Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 31: Meeting a Gentleman
Looking at the old man who was looking around and even flicked his finger on the dark square table to listen to the sound, Zhang Shou couldn't help but think of the scene when Zhu Ying first arrived that day. Although they were of different ages, the eldest lady was also curious about everything, as if any tool in the countryside was worth studying for a while.
When he was bringing the old man here, he also tried to ask about the other party's background, but the man was as tight-lipped as his mother and servants at home. He just said with a smile that his surname was Ge, and he talked about all sorts of other things. So he simply called him Mr. Ge.
"By the way, I don't know your name, young master."
"My last name is Zhang." Zhang Shou paused, then laughed and said, "Mr. Ge refused to give his full name, so I, a younger generation, will follow your example and not give my name which is not worth mentioning."
Mr. Ge was stunned at first, then he blew his beard and glared at me, "I am an old man, and you, a young man, don't know how to be more considerate of me? Humph, do you think I am stupid? I will go to the village outside to ask, is it possible that no one can tell your name? Forget it, forget it, I won't be angry with you. I see that there is no one else in this house, are you the only one living there?"
Zhang Shou originally thought that Ge Weng was a bit childish and naughty. After hearing this, he was more certain that his first impression was correct. As for the question at the end, he didn't even need to think about it to know that the old man must have doubted him because of his face.
It was fine that Zhu Ying, the daughter of a wealthy family, only cared about appearance, but he really didn't expect that Ge Weng, an old man who was almost buried in the ground, would also care about appearance. He couldn't help but ask back, "Does Ge Weng think that I should be a god without touching water, eating only wind and drinking dew?"
Mr. Ge flicked his clothes and sat down with a righteous look on his face.
"The world is unfair, otherwise why would even the imperial examinations favor handsome men? Even in the imperial court, the top scholar would choose a tall and handsome man, not a hunchbacked bald man. I don't believe that you can make a fire and cook with such a face, so you definitely can't live alone..."
As soon as he finished speaking , Zhang Shou just laughed, turned around and walked out.
After a slight pause, he realized what Zhang Shou might be going to do, and immediately stood up and ran after him. He saw the man go to the stove and skillfully put dry firewood in the furnace. He first used wood shavings to start the fire, used a fire stick to add firewood and blow the fire, and then washed the rice and put it in the pot to cook. He was so skilled in all the movements as if he had done them thousands of times.
It was not until Zhang Shou finally took a break that the old man said awkwardly, "You have such a handsome face, even if you grew up in the countryside, someone should come to your house to help you with these chores. Isn't it a waste of resources to do all these by yourself? Of course, when I was young and handsome, I didn't have to say anything. I didn't know how many people took care of my food, clothing, shelter and transportation."
Seeing that Zhang Shou just smiled without saying anything, he wiped his hands, then took out two green melons from the winnowing basket beside him. After washing them, he cut them into neat strips with a kitchen knife in a moment. Ge Weng, who was still following behind him, couldn't help but continue to persuade him earnestly.
"Old man, when I saw you, I thought of my past, so I advised you. It's good for a man to be self-reliant, but he also has to prioritize. No matter how good you are at cooking, are you going to be a chef in the future? Even if you can farm, can your strength compare to the results of improving farming methods and dredging water conservancy? For example, you are living alone here now, it's really better to..."
Zhang Shou did not interrupt Ge Weng's chatter until the old man who always liked to call himself an old man said the three words "really not as good as" and then he slowly said: "Actually, this is not my home, and I don't live alone. I have a mother and three old servants at home."
Ge Weng, who was racking his brains to persuade this handsome young man to cherish his youth, was suddenly choked.
After a moment, he was so angry that he wanted to lose his temper, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue , he suddenly realized that this young man Zhang did not say that this was his home. He just used practical actions to fight back against his prejudice when he said that the other party was incompetent and unable to live alone.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but snorted angrily, "It's not your house, but you brought me here, and even touched their rice, grains, and vegetables. I guess they are your close relatives and friends?"
"Not bad." Zhang Shou smiled slightly, then mixed the cucumber with salt, vinegar and sesame oil, and nodded readily, "I have had guests in my house for the past few days, and the house is not big enough to accommodate them. I'll go home and ask someone to make some food for me, I'm sure Mr. Ge won't dislike it."
Zhang Shou brought Ge Weng to Qi Liang's house. Qi Liang not only served as the eldest senior brother in Qingfeng Xulai Hall during the day, but also often stayed there at night to prevent some noble children from causing trouble, leaving the house empty.
Compared with other houses in the village, this place is naturally more suitable for the "old man" in front of him who claims to be here to seek help from a master.
"I was just wondering, you look so delicate and tender, you don't look like you have to work hard to make a living all day long."
Ge Weng groaned, and seeing that Zhang Shou was about to leave, he suddenly grabbed the young man's sleeve with his quick eyes and hands. When the man turned around, he smiled and said, "Food and shelter are secondary. As long as there is a hot meal and a place to shelter from the wind and rain, I am not picky. To tell you the truth, I am the guest of a nobleman in the capital, and I will not go back until I see the hermit in the mountains and forests."
Zhang Shou paused, then shrugged and said, "That so-called hermit master can only fool those men in the capital who are chasing after Miss Zhu of Duke Zhao. Miss Zhu has been living in seclusion in the countryside, but there are still people who come to her to show their affection. She got impatient and played a trick on Lu Sanlang. Who knew that the rumor would spread so widely."
"Oh?" Mr. Ge looked at Zhang Shou with a meaningful look, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Miss Zhu lives in the countryside because she is tired of the troubles in the capital? Isn't it because she has a fiancé in the countryside?"
"Whether he is your fiancé or not, you have to look at the marriage certificate in black and white. Rumors without any basis can't be taken seriously."
Zhang Shou changed the subject lightly. Seeing that Mr. Ge finally let go of his sleeve, he bowed and said, "Mr. Ge, please stay here for a while. I will be back in a moment."
Seeing Zhang Shou nod and then stride away, thinking of how Zhang Shou had just treated people with elegance and grace, and how he spoke fluently, and how he was doing things that should have been done by servants, and he did it with ease, Ge Weng could not help but pull his well-maintained beard, and glanced around the room again.
Then, the handsome old man who had said something naughty but was very elegant, strode to a simple bookshelf in the corner and began to look through the books. However, he handled the books with care and moved quickly, and in had read through most of the bookshelf.
When he finally found a thick oil paper package, he took it to the desk and opened it while humming a little tune. He saw a stack of handwritten books inside. He opened the first one at random, and his eyes lit up at the first glance.
"Hehe, no matter how cunning you are, you can't escape my sharp eyes... Um, no, no, I can barely be considered a gentle and modest gentleman. I haven't lied, so I can't be considered cunning... I'm telling the truth, but you're still so difficult to deal with... Tsk tsk, you're really better than I was back then. How did you come up with these questions... My hard work really paid off!"
Mr. Ge put down the book in his hand, and carefully looked through the other books, identifying the handwriting and the age of the book. He memorized it, then wrapped it in oil paper and put it back on the bookshelf. Then he clapped his hands and stretched.
"I am an old man with many things to do. Since you said today that the master I came to visit is completely fictitious and a fraud, I can't stay here any longer. See you later!"
When Zhang Shou returned with Ah Liu carrying a lunch box, what he saw was a note written in a flamboyant and ink-stained manner at the door of Qi Liang's house.
"I came and left in a hurry. Now that I have met you, my trip has not been in vain! I will leave you a hundred coins for your meal. I am leaving now. We will meet again someday!"
Seeing that the last character "Ge" was written with particular charm, Zhang Shou couldn't help shaking his head.
This is simply a willful old man who comes and goes without leaving a trace of cloud!
However, on second thought, he couldn't help but look around, and then walked straight to the bookshelf.
In this village, people almost never pick up things on the road and leave their doors unlocked at night, because everyone knows each other well, especially people like Qi Liang who have nothing but four walls. So even if Qi Liang had saved up a few exercise books while learning from him, Qi Liang would just wrap them in oil paper and put them on the bookshelf.
He only took a quick look and found the clue. Qi Liang proudly mentioned to him that he would put a strand of hair under the oil paper bag, so that if anyone came in and moved the things, they would immediately find out.
When he heard about this little trick, he even wanted to complain, Xiao Qi, it's a pity that you don't become an agent...
And now, that strand of hair is gone.
There is no doubt that Mr. Ge had looked at these exercise books, and it is very likely that he ran away in a hurry because of the questions in them.
And he said he was someone else's guest. That's nonsense, right? Which noble family would raise such a characterful old man? With such a self-willed character, the old man must be a well-known person, right?
The more he thought about it, the more interesting it became, and Zhang Shou unknowingly let go of the worry that had been hanging in his heart.
Since someone like Ge Weng has already come to the door, it seems that there will definitely be more people like this coming in the future, and it will not be so easy to evade them then. Since Zhu Ying has helped him to be high-profile, then he should be high-profile to the end!
