Chapter 73: I heard that smart people are better at lying
Song Jin finally got rid of the matchmaker, and in the afternoon he welcomed new guests: the chief clerk of the county government and a group of yamen runners and clerks.
There was another verbal battle, and Song Jin escaped unscathed.
Ji Shubai was very busy that day and had no time to take care of Song Jin. When he came back, it was already dark. He did have dinner with Song Jin.
During the meal, Song Jin asked her what she had been busy with all day, and she just said she had rested. He then asked her to get up early the next day because he had to discuss matters with the county magistrate at night.
Song Jin tasted a strange smell, and the workaholic husband and his left-behind wife, who barely spoke to him every day, couldn't help but sneer.
"why are you laughing?"
"I am happy that the people of Changzhou County are blessed to have such a good official. They will surely live a good life."
Ji Shubai squinted at her, he didn't believe a word she said.
After dinner at night, Ji Shubai went back to work. Song Jin was bored and went to bed. He must have been exhausted after a fierce battle in the afternoon and he had to get up early tomorrow.
When we left the next day, it was much more lively than when we came. Officials of all kinds came to see us off. This time, there were not only two sedan chairs leaving the county government office, but several.
It was a fine day, and Song Jin sat in the sedan chair, lifted the curtain and looked out.
Because it was the Dragon Boat Festival, she saw that some houses on the street had already hung mugwort on their doors. There were many people walking on the street, wearing brightly colored clothes of pink, blue, white and green.
Only the corners of the house are in that timeless black color.
The group said goodbye to the county officials and got back on the boat. According to Ji Shubai's instructions, they first took the small river channel and then entered the river to change to a post boat. Before doing so, he did not forget to ask the boatman to speed up, so that the boat was shaking so much that Song Jin dared not move.
"Are we in a hurry?"
"Um."
Ji Shubai was not afraid of being shaken. He responded to Song Jin while flipping through a road map.
"Why?"
Ji Shubai then raised his head and said, "The day after tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. There will be a dragon boat race on the Wusong River. I think you will like to watch it."
Song Jin was a tough guy, but he still felt his heart skip a beat and his face felt hot when he heard these words.
She turned around, uttered a low "oh" and focused on looking at the river outside.
Ji Shubai called Qingshan, told him the itinerary, and made arrangements with the accompanying personnel before sitting down to drink tea with Song Jin.
"Did you talk to the registrar and others yesterday?"
Ji Shubai poured tea while talking, as if he was just chatting.
"Yeah, they... like talking to me."
"What did you talk about?"
Song Jin used his fingers to play with the non-existent hair by his ears: "It's just a casual chat, family matters or something."
"Chatting? Family matters?" Ji Shubai took a sip of tea and put down the cup silently: "How to cook?"
Song Jin rolled his eyes: "No."
"What is that?"
Song Jin bit her lip and guessed what the group must have said to Ji Shubai.
"Do you really have to ask me one question at a time?"
Song Jin cleared his throat and said, "Just ask one question at a time. This way I'll have time to think about how to cover up my lie."
Ji Shubai seemed to be used to Song Jin's lies, and he was not angry at all when he heard it: "Well, I won't ask anymore. When you are done, come and tell me yourself."
"How can there be someone like you?"
Ji Shubai smiled, didn't answer, and just continued drinking tea.
Song Jin felt bored and came forward: "Then I told you, don't be angry."
"Go ahead."
Song Jin lay on the small table and spoke seriously.
"They asked me who I was and what my position was, why I came out with you, and why you treated me differently and took special care of me. I said that Master Ji didn't treat me differently, but that Master Ji was a good person."
She paused and looked at Ji Shubai, and saw him looking at her with a smile on his face, so she continued:
"They asked me what I usually do with you. I said I accompanied the adults on tours. They asked me where I studied in the past and what I had achieved in the exam. It was the same as you, nothing new at all."
Ji Shubai asked: "How did you answer?"
Song Jin chuckled and moved closer: "As for me, I told them that I have never read any books of saints."
Ji Shubai paused while holding the teacup. Song Jin added mysteriously, "I told them that my ancestors had traveled to the West with Lord Zheng. They were very knowledgeable. Not to mention a small Suzhou, they had seen most of the world. They were amazing."
Ji Shubai: "......"
Song Jin was obedient, abandoned Qingxutian, and followed Zheng He's voyage to the West. Finally, things didn't seem so mysterious anymore, but wasn't it too easy to be exposed?
"You...you..." Ji Shubai wanted to accuse him but didn't know how to say it: "How could you make up such a thing?"
"What's there to not make up? As long as they believe it, it'll be fine." Song Jin didn't care, but Ji Shubai didn't think so.
Song Jin tells too many lies, which makes people doubt her character. Although she has a bad character, there is no need to let everyone know.
"How are you going to make them believe it?"
"I can speak foreign languages."
"Foreign language?" Song Jin nodded repeatedly. Ji Shubai asked again: "Luzon? Or Siam?"
Song Jin said proudly: "Neither."
"What is that?"
"You've never heard of English?"
Ji Shubai narrowed his eyes, not quite understanding this foreign language called English.
"English? Speak it to me."
Song Jin just opened his lips to speak, but when he saw Ji Shubai's narrowed eyes, he immediately backed off.
She was like that kid who was studying away from home and was asked to perform when she got home. She was forced to join the show and was extremely embarrassed, but had to perform and felt extremely uncomfortable.
"Why? Forgot again?"
Ji Shubai's half-smile successfully angered Song Jin. She grabbed the cup and turned it in another direction. She held the cup in front of her with one hand and pointed at the cup with the other hand and started to curse:
"You bastard. Never believe what I say. You idiot. You are short-sighted and don't realize it. You have a face but no brains. You are a frog in the well."
After Song Jin finished scolding, she calmed down a lot. She turned around and put the cup on the table, but saw Ji Shubai pursed his lips and stared at her with his eyes.
"Do you want a translation?" Song Jin asked with some disdain.
"turn!"
When swearing, the tone and expression can convey the meaning earlier than the words. Ji Shubai guessed that Song Jin didn't say anything nice.
Song Jin lost his courage as he lost his temper, so he just lowered his head and translated: "Have you eaten? Have you eaten? What did you eat? Plain noodles, is it delicious? Delicious."
After talking for a long time, she didn't hear Ji Shubai's words, so she secretly peeked and saw his eyes glued to her head, with an expression that couldn't tell whether he was happy or angry. She turned her head away guiltily, and happened to meet Qingshan's gaze.
Qingshan was full of confusion. In which country do people ask people if they want to eat in this tone and with this expression?
"Hungry?"
Ji Shubai finally spoke, and Song Jin nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I didn't eat enough this morning."
"Yangchun noodles?"
Song Jin didn't dare to say no, so several small boats came to the shore and Ji Shubai led everyone to eat noodles.
In the morning, the breakfast shop had not yet closed, so Ji Shubai chose a stall under a big tree and sat down.
The table top was not very clean. When the waiter saw Ji Shubai in bright white clothes, he quickly ran over and wiped it with a rag, then asked with a smile what he wanted to eat.
Ji Shubai knew that he was being asked, but he didn't answer. He just gave Song Jin a look.
"One bowl of plain noodles per person. Do you have any meat? I want some big cuts of meat."
Song Jin took it without hesitation. The waiter heard it and replied, "Yes, sir. Braised beef is the specialty of our restaurant."
"Then give each table a bowl of braised beef."
"Okay."
After ordering, Song Jin turned around to look at Ji Shubai, only to see him slowly rolling up his sleeves with one hand. He looked so relaxed and at ease, which was very pleasing to the eye.
Song Jin just watched and Ji Shubai just stroked it. When he finished stroking and looked up, he saw Song Jin holding his chin and staring at him, which made his face turn red.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"Master Ji, has anyone ever told you that you are pretty?"
Ji Shu rolled his eyes at her, but Qing Shan on the side took over the conversation: "Need I say more? Let alone Suzhou, even when we were taking the imperial examination in Beijing that year, let alone ordinary people, even among the Jinshi candidates of the same year, my master's appearance was the best."
Song Jin was excited after hearing this: "Well, why hasn't your master gotten married yet?"
"cough--"
Qingshan was about to speak when Ji Shubai interrupted them with a cough and said coldly, "Stop talking about my personal affairs."
Song Jin restrained himself and the noodles were served on the table.
The thin noodles in the light soy sauce soup were like the skirt of a fairy, with dots of emerald green onions sprinkled on top. Song Jin grabbed the chopsticks and picked up the chopped green onions bit by bit.
"You don't eat onions?" Ji Shubai was a little surprised.
"Well, I don't like onions."
Song Jin concentrated on picking the chopped green onions in the bowl. After he finished, he picked and mixed them with chopsticks. The aroma of lard wafted out and Song Jin swallowed his saliva.
"How do you say this plain noodles in your English?"
Song Jin said reflexively: "Yangchun noodles."
Song Jin took a big mouthful of noodles and took a breath of satisfaction. He used chopsticks to pick up the beef. Ji Shubai's voice floated coldly:
"You didn't say that word."
Song Jin's hand that was reaching for the beef paused for a moment, and when he glanced at Ji Shubai, he saw him eating the noodles steadily, not angry or annoyed, as if he had simply seen through his mistake.
"Cough——" Song Jin swallowed the noodles, coughed like Ji Shubai, picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth, chewed it and said: "This beef is not as delicious as the one I made."
"Then why don't you do it?"
Song Jin said: "I can't buy good ingredients, but it doesn't matter. When I go back this time, I will make you a dish you have never eaten before. I guarantee you will like it."
After saying that, he changed the subject: "When we go back this time, will Lord Lu give me the red deed and the document?"
"I can......"
Ji Shubai was immersed in the joy of being exposed, and was unexpectedly tricked by Song Jin. By the time he reacted, it was already too late.
"This...thing is missing. I should have fixed it when I get back. I asked someone to do it beforehand..."
Ji Shubai stumbled over his lies and his face turned red. Song Jin laughed at him unceremoniously.
"I heard that smart people are better at lying. Why is it so difficult for Lord Ji to lie? Could your Jinshi title be fake? Hahaha——"
Ji Shubai became even angrier after hearing this, but he felt guilty. He held the chopsticks with one hand, not knowing whether to eat or not.
"How do you know it's with Lord Lu?" He gave up trying to quibble.
Song Jin smiled and said, "I took the red deed and the documents of excommunication twice. Even if you lost it the first time, what about the second time? Why is it that I lost it every time?"
After Song Jin finished speaking, he raised his eyebrows, with a hint of provocation in his voice.
Ji Shubai was defeated: "I'll give it to you when I get back."
"This is what the adults said. If you lie to me again, you will be a liar and you can no longer criticize me."
Ji Shubai curled his lips. He had no idea how to enjoy the meal.
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