Lou Yunchun pointed to Huifeng upstream and said, "Let's go inside. The terrain there is flat and there are many meadows, which are good for donkeys and horses to drink water and graze. It's a bit far, though."
The farther away, the quieter and less noisy.
It sounds like a good place, so why worry about it being far away?
Xu Jiang was full of enthusiasm and said, "Let's go."
Lou Yunchun helped her onto the donkey, then mounted his own horse and led her upstream. About an hour later, they arrived at the place Lou Yunchun had mentioned.
But here you can see beautiful flowers and plants, lush green cypresses, rippling ponds, and secluded and fragrant paths.
If you listen carefully, you can hear the rustling of flowing water, the chirping of birds and the howling of monkeys.
Looking into the distance, you can see flying clouds hanging over the mountains and flowing rainbows on the water.
Xu Jiang took a deep breath and felt that his mind and soul were cleansed and clear.
"Let's go there." She saw a good place, patted the stubborn donkey's butt, and led the reins away.
Lou Yunchun followed closely behind.
The two men waded across a shallow stream and landed on a meadow, then released the donkeys and horses to enjoy their meal.
The grass leaves were green and tender, with sweet dewdrops on them. The stubborn donkey ate happily, wagging his tail.
Isn't this better than the moldy hay in the stable?
"What a wonderful place." Xu Jiang sighed by the water.
Lou Yunchun stood shoulder to shoulder with her, staring at the two reflections in the water with a smile on his face for a long while before he looked up and pointed forward, saying, "There's a stone pool in there too. Do you want to go check it out later?"
"Under the waterfall?"
"Um."
"Of course."
The two men rested for a while, and when the donkey and horse had eaten and drunk their fill, they walked along the stream towards the stone pond.
Not far away, I heard the sound of stringed instruments.
"There's someone." Xu Jiang and Lou Yunchun exchanged glances. "Let's go check it out."
The two of them couldn't help but quicken their pace, the fragrance of orchids wafting in the air and the refreshing breeze from the water.
Turning back to the stream, the voices of people gradually became clearer. It turned out that there were four or five old men lying by the stream drinking and chatting.
One of them waved hello.
Xu Jiang took a closer look and saw that it was Zhong Lu. She and Lou Yunchun immediately went down to the ground, led the donkey and the horse, and went forward to pay their respects.
"I've met several gentlemen."
Zhong Lu waved his hand and said, "This is a deep valley in the mountains, so it would be unwise to be polite." Then he greeted him warmly, "Come and sit down, come and sit down."
The two men tied the horse and the donkey under a chinaberry tree by the stream. Xu Jiang took some wine and dry food, and together with Lou Yunchun, they found a flat rock by the stream to sit on.
She laughed and said, "When I first heard the sound of stringed instruments and human voices, I thought it was the immortals from Lu Yin, but it turns out to be you gentlemen. You are so leisurely and elegant."
This made everyone laugh.
Zhong Lu said, "Listen, nothing this Madam Xu says is unpleasant to the ear." Then he glanced at the taciturn man beside her and asked, "Why didn't Yunchun go boating with your father today?"
An old man with white beard and cloth clothes beside him could not help but roll his eyes when he heard what he said, thinking: What a blind thing, this is obviously a pair of children who are out for fun, what nonsense are they asking.
Lou Yunchun replied, "My father has an appointment with someone and I shouldn't disturb him." The truth was, Lou Jing had gone out with his wife early in the morning without informing Lou Yunchun at all.
Their son has grown up and has found his own way, so they don't need to worry about him anymore.
Xu Jiang noticed the awkwardness of this conversation, so she interrupted and said to Zhong Lu, "I was talking about Mr. Zhong with someone a few days ago, but I never thought I'd run into him today."
Zhong Lu heard this and asked curiously, "Who?"
"Deng Yuechuan, Mr. Deng."
"So it was him." Zhong Lu nodded. "Is the old man okay?"
"Very energetic." Xu Jiang nodded and said with a smile, "I even reviewed the county annals for you."
"how?"
“Just barely acceptable.”
"Madam Xu is being modest. If you can catch his eye, you must be good." Zhong Lu asked again, "How is the progress? When can you hand in the work?"
Even coming here for fun can be rushed. Xu Jiang said bitterly, "There are still three or four volumes left. I estimate they can be handed in by the end of the month."
"Good, good!" Zhong Lu sighed with a smile, "This matter is finally settled." Then he poured a glass of wine and raised it to Xu Jiang, "Come, Madam Xu, I'll give you a drink to thank you."
Xu Jiang hurriedly poured wine in return, and the two drank together.
After drinking, Xu Jiang continued, "Just now, sir, you said that the etiquette here was too vulgar. How come you are talking about etiquette yourself? You should be punished."
After saying that, she grabbed the pot and walked over to Zhong Lu, filling his glass with wine.
Zhong Lu just shook his head. "What a bad decision. I was caught in the act."
Xu Jiang poured a glass for each of the others, "This is mugwort, gentlemen, try it too."
The others looked at the wine glasses, then looked at Xu Jiang, and couldn't help laughing.
The white-bearded old man wondered, "Why are we punished just because he made a mistake?"
Xu Jiang returned to her seat and poured a cup for herself and Lou Yunchun.
The two looked at each other, raised their glasses and said, "Nice to meet you gentlemen. This junior toasts to you all."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
