Chapter 78: Such people would join forces with bandits to...
For a moment, there was silence all around, and Wen Yu didn't know what to say. She just silently stroked her kneecap with her fingertips, rubbing circles on it back and forth.
"In this world, even if we can't stand tall and proud, we should at least walk upright and sit upright." Shen Sheng's tone was calm, seemingly unperturbed by Wen Yu's inappropriate remarks. "If I were timid because of my background, I wouldn't even be able to speak about making a living."
"With this kind of mentality, how can one even dream of studying, discussing philosophy, or passing the imperial examinations? Even less can one hope to benefit the people or contribute to one's country in the future."
Shen Sheng's words were very coherent. Such magnanimity made Wen Yu feel even more ashamed. She hesitated, wanting to apologize to Shen Sheng again.
If her master knew that she was so high and mighty, looking down on everyone, and making rash conclusions without knowing the truth, he would have punished her long ago.
What's more, she herself really felt that it was inappropriate. Not to mention her master, she didn't want Song Linsheng to know.
"I……"
But Wen Yu had just started talking, and Shen Sheng probably had already anticipated what she would say next, so he simply continued talking.
"I'm with the caravan, managing the accounts and reconciling them on a daily basis. Compared to escorting the goods along the way, it's not much more tiring, and my brothers have taken good care of me." Shen Sheng's voice was deep and powerful, as if filled with satisfaction. "I even have time to read, thanks to the master's taking me in."
A lone man like him, alone and free of ties, was not often accepted by the caravans. Because he had no ties, misfortunes could easily happen. If he lost his temper and left midway, the caravan would be left without manpower, which would be a disaster.
He was very grateful that the boss could get over this and not be prejudiced against him, but instead hired him to manage the accounts.
When Wen Yu heard this, he heard another meaning:
But it turned out that he and his group were actually a caravan? And Shen Sheng was the "accountant" among them?
Is this a genuine caravan, or just a disguise?
The word "thief and bandit" choked Wen Yu's heart, and made her dare not take it for granted as easily as before.
If she had already predetermined the answer, then all her inferences would be her own preconceived ideas.
She had always believed that the scarred man and his group were thieves and robbers, so she always wanted to find clues to prove her point.
However, Shen Sheng suddenly appeared among this group of people.
Wen Yu turned her head and saw Shen Sheng burying his head in the book again, leaving only a bun on his head.
Would such a person associate with thieves and bandits?
Can there be a robber who is devoted to study and has a scholarly spirit?
Why did the so-called boss kidnap Xiyan, Azhu and others before? Why did he clearly not recognize Zhibai Niangzi, but threatened to take Chen Mian's wife?
If he came prepared and had made plans in advance, why did he change her and Song Linsheng?
Wen Yu was a little confused and bewildered. Should she step back, step outside of this matter, before making any judgment?
Shen Sheng stopped talking. Under the clear wind and bright moon, the occasional rustling sound of him turning pages could be heard. Behind his ears, there was the bustling sound of voices and the crackling of firewood, which was unlikely to stop for a while.
The voice suddenly moved away from Wen Yu, and she seemed to hear nothing.
Wen Yu looked up at the endless sky, and what she saw were twinkling stars and a low moon. She was surrounded by the alluring night, the soft water and the warm mountains.
Why is this happening?
Master, please send me a dream and show me the way forward.
At the same time, under the same sky.
Jiangyang government office and meeting hall.
It was already dark, but the government office was still brightly lit, as bright as day.
The conference room was bustling with servants coming in and out like a stream, each of them busy but in an orderly manner.
The coming and going of people decorated the meeting hall, which was quiet due to the holiday, like a dynamic painting, stretching from the main hall and flowing into the courtyard outside.
I stepped over the threshold and entered the hall. The table above it was just passed by. Under the reflection of the candlelight, it was flashing with a bright light.
A dark figure stood beside the desk, his back to the main door, carefully looking down at something.
Suddenly, a leader emerged from the crowd of servants who were coming out in a line. He was dressed in indigo clothes and was walking against the flow of people.
"Put it away and go out! Everyone has worked hard, so go and rest."
The man's voice was clear and bright, and he was very energetic. He didn't show any fatigue or weariness from working for half a day, as if he had endless energy.
It was Yang Sheng who had just finished his work in the outer courtyard.
While asking everyone to go back and rest, Yang Sheng walked into the hall. He walked briskly and looked back at the door from time to time. After everyone had dispersed, he took a few steps inside.
"Dad..." Although he was already a grown man, Yang Sheng's voice was inexplicably childish.
"How many times have I told you..."
The dark figure called "Father" turned around and turned out to be Lord Jia. Although his words were slightly reproachful and seemed to show a hint of impatience, his face did not show any displeasure.
"I can't call you daddy outside."
Dad had said this countless times, and Yangsheng had heard it countless times, his ears almost callused. Now, whenever Dad opened his mouth, he knew it was the same phrase again.
But in this conference room now, no matter how he looked, he saw only the two of them. This could not be considered "outside".
As Yang Sheng thought this, a hint of pride appeared in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, making him look like a civet cat with honey on the corners of its mouth, quite cunning.
"There are no outsiders here." Yang Sheng said nonchalantly. Without waiting for Lord Jia to answer, he took three or two steps forward and followed Lord Jia's line of sight to sort out the books on the table.
Lord Jia seemed to sigh helplessly, but it was just a sigh, and his face seemed to be covered with a very thin layer of joy, which was really hard to see if you didn't look carefully.
"You...you..."
If you don't avoid gossip, you may suffer disaster.
Lord Jia looked over Yang Sheng's shoulder and straight out of the main hall. He saw that everyone in the yard had dispersed and not even a piece of clothing could be seen.
He felt somewhat relieved, his brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
"Is everything tidied up outside?"
Seeing Yang Sheng busy tidying up the table at the top, Lord Jia moved to the other tables and couches below and started to tidy up the pen holders and ornaments on them.
He had previously instructed Yang Sheng to lead a team to sweep the government office inside and out. His original intention was to complete any necessary repairs and renovations before Lord Song arrived, but Lord Song arrived much earlier than originally expected, leaving the courtyard untouched.
Even the courtyard allocated to Lord Song had been idle for many years. It was previously arranged for Lord Song by Mu Jingli. I wonder if he has added any items to it.
Today happens to be the last day of the Double Third Festival holiday. Tomorrow, Lord Song will probably come to the government office early in the morning to work. He ordered people to clean the government office inside and outside, which can be regarded as a new atmosphere in March.
Spring is the beginning of all things.
People often say that a year's plan begins with spring, so he also hopes that this spring will be a good start for the people's livelihood in Jiangyang Prefecture for the whole year.
An unconscious smile appeared on Lord Jia's face. The smile was very shallow, with only the tips of his eyebrows slightly raised, and his tightly drawn lips were still straight.
However, Lord Song's courtyard has not been tidied up today.
If Lord Song had not arrived in Jiangyang earlier, he could have gone in with Yang Sheng to clean up the mess.
However, since Lord Song has already checked in, it is not very appropriate. Lord Song has been at home resting for the past few days and is not in the government office. Naturally, he and Yang Sheng should not enter without invitation, fearing that they would offend Lord Song.
Yang Sheng was quick and efficient, and in no time he had rearranged the table at the top of the table. Someone had wiped the table once before, and after Yang Sheng's rearrangement, it now looked even tidier, like a young man who had been washed and dressed up, sitting quietly in silence.
"Everything is ready. I'll do the work, so you can rest assured." Yang Sheng's eyes and eyebrows were full of pride. It was obvious that he had already completed all the tasks assigned by Master Jia. "From every corner of the eaves and tiles to every crack in the bluestone bricks, even the smallest speck of dust and the smallest wisp of moss have been swept away by me."
"I guarantee that when Lord Song comes tomorrow, all he'll see is a clean and tidy window."
Yang Sheng shook his head and walked up to Lord Jia. He quickly stood in front of him and snatched the work from Lord Jia's hand.
"I promise, when Lord Song comes tomorrow, he will definitely look upon my father with new eyes."
Who says sweeping the yard isn't a great achievement?
Yang Sheng thought this way, he didn't know anything else, but if he could help his father gain some prestige in front of Lord Song, it would be good.
Even if it was just some trivial task like sweeping and cleaning, he was willing to do it. Moreover, all things are born from the subtle and start from the tiny, so who says that a towering building cannot be built from the tiny?
He will be the first one to do so.
"Let me come, Father. You go upstairs and rest."
Yang Sheng had been busy outside all day, laying tiles on the roof and weeding out seedlings in the fields, jumping up and down like a nimble monkey. It was clearly a very tiring job, but he seemed tireless and even rushed to do Mr. Jia's work.
"Why would I need you? Can't I even put a few tables in order?"
Lord Jia raised his eyebrows, looking quite dignified, and scolded Yang Sheng as if to vent his anger. However, his face was stern, but his tone was as calm as usual, and he did not really mean to blame Yang Sheng.
It was agreed long ago that he would do the up and down work outside, such as flipping tiles and hanging lanterns. Yangsheng always said that his legs and feet were not good, and he insisted on doing the work outside.
Master Jia glanced at the hem of his clothes. What was wrong with his legs and feet? He couldn't be more stubborn than Yang Sheng, so he just let him go.
Then he took people to clean up several main rooms. All the pen holders, hanging paintings, tables, chairs, and couches were rearranged. However, there were still some books that had been piled up before and had not been put back to their original places.
It was such a small job, yet Yang Sheng was competing with him to do it, and even asked him to go and rest on the side?
"No, I'm in good spirits! Just leave it to me!" He finished the job in a few seconds, and he and his father could go back to the Tongzhiyuan together, right?
"Leave it there, I'll do it." Lord Jia refused to give in, still holding the scroll in his hands. He raised his brows and gestured outside, "If you can't stay idle, go out to the yard and practice some boxing."
Having said that, he ignored Yang Sheng's attempts to stop him and put the book back to its place, leaving Yang Sheng aside.
Yang Sheng lowered his eyes and looked at his empty palms. The candlelight leaked through his fingers, and his hands were projected onto Lord Jia's long gown, as if ten winding rivers were flowing along the folds of the gown.
He suddenly became playful and bent his fingers, and immediately the shadow moved with it, as if he was catching Lord Jia's robe in his hand.
"I'm not going to box. My arms and legs are sore."
Yang Sheng muttered, swinging his arms. But he was not paying attention for a moment, and his inner thoughts came out.
He quickly covered his mouth with both hands, staring at Lord Jia's back with his eyes wide open.
Lord Jia didn't even raise his head or turn around. Just a very light chuckle slipped out from in front of him. His hands kept moving, and the books on the table were gradually put into order.
"Sour? You know you're sour, but you're not stupid. You're still rushing to work. Go take a break."
“I, I—”
Yang Sheng paused after hearing this, and then he realized that he had just lied to his father. It was a lie that was easily exposed.
Didn't he just want his father to rest more?
Yang Sheng muttered to himself, this doesn’t count as a lie, right?
"Don't be so mesmerizing. Just sit down." Lord Jia quickened his pace, finishing the tidying up earlier and asking Yangsheng to go and rest earlier.
Yang Sheng did not move when he heard this. He was not tired. It was okay if he felt sore. It was nothing.
He saw and remembered his father's care for him.
There is no reason for me to go for a stroll and rest while my father is busy.
"I won't sit, Father." Yang Sheng thought for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking of, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise. "I'll go make a pot of tea for Father, add some ginseng slices, and boil it. You'll drink it later and fall asleep better."
His father seemed to have never had a good sleep and would often have convulsions in the middle of the night. Although his father had never asked him to stay overnight in the Tongzhiyuan, he always kept an eye on him and discovered some clues.
Last night, he looked like he couldn't sleep at all.
We can't ask him to stay up that long tonight. Ginseng tea is the best way to calm the mind and invigorate the qi. It's perfect to brew it now.
Yang Sheng thought so in his heart, and even his face was full of joy. With such a caring child like him, it would be hard for his father to lose sleep.
From now on, call him dad and see how he refutes what you say.
Without waiting for Lord Jia to respond, Yang Sheng ran away and rushed straight out of the main hall.
He can go to the small kitchen to cook it and bring it over later.
"Wait."
Lord Jia's voice rang out in the main hall, and when the words reached Yang Sheng's ears, they stopped him at the door. He hung one foot on the threshold, and just turned around and looked at Lord Jia without going in or out.
"Father? What's wrong?" Yang Sheng asked with some doubt, but he stopped where he was and waited for Lord Jia's instructions without any impatience. He did not ask again and again, but just looked at him, quietly waiting for Lord Jia's next words.
Lord Jia smoothed his sleeves, turned them inside out and hung them on his arms to prevent them from rubbing against the table and getting scratched.
He paused his movements and looked at Yang Sheng on the threshold.
There were still some beads of sweat on his forehead, and the clothes under his armpits and around his waist were also quite wet. He had to lift the hem of his clothes and tuck it into his waist, revealing his legs. The cuffs of his trousers were also blackened from being rubbed somewhere.
Young people tend to sweat easily, not to mention that he had been busy running up and down the government office for most of the day, and his whole body felt like he had been soaked in water.
"Where are you going? Back to the yard?"
Yang Sheng was stunned, not knowing why he asked this question, but he subconsciously replied, "Go to the small kitchen."
"The kitchenette is still in the back, far away from here."
The small kitchen usually cooks meals for a few people on duty, so it is closer to the rest area in the backyard. The meeting room where they are now is located in the front hall of the government office, and the two are quite far apart.
Lord Jia glanced Yang Sheng up and down. Not only was it far away, but he was already tired after a busy day. Why bother asking him to make another trip? He was so sweaty and wet, and he would catch a cold if he went back and forth.
"Isn't there a place behind this meeting room where we can make tea? Just make some to warm yourself up."
Lord Jia raised his chin and glanced at the small doorman next to the corner of the table above, signaling Yang Sheng to come back.
Yang Sheng did not move when he heard this, unlike his usual behavior of obeying Lord Jia's orders.
"I can cook it, but I'm afraid this one..."
There were few people in charge of the government office. Before Lord Song took office, there were only his father and Lord Mu in the government office. The two of them had the final say and could make decisions.
Is there anything that two people can't discuss?
In the past, things were either discussed in the Tongzhiyuan or in Lord Mu’s Fujing Hall. If something happened, it would be discussed immediately, and this conference hall was never used.
Therefore, this conference room has been idle for a long time. It is still possible to make some hot tea in the back, but I am afraid that ginseng slices... may not be available.
Without saying anything more, Lord Jia knew what Yang Sheng was thinking without even raising his eyelids.
"What are you afraid of? Can't you drink plain water?" After clearing the table in front of him, Lord Jia moved to another table nearby. "As long as it's hot, it's fine. Drink more and sweat."
Seeing that Lord Jia looked calm and unconcerned, Yang Sheng knew that he didn't need to be stubborn anymore and insisted on going to the small kitchen.
Since Daddy arranged it this way, he must have his reasons. Yang Sheng didn't think about it any more. He scratched the back of his head and wiped his hands on them without paying attention to the sweat on them.
But when he met Master Jia's gaze, he immediately lowered his hands. He walked back, laughing and saying, "I'll go wash my hands right away, right away. I won't get my hands wet with the tea leaves, never."
Yang Sheng quickened his pace, and when he passed Lord Jia, he dodged and slipped away, as if he was afraid that Lord Jia would catch him and teach him a lesson.
After seeing the sweat-soaked corner of Yangsheng's clothes disappear into the wooden door frame of the small room as if escaping, he was no longer visible.
Lord Jia then raised the corner of his mouth, as if he could no longer hold it back, and chuckled.
What tea or not? His words show that he cares about tea.
But this kid Yangsheng, with sweaty hands, was pulling the hair randomly, which was so untidy. His hair was messy, as if he had picked it up on the roadside.
Picked up?
Thinking of this, Lord Jia was stunned. What did he mean by "picked up"? Why did his mind become so confused? He quickly uprooted this ridiculous idea in his mind and completely cleared it out.
As he spoke, he had finished putting away the scrolls in his hands. Seeing them neatly stacked together made one feel happy.
He said that they were just a few volumes and he could still handle them.
A strange sense of satisfaction rose in Lord Jia's chest. In front of the hall, he could hear his footsteps as he put books in order, and in back, he could hear Yangsheng walking around building a fire and boiling water. Although he couldn't hear them clearly, he could vaguely imagine that the two sounds complemented each other, making the quiet government office lively.
That's it, and it seems fine.
Lord Jia smoothed his sleeves, folded up the cuffs that had slipped down, turned his back to the main hall entrance, and walked towards the table on the other side. He only needed two more pieces to finish cleaning, so he had to hurry.
However, at this moment, the sound of overlapping footsteps came from outside the courtyard. The sound became heavier and heavier, approaching Lord Jia.
He moved his ears slightly, obviously hearing the sound, but he didn't know who was the unusual, uninvited guest who visited in the middle of the night.
Lord Jia thought about it, but couldn't tell who the visitor was, so he turned around to check.
But before he could turn around, a male voice came from afar, crossed the threshold, and reached Lord Jia's ears -
"Master Jia——"
He turned around in response, but was startled.
"you……"
There is a small side room in the backyard of the main hall.
Yang Sheng was busy in the hot room. He had just lit a fire and was now boiling water in a teapot.
Although it is spring, there is still a late spring cold snap in March. Therefore, although the spring sunshine is strong during the day, it is still cold in the morning and evening, making people shiver.
Now that night has fallen, it is even colder. When people talk, white breath comes out of their mouths in circles, like layers of frost and fog.
The water vapor coming out of the spout of the kettle was no exception. When it met the cold air of the night, the collision between the cold and the heat created a white mist in the room, which surrounded Yang Sheng and enveloped him tightly, making him feel like he was in a dream, as if he was in a secret fairyland.
“Huh—huh—”
Yang Sheng pulled the bellows loudly, just wanting to make the firewood burn more vigorously.
Make the water boil quickly so that we can make tea and bring it back to Dad.
Thinking of this, Yang Sheng felt that his arms were no longer sore, and his legs and feet were no longer painful. He pulled the bellows even harder.
When the pure white mist rose to the highest point, the water in the pot finally produced the first gurgling bubble, and the sound came out from the spout of the pot, making a high-pitched, short, and sharp sound.
“It’s open!”
Yang Sheng loosened the bellows handle, rubbed his hands on his waist, and was about to pick up the teapot, but stopped abruptly.
It was a close call, I almost forgot to wash my hands.
When he went to wash his hands and came back, the water was fully boiling and the sound of bubbling boiling was endless.
Yang Sheng found some tea leaves from the cupboard, opened it and saw that it was Maojian tea from which era.
On weekdays, he always worked in the Tongzhiyuan and occasionally went to the Fujingting to run errands. He seldom came to this meeting room, so he was not very clear about the situation there.
This Maojian... I'm afraid it has been stored for quite some time. His father doesn't use Maojian very often, and he doesn't know whether to boil it or soak it.
Yang Sheng was so anxious that he kept scratching his head.
Never mind, let’s try brewing it first. It’s still unclear whether it can be drunk or not, so why bother about how to drink it at this time?
In no time, he took out utensils to scoop up the hot water and the Maojian tea, and placed them in a serving tray together with the tea set he had just washed. He also added a tea towel and other utensils, making everything completely ready.
Yang Sheng held the tray steadily between his hands, kicked the door open with his foot, and moved out with great agility towards the front of the main hall.
He walked hurriedly, crossed the small courtyard connecting the small side room and the main hall, and in a few steps returned to the small door at the back of the main hall, which was where he came out.
The hot water that had just boiled was so hot that he could feel the burning sensation even through the serving tray. He just wanted to go back to the main room and put it down.
He walked in a hurry, and when he was about to enter the door, he could no longer hold back and called out loudly:
"Father! Father—"
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