The dark-faced man waved. "Never mind. We shouldn't disturb the langjun."
Still, the tenant was embarrassed.
The next moment, they heard someone yelling outside the fence. "Tiezhu, do you
have a fishing rod?" It was the housekeeper from the main village house.
The tenant looked at him, puzzled. "Yes. Why?"
"The langjun has come to fish with his friends but we do not have any rods. Quickly,
lend me yours!"
The tenant mumbled, "I made them by myself. Won't they be too cheap for the
langjun?"
The housekeeper was impatient. "We won't steal your rods."
"That's not what I meant!" The tenant put down the beard he was chewing and
grabbed a pile of equipment, including fishing nets and self-made baits. "Should I go
now?"
"Of course!" The housekeeper added, "Also, find two men who can swim in case the
langjun needs help."
"We are all doing farm work now. Where can I find people in such a short time?"
complained the tenant.
The dark-faced man rubbed his hands uneasily and hesitantly suggested, "May I go
with you? I can swim and hold breath for a long time underwater."
The housekeeper glanced at him, then at the tenant. "No way. He's too scary."
"That's because I've walked in the woods for some days. I can clean up myself."
"You see, our guest is an honest man. He has heard about the good deeds of our
master and would like to see the langjun for once. Besides, I can find no one else at
the moment. Please allow him to come with me. I promise not to let him frighten the
langjun." The tenant helped persuade the housekeeper, who thought for a second.
They really could not wait.
At last he nodded, but repeated, "Remember what you've said. Bring him a barrel of
water. See the mud on his face!"
The dark-faced man thanked him. After he tidied up himself, they realized he was, in
fact, a good-looking person.
"What can we catch in this season?" Jiang Pengji was sitting on a folded stool,
bored. She wondered why Qiguan Rang and Xu Ke liked to fish.
"Fishing in springtime is a delight! The fish are now fat, especially those in Hejian,"
Xu Ke said before thanking the tenant for his fishing rods. The tenant instantly shook
his head to say it was nothing.
"You can't swim, right? Be careful not to fall into the water." She moved her stool. "I'll
leave you here to have fun."
"You're leaving?" Qiguan Rang asked, turning his head.
Jiang Pengji touched her chin and pointed out, "Staying longer won't help attract a
fish to me."
Qiguan Rang laughed. Anyone with patience could catch something in the end.
He did not know that it was not an excuse. Fish were more sensitive than humans
and they would swim away from her once they had detected her bloodthirsty air,
however well she concealed it in front of people.
The two remained at their positions. Their backs were as straight as ever. Jiang
Pengji looked aside without the slightest interest and kicked a basket next to her.
Suddenly, she looked up and met a gaze that had never turned away from her.
"You're not from our village," she said.
Her statement caused the dark-faced man's heart to skip a beat. He felt like she had
read everything in his mind.
But he composed himself quickly and pulled an honest grin. "I'm not. I met Tiezhu
today and heard about his kind-hearted landlord, so I've come along to see what he
looks like."
"You've seen me now. Do you think I look kind-hearted?"
After watching how she drove all the fish to her companions, could he say yes?
The man decided to remain silent. Could she change a question?
Chapter end
Report
|
Donate
Oh o, this user has not set a donation button.
|