lcionline Chapter 257
Chapter 257
Xiao Bei was in high spirits now, his eyes were bright and he spoke more unconsciously.
"You all find this incredible? To be honest, I think so too, but my cousin is quite capable, so the elders in the mansion don't dare to deal with them casually. Instead, they start looking through books and making up questions, just like taking an imperial examination."
Yo!
Huang Zhi couldn't help but smile when he heard this, "It's so rigorous, I'd like to go take a look, I wonder if Silang can take me in?"
This is a joke.
The Huang family and the Duke's Mansion also have some affection for each other. If they want to come and hand in a visiting card, there is nothing they can't do...
But when he said that, others also envied him and said, "We also want to see the world. That is the general account of the Xiao family. I heard that he can use an abacus with his eyes closed. When he calculates, he can beat more than a dozen ordinary accountants."
Xiao Cang is a little famous.
Xiao Bei smiled and replied, "You all think too highly of my fifth brother, but my cousins are not much behind and have their own talents and learnings."
This made everyone's curiosity to watch the game even more excited, including Zhu Baoyue. She was full of envy and called Qinghong privately, "I have heard a lot about mathematics, but I don't know how to do it. I have seen the abacus beads and can count how many there are, but I don't understand the mystery behind it."
Qinghong was bold and urged, "Why don't we go to the mansion to find out what's going on? The young lady is not arrogant, so maybe she will agree."
Zhu Baoyue felt itchy, but she suppressed it.
"Forget it, the young lady has mercy on us, we can't try to curry favor with her. Things are very good now. The Wang family's sister has become a good woman and is also taking Qintong and Xiaohu to find another way to make a living. We have to thank the young lady for this." Now that the situation is like this, why bother looking for trouble?
"Miss, the young lady has no second thoughts about you now, why don't you ask her for help and serve her?"
what?
Zhu Baoyue put down the pipa and scolded in a low voice, "Absolutely not."
Qinghong was puzzled, "She never looked down on you for your low status."
"What a lie!"
Zhu Baoyue repeated the same words again, "She treated me so well, and I repaid her with resentment. I'm afraid I'll go to hell after I die. People should be content with what they have." Not to mention that she didn't dare to think about it, even if she dared to think about it once or twice, she couldn't say it.
Qinghong felt disheartened after being reprimanded by Zhu Baoyue.
"It's not a good idea to keep going like this."
Zhu Baoyue will eventually grow old. What will all the ladies in this house eat when the time comes?
"Take it one step at a time. Although Biaozi is ruthless and actors are disloyal, I, Zhu Baoyue, have fallen into a low position and will not repay kindness with enmity. Don't mention it again in the future. Don't mention the friendship between you and the young lady in front of outsiders. She doesn't despise me, so don't try to discredit her."
The reputation of the fourth young master Pei's wife is very complicated, with both good and bad things.
In the evening, after the banquet, Qin Qingdong thought for a moment and followed the Xiao family's carriage back to the mansion.
Xiao Bei was lying horizontally in the carriage, talking nonsense. Xu Lingbai wiped the sweat from his face from time to time. Qin Qingdong looked at Xu Lingbai. He was very restrained from beginning to end, and had a bit of the nobleness of a scholar.
When they arrived at the corner gate, Chun Ge and Xiao Bei's servants rushed in to report. Several people supported the drunkard Xiao Bei, who was mumbling to himself, back to Biluozhai. Zhang Fanghui came over with her maid, took the drunk man away, and thanked Qin Qingdong and Xu Lingbai.
After settling Xiao Bei, Qin Qingdong whispered to Xu Lingbai, "There is still no news about your sister, and this is the best news. Don't worry, my dear brother. Silang, Guanzhou and I have never given up the search."
Xu Lingbai was about to bow and express his gratitude, but Qin Qingdong quickly held him back, "What happened to Guanzhou and Jizhang is not my business. You are relatives to them, and to me as well. If Brother Xu continues to be so distant, I will be angry."
He is straightforward and doesn't like to beat around the bush.
The two of them were drunk and came to Shaohua Garden as brothers. As soon as they entered the door, Jindong pinched her nose and called out "Ancestor", "Why are you two drinking in broad daylight?"
Qin Qingdong laughed, "I also brought two bottles of osmanthus wine for your fourth young master's wife."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chun Ge, who was chasing after him, came with a can in each hand.
Rendong looked at Xu Lingbai again. He used to have a fair face, but now his face was flushed and his eyes were watery. He looked somewhat sober, but he walked in a sluggish manner.
"My cousin also ate a lot?"
"Yes, is my cousin here?"
Honeysuckle frowned. Yes, it was true, but Song Guanzhou never liked the smell of alcohol. She coaxed Chun Ge, A Lu, and Lin Xi who came running, "Go find some clean clothes for the two young masters to change into. Let's have some fresh air in the courtyard to get rid of the alcohol smell."
Zhuanggu, Mengsao and others also came forward to help. They poured a few cups of honey purple tea for the two of them, and let their servants change into clean clothes before moving to the rose trellis to get rid of the smell of alcohol.
Song Guanzhou, along with the maids called from Xiao Yinxiu, as well as several other maids named Lianhua and Hehua, were sorting out the books left by their father in the storeroom. When they heard the noise outside, they were too lazy to get up and sent the maids out to take a look.
Qingfang ran back in a hurry, "Madam, it's the Second Young Master Qin and the Biao Young Master who are resting outside. They seem to have drunk a lot of wine and are dozing off."
"Qin Er is here too?"
Qingfang nodded, "I came here with my cousin."
Song Guanzhou nodded as if he understood, and continued to work with Liu Er and others. His father left behind dozens of boxes of books, and sorting them out was a big job. They had been busy sorting them out for the whole day, but they had only finished three or four boxes.
In addition, the books had been packed in boxes for many years and had a strong musty smell and were mixed with dust, which really made things difficult for everyone.
Song Guanzhou made the decision temporarily and asked Liu Er to call craftsmen to open a window on the original gable inside.
After the craftsman took a look, he said it was not possible, "Young Madam, if this window is opened, it may affect the wall, and the top may fall down, and there is a danger of collapse."
Song Guanzhou squinted his eyes and looked inside and outside.
After a final thought, he called Liu Er and the craftsman over. "Let me take a closer look. If we only open a small window, it will damage the upper and lower structures. I originally just wanted ventilation, so I opened a pair of windows to separate the east and west. The window frame is made of thick materials, and the bars are not stingy. Then make it into four vertical squares, and cover it with plain gauze on weekdays, which can prevent mosquitoes and allow ventilation."
The craftsman looked at it and was still a little afraid.
"It's OK if the window is smaller, but there's a hole in the wall, so I'm afraid I'll lose it."
Song Guanzhou shook his head. "I used a scissors to dig up the wall and took a look. It's made of blue bricks. You can carefully follow the bricks. It doesn't need to be too big, just the size of the mouth of a wooden barrel."
The craftsman and Liu Er were stunned.
"Young Madam, do you know these?"
Song Guanzhou was stunned for a moment, "This is not a big deal."
The craftsman shook his head. "No, no, no, the young lady also knows about window frames, post rails, window lattices and other things. How can ordinary people know this--"