Chapter 53
The moonlight was slightly cool, shining on the two of them like a layer of faint light. Lin Shuge looked at Xie Chen's eyelashes trembling slightly under the moonlight, as if he was enduring some grievance.
"When have I ever been mean to you?" Lin Shuge looked confused.
"That scholar wanted to take the opportunity to pull my brother, and I helped my brother stop him, so you got mean to me." Xie Chen affirmed.
Take the opportunity? Pull? What nonsense.
Lin Shuge slapped him, "What nonsense are you talking about? He is just too happy. Where did the pulling come from?"
After being slapped, Xie Chen's face was blank for a moment, and he looked at Lin Shuge in disbelief, "Brother, after you've scolded me, you still want to hit me?"
Lin Shuge was almost pissed off. In the past, he loved Xie Chen because he was well-behaved and sensible, but now the brat dared to say anything.
He rubbed his face angrily and said, "If you continue to make trouble, I will let you have a taste of family discipline."
Xie Chen's handsome face was rubbed out of shape by him, and he kept talking, "It's almost evening, and he still wants to invite you to his house. It's obvious that he is not a good person."
Lin Shuge was amused by his expression, "Well, you are the only good person in the world."
Xie Chen nodded, "Yes."
He even dared to nod. Lin Shuge was helpless and said, "Let's go, good man. It's time to go home."
He pulled Xie Chen, but Xie Chen hooked his hand unexpectedly. Lin Shuge turned his head to take a look and saw a look of smugness between his brows. He looked at him, but his eyes were looking up and down, not at this side.
The shadows of the trees are swaying, and the pear tree in the yard is already covered with pear blossoms, which look like white snow in winter and blend with the hazy moonlight, making it dreamy and beautiful beyond words.
…
The banks of the Ganzhou River are extremely lively today, with vehicles in groups of three or four carrying young ladies from various families, all walking hand in hand, with fragrant clothes and beautiful hair, and the entire river bank is filled with laughter.
Today is the Shangsi Festival, this ancient festival originated in the pre-Qin period. Originally it was for sacrifices and purification, to ward off disasters and pray for blessings. In this era, it also has an entertainment aspect.
There was a singing girl with a loud voice, singing a light and melodious tune. Next to her there was a man dancing with his collar lowered and his wide sleeves lifted up in a graceful and moving Zheng dance, which drew loud cheers from the man on the other side.
Lin Shuge was riding a horse, chatting with Xie Chen in a casual manner. He was attracted by the sound from the other side of the river and stared at it for a long time like a bumpkin.
The Shangsi Festival is not as lively as it is nowadays. Many people don’t even know about this festival. It was a real feast for the eyes to see so many young men and women today.
He was watching with great interest when suddenly a cluster of peach blossoms flew over and hit him. He was totally confused. He thought that someone couldn't possibly be using flowers as a hidden weapon to harm him.
He looked over there and saw the culprits pushing and shoving each other, their faces flushed. One of them was bold enough to shout out, "My dear, you look so handsome."
Before Lin Shuge could say anything, several bouquets of flowers came to him. When Xie Chen saw what was happening over there, he immediately rode his horse over, but to his surprise, the girls became even more excited.
The flowers and handkerchiefs in their hands were thrown over here without paying. Xie Chen blocked the flying hairpins and rings for Lin Shuge while dodging them himself, and was in a panic for a while.
A lady on the shore saw the grand occasion and called her friends to come over. Upon seeing this, the two men just wanted to run away immediately. Lin Shuge was still holding a gold hairpin from an unknown lady in his hand, which looked quite valuable.
He shouted, "Whose hairpin is this?"
The noise stopped abruptly, and a lady in a lake green straight-hem dress came out. This was Zhou Ji's new spring outfit, and it looked particularly gorgeous against the spring scenery.
"Please take good care of it, ma'am. This thing can hurt people."
The lady looked shy, and Xie Chen reached out and took it from Lin Shuge and handed it to her.
Lin Shuge took the opportunity to wink at Xie Chen, signaling him to leave quickly. Xie Chen's face turned pale, and he pulled him on his horse and rode away quickly.
A group of girls were left beating their chests and stamping their feet. One lady said in disappointment, "Why didn't you say a few more words to him just now?" After all, this was the first time they saw him up close. He was truly gentle and considerate, a modest gentleman.
Another lady said, "With Lord Wei here, I don't even dare to step forward and speak."
Indeed, although Wei Langjun looks young, he can be quite scary when he gets angry, but he is still gentle and polite.
Lin Shuge, who had finally escaped, sighed, "These ladies are too enthusiastic. Flowers and handkerchiefs are fine, but can they just throw away the hairpins?" If he hadn't been quick, it would have been fatal if they had pricked him anywhere.
Xie Chen said angrily: "Brother, you don't have to be so gentle next time."
"They are all young ladies. I have already told them that they will definitely not do that."
Seeing that Xie Chen was about to say something, Lin Shuge hurriedly said, "Go find where A Xuan is. It seems that the teachers and students of Du Heng Academy went to Liyuan today."
Xie Chen had no choice but to stop a passerby and ask for directions. The two of them followed the direction he pointed and arrived at their destination.
It was originally a manor in a secluded place with many trees planted in the garden. It was spring and the flowers were in full bloom.
Lin Shuge dismounted and knocked on the door. A servant came out and said, "Please let them know that someone is outside looking for Lin Xuan. I am her brother."
Seeing that his clothes and behavior were not like those of ordinary people, the servant did not dare to neglect him and immediately ran to report. After a while, he heard Lin Xuan's voice.
"Is it my eldest brother?"
Lin Shuge smiled and said, "It's me."
Lin Xuan wore a brand new dress and had her hair done in a bun today, looking radiant.
"Axuan looks really beautiful today." Lin Shuge praised.
Lin Xuan blushed slightly, "It's the eldest brother, he smells like flowers, I'm afraid he's surrounded by ladies," she looked at Xie Chen, "Erlang is the same."
Lin Shuge pulled up his sleeves and smelled it. Sure enough, there was the scent of flowers and powder. He thought about going home and washing it.
He took down the tightly wrapped thing. Fearing that the cake would be damaged when it was transported, he specially paid someone to send it over, and it should arrive soon.
"There are freshly made snacks inside, and the cake will be delivered soon. Have fun."
"Thank you, brother."
After delivering the food, Lin Shuge was just about to leave with Xie Chen when the door opened from the inside. Le Yun and Master Zheng came out together, followed by a group of female students. They all wore new clothes today and went out for an outing with the master.
Lin Xuan took the things in, and a group of female students gathered around and whispered, "Is this County Magistrate Lin?"
Another said: "That one seems to be Lord Wei."
"It was County Magistrate Lin. I secretly looked at him the last time he came."
Everyone was whispering, and Le Yun coughed lightly, and the whole place fell silent in an instant.
"Since County Magistrate Lin and Lord Wei are here, why don't you come in and have a seat?" Le Yun said.
Lin Shuge looked at Xie Chen, who nodded at him. He smiled and said, "Then I'd be disrespectful to refuse."
Le Yun gave them a look, and the students made way for him. "Lin County Magistrate, Wei Suizhang, please come this way."
Lin Shuge followed Le Yun. From the outside, the inner garden was covered by layers of trees, and only the tall walls could be seen. But inside, the buildings were exquisite. Passing through the winding path, there were green trees on both sides, clusters of flowers, and falling petals like rain. In the distance was a lake, surrounded by several rockery, and the shore was lined with green willows and red flowers, which was very beautiful.
Le Yun brought him to a pavilion where several women were sitting idly. When they saw them, they all stood up and saluted. Le Yun introduced to Lin Shuge that they were other teachers of the academy.
Lin Shuge saw that there was a man among them wearing tight clothes with narrow sleeves, he must be the archery master.
The female students were playing by the lake. Lin Xuan was smart. When she saw Lin Shuge going to the pavilion with Le Yun, she picked out some food prepared by Lin Shuge and brought it to them one by one.
Le Yun smiled and said, "It seems that this time we still owe it to A Xuan, otherwise how could we have tasted the cooking skills of County Magistrate Lin."
"Master, you're joking." Lin Xuan left after delivering the things.
On the table were a plate of pastries, a plate of pork jerky, a plate of beef jerky, as well as various dried fruits and several pieces of cake.
These were all done with the hard work of Lin Shuge and Xie Chen today.
Le Yun first took a piece of cake, picked up a small piece with a fork, took a small bite, savored it carefully, and said nothing.
A teacher nearby asked anxiously, "Master, how does it taste? Tell me."
"It has a delicate and soft texture, moderate sweetness and is very delicious." Le Yun said.
"With such high praise, I must try it."
The teacher took a bite and just as Le Yun said, he finished a piece of cake in no time. This attracted the attention of other teachers, so they started to taste a piece each.
Seeing that the pastries were so popular, Le Yun was moved and motioned Lin Shuge to go to the other side.
When Xie Chen saw what the two were doing, he wanted to follow them, but he was stopped by a teacher who asked him many questions, so he couldn't get away for a while.
Le Yun prepared a speech in his mind, "Lin County Magistrate, although I have some understanding of what you said that day, I am not as capable as you. I really can't think of any way for a woman to make money. Today, I saw that the food that Lin County Magistrate brought was very cute and delicious."
She considered her tone for a moment and said, "I want to buy this recipe. I wonder if County Magistrate Lin would be willing to part with it?"
Opening a cake shop? But technology is not very advanced now, and the kiln built in Xiangligu is not very perfect in performance. Sometimes the cakes are burnt. Some of today's cakes are burnt and have to be redone.
"Headmaster, the recipe is small. If you really want to, I can offer it to you. However, this pastry needs to be baked in a kiln. This is made by a minor official in my county, and I can't make perfect pastries every time."
Seeing that he was actually going to give her the recipe, Le Yun immediately declined, "Mr. Lin, County Magistrate, has helped me a lot. How can I owe you a favor? As for the kiln that Mr. Lin mentioned, you are worrying too much. If it doesn't work once, try again a second time. You will always succeed. You said that a single spark can start a prairie fire."
She looked determined, so Lin Shuge had no choice but to say, "Write the recipe and I'll send it to you. As for the kiln, you can go to the county government office and find a man named Xiangli Gu."
The two discussed some issues in detail, and when they returned to the pavilion, they saw Xie Chen surrounded by several teachers. His face was dark, but he still maintained his composure and did not get up and leave.
When Xie Chen saw him coming, he stood up and rushed over like a young swallow, "Brother, are you done talking?"
Lin Shuge stroked his hair amusedly and said, "Well, we're done."
"What are you talking about with Captain Wei Sui that makes you so happy?" Le Yun walked into the pavilion, sat down and asked.
Master Zheng had a serious face, but now he smiled a little. "Of course it's the war with the Huns."
One of the teachers complained, "It's a pity that many things are military secrets that cannot be disclosed."
"This concerns the safety of the border, so we have to be cautious. I hope you can forgive me." Lin Shuge said coldly.
The teacher's face flushed and she apologized repeatedly. Lin Shuge suddenly felt that it was boring. He comforted her with a few words, then said goodbye to Le Yun and left with Xie Chen.
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