The sound of the piano was melodious and quiet, and the autumn air was cool; but there was a slight warmth on Lady Huarui's face. She didn't feel much alcohol when she drank this kind of wine, but it had a strong aftereffect; she had just drunk half a cup and already felt a little hot.
If she paid a little attention, she could feel Guo Shao's attentiveness and concern. For example, Guo Shao's timing of persuading her to drink was very appropriate. He only picked up the wine glass after she took a small bite of fish and swallowed it. Everything was done naturally, and Madam Huarui would not be in a hurry to pick up the glass while chewing something in her mouth.
In ancient times, during the reign of Emperors Shun and Yu, people did not have houses to live in, and generally lived in caves. Guo Shao put down the cup and said.
Madam Huarui watched and listened to him with great interest. This comfortable mood was like the feeling of drinking some wine, light and floating. She felt that her complexion had become better, her eyes were brighter, and she looked much prettier. This self-affirmation was very wonderful, just like the joy of putting on a very beautiful new dress.
It's a pity that I didn't pay attention to myself before going out today. Madam Huarui was very dissatisfied with her dress. If she had known this, she would have spent more time on it. This dress is not well cut and makes her body look a little bloated.
Guo Shao's voice continued: Men go up the mountain to hunt, while women stay in the caves to mend and protect their children. The cold, damp, wild animals and insects in the caves can harm the lives of women and children, so women are very alert and sensitive to the surrounding environment. Madam, do you feel that it is still like this until now
Madam Huarui thought for a while and said with a smile: General Guo is quite thoughtful.
Hehe. Guo Shaohan laughed, picked up a large piece of fish with chopsticks, and put it in Madam Huarui's small bowl. This is mullet, eat more. There is a miracle doctor in our family who said that it has the effect of removing blood stasis, promoting new growth, nourishing and conditioning.
Madam Huarui followed his gaze and gently placed her hand on her left cheek.
Guo Shao said calmly again: That person will pay the price.
Madam Huarui was just trying to pretend to be tolerant, as she felt more open-minded as her mood improved. When she was about to say something, she found that Guo Shao's gaze had shifted from her cheek to her chest. Madam Huarui was slightly confused and could not speak.
She ate the fish silently, and it tasted delicious. The fish belly was stuffed with fermented soy sauce, chives and other seasonings, which removed the strong fishy smell of freshwater fish while retaining the unique freshness of meat dishes.
Madam Huarui loved delicious food. While eating the fish, she no longer mentioned Governor Wang and said: "Mullet has very few bones and is very delicious."
Grass carp and silver carp are both vegetarians, so their meat is full of bones, which can protect them from carnivores. Guo Shaodao said that mullet feeds on fish and shrimp, so it does not need many fish bones.
Madam Huarui raised her head and glanced at him, sensing a kind of aggressive wildness in his words.
But she was not afraid. She had personally experienced countless times the law of the jungle in this world. She also knew that the powerful were cruel and feared the same power. Just like the governor Wang, he could humiliate others unscrupulously, but he acted harmless when he heard Guo Shao.
Moreover, Guo Shao's dangerous side is not directed at his own people. He has a strong and sturdy body full of violence, but also has proper and polite manners.
After the two of them had lunch, Guo Shao asked someone to arrange for Madam Huarui to rest in this side room, and then he left for something.
It was very quiet here. Madam Huarui felt lazy after having a full meal. She saw a couch and a quilt in the side room, so she lay down on the couch and wanted to take a nap to relax.
Unexpectedly, she fell asleep and slept soundly.
When she woke up, Lady Huarui found that the light around her was dim and the sun had disappeared. She got up in a hurry, feeling annoyed and unbelievable.
Normally, she was very alert even when sleeping at night and woke up easily. It was even more difficult for her to fall asleep during the day, and she could only close her eyes and rest for a while in the afternoon. Now, in someone else's house, she fell asleep without realizing it.
Perhaps it was because Guo Shao's place was so reassuring that Madam Huarui felt comfortable and safe, without any worries at all, so she slept so soundly.
She walked out of the room and ran into Jingniang. Seeing the weather, she didn't dare to stay too long. She said a few words to Jingniang and declined the dinner. She had to go home quickly, otherwise it would be too embarrassing to go back alone after dark.
But when Lady Huarui returned home, she realized that she had worried too much. When she returned, Meng Chang had not yet returned home.
After dinner, she waited for Meng Chang in the hall, thinking about how to talk to him. If he asked about what happened today, how should she answer him? She felt a little guilty about her promise to Fu Huarui. Although she could not say that she had betrayed Meng Chang, she did miss being with Guo Shao.
Late at night, Meng Chang came home. When Lady Huarui saw him, she realized again that she had worried too much.
But Meng Chang looked depressed and a little absent-minded, and obviously couldn't care less about Madam Huarui's affairs.
Madam Huarui asked directly, "I lost."
Meng Chang nodded dejectedly and sat down on the chair. The maid said at the door: Alang, wait a minute, I will go to the kitchen to get you some hot water.
Madam Huarui didn't care: Money is just a thing outside of one's body. It's enough to understand what the gambling game is about. Since Governor Wang was dismissed from office, the government should not dare to withhold Alang's salary anymore. If we wait for two more days, we may have money to spend. Don't worry too much about the money you lost.
Meng Chang said: Not only did I lose all the money I won yesterday, I also borrowed 600,000 coins, which is almost more than 1,000 strings of copper coins at that time. Depending on the quality, 400 to 800 coins were equal to one string. I borrowed it with my salary as collateral.
After hearing this, Lady Huarui's face changed slightly: "When you lost everything, why didn't you realize that even if you received two months' salary as compensation, the six hundred thousand yuan would not be enough to make much profit?"
Meng Chang said: "Ten cents a month's interest is four cents. In less than a month it is still four cents."
Madam Huarui is getting a little impatient. Even if you take the salary, it won't be enough to pay it back.
Yes. Meng Chang said helplessly, I had some losses at the beginning, but I don't know how I lost everything slowly, and I didn't notice it. Later, I was told that I could borrow money. I used to reward ministers with 10,000 guan. It was nothing. I borrowed money and won some at first; but when I calculated, I didn't get back what I won yesterday. I was greedy and lost more and more.
Meng Chang slapped the table and said with a frustrated look: I was careless. When my luck was bad, I should have stopped. If I had known that after I got back part of my money, I would have let the two girls have fun and whiled away the afternoon, I would not have lost so much.
If you lose, you lose. Don't worry about it anymore. Madam Huarui said, let's pay off the high-interest debt as soon as possible and don't touch that kind of thing in the future.
Meng Chang said: But how can
Madam Huarui didn't say how to return it, and she was trying to persuade him: Those people in the gambling house are cunning and profit-driven, Alang is different from them, people like you will definitely be exploited if you go to such a place.
Meng Chang said: That Governor Wang is rich, didn't he try to bribe me yesterday
You can't take Governor Wang's money, Madam Huarui frowned, his official status has been revoked by the Ministry of Personnel, you took his money, is there any way to get him back to his post? Don't forget why we are in Tokyo with 600,000 coins, wait for the salary to pay back some, I still have some left, it's almost enough.
If you owe money, pay it back in full. This is the easiest and least troublesome way. If you lose some money, just take it as a lesson.
After saying this, Lady Huarui stood up and went back to her bedroom. After a long time, she came out with a box and some new silk clothes; they were the rouge and pollen that Meng Chang had bought last night.
She opened the box and saw some gemstones and gold and silver jewelry inside. She rummaged through it for a while, counted it, and then took off the rings on her fingers and the bracelets on her wrists and threw them in.
Meng Chang watched silently, his face looking very ugly, and he sighed with shame: It's just a few thousand strings of cash, but I've been forced to this point.
As a Duke of Qin, Alang has no power and can only receive a salary. He has no land and no business. Even the title deed of this mansion is not yours. Madam Huarui sighed, "You know what you have, so how can you squander it and lose it?"
After some calculations, she said: "Tomorrow, ask Wei Zhong to go out with you. Return the rouge and powder you bought at a low price, as they have never been used. Pawn the clothes and jewelry at the pawnshop. Pay some of the money first, and the rest can be paid off with the salary you receive."
Meng Chang lowered his head and said: Madam, you don't even have a piece of jewelry anymore. How shabby you are in front of others.
Madam Huarui glanced at him. When Meng Chang was the emperor, he would never say such a kind thing. She said kindly: It doesn't matter, they are all external things. Those lowly gamblers just cheated A Lang of his money. A Lang is also the Duke of Qin, a person with a title and status, so there is no need to be on the same level with those people.
After saying this, Lady Huarui thought of the mullet at noon. For someone like Meng Chang who had lived in the palace for a long time, he would probably not be a mullet when he was outside, but a grass carp or silver carp that was eaten by the mullet. She was really a little disappointed, but when she thought about how she felt when she was with Guo Shao, she felt ashamed; she felt that she was a fickle woman.
Madam Huarui couldn't help but question herself, could a woman who had been a singing girl be so heartless and ungrateful
After paying off the debt, Alang can still live a life without worries about food and clothing. Lady Huarui advised kindly, "You should stay away from those women in the brothels. They don't tell the truth. They just want to cheat you out of your money. If you think Cui'er is not enough, you can buy a few maids and concubines when you have saved up your salary. At least you can have a few more people if you spend money."
Meng Chang agreed readily. He felt relieved that the problem could be solved. He said with a smile: Furong will sleep with you tonight, so let me get rid of the bad luck.
Madam Huarui immediately felt conflicted and said quickly: I'm not feeling well, let's talk about it later.
She was conflicted again. When Meng Chang was the emperor, she didn't dislike him, but she had to compete for his favor with thousands of women, and might not be able to be favored by him once a month. But now she has long been disgusted with getting close to him. It turns out that likes and dislikes are things that change very easily.