Chapter 63: There is someone who is more like him than he is in high demand.
In the morning, the raccoon next door came into the yard again.
Song Baoyuan was dressing Jiang Suisui when she heard Jiang Chengyou shouting outside, "Fubao is here!"
Jiang Suisui quickly leaned over to take a look and said anxiously, "Mom, can we have fish tonight? I want to feed Fubao some small fish slices."
"good."
Song Baoyuan agreed.
"And, I also want some red dates. Uncle Xiaosi said they were delicious yesterday."
"Uncle Xiaosi?"
"Yes." Jiang Suisui nodded. "He played with me, my brother, and Fubao yesterday. He said it was a good thing we came, otherwise he would have been hungry."
Song Baoyuan was slightly surprised.
Uncle Xiaosi is most likely the retainer of the young master next door, but isn't he quite capable? Why is he still starving himself?
"Okay?" Jiang Suisui asked when she got no response.
"good."
Song Baoyuan took her dressed daughter and walked out.
First she returned the cat, then sent her son to school, and finally she and her daughter went to the teahouse.
The teahouse hasn't changed in the past two days.
Song Baoyuan was standing in front of the counter listening to Xu Pingsheng's brief account of the past two days' events when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps.
She looked up and saw Gao Luoshu walking down the stairs quickly and heading straight towards her.
"Mr. Gao, do you have something to talk to me about?" Song Baoyuan asked suspiciously.
"I..." Gao Luoshu was stunned.
He just felt like he hadn't seen her for a long time.
"No, I came to greet you."
Song Baoyuan laughed, "Why should I greet you? It's not my first time here."
Seeing that he had nothing serious to do, she turned to look at Xu Pingsheng, "You can handle the small matters yourself, don't ask me."
"There is one more important thing."
"What?"
Xu Pingsheng asked, "The New Year is approaching. Will we be open for business as usual then?"
"No need." Song Baoyuan flipped through the account book, "Let's all go home and have a good New Year."
"So, what about those without a home?"
Xu Pingsheng lowered his voice when he asked this question.
Just then, Cen Zhou walked past with tea in his hand, and Song Baoyuan grabbed Jiang Suisui who was following behind him.
Jiang Suisui, whose neck was being strangled, turned her head in confusion and blinked her big eyes, "What's wrong, mother?"
"Go ask Brother Xiaozhou if he wants to celebrate the New Year with you."
Jiang Suisui nodded like pounding garlic.
As soon as her mother let go, she started shouting, "Brother Xiaozhou!"
"uncle!"
"Got it, Brother Xiaozhou!"
“…”
Song Baoyuan laughed in silence, ignored it, and turned to walk upstairs.
Gao Luoshu followed her and asked, "What about me? Will you take me in for the New Year?"
"you?"
Song Baoyuan walked into her usual room on the second floor and asked, "Master Gao, aren't you going home for the New Year?"
"It's not like I can go back whenever I want." Gao Luoshu sat down opposite her and slumped over the table dejectedly.
There were several drawings on the table. They were sketches of the general structure of the winery drawn by the Song family's craftsmen, but there were no details yet.
Song Baoyuan needs to select one and submit it to the Ministry of Households for official property purchase.
She asked casually, "Why can't I go back?"
"Because if I go back now, they will still force me to enter the government or force me to get married!"
Song Baoyuan smiled and shook her head, "Then I can't not go back on the day of reunion."
“But they didn’t expect me to come back.”
"How could that be?" Song Baoyuan retorted softly.
"Then how do you know it won't happen?"
"Because I am a mother too."
Gao Luoshu was stunned. Why did her tone sound so much like she was coaxing a child?
Just as he was about to speak, there was a sudden noise and applause outside.
Song Baoyuan stood up and walked out, running into Qiao Yue who was running towards her in a hurry.
"Miss, someone has taken up the poem we left at the door!"
Strangely, that half line of poetry has been hanging there since the teahouse reopened. Although many people have tried, no one has been satisfied.
The guests’ response is so enthusiastic now, do they all agree?
Song Baoyuan walked to the railing curiously and looked down.
I saw the back of a man in a moon-white robe. He was tall and straight, with a dignified demeanor. He was surrounded by people and was talking freely.
Amid the noisy sounds, one could faintly hear exclamations.
Song Baoyuan was slightly looking forward to seeing what kind of person he was.
Under her gaze and the crowd's requests for advice, the man slowly turned around and was actually... wearing a raccoon mask.
Song Baoyuan: “?”
A white raccoon mask with a small red flower on the forehead.
A little too cute.
"Madam Song, you can't keep your prize today!"
Someone downstairs joked.
"That's good news." Song Baoyuan chuckled and looked at the masked man. "May I ask what your name is, sir?"
Before the man could answer, his supporters shouted, "Miao Gongzi! He lives up to his name!"
Song Baoyuan was suspicious, but the man didn't say anything, just bowed to her.
"Why are you covering your face, sir?"
Miao Gongzi nodded slightly, avoiding meeting her gaze, and said in a deep voice: "I am ugly and really an eyesore."
"What's wrong with your throat?" the person beside him asked in confusion, "Wasn't it fine just now?"
"I was too excited just now. This is my normal voice." Miao Gongzi answered calmly.
The man beside him was confused.
Song Baoyuan glanced at the half sentence of the poem that had been removed. Someone had filled in the back of it with vigorous and powerful handwriting, and there was a very beautiful word "wonderful" left at the end.
If the handwriting reflects the person, then this person will never be ugly.
Of course, there are exceptions.
"Sir, please take a seat." Song Baoyuan said loudly and glanced at Qiao Yin.
Qiao Yin understood and went forward to invite Master Miao and led him upstairs.
Song Baoyuan returned to the house, followed closely by Gao Luoshu. Not long after, Miao Gongzi came in and calmly sat down opposite.
"I've said before that whoever can finish the first half of the poem will receive a treasure called the Glazed Luminous Cup. However, it's not here yet. I've sent someone to get it. Please wait a moment, young master."
The other party nodded.
"I wonder if you would be interested in leaving another title, or a poem, or a riddle, to replace our original half-line poem, to serve as a storefront."
The person on the other side nodded again, as if he couldn't speak.
Song Baoyuan was confused, and felt that he looked very familiar. "Young Master gives me the feeling that he is someone I know."
Miao Gongzi lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "I am not good-looking, how can I recognize a person like my wife?"
The temperament, mask and voice are completely unrelated and give people three completely different feelings.
What a strange person, Song Baoyuan thought.
"You are talented, admired, and admired by everyone. What's the point of your appearance? Besides, even if you think you are ugly, it may not be true."
"My lady, there's no need to comfort me. I'm used to it." Miao Gongzi sighed heavily. "Since I was a child, I've been ridiculed and mocked for my appearance. They said I had talent, but in reality, I've failed many times. I'm really a failure."
Looking at his expression, it seemed as if sad things had been brought up on him. Song Baoyuan didn't dare to say anything more. Perhaps she was overthinking it.
There are so many people in the world, how could this happen to be her neighbor?
"Many guests are interested in learning from you. You can come often in the future. I will waive your tea bill for a year."
"Thank you very much."
Mr. Miao didn't want to say much.
Song Baoyuan handed him paper and pen and waited quietly for him to write a poem.
Seeing that Song Baoyuan's attention was all on another man, with admiration and strong curiosity in her eyes, Gao Luoshu felt uncomfortable and spoke unconsciously.
"cough!"
Song Baoyuan and Miao Gongzi both looked at him.
"No, nothing." Gao Luoshu turned his face away uncomfortably, "Ahem, my throat has been feeling uncomfortable lately."
"Do you need a doctor?" Song Baoyuan asked.
Gao Luoshu shook his head, "No need."
It's already healed, the moment you look back at me.
The silent Miao Gongzi had a questioning look in his eyes. Who is this person? He doesn't look like a servant, but more like a young master from a wealthy family.
“Wow!”
There were exclamations from downstairs.
Qiao Yue walked past the crowd holding a glass luminous cup, and its color and exquisiteness caused a burst of amazement.
Seeing this, the young man felt relieved. He quickly wrote a new poem, took the prize, and said goodbye.
He was polite throughout the whole process, but he left in a hurry.
When he stepped out of the teahouse, he passed by Jiang Keyu who just walked in. Their eyes met briefly, and they were suspicious of each other, but they did not stop.
After leaving the teahouse, Miao Gongzi lifted the mask over his forehead and breathed a long sigh of relief.
It’s Xie Yuchao.
Damn it, he thought, even running into neighbors.
He looked back and thought of the man standing next to his neighbor and the man who had crossed the threshold not long ago, and felt confused.
The former doesn't look like a waiter, and the latter doesn't look like a guest.
There was a beggar on the roadside, knocking on a bowl.
Xie Yuchao walked over, dropped two copper coins into his broken bowl, and asked, "Have you been here all this time? Have you met the proprietress of that teahouse?"
"You mean Miss Song?" The beggar smiled and put the copper coin into his pocket. "Not only have I seen her, I know her. Miss Song is a very nice person, beautiful and kind."
"How do you mean kind?"
"She never drove us lowly people away and even found work for us."
Xie Yuchao frowned slightly, "Then why are you still begging here?"
"It's such tiring work." The beggar knocked on the bowl. "This is the easiest way to make money."
Xie Yuchao: “…”
Can he get his money back?
"Why are you asking about Madam Song?" The beggar raised an eyebrow. "Do you like her?"
"no!"
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." The beggar glanced at him with disdain. "There are so many people who like Madam Song, and you can't even get a spot in the queue."
Xie Yuchao was skeptical, "A lot of people like her?"
"Yes!" The beggar counted them on his fingers. "And they all come from prominent backgrounds. You know Linlang Pavilion? It's the shop that sells the most expensive jewelry in the city. The young master of that shop is a virgin for our Lady Song! And then there's Master Gao from the Censor's family. He doesn't want to be a good young master, but is willing to be ordered around by our Lady Song and work as a clerk here! And then there's the head of the Ministry of Justice, the young master of the Chang Mansion..."
The beggar spread his palm to his mouth and said seriously, "He used to come here every day to show his affection, but he stopped only after his legs were broken by his family. And then there's that Junior Official of the Dali Temple! He loves the whole family and protects the whole area for Madam Song, and won't allow anyone to cause trouble. He's the smartest one, he knew to start with the children. Whenever he has time, he helps Madam Song take care of the children, and he's dying to be her stepfather!"
Xie Yuchao: “…”
Is it so popular?
*
Song Baoyuan was watching Mr. Miao leave on the second floor and happened to see Jiang Keyu come in.
He had an indifferent expression and a bit of coldness, and he was out of place among the literati and elegant guests in the room.
But he was not like this before. He was once a talented scholar.
“Daddy!”
When she saw her daughter, Jiang Keyu relaxed a little, a smile appeared on her face, and she squatted down and picked up her daughter.
Song Baoyuan looked at him silently, and he softened instantly, becoming a completely different person from a moment ago.
But it still doesn't look like him.
The him of the past.
Perhaps it was the tempering in the Dali Temple over the years that made him more mature. The horrifying things he saw and experienced in those cases made him lose his immaturity, making him deep and difficult to understand.
Song Baoyuan sighed in his heart that there was someone who was more like him than him.
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