"Really?" Liang Shaoqing squeezed forward and stared out: "Why can't I see it?"
"If you can see it, I guess even a three-year-old child can see it." Chu Qiao rolled her eyes impatiently, thought about it, and then frowned, saying: "But it's also strange, if the Zhan family didn't have such a strong power, those county officials wouldn't have to come to greet us, why did they all send their own advisors and staff?"
"Maybe they were busy and delayed by something."
Chu Qiao automatically ignored Liang Shaoqing's words and murmured, "They dare not not come, but they also dare not be too serious or enthusiastic. This shows that the Zhan family should have a certain strength, but for some reason, they dare not do too much. This shows..."
"Oh, I see," Chu Qiao sat up and said to Liang Shaoqing, "The Zhan family must have a powerful rival in Tangjing. These officials can't afford to offend both sides, so they can only be vague. The Zhan family should have been a big family in Bian Tang, but later they were excluded for some unknown reason and moved to Daxia. However, in name, they are still nobles in Bian Tang, which explains why they are unknown in Daxia but are treated with courtesy in Bian Tang. This time, they should not be going to Beijing for ordinary congratulations, but returning home with their whole family, so they brought so many servants with them, and even the husbands' families of several sisters followed them. Moreover, although the Zhan family is prosperous on the surface, it is a hollow shell in private, so they went to the slave market to buy slaves at a low price."
"Xiao Qiao, you are so energetic, why don't you go out for a walk and bask in the sun." Liang Shaoqing was standing on the ground, meticulously adjusting the wrinkles on his robe. It was just a servant's coat, but he wore it as if it were some precious silk.
"You are here rambling on and on about other people's family backgrounds. If you don't know, you might think you have some ulterior motive."
"If I have any intention, I just want to knock open that head of yours and see if it's filled with grass or water!"
Chu Qiao stood up with a frown on her face. The wound still hurt a little as she moved, but compared to the previous few days, it was almost negligible.
"How are you? Is it painful?"
Chu Qiao said impatiently, "Do you want me to give you a knife to try?"
"No need to try," Liang Shaoqing chuckled, "It will definitely hurt. I guarantee I can't stand it."
There was a cool breeze outside the cabin, which was very refreshing. As soon as Chu Qiao stepped out of the cabin door, she felt refreshed. At this moment, the bell of the dining hall rang. She had been eating in the cabin for several days. This time she could walk, so she simply followed Liang Shaoqing to the dining hall to eat the slaves' big pot meal.
The so-called dining hall was on the rear deck, where servants stood in a row and took turns getting meals in an orderly manner. Chu Qiao sat down against the wall of the boat and watched Liang Shaoqing, a young man from a wealthy family, who was very adaptable and lined up behind a group of slaves. The people in front turned around and greeted him with a smile, showing a great interest in life. The girl raised the corners of her mouth and smiled faintly.
It seemed like many years had passed since she had such a leisurely life. She leaned back and looked up. She saw several white water birds circling in the sky, chirping, and the sound was very pleasant.
At this moment, she suddenly felt a chill on her head. Chu Qiao was startled and stood up suddenly. She saw several big men in coarse cloth standing in front of her. One of them was holding a bowl and looking at her provocatively. It was he who poured water on her head just now.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing?" The man said with a scoundrel look on his face, "I want to sit here and eat, just to ask you for help."
"Xiao Qiao! What's wrong?" Chu Qiao was about to speak when Liang Shaoqing suddenly ran back and approached her like a hen, asking, "What's going on?"
Unexpectedly, before he could reach him, a big man suddenly crossed his legs and tripped in front of Liang Shaoqing. Liang Shaoqing was holding three bowls with rice and vegetables in his hands. He suddenly lost his balance, and he screamed and fell to the ground!
"What are you doing?" Chu Qiao stepped forward, helped up the scholar who had fallen down, suddenly raised her head and scolded him harshly.
"This little brother has a bad temper! Why, your brother can't walk, but you want to blame others?"
"That's right. Look at the brothers' appearance. They have greasy hair and powdered face. They are obviously gigolos."
Several people burst into laughter, and one of them laughed loudly, "Look at how ugly they are, they are just weaklings that will break if you pinch them, and they still say they are proficient in poetry and prose. Damn it, they really think they are the top scholar in the imperial examination."
Chu Qiao slowly narrowed her eyes, like a civet cat, flashing a faint light. Liang Shaoqing was busy tidying up his soiled clothes. The angry man was startled when he saw Chu Qiao's expression and quickly said, "Xiao Qiao, I'm fine, don't be angry."
"You little bastard! Learn from your big brother. Worship the right gods according to the mountains you choose. Don't think you are a superior person just because you live in a first-class cabin!"
Several big men said something, then turned around and walked away cursing.
Chu Qiao helped Liang Shaoqing up, only to see that the man was covered in stains and dirt, and his hand was cut by the broken porcelain bowl, with blood dripping down. Liang Shaoqing grimaced in pain, but was still afraid that Chu Qiao would get angry, so he hissed and endured it, not daring to say a word.
"That's Chen Shuang, the driver who drives the car, the eldest lady's man. He dares to contradict even Uncle Qing. If you provoke him, you should be careful in the future."
"Is there another young lady in this house?"
Liang Shaoqing nodded: "Yes, I heard that she is very beautiful, but her personality is a bit cold. I heard that she also has a twin sister, but she is dead."
Chu Qiao had red lips and white teeth, and her smile was so bright that the servant was stunned when he saw it. Chu Qiao helped Liang Shaoqing stand up and said with a sullen face, "Come back with me."
Liang Shaoqing made a bitter face and said cautiously: "Xiao Qiao, I haven't eaten yet."
Chu Qiao glared at him and took him back to the cabin. She took out the medicine left by the doctor a few days ago, sat on the bed and carefully cleaned and applied the medicine to him.
Liang Shaoqing asked for conversation: "Xiao Qiao, are you hungry?"
Chu Qiao frowned and said in a deep voice: "You are Liang Chutang's son and the son of the Liang family in Shangyu. How can you be so generous and eat anything?"
"What if I don't eat it?" Liang Shaoqing said with a sad face, "I know it tastes bad, but I'll be hungry if I don't eat it."
With a "bang", Chu Qiao threw away the white silk in her hand, stood up and walked out.
Liang Shaoqing was startled, thinking that she was going to go out and settle accounts with those people, so he quickly stopped her and said, "Xiao Qiao, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. It's just a small matter, you really don't have to get angry with them. We can't stay for long anyway. Once we arrive in Tangjing, I will visit my father's friends, and then we can..."
"I'll go out and get you some food." Chu Qiao said helplessly, "Aren't you hungry?"
"Ah?" Liang Shaoqing opened his eyes wide stupidly. After a long while, he nodded and said, "Oh, so, then, go ahead."
After a while, it was completely dark. Chu Qiao walked out of the cabin and came to the deck, but found that everything had been packed up and there was no leftover food. She was feeling a little worried when the man who had spoken to them before came up to her again, handed over two large bowls, smiled innocently, and said, "I know you haven't eaten yet, so I saved it for you."
There were white rice, some vegetables and salted fish in the two bowls. Chu Qiao felt warm in her heart and said sincerely, "Thank you, big brother."
"No need. We will all work together in the future, so we should take care of each other. I don't think you brothers are slaves. What's wrong? Has your family fallen on hard times?"
Chu Qiao nodded: "Nothing can escape Big Brother's discerning eyes."
"Don't worry," the man patted his chest, "I can't help you with anything else. If you're hungry, just come find me. I'm on duty in the kitchen."
"In that case, thank you very much, brother."
After separating from the man, Chu Qiao hurried back. Just as she reached the corner of the deck, she heard the sound of a wheel rolling across the deck. Chu Qiao stopped and walked slowly forward, sticking to the wall of the cabin.
"What were you singing?"
A mellow and elegant voice suddenly sounded. Chu Qiao looked and saw a man sitting in a wooden wheelchair, looking at her quietly.
Chu Qiao was stunned and asked, "Who are you?"
The man seemed to find it a little funny, and asked back with a smile: "Who are you?"
With a movement of his hand, the wooden wheels of the wheelchair rolled across the deck and slowly moved forward.
"I am a new servant. My name is Xiao Qiao."
"Xiao Qiao?" The man muttered to himself for a long time, then suddenly smiled, "It's easy to remember."
His smile was soothing, like the warm breeze on a lake in March.
"I am Zhan Ziyu."
Chu Qiao was stunned. She had never expected that the owner of this house was a cripple. Upon hearing this, she quickly took a step back and saluted, "So it's the young master. My apologies."
Zhan Ziyu nodded lightly, then turned his head and looked at the river quietly.
Chu Qiao stood there, feeling a little awkward, not knowing whether to leave or stay. Just as she was hesitating, Zhan Ziyu suddenly said, "This song is very nice. What's its name?"
Chu Qiao then remembered that she seemed to have hummed a tune unconsciously just now. Her cheeks flushed a little and she said, "I was just singing randomly. It's a tune from my hometown."
"Hometown?" Zhan Ziyu asked softly, "Where is your hometown?"
"My hometown is far away, and I may never be able to go back in this lifetime."
"oh."
Zhan Ziyu smiled slightly but did not ask any further questions.
"Master, the wind is strong on the river. Can I push you back?"
Zhan Ziyu raised his head and laughed at himself, "I took a lot of effort to get out, and before I could sit for a while, you pushed me back in?"
The soft light of the footlights at the stern shone on Zhan Ziyu's head. Chu Qiao then discovered that his black temples had a hint of gray under the light. Chu Qiao suddenly didn't know how to respond and could only stand quietly aside.
"Can you ride a horse?"
After a while, Zhan Ziyu suddenly turned around and asked. Chu Qiao was puzzled by his question and nodded: "Yes, I can ride well."
Zhan Ziyu smiled and said, "I also had a good horse in my early years. My wife gave it to me."
Chu Qiao flattered casually: "It must be a good horse."