Li Mansion!
"Jiaorong, is the meal ready? I'm hungry." Li Gongfu entered the house and called his wife loudly, while taking off the sword from his waist and hanging it on the wall. He called a few times but heard no response from his wife Xu Jiaorong. Feeling strange, he walked around the house looking for his wife.
"Jiaorong, what are you standing here for? Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Go get me something to eat. I have things to do in the yamen and I have to go back soon." After searching for a long time, Li Gongfu finally saw his wife at the door of the study. He strode forward, pulled Xu Jiaorong's sleeve, and urged her repeatedly.
"Eat! Eat! Eat! All you know is eating!" Xu Jiaorong shook off Li Gongfu's hand, turned around and glared at him, and said unhappily: "Besides eating, can you do something else?"
Li Gongfu laughed and said happily: "Of course I can. I can catch thieves, right?"
Xu Jiaorong rolled her eyes at him, not wanting to talk nonsense with him. She turned her eyes back to the study, looking at her brother who was sitting at the desk, grinning and sighing, and was filled with worry. Ever since he came back from West Lake yesterday, her brother has been absent-minded, and she didn't know why.
"What's wrong?" Li Gongfu looked into the study, then looked at his wife, and asked curiously, "Why are you staring at the Chinese text here?"
"What do you know? Listen to what Hanwen is saying."
"What are you reading?" Li Gongfu was stunned, leaned forward, and listened attentively. In the study, Xu Xian's shaking head voice came out: "The orioles are singing on the island in the river. A beautiful lady is the ideal match for a gentleman... A beautiful lady is the ideal match for a gentleman..."
"It seems to be the poem "Guanju". There's nothing strange about it!" Xu Xian had read this poem "Guanju" before. Li Gongfu had never been interested in these poems and songs, but with such a nerd at home, he read them all day long, and even a rough guy like him was influenced to understand some literary things.
"I know it's The Guanju!" Xu Jiaorong rolled her eyes helplessly. She really couldn't beat around the bush when talking to her careless husband. She had no choice but to speak directly to her doubts: "It's just The Guanju. There's no need to recite it from early in the morning until now, right? Gongfu, what do you think happened to Han Wen? Is he sick?"
"You mean Han Wen has been reciting this poem Guanju since this morning?" Li Gongfu touched his chin, thinking. If this is true, it is indeed a bit strange.
"Yeah." Xu Jiaorong nodded and said, "Not only that, he was giggling while reciting it, and he was talking nonsense, which made me terrified."
"Haha... If that's the case, you don't have to worry." Hearing Xu Jiaorong say this, Li Gongfu burst into laughter.
Xu Jiaorong was confused. Seeing Li Gongfu laughing non-stop, she pinched his arm anxiously and said unhappily, "Okay, stop laughing. Tell me why I don't have to worry."
Li Gongfu shook his head and said proudly, "I think Han Wen, this silly boy, has finally come to his senses."
"You've gotten the idea?" Xu Jiaorong was stunned, then suddenly realized, "Are you saying that Han Wen has someone he likes?"
"Well, I think it's pretty close. Do you want me to ask him?"
"It's better to ask clearly, just to be safe."
"Then I'll go in and ask him." Li Gongfu said as he was about to step into the house.
Xu Jiaorong grabbed him and reminded him, "Remember, ask him which girl he likes. If she's suitable, we can come and propose marriage."
"I know, I know." Women are like me.
"Ah—brother-in-law! You're back." Xu Xian was stunned for a moment, then looked up and saw Li Gongfu standing in front of him. He quickly put down the book in his hand and stood up.
"Well, I'm back." Li Gongfu patted Xu Xian's shoulder and asked him to sit down. He dragged a chair over and sat next to Xu Xian and asked, "Hanwen, what book are you reading?"
"I didn't read anything, just some casual reading." Xu Xian hurriedly put away the books on the table and smiled somewhat unnaturally.
"Oh, it's a leisure book!" Li Gongfu pretended to frown and said, "Hanwen, you are not a child anymore. You can't just read books all day. It's ok to read some medical books before. At least you focus on knowledge. But isn't it a waste of time to read leisure books? I think you might as well go for a walk in the street with this free time. Maybe you will meet a girl you like and you can even marry her. Isn't that better?"
"Haha... Brother-in-law, you're joking. What kind of girl would be interested in a poor boy like me?" Xu Xian didn't know what he was thinking about. He smiled foolishly for no apparent reason. "Even if I were interested in her, I'm afraid it's just wishful thinking."
There's a chance! When Li Gongfu heard what Xu Xian said, and combined with what his wife said, he had a certain idea in his mind. He was sure that he had let this kid walk around the West Lake alone yesterday. He must have encountered something, otherwise he wouldn't be so distraught. It seems that he really needs to interrogate this kid and find out what happened. Having made up his mind, Li Gongfu tried to find a way to get Xu Xian to talk.
"Hanwen, your sister and I came back from worshipping our ancestors yesterday. How was your trip around the West Lake? Did you encounter anything special? Tell me about it."
When Xu Xian heard Li Gongfu ask about what happened yesterday, he couldn't help but think of Bai Suzhen. He smiled dazedly and replied, "I didn't encounter anything special, but I did meet a special person."
"Someone special?" Li Gongfu perked up, stepped forward, and asked, "Is it a woman?"
"Um!"
"Is it beautiful?"
"Prettier than Diao Chan, more beautiful than Xi Shi." Li Gongfu asked, and Xu Xian answered vaguely. After answering, he suddenly came to his senses and looked at Li Gongfu with a playful expression. He felt annoyed and embarrassed. He hurriedly explained to Li Gongfu: "Brother-in-law, I... am not what you think."
"Hanwen, you don't have to say it, brother-in-law knows it." Li Gongfu smiled, put his arm around Xu Xian's shoulders, and teased: "You are going to be lucky in love, no wonder your sister said that you read "Guanju" all morning. Come on, tell me, are you attracted to that girl?"
"I..." Xu Xian blushed, not knowing how to answer. He had been absorbed in studying before and had never encountered such a situation. But after meeting Bai Suzhen, his mind was full of her shadow. Now he couldn't even concentrate on reading. His heart was sometimes happy and sometimes sad. He didn't know if this was love or not.
"Brother-in-law, what does it mean to like someone?"
"If you like someone, you will miss her when you can't see her. You will feel like something is missing when you are away from her for a moment. It's just like what I did to your sister. I waited at your door all day and night just to see her. I was not afraid of being hungry or cold."
Xu Xian laughed, thinking of the time when his brother-in-law pursued his sister. He was very domineering, standing at the door of their house and beating back all the people who came to propose marriage, and finally married his sister. If it were him, he would not be able to learn to be like him.
"Hanwen, if you really like the girl, you should go and propose marriage as soon as possible. This matter cannot be delayed. If you delay, you will be the one who regrets it." Li Gongfu patted Xu Xian's shoulder and reminded him earnestly.
Go to her house to propose marriage? Will she agree? Xu Xian frowned, feeling uncertain.