Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 239: Girls' Appearance
Zhu Ying liked Zhang Shou's comparison with them, so she agreed to Zhang Shou's request without hesitation, and then decided to keep it a secret from her grandmother and mother. In order to avoid Princess Yongping, she even wanted to take Zhang Shou to her own residence, but was persuaded by Zhang Shou. However, Zhang Shou had no choice but to go with her to the pond in the back garden to throw stones and break ice to pass the time in the cold weather.
The two of them could not bear it for a while, so they had to hide in the waterside pavilion with a ground heating, and asked someone to bring a charcoal stove to drink tea. Zhang Shou also came up with an idea to put a wooden rack on the charcoal fire, pierce the rice cakes with wooden sticks, and roast them and dip them in sugar. This kind of luxurious food from a poor family made Zhu Ying, the daughter of a rich family, smile from ear to ear. It was unclear whether her face was red from the charcoal fire or from happiness.
The two of them spent some time together before Mother Li came over in person to say that Princess Yongping had returned.
Upon hearing the news, Zhu Ying was immediately overjoyed. Without even asking Princess Yongping's purpose, she immediately took Zhang Shou to Qing'an Hall.
During this lunch, no one mentioned the unexpected guest, Princess Yongping. Wu was persuaded by Jiuniang to drink two more cups of wine, and her face turned red. Zhu Ying also drank a few more sips of wine because she was happy, and her face turned red because she couldn't handle the wine. Even Xiao Cheng, who was picked up from Zhang's house by the lady in the morning, thought the rice wine was sweet and drank too much, and finally he was a little dazed.
As for Zhang Shou, he had never tested how much alcohol his body could drink, so he only tried a little. He knew how many secrets he had, so he didn't dare to even think about drinking too much, for fear that he would get drunk and cause trouble.
After three rounds of drinking, when he was the most sober, he was taking care of Wu, persuading Zhu Ying who was always shouting that she was happy and wanted to drink two more cups, and signaled Zhu Er with his eyes to help take care of Xiao Cheng who liked sweets and refused to put down his cup, the lady suddenly smiled and said, "I just got the news that Yingying's elder brother has passed Xuanfu and will probably arrive in the capital before the New Year."
For Zhang Shou, this was like a bombshell. Seeing Zhu Er was also shocked, he knew that the news was probably deliberately released by the Madam during lunch. He was caught off guard and calmed down, then subconsciously asked, "Is it only Brother Zhu? Didn't Duke Zhao come back with him?"
"It's so cold, we have to settle the troops first before Yingying's father, the commander-in-chief, can return to the capital. After all, Xuanfu and Datong have dispatched almost half of the troops this time, plus the troops mobilized from Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and other places. He and the Duke of Chu will be busy, and they have to settle everything before returning to the capital."
The lady said it lightly. Seeing Zhu Ying's dazed eyes, she clearly hadn't heard the great news that her elder brother had returned. She couldn't help but laugh and cry. She immediately said angrily, "Yingying, you kid, if you don't know how to drink, don't drink. Look at how you've tortured yourself! Yutang, Yulan, help her down, and go to the kitchen to get some sobering soup. She's drunk with just one cup of alcohol. Ah Shou, you've got to keep an eye on her in the future!"
Zhang Shou was immediately amused. Seeing Zhu Er pick up the drunk Xiao Cheng and hand him to Madam Li, he saw that Wu was also a little drunk, so he said something to the Madam and helped her to rest on the soft couch. As a result, the round table that was just full was now occupied by only him, the Madam, Jiu Niang and Zhu Er.
"Yingying's elder brother has been calm and capable since he was young. He sets an example, supervises his younger brother, and cares for his younger sister. He is undoubtedly a good brother. You should have also experienced a little bit of his character from Xiao Cheng." The lady said while glancing at Jiu Niang who was also a little embarrassed. "So, he has high demands on himself and others."
Zhu Er immediately muttered in a low voice: "Yes, yes, he can memorize it after reading it once, and can learn martial arts after practicing it once, but he uses this to ask me to do it. He almost asked me to practice hard in winter and summer. He is even more cruel to me than Ah Liu. He is simply trying to kill me!"
Now that I think about it, although Ah Liu urged him to be meticulous in his movements, he was not so strict with him. At most, he would look at him coldly with a blank expression, and he would not dare to procrastinate any more. Compared with the eldest brother standing by with a stick in his hand, hitting him hard if he didn't do any movement well, it was much better!
Fortunately, my eldest brother was not his teacher, otherwise he would have died long ago!
Although she was in front of her stepson and future son-in-law, Jiu Niang couldn't help but smile bitterly, "I was stubborn at the time and lived in Zhaoming Temple. I didn't care about the family affairs. Dalang, the eldest brother, is like a mother and a brother to Erlang and Yingying. To be honest, I don't know how I should face him when he comes back... He has been too sensible since he was a child. I feel sorry for him when I think about it."
The lady originally wanted to tell Zhang Shou how to face his future brother-in-law, but she didn't expect Zhu Er to show fear of his elder brother first, and then Jiu Niang also made trouble. She couldn't help but laugh, and slapped the table lightly in annoyance. Then she said earnestly: "You two are talking more scary than each other, do you want to scare Shou away or what?"
Zhang Shou was also amused by the lady's tone, but he said nonchalantly: "Although I have never met Yingying's elder brother, I have learned a lot from Yingying and Xiao Cheng. Now Jiu Yi and Er Lang have told me so much. Although I can't guarantee that I can handle it, I won't be so scared when I really meet him."
At this point, he looked at the lady calmly: "After all, it's Yingying who's marrying me, not her elder brother!"
"That's a good point!" Zhu Er's eyes lit up immediately, and he said proudly, "If I fall in love with a girl in the future, and her family members try to stop me, I'll say the same thing!"
"Ahem!" The lady coughed and glanced at him, and Zhu Er immediately became as obedient as a quail. Seeing that Zhu Er was intimidated, she smiled and said to Zhang Shou, "Ah Shou, you are calm and composed in front of the emperor, so of course you are not afraid of Yingying's elder brother. Remember, if he is strong, you should be stronger, and if he is cruel, you should be more cruel. Don't be weak or show cowardice. Dalang admires people with strong character the most."
Seeing Zhu Er curled his lips, as if he wanted to refute but didn't dare, she said nonchalantly: "After all, everyone in the capital knows that the future son-in-law of the Duke of Zhao's mansion is talented, handsome, and capable. Even Dalang can't find fault with you on this."
Jiu Niang disagreed and said, "Mother, what you said seems a bit biased. Dalang naturally requires toughness and tenacity from outsiders, but if it is his brother-in-law, if Shou shows too strong a temper, wouldn't Dalang be worried that he wouldn't get along with Yingying?"
The lady laughed, "Da Lang is naturally like that to others, but how Yingying and Ah Shou get along, doesn't everyone in the family know? Why should he, as the eldest brother, worry about it? You know, in the whole mansion, only Yingying's father and eldest brother don't know about it, and they have hardly seen Ah Shou."
Zhu Er had just been reprimanded by the lady, so he pricked up his ears to listen to the two elders analyzing how to deal with his eldest brother, but he did not dare to interrupt casually.
However, Zhang Shou found this scene inexplicably funny, as if he was a family member and Zhu Ying's elder brother Zhu Tingfang was an outsider. Therefore, he simply sat aside and watched the Taifu and Jiu Niang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, work together to help him, the future son-in-law.
"Ah Shou is good in everything except martial arts. Ah Liu told me before that although he practices sword every day, he is just laying the foundation and can't even defend himself. What if Yingying's elder brother must test his martial arts?" The more Jiu Niang thought about it, the more she felt that she should prepare for a rainy day. But the more she prepared, the more headache she felt. Everything can be mastered quickly, but martial arts cannot!
When it comes to the topic of martial arts, the lady was also a little embarrassed. Zhu Tingfang has always valued martial arts, so when she looks at Zhu Er, his nose is not a nose and his eyes are not eyes, because even Zhu Ying is more successful in martial arts than her second brother. Zhang Shou's martial arts is not just a shortcoming, but also the biggest flaw.
But at this time, Zhu Er said unhappily, "What are you afraid of? If big brother dares to test my brother-in-law, there is still Ah Liu... No, what about Sixth Brother! Even if big brother's martial arts are indeed honed on the battlefield, he may not be able to beat Sixth Brother in a two-on-two fight. Even if my brother-in-law's martial arts are not that good, with Sixth Brother following him all the time, what is he worried about?"
The more he spoke, the more he felt that what he said made sense, and his voice unconsciously became higher: "Besides, if my brother-in-law is too skilled in martial arts, what if he and Yingying quarrel and the two of them fight? Wouldn't the house be in ruins? But now, Yingying will always give in to him. He knows that he can't beat Yingying, so of course he will be more obedient to her. This is called softness can overcome hardness..."
You can actually explain the saying "softness overcomes hardness" this way. Zhu Er, you are really talented!
Zhang Shou looked at Zhu Er meaningfully, and saw that Zhu Er, who was still talking nonstop, suddenly shuddered and looked at him. He smiled at him. The next moment, Zhu Er suddenly stopped talking.
But Madam Tai and Jiu Niang looked at each other and actually accepted Zhu Er's statement. Zhu Ying was indeed spoiled by her family and was a little willful and arrogant. She was fearless and now she and Zhang Shou seemed to be in harmony, but it was inevitable for men and women to quarrel when they got along. If a conflict came up, if they were really better at fighting than each other, it would be a serious matter.
Even the lady who had just advised Zhang Shou to show his strong side in front of Zhu Tingfang, after hesitating for a moment, finally said earnestly: "It's rare that Erlang said something sensible. Ah Shou, just do what you should do. Just treat Yingying's father and elder brother with a normal heart in the future."
Jiu Niang also nodded and agreed: "That's right, if they really make things difficult for you, there are still us and Yingying!"
"And me, and me!" Seeing that his grandmother and stepmother had clearly stood on the side of his future brother-in-law, Zhu Er, who had just called him brother-in-law several times, quickly made his attitude clear - as for his previous stupid act of trying to help his sister and the fat boy get together, if his father and brother knew about it, a beating would be the lightest punishment, and at worst... Anyway, he had no idea what the consequences would be.
Wouldn't he be stupid if he didn't take advantage of this opportunity to hold on to Zhang Shou, the golden thigh who has the highest favor of three generations of women in his family?
After finishing this "unique" lunch, the lady ordered Wu to be sent to the sedan chair and then Zhang Shou to go home. After all, although the Kitchen God worship on the night of the Little New Year is just a formality, it still takes some time.
When they arrived at the door of the house, Zhang Shou helped Wu get off the sedan chair, and then he heard his adoptive mother, whispered: "Ah Shou, it's rare that the Lady and Madam Zhao like you very much. Even if the Duke of Zhao and the eldest son come back, I don't have to worry about any setbacks in your marriage."
After a moment of surprise, Zhang Shou suddenly realized that Wu's appearance of being unable to hold her liquor was actually mostly fake!
At this moment, feeling her head resting gently on his right arm, he said softly: "So, mother, don't worry about anything, everything will be fine. By the way, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu's weaving and dyeing workshops are in need of manpower , why don't you send the few people you have trained over there?"
Without waiting for Wu to agree or refuse, he patiently said, "In fact, I was able to improve the spinning machine because of you, mother. I have seen villagers weaving silk in Rongshui Village, and you have done weaving and dyeing, so why don't you go there often to supervise them. Although many people are eager to enjoy a leisurely life at home, I know that you are a person who can't sit still. In this case, just treat it as helping me, your son, okay?"
Wu was silent for a moment, then finally smiled: "Okay, then I'll give it a try."
During the Kitchen God worship ceremony that night, Zhang Shou, who was pushed by Wu to preside over the ceremony, had no choice but to follow the rules to offer tribute and burn incense. When he was done, he saw Aunt Liu smiling as she put on a pile of plates and bowls, all of which were his favorite dishes. She then wiped her hands and was about to leave. He called out, "Aunt Liu, go see if Xiao Qi is here, and call Old Liu and the little ones."
"How can this be possible?" Aunt Liu was about to refuse in a hurry, but when she saw Mrs. Wu nodding at her, she hesitated.
"If we move to a new house in the future and there are more people, then the rules will naturally be different. But now, I am just a small official, and there are only a few of us, so there won't be so many rules. Putting two tables in this room will make it lively. This is the first time that Yang Hao and Zheng Dang are celebrating the New Year outside the village. The other two are also the apples of their parents' eyes in their homes in the village. Although they have just arrived here, they are certainly not outsiders."
After hearing Zhang Shou's words, that they would set up two tables instead of eating at the same table, Aunt Liu felt relieved and agreed immediately. When she went out to call, Yang Hao and Zheng Dang happily moved the round table into the house, and the other two young men who had just arrived in Beijing not long ago worked together to carry a square eight-person table. It was Old Liu who followed behind with a sly look on his face.
"By the way, where is Ah Liu?" Wu glanced at everyone in the room and couldn't help feeling a little curious, so she asked quickly.
At this time, a weak voice came from outside the door: "Brother Zhang."
Zhang Shou was stunned when he heard Xiao Cheng's voice. Wasn't the little guy drunk and sleeping in Zhaoguogong Mansion? Why is he here again? He hurried to the door and opened the curtains, but saw Ah Liu pushing Xiao Cheng in front of him with one hand, and Qi Liang next to him.
"Brother Zhang, I...I want to spend the New Year with you." Xiao Cheng stuttered out a sentence, but he confused the Little New Year's Eve with the New Year. Seeing that Zhang Shou didn't say anything, he suddenly panicked and hurriedly explained, "The Zhaoguo Mansion is too...too luxurious, I...I'm not used to it!"
Zhang Shou finally smiled: "Well, it's just in time for dinner, come on, let's eat together!"
