"Little Stone, this is my younger brother, his name is Mu'er. He is never talkative, can you take him out to play?" Pei Che squatted down, pulled Pei Mu in front of him, and introduced him to Little Stone.
Xiao Shitou was grateful for the favor, so how could he not agree to this small request? He immediately nodded and agreed, and took Pei Mu's hand, saying that he would take him out to see Dahua's child.
The two little ones went out. In the room, Jiang Miao was sitting on a small stool with chopsticks in his hand, adding the seasonings in his hand to the stuffing one by one. Pei Che sat opposite him, watching his movements, not knowing what he was thinking.
Jiang Miao didn't hear Pei Che speak for a long time, so he raised his head in confusion: "What were you talking about just now?" He only remembered Pei Che talking about taking his brother out to relax, and he couldn't remember the first sentence clearly.
Pei Che said, "Today, Li Dian, the director of the Imperial Observatory, came to your house and said he wanted to compare our birth dates."
"Compare the horoscopes?" Jiang Miao slowed down his movements, "I can't seem to remember my horoscope very clearly." He is not the original owner. He only took a quick glance at the family tree last time and probably only remembered the eighth day of September.
"This thing should be kept in the hands of your elders. When you are about to get married, you will take it out and combine it with the woman." Pei Che said.
"So, the meaning of matching horoscopes is that we should get married?" There is no such rule for modern marriages. You just get the marriage certificate directly. As soon as he said that, Jiang Miao finally reacted. He was so shocked that he couldn't hold the chopsticks anymore and they dropped to the ground.
"That's right. After the horoscopes are matched, the people from the Imperial Observatory will calculate an auspicious day for the wedding." Pei Che added, instantly stabbing Jiang Miao's already fragile heart again.
"No, you're too deceiving, aren't you?" Jiang Miao said anxiously, "When you told me about it at the beginning, there was no such process!" Didn't you agree to just act and find an excuse to break up after the limelight has passed
Pei Che looked guilty: "I didn't think it through. I only found out today about the dispute between the emperor and my family. He will not easily reveal this matter." "Then what exactly is the grudge between the emperor and your family?" Jiang Miao was speechless.
Pei Che didn't want to hide it from him, so he organized his words and told him what he had heard before.
Jiang Miao was stunned. What a revenge for stealing his wife, and hatred for standing in the same camp. Although this was what the emperor thought, he couldn't stand the power of others. No wonder he wanted to force Pei Che. It was obvious that he was taking out his anger on his son because his father was gone.
"If you don't want to, I will find another way to solve this problem." Pei Che saw that Jiang Miao remained silent and knew that he must be opposed to getting married.
"Go hire another man to marry you?" After the imperial edict was issued, his past would probably be exposed. Could he still replace the prince with a cat
Pei Che shook his head: "The emperor's purpose is not to see me marry a man, he just wants to see the Duke's Mansion make a fool of itself. If there is something more sensational than marrying a man, I'm sure the emperor won't be obsessed with it."
Could it be more sensational? Jiang Miao's mind was filled with numerous thoughts. He asked cautiously, "You are not going to let it go, are you?" Could it be that Pei Che wanted to die to relieve the emperor's resentment
Pei Che laughed: "Why is it that necessary? I just want to find an opportunity to let everyone know that I am inhumane." If he is inhumane, he will naturally not be able to get married. He can also become a laughing stock in the entire Liangjing City. The emperor will definitely be happy to see this happen.
Pei Che didn't notice the ambiguity in his words. After hearing this, Jiang Miao immediately looked at the place three inches below his navel, and couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic. For a man, this kind of thing is actually no better than death. Although he has never used this accessory with real guns and live ammunition, he will occasionally maintain it himself.
Pei Che awkwardly turned sideways, avoiding his sight, and growled in a low voice: "I'm just pretending to be inhumane!" No man wants to be suspected of having a dysfunction.
"Oh," Jiang Miao quickly corrected himself, "I was saying, you look healthy, how can it be impossible? But if this is the case, when you want to get married and have children in the future, will anyone still marry you?"
"I can only take care of the present. As for long-term plans, let's take it one step at a time." To be disrespectful, the emperor of Daliang is not considered to be long-lived. "The most important thing now is your decision. What do you think?"
The ball was kicked over, and Jiang Miao stood there in a daze, with a fierce ideological struggle going on in his mind. On the one hand, he felt that he should take the opportunity to get out of it. He was unlucky to be implicated in the first place. If he hadn't been obsessed with money, how could this mess have happened? On the other hand, he looked at Pei Che. Although this man was a bit of a jerk sometimes, he really had nothing to say about him. Even before this incident, under the situation of huge disparity in status in ancient times, he could still treat him as an equal.
Jiang Miao couldn't make a decision, so he started to choose by the method he was best at, which was to calculate the accounts. Business people talk about pros and cons. If the cons outweigh the pros, there is naturally no room for negotiation. If the pros outweigh the cons, everything can be negotiated.
First of all, there are disadvantages. As a man, he cannot marry a wife but marry someone else, which undermines his male dignity. Moreover, their marriage is granted by the emperor. Once they are really married, they cannot easily divorce. This also means that he will definitely not have his own offspring in the future. Another thing is that it is said that there are many rules in a big family. If you have to stay in the backyard for the rest of your life after getting married, then don't say anything.
As for the advantages, first of all, Pei Che is rich and has status. As the saying goes, it is easy to be an official if you have someone in the court. With the support of the Duke of Zhongguo Mansion, it is no problem for him to have a prosperous business. Moreover, he is not afraid of having no offspring. He is not from here. He died early in his previous life. Not only does he have no offspring, but he is also a single dog. There is nothing to regret. If he can use the power of the Duke of Zhongguo Mansion to cultivate Xiao Shitou, it can be regarded as a reward to the Jiang family. Finally, Pei Che is handsome. Even if he does nothing, he looks comfortable. Even if he can marry a wife, she will definitely not be as pretty as Pei Che. As a modern person, Jiang Miao has long thrown away his moral integrity.
Jiang Miao was calculating in his mind, and from time to time he would look at Pei Che with a strange look. Pei Che could see through that little calculation at a glance, but it was also based on this that Pei Che was still 80% sure whether Jiang Miao could agree to this matter.
"Are there many rules in your house? After I... go there, you won't let me stay in the backyard, right?" It's still a bit embarrassing to say the word "marry" to her face.
Pei Che saw him looking at him nervously, and knew that this was the issue that Jiang Miao cared about the most. He immediately said: "Although you have entered my house, your identity as a man will not change. I can guarantee that you can do whatever I can do in the future. I will never trap you in the backyard for my own selfish reasons and waste your life."
His eyes were very sincere. Jiang Miao looked at him for a long time, and finally sighed as if in compromise, and said: "Jiangjia Bay is some distance away from here, but you have a carriage, so you should be able to get the horoscope back today." After all, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Pei Che laughed softly and looked at Jiang Miao tenderly. He knew that Jiang Miao was the most loyal. Of course, he would not treat Jiang Miao unfairly. In the future, whatever he wished for would be fulfilled.
The two elder brothers were discussing marriage inside, while the two younger brothers were outside, enjoying watching the cat. Although only Little Stone was talking, Young Master Pei's eyes were also fixed on the cat.
"... Look at this one, it's called Little White Dot, because it's completely black except for a white patch on its head, so my brother called it Little White Dot." Little Stone pointed at a little black cat and introduced it to Pei Mu. This was his favorite one, and it was small and thin, a bit like what he used to look like.
Pei Mu stared at the little black cat silently. This kind of creature had never appeared in his world.
"Do you know why it's so black?" Little Stone asked. He didn't care if he didn't get a response, so he explained, "Its mother is called Dahua, with yellow and white cats, but my brother said that Little White's father is a black cat, so it's so black."
"Do you want to touch it?" Xiao Shitou held the kitten and moved closer to Pei Mu.
The little white dot tilted its black head and opened its amber cat eyes, curiously looking at the golden person in front of it. Its little furry paws stretched forward tentatively, as if trying to fiddle with the small jade pendant hanging around his waist.
Pei Mu moved his hand beside him, but he still couldn't lift it up to touch the furry thing in front of him. But it didn't matter, because Xiao Shitou had already brought the kitten close to his hand.
The moment the soft cat fur touched his hand, Pei Mu froze uncontrollably. Then the next moment, the little white dot tilted its head and rubbed against his hand, making a "meow" sound, as if talking to him.
Pei Mu pinched his hand, and then gently stroked the cat's head as if he was touching a jade fish.
Little Stone imitated the kitten's meowing, and the kitten responded and meowed even more happily. The other kittens on the ground also joined in the meowing. Pei Mu's ears were filled with the sound of meowing one after another. This unprecedented lively sound brought the first drop of nectar to his heart, which was originally as vast as a desert.
Xiao Shitou held the kitten for a long time and felt his hands were a little sore, so he put the kitten down and squatted on the ground to stroke it. Pei Mu's hands suddenly lost the warm and soft touch, and a look of disappointment suddenly appeared on his face. He frowned and looked at Xiao Shitou with his mouth tightly pursed.
"You squat down and touch it too." Little Stone tugged at his clothes, and when he didn't squat, he tugged several more times. Pei Mu then slowly squatted beside him and reached out to touch the kitten.
"Do you know what the kitten likes to eat the most?" Little Stone touched it for a while and asked again. He looked at Pei Mu, but Pei Mu only stared at the cat. But if you look closely, you can see that his hand paused for a moment before continuing.
"They love to eat fish the most, the little fish like the one in your hand. Little White Spot can eat three at a time! But Grandma Liu said that we can't let them eat too much fish, otherwise they won't catch mice. Have you ever seen a mouse? It's also black, but very ugly, not at all like Little White Spot..." Little Stone was used to talking alone. There were few playmates in the city, so sometimes when he played games, he would pretend that there were several people playing together.
Pei Mu listened to his voice, stroking the kitten in one hand, but his eyes were looking at the jade fish in the other hand. After a moment, he slowly stretched the hand holding the fish towards the little white dot's mouth.
The little white dot tilted its head in confusion, meowed, and was about to stick out its tongue to lick it when it was pulled back by the little stone.
"The kitten can't eat this kind of fish, it has to eat real fish!" Little Stone said hurriedly, "This kind of fish is for playing with in your hands."
The series of small fish made Pei Mu a little confused. He stared at the jade carvings of small fish, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Xiao Shitou, do you want to go back with me or stay at home?" Jiang Miao and Pei Che came out of the house and asked for his opinion.
Little Stone thought for a moment and asked, "When will my brother come back?"
"You will be back today, but you still have to go to school tomorrow." Without special reasons, Jiang Miao would not agree to his child skipping classes.
"Then I'll stay at home. You come back early, brother!" After going to school, Little Shitou became much braver and no longer followed his brother around all day long.
"Okay, you stay in the yard. The uncle will bring you lunch at noon. You can practice calligraphy after eating." Jiang Miao pointed to the guard at the gate of the yard, and then gave the instructions habitually.
"Yes!" Little Stone nodded to indicate that he would be obedient.
While the two brothers were talking, Pei Che kept staring at Pei Mu who was touching the cat under the tree. Seeing him touching the cat again and again, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"Mu'er, what about you? Will you follow my brother or stay here?" Pei Che asked. He hoped that Pei Mu could also answer him as crisply as a little stone.
Pei Mu did not answer him as expected, but when Pei Che was about to go over to hold his hand and take him away, he slightly avoided the question.
This action had never appeared before. Pei Che was stunned and suddenly realized Pei Mu's answer. He was expressing his refusal!
"Mu'er, since you want to stay, brother will let you stay here."
After that, Pei Che ordered the guards to take good care of the two children, and asked Xiao Shitou to take him with him when he did things. Xiao Shitou naturally would not refuse and agreed obediently.
"A Miao, you are right. Heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine. I think Mu'er will get better soon!" In the carriage, Pei Che couldn't control his emotions and said with emotion.
"Don't be too hasty. If you push too hard, the child might shrink back."
Pei Che's high spirits gradually calmed down after hearing this: "You are right. We should not rush into anything. As long as he gets better day by day, it is not a bad idea even if I have to wait another eight years."
(End of this chapter)