Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 736 Young Master, Be Careful. [Thank you! Bow again! 37k words owed]

Zhang family backyard,

Fifth Sister's Courtyard

The sounds of commotion coming from the main gate could be faintly heard.

The chimney on the roof of the main house was emitting blue smoke, which was quickly blown away by the north wind.

At this time,

A young maid, dressed in a festive manner and wearing a red silk ribbon around her waist and a red flower in her hair, entered the courtyard through the moon gate.

Arriving at the front of the main house,

The young maid first lifted a brocade curtain and entered the annex. Without the wind blowing, it instantly felt less cold.

Beyond the porch is another cotton curtain, and after passing through it, there are eaves corridors on both sides enclosed by lattice doors.

At that moment, sunlight shone through the lattice windows into the eaves, bathing the surroundings in a warm glow.

After taking three or four more steps forward and passing through another cotton curtain, the young maid finally entered the main room.

The main room was heated by an underfloor heating system, and there were three cotton curtains separating the room, so even the outer room of the main room was still very warm.

Behind the cotton curtain, several well-dressed maids stood by, each holding a cloak, cape, scarf, or other items to keep warm.

Upon seeing the young maid enter, the noble ladies who were chatting and laughing inside all turned their gazes toward her.

"How's the gate?" Gu Tingyi, who was slightly overweight, asked with a smile.

The young maid curtsied to Chai Zhengzheng, Rong Feiyan, and other noble ladies inside the room, and said with a smile, "Reporting to Madam, Young Master Shen has won the arm wrestling match against Young Master Qi!"

"At this moment, the attendants were preparing to accompany Young Master Zheng through the final hurdle."

The words just fell,

In the inner room, separated from the others by a screen, someone asked, "What's the final challenge? Is it difficult?"

"Pfft!" Rong Feiyan and the other girls beside her couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.

"Ahem!" Chai Zhengzheng coughed lightly with a sigh and said with a smile, "I say, Sister Zhang, we should be more reserved."

“Zhengzheng is right,” Gu Tingyi said with a smile.

Hearing the laughter of the people outside.

"I'll tell you all!"

The noblewoman behind the screen hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

"You wait!"

"We'll wait then, are we afraid of you?" Gu Tingyi said with a smile.

The other ladies nodded in agreement.

"Sister Tingyi, you're married now, so of course you're not afraid! As for the others, hehe."

Hearing Zhang's fifth daughter's words from behind the screen, the noble ladies in the room exchanged glances.

Rong Feiyan's eyes darted around as she looked at the young maid who had just entered and asked, "What's the final challenge? Is it difficult?"

Zhang Jia Wu Niang, who was behind the screen, immediately fell silent.

The maid smiled and shook her head: "Replying to Miss Feiyan, I didn't know when I came. I only heard that it was related to wine!"

"It's related to alcohol?" A young noblewoman sitting among the group exclaimed in surprise, "Then we must be careful of Fifth Brother Xu!"

"When the Rong family's young master married the Dou family's daughter, the fifth brother of the Xu family, he was quite the rascal who cheated!"

“Hua Chang, it’s been more than three years, do you still remember?” Rong Feiyan asked with a smile.

The young noblewoman from the Tao family of Marquis Jinyang nodded repeatedly.

After all, most of the cousins ​​who were sent to inquire about Xu Zaijing when Rongxian got married in the Dou family courtyard are now married themselves.

Listening to their conversation, Hai Chaoyun raised her chin towards Baoxiu by the door.

Baoxiu understood and started to walk outside.

At that moment, another maid entered.

"Wisteria, how's it going? What's the final challenge?" Chai Zhengzheng asked with a smile.

Zi Teng bowed to everyone and said, "Reporting to Miss, the eldest son of the Zhang family said that all of you gentlemen are sons of martial arts masters, so you must pass the test in horseback riding."

"Therefore, the final challenge is for the young masters to hold up the wine jars with long spears for the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn."

As she spoke, Zi Teng gestured to indicate the size of the wine jar, saying, "When I arrived, the young masters were in a horse stance, shouting and yelling as they persevered!"

Hai Chaoyun looked at everyone with a hint of doubt and asked, "Why are you shouting like that? Is it that difficult?"

"Hiss!" Gu Tingyi gasped and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Sister Chaoyun, you don't know, this spear itself weighs more than ten pounds, and it's very strenuous to hold it horizontally while in a horse stance."

"If you were to put an empty wine jar on the spearhead, the weight would increase by more than just a little."

Hai Chaoyun nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

“However, with my second brother and Xu Wu brother here, there shouldn’t be any problems,” Gu Tingyi said confidently.

Upon hearing this, Zi Teng, who was standing in front of everyone, hesitated and glanced at Gu Tingyi.

"Wisteria, what's wrong? Just tell me what's on your mind," Chai Zhengzheng said with a smile.

Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, Zi Teng bowed to them and said, "Yes, Miss!"

"That's right. When I arrived, the young masters of the Zheng family were alright! But the ones who complained the loudest were the Fifth Young Master Xu and the Second Young Master Gu!"

"what?"

"how could be?"

The old lady and the girls in the house all asked questions with puzzled expressions.

Zi Teng nodded: "Because Young Master Shen has always been studying and doesn't know how to practice horse stance or wield a long spear, but he is among the best man, so Fifth Young Master Xu is holding a long spear in each hand!"

"what?"

"No wonder!"

"I've suffered so much, Brother Xu, all for me and Brother Xiao." From behind the screen came the grateful voice of Zhang Jia Wu Niang.

Gu Tingyi sighed, "Judging from the first few challenges, I thought Brother Zhang wouldn't make things difficult for them! Who knew the real challenge was yet to come."

"Oh my! So, Fifth Brother Xu shouldn't be able to take any shortcuts now, right?" Tao Huashang, the young lady, chimed in.

The girls inside nodded in agreement.

at the same time,

At the entrance of the Zhang family's gate,
"Ouch--"

"oops--"

The Zheng family's attendants, along with Zheng Xiao, all forcefully raised the long spears with wine jars hanging from their tips.

"Brother Zhang, still..."

Halfway through his sentence, Xu Zaijing, who was in a horse stance, hurriedly and with great effort, leveled the two shaky spears.

After finishing his work, Xu Zaijing asked, "Brother Zhang, how much longer?"

"Almost there! Almost there! Just a dozen or so breaths left!" Zhang Fangyan said with a smile.

Gu Tingye, feigning extreme arm pain, called out, "Brother Zhang, I demand that the incense burner be moved in front of us so we can see it clearly!"

"Uncle Zhang, don't try to fool us just because we can't see the incense burner while we're facing away from it!" Zheng Jiang from the Zheng family shouted, frowning.

Liang Han glanced at the incense burner that had been extinguished for a while and called out with a smile, "Brother Jiang, it's all gone, the incense sticks are about to burn out."

Xu Zaijing turned around and shouted, "Let me see!"

Seeing this, Qi Heng and Liang Han ignored Xu Zaijing's gaze and immediately stood in front of the incense burner.

"If you won't let us see, then we'll just consider it time!" Gu Tingye said, frowning.

"Haha! Erlang is amazing, the incense has burned out!" Zhang Fangyan said with a smile.

Hearing this,

Xu Zaijing, Zheng Xiao, and the others quickly and carefully loosened their grip, first letting the wine jar fall to the ground, and then putting down their spears.

Seeing Zheng Xiao and the others rubbing their sore shoulders, Zhang Fangyan smiled and gestured for them to come in: "Come on in!"

Upon seeing this, the servants outside the gate hurriedly scattered coins, dried fruit, and food.

The area in front of the Zhang family's gate instantly became even more noisy and bustling.

On the way into the courtyard,

Zhang Fangling walked beside Xu Zaijing and, through the thick clothes, pinched Xu Zaijing's arm, saying, "Hey Wulang, you were screaming so pitifully just now, it sounded like your arm was about to give way!"

"But given your skill level, you shouldn't have only two spears and two wine jars!"

Lu Zezong, who was following nearby, nodded repeatedly while looking at Xu Zaijing with curiosity.

Xu Zaijing smiled slightly: "Of course I have to shout louder! If I look calm and relaxed, I don't know how Brother Zhang will punish me!"

Gu Tingye, standing to the side, smiled and nodded: "Yes, yes, yes! I only thought of these things after hearing Wulang's shout."

Upon hearing this, the Zhang brothers both shook their heads with a helpless smile.

As everyone walked into the courtyard, a maidservant ran to the backyard to announce their arrival.

The ladies and young women in Wu Niang's courtyard also put on cloaks and capes, and wore scarves and earmuffs, and rushed towards the main hall ahead of time.

With the help of the maids, Wu Niang put on her thick wedding dress, wore her phoenix crown, held a round fan, took a deep breath, and prepared to go to the main hall.

"Toast tea!"

Xu Zaijing stood outside the house, watching Zheng Xiao respectfully bring a cup of tea to the Duke of Yingguo.

The white-haired Duke of England looked at Zheng Xiao with a smile, took a sip of his drink, and nodded to Zheng Xiao.

When the Duchess of England accepted the teacup, Xu Zaijing noticed that she was clearly trying hard to control her emotions.

After the tea ceremony, as Wu Niang and Zheng Xiao walked out, the Duchess of Yingguo almost couldn't help but stand up.

However, the Duchess of England did not move in the end, but watched her daughter leave with tears in her eyes.

see this scene,

Xu Zaijing wondered what the Duke and Duchess of England felt when Shen Guojiu came to the Zhang family to fetch the bride in the original story.

I suppose it's more about feeling sorry for them.

The unmarried girl originally had a bright future ahead of her.
However, for the sake of family and country, the marriage that was supposed to be a good match with the Zheng family was taken by Shen Guojiu's sister.

She herself was forced to marry a widowed, middle-aged man who had children.

It was only because Minglan was there that Wu Niang was able to survive; otherwise, she would either have been killed by Zou Xiaoniang or died young with a broken heart.

The other people in the field,
Like Madam Bai, whose daughter is married, I deeply empathize with her.

As for Madam Chai, whose daughter Yunying was still unmarried, she looked at her daughter with some emotion.

He was probably thinking: what will I look like when my daughter gets married?

Thinking about all this, Madam Chai looked at Chai Zhengzheng, only to find that her daughter was staring blankly at Xu Zaijing not far away.

Following Chai Zhengzheng's gaze, Madam Chai saw Xu Zaijing looking at the scene in the hall with a rather sentimental expression.

see this scene,

Mrs. Chai couldn't help but sigh,

The young and handsome Xu Zaijing was already very eye-catching, but his eyes didn't have the frivolousness typical of young people.

Perhaps it was his previous experience on the battlefield that made this child appear so mature and composed. At first glance, he gave off a sense of reliability.

My daughter and this child had such a connection before.

"Sigh!" Madam Chai sighed inwardly and gently tugged at Chai Zhengzheng's sleeve.

After realizing what had happened, Chai Zhengzheng glanced at Madam Chai and then lowered her head shyly.

Rong Feiyan, who was not far away, was not as 'bold' or 'arrogant' as Chai Zhengzheng.

Instead, like a bird drinking water, it glances at something and then quickly turns away.

After waiting a moment, I glanced at Xu Zaijing a few more times.

Although she secretly hoped that Xu Zaijing would make eye contact with her, she was afraid that he would stare at her in public if their eyes actually met.

Before Rong Feiyan could think further,
The newlyweds were then escorted out of the house.

Everyone quickly followed, laughing.

After leaving the British public house

With the help of the maid, Wu Niang boarded the bridal sedan chair.

Zhang Fangyan and others then gave out many more red envelopes and silver coins before the wedding sedan chair was finally lifted.

The wedding procession couldn't turn back, so after taking a long detour, they finally arrived at the Zheng family's house.

The road to the Zheng family's house shouldn't be a circuitous route; it shouldn't be too narrow.
Otherwise, the Zhang family's massive wedding procession would have reached the Zheng family's residence before the last member even left the mansion.

Although it's cold

However, there were still many onlookers along the way, standing on the street pointing and commenting on the wedding procession.

When coins, candies, steamed buns, and other such items were thrown around, it would elicit cheers and applause from the crowd.

Arriving at Zhengjia

After a ceremony,

Zhang Jia Wu Niang, holding a round fan, came to the front of the main hall with Zheng Xiao.

During the wedding ceremony,
Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye, and the others saw Old Madam Zheng, who rarely appeared in public.

Although Madam Zheng has been bedridden for many years, she was in high spirits today due to the happy occasion, and her complexion looked very good.

Not only does he have a good complexion,

Madam Zheng did not yet display the melancholy often associated with someone confined to their bed for many years.
Clearly, the old man's eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Zheng, was taking excellent care of him.

After the newlyweds completed their wedding ceremony, they were led to their bridal chamber.

After drinking the nuptial wine, Zheng Xiao was dragged out by Xu Zaijing and the others.

After the banquet, when Xu Zaijing returned home, two more gift boxes, personally handed to him by Zheng Xiao, were in the carriage that followed him.

After the Zheng family's happy event,

Xu Zaijing's life returned to its usual routine of going back and forth between two points.

On the day before Laba Festival,

in the afternoon,

Xu Zaijing returned to his courtyard as usual.

Looking at Hua Xiang, who was helping him untie his cloak, Xu Zaijing asked in confusion, "What's wrong? You two can't hide your smiles."

Yunxiang, who followed him to the Sheng family, also looked at Qingcao and Huaxiang with a puzzled expression.

"Young master, the woman who was looking for books has given birth."

"what?"

Xu Zaijing was taken aback.

"It started in the morning, and the baby was born in the afternoon," Hua said with a smile.

"Upon receiving the news, the Du family of the Duke of Yan's mansion even sent some money and nourishing foods!" Qingcao added.

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded: "Then, have you sent your congratulatory gifts?"

"Yes, young master, we've sent them! We sent three portions!" Qingcao said with a smile.

"Well, the three of you can go together for the full moon celebration," Xu Zaijing said with a smile.

The three maids nodded repeatedly.

The full moon celebration for the book-seeking family's child will be before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, before Xu Zaijing starts school.

A few days later,
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month

Sheng Family Academy did not close for the holidays.

At noon,

Mother Cui, accompanied by her servants, carried the Laba porridge that Mother Fang had carefully prepared to the school.

The servants sitting on the wooden platform behind them hurriedly went forward to help.

Knowing Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye, and others' appetites, Cui's mother specially brought over several large bowls.

Steaming hot Laba porridge was served into a large bowl.

Xu Zaijing took a deep sniff and exclaimed, "It smells so good! Fang Mama's cooking is really excellent!"

Hearing this,

Both Zhuang Xuejiu and Nagamaki nodded in agreement.

After blowing a few times,
Xu Zaijing stood up abruptly, picked up the large bowl, and walked outside.

"Where are you going?" Gu Tingye asked, puzzled.

Xu Zaijing laughed and said, "It's cold outside, and it cools down quickly."

Seeing this, Cui's mother shook her head with a helpless smile.

Gu Tingye thought for a moment and then followed.

Qi Heng was about to get up when Chang Feng, who was behind him, said, "Young Master, shall we go outside? I feel it's quite cold outside today."

Qi Heng thought for a moment, then sat back down on the stool.

outside the house,

"call!"

Xu Zaijing let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, Xu Zaijing scooped up some porridge with a spoon, let it cool for a moment, and then ate it directly.

Gu Tingye, who was standing to the side, did the same thing.

While eating porridge, Gu Tingye would occasionally glance at Xu Zaijing.

The reason was simple: the way Xu Zaijing looked at the schoolyard while eating porridge made Gu Tingye feel that he was being overly sentimental.

Gu Tingye had just scooped a cooked dried fruit that was buried in the bowl into his mouth when...
"Hiss! It's hot!"

As he spoke, Gu Tingye spat the dried fruit back into the bowl.

Gu Tingye glanced at Xu Zaijing, who was leisurely eating his porridge with a satisfied expression, and smiled slightly, saying, "Fifth Brother, what are you thinking about?"

Xu Zaijing glanced at Gu Tingye, then lowered his head and blew on the large piece of lean meat he had discovered in his spoon. The lean meat looked delicious, which made Gu Tingye swallow hard.

Afterwards, Gu Tingye stirred the porridge in his bowl, hoping to find something delicious.

Xu Zaijing continued drying the meat pieces, looked up at the blue sky, then at the tall, bare tree that towered above the rooftops, and said calmly:

"Erlang, have you ever thought that this is actually the last time we'll drink Laba porridge at the Sheng family's house?"

Gu Tingye stopped stirring the porridge.

Withdrawing his gaze from the steaming bowl in his hand, where the white vapor quickly dissipated, Gu Tingye followed Xu Zaijing's gaze to the large tree and said, "Oh, right! We'll be taking the imperial examination next year."

"Heh!" Gu Tingye chuckled and continued, "After all these years, it's time for us to see who's the real deal."

Xu Zaijing nodded, still feeling a little reluctant. He looked at the large bowl and said, "Tsk! I need to send someone to ask Mama Fang for advice on how to make this porridge."

Gu Tingye nodded with a smile: "What Wu Lang says is true!"

inside the house,

Qi Heng, who was enjoying his hot porridge, turned around and glanced at Minglan's position.

Although there was no one behind Minglan's table, Qi Heng still smiled thoughtfully.

In a blink of an eye,

A few days later, on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Sheng family school was closed for the holiday as in previous years.

During holidays,
Scholar Zhuang only assigned four homework assignments.

The only requirement was that Xu Zaijing and others had to follow the standards of the provincial examination.

The Li brothers, who were staying at the Sheng family's main residence, also asked Scholar Zhuang to set them a topic, which they studied diligently during the New Year period.

Before the Lunar New Year,
It seems that Liang Han and Rong Xian rarely bothered Xu Zaijing because they knew that he was currently focused on his studies.

December 24th
When the New Year arrived, Xu Zaijing had only finished one lesson.

Unlike in the classroom, during these three days of doing exercises, Xu Zaijing stopped his morning exercise, and the floor heating in his study was also turned off.

Everything was done according to the schedule for the imperial examination.

It must be said that the cold environment did indeed affect his thoughts.

Lunar New Year's Eve

Xu Zaijing, who was supposed to spend the New Year at the Duke of Lian's mansion, was forced to stay at the Xu family home by the Duke of Lian's father, who said that the imperial examination was the priority.

Lu Zezong was sent to the Xu family to spend the New Year with Xu Zaijing.

at night,

The dazzling fireworks in the Xu family courtyard were reflected in Xu Zaijing's eyes.

Listening to the continuous sound of firecrackers all around,

Knowing that tonight would mark the start of the new year, Xu Zaijing felt a rare sense of nervousness.

After taking a deep breath, the tension completely dissipated.

at the same time,

Xingguofang
The Duke of Qi's Mansion

Fireworks exploded and firecrackers crackled in the courtyard.

Amidst the strong smell of smoke, noticing Qi Heng beside her with a strange look in his eyes and seemingly muttering to himself, Buwei whispered, "Young Master, what are you thinking about?"

Qi Heng glanced at Buwei, smiled, and waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing."

Taking a deep breath, Buwei glanced back at the Duke and Duchess of Qi in the room and whispered, "Young Master, you're not thinking about the matter you asked me about a couple of days ago, are you?"

Qi Heng's expression froze.

Unaware of the situation, he quickly said, "Young Master, you should really reconsider! If you bring it up in front of His Majesty, there will truly be no turning back!"

"Your Excellency is too kind. If the Empress knew that you dared to do this behind her back, she would surely be furious!"

"Even if His Majesty agrees, your future days will not be easy!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng hesitated.

(End of this chapter)