Upon arriving in Jiangning County, Song Ning jumped out of the car, intending to walk alone as usual. Zhou Ling'an immediately said, "Er Ya, let me go with you today."
"No need, I can manage on my own."
"I'll go with you."
The county magistrate had just told him to take better care of Song Ning, as she was in poor health and often seemed unwell; she had even fainted last time.
There wasn't much else to do today, mainly just shopping, so Song Ning didn't refuse.
Song Ning gave him a once-over: "It's so cold, are you sure you can manage?"
Zhou Ling'an felt underestimated, so he immediately puffed out his chest. Seeing that Song Ning didn't even reach his shoulder, he suddenly felt like he could stand tall and proud.
"Don't worry, there won't be any problem," Zhou Ling'an assured him, patting his chest.
"Alright then, you'll be in charge of carrying my things today."
Song Ning first went to the market to buy some seeds, and after browsing the market, she went to the butcher shop.
"Boss, five catties of meat, please."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed a bucket of bloody water next to him and asked, "Boss, what's that?"
"Those are all pig offal. Nobody buys them, so they're just left there."
Do you sell these here?
The butcher was taken aback, then laughed: "Young lady, I don't do that kind of fraudulent business. These things don't taste good, so even if you take them back, they won't be of any use to you."
"It's alright, I'll take all of these. Could you please wrap them up for me?"
Zhou Ling'an, standing to the side, urged, "Er Ya, are you really going to buy it?"
"Of course, boss, how much are these pig offal?"
The meat vendor stopped chopping meat, glanced at Song Ning, and looked at her like she was an idiot.
"If you really want it, I'll give you five coins for a bucket."
Song Ning quickly took out five more copper coins and handed them over.
This huge bucket of pig offal only costs five coins; it's a sure profit.
Song Ning ordered two more chickens and two more ducks, which made the boss very happy.
When Zhou Ling'an came out of the butcher shop, he was already carrying quite a lot of things.
Fearing that he might tire the man out, Song Ning offered to take the chicken and duck from his hands: "I'll take this."
Zhou Ling'an dodged to the side: "It's okay, I can manage."
Song Ning knew this person had a strong sense of pride, so she simply said, "If you can't lift it anymore, you must tell me. Don't push yourself. Let's stop and take a break."
"Don't worry, I can still carry this little bit."
Even if we can't lift it, we can't fail here, and we can't lose face in front of Er Ya.
As it approached noon, Song Ning bought some food from a street vendor.
Zhou Ling'an was carrying things in both hands. When he saw that Song Ning had bought two portions of food, he quickly shook his head and said, "You eat it, I won't eat it, I'm not hungry."
Song Ning held up the food in her hand: "We've already bought it, we can't just waste it, can we?"
I found a wonton stall nearby, ordered two bowls of wontons, and finally I could take a break.
Song Ning handed over the steamed buns and meat she had bought. Zhou Ling'an hesitated for a long time before finally taking them.
His face was flushed, from the cold and from exhaustion.
Clutching her two trembling hands, she stammered, "Er Ya, do you think... I'm particularly useless?"
Song Ning swallowed a bite of steamed bun. Was Zhou Ling'an suddenly going into an emotional state?
"Where did you get that conclusion?"
Song Ning previously looked down on Zhou Ling'an, but not because he despised him.
After all, they were scholars of this era, which was incomparable to ordinary people.
"Before, I only knew how to study and never cared about anything at home. When we were in the village, I would occasionally go up the mountain to find some wild vegetables, but since we started fleeing the famine, I haven't been able to help at all..."
Even carrying some things today, he felt like his arms were about to break.
Zhou Ling'an looked dejected, slowly lowered his head, and slumped his shoulders.
Song Ning smiled and said, "Not bad, you do know how to reflect on your actions."
"You're not feeling inferior because of what I said before, are you?"
Zhou Ling'an pursed his lips and remained silent, clearly taking it to heart.
Zhou Ling'an is a thoughtful person, too soft-hearted and indecisive, but he has one good point: he has a good temper.
If she weren't so good-tempered, how could Song Erya have persisted for so long without ever turning hostile?
Moreover, Song Erya had done so many embarrassing things to him before, yet he can still speak to her so calmly now. His magnanimity is truly extraordinary.
Song Ning didn't actually dislike him, but he was too soft-hearted. Song Ning didn't like being around people like that; they were too indecisive.
However, considering his recent good behavior, she didn't want to hurt him.
“Zhou Ling’an, you’ve actually done a great job lately. You don’t have to be like Brother Tie Dan to be a real man. As long as you can support your family and take responsibility for your words and actions, that’s enough.”
Different paths lead to different outcomes.
Zhou Ling'an is destined to take the imperial examinations in the future, so his brute strength is of no use.
“At least in my eyes, you are already better than most people.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling'an looked up sharply, his eyes filled with hope: "Really?"
Song Ning nodded: "Really."
It would be a good thing for them if Zhou Ling'an could pass the imperial examinations in the future.
After all, he was the first person in their Nanshan Village to receive a degree of education, which brought them pride.
A smile gradually appeared on Zhou Ling'an's face. The two chatted for a long time, unaware that their situation was being clearly seen by people in the building across the street.
Standing behind Xie Linzhou, Zhang Ping glanced casually outside and said, "Young Master, isn't that Song Erya?"
Xie Linzhou subconsciously looked down and saw Song Ning chatting and laughing with a boy.
Song Ning changed into new clothes a few days ago, wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket and trousers, making her look like a New Year's picture doll.
She's gained a little weight since coming to Tianxiang County, and looks much more radiant. Her smile is indeed adorable.
Especially those big, watery eyes, blinking so brightly they were almost annoying.
Who is that boy?
"Young master, they must have fled here together, and I think their surname is Zhou."
Xie Linzhou couldn't quite describe how he felt, but he felt that Song Erya was really ungrateful.
She had previously said she wanted him to repay her with his body and tried every means to take advantage of him, but now she turns around and is chatting and laughing with other men.
Is he taking advantage of the fact that he agreed, so he's acting with impunity?
Xie Linzhou's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but he quickly returned to normal.
She's just a little girl, how could she possibly disturb his peace of mind?
He never really cared about people, and he only agreed to it because he was indeed in the wrong last time.
But the more he looked, the more annoyed he became, and he said coldly, "Close the window."
Upon hearing the unusual tone, Zhang Ping quickly went over and closed the window.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
The leader entered, stepped forward, and saluted: "General, those things... Miss Song confiscated them."
Xie Linzhou's expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked, "Did you say anything?"
"Miss Song said... if the general really can't get over it in his conscience, he can just give him the silver directly."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
