piratefiction Chapter 32 Miss
Chapter 32 Miss
It was nearly noon, and the breeze was still gentle.
Qingyu followed Meng Chen around, rambling on for a long time about the disadvantages of being a monk, and then talking about the many benefits of farming.
When they arrived at the ferry dock, the boat had not yet arrived.
Worried that Meng Chen was hungry, Qingyu took out the cakes, as well as the offering snacks and dates. "I remember I boiled two eggs, where are they?"
She rummaged through the bundle several times but still couldn't find it. "The bundle was right behind me when you were talking to the monk. Who stole it? Or did I forget to bring it?"
The two ate something and waited until past mid-afternoon for the ferry to arrive. By then, Qingyu had already picked a lot of reeds.
Meng Chen's money was stolen by the river bandits, so he didn't have any money for the boat fare. However, the boatman, Lao Kuai, was an acquaintance of Old Chen and knew Qingyu's deceased parents, so he didn't mention the fare.
"Once you're married, just don't forget to invite me for a bowl of wine," Old Kuai said.
"Okay! You have to bring Aunt Yu along!" Qingyu immediately agreed.
I got home in the evening.
Old Chen wasn't home, and Qingyu, seeing the chickens clucking incessantly, asked Meng Chen to chop some grass leaves to feed them, while she started a fire to cook porridge.
Old Chen came back after smelling the millet porridge.
Qingyu hurriedly began to recount his encounter with the monk and the bandits that day.
"Grandpa, you don't know, that monk wasn't an ordinary monk. He was like a god, his feet were on the water, he didn't fall into the water at all." Qingyu said with great emotion.
"This is an expert," Old Chen said, but he had a different opinion. "If he were to plow the fields, he might be a master too."
After discussing for a long time and resting for the night, Qingyu started packing Meng Chen's bags after breakfast.
She baked flatbread, packed about ten pounds of fresh dates, and also put three pairs of cloth shoes into the bundle.
Seeing that Qingyu was cleaning up slowly, Old Chen didn't urge him. Instead, he pulled Meng Chen outside the courtyard to chat.
After waiting a while longer, Qingyu finished packing her belongings and prepared to see Meng Chen off.
Meng Chen carried her bundle, with Qingyu following beside her, but she remained silent.
"The walnuts and persimmons are almost ripe. We can come back to eat them in another month or two!" Seeing that it was getting late, Qingyu didn't linger any longer.
As September approached, a cool morning breeze blew. Meng Chen said, "Done."
Upon hearing this, Qingyu immediately smiled.
After saying goodbye to Qingyu, Meng Chen went to town again, found Qi Yun's meat stall, and brought Qi Yun some autumn and winter clothes.
After going around in circles, they finally returned to the Du Family Martial Arts School in the afternoon.
Meng Chen divided the jujubes he brought into five or six jin and gave them to the Du family father and son as a token of respect.
I'll leave another three jin for Qi Yun and the other roommates.
As for the remaining five jin, Meng Chen wanted to give them to Li Xiangsheng.
Meng Chen was able to come to the Du Family Martial Arts School, and his tuition was three taels lower than others, all because of Li Xiangsheng's connections.
Moreover, although the twenty taels of silver from the Di family were largely due to Du Ren's persuasive skills, the Di family also owed Li Xiang Sheng a debt of gratitude.
Meng Chen owes his success to many benefactors and influential people, including Old Chen and his grandson, who are expected to take care of Old Chen in his old age and see him off in his final days.
The debt of gratitude owed to the Du family father and son can never be repaid.
The first benefactor in Qingshui County who took good care of him was Li Xiangsheng, for which Meng Chen remained grateful.
When Meng Chen approached Du Ren, he said he was going to deliver dates to Li Xiang Sheng.
"You won't be able to find him at the county government office today; he's off duty. Since we're free, I'll take you to his house." Du Ren was also bored at the martial arts school, so after telling Du Zhong, he took Meng Chen and left.
Du Ren ate dates all the way, almost finishing all the gifts, before finally arriving at Longwei Escort Agency.
This security escort agency wasn't very impressive; the doors were wide open, and there was a screen wall inside, making it difficult to see anything in detail.
"I grew up here after my father picked me up," Du Ren muttered to himself, then walked forward, entered an alley, and came to the gate of a courtyard next to the security agency.
He knocked on the door, and it opened quickly, revealing a person—Li Xiangsheng.
"What brings you here? Brother Meng, you're here too? Come in quickly." Li Xiangsheng was dressed in casual clothes, his face was rosy, and when he smiled, he looked very fortunate.
Meng Chen entered the courtyard and saw that Li Xiang Sheng's residence was not large, just a single courtyard.
To the left of the hall stands an osmanthus tree, and beneath it, two people are drinking tea: a woman and a young girl.
The woman was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with an oval face, slightly plump, and looked very auspicious.
The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed simply, with a beautiful face that was also very fair, making her look radiant. Unlike ordinary women who carried round fans, she held a folding fan, which gave her a rather spirited air.
Staring at strangers is very impolite, especially a beautiful young woman. Meng Chen only glanced at her before quickly looking away.
"Sister-in-law, Miss," Du Ren stepped forward and bowed, pulling Meng Chen along, saying, "Quickly call her sister-in-law and Miss!"
This sister-in-law is naturally Li Xiangsheng's wife, but who is this young lady?
Meng Chen was an honest man, so he quickly called out, "Sister-in-law, Miss."
"We're family, no need for formalities." The woman was very kind. She smiled, pointed at Meng Chen, and looked at Du Ren, asking, "Brother Ren, whose child is this?"
"He's from Niujia Village, his real name is Meng Chen. My older brother introduced him to my family's martial arts school to learn martial arts," Du Ren introduced.
Meng Chen was carrying a bamboo basket of red dates, intending to present them immediately, but he noticed that after hearing Du Ren's words, the girl patted her palm with a folding fan, looked him up and down twice, and then couldn't help but smile.
The laughter wasn't mocking or ridiculing; it was as if the person simply found it funny.
This girl is so weird! Meng Chen didn't know what was so funny about him, but he couldn't say anything, so he just pretended not to see it.
"Du Ren!" The young girl glanced into the bamboo basket, picked up a large red date, and asked, "I heard you did something quite big at home, even daring to drive away that Gao Dianshi's son!"
"Young Miss! My family has truly suffered an undeserved disaster! That Gao Yuan falsely accused Junior Brother Meng of killing Yan Bao and even attracted the government officials. All the martial arts practitioners in Qingshui County are laughing at my family! My father said that Gao Yuan has broken the rules of us martial arts people, and we must send him away even if it means losing money." Du Ren kept complaining.
The girl smiled again and said, "Uncle, your eyes are quite sharp; you should learn from them!"
"The dates are good!" The young woman grabbed a handful of dates, then smiled at Li Xiang-sheng and his wife, saying, "Brother, sister-in-law, you have guests, so I'll head back now!"
After speaking, the girl held a folding fan behind her back in her right hand, ate a date in her right hand, and walked out the door with light steps.
Du Ren watched the girl leave, seemingly relieved, before having Meng Chen serve him the dates.
After Li Xiangsheng collected the dates and brewed some tea, he began to talk about Gao Yuan.
"Gao Dianshi was recommended by Yan Long. He's currently extremely busy with the Yan brothers' case and has even sent Gao Yuan to curry favor with Yan Long's son. He probably doesn't have time to deal with your affairs."
Li Xiang Sheng was very well-informed. He then instructed Du Ren and Meng Chen, saying, "If you encounter any difficulties that you can't resolve, remember to come and tell me. I can also put in a good word for you. Even if I can't help, our escort agency has so many uncles and elders who can come up with some ideas."
After finishing their business, they chatted for a while before Du Ren and Meng Chen took their leave.
After leaving the Li residence, Du Ren went to the Longwei Escort Agency, which he knew very well, and greeted everyone there before leaving.