Chapter 636: What is Miss Shishi

Gu Tingye did not answer, but stood up with a smile and beckoned, "Liang Liu Lang, Jiulang, come over and sit."

Qiao Jiulang and Liang Han nodded with smiles and walked toward Xu Zaijing and the others.

In just these few steps, the look in Qiao Jiulang's eyes as he watched Changbai gradually shifted from confusion to realization.

Upon arriving, Qiao Jiulang bowed with a smile, "Brother Changbai, long time no see."

Changfeng looked at Qiao Jiulang in surprise and said, "Jiulang, my second brother stays home to study all year round and rarely goes out. You actually recognize him?"

Changbai nodded with a smile, "We met twice before at Jinming Pool and the polo field."

Qiao Jiulang smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Everyone took their seats.

Eating melons and fruits,

Changfeng glanced at Gu Tingye, then at Qiao Jiulang, and after some thought, did not continue to press about the "elegant gathering" at Mother Ruan's place.

"Hehe! Jing-ge'er, the few of us went to Mother Ruan's small courtyard nearby two days ago, and there was a..." Qiao Jiulang hadn't finished speaking.

"Cough." Liang Han coughed lightly, looked at Xu Zaijing with some embarrassment, and said, "Jing-ge'er, it's not that I didn't invite you, brother, but my mother really won't let me drag you into these things."

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile, "Understood, Liang Liu Lang, don't take this to heart."

Liang Han picked up a piece of watermelon with a smile and said, "Brother is broad-minded!"

Qiao Jiulang's gaze shifted between Liang Han and Xu Zaijing, and he didn't continue speaking either.

Seeing everyone's demeanor, Xu Zaijing smiled, "Liang Liu Lang, I see that Brother Ye and Jiulang seem to have a deep impression of Mother Ruan's small courtyard! Is this year something special?"

Hearing this,

The curious Changfeng also looked toward the three of them.

Qi Heng, who was eating melon, had the same expression and look in his eyes as Changfeng.

Liang Han put down the watermelon in his hand, scratched his head and said, "Uh, yes, this year is a bit special."

Liang Han exchanged a glance with the other two and said, "Jing-ge'er, it's just... this year under Mother Ruan, there is an extremely outstanding courtesan."

As Liang Han spoke, Qiao Jiulang and Gu Tingye beside him nodded repeatedly, their faces full of agreement and approval.

"Oh?" Xu Zaijing said with great interest, "Extremely outstanding? Liang Liu Lang, you rarely say such things."

Qiao Jiulang interjected excitedly from the side, "Jing-ge'er, what Liang Liu Lang said is true!"

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "Then, how does she compare to Yunniang?"

"Pfft." Gu Tingye beside him laughed out loud.

Qiao Jiulang pursed his lips in embarrassment, shook his head and said, "Yunniang just has a better figure and dance, as for the rest... she is far inferior!"

Qi Heng smiled, "Then, how does she compare to the previously crowned Head Courtesan Wei?"

Liang Han shook his head slightly, "Young Xiao Xiao Gongye, it's hard to compare. After all, Head Courtesan Wei never took off her veil from beginning to end, and we don't know what she looks like. But, just looking at her appearance while wearing the veil, that courtesan's beauty is not inferior to Head Courtesan Wei."

"The key is that this courtesan is not only beautiful to look at, but she is also very proficient in dance, music, poetry, and songs."

"Recently, because of this courtesan, the threshold of Mother Ruan's small courtyard is about to be trampled down."

Qi Heng smiled at Xu Zaijing and said, "Jing-ge'er, since Liang Liu Lang says so, we must take a look if we have the chance."

Xu Zaijing smiled noncommittally.

Liang Han took a bite of melon and said, "Young Xiao Xiao Gongye, it's not easy to get into Mother Ruan's small courtyard recently."

"We can go because of our status in the capital and previous friendships. Nowadays, even with money and power, it's not easy to go! You also need talent!"

Changfeng frowned, "Ah? That's rare. Wouldn't doing this push future patrons away?"

Qiao Jiulang waved his hand with a smile, "Eh, Changfeng, that's where you're wrong! Because Mother Ruan did this, there are actually more people going to her small courtyard than before."

Xu Zaijing sat to the side, fanning himself while changing to a white peach to gnaw on, and said, "Jiulang, does this courtesan have a name?"

Qiao Jiulang and Liang Han exchanged a glance, and said with longing in their expressions and tone, "Jing-ge'er, this courtesan's beautiful name is Shishi."

Xu Zaijing was stunned, "Shishi? The 'shi' from poetry and songs?" Then, just as he was about to say "I must go see,"

Qiao Jiulang shook his head, "No, it's the 'shi' from 'teacher' in 'Wang Xing Yu Shi'."

Liang Han and Gu Tingye nodded with smiles, both having looks of recollection in their eyes.

Xu Zaijing's eyes turned, and he asked with a thoughtful expression, "What is her surname?"

Liang Han sighed, "Sigh, Jing-ge'er, Miss Shishi's surname is Wang..."

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile, thinking to himself, "That's it, how could it be such a coincidence?"

"Because of family changes when she was young, she entered the brothel, and later became a disciple under a Mother Li, so she changed her surname to Li." After Liang Han finished speaking, he looked at the stunned Xu Zaijing and said, "Jing-ge'er, what's wrong with you?"

Xu Zaijing came to his senses and smiled, "Liang Liu Lang, hearing you, Jiulang, and Brother Ye praise her so much, I'm a bit curious too."

"Xu Wu Ge Xu is right! I think so too." Changfeng echoed with a smile.

Xu Zaijing said, "I suppose in a few days, when the girls under Mother Ruan take the stage to perform, we will definitely be able to feast our eyes."

"What Jing-ge'er said is correct, let's go together then." Gu Tingye smiled.

Looking at the state of everyone in the private room, Zaihang smiled helplessly.

At this moment,

Gu Tingye's personal guard, Zhi Que, walked in from the doorway behind the screen, bowed and said, "Young Master, the Third Da Niangzi and several noble ladies are right at the Four Treasures Studio to the east. Knowing that you and several young masters are here, they specially sent someone to bring some things over."

Gu Tingye's eyes lit up, "Oh? Bring them up quickly."

Qi Heng, who was beside him, looked at Xu Zaijing and smiled, "Jing-ge'er, since they are at the Four Treasures Studio, I suppose Cousin Chai... Fifth Da Niangzi Zhang and several others are likely there too."

Soon,

The waiters of Pan Lou moved many cold dishes from near the main street of Pan Lou upstairs.

Looking at the exquisite dishes,

Xu Zaijing and the others asked Gu Tingye to help them express their gratitude to Tingyi and the other young ladies.

Finally,

Everyone enjoyed themselves at Pan Lou until the first quarter of the You hour (after 5:00 PM),

Avoiding the hottest time of the afternoon, they then returned home.

After the sixth day,

Xu Zaijing and his classmates never had a rest again.

Although there were ice plates placed in the school,

But the sun in the midsummer of the sixth month was strong and the temperature was very high.

Even if they were just sitting and fanning themselves, sometimes it was unbearably hot.

Time flowed by,

And it was the middle of the sixth month.

Early this morning,

When Xu Zaijing went to school, the sky was overcast, much cooler than the time after the sun came out.

On the way to the Sheng family, Huaxiang would poke her head out of the carriage from time to time, and the face looking at the sky was full of anticipation for rain.

Entering the school,

Although it was early, large blocks of ice had already been placed by the tables in the school.

The personal guards of Changbai and Gu Tingye were both sitting to the side helping their respective young masters fan themselves.

Actually, whenever it was unbearably hot, Xu Zaijing would infinitely miss the days with air conditioning in his memory.

Tilting his head to look at Xu Zaijing who walked into the school, Gu Tingye asked suspiciously, "Jing-ge'er, where is your maid?"

Xu Zaijing carried his book box to the table himself and smiled, "She went to the backyard."

Sheng family backyard,

Shou'an Hall,

The Old Madam was getting on in years, so she naturally slept early and got up early.

In the morning, taking advantage of the coolness, the Old Madam would also take the two mothers, Fang and Cui, for a walk in the courtyard to exercise.

Today, before they even walked out of the door of Shou'an Hall,

The maid Cuiwei walked in with a smile, bowed and said, "Old Madam, Maid Huaxiang from Fifth Young Master Xu's side is here."

The Old Madam, who was fanning herself with a round fan, asked suspiciously with a smile, "Oh? So early, what is Jing-ge'er's little maid here for?"

Cuiwei smiled, "Replying to Old Madam, Maid Huaxiang is here to deliver lotus flowers."

The Old Madam smiled and exchanged a glance with Hearing Fang Mama beside her, saying, "It wouldn't be naturally grown twin lotus flowers again, would it?"

Cuiwei nodded with a smile, "Old Madam, you hit the nail on the head, that is exactly it."

The Old Madam shook the round fan in her hand and smiled, "Invite her in quickly."

Cuiwei agreed and went.

A moment later,

Huaxiang, holding a bunch of lotus flowers, walked in and smiled, "This servant pays respects to Old Madam. The Young Master ordered this servant to deliver these lotus flowers that were just picked this morning."

The Old Madam waved her hand, "Suqin, Ruan, go and take them quickly."

The two mothers hurried forward, and after taking the lotus flowers from Huaxiang's hands, they examined them for a moment, and then both revealed surprised expressions.

Hearing Fang Mama smiled and turned back, "Old Madam, this servant sees clearly, these are all twin lotus flowers."

"Quick, have someone move some vases to fill with water and insert them." After the Old Madam finished speaking, she looked at Huaxiang and smiled, "This girl, how much silver did your young master spend for these lotus flowers?"

After Huaxiang smiled and handed over the lotus flowers, she smiled, "Replying to Old Madam, Young Master didn't spend a single coin! Previously, Young Master recruited a pair of siblings who are best at finding these twin lotus flowers."

The Old Madam shook her head and smiled, "There are too many today."

Huaxiang replied, "Old Madam, the brother of that pair of siblings has been following the Sixth Young Master of the Liang family for the past two days, wandering through several ponds and gardens inside and outside the city, so naturally, they found more."

Cuiwei in the hall, as well as the two mothers Fang and Cui, exchanged surprised glances.

The Old Madam continued to smile, "So that's how it is, no wonder there are so many."

"Cuiwei, go, take this girl to receive a reward. You two send one to each of the other courtyards."

Cuiwei and the two mothers Fang and Cui agreed.

Huaxiang hurriedly bowed, "This servant thanks Old Madam."

Carrying the vase out of the hall,

Hearing Fang Mama smiled, "Maid Huaxiang, are there any of these in the Hou Fu?"

Huaxiang nodded in agreement.

Weiruixuan,

In the bedroom,

"Madam?" Liu Mama called out softly by the bedside.

"Hmm? What is it?" After waking up, Wang Ruofu let out a long sigh and asked with her eyes closed.

"Hearing Fang Mama from the Old Madam's courtyard sent a twin lotus flower over."

"Hmm?" Wang Ruofu opened her eyes at once, sat up abruptly and looked at Liu Mama, saying, "Is it that brat Jing-ge'er from the Xu family who sent it again?"

Liu Mama nodded with a smile.

A smile appeared on Wang Ruofu's face, "This brat is really sensible. Bring it over for me to see."

After Liu Mama nodded, she shouted outside, "Caihuan!"

Soon, Caihuan walked in carrying the vase.

After looking at it appreciatively for a few moments, Wang Ruofu said wistfully, "I wonder if Hua'er has such good lotus flowers there."

Liu Mama smiled, "Madam, rest assured, this servant has asked, Hearing Fang Mama said the Hou Fu had them early in the morning."

"Only our courtyard has them?" Wang Ruofu asked again.

Liu Mama shook her head, "Jin'anzhai and Lin Qige were both sent some."

Wang Ruofu pursed her lips with some regret, "What a waste."

Turning to get out of bed, after standing up with the support of Liu Mama's arm, Wang Ruofu said, "Go, wake Ru'er up! Later, when putting this lotus flower on the offering table, let her worship with me."

"Yes, Madam."

Lin Qige,

In the outer room of the main house,

Lin Qinshuang was fanning herself with a round fan in one hand and holding Seeing Mo Lan's shoulder with the other, watching Xueniang who was placing a vase by the side table, saying, "A little more to the left, put it in the middle."

After Xueniang moved the vase as instructed, she looked at Lin Qinshuang.

"Good, this position is not bad." Lin Qinshuang nodded with a smile.

After finishing, Lin Qinshuang looked at the budding flowers in the vase and sighed, "Hmm! In previous years, you couldn't see one twin lotus flower in several years, and even if there were, most were fake ones sewn with thread. I didn't expect that in the past two years, there would be real ones every year."

The cool breeze Lin Qinshuang fanned up blew Seeing Mo Lan's hair from time to time. Seeing Mo Lan nodded, "Xu Wu Ge Xu has some means, he can find these rare things every year."

Lin Qinshuang nodded with a smile, "Mo'er, look, these rare things are only treated as gifts in high-ranking households! If they were placed in the marketplace, who knows how much silver they would sell for."

Seeing Mo Lan said "Hmm."

"So, Mo'er, you were born a noble lady of an official family. In the future, when looking for a husband, you must hold your head high and look up, just like your eldest sister, find a young master from a Xiao Xiao Gongye or Marquis family! Only in this way will your future days be so wealthy and decent."

Seeing Mo Lan pursed her lips and nodded, saying shyly, "Mother! Didn't I tell you? That day when Shulan got married, Brother Yuanruo smiled at me."

"Mo'er, you and the Young Xiao Xiao Gongye have never been alone, how do you know he only smiled at you?" Lin Qinshuang said.

Seeing Mo Lan tilted her head to look at Lin Qinshuang, "Mother, I only see Brother Yuanruo in school, where would I have the chance to be alone that you speak of?"

Lin Qinshuang thought for a moment and nodded, "That's true! I hope you have the chance to be alone with the Young Xiao Xiao Gongye in the future to confirm his heart, and then we two will think about the future."

Zhou Xueniang beside the two nodded repeatedly, "What the concubine says is true, with our young lady's talent and appearance, the young masters in the school will all see it."

After Lin Qinshuang smiled, she said, "Go, don't forget to thank Jing-ge'er from the Xu family when you get to school."

"Yes, Mother."

After smiling at Seeing Mo Lan, Lin Qinshuang turned to Zhou Xueniang and said, "Go, send someone to wake Brother Feng up, what time is it, and he's still not out of bed."

Jin'anzhai,

Main house,

The windows were sealed with fine light gauze to prevent mosquitoes and insects,

Green smoke from incense burned to drive away flies and insects drifted out of the incense burner,

Wei Shuyi, who was sitting in front of the embroidery frame under the window, tilted her head and glanced at Changmei who was preparing to sit at the table, saying, "Mei'er, the sky is dim this morning, practicing calligraphy will hurt your eyes, it won't be too late to practice when the sky is brighter."

"Concubine, since it's dim and hurts the eyes, why are you still continuing to embroider things?" Changmei asked in a childish voice.

Wei Shuyi paused, thought for a moment, and smiled, "Mei'er, that's because I'm an adult, and I'm also in front of the window."

Changmei blinked, "Then I'll go to the window to practice calligraphy too. Second brother said, reading is refined by diligence and ruined by play."

Hearing this, Wei Shuyi smiled with great relief, "Then come to my side."

After Changmei walked over,

Wei Shuyi turned back to look at the twin lotus flower in the vase on the side table and smiled, "Mei'er, these lotus flowers will wither and fade after blooming for more than ten days, shall we draw them on paper together?"

In the afternoon,

After a few claps of summer thunder,

The sky, which had been overcast for half a day, began to drizzle.

Until Xu Zaijing and the others finished school, there was no sign of it stopping.

Xu Zaijing didn't try to be brave and ride a horse in the rain, but instead took a carriage home with his personal maid.

Although it was raining, it was still slightly hot in the carriage.

On the roof of the carriage, the sound of raindrops falling could be heard from time to time.

For the sake of coolness,

The carriage windows and the curtains at the entrance were all lifted, with only the light gauze for ventilation and insect prevention fixed on them.

Xu Zaijing looked out through the light gauze,

Smelling the fresh air of a rainy day, he could see people taking shelter from the rain on the side of the road from time to time, as well as commoners with bamboo hats or huge lotus leaves on their heads, walking through the streets.

"Young Master."

Hearing Huaxiang's voice, Xu Zaijing tilted his head to look.

Looking at the cold drink Huaxiang was holding, Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile, took it, and drank a mouthful.

Returning to the Hou Fu on Quyuan Street,

The rain had actually stopped.

When Xu Zaijing got off the carriage in the courtyard of the Hou Fu,

"Quack! Quack!"

In the pond by the racecourse, an unknown number of frogs were croaking happily one after another.

At the same time,

Guangfufang,

In a residence rented by a certain young lady with "heavy gold,"

In the two-story wooden building at the northernmost part of the courtyard,

A noble lady was sitting comfortably on a chair in front of the window, facing the cool breeze, smiling and looking north of the wooden building, admiring the beautiful scenery of the royal garden in the misty rain.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 637 =====