Looking at the old man who was looking around and even flicked his finger on the dark square table to listen to the sound, Zhang Shou couldn't help but think of the scene when Zhu Ying first arrived that day. Although they were of different ages, the eldest lady was also curious about everything, as if any tool in the countryside was worth studying for a while.
When he was bringing the old man here, he also tried to ask about the other party's background, but the man was as tight-lipped as his mother and servants at home. He just said with a smile that his surname was Ge, and he talked about all sorts of other things. So he simply called him Mr. Ge.
"By the way, I don't know your name, young master."
"My last name is Zhang." Zhang Shou paused, then laughed and said, "Mr. Ge refused to give his full name, so I, a younger generation, will follow your example and not give my name which is not worth mentioning."
Mr. Ge was stunned at first, then he blew his beard and glared at me, "I am an old man, and you, a young man, don't know how to be more considerate of me? Humph, do you think I am stupid? I will go to the village outside to ask, is it possible that no one can tell your name? Forget it, forget it, I won't be angry with you. I see that there is no one else in this house, are you the only one living there?"
Zhang Shou originally thought that Ge Weng was a bit childish and naughty. After hearing this, he was more certain that his first impression was correct. As for the question at the end, he didn't even need to think about it to know that the old man must have doubted him because of his face.
It was fine that Zhu Ying, the daughter of a wealthy family, only cared about appearance, but he really didn't expect that Ge Weng, an old man who was almost buried in the ground, would also care about appearance. He couldn't help but ask back, "Does Ge Weng think that I should be a god without touching water, eating only wind and drinking dew?"
Mr. Ge flicked his clothes and sat down with a righteous look on his face.
"The world is unfair, otherwise why would the imperial examinations also favor handsome men? Even in the imperial court, the top scholar would choose a tall and handsome man, not a hunchbacked bald man. I don't believe that you can make a fire and cook with such a face, so you definitely can't live alone..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Shou just laughed, turned around and walked out.
After a slight pause, he realized what Zhang Shou might be going to do, and immediately stood up and ran after him. He saw the man go to the stove and skillfully put dry firewood in the furnace. He first used wood shavings to start the fire, used a fire stick to add firewood and blow the fire, and then washed the rice and put it in the pot to cook. He was so skilled in all the movements as if he had done them thousands of times.
It was not until Zhang Shou finally took a break that the old man said awkwardly, "You have such a handsome face, even if you grew up in the countryside, someone should come to your house to help you with these chores. Isn't it a waste of resources to do all these by yourself? Of course, when I was young and handsome, I didn't have to say anything. I didn't know how many people took care of my food, clothing, shelter and transportation."
Seeing that Zhang Shou just smiled without saying anything, he wiped his hands, then took out two green melons from the winnowing basket beside him. After washing them, he cut them into neat strips with a kitchen knife in a moment. Ge Weng, who was still following behind him, couldn't help but continue to persuade him earnestly.