"There is a beautiful woman, I never forget her after seeing her. If I don't see her for a day, I miss her like crazy..." Chen Tang recited slowly, his expression unable to tell whether he was happy or angry. "He is really very brave."
"He's quite talented," Yun Hui muttered to himself, "and not much worse than Mr. Yan Gui's poem."
"Brother Yun, do you like Yangui's calligraphy and paintings?" Xiao Huang asked.
"I got a painting by chance recently, and I really admire it," Yun Hui said with admiration in his eyes. He felt that his trip to Yunlai Ke was worthwhile.
Xiao Huang said, "If you like it, I've just got a painting and will send it to you someday."
Yun Hui smiled and declined politely, "No merit, no reward. How can I accept such a valuable gift from you?"
"Then I can only invite you to my house for a tasting," Xiao Huang said with a smile, "you won't refuse that way, right?"
Yun Hui was naturally happy.
But the tacit understanding between the two of them made Chen Tang, who had just received the music score, feel a little unhappy.
This Yu Chen is too smart. Does he think Zi Yu is in his pocket?
"Mr. Yangui's calligraphy and paintings are valuable, and Yuchen is honest, so it's not good to let him spend too much money. I'd rather I buy a few more pieces. It's the same if he comes to me to appreciate them in a few days." Chen Tang said with a smile.
In his words, calligraphy and painting seemed to be things that could only be measured with gold and silver. Yun Hui loved calligraphy and painting, and felt that a work by a master should not be easily insulted. He disliked this point the most, but things were unavoidable in this world. The more famous the artist, the more precious it was.
"No need," Yun Hui refused. "A few paintings by Yun Lai Ke are enough. You don't have to spend money on me. If Jing Chen doesn't like calligraphy and painting, he doesn't have to collect them all."
Making friends with the two of them is one thing, but not bringing trouble to my grandparents' family is another.
He declined politely, but Chen Tang dealt with all kinds of people, and he knew that he didn't like his way of doing things. The noble spirit of scholars was sometimes a little difficult to please.
"Since Ziyu said so, then I won't spend the money." Chen Tang was annoyed, but he didn't let his emotions show on his face.
He sat quietly and concentrated, looking at the hanging scroll in the middle of Yunlaike's shop and the admiring expressions of the people watching. He knew how difficult it was to collect this calligraphy and painting. He would be criticized if he collected a few pieces. But Yunlaike actually hung one in every shop and was even more ostentatious than him. There was probably no one in the world more annoying than the owner of Yunlaike's shop.
Late at night, the three of them said goodbye and left, sending Yun Hui off. Chen Tang was not in high spirits when he got on the carriage. Before he sat down, a servant came running up with a bright lantern and handed it to him: "Mr. Chen, please stay. It's late at night and the road is dark. Please go slowly."
The glass-like lamp was even more gorgeous and beautiful than the one hanging in the building. Chen Tang was stunned at first, but inexplicably felt his mood improve. "Thank you, store owner."
He turned around and entered the carriage without even bothering to pay attention to Xiao Huang. He just looked at the lamp and felt that the depression in his heart was slightly relieved. Regardless of whether it was the musician or the shop owner who sent the lamp, it could be said that they were very considerate.
"Do you know what you look like right now?" Xiao Huang looked at him and said.
Chen Tang finally put the lamp aside, but held it carefully with his hand: "What does it look like?"
"Like a lovely wife coaxed into submission by her husband with gifts." Xiao Huang hit the nail on the head.
Yunlaike is indeed a wonderful place. The paintings are excellent, the music is excellent, and the people are even better. It is so good that Chen Tang has lost some of his composure.
Chen Tang paused, and said with a half-smile, "Yu Chen, are you worried that I'll lose my ambition due to playing around? Since you want that visitor, you have to give each other a chance to interact."
Although he and Xiao Huang always had some disagreements because of Yun Hui, this did not affect their original purpose.
"It's good that Jingchen doesn't forget this ambition," Xiao Huang said.
The carriage stopped at the Shen family's house. Xiao Huang changed carriages and left. The servants came out to greet him: "Master, you are back. Madam was looking for you."
"Oh, this is a beautiful lamp. Where did you get it?"
"Even the palace lanterns are inferior to it."
Chen Tang paused as he entered the room, holding the lantern. He then shoved the lantern into the arms of a servant and told him to hold it securely. "Put this thing in my room and hide it. Don't let anyone..."
"Tang'er is back. What gift did you bring for your mother?" A richly dressed woman walked over from afar. If she hadn't called herself mother, she would have looked like a young woman in her prime who would definitely not have given birth to a son as old as Chentang.
Without waiting for Chen Tang to answer, her eyes fell on the lamp: "Oh, it's really beautiful, and it's not inferior to the glass lamps in the palace. Thank you, Tang'er."
She reached out to take it, but Chen Tang quickly grabbed her wrist: "Mom, Mom...this isn't..."
If it were an ordinary gift, he would be willing to give it any expensive gift, but this lamp always reminds him of the lovesick music, as if it is still ringing in his ears, and he feels very happy when he sees it.
"Nothing?" Madam Shen raised her eyes and looked at him. "Tang'er is grown up now, and you are reluctant to give me even a lamp. I have worked so hard to give birth to you..."
"Mom, this is mine..." Chen Tang gritted his teeth and said, "This is my token of love. I'll find a better one for you someday, okay?"
Mrs. Shen no longer cared about the gift at this time. She took Shen Tang's hand and said, "A token of love? A boy or a girl? Which family's child? If the two of you are in love, it would be better to get engaged as soon as possible."
Chen Tang would use a little more intelligence when dealing with others, but when dealing with his own mother, he could only go along with her: "Mom, did you ask the wrong question?"
"You're asking the wrong question. Since the founding of our dynasty, there has been a tradition of men becoming empresses." Madam Shen glared at him. "If you hadn't been so reluctant to get married, I wouldn't have thought of marrying a man. So tell me, why haven't you married yet?"
Chen Tang was really helpless and lightly kicked the servant who was watching the show from the side: "Go and prepare a bath for this young master quickly, don't just stand here and watch the fun."
After everyone had dispersed, Chen Tang finally spoke: "Mother, even if I marry a man, I still can't give you a grandson."
The men in the Shen family have always been loyal. If they really like someone, they will only marry her as their main wife, without taking concubines or maids. The couple love each other and avoid many troubles of internal fighting in the family.
But when he came to Chentang, he liked to hang out with women as soon as he understood the difference between men and women. He really looked like a playboy. If he had not never married and had no concubines, the Shen family's reputation would have been ruined by him.
If he liked men, the Shen family would not be extinct, but he really had no interest in women. Only when Yun Hui was close to him did he not feel disgusted. But he could not marry Yun Hui. There was still a big gap between the aristocratic family and the merchant family.
Apart from some scandals in his family, Yun Hui can be regarded as a model of a young man from an aristocratic family. He is well-versed in poetry and songs, and has already won the title of Jieyuan. When the time comes for the imperial examination, he is likely to win even the top spot. However, he is a merchant of low status and cannot even take the exam.
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