Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

It was a sunny and warm day. In Xunchun Courtyard, more than a dozen yellow pear wood boxes were placed on the ground with their doors wide open. On the bamboo mat on one side, books were neatly arranged. If there were people who loved ancient books here, they would find that many of these seemingly insignificant books were rare and hard to find in the market.

Lin Xi was curled up on a bench under the apricot tree in the middle of the yard, reading a travel book with great interest.

The author of the travelogue was a young man from a poor family in the previous dynasty. He had great talent but was unable to display it due to his family background, so he could only devote himself to nature and travel around the countries before writing this book.

The book uses clear and concise words and sentences, and covers the mountains, rivers, landforms, customs, laws and systems of various countries. It is a rare masterpiece. However, the young man was convicted for his words and was beheaded by the emperor of the previous dynasty. Many of his manuscripts were burned, and this travelogue was lost for a time. Although the one in Lin Xi's hand is not the original manuscript, it is also the first edition of the publication, and its rarity is not much different from the author's original manuscript.

Lin Xizheng read in the book that there was a tribe in the southwest where men and women of marriageable age did not form new families, but instead practiced a custom called "walking marriage". If the man and woman loved each other, the man could marry the woman after obtaining the consent of the woman's elders. The man and woman met at night and separated in the early morning. The child born by the woman took the mother's surname and was raised by the female elders of the family, while the father's role was replaced by the uncle.

Lin Xi was shocked when she first saw it, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt that this custom was extremely good for women. They did not have to go to a completely unfamiliar family, but could always live with their own relatives. If the man and woman had no feelings for each other anymore, they could separate at any time without any emotional or property disputes. It was also conducive to maintaining public security and stability.

There were other descriptions about this tribe, which made Lin Xi marvel. Just as she was about to read on, she suddenly heard a soft voice from outside the yard, "Is Miss Cousin here?" Then the maid replied crisply, "Hello, Sister Zhenzhu. Miss is drying books in the yard."

After a while, a figure entered the yard, saw Lin Xi lying on the chair, and saluted with a smile. Lin Xi quickly put down the book in her hand, smiled and said, "Sister Zhenzhu, there is no need to be polite. My yard is a mess today. I am sorry to embarrass you."

Pearl smiled and said cheerfully, "No, my cousin is a book lover. These ancient books should be taken out and dried in the sun while the weather is good."

"I wonder if my aunt has any instructions for you since you came here, sister?" Lin Xi ordered Xue'e and Xueliu to move a stool over and serve tea, and then asked Zhenzhu about her purpose of coming.

"Mrs. Chu brought her daughter to our house just now. She said that she wanted to thank my cousin for saving her life that day, so she asked me to bring the girl there." Zhenzhu didn't hesitate to thank her and then spoke slowly.

"It's just something I did for the sake of convenience. There's no need for them to come and thank me." Lin Xi waved her hands, not caring at all.

"Young lady, please don't be modest. Although I didn't see the situation with my own eyes, I heard from Feicui that the snakes were dancing wildly, which was very scary. Not to mention the young lady and the maids, even the black-haired men were so scared that they didn't know where to go. Thanks to my cousin and the eldest master, everyone in the garden was saved." Pearl said sincerely, "Especially Miss Chu. I just heard from the lady of the Chu family that it was thanks to you who treated her wound in time, otherwise Miss Chu would have died in the garden. Women as wise and brave as you are hard to find in the world."

Lin Xi couldn't help but think of what happened that day and sighed slightly.

After everyone was rescued that day, Lin Xi saw Madam Chu hugging the unconscious Chu Yue and crying bitterly, so she had to go up to her and explain Chu Yue's situation, and comforted her, "Aunt, don't worry too much. I have read ancient books about snakes. The ancient books said that there are snakes by the water, their bodies are as black as lacquer, and they mostly live in groups. Although they look scary, their toxicity is very low. They can easily make people sleepy. I have just helped Miss Chu drain the poisonous blood in time. When the imperial physician prescribes some herbs to remove the remaining poison, Miss Chu will be fine."

After hearing what she said, Mrs. Chu finally relaxed a little. With red eyes, she thanked Lin Xi in a hoarse voice, then hurriedly asked the maids to carry Chu Yue to the guest room prepared by Princess He Xin, waiting for the arrival of the imperial physician.

Princess He Xin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw all the young masters and ladies coming out. She called Lin Xi and He Lanting to her side and said, "Good children, today we are so lucky to have you two. Otherwise, I, an old woman, would not be able to explain to these people even if I died a hundred times."

He Lanting and Lin Xi hurriedly said they dared not. Lin Xi gently comforted Princess He Xin, "Today's incident happened suddenly. Fortunately, there were no major casualties. Princess, please don't blame yourself too much."

"But what happened today is really strange. Snakes like warmth, and it's rare to see them in the cold spring. Even if there are one or two, they are usually lazy and definitely not like today..."

Princess He Xin heard the unspoken meaning in He Lanting's words, her face darkened, a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes, and she said solemnly, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation."

Princess Hexin sneered in her heart. She had grown old and lazy in recent years, and she had made these people forget her iron-blooded tactics in the past. The people present today were all well-known in Jiankang City. If something happened to them, the entire court would have to change. Thinking deeply, the person behind the scenes might have the intention of stealing the country. If so, Princess Hexin would really become a sinner for all eternity. When she thought of this, how could she not be angry?

Lin Xi caught a glimpse of Princess He Xin's expression and understood what was going on. She was afraid that the princess, whose power was second only to that of the current emperor, would definitely take action. Thinking of the jade pendant, she could only let the Cen sisters fend for themselves.

After thinking about it, Lin Xi agreed to go and meet the lady of the Chu family. She went back to her room, changed into a lilac purple blouse with water pattern and a silver silk brocade skirt with flowers, and walked towards Fuxue Hall with Xueliu and Zhenzhu.

As soon as she stepped into the courtyard of Fuxue Hall, Lin Xi heard a burst of hearty laughter. She thought it must be the wife of the Chu family. Lin Xi was slightly surprised. Thinking of the woman who was at a loss that day, hugging Chu Yue and crying bitterly, she thought she should be a weak person, but today's laughter seemed like that of a generous person.

However, Lin Xi immediately thought of the situation that day. Even she, who had long been fearless, felt her scalp tingling, let alone Mrs. Chu who saw her daughter's face pale and unconscious.

Lin Xi straightened her clothes, put on a decent smile, and walked into Fuxue Hall.