Chapter 31: Looking Forward
In the busy time, it was almost noon.
"No, I'm so tired!"
Su Xian sat astride a thick wooden beam with a tattered quilt hanging on it. Otherwise, with the dust accumulated on the beam for more than ten years, Su Xian would have become a coal miner.
He held a foot-long chisel in his left hand and a hammer in his right hand, and his clothes were all wet with sweat.
Half a day of high-intensity work had already caused him to suffer from back pain.
Placing the chisel and hammer on the "flat stool" not far away, Su Xian moved his butt and leaned against the wall to rest for a while.
The so-called "pingqi" is the ceiling.
All high-end houses have a balcony.
Although Su Xian's family had fallen into poverty, his father Su Zheng was still well off when he left the family. This two-story building was considered a high-class house back then.
So we have a luxurious component like Pingqiu.
"Although I'm a scholar, I still need to exercise. I can't do it after chiseling the wall for a while..."
Su Xian talked to himself, rested for a while, then lay sideways on the wall with a hole as big as a human head, and looked across through the hole.
very dark!
Because the house was built under the city wall, the light was not good to begin with. In addition, the neighbor's house next door also had a flat roof, which blocked the light and made it naturally dark.
Su Xian didn't think much about it. He walked down the wooden ladder, washed up simply, filled his stomach with the six steamed buns he brought home in the morning, and after resting for a while, he continued to chisel the wall in the afternoon.
Ding ding dong!
Ding ding dong!
Su Xian chiseled boldly, not afraid that a neighbor would come out and cause trouble.
Because the three neighbors next door moved away a few years ago and the house had been vacant for several years, no one would bother Su Xian even if he demolished the wall.
It was precisely because of this that the man in black told the girl in Zuixianlou last night that "Su Xian's home is the safest."
And the place for the secret meeting with the Liao envoy was chosen next door to Su Xian's house.
Ding ding dong!
Ding ding dong!
After an afternoon of hard work, Su Xian finally chiseled a hole in the blue brick wall that was just big enough for one person to crawl through.
"Finally finished!"
Su Xian was breathing heavily, his face covered with sweat.
He placed the chisel and hammer on the plank, leaned against the wall and rested for a long time before he recovered his strength.
Even so, his hands felt useless and he was too lazy to move.
After resting for a while, Su Xian put his head through the hole and leaned his upper body towards the neighbor's house next door, but he saw nothing as his vision was blocked by the stone.
"Take a shower first, then stretch my limbs to relieve the lactic acid, otherwise my hands will be useless tomorrow."
"After dinner, find a way to sneak into the neighbor's house and check the situation. At least take away the shuttlecock, otherwise we won't be able to see anything."
“…”
While making arrangements, Su Xian went down the wooden ladder, went to the kitchen, lit the fire and started boiling water for a bath.
He is a clean person and takes a shower every day these days.
He is also a lazy person who seldom cooks. In the past few days, the only use of the kitchen is to boil water for bathing.
“Fuck!”
Su Xian held the ladle and found it very difficult to scoop water from the water tank.
He had been chiseling the wall all day and now the aftereffects were coming.
After putting the firewood into the stove and looking at the blazing fire, Su Xian swore secretly: "I must find a maid to do these rough jobs!"
"Yes, we also need maids to help with dressing and washing. One, two... three or four is not too many!"
"By the way, you have to be pretty and pleasing to the eye."
“…”
While Su Xian was boiling water for his bath, he imagined the scene of a beautiful maid helping him change clothes and wash up.
He could also tease the maids, touch their little faces, or hold their hands...
Slurp!
As he thought about it, Su Xian couldn't help but become fascinated, drooling at the corners of his mouth, and sitting in front of the stove, grinning foolishly.
When can we enjoy such a luxurious and interesting life?
I don’t know how much time has passed.
Oh shit!
Su Xian looked at the stove blankly. When did the flame inside go out?
After taking a shower, I feel refreshed.
Su Xian was doing various simple exercises in the main room on the first floor. These movements could relieve the lactic acid in the muscles. Otherwise, simple movements like raising hands or going down stairs would be very troublesome tomorrow.
"call!"
After doing a set of movements, I felt much better.
He went back to his room to get his purse and prepared to go out for dinner. After dinner, he climbed to the neighbor's house next door to check the situation.
However, just as he was about to open the door, there was a knock on the door first, and a familiar voice called out: "Brother Su, is Brother Su home?"
It’s Lin Chuan.
Su Xian casually pulled open the bolt and saw that the person coming was indeed Lin Chuan.
He was dressed in a white Confucian robe and a Confucian cap, with a fair and handsome complexion, and was followed by two blue-robed page boys.
A carriage was parked on the street in front of the door.
"Brother Lin."
Su Xian smiled and bowed, then asked, "The county school has only one day off for the ten-day holiday. Why are you coming to see me instead of going home or staying in the Pinyu Pavilion?"
At this time, the diners at the stinky tofu stall not far away had already dispersed one after another.
Zhang Cuihua was packing up her stall because today's stinky tofu had been sold out.
She was attracted by the conversation between Su Xian and Lin Chuan, and she pricked up her ears to eavesdrop while packing up her stall.
At the same time, at the small wooden table against the wall in the room, Liu Huixiang was counting the copper coins she earned from selling stinky tofu today.
Today, Liu Huixiang looked more beautiful than usual. Her clothes remained the same, but her originally fair and delicate face was smeared with the expensive rouge that she had just bought from "Chun Huitang" today.
Her face, which seemed so delicate that water could be squeezed out of it, looked as if it had been steamed by the red glow, her plump lips were bright red, and her eyebrows were carefully drawn.
With her carefully combed hair and glittering gold and silver pearls, Liu Huixiang was so beautiful that she seemed to have walked out of a painting.
Ding Dong!
Ding Dong!
The collision of copper coins made a pleasant sound, and Liu Huixiang had a faint smile on her lips.
This was the third time she had counted the copper coins.
There was a large pile of copper coins on the table, at least four or five thousand. Liu Huixiang divided them into two piles. The smaller pile was Su Xian's dividend.
Liu Huixiang kept counting the money, even checking it three times, for no other reason than to wait for Su Xian to come and take his share.
She dressed up carefully and put on expensive "Chun Huitang" rouge and makeup, also in order to wait for Su Xian to come.
Because, ever since Su Xian taught her all the key to making stinky tofu, he has never set foot in her house again.
Apart from coming to collect the money as agreed , Su Xian had no other reason to come to her...
Su Xian didn't come this morning.
Su Xian didn't come at noon either.
Then the night will surely come.
Just as Liu Huixiang was eagerly waiting, in front of Su Xian's house, Lin Chuan bowed in return and said solemnly: "Brother Su, it's good that you are at home. I came to find you because there is an important matter that we brothers need to face together!"
"Brother Lin, please feel free to speak."
Su Xian was infected by his solemn expression and thought that Lin Chuan was in some trouble and needed his help.
Lin Chuan is a very loyal person, and Su Xian is also prepared to make friends with him. If he can help, Su Xian will definitely not refuse.
In front of the stinky tofu stall, Zhang Cuihua couldn't help but prick up her ears. After what happened yesterday afternoon, Zhang Cuihua thought that Su Xian, her classmate, was unreliable.
But from the way he sounded now, it seemed like he was in trouble. Zhang Cuihua couldn't help but think that her two kitchen knives were almost rusty...
"Brother Su, listen to me. This matter is very simple for you." Lin Chuan's tone was still solemn.
"What is it?"
"Brother Su, don't worry." Lin Chuan suddenly grinned, put his hands on Su Xian's shoulders, and said jokingly: "Tonight you accompany me to the brothel, to the Pinyu Pavilion, to attend a 'poetry banquet'!"
