After the family fell, I wanted to lie down

Chapter 25 Big Brother

After the competition, Yingge came back to the mixed courtyard and was playing with Xiao Taohong. Xiao Taohong couldn't reach the bag of candied fruit in her hand.

Xue was mending clothes.

"Be careful, don't fall."

Yingge put down her arm, and Xiao Taohong ran away with the candied fruit she had snatched.

"From what you hear, it seems that Doctor Li is about to leave the capital, and there won't be any good doctors left in Mo City."

"Mom, even though Doctor Li is missing, we still have Doctor Wang and Doctor Zhang. There are plenty of doctors."

"The young master is immune to all poisons and can heal himself. He doesn't need a doctor."

"You have such a small mouth, the candied fruit is really worth it."

At this point, Yingge suddenly thought of Zhilin. She was a slave in the Zhang family. No one knew to which family she was sold since she was a child, or whether she went there voluntarily to work and study to supplement her family income.

"The bath water is ready, Ge'er, do you want to take a bath?"

"Mom, you wash first. I want to practice writing today's characters first."

"Then turn on some more lights and be careful with your eyes."

Yingge sat in front of the big writing table, reciting the characters she had learned during the day, while looking up at Xue who was packing up her things. She looked like she had done these movements hundreds or thousands of times, very skillfully, and she was humming a tune with the same accent as Yingge. During this period, Xue had not gone out again, as if the two encounters before were her illusions.

After listening to Su Qinghe's story about the Liu family's martial arts competition, Old Master Su laughed out loud.

"This boy is amazing. What kind of person is she?"

"I can't quite figure out this granddaughter. Sometimes I feel that she speaks very interestingly and doesn't care much about fame and fortune. Sometimes I feel that she is striving for something. She can play football, write poetry, and is not bad at martial arts. She even created a way to teach herself."

"No matter what he is like, one thing is certain."

"Grandfather, what is it?"

"That is, he is definitely not a cowardly and timid person as previously rumored by the outside world."

"Grandfather, aren't you overestimating her? She's still just a child."

"Yes, she's still a child. You two should get along well. Don't be like the Chen family, always talking about their origins, as if someone is born superior or inferior. There is always a poor peasant in every family."

"Grandfather, this thing you are talking about, their family really doesn't have it."

"Okay, go down, naughty boy."

The main tasks of the children of wealthy families, those boys and girls, are to play and study. The boys read, and the girls learn embroidery and poetry.

In the hot summer, there are only a few students in the enlightenment school of Qinghe Academy. Some are still struggling to attend the class, some can't bear the sleepiness and fall asleep on the table, and some are sleeping straight but their eyes have been closed for a long time.

For them, the requirements for the enlightenment class teacher are not very high. As long as they are not disturbed, they can just close their eyes and rest. Yingge is particularly eye-catching among this group of children.

After finishing reading a chapter of the book, the teacher knocked on the desk, indicating that the class was over.

"Farewell sir, thank you for your hard work."

"Well, turn in that essay from yesterday's class tomorrow."

The students, who were somewhat excited about the end of get out of class, suddenly became listless again.

Some people submit on time, while others try every possible means to delay and refuse, striving to get a few more days' extension.

The teacher was okay, he didn't punish or verbally abuse the students, he just blocked them from leaving the class. This alone forced many students to stay and finish their essays.

"Yingge, have you written it?" Zhu Nian came over and asked directly.

"No."

Zhu Nian was just about to say, since you are self-taught, it doesn't matter whether you are taught or not, but as soon as she finished speaking, Mr. Qimeng just ignored her.

Zhu Nian was so envious that he looked forward to it. "I want to learn by myself, too!"

If Yingge knew that Zhu Nian thought of her like this, she would be very wrong. Self-study also has homework, it all depends on her choice.

Yingge looked down from the mountain. Now she not only had to climb up with her bare hands, but she also had to climb down with her bare hands. Even though she would often get scratched and the rope around her waist was now just a decoration, she still did not dare to be careless.

She knew that the hard work she put in now would be useful someday, and could even be life-saving, so she did not slack off when Zhixing was not around.

It took Yingge nearly an hour to climb down the mountain. She lay on the ground for a long time before she recovered. She waited for a while before going to Xiaolin Hall. By then, Xiaolin Hall had already been known by people in their small circle. When Yingge came back, it was already a little late. They couldn't wait and went in directly to play and have fun there.

This led to Yingge locking the door directly and telling them that entering without permission would be considered stealing and that this was a place for studying, and they could not study but could not disturb others either. This was done to stop them.

"Why are you so late today? Where have you been?" Su Qingyu asked.

"Don't you think it's too late to take a lunch break at this time?"

"What do you say?"

"I didn't come to you today to let you rest. I wanted you to practice Cuju with us today."

"Cuju, why did you change another event this time?"

"That's right. We can't always play Juqiu, especially on horseback. That activity is more fun in winter. Let's play Cuju this time."

Yingge looked at the sky, thinking that people always need to combine work and rest. They can't study all the time, they also need to have some fun, so she agreed.

With a click, the door of Xiaolin Hall was locked.

Zhixing appeared from behind the thatched cottage and could still hear Yingge's voice not far away.

"Just go if you want to go. Don't pull me. It's not right to pull me in broad daylight."

"We are all men, what are you afraid of? I just like to pull you, what's wrong with that?"

"You are strong, and you are right."

"Don't be so shy like a little girl."

"You're not pulling, you're pulling my hand."

"What's wrong with pulling hands?"

"It's weird for men to pull hands."

"Now that you put it that way, it seems to be true..."

The two people's voices gradually faded away, and Zhixing was so angry that he wished he could blow his hair and beard apart.

"What kind of people are they? How can a student arrange for a teacher to do something? This student is too relaxed and even gave himself a holiday. It's unreasonable, unreasonable."

Although he said this, Zhixing still sat down to check the big words that Yingge had just written.

"Well, this character seems to have improved. It seems good. It's okay, but the strength may not be enough. Should I add some weapons or something to practice?"

Perhaps thinking about the fact that Yingge would have to suffer for a while in the future, Zhixing seemed to have seen her sad eyes and laughed happily. It would be even better if he could see her showing some sign of submission, but so far, Yingge just frowned most of the time and sometimes even seemed quite boring.

Speaking of Yingge being boring, it is probably because she has the body and age of a teenager, but the mind of an adult.

This way you will be able to solve problems independently.

I met Liu Ziheng and his cousin Yufeng on the Cuju field. It had been more than ten days since their last competition. Liu Ziheng kept his word and came up to say hello, while his cousin Yufeng was probably embarrassed for having surrendered directly last time, so he turned around and left.

Yingge was really fed up with these teenagers who always had competitions and even bets, and they were entangled endlessly. This approach was a permanent solution, or just make friends with them and everything could be discussed.

After the Cuju game, they asked to have a party in a restaurant, and Yingge did not refuse.

They met a group of girls on the road, jumping and skipping together holding hands. The boys also looked at the people around them.

Hey, it seems like just like girls, why do they always hold hands?

"Yes"

Sure enough, they saw the group of girls in front of them, and then looked at themselves.

"Eh, that's a bit corny."

The girls heard their voices and turned around to give way to them.

It’s Young Master Qinghe, and Liu Ziheng and the others. There’s no one called Yingge.

"The clothes they are wearing are so strange, are they the new men's styles that are popular in Melbourne?"

The girls were chatting and laughing, while the group of boys had already entered the restaurant.

"Didn't your brother come today?" someone nearby asked Miss Chen.

Before Miss Chen could answer, the maid said, "The young master is here. He is watching the elders play chess at the Third Master's place!"

"Brother hasn't been out much recently. He's always been kept company by the elders. He's really pitiful. Xing'er, go tell brother that I want to get together with my sisters. Please bring back the wine I ordered from Xianju Tower a few days ago."

"Yes, Miss, Xing'er will go tell the young master right away."

"We've been walking outside for a while. Let's go to a nearby restaurant and rest for a while. I'll treat you all."

Girls cannot go out as easily as boys. It is very difficult for them to go out. Although the Chen family is not far from Xianju Building, between seeing one's own home and the outside world all day long, the outside world would definitely be the first choice.

After all, my family has been watching it for decades.

The lobby of Xianju Building was very lively. The young master of the Chen family complained, "Does the family need her little wine? She is really spoiled. She has to come here to ask for wine."

The maid who went to ask him had to smile and explain, "That's because you love Miss Fifth, otherwise Miss Fifth wouldn't have asked you to help get the gifts when there were so many brothers."

There were many people in the hall, and Miss Chen was chatting and laughing when she saw her brother walking towards this side.

"If he hadn't lost the bet last time, he wouldn't have agreed to help."

He hasn't gone out for a long time since he lost, and this behavior attracted the attention of his family members. He could only say that it was a bit hot during the Dragon Boat Festival and he was going to review his lessons at home recently. And from the outside, his condition did not look very good, but he was studying privately and was actually studying harder than before.

Although Chen Jia did not go out, it did not mean that he did not pay attention to what was happening outside. He asked his servant to find out specifically that the dragon boat racing song that Yingge had composed had been circulated for a long time, but it was mostly circulated in the circle of literati, including the prefect, some well-known gentlemen and classmates. It did not seem to have caused a huge sensation.

At the same time, he asked his servant to find out about the bet, and it seemed that it had not been spread. In this way, he had a chance to get out today.

Maybe the Gudi Poetry Society didn't spread the news, or Yingge didn't say it, or maybe everyone else knew about it but didn't say anything? The young master of the Chen family was troubled by this matter for a long time.

He didn't go out during this period, but it didn't mean he had an easy time. He was either accompanying his elders and being ordered around and served by them, or he had to assign homework at night. He was in dire straits, and there was not a single moment that was easy.

Xianju Tower, he was going to get the wine and leave.

When Master Chen heard someone calling him, he turned around and realized that it was not a big deal, because whatever you fear will come true.

There were so many people, all familiar faces to him, and she was among them.

"No way, no way, no way, whatever you fear will come true."

"Master Chen, since we've met today, why don't we sit down and have a drink?"

Liu Ziheng and Su Qinghe also don't bear grudges. "It's really you. I've been looking at you for a long time. I haven't seen you for a long time. What have you been busy with recently?"

Young Master Chen ignored them and turned to leave, but was stopped by Miss Chen Wu.

"Brother, can you just get it for me?"

"You, simply..."

"Everyone at Yingge's table heard her shout and came over here. Shenzhen Yingge even gave him a smile."

"Huh, she's still laughing."

"No, why aren't they smiling? They are the winners of the competition."

Master Chen walked up to Yingge and suddenly called out in a low voice, "Hello, brother!"

"Hello."

The young master of the Chen family must be unwilling to accept this, otherwise he would not have clenched his hands hanging at his sides so tightly.

At this time, Miss Chen probably saw his embarrassment and directly pulled Master Chen's arm and said, "Brother, let's go, let's go."

Then the person was taken away by Miss Chen.

Chen Wuer blinked and asked in confusion, "Brother, what's wrong with you? Why do you call Yingge Big Brother?"

"Didn't you say you would seek justice for me? Why are you getting involved now? You've also sacrificed my lifelong happiness. What if he accepts that he will be my husband in the future?"

What did she say? She had implicated herself in it. Master Chen's ears felt hot because of her words. It was humiliating enough for him to be called "big brother". He didn't expect to hear his sister say this at the end. It made him feel even worse.

"Calling me...brother is already pretty good. If it were based on the previous bet, I'd probably have to call me...godfather."

"Godfather, what's going on? How can you say that..."

You have to explain to me what's going on.

"What else can it be? I just lost the bet. This is the stakes."

"Brother, you are my brother, how could you lose? It's impossible for you to lose. Why did you lose?"

"Oh, don't ask me about this. I don't want to talk about it."

The two siblings were quarreling here, and on Yingge's side, the other students who were confused by the actions of the young master of the Chen family asked what was going on.

"What's going on? Someone who is always so arrogant actually calls you big brother?"

"Did something happen that we don't know about?"

"Nothing, just lost the poetry competition at the Dragon Boat Festival."

"But is this also because of Juqiu? It's nothing. Okay, we're here to drink and party today, so don't ask too many questions."

"I'm really curious!" said Su Qingyu.

"Put away your curiosity or go back and ask your brother and you'll find out."

Liu Ziheng and Yufeng, who were sitting next to them, were also talking about this. "Brother, you said that Master Chen is competing with Brother Yingge. Does that mean he should call you brother too? After all, Master Chen is much older than Yingge, and Yingge has to call you brother according to seniority."

"You're the only one who talks too much, so stop talking."

Xianju Building is bustling with activity. For teenagers of this age group, losing face among their peers, having endless homework, being criticized by family elders, or interesting stories at home are all topics of conversation.

Mo City is so prosperous and quiet. Looking into the distance, you can see green trees and the water in the canals flowing slowly, nestling against the mountains in the distance, like a gem shining in the sun.

On a slope in the suburbs, a squirrel jumped down from the branches and landed lightly on a path beside a government road. It seemed unable to bear the hardness of the ground, so it jumped up again immediately. At the moment it jumped, a tall horse galloped down the slope, and the powerful horse's hoof almost stepped on the squirrel's fluffy tail.

The squirrel let out a sharp scream in pain, and its body flipped in the air before landing steadily on the ground.

The chestnut horse seemed to be frightened as well and slowed down its pace, casting a long shadow in the sun, covering the squirrel on the ground that had not yet run far away.

After a brief silence, bursts of horse hoof sounds came down the slope, and then five or six large chestnut horses leaped down, stirring up the lush grass and trees nearby, raising dust. The quiet Xiaojing suddenly became lively.

The wind stopped and the dust settled, and a team of about seven or eight people appeared on the path. Without exception, they were all riding tall, maroon horses, and on their backs were young men wearing dark green robes. The only eye-catching thing was that they all had a colorful brocade belt hanging around their waists. These brocades gave people a mysterious and unpredictable feeling, and looked very strange under the sunlight.