Jing Li didn't reply.
During this period, many people in the city were curious about who Zhao Li was.
There are many scholars in the city, and writing a story book is not difficult. As long as you can read and write, you can try. Trying to find out Zhao Li's true identity is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
But there are still no clues.
In a place like the capital, the authors of vernacular novels usually do not conceal their true identities. In other vernacular novels, the authors would include their names and addresses at the end of the article to make it easier for others to find them.
After all, in this era, there are many people with great talents who are not appreciated and will not give up any opportunity.
But Mr. Zhaoli never left any identity information. Even when the whole city was looking for him and impostors emerged one after another, he never showed up and said a word.
There is only one possibility.
He did not hope, or rather, disdained, to become famous for this.
In this way, the scope is narrowed down to those already prestigious scholars in the city.
As for why he was misunderstood as Qin Zhao, it could probably only be related to the handwriting Qin Zhao wrote on the cover of his book.
Jing Li was still thinking. Seeing that he was not as surprised as he had expected, Ah Zi asked in confusion, "Why aren't you surprised at all? You must have read Zhao Li's book before, right? Dream Talk Notes is very interesting!"
"I... I've read it." Jing Li was a little embarrassed and took a sip of tea to cover it up. "But how can you be sure that Qin Zhao is Zhao Li?"
A Zi: "Isn't this name obvious enough?"
"… "
"Of course it's not that simple." Before Jing Li could question him, Ah Zi continued, "But I can't tell you the specific reason. My uncle asked me to tell you."
Jing Li fell silent again.
Even so, the boy was not wary of talking to him. Jing Li had no doubt that if he continued to ask, the boy would tell him all his secrets.
However, Jing Li had no intention of prying into the other party's privacy. He was only concerned about Qin Zhao.
Jing Li asked: "So it is Zhao Li you are looking for?"
"Yes." When talking about this, Ah Zi seemed to be in a good mood. He took a bite of the cake and chewed it carefully. One side of his cheek bulged slightly, and his eyes sparkled. "I admire him very much."
Admire.
Jing Li repeated the word in a low voice.
He always knew that Qin Zhao had a high reputation in the capital.
Whether it was the status of Xiao Sanyuan or the status of a teacher in the Gu Mansion, it was an existence that ordinary people could not even dream of. Moreover, Qin Zhao was still so young and so handsome. If he had not announced to the public that he had no intention of taking a concubine, the people who came to propose marriage would probably have trampled down the door of his house.
Jing Li lowered his head, feeling a little awkward: "Yes, he is so powerful, many people in the city admire him."
Ah Zi didn't notice his strangeness and said with a smile: "But I'm different from them."
"Um?"
"Because I know his secret." Ah Zi blinked at Jing Li, something gleaming in his eyes, "It seems like I feel closer to him than others."
The more Jing Li listened, the more he felt uncomfortable.
He drank the last sip of tea in the cup, picked up the fish cub and stood up: "I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do, so I'll leave now."
Ah Zi didn't expect him to leave so suddenly, and called out, "You haven't told me where you live yet, how can I find you in the future?"
Jing Li pretended not to hear and quickly walked out of the tea shop with the fish baby in his arms.
After taking a few steps, I realized that I was impulsive.
Is it strange to like Qin Zhao? There are so many people in the city who want to get close to Qin Zhao, even Jing Li can't count the number of people who blocked him with two hands.
The young man named A Zi was honest and straightforward, and he didn't seem to have any bad intentions. He was much better than those people who resorted to trickery in secret.
But still…
A little angry.
If he had known earlier, he would not have let Qin Zhao help him write the title of the book. Do you still think that he has too many rivals in love in the capital
Jing Li walked back angrily holding the baby.
A plump hand reached out to him.
Jing Li lowered his head.
When Xiao Yuzai was taken away, he had not finished the new cake. He sat obediently in Jing Li's arms, broke the cake in his hand into two halves, and handed one half to Jing Li's mouth: "Daddy, eat... Don't be angry..."
This little guy has half koi bloodline. Just like Jing Li knew how to cling to people when he was born, the little fish cub is more sensible than ordinary children and is very good at judging the other person's emotions at a young age.
You will also learn to comfort others with your favorite things.
Jing Li calmed down completely.
He shouldn't be so impulsive.
Ah Zi was a simple person. She only gave him some cakes and said nothing to him.
But he got upset over some inexplicable thing, and without saying a word he just left the other person in the teahouse and left.
It really shouldn't be.
I have to go find A Zi and apologize.
As soon as he turned around, he saw the young man coming out of the tea shop.
"Ali, luckily you haven't left yet." Azi saw him and walked up to him quickly. "There are still some cakes left here. Take them back and feed them to the fish baby."
He stuffed the wrapped oil paper bag into Jing Li's hand. Jing Li was stunned: "You... Is this okay..."
"Of course you can." Ah Zi said with a smile, "Just consider it as a thank you for chatting with me just now. Please accept it."
Jing Li asked: "Are you going back?"
"Yes, it turns out that I have waited for Mr. Zhaoli today." Ah Zi looked a little depressed, but soon recovered, "But I will not give up, come again tomorrow."
"Why do you want to see him so much?"
"Isn't it strange to want to meet the person you admire?" Ah Zi thought of something and explained hurriedly, "Don't get me wrong, I know he already has a wife and children, I'm just thinking about that."
Ah Zi said: "I just feel that someone who can write an article like that must be a very warm and charming person. I really want to meet him."
The boy's attitude made Jing Li feel that his previous thoughts and actions were excessive.
He thought for a moment and said seriously: "Azi, I also have something to tell you. Actually, I—"
"ah!"
Ah Zi didn't know where he was looking and suddenly exclaimed.
Jing Li followed his gaze and saw only a few pedestrians on the street corner, nothing unusual. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"No, it's okay." Ah Zi retracted his gaze, grabbed Jing Li's hand, and said quickly, "Ah Li, my family is here to see me, I have to leave quickly. If you have any news about Mr. Zhao Li, go to the teahouse just now, I will come again."
"Goodbye, little fish. I'll make cakes for you some other day."
He bent down and touched the little fish cub's head, turned and walked in another direction, and soon blended into the crowd.
Jing Li and Xiao Yuzi were left standing on the street staring at each other.
What is going on here
This encounter ended hastily, and Jing Li didn't understand what had happened in the end, but the other party had disappeared long ago, so he could only give up for the time being.
During dinner in the evening, he brought this up to Qin Zhao as a topic of conversation.
“… I don’t know who that person is.” Jing Li sighed as he ate the cakes left by A Zi.
Qin Zhao said calmly: "If you want to check, it's not difficult."
"What do you mean?"
"Only the words 'Dream Talk Notes' are printed on the cover. It is impossible to recognize the handwriting at a glance, unless you compare it with my original handwriting one by one." Qin Zhao seemed to have a rough idea and suggested, "Think about it, who can get a lot of my original works?"
Jing Li hummed: "Gu Mansion?"
Qin Zhao seldom showed up in public, and had no chance to leave any original works. So it seems that he only wrote more when he was teaching in Gu's house.
Qin Zhao smiled and said, "If he was from the Gu Mansion, how could you not recognize him?"
"That's right..."
Who else could it be
"Forget it, let's check it out." Jing Li said, "I was the one who hid the truth from him first. Next time we meet, I will take the initiative to tell him the truth."
Qin Zhao nodded: "Okay."
At night, Jing Li coaxed Xiao Yuzi to sleep and went to the study to accompany Qin Zhao to read.
Before, when Qin Zhao didn't know that he was writing the storybook, Jing Li could only hide in the room and write a few paragraphs secretly. Now that his identity has been exposed, Jing Li no longer hides and spends every night in the study with Qin Zhao.
While Qin Zhao was reading, he sat beside him and wrote in a storybook.
Occasionally, when he felt tired of writing, he would wrap himself in clothes and snuggle into Qin Zhao's arms and have a comfortable sleep. After Qin Zhao finished reading the book, he would carry him back to the room.
These days are very ordinary, but every day feels extremely fulfilling.
Jing Li began to lose focus after writing for a while, tilting his head to look at the man beside him. The other person's outline was reflected by the candlelight, making it look particularly gentle, as if it was coated with a layer of warm light.
Even after spending such a long time with Qin Zhao, I still feel that this face is too real.
No wonder so many people miss him.
"Come back to your senses." Qin Zhao raised his head and tapped Jing Li lightly on the head.
You said you wanted to write storybooks to make money, but why do you always get distracted after writing a few sentences
"I didn't look at you—" Jing Li explained subconsciously, but realized that he had let the cat out of the bag, and hurriedly said, "I was thinking... I think it will be the prefect's birthday in half a month, what gift should we give him."
Jing Li is the only one who knows these things.
Qin Zhao was usually busy teaching Gu Heng and preparing for the Autumn Examination, and seldom paid attention to these trivial matters. Moreover, with his status, he did not need to deliberately remember the birthday of a prefect.
However, they now live in the provincial capital, and the prefect has always admired Qin Zhao. He helped them a lot in the Chang Ban case, so they should be thanked.
Qin Zhao said: "The prefect has been honest all his life. I'm afraid he won't accept a gift that is too expensive."
"I know, that's why I wanted to discuss this with you." Jing Li had been thinking about this a few days ago and suggested, "It's the spring tea picking season recently, we can write a letter back to the village and ask the village chief to collect some tea leaves and send them to us. We can also send some local mountain products, which are not expensive, but a token of our appreciation."
Qin Zhao nodded: "Okay."
"Then I'll write the letter now." Jing Li took out a piece of letter paper and picked up the pen to write.
Qin Zhao sat next to him and watched him write.
Jing Li is now very skilled in using a brush. Because he imitated Qin Zhao when practicing calligraphy, his handwriting already has a hint of Qin Zhao's style.
Although it's still a long way off.
Jing Li started practicing calligraphy just to make his life easier. He had no intention of developing good handwriting like the great calligraphers, so he did not force himself to do so.
Jing Li wrote the letter neatly and concisely, put it in an envelope, and said, "I will mail it tomorrow."
"Thank you for your hard work." Qin Zhao said.
"What's so hard about this?" Jing Li thought, "This is our family's business. It's my duty to do this."
Qin Zhao stroked his hair and whispered, "Just hold on for a while longer. When our lives get better, you won't have to do these things anymore."
You don't need to learn how to deal with people, nor do you need to force yourself to make a living.
Jing Li paused for a moment and laughed: "If I don't have to do these, what should I do? Do you want to raise me into a little fish cub who only needs to eat, drink and have fun every day?"
"Do you want to?" Qin Zhao asked him.
"I don't care about these things." Jing Li put the sealed letter aside and picked up the manuscript again. "As long as I can be with you, I don't mind any life."
He lowered his head when he said this, and his slightly curled eyelashes drooped, casting a small shadow on his cheek. Qin Zhao stared at his face, his brows slightly wrinkled.
About seven or eight days after Jing Li sent the letter, the reply from Linxi Village finally arrived.
Attached to the letter were the tea and mountain products that Jingli wanted.
Qin Zhao and Jing Li visited the prefect two days before his birthday, bringing gifts.
The prefect's family lived in the south of the city. Compared with the wealthy families in the city, the prefect's residence was obviously much more low-key. If you didn't tell them, most people would think that the person living here was just an ordinary citizen.
Nothing shows the integrity of this prefect.
Qin Zhao explained his purpose and was invited in by the servants of the mansion.
"Mr. Qin is thoughtful."
After the Chang Yuban case was solved, the governor's dissatisfaction with Qin Zhao had long since disappeared. However, after receiving the gift from Qin Zhao, he had a better impression of him.
He invited Qin Zhao and Jing Li to have tea and chat in the main hall. Jing Li could hardly say anything and just sat beside them, holding the little fish and eating snacks.
The prefect glanced at Jing Li intentionally or unintentionally, and said with emotion: "Everyone in the prefecture knows that Mr. Qin loves his wife as if she were his life. They say that Mrs. Qin is blessed with many lifetimes of cultivation. In my opinion, the two of you should be said to be a match made in heaven."
Qin Zhao: "Your Excellency, you are so complimentary."
The prefect stroked his beard and said half-jokingly, "It's a pity that I only have one little daughter who is still young. Otherwise, I would really like to marry Mr. Qin."
Jing Li's smile froze on his face: "..."
When will these people stop plotting against his Qin Zhao
Jing Li glanced at Qin Zhao, who cleared his throat and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I have nothing to say..."
Before he finished speaking, a servant suddenly came in and reported: "Sir, the young master heard that there were guests at home, so he made some cakes to entertain the distinguished guests."
Young master
Jing Li frowned, but heard the prefect explain: "That's my nephew, he just came to the prefecture to stay for a while."
He paused, then added: "Her name is Shuang'er."
Jing Li finally understood.
The feelings were already prepared.
"Let him come." the prefect ordered.
The servant withdrew in response, and soon a young boy in luxurious clothes came up with two servants.
The servant was holding a plate of hot pastries. Before Jing Li could react, the little fish in his arms cried out "Wow". Jing Li followed the sound and saw the pastries on the plate were soft and white, and were carefully molded into the shape of little rabbits, which were lifelike, lively and cute.
The young boy walked to the front slowly and bowed to the prefect: "Uncle, my nephew is here."
"Qingzi, you've come just in time." The prefect smiled and pointed at Qin Zhao and said, "This is the third-place winner Qin Zhao you asked about earlier. Go meet Mr. Qin."
"Yes." The young man responded, turned around, and was stunned when he saw Jing Li.
Jing Li was also stunned.
Is this the young man named A Zi that he met in the tea shop
After the chance encounter that day, Jing Li wanted to explain the truth to the boy, and would go to the teahouse from time to time to look for him. But for several days in a row, the boy never showed up again.
Although it was only a brief encounter that day, Jing Li actually had a good impression of this straightforward and simple boy. He really wanted to tell him the truth and make friends with him.
He didn't expect that the young man would be the prefect's nephew.
They never expected that they would meet again in such a situation.
The young man was the first to react. He lowered his eyes and saluted the two of them as if nothing had happened: "My name is Yue Qingzi, nice to meet you two."
Her posture was elegant and natural, completely different from the one Jing Li met in the teahouse that day.
Jing Li felt a little guilty.
He and Qin Zhao appeared here together, and their identities were self-evident. The young man admired Qin Zhao so much, would he think that he was deliberately deceiving him and be angry with him
Jing Li wanted to explain, but at this moment, the boy suddenly raised his head and looked towards Jing Li.
From the prefect's angle of vision, he secretly winked at Jing Li.