Chapter 4. A Large Pile of Money

    The Nightfall Antique Shop

    Bai Zhe walked in and greeted the owner of the shop, Uncle Fu. The man looked kind and generous; however, the original Bai Zhe’s memory told him otherwise. When he scolded his employees, Uncle Fu was as scary as the mother of this body’s owner when she was mad at the father.

    “Hello, Uncle Fu. I am here,” he greeted the old man.

    “Oh, Xiao Zhe (1). School’s just ended. You came quick,” said Uncle Fu.

    “I ran over. Well, where do you want me to make the delivery?” Bai Zhe asked.

    “At the Xi Lua Real Estate Company. Our customer is Chairman Xi Lua. Inside this bamboo tube is an ancient calligraphy painting. It is quite expensive. Do not lose it or damage it. Understand?” answered Uncle Fu before handing Bai Zhe the bamboo tube which had a wooden lid on one end of it.

    “Certainly. Deliver it to the Xi Lua Real Estate Company. The customer is Chairman Xi Lua,” he repeated, taking the tube from Uncle Fu’s hands.

    “Correct. This is the map and our customer’s number. If you have any difficulty, call the customer.” He then handed him a piece of paper with the map and the number on it.

    “All right. Then, I'll get going.” Bai Zhe took the paper and put it in his shirt pocket before leaving with the bamboo tube, which was the product.

    “Take good care of it!” Uncle Fu told the boy who was leaving the shop.

    Bai Zhe walked to an empty alley after he left. He jumped up to a nearby roof and then headed toward the customer’s company.

    Xi Lua Real Estate Company’s Building

    The boy entered the building and went straight to the information counter. A woman at the counter noticed him coming her way as well.

    “Hello. I’m from the Nightfall Antique Shop. I'm here to deliver Chairman Xi Lua’s package,” he introduced himself and gave Uncle Fu’s business card to the woman.

    “A…A moment, sir. She took the card and immediately contacted the chairman’s secretary.

    ‘It’s the uniform of a junior high student, yet why is my heart beating so fast? Am I a cradle snatcher or is he just that attractive?’ the young female employee thought.

    In just a few short moments, the young female employee received a confirmation from the chairman’s secretary that the delivery boy from the shop was to come up and hand-deliver the package to him, using the VIP lift reserved for the company’s chairman. He was also given the single-use password, or OTP, in order to go to his office on the uppermost floor.

    “This way, please.” The woman got up and then led him to the VIP lift. She called the lift and put in the OTP to operate it.

    Ding!

    Bai Zhe entered the lift after the doors opened. It seemed like the lift was programmed to go to the topmost floor, which was likely the floor where the management worked.

    Ding!

    The lift stopped with a ding. The lift doors opened, revealing a room that resembled a living room. Bai Zhe could see that there was a door, which was probably the door to the company chairman’s office, as well as a table, a little to the right across from the lift. A sophisticated older woman was sitting at a desk. She was in an outfit of a white shirt covered by a light cream suit jacket. She was wearing glasses with classic lenses, and yet, they made her look younger than her age.

    “Are you Bai Zhe?” She raised her head to look at Bai Zhe standing in front of the lift before she asked him this.

    “Yes, ma’am. I am here to deliver the package to Chairman Xi Lua, from the Nightfall Antique Shop,” answered the boy.

    “You can go inside. I already told the chairman,” said the older woman.

    “Thank you, ma’am,” the boy said. As it was still his habit, Bai Zhe folded his hands in front and bowed to her, like he used to do when he was in Da Xian, before he opened the door to go inside the office.

    ‘Jao Yi (2), the traditional bow? I did not think any parents still taught their children the traditional bow. Oddly, it suits this child, though.’ She thought.

    Inside Chairman Xi Lua’s office

    Bai Zhe froze for a second when he went inside. The room was decorated particularly for displaying the chairman’s collections: from various kinds of antiques to ancient paintings and calligraphy paintings that appeared old. He could even sense the consciousnesses of the original owners of some of the pieces as well.

    ‘This doesn’t look like an office at all,’ he thought.

    “Excuse me, sir. I am Bai Zhe from Mr. Fu’s Nightfall Antique shop. I am here to deliver your package,” the boy said when he saw an older man at a desk.

    Instead of a floor-to-ceiling glass window showing the view of the city outside behind the chairman’s desk, there was a wall that was decorated with numerous paintings. Their number made the wall look like it was covered in ceramic wall tiles.

    Bai Zhe did not have to know this man previously to see that this elderly man was definitely crazy about collecting antique art pieces.

    “Aha! Finally, it has reached me! Hand it over for me to check its condition.” Xi Lua rubbed his hands together as if he could not wait to see what he had purchased.

    “Here, sir,” Bai Zhe walked toward the desk and handed over the tube that contained the calligraphy painting with both hands.

    Xi Lua carefully opened the lid. He slowly took a very old-looking paper scroll out before unfurling it to have a look. Not long after that, a smile filled his face.

    “This is great. This is truly a magnificent work. He really is Elder Fu, who is able to find this rare piece. He is truly skilled.” Xi Lua could not help but praise the calligraphy painting that he had just brought.

    “Oh, I completely forgot. Give me the proof of delivery receipt. I’ll sign it for you and then you can leave,” Xi Lua said. At the moment, he was bursting at the seams to find a place to hang his purchase, so he tried to get the delivery boy out of the office as fast as possible.

    “Here, sir.” Bai Zhe gave the proof of delivery receipt to him.

    “Here. You’re done. Hurry off now.” Xi Lua grabbed a pen and quickly signed it before telling the boy to leave.

    ‘In Bai Zhe's memories, this man is the real estate king of this country. He has money and power. I better befriend him,’ Bai Zhe thought.

    “Some of the calligraphy paintings in this room look new. Are they your work, sir?” asked Bai Zhe.

    “They belong to someone I know. Are you interested in calligraphy painting?” Xi Lua’s attention shifted instantly from the painting to Bai Zhe when he heard the question about his collection.

    Then, the two started to talk and exchange their thoughts and began to analyse the calligraphy paintings in the room. The more Xi Lua heard, the more he felt interested in the boy. This was because he had never seen a young boy with this much knowledge of calligraphy painting; it might be even more than him.

    “What’s your name?” asked Xi Lua, who had started to like the boy in front of him.

    “Bai Zhe, sir,” he answered.

    “Well, Bai Zhe. You know good knowledge of calligraphy paintings. I want to see your calligraphy skills. Are you free to show me?” asked the old man.

    “I can show you, sir. But it will be quite embarrassing.” He spoke humbly, but in fact, he was pretty confident that he was definitely second to none. This was because calligraphy was one of the hobbies he had picked up to kill time during his nearly immortal life.

    Xi Lua prepared four priceless things in his study room for Bai Zhe: Chuan Zhi paper, Hui Mo ink, a Hu Bi brush, and a Tuan En inkstone.

    He observed that everything Bai Zhe did was elegant, from the way the boy held a brush to how he touched it to the ink. It was as though Xi Lua saw a scholar dressed in traditional garb superimposed over Bai Zhe. He had to cover his mouth when he saw the letters forming the poem because he was afraid he would let out a sound that interrupted the boy.

    Bai Zhe was not just doing calligraphy. He put purpose into every character he wrote. Each of them appropriately expressed their purpose. This was what he had developed from normal calligraphy. And it was the reason why scholars in Da Xian had called him the ‘God of Calligraphy.’

    “Done.” He put the brush down and stepped back so Xi Lua could clearly see the art piece.

    “This…This is…” Xi Lua was at a loss for words. His lips, hands, and body were all shaking as he read the poem. It was like he could see the picture that the poem had been narrating in his mind. He had never met someone who was able to create an art piece with such power.

    “How is it, sir?” asked Bai Zhe.

    “This is superb. Elegant gestures. Unique handwriting. And each character has a strong sentiment flowing from it. The poem was composed beautifully. The rhythm, the rhyme, and the diction are excellent. If this was discovered among an ancient king's treasures that had been dug up, it would surely be a national treasure,” said Xi Lua.

    “You compliment me too much. My skills are still quite poor,” said Bai Zhe.

    “Poor? If the old men at the calligraphy painting enthusiast club saw this, some might have a heart attack or even a stroke,” Xi Lua said.

    “Oh, is it that good? Erm. Anyway, if there is nothing else, I will excuse myself,” Bai Zhe said.

    “Wait a moment.” Xi Lua stopped the boy. He put his password into his desk drawer, pulled out a cheque, and wrote on it before handing it to Bai Zhe.

    “This is…” The boy alternated looking at Xi Lua and the cheque in the old man’s hand. From the memories of the body’s owner, he realized that this thing could be exchanged for cash at a bank.

    “I want to buy this painting,” said Xi Lua.

    “But this amount is too much,” Bai Zhe said when he saw the seven-figure number on the cheque. He kept his considerate face, though inside, he was excited because of this big pile of money that had been dumped on him without warning.

    When Xi Lua saw the boy refute this offer, he turned to look at Bai Zhe’s painting. He thought that it would be improper of him to keep it without giving something to this boy in return.

    “I don’t feel good if I don’t give anything to you,” he said.

    In the end, Xi Lua was able to convince the boy to accept his money. Even though Bai Zhe acted like he did not want it, inside, he was thrilled. At least with this money, he could help the parents of this body’s owner live more comfortably.

    “Thank you so much, sir,” said Bai Zhe.

    “Don’t thank me. This painting will definitely make you famous in the future. I will have the accounting department help you with the taxes. Can I have your address and contact number?”

    “Yes, sir.” Bai Zhe placed his bag on the floor and ripped a small piece of paper from his notebook before writing his address and number and handing it over to Xi Lua.

    “Hmmm. Can you tell me how you will use this money?” Xi Lua asked. He wanted to know if smart kids like Bai Zhe would want to spend the money on things he wanted like other teenagers did. If that was the case, he would not want to give such a large amount of money to the boy again.

    “I will likely use it for my tuition fees and my household expenses, sir. These days, my parents and I take on odd jobs each day. We are living paycheck to paycheck and don’t have any savings. I think this amount of money is enough for me to graduate from university,” Bai Zhe answered.

    “Good, good. Education is necessary,” nodded Xi Lua. But he thought that he would send someone to investigate later, so he would know for sure that Bai Zhe was not lying. If the boy did not know how to use money, it would lose its value immediately.

    “Oh. And I think I will write a martial arts novel as well. I saw a lot of people who make money from writing online novels,” Bai Zhe said.

    “Well, try writing it and give it to me to read. I love martial arts fiction, too. This is my contact information. If your novel is truly good, I will fully support you.” He then handed his business card to the boy; of course, it was his secretary’s number.

    ‘Seems like he doesn’t completely trust me.’ Bai Zhe looked into Xi Lua’s eyes. He could not see any trust in Xi Lua’s eyes and guessed that he would send someone to investigate how he used this money later.

    “Thank you so much, sir. I will go now.” He took the card and left.

    Xi Lua took his smartphone out and called someone to keep an eye on how Bai Zhe spent the money immediately after the boy left his office. He then called another number after he was done giving orders to his employee. It was the number of his best friend who was in the construction and interior design business.

    “The reason why you are calling me is that you have a new painting, right?” the voice at the other end of the line teased.

    “Aha, you are correct. I got 2 of them. One of them is very special. So, I want you to come here and design the interior of a room that suits it. I also want you to see it as well,” said Xi Lua.

    “Sure. You wait there. I will go see you at your office,” the person at the other end of the line said and then hung up.

    A shopping mall

    Bai Zhe knew that someone had been following him since he had left the Xi Lua Real Estate Company, but he acted like he did not notice and went straight to the bank where the original owner of this body had an account.

    He waited until his turn before going to the counter. He handed the cheque and his bankbook to the clerk. She paused when she saw the cheque, her eyes shifting from her computer monitor to Bai Zhe, then quickly shifting back to the monitor again.

    She yearned to ask him how he had gotten the 1-million-yuan cheque from the country’s number one real estate company. But she should not ask that question, as that was her customer’s private business. The details on the cheque were all correct.

    Bai Zhe withdrew an amount of money, part of which would be used for his rent and part of which would be his tuition fees for this semester because he had not paid them to the school yet. The last portion would be used for buying things like meat to nourish his parents and for some of his small personal expenses.

    He went to the Nightfall Antique Shop to deliver the proof of delivery receipt to Mr. Fu after leaving the bank. Then, he headed to the market to buy some food to be used to cook meals.

    ‘I have been eating morning glory since I came to this world. I thought I would turn into a morning glory-eating turtle,’ he thought while walking back to his apartment with bags filled with meat and vegetables. Of course, Xi Lua’s spy was still following him.

    The Bai family’s apartment

    Bai Zhe unlocked the door and used his qi to push it open gently before entering the apartment. He started to organize the fresh ingredients he had bought. Part of it went into the refrigerator for his parents. The rest, he put on the kitchen counter to prepare something that he had eaten instead of food when he was in Da Xian.

    “Let’s get started.” He used his qi to clean the pollution and dirt from some of the ingredients and pulled out a knife.

    Swish! Whoosh! Slash!

    With several movements of the knife, the ingredients were cut, chopped, and sliced. They were ready for what he had planned. Bai Zhe wiped the sweat from his forehead. Swordplay was still a great burden for his body at the moment.

    He lit the gas stove and placed a frying pan on it. He turned off the gas stove immediately after the fire was lit, but it remained lit because he was using his qi as fuel instead of the gas. It was new knowledge that he had gotten from this world.

    ‘I could not use the qi elements because I haven’t reached the sky level of qi yet. The knowledge of this world has helped me quite well,’ he thought while making qi food.

    Qi food was gathering normal ingredients that people ate and passing them through qi fire, the way medicine blended. It helped to distill the useful nutrients and qi from the food and compress them into a ball.

    Good qi food was balls that were symmetrical, colourless, and odourless. It showed that there was nothing but qi power and nutrients.

    Bai Zhe brought out a ceramic jar that he had bought from an herbalist’s shop to hold the qi food. There were 90 balls. It was enough for one month’s consumption.

    After he cleaned the kitchen, Bai Zhe immediately threw one ball into his mouth. He sat down and started to meditate so he could absorb the qi power and the nutrients. Then, he continued practicing his qi.

    One hour later, there was the sound of a key unlocking the door before it swung open. It was Bai Lian Hua who entered the apartment, followed by Bai Qing Yun.

    “Hey, son. What’s gotten into you that you’re meditating?” Bai Qing Yun teased. Even though his voice sounded relaxed, his eyes showed a little bit of anxiety.

    “Why are you disturbing him? He is probably meditating before studying. You go take a shower.” Bai Lian Hua lightly hit her husband’s arm.

    “Yessss, dear.” He hugged his wife and kissed her cheek before taking a towel and shorts to the bathroom.

    Bai Lian Hua went to the kitchen to prepare food. Bai Zhe stopped practicing his qi and followed her.

    “Why are you in here, son? Go do your homework or review your lessons.” She patted his head, noticing that he had gotten quite a bit taller.

    “Mum, go have a seat. I will cook. From now on, I will take care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” he said with his puppy dog eyes. He had used this trick when he was the same age as the original Bai Zhe. It had a 100% success rate.

    “No. I don’t want you to be tired.” She pinched his cheek. Why did her son look as cute as when he was a baby?

    “Don’t worry. Let me do something for you,” said Bai Zhe.

    “Find us a daughter-in-law and make us a grandchild. That would be enough,” Bai Qing Yun, who had just finished showering, said. His torso was bare. He was wearing shorts and had the towel around his neck. Bai Lian Hua lowered her face. Her ears turned red, showing signs of shyness.

    “All right. I will find you a nice daughter-in-law and make you a grandchild,” he replied to his dad after thinking things over for a moment.

    “Good. I will wait. What are you making for dinner today, honey?” Bai Qing Yun peeked at the kitchen counter and directed a question at his wife.

    “Chicken stir-fried in a sweet and sour sauce,” Bai Zhe answered instead of Bai Lian Hua.

    “Chicken? I didn’t buy chicken,” she told her son because she had only bought morning glory to stir fry today.

    “Here.” Bai Zhe walked over to open the refrigerator and pulled out chicken thighs.

    “Oh my, why are there a lot of things in the refrigerator?” Bai Lian Hua was surprised when she saw that the refrigerator was packed with fresh ingredients.

    “Boy, use your money more frugally.” Bai Qing Yun warned when he saw that his son had packed the refrigerator with fresh ingredients.

    “I want you two to eat good food. Not some rock boiled with salt or just stir-fried vegetables. How can your bodies be strong eating just those things?” said Bai Zhe.

    “But we don’t have enough money to….” Before Bai Lian Hua could finish her sentence, Bai Zhe showed her his updated bankbook which was open to the latest page.

    “One…two…three…f…four…five…six...” She was both excited and panicked when she saw the multi-digit number in her son's bankbook. It was enough to make her dizzy to the point of fainting. Luckily, Bai Zhe Yun caught her in time.

    …………..

    (1) Xiao means little, it is normally used to address young people by older people, in this case, Xiao Zhe means ‘Little Zhe’.

    (2) Chinese respect paying gestures or Bowing in Chinese history is a tradition that has been passed down since before the Song dynasty in which there are many types of bowing.

    Bowing for normal people is called ‘Gong Shao’ in which men will put their left hand over their right fist and women will put their right hand over their left fist. If that person is a martial artist or a soldier, they will stretch out their palm over the fist rigorously which is called ‘Bao Quan’. For scholars, they would have their thumbs inside their fists and then have their arms at the level of their chest to make them look polite. It’s called ‘Cha Shao’. If they fold their hands and bend their upper body down a little, it will be called ‘Jao Yi’. There are levels of bending depending on the status of people. For example, a person who has a lower status or is younger has to bend their body lower than a person who has a higher status and is older.

    For the bowing of noble people like the emperor or the high-status loyal family member, it will be swinging the arms before bowing. This pattern belongs to the Manju. It’s called ‘Da Chian’. The person has to bend down their right knee, letting their right hand touch the ground. The reason why they have to swing their arms first is for the sake of the emperor’s safety and the important people from the assassin who comes to assassinate them, who usually hide the weapon in their sleeves.