Chapter 59: Xu’s Tenth Noble Son
“Little Black Chu……little black Chu……ha ha ha ha ha, you unexpectedly returned. Don’t tell me you aren’t afraid of the big devil eunuch finding you trouble? Come out come out come out! Quickly scurry out! Your old uncle Xu wants to see you!”
A voice shouted from far away outside as Chu Mo was painfully thinking about his lost Yuan stones. People who didn’t know the situation would believe it was a call for revenge, just by hearing the voice alone. Chu Mo’s face yet revealed a knowing smile.
He stood up, extended his right hand, pushed open the gate, and walked out. The shattered bones in his right arm had already reconnected, but they hadn’t yet completely recovered. It still needed a period of time.
“Xu 2Fu, you bastard. You dare call out to me. I caught you when you were seven……” Chu Mo shouted.
Chu Mo hadn’t finished speaking when a pained voice shouted back: “Little black Mo, are you still not finished? That thing happened so many years ago. Why must you always bring it up? Do you not feel any shame?”
Chu Mo coldly smiled: “Okay, I won’t talk about the time when you were seven. I’ll speak a little more recently. Let’s talk about last Autumn when you went to the minister of revenue’s household. You fooled around with their daughter, then minister Guo discovered it. He chased you all the way to your house and asked that you marry his daughter.”
“I say……do you have a conscious? Do you specialize in opening my scars?” A helpless voice came from outside. Soon after, a figure walked in. A sad face looked at Chu Mo: “Your good uncle Xu watches after you with kindness and love. Is this how you welcome a brother?”
“Who made you hate me!” Chu Mo smiled. He extended out his left arm and gave Xu 2Fu a hug.
“What’s wrong with your right arm? Is it injured?” Xu 2Fu wrinkled his brow at Chu Mo. He sized Chu Mo up with his eyes: “Little black Mo, why do you feel a little different from before?
“What is different?” Chu Mo gave a beaming smile to the handsome teenager that was a little bit shorter than himself: “I’m not missing an arm or a leg, or something like that.”
“No, no, you changed a lot!” Xu 2Fu’s brow wrinkled. He sized him up: “First, you were a little shorter than me half a year ago, and now……you appear to be just as tall as me!”
“A little taller than you.” Chu Mo simply said.
“The same height!” The extremely handsome Xu 2Fu got a little mad: “The same!”
“Fine……” Chu Mo returned a haughty look, he didn’t feel like bothering with this fool.
“Let’s go go go! You finally returned. I don’t need to worry about you. Your brother is giving you a welcome dinner!” Xu 2Fu pulled Chu Mo along.
The veteran guards of the Fan Mansion turned a blind eye to Xu 2Fu. They had already become accustomed to this kind of strange scene.
Xu 2Fu is about the same as Little black Mo. They are both nicknames from childhood. Xu 2Fu is called that because his original name is Xu Fufu. Chu Mo decided to call him Xu 2Fu because the word ‘Fu’ is repeated twice. Xu 2Fu didn’t want to be outdone, so he threw away the Mo in Chu Mo’s name. Mo originally means ink, so he started calling Chu Mo Little black Chu because ink is black.
That is how these two names appeared. But there were very few people who called them this in the whole of Yellow Flame City!
Xu Fufu’s family background is very powerful. They are a family of officials, and high level officials at that!
His grandfather, Xu Zhongliang, is a vice-cabinet member. Chu Mo didn’t know if grandfather Xu went up in position after prince Xia Jing was dismissed. He thought it was a possibility. The the Xu family grandfather is merely sixty years old. He could be considered a strong young man in the royal court. He also always carried the deep trust of the emperor.
Xu Fufu’s father, Xu Shan, is the mayor of the most important city in southern Da Xia. It was only a city, but the administrative level was equivalent to a province!
Da Xia was split up into provinces, prefectures, counties, and districts…….the highest level magistrates of provinces are known as Provincial Rulers. Provincial Rulers are already genuinely large officials of the regions in Da Xia.
Xu Fufu’s father is merely forty years old, and he had already arrived to this status. Many people thought he could end up as a cabinet member within five years, just like his father! This is the Xu family.
In addition to Xu 2Fu’s grandfather and father, his two uncles and aunts were also very extraordinary. They were practically all officials in positions of influence.
Because of this, the Xu family is called Da Xia’s number one government family by several people!
It is obvious that their influence is enormous.
At Xu 2Fu’s generation, several of his older brothers had already entered into various levels of Da Xia’s government. They borrowed the family’s influence, and continually kept their noses to the grindstone.
Perhaps because his father was never around, or he was the most spoiled by his grandfather, but Xu 2Fu has had a rebel nature since he was a child. It can become a very awful thing if son’s of high level officials are spoiled by their families.
They can become bullies, tyrants, and simply childish. They can even become vile.
But Xu 2Fu didn’t become that type of rich playboy. On the contrary, he is an academic, and a seldom seen genius. Not only is he learned, but he has read all the great writings of Da Xia at a very young age. This includes everything from ancient times to present.
He could even express his own unique understanding after reading them!
The prospects of a genius born in such a family is normally limitless. If he took the imperial examinations, it would be no exaggeration to say he would be the top scorer!
[TL: Imperial examinations have a long history in China. For more information see: Imperial Examinations]
If you only looked at these examples, then Xu 2Fu would clearly be a bright shining star of the future!
He has a great family background, a family of high officials, personal talent, cultured, and extremely handsome. Even the emperor would be tempted to have his daughter marry him.
Don’t even mention that the emperor really did know Xu 2Fu is outstanding, and he really had a thought to having a princess marry Xu 2Fu.
But……the emperor quietly extinguished that idea after hearing of Xu 2Fu’s accomplishments. He actually celebrated not bringing this up with Xu Zhongliang.
Because that young guy……is too much!
At seven he peeped on his own maid bathing. By eight years old, he had already snuck into the brothel to drink wine. At nine he had paid the debt for a girl seven years older than himself……the most popular girl at Yellow Flame City’s largest brothel……such types of achievements were simply too many to count.
The matter at the brothel especially caused a ruckus at that time.
The most popular girl was taken away. What boss would be happy? As a result, Xu 2Fu nearly tore the brothel down!
Even Xu 2Fu’s father, Xu Shan, hurried back from the south because of the incident. He ruthlessly gave his foolish son a beating.
The final result……he still couldn’t change Xu 2Fu!
The most popular brothel girl at that time is said to be a top level beauty that even moved the heart of prince Xia Jing. She is still in the Xu mansion even now! As far as something occurring between her and Xu 2Fu, that cannot be known.
This is merely the tip of the iceberg for the guy. The daughters of royalty and ministers, the concubines of business tycoons…….anyways, so long as he wishes, he is rarely unsuccessful.
Xu 2Fu once sympathetically said to Chu Mo in the past: “We are the same age. You are even a month older than me, but I am yet a highly skilled artist. And you……have yet to touch the stem of a flower. It is truly a pity!”
This guy was such a player. It didn’t matter if the girls were older or young, they all chased after him. The amount of aristocrats that accused Xu 2Fu of misconduct could fill up a whole house. Yet this guy was unaffected, and he continued on in his own style.
This guy had one great advantage. He never used force. Moreover, he always disdained the people that used force. In Xu 2Fu’s own words: To use force is worse than the beasts! Men who are not tender to the fairer sex are the most bothersome!
But Yellow Flame City still had a saying: Guard against fire, thieves, and the tenth Xu! Xu Fufu is the tenth son in his generation. He is nicknamed the Xu’s tenth noble son.
To say Xu 2Fu only had this ability would be another mistake. He is also the secret owner for the largest restaurant chain in Yellow Flame City!
There was only one person who knew this besides the restaurant bosses.
That is Chu Mo.
Because strictly speaking, Chu Mo also had a share of this industry!
The reason these restaurants opened is somewhat ridiculous. Xu 2Fu disliked other restaurant’s dishes, so he decided to start his own. He didn’t even say anything to his family. Who could have imagined it would become a hot business…….it accidentally became Yellow Flame City’s number one restaurant.
Now he didn’t dare tell his family. Otherwise there would be countless jealous people accusing him of misconduct once word got out.
Some of the Xu family probably knew about Xu 2Fu’s business, but they weren’t inclined to bother him. They probably never thought Xu 2Fu would become this big.
Xu 2Fu casually pulled Chu Mo to the largest restaurant in Yellow Flame City——Gluttonous Ogre!
[TL: The restaurant name is an actual Chinese mythological creature loosely translated as the Gluttonous Ogre. You can read more about it here: Taotie ]
This restaurant is one owned by Xu 2Fu, and it is also the first one he built at ten years old.
Chu Mo came up with the name of the restaurant. Xu 2Fu has profound knowledge. He is a learner of the hundred schools of thought, and he is also a poetic intellectual.
[TL: Hundred schools of thought]
The hundred schools of thought are used to deal with his family; Poetic knowledge is used to deceive the girls.
But he is not as good as Chu Mo when it comes to miscellaneous knowledge.
Xu 2Fu ran to Chu Mo at that time, and he requested Chu Mo help with the name. Chu Mo casually said: “The real eaters are like Gluttonous Ogres. They will dare eat anything, so call it Gluttonous Ogre.”
Chu Mo merely casually said this. Who would have thought Xu 2Fu was actually serious, and used this as the name. Who knows how many people laughed at the name of the restaurant when it first opened. But in the end, the fame of Gluttonous Ogre spread more and more. Countless people requested a seat in Gluttonous Ogre, but they couldn’t get one.
“Little black brother Mo, half of our restaurant is yours. Your profits have been recorded on the books for you. Several branches have opened over the past two years, but…..there is still a large portion of them belonging to you.” Xu 2Fu appeared pleased with himself as he looked at Chu Mo: “Isn’t brother wonderful?”
“Don’t cause a fuss. This is all made by you. I didn’t help in the slightest. I know you consider me your best brother, but I will be really mad if you act like this!” Chu Mo seriously looked at Xu 2Fu, and he spoke solemnly
“You still have no interest? I’m clearly praising you! How can you be that unreasonable? Did you not come up with the restaurant name? Didn’t several of the business ideas come from you? Several of the employee recommendations……were they not given by you?” Xu 2Fu returned a Haughty look: “Don’t say that you didn’t help. Do you not know? The things you have helped with, any business tycoon would consider you a priceless treasure! The business immediately increases if they receive your personal instruction. Do you think that is worth nothing?”
“I have always felt greedy by only giving you half. I never thought that you would want nothing. Little black Mo, carry on with me! Otherwise, we won’t be brothers later on!” Xu 2Fu angrily said.
Chu Mo curled his lips: “Do not threaten me so much. I do not wish to say this to you, but this noble son has been in a bad mood recently. Be careful when provoking me, or I’ll beat you!”
“Damn, do you have Yuan power? I’m not inclined to test it, but I must tell you, your Xu family uncle isn’t the same uncle he was half a year ago!” Xu 2Fu immediately pulled up his sleeves and muttered: “Come, but don’t say I beat up a little one-armed cripple……ah!”
“A……aaaaaaaaah!”
Crash!