EBE Chapter 120 4 Fangyuan Poetry Meeting (Revised)
Chapter 120 4 Fangyuan Poetry Meeting (Revised)
Uncle Yang saw her off, with complex emotions flashing in his eyes. It took him a long time before he went back to report to Master Ning Wu.
"She left? What did she say?"
Uncle Yang said: "This girl is very strong and doesn't want to have too much to do with us. She is smart and cautious. She is a good girl."
Master Ning Wu sighed, "That's natural. Can the descendants of that person be ordinary people?
It's a pity that the timing is not right and she doesn't know anything. Just arrange for someone to keep an eye on her and don't interfere too much in her life."
Uncle Yang asked, "But Master Wu, can we really confirm her identity? She is so fat, she doesn't look like a member of that family."
Master Ning Wu didn't care: "She has lost weight, girls change a lot when they grow up. I think she looks a bit like him. We have been looking for her for so many years. If we still can't find her, we will stay in this little place for the rest of our lives and don't even think about going back."
It has to be this, determination flashed in Master Ning Wu's eyes, this is his last hope, he has spent ten years on this matter, how many decades can one have in a lifetime?
Uncle Yang sighed and stopped persuading him.
Shen Nanzhi didn't know about their conversation and was still smiling foolishly. She was particularly excited about tricking her ex-husband.
A young man was wearing a navy blue gown with a bowl embroidered on the chest. It was the work clothes that Shen Nanzhi asked Liao Baojia to make. One could tell at a glance that he was the one delivering the ice bowl.
Unfortunately, the bright yellow color in ancient times was exclusive to the royal family and ordinary people were not allowed to wear it casually. Otherwise, they would make yellow work clothes, and everyone would be more conspicuous wearing yellow robes.
"Sister Shen, I finally found you. Brother Liao asked us to inform you that Miss Jin will go to Sifang Garden to attend a poetry gathering today. All the learned and talented people in the county will go as long as they have connections. This is hosted by the headmaster of the academy, Meng Shanzhang, and it will be very lively."
Shen Nanzhi nodded: "I understand. You should also prepare more herbal tea and go talk to the manager of Sifang Garden. We will provide free herbal tea today."
The young man asked, "Why? This costs a lot of money."
"Do as I say, go ahead."
"Okay, I'll go talk to Brother Liao right away."
Boiling two large pots of herbal tea costs only a little over a hundred coins, but it is Shen Nanzhi's stepping stone to enter Sifang Garden.
She didn't have an invitation and wasn't a scholar, so it wasn't easy for her to get into Sifang Garden. She had no choice but to use this method to get in.
Because Mr. Meng was hosting a poetry reading, the price of an invitation card had risen to one or two taels of silver. Shen Nanzhi only had to pay a hundred coins to get in, which was already a good deal.
It’s just that her figure is a little conspicuous. Everyone else is as skinny as a bamboo, so she can’t hide it even if she wants to.
You have to speed up your weight loss, otherwise it will be inconvenient to do anything.
Shen Nanzhi went to a clothing store and bought a set of gray men's clothes, the kind that waiters wear, intending to dress up as a waiter and enter Sifang Garden.
It was a pity that the clothing shop didn't have a figure like hers. Luckily the shopkeeper's husband was fat, and she had a set of his clothes, which were black and made her look slim. Shen Nanzhi spent twice the price to buy them.
It was almost time, so they went to meet up at Liao Bao's stall. Besides her, there were two other guys helping to sell herbal tea, and she was just there to make up the numbers.
Unexpectedly, Shen Huai'en was actually talking to Liao Baojia. Liao Baojia kept nodding his head, like a servant listening to his master's lecture.
"Why are you here? Isn't there anything you need to do at home?"
Shen Huai'en looked at her attire and frowned unconsciously: "What are you going to do?"
Shen Nanzhi was speechless, "I am your master, do I need to tell you what to do?"
Shen Huai'en smiled and said with a good temper: "That's not what I meant. I'm afraid you're in danger and I care about you. You also said that you're the master. What should I do if something happens to you?"
This explanation sounds fine, but it feels a bit strange.
Shen Nanzhi didn't ask any more questions. Time waits for no one. "Go when you are ready. I'll tell you later."
Shen Huai'en said, "I'll go with you."
Shen Nanzhi didn't want to: "No need, you are a housekeeper, not a servant, you can't do this job."
"I can write poetry, and I've read books. I've had a lot of inspiration from reading books recently. I think I can pass the exam and become a scholar."
"Hah..., scholar?"
Shen Nanzhi became interested, "Do you know how difficult it is to pass the exam to become a scholar? Don't be so arrogant, you'll make people laugh. People will say I don't know how to discipline my subordinates. Wash your face and wake up. It's so hot, you're talking nonsense."
She didn't believe it at all. The examination for scholars in ancient times was like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge, which was even more difficult than the college entrance examination in her previous life.
Education was not very developed, and in that era of knowledge monopoly, it was a great joy for a village to support a scholar. Just look at Jiang Chen's status in the village to know how valuable a scholar is.
Shen Huai'en, a man with amnesia, actually said that he could pass the examination to become a scholar?
Shen Nanzhi felt that she had become the top female scholar and that this would become a good story. Who can't brag?
Seeing that she didn't believe him, Shen Huai'en didn't argue and said, "Manager Liao doesn't have enough assistants here, so I have to go. It's getting late, and it will be too late if I delay any longer."
Shen Nanzhi glanced at him and said, "Then you push the cart."
"Okay, I'll do it."
Shen Huai'en was not born to do heavy work. He was pushing a cart, a wheelbarrow, with such heavy buckets and herbal tea, it weighed more than 100 pounds. It was a good thing that he could maintain balance, and he almost tipped over.
"This is my first time pushing this, so I'm not very familiar with it. I'll be able to do it after a while of practice."
Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Nanzhi didn't bother to argue with him and pushed the car herself, "I'll do it. Let's go."
She pushed steadily and it looked easy. Shen Huai'en blushed. He was not as good at work as Nan Zhi.
This wouldn't do. He had to practice pushing the cart and not let Nan Zhi look down on him.
The weather was hot, and Shen Nanzhi was pushing the cart with sweat all over her face. Shen Huai'en took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat and fanned her. He was quite considerate and caring.
"Thank you very much. I'm not that squeamish. Just take care of yourself and don't get a heat stroke and cause trouble for me."
"No, I'm not that delicate. I will push the car next time."
"Oh, you are quite ambitious. This cart requires skill. Of course you can't push it the first time. But it's okay. No one is an all-rounder and can do everything. I won't chase you away if you can't push the cart."
Shen Huai'en said: "If I learn it, you don't have to work hard. It's not too difficult to learn. I think I can do it."
"Okay, as long as you're happy."
Shen Nanzhi felt that this person was quite stubborn. He wanted to do whatever he wanted to do. It was a good thing for him to be ambitious, but he would not discourage his enthusiasm.
We successfully entered Sifang Garden. Today's poetry reading was held in the Lotus Garden. The lotus flowers were in full bloom and the breeze was blowing gently. It was a great scene for reciting poems and composing essays.
Shen Nanzhi and the other person came in smoothly and were able to enter the poetry reading site to distribute herbal tea to the students, saving the manpower of Sifangyuan.
Shen Nanzhi set the table and teacups and poured some herbal tea. When scholars passed by and felt thirsty, they could just take the tea and drink it themselves, and they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Fatty was afraid of heat, Shen Huai'en felt sorry for her sweaty face, and said, "You go to the river to rest for a while, I'll be fine here, you should also drink some herbal tea, don't get heatstroke."
"Okay, you are worthy of being my caring housekeeper. If you can't recover your memory in the future, I will help you find a wife, so that you can have children and grandchildren, and have your own family. I will not treat you unfairly."
Shen Nanzhi patted his shoulder and spoke sincerely. She has always been generous to her subordinates.
Shen Huai'en said perfunctorily: "Thank you in advance, we'll talk about it later."
Shen Nanzhi was really hot, so he found a cool place by the river, took out ice cubes from the space and placed them nearby, and fanned himself with a cool breeze, finally feeling a little more comfortable.
I also took some ice cream from the freezer and ate it. I felt so comfortable that I wanted to take a nap.
Suddenly, Shen Nanzhi heard a familiar voice and woke up instantly. He put away all his things and lay down in the bushes, listening with his ears pricked up.
It turned out to be Jiang Chen. He was talking to a girl dressed as a maid and stuffed a bag of silver into her hand. The maid's cheeks turned red and she looked at him shyly with stars in her eyes.
Jiang Chen's eyes were gentle, which made Shen Nanzhi feel jealous. This guy looked very deceptive, especially when he acted affectionate. It was easy for him to seduce girls and make them fall in love with him.
But this man looks at everyone with deep affection, and probably looks at dogs with the same eyes. I wonder if he will be taken home by a bitch to be her husband.
Shen Nanzhi grinned. It was another little girl who was victimized.
"Master Jiang, if I help you, will you really accept me as your concubine? I don't ask for the position of the eldest lady. I am already satisfied to be a concubine and accompany you."
Jiang Chen said: "I can swear to heaven that Miss Chunxiang is clever and clever, and so cute and pretty. If her family wasn't poor, why would she be a maid?
Your talent and appearance are not inferior to your daughter's. It is my blessing to have you as my concubine. I will never let you down."
Chunxiang said shyly: "How can I be that good? I don't want this money. You have worked hard in studying, so keep it for your health. I will help you get things done, as long as you remember the promise you made to me today."
"This……"
Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with joy. Women are so easy to deceive. He saved all the money. Before he could refuse, Chunxiang had already returned the money and ran away.
Shen Nanzhi was amazed. It was rare to see such a stupid woman.
Jiang Chen is a lucky bastard. He can bribe other people's maids just by relying on his looks.
It’s the unlucky lady of that family who was favored by him.
Could it be from the Jin family?
This unexpected discovery made Shen Nanzhi very happy. He returned to the herbal tea stall and helped Shen Huai'en scoop herbal tea. As more people came, he was a little overwhelmed.
"You seem to be in a good mood. Is there something good going on?"
"Hey, you have a sharp eye. It's true. I'll wait and see the fun. You go ahead and do your work. I'll go take a look around."
"Be careful."
Shen Huai'en was helpless. This girl was so energetic and did everything in a rush. Her vitality made him feel powerful.
Shen Nanzhi found a secluded place, found his own clothes and changed back into women's clothes, then appeared again and went to the female guests.
Generally, poetry gatherings, flower-viewing banquets, tea parties, etc., are mostly blind dates, where the elders exchange feelings and the young men and women have the opportunity to get to know each other.
There were quite a lot of female guests, and I even saw familiar faces, two young ladies from the Xie family, Xie Roulan and Xie Roujia.
Xie Roulan is already twelve years old and has reached the age to get married. Mrs. Xie brought her to the banquet to choose a future son-in-law.
Xie Roulan had dressed up carefully. A girl of her age is at her most beautiful and pretty even without makeup.
However, she put on exquisite makeup and wore jewelry, which made her look a little tacky.
The young ladies' circle is also divided into several factions. In addition to merchant families like the Xie family, there are also scholarly families like Miss Jin and her friends.
They dressed more simply, even a little shabby. After all, in a small place like a county town, money and resources were limited, and the educated families were not very wealthy. The young ladies in the families were not so extravagant, and at best they were considered decent.
Therefore, scholarly families look down on the extravagance of wealthy businessmen, and of course they are also jealous. How can a girl of this age not love beautiful clothes and jewelry?
The daughters of wealthy businessmen look down on the nobleness of the scholarly families. What's so great about reading two books? They are arrogant and look down on others, but in the end, they still get married, right?
Although the two sides are not clearly divided, they just dislike each other and don't play together.
Shen Nanzhi found a tray from the tea room, brought the tea to the young ladies from the Shuxiang sect, and saw Miss Jin from their conversation.
She is not extremely beautiful, but she has a scholarly air, dignified and quiet. She is a very simple girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, as young as a scallion.
Shen Nanzhi is already an old man mentally. Looking at such a young girl, he can't help but feel a little more pity. It's such a pity that she has been harmed by others.
I became more determined to save her.
The maid serving Miss Jin was indeed the one named Chunxiang. She looked pretty at best, but her eyes were always wandering around and she was not a quiet person.
"Miss, let's go to the pond to see the lotus flowers. It would be nice to pick some lotus leaves to take home to make tea or snacks. You can also see the conversations of the gentlemen and listen to their poems there."
Other young ladies were also tempted. They came here not just to drink tea and eat snacks, but of course to see the handsome scholar. If they could find one they liked, it would help to create some good marriages.
"Miss Jin, let's go together."
The person who was speaking was the daughter of the county magistrate, named Zhou Yingying. She had studied in the primary school of the Jin family since she was a child, and they had a good relationship.
"Then let's go."
Jin Xuan'er was thinking about Jiang Chen, wondering if she could see him?
I haven't seen him for half a month since the last time we met and he helped me.
A young girl will lose her brain when she falls in love. Shen Nanzhi couldn't help but shake his head when he saw this. It is not good to be in love.
Xie Roulan also followed along with several other young ladies. The lotus pond was so large that they were not the only ones who could appreciate it.
There is a stone path in the lotus pond with railings on the side, but it only reaches the calf, which is just enough for two people to walk. The young ladies walking in it feel like they are walking among the lotus flowers, which makes the student reciting poems on the shore look sideways frequently. His inspiration is gone, and his eyes are filled with the pretty and charming girls.
"Brother Jiang, who are you looking at? So focused? You're not looking at my sister, are you? I'm not exaggerating, my sister is not bad either. It would be great to be the son-in-law of the Xie family. Look, the one wearing the red skirt embroidered with gold thread is my second sister."
Xie Jin has always wanted Jiang Chen to be his brother-in-law. He is not as good at studying as Jiang Chen and his father is not satisfied. It would be nice to have a brother-in-law who is a juren.