Chapter 18 Master, is this your wife?

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Laoyun Book Hall

"It is not right for a child not to learn. If a child does not learn when young, what will he do when he grows old..."

The students sat upright in the house, holding bamboo slips in their hands, and the sound of their reading could be heard through the courtyard wall.

Xie Suzhou stood with his hands behind his back, wearing black clothes and having black hair, with thin eyebrows and drooping eyelashes. He held a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand. He seemed serious, but the bamboo slips in his hand were upside down.

The green color lingered in his mind. The woman was petite and he could easily trap her. Her slender waist seemed to be able to be broken with just a little force, which made people feel pity for her. But her eyes were as deep as autumn water, as if she could see through everything. She could be confident of victory even in the face of disaster. Her perseverance and openness shattered the preconceived weakness.

It's like a powerful soul is trapped in this body, obviously out of place, yet strangely harmonious.

If you think about it, his eldest sister-in-law was only eighteen years old, but she married a man ten years older than her and became a widow early.

If she could choose, would she choose me, who is the same age as her...

Somehow, Xie Suzhou couldn't help but think of the pink peony bellyband she was wearing.

"absurd!"

Xie Suzhou's roar, on the verge of collapse, resounded throughout the classroom, drowning out the sound of the students reading.

There was a moment of silence in the room, and the twelve students all looked up at the teacher with confused expressions.

Xie Suzhou suddenly came back to his senses, and with a slightly panicked look he swept over the students' faces. He coughed twice and said, "Continue reading."

"Master Xie, are you feeling unwell?" Gao Wei, the student closest to him, scratched his head with a look of melancholy. "This is the third time you've been distracted today."

"Don't talk nonsense." Xie Suzhou's face was gloomy, and he turned back into that cold and aloof gentleman. "When did I lose my focus?"

Gao Wei pointed at his palm and asked, "Then why did you hold the book upside down?"

After hearing this, Xie Suzhou looked down at his palm and realized that not only was he holding it upside down, he hadn't even opened the bamboo slips.

"I told you to study, but you're just staring at me. Is knowledge engraved on my face?" Xie Suzhou frowned and threw the things in his hand aside. A hint of embarrassment flashed in his eyes, but he had to pretend to be calm in front of his students. "What you are learning now, the teacher can recite by heart. There is no need for these bamboo slips at all."

"Wow—what a beautiful sister!"

Someone shouted, and the students turned around again and looked out the window.

Xie Suzhou raised his eyes when he heard the voice, and looked over quietly. The woman's pretty face suddenly caught his eye.

The carved wood window was wide open. Su Cheng walked past the window with light steps, chatting and laughing with the old man beside her. Her eyebrows were curved, and a moon-white belt was tied around her bean green robe. A jade pendant hung on her ear. Her clothes swayed slightly with her steps, contrasting with the newly sprouted willow trees in the yard. The neckline of her clothes was a little low, revealing her snow-white and delicate neck. There was no decoration on her bun, and her appearance was gorgeous and elegant enough.

The woman who was just hiding in his mind suddenly appeared in front of him. Xie Suzhou blinked lightly, thinking that he was hallucinating. Until the person outside the window looked at him and blinked at him like him, Xie Suzhou's heart began to beat rapidly.

How could such a coincidence happen in the world?

He had just thought of the pink peony... and the person suddenly appeared in front of him?

"Master Xie, you happen to be here. Look who's here?" The old man waved to Xie Suzhou with a friendly smile.

Xie Suzhou took a hesitant step and walked to the door, his eyes fixed on the woman. "You...why are you here?"

"What a coincidence! I just posted the notice for hiring a cook when your sister-in-law came and said she wanted to take the job." The old man grinned, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Now you and your sister-in-law finally have a companion."

Xie Suzhou frowned and glanced at her, "Cook?"

Su Cheng smiled at him with a playful expression, "We will be working together in the future. Please give me your guidance. Thank you, Master."

Gao Wei leaned on the windowsill, pulled Xie Suzhou's sleeve and shook it, and asked seriously, "Master, is this your wife?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Xie Suzhou scolded with a cold face, but he couldn't help but glance at the woman beside him. Seeing that she smiled at the students nonchalantly and didn't take it seriously at all, he felt a little depressed.

"Go study! Anyone who slacks off will be given twenty slaps on the hand."

Xie Suzhou only said this, then turned to look at the woman beside him and said in a low voice, "Come with me."

Su Cheng waved to the students who had been staring at her, and then followed her uncle obediently.

When they reached a deserted corner, Xie Suzhou turned around and looked at her, whispering, "Sister-in-law, is this the way you said... to make money?"

"Your school pays me five jin a month, which is five hundred coins. I only need to cook two meals a day. It's close to home, so I can go back anytime to look after Sanlang and the kids. Why not?" Su Cheng's lips curled slightly, and he looked at him with a smile. "Besides, I don't have to worry about being bullied when I'm with you."

Since the system instructed her to come here, it was obvious that it wanted her to improve Xie Suzhou's favorability.

How could she let go of such a good opportunity when she was so close to him?

"You..." Xie Suzhou opened his mouth, but the words were stuck at his lips and he couldn't say anything.

"Okay, I won't be a cook forever." Su Cheng pushed him and urged, "Go teach quickly, don't slack off at work."

"Sister-in-law..." Xie Suzhou wanted to say something else, but Su Cheng didn't give him a chance and pushed him back into the house.

It was almost noon, and Su Cheng searched for a long time before he found the small kitchen in the study.

All of Xie Suzhou's students came here because of his reputation. They came from different backgrounds. Some were young masters of wealthy families in the town, and some were the only children in the village who were raised by selling all their belongings. The gifts they gave were also mixed. Some gave silver, while others gave poultry, eggs, and vegetables. They piled up on the small table in the kitchen, forming a small mountain.

Su Cheng rolled up her sleeves and was about to bend down to wash the vegetables when a big hand suddenly reached out from behind her and took the vegetables from her palm.

"Who..." Su Cheng had learned his lesson after experiencing Song Gang's harassment. He turned quickly and looked behind him with a defensive look. His frown suddenly relaxed when he saw Xie Suzhou's handsome face. "It's not even noon yet, why are you here?"

"They are practicing calligraphy and don't need me, so I came to help." Xie Suzhou lowered his head and carefully cleaned the spring mud off the vegetable roots. "From now on, leave the washing and cooking to me. You don't have to worry about it."

"Isn't this a bad idea?" Su Cheng said angrily, looking around cautiously, afraid that the old man who hired her would see her. "This is my job, and I should do it."

Xie Suzhou didn't even raise his head, busy with his hands, "It's the same here as it is at home."

Seeing that he insisted, Su Cheng stopped trying to persuade him. He leaned against the stove and muttered softly, "It's a deal, I won't pay you."

Xie Suzhou pursed his lips and raised them slightly. The dark clouds in his heart dissipated a lot, and he worked more efficiently.

[Xie Suzhou's favorability +2]

Powerful officials are indeed worthless.

Su Cheng felt a little proud in his heart, and instructed Xie Suzhou to wash the rice, while he went outside with the water for washing vegetables.

As soon as he came out of the kitchen, Su Cheng saw a person squatting next to the study from afar. He looked very familiar.

The man heard the voice, turned around, saw it was Su Cheng, and ran away without saying a word.

Su Cheng splashed away the dirty water and lifted her skirt to catch up with the figure in front.

"stop!"

Not only did the man not listen, he even quickened his pace.

"Xie Chen, if you take another step, I'll tell your second uncle!"