It was exactly at this time that the small pavilion in the small courtyard showed the traces left by last night's rain everywhere. There were water droplets hanging from the corner of the pavilion. The drops hit the already withered yellow leaves of the small tree beside the pavilion, and swept away a few more leaves.
A few dead leaves fluttered in the air, flew under the pavilion, and stayed on the chessboard, covering a white stone and leaving a little wet mark.
Miss Zheng was moved, but she kept the elegance of this small garden scene and the solemnity of a young lady. After hearing the voice of the young master outside the pavilion, she slowly picked up the leaves and threw them on the ground, then slowly stood up.
, turned his face sideways, and returned the gift shyly and coquettishly: "Mr. Bai."
Bai Song looked at it and realized that this girl was a bit artificial at the moment. Her posture was not natural, but she was better than young. No matter what posture she was in, she was always eye-catching.
"I heard that Mr. Bai is proficient in chess. It's rare to meet him. I would like to invite him to play chess under the pavilion. I hope you will give me some advice."
This was too restrictive. After saying a few words, I felt a little uncomfortable. I shook my sleeves, patted the rainwater on my trouser legs, and entered the pavilion.
"Master, please."
Miss Zheng didn't say much. After Song Song took her seat, she placed the grapes on the plate.
Bai Song was serious, dealt with it carefully, and kept his posture correct, fearing that he would leave a bad impression.
The two of them specialized in playing chess and had a tacit understanding. They didn't say a word about accidentally breaking into the boudoir that night.
It's just that during the chess game, the two of them didn't communicate much, and a lot of time was wasted.
In the distance, the maid in Xiaoyuankou looked at the two of them. Such an unobtrusive private meeting made Gossip's heart flutter, and the girl who was full of spring was feeling tormented in her heart.
Bai Song was playing chess, and it didn't take long for him to see that this Miss Zheng didn't know how to play chess at all. Not to mention how well she played chess, just by the way she held the chess piece, she was a novice.
However, she was cautious in every step she took, maintaining her identity and maintaining the attitude of a young lady, just like Bai Song, who was afraid of leaving a bad impression on the other party.
That reserved look is weird, but also funny.
After a quarter of an hour, Bai Song was about to drop the grapes, but after hesitation, he put his wife into the box.
Seeing this action, Miss Zheng finally plucked up the courage and looked up with a slightly red face. She was a little confused and didn't feel comfortable opening her mouth. She thought the young master had new ideas. Could he have some clever tricks?
When she saw the chess game, she felt confused and didn't know who was better or worse.
"Hey, forget it..."
Suddenly, Bai Song sighed quietly, stood up and stretched.
Miss Zheng became anxious and stood up as well, frowning and asking: "Sir, are you leaving? What's wrong with this young lady?"
"Forget it, don't hold it anymore."
"Stop holding it?"
Bai Song spread his hands and said sadly: "Hey, I'm afraid of disappointing the lady. I, Bai Yutang, am not a scholar and I can't learn those restrictive rules. Sitting cross-legged like this, every move must be done deliberately, even
It's really uncomfortable to speak loudly and not dare to breathe. I am a casual person, and I do whatever makes me feel comfortable. I am afraid of offending the girl, so I can't let go. This game of chess is really like sitting on pins and needles, like thorns piercing my back.
, like a lump in your throat!"
Miss Zheng was stunned, listening to Mr. Bai talking a lot, not knowing what he really meant. She roughly understood that she felt a little reserved and uncomfortable, so she added: "Young Master, there is no need to be restrained, there is no one else in the garden,
You can do whatever makes you feel comfortable."
"Don't be weird, Miss." Bai Song cupped his hands and sat down again. This time, he did not follow the previous rules, but crossed his legs on the stone bench, hugged his knees with his hands, and leaned forward, with his whole body pressed against the chessboard.
This look is similar to the previous one, as if a person's spine had been whipped and suddenly grown crooked.
Miss Zheng had never seen such a sitting posture before. After being stunned for a moment, she covered her mouth and smiled: "Young Master is so interesting."
"Miss Zheng, don't hold yourself back. You obviously don't know how to play chess. Why do you need to cater to others and do things you don't like?"
When someone poked at the central issue, Miss Zheng blushed and hesitated, not knowing what to say.
Bai Song played with the chess pieces, looked at Miss Zheng wantonly, and asked: "Or it depends on who you are with, maybe even if you don't like some things, you may like them again depending on the person?
"
After saying this, Miss Zheng blushed even more.
This is too flirtatious. How can a young man say this when they first meet? If it had been any other girl, she would have screamed and beaten the gangster.
However, Miss Zheng fantasized day and night, seeing this young man as if she had known him for a long time, hearing such teasing, her heart was beating wildly, but she had no thoughts of blaming him.
Bai Song also stopped talking, just wanted to test the attitude of Miss Zheng's family. When he saw her blushing and her heart beating, he guessed that she was happy in her heart.
In this way, things will be easier to handle in the future.
If she talks such nonsense, I am afraid that she will really be regarded as a frivolous prodigal, and the faint feelings in Miss Zheng's heart will not last long.
Bai Song suddenly changed his words and asked: "I have said so much, but I still haven't asked the girl for her name."
Miss Zheng was stunned: "My little girl's name is Qihua."
"Zheng Qi's painting shows thousands of trees and flowers, thousands of medicinal herbs, but I know that I don't dare to paint them in the same way. The name is good, but it lacks a bit of sincerity."
Miss Zheng was stunned: "Why did the young master say this?"
"When I came here, I heard some rumors about Zheng's house. It was said that Miss Zheng had a bad life in her early years and lived with her parents among the people. The word "Qihua" is not like a name that could have been given in the early years."
Miss Zheng lowered her head, frowned and thought, and then mumbled for a while: "I was unknown in my early years, and was often called Adou by my parents."
"Adou..." Bai Song smiled and muttered softly.
Zheng Qihua felt shy after hearing this. After so many years, there was no one else besides his parents who could call him this.
"Adou, I like this name. It's clean and doesn't need to be modified."
"Sir, this is my name..."
"I will call you Miss Adou from now on."
"Can……"
"It's not up to the girl to choose. You have your mouth on me. I can call you whatever I want. Adou just listens."
After talking about it in detail, the two of them were much closer.
The girl sat on one side with a blushing face, while Bai Song, with a shameless face, changed seats and sat next to the young lady.
"Miss Adou, thank you for covering up for me that night, otherwise I, Bai Yutang, would have been convicted of being a prostitute, and I won't know how to see anyone in the future."
Qi Hua's body trembled, and the shame that had just disappeared immediately spread all over her pretty face. She lowered her head and muttered: "Okay, why did you mention that? I... I had already forgotten that night..."
"Miss Adou has forgotten, but Xiaosheng still misses her..."
"Sir, you!"
"Girl, please listen to what I have to say. What I'm talking about is don't forget the girl's life-saving grace."
"..."
"Miss Ah Dou, your ears are all red."
In the verbal flirtation, Miss Zheng was Bai Song's rival. She couldn't stand it after a few words. In a panic, she forced herself to reprimand Bai Song: "Master, these words are inappropriate."
"As I said before, I'll do whatever makes me feel comfortable. I'm usually like this. If the girl doesn't like it, I'd better be more reserved."
"I...I didn't mean that..."
"What does that girl mean?"
"Sir, we just met for the first time, but you are so frivolous...it's true..."
"Oh, I understand. As long as we are no longer the first acquaintances, we can be more frivolous with girls in the future, right?"
Zheng Qi couldn't stand the man's shamelessness, so she stood up in a panic and was about to leave.
Bai Song then shouted seriously: "Okay, I won't make fun of the girl. I just want the girl to be more casual."
Zheng Qihua frowned and stood outside the pavilion for a long time, then returned to the pavilion and sat down.
"Miss Adou, let's not talk about chess. Let's talk about what the girl likes and what she is good at."
"I have nothing to do at home, I am ashamed to study, and I am not very good at anything."
"I heard that Miss Adou often takes care of her parents' worries at home and reviews the accounts of the Zheng family. Is it true?"
Zheng Qihua was too shy to speak and nodded after hesitating.
"Is that girl good at counting?"
Zheng Qihua's expression became even worse after hearing this. In her opinion, being good at calculations was not an advantage. How could any of our ladies waste their time with piles of account books?
This is where he was often laughed at by his sisters.
Seeing that Zheng Qihua didn't say anything for a long time, Bai Song was confused: "What? Is my guess wrong?"
"It's not worth mentioning the little things. If you tell me about it, I'm afraid you will be laughed at by the young master."
"Why is this a trivial matter? I have never seen a woman who is good at calculation. Why don't I give Adou a question and see if Adou can answer it correctly?"
Zheng Qihua was slightly interested: "Sir, may I ask."
"A chicken and a rabbit share a cage. Their heads are sixteen and their feet are forty-four. How many are the chicken and the rabbit?"
Zheng Qihua lowered his head and thought, but saw no movement at all, then said: "There are six rabbits and ten chickens."
This calculation speed shocked Bai Song, and he couldn't help but praise: "Awesome! Miss Adou's calculation skills are amazing."
Zheng Qihua was a little embarrassed, and lowered his head in response: "Counting the small roads, how can I reach the hall of elegance?"
“Where in the world do all the paths come from? As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome.”
"Where is Rome?"
"Well... I mean don't belittle yourself. In Bai's opinion, this arithmetic is much more useful than the pens of those literati. This woman can count and run a house. I want someone who knows arithmetic like a girl.
Madam, in the future, your family will be prosperous and your wealth will be abundant."
Perhaps because she had been teased too much, Zheng Qihua did not blush after hearing these words. She just looked at Bai Song thoughtfully and asked lightly: "Then the young master's wife doesn't know how to count?"
Bai Song thought and shook his head: "Of course not."
"Young master is so talented, his wife should also be very beautiful."
Thinking of Xiang'er, Bai Song had a knowing smile on his face: "Beautiful, naturally very beautiful."
A hint of sourness flashed across Zheng Qihua's face, and she glanced aside.
"In that case, why did the young master leave home and chat with girls from other families?"
"The world is huge and full of wonders. Life is limited, so of course you should take advantage of your youth to see more of the outside world."
"The outside world? What's different about the outside world?"
"There are countless differences. The three mountains in this world each have their own charm and are completely different. Do you know that the highest mountain in the world is called Everest? Do you know that the end of the land is the endless sea? Have you ever thought about why there is the sun in the sky?
Why do day and night alternate? Have you ever thought that we are actually the tiniest speck of dust in this time? The place we live in is called the earth, which is a huge sphere..."
