days of being forced

He shrank in the village and hadn't contacted the outside world for a long time, but he really wanted to know something outside the village.

Gu Xingzhi said: "It feels okay. I guard the gate of the city every day, but it is too time-consuming. The whole day is basically taken up. I plan to see if I can catch a few wanted criminals and promote my position. Go up and have more free time in the future."

"Catch wanted criminals?" Jiang Ning said: "But those people are extremely vicious and have high martial arts skills. They are not so easy to catch. You do what you can and don't take too many steps. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Gu Xingzhi smiled unconsciously, "Don't worry, my martial arts are much better than those people."

Jiang Ning curled his lips. Emotionally, he felt that Gu Xingzhi was a very reliable person and would not risk himself, but his reason told him that this person had only practiced martial arts for more than three months at most, even if he was a martial arts prodigy, he would not just be like this Suddenly become a martial arts master.

"Anyway, you think more about your parents in everything, they are only your son."

Gu Xingzhi said poorly, "Okay, I'll think about you too, you're just my husband."

Jiang Ning was amused by him, and leaned his head on his shoulder, "Why didn't you see that you are so poor before." After laughing, he thought of another question, pretending to be serious, sitting up straight, his chin slightly Lifting, with an arrogant look, "Although you said you were going to catch these wanted criminals, you lived in the village all year round. Although you went out for a year later, you have been staying on the battlefield in the Southwest. That is to say, those wanted criminals You don’t know all of them, do you?”

Seeing Jiang Ning's triumphant look, Gu Xingzhi vaguely realized something, he nodded: "Yes."

"The yamen should have materials, portraits, etc. of these people, have you seen them all?"

Gu Xingzhi: "I've seen it all."

Everything was as I expected, Jiang Ning showed a sly smile on his face, a bit like a little fox: "Then do you recognize it? That portrait."

"I can't confirm it."

"Then what are you going to do? The wanted criminal will not wait for you to bring someone who has seen him to catch him."

Gu Xingzhi smiled meaningfully, and drew a long tone: "Yes, what should we do?" He leaned closer to Jiang Ning, sniffed his hair lightly, and whispered in his fair ear, "Why don't we let our cousin come here?" Figure out a way."

Xiuli's cheeks were stained red, Jiang Ning pushed Gu Xingzhi away, and said angrily, "How do you know I have a solution?"

Gu Xingzhi laughed, "You've acted so obviously, can I not know?"

"It's fine, it's not emotional, and it doesn't know how to cooperate at all." Jiang Ning said: "Forget it, I don't care about it with you. To tell you the truth, I can help you solve this problem. I am very good at drawing characters. If The described features are detailed, I can draw at least six points of similarity, and if someone who has met the other party gives advice, I can draw eight or nine points."

How about it?Praise me!

Jiang Ning stared at Gu Xingzhi, her beautiful peach eyes were full of pride.

Gu Xingzhi suppressed his smile, and followed his heart, "I didn't expect our little cousin to be so powerful. This has helped me a lot."

Jiang Ning was satisfied when he heard the praise as he wished, and he pulled Gu Xingzhi to stand up, "Since you have read the materials of those people, and I happen to be free now, I will reluctantly help you draw them, first for you See if I have the real ability, or you will have to leave in two days."

"You should remember the characteristics of the characters, right?" He was a little suspicious.

"Remember." Gu Xingzhi walked forward together behind him.

"It doesn't matter if you don't remember clearly, just draw it first, it should look a bit like it, let's make do with it, if it doesn't work, I'll help you draw it next time." Jiang Ning doesn't quite believe that Gu Xingzhi can really remember everything.

When they got near Gu's house, the two sneaked into the study like thieves, but fortunately no one noticed.

The study room is complete with pens, inks, papers and inkstones, and there is no one in it. Because Gu Hua couldn't understand the meaning of the book, he memorized it slowly. He originally said that Gu Xingzhi would take time to teach him for a while every day, but he later found it in the city. Working and only coming back for a few days a month, of course, cannot meet Gu Hua's needs.

There is really no other way, Gu Hua can only go back to the school again, probably because he knows that if he fails to pass the exam this time as a scholar, he will not be able to study and live a leisurely life in the future. To fight this one last time.

Jiang Ning sat down on the chair in front of the desk, scooped up dripping water from the small water bowl on the table with a copper spoon and put it into the inkstone, then picked up the ink ingot to grind the ink carefully, and waited until the ink was thick before adding a spoonful of water to continue grinding ink.

After everything was ready, he asked, "Tell me the characteristics of the wanted criminal."

Gu Xingzhi narrated the descriptions he read from the yamen archives one by one, word by word, and with his words, the characters in Jiang Ning's works gradually took shape, and the portraits that looked like real people came to life on the paper.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a world of difference from the dull and rhymeless paintings of Yamen.

It seems that this usually delicate and lazy little guy really has two brushes.

One of them dictated, the other carefully painted, and the cooperation was excellent.Gradually, there was a sound outside Gu's house. When someone came back to cook, Jiang Ning put down the last stroke, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Someone is back, let's go out first, otherwise there will be more people later, and we will go out." It's not good to go."

"It's okay." Gu Xingzhi said: "No one comes to the study room at home, we'll just stay here, and I'll bring you the food later."

That being the case, Jiang Ning didn't say much, Gu Xingzhi took advantage of Jiang Ning's drawing time, took another piece of paper, and wrote the names of the remaining wanted criminals, attaching the face shape and other characteristics, just waiting for Jiang Ning to draw slowly over.

"Take a break when your hands are tired. It doesn't have to be done in a few days, just take your time." In fact, with these features, he can also search for targets, but it is much slower and the error rate is higher. , if the wrong person is arrested, it will inevitably lead to dissatisfaction, especially since the court and the world are in opposition.

Jiang Ning rubbed his wrists, "It's okay, I used to practice much harder than this, but now I think it's been a long time since I practiced, and now I practice more, and I feel a little unfamiliar."

Gu Xingzhi stopped persuading him, "I'll go outside and make some tea." The Gu family doesn't have any good tea, but Gu Qingqing likes to toss about these things. There are all kinds of honeysuckle tea, chrysanthemum tea, rose tea, and hawthorn tea at home. A glass pour is also decent.

After brewing a cup of jasmine tea for Jiang Ning, Gu Xingzhi took a book from the bookshelf and sat next to Jiang Ning to watch, his movements and movements were incomparably harmonious.

The lunch was cooked by the third aunt Song, needless to say about Song's cowardice, Gu Xingzhi easily brought the food to Jiang Ning before Gu's family came back, so there was no need to worry that Song would talk too much with others sentence.

The Gu family's stewed meat shop is indeed making money, and the food of the Gu family is much better. There are a little more sliced ​​meat in the stir-fried dishes, not to mention the stewed meat.

Braised pork with Lingquan water is indeed more attractive than ordinary food, so Gu Xingzhi made a special trip to pick some more for Jiang Ning.

"How is it? Does it taste good?"

"Hmm." Jiang Ning nodded again and again, and waited for the food in his mouth to swallow before he raised his head to Gu Xingzhi and said, "The smell of stewed meat in your house has been everywhere day and night, but it made me very hungry , the village gives away everything that is good for your family, but I still can't eat it, I heard that this is made by Gu Qingqing, is it true?"

Jiang Ning was a little surprised that a little girl who had never cooked before could cook braised pork.

Gu Xingzhi: "Well, she did it, and said she made it up by herself." Actually, Lin Yuan's chatterbox has already told him clearly, Lin Yuan and Gu Qingqing may really come from the same place of.

But his and Gu Qingqing's interests don't conflict, and it doesn't matter the origin of this recipe.

Speaking of Gu Qingqing, Jiang Ning actually has a lot of questions to ask, the most important of which is: "Do you know how Gu Qingqing loses weight every day? She has changed too much. It’s quite a bit of experience, even if she loses weight from her original appearance, she shouldn’t look like this, and it’s amazing that her single eyelid can become double.”

He quietly leaned closer to Gu Xingzhi's ear, "Are you saying that Gu Qingqing is the same person as the previous one? He must have been replaced, but what is the purpose of changing to your house for being so good-looking."

For some reason, Gu Xingzhi always felt that his words were superficially reasonable, but they had a sour taste.

"Why, you don't like her?"

"I can't say whether I like it or not." Jiang Ning was a little awkward, "When she was still fat, she liked a person in the village, but that person liked me. Well, of course it’s good for someone to help me, since I’ve been with you, I haven’t asked others to work for me.”

In the end, it was the desire to survive. He was worried that Gu Xingzhi would have an opinion on his behavior, and it was because he liked it that he started to worry.

At this moment, he could only look at Gu Xingzhi's face eagerly, ready to act like a baby to make amends at any time.Gu Xingzhi pinched his face: "It's okay, it's a good thing that you have the ability to make your life easier. Compared with it, I don't want you to suffer."

As long as the means are high-end and don't suffer, he doesn't care.

Of course, this only refers to before the two met each other.

After solving the crisis, Jiang Ning continued what he hadn't said before: "At that time, she didn't like me when she saw the person she liked working for me, and she scolded me everywhere in the village, which was very unpleasant. It’s been a feud ever since.”

He was so angry at that time, he has always been praised by others, how could he have suffered this kind of anger, he went back to make small notes, and when he found the opportunity, he immediately scolded back without swear words, with the utmost acrimony , made everyone cry, and Gu Qingqing was always picking on him, otherwise he really didn't know how to take the initiative to say those words.

Of course, there is no need to tell Gu Xingzhi about this.

"But why is she getting longer and more beautiful now?" Jiang Ning felt sour in his heart. He is a person who insists on his own beauty. Seeing that his rival is getting longer and more beautiful, he feels very uncomfortable. You must know that Gu Qingqing scolded him at the beginning He has no reputation and no one to help him with work, and he hears the gossiping women in the village talking about him behind his back. It makes him very aggrieved that such a person is doing well.

"Did she really change her person? The difference is indeed too great. My estimation should be correct."

It's better for him to accept another person. After all, he is not arrogant enough to think that he is the most beautiful in the world. As long as the person is not his opponent, anyone can do it.

Gu Xingzhi said in his heart that it was indeed a change of people, but the change was in the soul, and the change was also because of the spiritual spring water, but it was meaningless to say this, and no one would believe it, but he did not expect Jiang Ning to observe so carefully, even the single and double eyelids were fixed. Keep in mind.

He touched Jiang Ning's head and said with a smile: "Don't keep thinking about this, this person is in the house every day, how could he change suddenly."

Jiang Ning pouted.

"You will become her sister-in-law in the future, and she will never dare to scold you again. Besides, she will let you drink her scented tea and eat her braised pork. Does it make you feel better if you think about it?" Although He felt that Gu Qingqing didn't care about these things, but coaxing children was still useful.

It's a bit embarrassing to say this, like a rogue, but it's really exciting to think about it.Gu Qingqing couldn't scold him at the beginning, but now she has to be suppressed by him, Jiang Ning is happy again.

When the time came in the afternoon, Gu Xingzhi went to help Jiang Ning take back the rice. The dried rice felt much better than the wet one in the morning.

The location of the drying ground is not remote, many people have to pass by here when they go home, and at dusk, there are many people rushing home to cook, but Gu Xingzhi did not avoid this time, and swaggered to collect the rice directly into the Yang family.

Jiang Ning pursed his lips and smiled, went back and brought a small broom over, waited for Gu Xingzhi to harvest almost all the rice on each drying mat, and he used the small broom to pick up the remaining rice that was difficult to get into the dustpan with his hands Sweeping it in, he couldn't get in the last few ones, so he picked them up one by one in his hands in a hurry.

The sun-drying mat is woven from bamboo strips. It is generally rectangular. There is a whole bamboo on both sides of the slightly shorter length. It is very convenient to put the woven bamboo mat into the bamboo.

Pull each of the four directions towards the middle, and the rice on the mat will be piled up in a pile.

In fact, what Gu Xingzhi saw in Gu Erlang's memory is also very simple. Grasp the bamboo and pull it to the other side to get the last little rice to the mat. On the side, put it outside with a dustpan, and shake your hands, and it will be clean.

But for the sake of Jiang Ning's hard work, Gu Xingzhi didn't want to dislike him, so he just waited for him to finish it slowly, and then rolled the two ends of the sun-drying mat into a cylindrical shape one by one, tied the middle with a rope, and held it in each hand One, he carried it back to Yang's yard with ease.

After everything was finished, Gu Xingzhi sent the person back, "I'll go home first, and when my mother comes back in the evening, I'll tell her about the marriage proposal. There should be news in a few days."

Jiang Ning hesitated to speak, and finally hesitated: "They are all desperate for money, dozens of taels may not be enough, you have just started earning money, your grandma should not be able to get that money, or we should Wait a little longer, although I don't like to work, it's not impossible for me to do it."

Gu Xingzhi rubbed his black hair soothingly, and said with a smile: "What are you thinking about so much, just wait for me to marry you with peace of mind. I will find a way for money, you forgot that you helped me today Busy? With those paintings of yours, the bounty I can get for catching two people is enough for us to finish the wedding."

Jiang Ning looked up at Gu Xingzhi with a sweet heart, it seemed that after Gu Xingzhi came back from the army, every time he was troubled and disturbed, with Gu Xingzhi, everything would no longer be a problem.

Gu Xingzhi always gave him a sense of security, he was like a grass firmly protected by a big tree, proud and at ease, watching the heavy rain outside, enjoying himself freely in the dry and warm hut.

His cheeks were puffed up, and he muttered, "But I don't want you to give them so much money. I wasn't raised by them. After I came back, they beat and scolded me, ordered me to work every day, and wanted to put me to death. Sell ​​it for a good price, I don't want such people to succeed."

Gu Xingzhi laughed out loud, Jiang Ning glared at him, "Why, I'm telling the truth, do you think I'm not right?"

"No." Gu Xingzhi held his face and teased, "I just think you're cute like this."

Hearing the compliment, Jiang Ning tried hard not to laugh happily.

After the two parted, Gu Xingzhi walked back to Gu's house, and Zhao Xiulan had already returned.

Because the business of the braised meat shop is good, and there are sleeping rooms in the shop, Zhao Xiulan often waits for a few days until the sales are almost gone before coming back to pick up the goods. On weekdays, she sleeps directly in the shop, but now her son goes back home. Of course, she had to rush back to get along with her son.

This time, Gu Xingzhi did not directly announce the matter at the dinner table, but first said to his mother Zhao Xiulan, "Mom, I am nineteen or twenty this year, should I marry a wife?" .

Zhao Xiulan's expression remained unchanged, and she looked at her son with a smile, "I should have married a long time ago, my mother has been looking for you for a long time, and now the stewed meat shop at home can earn some money, your conditions are so good, I will definitely choose a good one for you." of."

Gu Xingzhi felt that this was not right, why should he have been looking for someone for him?Didn't he remember that he had a marriage contract with Jiang Ning a long time ago?When he was still lame before, his mother didn't have this kind of attitude, she just caught one and counted one by one, Gu Xingzhi asked this question.

Zhao Xiulan waved her hand, "That's what I said casually when I was a child. It was your grandfather and the grandfather of the Yang family who said it. Now that the old man Yang is gone, who knows if he will admit it or not. Besides, your legs were like that back then, mother Don't dare to go against you, the daughter of a good family will not marry a lame man, and he is the only one who can pick and choose among the rest. Isn't it just that he can't work, marrying our old Gu's family, The old lady promises to take care of him and he will be obedient."

Gu Xingzhi: ...

a little cold.

Unconsciously.

"Then why don't you choose him now?" He couldn't bear this tough style.

"It's different now." Zhao Xiulan said clearly, "Look at you, you are born with great strength and are a good hand at work. Now you have found a job in the city and earn so much money every month. You are handsome and capable, with high martial arts skills, even if you marry the daughter of an official, it is still possible."

"Look at the Yang family again. Both of them are not able to work honestly. They want money to death. There is also a scholar's son in the family. They are poor."

Scholars and Juren are like a natural barrier. With Gu Hua, a scholar who doesn't care about production and knows to ask for money all day long, Zhao Xiulan's impression of scholars has dropped to the lowest level.

She went on to say: "I think Jiang Ning is also a lazy one. He can't do any work. The next place is like killing him. He is spoiled and spoiled. Maybe he can't even cook. You two will live together in the future. Can't go home without a hot meal, right?" She won't be a mother-in-law in the future, and she won't be able to eat the dishes cooked by her daughter-in-law, so she has to cook by herself.

"Mother, you are wrong to say that." Gu Xingzhi retracted the thoughts that were led astray by Zhao Xiulan, and returned to the right way: "Although my son is only guarding the city gate now, the old man who taught me martial arts may be some hidden master. The cheats given to me are very profound, and it will be no problem to get promoted and get rich in the future, and then I will get along with some officials, and the King of Nan'an is also in our city, so maybe I can get in touch with him in the future."

"So when I marry a daughter-in-law, I have to marry someone who can handle these things. Although Jiang Ning doesn't know how to work, he has been carefully trained in the Hou Mansion for more than ten years. At least he won't panic in this regard. Besides, if my son reaches that point, what kind of work will he still do? As for cooking, as long as his mother teaches him, he will definitely be able to learn."

Learn or not, anyway, I will talk about it later, it is only serious to marry someone back first.

Zhao Xiulan listened to the beautiful blueprint drawn by Gu Xingzhi, and also thought that he came from the Hou family, and that he was a person who was related to the emperor. Thinking about it this way, it seemed that her family really took advantage of it.

If it wasn't for the wrong person, how could their family marry the son of the Hou's mansion.

Although she thinks that her son and princess can marry, the reality is that they have no place to know the princess. No matter how they choose, their social circle is only so big.

Before Zhao Xiulan could react, Gu Xingzhi let go of his shame, grabbed Zhao Xiulan's arm, twisted his body a few times, and acted coquettishly, "The most important thing is, mother, I like him quite a lot, so you just agree. The parents are so good-looking, and I will definitely give you a cute and smart grandson named Yuxue in the future."

After Gu Xingzhi finished speaking, he was shaken all over by Lei.

Zhao Xiulan was so teased that she couldn't close her mouth from ear to ear, leaning on her son's arm and laughing to and fro, seeing Gu Xingzhi's expressionless face, she was even more delighted, and it took a long time to stop laughing: "That's okay, mother Ask for you, but you can love your own wife, but you can't be a person who has a wife and forgets her mother, that's unconscionable."

Gu Xingzhi was slightly taken aback, he didn't expect this seemingly difficult mother to agree so easily, but he still responded quickly with a smile: "Thank you mother, my son will definitely be filial to you in the future, he will never be like that, All the salary will be entrusted to you for safekeeping." At worst, he would earn more money for Jiang Ning.

Zhao Xiulan did not refute this. The environment in which she grew up made her feel that it is a natural thing for a mother-in-law to control her children's money. No one can let go that easily.

"You don't have to pay all of it. You have to save some money for your own life. How can you go out to drink and chat with people without some money?"

With Gu Chenghai, a husband who is desperately attached to her own mother regardless of good or bad, Zhao Xiulan actually doesn't have that much resistance to her son having a daughter-in-law he likes, perhaps because of empathy, she hopes that Gu Chenghai can take care of their little family more. A little, but it is estimated that this thought will not be realized in this life.

It's good for my son to find someone he wants to take care of.

Of course, if Gu Xingzhi really dared to choose a daughter-in-law between his mother and his daughter-in-law, then Zhao Xiulan would definitely be blown up too.

The balance between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not so easy to disappear.