Insufficient balance

  The crescent moon hangs in the air, and the Qinhuai Lake is still bustling with people. At this moment, Yi Han is standing at the bow of the boat with Yu Jie and others, looking forward. The beautiful painting boat of Qinhuai Top Ten is just beside them, but everyone doesn't even look at it, their eyes fixed on the luxurious painting boat in the middle of the lake, which is far away from Qinhuai Top Ten. Everyone thinks they are early enough, but seeing the dense boats rushing towards that painting boat, they all know they are wrong. Others also have the same idea as themselves, and the closer they get to that luxurious painting boat, the more crowded the lake surface becomes. On the contrary, those small boats are light and agile.

  When Daiyu's boat approached the painted barge, many other boats surged in from the periphery. Each of these boats was like a person, and the more crowded it became, the more people squeezed inside. In an instant, with the magnificent painted barge as the center, countless large and small boats surrounded it, making the water impassable. At this moment, even the small boats couldn't move, and all around were boats colliding with each other, with sounds of quarreling, scolding, and cursing filling the air. Some people were anxious, while others watched the commotion as if it were a good show, making the scene more lively than a street market. In comparison, Qinhuai's beautiful barge seemed much quieter.

  At this point, a young girl dressed as a maid came out of the luxurious boat and stood on the ship, saying in a loud voice: "Please let the boats inside go out first. The lady said it's still early, we'll start when everyone is here. Don't worry, everyone will get their turn." Her clear and loud voice immediately suppressed the noise, and the situation improved a lot after the maid finished speaking, but it was still crowded and chaotic.

  Yi Han and others had already boarded the bow of the boat, this luxurious flower boat was more than twice as large as ordinary flower boats, dozens of people were already standing on the bow, and there was still plenty of space, if it were an ordinary flower boat, it would have been crowded with people. Some young masters had boarded from the stern, some young masters had brought some followers, but they were all intercepted when boarding, the maid said: "Followers are not allowed to board, please forgive us, young masters", this was nothing, there were already many people, if those female attendants and followers were added, wouldn't the boat be overcrowded?

  More and more people are getting on the boat, this painting is too large, the bow and stern of the boat are already close to each other, with over a hundred people gathered, if not handled properly, it may capsize at any moment. The bow and stern of the boat are being maintained by two maidservants, looking anxious as more and more people come on board.

  Inside the cabin, Orchid Hairpin said to Green Hairpin with difficulty: "Sister Qiu, there are more and more people coming, what can we do? We can't drive them off the boat."

  The green-clothed woman's eyebrows flashed a few times, and her shiny black eyes showed a clever light. "Got it." The green-clothed woman had a mysterious smile on the corner of her mouth, and she whispered a few words in the ear of the blue-clothed woman. The blue-clothed woman heard it and giggled: "Sister Qiu, you're so bad!"

  On the painting boat, people were crowded together, and there was no room for even half a point. From time to time, someone would get on the boat, desperately squeezing in. At this moment, these young masters had no distinction between high and low, noble or humble, and they had lost all their usual elegance and poise, everyone looking disheveled and wretched.

  Curses and complaints filled the air, just then the pleasure boat suddenly swayed gently from side to side. Everyone was shocked - this boat wasn't going to capsize, was it? The thought had barely passed when the boat swayed again, more violently than before. Some people grew tense, grabbing onto whatever they could, while those in the middle grabbed onto the people beside them. Splash! Someone fell into the water. Splash, splash, splash - a chain reaction ensued as person after person fell into the water.

  The people on the boat became tense, seemingly at a loss, and the boat shook even more violently. For a time, the sound of falling into the water was incessant, and many of those by the railing were squeezed down.

  Until there were only about fifty people left at the bow and stern, the painting boat gradually stabilized. In the lake, hundreds of people fell into the water, and the scene was quite spectacular. Some shouted for help, some cursed loudly, and others just swam up to the boat.

  A woman in green clothing said loudly, "For the safety of all the young masters, this boat cannot take on any more people. Please come back tomorrow night for those who have not yet boarded." The people on the boat who had narrowly escaped falling into the water couldn't help but secretly sigh with relief at their good fortune. Those who had fallen into the water and those who had not yet boarded the mountain boat, although they felt regretful in their hearts, could only give up.

  The boat began to leave, and the painting was much cleaner. Next, I will enter the cabin to see the beauty of the beautiful woman.

  Yi Han and others were at the bow of the ship, where there were about fifty people. The place seemed much more spacious, with many people sweating profusely, still catching their breath from the previous squeeze. Some were hastily adjusting their clothes, some wiping away sweat, and others tidying up their hair.

  The woman in green said, "Gentlemen, there are only about twenty seats inside the cabin, but there are nearly a hundred people on board. The cabin really can't hold so many people, and I'm really having a hard time, so I just asked Miss for instructions."

  The buzzing noise subsided, and everyone waited for the woman in green to continue. They had a bad premonition that something was going to be stirred up again.

  The woman in green said helplessly: "Only twenty gentlemen are invited inside, others can only be asked to leave"

  "There's a person on the boat who spoke in a strange tone and said: 'There are no seats, we can stand too, why do you have to hurry us away?' The crowd echoed in agreement."

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet and listen to me. If we go in, who will take these twenty seats? My mistress has always treated everyone equally and cannot make this decision. Those young masters without seats may also feel discontented. It's inevitable that some disputes will arise. Moreover, this is a refined and elegant matter, originally seeking the elegance of one word. This is not like watching a play where the more people the better. On the contrary, too many people would spoil everyone's interest. In that case, why not create a quiet and elegant environment for everyone?"

  The woman in green said, "We have over a hundred people, but I don't know if those twenty people will be lucky enough to enter." Another person on the boat asked, and that person was Ma Huateng.

  The woman in green smiled and said, "Don't worry, young master. There are too many people here. We'll give you a test. The miss has instructed the maid to ask each of you to send one thing to my miss. If she likes it, then that young master can come in. Please don't worry, we will return your things."

  Another person on the boat laughed and said: "Then I'll recite a love poem for the young lady, okay?"

  The woman in green smiled and said: "It's possible, but as for this love poem of yours, I'm afraid my young mistress won't be able to return it."

  Everyone burst out laughing and teased the person who had been overly sentimental earlier.

  The woman in green called out four maids from the cabin and said, "Which of you gentlemen will come first?"

  Several people rushed forward, each taking out the most valuable things from their bodies and presenting them. Most of them were jade pendants and other ornaments. The others just watched from the sidelines, observing the situation. The five people hastily entered and then hastily came out again. The woman in green returned the items to those people, saying: "Gentlemen, please leave. These things are not liked by the young lady." Those people heard this and left with some dignity, but one or two of them refused to budge and only reluctantly departed under the angry gaze of dozens of pairs of eyes.

  Everyone looked at each other, no one stepped forward, thinking that they would let others come first, and also to guess the preferences of the owner of this boat. The woman in green saw that no one was coming forward, smiled and said: "The quota is limited, if the quota is already full, no matter how hard you try to please my young lady, you can only return empty-handed."

  The woman in green said so, and then five more people came forward. After the first wave of five people, everyone was clear that the owner of this boat did not like ordinary things, and they all recited a poem. Those five women had good memories, and after listening, they remembered it and quickly entered the cabin. This time took a bit longer than before, but it was still very fast. The five maids came out again, saying to two of them: "These two gentlemen please enter the cabin", and to the other three: "Sorry, three gentlemen".

  One of the three men, a handsome young man, complained: "Did you misquote my poem? Why wouldn't Miss like this poem?"

  The young maid said: "Your poem is, 'Several spring messages, blocking the fragrance of the soul without a shadow, bringing good dreams that are hard to rely on, and light red becoming an array'".

  "That handsome young man said: 'Not a single word is wrong, but why wouldn't the lady like it? This is a good poem.'"

  Miss said after listening: "This poem is too melancholic and lacks a man's demeanor."

  The handsome young man sighed and said: "Since Miss doesn't like it, I'll recite another one."

  Young servant said: "Master, everyone has only one chance".

  The handsome young man suddenly changed his face, I'm out of here, he said and left with a furious expression.

  Everyone was shocked and did not expect that such a good poem would be disliked by the owner of the painting boat, and the reason was actually because the style of the poem was too melancholic.

  Yi Han saw the strange expressions of the crowd and asked: "Who was that just now? Why are you all sighing like this?"

  Yu Jie replied, "That man's surname is Bai, his name is Congqu, he is good at writing songs and poems, and has some reputation in Jinling. His poetry cannot please the owner of the boat, it seems that entering the cabin will not be easy."

  Yi Han burst out laughing: "This has nothing to do with the quality of the lyrics, in such a beautiful scene, that person actually came up with such a verse, isn't it ruining the atmosphere? Brother Yu can just improvise and recite something on the spot, the more flowery and romantic, the more vulgar and lowly, the better."

  The remaining people saw that the owner of the painted barge liked poetry, so they all stopped sending ordinary gifts and instead gave poems, love poems. Soon, only about a dozen or so people were left on the bow of the boat, but only four were invited to enter the cabin.

  Yu Jie and a few others were originally the veterans of the Wind Elegant Poetry Society, how could the matter of reciting poems be difficult for him? Among the four people, Ming Xiu's talent and learning are the highest, Yu Jie is also not bad. Lin Mu Sen also has some talent and learning, but Ma Hua Teng is most skilled at clever and eccentric things, only this reciting poems is a bit difficult for him.

  Yu Jiedao said, "Hua Teng, how confident are you? Do you want me to go first?" Ma Hua Teng listened and shook his head with a mysterious smile. "I've long been prepared," he said, pulling out a mud doll from his pocket that looked exactly like him, except the doll had a heroic and elegant demeanor, which was quite different from Ma Hua Teng's lewd smile.

  Ma Hua Teng smiled and said, "Last night when I came on board, this morning I was thinking of sending something to the owner of this painting boat. After some thought, I couldn't think of anything too common. Unintentionally, I walked past a small stall selling mud figurines, and suddenly had an idea. Who would have thought it would come in handy tonight?"

  Yu Jie and several others went forward, but Yi Han remained standing still. Yu Jie asked: "Brother Yi, why not come together?"

  Yi Han smiled and said: "Everyone can start first, if you can't get on board, I won't continue. If you're lucky enough to get in, please wait for a moment, I'll be right there."

  Several people were deeply moved after hearing this. Yi Han was indeed a man of great integrity, for he remained unmoved by the beauty before him and instead thought only of his good friend.

  The four of them didn't say much more, Ma Huateng handed over the small clay figure, and the other three recited a poem. The little maid took the clay figure from Ma Huateng's hand, looked at Ma Huateng again, and chuckled: "Young master is really good at deceiving people, my young lady will definitely be deceived by you." After finishing speaking, she followed the other maids into the house.

  After a moment, the few people came out of the cabin with smiles on their faces, and the five of them looked somewhat tense. The green-clothed woman said to Mingxiu, Yu Jie, and Lin Muxuan: "Three gentlemen, please come in." Ma Huateng's face turned dark after hearing this, his expression gloomy. Could it be that this young lady didn't like that muddy man? If he had known earlier, he would have also recited a poem.

  At the moment when Ma Hua Teng was disheartened, a woman in green clothes said to him: "Young master, my young lady likes this clay figure very much. She even smiled after seeing it. Your intention is thoughtful and considerate. Please come in."

  Ma Hua heard and suddenly changed his expression, suddenly became excited and enthusiastic, the four of them entered the cabin together.

  Five people were left, and the five had wanted to go forward. The green-clothed woman apologized: "Gentlemen, the quota is full, please return." After finishing speaking, she was about to retreat back into the cabin, several of them couldn't help but look disheartened, blaming themselves for not going earlier. Only Yi Han didn't give up; how could he be willing to obediently go back? Wasting his time wasn't a problem, and it would also spoil the mood. "Wait," Yi Han shouted. Those few maidservants stopped in their tracks, looking at Yi Han with confusion.

  "It doesn't matter if there's one more person or one less."

  The woman in green said: "Young master, didn't I just say that the quota is full? Why are you making it difficult for me?"

  Yi Han's face was indifferent, and he smiled: "I just want to go in, what can you do? Let's wrestle, if I win, let me in, if I lose, I'll obediently leave".

  The woman in green turned pale with anger, "Young master, you're being shameless. How can a lady like me have physical contact with you?"

  Yi Han smiled and said, "Very good, you haven't even started competing yet, but you already have the awareness to concede defeat on your own initiative. Sister, you really know how to be a person." After finishing speaking, he was about to flash past the green-clothed woman into the cabin.

  But just then, the green-clad woman suddenly moved, her foot tripping him up, sending Yi Han tumbling to the ground with his four limbs in the air. The green-clad woman clapped her hands and said, "Hmph, I don't even need to use my hands to easily take care of you." After that, she turned around and was about to enter the cabin.

  "Wait."

  Yi Han struggled to get up, dusting off the dirt on his body. Since it was hard, he could only resort to being gentle. "Although I didn't get to see the beauty today, since I've come, I shouldn't return empty-handed. I also have something to give to the young lady."

  The woman in green said impatiently: "Bring it over."

  Yi Han smiled and said: "Don't worry, sister, I'll leave immediately after delivering the goods."

  The woman in green said helplessly: "Alright, young master, leave your things here and come back for them tomorrow night."

  Yi Han untied the kerchief on his head, revealing a messy black hair. The strong wind by the lake blew through his long hair, making him look more like a heroic figure from the pugilistic world than a young master. His faint smile, deep eyes, calm gaze and elegant posture exuded an air of mystery, a gentle heroism that was unexpected. The green-clad woman couldn't help but feel surprised - although Yi Han's appearance wasn't particularly striking among this group of young masters, the charm he emitted at this moment was something those young masters didn't possess.

  Yi Han glanced at the green-robed woman and saw that she was calm and composed. How could it be? The beauty trap had no effect on her, what a failure.

  Yi Han used that strip of cloth to fold and twist in his hand, so fast that it was hard to see the movements of his hands. In an instant, he said "done" and a butterfly made from the cloth came to life.

  Yi Han handed the lifelike butterfly to the green-robed woman, "Sister, hurry and send it off, I'll wait here for your good news."

  A moment later, the woman in green walked out and said, "Young master, my young lady has invited you."

  Yi Han smiled with satisfaction and said: "I knew it all along, what a waste of time".

  The woman in green smiled and said: "No payment, no gain. The young master didn't waste his thoughts either, this is how he became a guest of honor in my mistress's house."

  Yi Han said: "You said Miss, did she say must invite me in?"

  The woman in green was taken aback, "How did you know, young master?"

  Yi Han's face was mysterious, "This is a secret".

  "Please come in," the woman in green urged again.

  "But I don't want to go in now, I want to go home", Yi Han deliberately made things difficult, that last fall was really intense.

  "The lady in green hastily said: 'Young master, are you going to get the little maid punished by the young miss?'"

  Yi Han burst out laughing and said: "Your family's young lady is so fierce, then I'd better not go".

  The woman in green hastily said: "It's not like that, my young lady is a good person. My young lady told me to tell you that if you are not willing to follow me back, she has entrusted a message with me for you."

  "What's up"

  The woman in green gazed at Yi Han and softly recited: "Not having seen you, I find it hard to sleep at night"

  "You're so infatuated, don't try to deceive me", burst out laughing and followed the green-clad woman into the cabin.