Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Taking Qin Run as a Concubine
The little wild boy didn't seem to understand much, and it took him a while to realize what Xu Yunfan was asking. He pointed outside the door and then at the basket hanging on the hook in the kitchen.
Xu Yunfan, holding the towel, followed the little wild boy's hand as he looked outward, finally landing on the vegetable basket. Suddenly, he understood. "You mean, An Ge'er and your eldest brother, they took the basket and went out, right?"
Xu Yunfan interrupted the short sentence several times. There was nothing he could do. Through his observation, he found that if the children spoke at a normal speed, the little wild kid could obviously not keep up. But if they spoke slowly, the little guy could still understand what people said.
The little wild boy nodded.
Xu Yunfan squatted in front of the little wild kid, looked at him and smiled. He wanted to pinch his little face, but the little guy was so skinny that pinching would only pinch the skin. He simply rubbed the little wild kid's head and said slowly, "Thank you for your hard work, getting up so early in the morning to work. Our little one is really sensible."
He spoke slowly, and the little wild boy understood most of it. He held the firewood in his hand tightly, which he was about to put in, and his ears were burning.
Qin An was very diligent. He and Qin Run went to Fang the hunter's house to buy vegetables. He didn't let Xu Yunfan do anything and insisted that Xu Yunfan go to have breakfast. The little wild boy was responsible for fetching water, and he was responsible for washing the vegetables.
In the kitchen, Qin Run was busily busy. The little wild boy ran back and forth, fetching water for Qin An and then running back into the kitchen to watch the fire for Qin Run. Even though one of his hands was inconvenient, it did not hinder his agile movements.
Seeing that he couldn't help, Xu Yunfan simply went to the courtyard wall to take a look and plan the area that the kiln would occupy.
He had the blue bricks. When buying them in the store, Xu Yunfan learned that Dayan Dynasty had lime mortar, glutinous rice lime mortar, and rammed earth that could be used as cement. However, these things all cost money. He only had a few hundred coins on him, and after buying the blue bricks, he was short of money. Everything else required money, and he wouldn't use the yellow mud anyway. He could go back and dig this stuff himself. How much did he want?
Xu Yunfan glanced at the sky. It was still early, so he went into the kitchen and said, "Run'er, I'm going to go out and do something. You just keep braising the pig's trotters. When you've prepared the other dishes, share some for your lunch."
"Well, where are you going?" Qin Run was busy with the work at hand, but did not forget to ask.
Xu Yunfan found a hoe and a basket and said, "I'm going to dig some yellow clay."
…
Xiaoli Village.
Sun Dahe's mother got up early in the morning and fed the chickens and ducks. Only after the poultry were fed did Li Xiaohua, with messy hair, open the door and come out.
"You nasty woman, you get up only when the sun is shining on your butt. Are you trying to be lazy?" When Aunt Sun was a daughter-in-law, she would get up early in the morning and finish the housework before the husband of the family got up. She had lived like this all her life. But in the end, the daughter-in-law her son married would not get up until noon. Which daughter-in-law would be like this?
Li Xiaohua was not angry after being scolded. Instead, she smiled and said, "Mom, how could I be lazy? I always sleep like this at home. My third brother said that I am his only sister, so I can sleep as long as I want. Even if I get married, I will still be his sister."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Sun suddenly became speechless.
Her daughter-in-law is from the Li family in Dalicuo. She has a good family background. She has a third brother who passed the examination for a student and will take part in the college examination next year. The most important thing is that he is a student of Qingfeng Academy in the town. Even the teacher praised him for his good knowledge. He is expected to win the first place in the college examination.
Once Li Yunfei passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, Li Xiaohua will be his sister, and it will be difficult for the Sun family to offend them.
Aunt Sun said hesitantly, "That's right, now that you're up, go wash up quickly. We'll be going to the fields soon."
The weather is getting hotter, the days are longer and the nights are shorter. If you get up early in the morning and go to the fields, you can do more work and you don’t have to stay in the sun for as long at noon.
Hearing that she had to go to the fields to work again, Li Xiaohua pouted and said, "Mom, I'm not saying that you should have persuaded Dahe to bring that ugly guy back. That way, we wouldn't have to do so much work."
As the daughter of Aunt Li Baoshan who came of age, Li Xiaohua was loved by her three older brothers. It can be said that she was spoiled since she was a child. She had never done any heavy work. When she reached the age to get married, she did not go to the fields and kept herself fat and white. She had not gone to the fields for two years. When she came to the Sun family, she did not enjoy the life but had to work in the fields. Couldn't Li Xiaohua bear it?
"It's not that I don't want to persuade him, it's Dahe who doesn't want to. What can I do?" At first, Aunt Sun didn't understand why there would be a woman like Li Xiaohua who would actually persuade her husband to take a concubine.
After learning that the boy Li Xiaohua was talking about was Dalicuo's Runger, Aunt Sun was unhappy. After all, Runger was not only ugly, but also had a younger brother. Even if he was capable and could do two for the same, he was a burden, and it was hard to say whether marrying him would be a loss or a gain.
Her son is good-looking and, most importantly, has a decent job that the villagers envy. Why would he take someone like that as his mistress?
Sun Dahe works as a gatekeeper at the Qingfeng Academy in the town. He comes into contact with people of status such as students and teachers. He knows a lot of students. If others want to look for someone, no matter which student or teacher they are looking for, they have to tell Sun Dahe.
Some people would give him some hard-earned money in order to let him call people out as quickly as possible or help deliver things. The monthly salary paid by Qingfeng Academy was not small, and he could earn more than one or two taels of silver a month. For this reason, everyone in the village thought that Sun Dahe was extraordinary. Not only did he know so many students and teachers from famous families, but his monthly salary was also so high. It was really extraordinary.
The groups he interacted with were different, and Sun Dahe himself was quite handsome. He was the son-in-law favored by many village elders and was praised highly. Sun Dahe claimed that he was incomparable to other men in the village. His wife was generous enough to let him take a concubine. However, he didn't expect that the other party was an ugly guy with rotten shoes known far and wide. Sun Dahe was not willing to do so, but he could not resist Li Xiaohua's persuasion, so Sun Dahe had to humble himself and go to Xiao Qin's house. Unfortunately, Qin Run was not willing to do so, which made him lose face.
He didn't even think about it. He was a dirty man with a burden. If he didn't marry him, his family would have an extra free farmhand. In the end, Qin Run's land would have to be transferred to his name. How could a man with a respectable job in town like him look down on him and condescend to come to his house to ask for this?
For Sun Dahe, it was just a matter of taking a concubine. There was no need for a matchmaker to come to his house, let alone the need for three matchmakers and six betrothals.
Qin Run's refusal was like trampling on Sun Dahe's pride. How could Sun Dahe not be angry?
Another reason why he was willing to come was that who else could have given Li Xiaohua this idea but her third brother?
Even if he didn't want to take Qin Run as his concubine, he had to come in order to give Li Yunfei face, at least he had to go through the motions and let Li Yunfei know.
Sun Dahe knew that someone like Li Xiaohua would never agree to let him take a concubine, but she couldn't stand hardship, and as a wife she had to do some work. Li Yunfei simply gave her an idea. Wouldn't it be better to marry Sun Dahe a woman who was both capable but not to his liking, so that he would lose interest in her at the first sight?
Among the surrounding villages, who else could be the most suitable person besides Qin Run?
Qin Run has no relatives and no elders. Once she gets married, she will be controlled by her husband's family.
Logically speaking, since Li Yunfei is so promising, Li Xiaohua will naturally have no trouble finding a husband.
The reason why she married herself was that Li Xiaohua was old enough. If she waited any longer, Li Yunfei would take the college entrance examination next year, and then Li Xiaohua would be eighteen years old.
Most girls and boys get married and have children at the age of sixteen or seventeen. Besides, if Li Yunfei passes the imperial examination, he will definitely continue to take exams. If the man Li Xiaohua marries has a wealthy family and is too powerful, then when Li Yunfei becomes successful, he will ask you for help. Will you help him?
The more powerful a family is, the more difficult it is to help them. There are too many people involved, so it is naturally more difficult to help them.
If Li Xiaohua married an ordinary village man, whose family was well off and who had a decent livelihood or job, then in the future, even if they asked Li Yunfei for help, it would undoubtedly be a small favor for Li Yunfei, perhaps just a matter of a word. If their demands were too high, they would be easier to suppress than those from powerful families.
In the eyes of Li Baoshan and his family, a daughter can be spoiled and raised, but what they value more is the future of their son. Even if the daughter is born in old age, she has to take a back seat compared to the future of their son.
A man like Sun Dahe is undoubtedly the perfect son-in-law in the Li family's minds.
No matter how you look at it, Li Xiaohua is marrying down. No matter how dissatisfied Aunt Sun is with her, she has to endure it out of consideration for her third brother.
Hearing that she had to go to the fields again, Li Xiaohua felt pain all over her body. "Mom, don't I say that if my husband marries Run Ge'er, do we have to work so hard as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? Even if he brings a younger brother, it's no big deal. An Ge'er is eight years old. He is good at working in the fields, feeding pigs and chickens, and cooking. Just give him and his brothers a bite to eat so that they don't starve or freeze to death. Besides, we will raise him for six or seven years, and when he gets married, the betrothal gifts will be ours, and even his family's land will have to be under the name of our Sun family. Why doesn't my husband agree?"
When Li Xiaohua said this, Aunt Sun's heart was immediately moved. Yes, why didn't she think of it before? "Then I'll talk to him when he wakes up."
Due to the recent busy farming season, the villagers of Dali Village were so busy that they had no time to leave the village. The same was true for other villages. Naturally, the fact that Qin Run had picked up a man was unknown to the people of other villages except Dali Village.
Qingfeng Academy had a holiday for the fields, so Sun Dahe naturally went home as well. As soon as he woke up, Aunt Sun grinned and grabbed him and talked to him for a long time.
"Mother, why are you talking about this again? If you're tired, we can hire a servant, or I can take in a concubine. They can still do the work. Why do you have to have that ugly boy? Look at him, he's so tall and strong. If he doesn't obey..."
By then, it is not certain who will beat whom.
Sun Dahe was terrified at the thought of marrying a boy like that, whose red mole was not very obvious. People who didn't know him might think that he was the one being oppressed. Wouldn't it be extremely embarrassing to be misunderstood?
"It's different," Aunt Sun patted her son's arm and repeated Li Xiaohua's story to Sun Dahe. "Xiao Qin's family owns more than ten acres of land. That's a lot of silver. Even if we don't farm it, we can still make a lot of money just by renting it out. Besides, An Ge'er is able to work now. We can support him for five or six years. Then, it wouldn't be too much to ask for a betrothal gift of 100 taels of silver from him. Isn't that another ton of silver?"
As she spoke, Aunt Sun covered her mouth with her hands and laughed happily, as if she had already seen the silver flapping its wings and flying into her pocket.
For an ordinary family to marry a wife, whether it is a girl or a boy, five or six taels is enough. What a guy, his mother actually wants □□ taels.
But Sun Dahe thought about it and realized that eating his family's food and living in his house was not a lot for a betrothal gift of 200 taels. This amount of money was only his monthly allowance for a few months. It was not much at all.
Fearing that her son would be reluctant, Aunt Sun patted the back of Sun Dahe's hand lovingly and said, "As for this guy, if you take him in and don't like him, that's fine. Just treat him as an extra servant. When the time comes, just leave him aside. He won't bother you in any way."
Hearing his mother's words, Sun Dahe's heart was filled with heat. "Then I'll endure the heat at noon and go to Xiao Qin's house again. I'll try to bring him back before he sells the grain."
Xiao Qin's family has not sold the grain yet. When the time comes, how to sell the grain and how much it will be sold for will be decided by them and their daughter.
Seeing her son listen to her advice, and thinking of the dozen acres of land that would soon be in her hands, Aunt Sun smiled from ear to ear and patted the back of Sun Dahe's hand lovingly, "Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, my son."
Xu Yunfan, completely unaware that her husband was being missed, was still grunting and digging the loess at the foot of the mountain.
After returning with a basket of loess, Xu Yunfan chose a piece of wood left over from making a cart, went into the kitchen, took out a piece of charcoal, wrote on it, and then put the wood in his backpack.
During this busy time, Qin Run had already packed all the food. When he lifted the basket and put it on Xu Yunfan's back, he reminded him, "Yunfan, I brought you some bowls and chopsticks. If you can't get back in time for lunch, don't go hungry."
Qin Run finally had such a handsome husband, so how could she bear to let him go hungry?
Xu Yunfan laughed, "Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who would abuse myself. You guys are at home, and you don't have to wait for me when it's time to eat. Eat first, okay?"
"Um."
Qin Run nodded. Xu Yunfan touched Qin An's head and then the little wild boy's head. "Thank you three for your hard work this morning."
The little wild kid shrank his head. Although he was not used to Xu Yunfan's intimate behavior, he was much better than yesterday and did not run away in rejection.
On the way out of the village, Xu Yunfan met some villagers who were carrying corn back home. After greeting each other, Xu Yunfan hurried to the gate of Qingfeng Academy.
Still the same time and place.
Xu Yunfan took out the wooden board and placed it in front of the backpack, supporting it with the backpack. On it were today's menu and prices.
When Shen Ruxi, Lin Xiaoran, Xie Baizhou, and Qi Xiu Ze came over, the first three were attracted by the handwriting on the wooden board, while Qi Xiu Ze opened his mouth wide, pointed his index finger at Xu Yunfan, and was speechless for a long time.
Qi Xiu Ze didn't believe what Shen Ruxi and the others said before, but now that he saw the person, he had to believe it. It turned out that in the Great Yan Dynasty, there really was a young man who was more handsome than him.
Qi Xiu Ze looked Xu Yun Fan up and down, and Xu Yun Fan looked Qi Xiu Ze up and down as well. "What are you looking at? Have you never seen a handsome guy before?"
Qi Xiu Ze slapped his thigh and said, "How can you be so shameless?" Even he didn't have the nerve to say such shameful words to a stranger he just met.
But why does this person's words suit his taste so much?
Listening to the tone, it is exactly the same as his, just two words - confidence.
Xu Yunfan raised his chin slightly, "How can you be shameless? Isn't what I said the truth? I'm not exaggerating, you're even less good-looking than me."
"You..." Qi Xiu Ze wanted to say that Xu Yunfan was confident, but then he thought, how could he be confident? He was clearly speaking the truth.
"Your name is Xu Yunfan? Tell me, what did you eat to look like this... Damn it, I've read so many sage books, but I couldn't come up with a word at the critical moment."
It's no wonder Qi Xiu Ze couldn't describe it. The young man in front of him was not only handsome, but also had an age between a mature man and a teenager, which made Xu Yunfan's eyes and eyebrows look a bit childish. But no matter how Qi Xiu Ze looked at it, he felt that it was not childishness, but more like charm. Otherwise, how could he be fascinated by such a man?
Xu Yunfan waved his hand and pressed his palm downwards. "Keep a low profile, keep a low profile. Being handsome isn't something you get from eating. I don't know how others grow, but for someone like me, I can only say I'm naturally beautiful. My mom and dad just gave birth to me casually, so maybe I'm just good at growing. I can be so handsome just by growing up casually. I can't even imagine it. If I had grown up carefully, wouldn't I be so handsome?"
Qi Xiu Ze felt like he had met a kindred spirit after hearing Xu Yunfan's words. "Yeah, yeah, I often think so too. It seems handsome men like us all have the same worries."
The two of them started to shamelessly brag about Xu Yunfan, and the more they talked, the more Qi Xiu Ze felt that they had met too late.
Meanwhile, Xie Baizhou and the other two had already been examining Xu Yunfan's calligraphy several times. "Yunfan, is this your handwriting?"
The characters on the wooden board are strong and powerful, not loose at all. Between each stroke, it is not difficult to see the strong wrist strength of the writer. These characters are powerful without losing their strength, and their posture is extended without exaggeration. The handwriting is smooth and flowing, which can be said to be a good handwriting.
"Yeah." Xu Yunfan nodded calmly, not wanting to say anything. Right now, business was the most important thing. Seeing that they had nothing in their hands, he asked, "Do you want to buy food from me? I told you yesterday that the prices of the food and vegetables sold here today are clearly written. Do you want to buy some?"
"Buy it." Xu Yunfan's beautiful handwriting further confirmed their guess. Lin Xiaoran also wanted to ask Xu Yunfan how to write such beautiful characters.
There was no way around it. He had studied for more than ten years, but his handwriting was the only thing he couldn't do well.
Xu Yunfan: "I didn't bring any bowls, you have to bring your own."
Lin Xiaoran and the other three: "..."
No, this is how Xu Yunfan does business? Who does business this way these days? They come in to eat, pay money, and they have to bring their own dishes?
Is it reasonable for this to get out?
Does Xu Yunfan still want to do business?
Xu Yunfan also knew that he was a bit too much, but there was no other way. It would be too troublesome for him to bring dishes and chopsticks. He didn't come here pushing a cart, and it would be too troublesome to clean up the dirty dishes and chopsticks.
Most students have their own pride. Don't be fooled by Lin Xiaoran and others who look gentle, smiling and easy to talk to. However, such people are often ruthless and can deliver a fatal blow. Once you touch their bottom line, you will see whether they will deal with you or not.
Xu Yunfan silently opened the lids of several earthenware jars placed on the banana leaves, and took the chopsticks Qin Run had prepared for him and picked up four pieces of sweet and sour pork ribs for Shen Ruxi and the other three to taste one by one.
Finally, Xie Baizhou and the other three, succumbing to the delicious food, compromised. Grabbing the unfinished ribs in one hand, they turned around and ran towards the dormitory as if they were running a hundred-mile race.
Some students who stayed in school because they couldn't stand the fatigue of the long journey saw that the four famous students in Class A were no longer as calm and composed as before, and were running back as if they were being chased by a tiger. They couldn't help but wonder, "Why are you running?"
"I'm hungry, let's get ready to eat." Xie Baizhou took the time to retort.
No, you just went out. Didn’t you come back to eat?
Finally, seeing the four people rushing out with bowls and chopsticks in hand, the other students realized that Xie Baizhou and his fellow foodies had come back to find someone to eat.
It was a rare sight to see the four great talents of the academy behave so unmannerly, so the other students were naturally curious and followed them out to take a look.
It was too hot a few days ago and they were too lazy to even go out, so they naturally didn't know that a handsome young man was coming outside the courtyard gate.
Therefore, when they walked out of the yard and saw a young man holding a fan in one hand under the shade of a tree not far away, for a moment, they didn't know whether they should look at the other person's face which was more outstanding than Qi Xiu Ze's or at the unique but eye-catching fan in the other person's hand.
The other students stood in front of Xu Yunfan and didn't speak for a long time. They looked at him and then at the fan in his hand.
Seeing that business had come to him, Xu Yunfan turned the fan and put it away. He put it on his waist and put it on his waist. He raised a spoon and swept it over several earthenware pots. "What dishes do you want?"
Qi Xiu Ze waved his hand proudly, "One of each, please."
Not to mention, these dishes are not inferior to those in the inn in terms of color, aroma and taste. They can fill their stomachs and whet their appetites. As for the prices written on the wooden board, they are just a drop in the bucket for them.
"This sweet and sour pork ribs is delicious, very fragrant."
"Yes, and this braised pork belly, it's fatty but not greasy, delicious. Yunfan, you're really good, you have such a skill, are you coming tonight?"
"If you don't come, I'll come at noon. As for later, it's hard to say."
"Ah? You're not coming? Why not? Where are we going to eat tonight if you don't come?" Xie Baizhou picked up a piece of pork ribs and licked the thick broth on it. "I want to eat this sweet and sour pork ribs tonight."
Seeing that the others were empty-handed, Xu Yunfan put down his spoon and sat back on the stool. He took out his waist fan and turned it ninety degrees before leisurely fanning himself as he replied, "No, I can't. My home is not close to town. Running back and forth twice a day is too tiring."
Qi Xiu Ze and the others didn't have time to care whether Xu Yunfan was tired or not, as they were attracted by the waist fan in his hand. "Oh my god, Yunfan, is this your fan? It looks great. Which master did you ask to create this painting?"
The green bamboo painting on the fan was so lifelike that one could tell it was the work of a master. What amazed them even more was that they were young masters who had lived in the capital, and it was no exaggeration to say that they had never seen such bright and realistic colors.
And this waist fan is unique, and it is indeed unique. They have never seen such a fan before, so they are naturally curious and feel it is novel.
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