The big sword case in Hsu Fengnian's hand was made of thousand-year-old red sandalwood. The case itself was priceless. Red sandalwood had always been shipped over by sea. The great eunuch Han Diaosi had gone out to sea several times, and to a large extent, it was to load fine sandalwood for the imperial family. Even so, the Imperial Craftsmen's Office did not hesitate to buy sandalwood from the south. Back in the day, West Chu was the craziest in purchasing red sandalwood. It was said that all officials did not bring sandalwood. For example, Hsu Fengnian, the imperial uncle of the former Taiping Princess, was even more outstanding. He was incomparably elegant and built a well-known sandalwood building. Unfortunately, in the end, almost the entire building was moved to Great Peace City.
Hsu Fengnian used a piece of silk to wipe the sword case. It was said that raising a jade was like raising a person. In that case, the precious red sandalwood was like a pretty girl from a humble family. It needed to be wiped frequently to avoid dust. Once this piece of red sandalwood was wiped, it was glossy and smooth. There were faint traces of purple gas lingering around it.
Hsu Fengnian was listening to the Flying Swords of Dunhuang calmly. Suddenly, he heard Jiang Ni burp. The little clay man paused for a moment and seemed to be embarrassed. Hsu Fengnian teased, "Deduct ten coins."
Jiang Ni was furious. Just as he was about to speak, an embroidered bamboo ball was thrown high. Blue Bird flew to the top of the wall and caught it, not letting it fall into the courtyard. Hsu Fengnian had heard laughter in the distance. It must be the Wang family playing cuju. Now that the Liyang Dynasty was at its peak, it naturally had an open mind. Cuju was originally a game from Beimang. After it spread to Liyang, it was not banned. Very quickly, it became a favorite among women. There were not many restrictions on women in the current dynasty. They could go hiking, form associations, ride horses, shoot arrows, swing, play polo, and wear Beimang clothes. Everything was possible. This was why Wang Chudong was so bold and unrestrained today. If it was twenty years ago, this would have been unimaginable. The trend was irresistible. Even the old-fashioned great scholars could not do anything about it. Moreover, the great scholars all had their own families, so they simply turned a blind eye to it. It was not difficult to talk about big principles with the people, but it was difficult to talk about small principles with their wives and daughters.
Hsu Fengnian took the bamboo ball from Blue Bird and asked her to put the sword case back into the room. As expected, someone knocked on the door very quickly. Hsu Fengnian saw the expected young girl. He returned the bamboo ball and asked with a smile, "Who kicked me just now? What a strong kick."
Wang Chudong stretched out her slender finger and tapped her nose. She was very pleased with herself.
She had a lively personality and was not good at painting, but she was very good at swings, cuju and polo. However, during the banquet, Wang Linquan seemed to be very proud of his youngest daughter's poetry. Hsu Fengnian really could not see how this little girl could be so good at writing. Moreover, with his second sister Xu Weixiong and the female scholar Yan Dongwu in front of him, even the little clay figurine wrote the majestic "Dageng Horn Swearing to Kill Post". Hsu Fengnian did not think that any girl could enter his eyes in terms of poetry, calligraphy and painting.
At this time, Wang Chudong had changed her clothes. She was wearing a narrow sleeved robe, black boots and breeches, and a belt around her waist. Hsu Fengnian looked much more comfortable. A young girl who was imitating a married woman revealed half of her breasts. She was putting the cart before the horse. Where did the charm come from? That dress was more suitable for Shu Xiu to wear.
Wang Chudong asked tentatively, "Let's play cuju together?"
Hsu Fengnian shook his head and said, "No, I have to go to the market."
Wang Chudong was excited when she heard this. She vowed solemnly, "Let's go together. I will bargain!"
Hsu Fengnian dismissed it with a smile. He let Blue Bird call Yu Youwei and the others. He then threw a glance at Jiang Ni. The latter hesitated for a moment, but still decided to follow. She was unfamiliar with the place and the people. The main thing was that she did not have any concept of money. She really did not know what one silver could do. In the group, other than Hsu Fengnian and Blue Bird who was like his shadow, there was also Jiang Ni and Li Chungang, the three retainers, Lu Yangshu and Ning Emei who had taken off his heavy armor and put on casual clothes. The Bu-Shaped Iron Halberd was also placed on the boat. Wang Chudong was kicking the bamboo ball along the way. Her movements were skillful and nimble. Her figure was like a swallow. It was very beautiful. When they arrived at the slightly deserted market, Hsu Fengnian did not expect that there would be a Qingfu Silk Shop on Laoshan Island. It was just nice to buy some clothes for Yu Youwei and some dispensable rouge and face powder. Hsu Fengnian was generous and did not give Wang Chudong a chance to bargain. The little girl was unhappy. There was a lakeside teahouse in the market with an excellent view. The water vapor of the Spring God Lake was rising and the fog was lingering. It was originally an excellent place to produce good tea, but it was only in recent years that the Spring God Tea became a tribute. Hsu Fengnian and Wang Chudong went to the top floor. Jiang Ni and Old Man Li were still wandering around the market. Yu Youwei and Shu Xiu were shopping together. In the end, only he and the Wang family's daughter were seated. Ning Emei, Lü Qiantang and Yang Qingfeng formed a triangle. There were no tea guests upstairs, so it was unusually quiet. The owner of the teahouse obviously recognized Hsu Fengnian and directly took out the best Spring God Tea. Wang Chudong volunteered to make tea for Hsu Fengnian. Her technique was mysterious, and her every movement was full of the style of a master. This made Hsu Fengnian have a whole new level of respect for her.
The tea leaves that were picked before the Qingming Festival curled up like a green conch or a sparrow's tongue. There was a layer of even fine white fluff on the edge. The green tea was gently poured into the water, like the bottom of a lake in spring.
Hsu Fengnian waited patiently. The little girl's tea was very pleasing to the eye. After Wang Chudong offered a cup of tea with both hands, she said seriously, "Generally, when the tea leaves are drunk for a few times, the fragrance will gradually fade. However, the Spring God Tea will gradually become better. The Spring God Tea of our Laoshan Island is better than the surrounding areas. The tea garden can only plant bamboo, plum, orchid, laurel and green pine. It is not suitable to mix it with an evil tree. Therefore, the Spring God Tea of Laoshan Island has a long fragrance, but it doesn't have the fertile soil and green leaves."
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