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I just received news that Li Zicheng gathered troops in the Zhending area and actually won several small victories over the Qing army, recovering several prefectures and counties.
At this time, the emperor and his ministers in Nanjing not only conferred the title of Duke of Ji on Wu Sangui, who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, but also sent people to the capital to prepare to unite with the Qing Dynasty to eliminate Li Zicheng.
Qin Mu felt a pain in his balls when he learned that the Nanjing court had made such an innocent and lively decision, and he was too lazy to even stay with the General Staff.
In the morning, he trained with the soldiers of the training camp in a raiding battle, and his legs almost cramped from running. Instead of listening to those annoying things about the Nanjing court, he might as well go back to the back garden and stretch.
On a midsummer afternoon, the trees were thick and the pavilions were quiet. Qin Mu turned around the corridor and entered a hanging flower gate. Not far from the hanging flower gate, several tall banana trees were reflected by the pond. A breeze blew, making a rustling sound... ... ... .
“Qiao’er, you… you…” Qin Mu had just stepped into the Chuihua Gate when he was shocked by the scene in front of him.
By the quiet pond, the little girl, holding up her skirt, had climbed up a banana tree that was nearly three meters high. The fat bananas on the tree had not been cut down for a long time, and some of them were ripe. The yellow color was very tempting.
The little girl was trying to stretch her waist and reach for the ripe banana. When she heard the voice, she turned her head and looked over... ... ...
"Be careful, hold on tight!"
"ah... ... ... ... .."
Qin Mu took two steps forward and watched the little girl scream and fall into the pond with a plop, splashing water all over the surface of the pond.
Then there was another splash... ... ... ... "Ah!" Governor Qin jumped into the pond, uttered a short scream, and then dived into the mud.
"Sir, Sir, are you okay? You..."
In the end, it was Yun Qiao'er who pulled him up. Qin Mu shook like a duck on the water. After shaking off the mud on his body, he stood up and found that the water was only up to his knees, and there was no less than 20 centimeters of mud below. No wonder he plunged into the mud.
"Who? Who dug this pond? This... This is shoddy work, a shoddy project, this..." Governor Qin just picked a handful of mud out of his nostrils with his fingers, and he couldn't help but get furious.
"Hehe... ... ... Haha..." Qiao'er, the instigator, saw Qin Mu's embarrassed look and laughed happily beside him. "Sir, if we dig too deep, won't they be drowned?"
"Hmm? You still have the nerve to say that. Look at you, are you rude? You're a girl, and you're climbing a tree..."
"It's banana."
"Even banana trees are not okay. Banana trees are also trees. Only sows climb trees. You, you, you... you make me so angry!"
Governor Qin raised his hand and hit several thugs. The little girl was thrown back to hide, but her feet were stuck in the mud and she couldn't get out for a while. She fell into the water again, and Governor Qin's face was immediately splashed with mud and water. He couldn't even open his eyes.
"Master, Master, I didn't mean it this time." The little girl got up with an innocent look on her face and used her sleeves to wipe his face. It would have been better if she didn't wipe it. The more she wiped, the dirtier it got. Her sleeves were stained with large pieces of mud.
“Pooh! Pooh! Pooh…”
Have you seen salted eggs? If you haven't, please look at the big and small ones that just climbed ashore.
"Sir, are you okay? It's all your fault. I was fine until you suddenly shouted and scared me. Luckily I fell into the pond, otherwise I would be in great trouble..."
Bang! A sudden blow went straight to Yun Qiaoer's forehead.
"How dare you complain first?" Qin Mu was tempted to throw her into the pond again. "Who told me that? My mother said that talking less is more ladylike. You climbing a tree is also called a lady..."
"It's banana."
"Banana is also a tree, sows... Bah! I've got you back again, you're asking for a beating!"
"Hehe... It's so hot out there, it's quite cool like this, sir... well, can a sow climb a tree?"
"Is this true? This is what the Governor just witnessed with his own eyes."
"Ah!" The little girl, covered in mud and water, rushed towards him. When she waved her little fists, strong wind blew and mud and water flew everywhere.
In the octagonal pavilion, Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan are playing Go, willow trees are swaying beside the pavilion, veils of smoke are fluttering lightly, the two beauties are dragging their skirts in the water of the Xiang River, their hair are wiped by the clouds of Wushan, their moving silhouettes are as beautiful as a poem.
Li Xiangjun was hesitating while holding a black chess piece. The black chess piece made her spring jade fingers look even whiter and more tender, making her extremely beautiful.
Bang! The chess piece suddenly fell onto the chessboard. Li Xiangjun opened her cherry lips and widened her almond eyes. She looked surprised as if she had seen an alien.
Dong Xiaowan quickly turned around to look, and was instantly stunned. She saw two clay figures, one big and one small, chasing each other across the garden path shaded by flowers and trees. "Is this the master?" Dong Xiaowan murmured to herself. Her extremely surprised expression completely destroyed her usual elegance.
The two clay figures were chasing each other and laughing as they headed straight for the pavilion where Li Xiangjun and the other person were. Yes, at least from the sound, it could be confirmed that the two clay figures were Qin Mu and Yun Qiaoer.
But they did not go under the pavilion. With a splash, Governor Qin plunged into the pond beside the pavilion again, and then shouted to Yun Qiao'er on the other side of the bank: "Come down, girl. I'll catch you. It's deep here. Let's wash together."
"Sir, can you really catch him? If you are a clay Buddha crossing the river, he will be in trouble."
"It's up to you whether you want to go down or not." Governor Qin took off his outer robe in the small lake and went to the shore. Then he dived into the water and swam happily. It was very refreshing to swim in the water on such a hot summer day.
With a whoosh, Governor Qin emerged from the water, shook off the water droplets on his head, and chanted happily: "Just drank the water of Changsha, and ate the fish of Wuchang. I crossed the Yangtze River and looked at the vast Chu sky. No matter how windy and waves blow, it is better than strolling in the garden. Today I have some time to spare. Confucius said on the river: Time flies... "
"Sir, please catch her quickly." Yun Qiaoer was feeling uncomfortable with the mud all over her body, but she finally couldn't resist the temptation. Amid the exclamations of Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan, she also jumped into the lake.
"Hey, do you know how to swim?" When Qin Mu swam quickly to where Yun Qiaoer entered the water, he found that this girl could actually tread water.
The little girl grinned smugly, and Qin Mu was so angry that he raised his hand and hit her again: "You know how to swim, and you want me to catch you?"
"Wouldn't it make you look more ladylike that way?"
"Lady? You've done everything from sows climbing trees to crabs going down rivers. And you're still a lady?"
After hearing what Qin Mu said, the smile on Yun Qiaoer's face disappeared, and then she quickly forced a smile again, as if nothing had happened.
Qin Mu's heart was touched. The fact that the little girl knew all these things was probably related to her wandering life.
"Master, you...how did you get into this state?" Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan finally came to their senses and asked while leaning against the railing of the pavilion.
"Haha, it's okay. A piglet fell into the lotus pond in front. I'll go down and help fish it out..."
"You are the piglet, you are the piglet." The little girl refused to give in and kept splashing water on him. A water fight broke out and even the two beauties by the railing had their skirts wet by the splash.
The joyful laughter echoed on the lake, adding a bit of vitality to this summer afternoon.
The pavilions nearby, the high walls in the distance, the upturned eaves, the drooping willow branches, the quiet corridors, the fragrant lotus flowers, the joyful laughter, and the stunning beauty form a vivid picture.
Qin Mu took a rare break from being lazy. After swimming with Qiao'er, he changed into a white Confucian robe and went to the pavilion to drink tea and listen to the music.
He lay down on the bamboo mat, and the little girl immediately sat over to him obediently, helping him to do the manipulation while admitting her mistake: "Sir, I know I was wrong, and I will never climb a tree again."
Qin Mu never gave her a serious lesson from the beginning to the end of this matter, but she knew that Qin Mu was worried about her and just didn't want to restrict her too much.
"It is a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. Actually, it is not impossible for you to climb the banana tree, but you should have someone to help you from below, so as to ensure safety."
"Once we tell them, they will definitely not let us go up."
After listening to the two's conversation, Li Xiangjun finally couldn't help it and said angrily: "Master, how can you spoil her like this? Not only do you not stop her, but you also give her advice. Today she can climb the banana tree, what if she climbs up the roof and tears off the tiles tomorrow?"
"Haha, no, no, Qiao'er still pays attention to her ladylike image."
“Hehe… ... ... ... ” Qiao’er laughed very happily. After lying in Qin Mu’s arms for a while, she stood up and said emotionally: “Thank you, sir. No one is better than you. I promise that I will never do such a thing again and will never make you worry again.”
***********************************************(To be continued...)
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