Chapter 20 Chapter 20 The pure friendship between friends has since changed its nature [……
Zhang Jingxuan looked very relaxed, not like he was crazy. Xue Yuanyin first suspected that he was hallucinating and shouted dully:
"Zhang, Zhang Jingxuan?"
Zhang Jingxuan said with some amusement: "Why?"
Xue Yuanyin's pupils were still filled with astonishment. Before she could retract the emotion that had just erupted, she said in disbelief:
"Do you know what you're doing?"
Zhang Jingxuan nodded lazily: "I know."
After a pause, he stared into her eyes and said, "Now it's my turn to ask you. Why do you keep coming up to me and provoking me in various ways? Is it just because you hate me? But if you really hate me as much as you appear to, shouldn't you be trying to avoid me?"
His tone was very intimate, just like the intimacy they had when they were children, and he whispered to her, "Qiaoqiao, you always pay attention to me and want to be close to me...why?"
Xue Yuanyin listened to his whispers, but she couldn't hear them at all. Her head was blank and buzzing. She covered her lips and said "you" for a long time, but there was no "you" to follow up.
Zhang Jingxuan quickly regained his usual gentleness, as if the harshness just now was an illusion. In her astonished eyes, he casually replied:
"You don't have to say anything more. I know what you're up to. I'll let you take advantage of me. Is that all right?"
Xue Yuanyin:?
Is this okay? What does it mean? What exactly is going on?
So she had just been forced to kiss him, kissing her former half-brother and childhood sweetheart, now her mortal enemy whom she desperately wanted to eliminate... Was that so? Was it true?!
Xue Yuanyin finally regained consciousness after her trance. She jumped off her horse in shock, completely losing her composure. She pointed at Zhang Jingxuan's calm face and nearly collapsed!
"Zhang Jing Xuan! You shameless, despicable, scoundrel! How dare you steal my first kiss!"
Ahhhh!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Xue Yuanyin's cheeks were as hot as if they had been doused with boiling water. It wasn't because she was embarrassed, but because she was mad at him!
How dare Zhang Jingxuan? How dare he!
Where is justice!
It's the most ridiculous thing in the world!
How absurd! How absurd!
Xue Yuanyin felt dirty all over and wiped his mouth hard, as if he was going to rub the skin off.
But what happened at that moment was so impressive that the scene was like a brand in her mind, and the soft touch kept replaying in her mind.
Ahhh, Xue Yuanyin felt like she was about to explode!
Zhang Jingxuan frowned slightly at her many reactions, which were beyond his expectations. His deductions were usually accurate, so perhaps there was something he hadn't guessed.
He observed the subtle changes in her expression and murmured, "Don't you realize it yourself?"
Xue Yuanyin's ears were very sharp this time. He wiped his mouth and glared at him fiercely:
"Realized what? Are you saying that I have feelings for you?"
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Isn't that possible? It can't be that I have feelings for you and force you to take advantage of me?"
Xue Yuanyin felt like she had heard the funniest joke ever and laughed out loud, "Ha!"
"I'm telling you, we've broken up. I hate you so much! I, Xue Yuanyin, challenged you, Zhang Jingxuan, because I see you as my only rival, not because all the women in the Great Zhou Dynasty have to admire you! Don't be so narcissistic!"
Zhang Jingxuan's mind had calmed down. He looked at her quietly for a while, then retracted his gaze and said:
"Okay, then just think of it as me being narcissistic."
He suddenly changed the subject, making Xue Yuanyin feel suffocated as if she hadn't yet had the energy to argue. She had never felt so humiliated in her life, and if she didn't vent, she felt she would be pissed to death tonight.
If such an absurd and bizarre thing were to be left unexplained, she would not be able to sleep in peace at night!
"Stop!" Xue Yuanyin stared at his back with a stubborn look in her eyes and said, "Zhang Qu, I want to make a bet with you!!!"
Zhang Jingxuan sat upright on his horse, looking sideways slowly, and said:
"What bet?"
Xue Yuanyin snorted softly: "You said I have feelings for you, I am too lazy to argue with you, but if I say that you have feelings for me, what will you say?"
Zhang Jingxuan scoffed and said, "Nonsense."
Xue Yuanyin stared at him intently with her dark eyes. She was thin, though not overweight from her martial arts training. Her arms were slender and translucent. She wore coarse clothes and a bun, but she was more lively than usual, as if a soul had been reborn within a shell. She looked particularly lively and lively.
She stared at him intently and said, "Then I'll make a bet with you. If one of us falls in love, will it be me who falls in love with you first, or you who falls in love with me first?"
At this moment, Zhang Jingxuan finally began to face up to her strange emotions and the proposed bet. His slightly gloomy eyes fell on her without blinking, as if he wanted to see through her.
The girl stood there coquettishly, raised her chin slightly, smiled provocatively at him, and said:
"Zhang Qu, I bet you lose!"
-
The follow-up of the hunting was that the two of them searched silently for the black horse all over the sky and earth for a long time that night. Finally, they were lucky enough to find it running away and coming to the foot of the mountain to eat grass.
The stables are closed. The two horses are temporarily tied at the foot of the mountain and will be brought back tomorrow morning. If you can return them in time before the first hour of the morning, you won't have to pay the penalty.
By the time we returned to the yard and hid the wolf skins in the sack, it was almost midnight.
Xue Yuanyin had only eaten a piece of bread at noon. She was already starving, and she didn't care what Zhang Jingxuan was doing. She went to the stove to heat up the dinner that Grandma Chen had prepared for her. She only felt better after eating a large bowl of it.
Zhang Jingxuan also filled a bowl and sat aside, acting as if nothing had happened, slowly and leisurely beginning to eat. Judging only by his appearance, he looked like a handsome gentleman drinking alone under the moon.
In the past, Xue Yuanyin would have definitely muttered "pretending", but tonight she was very upset and inexplicably didn't want to face him, so she didn't even look at him, picked up the bowl and got up to leave.
She didn't say a word. Zhang Jingxuan glanced at her calmly, then lowered his head to pick at the food in his bowl that didn't suit his taste, and didn't seem to intend to talk to her.
Xue Yuanyin snorted coldly, went straight back to the house and slammed the door.
After hearing the door closing and waiting for silence in the room, Zhang Jingxuan stopped sitting at the table to eat the unpalatable dinner. He put down his chopsticks expressionlessly, picked up his bowl, and left.
Xue Yuanyin listened to the noise, waited until he was far away, walked out, and closed the door of the main room.
In the past, because the desk was in the outer hall of the main house, she would always leave the main house door open and only close the inner room where she slept. But after what happened that night, the two of them had formed an irreconcilable feud, and she didn't need to give him any more convenience.
Well, that's it.
Xue Yuanyin thought about it over and over again, lying on the bed, closing her eyes and covering her heart, feeling the rapid beating of her heart.
She didn't want to admit that the man she had treated as her own brother since childhood had now irreversibly changed the nature of their relationship from pure friendship to pure rivalry because of a sudden bet...
Never go back to the past.
…
With the wolf skin, Xue Yuanyin got busy.
Except for the lunch break, when she practiced her painting in anger and vowed to trample Zhang Jingxuan under her feet and laugh at him in the future, she spent the rest of her time running outside to inquire about the news of the caravan.
Zhang Jingxuan also had to paint for the bookshop to earn money to supplement the family income, and often had no time to take care of other things. Xue Yuanyin simply bought a men's cloth suit, tied his hair into a bun, and walked around pretending to be a teenager. He successfully came into contact with the small leader of one of the larger caravans.
The caravan usually visited several places. The small leader was called Lin Qing. He was in charge of the trade between Qingxi Town and a nearby town, and was also responsible for collecting good spoils.
A whole wolf skin was too heavy, so Xue Yuanyin simply rented a donkey cart to pull the sack over and started chatting: "Brother Lin, I have some good stuff here, it's the fur of wild animals, would you like to buy it?"
Lin Qing said he wanted to see the goods, so he pulled it into the backyard and opened the sack. He clicked his tongue twice, praised the complete skin, and immediately nodded and said he wanted it.
Xue Yuanyin smiled. Her purpose was certainly not to sell wolf skins, but to make contact first. So she haggled over the price with this person for several days, and after being polite for a while, she began to inquire about the matter.
"I heard the caravan made a lot of profit. What's the name of that mine? Brother Lin, you guys must have a lot of good stuff, right?"
Lin Qing uttered an "awful" sound and said in a low voice:
"How could we possibly have so much good stuff coming our way? The mine wasn't sold to us. It was dug by the government. They use the mine to trade with other remote places for rare goods we don't have here. The government exchanges the rare goods for us and then asks us to sell them to other places. We can just make a little profit in the process."
After saying this, he remembered something and hissed, "Don't talk nonsense, the prize we get is not much, if it's divided up by others, there will be nothing for us, and we have to make money too."
The Zhou Dynasty generally prohibited officials from cooperating with caravans in trade in order to prevent them from abusing their power for personal gain.
However, officials indirectly "delegating" or letting their staff contact the caravans is a subtle method that is not within the scope of the law and is feasible. Many officials do this and can make some profits.
It sounds like the government of Quanyang County also does this, exchanging mountain minerals for rare items, and then entrusting caravans to sell the rare items for silver.
Xue Yuanyin smelled something unusual and frowned.
This doubled profit is not caused by the caravan, but has something to do with the government?
When she asked Lin Qing what the rare goods were, Lin Qing didn't know either.
He was just a small leader in charge of two towns. This secret of making money could only be known by the person in charge of the caravan.
Xue Yuanyin didn't find out anything else. He took the seven hundred coins from selling the wolf skin, said goodbye to Lin Qing, and returned to the yard with a frown on his face.
Granny Chen was still preparing lunch. She sat in the house for a stick of incense, feeling as if her butt was stuck to nails. Finally, she came out and sat at the table, waiting for Zhang Jingxuan to come back from work in the bookstore.
They hadn't seen each other much during this period of time because they were busy with their own things. They even had breakfast, lunch and dinner separately, which resulted in no follow-up progress after the bet was made.
But the caravan was serious business, and even if she had fallen out with him, she couldn't keep avoiding him and not see him, as it would make her seem guilty.
Moreover, it was clearly his fault in this matter! She was just taking revenge on him!
Thinking of this, Xue Yuanyin felt relieved.
When Zhang Jingxuan returned home at noon, Xue Yuanyin bolted the door of the main room and told him everything. As expected, Zhang Jingxuan's brows furrowed slightly.
Unlike Xue Yuanyin, he had been in officialdom for several years. As the prince's aide, he had seen all kinds of plots. When he heard about this matter, he realized that there might be some clues.
Although Xue Yuanyin hated him so much that she didn't want to show him any face, she had to admit that compared to her, Zhang Jingxuan was undoubtedly more perceptive and resourceful.
She ignored the embarrassment and discomfort in her heart and said seriously, "What should we do next?"
Zhang Jingxuan said succinctly:
"Go into the county and spy on the government." He paused and said, "I'm afraid this matter involves quite a lot."
Xue Yuanyin was stunned. "Go into the county? What about Qin Fang and the others? We haven't heard from each other yet, so there's no way we can meet."
The emperor did not want to alert the local officials, so he initially planned to play the long game. If the emperor sent someone here, they would have to obtain a warrant first and then sneak into the city among the people if they wanted to avoid being exposed.
Unfortunately, the checkpoints are strictly checked at this time, and they are afraid that they will not be able to get in and will have to wait for an opportunity in the future.
Therefore, the only ones who can help at the moment are Qin Fang and others who are currently in some unknown corner.
Zhang Jingxuan did not answer, but lowered his eyes to think, and whispered:
"I hope my suspicion is not wrong."
If it was really as he suspected, the two of them would probably not be able to leave this area in the near future.
-
They agreed that they would go to the county town after Zhang Jingxuan received his salary for this month, so a lot of preparations had to be done in advance.
The first thing they did was to leave the city and pass through the wooden sign they had picked up when they first arrived.
The wooden plaque has expired, so you need to go to the neighborhood official to get your household registration and purchase a new plaque, and you also need your neighbor to act as a guarantor.
Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan couldn't produce their household registrations, so they couldn't get one. Without a residence permit, they couldn't move forward, and they were at a loss.
Xue Yuanyin took the opportunity to think, calmly assessing Zhang Jingxuan. His demeanor remained calm, not at all as uneasy as she had been. Xue Yuanyin's desire to escape faded, and she quickly became inexplicably irritated.
Why is he always so at ease? Why does he always seem to be sitting on top?
He didn't worry about it like she did, which made her very unhappy.
Xue Yuanyin couldn't help wanting to do something to retaliate against him.
She stared at his handsome face.
The face that is praised as the most handsome in the capital is naturally very good-looking. Even though his expression is indifferent, it is still very eye-catching.
Especially his eyebrows and lip shape, which are simply too superior.
Xue Yuanyin suddenly felt that she was forced to kiss him, and she didn't know who was at the disadvantage.
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly raised his eyes to look at her and said, "Xue Yuanyin, you are looking at me."
He did not use a question, but a decisive statement, which immediately brought Xue Yuanyin's thoughts back to who knows where they were drifting.
Meeting his clear, calm eyes, her heart skipped a beat. She felt inexplicably guilty and forced herself to change the subject:
"I was wondering, can you imitate it? Or should we make a fake one?"
Zhang Jingxuan looked at her for a few seconds. Just when Xue Yuanyin thought he would ask more questions, he unexpectedly changed the subject and shook his head and said:
"Being a fake one carries the risk of being exposed. It's also incredibly rare to be lucky enough to find a wooden sign that hasn't been cancelled like last time. If you really can't find a way to get one, you might as well go deeper into the mountains and take a detour."
Xue Yuanyin breathed a sigh of relief calmly, and reflected secretly: Why did I suddenly feel lustful towards Zhang Jingxuan?
I'm really confused!
Back on track, she thought for a moment and couldn't help but retort:
"You make a lot of sense, but have you ever thought about how many wild animals we'd encounter along the way if we had to walk into the mountains and then take a detour to the county town without horses? And how far would we have to go?"
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyes and glanced at her, then said in a relaxed and natural tone:
"Of course not on foot. We can rent horses and not return them. Riding horses into the mountains can scare off wild animals and save time."
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
What was that look? Disdain?
Besides, if you borrow money and don't return it, isn't that robbery?
Is this something a decent man would say?
Xue Yuanyin said, "What if the road down the mountain doesn't lead to the city, but leads outside the city? If we want to enter the city, won't we still have to find a way to spoof the inspection at the county checkpoint?"
This statement is indeed very reasonable. Zhang Jingxuan pondered for a moment and said:
"Let's discuss this later. It'll take me more than half a month to get paid, so I have plenty of time."
Xue Yuanyin nodded. This was the only way now.
The two of them had no more words to talk about and finished their lunch calmly.
Xue Yuanyin suppressed the urge to do something to him, glanced at his tall and slender figure calmly, and then left first.
In the afternoon, Zhang Jingxuan went to paint again. Xue Yuanyin was inspired by recent events and took a bow and arrow and went to the mountain on foot, intending to hunt some small wild animals and sell them to the caravan.
Although small wild animals sell for less money, they are easier to hunt. Besides, she also wants to ask the hunters in the mountains which way to get to the county town, and ask them to point them in the right direction so that they don't have to grope in the dark when the time comes.
Thinking of this, Xue Yuanyin became resentful towards Zhang Jingxuan again.
A scholar is useless! Now she has to do all the work, what use is he!
However, Xue Yuanyin had no idea that the subsequent plan was forced to be suspended due to an accident.
Because she met a rough and savage Qin Fang on the top of the mountain who wanted to steal her prey.
…
Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan, who were penniless, rarely went out to eat. In the private room of Fengle Building, the five of them finally got together.
Zhang Zimo, with his messy hair, hugged Zhang Jingxuan's arm like a young wife, crying bitterly:
"Cousin! Cousin, you don't know what we've been through! You don't know how turbulent our lives have been!"
Zhang Jingxuan pulled out his sleeve with some disdain, wiped the tears from his head, and said lightly:
"I don't want to know what kind of life you've been through. I only know that if you get my sleeves dirty, I'll throw you out."
Zhang Zimo quickly wiped away his tears, straightened his appearance, and then realized it later and felt a little embarrassed, explaining:
"The main reason is that the three of us have been wandering around for too long, and we thought we would never find you."
Xue Yuanyin looked at the three people in front of her who were tidying up their clothes.
It must be said that although she and Zhang Jingxuan were also wearing coarse cloth clothes, they were at least clean and tidy. The three people in front of her had messy hair, vicissitudes of life in their eyes, messy clothes, and mud on the soles of their shoes, as if they had been humiliated somewhere.
The three of them had gained weight on their faces, not looking like they couldn't afford to eat. Xue Yuanyin was confused and asked:
"Why do you look..."
After a while, she finally found a suitable adjective and said after weighing it:
"Living both poor and rich?"
Zhang Zimo was about to burst into tears when he heard this. He took off a bundle from his back and placed it on the table. Xue Yuanyin only then saw him carrying the bundle. Her eyes widened for a moment and she said:
"We are all stranded in a foreign land, why do you have a bag?"
Zhang Zimo opened the bundle and explained:
"Do you remember that Brother Shen and I were looking for my cousin when we bumped into each other on the carriage? We were actually there to discuss matters concerning Quanyang County, but we couldn't discuss it openly, so we found an excuse to discuss academic matters with my cousin. So, we pretended to bring a bunch of literary things. Then, when my cousin left and you were acting so sneaky, I didn't have time to put down my bag before I chased after him. Now that I think about it, I'm glad I brought the bag, otherwise I really would have been stranded in the mountains!"
Following his introduction, Xue Yuanyin looked at the contents of the bundle. It was rich and colorful, with all kinds of strange things - a map, two thin books, a few pens, a stack of paper, and even several folding fans and a flute.
It can be said that he dabbled in all aspects of literature, calligraphy, rituals and music.
The waiter knocked on the door and brought the delicacies to the table. Qin Fang was starving and didn't want to listen to Zhang Zimo's rambling anymore. He reported to Zhang Jingxuan very concisely:
"To make a long story short, after we got rid of that group of people, we found ourselves separated from you and wandered in the wild mountains and ridges, and we didn't know where we were. Because the emperor had previously instructed us to keep a low profile, we didn't show up in public. We stopped at restaurants along the way. When we had no money, we sold books and pens. The most valuable thing was the large folding fans made by Zhang Jingxuan in his bag. But we didn't dare to live a comfortable life every day, for fear of being discovered, so sometimes we would hide in the mountains for a few days. We happened to reach Qingxi Town, but didn't know how to get into the town, so we went hunting in the mountains and happened to run into Xue Ling."
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
No wonder he looks poor but has gained weight. It turns out that he eats well.
Zhang Jingxuan nodded and said, "I see."
The five of them sat down to dine together. Regardless of whether they knew each other well or not, they all felt a long-lost sense of relaxation.
Zhang Zimo didn't seem talkative before, but during this meal Xue Yuanyin discovered that he was a chatterbox. Not satisfied with asking about their experiences, he also kept asking about other things in a roundabout way, saying things that Xue Yuanyin couldn't understand.
for example--
"Xue Ling, wouldn't it be inconvenient for you to live together?"
"Cousin, do you still quarrel with Xue Ling every day? Has your relationship improved?"
"Xue Ling, what do you think of my cousin?"
"Cousin, what do you think of Xue Ling?"
Xue Yuanyin saw that Zhang Zimo was trying to exchange glances with Chen Su next to him from time to time, even though the other person ignored him.
she:"……"
No, what had happened to them? Was it inevitable that something would happen between her and Zhang Jingxuan?!
Thinking of this, Xue Yuanyin recalled the kiss on the cheek that night, and immediately lost the appetite for all the delicacies on the table. Seeing Zhang Jingxuan eating calmly and with a good appetite beside him, she immediately became furious.
When she saw him feeling comfortable, she felt uncomfortable all over!
Seeing the bean sprouts that Zhang Jingxuan had set aside and not eaten, Xue Yuanyin suddenly had an idea. She smiled and put a handful of bean sprouts on his plate, saying:
"You've worked so hard to earn money for our family these days. I'm not unsympathetic, but since we're having a rare little gathering today, please eat more."
These words sounded strange. Zhang Jingxuan paused and glanced at her. He knew what she was planning.
Xue Yuanyin narrowed his eyes and smiled triumphantly, with cunning creeping into the corners of his eyes, like a bad cat that had been successfully doing evil at home.
Zhang Jingxuan looked at the rice that was covered with the smell of bean sprouts. Suddenly, he turned his wooden chopsticks, picked up a piece of red radish and placed it on her bowl, and said softly:
"Red radish is also very nutritious. You should eat more."
Xue Yuanyin's face turned green when she saw the red radish. She really couldn't stand the strange smell of radish! But she didn't want to show her weakness, as if she was not as comfortable as Zhang Jingxuan, so she gritted her teeth and sneered:
"Great! You're so nice to me!"
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly felt in a good mood, his brows relaxed, and he said, "No need to thank me."
Xue Yuanyin retorted, her tone gloomy:
"Young Master Zhang is well-known, so being picky about food is not a good habit, right?"
Ignoring the hidden conflict, they looked happy and harmonious, like a married couple.
Zhang Zimo, who was sitting opposite him, dropped the chopsticks in his hand with a snap. He stared at the two men in amazement. On the surface, he didn't say anything. His hand, which was poking at Chen Su under the table, was almost a shadow. He tried to convey a message with his eyes:
Shen Su! See what I told you? Are they having an affair?!
This doesn't look like a mortal enemy who wants to stab each other to death!!!
Chen Su's wooden chopsticks shook, and the braised pork with rich sauce suddenly flew out. His expression turned cold, and he finally couldn't stand it anymore. He put down the wooden chopsticks, turned his head and cursed inwardly:
"You idiot!"
All he does is eat, eat, eat, eat, he's even drained his brain.
Who on earth led the introverted and kind-hearted second son of the Zhang family astray?!
Hearing this sudden curse, everyone at the table stopped what they were doing and looked at him.
Shen Sulfone: “.”
He coughed, turned to look at Zhang Jingxuan, and said seriously, "Brother Zhang, something's wrong in Quanyang County. Every place we pass seems to be under patrol and martial law. I guess they're afraid we'll leave secretly. What are your plans next?"
Zhang Jingxuan briefly recounted the countermeasures and predicament he and Xue Yuanyin had discussed earlier, then said, "Did you pass through the county town on your way here? Can you get in by taking a detour up the mountain?"
Qin Fang shook his head and said, "We can't get in by going around. The county town is a bit far from the mountainous area, and there are patrols guarding it. We can only go in through the city gate."
This is indeed bad news, but they currently have no way to pass the inspection at the county gate.
For a moment, the atmosphere at the dining table was cold and no one spoke.
Qin Fang's expression was stern: "Even if there is no other way, we must find a way."
Zhang Jingxuan nodded slowly, and suddenly seemed to remember something, and said, "I remember there was a notice posted on the wall of the alley outside the restaurant before we entered it."
He glanced at Qin Fang and asked, "What do notices usually say?"
Xue Yuanyin also noticed the notice, but it was too far away and the small words were like flies, so she couldn't see clearly. She glanced at it and ignored it.
Zhang Jingxuan must have his reasons for bringing this up at this time. Xue Yuanyin thought about his sharp mind, so could it be that there was something written on the notice?
Qin Fang was momentarily stunned by the question and said, "Notices in the Imperial City...are usually announcements of criminals, amendments to new laws, words of encouragement from the Emperor, answer sheets for the top three candidates in the imperial examinations, and...government recruitment."
Wait, the government is hiring?!
Qin Fang reacted the fastest. He stood up and left the private room, then walked out of the restaurant and quietly into the alley.
After a cup of tea, he tore off a notice and entered the private room, locked the door, and then gave the notice to Zhang Jingxuan.
Zhang Jingxuan glanced through it briefly, raised his eyebrows, and said meaningfully, "The county government's mansion is hiring workers to build a garden recently?"
Xue Yuanyin leaned forward to take a look, and her body half leaned over, her arm unconsciously touching his.
The faint scent of a young girl's body wafted over, and Zhang Jingxuan suddenly looked up, only to see that she was concentrating on reading the notice in front of him, and didn't notice that she was almost close to his arms.
Zhang Jingxuan lowered his slightly dim eyes, sat there without moving, and handed the notice to her.
Xue Yuanyin saw a line of words and her eyes lit up: "Can we apply to be workers?"
She pulled back and turned her head to see Zhang Jingxuan glance at her. He asked in confusion, "Is there something on my face?"
Zhang Jingxuan retracted his gaze and said calmly, "No."
Xue Yuanyin:?
So why was he looking at her? How strange.
After hearing what Xue Yuanyin said, Qin Fang, even though he was the commander of the imperial guards and usually did not show his emotions, could not help but get excited and said:
"If you apply to be a worker, you'll usually be taken there directly by cart. There won't be any identity checks at the city gates, so we won't have to worry about getting a permit. What do you think?"
He immediately began to take care of the workers, looked everyone up and down, and finally said seriously to Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan:
"The three of us look like barbarians, so applying to be workers is no problem. But you two, although dressed in plain clothes, don't look like you come from a poor background. I'm afraid applying to be workers will be suspected."
Xue Yuanyin was familiar with this kind of thing, so she nodded and said, "We need to disguise ourselves."
She glanced at Zhang Jingxuan who was sitting next to her. Although there was a hint of resistance between his eyebrows and it seemed that he didn't want to agree, he endured it in the end due to reality.
Xue Yuanyin ignored his attitude and said to Qin Fang, "It's settled then."
The others had no objections. Without stopping to rest, they rushed to the town headman to apply for the position as instructed in the notice. Qin Fang, who looked the most destitute, went out to inquire:
"The five of us are sworn brothers. We live in poverty and would like to apply to be workers in the county. I just don't know why the county officials came here to recruit? Is there a shortage of workers in the county?"
The servant said, "The county magistrate is very stingy. He wants to build a garden for his family, but the wages are too low. Most people are unwilling to take up such short-term jobs. And since our town is the poorest, they posted the notice here."
Perhaps because he saw how shabby Qin Fang and the other two looked, he kindly said, "If you want to apply, you better hurry up. The deadline is coming soon, and there aren't many spots left."
Upon hearing this, Qin Fang immediately said he wanted to sign up.
Fortunately, the recruitment was not strict. They only recorded the names of five people and told them to arrive here before the hour of Mao three days later. There would be donkeys in the county town pulling carts to take them there.
After reporting for recruitment, Qin Fang and the others did not continue reminiscing with Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan. They skillfully pawned a folding fan from their bag, found a guesthouse on the street, and asked for three private rooms, intending to have a good rest for three days.
Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan returned to the yard in silence and each began to busy themselves with the bags they had to take with them. In fact, they were very poor. Xue Yuanyin spent a long time sorting out only two sets of cloth clothes, two small clothes, three pairs of shoes and a few menstrual belts.
After Granny Chen prepared dinner and left as usual, Xue Yuanyin suddenly remembered something - it was unknown how long it would take them to get to the county town, what should Granny Chen do?
After dinner, Xue Yuanyin didn't get up and leave first. Instead, she said to Zhang Jingxuan, "We don't know how long our trip to the county town will take. We have to send Granny Chen away tomorrow."
Zhang Jingxuan remained silent for a moment, looking lost in thought. After a moment, he asked, "Are you so sure we won't come back?"
Xue Yuanyin asked him to speak frankly, so Zhang Jingxuan finally explained, "What I mean is that if we stay in the county town for a long time, the servants we hire will definitely be more expensive. I want to take Granny Chen with me, and I'll add two hundred coins."
Xue Yuanyin frowned and said, "You mean, give Granny Chen half a tael of silver a month in the county town? But her family is in Qingxi Town, she may not agree. Besides, half a tael of silver a month is enough to find a servant in the county town, so there is no need to let Granny Chen follow her."
Zhang Jingxuan shook his head and said, "What I mean is, let her stay in the county town for six out of seven days, and return to Qingxi Town on the remaining day as a regular rest day. She can also clean the yard for us, dry the bedding, etc. She can go back and forth for seven days, and have one day off on the sixth day."
Xue Yuanyin understood this time and said, "You don't want our yard to be abandoned?"
Zhang Jingxuan nodded slightly and said, "This place is close to the mountains, and the caravan mentioned that the rare goods were obtained from the mines in the mountains. The source is still in those mines. I'm worried that we will have to come back again to find out the secrets of Quanyang County, so we need a place to stay when we do."
This makes sense.
As expected of someone who has been working as a staff member and counselor in the Eastern Palace since he was young, he has a sharp mind.
Xue Yuanyin looked at him with complicated eyes for a moment before saying:
"Your idea of raising the monthly salary is great, but unfortunately, after paying for daily expenses, we don't have much left. And when we get to the county town, we might have to make some arrangements first, and even work as laborers. How will we have time to earn money?"
"...I remember I saved up a bit." Zhang Jingxuan took a sip of tea calmly and said, "At worst, I can sell all the folding fans in Zhang Zimo's bag. They were all painted by me anyway."
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
Does Zhang Zimo know that you, as his elder brother, are already plotting against him?
Xue Yuanyin suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Then why can't you buy your own folding fans, paint them yourself, and then sell them at a high price?"
Zhang Jingxuan explained, "The folding fan is so valuable not just because of the painting, but also because of its exquisite craftsmanship and the expensive ink. The original price alone is worth hundreds of taels. He brought it out of the Zhang Mansion to make friends and bribe people during his travels, as a gift to show his respect. He sold it at a low price, which is no different from giving it away for free. If we didn't have such exquisite folding fans and expensive ink, even if we painted it, it wouldn't be easy to sell it for a high price."
Xue Yuanyin suddenly understood why those poor people hated the rich. She also hated these real noble families now. A pair of folding fans cost hundreds of taels, and his family had a stack of them. What kind of background did they have!
She muttered, "I never saw you so rich when I was a kid."
Zhang Jingxuan found this amusing. "When you were a kid, the paperweights you casually threw on my desk were worth hundreds of taels. I just didn't tell you that those things were priceless, and you were so short-sighted that you didn't recognize them. Otherwise, why do you think Xue Yi always blocks you from entering my yard?"
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
He remembers everything, even the smallest details!
Xue Yuanyin glared at him to hide her guilty conscience, and said in a weak voice, "Who's blind? Why are you still criticizing others?"
Zhang Jingxuan's smile faded slightly, and he said:
"Isn't it? They are willing to support anyone and any monarch they like. You once said that Xue Yi and I are both your brothers, and as your half-brother, I have only said one word to you so far, which is enough for the sake of our old friendship."
Xue Yuanyin had originally thought it was just a joke, but he suddenly became angry and said coldly:
"You have good vision, you choose a wise leader. What you, Master Zhang, say is the most important truth, and no one can question it! Everyone must obey your instructions. Anyone who rebels will be the wisest, and everyone else will be blind."
"Xue Yuanyin, I never said that."
Zhang Jingxuan wanted to say something more, but after a pause, he gave up the idea, put down the teacup in his hand, stood up and said, "Just think of it as a soliloquy. Forget about it tomorrow morning."
Xue Yuanyin was annoyed by him. When she saw him get up and leave, she wanted to chase him and scold him, but inexplicably, her butt seemed to be stuck to the stool tonight. She couldn't get up or chase him.
After a long silence, all her anger disappeared. She said nothing and did nothing. She got up and went back to the house as usual.
As he said, there is no point in talking about anything now.
He has his Yangguan Road, she walks hers. Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise again.
She and he had already parted ways.
-
After talking with Grandma Chen the next day, she expressed her willingness to go with them, and the issue of raising the monthly salary was also finalized.
Before leaving, Zhang Jingxuan went to the bookstore to pay his monthly salary in advance, and when he returned home, he gave Granny Chen one or two taels of silver. It was unknown when he had saved it, but he only told Granny Chen to go to the county town alone and not to go with them.
Xue Yuanyin asked suspiciously, but Zhang Jingxuan didn't say anything. He just said, "Let her do something first."
Xue Yuanyin:?
What could make Zhang Jingxuan bypass her and go find Grandma Chen alone?
At the hour of Mao the next day, Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan met up with Qin Fang and the others. They successfully squeezed onto a donkey-drawn cart and headed for the county town.
But they didn't expect that this cart was even worse than they imagined.
There were a lot of people crowded together, and in the summer, I didn't know whose armpit odor, sweat, and foot odor were so strong that I couldn't stand it. I was swaying unsteadily, and not only did I feel dizzy from the odor, but my butt was almost broken apart.
Apart from Chen Lu, who was from a poor family and adapted well without changing his expression, Xue Yuanyin, the most hard-working person here, covered his nose and wanted to vomit, not to mention the others.
Their faces looked ashen, and there was no trace of their former elegance as refreshing as the breeze and bright moon.
The worst case was Zhang Jingxuan. Even though he tried hard to keep his posture upright, he couldn't stand the bumpy road. His face looked extremely ugly and he covered his mouth and nose several times and almost vomited.
Xue Yuanyin took a look at his condition and felt that it was even worse than the time when he cleaned the toilet.
…
When we finally arrived at the county town, we could see more pedestrians and it felt like there were many shops.
The county magistrate's steward was shouting at the door, and a group of shabby workers lined up to enter the mansion in front of them.
A group of five people stood in line at the door.
Perhaps because he had been too poor along the way, he looked at the luxurious mansion of the county magistrate in front of him and admired it in a meaningless way.
“So big.”
"What a nice view!"
“How spectacular…”
The experience of traveling to remote areas has taken away their knowledge, and now they can only express the most simple and unpretentious feelings.
Then the three of them all said with envy: "When can we live in a house like this?"
"I've had enough of this life of wandering!"
"If you do this job well, His Majesty will surely reward you."
Zhang Zimo and Qin Fang once lived there but have now lost it, while Chen Suo is from a poor family. He looked around and said:
"The county magistrate's house is even more luxurious and extravagant than I expected."
Xue Yuanyin was also looking at the house. To be fair, it was indeed luxurious and exquisite. It was obvious that the county magistrate had made a lot of money here.
There is no need to doubt it this time; the cooperation with the caravan must be his doing.
What's worse...collusion between officials and businessmen is not impossible.
Hearing the repeated praises from the side, Xue Yuanyin had an idea. She moved closer to Zhang Jingxuan and imitated their tone, deliberately disgusting him:
"Hey, Master Zhang, when can we live in such a large and beautiful house?"
Zhang Zimo's ears twitched, and his eyes quietly fell over. He quickly elbowed the two people beside him and winked at them to look.
Zhang Jingxuan's stomach churned at Xue Yuanyin's tone. He covered his abdomen and took a long time to suppress the nausea left over from the cart. He said calmly:
"If you don't want me to be kicked out on my first day because I can't take office, you'd better be quiet for a while."
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
How boring. She was too lazy to bother with this man whose every word was filled with nobility.
She had dressed up as a teenager, looking a little poor, and followed the queue. Unexpectedly, she entered not the county magistrate's house, but a deserted garden next to it.
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly walked up to her, looked straight ahead, and said:
"This garden is beyond the rules. If you want to live in a house like this with me, we can probably only stay for a few days before we end up in prison as a pair of miserable mandarin ducks."
After saying that, he followed the crowd forward, not giving her time to react.
Xue Yuanyin stumbled and realized belatedly that he was mocking her for saying she wanted to live in a luxurious mansion.
What a petty person!
After all the workers were lined up in the abandoned garden, the manager waved a small whip and began to set rules in front of the crowd.
For example, you can't just go in and out of the house of the county magistrate next door. If the owner comes to inspect the results, you can't offend the honored person...
Xue Yuanyin was almost drowsy after listening to this. Zhang Jingxuan, who was standing beside her, glanced sideways and reminded her in a low voice without looking away:
"Stand still, don't let the steward notice. With so many people here, we'll probably have to split into smaller groups. Let Qin Fang come over and stand closer, so we don't separate."
Xue Yuanyin finally perked up, took two steps calmly, and stood with Qin Fang and the others.
Finally, the steward said that this was a deserted garden that the county magistrate's family had just bought. They wanted to turn it into an elegant large garden and also dig a hot spring pool, so they should not slack off.
The subsequent arrangements were exactly as Zhang Jingxuan had expected. The manager divided the large group of people into small teams and assigned different tasks to each team.
Some are building walls, some are applying mud, some are digging foundations, some are planting flowers and grass, and some are repairing roads.
The five of them were grouped together with another poor, tanned young man and took the initiative to take on the work of repairing the road to make it easier to get around.
After the work was divided, the manager allocated accommodation to everyone.
Working here is from morning to night. There is a big bunk bed at the back where people can sleep just by squeezing together.
As for whether the conditions are good or not? Who cares!
Qin Fang was fine. He usually stood guard in front of the emperor and suffered hardships. The same was true for Chen Su.
Only Zhang Zimo, upon hearing about the terrible conditions of sleeping in the large bunk bed, had a long face, as if he had lost his parents, and a faint aura of death lingered around him.
Xue Yuanyin's face also fell. She was different from the others. In order to avoid suspicion, she came in disguised as a man.
Thinking about sleeping together with a group of smelly men at night, with their smelly feet and deafening snoring, Xue Yuanyin felt that she was not far from death and might as well find a hole to bury herself.
When the steward finished arranging Qin Fang and others and came over to arrange Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan, Zhang Jingxuan bowed and said:
"Steward, my companion and I have accommodations outside. I wonder if we can sleep here instead? It would save us two beds. Please allow me to do so."
Xue Yuanyin's forehead was full of question marks, and she wanted to interrupt Zhang Jingxuan and tell him to stop talking nonsense.
Where would they conjure up a place to live?
Although it is unbearable to squeeze into a large bunk bed, at least you don’t have to live on the streets.
The steward looked at them both suspiciously and said:
"Aren't the five of you sworn brothers? Why do only the two of you have a place to stay outside?"
Qin Fang and the other two also looked over at the same time, their eyes sharp as torches.
They also wanted to know, how come Zhang Jingxuan and Xue Ling suddenly found a place to stay without telling them when they were clearly wandering in a foreign land together?!
Zhang Jingxuan lied calmly, "The three of them were unemployed vagrants, living in the market. The two of us were better off, finding refuge with a master, saving some money, and finally having our own place to live."
The manager then realized that these two were treacherous and had found a job outside. He immediately lost interest and waved his hand, saying:
"It's up to you. Remember to come on time before the morning of the following day and sign in to work, otherwise your wages will be deducted!"
Zhang Jingxuan bowed and said, "I understand. Thank you, Steward."
…
It's getting late today and we will disperse soon. We will officially start work tomorrow.
Xue Yuanyin followed Zhang Jingxuan out of the county magistrate's garden, facing Zhang Zimo's resentful gaze and looking back every few steps.
Zhang Zimo stared at their backs as they left, feeling abandoned, aggrieved and jealous: "Why did my cousin take Xue Ling away? He and I are obviously the closest here!"
When Shen Su heard this, he couldn't help but curse: "You fool."
Zhang Zimo was almost in tears.
Qin Fang sighed and said, "You can't keep calling her 'Xue Ling, Xue Ling' all day long. Seeing her hanging out with us in men's clothes all day long, you forget that she's actually a sixteen-year-old girl. It's not good to let her live with us in the dormitory, but we can't let her live out there alone either. Zhang Jingxuan has to take her out to live."
Chen Su added coldly, "It's just right to split the five of us into two groups. They can go out and explore, while we stay here to find out about the county magistrate's family. This garden is clearly beyond the regulations, and the workers are not surprised. This county may be hiding a big secret."
…
Xue Yuanyin walked out, feeling that Zhang Jingxuan was not a person she could have close ties with, as he had actually hidden money from her!
"Didn't they say that all the money would go into the public treasury? Where did you get the money to live in the house?"
After Xue Yuanyin asked this question, she remembered that Zhang Zimo had brought out a treasure bag filled with things that could be sold. Then she realized something:
They are no longer poor! They are rich!
Xue Yuanyin couldn't help but mutter a few words:
"If we had known we'd have to sleep in a bunk bed, we wouldn't have let Granny Chen come with us... You're the only one with so many problems, yet you insisted on staying in a hotel, being so picky..."
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly stopped and looked at her sideways: "Do you think I have to live outside because of me?"
Xue Yuanyin blinked and said slowly: "It can't be because of me..."
Zhang Jingxuan asked back, "Are you going to live with a group of men? Do you not want your reputation anymore?"
Xue Yuanyin didn't expect him to be so concerned about such details. After a pause, she said, "Of course I don't want to. I just feel like I can make do with it... Besides, everyone sleeps in a large bunk bed. It's okay for me to be special, but you might as well go back and join them."
Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "And then leave you alone outside for so many nights?"
Xue Yuanyin was speechless.
After walking for a while, Xue Yuanyin felt a little inexplicably uncomfortable. He scratched his face and raised his chin in a natural way:
"I'm not a pretentious woman, so sleeping in a bunk bed is no different. No one can tell I'm a girl anyway!"
Zhang Jingxuan turned around, grabbed her wrist, stared into her eyes, and said coldly, "Xue Yuanyin, are you sincere when you say this? Are you really sincere?"
Xue Yuanyin paused again. Zhang Jingxuan ignored her reaction and said sarcastically, feeling slightly angry, "Is it because your father gave you a male name and everyone else thinks you're a man that you really think of yourself as a man?"
Xue Yuanyin's heart skipped a beat when he heard what he said. She felt a little flustered and said:
"Why are you so angry for no reason? I, I never care about this kind of problem." She was almost used to it.
Zhang Jingxuan felt that his reaction was a bit too much, so he didn't say anything else. He went straight to the agreed location to find Grandma Chen, and then went to the second courtyard she had rented in advance.
Granny Chen handed the lease deed to Zhang Jingxuan and honestly said that she had already cleaned the house and prepared dinner.
Xue Yuanyin finally realized, "You asked her to come here early this morning because you knew we were going to rent the yard?"
Zhang Jingxuan didn't look back at her. He was concentrating on the money spent on the lease deed, calculating how many more paintings he had to make next month. After a while, he said calmly, "What else?"
While Grandma Chen turned around to go to the kitchen to get some rice, Xue Yuanyin looked around the yard. The layout of the front yard was similar to the previous one, but there was an extra back room at the back where Grandma Chen could live.
The yard is also more spacious. Although the scenery is average, it is much better than the original shabby house.
Xue Yuanyin felt a little uncomfortable, and after a long pause, she said, "This courtyard is very expensive, isn't it? Is your folding fan enough to sell?"
Zhang Jingxuan was also looking around the yard and said casually, "I won't sell the folding fans. I'll leave those to Qin Fang and the others to pawn for emergency use. I'll find a bookshop and work there in the evenings, then paint to earn some money."
He turned to look at Xue Yuanyin and said, "I never thought of looking at you as a man. I always thought you thought so too, but I never thought you forgot."
It was clear that what he said was not gentle, and there was even a hint of questioning in it, but Xue Yuanyin could not get angry at all. His eyes were blank and his nose felt a little sour.
It seems like some emotions are stirring inside me, brewing uncontrollably and silently.
She turned away suddenly, wiped the corner of her eyes, and said stubbornly:
"I want to inherit the Xue family! I don't want you to care about me..."
"Um."
Zhang Jingxuan's eyes curled up slightly, revealing a gentle smile. He whispered, "Qiaoqiao is really capable. My Qiaoqiao has grown up."
The tears that Xue Yuanyin had been holding back suddenly burst out from her eyes.
She felt that this nickname was shameful, so she always didn't want to hear him call her by it.
But hearing him whisper it now, I felt a strange, comforted, and indulged feeling.
She hadn't heard such words for a long, long time.
In a trance, I felt like I had returned to the carefree days of a girl in the boudoir, as if I hadn't been treated like this for many years.
Some people remember that she was not only the heir of the Xue family, but also a woman.
To be honest, although Zhang Jingxuan sometimes made her hate him to death, most of the time he was indeed a gentle and humble gentleman, self-disciplined and polite, and treated others kindly. No wonder so many people in the capital praised him and so many girls were infatuated with him.
Xue Yuanyin turned her face away, like a cat that refused to bow its head, and wiped away her tears viciously.
Then she gently raised her chin, her round eyes still showing a moist blush, and looked at him proudly, saying:
"About that night when I was forced to kiss you... Humph, I'm a big man and don't bear grudges. I'll reluctantly forgive you this time."
-
Xue Yuanyin's good mood lasted until she started work the next day. But after an hour, her enthusiasm was completely extinguished.
Standing in the sun and wiping away the sweat that was almost stinging his eyes, Xue Yuanyin dug a shovel into the mud and felt deeply that he had lived too comfortably in the past.
Really, if she hadn't come here to work as a worker, she wouldn't have known that there was such suffering in life.
Zhang Zimo was on another road, also shoveling with an iron shovel... but it didn't move.
He squatted down with the iron shovel in his arms, looking utterly undignified. His hair was a mess and his eyes were dull as he spoke: "When we return to the capital, I will definitely ask my father to petition the Emperor to give the laborers wages."
Xue Yuanyin was better off than him, at least she had spent quite a bit of time standing outside when she practiced martial arts before. She was more worried about Zhang Jingxuan, wondering if his playboy habits would recur.
He turned his head to take a look. He was surprised to see Zhang Jingxuan working so well. His thin arm muscles were tensed. With one shovelful, he dug up dirt and rocks and threw them into the corner. Then he shoveled in again. His movements were smooth, back and forth without pause.
The short cloth shirt made his shoulders and waist look particularly broad and narrow. The muscles on his shoulders and back were hidden in the collar. When the sleeves were rolled up, his arms with bulging veins were exposed. He looked much more powerful than before when he was dressed in furs and brocade and sable fur.
Of course it's also rougher.
Xue Yuanyin finished her work quickly, and rested against the wall with a piece of dogtail grass in her mouth, admiring his movements.
It’s true, Zhang Jingxuan looks quite cool after taking off his burdens and dressing in this street style outfit.
Xue Yuanyin suddenly thought of her "bet" with Zhang Jingxuan.
She wondered absentmindedly what Zhang Jingxuan would be like if he fell in love.
As noble as he is, he has been raised like a star since childhood. He has a proud spine and never bows his head or kneels to anyone. Can he really have the same emotions and desires as an ordinary person?
When Xue Yuanyin thought of this, he began to feel restless again.
She felt like she really wanted to do something to Zhang Jingxuan, and wanted to see other expressions appear on his calm and handsome face.
Panic, jealousy, submission, desire...
All kinds of expressions she had never seen before - any expression that would not appear on his face.
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