In front of the eucalyptus stage.
Luo Qingzhou was wearing a loose Confucian robe and was sitting there practicing calligraphy with a wolf-brush in hand, looking very focused.
Nangong Meijiao stood at the door, squinting her eyes, staring at him for a few seconds, and said coldly: "Wei Mo, your husband practices calligraphy without even using ink?"
On the table, the ink block was placed at an angle in the inkstone, but there was no ink.
Miss Qin Er closed the door and said with a smile: "Sister Meijiao, you have to ask him about this. Wei Mo can't explain it."
Luo Qingzhou coughed, put down the wolf hair brush in his hand, stood up and bowed, saying: "Greetings, Princess. Princess, you don't know, when practicing calligraphy, you can use ink, water, or nothing at all. As long as there are words in your heart and eyes, it doesn't matter if there are no words in your pen."
Nangong Meijiao sneered and ignored him, turning around and saying, "Wei Mo, you just said you had something to talk to me about?"
Miss Qin Er pulled her and asked her to sit on the beauty couch, and said softly: "Sister Meijiao, it's about opening a store. We just opened a store, and we need a few clothes that are different from other stores to attract popularity. However, the clothes we designed have not been tested in the market, and we don't know how effective they are, so we would like to ask Sister Meijiao for help."
Nangong Meijiao asked: "How can I help you?"
Miss Qin Er was a little embarrassed, but she still said directly: "Doesn't Sister Meijiao have several clothing stores? I wonder if we can hang our newly designed clothes in those stores to see the effect?"
Nangong Meijiao was about to agree, but suddenly her expression changed and she asked, "What kind of new clothes are they? Can I take a look first?"
Miss Qin Er looked at someone, her lips slightly curved: "Of course. Brother Qingzhou, take it out and show it to Sister Meijiao."
Luo Qingzhou: “…”
Nangong Meijiao also looked at him and suddenly sneered, "Isn't it the shameful clothes that I bet with?"
Luo Qingzhou showed a trace of embarrassment on his face, but he still went to the inner room, took out a slightly transparent bellyband and two flesh-colored stockings, handed them to her, touched them, and said: "Princess, look, the fabric is very good, the feel is also very good, and the style is also very novel. I think many people will like it."
Nangong Meijiao looked at him coldly: "Did you design this?"
Luo Qingzhou immediately said, "How is it possible? I only read books of sages and don't even know the different types of women's clothing. How could I design such novel and beautiful clothing? It was designed by Xiaodie, Qiu'er, and the second young lady together."
Miss Qin Er smiled and did not refute.
Nangong Meijiao, however, was full of disdain: "Only reading the books of sages? Luo Qingzhou, do you have no shame at all?"
Luo Qingzhou cupped his hands and said, "No matter how the princess misunderstands and insults me, I will not explain or talk back. I just hope the princess can help me by hanging these clothes in the princess's shop to see the effect."
"impossible."
Nangong Meijiao refused directly, and said ruthlessly: "I can't let these shameful and obscene clothes enter my store. They will make people laugh and ruin my family's reputation. Don't even think about it."
Luo Qingzhou unfolded the bellyband in his hand and said, "Your Highness, it is just a little transparent, and it is worn inside. It will only be exposed when you sleep. It is thinner, breathable, and softer than ordinary bellybands. It is very comfortable to wear, especially in hot weather. I guarantee that any woman who wears it will feel much better than the previous bellybands. As for what the princess said about shame and obscenity, to be honest, I don’t quite understand. Since it is underwear worn inside and will not be seen by outsiders, how can it be shameful and obscene? At most, you can see it when you sleep, or your husband can see it. So, I think it is a very normal piece of clothing, and it is a very friendly piece of clothing for women."
Nangong Meijiao sneered: "You said it so well, have you ever worn it?"
Luo Qingzhou said: "I am a man, this is women's clothing, how can I wear it?"
Nangong Meijiao's eyes flashed, and she suddenly said: "Luo Qingzhou, since you want to sell such clothes, then you should be bold enough to try it yourself. So, try it on yourself now and let me see the effect. If the effect is good, I will consider whether to help you."
Luo Qingzhou: “…”
Miss Qin Er smiled and said, "Brother Qingzhou, Sister Meijiao is right. Brother Qingzhou can give it a try. There is no one else here anyway."
Luo Qingzhou glanced at her and felt that she was enjoying the fun and seemed to be gloating over other people's misfortune.
"I'm sorry, Princess. I won't wear it. I'm a scholar and I have my own dignity. How can I, a man, wear women's underwear?"
Luo Qingzhou refused directly, and then said: "If the princess wants to see the effect, I can let Zhuer try it on. But this kind of clothing can only be known if you wear it yourself, so I suggest... the princess can try it on yourself first."
As soon as these words were spoken, Nangong Meijiao suddenly stood up from the couch and grasped the whip handle at her waist.
Luo Qingzhou immediately added: "Princess, please don't misunderstand me. I just think this bellyband should be very comfortable to wear, so I want you to try it on yourself. When you try it, only the Second Miss will be in the room, or only the Princess will be alone. I will go to Lingchan Moon Palace to pay my respects to the eldest Miss and will not stay here."
Nangong Meijiao clenched the whip handle tightly, staring at him for a while with a cold face, then gritted her teeth and said, "You have touched this bellyband, and it was taken from your bed. Who knows what you have done with it? Luo Qingzhou, you want this princess to wear such a shameful and obscene thing. I think you are itching for trouble, aren't you?"
Luo Qingzhou put the bellyband and stockings on the couch and said, "The bellyband and stockings were taken from the stool, not the bed, and I just touched them. But since the princess reacted so strongly, let's forget it. Second Miss, let's think of another way. I don't believe that such good clothes can't be sold."
Nangong Meijiao sneered: "If such shameful and obscene clothes can be sold, it will be the biggest joke in the world."
Luo Qingzhou looked at her and said, "Isn't it because the princess is afraid of losing the bet that she doesn't dare to help me?"
Nangong Meijiao snorted coldly: "You don't need to provoke me. If I say it can't be sold, it can't be sold. I can't help you sell such shameful and obscene clothes. You have to figure it out yourself."
Miss Qin sighed softly and said, "Brother Qingzhou, let's find a solution ourselves and don't embarrass Sister Meijiao. By the way, Brother Qingzhou, come with me to the bookstore tomorrow and we'll ask Sister Xueyi. Sister Xueyi knows so many people, many of whom are daughters of wealthy families with open minds. They have a wide network of contacts and may be able to help us."
After these words were spoken, Nangong Meijiao's expression changed slightly.
Luo Qingzhou said: "Okay, this is the only way. I will go with you to find Princess Xueyi tomorrow and give it a try."
After that, he bowed and said, "Princess, Second Miss, you two can chat. I'm going to Lingchan Moon Palace to pay my respects to the eldest lady."
He didn't stay any longer, turned around and left the room. With Qiu'er's help, he put on his shoes and left quickly.
The room fell into silence.
Miss Qin Er picked up the bellyband and stockings on the couch, stroked them with her fingertips, and said, "They feel really good, very soft, smooth, and a little cool. They should be very comfortable to wear in the summer. Sister Meijiao, feel them and try."
Nangong Meijiao looked at the thing in her hand, hesitated for a moment, glanced at the window again, then reached out and slowly took it, stroked it, and remained silent.
After a while, she looked up and said, "Wei Mo, you can't go look for Xue Yi."
Miss Qin Er asked: "Why?"
Nangong Meijiao said: "She likes to talk nonsense everywhere, I am afraid of causing trouble for you."
Miss Qin Er smiled and said, "Sister Xue Yi just likes to discuss some articles and poems. She won't talk nonsense about other things."
Nangong Meijiao looked down at the clothes in her hand again and asked, "Wei Mo, do you think this kind of clothes can really be sold?"
Miss Qin Er said softly: "Sister Meijiao, I believe in Brother Qingzhou."
Nangong Meijiao looked at her and said, "You are so stupid. Some things can be believed, but some cannot be believed at all. If you believe him in everything, you will be deceived and regret it sooner or later."
Miss Qin Er smiled and said, "Sister Meijiao, even if I am deceived, I am willing. No one is perfect, everyone will lie, and Brother Qingzhou is no exception. But as long as he is sincere to me, what should I be afraid of? The better the person, the more lies he will tell, which is inevitable. So we must be content and cannot ask the other party to give us everything. Once a person cares too much, he will never be happy in his life, and it will also put too much pressure on the other party, making the other party unhappy. Why bother? Sister Meijiao, sometimes pretending to be stupid is the real smartness."
After listening to this, Nangong Meijiao was silent for a while and said, "Wei Mo, are you advising me to continue playing dumb?"
Miss Qin held her hand and said softly, "Sister Meijiao, I'm talking about myself. Wei Mo will never persuade others about this kind of thing, because it is too selfish. No matter what Sister Meijiao wants to do, Wei Mo will support her."
Nangong Meijiao looked at her blankly.
After a moment.
She stood up from the couch, holding the clothes in her hand and said, "I can try for you, but the management of the store is not in my hands, so I can only ask for you. But I still say that this kind of clothes is difficult to sell. Unless you sell it to..."
Miss Qin Er asked, "Brothel, right?"
Nangong Meijiao nodded and said, "He should have thought of it too, right?"
Miss Qin Er smiled and said, "He must have thought of it, but he just didn't dare to go. And this kind of clothes, the first one must not appear in a brothel, and you must never take the initiative to go to a brothel to shout."
Nangong Meijiao raised her eyebrows and said, “Wei Mo, do you think he doesn’t dare to go to the brothel?”
Miss Qin Er smiled and said, "The first time, Bailing and Xiachan must have scared him. If it happens again, even if I don't say anything, they won't let him go. And, Sister Meijiao, do you think it's necessary for him to go to the brothel?"
Nangong Meijiao thought for a moment and said, "It's really not necessary. How can the rouge and powder in the brothel compare to the colorful flowers in the Qin Mansion's back garden?"
Miss Qin Er chuckled and said, "It's not just the Qin Mansion."
"I'm leaving."
Nangong Meijiao didn't say anything more, took the clothes away, and when she reached the door, she suddenly turned around and said, "He will definitely lose this bet. Weimo, what conditions do you think I should propose to him then?"
Miss Qin Er thought for a moment and said, "Let him wear a bellyband and stockings?"
Nangong Meijiao smiled and said, "That's too good for him."
After saying that, he waved his hand, walked out the door, put on his shoes, and left quickly.
Miss Qin Er walked to the window, looked at the figure walking into the courtyard, moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately did not speak.
Luo Qingzhou went to Lingchan Moon Palace, but did not see Miss Qin.
Bailing said that the eldest lady was not feeling well and was resting in the room.
Luo Qingzhou didn't dare to go in. He played with the rabbit with her in her room for a while, then went to Xia Chan's room to play with the rabbit for a while. When he saw that the time was almost up, he said goodbye and left.
Bai Ling held the little white rabbit Dabao in her arms and reluctantly sent him to the door, saying, "By the way, uncle, every time Dabao and Erbao see the young lady, they will jump on her and bite her shoes. Is that what you taught them?"
Luo Qingzhou said: "Don't slander me, these two rabbits are just like that, they like to bite shoes. If you don't believe me, you can go ask Chanchan, it turns out they bit her shoes too."
Bai Ling said: "But they seem to like biting young lady."
Luo Qingzhou said: "Who doesn't like to bite beautiful girls?"
Bai Ling said: "But both little rabbits are female."
Luo Qingzhou asked: "By the way, are the young lady's shoes bitten?"
Bai Ling nodded and said, "Yes, one of them was bitten."
Luo Qingzhou immediately said angrily: "These damn rabbits should be taught a lesson. By the way, Bailing, where are the shoes that were bitten by the young lady? I'll take them back and ask Xiaodie to help mend them."
Bai Ling said, "No need, Miss has other shoes. I have already thrown away the broken ones."
Luo Qingzhou asked: "Where did you throw it?"
Bai Ling immediately looked at him warily and asked, "What are you going to do, Master?"
Luo Qingzhou said: "I'm just asking, shoes cannot be thrown in front of the house, they must be thrown behind the house, otherwise it will be bad for the feng shui of the house."
Bai Ling smiled and said, "Fortunately, I was smart and threw it into the flowerbed at the back. A maid will clean it up in a few days, and it should be picked up tomorrow."
Luo Qingzhou nodded and said, "Just leave it behind. I'm going back now. Good night."
Bai Ling waved the soft furry ears of the little rabbit in her arms and said with a smile, "Good night, uncle."
Luo Qingzhou left quickly.
When he returned to Meixiang Garden and was about to enter, he thought for a moment and suddenly turned around and walked towards the flower bed at the back.
Dabao and Erbao bit the eldest lady's shoes, so he should compensate her with a new pair of shoes.
So he decided to pick up the eldest lady's broken shoes and let Xiaodie make a new pair for her, or he would go out and buy a new pair for the eldest lady.
Soon, he arrived at the flower bed at the back.
The moonlight is bright.
The flowers in the flower beds are in full bloom and the fragrance is everywhere.
When Luo Qingzhou was looking carefully in the flowerbed with his head down, Bai Ling's clear and proud voice suddenly came from behind him: "Miss, Chanchan, look, I told you that the son-in-law must have secretly come here to play alone, but you still don't believe it."
Luo Qingzhou's body stiffened and he turned to look.
Under the moonlight, Bailing and Xia Chan, accompanied by Miss Qin, who was dressed in snow-white, were standing at the back door, looking at him.
Bai Ling showed two sweet dimples on her face, and waved her hand with a smile, "Uncle, why did you come here to play alone? Why didn't you invite us to join you? Uncle, did you want to give Miss a bouquet of flowers and wish her a quick recovery, so you secretly came here to pick flowers?"