Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 12: Flowers are dazzling

After the rain stopped today, Bai Junzhe and Lou Xinyue rode together and went out of the city to the suburbs for an outing.

Whatever he said, about being seriously injured and unable to move, was all made up to deceive Qiao Lili.

Outside the city, on the banks of the Ximi River, the breeze blows, the grass is green, the birds are singing, and the fish are swimming. The flowers are so beautiful that they are dazzling, and the grass is so shallow that the horse's hooves can't be covered.

Lou Xinyue snuggled in Bai Junzhe's arms, letting the horse walk freely, admiring the spring scenery which was different from that at the border.

Lou Xinyue was not satisfied with such a poetic and picturesque scene. From time to time, she would touch Bai Junzhe's thigh with her hand and rub his chest with her shoulders. Both of them were wearing thin clothes, and Bai Junzhe became distracted for a moment.

Lou Xinyue felt a hard sword stabbing her back again and again in rhythm with the horse's walking, and a silver bell-like laugh escaped from her mouth.

"Brother Zhe..." When Bai Junzhe heard the charming whisper, fire was rising in his heart, as if a bucket of strong liquor was poured into him. He could no longer control himself. He jumped off his horse, picked up Lou Xinyue and flew into the depths of the woods.

Two years ago, at the border, Xiguan City, Bai Junzhe entered Hongxiuzhao in order to hunt down a deserter, and met Lou Xinyue, an courtesan who only sold her art but not her body. She was being blocked in the house by a wealthy businessman in his fifties with a big belly, who wanted to rape her.

The beautiful lady asked for help with tears in her eyes, but the hero could never resist the temptation of beauty.

On the second day, the courtesan Lou Xinyue used her savings of many years to redeem herself, rented a small courtyard in Liushu Hutong in Xiguan City, bought a little maid, and lived alone. Bai Junzhe became the male owner who often came and went in this small courtyard.

After two years of close contact, Lou Xinyue has mastered Bai Junzhe's body to the point where she can do whatever she wants in the blink of an eye.

After returning to the capital, although she was trying her best to promote the marriage of Bai Junzhe and Qiao Lili, she could not suppress the jealousy in her heart.

So, in the past few days, her demands on Bai Junzhe were endless.

"Brother Zhe, is Xinyue going to lose you..." I don't know if it was because she was too immersed in the role, or if she acted it out, or if her acting was innate, but her eyes, which were full of charm a second ago, were now filled with tears.

"Xinyue, you are my life, I will give you my life, okay..."... The birds in the forest were frightened and flapped their wings and fled.

"Fairy..."

The sky was a cover and the earth was a mat. After half an hour, the dark clouds finally dispersed and the rain stopped.

*

Everything that happened in front of the Bai Mansion was seen by countless people with ulterior motives. In the end, the dozen or so shopkeepers were sent away only after Bai wrote an IOU and agreed to pay off the debt within five days.

There are still many people who have not left. On the nearby streets and alleys, people in twos and threes are still talking, pointing and poking at the bills they have picked up. If you are careful, you will definitely find that there are a few people who are wandering among the crowd, cleverly changing the topic from time to time.

There was also a good-hearted person who set up a tea stall at the entrance of the alley. If anyone was thirsty, they could have a large bowl of tea for free. There were indeed a few idle old ladies who lingered here for a sip of free tea and refused to go home. If they went home, they would need firewood to burn for water, and the firewood and coarse tea also cost money.

At dusk, the scene of a strong horse carrying the contented young general Bai Junzhe and holding the beautiful Lou Xinyue back to the Bai Mansion caught the eyes of many people.

Those old ladies have poisonous eyes. Can they not see what Lou Xinyue has been through? In an instant, the discussion at the entrance of the alley reached a colorful climax.

Bai Junzhe was still suspicious. How could so many people stop by the gate of Bai Mansion, which had always been deserted? Could it be that his reputation as a young general had spread all over the capital? That was why so many people came to watch him?

A haughty smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he felt indescribably satisfied in his heart.

That evening, there was a new topic of conversation in teahouses of all sizes in the capital. Every time the storyteller banged his gavel, he would talk about something or other about the family of General Bai, who had recently become famous.

My mother and sister lived an extravagant life, buying things on credit everywhere in Beijing, owing large sums of money and having people block their doors to demand repayment.

Young General Bai was immoral and had ignored his engagement. He rode with a woman every day, went out together and behaved in a dissolute manner. Finally, it was inevitable that the deceased Marquis Bai would be brought up for discussion.

By the way, does General Bai take after his father when it comes to matters between men and women?

They even said that the attack of rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at the city gate on the day he returned was due to him doing something unspeakable and being retaliated against. Otherwise, how come countless people had passed through there in the past hundred years of this dynasty and such a thing had never happened before?

On the contrary, few people mention his military achievements and how he got the title of this young general, although it is not true.

People in the capital city have never experienced the flames of war. Everything on the battlefield is too far away from them. Only money and women are topics of eternal interest that can move their hearts.

*

When Bai Junzhe returned home, he first carried the weak and fragile Lou Xinyue to her own bedroom. He wanted to ask the maid to bring some hot water for Lou Xinyue to wash herself, but he didn't even see a little maid to deliver the message.

When I was walking on the road just now, I felt that the atmosphere in the mansion was not right. Although there were not many servants in the house, at this time on ordinary days, you could see people coming and going, serving tea and water, preparing meals, and there would be smoke, heat, and the aroma of food wafting out from the big kitchen.

He had been out playing for the whole day, and had some fun with Lou Xinyue, so he was already hungry. However, he felt that the kitchen was deserted today, and it didn't look like dinner was about to be served.

Unable to find the maid who took care of Lou Xinyue, he had to go to the yard of the big kitchen by himself. As expected, there was no fire in the kitchen to cook. Several old women were huddled in the corner, chattering about something. When they saw him coming, they ran away in panic.

"Why haven't you prepared the meal yet at this time?" Bai Junzhe stopped a slow-moving maid and asked.

The old woman hesitated for a long time and stammered, "The kitchen manager was tied up by the Madam. We, we don't know what to do, and we didn't buy any vegetables today."

Bai Junzhe had a hunch that something was wrong, so he turned around and was about to ask Mrs. Bai. After he took a few steps, he turned back and told the maid, "Boil some hot water and send it to Miss Lou's room to help her wash up."

The old woman curled her lips at Bai Junzhe's departing back and muttered, "What kind of girl is this, she looks like a fox. The girls in the building are pretty good. She's always picky. She never gets any favors when you serve her, let alone rewards."

I thought of the eldest daughter of the Duke Dingguo's mansion again. Look at her. She is a lady from a noble family. Her every frown and smile is so dignified and beautiful like a fairy. She came twice in total and I gave her silver coins both times.

The old woman muttered to herself and grumbled to herself as she went to boil water reluctantly.

Bai Junzhe went to Bai's yard. Two old women were huddled at the door like quails. They trembled with fear when they saw him come in.

"Where is the madam?" Bai Junzhe frowned. The servants in this mansion were becoming more and more unruly.

"Yes, in the room." He said, shrinking back again. Today, anyone with a bit of dignity in the mansion was tied up, including the housekeeper, the purchaser, the kitchen manager, and even the gatekeeper. They all knew what happened at the gate at noon. He owed so much money, it was said that there were more than 30,000 taels. Would they be sold to pay off the debt?

The Bai family was a shrewd woman. Only she and Bai Rouer knew about Qiao Lili's support for the Bai mansion. She had not even told Bai Junzhe, let alone the servants in the mansion. Therefore, everyone in the mansion believed that during the four years when the young general was away from home, the mother and daughter had lived a life of extravagance by buying things on credit.

Nowadays, the debt collectors come to our door, it’s terrible.

(555.....I'm so embarrassed...I've revised the first half...)