Zhang Yaoyue's eyes turned red with anger. She is Brother Pei's wife, yet she doesn't care about him at all?
He continued, "Brother Pei told me the other day that the provincial examination was coming up and he was under a lot of pressure. I wonder if that's why he's like this..."
Tsk! Is she hinting at a close relationship between her and Pei Ji again?
"Maybe," Su Li put down the brush after finishing the last stroke and said with a smile, "Miss Li, the painting is done, come and take a look."
As innocent as Li Fu was, she happily replied, "Okay!"
As he spoke, he trotted over, was amazed at the portrait, and praised it with satisfaction: "Mrs. Scholar, you draw really well!"
Qin Qianqian and Wang Xiaoying had already noticed something was wrong and felt very embarrassed. Qin Qianqian even winked at Zhang Yaoyue several times.
However, Zhang Yaoyue was already mad at Su Li's indifferent attitude at this time. The person she thought about day and night, his pillowmate seemed to not care at all whether he was in a bad mood or not, nor did she care about how he was with other women.
She sneered and questioned, "Madam Pei is so indifferent to her husband. Doesn't it matter to you if he wants to take a concubine?"
"Sister Yue! What nonsense are you talking about?" Qin Qianqian was shocked. She didn't expect Zhang Yaoyue to say such bold words. She felt embarrassed and awkward.
Even if Li Fu was stupid, she could tell that the atmosphere was wrong, but she really didn't know why they suddenly became like this. She looked at Zhang Yaoyue and then at Su Li with a confused look on her face.
Su Li didn't care at all, and said infuriatingly, "It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines, isn't it? If he had brought a few sisters back for me, they would be just the right ones to chop wood, cook, and take care of the children for me, and I wouldn't have to work so hard, right?"
She doesn't care whether Pei Ji takes a concubine or not, and she doesn't care how the other party and Pei Ji get entangled. But that doesn't mean others can act like a spoiled child in front of her.
"Chopping wood and cooking?" Zhang Yaoyue unconsciously put herself in his shoes. Her chest heaved with anger. She clenched her fists tightly, and the scroll in her hands crumpled into a ball. She said angrily, "Who wants to chop wood and cook for you? You're going too far!"
Su Li pretended to be confused: "Miss Zhang, I'm not talking about you, why are you so angry?"
"I...I..." Zhang Yaoyue was speechless for a moment. She wasn't talking about herself, but she was definitely talking about herself. She really wanted to be his concubine...
But in her expectation, even though she was Brother Pei's concubine, the only concubine he loved, she was only responsible for having romantic relationships with Brother Pei. Chopping wood and cooking, such rough work, were supposed to be done by Su Li, a country woman!
Su Li decided to stop while he was ahead. He took down the portrait, rolled it up, and handed it to Li Fu: "Miss Li, this is your portrait."
"Thank you, thank you, Madam Scholar." Li Fu took the scroll at a loss. She looked at her carefully and saw that she didn't seem angry, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sister Yue! This is a matter between the scholar's wife and Mr. Pei. You..."
Qin Qianqian was really embarrassed and apologized to Su Li: "The portrait is done, it's time for us to leave. Madam Scholar, I'm so sorry, we, we won't stay any longer..."
Sister Yue’s thoughts were too obvious, and she really didn’t know what to say, so she decided to leave quickly.
Su Li nodded and smiled, "Okay, ladies, take care..."
Zhang Yaoyue glared at her fiercely, and unwillingly let Qin Qianqian and the others drag her away.
Su Li shook her head and laughed, packed up her things and went into the house to cook.
"Mom!" Before the meal was even ready, Pei Zhao and his sister ran into the kitchen with joy on their faces. "Mom, we've learned fifty words!"
"So fast? That's great!" he said, touching the heads of the two little guys.
"Mom, can we go to the county town tomorrow?"
"Of course, mother keeps her word!"
Pei Chuer giggled and said, "Mom, you are so kind!"
Pei Zhao also quickly agreed: "Mom, you are the best!"
Su Li was a little surprised to find that the two children changed their way of addressing her from "you" to "you".
After asking the two of them, she found out that it was Pei Ji who corrected them. It seems that Pei Ji is more suitable for teaching children than her.
After she finished plating the last pot of food, she smiled and said, "The meal is ready, go call your father to eat!"
…
The next morning, the weather was sunny.
After breakfast, Su Li and Pei Ji took their two children out.
The four of them first took Lin Luzi's donkey cart to the town, and then hired a horse carriage to go to the county town.
It was the first time for Pei Zhao and his sister to ride in a carriage. They looked left and right, feeling very curious.
The road from the town to the county town was much smoother than the road in the village, and the carriage was fast and stable. We arrived at the county town in less than two hours.
The academy where Pei Ji studied was called Changqing Academy, which was the best academy in the south except for Wencheng Academy.
The family got off the carriage at the gate of Changqing Academy.
Pei Ji said, "There's a Zhaixing shop next to the academy. It's the best calligraphy and painting shop in the county."
Su Li nodded and was about to take the two children with her when she saw Pei Zhao staring at the gate of Changqing Academy with sparkling eyes.
Changqing Academy, he recognized those words, it was where his father studied.
Seeing the clear desire in his eyes, Su Li asked, "Does your academy allow outsiders in?"
Pei Ji said, "If you are a student, or if you are accompanied by a teacher, then it is possible. I will take you in to have a look."
"Uh... I won't go. Why don't you take the two children in? I'll go to the ink shop to buy some drawing paper and paint, and then come pick them up later."
"Um."
Then she squatted down and told the two children, "Your father is very busy studying. Just follow him inside for a while. Mom will pick you up soon, okay?"
Pei Zhao and his sister responded in unison.
Only after the father and his two sons entered the study did Su Li go in the direction Pei Ji mentioned.
The Zhaixing Ink Shop was not far away, about one or two hundred meters away, and she arrived there in a few minutes.
The shop was very big and there were three clerks inside. She went in and picked out some paints that she thought were very good, and also bought some high-quality drawing paper, spending a total of ten taels of silver.
She felt a little pained, as this was all the money she had earned from painting portraits these days.
These pigments are actually not the best. The best ones cannot be bought for just ten taels of silver. However, she has seen that this quality is more than enough for painting in the competition.
No matter how expensive it is, she can't afford it with her current financial situation.
After leaving the Zhaixing Shop, I went to the study next door and bought two copies of "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Names" and "Thousand Character Classic".
Seeing that it was almost time, they returned to the academy gate and waited for a while before Pei Ji came out with the two children.
Pei Zhao's eyes were filled with joy: "Mom, the academy is so beautiful." He also wanted to come here to study in the future!
Pei Chuer's reaction was calm, but there was also a smile on her face.
Just after he took over the two children, a man came out of the academy looking for Pei Ji, so Pei Ji had no choice but to follow him and hurried back into the academy.
"You must be hungry. Come on! Mommy will take you to eat something delicious!"
Pei Zhao said, "Mom, I want to eat wontons!"
"Mom, I want to eat beef noodles!"
"OK!"
Holding the two little ones, I walked towards the market.
The market in the county town was much more lively than the one in town, and there were more delicious food and drinks, which dazzled the mother and her two children.
After a hearty meal, Su Li bought various snacks that were not available in town. He shopped around until almost three in the afternoon before hiring a carriage to return.
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