Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 30: Fraudsters
With the sound of clanging and the rising of dust, carts of wood and stones shuttled through the village, and every villager's face was filled with a joyful smile.
In the past, they thought that the young master of the Zhang family was a weirdo, so they forced a group of children to recite poems and the Nine-Nine Song, taught those patient children to learn to read, and picked Deng Xiaodai and Qi Liang to study together; that's why they messed up the land they had cultivated all their lives, changing it to planting rice and cotton, and even planting trees and raising silkworms.
But if those things gradually showed results, then now, they are saying every day that Zhang Xiaolangjun is a good person.
Just because he is about to become the son-in-law of Duke Zhao's mansion in the capital, and he also persuaded the kind-hearted young lady to fund their house renovation and to repay the principal in ten years, he is a first-class good man!
So, at this time, when Zhang Shou walked in the village, he received endless thanks.
No one complained because Zhu Ying did not donate the money for free but loaned it interest-free. This also made Zhang Shou believe that these neighbors here were indeed carefully selected.
There are so many examples of gratitude for a little bit of rice and hatred for a little bit of rice. So, Duke Zhao really took the trouble.
Regardless of whether the engagement was true or false, Duke Zhao should be considered the benefactor who allowed the mother and son to live in peace until now.
By chatting with fellow villagers along the way, Zhang Shou easily got the information he wanted to know.
"Mr. Lu and his followers were brought to Cuiyun Palace by Miss Liuyin. The three young men surnamed Zhang, or the noble sons who came later, and their followers all found the place after asking the villagers."
While talking, Mr. Yang emphasized a detail: "When I asked the villagers, they were all very arrogant. They just threw down some money and walked away. As for the details of the old celebrity in Cuiyun Room, they didn't even ask."
"With Miss Zhu accompanying me personally, who wouldn't believe it?"
The oldest and most cunning old man in the village winked at Zhang Shou and said with a beaming face, "Don't worry, sir. I'm keeping an eye on everything and won't let anyone talk nonsense! Besides, who would be so stupid as to flatter a bunch of outsiders instead of the sir?"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh and cry. Although he was sure that the news had not leaked out yet, he never hesitated to speculate on things with the worst possibility and the greatest malice, so after resigning from Yang Laoguan, he couldn't help but quickly consider various possibilities.
He turned two corners and finally arrived at the door of Deng Xiaodai's house. Like other places in the village, the roof was being repaired. He stood in this noisy and dirty environment for less than two breaths before he heard a startled cry.
"Oh, why is my uncle here?"
Ever since Yang Laoguan called him that in public, the word "guye" became popular in the whole village. If it were normal, Zhang Shou might have corrected him seriously, but at this moment, seeing the man jump down from the ladder and walk towards him quickly, he didn't even have the heart to correct him. He coughed lightly and asked directly: "Uncle Deng, did Xiaodai bring back any letter?"
"Son-in-law, you are too polite. Just call me Old Deng." The speaker was Deng Sanniu, Deng Xiaodai's father. He lowered his hands, and there was black between his fingers. It was hard to tell whether it was dirt or dust. It seemed that he felt a little stressed in front of this elegant and handsome young man. He unconsciously put his hands behind his back and wiped them, then put them in front of him again and rubbed them nervously.
He was originally all smiles, and at this moment, he deliberately squeezed out more courtesy and flattery: "If Xiaodai wants to send a letter, it must be to my son-in-law. After all, there is no one in our family who can read except Xiaodai. Who can I show this letter to? I will tell him later that he has always been taken care of by you, which is why he can work as a clerk in Shuntian Prefecture. Of course, he should always greet you and pay you respects..."
Compared to Yang Laoguan's compliments, Deng Sanniu's flattery was obviously stumbling and stammering, but Zhang Shou still listened patiently, then went in to ask for paper and pen, wrote a letter, and asked Deng Sanniu to deliver it to Deng Xiaodai in Beijing immediately. Deng Sanniu not only agreed readily, but also said that he would send his eldest son to leave immediately. Zhang Shou had to thank him and left the Deng family.
Deng Xiaodai had just entered the Shuntian government office. He had asked someone to check Zhu Ying's engagement, but there was no news yet. He had to ask someone to do something like that, which was really embarrassing. But Zhu Ying's goal was too big, and he didn't dare to trust other people in Zhaoguo Mansion . He could only ask his good students to prepare for the rainy day.
Zhang Shou walked and thought, and unknowingly arrived at the entrance of the village. When he looked up, he found that a donkey and a man were walking towards him not far away.
The black donkey was skinny, and it stopped and started frequently, looking extremely listless. An old man with gray hair and beard sat on it. He nodded his head and leaned his body to the left and then to the right, as if he was dozing off. However, no matter how the donkey shook and bumped around, he miraculously did not fall off.
He had heard that some people could sleep on horseback, and when he actually saw someone dozing off on a donkey, he couldn't help but stop.
Until the black donkey approached, and finally stopped in front of him as if it understood human nature, he saw that the old man on the donkey was still sleeping soundly, and even snoring evenly. He couldn't help but hesitate, not knowing whether to wake him up or not. Looking at the man's condition, if he shouted, the man might fall down!
After hesitating for a moment, the old man who was sleeping soundly on the donkey suddenly shuddered, and then he shouted without even opening his eyes: "You lazy guy, why did you stop just like that? Hurry up, if you can't reach Rongshui Village before dusk and see that mountain hermit, you will lose your dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow!"
I was still wondering if anyone other than those noble children would come to "visit the master". This is simply like mentioning the devil and he will appear!
After a flash of thought, Zhang Shou calmly asked, " Is there a master in Rongshui Village? Why haven't I heard of him?"
"Hmm?" The white-haired old man on the donkey woke up in an instant. His eyes, which had been squinting when he dozed off, opened wide, but when he saw the young man in front of him, who was wearing a green shirt and black shoes, with delicate features and eyes, as radiant as the bright moon in the sky, the little anger he had just felt disappeared immediately.
He asked with a smile: "Young Master, are you so sure that you are not ignorant and have never heard of that master?"
"I was born and raised in this village. I know the local customs and people here. I'm not sure I know everything about them, but I'm confident I've covered everything."
Zhang Shou discovered that although the old man came riding a donkey, his sleeves were fluttering and he looked very energetic. His facial features still showed the handsomeness he had in his youth, and he even had a bit of an immortal air, so he bowed to him.
He smiled and said, "If you heard it from someone else, and if you are just like those noble children who came here rashly, and you came here to seek a master who is deceiving the world and stealing his reputation, then I suggest you go back and don't waste your precious time in this rural place."
"Oh?" The old man tutted his tongue, rolled his eyes, and looked Zhang Shou up and down again, then smiled and said, "You look trustworthy, young man, but I have come all the way here, and now I am riding a donkey back home. I am afraid that the city gates will be closed. Since you have stopped me, you must find a place for an old man like me to stay for the night, right?"
When Zhang Shou saw the old man riding the donkey lazily and scolding the donkey, he knew that he was a maverick. Now that he directly relied on him as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt that this was expected. But even so, he still felt a little amused.
First, there was Zhu Ying, the daughter of a wealthy family, who played tricks, and then there was this old man of unknown origin who played tricks. Could it be that all the people who came from the capital city have this common trait of playing tricks?
He changed his mind, then nodded slightly and said: "Since the old man said so, I will do my best to be a good host . Please follow me."
Of course, there was no way he would bring anyone to Cuiyunjian; and his own mansion was now occupied by Zhu Ying's family of more than a dozen masters and servants, with so many people and so many gossips, so it was even more impossible for him to bring outsiders to live there.
In this case, there is undoubtedly only one choice he can make!
