When it gets slightly brighter, there are already many people standing at the South City Gate. In addition to people, there are also various noisy livestock chirping. The smell is naturally not very pleasant in summer.
"Xiang Qi!"
A sharp voice shouted, and with the sound of horse hooves, the gatekeeper from the south city gate rode over.
A young man who was joking with a few people by the door hurried over.
"Master Zheng, you are here." He nodded and bowed.
The tall and thin man on the horse raised his eyebrows and pointed his riding crop at him.
"Why hasn't this place been cleaned yet?" he said.
Xiang Qi didn't dare to speak, so he hurriedly responded and turned around to greet the others.
"Sweep it yourself. Do you need everyone to do this city gate?" Zheng Mengguan shouted, and then stretched out his hand to point at a few people over there, "When collecting taxes and cards, everyone can run very fast, that city gate
There is plenty of work, why don’t you guys see it? I support you idlers!”
Several people were scolded and did not raise their hands, but went up to the city gate in a chaotic manner.
The man let out an angry breath and looked at Xiang Qi, who was already sweeping with a broom.
"You lazy little officials!" the man cursed, flicked his riding crop, turned around and left.
Seeing him leaving, the officials who had dispersed gathered around him.
"Where did you get offended again?"
"They must have been kicked out by the brothel lady again..."
Everyone was talking and making fun of each other to vent their anger, and saw that the young man over there was still sweeping.
"Xiang Qi, stop sweeping. After a while, there will be a pile of feces and urine when you enter the door. You can't sweep it over," they shouted.
The man didn't seem to hear, and kept his head swept.
"Xiang Qi, why are you suffering this grievance here?"
"That's it, let your father-in-law pay some money to go to any city gate. You have to serve the livestock at the south gate."
"That's right, with a father-in-law like that, why should I be a petty official? I can just enjoy the happiness at home..."
"What father-in-law, that's dad..."
"Isn't that better? I'm closer than my husband."
They were joking and joking, but Xiang Qi over there didn't seem to hear them, but the cleaning force became stronger and faster, and the speed became faster and faster. There was a cloud of dust and smoke in front of the city gate, so those who were waiting to leave the city couldn't help but cover their mouths and noses to hide.
This petty official is nothing in the eyes of the officials, but the common people are nothing in the eyes of these petty officials.
Everyone covered their mouths and noses to get out of the way, but no one dared to complain. Instead, Xiang Qi slapped him hard several times and could only swallow his anger.
Not long after, the city gate opened, and people from outside the city and outside the city poured in. But the first people to come were not people but groups of pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks.
Xiang Qi was still sweeping. The group of domestic animals was driven past in a noisy manner. Soon there were puddles of feces on the ground. Pedestrians avoided and disturbed the pigs and sheep. They ran around in a noisy manner. Xiang Qi on the side naturally stepped on them.
There are spots on his feet and even his clothes.
"Damn it!" Xiang Qi finally got angry, "It's not enough to be angry with people, you also have to be angry with animals!"
He slammed the broom and dustpan in his hand to the ground and walked away.
When it was daylight, Xiang Qi walked into the house. When the servants saw him, they either gave him a hasty greeting or simply didn't notice him. Xiang Qi was used to it and didn't care. He went straight into the house, threw off his wooden clogs and walked in.
"Why did you come back?"
A woman's voice came from inside.
"Don't you always come back at this time?" Xiang Qi said, with a bit of surprise on his face, "Why do you want to..."
"Can it be the same today? Brother Xu and the others are coming today." The woman interrupted him and walked out of the inner room.
She wore a new dress, had butterfly hair on her temples, and was putting a pearl pendant on her ear. She applied makeup and powder on her eyebrows, and her eyebrows were all smiling.
But when he saw Xiang Qi, the smile on his face fell away.
The surprise had already vanished from Xiang Qi's face.
"Why are you so dirty and smelly again?" The woman frowned and waved her hands and yelled, "Who told you to enter the house like this? Get out and wash yourself!"
"You still don't know how I got myself so dirty and smelly?" Xiang Qi said in a muffled voice, "Didn't you ask me to go to the South City Gate?"
He said that he did not dare to speak loudly, lowered his head and walked out.
"Hurry up and go pick up Brother Xu and the others outside so that you don't have to look for them." The woman shouted after him.
Xiang Qi raised his head and glanced at the woman, his face livid, unable to conceal the hatred in his eyes.
The woman took a mirror to look at her hair on her temples, but she didn't see it.
Xiang Qi withdrew his gaze, lowered his head and walked away.
At this time, Xu Maoxiu and others had already walked out of the door and were crossing the Hongqiao in the city. Suddenly they heard a female voice laughing and calling her husband under the bridge.
At this time of summer, there were many painted boats in the river, including female prostitutes who accompanied their patrons, as well as ordinary female family members spending their summer vacation.
Xu Maoxiu and others didn't pay attention at first, but when they heard the familiar voice and looked around, they couldn't help but be startled.
"Madam, look, it is indeed the husband and the others." the maid shouted, waving to the seven people on the bridge.
"It's my sister."
Xu Maoxiu and others all rushed to the bridge and leaned forward to take a look.
There were three women standing on a small canoe, and they all looked up at them.
"Where are you going, sister?" Xu Maoxiu asked. After asking, his eyes had already spotted the young man standing at the stern of the boat.
Qin Shisan raised his hands to them and saluted them from afar.
"Let's go to the boatman's banquet." The maid smiled, looking at Xu Maoxiu and others, narrowing her eyes and smiling, "The gentlemen are all wearing new clothes today, do you want to go to the banquet too?"
Hearing what she said, the men felt a little uncomfortable and stretched out their hands to tug at their clothes.
"I just said don't change into new clothes, it's not like you're going on a blind date." Xu Bangchui muttered.
The river was turbulent, Cheng Jiaoniang smiled at them and saluted them, waved her hands, and the boat quickly crossed the Hongqiao.
"Mr. Lang must have gone to meet an old acquaintance." The maid smiled and looked back.
Seeing Xu Maoxiu and others turning around on the Red Bridge, they still stopped to watch.
"There are five Hongqiaos along the way, and the largest one is just outside the city." Qin Shisan said, walking slowly. Because the boat was shaking unstable, he had to be helped by a boy.
"My wife used to go out with carriages and horses. Today, look at the scenery of the waterway." He said with a smile.
"It's different." Cheng Jiaoniang said, looking at another arch bridge passing by.
"I planned to invite the lady to play last time." Qin Shisan said with a smile, "I didn't expect the lady to cure me so quickly without giving me a chance to please."
Cheng Jiaoniang turned to look at him and smiled slightly.
"That's also Mr. Qin's neat cooperation." She said.
Qin Shisan was startled and then laughed.
On the river bank next to it, pedestrians were being driven away one after another to get out of the way of a group of carriages and horses.
"parking."
Suddenly a clear voice came from the car.
The well-trained chariots and horses stopped immediately, and the guards at the front, rear and left were also on alert.
The people who were blocked on the street were chatting and laughing, while the shops on one side continued to sell goods.
There were no pedestrians on this side of the river, and the car curtain was opened, revealing the face of the young man.
Prince Jin'an looked at the oncoming boat in the river. It was getting closer and closer, and he could see more and more clearly. On the boat, young men and women stood side by side, smiling at each other, and blinked by.
Prince Jin'an couldn't help but turn his head and look after him.
"Prince?" the guard accompanying the carriage asked in a low voice.
Prince Jin'an looked away and waved his hand.
The motorcade continued to move forward, and the bead curtain swaying in the wind made the profile of the young man inside faintly visible.
The so-called boat banquet is naturally on the boat, the river breeze is cool, and the singing of silk and bamboo is much more melodious than usual.
"how?"
Qin Shisan asked, looking at Cheng Jiaoniang who put down the bowl and chopsticks opposite.
"Not bad." Cheng Jiaoniang nodded in approval.
Qin Shisan looked at the untouched wine on her table.
"My wife is also sick, so it's inconvenient for her to drink?" he asked.
"No." Cheng Jiaoniang said, looking down at the wine bowl at hand. The juice in it was cool and smelled fragrant. "This wine is not delicious."
The female prostitute playing the piano at the side couldn't help laughing.
"Madam, our wine is famous in Beijing." She said, "Maybe Madam is not used to it."
Qin Shisan glanced at the female prostitute with a slightly unhappy expression.
The female prostitute hurriedly bowed her head and apologized, while looking at each other and smiling secretly.
This young man is very protective, so he is not allowed to say such things.
"Yes, I really can't get used to it." Cheng Jiaoniang nodded and stood up.
"There are also good singing and dancing here." Qin Shisan said hurriedly, "It's still early, so I might as well enjoy the fun, Madam."
Cheng Jiaoniang had already stood up and saluted with a smile.
"That will be the next time." She said, "Isn't this time a banquet?"
Qin Shisan also stood up with a smile and walked ahead with her.
"Rokuro is leaving." He said suddenly.
Cheng Jiaoniang hummed.
The corridor of the boat was narrow, and the two of them were almost walking parallel to each other, so there was no room for a boy to support them. Fortunately, Cheng Jiaoniang didn't walk very fast.
"He is going to the northwest." Qin Shisan said again.
Cheng Jiaoniang hummed again.
The two walked out of the cabin. The boat was waiting there, and the women there stretched out their hands to help them.
"Cheng Jiaoniang." Qin Shisan shouted.
Cheng Jiaoniang, who had already stepped on the pedal, looked back at him.
"Can he treat you to a banquet?" Qin Shisan asked.
"Then I don't know, I'm not him." Cheng Jiaoniang shook her head and said.
Qin Shisan looked at her and laughed, then laughed.
The boat rowed away lightly, and the woman on the other side saluted again. Qin Shisanlang quickly returned the gift and watched the boat go away.
The carriage drove into the house, and Qin Shisan was helped down by the boy. He waved away the boy who was about to help him walk, and walked slowly inward.
"Thirteen."
A familiar voice suddenly sounded, causing Qin Shisan, who was lost in thought, to stop and look up. Only then did he realize that he had approached the inner courtyard and saw his mother standing at the door of the courtyard, waving a small ball fan and looking at him with a smile.
"What a coincidence, I met you back home." Mrs. Qin said with a smile, "Where have you been?"
"Mom, how come you never get tired of playing this trick of encountering someone by chance?" Qin Shisan said with a smile, seemingly helpless, "You want to ask me how I went, right?"
Mrs. Qin smiled and covered her face with her fan.
"Oh, Thirteen is so smart and has been seen through again." She laughed with the maid beside her.
"Yes, ma'am, even if we are stupid, we can see through it, let alone the Thirteenth Prince." The maids laughed.
Mrs. Qin even smiled.
Qin Shisan looked at his mother's smile and smiled slightly himself.
Different from the past, my mother's smile became more hearty.
That’s right, things have changed, everything has changed, there’s nothing we can do about it.
"How was your time with that little lady?" Mrs. Qin asked with a smile.
"Very good." Qin Shisan said, smiling and taking steps forward.
However, he stopped and looked up at the sky. Why did this lunch pass so quickly?
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Third update, speaking of plots but not plots, actually this book has always had this rhythm. Don’t worry, why am I so anxious and restless (tears~~) Please bear with me a little longer~~~~(_)~
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Recommendation: The new work "The Great Fragrance Master" by Mu Shuiyou, the author of "Beauty is Ferocious", has been put on the shelves in V, and there is a direct link under the book page. (To be continued)
