PFC Chapter 1036: The Man Comes Riding on a Bamboo Horse (25)
Chapter 1036: The Man Comes Riding on a Bamboo Horse (25)
The round moon shines over the nine provinces, some are happy while others are sad. Some couples share the same bed, while others are adrift outside.
When the Xue family received the news that the Ning family had arranged the marriage, Xiao Jianlu was kneeling in the study of private school teacher Yuan Xu with the jasmine tofu he had just bought this morning.
Originally, he wanted to ask Yuan Zhaoyue's maid to pass it on, but the maid directly led the person to Yuan Xu's study.
"Mr. Xiao, please wait a moment!" After the maid took the person to the study, she left immediately.
As soon as he entered the study, Xiao Jianlu felt both nervous and excited.
He was afraid that the Master would find out that he had delivered things for Yuan Zhaoyue and would blame him; but there was a voice in his heart telling him that he had passed the Master's test and should be able to go further.
Yuan Xu's study was decorated extremely elegantly, and did not look like the study of an ordinary scholar at all.
There were pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the low couch, and a straw mat next to it. But unlike the ones in his home, it was not only finely crafted, but also had a faint fragrance.
The study is separated by a screen with a landscape painting, through which you can see the zither and incense burner placed behind it.
Just as Xiao Jianlu was thinking about what he should do to avoid being rude, a servant came in carrying tea.
"Mr. Xiao, you're welcome!" The servant was quite respectful. "Please take a seat. The master said he'll come and see you once he finishes his current business. Please be patient and wait for a moment. Please enjoy some tea and snacks."
After saying that, the servant placed the tea on the low table on the other side of the room. There was also a straw mat on the side, but it was a little rough.
Xiao Jianlu nodded and said okay, then knelt down on it.
Nowadays, when scholars meet guests, they usually sit on their knees.
Kneel on the ground with your knees together, your buttocks sitting on your heels, your back straight, and your hands placed naturally on your knees.
When he saw the mat, Xiao Jianlu probably understood that the teacher wanted to test his etiquette.
After all, this posture is the first compulsory lesson for school.
Xiao Jianlu, who was being tested, was already very happy at this time. It was not an accountability but a test of his etiquette. This meant that what he had in mind should be successful.
He sat there for two hours.
By the time Yuan Xu walked into the study, Xiao Jianlu was already too tired to maintain this posture.
I saw him with his legs stretched out in front of him and spread out, as if he was sitting cross-legged, sitting casually on the straw mat.
Because Xiao Jianlu's position "just happened" to be facing the door, and Yuan Xu deliberately lowered his footsteps, this rude action was seen by Yuan Xu.
"Xiao Jianlu, is this what I taught you to do?" Yuan Xu's voice was intimidating without anger. "You are also a serious scholar. Look at what you look like now."
"Master?" When Xiao Jianlu heard the voice, he almost immediately stood up and saluted Yuan Xu. However, he had been kneeling for too long, and his knees and legs were a little numb, so he rushed forward and fell flat on his face.
Xiao Jianlu felt extremely embarrassed, but when he wanted to stand up, he didn't have the strength to do so.
There is often no most shameful thing in this world, because there are always more shameful things.
Yuan Zhaoyue, who had walked in with her father, also happened to see this scene. She covered the corners of her upturned mouth with the fan in her hand and said in a "worried" tone: "Brother Xiao, what happened? Are you hurt?
Shu'er, go and help Master Xiao up. Even though it's not cold now, he can't just lie on the ground all the time! Daddy's room is paved with bluestone, and it's very cold."
Shu'er responded quickly, then hurried over to help Xiao Jianlu up.
A typical case of one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop.
Yuan Xu was disgusted, while Yuan Zhaoyue was helping him.
"Dad, don't be angry with Brother Xiao. It's rare for him to kneel for such a long time, and he also brought jasmine tofu for his daughter." Yuan Zhaoyue said to Yuan Xu in a coquettish tone.
When Xiao Jianlu saw that Yuan Xu's expression had eased a little, he felt relieved and was filled with gratitude towards Yuan Zhaoyue.
"Take the jasmine tofu he gave you and go back to your room!" Yuan Xu said, feigning seriousness as he urged his daughter. "Xiao Jianlu, please sit down again. I have something to tell you."
Yuan Zhaoyue took the food box with a smile, thanked Xiao Jianlu, and left Yuan Xu's study with the maid.
As soon as the two returned to their own courtyard, Yuan Zhaoyue's expression changed. Without even taking a bite of the box of jasmine tofu, she said, "I won't eat anything that's been left out overnight. It smells too fishy. Shu'er, you can just dispose of it!"
It turned out that when the Xiao family father and son went to buy jasmine tofu today, they met a "kind-hearted person" who sold them a portion of jasmine tofu at half price.
This person bought this 100-cent jasmine tofu for 50 cents last night, and then changed the simple packaging into a box similar to the one in the store and sold it to those who were looking for a bargain.
The performance that Xiao Jianlu put on in front of the store yesterday successfully made this "middleman" remember him.
So before he even reached the door of the store, the man had already spotted him and went straight up to recommend this box of jasmine tofu to the Xiao father and son.