66. Daily Life of a Peasant Family During the Imperial Examination (11)

Duan Qingen still didn't stay at home that night. After saying goodbye to his family, he hurried back.

In the evening, other classmates gathered together for a meal.

Although the three of them are candidates, they have always been popular among their classmates, and they have never held back their status because of their reputation of being superior to others.

Especially Duan Qingen, compared to the reserved Ma Ruxiao and Zhang Daoyuan who never talked much, he entered the county school at such a young age and was always very eloquent among his classmates.

Whether they are poor students or rich students, most of them have a good relationship with him.

After eating and drinking some wine, everyone else said goodbye and left because the master had to do ward rounds in the evening. Only Duan Qingen and the others were leaving because they were leaving tomorrow and the three big pies were all on vacation today. They were not afraid of being checked. After the other classmates left, the three of them had a good time and drank even more happily.

"Senior brother, why do I think you are absent-minded today?"

Duan Qingen had just composed a poem with Zhang Daoyuan, who was going back and forth with him. When he turned around, he saw Ma Ruxiao sipping wine with a face full of "I have something on my mind."

This is really a rare thing.

Among the three of them, Zhang Daoyuan is a noble person. If someone provokes him, he will definitely not hold it in and write a bunch of acid poems to vent his anger.

Duan Qingen seemed to be naughty. If anyone said something to make him unhappy, he would stay away from that person. If others asked, Qingshan Juren, who could only be regarded as a young man, would shake his head seriously and quote scriptures.

He said that since the other party can't make him happy, but can only make him unhappy, then continuing to maintain a relationship is not a good thing for both of them, and it is not a good thing. Of course, the sooner they break it off, the better.

Good for both parties.

In short, he can easily and simply express his disdain for someone in such a high-spirited way.

The two expressed their unhappiness in different ways, but both of them had been angry to some extent in the past nine years.

Only Ma Ruxiao, maybe because of his personal character, maybe because of his words and deeds. Anyway, ever since Duan Qingen met him and the three of them gradually became close friends, nine years have passed. This senior brother who has always been willing to treat others with sincerity has never shown any negative emotions.

In terms of family, he has an eldest brother who is an official in other places, and a younger sister who is well-behaved and sensible. Although Mr. Ma pays attention to the strict father's way of raising his son, Mrs. Ma is very gentle and considerate towards her son, taking good care of him in every aspect.

Ma Ruxiao, who lives in a happy family, also has a sincere heart towards others. Unlike his two friends who seem to be cheating, he does not have a photographic memory and does not have an overly bright brain. He basically makes money while Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan are studying in their spare time. , Ma Ruxiao was studying seriously.

Ma Ruxiao knew that his talent was not as good as that of his two friends, and he also knew that he was admitted to the Juren Examination only through hard work and Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan who gave him tutoring lessons without any secret. Therefore, he usually worked harder and had a Buddhist attitude towards some things in the outside world. .

It's good that you like me, and I like you too. It doesn't matter if you don't like me, as long as others like me.

angry?

Why are you angry? It was because the books were not good to read or the homework was not completed. He had only passed the exam through hard work. If he had spent more time worrying about other things, how could he dare to hope to become a scholar.

Ma Ruxiao is such a Buddhist person. In the past nine years, he has spent most of his time studying. Every time he went out to play, Zhang Daoyuan and Duan Qingen would drag him out, which shows that he has many Buddhas.

But today, Duan Qingen actually saw sadness on the face of such a Buddhist person.

While he was thinking that it was going to rain red, he moved closer to Ma Ruxiao and poured himself a bowl of wine, "What's bothering you?"

"Is Ruxiao worried?"

Zhang Daoyuan was also attracted: "This is really strange. In all the years we have known each other, I have never seen you troubled."

"I can't say it's annoying."

Ma Ruxiao has always been shy. Even though the people sitting in front of him asking questions were his two friends, he still blushed a little and said in an embarrassed low voice: "My family has been showing me marriage plans before. This time I It was time to take the exam, so my father and mother said that they would finalize the engagement and we would get married when I came back from the exam."

"It's right to consider getting married. You are already in your twenties. You have been immersed in studying before. Now you are going to take the Jinshi examination. It is normal for your family to be anxious."

When Zhang Daoyuan heard that this was the case, his interest immediately dissipated, "Don't worry, although you are getting married, you really don't have to worry about anything. Your uncles and aunts will take care of these things. When you come back to get married, You just need to follow the matchmaker’s words honestly.”

Although he said this, Ma Ruxiao couldn't help but not think about it. His delicate face was red, and he tried hard for several seconds to break through the shame, and said naa, "I was thinking that the scientific examination is a long way away. If I am lucky enough to be selected as an official. This girl will go to a strange place with me. We have never met before. She may be afraid of suddenly getting married and suddenly leaving home. I am not very smart. If I am selected, I must be diligent. "Kenji, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of her for a while."

"So, so I thought, I would choose a piece of jewelry for her and deliver it to her before leaving tomorrow to tell her my feelings."

After Ma Ruxiao finished speaking, Zhang Daoyuan suddenly realized: "I've been hesitating for a long time because I just want to see your future wife."

The elegant young man's face turned red and he quickly denied: "You are not married yet, so you can't call her that, so as not to ruin the girl's reputation."

Duan Qingen also became interested. He stopped drinking. He enthusiastically gave advice to his senior brother who rarely had the courage to contact his fiancée: "The jewelry in Yincui Building is beautiful. I used to buy jewelry for the women at home from there." , the price is reasonable, the styles are also novel, some are grand, some are small and exquisite, what kind of look is suitable for that girl?”

Ma Ruxiao's face turned red and hot, but she still answered firmly: "My mother said that the girl looked very gentle and had read the Four Books and Five Classics."

"Then buy something grand. You have enough money."

"That's enough. Before I went out today, I took all the money I had saved with me."

Zhang Daoyuan was happy when he heard this, "Ruxiao, you can't do this. Before you get married, you can't wait to spend all your money to buy jewelry to please others. If you get married, won't all the family's money be left with your wife in the future? , I don’t have any money left.”

Ma Ruxiao pursed her lips in embarrassment and smiled: "My wife is responsible for taking care of the property at home."

"I agree."

Duan Qingen raised his hand: "It's not a shame to let my wife hold the money. If I'm elected in the future and someone invites me out, I don't want to go out. I can just say that I don't have any money to shirk it."

"That's so embarrassing."

Zhang Daoyuan grew up in the capital until he was a teenager. He was used to seeing men with wives at home and still spending money freely and happily outside. After hearing this, he couldn't help but say: "If you say this in the capital, I'm afraid that To be laughed at.”

"It's just about caring for your wife. I've only heard of people who ridiculed and doted on concubines and destroyed their wives. I've never heard of people who ridiculed and pampered their wives and didn't want concubines."

"Yes." Ma Ruxiao also nodded: "It's a long way to go, it's not easy for women, and they are not as unscrupulous as men. Now we are all magistrates, and we will also be county magistrates in the future. Think about it, originally The girl who was well cared for at home has no choice but to leave her hometown with us because she married us. It would be too pitiful if we were not more considerate. I have already thought about it. Reading and electing officials already take up a lot of time. I'm afraid I won't be interested in women in the future, so that's fine. I only have one woman in my life, and she is a well-educated woman. I think we can live in peace with her for the rest of my life."

"Senior brother is right, my future wife is also very knowledgeable and reasonable. I have already thought about it. I only have her in this life. Senior brother comes and we have a drink together."

Seeing Ma Ruxiao and Duan Qingen toasting with something in common, Zhang Daoyuan began to wonder if his idea was wrong.

"Okay, since you said so, I will treat my wife better when we get married in the future."

He wasn't very pretty to begin with, and if he didn't take concubines, he wouldn't take concubines. Anyway, judging from how busy he is now, Zhang Daoyuan couldn't spare any time to develop a relationship with other women.

Seeing Duan Qing'en and Ma Ruxiao both mentioning their future wife, Zhang Daoyuan took a sip of wine and smacked his mouth in displeasure: "It's good for you. You can also meet and communicate with the future wife. It's just me. , my family wanted to get me engaged, and everyone made arrangements, but I was the last one to know about it. "

Duan Qingen stopped eating and looked up: "Are you engaged?"

"Yes, she is said to be the concubine of an adult."

Zhang Daoyuan didn't have any objections to concubines being different from concubines, but he was a little unhappy that his family waited until the dust had settled before notifying him of the matter.

"We are all close friends, and I won't hide it from you. You also know that I have a stepmother in my family who has not been very good to me since I was a child. My father sent me here in order to ease her feelings. I have grown up with my grandfather until now. They didn't even write me a letter, but now it's good. As soon as I became a married woman, they arranged my marriage without even saying hello, which shows that they never took me seriously. "

After all, he is his biological father, so how could Zhang Daoyuan not have admiration for him?

As a result, she didn't contact him for such a long time. When she contacted him, she told him in a strong manner that she was engaged to him and that she was Shangguan's daughter. She told him not to provoke other women before marriage and to get married safely and smoothly.

The whole letter expresses one meaning: Your father, I sold you for my future, but you can't be unhappy, you have to happily cooperate with me being sold.

It's strange that Zhang Daoyuan is happy.

Thanks to his cheerful temperament, he put the matter out of his mind after being depressed for a while, otherwise he might really get angry.

"How old is this young lady? Brother Daoyuan, although you are a talented and handsome person, and you are now a young man, you have been delayed until now because of Mr. Zhang's matter. How many years younger than you is this young lady?"

"No, she is the same age as me. When my grandfather was ill, my father seemed to be in contact with her family. But at that time, my grandfather was seriously ill, and I felt upset, so I wrote back and said that now that my grandfather is old, everything will be done according to my grandfather's age. It’s so important that I didn’t mention it.”

At this point, Zhang Daoyuan also became confused: "I'm also surprised. How come it's been a few years, but the old things are brought up again? It stands to reason that this girl should have left the government at her age, but her old lady a few years ago He passed away, perhaps because he was delayed in keeping his filial piety."

"Hey, let's not talk about it anymore. It's my father's decision to get married anyway. I think it's useless no matter what. Qing'en, come, let's have a drink. Thank you for inviting the doctor when my grandfather was seriously ill. Yesterday, my grandfather was still talking to me. I said, I can’t forget your kindness just because time has passed.”

"It's just a little effort, why should you be polite?"

Duan Qingen raised his glass and touched it with Zhang Daoyuan.

A few years ago, Zhang Daoyuan's grandfather was seriously ill, and the doctor was not at the hospital late at night. The boy looked for the county school in a panic. Zhang Daoyuan also panicked and hurried back in a panic.

Duan Qing'en saw that something was wrong, so he directly borrowed a master's horse, rode to the doctor's house in the middle of the night and took him to the Zhang family, and then rescued the Zhang family's grandfather.

Because of this incident, Zhang Daoyuan, who was usually arrogant and refused to listen to anyone, always considered Duan Qingen's opinions a little more carefully.

For example, Duan Qing'en is now suggesting: "It happens that the lights have not yet been turned off at Yincui Tower, and we have almost finished drinking. Why don't we go shopping together, and help Ruxiao palm his eyes and choose good jewelry for the girl."

"Okay, just in time to sober up."

Zhang Daoyuan agreed immediately, and said without shame: "I have a lot of experience when it comes to this jewelry. After all, I buy jewelry for my grandmother every year. I can see whether the style is good, whether it is heavy, and whether it is gold-plated or silver-plated." Come out and take a walk, Ru Xiao, don’t worry, I will choose someone grand and dignified for you, and I’m sure the girl will like it.”

"Come on, come on, senior brother, get up quickly, don't be so slow, we have a long way to go, let's support senior brother."

As a result, it was Ma Ruxiao who clearly wanted jewelry for the future wife, but he himself was shy and hesitant. Instead, it was Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan, each of whom dragged the young man by one arm, not to mention being more active.

When they arrived at Yincui Building, they saw that Zhang Daoyuan really knew a lot about these jewelry. Duan Qingen was not polite and asked him to help him pick out a few pieces.

For Junjun, for mother, for grandma, and for two aunts.

Fourth Uncle Duan has been helping Duan Qingen for the past few years, and he is the only person of his generation in the family who knows Duan Qingen's net worth.

Perhaps he was addicted to the joy of making money, but he never had any plans to get married.

Grandpa Duan and Grandma Duan have four eldest grandsons, and knowing that Fourth Uncle Duan works with Duan Qing'en and is the richest of the four sons in the family, he can get married at any time if he wants, and there is no need to worry about not getting a wife, so there is no need to worry.

So Duan Qingen didn't have to worry about what gifts to give to his fourth aunt. After buying them according to the family's personality and Zhang Daoyuan's various suggestions, he started to encourage Ma Ruxiao, who had also bought something.

"We have to leave early tomorrow morning. If we can't make it in time, senior brother, please send her over now. You're afraid that we won't be able to meet you tomorrow. It's only late at night, and that girl might still think you're considerate."

It was already shameful for Ma Ruxiao just to think about giving something to her future wife, not to mention that she hurriedly delivered it to her right after buying it so late at night. She stood there with her fair face red and didn't dare to go.

"It's... it's late at night, and her family may have rested. It's not good to bother her again so late at night."

The handsome young man held the jewelry box nervously in his hands, and it was difficult to speak even if he was nervous: "We have never met before. The first time we met was at night. It was immodest and immodest."

"It's too late. It's just getting dark. No one would go to bed so early. Women should be dignified. It's senior brother who is looking for someone else's girl, not someone else's girl who is looking for you."

Duan Qingen encouraged in a tone familiar to both of them: "Besides, you have already officially decided on a clear path, and your parents on both sides know it. Besides, senior brother, you are visiting your home in a serious manner, and you are not meeting secretly. You just leave directly." At the front door, I visited my uncle first, and then I told him to buy a gift for my future wife who was engaged. My uncle would only think that you know how to be polite and caring, and it’s not too late to be happy. "

The entire county school knows that as long as Duan Qingen wants to persuade someone, the persuasion will definitely succeed in the end.

On weekdays, he looks gentle and gentle, but in fact, when he opens his mouth, he can make dead people live.

Zhang Daoyuan looked at Ma Ruxiao, who was starting to get emotional, and joined in: "Qing En is right, it's an upright visit, and it's an engagement. As long as you don't violate the etiquette, what are you afraid of? In the worst case, let the girl Bring a few maids and stand in the house, and you open the door and talk."

"You think, you bought jewelry and rushed to the girl's house at night just to give this piece of jewelry to her. The girl must be happy."

Duan Qingen continued: "That's right, if we have to wait until tomorrow, with everyone rushing around, I'm afraid we won't be able to make it in time. Even if we catch up, we won't have time to say a few words. It's different tonight. There's something fake about us. It doesn't matter how late you go back. Senior brother, you gave her the jewelry and said a few words from your heart, saying that you care about this girl and will come back to marry her when she is named on the gold list to show your sincerity. "

Ma Ruxiao's face was still red, but her body was honest and she followed the two of them out of Yincui Building.

"You guys come with me, I'm alone, it's really..."

I'm really embarrassed to come.

"Of course I want one."

Duan Qingen pulled Zhang Daoyuan over and said, "Daoyuan, let's go. Let's also meet Ruxiao's future father-in-law."

Zhang Daoyuan really didn't think about going there together before.

But Duan Qingen and Ma Ruxiao wanted him to follow them, so he nodded obediently and said, "Let's go."

Anyway, they are all good at it, no matter where they go, they can do it.

****

Ma Ruxiao's future wife was determined to be the wife of the Wu family. Her father was just a civil servant and had not been elected to office. However, he was on good terms with Mr. Ma. The two knew each other's character. Mrs. Ma often visited the Wu family and met Miss Wu. Many times, I liked her very much.

Mr. Ma is still a bit aloof. Although his son can marry the daughter of an official if he is admitted to the imperial examination, he has always felt that marrying a good wife is the most important thing compared to family background.

So after asking Mrs. Ma about Miss Wu's conduct and conduct, she communicated with Father Wu.

A man of good character and son-in-law fell out of thin air. Wu's father naturally could not refuse to agree, so the marriage was settled smoothly.

Mrs. Wu had met Ma Ruxiao and was satisfied with his character and talent. However, because they were not at the same table when they were seven years old, Ma Ruxiao and Miss Wu had never met before. Therefore, Miss Wu was inevitably a little uneasy. After learning about this marriage, she I was thinking about what kind of person my future husband would be, and at the same time I was afraid that her life would not be good after marriage.

When Ma Ruxiao and the others came over, Miss Wu was reading under the lamp. She already liked books, and her parents didn't restrict her. She had never asked for a wife before, but later she got older and had to avoid suspicion, and it was hard to find a wife. I just started to study on my own.

While he was watching quietly, the girl waiting for Miss Wu opened the door and came in with a smile on her face. "Girl, I went to get water just now. I happened to see a guest coming. After asking about it, I found out who it was. Girl, do you want to guess? ?”

Miss Wu put down her book strangely and looked at the sky outside: "It's evening, why are there visitors at home?"

"Isn't that right? The slave was also strangely tight, so I went to inquire about it. When I asked, it turned out to be the young master of the Ma family who brought two classmates to pay a visit to the master."

Miss Wu's hands shook, and her heart, which had been beating smoothly before, began to beat nervously, and her voice trembled with shame: "It's so late, what are you doing here, Mr. Ma?"

"I've just gone to the main hall. I'm afraid I'm meeting with the master at the moment. Girl, stop reading and get up quickly. I'll help you get dressed up. Maybe the master will scream after a while."

"Nonsense."

Miss Wu stood up, touched her red face, and scolded her hard: "That's my outsider. How could my father ask me to meet guests?"

"The girl is already engaged to Mr. Ma, how can she be regarded as a foreign husband? Didn't the wife say before that she was afraid that the girl would marry Mr. Ma after they had met each other, and they would become estranged after the marriage? If Mr. Ma hadn't left tomorrow, I also want Mrs. Ma to bring the young master to meet the girl at home."

Miss Wu also knew this. While she felt that it was so late, Ma Ruxiao could not come here just for her, and at the same time she had expectations in her heart. In the end, she stood up with a blushing face and let the girl dress herself up.

No matter what, a woman always wants to look beautiful in front of her future husband.

In the main hall outside, Wu's father was also a little surprised after hearing the boy's announcement.

It's late at night, and it's not a New Year's holiday. What's Ma Ruxiao doing here? I also brought two classmates with me. Are they here to stay overnight?

That's not right, Ma's house is not far away. If you are staying overnight, wouldn't it be better to just stay at Ma's house?

He couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it, put on his robe and came out.

When they met, Duan Qingen and the others bowed politely and exchanged a few words. Ma Ruxiao, who was blushing, was pushed out by Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan.

Father Wu looked at his future son-in-law, whose face was so red that he could bleed. He hesitated for a long time, his hands still hidden in his sleeves as if he were hiding something, and his heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that this boy from the Ma family has another woman outside and has come to break off the engagement?

He simply asked directly: "My dear nephew, do you have anything to do when you are here today?"

Ma Ruxiao became even more nervous.

Fortunately, Duan Qingen stood behind him and poked his waist quietly, urging him to speak quickly. In the end, the handsome-faced Juzi stammered out what he considered to be a very rude request. :

"The students want to meet Miss Wu..."

"Meet?"

Wu's father had never seen his fiancé come to his father-in-law's house to ask for his fiancée. Seeing that Ma Ruxiao's face was full of self-humiliation and she wanted to crawl into the ground, he was not angry.

"This late at night, my nephew came to my house just to see my little girl?"

"I, I..."

Ma Ruxiao felt like he couldn't stand still. If Duan Qingen hadn't been poking him frantically from behind, he would have wanted to run away.

"I found out about the marriage today, so I went to Dian Cui Lou to buy a piece of jewelry. I wanted to give it to Miss Wu in person. Because we were leaving tomorrow morning and we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to make it in time. So I bothered you late at night and asked my uncle not to ask for it. Blame.”

After saying that, the child bowed timidly. I don't know if he didn't dare or if he forgot. He just kept the saluting posture and didn't get up.

This young look made Father Wu laugh.

He was still quite happy.

After all, he had not seen Ma Ruxiao before and knew what he was like under normal circumstances. He behaved appropriately and dealt with things easily. He was a good boy.

It can be seen that he is only like this when it comes to matters between men and women.

It is better for a future son-in-law to be someone who loves others and has a shy temperament than someone who doesn't take his daughter seriously and spends time playing tricks.

Knowing why Ma Ruxiao came, Father Wu got up again and said to the people waiting on the side: "Go, ask the girl to come to the main hall."

After saying this, he thought of something again, and quickly leaned into the servant's ear and whispered: "Tell the girl, you don't need to wear the curtain hat."

Men are all about appearance.

The so-called love at first sight is based on the other person's good looks.

Think about it, in the script, many young ladies met a handsome scholar, and the scholar picked up her handkerchief and returned it to her, and the young lady fell in love at first sight and asked her parents to marry him.

If it was a fat, ugly, and smelly scholar who picked up their handkerchiefs, it would be impossible to fall in love at first sight.

It was the same for women. He was a man and thought he knew men very well.

And Father Wu was very confident about his daughter's appearance. Although the marriage had been decided, the ignorant love before marriage and the feeling after marriage were still different.

This was his only daughter, so he naturally had to make more plans for her.

"Yes."

The servant went down, and Father Wu smiled and looked at Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan, "The night is nice tonight, why don't we let Ruxiao wait here, and the three of us go to the yard to enjoy the moon."

"Yes."

Although they saw that the sky was dark and there was no moon when they came over, Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan still followed Father Wu out obediently.

The courtyard was facing the main hall. Father Wu took them to sit on a stone bench, and asked someone to bring tea, fruit and snacks, and began to talk to them seriously about knowledge.

Although they were talking about knowledge, from their angle, they could clearly see Ma Ruxiao who was waiting in the main hall.

Now the two knew why Father Wu came to appreciate the moon that did not appear at all.

It can be imagined that when Miss Wu came later, it would be impossible for the two to close the door while talking. Father Wu could supervise the two throughout the whole process without hearing them talking. It can be said that he was very thoughtful.

Not only to supervise the two not to violate etiquette, but also for their reputation. Although they were engaged, scholars were more particular.

In this way, with the help of the servants, there was at least a dozen pairs of eyes watching the intimate meeting, so that if someone brought it up in the future, Father Wu could easily block it.

While they were sitting under the dark sky "appreciating the moon", Miss Wu, who was waiting anxiously in the house, also welcomed the person who asked her to go to the main hall.

Her heartbeat quickened, and she felt her earlobes burning with shame. Although she had guessed it, she still asked, "Did father tell me why he asked me to come over?"

The servant said respectfully, "The master only asked me to come and invite the young lady."

He did not directly say that it was Master Ma who came, but only replied, "The master said that the young lady does not need to wear a veil."

Miss Wu's face turned even redder.

She stepped forward shyly and went to the main hall.

So Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan, who were "watching the moon", watched a woman with a graceful posture and a very elegant walking posture come from the corridor and go straight into the main hall.

Because Father Wu was also looking over there, the two of them could openly watch their friend and his fiancée meet.

As soon as they entered, Miss Wu bowed slightly to Ma Ruxiao. From their angle, they could only see Miss Wu's back, but Ma Ruxiao, who saw her face, seemed to be stunned. He was stunned for several seconds before he hurriedly bowed.

The two of them followed etiquette and didn't get too close, but they talked face to face for a long time.

Duan Qingen and the others couldn't hear, but they could see that Ma Ruxiao was almost nervous to death, and even sweat was oozing from his forehead, but from his expression, he was very excited.

In the main hall, Ma Ruxiao said a few words nervously before he remembered something and quickly handed over the jewelry box that had been hidden in his sleeve.

Miss Wu was stunned for a moment, took the jewelry box, and her face became even redder.

The future husband in front of her was still saying, "I bought this today. Since I had never seen the young lady before, I asked my mother and bought this hairpin for her."

Miss Wu took the jewelry box and bowed shyly: "Thank you, young master."

Ma Ruxiao stammered again and said what Duan Qingen had taught him before: "Tomorrow I will go to Beijing to take the exam. I don't know if I can pass it, but please rest assured, young lady, as soon as everything is settled, I will return home and marry you immediately."

Miss Wu's face turned redder, and she replied in a thin voice: "Yes, I'm waiting for you, young master."

The two red faces looked at each other for a long time, and Ma Ruxiao looked at Miss Wu's beautiful face and almost stared at it.

Miss Wu was really embarrassed. She bowed hurriedly while holding the jewelry box, and then left here in small steps with her sleeves covering her face.

Father Wu looked at the future son-in-law standing at the door and looking at his daughter's back from a distance, and nodded with satisfaction.

Duan Qingen also nodded with great satisfaction.

Zhang Daoyuan nodded with envy.

He lost his mother when he was young, and he was not close to his biological father. He was sent here from afar. Although his grandparents loved him, she was not his biological mother after all.

Therefore, he actually liked gentle and lovely women.

Of course, before coming to the Wu family today, Zhang Daoyuan, who only read the books of sages and didn't think about other things, didn't find his preferences.

But just now, after seeing Miss Wu's gentle and gentle appearance, he envied her and began to imagine that his future wife would be like this.

Gentle and gentle, well-behaved and lovely.

On the way back, he couldn't help asking Duan Qingen and Ma Ruxiao: "Do you think that the girl I have decided on will also be like Miss Wu, a gentle and well-educated person?"

Ma Ruxiao was still immersed in the beauty of his fiancée who was beautiful and gentle, and didn't answer.

Duan Qingen responded with a strange expression: "It should be, aren't all the daughters of officials like that?"

"Yeah, I think so too. I didn't want to get married before because I thought it would be too troublesome to live with a woman. But when I saw Ru Xiao talking to Miss Wu just now, I suddenly wanted to get married.

Duan Qingen: "You are right to think so. Generally speaking, ladies are gentle and lovely, and because they were raised in a boudoir, most of them have shy temperaments."

Zhang Daoyuan suddenly yearned for his future wife even more.

"When I think about getting married after taking the exam and having a soft and obedient wife, my heart suddenly warms up. I can't wait to take the exam tomorrow."

Ma Ruxiao also felt the same way: "I want to read a book now. Miss Wu is so considerate. I will definitely come back and marry her in a glorious way!"

"Yes! Name on the gold list, and then the wedding night!" Zhang Daoyuan's face was full of dreams: "Let me think about the appearance of my future wife. She has fair skin, big eyes, a good-looking smile, and a gentle personality. She is a concubine, and Not raised by the main wife, her temper may be a little timid, but that’s okay, I like timid ones.”

In front of two close friends, Zhang Daoyuan did not hold back: "When I think that after I finish reading, I will have a delicate, timid, gentle and gentle lady waiting for me, I feel so comfortable."

Duan Qingen: "Well, yes, it will definitely happen."

For some reason, Zhang Daoyuan always felt that Duan Qingen was suppressing a smile in response to his words.

But after all, Duan Qingen has no reason to laugh.

He felt that he had heard wrongly and continued to fantasize.

The next day, the three of them set out.

Since Ma Ruxiao met Miss Wu, he felt as if he had been injected with chicken blood. Especially on the second day, although Miss Wu could not come to see him off, she sent someone to bring him a letter. After reading the letter, she was originally The diligent Ma Ruxiao just wanted to read a book all the time.

Along the way, the two geniuses were pestered by Ma Ruxiao to read together, review couplets, chant poems and compose poems, but they did not feel bored at all.

None of them got motion sickness, and they had a waiter waiting for them, so they arrived in the capital smoothly.

As soon as he entered the capital, Zhang Daoyuan, who couldn't hold himself any longer, opened the curtain and took a deep breath of the fresh air outside.

"It's finally here, these days are killing me."

"How about it? Didn't we ask someone to buy a house in the capital before? How about going to see the house first?"

After Zhang Daoyuan cooperated with Duan Qingen, he had no shortage of money. Ma Ruxiao's mother's family was a merchant, so she had no shortage of money and was very generous in giving money to her son.

When the three of them were admitted to the Juren Examination, they planned to buy a house in the capital. Because they had a lot of money in their accounts and prices in the capital were expensive, they pooled their resources and bought a house together.

It was agreed that we would live in it during the scientific examination period, and then rent it out to others when we return to our hometown after the examination, and the rent would be divided equally.

Zhang Daoyuan entrusted someone to handle this matter. When the three of them got off the carriage and walked together, he couldn't help bragging: "This house has a large area and the feng shui inside is good. It is not next to a busy city, so we are not afraid of disturbing us."

Duan Qingen: "Is there no regrets?"

"There is a shortcoming, that is, there was a brothel on the road that we had to pass in the past. It was not the kind of person who sells his body but not his art, just more of that. However, the three of us have to guard our lives for our future wife. This brothel is natural. It’s just a pity. From now on, we just keep our heads down and don’t look at it when we pass by.”

It happened to be dusk when they arrived, and Qing|Lou started to open.

When the three of them passed by, the Yingying Yanyans stood outside and shouted sweetly: "Uncle, come in and play."

"Hey, young master, do you want to come and play?"

The three of them had good looks and looked like a scholar who was not short of money. Several women wearing relatively scantily clad clothes came to pull them over with a smile.

Ma Ruxiao was the first to hide behind, and Zhang Daoyuan was about the same. Only the youngest Duan Qingen was more cautious: "Is it okay if I don't pay?"

As soon as these words came out, the few women who came over to see them because they were good-looking immediately lost their interest, their faces dropped, and they walked back without interest.

Zhang Daoyuan was happy, "Qing En, I really have you. If I encounter this situation again next time, I will do this."

The three of them were about to leave here quickly when two richly dressed people came over.

One of them is tall and tall, and the other is thinner and has a beard on his face. He looks like a delicate and frail man.

When the women who originally stood back saw them, their faces were filled with smiles, and they came forward happily: "Hey! Master Chen, Master Liu, you are here to flatter us again."

They surrounded the two of them affectionately, and the two of them seemed to be very used to it. They were still standing on the street, holding two women on both sides.

The boy looked at the thinner man and said dumbly, "No, I think about my little sweetheart every day."

"Master Liu is so annoying, am I not your little sweetheart?"

Zhang Daoyuan felt chilled when he saw this scene, and whispered to Duan Qingen: "Then Mr. Liu is not as tall as many tall women."

Duan Qingen also whispered to him: "The person they call Master Liu is probably a woman."

Zhang Daoyuan: "???"

"Look at her earlobes. There are ears on them, no Adam's apple, and her beard is fake. And those feet. Have you ever seen a man with such small feet?"

Zhang Daoyuan was shocked when he saw that it was true; "...I haven't been back for more than ten years, how can women in the capital be so open-minded?"

After he finished speaking in a low voice, he felt a little unlucky for the woman's family: "I don't know which family this girl is from, but she actually acted like this. If she is discovered, all the women in her family will be implicated. It's really unlucky."

Duan Qingen: "It should be her husband's family who are unlucky. The man next to her is a real man. Those women said that. It seems that this is not the first time that the two of them have come to the brothel together."

Zhang Daoyuan thought about it and said, "Maybe that man is her husband, otherwise which unmarried girl would dare to do this? If it is true, For an unmarried girl, her future husband is really unlucky. "

"Forget it, forget it, it's none of our business, let's go."

Just as they were about to leave, the two men hugged the girls and passed by. Zhang Daoyuan heard the man say to the short woman pretending to be a man: "Xinrong, I heard that there are two girls who are good at singing and dancing in the building. We must have a good time today."

Zhang Daoyuan: "..."

Duan Qingen and Ma Ruxiao took two steps before they realized that he didn't catch up. Turning around, they saw that he was standing there stiffly with a look of being struck by lightning.

Duan Qingen hurried over to support him. Seeing him staring blankly at the backs of the two people who had entered the brothel, he asked: "Daoyuan? What's wrong?"

"Xin...Xinrong, she is Liu Xinrong..."

Zhang Daoyuan cried: "I asked someone about it. The girl I engaged is named Liu Xinrong."

The picture of the delicate and timid, gentle little lady in his heart.

Crack--

Cracked.

Zhang Daoyuan was finally helped back to the house by Duan Qingen and Ma Ruxiao.

As soon as he got back, an old nanny came up and saw Zhang Daoyuan, who looked like he had lost all hope in life: "Brother Yuan! You are finally back!!"

Zhang Daoyuan was still in a daze: "Nurse..."

The old nanny pulled him and cried, "My poor brother Yuan, you lost your mother, they wasted you like this, and didn't let me go with you. I don't know how much you have suffered."

Zhang Daoyuan wanted to answer, but he couldn't say a word.

All he could think about was the short, mustachioed man who hugged the two girls with a wretched smile.

The old lady continued to cry: "They really abuse you in various ways. The master said before that he had found a good marriage for you, but the stepmother actually had an idea and wanted her son to snatch the marriage! She said that it was just a verbal agreement anyway, and it was not decided which son it was, and she was urging the master to marry the girl from the Liu family to the second son."

"Abuse people!!! Too much abuse!! "

Zhang Daoyuan: "Huh?!"

He suddenly stood up, full of blood, and his eyes were full of hope.

"Snatch!! Let him snatch!!!"

He will never resist!!

The author has something to say: More than 10,000!!!

Please praise!!

This chapter took me a long time to write, and my hands hurt from writing

Random little angels send red envelopes, good night everyone~