Chapter 36 A beautiful woman targets me, a friend visits…
The Luo family's gate was in disrepair, so they couldn't make do with it today. Zhang Ting had someone find craftsmen to repair the house and replace the broken furniture as well.
Luo Zijun tried her best to stop her, but to no avail.
Zhang Ting even tied his sleeves with the straps and called the coachman to work with him alongside the craftsmen.
Luo Zijun gazed at the elegantly dressed and graceful woman in the courtyard. The messy state of the house was despised by countless students, yet this woman, who was clearly more noble than ordinary people, helped her repair the house without any disgust. Luo Zijun was deeply moved, and her eyes reddened again.
Who can say that this bond of affection is not as strong as blood ties?
Located in Kyoto, where materials were inexpensive, the four of them worked together and finally completed the house repairs at 5:15 PM.
To do a good deed to the end, Zhang Ting even had the driver buy Luo Zijun an evening meal, along with vegetables, fruits, rice, and noodles, before reluctantly bidding her farewell.
After a long afternoon of physical labor, Zhang Ting was starving. Without even changing her clothes, she went to the main hall for a meal, her face covered in dust and grime.
Xiaoyi was idly counting the plates with her head down when she glanced over and was shocked to see what was happening in front of her, finding it hard to believe.
Zhang Ting strode in. Her once clean and tidy blue brocade robe was now stained with dirt, her sweaty hair clung to her cheeks, and there was a dark gray stain on the side of her face.
Zhang Ting was so hungry that her hands and feet were weak and trembling slightly. She plopped down on a stool and asked Xiao Yi to help her serve rice.
He was stunned after hearing this. Coming to his senses, he pushed his bowl full of rice in front of her, his eyes full of worry, and asked, "Where did you go? What happened?"
Zhang Ting didn't reply. She raised her hand and shoveled rice into her mouth, filling her stomach in the blink of an eye.
Xiaoyi rested her chin on her hand, quietly watching her pick up food and eat rice, her thick, delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Zhang Ting felt her stomach was bloated, so she put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and replied, "A good friend of mine is seriously ill. Today I took her to the clinic for treatment and also helped her repair her house."
Upon hearing this, his brows not only did not relax, but instead furrowed tightly, his beautiful eyes watching Zhang Ting's every move. "This is a lowly profession. Miss is a person of status. If you want to help her repair her house, you can just hire a few laborers. Why do you have to do it yourself?"
Zhang Ting chuckled softly, her half-dry hair trembling with her laughter, exuding a rare, untamed charm that sent shivers down one's spine.
"There is no lowly profession in this world. If I can become a prime minister tomorrow, I can also work as a farmer the day after tomorrow."
Xiaoyi's eyelashes trembled slightly as she stared at her, mesmerized by her calm and confident smile.
Zhang Ting returned the favor by filling his own bowl with rice and placing it in front of him, saying, "Eat up."
Xiao Yi's thoughts returned, but instead of eating, she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, moved closer to Zhang Ting, and gently wiped the grime off her face.
"Your body is all dirty."
A fair and handsome face loomed large before my eyes, with thick eyelashes fluttering, a delicate and straight nose, and thin, rosy lips.
Zhang Ting noticed that the color of the beauty mark under his eye seemed to have become darker.
He wiped her face clean, put the towel away, but met her deep eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head and sat up straight.
Her tone was gentle yet understated: "Let's eat."
Xiaoyi followed her instructions and had just picked up her chopsticks when she turned around and saw her slowly walking away.
A sense of melancholy settled in my heart.
......
Lin Xiuzhen reported to Zhang Ting: Xu You came looking for her this afternoon, but found no one there, leaving behind an invitation.
Zhang Ting opened the invitation, which said that the day after tomorrow was Xu Shan's birthday and she was specially invited to attend a banquet at Xu's residence.
Zhang Ting understood and told her to go back and rest. He then paced around the courtyard to digest his food and pondered what gift to prepare for tomorrow.
The setting sun was swallowed by the night, the last glimmer of light disappeared, and the sparse chirping of insects began, as lanterns were lit in the courtyard.
Xiao Rong prepared all the necessary bathing items and called Zhang Ting over.
Zhang Ting nodded to him and went to the bathhouse.
She pushed open the door, closed it, bent down, loosened her belt, and casually draped it over the shelf.
She was clutching her collar, about to take off her outer robe, when she saw a person leaning lazily against the wall with their arms crossed, their beautiful eyes quietly watching her.
Zhang Ting paused, her eyes darkened, and she pursed her lips.
Remind him, "This is the shower room."
This person didn't take it seriously and even had some complaints about Zhang Ting's attitude.
He glanced at her and pouted, "Of course I know this is the bathhouse."
That's utterly nonsensical.
Zhang Ting didn't mind that there were people present, and continued to take off her outer robe. The heavy robe fell onto the rack with a "thud".
She wore a clean white undergarment, walked to the bathtub, let her hair down, and raised her hand to untie the rope of her undergarment.
"etc--"
A voice called out from behind, its tone tinged with fear.
"You're not allowed to take it off!"
"I am a man, how dare you undress in front of me?"
He walked around the shelf and stood in front of Zhang Ting, glaring at her.
Zhang Ting usually pays great attention to the proper boundaries between men and women, but this person was the one who barged into the women's bathhouse, and now he's turning around and accusing her.
"Since you dare to enter the women's bathhouse, why are you afraid of me taking off my clothes?"
The other person blushed at her words, but fortunately it was late and the indoor lights were dim, so no one could tell the blush on his cheeks.
The candlelight illuminated Zhang Ting's profile, but even the warm light couldn't soften her indifferent expression. Already exhausted today, she had no desire to argue with him and impatiently snapped, "Get out!"
He was suddenly rebuked, and his body trembled violently. Afterwards, a strong sense of grievance and bitterness spread in his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes, falling like beans. He even cried out loud.
Her sobs were faint, like a kitten's.
This person had just been so considerate in serving him rice, but now he was cold and bossy towards him. He choked up and said, "I just wanted to ask you... how many clothes do you plan to buy for the spring so I can go down and prepare them."
After saying that, he glared at her resentfully, his tone full of grievance: "How could you yell at me..."
Zhang Ting closed her eyes, rubbed her temples, and felt a terrible headache.
After a long pause, he sighed and said, "It was my fault, don't cry."
"You can take care of the clothes yourself."
Xiao Yi was good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that she looked unhappy, even though he was feeling down, he immediately shut up.
She wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, but then remembered that she had just used it on Zhang Ting, and felt it was bad luck. She raised her sleeve to wipe away the tear stains and stammered, "I understand."
After speaking, he stood properly, bowed respectfully to Zhang Ting, and was about to leave.
Zhang Ting opened her eyes and called out to him in a low voice, "Come back."
He instructed him: "The driver worked alongside me today and was very tired and overworked. Take five hundred coins from the account as a reward for her."
Xiaoyi nodded and said okay.
Zhang Ting used to think he was quite smart, but today she realized he was actually a bit dim-witted.
Women dare to freely enter and exit places like bathhouses; aren't they afraid of being forced into sexual acts?
Looking directly into his red and moist eyes, she said, "You are not allowed to come to the women's bathhouse again."
Xiaoyi felt as if she had been scolded again, and she felt extremely upset. Tears welled up in her eyes, so she quickly lowered her eyes to hide them, whispered her agreement, and hurriedly left.
Zhang Ting sighed, not even closing the door for her.
She closed the door, took off her clothes and immersed them in the water. Thinking of the man turning around and wiping the corner of his eye, she sighed heavily, feeling somewhat agitated.
...
The next day, Xiao Yi's eyes were red and swollen, and he looked pitiful. He ate his meal with his head down and didn't say a word to Zhang Ting.
After finishing his breakfast in silence, Zhang Ting expressionlessly called Zheng Er to the study.
Her throat was dry, so she poured herself a glass of water, only to find it was still cold water from the previous day, which immediately gave her a headache.
But she lived a rough life and wasn't picky, so she just drank whatever she could find.
Zhang Ting sat in the main seat and instructed Zheng Er to prepare Xu Shan's congratulatory gift.
“Lord Xu is a refined gentleman. I remember there is a painting of pine and crane by Zhang Da in the Sutra Repository. Go and buy it as a birthday gift.”
She took out two silver notes worth one thousand taels from her sleeve and handed them to Zheng Er.
Zheng Er looked nervous, took the silver notes with both hands, and carefully put them into her bosom. She had never seen so much money in her life!
"If there is a surplus..."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Er looked up and noticed that his employer had a somewhat worried look on his face.
She heard the master ask, "Zheng Er, do you know what men like?"
Zheng Er suddenly realized, "This is to win the beauty's favor!"
Although she had no experience, she had seen it all before, so she cleared her throat and said, "Back in the day, a simpleton from the same village gave the village beauty a new set of clothes and then married her."
"Master, shall we also prepare a set of robes for the young master?"
Make clothes again?
Well, she's only got a few oddballs, let's just make do for now.
However, she said, "When you come back, stop by Qingyi Pavilion and ask about Xiangyu Langjun's schedule."
Zheng Er replied, "Yes."
He bowed and stepped back, but as soon as Zheng Er stepped out of the door, he encountered Xu You, who had come to pay his respects again, and Luo Zijun, who had come to find her sister.
One person looked displeased, while the other looked pleased.
Zheng Er paused, then stepped forward with a broad smile: "Truly a distinguished guest!"
"Ladies, please come in with me. My young lady is in her study."
Luo Zijun walked ahead, smiling and nodding to Zheng Er, "Thank you for your trouble, Butler Zheng."
He was polite and gentle, but his gaze never fell on Xu You, as if he disdained her.
Zheng Er had not yet been appointed as the steward, but she chuckled and said with delight, "Your Majesty flatters me."
Xu You considered herself to be exceptionally beautiful, and since her aunt was an official in the capital, ordinary people would always treat her with deference. This woman in front of her, wearing a patched cotton robe, was not a person of high status, yet she dared to treat her so disrespectfully. Moreover, seeing Zheng Er chatting happily with this woman, she felt even more displeased.
A surge of anger welled up inside her, and she thought to herself: If her aunt hadn't insisted that she invite Zhang Ting again, she wouldn't have come to put up with this humiliation!
Zheng Er noticed Xu You's displeasure, but didn't know why. He looked embarrassed and didn't dare to speak easily, lest he offend the young lady's friend.
Finally, he led the two to the study. Zheng Er secretly touched his forehead, looked down, and exclaimed, "Wow! My hands are covered in sweat!"
Hearing the commotion in the study, Zhang Ting came out with a smile and welcomed them in.
"A rare guest indeed! Please come in with me!"
She turned her head and casually instructed Zheng Er to tell the servants to prepare tea and snacks.
Zhang Ting led the two to sit down and introduced Luo Zijun to Xu You.
"Sister Xu, this young lady's surname is Luo, and her given name is Ziju. She is truly a literary star descended to earth. Last year, she passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations)."
Xu You was astonished. Luo Zijun looked young and inexperienced, barely ten years old, yet she had already passed the imperial examination and become a scholar!
The Zou Yueru and Li An sisters from Lvtian County were so talented, but even in their mid-twenties, they were only scholars.
And yet, I am still just a commoner.
He immediately put aside his contempt and displeasure, and even stood up with a smile to greet her, "Greetings, Sister Luo."
When Luo Zijun heard Zhang Ting introduce her to her friend instead of introducing her friend to her first, it was clear that Zhang Ting was treating her like family, which warmed her heart.
Zhang Ting said to Luo Zijun, "Zijun, this is Sister Xu, the beloved nephew of the Assistant Minister of Revenue."
Luo Zijun was precocious and proud, and she was aloof and did not like to associate with the powerful and wealthy. She did not care about Xu You's background, but she gave Zhang Ting face and greeted Xu You with a greeting: "Sister Xu".
As soon as she bowed, Xu You awkwardly helped her up, saying, "Sister Luo, there's no need for such formalities."
Luo Zijun got up and stood up like a well-behaved puppy, guarding Zhang Ting's side.
Zhang Ting invited the two to sit down, and Xiao Rong and Xi Ge brought over tea.
Xu You initially didn't think much of it, having drunk the tea at Zhang Ting's house last time, which was of poor quality. But this time, after taking a sip, he found the tea to be fragrant and delicious, and looking down at the pastries, he noticed they were also quite exquisite.
She was startled and looked up at the furnishings around her. They were elegant and dignified, even exuding an air of authority, and were even more grand than her aunt's study.
Coming to his senses, he couldn't help but look at Zhang Ting with a puzzled expression.
Luo Zijun had eaten the family's tea snacks before, but they were a bit too sweet. She didn't expect them to have improved so much this time. She didn't stand on ceremony with Zhang Ting and asked casually.
Zhang Ting smiled and said, "Of course, I have been guided by an expert."
"Since Sister Xu and Zijun like it, take some back to try."
"It's just some food, so don't stand on ceremony with me." He then winked at Luo Zijun.
Luo Zijun received her interaction and nodded happily, her eyes curving into crescent shapes with a smile. Her tender, round face was fair and rosy, making her very cute.
Zhang Ting smiled and turned to Xu You apologetically, saying, "I was delayed by important matters yesterday and missed meeting you, Sister Xu. It's truly a pity."
"I have received the invitation and will definitely go to congratulate Lord Xu on his birthday tomorrow."
Xu You nodded in agreement. That was exactly what she had come for. Seeing Zhang Ting's humble attitude, her dissatisfaction dissipated.
Hearing Zhang Ting's promise, Xu You considered his mission complete, but since he was interested in befriending Luo Zijun, he stayed a little longer.
Luo Zijun held the pastries and walked affectionately to Zhang Ting, saying sweetly, "Sister, I've tried these pastries, they taste great, you should try some too."
The snacks served in front of the three people each had a different flavor.
Zhang Ting looked at her with satisfaction, and followed her lead, picking up a piece and putting it in his mouth. The taste was much better than the dried pastry in front of him.
She was very informal and invited Xu You to come over and try it too. Xu You had the same idea and came over several times to ask about Luo Zijun's background, but the other party did not respond.
Xu You felt embarrassed, but Zhang Ting came to her rescue, pulling the two of them to sit down and casually making up a strange story to attract their attention.
After their conversation, Zhang Ting wanted to host a banquet for the two of them, but Luo Zijun didn't want to always eat her sister's food and insisted on leaving. Xu You also left with her.
Zhang Ting saw the two to the door, stuffed some pastries into their hands, and then returned to his study, where he picked up a pastry that he had presented to Xu You and took a bite.
Tsk, it really was targeted at her.
Looking outside the door, Xu You took the initiative to befriend Luo Zijun and talked excitedly about many things.
"Sister Luo, how about we go on a picnic together next time? What do you think?"
Xu You looked at her expectantly, but saw that Luo Zijun's round face was indifferent, not at all as obedient as she was in front of Zhang Ting. She glanced at her indifferently and left.
Even powerful families like the Zou and Li clans had never treated him with such disrespect. How dare Luo Zijun, a mere poor scholar, ignore him like this? Xu You clenched his fists, extremely angry. He flung his sleeves and stepped into the carriage, even harboring resentment towards Zhang Ting.
I shouldn't have come to see her today!
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