Chapter 64: Boating on the lake, the husband is uneasy...
Last night's heavy rain was refreshing and invigorating, washing away the summer heat. The air was fresh and exceptionally cool the next day.
Having finally made it to Huzhou Prefecture, and taking advantage of the pleasant temperature today, Zhang Ting dragged Zong Suyi on a boat trip on the lake.
I only brought Li Ruilian, Liu Da, and Xiao Rong with me on this trip, so I decided to take them all with me today.
A light mist rises in the early morning, lotus flowers sway gracefully on the water's surface, a gentle breeze ripples the lake's surface, and the sun shines through the clouds, casting golden light onto the water, creating shimmering waves.
The boatwoman rowed the two men towards the center of the lake, while the others followed closely behind in another boat.
Zong Suyi stood at the stern of the boat, his black hair fluttering gently in the wind. He squinted and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight. His light silk sleeves slid down, revealing his dazzlingly white wrists, though there were a few striking red marks on his skin.
After waiting outside for a while, the boat rocked, so he bent over to steady himself, carefully returned to the cabin, sat down next to Zhang Ting, and leaned on her shoulder. "It's so beautiful outside!"
The sound of oars cutting through the water reached his ears, and the boat rose and fell on the surface. Suddenly, the boat tilted to one side, and Zong Suyi, who was not sitting properly, was about to fall backward. He was so frightened that he quickly grabbed Zhang Ting and steadied himself.
Once the boat was stable, Zong Suyi realized what was happening and sat on her lap, his gaze darting around in a panic, his cheeks flushed red.
Zhang Ting wrapped her arms around his waist and then found it amusing. He clearly loved to provoke and was unwilling to admit defeat, but in this situation, he was surprisingly thin-skinned.
Fearing trouble, Zong Suyi, her face flushed, immediately withdrew from her and sat obediently opposite her.
"Sit down. Didn't you say you wanted to eat lotus seeds? We can pick a lot to take home and make soup tonight."
He nodded vigorously, then suddenly looked around the cabin where there were only the two of them. He couldn't help but recall the incident at the artificial hill that day. He cautiously clenched his collar and carefully observed Zhang Ting's expression, afraid that she might suddenly become aggressive and reach out to him in broad daylight.
What kind of lustful monster did he take her for? Seeing his series of vivid and interesting reactions, Zhang Ting couldn't help but smile, her eyes narrowing as she laughed.
She didn't explain, but simply patted the spot next to her with her slender fingers. Zong Suyi hesitated for only a moment before pouting and obediently running back.
"Let's pick some more lotus flowers later and put them inside." Zhang Ting's gaze softened as she gently tucked a strand of black hair that had fallen across his face behind his ear.
He was instantly captivated by her gentleness, casting aside his previous wariness. He looked up at her, gazing at her intently, and wrapped his arms around hers, his eyes brimming with laughter. "Okay," he said, his voice rising involuntarily, radiating joy.
Soon, the boat stopped in the middle of a lotus field.
The old woman rowing the boat said, "Your Majesty, we've arrived!"
The two came out hand in hand, the thin mist had already dissipated. Zong Suyi cut a lotus pod, peeled out the white lotus seeds, and fed them to Zhang Ting.
"Is it delicious?"
Zhang Ting nodded, and said in surprise, "It doesn't taste the same as the one in the teacher's courtyard."
“They are naturally different. The lotus in the teacher’s courtyard is a white lotus with a hollow core, while the lotus planted here is a three-inch lotus.” A familiar voice rang out from not far away.
Following the sound, Zhang Ting looked to the left and saw a woman in black standing on the deck of a luxurious pleasure boat. It was Xun Han.
She parted her lips slightly, somewhat surprised, but still bowed to Xun Han, saying, "Greetings, Second Senior Sister."
"Junior sister, there's no need for such formalities," Xun Han said with a smile, the gloom between her brows disappearing as she gently waved her folding fan, appearing to be in a good mood upon seeing Zhang Ting.
"I was boating with a friend today, and it's quite a coincidence that we met. Please, junior sister and brother-in-law, come aboard for a chat." After saying this, she instructed the maid to lower the hanging chair.
Zong Suyi grabbed Zhang Ting's sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Don't go, that bookworm is definitely up to no good."
Zhang Ting pondered for a moment, then took his hand and said, "Let's go meet her."
She turned around and instructed Li Ruilian and the others to pick more lotus pods and lotus flowers to take back, and the boatwoman slowly rowed the small boat towards the painted boat.
Once the two boarded the painted boat, they learned that the talented people of Huzhou Prefecture had gathered there for a poetry and literature gathering.
Xun Han coughed lightly, her voice weak, and awkwardly said to Zong Suyi, "The men are on the other side, brother-in-law, shall I have a servant lead you... there?"
The servant lowered his head and bowed, saying, "Please follow me, sir."
Zong Suyi looked at Zhang Ting questioningly, and after receiving a confirming look from her, she gave Xun Han a cold glare before following the servant to the other side.
Seeing that the person had finally left, Xun Han breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked to Zhang Ting's side. "Junior sister, um." The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't speak. After a while, she said, "Junior sister, please come with me."
"Thank you for your help, senior sister."
After walking for a while, Xun Han seemed to finally stop, and with gritted teeth, she poured out her heart to Zhang Ting: "That day, I was instigated by a villain and mistakenly thought that my junior sister had used underhanded means to force our teacher to take you as a disciple, so I deliberately targeted you. I am very sorry."
“On the day you displayed your talent, I realized I had been deceived. I wanted to apologize to you, but... I was too ashamed to speak. After returning home, my husband scolded me severely for being foolish and ordered me to apologize to you again, which I wholeheartedly agree with.”
"I happened to run into my junior sister today, so I thought I'd speak frankly with her. I hope she won't look down on me in the future." After saying this, she let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Senior Sister, you're overthinking it. I had no such intention." Zhang Ting nodded slightly, accepting Xun Han's apology, as she realized Xun Han's words were true. However, she always valued building connections and hadn't yet had any conflicts with anyone, especially since she had only just arrived in Huzhou Prefecture. Why was this person so eager to see her suffer?
She had a guess in her heart and said to Xun Han, "This person once wanted to become your disciple?"
The other party was quite surprised to hear this, "How did you know, Junior Sister?"
"This person visited the teacher last year, desperately wanting to become a disciple. Fortunately, the teacher had discerning eyes and resolutely refused, otherwise the sect would have produced a degenerate villain."
This confirms Zhang Ting's conjecture that she was likely resented because she had studied under a great Confucian scholar.
Xun Han said that this person's name was Zhou Long, a local powerful family. He had ranked among the top in last year's provincial examination and was quite well-known among the students. "Junior sister, if you come into contact with this person in the future, you must be careful."
"Yes, Senior Sister is absolutely right."
Before they knew it, they had arrived. Xun Han excitedly pushed open the door and invited Zhang Ting inside.
Upon seeing an unfamiliar woman enter, the lively atmosphere instantly quieted down, and everyone turned to look at Xun Han.
Xun Han introduced Zhang Ting to everyone, emphasizing her deeds.
Many people at the banquet had heard that the top scholar in Zhangzhou Prefecture had been thoroughly outshone by a mere scholar, and they were curious about the person involved. They never expected to see him in person.
They warmly invited Zhang Ting to sit down, drink wine, compose poems, test her knowledge, or inquire about the details of that day. In the course of their conversation, they were unconsciously attracted by her composed demeanor and talent.
After exchanging glances, everyone breathed a sigh of relief: luckily, this person was a scholar, and his exam would be at least one exam later than theirs, so they would definitely not run into her.
After having lunch on the pleasure boat, the gathering dispersed. After bidding farewell to Xun Han and his wife, Zhang Ting led Zong Suyi to explore the streets and alleys.
She handed the Biluochun tea she had just bought to Liu Da, gave Zong Suyi a piece of cake, and led the group to a beverage shop on the side to rest.
Zong Suyi, wearing a veiled hat, could not see his expression, but suddenly said, "Xun Han's husband is very different from what I thought."
Zhang Ting recalled the man she had just met; he looked no different from an ordinary person. She casually asked, "What's different about him?"
Zong Suyi turned to look at Zhang Ting, "He's not handsome. He's round and chubby, and many of the young men at the banquet made fun of him."
Zhang Ting sensed that he was implying something, and continued listening to him.
"But I've heard that even though he's ugly and has been infertile for many years, he is very much loved by his wife, and there is only one maid in the brothel who has given birth."
He stared intently at Zhang Ting, "If one day my appearance is completely ruined and I become unable to have children, will you still treat me well?"
As expected, it happened. Zhang Ting had just answered Zong Suyi the day before: "If the book and he fell into the water, should we save the book first or the man?"
Zhang Ting remembered that his answer didn't satisfy him, and he was so angry that he wouldn't let her touch him when they went to sleep that night.
Unable to please either side, she decided to do the opposite this time, stating firmly, "No."
Zong Suyi had expected to receive her affirmative promise, but upon hearing this, his pupils dilated instantly. Annoyed, he lifted his veil and stared at her incredulously, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his fur standing on end.
Zhang Ting turned around with her hands behind her back, raised an eyebrow triumphantly, and said, "Serves you right for insisting on asking."
Ahead was a beverage shop. As Zhang Ting was walking forward, she felt her belt being pulled. Her gaze shifted downward, and she couldn't help but pout, thinking that it was inappropriate to be pulling and tugging in the street. But before she could even utter the word "big," she was violently dragged into a nearby alley with an unusually strong force, and she couldn't break free.
Liu Da turned around and saw his boss being dragged into the alley. He raised his hand in surprise and exclaimed, "Hey!" He was about to chase after them when Li Ruilian grabbed him.
"Boss? The boss...?"
Li Ruilian slapped her on the back of the head, somewhat speechless: "Can't you see your husband is here? Don't worry about it." This fool! Always trying to meddle in the young couple's private affairs.
The alley was quiet and deserted.
A shadow fell from the tree, and Zhang Ting was firmly pinned to the corner by one hand. A trumpet vine flower, peeking out from the neighboring yard, was pressed against her ear. It was bright, vibrant, and dazzling, but Zong Suyi felt that this flower was just as hateful as Zhang Ting.
He pressed his face close to hers, his warm breath brushing against her neck, but his eyes were dark and deep, and he gritted his teeth as if he wanted to chew her up: "We've already slept together, and you actually think you can just abandon me like this?"
"How could you do this to me!" He felt extremely wronged as he said this. He pinched Zhang Ting's waist with his free hand, his nostrils flared, and tears welled up in his eyes, dripping onto her neck.
Zhang Ting wrapped her arms around his slender waist, feeling the dampness on his neck, and thought to herself: This time I've gone too far.
She lowered her eyelids; it was clearly just a joke, yet it provoked such a strong reaction from Zong Suyi.
So he'd been feeling uneasy all along?
"Okay, I was just kidding!" Zhang Ting patted his back lightly and gently pushed him away.
Zhang Ting's eyes crinkled into a smile, then she suddenly laughed, "You can't even tell?"
Zong Suyi's wet eyelashes were stuck together in clumps, her eyes glistened with tiny tears, and her cheeks were still streaked with tears. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but purse her lips and smile through her tears.
Zhang Ting pulled out a handkerchief she carried with her to wipe his sweat. Suddenly, she heard him hiss. His fair face was red from the rough stitches. He pouted and looked at her pitifully, whispering, "It hurts."
Zhang Ting glanced at the handkerchief in her hand, smiled, unfolded the handkerchief and waved it, and a chubby little chick spread its wings and flew in her hand.
"It seems that you still need to practice your needlework diligently, my lord."
Zong Suyi's low spirits vanished instantly. She glared at her fiercely and turned her face away angrily.
Laugh at him again!
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