Chapter 65: Prices in Huzhou, and the women working along the way...

The following afternoon, Zhang Shu summoned Zhang Ting to his study, holding the calligraphy she had recently practiced.

She lowered her head, her brows furrowed slightly, and stared at the calligraphy Zhang Ting had handed in yesterday, but after standing there for a long time, she still couldn't figure it out. "Your calligraphy..."

Zhang Shu looked at her beloved disciple in confusion, hesitated for a moment, and finally said bluntly, "It really lacks character." She just couldn't understand how Xiao Ting, who had studied for more than ten years, could have such ordinary handwriting.

Zhang Ting lowered her head in shame. She rarely practiced calligraphy before, and could only manage to write neatly. In the past six months, she had picked up calligraphy again and practiced diligently day and night. Although she still lacked elegance, her writing was at least graceful and proper, which was a significant improvement.

She bowed and said, "Please enlighten me, teacher."

"Very well." Zhang Shu assumed his apprentice was slow to grasp the concept, so he took out a calligraphy copybook he had made in his early years and handed it to her. With a serious expression, he instructed her, "From now on, you must copy this calligraphy copybook once a day and hand it in."

Zhang Ting accepted the calligraphy copybook from her teacher with both hands. Zhang Shu was world-renowned for her calligraphy and painting; her calligraphy was priceless and extremely valuable.

“This old woman observes that your handwriting only resembles the form, lacking any spirit. Come to the courtyard at Chen Shi (7-9 AM) and this old woman will correct it for you, focusing on the weak points to overcome.”

Zhang Shu also instructed Zhang Ting to use a brush dipped in water to write large characters on the wall in his spare time, to strengthen his arm strength and overall composition. He believed that once he grasped the essence of calligraphy, he would achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"yes."

Zhang Shu watched his beloved disciple obediently retreat and smiled with satisfaction. He subconsciously reached for his waist but found nothing. He then realized that his disciple had confiscated her wine gourd the day before.

She sighed helplessly, "Oh dear! It was just a little blood from drinking too much. The doctor said it was nothing serious, but Xiaoting insisted on taking it away. Really!"

The wine gourd that Zhang Shu had been longing for was now sitting perfectly on the shelf in the couple's room.

The other day, this troublesome old woman vomited a lot of blood, which really startled the young couple. They quickly called a doctor, who prescribed medicine and said she needed to rest. But when she woke up the next day, she went to touch the wine gourd again, which made the two of them very angry.

Zong Suyi originally disliked the smell of the wine and wanted to put it in Zhang Ting's study, but after hearing from Zhang Shu that his aunt often frequented her study and might accidentally steal the gourd, he decided to keep it.

Zhang Ting stepped through the door with the calligraphy copybook in her hand, while Zong Suyi was leading Xiao Rong to pack her clothes.

"Is everything ready?" She placed the calligraphy copybook on the table, leaned back in her wooden chair, and asked casually.

They had spent more than a month in Huzhou Prefecture, visiting all the places they wanted to see and preparing souvenirs for their friends. In two days, they would return to Lvtian.

When Zong Suyi saw Zhang Ting come in from outside, she went over and brought her a cup of tea, saying, "Everything is almost ready."

Xiao Rong lowered her head and tactfully withdrew.

The tea was cool and refreshing, and Zhang Ting let out a satisfied sigh.

Zong Suyi took out a plain white handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead. Once her skin was dry, he cupped her face with satisfaction and leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

Zhang Ting lowered her head and smiled faintly, then suddenly remembered something and sighed softly, "The prices in Huzhou Prefecture are no different from those in the capital." She had sent Liu Da to inquire about housing prices yesterday, and she was shocked to find that a house of about one acre in the east of the city cost five thousand taels of silver, which was truly frightening!

Not to mention that the teacher's house is located in the north of the city and covers an area of ​​ten acres, which is extremely expensive.

Zong Suyi was not surprised. The Zong family was rooted in Jiangnan, and he had previously helped his father plan the family's properties and shops in Jiangnan and other places, so he knew the prices of these items very well.

He hugged Zhang Ting's neck, mimicking her gestures and making grand promises, tilting his head and laughing, "When the spice shop has more income, I will also buy my wife a house in Huzhou Prefecture."

Zhang Ting wrapped her arms around his waist, pouted her lips, looked up at him expectantly, and said in response, "Then I will await your gift, my lord."

Zong Suyi laughed twice, withdrew her right hand from her neck, and gently tapped her nose with her index finger, deliberately making things difficult for her: "Then, scholar, think carefully about what you should do to repay my kindness?"

"What does my lord desire?" She felt a slight itch on the tip of her nose and asked, "Gold and silver, or a multitude of servants?"

Zong Suyi pinched the soft flesh behind her neck with her left hand, smiled and shook her head, "I don't want either."

"Scholar, would you like to guess again?"

Zhang Ting pulled the hand on her nose into her bosom and held it, raising her eyebrows and smiling brightly, "Since you, my lord, do not desire gold, silver, or servants, you must only desire me as a person." She lowered her head, feigning distress, "I am not an object, how can I give myself to you, my lord?"

Zong Suyi's eyes crinkled slightly as he watched her performance with great delight.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, she looked up and her gaze met his. She said, "My lord, you originally wanted me to repay you with my body."

Zong Suyi was momentarily stunned. "When did I..." Before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly lifted up in someone's arms, his body abruptly suspended in the air. He was so startled that his breath caught in his throat, and he quickly wrapped his arms around her neck.

But when he saw Zhang Ting carrying him into the inner room, Zong Suyi was suddenly terrified, his ears turning bright red with embarrassment. He lowered his voice and said urgently, "What are you doing? Put me down! It's still daytime." As he spoke, he lightly punched her arm and struggled.

Zhang Ting gave a soft snort, unmoved by his struggles. She casually patted his full buttocks and strode into the inner room. His heart skipped a beat, he bit his lower lip, and buried his head in her chest in embarrassment, his frantic heartbeat as rapid as raindrops.

The door was wide open, letting bright light into the room. Outside, Xiao Rong splashed the dirty water from washing clothes on the ground, muttering under his breath, "It's so hot in the sun." He shielded his eyes from the scorching sun with one hand and went to hang the clothes to dry on the other side.

Soft footsteps approached from not far away. Zong Suyi hurriedly clutched his inner garment to stifle his uncontrollable moans, glaring angrily at the person who had caused the disturbance. Thin layers of sweat broke out on his body, and his chest heaved violently. Zhang Ting's gaze lingered on his slender waist, his fingertips lightly tracing the cherry blossoms, the delicate touch sending shivers down his spine.

She chuckled lightly, seemingly unfazed, and thoughtfully pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. "My lord, look how hot you are in this weather." Her words were soft, but her touch was anything but gentle. The rough handkerchief stung Zong Suyi's skin. He wanted to curse this scoundrel for being so crude and rude, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He could only feel resentment in his heart.

"Your eyes were just as beautiful that day in the alley." Zhang Ting glanced at him casually, noticing his pitiful red and swollen eyes, and hissed softly, inwardly cursing herself for being too rough. She could only cough and reach out to rub them to ease the pain, explaining, "My lord, I didn't mean to." But the more she rubbed, the more swollen and painful he became, sobbing softly, feeling miserable from head to toe. Zong Suyi, his hands bound by his belt, was about to kick him with his leg.

Zhang Ting looked completely innocent and repeated, "My lord, I didn't mean to." If her hand hadn't reached for his trousers, Zong Suyi would have truly believed her. He was furious, tears welling in his eyes, and gritted his teeth, thinking, "This scoundrel won't even give me a quick death! She's always finding ways to torment me."

The summer heat was intense; after just a little activity, the two of them were drenched in sweat, as if they had been pulled out of the water.

Zhang Ting, wearing a plain white robe and breathing heavily, glanced at the unfocused boy with his tongue lolling out in the room, then solemnly looked away and calmly told Xiao Rong to prepare water. She wiped the sweat from her face, thinking to herself: "In this sweltering heat, under the blazing sun, I'd better not come again!"

In addition, she needs to take a bath quickly, as she hasn't practiced calligraphy today.

Two days later, the group embarked on their return journey.

However, although Zhang Ting left, her reputation as a scholar who surpassed the provincial examination champion remained in Huzhou Prefecture. It spread among the students and even many famous scholars had heard of her.

On the way, Zhang Shu heard that an old friend had been demoted, and he felt depressed. He wanted to return to Taizhou Prefecture to visit him for a few days. So the group took a detour and went to Taizhou Prefecture first.

Under the scorching sun, distorted heat waves rose from the air. Passing through the outskirts of the city, Liu Da saw thousands of women laborers on the official road, as small as ants. Their hunched shoulders carried thick logs northward, and from a distance, they looked like a giant gray-brown snake slowly crawling across the cracked earth.

Liu Da wiped the sweat from her forehead, and as she rode on her horse, she shouted to Zhang Ting, "Master, look!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ting frowned slightly and glanced at the carriage while lifting the curtain.

At that moment, a woman, overwhelmed by the burden, stumbled and fell out of the procession. Heavy logs crashed down on her thin back, almost crushing her spine, but her lips were cracked and she was too weak to even utter a cry for help.

The clerk unscrewed the kettle and took a big gulp. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash. He rushed over and saw the servant woman lying on the ground, but he was so angry that he raised his whip and lashed her.

"This fine wood is far more valuable than you, a lowly commoner! Hurry up and carry it!"

The whips lashed so hard they tore the woman's skin, leaving her hempen clothes soaked in blood. She trembled, her eyes rolled back, revealing the whites of her eyes, and she coughed up white foam.

Her relatives and friends wept and knelt on the ground, pleading with the minor official: "Sir, she is dying of thirst! We are all law-abiding citizens! Please have mercy and give her a drink of water!"

Seeing that the women had put down the wood, the minor official lashed out twice with his whip, shouting angrily, "Drink my ass! I don't even have enough to drink, and you lowly commoners have to drink too!"

"Get out! Get up now!"

Zhang Ting raised an eyebrow, lowered the carriage curtain, and said to Zong Suyi, "I'm getting out of the carriage to see the teacher."

Zong Suyi frowned, feeling a pang of reluctance, and nodded gently, "Go."

She stepped out of the carriage and then climbed into the teacher's.

Zhang Shuzheng was sitting cross-legged on the small couch with his eyes closed. Upon hearing the voice, he asked, "Did you see that?"

"Yes. I don't know this..."

Zhang Shu opened his eyes and stared at her intently, his eyes filled with sorrow. He sighed and said, "Good child, this is not something you or I can control. Tell the carriage to leave quickly."

"Yes." Zhang Ting bowed respectfully to her teacher and then withdrew. She didn't want to get involved in the first place; with such a commotion, it was obvious which important person's dirty business it was. Why should she needlessly get herself into trouble for someone she had no connection with? But, in other people's eyes, she was an upright and good person, so she had to show it a little.

She squinted, raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight, and said calmly, "Let's set off."

A commotion arose from the crowd not far away, followed by heart-wrenching cries that echoed through the sky, causing great distress to those who heard them.

Zhang Ting slowly boarded the carriage, but thought that if it was just as hot next year, it would be unbearable.