Chapter 87: Xiaoman will wait for the right opportunity to come and propose marriage.
Zhou Er's eyes flickered across Lu Qingyan's face several times. Lu Qingyan raised his eyelids and glanced at him. Zhou Er said nothing in the end. He picked up the bowl and ate the white rice in a few gulps. He said to Lu Qingyan, "It's getting late. I think it's time to leave."
Chen Huisheng hadn't finished chatting yet, so he hurriedly asked, "Would you like to stay a little longer?"
Lu Qingyan replied, "It's time to go. I came in a hurry and haven't found a place to stay yet..."
Zhang Yixin heard it and murmured, "Don't stay in a place that's too expensive. I can't afford it, and I'll need money for travel next year..."
Lin Meizhu heard the regret and reluctance in Chen Huisheng's words and said, "We have a spare room at home. If you don't mind, you can stay here tonight."
Lu Qingyan seemed to hesitate and asked, "So? Will it cause trouble for Eleventh Lady?"
Lin Meizhu said, "What's the big deal? The house is already tidied. I'll ask Aunt Zhang to bring some new bedding. My grandfather's leg injury has recurred, so he won't be able to run around for the next two days. He needs someone to talk to. I'd like to thank you for staying."
Lu Qingyan thanked him and said, "It would be disrespectful to refuse."
Zhou Er heard rustling sounds coming from the vegetable garden to one side. He glanced over and saw that Lu Qingyan had already reached an agreement. Then he heard Lin Meizhu ask, "Brother Zhou Er, Brother Lu, how many days will you stay in Jiangling this time?"
Lu Qingyan replied: "About two or three days."
Zhou Er changed his words when they were on the tip of his tongue, "It will be the 2nd or 3rd for me too."
Lu Qingyan glanced at Zhou Er, half-smiling. Zhou Er grinned and said, "Whenever Brother Lu leaves, I'll leave."
Chen Huisheng smiled and said, "Even if you are working in the neighboring county, it doesn't matter if you want to come over anytime."
Zhou Liangnian did not rank high in the palace examination, and as per custom, he was sent out to serve as an official after observing government affairs in the capital. He then took over the post of magistrate of the nearby Shishou County.
Tuesday heard: "That's right, that's right. Don't look down on me when the time comes."
The night wind blew, and Lu Qingyan put his fist to his lips and coughed twice. Seeing Lin Meizhu's concerned look, he said, "It's okay, I just caught a cold a few days ago, but I'm almost well now."
Lin Meizhu seemed lost in thought. Just as she was about to ask Aunt Zhang to take him back to his room, she suddenly heard him cough twice. He said, "Brother Lu will have to travel a lot tomorrow. You might as well rest in Chuqi's room for the next two days. That wing room is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, which is suitable for rest and recuperation."
Lu Qingyan uttered a soft "ah" and waved his hand to decline, "Wouldn't that be a bad idea?"
Chen Huisheng said: "It's okay, it's okay. Chuqi won't mind. If he knew that we didn't entertain him well, he would be unhappy!"
Lin Meizhu nodded and looked at the man and dog sitting in the corridor. She couldn't help laughing. "It seems they still have a lot to talk about. I'll take you back to your room first."
Lu Qingyan looked at the person with a smile on his face, and his heart skipped a beat.
Tuesday found Xiaoman digging vegetables and catching crickets in the courtyard and said, "Xiaoman, Xiaoman, look, there's a stupid bird in the sky."
Xiaoman raised her head and looked in the direction of his finger. "Where? Where? Why can't I see it?"
Zhou Er picked up a small stone and threw it toward the other end of the corridor. The stone hit the eaves with a clang. Zhou Er clapped his hands and exclaimed, "What a bad dove!"
Lu Qingyan came back to his senses, his face burning after being pointed out by Zhou Er. For a moment he couldn't remember what Lin Meiju had just said, but the night was like water, and the faint fragrance in the air quickly soothed the irritability in his heart.
The shadows of bamboos in the corridor fell on the ground, staggered and orderly. The carved columns were unique and elegant. The furnishings in the room were also very pleasing to his eyes. He had an illusion that he had been here before, that he was very familiar with it. He felt that this house and this bedroom seemed to be tailor-made for him, as if he was destined to be the man here.
"Tell me, with Lord Lu's family background, character, and appearance, why hasn't he married yet?"
After Lu Qingyan and his companions left, the house suddenly became quiet again. Aunt Zhang was still a little uncomfortable with the situation, so she chatted with Lin Meiju about family matters while preparing meals.
Lu Fei'er had told Lin Meiju about this.
"He had talked about a marriage before, but the girl fell ill and died before she got married. Lord Lu took pity on her difficult life, and although they didn't get married, he still kept her company for a year according to the etiquette." Lin Meiju didn't know why there was no more marriage talk later.
"Oh, Lord Lu is still a passionate man." Aunt Zhang looked at Lin Meizhu and said, "Men like him are rare."
Lin Meiju smiled and didn't respond.
Chen Huisheng sat on a wooden bench in the courtyard, playing with a cicada and saying, "Lu Zhao is about to get married."
Zhang Lin and the other man stopped picking the leaves and asked, "How did you know?"
Chen Huisheng was a little proud and said, "He told me that day when you were not there. He said that he had a girl he liked, but her family had some changes some time ago, so he couldn't express his feelings rashly. He would come to propose marriage when he found the right opportunity."
Aunt Zhang was very excited. She threw the good leaves on the ground and looked at Lin Meizhu and said, "Really?! Lord Lu is really a good person, right, Eleventh Lady?"
Lin Meiju silently picked up the vegetable leaves and put them back into the basket, nodding: "Yes, Lord Lu is a very good person." Just based on the care he showed Chuqi when he was in Beijing, she would remember his kindness for the rest of her life.
Aunt Zhang heard her tone, exchanged glances with Chen Huisheng, and then said, "I think Zhou Er is quite good. He's steady, humorous, open-minded, and motivated. He's a good person too! Shiyi Niang, what do you think?"
Lin Meizhu thought of Zhou Er's somewhat plump figure and smiled, "He is steady. Brother Zhou Er is also very good."
That's like flirting with a blind man! Chen Huisheng threw the ball of string into the distance, and two dogs, a cat, and a man all pounced.
Chen Huisheng had his own selfish motives. He felt that no one would dare to joke about the emperor's affairs. The imperial decree granting marriage must not be groundless. Now Chuqi has refused it under the pretext of mourning. Who knows what will happen in the future? If Lin Meizhu only has brotherly and sisterly feelings for Chuqi, then she might as well consider other young talents as soon as possible. He is old and will leave sooner or later. What will Lin Meizhu do after he leaves? He doesn't ask for much. As long as the man treats Lin Meizhu well, can be of use at critical moments, can handle things, and can marry into his family, that would be the best. It is difficult for women to walk at this time after all. He still wants her to have someone to rely on, so that she doesn't have to hold on alone. It is better for two people to discuss and discuss things than for one person to fight alone.
She is like this now, all because of one person!
Aunt Zhang followed Chen Huisheng's instructions and stopped talking when she saw how depressed and angry he was.
Xiaoman ran the fastest and grabbed the ball first, shouting, "Brother Zhou Er is really good. He can really catch crickets. He even taught me how to catch them! So gently..." Xiaoman moved her palm to the cicada's head, slightly bent her fingers into an upside-down bowl, and then decisively and quickly snapped it downwards, closing her hands and lifting them upwards. "Just like that, I can get a cricket!"
Lin Meizhu looked at the throbbing cricket cat in Xiaoman's hands and said with a smile, "If you bother it again, it will bring mice into your room tonight."
Xiaoman listened for a while, leaning against the cicada's round belly, and silently counted five numbers. Then he looked at the crickets in the bamboo tube and asked, "Where is the east?"
Lin Meizhu said: "The place where the sun rises is in the east. Why are you asking this?"
Xiaoman said, "I asked Brother Zhou Er if he was the Cricket Fairy. He said no, he was the Sesame Master. He has a sesame field in the east where there are many crickets. Tomorrow I will wait until the cicadas have laid their young and I will give one to Brother Zhou Er."
Aunt Zhang was washing rice when she heard Xiaoman talk about Zhou Liangnian every three sentences. She frowned and said, "Mr. Zhou is the county magistrate. How can he have time to play with a girl like you? Don't say such things again."
Xiaoman was puzzled: "Why? He clearly said yes that day."
Aunt Zhang said in a stern tone, "No means no! There's no reason!"
Xiaoman pouted and shouted, "I like Brother Zhou Er! I want to play with Brother Zhou Er!"
Aunt Zhang nearly dropped the pot. "You!" she cried, hastily walking out of the kitchen. "You can never say these things to anyone!"
Xiaoman asked again: "Why? I just like him! I have to say it! I like Brother Zhou Er! I like Brother Zhou Er! I like Brother Zhou Er!"
Xiaoman ran and shouted, and Aunt Zhang couldn't catch up with her. She was so angry that she couldn't breathe. Seeing her daughter's ignorant and stubborn look, she choked twice and wiped away her tears.
Xiaoman felt wronged when she saw others crying, and she was also a little scared and uneasy. She didn't know why her mother would suddenly burst into tears from time to time, but she knew it had something to do with her.
Lin Meizhu leaned over, hugged Xiaoman, held her face in her hands so that she could look at her, and asked, "Xiaoman, if it was Lord Lu who accompanied you to catch crickets, would you like him?"
Xiaoman nodded truthfully. Lin Meizhu then asked, "What if it's the brother who wants to become sworn brothers with Dahuang?"
Xiaoman burst into laughter and nodded again.
Lin Meizhu said, "So you like people catching crickets with you, you like people playing with you, and you say 'like' to express your gratitude."
Xiaoman said: "Yes, that's it!"
Lin Meizhu patted her head and said, "That's easy. You can just say 'thank you for playing with me'. That way, the other person will clearly know your gratitude."
Xiaoman thought about it and agreed, "That's even better! I'll tell Brother Zhou Er the same next time! And Brother Huzi and Brother Zhuzi!" He put his arm around Lin Meizhu's face and said, "And you! Thank you for playing with me, reading to me, and treating me..."
Aunt Zhang cried even harder, and ran back to the kitchen, washing vegetables and burning firewood with tears and snot. Over the past six months, Aunt Zhang has always been grateful to God for allowing her and her son to meet Lin Meizhu.
Lin Meizhu persisted in giving Xiaoman medication and acupuncture. At first, Xiaoman could only speak simple sentences and couldn't understand other people's emotions. Lin Meizhu taught and explained things time and again, letting her unleash her true nature, letting her play and make noises. Aunt Zhang never dared to bring Xiaoman out to see anyone, initially fearing it might cause trouble. But gradually, she noticed that Xiaoman was getting better and was able to control her emotions.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Xiaoman running out. Aunt Zhang immediately moved, and Lin Meizhu gave her a soothing look, "I'll watch her."
Xiaoman came to the corner of the alley by the side door, kept looking around and said, "Strange, why isn't Xiaoxiaohei here?"
Lin Meizhu sat on the steps, playing with a few kittens, and asked, "Who is Xiao Xiao Hei?"
Xiaoman said, "It's that little black dog that loves to eat, with fur the same color as ink..."
Lin Meiju was about to make a joke when she heard the sound of horses galloping coming from the main street. The smile on her face suddenly disappeared. She stood up and pulled Xiaoman to hide in the shadow of the low wall. She didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the sound of horses' hooves completely disappeared.
Xiaoman noticed her nervousness and asked quietly, "Who are those people?"
Lin Meizhu replied, "They...they are bandits."
Xiaoman asked, "What are bandits?"
Lin Meizhu said, "They are very bad and vicious people. They are unreasonable and will beat and kill people..."
Xiaoman shuddered and asked, "Then why don't the police come to arrest them?"
Lin Meizhu sighed inwardly. She found it difficult to explain the issue clearly. The people who had just passed by were indeed bandits, but they were not entering the county town to rob. Instead, they were there to "protect" the people. These people came from various gangs and demanded "settlement fees" from each household, saying that if they paid the money, they would become their family. If they got into trouble, they could shout out the name of the gang to avoid being robbed.
She didn't know whether they could provide shelter, but Lin Meizhu knew that with so many mountains under her control, if she had to pay a monthly fee to each gang, she would go bankrupt sooner or later.
The houses on the two streets in front and behind Lin Meizhu are all hung with signs indicating their affiliation with various gangs. Fortunately, no one has come to her house to demand money, but she doesn't know how long this situation can last, so she can only ask her family to go out as little as possible.
Because Chen Huisheng's leg disease has recurred in recent days, Lin Meizhu is afraid that he will be idle and have wild thoughts, and is also afraid that the thieves wandering around the county will cause trouble, so she closes the market early every day.
I had just returned home when I suddenly heard the sound of gongs outside the door. The gongs sounded continuously, with a pause after every three beats. Soon, rapid drum beats and urging shouts rang out.
Chen Huisheng's face changed drastically. He jumped up from his chair and said, "Quick! Go and block the door!"
Aunt Zhang hurried out from the back hall and shouted, "Hey! I'll go to the side door!"
Lin Meizhu bolted the front doors tightly, turned around and glanced around the yard. Not seeing the person she was looking for, her breathing quickened as she called out, "Xiao Man? Xiao Man!"
Aunt Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and she also screamed at the top of her lungs. Several people immediately started searching frantically in the house. Aunt Zhang's voice was no longer able to hide her tears, "Xiao Man? Xiao Man? Don't scare me! Xiao Man, come out quickly!"
The sound of gongs outside the door, indicating the invasion and looting of bandits, became more and more intense. Fires blazed in the sky. Several people in the yard realized a terrible fact and their faces turned pale.
Xiaoman is still outside.
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