Chapter 5: Encountering a Benefactor Again, Deepening Friendship
"Both of you are refined and elegant, even your servants have excellent taste. You have the air of a great family. I admire you greatly." Harmonious relationships begin with commercial flattery.
No one dislikes hearing compliments, especially from someone they value. Zou Yueru was overjoyed: "Sister, you really know how to talk! If you like, feel free to choose any of the servants outside!"
Zhang Ting jokingly said to her, "A gentleman does not take what others cherish. Besides, the house is too small for this person to live in, and you will be squeezed out." She heard that the maids and servants of wealthy families, not counting the rewards, had to pay one tael of silver a month, which she could not afford.
The two were amused and burst into laughter. The servants outside covered their mouths and laughed as well, creating a very joyful scene.
Zou Yueru almost burst out laughing, and after catching her breath, she said, "You're really interesting; we just happened to run into you."
Li An had just laughed too hard, “But you’re not wrong, sister. My cousin’s family once produced two Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). It’s just that they declined a bit by the time of my grandmother’s generation, but they were still considered a scholarly family and a prominent clan in Lütian County.”
Zhang Ting pretended to bow to Zou Yueru and said jokingly, "So you are from a prominent family. My apologies for not respecting you."
The three of them laughed and joked around, and time seemed to fly by. Before long, they arrived.
The servants deftly brought footstools and helped the three of them get out of the carriage.
Two servants carried fruits, tea, snacks, cushions, and other items to the pavilion to set it up, while the three of them stayed behind to enjoy the snow and chat.
Ang Lee walked ahead, came up with a wicked idea, and turned to the two of them, saying, "Just admiring the snow is boring. Why don't we each tell a story about snow and then demonstrate it? If anyone can't, they should punish themselves with three cups of wine."
As soon as Li An stuck out his butt, Zou Yueru knew what he was about to say. However, she rolled her eyes, suppressed the corners of her mouth, and said with a serious face, "Why not? I'll go first. Don't try to take it from me."
Ang Lee pursed his lips, knowing exactly what she was up to. Since she beat him to it, he could only say, "Then I'll be second."
Zhang Ting couldn't understand the subtle tension between the two, and said, "I'll be last."
Ang Lee was particularly eager to see the two of them make fools of themselves, and suggested, "This demonstration has its good and bad points. Why don't we rank them and have the last one drink three cups as a penalty?"
Zou Yueru naturally agreed, and Zhang Ting vaguely understood what she wanted to do, but there was nothing wrong with it.
First, Zou Yueru led the two into a plum grove. The fragrance of plum blossoms was intoxicating, delicate and refreshing. They were immediately attracted by the plum trees with their various shapes and forms. Fine snowflakes drifted down, scattered on the crimson petals, a beautiful sight amidst the cold, braving the wind and snow.
“Look, my two sisters, I am walking in the snow with my friends and admiring the plum blossoms in the woods. It is a fitting and appropriate activity to walk in the snow to find plum blossoms.”
Ang Lee pointed at her and snorted, "You really know how to flatter."
Zou Yueru glanced at him and said defiantly, "I am no match for you. Show us what you're made of."
Ang Lee swaggered ahead, a smug smile on his face. “You’ll see when you come to the pavilion with me.”
The snow on the road gradually intensified, accumulating up to her ankles. Zhang Ting's new shoes were soaked, and her feet were frozen stiff. However, the two people in front of her moved about as usual, their faces beaming. Zhang Ting didn't need to look down to know that they were wearing expensive waterproof leather boots. Thinking this, the flames of resentment towards the rich burned up in her heart once again.
Upon reaching the pavilion, Li An asked the two to turn around and look. In just a moment, most of the footprints left by the three of them had been covered by flying snow.
"We are like the wild geese in the legend, leaving deep footprints, but in the blink of an eye they are covered by the falling snow, becoming nothing more than snow mud and wild geese tracks."
Zou Yueru was so angry that she wanted to hit her, "Fine! You actually compared us to birds."
Li An laughed and dodged, but didn't let Zhang Ting off the hook: "Little sister, it's your turn. Don't punish yourself with three cups at the end." She was feeling smug and didn't notice the railing behind her. When she saw Zou Yueru coming to grab her, she instinctively dodged backward, but unexpectedly she climbed over the pavilion.
Zou Yueru tried to pull her back, but it was too late. Seeing Li An fall into the snow and get a mouthful of snow, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Seeing this, the servant was so frightened that he rushed over and pulled Li An out of the ground. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the snow off her face. "Ouch, Miss, did you hurt yourself?"
Li An pushed aside the servant in front of her and walked back onto the pavilion, her face displeased. By this time, the snow was already a foot high. Being a woman with thick skin, she naturally didn't feel any pain, but she had embarrassed herself in front of her friend and lost face big time!
Zhang Ting also wanted to laugh, but she held it back out of consideration for Li An's expression.
With his clothes mostly soaked, Ang Lee sneezed from the cold.
Zhang Ting was standing at the back when he happened to see the servant carrying charcoal, so he quickly went over.
When the servant saw his mistress's friend, a woman as elegant and refined as bamboo and plum blossoms, walking towards him, and recalling her playful words in the carriage, a warmth rose on his face. Just as he was about to say something to her, she directly took the charcoal from his hand, leaving only a "thank you."
He choked on his food, then wondered what she was going to do.
She walked straight toward Miss Biao and presented the charcoal in her hand to her.
Zhang Ting originally just wanted to bring the charcoal over, but she didn't expect to see that Li An still had two tufts of snow standing on his eyebrows, which looked just like the white-browed gibbon she had seen in the zoo in her previous life. She couldn't help but burst out laughing, "This... this is a timely gift from the younger sister to the older sister."
This was both appropriate to the occasion and the occasion, and even Ang Lee, who was originally stern-faced, couldn't hold back his anger and laughed.
Zou Yueru had just stopped laughing when she burst into laughter again, pointing at Li An and saying, "You rascal... what you did today wasn't just a fleeting trace, it was more like trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead! Haha."
After making a lot of jokes, Li An stopped getting annoyed. He took the charcoal from Zhang Ting, handed it to the servant, and took off his outer garment to let his attendant warm it.
The clever servant who had brought the charcoal brought over a fur coat and helped Li An put it on.
Then they set out some cold food and hot tea that they had brought, and thoughtfully placed a charcoal brazier under the stone table for them to keep warm.
This really bothered Zhang Tingxin; good heavens, her feet were freezing!
Thinking this, Zhang Ting glanced again at the thoughtful and meticulous servant, who was slender and handsome, and could be described as virtuous and kind.
I sighed inwardly: If reincarnation is a skill, then these two sisters, Zou and Li, are among the best. They live a life of luxury, with servants at their beck and call, truly... something to be envied.
The servant noticed Zhang Ting staring at him, shaking his head, and then sighing, seemingly lost in thought. Zhang Ting was at the age where his heart was fluttering with romantic feelings, and his thoughts wandered.
Was she regretting not asking the young lady for herself in the car? He couldn't help but blush with embarrassment at the thought.
Ang Lee clearly saw through the situation and wanted to get back at Zhang Ting, so he teased her, "Speaking of which, this orchid fragrance is quite a connection with you, sister."
Zhang Ting looked at her in confusion. Who is Lanxiang?
Ang Lee, however, thought she had been hit on the spot and was delighted. "Back then, you praised him in the car for his excellent taste and the air of a great family! Haha."
Zou Yueru, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, was happy to fan the flames. She pushed one of the main characters in the conversation in front of Zhang Ting and said, "Our young master Lanxiang is literate, and he is also adept at brewing tea and wine and appreciating flowers and plants. In addition, he has a handsome and charming appearance. Why not take him home to keep you company? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Zhang Ting thought she sounded more like a pampered young master than a servant. She didn't have much money left, and she wanted to use it to support others? Wouldn't it be better to use it for herself?
However, since the person in question was innocently forced into this marriage by his master, Zhang Ting didn't want to put him in a difficult position. So she pretended to be worried and said, "I have not accomplished anything and am now just a poor scholar in the countryside. How can I be worthy of the talented and handsome Lanxiang? Please don't make fun of me, sisters."
Seeing this, Zou and Li knew that she really had no interest in Lanxiang, so they stopped talking.
Not wanting the atmosphere to become awkward, Zhang Ting told the two of them about a type of monkey she had seen. It had a small head and a flat face, long arms and short legs, and its black fur was fluffy and bright in color. The most striking feature was its snow-white eyebrows.
Zou Yueru understood immediately, clutching her stomach and laughing until it hurt, "Ouch, I can't take it anymore, hahaha, you two clowns have really ruined my life today!"
Li An was still wondering why she suddenly laughed, and then he saw that everyone in the pavilion was staring at him and laughing. He couldn't help but take out a bronze mirror and look at her. Damn it! There were two tufts of unpainted snow-white eyebrows on her face.
She was furious and pointed at Zhang Ting, yelling, "You little devil, you're always finding ways to make fun of me!" Then, thinking about her eyebrows, she couldn't help but laugh at herself.
Zhang Ting pressed her hand down, telling her to calm down. "Sister, don't take this personally. I'm not lying to you. This monkey is indeed a unique animal of the Southwest region. If you have the chance, you'll know for sure."
The two were initially hesitant, but Zhang Ting spoke with such righteous indignation that they couldn't help but believe her. They then asked her about other interesting stories, and even the maids and servants guarding the pavilion perked up their ears to listen.
"We've studied hard for years, yet we knew nothing of these strange and interesting things. How did my sister find out?"
Zhang Ting replied that she loves reading miscellaneous books and travelogues, and after reading so many, she can readily recount some of their insights.
The two then asked her what she had originally planned to do that day.
Zhang Ting doesn't hide projects from her investors; she directly tells them her plans and initial ideas. Her gaze is firm and confident, and her words are precise and thorough. When questioned, she remains calm and composed, giving people a sense of trustworthiness.
Zou and Li also had similar businesses at home, and they were doing well, but at this moment they felt that Zhang Ting's plan was better than their own.
The fact that she so readily shared such private and important matters clearly showed that she trusted them immensely, and they were deeply moved.
Zou Yueru praised Zhang Ting for her meticulous planning and resourcefulness.
Ang Lee, however, recalled someone and lamented to Zhang Ting, "Xu You once said that she wanted to start a business and build a family fortune, but she lacked strategic thinking and was far inferior to her sister."
Xu You was also from a prominent family in Lvtian County. Her background was no less than Zou Yueru's. She also had an aunt who was an official in the capital. She was quite pretty, but unfortunately, she wasn't very bright. Despite having studied for three more years than the two of them, she hadn't even passed the provincial examination. Her aunt was ashamed of her and forced her to study in the capital.
A radar went off in Zhang Ting's mind: these two people's friends must be wealthy people who were planning to start businesses, so they must have a lot of money on hand.
"Could you please introduce me to someone, sister?"
Li An looked down on Xu You and wondered, "Why is my sister seeing her?"
Zhang Ting said, "We both deal with business, and Miss Xu has been in Beijing for many years, so she may have some insight. If my sister talks to her, she might learn something from her."
Ang Lee understood and praised her, saying, "Sister, you have a clever idea."
“It just so happens that Xu You is returning to his hometown for a short stay. I will introduce you to him.”
A note from the author:
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