Chapter 31 He said, "Not enough." He said, "Not enough."
The next day.
The wind is clean and the air is fresh, flowers and trees are sprouting and business is booming.
The willows in the courtyard are swaying in the dew, vines are entwined around the walls and banana trees are hanging down, and mandarin ducks are sleeping peacefully on the sandbank.
Ye Jindian packed up the calligraphy and paintings that Zhang Min had written yesterday early in the morning, put them into a painting basket, and planned to carry them to set up a stall.
Zhang Min had to rest for three days due to injury, and he also wanted to go to the stall with her to share his wife's worries.
Ye Jindian felt that he should have a good rest, but her repeated persuasions were useless. All she got in return was a pair of watery, black eyes that looked at her pitifully, innocently, quietly and lostly.
It seemed as if leaving him at home to rest alone was a heinous crime.
My heart suddenly felt incredibly soft.
She sighed, resigned herself to her fate, took his hand and went out, taking a blanket with her to keep warm.
Zhang Min painted a picture yesterday, and he has three or five pieces of calligraphy that can be hung on the tree, but compared with the scholar setting up a stall next to him, his calligraphy and paintings are still a little sparse.
Fortunately, the scholar selling calligraphy and paintings nearby does not sell them here.
Ye Jindian asked him to sit still, stuffed the still hot buns from the backpack into his hands, and placed a bamboo tube of warm drink next to him. After giving him a few instructions, he had time to run to the blacksmith shop with the buns in his mouth to take a look.
Zhang Min opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Ye Jindian disappeared.
“…”
Why can't they go and take a look together and then set up their stall?
A certain resentful husband bit off half of a bun and looked longingly in the direction his wife left.
“Tsk.”
A familiar voice came from not far away.
Without even looking, Zhang Min knew who was coming.
He turned his head, his back to the blacksmith shop, and his eyes were as sharp as knives, meeting the playful eyes of Li Wuzhi, who was patrolling with a knife.
There was no one around, not even the washerwomen had come. Li Wuji teased him without restraint: "Was the water still cold yesterday?"
Zhang Min clenched his fists, veiled in a warning: "It's inappropriate for a general to come and talk to commoners like us while on official business, isn't it?"
"What great general? Where did this great general come from?" Li Wuji turned around in surprise, glanced at his men, and said nonsense with his eyes wide open, "I am Li Canjun."
Zhang Min: "...You're wearing this golden armor and claiming to be joining the army??"
Did he get kicked in the head by a donkey?
Li Wuji looked innocent: "But I've already told my sister-in-law this."
Zhang Min: “…”
He would really be angered to death by his own subordinates.
"Anyway, I will tell others that I am joining the army. As for how to explain to my sister-in-law, you can handle it yourself." Li Wuzhi patted his uninjured shoulder, looked up and scanned the calligraphy and paintings, and was particularly fond of the huge character "Wu". "Don't say that I don't care about you." He threw down a string of money and took the character away.
Zhang Min, whose signed paintings sold for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of coins, looked at the thousand coins on the table and really wanted to give him a ride.
But his wife was in the blacksmith shop and could see his every move and every word through the window.
He could only put on a forced smile and send the smug and annoying bastard away, then put the money away.
Forget it, for an ordinary scholar, it is rare to get a thousand coins for a piece of calligraphy and painting. It is a real thing to be able to give a little money to my wife.
Ye Jindian's side.
She saw that the blacksmith shop was open as usual, but the owner was missing, so she asked him kindly.
The blacksmith in the shop said that the boss finally agreed to go to the Arsenal to help, but he would come back after helping them and would not join the Arsenal.
"Actually, our boss likes you very much." The honest blacksmith scratched his head, hesitated for a long time, and finally saw through his boss's hard words and soft heart. "He said that these days, there are not many people, whether boys or girls, who are so determined to stick to one thing. If you are determined, he will consider reopening the shop and accepting apprentices."
again?
Ye Jindian said, "Aren't you the master's apprentices?"
The blacksmith smiled and shook his head. "We just opened the shop together because of good fortune. The owner only settled in Shengjing a few years ago. He's middle-aged now, but he lives alone, with only a wooden box to keep him."
However, during war, it is normal for a family to be displaced and killed.
They were also people who had lost their parents, brothers, wives and children, so they got together to make a living and opened this blacksmith shop.
Ye Jindian thanked him and went back to say hello to Zhang Min, intending to find out whether what Xie Zhaoming said that day was true or not.
Zhang Min pulled her sleeve: "Madam..."
"What's wrong?" Ye Jindian put down the bamboo tube on her back and looked down at someone who was obviously not very happy. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Zhang Min was afraid that she would send him back home, so he didn't dare to use this as an excuse. He could only ask directly: "What else do you want to do, my lady?"
Didn’t we agree to set up a stall together?
He is here alone, how can we be together?
"Feeling uncomfortable?" Ye Jindian pondered. Her husband was indeed a little thin-skinned. It was inevitable that a person would feel a little uncomfortable. So she said, "Just wait for me for half an hour. I'll go to the two nearby blacksmith shops to inquire about some things. I'll be back soon."
Zhang Min tightened his grip on his sleeves and asked, "Can't we go together?"
Ye Jindian was helpless: "No, the streets will be busy soon, and there will be a lot of people. What if it hits your wound?"
This road is less traveled, but it is the shortcut that students take to Minglu Academy. If someone wants to send a letter but can't find anyone to help write it, they will come here to look for kind students.
Those people who need help from others tend to act cautiously and will not take the initiative to cause any conflicts with others.
She felt quite at ease letting her husband stay here.
Zhang Min was still a little unhappy: "Then my wife and I will have to spend less than half an hour together today."
After going around in circles, they finally found their true love. He just wanted to be with her every moment of his free time.
Ye Jindian thought about it, looked around, and when no one was passing by, she lowered her head and kissed him on the lips: "Take it as an apology, okay?"
Zhang Min: “!!”
He froze, his Adam's apple seemed to be hanging in the air, stagnant, unable to swallow.
He felt a warm sensation on his lips, which came and went quickly. He realized only then that his wife had kissed him outside.
In! Outside! Head!
He glanced around in panic, afraid of ruining her reputation. Then the thought flashed through his mind, and he remembered that they were already married, and kissing was indeed normal, so there was no need to panic.
But his heartbeat still accelerated involuntarily, pounding wildly and unable to control itself.
"Then I'm leaving?"
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Ye Jindian turned around and was about to leave, but her sleeve was grabbed again.
Her beautiful husband, whose neck was as pink as a cloud, forced himself to remain calm and said to her with a thin face, "Not enough."
Seeing her doubtful look, Zhang Min's momentum weakened again. He raised two fingers and said, "When we get home, I'll make up for it twice." After thinking about it, his tone seemed a bit tough, so he added two more words, "Can you?"
If someone who rarely makes requests suddenly makes a request, it is not a request.
The word "may or may" sounded no different from a coquettish "okay" in a tentative manner to Ye Jindian's ears.
She coughed lightly and agreed.
Zhang Min was finally satisfied and watched her leave with his chin in his hand.
After the people walked away, the scholar Zhang Baishi transformed himself into the Right Prime Minister Zhang Zimei. All his shyness and gentleness disappeared, and he just lowered his eyes and thought quietly, without saying a word.
He ordered the secret guards in a deep voice, "See what's going on between Xie Zhaoming and the owner of the blacksmith shop, and then have Luo Ying arrange for a few people whom my lady has never met to come and sell the paintings."
Not long after the secret guards retreated, an old woman came to him with staggering steps, asking him to write a letter for her.
The old man's hearing is not very good, and his thoughts are confused. He often says inconsistent things. The previous sentence may be "Ask him for me if he is well", and the next sentence is "The hen in Erya's house next door has laid eggs. If they are fried with eggs and sauce, they will be delicious." He always likes to repeat the same sentence over and over again, like a millstone, and you need to be extra patient to lure the other person back.
The women who were washing clothes in wooden basins at the riverside had their ears callused and were feeling a little irritated.
Zhang Min kept looking down and responded with "hmm", occasionally picking up his pen to write, and asked her, "Anything else?"
The other party talked on and on for two or three quarters of an hour.
The secret guard had returned from his errands and, pretending to be there to inquire about the calligraphy and painting, relayed the news: "I don't know what the military advisor said to him. The blacksmith is staying at the Armory to help out."
After saying that, he was quite tactful. He took away a piece of paper with the words "Ten years to sharpen a sword" and left behind a thousand coins.
The washerwomen also passed by with wooden basins, whispering to each other, "This young man is so handsome", "I wonder if he is married", "He is so gentle", etc.
Zhang Min pretended not to hear, put on a gentlemanly face, wrote seven or eight pages of paper, and sealed them in an envelope.
This was not the first time the old man had come back. He knew that a piece of paper would cost two cents, so he took out a pale blue purse embroidered with chrysanthemums and counted the coins one by one. As he was counting, he forgot and stood there in a daze.
"Oh, please wait a moment, young man, I'll count again." The old woman pinched her broken embroidery awkwardly, as helpless as a little child.
"I've been watching the old lady counting. This money is enough." Zhang Min reached out to put the money away and handed her the envelope. "Goodbye, grandma."
The old man was indeed confused. When he heard the other party say that it was enough, he stopped ordering and slowly moved away with the envelope and purse.
Zhang Min looked at her for a while, then stood up and walked towards her, taking the purse from her hand.
Ding-clang-clang——
Before the old woman could react, he squatted down, picked up the money, stuffed it into his pocket, and returned it to her.
"Thank you so much, young master." The later events covered the earlier ones, and the old woman forgot what she was about to say just now, and just kept thanking him.
"You're welcome, mother-in-law."
Zhang Min helped her take two steps, then let go of her hand and watched her walk into a house in the alley.
Turning around, I caught a glimpse of a light pink skirt fluttering in the spring breeze at the corner of the street.
When I raised my eyes, I saw a smiling face that was a little breathless and sweaty. The pair of peach blossom eyes on the face were curved, taking in the bright and beautiful spring scenery.
When she met his gaze, her peach blossom eyes became even more curved, with corners raised like crescent moons.
Zhang Min suddenly felt a little embarrassed, took the initiative to greet her, and asked her in a low voice: "Did you see everything?"
"Yeah." Ye Jindian did not deny it and looked up at him, "I saw it all."
When the matter was discovered, Zhang Min didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. He felt a little uncomfortable and couldn't help but want to explain. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, so he simply turned his head away.
But his eyes couldn't help but glance at her frequently.
"This is not a bad thing, why are you so nervous? I know that my husband has always been kind-hearted." Ye Jindian stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the chin.
The words that Zhang Min wanted to say to refute his good intentions disappeared immediately, and he finally spoke fluently in front of his wife: "This can't be counted as a once!"
"Okay, that doesn't count." Seeing that his ears were red as blood and he wanted to lower his head to dig a hole and bury himself in it, Ye Jindian stopped staring at him and ran to sit behind the table.
Zhang Min stood for a while, then calmed down. He took out the chair next to her, sat down next to her, and handed her the handkerchief: "My lady is sweating, wipe it off."
He didn't dare to wipe it for her this time, for fear that if they looked at each other, he would be unable to resist the urge to run away, wasting the time he had to spend with his wife.
Ye Jindian took it, wiped it, pulled out the blanket, and stuffed the handkerchief into the bag.
She shook the blanket and covered Zhang Min's lap: "This place is close to the sand bank, don't catch a cold."
Zhang Min reached for the drink and handed it to her: "Madam, drink some water."
His long legs made it a little difficult to stretch out in the armchair, and he actually looked rather stiff and awkward. But perhaps because his face was so beautiful, his stiffness only added a touch of pity and purity to him, making him appear even more refreshing and gentle, like a piece of white jade placed in a narrow and simple wooden box.
Ye Jindian couldn't help but look at him a few more times, until her ears turned slightly red, before she took the water.
Just as he took a sip, someone came with his hands behind his back and stopped in front of the only painting.
She quickly handed the water to Zhang Min and walked forward to ask, "Do you like this painting?"
The painting depicted the peach tree in the corner of their courtyard that had just produced new fruits. In the painting, there was only one tree with a straight trunk, lush branches and leaves, and a stone at its roots.
Just a few strokes, but full of meaning.
The palace soldier who came to buy the painting actually did not know how to appreciate paintings, but he inexplicably felt that the painting was soft yet strong, and exuded an indescribable youthful flavor.
He waved his hand behind him and dropped a large wooden box.
Then he raised his chin proudly and said generously, "Can you sell this painting for 500 strings of cash?"
Ye Jindian: “…”
Is it true that there are people who are as arrogant and domineering as described in the story books, parading through the streets with a box of money?
Zhang Min: “…”
Are their brains really okay?!
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