Chapter 86: 不速之客
[Uninvited or unexpected Guests]
After the first snowfall, the sky gets darker earlier, not long after dinner, the window is dark, and the ears are filled with the rattling sound of the cold wind blowing against the window.
A few days ago, Li Haitang replaced the gorgonzola paper with glazed glass in a few rooms of the house, and sleeping at night, much better than before, no longer worried about the cold wind drilling through the cracks of the windows.
Inside the bedroom, three oil lamps are lit side by side, Li Haitang sits under the lamp, threading a needle and her mind is restless.
Yesterday, when Si Xi came back, the corners of his eyes were black and blue, she asked what happened, and Si Xi’s eyes dodged, saying that he had accidentally fallen.
Li Haitang is what kind of people, with one look looking at this small child, you can see him lying, she did not reveal it but pulled Si Xi to chat, a few words, before they set out.
Where there are people’s places is Jiang Hu, Fushan Academy is the same, by the background, no silver then you will be bullied, the scholars are inevitably self interest and have a utilitarian heart.
Little brother Li Jin Hu entered the academy by passing his own test, no one introduces. His clothes, food, housing and transport are ordinary level, his page boy is a simple and honest person, with one look they can see he was born from a poor family.
Li Jin Hu studied extra hard, was praised by the teacher, had talent, and people who lived in the same courtyard were jealous of him.
“They secretly added water to the young master’s cooker, and the young master was woken up in the middle of the night by the cold and wind chill.”
Speaking of this, Si Xi was very indignant, making some small tricks, he could ignore it, but to be so mischievous as to extinguish the stove fire and make his own young master sick.
So, he was angry, looking for someone to fight, but he didn’t know who did it, so he cleaned up the other three scholar’s scribes who lived in a courtyard.
Those scribes, there was no way he could offend them, and Si Xi thought about it, he couldn’t make it too difficult for his own young master, but between the scribes, a bit of friction was normal.
He had to wield his fists and let them know that his own young master was not easy to bully!
“Then what is your punishment?”
Li Haitang didn’t get angry, but guided Si Xi to speak more. Regardless of whether what Si Xi did was right or wrong, the starting point was to protect the master and think about Li Jin Hu, so as the master’s family, she couldn’t let Si Xi be chilled, and I believe, the youngest brother understands this as well.
“Received twenty slaps.”
Si Xi spoke very quietly, he has thick skin and flesh, it’s fine to take a beating, anyway, he cleaned them up, he was very relieved.
“Is Jin Hu’s chill getting better?”
Li Haitang’s first concern was her little brother’s body. She didn’t have a very good impression of the scholar, and the friction that occurred was all to be expected.
Fighting for righteousness every time, butchering dogs’ generation, ungrateful, in all cases are scholars. Human ah, read a lot of books, naturally have ambition. Da Qi’s scholars have a high status, so those people have been dejected to find the north.
“Well, the young master does not let me say.”
Li Jin Hu is equally afraid of his own big sister worrying, this small matter he can face it himself. Now that he didn’t have scholarly honors (in imperial exams) yet, if not, he can hinder a lot of problems.
He always remembered Li Haitang’s teaching that even if he retaliated, he would make it so that the other party couldn’t find any evidence, so he asked Si Xi to buy some croton seed.
Those people blocked his cooker. Very good , he put croton seed, a strong purgative, let them collectively run thatched toilets, even the same courtyard of the scholars were not spared.
Sure enough, they all suspected each other, dog-bites-dog (dog fight), for several days in a row, exhausted, have become mortal enemies, and no one to find his trouble.
Li Haitang listened to Si Xi’s relay, nodded repeatedly. The little brother raised one and inferred three / to deduce many things from one case and was educated successfully, it was because this Si Xi, loyal to protect his master, was a hotheaded one.
“Problems that can be solved by fists and feet are not problems.”
Li Haitang turned his head to educate Si Xi, letting people catch the handle, he himself had to endure the pain of flesh and blood, why is this necessary?
Before doing anything, don’t be impulsive, think of a way to get the best of both worlds, so that the other party will be unlucky and still not suspect themselves.
Si Xi rubbed his buttock and nodded his head instantly, his brain became suddenly witty as if he was enlightened.
The good thing was, he was a truthful mind, the person he believed would not change, Li Haitang also did not need to worry, Si Xi was harmful to his little brother.
Taking advantage of the work now, Li Haitang made fur cushions, this time with cotton inside, sitting fluffy, so that when the little brother studies on a cold day, it is not so unendurable.
Creak; a slight rattle came from the doorway, but on this night, it was still audible.
“Second Aunt Chen?”
Li Haitang put away her needle and thread, stood up, and walked towards the door.
Second Aunt Chen came over every night to take a look, to supervise her, not letting her do her garments against the oil lamp, for fear that she would boil her eyes, and told her only that it was Xiao Lingchuan’s command.
Before she could walk to the door, Li Haitang locked her eyebrows, she turned her head, ran to the bed, took out the dagger from under the pillow to defend herself.
There was the smell of blood in the room, someone had come in!
“Who? If you don’t tell me, I’ll shout!”
Li Haitang was very nervous, her sweaty hairs stood up, she really wanted to cry and wondered if she was having some bad luck.
A low and nice laughter, the visitor gasped a few times, “Little Haitang, don’t be so unfriendly, it’s an old friend.”
“Little Red Peach?”
Hearing the voice, the stone in Li Haitang’s heart fell halfway, she went to the doorway to take a look and was startled.
Little Red Peach was wearing a black night clothes, his waist wet a piece, by the blood soaked through the clothes.
“You’re injured?”
Li Haitang rubbed the corner of her forehead, she had time or numbly go to worship the Buddha, ask the Buddha for blessings, she felt that she was stained with a big trouble.
The red corner of the theatre troupe, wearing night clothes, and being injured, would give her a lot of bad associations, after all, she and her own savage husband had done this, and wasn’t just an ignorant person.
Trouble at the door, and a whole lot of bad luck to be cannon fodder!
“Can I borrow your home?”
Little Peach Blossom laughed softly, pale face, and even soft beauty, this face if born in a woman, is really devastatingly beautiful or a source of calamity of the country.
“Can I refuse?”
Li Haitang rolled her eyes, she really wanted to refuse, only she didn’t know what exactly this guy had committed, in case she bit the bullet and said that she, Li Haitang, was an accomplice, then it would really be a closed door sitting at home, and trouble would come from the sky!
Don’t doubt it, Little Peach Blossom is a practitioner of Buddhism (lit.”good men and faithful women”, it is used to refer to laypeople, especially those who are devoted to Buddhism), this point, she is sure.
“You are smart.”
Little Red Peach hooked the corner of his mouth, a look of appreciation appeared in her eyes. He could have gone somewhere else, but he inexplicably felt that Li Haitang could guarantee his safety.
In return, he was willing to give the other party ten thousand taels of silver. Seeing her money-minded look, Little Red Peach was inexplicably in a good mood.
She was the first and only person who could arouse his interest, so hopefully she wouldn’t disappoint him.
“Can you start talking about the situation so I can be prepared?”
Men and women should not touch hands when they give or receive things, but Li Haitang was a doctor and wasn’t worried about that at all, what she was worried about was getting dragged into it.
“Just need you to think of a way to hide me from tonight’s row, within three days, I’m bound to leave.”
Little Red Peach covered the wound at his waist with his hand, the pain was unbearable, if not for his perseverance, he would not have been able to hold on until now.
“Hey, hey!” Before Li Haitang could finish asking, Little Red Peach fainted first.