Returning home in the wind and snow, the goat-horned girl was wearing a pair of fine brocade boots. However, as she had not changed them for many years, the satin fabric was so worn that it could not withstand the wind and rain. Walking from her home to the Daode Forest, she was nearly soaked in them. The young lady was vexed that she had been in a hurry to cook and had forgotten to change her shoes when she left the house. She was both distressed and remorseful. However, thinking that the new year was approaching and that her mother had promised to buy her a new pair of shoes in the first month of the lunar year, she was somewhat expectant. Xu Fengnian took the bamboo basket and had her walk behind him. Having unexpectedly found a living person in the forest of steles, the little girl was in high spirits. She didn't have the taboo of speaking too much with a shallow acquaintance. Apart from introducing herself, she also talked about some old stories. She said that her grandfather was a great literary hero of the old Northern Han who was untainted by the wind and had written splendid essays. However, on the eve of the country's destruction, he spoke a few words of fairness to a Great General surnamed Xu in the imperial court. As a result, he was removed from his position and almost had his head chopped off. When he arrived at the education palace, he lectured on the righteousness and benefit of the state and was also ostracized. The young lady was not afraid of exposing her shortcomings. Hsu Fengnian followed her to the small courtyard that she shared with several scholars of the Ji Shang Dynasty. Most of the other chancellors of the Academy also had a festive atmosphere in their windows. Only her house had a rack of grapes in front of it. After entering winter, there was no greenery, only vines, making it appear even more dismal. The young lady, on the other hand, was content and cheerful. Perhaps she had taken after her parents' temperament. As she walked past the rack of grapes, she raised her head and said with a smile, "You came at the wrong time. Summer is the best. Pick two or three bunches and place them in the Buddha's Palm Lake for two hours. They are so delicious that even the immortal peaches in heaven cannot compare to them. It's just that they attract mosquitoes at night.
The goat-horned girl changed into a pair of boots and set up a stove. Placing the soaked boots beside the stove, she then went to uncover the pot to warm the food, allowing Hsu Fengnian to do as he pleased. He picked up a small stool and sat by the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the corner of the young lady's' boudoir '. It was a small table and cabinet, simple and clean.
The sky gradually darkened, but the reflection of the snow made it brighter than usual. The doors of the other houses in the courtyard were tightly shut to block out the wind and snow. Just as Hsu Fengnian was sizing her up, the door across from him opened with a squeak. The young child who had been thrown to the ground by the goat-horned girl earlier ran out. His lips were red and his teeth white... when he grew up, he would most likely be an elegant and charming scholar............. be........................ But when the child saw the stranger who had angered Master Qi in the pavilion, he was a little timid. He stood at the door, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. A middle-aged man who was reading softly with an ancient scroll in his hand somehow came to the door. He followed his son's line of sight and saw Hsu Fengnian sitting on the stool. He thought for a moment, held the book with one hand behind his back, and stepped over the threshold. He approached the door of the Ouyang family and smiled, "Little Wooden Fish, do you have a guest?"
The elegant man spoke politely and nodded at Hsu Fengnian with a smile. Hsu Fengnian also stood up and greeted politely, "Greetings to Mr. Ji Shang."
This way of saying things was normal, but the advantage was that there would be no mistakes. Everyone in the court laughed that those who swept the floor and did odd jobs in the academy could be respectfully addressed as' Mr. 'outside. The goat-horned girl nicknamed 'Little Wooden Fish' poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled, "Hello, Uncle Qin."
After exchanging some pleasantries, Mr. Qin turned around and left. When he closed the door, the sound was slightly louder. Only then did the goat-horned girl snort, "This fellow can be considered as Qi Shence's personal helper. Every now and then, he would exchange poems. He has some knowledge, but he doesn't have any strength of character. These years, he has earned quite a bit of money. Every now and then, he would come to my house and say that he wants to move away. He says that it's better to be close to a neighbor, but every time he talks, he would say that he lives in a private residence not far from Grand Chancellor Wang. Heh, he's just showing off his family's wealth to my parents. "
Hsu Fengnian took the bowl of rice and chewed slowly. He raised his head and smiled at his little daughter who was eating while standing, "You have to see others doing well."
The little girl rolled her eyes, "You're the only one with a lot of principles."
Hsu Fengnian suddenly changed the topic and said with a naughty smile, "But when it comes to poems, other than giving them to friends, the people who do most of it are scholars and famous prostitutes in brothels. I don't know who is the prostitute between you, Uncle Qin, and First Young Master of Qi."
The goat-horned girl blushed when she heard that, but her eyes were filled with heartfelt joy. She smiled and said, "You're so mean."
After eating, the little girl patted her round tummy and burped in an unladylike manner. Hsu Fengnian took the bowl and chopsticks and was about to go to the kitchen when the goat-horned girl had a shocked expression as though she had seen an immortal or a ghost. Hsu Fengnian, who was holding the bowl and chopsticks with both hands, said with a smile, "Only a gentleman stays away from the kitchen, do you think I look like one?"
The little girl said with a pained expression, "Sister Yu has really met the wrong person to meet you."
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Yes."
After slowly washing the bowl and chopsticks, Hsu Fengnian used his sleeve as a rag to dry his hands. The little girl sat by the stove and held her cheeks in a daze. Hsu Fengnian was still sitting on the small stool. The little girl glanced at the dense snow outside the door and sighed helplessly, "If it wasn't snowing, I would be able to count the stars at night. I can count to more than a thousand, isn't that amazing? "
Hsu Fengnian smiled and nodded, "Amazing."
The goat-horned girl curled her lips and said, "You're not sincere."
Hsu Fengnian followed her and looked outside the door in silence. After a long time, he said softly, "When I was young, I heard the adults say that the starry sky at night is a big lantern full of fireflies."
The little girl laughed and said, "When I see fireflies in summer, I kill them one by one."
Hsu Fengnian glanced at the goat-horned girl who was laughing evilly, "Whoever marries you in the future will be unlucky."
The little girl held her cheeks and said sadly, "That's right."
At dusk, a thin old man slowly walked into the courtyard. He was wearing a green robe and hemp shoes, and there was a suet jade pendant hanging from his waist. There were thousands of people in the school. The goat-horned girl believed that she had a photographic memory, but she still didn't recognize this old man. Hsu Fengnian, however, knew him. He was a terrible chess player who thought that he was the top national chess player. Back then, at the top of Mount Qing Liang, he was evenly matched with Xu Xiao. He was good at reversing his moves, and Hsu Fengnian had a headache watching the game. However, this old man was his second sister's master, and he deserved to be called the number one person in the world who was good at chess.
Under the side-eye of the goat-horned girl, the old man casually sat down and asked shamelessly, "Little girl, do you still have food?"
Although the little girl was shrewish, her upbringing was very good and strict. She stood up and smiled, "Sir, my family has food."
Hsu Fengnian reached out and secretly took the jade pendant from the waist of the old man who had almost become the Grand Chancellor of the Shangyin Academy. He handed it to the little girl and said, "These are worthless scraps of white jade. Just take it as the payment for our meal."
The old man's expression was normal. He nodded with a smile and didn't give the little girl a chance to refuse, "If you don't accept it, I won't eat it."
The little girl shook her head hard and said seriously, "Can we not be so tacky?"
Hsu Fengnian and Chancellor Wang looked at each other and smiled. Hsu Fengnian didn't return the jade pendant to the chancellor. The latter waited for the little girl to go to the kitchen to cook and asked calmly, "I have six hundred people. Do you dare to eat Beiliang?"
Hsu Fengnian thought for a while, "There are only people who starve to death. I've never heard of people who eat to death."
The old man shook his head and said in a low voice, "Not necessarily."
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "It's hard to say if half of these people can reach Beiliang in the end. They won't eat to death in Beiliang."
The old man nodded and said, "That's true."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
