kvmb Chapter 52 Let me admire my grandson's heroic figure!
Chapter 52 Let me admire my grandson's heroic figure!
The county school is located in the southwest corner of the county town. She traveled for two hours and arrived just in time for the students to take their lunch break.
Meng Fuqing parked the mule cart in front of a clothing shop, went inside, bought a set of men's clothes, put them on, wore a jade pendant he had taken from the Lin family around his waist, and changed his hairstyle to that of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy. When he came out, even the shopkeeper almost didn't recognize him.
"Wow, young lady, you look absolutely dashing in that outfit!"
Meng Fuqing didn't bother arguing with the glib-tongued shopkeeper. She tossed down some silver, asked the shopkeeper to have the clerk watch her mule cart, and then hurried off to the county school.
Since one cannot enter the county school casually, she stopped a student from the county school and asked him if he knew Shan Ziyi of the Shan family.
"Shan Ziyi? I think I've heard that name before. Are you looking for him?"
"I am a distant relative of his. I heard he is studying at the county school, and I would like to invite him to a restaurant for a drink. I also have some things I would like to ask him. May I ask your surname?"
As she spoke, she slipped a piece of silver into the hand of the county school student.
The student had clearly never experienced anything like this before. Upon seeing this, he quickly looked around. Only when no one was paying attention to him did he feel relieved and accept the gift. His attitude towards Meng Fuqing became even more enthusiastic.
He first gave his name before saying, "Wait here, I'll be right back."
After saying that, he turned and went into the county school.
After waiting for a while, Meng Fuqing finally saw several teenagers pushing and shoving each other as they walked towards her.
As they approached, Shan Ziyi, who was at the front, looked Meng Fuqing up and down suspiciously. "You're my distant relative?"
Meng Fuqing knew that since his maternal grandfather passed away, Shan Ziyi had never seen the original body, and his appearance would not be easily recognized by him.
So he said, "That's right, I'm from a branch that separated from the Shan family many years ago. According to seniority, you should call me Grandpa!"
She wasn't as tall and strong as Shan Ziyi, and looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy. But when she spoke, she was rough and spoke in a precocious manner, which made Shan Ziyi's classmates behind her laugh.
"Ziyi, your grandfather is here. Please entertain him quickly, we'll take our leave now!"
Dan Ziyi glared at Meng Fuqing and turned to leave. He wouldn't have come out if the messenger hadn't told him that this distant relative was inviting him to a banquet.
"Hey, why are you turning around and leaving like that?" Meng Fuqing followed after him. "I'd like to invite you for drinks, are you coming or not?"
She peeked a corner of the silver note from her bosom and winked at Shan Ziyi.
Dan Ziyi's feet suddenly felt like they couldn't move forward. He wondered to himself where he got such a wealthy distant relative from, while scrutinizing the man's clothes and appearance.
His appearance was indeed somewhat familiar, but he only glanced at it briefly before his eyes fell on the jade pendant hanging from the other person's waist. The icy green jade swayed back and forth, making him dizzy.
His family is not what it used to be. Business at the shop in town is not good. Some time ago, he somehow offended some relatives in the countryside who were trying to take advantage of him. They made a scene in town, ruining his family's reputation. Business at the shop is even worse. He hasn't been to Zhuangyuanlou for drinks in a long time.
However, he wasn't blinded by money. He stopped and asked, "What's your name? Where do you live? Why are you looking for me?"
“My name is Shan Nilian. It’s normal that you don’t recognize me. My family used to be close to your great-uncle’s family. We did business together. Who knew that such a disaster would happen to his family? Alas, it’s really pitiful!”
Dan Ziyi was initially attracted by his name, and upon hearing that his family was in business, her suspicions immediately diminished.
He had heard his grandfather say that most of the merchants in his great-grandfather's business corps were surnamed Shan, with both main branches and sub-branches, and they earned their money by risking their lives.
Seeing his expression, Meng Fuqing knew that he was somewhat convinced, so she added fuel to the fire, "I am also studying now, but I am not doing well. My family and teachers all criticize me, and my classmates complain that I am always wandering around and not serious, so they don't want to play with me. I just happened to hear that you are doing well in your studies, and we are all from the same family, so I specially came to ask you for advice. I hope Ziyi can help me!"
The man who had just called himself "Grandpa" flattered him and asked for his help, which greatly satisfied Shan Ziyi's vanity.
He tilted his chin slightly and lightly dusted off his clothes. "It just so happens that I haven't had lunch yet. Ni... you lead the way!"
Why did this person choose such a name? It sounds like a sarcastic remark coming from his mouth; no wonder nobody wants to hang out with him!
The two arrived at Zhuangyuanlou together. As soon as they entered, Meng Fuqing said, "Waiter, bring up your most expensive dishes and a pot of fine wine!"
Upon hearing this, the waiter responded attentively and led the two to the seats of honor.
After a meal and drinks, the two became much closer.
Slightly drunk, Shan Ziyi asked Meng Fuqing, "Why did you choose such a name? Shan Nilian, isn't that just a name for slapping your face?"
Meng Fuqing was worried that the body would get drunk, so she didn't drink much alcohol and mostly fed it to the floor. Therefore, she was perfectly sober at this moment.
“My father’s surname is Shan, and my mother’s surname is Ni. The character ‘Lian’ is naturally a congratulatory name for their marriage! They chose it, so there’s nothing I can do about it!”
While he was explaining, he was thinking, "Why else? Of course I'm going to slap you in the face!"
Dan Ziyi chuckled twice, "Interesting, very interesting!"
Seeing that he was about to pour himself another drink, Meng Fuqing quickly stopped him, "Grandson, your grandpa has come all this way, as the host, you should at least take me to do something fun, right? Just drinking is so boring!"
Dan Ziyi was a little confused and slow-witted. He didn't quite grasp the way Meng Fuqing addressed him and just asked instinctively, "Is it fun? Do you want to play with women or dice?"
Meng Fuqing sneered. It seems he's someone who likes to have fun. As long as he likes to have fun, that's fine with her.
"I'm still too young, and my mother won't let me play with my older and younger sisters. How about we play dice instead?"
Dan Ziyi immediately perked up, stood up and said, "It's been a while since I've tried my luck. Let's go, I'll show you how to gamble a little for fun."
Meng Fuqing was about to stand up when he hesitated, "Brother Ziyi, aren't you worried about delaying your afternoon's lessons?"
Dan Ziyi said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? Students skipping classes is a common occurrence!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Fuqing quickly called the waiter to settle the bill. When Shan Ziyi saw her take out a hundred taels of silver to pay without blinking, he felt relieved and became even more excited about the upcoming trip.
Before long, the two arrived at another gambling den. Shan Ziyi had obviously been there before, as he could talk to the gambling den's staff.
Once inside, the place was in complete chaos, with cheers and sighs of regret almost enough to lift the roof off. It was also undeniably suffocating.
Meng Fuqing squinted and followed Shan Ziyi to a gambling table. Shan Ziyi asked her, "Will you play or should I?"
"Come on, I've never handled this before. Let me admire your heroic figure for a moment, Brother Yi?"
She took out a ten-tael silver ingot, saying, "Consider these ten taels of silver as my free donation to Brother Ziyi."
Dan Ziyi was immediately drawn to the silver ingot and didn't notice the strange words she said. He grinned and said, "Just you wait, Qing. This time I'm sure I can double these ten taels of silver!"
Many people who saw this scene were extremely envious of the ten taels of silver. Seeing that the two of them were still young, they suddenly felt emboldened and rushed to challenge them.
Shan Ziyi pointed to one person, "You!"