Chapter 53: The Young Master of the Du Family

  "Little sister, little sister!" Just as Liu Yitiao and the others arrived at the desk, Zhang Chuxu rushed up from behind. He hurried to Zhang Chuxu's side, panting slightly, and scolded her, "How could you run here by yourself? It's not safe for a girl like you."

  "Brother Chu! I didn't expect to meet you here." Liu Yitiao cupped his hands and greeted Zhang Chuhu, then looked at Zhang Chuchu and said: "Is this young lady not Miss Chuchu? What a pleasure to meet you, Yitiao pays his respects."

  "Mr. Liu is polite." Zhang Chuchu nodded slightly, her face flushing a deep red on the parts not covered by her green shirt.

  "Chu Chu sister! It's really you!" Liu Xiao Hui exclaimed excitedly in Liu Yi Tiao's arms: "I almost recognized you just now! Chu Chu sister, why are you covering your face? You're making it hard for me to recognize you until now."

  Zhang Chuchu smiled and said: "Little Hui sister, covering one's face when going out is a custom. You're still young now, but when you grow up, you'll also have to cover your face."

  Zhang Chu heard this and also noticed Liu Yitiao's presence, hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting: "So Yitiao brother is here too. No wonder Chuchu would run to this place for no reason, haha..."

  "Brother!" Zhang Chuchu said with a hint of embarrassment and reproach: "I came here because the flower lanterns are more unique, not for..."

  "Alright, alright, I understand, I understand." Zhang Chu interrupted Zhang Chuchu's words. Then he smiled and said to Liu Yitiao: "Liu Xian-di also came here to grab the lamp? Come on, come on, I'm more familiar with this place, there are pen, ink, paper, and inkstone on that table. Liu Xian-di can splash ink and compose poetry here. In a little while, Du Wei, the young master of the Du family, will personally come to comment. The articles of Master Du have truly inherited the legacy of Old Master Du Yan, it's a rare opportunity for his poems to be commented on by him."

  It's clear that Zhang Chuwen has a deep admiration for Du Zhigui. Liu Yitia shook his head and said, "There's no need to write poetry or compose verses. I'm just here to join in the fun. I've heard that Master Du is one of the few talented scholars in San Yuan County, and I'd like to take a look at his demeanor."

  "Yes, I have also deeply admired Zhang Chuwen's article. Zhang Chuwen seemed to have met a kindred spirit and began to talk endlessly about Du Zhigui's stories."

  Du Wei, courtesy name Zigui. Born into a wealthy family, his grandfather Du Yan was famous for his writing and served as an imperial historian. Du Wei was clever and knowledgeable about etiquette and filial piety from a young age, earning the love of Du Yan, who made him a key focus of his nurturing efforts.

  Du Wei did not disappoint Du Xian, being clever and studious from a young age, he obtained one-third of his grandfather's true legacy at the age of fifteen. He gained a reputation as a young talent in San Yuan County. In Chang'an City, he also had some prestige.

  Du Zigui's talent is unknown to Liu Yitiao, but judging from Zhang Chuhuai's appearance, it should be similar. Zhang Chuhuai is still a pure bookworm now, and what he lacks the least is the spirit of a bookworm. In modern terms, Zhang Chuhuai is a rebel youth who will not fawn on Du Zigui for the power of the Du family.

  At a young age, he had wealth and power, and was able to gain the genuine support of scholars like Zhang Chu, who came from humble origins. This Du Zigui must have been either a thoroughgoing good man or an extremely cunning and deep-hearted little scoundrel.

  This is Liu Yitiao's evaluation of Du Zigui. However, in his heart, he still leans towards the latter possibility. The living environment determines a person's character, and Liu Yitiao does not believe that children who have been mixed with official circles since childhood will be very kind-hearted. He is willing to host this lantern riddle-guessing game, and it is estimated that there are more components of showing off.

  Zhang Chuchu heard Zhang Chuweng constantly praising Du Zhigui, and felt discontent in her heart. She interjected from the side: "Brother, I've told you many times before, it's not easy to trust officials like Du Weizhong too much, otherwise you'll definitely suffer losses in the future."

  Zhang Chu heard the words and smiled, not refuting them. He just smiled warmly and said: "Little sister, let's not talk about Du Gongzi's character, it's hard to say clearly. What I admire about him is his writing. In terms of talent, Du Gongzi's talent is enough to be considered the best among all the talented young men in San Yuan County. As for me and him, we are as different as heaven and earth."

  "Haha, Brother Chu Wen, don't be too humble. You are one of the few Gong Sheng in our three villages and five towns, and you will become a Jinshi in the future. Don't let a few articles confuse your mind. What's important for an official is his ability. Talent can only bring personal fame, but ability can bring real benefits to the people. For the people, real benefits are what make a good official." Seeing that Zhang Chu Wen had some inferiority complex, Liu Yitia couldn't help but think of the modern discussion about education and ability, and casually brought it up to comfort him.

  After listening to Liu Yitiao's remarks, a hint of unusual color flashed in Zhang Chuchu's eyes, and her good impression of Liu Yitiao increased by several points.

  Zhang Chu heard this and felt as if he had been drenched with a pot of cold water, his mind suddenly clear. He immediately bowed to Liu Yitiao and said: "Mr. Liu's words are extremely correct, Chuwen has learned from them."

  "Hehe, nonsense, Brother Chu just listen and don't take it seriously." Liu said with a smile.

  Zhang Chu heard solemnly said: "Mr. Liu's words are the ultimate reason, just now I was a bit vain."

  Liu nodded and smiled, without saying a word. Seeing a young master dressed in fine clothes being surrounded by a group of people walking towards them, he pointed at the young master and said: "Chu Wen brother, is that young master Du Zigui, Master Du?"

  Zhang Chu heard Shun looked in the direction of Liu's pointing, nodded and said: "Not bad, he is indeed Du Zigui." When speaking, his tone was calm, completely gone was the turbulent look when mentioning Du Zigui earlier. It seems that he has really come to understand.

  Liu Yitiao carefully sized him up, Du Zigui was about the same age as Liu Ertiao, around 15 years old. His skin was pale and lacked the nourishment of sunlight. His features were handsome, although not comparable to Li Rusi from last time, but already reached a level that made many men jealous. There was often a seemingly very gentle smile on his face, completely unlike Liu Ertiao's silly grin, and he had great affinity.

  This Du Zhigui is quite good. No wonder many big girls and young wives along the way are constantly throwing flirtatious glances at him. Liu Yitia glanced at Zhang Chuchu beside her, finding that she was also secretly observing Young Master Du, but the expression on her face was disdainful!

  Seeing this, Liu Yitiao felt a sense of relief in his heart. Fortunately, his future daughter-in-law was not the kind of person who only cared about appearances and was infatuated with vanity.

  At this time, the scholars in front of the bookcase saw Du Wei arrive and all warmly welcomed him. Liu Yitia and others stood quietly on the side. Unexpectedly, they didn't go to welcome him, but instead Du Zigui walked towards them.

  Only then did Xiao Du part the crowd and come straight to Zhang Chuwen, bowing his hands and saying: "Brother Chuwen, Miss Chuchu, I, Du, pay my respects."