The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 120 Liang Zhu (VI)

Luo Jun's life in Shu was no different from that in Shanghai. He didn't go out, didn't socialize, and every day he just sat on the sofa and read novels.

Qin Huai read novels with Luo Jun for an entire afternoon and found that there were fewer melodramatic gossips about family matters and more martial arts stories about cultivating immortals and fighting against evil.

Luo Jun treated all these different types of novels equally, reading them all, and went to his study to write a letter when he saw the latest serial. The letters that had been written and sent out together were a foot thick, and it was obvious that even if he could not follow the serial updates in real time, it would not prevent Luo Jun from commenting.

Delayed comments are still comments.

Compared to Luo Jun's otaku life which is no different before and after marriage, Liu Tao's married life is very rich.

Luo Jun's family didn't hire a maid to clean the room, and Liu Tao was responsible for the daily cleaning. However, Luo Jun's house didn't have many ornaments or furniture, and it was basically just newspapers and bookcases. Qin Huai had reason to suspect that they didn't have a maid because they were afraid that the maid would mess up Luo Jun's precious newspapers.

All the newspapers in the living room are arranged in order according to the type and date of the newspaper. In order to prevent the newspapers from getting moldy, Liu Tao puts the newspapers in the yard to dry regularly.

Today is not the day to dry newspapers, but Qin Huai heard Liu Tao and the children outside tell him to find a few more children to come over tomorrow to dry newspapers.

On days when she didn't dry newspapers, Liu Tao would sit in the yard to bask in the sun and listen to novels.

Liu Tao was illiterate and could only recognize numbers and dates. I don't know whose genius idea it was to invite a female student to come to her home every afternoon to read novels to her, and the novels she read were by Zhang Henshui.

Different from the simple decoration inside the house and the mess caused by too many newspapers, the courtyard outside the house where Liu Tao listens to books every day looks quite different.

The ground was paved with large bluestone slabs, and there was a frame in the yard, with morning glories and loofahs climbing on the vines. In addition, there were many lush flowers and plants in the yard that Qinhuai couldn't name, and a small table for drinking tea with chairs next to it.

A courtyard like this is suitable for Qin Luo to come and check in and take photos. The accompanying words should be: Drink tea when you have time, and the years will be quiet and good.

Unfortunately, such a beautiful courtyard has nothing to do with a peaceful life; it is even a little noisy.

In the afternoon when we were studying, the courtyard was full of people, including children, girls, and women. The only thing they had in common was that they didn't look very wealthy.

Those with better conditions wore cotton, while those with worse conditions wore linen. Everyone's clothes were washed until they faded, and some were torn and needed to be mended. However, there were also advantages. These people looked very clean, and you could tell at a glance that they had washed and changed into clean clothes.

The female student spoke in a very soft voice and with clear pronunciation, probably to make Liu Tao understand. What she said sounded like a combination of the local dialect and the Wu dialect, but at the same time, it could be vaguely heard as Mandarin.

Liu Tao accepted it very well, but the auditors found it very difficult to listen. Qin Huai often saw that the audience looked confused while listening, and when the female student finished her speech and took a break to drink water, they would chatter in dialect and ask others if they understood what was just said.

Although we didn’t quite understand what was being said, it didn’t stop us from enjoying it.

Qin Huai understood this feeling. The audiobook in the yard was like Liu Tao buying the only TV in the village at her own expense. The villagers might not be able to understand what was being broadcast in the TV series, but that did not stop them from enjoying watching it.

When the sky began to darken slightly, the listening activity ended.

The listeners who were eavesdropping expressed their gratitude to Liu Tao in a combination of strange local dialect and Wu dialect. The book was bought by Luo Jun, and the person was invited by Luo Jun. They came empty-handed and did not even bring a gift, so they could only bring a few auspicious words.

After all, books are expensive these days. The price of a novel is enough for a poor family to live on for a month or two. Hiring someone to read to you is also a huge expense. Ordinary people really can't afford such expensive entertainment activities.

All the people who were eavesdropping had left, and the female student who was reading was still standing in the yard. Liu Tao went into the house to get money for the female student. When she entered, she found that Luo Jun was not reading the newspaper, but eating the leftover noodles from lunch.

"Are you disturbed by too many people today?" Liu Tao asked, "If they disturb you, I won't let them come tomorrow."

"No." Luo Jun said indifferently, a little melancholy, "I've finished reading it."

Liu Tao burst out laughing: "You read really fast. It takes me a month to listen to a book. You finished reading so many newspapers in just a few days."

As she spoke, Liu Tao took out two bills from her wallet and walked out: "I'll go pay Miss Zhang. After that, we'll go to Chef Jiang's for dinner. I've asked Uncle Liang to buy the ingredients and send them over."

Luo Jun nodded slightly.

Liu Tao took the money, walked quickly to the yard, and handed it to Miss Zhang. Miss Zhang took the money, looked at it, folded it up and put it in her purse, and then put the purse close to her body, with no intention of leaving.

"Mrs. Luo, I'm afraid I won't be able to teach you anymore after you finish this book." Miss Zhang said. Liu Tao was a little surprised: "Why? Is it because the money is too little? I asked around, and the price I offer is very reasonable. Your salary is half of what a teacher in a girls' school earns."

Miss Zhang shook her head repeatedly: "It's not about the salary. You and Mr. Luo are very generous and willing to give me this job. It's very respectable and easy. It's my problem. My father's business failed and he owes a large sum of money. I will marry a rich man in the Central Plains in two months and become the third concubine. I won't have the chance to read novels to you anymore."

Liu Tao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Your future husband, this year..."

"Forty-seven."

Liu Tao could only sigh slightly, thought for a while, took off the jewel earring on her right ear, and handed it to Miss Zhang.

"According to the novel, I should give you the novel at this time. But the novel was bought by my husband, and all the jewelry I'm wearing was also given to me by my husband, except for this earring, which was bought for me by the owner of our opera troupe to show my support when I got married. I could only afford one because it was too expensive, and the other one was also given to me by my husband."

"I was born into a low-class opera singing family, and I have been looked down upon all my life. Even after I married my husband and he made me his legal wife, the wives who played mahjong and watched opera with him still looked down upon me."

"When I was in Shanghai before, my husband also invited other female students who read novels to me. Some of them wanted to be my husband's concubine, some of their families wanted to do business with my husband, some disliked my vulgar books and lack of cultivation, some taught me to pursue freedom and democracy, and some advised me to divorce. But no one would stop and explain the plot to me when I didn't understand it like you did."

"You are a cultured person like my husband, and you have never looked down on me."

"When the boss gave me this earring, he wished me a peaceful life and not to be kicked out. Even if I was kicked out, I would have a piece of jewelry to sell and not starve to death."

"I give this earring to you, and I wish you a peaceful life."

Miss Zhang took the earrings silently and whispered, "Thank you."

"You will be safe forever."

Miss Zhang left.

Liu Tao wanted to go back to the house to call Luo Jun, but she found Luo Jun already standing at the door. He smiled and touched his empty earlobe: "I gave the earrings to Miss Zhang."

"Just buy another one." Luo Jun said disapprovingly, "Should we find a new person to read novels?"

Liu Tao nodded.

"Then find another one. This time find someone who's married. It'll be less troublesome."

"And don't buy that carrot next time. It's so disgusting. How can there be something so disgusting?"

"I heard from Doctor Chen that eating carrots is good for the eyes and improves vision."

"If you want to improve your eyesight, eating partridge is much more effective than eating carrots."

"What is a partridge?"

"Xi Niao is a bird in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It looks like a crow with white stripes. It is a useless bird."

Qin Huai:......

No, it's fine if you're just cursing at plant spirits, but why are you cursing at your own kind? And you're even recommending a recipe.

"Is it for sale?" Liu Tao didn't know much about Shan Hai Jing and thought it was a cookbook. "How about I ask Uncle Liang to look for one and buy one to make soup for you?"

Luo Jun: ...

"No need." Luo Jun said stiffly, "I'll just eat carrots."

(End of this chapter)