Chapter 116 I'll Listen to You (Part 3)
Mr. Duan was so choked up that he was speechless for a moment. After all, he had sneaked out of home and did not have much money. Twenty thousand was almost all his belongings.
His face turned red from choking, and he finally went downstairs cursing.
The maid smiled and said to the remaining people, "Gentlemen, please come in."
In front of each person was a lacquered wooden tray, containing a piece of paper, a brush, and a dish of ink. Some pondered for a moment, then buried their heads in writing a new poem, while others scratched their heads, unable to find the right approach.
Zhuang Wan looked at Pei Xingju. He sat there with his eyes closed, as if he were an outsider. The folding fan in his hand slowly flapped in his palm to the melodious tune, seemingly neither anxious nor disdainful.
But she was getting anxious, not because she was worried that he couldn't write the second stanza, but because she was afraid that he would find it troublesome and just throw his money away.
That was twenty thousand dollars, and she felt bad for him just to spend it like that.
Upstairs, a woman sat quietly before a carved screen. The screen looked ordinary, but it held a hidden meaning. From here, she could clearly see what was happening on the second floor, yet the people upstairs couldn't see through it.
"Miss, look at that young man." The maid Lingshan pointed at Pei Xingju sitting on the couch. "I think he is quite a handsome man, but why hasn't he started writing yet?"
Ningyan's gaze fell on Pei Xingju and asked, "What's his name?"
"It seems his name is Chen Yi. He's said to be a wealthy businessman from out of town. He previously spent five thousand on the first floor. But now it seems that this man is just rich and has no knowledge at all. Otherwise, why would others have started writing while he didn't?"
Ningyan tugged at the handkerchief in her hand: "I hope he can come up."
Lingshan joked, "The girl likes him? But what if he can't finish the second stanza?"
"No," Ning Yan shook her head. "It's obvious at first glance that this person is not an ordinary person. How can a mere first verse defeat him?"
"Huh?" Lingshan continued, "The servant beside him is also very handsome."
Ning Yan smiled faintly: "How can she be a servant? She is clearly a woman."
I saw this girl in Luyang County two days ago, but I don’t know who she is to this young man. Maybe she was asked by her naughty little sister to come here for fun?
On the other side, Zhuang Wan saw that everyone else had finished writing, but Pei Xingju hadn't started yet, so she stepped forward and urged him, "Are you not going to meet Miss Ningyan?"
Pei Xingju raised his eyes: "Are you anxious?"
"You're not..." Zhuang Wan glared at him, "You're not thinking of paying the bill, are you?"
Pei Xingju nodded: "That's exactly what I meant."
The first stanza of a painting about a prostitute was not worth his pen.
But Zhuang Wan didn’t think so. She felt so painful because it was twenty thousand taels!
She advised earnestly, "It's hard to make money these days, so let's save some money. 20,000 yuan is enough to buy a house in a good area in the capital. Even if you don't want to buy a house, you can keep the money and invest in my business. It's easier to do things with more capital, right?"
Pei Xingju remained indifferent.
Zhuang Wan was growing increasingly irritated by the prodigal son, so she resorted to her ultimate trick and patiently coaxed him, "I've estimated that twenty thousand taels is enough to make a lot of cakes and sweets. Wouldn't it be better to save it and buy food instead?"
Pei Xingju suppressed his laughter and said, "Never mind. I'll just listen to you."
He picked up the pen lazily, glanced at the first stanza casually, and then put pen to paper.
"In my dream in front of Huaye Tower,
Leaning alone in silence,
The west window has faded its last red
The evening wind blows several times.
Don't know yet,
Don't know yet,
It is in vain to say that you are well and I am sending you my love."
As he wrote out word by word, Ningyan upstairs followed and read softly, word by word. At the end, her face turned shy and her expression became happy.
"Lingshan," she said to the maid, "This Master Shen is extraordinary. He is extremely talented and knowledgeable. He is no ordinary person."
Lingshan couldn't help laughing when she saw her cheeks blushing.
Soon, the maid collected the second stanzas written by everyone and sent them upstairs. She said, "How are your second stanzas? We will give you our opinion after we have reviewed them. Now, it's time for the second round of the examination."
Someone asked impatiently: "Can you hurry up?"
The maid said, "Don't worry, sir. This second round is very simple. Our girl will give a poem, and everyone present will guess the riddle based on the poem. The one who guesses correctly wins."
"Come out! What's so difficult about guessing riddles? I'm not very talented, but I'm an expert at guessing riddles."
The maid nodded: "Young Master is very talented, we will wait and see."
Soon, Lingshan came down from upstairs with a note on the lacquered wooden tray.
"Our young lady has just composed a poem, and I'd like you gentlemen to guess the answer over a cup of tea. However, you don't have to say your answers; just write them down on the slips."
Lingshan glanced at Pei Xingju and unfolded the note on the plate: "Listen carefully, gentlemen. Our lady's poem is: I lean on the railing to invite you to leave, and in a moment the red sun sets in the west; the lights flicker, but you are gone, and I feel lonely and lonely, and few people know my heart. Please come in!"
As soon as this poem came out, the whole audience fell silent.
"What kind of poem is this? Why don't I understand it?"
"That's right, you didn't understand. Otherwise, it would be a riddle. Oh! Miss Ningyan is indeed a talented woman. Just one poem has stumped me."
"Brother," someone asked the man who claimed to be an expert, "Have you guessed it?"
The expert seemed to be stumped as well. He frowned and thought without saying a word.
Zhuang Wan was confused. She turned to look at Pei Xingju and asked quietly, "Did you guess it?"
"It's just a word puzzle, what's so hard to guess?"
"?"
So arrogant!
Zhuang Wan: "Since you've guessed it, why don't you write down the answer? A cup of tea is almost over. Oh, you're not thinking of paying me off again, are you? Let me tell you... Ouch—"
"You're so long-winded!" Pei Xingju slapped her and said, "This poem doesn't require an answer."
"well?"
Zhuang Wan didn't understand. At this time, she saw Pei Xingju folding a blank note and placing it on the plate.
At this moment, the expert also suddenly cheered: "Ah! I guessed it, I guessed it!"
He immediately wrote the answer on the note.
Lingshan collected the notes from everyone. After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, she came down again and said to Pei Xingju with a smile, "Congratulations to Mr. Shen for passing the test. Our lady invites you."
The expert was very unwilling: "Why did he get the first place? I clearly guessed it right just now."
Lingshan: "Sir, you did guess correctly, but your second stanza is not very good."
"If you say it's not brilliant, then it's not brilliant? If you have the guts, take out the second stanza he wrote and take a look at it."
"Of course," Lingshan smiled and showed everyone the second half of the poem written by Pei Xingju from the lacquered wooden plate behind her.
Suddenly, the room fell silent.
The man looked at Pei Xingju angrily. Seeing that he was so handsome and unperturbed by fame or disgrace, he felt both envious and jealous.
Someone even congratulated Pei Xingju from afar, "Mr. Chen, you are so charming. You have won the beauty tonight. I am truly impressed."
Pei Xingju nodded lightly and took Zhuang Wan straight to the third floor.
Notes: ① The first and second stanzas of the poem are the author's own random writings, and cannot withstand in-depth scrutiny. Feel free to read them. ② The riddle poem was found on Baidu. The answer will not be revealed, but you can still guess.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com