Chapter 143: Betrothal Gift

"Bang!"

Luo Zijun slammed a palm onto the counter.

Su Dafang trembled all over in fright, immediately stood up from his chair, and stammered, "Good man, this old man really didn't... hmm?"

Before he could finish his sentence, he immediately saw who had come.

He then flew into a rage: "Luo Zijun! You little bastard, what are you slamming the counter for? You nearly scared me to death!"

While cursing, he stroked his chest, his heart still pounding.

He sat back down on the chair.

Luo Zijun said helplessly, "Master, if you watch the shop like this, aren't you afraid that when you wake up, everything will have been stolen?"

Su Dafang retorted ungraciously, "There are only a few coins in the cabinet, what the hell is there to be afraid of."

Luo Zijun said, "What about the medicinal herbs? The tables, chairs, and cabinets? And the things upstairs?"

Su Dafang lay back down, closed his eyes, and said with a tone full of resentment, "Whoever wants to steal can steal; anyway, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm busy all day long, working hard to treat patients for others, and in the end, the money I earn is all taken by that girl to give to... Hmph, I'm lying flat now, I've given up, I'm done!"

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Master, why is every sentence you say now either 'old man' or 'hell', speaking so filthily?"

Su Dafang immediately opened his eyes, glared at him, and said angrily, "If you worked hard and risked your life every day to earn money, only to find that you didn't use a single cent of it yourself, and it was all used by some other little bastard, would you want to curse?"

Luo Zijun thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "I would. But, isn't Senior Sister your granddaughter? Isn't it only natural for you to give her money?"

"Pah!"

Upon hearing this, Su Dafang became even angrier: "If she used it herself, this old man wouldn't say a word! I'd even be happy to keep earning money!"

Luo Zijun asked suspiciously, "If it wasn't Senior Sister who used it, then who did?"

"Get lost!"

Su Dafang glared, thought for a moment, and unable to suppress his anger, he immediately got up again, walked into the counter, and lowered his head to look for something.

Luo Zijun said, "Master, what are you looking for? Your disciple will help you find it."

Su Dafang didn't find the Rolling Pin, so he immediately left the counter to look for a feather duster.

Luo Zijun immediately ran toward the stairs and shouted upward, "Senior Sister, hurry and get up! Master thinks you're lazy and is coming up to spank you!"

He stood at the foot of the stairs, not daring to go up.

Su Dafang suddenly said from downstairs, "Your Senior Sister isn't home."

Luo Zijun paused, turned around, walked down the stairs, and asked, "Where did she go?"

"None of your damn business."

Su Dafang went back to the chair, lay down again, and closed his eyes.

Luo Zijun said, "Master, you didn't make Senior Sister go out to fetch medicinal herbs just because you were lazy, did you?"

Su Dafang kept his eyes closed and ignored him.

Luo Zijun looked at the sky outside, then looked at the counter, tables, and chairs in the room, and then went to the backyard to fetch water and began to clean the shop.

After a while.

Su Dafang opened his eyes, looked at him, and said, "No need to wait for her, she won't be back today."

Luo Zijun was stunned: "She won't be back tonight either? Master, where exactly did Senior Sister go? A girl, and such a beautiful one at that, how can she stay out overnight? Aren't you worried?"

Su Dafang asked with a cold face, "Are you worried?"

Luo Zijun nodded immediately: "Of course I'm worried. Where did Senior Sister go? I'll go pick her up."

Su Dafang looked at him again, closed his eyes, and said, "She went to a relative's house, she'll be back tomorrow night."

Luo Zijun was full of surprise: "Master, you have relatives here? How come I didn't know?"

Su Dafang curled his lip: "There's a lot you don't know."

Luo Zijun didn't speak again; while wiping the table, he couldn't help but glance at the counter.

Not seeing Senior Sister for a day, he felt a bit empty inside.

I'll go see Chujian later; I shouldn't feel so empty then.

"Master, I'm leaving. Stop sleeping, watch the shop well, and earn money well."

After finishing cleaning the shop, Luo Zijun prepared to leave.

Su Dafang didn't even lift his eyelids and hummed, "Mind your own business."

Luo Zijun said, "This is my business. If Master doesn't earn money well, where will the money come from for Senior Sister to support her pretty boy? If Senior Sister can't afford to support her pretty boy, she'll be very sad. If Senior Sister is sad, I'll be very sad too."

"You..."

Su Dafang immediately jumped up from the chair, grabbed the shoe on the ground, and was about to strike him.

Luo Zijun was standing at the doorway when he spoke; one foot had already stepped out, and after finishing his sentence, he had already escaped outside the door.

Su Dafang chased him to the door and shouted angrily, "Little bastard, if you have the guts, don't run!"

Luo Zijun waved his hand on the street and said, "Master, no need to see me off. Go back to sleep. Sleep well and tomorrow you can continue to work hard to earn money and save up more for your coffin. Young people today are under a lot of pressure; Senior Sister and I will still need to sponge off you later."

After saying this, he ran away quickly.

Su Dafang stomped his feet in anger at the door, cursed for a while, and then suddenly realized something.

"Hmm? That brat..."

At this time, the sunset had already fallen behind the mountains.

Luo Zijun wandered around the nearby streets and alleys for a while before turning into another alley and entering Chujian Bookstore from the back.

After Xiao Lan saw him, she first smiled, then immediately shouted toward the upstairs, "Sister Bi'er, Young Master Luo is here, run!"

Luo Zijun: "..."

"If she runs, I'll beat you!"

Luo Zijun reached out to pinch her, but she giggled and dodged him.

"Next time that girl sneaks over again, remember to give me a wink!"

Luo Zijun said with a straight face.

Xiao Lan smiled and agreed.

Luo Zijun went upstairs and saw that girl, Bi'er, hiding at a nearby corridor corner, poking her little head out and secretly watching him.

Liu Chujian was standing among the bookshelves organizing books, her face full of smiles.

Luo Zijun said deliberately, "Chujian, I went to the vegetable market today and saw Zhu Er. He is very satisfied with Bi'er and said that as long as we marry Bi'er to him, we will get free pork whenever we go to buy it in the future."

Liu Chujian smiled and replied, "That sounds good."

Bi'er immediately said from the corridor, "Young Master, stop lying. Zhu Er has never even met this servant, so how could he say he is very satisfied with this servant?"

Luo Zijun turned his head and said, "I described your appearance to him, and he laughed and said that as long as it's a woman, he is satisfied, especially women who like to grunt—he is even more satisfied with them because he has liked listening to pigs grunt since he was a child. He said that once you marry over there, he will throw you into the pigsty and make you compete with those sows to see who can grunt better; whoever grunts nicely gets fed."

"Pfft..."

Bi'er laughed in the corridor, not afraid at all.

Liu Chujian said in front of the bookshelf, "But Brother Zijun, Bi'er only likes to grunt at you, not at others."

"Is that so?"

Luo Zijun thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll take her back tonight, tie her to the side of the bed, and let her grunt for me all night."

Liu Chujian smiled and said, "Why not let her sleep on the bed and grunt?"

Luo Zijun said, "How can that be? If she sleeps on the bed, where do I sleep?"

Liu Chujian blinked her eyes and said, "Brother Zijun can sleep with her, hold her, and grunt together."

Luo Zijun was stunned, looked at her very seriously, and said, "Chujian, why do I feel like you're talking dirty?"

Liu Chujian blinked her eyes and asked with some confusion, "What does 'talking dirty' mean?"

Luo Zijun did not answer; he took a book from the shelf and flipped through it casually.

Liu Chujian thought carefully for a moment, seemed to suddenly think of something, and two blushes suddenly stained her fair face. She looked at him deeply again, suddenly went to a bookshelf in the corner, took out a book, flipped through a few pages, read it seriously for a while, and then looked at him and said, "Brother Zijun, is it this?"

"Hmm?"

Luo Zijun was puzzled in his heart, hurriedly walked over, and looked at the open page in her hand.

On the page, a man and a woman were clearly drawn. On the right were written a few graceful characters: The Old Man Pushes the Cart.

Luo Zijun's mouth twitched, and he looked at the young girl beside him.

Liu Chujian's face was flushed, her eyes looked at him meaningfully, and she whispered, "Brother Zijun, do you want to... talk dirty?"

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Chujian, you're a girl, why are you reading this kind of book? Who bought it for you? It must be that girl Bi'er, right? Give it to me, I'm confiscating it! You are not allowed to read it again in the future!"

Luo Zijun reprimanded her righteously, then snatched it directly and stuffed it into his wide sleeve.

Liu Chujian smiled and pointed to the bookshelf next to them, saying, "Brother Zijun, don't be in such a hurry. There are plenty here, including the illustrations Brother Zijun likes most—one, two, three, four, five, six, they are all here. When Brother Zijun came here before and couldn't buy them, you looked so disappointed, so I went and bought some back and put them here specifically for Brother Zijun to look at. So that Brother Zijun doesn't get bored every time you come and want to leave after sitting for a while."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Chujian, what are you talking about? When did your Brother Zijun ever like that kind of book? The one who wanted to buy that book last time wasn't me, it was a friend of mine..."

Liu Chujian smiled without speaking, took a book from the shelf, and handed it to him.

!

Luo Zijun said, "What book is this?"

Liu Chujian smiled and said, "Jade Foot Illustration Six, the book that friend of Brother Zijun's wanted to buy."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"That... Chujian, my friend has already bought it elsewhere."

"It's fine, Brother Zijun can read it yourself."

"No, I have no interest in this kind of book at all. I am a gentleman..."

"Brother Zijun, Chujian has already read it. The pictures inside are drawn very exquisitely and are lifelike. Moreover, there are more varieties, and they are much more realistic and better-looking than the previous five series."

"I'm really not interested."

"The pictures inside are all in color, and the nails on those jade feet have many colors too. And it says on it that those jade feet weren't just drawn randomly, but that some young ladies placed their own jade feet on the paper, first outlined the size and contours, and then drew them stroke by stroke according to the real objects. They are very realistic."

"Ah... that... *cough*, then I'll help my friend take a look. I suspect he bought a pirated copy; I'll study it carefully and compare it with his when I go back."

Luo Zijun took the book, saw the young girl beside him looking at him with smiling eyes, and said, "That, can I take it back to read?"

"No, read it right here."

The young girl immediately pouted, looked at him with deep, soulful eyes, and said, "Brother Zijun, now that you've gotten what you wanted, do you want to leave? Sure enough, the book is right—the more a man wants something, the less you should give it to him quickly, otherwise, once he gets his hands on it, he will immediately turn heartless."

Luo Zijun was speechless: "Chujian, what kind of books are you reading all day? They've corrupted you. Is your Brother Zijun that kind of person?"

"Hmph, who knows."

The young girl gave a light huff.

Luo Zijun took the book, turned around, and walked toward the table and chairs, saying, "Go make me some tea; I'll stay a while longer today."

As soon as the words fell, Bi'er immediately appeared and said, "Young Master, this servant will go make tea for you."

Luo Zijun glared at her and said, "I am talking to your Miss."

Bi'er smiled and said, "My Miss's slender jade hands are not for making tea."

Saying this, she immediately went downstairs.

Luo Zijun turned his head to look at the young girl beside him and asked, "Then what are they for?"

Liu Chujian's eyes were full of playfulness, and she smiled: "For helping Brother Zijun knead shoulders and pound backs, grinding ink and adding fragrance, and then... helping Brother Zijun flip through Jade Foot Illustration Six."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Fine, if we're going to look at it, we'll look at it together. If you aren't shy, why should I be?"

Anyway, he had already suffered social death many times, and since the other party already knew about this very normal little hobby of his, he might as well just let it all hang out.

Luo Zijun took the book, went to the chair in front of the table and sat down, and placed the book on the table.

Liu Chujian came behind him with a smile, stretched out her slender jade-like hands, and while helping him knead his shoulders, she looked at the book on the table and asked softly, "Brother Zijun, what color nail polish do you like?"

Luo Zijun opened the first page, and the color in the picture was pink.

It was chubby and very cute.

He looked at it carefully for a while, then turned to the second page.

The color had changed to red.

He thought for a moment and said, "The original color, pink, red—I think they are all fine."

"Oh."

Liu Chujian responded softly, and the small feet inside her embroidered shoes beneath her white skirt moved unconsciously.

Luo Zijun turned his head and asked, "By the way, what color are you wearing?"

"Ah..."

Liu Chujian paused for a moment, not expecting him to ask her suddenly; her face turned red instantly, and she whispered, "I... I'm not wearing any..."

"I don't believe it, unless you show me."

"..."

At this moment, Bi'er brought in tea and said with a smile, "Young Master, what do you want to see? This servant will bring it for you to see."

Luo Zijun glanced at the small feet beneath her skirt, ignored her, and immediately closed the book on the table.

Liu Chujian smiled behind him with a blushing face.

"This servant will head out now and not disturb you two."

Bi'er glanced at her mistress, set down the tea, and left.

The room went quiet for a moment.

Liu Chujian suddenly said, "By the way, Brother Zijun, Miss Yingchun from the Jia Mansion came by today."

Luo Zijun was stunned upon hearing this: "Jia Yingchun? What did she come for?"

Liu Chujian said softly, "She just came to buy a few books, all of which were the ones written by Brother Zijun, as well as 'Shen Yuan Love Dreams' that just came out yesterday. When I recommended it to her today, she was very happy. After finishing it in front of the bookshelf, she started to cry, saying that what Brother Zijun wrote was cruel. And those two poems, she recited them many times."

Luo Zijun asked, "Did she say anything else?"

Liu Chujian sighed lightly and said, "She also told me that her father forced her to find Brother Zijun, wanting Brother Zijun to take responsibility for her. However, she bravely refused. She also told me that she only admires Brother Zijun, and asked me not to worry, saying she wouldn't ruin the relationship between me and Brother Zijun..."

"Brother Zijun, actually, Chujian thinks that Miss Yingchun is a very good person; she must like you too..."

Luo Zijun nodded and said, "She is indeed a very good person, just too kind for her own good."

Then he looked at her and said, "But I have already said that I will not marry any girl from the Jia Family. Chujian, how can there be a woman like you who tries to persuade her own husband to marry other women every day?"

Liu Chujian giggled and said, "Chujian is so broad-minded and understanding; is Brother Zijun not happy?"

Luo Zijun thought about it carefully and said, "I am happy."

"Hmph, I knew Brother Zijun was just saying he wasn't happy on purpose, but in his heart, he is secretly happy."

"Sigh... actually, sometimes I am really not happy. You don't know how tired your Brother Zijun gets sometimes."

"When is 'sometimes'?"

The two chatted idly as the night outside the window grew deeper.

Meanwhile.

In a hall of the Bai Mansion, a middle-aged man wearing a brown brocade robe with an extraordinary bearing was sitting on a chair drinking tea.

Bai Qingtong was standing below, recounting what had happened at the school today.

"The weak dare to become strong, the strong dare to show weakness, failure is the mother of success..."

The middle-aged man set down his teacup, nodded, and said, "He is indeed a rare talent. I have read his poems, the books he has written, and the essays he wrote at the Academy. He is truly full of talent, possesses great ambition, and is unconventional, unlike other scholars."

Bai Qingtong said softly, "Father, for such a talent, Qingtong feels that we should bring him into the mansion early, rather than just letting him be a teacher. He is currently in a state of gathering strength and lying dormant; if he suddenly soars to the sky one day, we will regret it too late."

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, looked at her, and said, "Qingtong, you have always been intelligent and consider the overall situation of the family; many of the affairs in our mansion are planned by you. This time, tell Father, what do you want to do?"

Bai Qingtong hesitated a little, looked at him, and said, "Qingtong does have an idea, but I am afraid that Father and the uncles will not agree."

The middle-aged man said, "Tell me first."

Bai Qingtong did not hesitate anymore and whispered, "Betrothal."

(End of this chapter)