082 – Lei Xiangzhi Is Going To Take Part in the Prefectural Exam
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Lei Xiangzhi said, “Some of my schoolmates are planning a relaxation trip before the college exam. I don’t know where they heard that the owner of Leisurely Farm Residence is my eldest brother, so they want to come to the garden and let me ask you what you think.”
Qin Mian looked at Lei Tie.
Lei Tie slightly frowned, “Every blade of grass and every tree in the garden can’t be moved.” These were the efforts of him and his wife.
Lei Xiangzhi said, “That is of course. Eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law can rest assured that the students I’ve made friends with are all people who know the etiquette.”
Lei Tie nodded to Qin Mian.
Qin Mian had no intention of opposing it. Their relationship with Lei Xiangzhi was good and they could not refuse Lei Xiangzhi so that he would not lose his face.
He ate the last two mouthfuls of noodles in the bowl and asked, “Our garden is more beautiful than the courtyard of ordinary households, but it is far worse than that of the wealthy families and scenic spots. Why would they be interested in coming here?”
Lei Xiangzhi put down his teacup and shook his head. “Perhaps, they’re coming for these flowers.”
Qin Mian had no talent at studying and in fact, his enrollment to university was the second batch. He could not stand those gifted scholars who were fond of literary pursuits and those intellectuals who talked literary jargon all day. He wanted to avoid them in advance, so he asked casually, “When will they come?”
Lei Xiangzhi said, “Sometime tomorrow.”
Lei Tie and Qin Mian had a tacit understanding, “We’ll go to the town tomorrow, so you’ll entertain them yourself. Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu will be there for you.”
“Many thanks, eldest brother.” Lei Xiangzhi gratefully said.
Qin Mian asked, “How many days before the prefectural exam?”
Lei Xiangzhi answered, “We’ll depart in two days.”
The next morning, Qin Mian, Lei Tie, and Xile went to the town together.
About eight to nine of Lei Xiangzhi’s schoolmates gathered at Lei Xiangzhi’s home.
With so many young talents brought by her son, Du Shi’s heart was contented. She warmly welcomed them with a smile. Intentionally or unintentionally, she pushed Wei Shi aside.
After sitting for a while, Lei Xiangzhi took his schoolmates to the Leisurely Farm Residence. Du Shi generously gave him two bags of melon seeds and fried peanuts left over during the New Year, as well as the snacks and dried fruits that were bought especially after hearing the distinguished guests would come so that he could treat the guests well. Originally, she also wanted to go to the farm residence but was persuaded otherwise by Lei Xiangzhi.
Scholars seemingly liked to wear white clothes and the clothes set off their white faces even more handsomely. The villagers had seen many dark and swarthy rural boys who were suntanned and never seen so many youngsters with red lips and white teeth at once. They all stared at them curiously. There were even daring girls hiding in the distance, peeking while blushing.
“Fifth gongzi.” Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu had been briefed by Qin Mian earlier. They stood at the gate to meet the guests.
Lei Xiangzhi said, “Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu, I’ll take them around first. Please prepare some tea by the flowerbed.”
“Yes.” Lei Xiangzhi was gentle and polite. Uncle Fu had a favorable impression of him.
As soon as they passed the gate, they were attracted by the cloud-like peach blossoms in front of them and incessantly gasped in admiration.
“This is really a wonderful place.” Qu Zongwen was the first to praise.
The others nodded approvingly and looked around with appreciative eyes.
Lei Xiangzhi bowed with a hand cupped in the other as he said with a smile, “My eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law have paid a lot of thoughts on every small thing inside this manor. Asking the gentlemen to only feast your eyes and don’t stretch out your hands. Xiangzhi will thank first.”
Qu Zongwen and the others smilingly said that they dare not.
“Hehe…” Ling Qiyun, the only scholar who did not speak, looked around left and right. “For this disturbance, one ought to visit the owners first to apologize. Brother Lei, are your eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law here?”
Lei Xiangzhi frowned slightly. When they were at his house, he said that his eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law were not there.
Qu Zongwen glanced at Ling Qiyun and gently shook his folding fan, fully displayed his youthful charm. “Just now Brother Lei said that his eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law had gone to the town intentionally to make room for us. Why didn’t Brother Ling hear that?”
Ling Qiyun apologized with a smile, “I see. I was absent-minded and didn’t hear Brother Lei’s words. It’s merely due to not being able to pay the owners a visit, Qiyun is rather restless.” Today, he came first to see the flowers. Secondly, he wanted to see what the male married couple, who had been the talk of the town, looked like. No matter how good Lei Xiangzhi was at studying, his own eldest brother had married a male wife, was it not to be laughed at? But he only dared to think about it in his heart, not to speak out. All the people present were either good at studying or from a good family. He did not want to be excluded from this circle.
Qu Zongwen’s folding fan opened and closed and opened again, making a snapping sound. He said with a forced smile, “Brother Ling if you’re really restless, why should you follow us?”
Lei Xiangzhi patted him on the shoulder and faintly smiled at Ling Qiyun, “The reason why my eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law are not at home is that they’re afraid we won’t fully enjoy it. If Brother Ling is restless, it defeated the good intention of my eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law. Come on, I’ll take you to the front.”
“Go.” Bu Qingyun, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, was the first to agree. He casually hooked Lei Xiangzhi’s shoulder and walked forward.
The others followed. The group of people talked and laughed.
Ling Qiyun adjusted his mood and quickly followed them.
Qu Zongwen admired the peach blossoms at the end of the bridge with a flash of surprise in his eyes, “Brother Lei, it seems that your eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law are really good at taking care of the fruit trees.”
“Why do you say that?” Lei Xiangzhi did not understand why he suddenly came to such a conclusion.
Qu Zongwen pointed to a peach branch stretching out diagonally in front of his eyes. “There are also several peach trees in my house. The flowers bloom brilliantly this year, but they are not as good as your eldest brother’s. You look at the peach blossom; the petals are delicate and thriving vitality. You’ll see liquid if you pinch the petals, and you’ll know that the moisture content is high. I’m sure the peaches they bore will be very sweet.”
The others nodded in consensus.
“It’s not just the peach blossom trees,” One of the scholars with the most scholarly appearance pointed to the distance, “The plum and pear trees over there are also very rich in vitality. Seeing them make one’s mood soar.”
Lei Xiangzhi did not know the secret — Qin Mian had secretly added spiritual spring water to the pond and the watering of the fruit trees, flower plants, and vegetables the farm residence came from the pond. Therefore, these fruit trees were naturally full of vitality.
He just laughed and said, “The fruit trees here are all managed by an uncle in our village.”
Qu Zongwen said to Lei Xiangzhi, “Our old lady likes to eat peaches the most. At that time [fruit season], I’ll have to buy it from here.”
Lei Xiangzhi shook his head slightly, “This is hard to say for the time being. I heard my eldest sister-in-law mention once that these fruit trees seem to have other uses. But I’ll mention it to him for you.”
“Many thanks then.” Qu Zongwen smilingly said.
“Why are we talking about fruits, there isn’t a shadow of it! Look at the flowers, look at the flowers.” Bu Qingyun stood at the edge of the flowerbed and urged, “Come here quickly. These flowers are blooming very well.”
Another gifted scholar quickly walked over, “Everyone, the scenery here is so beautiful that we shouldn’t let down this spring scenery, how about poetry fight?”
Forget the few scholars who were viewing flowers and fighting with poetry over there. Qin Mian and Lei Tie made a preliminary plan for their newly purchased 15 mu of land in the town. Just like the farm residence, branches were used to mark off each area, and the construction could start only after all kinds of building materials were purchased. After finishing their work, they went to the restaurant to take a look and then went back home.
Qin Mian enjoyed riding a horse. Lei Tie leaped onto the horse and sat behind him.
Xile, who was driving an empty cart following behind, was utterly speechless. Did the two masters take him just to drive the “cart”?
At the entrance of the Green Mountain Village, two horse-carriages were parked at the side of the road facing the outside of the village. There were several people standing by the carriages.
Lei Xiangzhi was about to send his schoolmates away.
Hearing the approaching sound of the horse’s hooves, people looked at it curiously.
The brown horse ran up to them and Qin Mian skillfully stopped the horse about a zhang1 away, “Hush— Fifth brother.”
Lei Xiangzhi said, “Eldest sister-in-law, you’re back.”
Qin Mian nodded with a smile, “En.”
Lei Tie glanced at the crowd lightly. Then he gripped Qin Mian’s hand and shook the reins. The brown horse broke into a run towards the farm residence.
Xile hastily kept up.
Qu Zongwen’s face was still a little surprised. He turned to Lei Xiangzhi and said, “Brother Lei, your eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law don’t look like country folks.” In particular, the man in the back had strong momentum and an indifferent glance, fierce and domineering, just like a general who once fought on the battlefield.
Bu Qingyun looked at the direction of their departure with his mouth agape. He patted Lei Xiangzhi on the shoulder and whispered, “Hey, is that your eldest brother in the back? Is your eldest brother really your related eldest brother?” He also felt that the temperament of Lei Tie and Lei Xiangzhi did not seem like they were a family.
Lei Xiangzhi helplessly said, “Of course, he’s my related eldest brother.”
At the gate of the farm residence, Uncle Fu heard the sound of horse’s hooves and opened the gate immediately.
Qin Mian nimbly jumped off his horse, “Uncle Fu, did something happened today?”
Uncle Fu smilingly said, “Answering to Little Young Master, the fifth gongzi restrained them very well. They looked at the flowers, wrote poems, played chess, and didn’t throw away melon seeds and peanut shells anywhere.”
“That’s good.”
At home, they cleaned up and sat down for a while. After assuming that the guests in the old house had already left, Qin Mian and Lei Tie went there together.
Lei Chuntao stood in the yard, pouting and gripping a flower in her hand. Qin Mian walked over curiously.
“What’s the matter, little sister?”
“You two are here. It’s nothing.” Lei Chuntao’s lips pouted even harder with her graceful eyebrow tightly knitted, looking extremely resentful.
Qin Mian entered the house and saw Lei Xiangzhi also wore a helpless expression. He was even more bewildered.
Du Shi patted the table and said angrily, “Am I not doing it for her own good?”
“What happened?” Qin Mian asked Lei Xiangli in a low voice.
Lei Xiangli euphemistically said, “Fifth brother’s schoolmates are handsome and highly esteemed. Two of them are excellent at studying and have a good family background.”
Without much explanation, Qin Mian already understood. It turned out that Du Shi wanted to choose a son-in-law among those scholars.
“Sister, of course, we know that you think for the sake of Chuntao, but the two gongzis said that their families shall settle the marriage for them. If you simply interfere, won’t it hurt Chuntao? A girl’s reputation is her second life. In case it ended up with egg on one’s face, the girl will be ruined for a lifetime. Husband, do you think?” Wei Shi sipped tea and slowly spoke. After a period of no news, Wei Shi’s firepower had increased.
In the beginning, Lei Daqiang was a little tempted. But upon hearing this, his expression changed and immediately changed his mind, “Wei’er is right. This matter can’t be done.”
Du Shi said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, “You only have her in your eyes now, so certainly everything she says is right. Chuntao is my daughter, not hers. She certainly can’t think well for Chuntao!”
Wei Shi’s face turned white and her lips trembled. She bit her lips and looked at Lei Daqiang, “Husband, I didn’t…”
Immediately after, she turned to Lei Xiangzhi and said eagerly, “Old Five, you’re a perceptive person. What I said just now is all for Chuntao’s sake.”
Du Shi’s expression changed greatly. You sly Wei Shi, you want to bring my son to your side!
Qin Mian secretly lamented that it seemed not easy to provoke one or two of them.
One should not stay long in a place where one was apt to get into trouble. He quickly cut in, “Cough. The fifth brother will go to the prefecture center to take the exam in two days. Have everything packed up yet?”
Du Shi eased her mood and said, “It’s all ready.”
Qin Mian said, “We’re two to three days away from the prefecture center of Qingtian Prefecture. It’s a long way to go. I’m afraid some people with bad intentions will take the opportunity to make trouble. I’ve discussed it with A-Tie. We intend to send the fifth brother to the prefecture center in person.”
Wei Shi glanced at Qin Mian and Lei Tie before dropping her gaze. The eldest and his wife care about this youngest brother.
Lei Daqiang and Du Shi both had surprise smiles on their faces.
“Good, good.” Lei Daqiang looked at Lei Tie approvingly. His eyes contained gratification and he took on a compassionate fatherly attitude, “Eldest, you two have done well. Old Five is your youngest brother. This is exactly how you and your wife should be.”
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