Carp Talk (Part 7)
At the family dinner, the county magistrate was the only one who laughed out loud, while the others could only look at each other in dismay in the awkward atmosphere.
Wanzhe didn't know what to do.
They had just arrived and were suddenly approached by the county magistrate himself to propose marriage. If they refused, it would embarrass the magistrate and would make it difficult for them to negotiate in the future.
But if this marriage is allowed, it would seem unfair to Yu Wanmian, and it might even ruin the rest of the county magistrate's daughter's life.
After thinking about it over and over again, Wanzhe was in a dilemma, not knowing whether to go left or right.
"Master, please give us a few days. After all, this is a matter of life and death for our children, and we cannot be careless at all."
Wanzhe finally came up with a reason to refuse Xu Hui's request, and he was thinking about it over and over again in his mind.
Xu Hui was a discerning man. He saw through Wanzhe's thoughts and didn't press him any further. Instead, he made another request: "How about this? I've booked a table at Zuixianju for tomorrow at noon. It's a good opportunity for the two children to have a meal together so they can get to know each other."
"this……"
Wanzhe felt that this was not appropriate, but he couldn't refuse again.
He originally thought that it would be difficult for him to get a chance at court affairs, but he never expected that he would be favored by the county magistrate.
But if you think about it carefully, the county magistrate simply saw that he was able to snatch this business from his predecessor with such a background. In this case, there must be a high-ranking official in the court to guarantee him, and the depth of the relationship should not be underestimated.
In the blink of an eye, he was just a small county magistrate in a remote area, who just wanted to use his children's marriage to find a backer and make some relatives.
"Okay." Wan Mian's sudden words broke the awkwardness of the moment, "I am willing to meet Qian Jin."
When Fang Jingyu heard this, he was frightened.
Xu Hui got the reply he wanted, smiled, added a few more specific matters, and then bowed and said goodbye neatly, leaving behind only a burst of hearty laughter that gradually faded away.
After the county magistrate’s disturbance, the food on the table no longer tasted good.
For a moment, all that was left on the table was Wanzhe's thoughts, Wanmian's emptiness, Fang Che's ignorance, and Fang Jingyu's daze.
Quietly, the moon emerged from the clouds, sprinkling silver frost on the land of Wuhu County.
I have been here for some time. This night is unusually clear, but unfortunately the rainwater accumulated on the bluestone slabs has not shown any signs of drying up.
Ever since the servants in the house were dismissed, the burden of serving the Wan family father and son fell on the brother and sister. They took care of everything from washing clothes and cooking for the father and son in an orderly manner, but it also exhausted them.
"Brother." Fang Jingyu was washing her clothes when she suddenly blurted out, "Do you think A Mian wants to get married?"
Fang Che listened, put down the soap nuts in his hand, stood up and answered: "Maybe, after all, A Mian is old enough to get married, and our Wan family should also have a young lady."
"But we don't know if A Mian will like the county magistrate's daughter. Letting them get married like this wouldn't be good for both of them, right?"
"Ah Jing." Fang Che shook the water off his hands and placed his left hand on Fang Jingyu's head, his face full of tenderness. "In ancient times, marriage was decided by parents and matchmakers. If the master wants Ah Mian to marry, then he must marry her. This matter is not his decision."
After hearing this, Fang Jingyu pouted sadly.
She was not a lady from a wealthy family and did not understand the respect and traditional customs of these literati. She only knew that only people who loved each other could stay together, and her A Mian should spend the rest of his life with the woman he truly loved.
Even if that person was not her, she didn't want to see Wan Mian marrying a person who disliked him for the sake of his parents' face.
Not sure if Fang Che had seen through Fang Jingyu's hidden thoughts for years, he said without reason: "Don't even think about it. We are just servants of the Wan family. There will be no result with them."
"What?" Fang Jingyu's heart stopped beating and he looked up in a daze.
"Nothing." Fang Che took off his hand from Fang Jingyu's head and turned his back. "What I mean is, we have no right to meddle in A Mian's private affairs."
Fang Jingyu looked depressed and continued to rub the clothes in the basin absentmindedly.
The next day, the rain started again, and the dark blue sky made people feel depressed.
Wan Mian changed his clothes, looked up at the raindrops falling from the sky, sighed, and then went out with an oil-paper umbrella.
On this side, Mu You was sitting in front of the window watching the little sparrows standing on the windowsill to avoid the rain, and he kept muttering "How boring, so boring".
That's right. Some time ago, the milk tea business he was trying to run went bankrupt in less than a day because he didn't control the heat and seasoning ratio well, and mistakenly used the moldy old tea from Liuxiangju. He was also scolded by Chu Mo for wasting milk and a lot of good tea.
After repeated setbacks, he had to go back to his old business and pay back the money he owed for the jars of milk.
I thought I could learn from the protagonist in the novel who made a comeback, start from scratch and build a career in one fell swoop, so that I could get a chance to shine in front of Xiao Lin. However, who would have thought that all my efforts would have been wasted, and I was even despised by Xiao Lin.
There was no other way, so he had to temporarily restrain himself and look for another way.
So, with a goal, there is motivation.
In a fit of anger, he simply found two jobs in one day, alternating between being a waiter for others. It took him more than half a month to collect all the money he owed Chu Mo.
It is said that Mu You has the fierce soul of an ox or a horse surging in his body. After he paid off his debts, he immediately quit his night job.
I thought I would feel better, but after a few days of comfort, I shamelessly murmured the word "boring".
He had saved quite a bit of money by working as a waiter this month, so he discussed with Xiao Lin about giving himself a vacation so that he could focus on the Wan family.
But speaking of the Wan family, it is strange. After quite some time, there is still no movement from their side.
The story of Gao Qing and Gao Hui progressed quite rapidly, often catching them off guard.
But looking back at the moment, there was no news for a long time, which made Xiao Lin and Mu You extremely anxious.
Hearing Mu You's murmurs by the window, Xiao Lin also muttered to himself: "Strange, I greeted Fang Jingyu before, and she even said she would treat me to a meal. But after staying at Liuxiang Residence for more than half a month, she still hasn't come..."
"Could she just be being polite?" Mu You, who was more clear-headed than Xiao Lin at this point, spoke the truth. "It's like when adults always say things like 'I'll treat you to dinner some other day,' but they don't necessarily mean it."
Having said that, Xiao Lin was still unwilling to accept it.
She didn't want to believe that she had finally gotten in touch with her target, but in the end it was all in vain.
At this time, Chu Mo glanced at the two little ones and smiled lightly.
Then he stood up, straightened his clothes, and said to them, "Let's go. I'll treat you to a meal today."
Hearing that the usually stingy Chu Mo was willing to pay for a meal, Mu You would not let go of such a great opportunity to blackmail him. He jumped up from his seat, his eyes full of excitement: "Great! I've been eating too bland these days to save up money to compensate you. Today, I'm going to have some meat, Boss Chu!"
"Boss Chu is so kind-hearted. He feels sorry for us. May good people live a peaceful life. Woo woo woo..." Xiao Lin pursed his lips and pretended to cry, then echoed.
Seeing Chu Mo's lack of reaction, Mu You rolled his eyes and immediately said, "How about we pick a restaurant and you pay for it, Boss Chu?"
Chu Mo rolled his eyes with his back to Mu You, took a deep breath, and nodded.
Mu You thought this was a great bargain, and replied without hesitation: "I haven't been running around the streets for nothing these days. I saw a big restaurant and have been wanting to go in and take a look!"
"What restaurant?" Xiao Lin asked.
"Zuixianju."
After walking for a while, Xiao Lin and his group entered Zuixianju one after another.
At first glance, although this restaurant does not look as grand as the one in Tianling, it is still quite good in this small county. At least there is a good play being performed on the stage in the building, and the guests are clapping and cheering while watching.
Just as they entered and took a few steps, a waiter came forward quickly and asked, "How many guests are there?"
"Three, three! Waiter, we want to sit in your best seats!" Mu You waved his three fingers arrogantly, his nose almost reaching the sky.
"My apologies, sir." The waiter rubbed his hands, his face full of apology. "The best view in our restaurant has been reserved by our county magistrate."
"County Magistrate? Why would the County Magistrate come here to eat?"
"This... I don't know."
Mu You pursed his lips, waved his hand and said, "Never mind, where is your best viewing spot?"
The waiter pointed to a seat on the second floor.
Following the waiter's finger, Mu You squinted his eyes and looked at the so-called best viewing spot, then found its opposite corner.
It happens to be an angle where you can see it clearly.
Then he grabbed Xiao Lin's arm and went upstairs, found the diagonal seat he had just taken a fancy to, and sat down.
"Let's sit here. Waiter, go get the menu."
"Okay, sir. Please sit down first. I'll bring you a pot of tea later."
Watching the waiter leave, Xiao Lin couldn't help but ask, "Why are you sitting here?"
"Oh, sitting here is a great opportunity to see the county magistrate! I just want to see what he looks like... Hey hey hey! Look! Someone's coming!"
Following Mu You's gaze, Xiao Lin looked up and saw that someone had indeed come to that seat, but it was a woman with a maid by her side. She must be a lady from a wealthy family.
At this moment, the waiter happened to bring the teapot up and was about to pour tea for them, but was stopped by Mu You: "Hey, do you know who that woman is?"
The waiter turned his head away in confusion.
But when his eyes fell on the woman Mu You pointed at, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Sir, that is the daughter of the county magistrate."
The county magistrate's daughter? She's here for dinner? A family dinner?
Xiao Lin sat aside and listened, pouring himself a cup of tea while glancing sideways.
While they were talking, another young man came up. They both greeted each other and slowly sat down.
Mu You was about to catch the waiter and question him again, but Xiao Lin answered first: "I remember him! He is the son of the Wan family, Wan Mian."
After waiting for more than a month, Xiao Lin finally found them. He felt both excited and panicked.
Mu You's expression froze for a moment, then he came to his senses and quickly asked the waiter to leave.
Then he leaned in closer and asked Chu Mo curiously, "Boss Chu, when did these two families become related?"
Chu Mo glanced at him, took a sip of tea slowly, and then replied leisurely: "The Wan family will be the richest family in this city. Anyone with some connections will try their best to get in touch with them, right?"
"One for money, one for power..." Mu You stroked his chin and muttered, "I guess you're here for a blind date?"
Mu You's words immediately woke Xiao Lin up.
She quickly put down the tea in her hand and looked at Mu You with wide eyes: "Wait! What do you think they are here for?"
"A blind date." Mu You was startled by Xiao Lin's sudden scream and stuttered. "What...what's wrong...is this hard to understand?"
"No." Xiao Lin's heart was beating fast, and he stood up. "Mu You, what was the original ending of this story?"
Talking about business, Mu You finally became serious. He then scratched his temples and recalled what Chu Mo said when they first selected this booklet -
"The final chapter of the original story tells of a child with a clear and innocent heart, initially diligent and unyielding, but succumbing to the endless temptations of gain, gradually becoming swayed by his lust for money. Ultimately, he joins his good friends in a sinister path, causing untold suffering and a cloud of sorrow for the people..."
Yes! The ending of the story is that Wan Mian, because of his greed for money, harmed the people of the entire city!
At this time, Mu You finally reacted and unconsciously shouted along with Xiao Lin.
"This time!" the two of them shouted in unison.
Just think about it, if one really wants to achieve a tragic outcome that destroys the people of a city, it is absolutely impossible for a businessman who only makes money on his own to do it. There must be someone in high position helping behind the scenes.
I'm afraid all the bad trends started from this marriage between the two families.
No! We must stop them!
It can be said that these two people were quite reckless. Realizing that this was the second turning point of the story, they immediately ran towards the opposite side without saying a word.
It is conceivable that such a forced approach will definitely not yield any results.
As Xiao Lin and Mu You rounded the corner, they were stopped by their escorts: "Get out of the way! That's the county magistrate's daughter! What are you two doing?!"
"No! This deal can't go on!"
"Go away! What nonsense are you talking about here, little brat! If you don't leave now, don't blame us for being rude!"
After saying that, several guards grasped the hilts of their swords together and pulled them out a few inches from the sheaths, trying to intimidate the two men.
But even though they said it so bluntly, Xiao Lin and Mu You still refused to give up. While being blocked outside by several guards, they grabbed their hands and tried their best to break in.
However, the power disparity was so great that Mu You even bit a guard's hand, but was still pushed to the ground.
"Whose lunatic is this! If you don't leave now, I'll be rude to you!"
Obviously, the persistence of the two annoyed the guards, and they no longer cared about their face and drew out the swords that reflected white light.
Seeing this, Xiao Lin hurriedly helped Mu You, who had fallen to the ground, up. He looked up at the guards who were looking down at him, his eyes filled with panic and helplessness.
Seeing that he had no other choice, Xiao Lin looked at Wan Mian and the county magistrate's daughter, who were chatting and laughing happily, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I can't agree to this! Wan Mian! I can't agree to this!"
But the restaurant was noisy and crowded, and Wan Mian took advantage of a break in the conversation to overhear a strange voice calling his name.
But when he looked back, he only saw two strangers being taken away by the guards, shouting something towards him.
What were they shouting? He couldn't hear clearly.
"Young Master? Young Master?" The county magistrate's daughter called Wan Mian several times, which brought his attention back to the present.
Realizing the inappropriateness of being distracted, Wan Mian immediately started pouring tea for the county magistrate's daughter.
At the same time, she spoke, "My name is Xu Niao, and I'm honored to meet you, young master. My father described you as a man of great elegance and grace, and today I see you, and I'm sure you'll find that."
Wan Mian chuckled, handed the poured tea to Xu Niao, and replied, "Miss, you are too kind. You are truly beautiful and charming."
After filling the two cups of tea in his hands, Wan Mian formally observed Xu Niao in front of him - she looked pretty, but was far from being a so-called beauty.
Perhaps because she was a lady from a wealthy family, her skin color was relatively light and she looked quite delicate, but it was not enough to make Wan Mian fall in love with her at first sight or forget her for a long time.
But Xu Niao was just the opposite. Having grown up here since she was a child, she had never seen a nobleman or a young man. Wan Mian had an outstanding temperament and was completely different from the men around her who did rough work.
At first sight, she was attracted by the gentleman in front of her, whose every move exuded elegance.
In the following conversation, Xu Niao always controlled the main topic of the conversation.
From talking about poetry and songs to daily hobbies, Wan Mian responded politely one by one, but even though the two of them had many common interests, Wan Mian still couldn't muster any interest in the girl in front of him.
The meal was quickly finished, Xu Niao and Wan Mian bowed and left slowly.
Wan Mian also maintained his composure and paid the bill himself after Xu Niao left.
However, the two did not talk about marriage during their meeting.
Perhaps Xu Niao was too shy to mention it, or perhaps Wan Mian was having a hard time making a decision due to all the considerations, so the matter of marriage still remained undecided.
After returning home, Wan Mian shook off the raindrops on his body. Fang Jingyu hurried over to close his umbrella for him. Seeing Wan Mian's thoughtful expression, she couldn't help but ask, "A Mian, did you see that lady?"
Wan Mian nodded slightly.
"How about the lady?"
"Very good, he should be a well-educated and well-mannered man. I'm afraid that marrying him would be a disgrace to him."
Fang Jingyu wanted to say something, but the words stopped between her lips. She could only continue with the work at hand and help Wan Mian wipe off the water droplets on his body.
Wan Mian walked into the lobby and saw Wan Zhe sitting in the hall. He knew what Wan Zhe was going to say.
"Have you seen the young lady?"
"Um."
"What do you think?"
"My lady is a good girl. She will definitely be a good wife and mother in the future. But I'm afraid that if she marries me, she will be doing a disservice."
"That's quite the opposite." Wanzhe stood up, walked over to Wan Mian's side, and patted his shoulder. "Just now, the county magistrate sent a message saying that the young lady likes you very much and wants to discuss marriage with you."
Wan Mian forced a smile, thinking to himself that he had never actually thought about being able to marry any girl on his own.
Just like his parents, the marriage between the two families was all for the sake of profit.
His marriage to Xu Niao was also for the sake of the Wan family's business. He hoped that his family would prosper under the protection of the county magistrate.
"Mian'er, what do you think?"
Fang Jingyu's breathing stopped and his worries filled his body.
She had never heard the voice in her heart so clearly - "no" one after another.
But she didn't say it.
Wan Mian thought for a moment, then raised his head and replied with a smile, "I have no objection. As long as you think it's suitable, Dad, it's fine."
At this point, Fang Jingyu's heart was broken.
The illusory dream that had lasted for more than ten years was completely dissipated in the last syllable of Wan Mian's voice.
After he agreed, Wanzhe's face lit up, he patted Wanmian on the shoulder, and then set off to report to the county magistrate.
But Fang Jingyu could see clearly that there was a hint of contrivedness hidden beneath Wan Mian's raised lips.
It was so subtle that others couldn't notice it. Only she, his playmate who grew up with him, could see through his disguise.
The girl has feelings for the boy but he is not interested. I am afraid this marriage will hardly be successful.
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