A mountain path on the outskirts of Beijing during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty
"Brother Lao, we can be said to have returned to our hearts 'content today. How about we meet up the mountain to discuss state affairs in the future?”
A young master in a light yellow linen shirt was waving a paper fan as he leisurely walked along the mountain path in the cold breeze. He did not forget to turn his head to ask another young master beside him.
"Your brother, it's useless for us to discuss any further. We won't be asked to discuss state affairs in next year's general exams.”Lao Yongkuang, who was dressed in a long white robe, said lightly. His expression seemed to be somewhat disinterested.
Sigh! What did he mean by "discussing state affairs"? It was more like going up the mountain to play!
He was a poor scholar, but he was very different from the children of wealthy families. They did not need to serve their relatives, nor did they need to support their families. They relied on their families and did not have to worry about anything.
However, his family did not have any land and only relied on his mother to raise him up. One could imagine how poor his family was. How could he have the time to accompany them all the time? He was unable to support his family. It was already unfilial to rely on his mother to support the family. If he could not pass the general exams next spring, he really did not know how to face his mother.
He had traveled all the way to Beijing to try and pass the exam and bring honor to his ancestors, not to travel around. However, these two scoundrels dragged him out, making it impossible for him to stay in the inn to study…
"Brother Yongkuang, since we are participating in the exams, we should relax our bodies and minds occasionally. We invited you to go out with us to let you relax. You should thank the two of us, right?”Another man in green who was traveling with him also put his hand on Lao Yongkuang's shoulder and patted him twice to let him know their good intentions.
"To put it bluntly, it's the two of you who want to play.”Lao Yongkuang said helplessly.
Sigh! If he had known earlier, he would not have gone to the capital with the two of them. Otherwise, he would have been able to read more books by himself.
"Brother Lao, you're wrong to say that. This book needs to be read, and the exams need to be taken. Naturally, we need to have fun to liven things up.”The green-robed young master, Wu Xialiu, also put his hand on Lao Yongkuang's other shoulder. His delicate face was filled with a rogue smile.
"That's right, my brother said it well." The yellow-robed young master Ru Beibi didn't forget to agree.
"Yes, yes, yes. Both of you are right.”
Lao Yongkuang grunted in reply, helplessly letting the two of them do whatever they wanted. His mother was right. Sometimes, people could not be too soft-hearted. Once they were soft-hearted, it was easy for them to fall into a tragic situation that was beyond redemption. He now deeply experienced it.
"Alright, after we go down the mountain, we'll go to West Alley Street again.”I, Xia Liu, said.
"Good idea." Rubei Bi agreed again.
"I don't think so. It's already past noon. We should go back to the inn to study.”Lao Yongkuang couldn't help but dissuade them. No matter how soft a person's heart was, there was a limit. He had played with them for the entire morning, and he had already done his best.
"It's so boring to go back and read those books. Let's take a walk around the rouge bushes on West Lane Street before going back to the inn.”Ru Beibi tightened her grip on his shoulders and refused to let him go.
"I don't want to go."
He had heard from his mother that those kinds of brothels and alleys were not to be entered at will. The brothels there would all steal the silver from men, and the silver he had was barely enough to cover his travel expenses to the capital. He had no benefits for them to obtain at all, so why would he go to that kind of place?
"Why don't you go every time I invite you? That place is very fun." I, Xia Liu, decided to move him with emotion. "The three of us are like-minded. From Jiangnan to Beijing to take the exam, we naturally have to share weal and woe along the way. Now that we're going to have fun, if you don't go, how disappointing would that be?”
Lao Yongkuang sighed helplessly, not knowing what excuse he would use to get rid of the two of them this time. On one hand, he didn't have any money to play with, and on the other hand, his mother didn't allow him to go to that kind of place…
Just as he was thinking about how to get rid of the two of them, his sharp eyes suddenly saw a person lying on the side of the mountain path.
"What's going on?" He quickly walked forward to take a closer look. It was indeed a person, and it was an extremely young man. "I don't know if this young man is injured or something. Let's…"
Lao Kuang turned around to call his two friends, but they had already left quickly.
"Hey, your brother, my brother!"
"Since you're not going to the West Alley, then we'll leave first.”The two of them shouted as they ran.
Lao Yongkuang stared at their shrinking figures, unable to believe that the so-called " sharing weal and woe " was such a method.
Forget it, he could only blame himself for not recognizing people clearly and mistaking the foxdog as a good friend. But…how should she deal with this young man in front of her?
It was already winter, and there was still a thin layer of snow on the mountain. If he was left alone…No! No way. At least bring him back to the inn first.
Phew…He was exhausted!
Lao Yongkuang carried the youth who had somehow fallen by the mountain path back to the inn room where he stayed. It was not a long journey, but he was out of breath. He hurriedly put the youth on the kang at the side and poured a cup of tea to catch his breath.
"That's strange. He looks very thin, so why is he so heavy to carry? And he was so thin, why was his chest so thick?”It felt thicker than his own. Lao Yongkuang muttered to himself in puzzlement.
As he panted, he poured himself another cup of tea to relieve the heat that he had not felt for a long time.
Speaking of heat, the young man seemed to be quite hot.
Thinking of this, he immediately walked to the bed and reached out to touch the young man's forehead. It didn't feel that hot…
"What if he really is sick?"
Lao Yongkuang sat down next to the brick bed in a daze. He wondered if he should call a doctor to see the boy. In principle, it would be more appropriate to invite a doctor to take a look, but the silver he had on him was not appropriate.
It was now winter, and it would take some time before the spring test next year. The silver he had on him was only enough for him to stay in this simple inn for a while, not counting his three meals a day. If he had other expenses, his wallet would be empty.
However, he had already brought her back. It was really unreasonable to leave her at the side and not take care of her. To take care of him, the cost…
Lao Yongkuang looked at the young man with a troubled expression. He put the teacup on the table, took a towel, moistened it, and wrung it dry. Then, he slowly wiped away the dirt on the young man's face, revealing a very delicate and handsome face. The young man actually had a pair of curved eyebrows and long eyelashes that were as thick as fans…
Was he a man? This thought suddenly surfaced in Lao Yongkuang's mind.
Looking again, he couldn't help but smile, thinking to himself," The youth was clearly dressed in a man's robe. How could he not be a man?
Moreover, if one took a closer look at the cloth…it was embroidered with gold thread, and the texture was like brocade. This was a robe that only a wealthy family could afford to wear. And the vest he wore was made of silk, and there was even a Ruyi jade pendant tied to his waist…
At this moment, he suddenly realized that this young man was dressed in extraordinary clothes. He was most likely a young master from the city. Otherwise, why would he be dressed in embroidered gold and jade…Wow! It was the first time he had seen such rich and imposing clothes. Even the warm hat on his head was extraordinary.
This youth must have come from a wealthy family to have such a "terrifying" outfit. This was the capital. Perhaps he was the descendant of some high-ranking official or the son of a famous family…If he saved him, would he be rewarded with some benefits when he woke up?
Lao Yongkuang thought as the corners of his mouth curled up. After a while, he suddenly lowered his mouth.
No, how could he have such a narrow and terrifying thought?
He had to rely on himself to fight for this official position and wealth. He had studied hard for many years because of this backbone. Moreover, if this matter really went as smoothly as they thought, then everyone in the world would not have to study hard. They would just have to walk up the mountain every day and see if they could be lucky enough to pick up a young master. If they were a little more fortunate, they might even become sworn brothers. If it was really fortune rivalling heaven, perhaps…
Sigh! How could there be such a good thing in the world? Lao Yongkuang knocked his head and cursed himself for thinking too much.
Moreover, he did not save this youth because of this. He only saw him lying alone by the mountain path in the cold. If he did not care about him, his life would definitely be lost. Saving someone shouldn't be asking for anything in return. Carrying him down the mountain was just a piece of cake, even though he was a little heavy.
Lao Yongkuang looked at the boy's overly handsome face and saw that he seemed to be frowning in pain, his hand pulling the rope tied to his chin.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but untie the rope for him. When the rope was undone, the warm hat loosened, revealing the youth's snow-white forehead and black hair...
He didn't cut his hair... Lao Yongkuang stared at the hair in front of the young man's forehead, his thoughts fluctuating.
Did he forget to shave it? It couldn't be. Even if he had forgotten to shave it, it shouldn't have grown so long…There was only one possibility. He was extremely unwilling to make such a terrifying guess, but…
"No way!" He suddenly shouted.
How was this possible? She wasn't a young man, but a woman?
"What are you making a ruckus about…Which bastard is so reckless as to prattle in this young master's ear and disturb this young master's dreams?”Guan Lanzhi furrowed her brows in anger. She opened her long eyelashes slightly in anger and glared at the impudent person who disturbed her dream.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
She calmly raised her head and looked around. Then, she glared at the man who had not made a sound for a long time and cursed angrily,"Are you deaf or mute? Didn't you hear what I said?”
Lao Yongkuang didn't listen to her at all. His eyes were wide open and he couldn't say anything.
She was not a young man, she was a girl, she was a girl…And her eyes were so clear and sparkling, as if they were not stained with dust, and she was so beautiful that she did not look like an ordinary person…But the words that came out of her tender almond-shaped lips did not seem like words that a girl would say at all, and he was momentarily confused.
"What are you looking at? If you keep looking, I will dig out your eyeballs!”Seeing that his gaze was still on her, Guan Lanzhi couldn't help but feel angry.
She sat up unhurriedly, her bright eyes looking at him with a calm expression, as if she was treating this place as her home.
Guan Lanzhi's large round eyes rolled around, and she frowned slightly. Her gaze slowly fell on the man standing in front of her like a pillar. "Did you bring me here?”
After a long while, seeing that he still did not say a word, Guan Lanzhi could not help but flare up.
"Bastard, this young master is asking you a question, what are you looking at?”Even his eyeballs were about to fall out.
" It's better for a lady to speak gently…" he said faintly.
He was flabbergasted earlier because of her beautiful face, and then he was speechless because of her filthy words…Sigh! No matter how beautiful a girl was, she still had to be polite. Moreover, her male attire was not appropriate. It was simply against etiquette!
"Who are you calling…"
"Your warm hat fell off."
His sudden words answered her doubts. It turned out that the warm hat had betrayed her.
Guan Lanzhi stared at the warm hat that had unknowingly fallen to the side of her pillow. She then looked up hatefully at him for a long time before she said in a rough voice,"Did you take off my warm hat?”
"It's time to change your words. How can a girl call herself Young Master? Even your attire isn't suitable.”
Listening to her deliberately lowering her voice, Lao Yongkuang naturally guessed what she meant, but her face looked like a girl, and she insisted that she was a man…He really couldn't believe it.
Not to mention her black hair and peerless beauty, just from her voice alone, no matter how low she lowered her voice, one could tell that she was a girl.
His eyesight might not be good, but his hearing was superb. How could he not tell if it was a male or female voice!
" How dare you take the dungeon…" Guan Lanzhi paused for a moment before saying,""This young master's warm hat exposed this young master's identity, what crime do you have?”
She had been traveling outside for more than a year and had never let anyone see through her identity. She did not expect that when she returned to Beijing, this man would actually see through her identity... He must have taken off this warm hat. Otherwise, she would not have been able to let go of the rope that she had tied tightly.
And he, a man she had never met before, brought her into his room and untied her Luo rope…
" Did you…" She quickly lowered her head to check her robe.
Seeing her obvious actions, Lao Yongkuang quickly explained,""I untied your Luo rope because you seemed to be quite uncomfortable, so I helped you untie it. I didn't do anything inappropriate to you. I was just kind enough to carry you back to the inn from the mountain path.”
Guan Lanzhi raised her eyebrows slightly, her beautiful eyes scrutinizing him from head to toe, as if she wanted to confirm if what he said was true.
To be honest, she really had no recollection of what had happened. She only remembered that she had returned to the mountains on the outskirts of Beijing and drank some wine on a whim. When he was about to go down the mountain, he felt a little tired, so he took a nap by the mountain path, and then…
She had no recollection of what happened after that. Perhaps it was just as he said, he was kind enough to carry her back…
"Then wouldn't you be touching my body?”Guan Lanzhi suddenly asked.
" I..." Lao Yongkuang was speechless.
He had already noticed that her chest was much thicker than the man's. At that time, he should have guessed that she was not a young man. How could he be so stupid as to think that such a thin body would have such a thick chest?
"Don't tell me you have some ulterior motive for me?”She raised her eyebrows and asked.
"I didn't. I didn't know you were a girl. I carried you back only because I saw you lying on the mountain path and was afraid that you would catch a cold in the middle of the night. I didn't mean anything. I only knew that you were a girl now!”He was so anxious that he almost bit his tongue off. He spoke in a hurry and panic, unable to speak as fluently as he did when he recited poems.
He was just being kind. He didn't have any improper thoughts…He was really just being kind!
"According to what you're saying, are you saying that I'm too ugly for you to realize that I'm a woman?”She smiled quietly in her heart.
He seemed to be quite different. He was handsome and elegant, with a gentle and scholarly temperament. He knew that she was unreasonable, but he restrained his temper and explained to her…In the past year, she had been out sightseeing, and this was the first time she had met such a cute man.
"No, no, no. You're very beautiful. You have a posture that can sink fish and fall geese. You have a face that can even hide the moon and shame flowers. How…how can you be ugly?”
He was simply about to smash his own reputation as a High Scholar. He was only explaining the matter clearly, so why did he always say it in bits and pieces?
"Oh? In that case, you have improper thoughts about me?”Guan Lanzhi did not let it go and asked again.
This silly scholar's reaction was quite amusing. He wasn't as bored as Ama's personal bodyguard, Ge You, nor was he as boring as her elder brother, Guan Jiejue. He... was truly a rare pure man.
"Me?" He suddenly shouted and was tongue-tied. After a long while, he hurriedly said," I didn't mean that. I just carried you back. I just…" How could she accuse him wrongly? She was being kind…How could she…
The more Lao Yongkuang wanted to explain, the more he could not speak smoothly. The more he spoke, the more anxious he became. He was so angry that he wanted to bite off his tongue.
"Is that so?" Guan Lanzhi raised her eyebrows extremely high and the corners of her mouth curled into a gentle smile.
It was really fun! Since there was such a fun thing to do, she decided not to return to his highness's manor early. She still had to stay outside for a while and go back when she had fun.
"Really, I swear to God.”As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately raised his hand to the sky and pretended to swear.
As long as she was willing to believe that he was not a lecherous person, he could make any kind of oath. Anyway, he did not have that intention, so he was not afraid that the oath would come true.
"There's no need. Do you think I'll be so petty as to fuss over it with you? After all…I relied on you to carry me down the mountain.”It was fun to tease people, but it had to stop. Otherwise, it would backfire and it would not be fun.
"That's true." Lao Yongkuang pursed his lips, feeling a little wronged.
That's right! He was just being kind. Why did he seem like a bad guy?
It was all because of her eyes…It was as if she had a demonic nature. He couldn't even speak clearly when he saw her. However, an adult would not forgive a petty person. Since she had already woken up, it meant that she would leave immediately. Otherwise, how could a man and a woman be alone in the same room?
" Although this guest room isn't presentable, but…" Guan Lanzhi stood up and patted her wrinkled robe. She looked around and then turned to him."It's acceptable."
"Huh?" A chill ran down his back, and he had a bad feeling.
"I've decided to stay." she said matter-of-factly.
"Huh?" His mouth opened wider and wider, and his terrible premonition came true. "How can this be? A man and a woman…"
"If I say I want to stay, I mean it. You can only nod and agree.”Guan Lanzhi glared at him with her usual arrogance. "I'm warning you, you'd better not make me angry. I've always had a bad temper, and I can't take it. Once you make me angry, I don't know what I'll do.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she smiled coquettishly and lay down on the kang.
Lao Yongkuang looked at her lying on the only brick bed in the room and said angrily,"With your dressing, it's definitely not a problem for you to find a better guest room. Why are you fighting with me for a room? Besides, I'm a man. You're…too shameless!”
What was he doing now? Do you still have to be angry at others when you save people?
Moreover, this girl was too ridiculous. She was dressed in men's clothes and spoke arrogantly. She did not have the gentleness of a girl at all. Was she not afraid that he would do something to her?
"What can you do?" Her face darkened as she glared at him.
"Eh?" Was she a ghost? Why did he turn hostile so quickly? The difference between smiling and not smiling is too big…#
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]