Chapter 8: Plagiarism Without Burden
The mother and daughter, plus the two "failed mountain bandits", lived in this courtyard, which didn't seem empty at all. Especially Zhou Cang's broken gong-like voice added countless noise and vitality to this separate courtyard.
As it was just after the autumn harvest, Li Qing also sent over some vegetables and grain. Zhao Xing's family welcomed the Mid-Autumn Festival of Guangxu 4 with joy and harmony.
When Zhao Xing, with a face full of soot and wiping away sweat, brought up a plate of round mooncakes filled with bean paste and sugar, he shouted loudly: "Brothers and sisters, let's eat mooncakes!" In that instant, the moonlight pouring onto the hills and courtyards was filled with warmth and romance.
Why did Zhao Xing shout "brothers and sisters"? Because on that night, there were six people who spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with Zhao Xing's mother and son. They were General Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao; maternal uncle Li Jinwu, maternal uncle Li Jinsi, maternal aunt Xu Wanting; The last one was the old steward Zheng Bo.
Since recognizing each other a few days ago, although most of the Li family relatives in Li Village didn't think much of Zhao Xing and his wife as outsiders who had inserted themselves into their ranks, there were still three younger generations among the crowd who took a liking to Zhao Xing.
Li Jinwu saw Zhao Xing with his gun and bow, looking spirited and refreshing. When facing the crowd, he was neither humble nor arrogant, having a heroic demeanor that would not change even if Mount Tai were to collapse in front of him. Li had a very good impression of him.
Li Jinsi thought that Zhao Xing's sarcastic remarks towards Li Jinbiao were sharp and arrogant, not like someone who would be willing to live under others for a long time, so he had the intention of making friends with him.
Xu Wanting was at the age when a girl's heart beats fast, and as soon as she saw Zhao Xingyu's elegant and refined appearance, her heart skipped a beat. After seeing Zhao Xing's dignified and thoughtful behavior, her tender heart unknowingly opened a door for him.
Zheng Bojia couldn't bear the entanglement of a few small characters, so he had to bring a few people to find Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing was both surprised and very welcoming when they arrived.
After all, at Zhao Xing's current age, it is the right time to make friends and yearn for the opposite sex. If he always shows an old-fashioned and overly mature demeanor, I don't know how he can get along with Li Yuyu as a single man and woman.
Although Zhao Xing didn't have any ulterior motives, he still felt somewhat unaccustomed and ill at ease facing a mother who was not only under thirty but also an absolutely stunning beauty in the 21st century.
At the same time, Zhao Xing also had some expectations for the arrival of these peers.
People often say: "Tigers are relatives, brothers in arms", these few people can put aside their differences and come to make friends with me, which proves that their vision is stronger than others. Zhao Xing has a blood relationship with them. In this era where family background and door influence the trend of the world, when building his own team, he must have several relatives as a facade to show off! Just like Cao Cao's subordinates, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Cao Chun, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, etc., how many are their own people?
After a conversation with several people, Zhao Xing felt that Li Jins and Li Jinwu were both moldable talents, while Xu Wanting's appearance was like a beauty who could cause trouble, making the timid Zhao Xing dare not look at her more.
Zhao Xing made a secret decision in his heart, to attract these people to his side, even if it was the old steward Zheng Bo, he didn't want to let him go - with more people at home in the future, one less steward wouldn't matter!
To make Li Jinsi and others not come in vain, Zhao Xing made every effort to persuade them, and after a while, he convinced the siblings, who were all starry-eyed.
In the evening, Zhao Xing personally went to the kitchen and made the first mooncake of this era. When everyone picked up the round mooncake with curiosity, Zhao Xing, who was determined to shock people, struck a pose, gazed at the moon, and recited a poem with a new rhyme: "When will the bright moon appear? I'll ask the blue sky with wine... I want to ride the wind back home, but fear that the crystal palace is too high and cold..."
Alas, this Zhao Xing guy, claiming that mooncakes were his own idea is one thing, but he actually dared to plagiarize Mr. Su Dongpo's "Water Tune Song Head". However, on the other hand, this can also be considered as the greatest advantage of a time-traveler, being able to plagiarize advanced cultural achievements from later generations without worrying about being discovered, or even taken to court.
It's easy to imagine the shock in Li Jins' heart after reciting a poem. They were convinced by Zhao Xing's literary talent and re-examined and thought about the boy's ability and talent in front of them. At least one thing can be certain, that is, Zhao Xing is absolutely not simple.
Many years later, this Mid-Autumn Festival moon-gazing evening had completely different descriptions in the memoirs of different people:
In his memoirs, Li Jin Si, a cabinet minister of the prosperous Han Dynasty, wrote: When I saw the Emperor pinching half a mooncake, with a hint of sadness and melancholy in his eyes, softly reciting "When will the bright moon appear", I told myself that the wise ruler I had been searching for all along was right in front of me. In that moment, I seemed to see a glimmer of hope for changing one's life from the compassion and sorrow for heaven and man that flowed out of his eyes.
During the Xinghe period of the Great Han Empire, General Li Jinwu wrote in his memoirs: "At that time, I had an urge to hit him, he took all the credit! Fortunately, when I saw Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, I restrained myself. I buried my head and ate mooncakes fiercely... However, the taste of the mooncake was indeed unique."
The Empress of the Great Han Empire, Xu Wanting, also had memories of this matter, and simply said: "At that moment, there were flowers blooming in my heart..."
