Chapter 3660: A Gentleman Does Not Seek to Be Full
Just then, the carriage stopped.
The master and servant staggered for a moment, and Chu Yun hurriedly reached out to support Xin Ping. Then he heard the driver's rough voice coming from outside: "You two, we're here."
Xinping's face lit up with joy, and he quickly lifted the curtain to look outside, only to see their carriage parked in an alley. The alley was not wide, barely wide enough for one carriage to pass through, and any larger carriage would not be able to pass through. But after looking around, he could not see any mansions.
Xinping frowned, and Chuyun beside him immediately said, "Isn't this wrong? Where is the Liu Mansion?"
The groom dusted off his shoulders and pointed to another road beside the alley. "Go over there, and you'll find Lord Liu's residence across the street. The roads here are narrow, and the carriage can't pass through. Please bear with me."
They stretched their necks to look, and sure enough, across the narrow and muddy alley was a not very wide street with some pedestrians wrapped in thick clothes walking on the street. Across the long street was a house, but the gate was not wide open. It did not have the majesty and wealth of an official residence at first glance, but looked more like the house of ordinary people.
Xinping couldn't help but frown and said, "Isn't Lord Liu the highest-ranking official in Xichuan? Why is his residence so small? The road is so narrow that even a carriage can't pass through. How does he usually go out?"
The driver probably already knew they were from out of town. Seeing how lavish she was, he knew she must be from a wealthy family, with a rather otherworldly air. He chuckled and said, "You two don't know, this place is just average-sized, and it's definitely not where the rich live. The rich in Chengdu all live in the south, like the Yan family and the Tang family. This piece of land is cheap, otherwise Lord Liu wouldn't be able to afford it. He usually walks when he goes out, and only rides in the official sedan chair when he's going to the government office or coming back from it."
Xinping asked, "Doesn't he have any money?"
The driver laughed and said, "I have money."
Xinping was a little anxious: "How can you be like this when you have money?"
The driver, putting away his whip, said, "He just has money but won't spend it on himself. You two must have heard a lot of reading on your way into the city. In the past few years, several new academies have been built in Chengdu alone, all with Lord Liu's money. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be where we are now."
When Xinping heard this, even though it was snowy and icy all around, he suddenly felt warm in his heart.
She whispered, "He, he is like this."
The driver said, "Lord Liu is such a good official you'd be hard to find even with a lantern. Many people in the city wanted to build a shrine for him, but he refused. He said that if they really wanted to build one, they would give him the money and build a few schools for their children. Tell me, such a good official, he must be a reincarnation of a god."
Chu Yun's eyes lit up as he listened nearby.
She had been with Princess Xinping for quite some time and had long known what Her Royal Highness was thinking. However, to them, they only knew that Lord Liu had offended the Emperor because of Her Royal Highness the Princess and was exiled to Xichuan. They never imagined that he was such a good official and could be loved by the people in Xichuan.
Chu Yun leaned close to Xinping's ear and whispered softly, "I never thought he was such a good person."
Xinping turned to look at her and said, "He was always very good!"
After saying that, two people jumped down from the carriage.
The driver probably knew that these two beautiful ladies had come to see Master Liu because they had a past relationship. He said with a smile, "You two, his house is just across this alley. Madam Liu goes to the academy to pick up her young master every day at this time. He should be back soon. I'm afraid you might run into him if you go there."
After saying that, he nodded and drove away.
Xinping and Chuyun turned to look, then walked down the narrow alley. Sure enough, the street on the other side was even narrower, barely a street at all. The narrow road surface was bumpy and uneven. Xinping stood at the entrance of the alley, looking at the unnaturally quiet mansion across the street. It had two small doors, and the plaque above them bore only two simple characters: Liu's Residence.
Chu Yun couldn't help but mutter, "It's so shabby."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Xinping, only to see Xinping staring at the words "Liu's House" in silence, as if lost in thought.
Chu Yun said, "Miss, aren't we going in yet?"
Xinping shook his head slightly.
Chu Yun looked up at the sky. Although it was dark and cloudy, it was already at least twilight hour since they entered the city. The wind was howling and the snow was falling more heavily than before, making people shiver with cold. Chu Yun said, "Why don't you go in? It's so cold outside."
Xin Ping said, "Don't rush me."
The princess had spoken, so she naturally didn't dare say much. She could only stand beside Xinping, stamping her feet and blowing air on her frozen hands. Even she was freezing, so Xinping was no exception. But she never complained from beginning to end. Instead, she stood calmly in the wind and snow, staring at the end of the narrow street.
After an unknown amount of time, two figures, one big and one small, appeared at the other end of the long street.
It was a woman wearing a thick coat, holding an umbrella in one hand and holding a little boy of six or seven years old in the other hand.
Obviously a mother and son.
Because it was dark and the two people were holding a paper umbrella over their heads, they could only barely see that the woman was of medium build, with ordinary looks and very simple clothes. The child she was holding was not tall either, but had red lips and white teeth, and a pair of big, bright eyes. He was holding his mother's hand and reciting something loudly. It was not until they approached Xinping that he could hear that the child was reciting.
"A gentleman does not seek to be full when eating, nor to be comfortable when living. He is quick in action and cautious in speech. He follows the Way and is upright. He can be said to be studious..."
He recited the whole thing word for word, then looked up at his mother and said, "Mom, did I recite it well?"
The woman smiled and said, "I don't understand. But you just need to study hard and memorize the text well."
The child pouted and said, "Father is so knowledgeable, why doesn't mother know anything?"
The woman blushed slightly, but immediately said, "It's okay if Mom doesn't understand. As long as your dad understands, it's all good. Xiaosong, you must study hard. Your dad used to be a teacher in the capital. If you don't learn well, you will bring shame to your dad."
The child immediately said, "I know."
As they talked, they walked closer and closer, and now they had stopped at the door of Liu's house. Hearing their conversation, especially the sentence "They all work as teachers in the capital", Chu Yun suddenly turned to look at Xinping and whispered, "Miss..."
Xinping remained silent, staring at the mother and son.
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