The night was silent.
During breakfast, Captain Dong excitedly said to Zheng Qinglan,""The canteen has already decided to buy your Fourth Aunt's fish. From this week onwards, you will have your Fourth Aunt deliver fish here once every Wednesday.”"How many catties are you going to give each time?" "It's about 70 catties. There are only so many people eating in the canteen.”"Then I'll go and reply to my fourth aunt after breakfast.”After breakfast, Zheng Qinglan borrowed a bicycle from Shang Liu Xin and flew to his fourth aunt's house. When his fourth aunt heard that she could send fish to the canteen, she said happily,"You guys are really efficient. It's only been a few days and you've already agreed.”When she heard that 70 catties of fish were needed at one time, she felt that it was too little and said,"It's only 70 catties a week. In a year, we only sell 3,000 to 4,000 catties. Although our pond is not big and we don't feed it, we still have more than 5,000 catties of fish in a year. Qing Lan, to be honest, you've helped us a lot and saved us a lot of time.”
"If you need my help when you come to sell fish tomorrow, look for me in the cabin you went to last time. I won't go out and will wait for you there.”Zheng Qinglan said goodbye to her fourth aunt. When she rode into the courtyard, she saw a motorcycle parked in front of her door. It was exactly the same as the one Jin Ling rode last time. Zheng Qinglan's heart couldn't help but beat wildly. Was Jin Ling here? Where was she? She was nowhere to be seen. Was this her motorcycle? He looked around the motorcycle again and was sure that it belonged to Jin Ling. It must be nearby. I went to look for it. After taking a few steps, I heard Jin Ling call out to him,"Brother Qinglan, you're back." "Where did you go?" "Your sister next door said that you had something to do, so I went to her office for a while. I thought you were back, so I came out and happened to see you.”"You don't even know her. What are the two of you talking about?”"I didn't say anything. She just asked me who I was and what I did.”"Have you told her?" "I told you. It's no secret.”"What did you say?" "I told you I was your friend." "Oh, you should say that." "That's all I can say. What else can I say?" Jin Ling blushed.”
"I'm praising you for being right, haha.”
"You don't have to praise me. Even a fool would say that. But we aren't real friends. You and my brother can barely be considered friends, but the time you've known each other is too short. I've benefited from my brother's light, so the time I've known each other is even shorter.”
"I only met your brother a few hours earlier than I met you, but when it comes to the number of times I've interacted with you, you're more than your brother.”
"Are you saying that we're friends and that you've kicked my brother aside?”
Zheng Qinglan chuckled. A blush appeared on Jin Ling's handsome face, making her even more charming.
"Go in and sit."
After entering the house, Jin Ling looked around and said,"Brother Qinglan, you're pretty good. Not only do you have a bed, but you also have a desk, a kitchen, and a small courtyard.”
"I'm far from being comparable to you. You have buildings, shops, and large courtyards.”
"Our place is big and practical, but it's a little too noisy. It's either cars or people. There's never a quiet time all day long. Although your place is small, it's quiet. You can read as long as you want.”
"What books have you been reading?"
"Mainly novels, stories, and so on. For foreign novels, I read some works by Gogol, Tolstoy, Balzac, Boccaccio, Hugo, and others. For Chinese novels, in addition to the Four Great Classics, I also read some works of contemporary writers, as well as some short story collections and poems.”
"Oh, it's mainly literature. Actually, it can be more extensive. You can read the Hundred Schools of Thought, the classics and history, the popular science knowledge of foreign countries, fables, fairy tales, and some works on literary criticism.”
"I don't like reading those works on literary criticism. It's too boring and too profound.”
"If you only like to read novels and poems and not write novels or poems, it doesn't matter if you like to read literary criticism works or not. If you want to write novels and poems, reading some works in this field will be beneficial.”
"What benefits? I don't think there's a particularly close connection between them. It's nothing more than writing a review.”
" It's related. We can examine our works from the perspective of a critic and discover the flaws in the works 'ideology and art. It's just like how a doctor can easily discover a patient's illness, but ordinary people can't.”
"Oh, it's like this. The things I wrote myself were not bad, but compared to those famous people, they couldn't be uglier. Brother Qinglan, why do those great writers write so deeply, so richly, and so naturally? But my writing is always like squeezing toothpaste and piecing things together.”
" This has to do with the breadth and depth of your thinking, as well as your ability to express yourself. These can all be changed. The more you think and write, the more you improve in these areas. It might not be particularly difficult for a person to become famous by writing, but it's not easy to leave behind a classic. After all, you haven't reached that stage yet.”
"There is a phenomenon where young people are more likely to achieve results in poetry, but in novels, they are more inclined to older people.”
"Ah, your conclusion is right. There were many great poets who became famous at a young age, but novelists who became famous early on were rare.”
"That's not bad. Wouldn't my novel be the best of the worst?”
Zheng Qinglan was amused by Jin Ling's behavior and couldn't stop laughing. At this moment, his body and mind were relaxed to the maximum. Jin Ling acted naturally in front of him, and he felt that he was the most relaxed.
"A blessing in disguise. Your poem should be the best of the best.”As he spoke, he stretched out his hand in front of Jin Ling.
Jin Ling put her hand into her bag but didn't take it out. She looked at Zheng Qinglan and said,""I can give it to you, but you're not allowed to look at it now.”
"Why not? How can we discuss it if we don't watch?”
"I'm just embarrassed. I'm afraid that my writing is too bad.”
"I believe you wrote it very well. Once you give it to me, I can't help but open it.”
"No, if you want to see it now, I won't take it out.”
"Alright, alright. I won't look, I promise I won't look.”
Jin Ling took out an exquisite notebook with a colorful cover from her bag and handed it to Zheng Qinglan. Zheng Qinglan took it and pretended to open it. Jin Ling immediately came over to snatch it away. Zheng Qinglan twisted her body to the side. Jin Ling couldn't hold it back and pounced on Zheng Qinglan. A unique fragrance of young women instantly entered his nose. A certain emotion in his body was ignited. He wanted to hold Jin Ling with one hand and vent his passion. However, he was rational. His strong rationality suppressed his impulse at the last moment. Jin Ling also stood up in embarrassment and said with a flushed face,"Brother Qinglan, I didn't expect you to be so bad.”
"I didn't look, I didn't look. I was just teasing you.”
With a " kuang " sound, the sound of the door opening came from the other side. Shang Liu Xin had returned. She usually didn't come back halfway. Why did she come back today? Moreover, she seemed to be in a hurry. Could it be that something had happened? Zheng Qinglan thought.
At first, the two of them were unrestrained, but after the commotion just now, they became a little reserved. They sat silently for a while, and Zheng Qinglan broke the awkwardness first."Are your brothers at home?" "He's not at home. He and my sister-in-law have already opened another shop in the city and rarely come back.”"They're really fast. They opened it just like that. Where is it? Is business good?”"It's in the small commodity city in the south of the city. It mainly does wholesale business. There are many people doing business in the city and there are many customers. It's us who do business in the countryside who buy goods there. Their business is not bad.”
"You're also there when you purchase goods, right?"
"Needless to say, if they have goods, they will definitely buy them from there. If they don't have them, they will buy them from other places. The people in their market all know each other, so the goods in our shop are cheaper than those in other shops. However, I didn't go to stock up. It was always my brother who sent the goods back or brought them back on the bus. My brother said that it was troublesome and disadvantageous to purchase goods. He said that I couldn't do it and wouldn't let me enter by myself.”
"His heart aches for his sister. You're so blessed. How does he know what your shop lacks?”
"Haha, you don't know about that. Guess how he knows.”
"Writing a letter is too slow, or you can ask someone to send a letter. For example, you can write the goods you want on a piece of paper and ask the bus driver who passes by your place to bring them over.”
"Haha, let me tell you, we recently installed a phone in our house and spent a few thousand. Upstairs and downstairs, we have all the lights and phones in our house. In the first few days when I was pretending, I chatted with my sister-in-law when I had nothing to do. My mom said that I had to spend a lot of money, but I didn't care. These days, I didn't care anymore, so I chatted less. Hehe, how interesting.”
"Congratulations! Upstairs and downstairs, electric lights and phones. It was the ideal life picture that our teacher painted for us when we were in primary school. We thought that it would be impossible to realize it when we were old. I didn't expect you to realize it in just a few years.”
"Yeah, we didn't think about this two years ago.”
"Since your brother and sister-in-law are not at home, won't you become the main force in the family?”
"I don't feel like I've become the main force. My life is still the same as before. My parents are in charge of selling vegetables, and I'm in charge of the shop. When there are customers, I sell goods. When there are no customers, I read books. At night, when the shop is closed, I write and draw.”
"Then you can't get married. You can only find a live-in son-in-law.”
"Why?"
"If you get married, who will take care of the shop?”
"Are you saying that I'll be guarding two shops for the rest of my life?”
"That's not just two shops. It's a business and a source of income. Look around, who's bigger than your family? Why don't I introduce you to a boyfriend and marry into your family to manage the business with you?”
"Who needs you to introduce me? Do you know what kind of person I like?”
"Tell me, I'll look for one according to your conditions.”
"I think you don't have to worry about that. I believe in fate.”
"Has fate come?"
"I'm not talking to you."
"I know even if you don't say it."
"Tell me."
"You must be looking for someone rich or influential.”
"How did you know?"
"Since ancient times, beauties love heroes."
"Hahaha, Brother Qinglan, I didn't expect you to praise people.”
"I'm not praising you. I really think so.”
"I don't think like you. It's tacky.”
"Then I'll help you find someone who's not tacky.”
"You don't have to worry about it. I'll find it myself. By the way, my brother called to ask if I've seen you. He said that you should visit him when you're free.”
"Okay, I'll go when I get back this week. Are you going too?”
"No, Brother Qinglan, I'm not asking you to go to my brother's shop this week. I want to invite you to a very special place.”
"What special place?”
"It's a place that even Li Bai likes to go. I think you like to go too.”
"Oh, then the place you mentioned should be a famous place. Where is it?”
"Yes, yes, it's a famous place called the Military Stronghold. Legend has it that Liu Xiu once stationed troops there when he raised his army. It's not far from here and can be reached in more than an hour by motorcycle.”
"What is this place? Why haven't I heard of this place before? Do you know how to get there?"
"I went there once last year and felt that I hadn't seen enough, so I wanted to go again.”
"What kind of scenery is there? Did many people go?"
"I went there last spring. There were flowers, trees, and stone walls. There have been many battles there. In short, it's different from what we see now. It's very fresh. There weren't many people who went there last year. It was said that a big boss from outside wanted to buy the place and develop the tourism industry. He hadn't been there this year, so he didn't know how the situation was this year.”
"Alright, let's go together. I also want to see what kind of famous mountains and rivers this is.”
"I promise you will like it too. It's settled then. I'll come over to call you on Sunday morning. Don't run around so that I won't be able to find you.”
"Okay, I promise I won't go anywhere. I'll just wait here for the rabbit.”Zheng Qinglan suddenly remembered that she had to report to Luo Tianyin this week, so she changed her mind and said," No, no, I can't go this week. I have to report back to the museum. Why don't we set another time? Besides, it's cold now. There's nothing to see there."”
"Aren't you reporting to the director on Saturday?" Jin Ling asked. We can go on Sunday. Take the early bus to my place on Sunday morning, and then we'll go by bike. The morning bus usually arrives at my place at around seven o'clock. We ride for an hour, but it's not even nine o'clock when we get there. We play there for five or six hours before we come back. It's not even four o'clock when we get home. It's still very early. Every season has its own scenery. It should be said that there will be scenery no matter when we go. Let's go and see the autumn scenery. What do you think?”
"You're right. If we can't go on Saturday, we can go on Sunday. I'll take the early bus to your place on Sunday, and then we'll go sightseeing.”
"Good, good, good. It's a deal. Now it's me waiting for the rabbit, haha. Let me remind you that the weather is very cold now. In addition, we left early. You should wear more clothes in case you catch a cold. Alright, I should go. Otherwise, my parents will be worried at home. Here, these are the biscuits I brought for you. Consider them your reward for helping me read the manuscript.”
"If you say so, you can take the biscuits back.”
"Hehe, don't be so serious. I was just teasing you.”
"Let's have lunch here before we leave.”
"No, if you have the chance, come to my place. I'll treat you to a meal. My brother and sister-in-law aren't at home, and my parents don't care about me.”
"Are you serious? Don't hate me when I go.”
"Don't worry and come boldly. No one will dislike you, hehe.”
When they returned from the canteen after lunch, Shang Liu Xin stopped Zheng Qinglan. She said with a faint smile,""I didn't know that you're so good at coaxing girls. One just left, and another came looking for her. Is there a long line behind her?”
"No, no, this girl just now is just an ordinary friend of mine. No, we're not even ordinary friends.”
"I think you two are close old friends and you're talking so much. I've never heard you talk so much and have such feelings for her.”
"No, I haven't."
"I don't believe you."
" I really didn't. If you don't believe me, then forget it."
"Then you're still thinking of making up with Fu Qian.”
"That's even more impossible."
"That's true. Men like the new and hate the old. This Jin Ling is more beautiful and more spiritual than Fu Qian. Listening to her, she's quite cultured and she's quite compatible with you.”
"Can you stop talking? I'm not in the mood to think about it now.”
"Yo, you sound quite sad when you say this. It means that you still value relationships and righteousness. You're much stronger than those beasts.”
Zheng Qinglan knew what she meant. She couldn't help but feel disgusted. She had always looked down on those selfish men. Now that Shang Liu Xin had compared him to a two-legged beast who had abandoned her, of course, he felt disgusted. Disgust was disgust, but when he thought of the great humiliation Shang Liu Xin had suffered, that originally weak dislike immediately vanished. That shameless man, that man who trapped women in the abyss, you should really go to hell and never be reborn as a human.
Her originally dull life had been stirred up by Jin Ling's arrival. However, after hearing Shang Liu Xin's words, Zheng Qinglan's heart turned gloomy again. It didn't change gradually. It was just so sudden. Zheng Qinglan couldn't get used to it. She felt uncomfortable and tears welled up in her eyes. Zheng Qinglan sighed in her heart and returned to her room. Shang Liu Xin mumbled something, then went into her room and slammed the door. Zheng Qinglan, who was next door, felt a strange pressure. Zheng Qinglan sat in front of the table in a daze for a while. Suddenly, she remembered the notebook that Jin Ling had left here. She opened it and her eyes lit up. On the title page, there were the words " Please be elegant, Brother Qinglan." She turned to the second page and found a table of contents. The genre of the works was clearly divided. In front were novels, essays, and behind were poems. The title of the works was also obvious. When did this collection begin? From the words written on the title page, it might have been prepared in the past few days. Looking at the works inside, the font was the same, and there was no obvious difference in the color of the handwriting. This meant that they had been prepared in the past few days. How much effort would that take? It was impossible to do these things during the day, so he could only do it at night. Zheng Qinglan couldn't help but respect Jin Ling a little more. She didn't expect that this girl who was doted on by her parents and sisters-in-law would be so serious in doing things. At the same time, she also thanked Jin Ling for respecting her so much.
He just sat there and flipped through page by page until his eyes were sore. Only then did he stop. When he turned his head to look out the window, he discovered that the sky had already darkened. He heard Shang Liu Xin opening the door. After a while, he heard Shang Liu Xin shouting from outside the door, Zheng Qinglan, it's time for dinner." She changed the name from Little Zheng to Zheng Qinglan, from a more polite and unfamiliar form of address to a more casual one, indicating that their relationship was different from before.
"Hey, I'm here." Zheng Qinglan agreed. She took the bowl and went out. Shang Liu Xin stood there waiting for her. Zheng Qinglan furrowed her brows. Shang Liu Xin noticed this and asked,""Why are you frowning? Do you think I'm waiting for you?”
"No, I've been reading for too long, so I'm not used to coming out.”
"What are you reading? You're so engrossed. Be careful of your eyes.”
"I know."
Baogen saw the two of them from afar and stood there waiting. When they came closer, he said,"What are you two talking about? Are you discussing what vegetables to buy and treat us to a meal?”
Zheng Qinglan wanted to say that if you want to eat, I'll treat you, but before she could say anything, Shang Liu Xin said,""Why? You haven't invited us yet. Why are you so greedy?”
Baogen said," You weren't so harsh when you spoke. How did you become so powerful now? It's not good to be too powerful. Be careful…" The worker beside him poked him. He realized something and swallowed the second half. Shang Liu Xin fiercely glared at him. He was too embarrassed to drag his colleagues away.
When eating, Zheng Qinglan intentionally slowed down. Shang Liu Xin finished her meal and washed the dishes. She stood outside the canteen for a while and left before Zheng Qinglan came out. When Zheng Qinglan was walking back, Lan Guiying stopped him.""Brother, do you feel anything different these few days?”
"No, I didn't."
"Did you really not feel it or are you pretending not to feel it?”
"I really didn't feel it. What's wrong?”
"I saw that the way that Shang girl looked at you changed. I'm afraid she has her eyes on you. It's not that Sister-in-law is meddling in other people's business. If you want her, you won't have a good life for the rest of your life. I know her too well. If you don't believe me, don't you believe your brother? He's the same as you. He's not a talkative person. Go ask him and see what he says.”
"Sister-in-law, don't say it. I know.”
"I know, I know. I think you only know what you say but you don't know anything. Can't you stay away from her? You're getting closer and closer to her.”
After interacting with Lan Guiying for the past few days, Zheng Qinglan was a little annoyed at first. She felt that Lan Guiying liked to gossip about others, but what she said was proven to be true. On one hand, Zheng Qinglan admired her ability to collect information. She didn't ask anyone about it, so she didn't know how she got the information. Moreover, the accuracy was surprisingly high. On the other hand, he was very worried that Lan Guiying would be questioned because of her gossip. This kind of thing was quite common in the countryside. Although Lan Guiying had been gossiped about a lot, no one had asked her about it publicly. It was probably because she was telling the truth. Most people were afraid of others finding out about their disgraceful deeds and only hoped to make peace as soon as possible. Therefore, they pretended not to hear the gossip even if they knew it. Those who were questioned would usually restrain themselves. Some of them even changed their ways and stopped saying that they were flirting. Lan Guiying's gossiping style was consistent. It was obvious that no one had asked her about her right or wrong, and it was impossible for her to suffer any major blow.
But now, Zheng Qinglan didn't dislike Lan Guiying anymore because he felt that Lan Guiying was really kind. She usually asked about her well-being and sometimes even asked Zheng Qinglan to take her dirty clothes to help wash them. She wouldn't forget him even if there was a little delicious food. She would rather not eat it herself. It was no different from treating her own brother.
What made Zheng Qinglan respect Lan Guiying even more was that she was a fierce woman. He had once heard from his fourth aunt that Pei Tianwen had once coveted Lan Guiying's beauty. He had threatened and bribed her many times to force her to submit, but Lan Guiying refused to listen to him. Pei Tianwen had no choice but to find an excuse to kick her out of her position as an accountant and make her a tool keeper. Pei Tianwen even threatened that this was only the initial punishment. Lan Guiying ignored him. She was prepared to quit and go home to farm, but she stayed for Zheng Guangrong. If a woman was fresh in this aspect, she would not have any major problems in other aspects. It was really a great fortune for a person to marry a beautiful and sincere woman in their lifetime. No wonder Brother Guangrong was smiling all day long and doted on his sister-in-law. He listened to her every word. Who wouldn't be like that?
"Let me tell you, among Fu Qian, Jin Ling, and Shang Liu Xin, the one that suits you the most is Jin Ling, and the one that doesn't suit you the most is Shang Liu Xin. However, the one in the most danger right now is Shang Liu Xin.”
Zheng Qinglan admired Lan Guiying once again. Lan Guiying's words were absolutely in line with his inner thoughts, but he couldn't admit it. He said,"Sister-in-law, thank you for your trouble. I know what to do.”She didn't care what Lan Guiying wanted to say, so she went back to her room, picked up Jin Ling's notebook, and compared the poems that she had the deepest impression of, and chose one of them.
It could be seen from the poem that Jin Ling not only had a gentle and lovely side, but also a resolute and strong side. What would she look like when she was angry? Would her face turn red, her beautiful eyes open wide, and she scold him sternly, or would she grit her teeth and glare at him without saying a word? After thinking for a while, he couldn't come up with anything. This scene was completely different from the Jin Ling he knew. There was no reference point. He couldn't help but retreat. Isn't it good to have a clear moon and clear wind? Why do you have to be covered in dark clouds?
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。