Chapter 257 Poor Eyesight

The poetry gathering had more than one hundred participants and did not end until sunset.

During the event, Song Zhihang invited the scholars present to compose a poem on the theme of spring.

Xu Jinnian wrote a seven-character quatrain in one stroke, which prompted Song Zhihang to shower him with compliments.

After the other candidates had finished appreciating the poem, Song Zhihang immediately took possession of it, saying it was a gift from Xu Jinnian.

Xu Jinnian was speechless in response.

During the meal, Song Zhihang pulled Xu Jinnian to sit down next to him and personally poured him wine.

The others were very perceptive; seeing Song Zhihang's attitude towards Xu Jinnian, they all came over to toast him as well.

After a while, even with Xu Jinnian's excellent alcohol tolerance, he eventually got drunk.

When he left, it was Tan Zhenlin and the other two, who were still relatively sober, who helped him onto the carriage.

When they returned to the Jiang residence, Sheng An was still awake.

Looking at the man lying on the bed, completely drunk and barely able to open his eyes, she frowned involuntarily: "How did he drink so much?"

Fang Qingzhou explained, "There were many people attending the poetry gathering today. They admired Mingyu's talent and came up to toast him one by one, which is why they drank so much."

Tan Zhenlin quickly chimed in, "Sister-in-law, don't blame Brother Mingyu, those people are just too much trouble!"

Sheng An smiled helplessly and said, "It's nothing, I wouldn't blame him. I'm just worried that he might feel uncomfortable."

Tan Zhenlin and the other two breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a few more words, and then left.

Despite being pregnant, Sheng An did not push herself. She asked Li Tian to bring hot water for Xu Jinnian to wash up briefly, then helped him take off his clothes until he was only in his undergarments before tucking him in.

Xu Jinnian had not lost his mind, but was simply unable to move.

Noticing his wife lying down beside him, he opened his eyes and whispered, "It's my fault for making An'an worry."

Seeing that the man was speaking fairly clearly, Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief: "Drinking is bad for your health. Next time you attend a banquet, just pretend that you can't hold your liquor, so they won't be able to force you to drink."

Xu Jinnian nodded obediently: "I'll do whatever you say."

He tried to pretend today, but Song Zhihang was not easily fooled, and he was discovered halfway through.

Thinking of Song Zhihang, Xu Jinnian couldn't help but complain, "He's so long-winded!"

He could still feel Song Zhihang's voice echoing in his head, and he couldn't tell if he was dizzy from drinking too much or from being disturbed by Song Zhihang.

Upon hearing this, Sheng An chuckled and said, "How long-winded can it be? More talkative than Aunt Huang at the end of the alley in the old house?"

The old house was the small house where the Xu family father and son lived for more than ten years. This Aunt Huang was the most talkative person in the alley, and she could even chat with the neighbor's dog that came out for a walk.

Xu Jinnian rubbed his temples: "Only slightly inferior to Aunt Huang."

Seeing that the man was in pain, Sheng An sat up, put on her cotton-padded coat, and gently massaged his temples: "What do you think of Song Zhihang?"

Xu Jinnian objectively commented: "Upright and honest, with profound knowledge, but he talks too much."

Seeing that he talked a lot, Sheng An couldn't help but chuckle: "It seems he's worth getting to know."

Xu Jinnian shook his head: "Let's take another look."

Sheng An asked, puzzled, "Is there something wrong with it?"

Xu Jinnian uttered a few words: "His eyesight isn't very good."

After saying that, he recounted how he met Xu Huaining at the poetry gathering and how Xu Huaining and he had a good personal relationship.

At that time, Song Zhihang introduced Xu Huaining to Xu Jinnian first, thinking that since they shared the same surname and were from the same hometown, they should know each other.

Xu Jinnian, however, did not give Xu Huaining any face and treated him very coldly, not even bothering to give him a proper greeting.

Song Zhihang realized that he and Xu Huaining did not get along, so he introduced other people without making a sound.

"How come Xu Huaining is everywhere!"

Sheng An frowned, quite "admiring" of Xu Huaining's scheming ability.

After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Xu Huaining's benefactor is Princess Shanmin. Does Song Zhihang know about this?"

Xu Jinnian was not quite sure: "Song Zhihang is good at making friends and doesn't care about the other person's background."

Sheng An scoffed: "Xu Huaining does have some skill."

Xu Jinnian grasped the slightly cold hands on her forehead and pressed them against her warm chest: "It's cold, don't let yourself get cold."

Seeing that he was no longer in pain, Sheng An took off her cotton coat and lay down next to him: "Be careful when you go out and socialize these days, and don't get drunk like you did today."

Xu Jinnian humbly accepted: "Yes, I promise there won't be a next time."

Next time he runs into Song Zhihang, he'll definitely keep his distance.

The person who could see through his disguise must be quite cunning.

Over the next few days, Xu Jinnian received several more messages, some from people he knew and some from people he didn't, and he rejected them all with various excuses.

Perhaps because he proved his talent at Song Zhihang's poetry gathering, no one accused him of being arrogant or disdainful of others for not attending these banquets.

Even if I told her, Xu Jinnian wouldn't care.

Song Zhihang didn't see Xu Jinnian at these banquets, so he went directly to the Jiang residence.

Seeing Xu Jinnian holding Sheng An's hand as they walked together, Song Zhihang looked surprised and his gaze fell on Sheng An: "Mingyu, is this your sister-in-law?"

When Mingyu traveled to the capital to participate in the imperial examinations, he surprisingly brought his female relatives along on the long journey. He was probably the only candidate in the entire capital to do so.

Xu Jinnian did not correct Song Zhihang's address, and led Sheng An forward to introduce her to him: "This is my wife, we have been married for more than three years."

Seeing Xu Jinnian's affection for Sheng An, Song Zhihang immediately smiled and introduced himself: "Sister-in-law, my name is Song Zhihang, and I am a good friend of Mingyu."

Seeing how familiar he was, Sheng An smiled and replied, "It is my great fortune to have a friend like Young Master Song."

Song Zhihang humbly replied, "It is my honor to become friends with Mingyu."

That day, he brought Mingyu's poems back to his residence and showed them to his mother, who had once been known as the most talented woman in the capital. His mother was also amazed by Mingyu's talent and asked him to invite Mingyu to visit.

He considered Mingyu a good friend, but he didn't know what Mingyu thought, so he didn't dare to send her an invitation rashly.

He had hoped to attend other banquets to deepen his relationship with Mingyu, but to his surprise, Mingyu didn't attend any of them, so he had to go to her place in person to find her.

Seeing that it was getting late, Sheng An chatted with them for a few minutes before going to the kitchen to prepare lunch for the guests.

Xu Jinnian entertained Song Zhihang in the front hall and also had Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua invited over.

Tan Zhenlin has returned home and is not at the Jiang residence today, but someone was sent to the Tan residence to invite him.

As always, Song Zhihang was very talkative in front of Xu Jinnian. Fortunately, Tan Zhenlin and the other two were also there, so Xu Jinnian's ears were not so noisy.

At noon, Song Zhihang stayed for lunch and tasted Sheng An's cooking.

The moment he tasted the dish, his eyes widened involuntarily, making no attempt to hide his amazement: "Sister-in-law, did you make all these dishes yourself?"

Sheng An smiled modestly and said, "It's just simple food and drink, and I hope Young Master Song won't find it offensive."

Song Zhihang: "..."

If this is just simple food, what about what he ate for the previous twenty years?

Is it considered pig feed?