make fun of
Here, all was peaceful, bathed in moonlight, by flowing water, amidst clear streams and verdant bamboo. But inside Liu Min's room, chaos erupted. Li Qinniang paced back and forth, shouting:
"How can you be so irresponsible! They've bullied your son, and you're cowering and afraid of this and that—who are you trying to impress!"
Liu Min was also furious: "Why did you go looking for trouble with others for no reason? Isn't this Shen Lang's fault?"
"Oh my! Is this something a father would say?"
Li Qinniang felt feverish and restless, so she simply sat on the bed, loosened her clothes, and said, "What's wrong with a child!"
She recalled Xie Lingxi's sharp tongue and said, "What a noble lady from Chang'an! She's so petty and narrow-minded. She's obviously incompetent!"
From beginning to end, Liu Min only managed to say one sentence. Seeing Qin Niang getting more and more excited, she said angrily, "You're making up stories about others again!"
"What will our parents think of us if they hear this?"
How could he not know what Qin Niang was planning?
Seven years into their marriage, Qinniang and he supported each other through farming, trading, and raising children. Although their days were filled with arguments and occasional misunderstandings, they were generally content.
Qin Niang is competitive, but it is also due to her temperament. In her early years, she lived a hard life. Her uncles and brothers bullied her, and in order to survive, she developed a habit of telling lies and not being able to distinguish between good and evil.
Thinking of this, his expression softened, and he still advised, "The fourth son became an official through his own hard work and talent; the family didn't help him much. Now that he remembers our brotherly bond, that's naturally good..."
"But there is absolutely no reason for us to go to great lengths to ask others to clean up our messes."
Liu Min patted Qin Niang's hand, "Third brother is right. If Shen'er doesn't change his temper, he'll be really annoying and will make a big mistake sooner or later. You have to be careful."
Li Qinniang was always competitive and eager to win, and Liu Shen had learned her traits perfectly, but unfortunately, he didn't like to study.
Qinniang thought it over and over, and actually realized that Liu Min was right. She had really overreacted today. Lying on the hard bed, she couldn't fall asleep, so she tiptoed out of bed and took the cat out from under her son's bed curtains—
"mother!"
...
"This is……"
As dawn broke, Xie Lingxi, who had slept soundly all night, woke up, dressed, and went outside. She saw the mountain stream shrouded in mist, with golden clouds about to burst forth.
Last night, the aggressive Li Qinniang held up a thin cat in front of her, looking rather weak.
She could tell that the woman was all bark and no bite, and she was still full of doubts: "This cat... Shenlang..."
Not knowing how to say it, Qin Niang quickly replied, "It's yours."
"ah?"
Qin Niang repeated, "Seeing that you like this cat, and since we don't have time to take care of it usually, we'll give it to you."
She paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "...Consider it a small gift."
A gift to mark our meeting?
Xie Lingxi hadn't forgotten the grand gift she received yesterday upon their first meeting. She lowered her eyes and said, "I don't steal what others love."
Besides, even the most unruly child will be heartbroken if they lose their beloved pet.
Last night, Li Qinniang dragged Liu Shen out of bed and gave him a good beating, making him swear that he would "control his temper and study hard." The boy glared at his mother and accused her of instigating him to cause trouble. Li Qinniang, without batting an eye, said:
"So what? If I change my personality, you have to change yours too, right?"
Xie Lingxi, knowing the whole story, extended her hand: "Alright."
What's the cat's name?
Qin Niang said, "Li Bai."
"..."
The woman in front of me was dressed in coarse cloth, short clothes, and the only thing on her head was a simple peach wood hairpin, which vaguely resembled a harp, with a few small seal characters engraved at the end.
He said this with an ordinary expression, showing no sign of smugness.
Liu Xu came out to fetch water to wash his face, but accidentally splashed fine beads all over the cat. The tortoiseshell cat shook its head wildly, jumped out of Xie Lingxi's arms, and ran far away.
It turns out that Xiaobai was actually Qinniang's family cat, and it bore the surname Li.
Li Qinniang probably hadn't read many books and didn't know about the swordsman and talented scholar who shared the same name as the cat. However, this matter was harmless and only added a few humorous touches.
Xie Lingxi smiled sweetly, her hair in a bun: "Ah...it seems to be the name of a great poet."
...
This place is secluded and the people are generous and easygoing, naturally adept at letting bygones be bygones.
Although Xie Lingxi was angry, under Li Qinniang's persistent pleading, she finally looked at Liu Shen properly, and the first thing she did was to check his homework.
This child knew nothing when asked, and was not only ignorant but also quite reckless, a stark contrast to the character of the Zhou family child they had encountered before.
Xie Lingxi resolved to set up a school for them.
This matter was delayed for some time. After meeting with all sorts of people, the writing materials that Liu Xu had been asked to find earlier finally came in handy.
Since they were temporarily staying in Jingzhou, she and Liu Xu would go to the school to act as teachers in their spare time. They also invited General Pei, who was also retired, to teach everyone some basic skills, which was both a way to cultivate their character and improve their health.
Zhou Chuan was gentle by nature and quick to learn calligraphy. Before long, he was able to debate with Liu Xu about the profound principles of "gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility."
As the weather grew colder, Zhou's mother would often make pastries and hot soup, bringing a large bowl full to the study so that the students and teachers could share them.
She watched as Xie Lingxi changed from a light shirt into winter clothes. This morning, she was also wearing a heavy plum blossom patterned cloak with a water-red ribbon. The lapel was adorned with strings of off-white pearls, which made her face look like melting snow, as cold as ice.
Now, looking at Liu Xu with amusement, he said, "I think this Lady Xie is quite good."
Wearing a cotton-padded coat, Liu Xu drank two bowls of hot soup, ate it with rice and cured meat, and sighed contentedly, "Naturally."
I knew it—
Madam Zhou touched Liu Xu's clothes; they were soft and delicate to the touch. His clothes were made of floating jade brocade embroidered with countless honeysuckle flowers, and the sachet tied at his waist was inlaid with fish-shaped red jade, with a willow leaf swaying gracefully.
"This dress is really nice. Did Lady Xie make it for you?"
Seeing that Liu Xu seemed about to object, she tilted her head and looked around, then whispered, "Although this is very immoral, it's most important to live a comfortable life. Have you ever thought about divorcing your wife and marrying Lady Xie?"
"..."
Liu Xu was stunned for a moment.
What "wife" or "wife"?
His wife is perfectly fine here, so who would want to steal her?
This silence, in Madam Zhou's eyes, meant she was "caught in a dilemma."
What she couldn't stand most in her life was seeing people in love unable to be together. She went to great lengths to persuade Liu Xu: "What are you struggling with? Since you didn't marry before your parents agreed, and you have no feelings for that lady from a wealthy family, forcing you to be together will only harm both of you."
"Besides, everything in this world can be explained by reason, right? If you talk to her nicely, she will understand."
Liu Xu thought to himself, "Wouldn't that make him a heartless lover?"
"What does a heartless man matter? It's just a reputation. Just explain things to the girl properly, but don't let things drag on and ruin her reputation."
In those days, a woman's reputation, though not enough to put food on the table, could not be trampled on at will, becoming like a weed on a corner stone step, spat upon and abandoned by thousands.
These words, spoken with both emotion and reason, made Liu Xu recall the foul language he had heard from Liu Shen earlier, and a guess arose in his mind. So he pretended to be sad and distressed:
"I understand what you're saying, sister-in-law, but I'm afraid Lady Xie won't agree?"
"How could this be!"
Madam Zhou hated him for being such a blockhead. "She looks at you every day, her eyes practically overflowing with tears. When she makes you a robe, she even pretends to be making clothes for everyone in the school, including Mr. Pei!"
"But in her heart, can you hold the same position as Mr. Pei?"
Pei Zhao happened to bring over a bowl. The martial artist had sharp ears and had just heard his name, so he casually greeted him, "What?"
Liu Xu gave him a seat.
Red tiles gleamed with snow, and white stones emerged from the river. The three of them huddled together at a small table under the eaves outside the house, ladling lotus root soup from a porcelain jar. How delightful!
Madam Zhou said, "We were discussing Madam Xie. What do you think of Madam Xie's feelings towards Mr. Liu?"
Pei Zhao was naturally very envious. He and Xie Lingguang had exchanged dozens of letters and hadn't seen each other for a long time. Unlike this sweet couple, they were together all the time. So he replied, "Excellent."
"How does Madam Xie treat you?"
Because of Xie Lingguang, Xie Lingxi took good care of him in every way, which was naturally good.
He replied, "That's good too."
That's not right," Madam Zhou said, pressing down on his hand that was stirring the spoon through her sleeve. "There has to be a comparison, doesn't there?"
Pei Zhao was also puzzled: "How can I compare to Brother Chengzhi?"
Madam Zhou was satisfied: "That's right."
"Look, we bystanders can all see this clearly, so don't deceive yourself. She must like you, and you happen to have feelings for her too, so why can't you be together?"
Pei Zhao: "Wait a minute..."
“Yes, brother,” Zhou Chuan said innocently, peeking out from the window of the house. “Besides, that woman from Chang’an is fierce and has a big waist and broad shoulders. I think she would definitely be more suitable for a skilled martial arts master.”
"Chuan'er!"
Madam Zhou scolded, "You shouldn't gossip about others so casually."
“Then I wasn’t wrong, Mother,” Zhou Chuan gestured with his chin. “Today I heard my nephew talk a lot about that woman. Would you like me to tell you about it?”
The "nephew" here refers to Liu Shen, who calls Liu Xu "brother," thus gaining the advantage of seniority and vying to be his uncle.
Pei Zhao raised his hand to stop him: "Wait..."
The story of the scholar and the enchantress has become increasingly exaggerated. What kind of story is this?
Before he could finish speaking, a clear, crisp voice rang out behind him, like rain falling into a mountain stream, "Okay."
Everyone turned around and saw Xie Lingxi carrying several scrolls of books, walking slowly towards them.
Having clearly overheard Zhou Chuan's words, he smiled wryly, "I also want to know what Mr. Liu's beautiful wife in Chang'an is like."
"What delicate flower? That's a domino flower!"
Zhou Chuan, oblivious to the varied expressions on the faces of the three people at the table, leaned against the windowsill and spoke eloquently: "I heard that the woman was forced by circumstances to grab my brother Xu by the collar and ask, 'Are you willing to marry me or not?' That shows how domineering she was, and..."
"They said that the woman's appearance was actually quite easy to identify; she had a bright red birthmark on her wrist, shaped like a heart. Yes, just like this!"
He looked up and saw that Xie Lingxi's sleeve had been lifted half an inch by the wind, revealing her slender arm, and above it was a heart the size of a thumb!
Zhou Chuan nervously swallowed.
"This, this—"
Even speaking became difficult.
In a daze, the snow seemed to boil and swirl, Xie Lingxi's cheeks were stained with cinnabar, her dimples hidden like the moonlight, "Is this it?"
"The first wife of Liu Lang that you mentioned, is she the same person as me, with the surname Xie and the given name Lingxi?"
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