Chapter 2
Three days later, Ning Qingxi arrived at the gate of the Zhang residence. It was nearly noon when she arrived, and there were already many people gathered in layers.
Three servants stood in the very center. One was banging a gong and drum, another was setting off a string of firecrackers, and the third, dressed slightly better, was holding up a piece of paper and shouting loudly, "Gentlemen! Today is the day of our master's garden-building competition. Please, those on the red paper, enter!"
After he finished speaking, three pieces of red paper with uneven handwriting were pasted on the wall with glue.
Zhang Fu was indeed wealthy. He told everyone on the paper to come in, but in reality, when they entered, the servant guarding the door was dozing off with his sleeves tucked in. He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids when someone passed by.
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Yes, it's really a makeshift operation.
After entering the room, Ning Qingxi realized that she knew nothing about the lives of the rich!
Behind the gate is a screen wall, and on both sides are covered corridors, which together with the main house and side rooms to the north enclose the courtyard. In the middle of this courtyard is a small pond, with a square white marble arch bridge spanning it.
It is too serious and not lively enough.
Even so, the courtyard was extremely luxurious. It was winter, yet the pond water flowed continuously, with plump koi carp nimbly flicking their tails as they darted among the lotus stems.
Ning Qingxi was staring at the courtyard, lost in thought, pondering how to draw her competition blueprint. She didn't even know the dimensions of the plot of land. If she drew it too complicatedly, it would be a waste of time, and the host family might not even use it, making all that money go down the drain.
Ning Qingxi couldn't let the money slip through her fingers, after all, it was a hundred taels!
Even an ordinary low-ranking official would have to save up for a year or two without eating or drinking.
Perhaps it's true that poverty diminishes ambition, Ning Qingxi had already begun to fantasize about how she would squander the money once she got her hands on it, such as buying lots of kiln-roasted chickens to eat every day until she was satisfied!
As she was thinking, her stomach rumbled twice, much to her dismay.
Ning Qingxi: "..."
A moment later, she realized with a start that the fragrance was not an illusion.
She turned her head and noticed that there were two small doors on the east and west sides of the north corner of the covered walkway, allowing people to come and go. At that moment, a steady stream of maids were bringing out food, and the aroma was wafting out from there.
"Gentlemen! Listen to what I, Zhang, have to say!"
Ning Qingxi looked over at the sound and saw Zhang Fuhu, dressed in a dark red robe embroidered with gold patterns, standing in front of the main house with a large pregnant belly. He held a white porcelain wine cup in one hand and said, "Thank you all for your kindness. I am new here and I am grateful for your help. It is thanks to your patronage that I was able to buy this place, build this house, and hold the competition..."
As Zhang Fuhu spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted in a certain direction.
Ning Qingxi followed her gaze.
There was a tall, lanky man standing by the door, oblivious to the fact that he was blocking the way for others to serve food. He was dressed in a low-key, understated dark outfit, and even the red mole under his eye made him seem less frivolous.
When Zhang Fuhu steered the conversation toward him, he merely raised his hand slightly and gestured with his wine glass, showing no intention of going over to drink with him.
When he raised his hand, his sleeve was exposed to the sunlight, and Ning Qingxi then saw that the sleeve was covered with dense patterns embroidered with silver thread.
...As expected, he's still a show-off.
Zhang Fuhu, seeing that people were not giving him the time of day, was not embarrassed. He turned around and continued, "I will not say much more today. Please take your seats."
After saying that, he hurried off to find the fritters.
Ning Qingxi hadn't eaten yet and was starving. Following the girl who was leading the way, she sat down among a group of men and elderly people who were just as thin and pale as she was.
Ning Qingxi: "..."
The guy to her left grinned at her, then with a flick of his chopsticks, the plate of tenderly stewed pork knuckle on the table was gone.
Ning Qingxi: "..."
After the meal, Ning Qingxi grabbed the little girl and asked, "Excuse me, do you still have any steamed buns?"
There was no other way; she was just too hungry to stand it anymore.
During the meal, everyone at the table had their eyes light up at the sight of meat, slurping their chopsticks into their mouths and then poking at the meat on the table. She simply couldn't bring herself to eat it.
The little girl probably thought she had sneaked in to beg for food, and said with a polite smile, "That's all."
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Her stomach rumbled at just the right moment.
"Gurgle gurgle gurgle..."
When Huo Yanci came out of the hall, he heard this sound. He turned his head in confusion and looked in the direction from which the sound came out, and saw someone begging for food.
It looks very familiar.
"Didn't you eat?" Huo Yanci asked.
Ning Qingxi's stomach was empty and burning, and she was in a fit of rage. When she turned to look at Huo Yanci, she practically stared him through the teeth: "Why don't you eat meat porridge!"
Zhang Fuhu, standing to the side, gasped.
The high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital all have their own quirks. Huo Yanci is a typical smiling tiger. The piece of land that was sold to him was clearly in his own hands, but he pretended to be in a difficult position and had to pay a lot of money before he would sell it to him. And the location was also extremely remote.
Now, this little girl in front of you must not provoke this bad guy!
Zhang Fuhu couldn't help but close his eyes and begin to pray to the gods and Buddhas for protection.
If she were to die on the spot, his reputation would be ruined for life!
Unexpectedly, Huo Yanci burst out laughing: "We didn't prepare meat soup for lunch today, so you won't get to eat minced meat."
Zhang Fuhu: "..."
What kind of annoying habit is this?
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Perhaps the joke was a bit lame, because Huo Yanci picked up the conversation herself, turning to look at the maidservant beside her: "What else is in the kitchen?"
Zhang Fuhu immediately waved his hand discreetly: "If the guests don't even have enough to eat, what will people think?"
Ning Qingxi: "I'd like ten steamed buns, to go, please."
Huo Yanci asked curiously, "What do you need so many steamed buns for?"
“I have elderly parents to care for, but young children to raise. I have to support my family.” After saying that, Ning Qingxi suddenly seemed to remember something, turned to look at Zhang Fuhu, and said sincerely, “I wish Mr. Zhang a prosperous future. I’m sure you won’t hold it against me.”
Zhang Fuhu experienced being forced into a situation for the first time and could only nod in agreement.
Huo Yanci waved her hand dismissively: "Ten steamed buns are nothing! We'll bring your family over another day, and they can eat and stay here during the competition."
Ning Qingxi took the steamed bun from the little girl and eagerly took a bite. The sweet taste of brown sugar filled the air. Hearing this, she looked up, her eyes bright, and asked, "Really?"
"Of course it's true, Mr. Zhang, don't you think?" The man's tone was sarcastic.
Zhang Fuhu clenched the handkerchief in his hand and nodded repeatedly, "That's right, that's right."
Ning Qingxi hadn't expected things to develop this way. She forced a smile and said, "Thank you."
Seeing that the two were working together seamlessly to take advantage of his misfortune, Zhang Fuhu had no choice but to agree after just a few words.
As if she had received an imperial decree, Ning Qingxi had brought her entire family before the competition started at 1:00 PM. She even brought three tattered bedding sets. Standing tall and proud at the entrance of the Zhang residence, she said, "Please tell Master Zhang that I am here to participate in the competition."
Having probably seen too many scammers these past few days, the servant's opportunistic attitude became blatant. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Go away, go away. I've never heard of anyone bringing their whole family along when they participate in a competition. Go beg next door!"
He was referring to the most bustling area of the capital, where restaurants, perfumed women, and beggars were everywhere.
Ning Qingyuan looked up, her eyes bright: "Sister, didn't you say that a benefactor had sent you to pick us up?"
Ning Qingxi: "..."
That damned benefactor offered her empty promises.
She pleaded in a low voice, "Please, brother, I really came here to participate in the competition. Look at that red paper, the last one has my name on it. If you really won't let me in, you can at least have Master Zhang come out to see me."
The servant couldn't help but sneer: "No? You said you wanted our master to come out and see you? Go away, go away, go away, don't get in our master's way."
Ning Qingxi: "...If the soft approach doesn't work, then I'll have to resort to the hard one!"
After transmigrating, Ning Qingxi had to be humble and make a living. She didn't learn anything else, but she mastered the ways of street thugs.
Before the poor servant could even react to what was happening, Ning Qingxi plopped down on the ground and wailed at the top of her lungs, "My God! So what if they're rich? They tricked my whole family into coming here with our luggage, and now they won't let us in!"
The two children next to her followed suit and howled along with Ning Qingxi. Soon, a group of people were watching as she howled, and the contestants also gathered around, looking down on her behavior.
Before long, Zhang Fuhu came out and saw the three people sitting on the ground pretending to cry. He directed the servant beside him, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and invite them in!"
Strangely, Shao Bao, who had always stayed with Zhang Fuhu, had disappeared, and only Zhang Fuhu came to greet the guests.
Ning Qingxi observed him twice and felt that this arrogant person was probably not only rich, but also powerful.
When it comes to money, Zhang Fuhu, who travels between the capital and the south year-round, has no shortage of money. So what could he possibly need to curry favor with?
It's about power.
They have a lot of influence, at least in the area surrounding the capital city where land is extremely valuable.
Without thinking further, Ning Qingxi followed the people to a corner courtyard, which was probably a guest room, but it was in a remote location, and she could hear the peddler's calls outside.
When they entered the house, the charcoal in the brazier in the center of the room was crackling.
The maid who brought them said, "Master instructed that the young lady may make any requests she needs, but she should not discuss these things in front of guests in the future, as it is not good if word gets out about what happens in the courtyard."
Ning Qingxi thought to herself, "Have I spoken to any other guests these past few days? She must have been talking about that show-off."
After thanking her, Ning Qingxi settled her things and went to the reception room.
There were long tables and benches arranged in two rows running east to west. On one of the tables was a thick stack of paper, complete with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Zhang Fuhu said, "I have no other requirements for my house, just two words: elegant and spacious! The size of the place doesn't matter, just draw it! In ten days, I need a rough drawing. This is the first round of the competition. If half of the ten people pass, they will enter the second round, which will be more detailed, including the location of every tree and every flower. After the twenty-day competition, three people will enter the next round!"
Ning Qingxi understood.
Isn't this just like the client demanding a draft within ten days and detailed drawings within twenty days?
Fortunately, although this client is a rough person, he only has two options: stay or leave. He won't keep making requests for changes.
Ning Qingxi could accept it.
Zhang Fuhu continued, "The third round of competition will last for a month. You are required to draw the pavilions, towers and other structures so that I can see the effect after they are built."
After he finished speaking, the audience picked up their pens and began to draw. Many of them were already famous garden designers in Beijing, and it was no exaggeration to say that their drawings were hard to come by.
However, Ning Qingxi was unaware of these things; when she was lost in thought, she had a habit of holding a pen in her mouth with her canine teeth.
She was thinking.
Zhang Fuhu said that it should be both elegant and spacious, and that the amount of land and money should not be a concern. However, garden construction is nothing more than pavilions, terraces, artificial water features, and artificial mountains.
Ning Qingxi suddenly thought of something.
Zhang Fuhu stood on the stage, watching the person who had brought his whole family to participate in the competition, chewing on a pen for a long time without moving.
He sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, he was just a clueless freeloader, but thankfully we were able to kick him out in ten days.
Suddenly, the one who was about to be kicked out suddenly sprang to life, looking as if he had just had a sudden epiphany, and buried his head in his brushes and began to draw.
Zhang Fuhu couldn't resist his curiosity and went over to take a look.
All Ning Qingxi drew was a crooked, neither square nor round thing.
Zhang Fuhu: "..."
What is he expecting?
Ning Qingxi was completely unaware of this; her mind was now open, and she was very excited.
If we're talking about extravagance, then displaying gold and silver is rather tacky. So how can we appear extravagant?
Ning Qingxi thought of the pool she had seen at noon.
It was the dead of winter, and all the ponds and lakes were covered with thick ice. However, in the Zhang family's courtyard, the pond was still flowing, and the lotus flowers and koi were growing vigorously. Although it was unknown what kind of skilled craftsmen Zhang Fuhu had hired, this one place was enough to show that the family was extremely wealthy.
This is exactly what Ning Qingxi wants.
Northern gardens are often symmetrical in layout, appearing solemn and dignified. Although they are spacious and elegant, they lack originality. Southern gardens, on the other hand, tend to be man-made yet appear naturally formed. The layout of the gardens follows the characteristics of the original terrain as much as possible. Although they are small and exquisite, they have their own unique charm.
More importantly, gardens in the south are more adept at using unusual mountains and rocks.
Ning Qingxi's blueprint unfolded in her mind, as if a completed garden was already in front of her, and she only needed to draw it according to the plan, so her brushstrokes were as if guided by divine inspiration.
After she had roughly sketched out the layout of the garden, she looked up and stretched her neck, only to find that it was already late outside. The sky, as dark as ink, had few stars in sight, and the north wind was howling, bringing snowflakes from who-knows-where.
She stretched and saw that everyone had left the entire living room. The table was empty, except for the boxes next to her with everyone's names on them. The boxes were locked, but none of them had keys except for the one with her name on it.
That's really... way ahead of its time.
She put her drawings in the box, locked it, put the key in her sleeve pocket, and then strolled out the door.
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