became quiet. Chen Xuan had no choice but to end his performance and close his stall.

When it comes to business, it’s not possible to be popular right after opening. Especially when selling this kind of thing, people would feel embarrassed to buy it in front of others.

Chen Xuan was not in a hurry either. He had plenty of perseverance. If it failed once, he would just keep trying. At worst, he could move to another place. There were so many brothels in Mocheng, and he didn't believe that there would be no business.

The next night he returned to the same place and became a real eye-catcher. Before he even arrived, there were people waiting there just to see his unique way of playing, and they kept giving him tips.

In the end, it still didn't sell, but he did earn twenty or thirty taels in tips, several times more than the first day. Although people criticized him, the criticism did not affect Chen Xuan's playing style, which was truly infectious. In just one day, Deyixuan not far away arranged a similar program.

Chen Xuan was speechless. He really wasn't performing for money. Also, shouldn't Deyixuan pay him some copyright fees?

On the third day, Chen Xuan simply changed the location and came to another brothel called Wangyue Tower in Mo City and repeated his sales method. Some people even rushed from Deyixuan to watch his performance after hearing the news.

That’s enough.

However, on the third night, before Chen Xuan had even started performing, a young man with unsteady steps came up to him and said happily, "Brother, you are a wonderful person. Your playing style is novel and unique, especially your willingness to lower your face. It's really rare. I heard about it yesterday and came to see it. It's really interesting."

Chen Xuan's heart moved when he heard this, and he thought to himself, it's you again, Ning Guiliang, why are you involved in the crackdown on prostitution everywhere?

And you must have come here to have fun again, and you might have to skip classes tomorrow.

While thinking about this, Chen Xuan said, "Thank you for being so kind, would you like a Xiaoyao Pill?"

"Thank you, I don't need it," Ning Guiliang immediately shook his head and declined.

When Chen Xuan was thinking to himself that you definitely need it, he said seriously, "Well, I don't need it, but I think a friend of mine definitely does, so give me some. I think he's quite pitiful, so I might as well help him out. What's the price?"

Chen Xuan almost laughed out loud, thinking to himself that your friend must be you.

But in business, customers are the gods of wealth, and Chen Xuan had absolutely no intention of offending them. He smiled and said, "Your friend would be so touched to have a friend like you that he would cry. Thank you for taking care of his business. The Xiaoyao Pills are a great value. I'll give you ten taels of silver each. How many would you like?"

"How much?" Ning Guiliang was about to take out the money, but his hand froze in his arms. He widened his eyes and said in a lost voice when he heard the words.

He was also a frank person who didn't care about worldly opinions. He made up an excuse to try the effects of Xiaoyao Pills, but was shocked after hearing the price.

……

(End of this chapter)