Chapter 54: Walk Your Own Path, Let Others Talk!

  Do they know each other? Liu Yitiao saw Zhang Chuxu and his sister return the courtesy, so he put Xiaohui down on the ground and also came forward to join in the excitement. He deliberately stuck close to Zhang Chuxu's side, cupped his hands and greeted Du Zigui, saying: "I suppose this young master is the famous Three Origins' number one talented scholar, Du Weidu Gongzi? What an honor to meet you."

  "Huh, who is this young master?" Du Zigui saw that Liu Yitiao was approaching Zhang Chuchu, and Zhang Chuchu didn't even avoid him, let alone blame him. He found it very strange in his heart, as if he had never seen such a person before, was he a relative of Zhang Chuchu?

  "Oh, Master Du, let me introduce you," Zhang Chuwu said as he walked out and pointed at Liu Yitiao: "This young master's surname is Liu, his name is Yitiao, and he is my younger sister's fiancé. Just a few days ago, our Zhang family received the betrothal gift from Master Liu."

  "Brother!" Zhang Chuchu shouted in a scolding tone, then lowered her head, blushing and no longer speaking. However, her shy appearance made all the men present swallow their saliva secretly.

  "Ah?" Du Zigui unexpectedly glanced at Liu Yitiao, if Zhang's family could accept the betrothal gift, then this Liu Yitiao must have answered Miss Chuchu's difficult question. Thinking of the question Miss Chuchu gave him two years ago, Du Zigui still felt a chill in his heart. Looking at Liu Yitiao's gaze, he couldn't help but feel a few more points of admiration. To be able to subdue Zhang Chuchu, this kind of woman who is both refined in poetry and skilled in mathematics, this Liu Yitiao must not be simple. He cupped his hands in greeting and said: "Mr. Liu, nice to meet you!"

  "Young master, the assessment is about to begin, look..." Du Zigui's attendant reminded him in a low voice.

  "Uh-huh, got it." Du Zigui responded faintly, then turned to Liu Yitiao and the other two and bowed his hands in invitation: "The lantern riddle contest is about to begin, if you three are interested, why not come along?"

  Willow knew his own family's affairs, and reciting poetry was an old-fashioned hobby that he tried to avoid as much as possible. If he accidentally composed a counter-poem, it would be a serious offense. So he politely declined, saying: "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Du. I appreciate it, but the sun is setting now, and I need to send my little sister back to rest, so I won't disturb you."

  "Oh, I see. What a pity! I was looking forward to seeing Mr. Liu's literary talent. Du Zigui secretly gave a wink to the person next to him, then said to Liu Yitiao: "In that case, I won't keep you any longer, Mr. Liu, please do as you wish.""

  "Hey, Lord Liu wants to leave? How can that be? Lord Liu is a renowned talented scholar in San Yuan County, and now he has also won the favor of Miss Chu. His talent is definitely not something ordinary people can match. How can he just leave without leaving a mark?" A dandy scholar with a folding fan in his hand walked out from beside Du Wei and blocked Liu Yitiao's path on a cold winter day.

  "Yes, Brother Yi, the poetry competition was held by Zigu for the scholars of San Yuan to exchange ideas, and yet you just left like that. Isn't it a bit inhumane? Or did you simply look down on us San Yuan scholars from the very beginning?" Another scholar stood up, his words even sharper than the previous one.

  "Hey, Gong Sun brother, Chong brother, how can you talk like that? Liu brother also has something on his mind, how can he be forced?" Du Zigui timely spoke up for Liu Yitiao, but the tone of his speech was somewhat insincere.

  Liu Yitiao held Liu Xiaohui in his arms, nodded at Du Zigui as a thank you, and then faced the two scholars who blocked their way with a smile, saying: "I don't know what to call these two gentlemen?"

  "Not talented, Gongsun He Lan." The folding fan man swung his folding fan and replied with a pretentious air.

  "It's Bu Cai Pang Bingchen." The scholar behind him also reported his name.

  "Oh, it's Brother Gong Sun and Brother Pang. Nice to meet you." Liu Yitiao nodded and said: "Brother Gong Sun said that I, Liu, am a young talent, but has Brother Gong Sun really heard of my name? And Brother Pang accused me of being arrogant and looking down on the scholars of San Yuan, does Brother Pang know my true identity?"

  Seeing that they couldn't answer, Liu Yitiao replied himself: "Liu Mou is just a farmer, hasn't read many books, has never claimed to be a talented person, let alone a poet. As for farming, it's about plowing and planting, which is the strong point of farmers. As for saying that Liu Mou looks down on the identity of scholars, this is somewhat absurd. It seems that each of you present is worth more than Liu Mou, right?"

  "Farmer?" Du Zigui turned his head to look at Zhang Chuyin, apparently not believing that the husband chosen by Zhang Chuyu would actually be a farmer.

  Zhang Chu heard that things had developed to this point, so he stood up and helped Liu Yitiao out of the difficulty: "Gongsun brother, Pang brother, my sister's family is equivalent to my Zhang family, they are all ordinary farming households, so he will not have any disdain for everyone. Everyone should not make it difficult for him anymore."

  The peasants, everyone's gaze at Liu Yitiao changed. Contemptuous, the peasant in their hearts was no different from dirt, and being with a dirty and smelly farmer for so long was truly humiliating to their dignity.

  Du Zigui was a bit better, and he smiled awkwardly at Liu with great restraint. Gong Sun Helan and Pang Bingchen, on the other hand, directly turned around and left, their noses tilted upwards towards the sky.

  Liu Yitiao smiled fearlessly at this, he had seen such situations many times before. Even in the 21st century where people's minds were open and everyone was equal, some city folks would still look down on farmers, let alone now in the Tang Dynasty. It was Zhang Chuchu's expression that made Liu Yitiao feel a bit surprised, after this group of scholars showed their disdain for him, Zhang Chuchu furrowed her brow and glared at each and every one of them with anger, as if they were looking down on her, not Liu Yitiao.

  This little girl really thinks she's a member of the Liu family. Liu Yitiao suddenly felt that if he could really marry her back home, it might not be a bad choice either.

  Similarly, Du Zigui also noticed Zhang Chuchu's expression. Recalling Zhang Chuchu's previous selection of husbands, he immediately put away his disdain for Liu Yitiao. Even if Liu Yitiao was indeed a farmer, then he must be a farmer with great talent.

  "One brother, the judgment is imminent, Du Mou won't keep you company anymore, we'll meet again next time!" After everyone had left, Du Wei finally nodded to Liu Yitiao and led his servants away.

  "Looking down on people with dog eyes, a group of selfish people! Hmph!" Zhang Chuchu said indignantly as she watched Du Wei and the others leave.

  "Haha, Chu Chu is indeed perceptive. However, it's unnecessary to take such self-serving words to heart. Please don't be angry anymore, Chu Chu. As the saying goes, 'Follow your own path and let others talk!' Just focus on being true to yourself."

  "'Go your own way and let others talk!' Although Liu Gongzi's words sound strange, they are actually quite carefree. Chu Chu admires him."