Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 127 I Can't Help Myself
It was as if no one had expected the other to say such words. Jiu Niang and Zhu Ying, mother and daughter, stared at each other for a long while. Just when Zhang Shou was unconsciously worried that they would have an argument, the two of them laughed at the same time.
"Mom, grandma and dad have always told me that you were a heroic woman in your time. It's just right that you teach Ah Shou and I will watch and learn from you. I will not let your reputation down in the future!"
"Listen to your father's nonsense!" Jiu Niang's face turned red for the first time, but she didn't take her mother-in-law into consideration. She just said unhappily, "I forgot that your grandmother doted on you, and your father indulged you even more. You have become wilder than I was at the beginning, and your martial arts may be more sophisticated than mine now. You and A Shou will be husband and wife sooner or later, so it's good for you to teach him. It's just that..."
Before Jiu Niang could finish her three words, Zhang Shou, who was really exhausted, coughed heavily and said, "Really, no need! I just want to learn a few self-defense skills, not to become a master. I can find a family general in the mansion who can teach me. Besides, at my age, it's too late to become a master of martial arts, right?"
Zhang Shou originally just wanted to brush the matter aside, but he didn't expect that he would be met with a unanimous answer.
"That's not necessarily true!"
Seeing her mother nod slightly, indicating that she should speak first, Zhu Ying immediately smiled and said, "A Shou, don't be fooled by those legendary stories. It's not necessary to practice martial arts too early, because children's muscles and bones are not yet fully developed. If you practice too much when you are young, you are prone to injury and your progress may not be fast. Unless you are a gifted person, you can start practicing at the age of twelve or thirteen."
"Of course, people with good talents like my father and my eldest brother take medicinal baths to nourish their bodies from a young age. When they start to grow up at the age of seven or eight, they take all kinds of good supplements. They learn the basic moves before the age of ten, and have a small level of martial arts at the age of fourteen. Gradually, they can lead a small army! Although you are a little older, our Zhu family's martial arts are very powerful. It's not too late for you to practice now."
Can the martial arts inherited from a family be passed down to anyone at will?
Zhang Shou couldn't help but glance at the old lady, but he didn't expect that this gentle and kind old lady actually smiled at him: "When Jiu Niang came into the family, she also taught a lot of the family martial arts to Yingying's father, and even Dalang benefited a lot. Family heirlooms are treasured, and they will only be lost in the long run, and the pearls will only be covered in dust. Therefore, at the beginning of my dynasty, Emperor Taizu strongly advocated exchanges."
As if accidentally talking about Emperor Taizu again, she felt a little sad. The lady paused and said nonchalantly, "It's just that the current trend is different from the past. Family-inherited knowledge and martial arts are gradually being kept secret and not taught to outsiders. If you want to learn swordsmanship, Shou, you'd better let Liu practice here first, and then let him teach you."
Zhu Ying didn't expect her grandmother to interrupt her with such an idea, and couldn't help but said coquettishly, "Grandma!"
Seeing Jiu Niang looking at him with some doubt, Zhang Shou smiled and explained, "Ah Liu is a child that my mother picked up. He seems to have learned martial arts from Master Hua Qi, and his skills are quite impressive."
This was not a secret. Perhaps Zhu Ying had told Taifu and Jiuniang about it when she was happy, so Zhang Shou also told them. After Ah Liu had confessed to him that Hua Qi was actually from the royal family, he also wanted to see how the Zhu family would react to this lunatic that Zhu Ying mentioned. Sure enough, when he mentioned this, Taifu was fine, but Jiuniang laughed.
"So it was that madman who killed people like killing dogs!" Although she said that it was a madman who killed people like killing dogs, the Lady of Zhao State rarely smiled. She said to Zhu Ying who was still a little unhappy, "Yingying, the apprentice taught by that madman Hua Qi must be as good at everything he learns as he is. When Ah Liu learns swordsmanship and then teaches Ah Shou, he will be much better than half-baked people like us."
Zhu Ying could only reluctantly agree, and Zhang Shou quickly changed the subject. When he and she came out of Qing'an Hall, Zhang Shou did not immediately return to the guest house to see Wu. Instead, he looked at Zhu Ying, who was still a little unhappy, and said softly, "Yingying, there is something I have been thinking about for a few days, but I don't know if it is appropriate, so I want to ask you."
Zhu Ying's temper came quickly and went away even faster. She immediately put aside the slight annoyance she had just felt and asked excitedly, "What's the matter? Tell me now."
"You know, I took quite a bit of money from Lu Sanlang and his people. The money from the twenty-four of them added together is quite a lot, to be honest. Most of it is silk and satin, and there is also some gold and silver. It would be a waste to keep it in the bottom of the box, so I plan to spend it. Of course, it's not because I'm short of money, but for my mother."
Zhu Ying swallowed the question that was on the tip of her tongue. Ever since the lady lost her composure in front of Zhang Shou, she had been trying to get a lot of information out of her grandmother, and when Jiu Niang came back, she even got more details out of her mother who couldn't keep it to herself. So, even though neither of them said it explicitly, she, who was rarely willing to use her brain, still realized one thing.
I'm afraid that Wu is not Zhang Shou's biological mother.
She knew everything. With Zhang Shou's intelligence, it was impossible for him not to know. However, Zhang Shou was still willing to treat Wu as his mother, so she naturally didn't care - anyway, when Wu saw her, she always spoke softly and smiled, and was not at all like those evil mothers-in-law in some families who were of humble origins and treated their daughters-in-law harshly.
"Well, are you planning to use this money to buy a gift for Aunt Wu?"
Zhang Shou didn't expect that Zhu Ying actually thought of buying a gift for Wu, and couldn't help but chuckled: "You are half right, I want to buy a gift, but it is not an ordinary gift. The small house that Mr. Qi lent us on the back street of Zhaoguogong Mansion was originally very suitable for living, but because of the enrollment of Jiuzhangtang, it is temporarily unsuitable. And I don't have time to accompany my mother, so I plan to find something for her to do."
Seeing Zhu Ying's surprise, he said sincerely, "I want her to open a small shop, firstly to kill time, and secondly to give Yang Hao and Zheng Hu something to do, and also to make some money. What do you think of opening a cosmetics shop?"
Zhu Ying finally understood what was said. This time, she thought about it seriously and then shook her head. "Ah Shou, there are many old shops in the capital that sell rouge and powder. It will be difficult for Aunt Wu, a newcomer, to gain a foothold. Others don't say anything, but I never use things from outside. Most of my rouge and powder are made by Zhan Jin and Liu Yin themselves."
Seeing that Zhu Ying had really thought about it carefully, Zhang Shou, who had originally just used the three words "Rouge Shop" as an introduction, couldn't help but feel that this serious girl was really cute.
He couldn't help but ask the question he had in mind since the village, "Yingying, it was the same when I was in Cuiyun Room. Why don't you think that I am too greedy for money?"
"Hmm..." Zhu Ying was surprised. She stared at Zhang Shou's eyes for a long time, and finally said with great certainty, "Because Ah Shou, you have never lacked money and never put money in your eyes. How could you be obsessed with money? How could a person obsessed with money teach people to recite poems and the Nine-Nine Song for free in the village? How could a person obsessed with money learn mathematics from Grandpa Ge?"
"Everyone knows that there are a lot of people in the court who think that things like mathematical classics are not worthy of being in the upper class. They are just strange tools and tricks, and they are not comparable to the books of sages. People like Grandpa Ge only revealed their talents later. You are famous for your mathematics at such an early age. It will be difficult for you to enter the officialdom. How can a warrior like you who faces challenges head-on be called a money-grubber?"
Zhang Shou was about to say, "Why don't I lack money? Why don't I care about money? In this world, money is the only thing that can make a hero fail!" However, when Zhu Ying compared him to a warrior who faced challenges head-on, he fell silent unconsciously.
After a long while, he asked thoughtfully, "But you never advised me. If I continue to act recklessly like this, my future will be very difficult."
"Why should I persuade you? Although my talent in mathematics is so poor that Grandpa Ge often scolds me, since you think it is right, I also think it is a good thing. If you stick to it, then of course it is right! Moreover, you can make Lu Sanlang, who is considered a waste by everyone, become a genius, make Zhang Chen convinced by you, and make those old-fashioned people speechless... Isn't that great!"
Zhu Ying was beaming with joy as she spoke: "I'm not a woman like Princess Yongping, who doesn't even look at anyone who doesn't pass the imperial examination! My father once told me that those who kill enemies on the battlefield are talented. Those who design pavilions and towers are talented, and those who know how to build bridges and roads are also talented... Anyway, Ah Shou, just do whatever you want to do, and I'll back you up!"
Even though he was in the Duke of Zhao's mansion at the moment, Zhang Shou, who was so excited that he could not calm down after hearing such a declaration, could no longer hold back. He took a step forward and suddenly reached out to embrace the spirited girl in front of him.
At that moment, he forgot all about the rules of physical contact between men and women and about being a gentle and polite gentleman.
Only after he had that soft body firmly in his arms did he suddenly come to his senses. He hurriedly let go and took a step back, then bowed his head and apologized, "I'm sorry, I offended you. I don't know why I couldn't help myself."
Zhu Ying's face flushed, and she hadn't recovered from Zhang Shou's sudden action. However, when she suddenly found that Zhang Shou's handsome face was also suspiciously flushed under the light, her shyness was immediately thrown away.
She coughed unnaturally and muttered softly, "If it were someone else, I would have knocked him to the ground long ago!"
Zhang Shou felt that the little bit of charm that had just filled the surroundings disappeared instantly in Zhu Ying's domineering declaration. He even couldn't help but glance at the small hallway. Seeing that there was no one in front or behind, he almost suspected that the Zhu family had deliberately left enough space for them. After a long while, he suppressed these fanciful thoughts and forced the topic back on track.
"Since it's not easy to run a rouge shop, I remember that mother used to like embroidery and mending very much, but later, probably because she was afraid of hurting her eyes, she gradually stopped using needles. Occasionally, when it was mentioned, she still felt a little regretful. Now that she has nothing to do, then, she can recruit a few people to learn the skills so that she can pass on the skills and she won't be bored. What do you think of this?"
Ah Shou still says that he is mercenary, but look, this is not about opening an embroidery workshop to make money, but about finding apprentices for the Wu family to pass on the skills?
This time, Zhu Ying did not answer. She quickly glanced at Zhang Shou and then said with a smile: "If you can trust me in this matter, then I will help you choose someone!"
Zhang Shou smiled immediately: "Well, I can be at ease and be a hands-off manager! After all, I'm afraid I'll be staying in the Imperial College , and I may not be able to come back often."
Sooner or later, the truth about his life story will be revealed, and perhaps he won't call Wu "mother" for that long. Before that, she will have to endure the loneliness of not having her "son" in this strange mansion of Duke Zhao. In that case, let her have something to do and some company to talk to.
Besides, this is also to prepare for other things...
