On a stormy late spring day in March, when willows piled up with smoke, the bohemian aristocratic princes drove luxurious carriages and horses on the streets where people came and went, overturning countless stalls and raising up so much dust and smoke. Instead of feeling ashamed, he took pleasure in it and ended up throwing away a few coins.
Xie Ruqing's stall was one of the many stalls that suffered, but Xie Ruqing seemed to have long been accustomed to it. He just silently raised his stall, replaced the calligraphy and paintings, stood on the street, and continued to wait for people to come and patronize him.
Standing in less than three inches of land, guarding a small stall with little business, blending into the chaos of the market, wearing coarse linen clothes, without any decoration, and with a thin figure, this is Xie Ruqing's current situation.
He was poor, down and out, didn't know how to adapt, offended the examiner, refused to take the test, and his wife cheated on him and ran away with someone else. This was how others judged him.
I believe that no one will believe that after many years, Xie Ruqing, who is now a joke to the world, will eventually become the Duke of Yan with all the power in the world.
Rumors have not defeated Xie Ruqing. For him, the sorrow of his family's decline, the blockage of the imperial examination, and the difficulties in educating his children have not defeated him, let alone mere rumors.
The world laughs at him for being ignorant of the world, and he laughs at the fact that everyone is drunk.
"What a handsome husband, husband, how can I sell this painting?" A middle-aged woman wearing gold jewelry walked to Xie Ruqing's stall and said.
"500 yuan for a painting, 200 yuan for a word, no bargaining."
"Hey, it's a little more expensive than others, but it's worth it since Mr. Lang is so good-looking." After saying that, the woman took out five hundred coins and put it on the stall. Xie Ruqing was reaching out to take it, but the woman Suddenly he held down the copper coin tightly and said: "It's just that I don't like the paintings on this stall. I want my husband to go to my house and paint a picture of a lady for me. I'm willing to pay a tael of silver. I don't know if your husband is willing." ah."
The woman's voice was neither loud nor quiet, and it happened to be heard by the nearby stall owners. Everyone looked at Xie Ruqing with a joking expression.
Xie Ruqing looked indifferent, as if he had not heard this.
"Don't worry, I don't have a husband. My husband is dead a long time ago. If you are willing to paint for me, no one will bother you and me." The woman's words were very explicit, and Sima Zhao's heart was obvious to all passersby.
Xie Ruqing just started to clean up the calligraphy and paintings in her hands under the gaze of everyone. The woman thought that Xie Ruqing had agreed. At that moment, she was overjoyed and wanted to grab Xie Ruqing's hand, but Xie Ruqing ducked away, her eyes seemed to be frozen. Like a layer of ice,? He said one word expressionlessly: "Get out."
The woman immediately felt coldness in her limbs, as if she had been entangled by a poisonous snake.
"You...you! Don't be ignorant, your wife has run away with someone else, I think highly of you! The whole street belongs to my house! If you dare not listen to me, I tell you, from now on! Don't even think about setting up a stall here! Let me see what you eat and drink!" After the woman came back to her senses, she was a little angry at the moment. She was actually frightened by a bereaved dog that only looked like one, and she immediately started talking harshly.
"Do it yourself." Xie Ruqing packed up her things, pushed her car, and replied to the word "woman" nonchalantly, as if she didn't care.
"Just wait for me! I can't spare you! You..." The woman's angry voice immediately sounded behind Xie Ruqing. Her words were extremely unpleasant and unbearable to listen to.
This is the seventh woman Xie Ruqing has met this month who has a crush on him. It is also the seventh street he has changed, and it is also the last street in the city. In short, since Xie Ruqing just rejected the woman, Since then, Xie Ruqing can no longer legitimately set up a stall to sell calligraphy and painting.
Thinking of the seven children at home (two of his sworn brothers and five of his own) who were waiting to be fed, as well as his parents who were old and frail and needed medicine, Xie Ruqing felt that she was a little willful and irresponsible.
But in this world, you only live one breath at a time. If you live in the way you hate the most, how can you be a good example and raise your children well?
But in this life, if you can't even take care of food and clothing at home, then are reputations really so important?
This is a question that Xie Ruqing often thinks about, and it is also the question that he thinks is the most difficult decision for him at the moment. Some people may laugh at his contradiction and look down on him, but if he has a choice, he will not be contradictory.
Of course, he believes that "leaving room" is something he can do on his own. Just like one general's success, ten thousand bones will wither.
Although he is not a general, just a scholar, he is like a chess player, seeking a way out in an endgame called "World". It often takes a lot of patience and time to crack the endgame. He is just waiting for that day. 's arrival
He is not a loyal defender who serves the country without any selfish motives, nor is he an exquisite self-interested person who puts his interests first. If the former is black and the latter is white, he is the "grey" between the two.
Thinking of this, Xie Ruqing strengthened his gaze and continued walking towards his dilapidated home.
On the way home, he brought a bag of fried chestnuts with sugar, which was the children's favorite food. Even though his life was difficult, he would not forget to bring a bag of fried chestnuts with sugar for his children when he returned home.
When he returned home, the children were waiting for him at the door early with his elderly mother as usual, and the fragrant chestnut fragrance also floated into the children's noses.
In the expectant eyes of the children, Xie Ruqing took out the bag of chestnuts, and the children rushed up and rushed away.
"Tianze, you came back very early today." Mother Xie said.
"Well, something happened and I closed the stall early."
"But I was made things difficult again...sigh..."
"Mom, don't worry so much. It's a trivial matter, don't take it to heart."
"It's your father and I who have caused you trouble. If we hadn't been so fond of gambling when we were young, we wouldn't have lost all our family property..."
Xie Ruqing's parents were a pair of gamblers. They were addicted to gambling when they were young. They met at the gambling table. By chance, they saw each other, got together, and gave birth to Xie Ruqing.
However, the birth of Xie Ruqing did not arouse their sense of responsibility at that time. They still regarded the gambling house as their home. If they were not caught gambling and imprisoned later, they probably would not have woken up.
"My mother is serious. My son has hands and feet and a lot of knowledge. As long as he is willing, he will be able to succeed sooner or later."
Although Xie Ruqing's parents were unreliable, Xie Ruqing had always respected them very much. He never resented them for losing all the family property, he just felt that it was time and destiny, and since Xie's father and Xie's mother had given up, they had always been kind to him. She took great care of him, and even though he was living in hardship, he never wanted to abandon him or beat him.
"How is father's health today?"
"Well, your father's health is getting worse. Today he invited the doctor to see him again, and he prescribed a new medicine, but this time the medicine is twice as expensive as the last time."
"The doctor also refused to let us take credit anymore. He said that when the money is paid in full, he will not give us the medicine..."
The mother and son talked nonchalantly all the way, and everything they talked about was about money.
When night fell, Xie Ruqing thought hard in front of the window for a long time. Finally, as if she had made a very difficult decision, she blew out the oil lamp, then silently climbed over the wall and left the house.
On the second day, by the moat, the boatman and the woman who got up early found a wealthy businessman who was still unconscious with a bruised nose and swollen face. This man committed crimes and committed all kinds of crimes. He was a well-known bully. I don't know who gave him to him. After giving him a lesson, he was caught. This man was still alive, but when the wealthy businessman woke up, he cried loudly and said that the valuable gold and silver treasures in his home had been robbed!
