"It's not that I'm tactless, but I have something to tell you. I haven't seen you all day, and I've come here several times." Seeing that he looked unhappy, Gao Yanei cleverly brought up business.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow." Zhang Shixun didn't want to talk to him anymore, so he pulled Ding Dusai away.
Ding Dusai was holding his hand and wanted to pull it out, but he held it so tightly that he had no choice but to let him do it.
"Hey! Brother, you value women over friends." Gao Yanei complained behind him.
Zhang Shixun didn't even turn his head, but stretched out his middle finger and waved it behind him.
Gao Yanei, who was standing behind him, raised his middle finger and muttered to himself, "What does this mean?"
Zhang Shixun and the other man walked for a while and were about to reach the Zhouqiao intersection. Ding Dusai whispered, "Why are you still holding my hand? Let go quickly."
"Oh!" Zhang Shixun reluctantly let go of her smooth little hand.
The two crossed the Zhou Bridge and followed the bustling crowd towards Nanxunmen, where they found a clean snack stall and sat down.
Ding Dusai ordered two side dishes, two baskets of steamed buns, and a pot of wine for him.
"Sir, I wonder how long it will take you to train in the imperial army?" Ding Dusai poured him a pot of wine.
"At most half a year, at most three months." Zhang Shixun picked up a dish for her.
“It’s been so long!”
"The Imperial Guards haven't trained for a long time... No! They haven't trained at all, so we have to start from scratch, which will naturally take longer."
"Can you leave the barracks during training?"
Zhang Shixun glanced at her and said with a smile, "I'm the chief officer, of course I can leave the barracks."
"What if I need to ask you something?" Ding Dusai pouted.
"You can go find San Gou and ask him to join the Tianwu Army and tell me."
"What if I go directly to the Tianwu Army to find you?"
"I'm afraid it's not appropriate for a woman like you to enter the military camp."
"What if I insist on going in?" Ding Dusai said angrily.
Zhang Shixun thought she was a little strange, but then he thought that this was probably the legendary little temper that is unique to women.
"If you insist on going in, it's fine with me, but I'm afraid the gatekeeper won't let you in. The military camp is a forbidden area for women."
Ding Dusai curled his lips and said, "I'm not going in. It must be stinky in there."
"You're right. It's full of soldiers. It feels like entering a pigpen."
"Sir, I'm really worried about you. How can someone as particular as you endure all this?" Ding Dusai filled his wine glass.
"My first task is to rectify internal affairs. This is also part of the military training. In a few days, the First Army will be transformed into a new look, clean and tidy."
"Asking these soldiers to clean the barracks is probably more difficult than killing them?" Ding Dusai covered his mouth and laughed.
"They're just used to being lazy. I have a way to make them change this bad habit." Zhang Shixun waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's change the subject and talk about your Women's Federation. How far have you progressed so far?"
Speaking of the Women's Federation, Ding Dusai suddenly became excited. "As you said, Sister Li, we've gathered together for several days to discuss and draft a charter. If you think it's feasible, we'll invite prominent women in the capital to hold a meeting and jointly elect the president and vice president of the Women's Federation. The president will then appoint the people in charge of various affairs... However, we've run into a problem."
"What's the problem? Tell me."
"We've got the title of president: 'President of the Women's Federation,' which sounds impressive. But what should we call the people in charge of the affairs?"
"Why is that so difficult? Just call them 'committees'. For example, the person in charge of publicity can be called the publicity committee member; the person in charge of finances can be called the finance committee member... In short, whatever department you establish, you can call them the committee members."
"What if I'm in charge of litigation? I can't be the litigation committee member, right?"
"This is even simpler. It's called the Judicial Committee, or the Legal Affairs Committee."
Ding Dusai looked at him with admiration and said, "Sir, how come you know everything?"
Zhang Shixun raised his head proudly: "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm naturally smart."
"Tsk tsk! You're so shameless bragging about yourself."
Zhang Shixun chuckled and asked her, "Organizing a Women's Federation will definitely cost money. How are we going to find the funding?"
Dingdu Track: "A few of us will put some money in first. After the federation is established, anyone who joins will have to pay a fee."
"That's not good!" Zhang Shixun shook his head and said, "The Women's Federation is a public welfare organization. If they charge a fee, it would be a bit utilitarian and go against the original purpose of the federation."
Ding Dusai blinked and asked, "What do you think we should do? We can't ask the court for help, right?"
"If you are right, we should ask the court for it."
"Ah! Are you dreaming? Those ministers and princes in the court are all as stingy as a rooster. How could they give us money?"
Zhang Shixun smiled mysteriously and said, "This Women's Federation is for the benefit of all women and children in the Song Dynasty. Of course, the court will pay for it. However..."
"But what?" Ding Dusai asked anxiously.
"When the Women's Federation was first established, the imperial court had no idea what it was about and certainly wouldn't provide any funding. Only if you carry out your activities and gain recognition will they be able to provide funding. Therefore, for now, you will have to support yourself. First, you will contribute a portion of the funds. Once the federation is established, you can carry out charitable activities while soliciting donations from wealthy merchants and officials."
"That's a good idea." Ding Dusai's face flushed with joy, and he stood up and was about to leave.
Zhang Shixun grabbed her and said, "Where are you going? We haven't finished our meal yet."
"I'll go find Sister Li and tell her exactly what you just said. She's been so worried about this these past few days that she can't even eat."
Of course, Zhang Shixun would not let Ding Dusai leave immediately. He forced her to finish her meal and then sent her to Li Shishi's door.
"Sir, aren't you going in?" Ding Dusai asked him standing at the door.
"I won't go in. Please say hello to Madam Shishi for me."
"Well! The weather is getting colder, sir, please take care of your health in the barracks."
"I'll be paying attention, and so will you."
The two men gave each other some advice, then said goodbye, and Zhang Shixun turned and left.
When he arrived home, Gao Yanei was sitting in the living room with his legs crossed, drinking tea.
Seeing Zhang Shixun come back, he looked impatient: "Oh! You're willing to come back? I've been wondering, you and Madam Ding have known each other for a long time, and you've been so affectionate every day, like they're all honey. I wonder when you're going to marry her home?"
"Yanei! You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. We're just having a meal together, why are you thinking about marriage?"
"She's a beauty renowned throughout Beijing. So many people want to talk to her, but they can't. As for having a meal together, forget it. If she had no feelings for you, would she go to the night market with you hand in hand? Dream on...Brother, you'd better strike while the iron is hot, or make it a done deal and marry her home, so you don't end up getting her in trouble and letting someone else get there first."
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