There is roaring and friction in the front vestibule, and studying and drinking tea in the guest room.
The naughty kid's screams were like those of a pig being slaughtered, rising and falling one after another. However, Zhu Ping'an, the instigator, was sitting at the desk in the guest room, holding a book, drinking a cup of hot tea, and basking in the warm sun. He looked so comfortable.
"Gong Er's divine turtle is thin, but it's still eating meat when it's stewed in soup. It must be you who did this.
. "
Li Shu pursed her lips and asked with a smile while glancing at Zhu Pingan who was reading a book. Her skin was as white as a newly peeled water chestnut and her pair of watery black eyes made her natural beauty even more striking.
Li Shu came with her maid Baozi, and there was no one else. Baozi was holding a bulging bundle, and no one knew what was inside.
"If you say so, then it is true. If you want to accuse someone of something, you can always find a pretext for it."
After hearing Li Shu's question, Zhu Ping'an took his eyes off the book, looked up at Li Shu who had come over, and replied with a slight curl of his lips.
"Don't give me that. Others may not believe it's you, but I won't be fooled by you. Hehehe... You've really screwed Gong'er over. It's fine if you just stewed soup and ate meat, but you even asked the fat guy who you are with a smile. If your grandmother hadn't stopped you, Gong'er would have gotten fatter again." Li Shu rolled her eyes and said angrily with a giggle.
"What's with stewing soup and eating meat? It's disrespectful. I'm a scholar." Zhu Ping'an curled his lips and didn't care at all.
"You picked it clearly." Li Shu said angrily.
"Hehe... Everyone says that Master Gong is naughty. The previous teacher left after only three days of teaching. The current teacher is also often forced to take leave to recuperate because of Master Gong's anger..."
The chubby little maid behind Li Shu couldn't help laughing when she thought about the naughty child who complained but was scolded by the master instead. Her eyes followed the laughter, and the two dimples on her chubby face also laughed.
Haha, maybe this naughty kid is like the kid in the movie "The Wolf and the Little Boy".
"You bad guy..." Li Shu rolled her eyes at Zhu Ping'an and couldn't help but smile.
Of course. Li Shu led the maid Baozi to Zhu Ping'an's guest room, not to question him, but to bring Zhu Ping'an some clean clothes. Baozi brought a set of neatly folded clothes. It was probably a set of scholar's clothes, decorated with mink fur and other things. It was elegant and noble.
"Change your clothes in a while. From now on, every other day, I will ask Hua'er to come to your place to pick up your changed clothes, rinse and dry them, and then send them to you. The Marquis' Mansion is not like my home. People here are all short-sighted. Also, in three days it will be Grandmother's birthday, don't forget it."
Li Shu asked the maid to put the clothes she brought in Zhu Ping'an's room and gave him some instructions. Then she talked to Zhu Ping'an in the room and led the maid away.
Near noon, a servant came and said that it was Marquis Linhuai who wanted to see him, so Zhu Ping'an followed the servant to Marquis Linhuai's study.
Linhuai Hou invited Zhu Pingan to come, but it was just a courtesy, and he only asked about Zhu Pingan's family background. Although he already knew that Zhu Pingan was a young scholar who came to the capital to participate in the imperial examination, he was still disappointed with Zhu Pingan's family background. He personally preferred the younger generation of his wife's family, and the closer they were, the more they could provide support for the Hou Mansion. He was not optimistic about Zhu Pingan. It was good enough for a poor boy from a mountain village not to hinder the Hou Mansion, but he could forget about helping. Especially after learning from Fatty Zhou that Zhu Pingan was assigned to the stinky number in the imperial examination, he was even more disappointed.
Unfortunately, the matter was done, and Linhuai Hou was very disappointed. Therefore, he was also indifferent to Zhu Pingan.
Zhu Ping'an had never taken the Linhuai Marquis's mansion seriously, so he naturally didn't take the cold reception from Linhuai Marquis to heart. Therefore, in response to Linhuai Marquis's inquiry, Zhu Ping'an answered calmly and without hesitation, and was not surprised by honor or disgrace.
After just a few words, Linhuai Hou served tea, and Zhu Pingan bowed and said goodbye.
Noon
A servant came to pass on the message that two young men came to visit Zhu Ping'an, claiming to be old friends.
The two people could only be Zhang Siwei and Wang Shizhen. Zhu Ping'an rewarded the servant with a silver bean and asked him to leave a message to the steward of the Marquis' Mansion, saying that he would not have lunch in the Marquis' Mansion at noon.
When they arrived at the gate of the marquis's mansion, they saw the elegant Zhang Siwei and Wang Shizhen.
When Zhang Siwei and Wang Shizhen saw Zhu Ping'an, their eyes lit up. Zhu Ping'an no longer looked like the poor farm boy who was dressed in shabby clothes a few days ago. Although he had an ordinary appearance, he looked much more energetic under the contrast of his clothes. He was well-mannered and had a low-key nobleness.
I have to say that the saying "clothes make the man" is very true.
"Haha, Zihou, you have been hiding this from us for a long time. We thought you were an ordinary farmer's boy, but we didn't expect that you were born in the Linhuai Marquis Mansion. Brother Zhu, what do you think we should do?" As soon as Zhu Ping'an left the house, Zhang Siwei acted as if he was going to call him to task.
"My last name is Zhu, not Li, so how can I be born in Linhuai Marquis Mansion?" Zhu Ping'an curled his lips.
"You have won the heart of a beauty, which makes us ashamed. The news spread throughout the inn that Mr. Zhu's wife is as beautiful as a fairy, and even the maids are rare and stunning. You didn't even come to see me and Wensheng after the exam. It's obvious that you are intoxicated by the beauty of the world. You are so lucky, but you are still ungrateful. Be careful of a fire in the backyard." Zhang Siwei joked.
The hidden story involved Li Shu's reputation, so Zhu Ping'an couldn't tell them and could only smile bitterly.
"You have nothing to say, right? I'm going to give you a good beating today. What do you think, Wensheng?" Zhang Siwei slapped Zhu Ping'an on the shoulder, turned around and asked Wang Shizhen with a smile.
"I second the motion." Wang Shizhen, dressed in a snow-white robe, agreed with a smile on his face. Even when he was joking, he still looked like a modest gentleman.
"Wensheng, you've also learned bad habits from Ziwei." Zhu Ping'an said with a smile on his face.
I really can't understand how Wang Shizhen, who seemed to be a good student in every way, could later write the shocking "Jin Ping Mei".
"Zihou, just because of what you said, we must go to Wenyuan Pavilion for a big meal today." Zhang Siwei put his hand on Zhu Ping'an's shoulder, smiled and emphasized fiercely.
"I don't have much money."
Zhu Ping'an spread his hands and spoke in a very bachelor-like manner.
At this moment, the side door of the Linhuai Marquis's Mansion opened again, and a chubby little maid came running over with her skirt in her hand. Her little face was flushed, and she presented a purse to Zhu Ping'an like offering a treasure, raised her chubby face, opened her big, bright eyes and said:
"Sir, Sir, your purse was left at home, so Miss asked me to bring it to you. Oh, by the way, Miss also asked me to remind you not to drink too much and not to go to any bad places."
After saying that, the maid put the purse in Zhu Ping'an's hand. It seemed that the maid's face turned red when she felt the warmth of Zhu Ping'an's hand. Then she trotted back to the Marquis' Mansion, holding up her skirt.
"Haha, Zihou is so lucky. His wife is so beautiful, gentle, virtuous, and considerate. Even his maid is so innocent. He is really the envy of others. Let's go. The delicious food in Wenyuan Pavilion is waiting for us. Now that we have money, what else is there to say?" Zhang Siwei bumped Zhu Ping'an's shoulder and joked with a smile.
"My two friends, please lead the way."
Zhu Pingan held out his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and invited him. (To be continued)