Chapter 7 Walking in the snow in search of plum blossoms
"Where's the chilblain ointment that Miss Xunmei gave me? Bring it to me." Meng Yuan directed Jiang Tang.
Jiang Tang obediently went back to get it and delivered it quickly.
Holding it in his arms, Meng Yuan stood up and said, "I'll ask Li Zhuangtou."
"I'll go with you." Old Man Jiang said quickly.
"I'll just go by myself." Meng Yuan smiled and reassured: "Don't worry, I will never cause trouble, I just want to ask a question."
When I went out, I saw the north wind howling, there were no stars in the sky, and there were dogs barking, as if snow was coming.
When he came to Li Zhuangtou's courtyard, Meng Yuan didn't hesitate and asked directly: "Zhuangtou, how is it that I entered the prince's palace to study martial arts?"
"Oh, there is nothing I can do. I went to ask specifically, but what the princess wants is a son. I have spent the two taels of silver you sent me, and I paid one tael for you, but there is really no way to get through." Li Zhuang The head sighed.
Li Dabiao laughed twice and said: "I tell you, little craftsman, you can work with peace of mind first and wait for three to five years. If the princess wants someone else, my father will definitely go and ask for it for you!"
This father and son are really interesting, fooling people into thinking they are fools.
"Then it will be more work for the village head."
Meng Yuan didn't talk much and said: "Zhuangtou, Mr. Jiang has been coughing for the past two days. I want to take a leave tomorrow and go to town to grab some medicine."
"Get medicine? What will you do with your work tomorrow?" Li Zhuangtou became anxious when he heard this. "I tell you, people will get sick when they get old, and taking medicine is of no use. You should work hard, that's the right thing to do!"
"I haven't learned my craft yet. If old man Jiang gets sick and can't work, the loss will still be on the village." Meng Yuan grasped the weakness and said: "When I come back with the medicine, I will definitely work more and improve the work." ”
After hearing this, Li Zhuangtou finally agreed.
When I woke up the next day, snowflakes were already falling.
Meng Yuan left Zhuangzi directly without eating breakfast. He didn't go to Qingshui Town and ran directly to Songhe Fucheng.
The reason why Li Zhuangtou became famous was because he was an old servant who came with the princess as a dowry, so he was treated favorably, nothing more.
Therefore, if you want to eliminate its power, you must cut off the princess's protection!
Of course, how can the master-servant relationship that has lasted for so many years be broken off so easily?
Li Zhuangtou's usual business of reselling manure, pigs and chickens was not considered a big deal and he could only be scolded.
But according to various recent deeds, the princess follows rules, is kind-hearted, considerate of the people, and pays attention to her reputation.
The girl Xunmei had previously asked if anyone had caused trouble in the name of the palace. She was the princess's personal attendant, which was equivalent to asking the princess. It could be seen that the princess was also wary of the people below, but she didn't catch Li Zhuangtou.
But now Li Zhuangtou is colluding with outsiders, bullying orphans and widowed mothers, and seizing people's property in the name of the palace. This has clearly violated the princess's taboo and ruined her good reputation.
Therefore, if you want to castrate, you should start here.
Of course, Meng Yuan didn't have a sharp blade for castration, so he had to borrow a knife, and Miss Xunmei had this knife.
The wind and snow are getting stronger, and the sky and the earth are white.
As the essence fire in his body grew stronger, Meng Yuan became more and more unafraid of the cold, his whole body had enough energy, and he didn't feel tired when walking quickly on the road.
"With no power, no money, and no knife in your hand, it's really difficult to do something!" Meng Yuan trotted forward, fell on his butt, and felt more and more that he had to learn martial arts.
Only in this way can one not be a cow or a sheep, and can one be worthy of the name of a gelding craftsman.
After more than 40 miles of jogging, we arrived at Songhe Fucheng near noon.
Meng Yuan went to grab the medicine first, and asked where the Prince Xin's Mansion was, and then he took the medicine bag and went there.
It took half an hour to arrive at the gate of the palace. Now that the Chinese New Year is still more than half a month away, the palace has been decorated with lights and colorful decorations, making it extremely festive.
"Go to the back door and look for it." After Meng Yuan explained his purpose and presented him with a coin, the disciple gave him some instructions.
Meng Yuan thanked him and went to the back door, where he saw a girl guarding the door.
"Sister, I'm from the Mu Village in the south of the city. I'm here to see Sister Xunmei." Meng Yuan gave two coins and took out the porcelain bottle of chilblain ointment that Xunmei gave.
"Sister Xunmei is busy during the New Year, so you can wait for now." Seeing that Meng Yuan was embarrassed but still handsome, the maid collected the money and the porcelain vase, happily reported inside, and came back after a while, saying: " The report is submitted, just wait. If people don’t come, you can’t blame me.”
Meng Yuan thanked him and stood by the wall waiting, thinking in his mind at the same time.
There are two difficulties with this line of work.
First, Xunmei was busy and could not see her again, so Meng Yuan specially brought the porcelain bottle containing chilblain ointment in the hope that Xunmei would see the old thing and reminisce about the old feelings.
The second is that this matter is essentially a complaint. And if it were true, Xunmei would probably think that she secretly searched for Li Zhuangtou's fault because he blocked Li Zhuangtou from learning martial arts, and complained because of a grudge.
In this way, even if Li Zhuangtou is dealt with, Xunmei will feel that she is thinking deeply, and she can't help but look down and feel inferior.
This time, the matter of learning martial arts ultimately fell on Xunmei, so Meng Yuan had to expose Li Zhuangtou's evil deeds without making Xunmei feel bad.
This tests the ability to adapt to changes. "I have been working so hard all day long, if I had known, I would have gone to face him!" Meng Yuan lamented in his heart.
Half an hour later, when I was covered in snow, I finally smelled the faint fragrance of plum blossoms.
Xunmei was standing in front of the door wearing a light-colored cloak. She just saw someone holding a porcelain vase asking for permission, and she knew who was coming.
Now that the New Year is approaching, it is the time for giving and receiving gifts. Xunmei is used to seeing the world, so when he asked the maid who sent the message and found out that the young man came with a straw paper bag, he felt a little unhappy.
The last time she gave him frostbite ointment, Xunmei had hinted to the young man that as long as he was practical and diligent, he would definitely do something about it in the future. Unexpectedly, a month had not yet come and he would already be giving gifts and making connections.
Now it seems that he is just a man who only knows how to work hard, and he had a good skin in vain. He also played Li Xue's tricks, which shows that he really hasn't read many books and is really boring.
"Meng Yuan?" Xunmei put her hands in her sleeves and spoke lightly.
As soon as Xunmei spoke, she saw that the young man had calmed down, his hands were red, his eyes were extremely clear, a happy smile appeared on his face, and he said excitedly: "Sister Mei!"
"Why are you here?" Xunmei was still cold.
But I saw the young man lifting the straw paper bag in his hand, seemingly unaware of Xunmei's indifference, and said excitedly: "Old man Jiang had a cough at night. I asked for leave to buy medicine. I wanted to go to Qingshui Town, but I didn't go. However, I got lost again when it snowed, so I just followed the main road to Fucheng.”
"Then how did you find this place?" Xunmei felt relieved after seeing that the young man was asking for medicine for his relatives instead of giving gifts.
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The young man's eyes were unavoidable, and he said simply and seriously: "It's snowing heavily today, and I saw a lot of refugees under the city wall, so I thought that if the princess hadn't taken them in, I would still be like them. I thought now that I've arrived. Fucheng, if you don’t come to kowtow to the princess, it wouldn’t be too ungrateful, and Mr. Jiang would have to blame me for being ignorant.”
The young man's hands were red from the cold. He exhaled and rubbed his hands with a simple smile on his face. His clothes were dirty, but he didn't blame himself at all. This showed that his mind was pure, and his gratitude to the princess was extremely sincere. Xunmei couldn't help but feel softer.
"That's enough for you. The princess doesn't like these false gifts." Xunmei smiled softly and said, "It's cold outside, come in and have a sip of tea to warm yourself up."
"No, no." I saw the young man waving his hands quickly, still holding the medicine bag, "I kowtow to the princess and sister, and I have to go back and boil the medicine for Old Man Jiang."
"Don't rush this moment, be obedient." Xunmei no longer has any dislike for this young man. Instead, she feels that he is a simple and sincere person who has both loyalty and filial piety. Even with this skin, he is more and more pleasing to the eye.
After leading the young man through the door and into a side room, Xunmei took off his cloak and poured tea with his own hands.
"Sister Xie Mei." Meng Yuan thanked her sincerely.
"Is it okay to live in Zhuangzi?" Xunmei asked.
"Sister, I am someone who has escaped the famine. I am content with having a place to sleep." Meng Yuan said with a smile.
"You are quite contented." Xunmei smiled and nodded, then asked: "Tell me honestly, has Li Zhuangtou done anything evil?"
"Well..." Meng Yuan was a little embarrassed. When he saw that Xunmei was serious, he said, "I saw that he seemed to have resold some manure outside, and also sent some chickens and eggs outside."
Meng Yuan only talked about trivial matters.
"Ignorant and greedy, but he is from his hometown, so he cannot be treated too harshly."
Xunmei smiled and said: "The princess ordered the people below to send some school-age children to learn martial arts. Why didn't you come? I think you may be a martial arts prodigy."
"Sister is joking." Meng Yuan held the tea cup and said sincerely: "To be honest with you, I discussed it with Old Man Jiang and wanted to give it a try. I also asked the head of Qianyang Village to ask, but the old man said I entered Zhuangzi too late and asked me to wait for two or three years. I thought that this made sense. I was a stranger after all, so it didn’t matter if I waited.”
"This is just a layman's statement. The sooner you practice martial arts, the better. If you delay it for a few years, it will be too late." Xunmei said with a smile.
"That's nothing. I don't understand people who practice martial arts without practicing martial arts." Meng Yuan looked innocent and had no desires. "Anyway, whether you are practicing martial arts or working in the village, you are all working for the princess, so there is no difference."
Meng Yuan was an old loyal minister as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I never thought you were sensible." Xunmei nodded in approval, then asked, "Have you had lunch? I'll have someone bring you some food."
"Sister, it's really bad." Meng Yuan quickly stood up and refused, picked up the medicine bag, and said, "I have to go back and boil medicine for Old Man Jiang. There is also work to be done in the fields, so we can't delay for too long."
"You think I don't distinguish between grains? Farmers don't go out during winter, so what else is there to do in the fields?" Xunmei said with a smile.
Meng Yuan answered honestly: "I almost starved to death on the roadside. It was the princess who gave me food and clothing. If I can do more, it's just a distraction. Besides, Zhuangtou said the ground was bought by the princess newly. , after plowing, spring wheat needs to be replanted, there is no need to delay.”
Xunmei was smiling. After hearing this, she put down her tea cup and asked, "Where is the newly bought land?"
"There are about ten acres just west of Zhuangzi. A few of us have almost finished plowing and fertilizing. Don't worry, sister, I will have a good harvest next year." Meng Yuan was very sincere.
Xunmei nodded, thought for a while, then smiled and took out a few pieces of silver from her embroidery bag and said, "You worked so hard to come here. Since you don't want to eat, keep the money and buy some food on the way."
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"Sister Mei, I have no shortage of food and drink at the village, and I also have Yue Yin. I can't ask for this money." Meng Yuan said no, very determined.
"Then I won't force you. You are simple and honest, and if someone bullies you, just come to me. It's worth calling me sister." Xunmei smiled and said, "Also, you are here today. Don’t tell anyone about meeting me.”
Meng Yuan agreed and said goodbye to Xunmei.
In this line, Meng Yuan did not tell a lie, but told the truth.
"It's hard to pretend to be smart, but it's even harder to pretend to be innocent. Fortunately, I'm pure and innocent, so that's not a disguise." Meng Yuan vowed.
(End of chapter)