Chapter 639: Chapter 639: The Madman at the Village Entrance
"My family are farmers, my oldest sister is a farmer girl. Although she likes embroidery, our family needs to farm the land. So, my lady, if you want to appreciate embroidery, it’s better to find someone else."
Brother Cheng was feeling very depressed. It has been three years, why hasn’t the lady given up on getting close to his older sister?
Is his Second Sister not fierce enough?
What if Second Sister gets angry and smashes things at the Xia Family?
Upon hearing this, Lady Xia’s eyes reddened, almost shedding tears.
Brother Cheng had seen it so often he didn’t feel like comforting her anymore, but he thought of himself as a good person, seeing Lady Xia cry incessantly, he decided to comfort her anyway.
"Madam, don’t be sad. It’s just bad timing this time, if there’s an opportunity next time, my older sister will definitely come."
Lady Xia couldn’t hold back anymore, and urgently said: "Next time, next time, how many next times has it been? How old is Sister Xiu already? In three more months, she’ll be nineteen, a nineteen-year-old girl ... she could marry at any moment, and I won’t have many chances to see her again."
Actually, what Lady Xia wanted to say was that Gu Jinxiu is almost a nineteen-year-old spinster and still not betrothed, are the Gu Family planning to ruin her?
Descendant of a Country Pillar Minister, a noble lady, such a good marriage prospect, if this gets ruined, she would die of anger!
But Gu Jinxiu is not her daughter, no matter how anxious she dies inside, she has no solution but to take things slowly, hoping that Gu Jinxiu will be enchanted by the charms and grace of the Zhan Family brothers upon meeting them.
Although the Zhan Family could not compare to the former Lu Family, they are the best option that they, as a couple, could find now.
Either of the Zhan Family brothers would be a better match than marrying a farmer.
Most importantly, Lady Xia worried that once Gu Jinxiu turns nineteen, being in such a rural place, she might have to marry a widower.
As one ages, if one cannot find a young husband, isn’t she bound to marry a widower to fill a spot?
But Brother Cheng laughed and said: "Madam, no need to worry, even if my older sister gets married, she can still come to visit Lady Xia at the Xia Family."
Lady Xia felt stifled, and tried to probe again: "Brother Cheng, has your older sister’s marriage been settled?"
Brother Cheng shook his head: "I don’t know, this matter is up to my parents, I’m too young to understand."
I’m a child, don’t ask me about such matters.
Lady Xia felt choked, defeated, every time she tried to extract information about Gu Jinxiu from Brother Cheng, she never succeeded.
Seeing her dejected, Brother Cheng stood up to say goodbye: "Madam, today we need to harvest Mingya Grass at home, and with my elder brother not around, I need to go back to help, so I’ll take my leave now."
With that, he left Lady Xia’s courtyard and ran off with Da Tuan and Xiao Tuan.
Lady Xia started to cry again in the room, feeling extremely aggrieved, not only was Sister Xiu’s marriage undecided, but Brother Cheng had also been distant for three years.
Brother Cheng didn’t care how much Lady Xia cried, he just wanted to go home now.
But today’s visit to the Xia Family was like going through numerous trials.
Ahead, Zhan Er appeared neatly dressed, wearing a large cloak, and upon seeing Brother Cheng, he smiled and asked: "Gu Family young man, where are you heading?"
Brother Cheng didn’t want to deal with him, merely responding perfunctorily: "Going back home from school."
Zhan Er looked at the sky and said: "It’s almost noon now, why not stay for lunch? We brought our family cook, you can try some Jiangnan flavors."
Brother Cheng: "You’ve been eating from last night to this morning, do you still want to eat lunch? Aren’t you going to sleep?"
Second Sister cried out, staying up all night without sleep can lead to sudden death, are you trying to kill yourself and then scam my silk money? It’s not easy for me to save up my own secret stash.
Zhan Er laughed heartily: "Haha, just staying up for one night is nothing. I’ve been traveling around Great Chu with my uncle since I was young, often staying up all night, even going without sleep for two days and two nights."
Zhan Er casually sat on a stone in the yard of the Xia Family and asked Brother Cheng: "Does your family live in the village?"
Brother Cheng nodded: "Yes, my family are farmers, naturally we live in the village."
So let me go, we are not the same type of people, don’t befriend me.
Plus, you’re already so big, and I’m not even eight yet, we have nothing to talk about.
But a look of longing appeared on Zhan Er’s face, saying, "The countryside, huh? I haven’t been there in so long. How about I come and stay at your house for a few days?"
Uncle Xia said that the village where the young man of the Gu Family lives has a type of Mingya Grass, which turns red during the harvesting season. From afar, one would see stretches of red, and with strong winds, it seems like red waves were rolling, as if a vast red sea, magnificent and striking, truly a rare beautiful sight.
Hearing this, Zhan Er really wanted to see it.
Brother Cheng almost stumbled, you are too carefree, deciding to stay at someone else’s home just like that, aren’t we strangers?
Moreover, it’s generally impolite for noble family’s sons to stay casually at someone’s house, Zhan Er being a son of a noble family, does flaunting the rules come so easily?
Brother Cheng to Zhan Er, bowed and said: "Zhan Family’s Second Brother, there are rules in my house since we have two sisters, external men are not allowed to stay over, I’m sorry." Brother Cheng bowed to Zhan Er, "If Zhan Second Brother has no other business, Brother Cheng needs to go home."
Zhan Er very sadly said: "There’s a rule, can’t stay there, huh? Then can I just see the Mingya Grass with you and then go back?"
Brother Cheng: "..."
The little monster inside me is about to roar.
"No, it’s not possible. Our village has rules, outsiders are not allowed to come in during the harvest of Mingya Grass, afraid someone might tamper with it."
Zhan Er, once again disappointed: "Alright."
So he could only look from outside the village in a carriage.
Thus, shortly after Brother Cheng returned home, the women in the village began to spread a curious occurrence.
...
"Hey, you should go to the entrance of the village and see, there’s a madman at the village entrance, sitting on a bullock cart spacing out, not sure what he’s watching?"
"What is he watching?" He Tianwa’s wife, a new leader of gossipy women in the village, comparable to He Laoqiao’s wife, with an eyebrow raised, she exclaimed shockingly: "I’ve seen it clearly, that madman is staring at the strong men in our village, those eyes, and even drooling."
"Tianwa’s wife, what do you mean? Our village’s men aren’t some kind of meat, how can someone get hungry from looking at them?"
He Tianwa’s wife, hands on hips, swaying her hips, pridefully said: "You don’t understand, huh? My maternal uncle went to Jinling, oh Jesus, you don’t know about Jiangnan, not only do brothels have Oirans, painted boats have Flower Fairies, but there are also flower lords."
"What’s a flower lord? Tianwa’s wife, spit it out quickly, keeping us suspenseful, are you looking for a beating?"
He Tianwa’s wife snorted coldly, finally spoke: "Flower lord is a male prostitute, serving men, now you get it?"
There has always been the custom of Longyang in ancient times, He’an Prefecture being close to Jiangnan, and the village women being gossipy, they knew about these things. Hearing He Tianwa’s wife’s words, they suddenly realized: "So, he came to look at the men."