Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 29: Coming one after another
The cool breeze blows, the leaves rustle, the books read aloud, and the words rustle.
This is a scene that any teacher would find very satisfying. However, this definitely does not include... Zhang Shou!
His original intention of expanding such a bamboo house was to build two stone tablets in the future, to provide an elegant residence for scholars who like the style of celebrities, and then let them reminisce about the past, lament the passing of time, and generate some income for the village.
Later, due to Zhu Ying's arrival, he had an idea and planned to use a more unique method to cheat those rich young men. The joining of Lu Sanlang undoubtedly found him the best cover.
But the ominous premonition he had when he saw Zhang Chen and the other two staying came true. Look at the crowded scene in this large bamboo house now!
There were sixteen students in four rows and four columns, twelve of whom followed the Zhang trio to the countryside under the secret advocacy of Lu Sanlang and Zhu Ying and the mentality of "even if I die, my friends must die too". Then, they entered the bamboo forest to please Zhu Ying and to win.
As a matter of course, they knelt down in front of the two hundred difficult questions that he had casually written down in his head.
Even though he initially insisted on not accepting them, with the support of Lu Sanlang, Zhu Ying's persuasion, and the help of the three playboys, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept these students!
This fake old gentleman actually turned out to be a learned hermit. What a joke!
Zhang Shou, who was sitting at the main seat, took a breath in annoyance, but immediately afterwards, a cup of tea was delivered to him and what came into his sight was Zhu Ying's smiling face.
"Are you thirsty, sir? Have a drink of water? I just sent someone back to the capital, and the Empress Dowager gave me all the stock of this year's pre-communion tea in the palace!"
Zhang Shou took the exquisite Jun kiln tea bowl helplessly, but could not help but glare at Zhu Ying in reproach.
The acting is too exaggerated!
Although there was a veil between them, Zhu Ying would never miss this look. From the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of the nobles that she, Lu Sanlang, and the three-member group of Zhang, who had provoked. Seeing that many of them were secretly glancing at her, she snorted, then looked at Zhang Shou with some grievance and said, "Sir, isn't it because you love to drink tea?"
The scenes of Miss Zhu whipping people and riding her horse down the street were all seen by the rich and powerful people in the capital. However, it was the first time for almost everyone to see her with a slight anger or even a bit of coquettishness in her expression.
Even Qi Liang, who was provoked by Zhu Ying's words and now served as an assistant teacher, could not help but be mesmerized by her charming and seductive appearance and lost his mind for a moment. Fortunately, he had been with Zhu Ying more in recent days and had some immunity. He shook his head vigorously and came back to his senses.
Then, the cold-faced senior brother who had even put aside the upcoming prefectural examination and was here to maintain order began to roar, "Concentrate and concentrate! Are you here to study or to see a beauty? Miss Zhu is a woman, but she has already solved these three questions. Look at the papers in front of you. How many of you still have a blank..."
At this moment, Lu Sanlang stood up leisurely and said with a smile: "Sir, Senior Brother, I'm done!"
Seeing the uproar in the classroom, Zhang Shou was overwhelmed when he saw someone like Zhang Chen standing up and slamming the table in dissatisfaction, almost accusing Lu Sanlang of cheating.
He made a prompt decision, stood up and waved his sleeves coldly: "Lu Sanlang, you came to explain it to everyone, but you can't explain it clearly, it can't be considered that you did it right! Within today, if you can't explain these three questions to others and let them all know the method, then you will also be punished to copy it three times!"
Having said that, he ignored the dumbfounded Lu Sanlang and walked out of the room.
When he stood in the bamboo forest, Zhang Shou took a deep breath of the fresh air that already had a hint of autumn, and then he realized that someone was chasing him from behind. Without even looking, he knew it was Zhu Ying. Although he knew that the other person was doing this purely for his own good, he couldn't help but rub his temples gently when he heard the messy noises inside.
"Is the sir angry?"
In view of the fact that there are more people now, Zhang Shou specifically requested that Zhu Ying not call him by his name as she did before. If someone heard it, it would be exposed, and all the previous performances would be in vain.
At this time, Zhang Shou did not respond, but he saw from the corner of his eye that Zhu Ying kicked up two small stones on the ground with her shoes embroidered with pearls, and then whispered: "In this world, it is not enough to have great talent. I know you don't want to stand out, but can you bear to bow down to a villain in the future?"
"I don't have much talent." Zhang Shou turned around with a look of confusion, and faced the young lady in front of him who was more beautiful than a flower. "It was originally just a small matter of seeking profit, but now it has caused such a big fuss. If it is exposed, wouldn't I be considered a fraud?"
"No, the questions you taught me were quite interesting." Zhu Ying said this confidently. Then she felt guilty again when she thought about how she racked her brains for a long time before she solved the three questions under Zhang Shou's guidance. "If they learn something from you, they will be able to use it in the future. It's definitely not a loss!"
Zhang Shou shook his head and gradually walked towards the edge of the bamboo house. When he finally found Zhu Ying following him, he turned around and said seriously, "I came up with the idea of using the puzzle to select people to stay at the house. It was originally a spur of the moment idea. I wanted to make some quick money. I didn't expect it to last long, nor did I expect it to never be exposed. In the final analysis, I relied on your influence."
"But now that the incident has become so serious and attracted so many people, the reputation of the old hermit in the bamboo forest here may have been known to many people in the capital."
"If you want to send people back to Beijing to build momentum, you have to send your followers. They all know my true face. Will they really agree with your exaggerated promotion for me?"
"Besides, because the houses in the village are being renovated, few outsiders would risk the dust to go in and investigate. But many villagers know how I asked them to build this bamboo house. If someone lets it slip, it will spread like wildfire. Don't you think this scene of people eager to learn will not attract people with bad intentions?"
"I..." Zhu Ying's expression finally changed gradually, and she even bit her lips unconsciously. However, what made her expression change the most was what Zhang Shou said next.
"Yingying, have you ever thought about this? If your father and your elder brother are really safe and sound, then others might just laugh it off or even scold you for the farce here. But what if it happens? Or what if someone is here to cause trouble for the Duke Zhao's Mansion?"
Although Zhang Shou rarely called out Yingying when they were alone together, Zhu Ying couldn't feel happy at this moment. Thinking about how she had sent people back to Beijing to fan the flames and cheer for the incident while Lu Sanlang was desperately trying to spread the news, she, who had always done things smoothly and didn't care about what others said, felt a little confused for the first time.
"I……"
Seeing that Miss Zhu was obviously upset, Zhang Shou saw a few bamboo leaves falling from the sky, one of which happened to fall into her shiny black hair. He stepped forward, reached out and plucked the green bamboo leaf from her hair, and then put it in front of her.
" Although you are doing this for my own good and want to help me, I hope you will discuss everything with me in the future. I have to leave for a while now, so you stay here and help me calm down. With you here, I think they won't dare to do anything reckless."
Zhu Ying took the bamboo leaf blankly and nodded hesitantly. But when she saw Zhang Shou turning around to leave, she couldn't help but chase after him: "If anything really happens, don't worry, I will..."
Zhang Shou waved his hand without even turning his head. "I was the one who came up with the idea in the beginning, and I kept Lu Sanlang myself. If I push the problem onto you, what will I do? Don't worry, I will find a way."
