Chapter 41: Astonishing Eight Trigrams

  Du He escaped quickly, his father did not kick him, and smiled: "As for Zhangsun Long, he usually doesn't see him studying hard, but he somehow comes up with great phrases. And the manual laborers can't even make a large waterwheel by hand, but he knows how to do it. Also, those maps and sand tables seem to be already printed in Zhangsun's mind. If it were someone like Li Jing who drew them, his son wouldn't think it strange, after all, Li Jing is a military god, familiar with the Art of War, geography, and has been to those places. But Zhangsun and his son are both spoiled brats, never even left Chang'an City, how could they know so much? This isn't something you can just read in books."

  Du Ru Hui listened and then asked: "Then what do you think Changsun Wuji values most about Zhuangzi?"

  Du He thought for a moment, then said without hesitation: "Of course it's those rice paddies he stirred up! You don't know, last time Chai Lingwu that kid ran into the paddy field to catch frogs and fish for crayfish, trampled several stalks of rice, which made Zhangsun Chong furious, and severely disciplined Chai Lingwu. However, it wasn't Zhangsun Chong who personally disciplined him, but rather the imperial guard Hao Qiang, who was left in the village by His Majesty, beat him up."

  "Rice field?"

  "Yes, it's those rice paddies. Whoever messes with them will get a stern look! Even the Crown Prince, when he accidentally slipped and fell by the paddy field, Long Sun was more concerned about whether the rice had been damaged than whether the prince was hurt!" Du He sighed, "Among all the officials in court, only Brother Long has such grandeur."

  Du Ruhui had a plan in mind, his body felt much lighter, and today he would walk to Changsun's rice field to see the situation.

  "Dad, mom told me to take care of you and have a good rest. You shouldn't go out." Du He saw his dad was about to head out and became anxious.

  "It's okay, I just want to go out for a walk and stretch my legs. If you're worried, you can come with me."

  "But I haven't recited my lessons yet today!"

  As for this useless son of his, with just one fart, he knew what kind of crap this rascal wanted to get out of doing today's homework.

  "Books still need to be carried on your back, if you don't have time, I can go out myself!"

  "How can that be! I'd rather come back and carry it again!" Du He didn't want his father to have an accident, last time he thought his father was going to die, the pain in his heart, he didn't want to experience it again.

  Du Ruhui turned around and walked out of the room, with a hint of a smile on his lips. This son may not be talented, but he is not bad by nature and is still very filial. He can be taught slowly later on.

  Du Ruhui wore a coarse linen garment of dark green color, with a grass hat on his head and a bamboo pole in his hand, strolling towards the Longsun family's villa. Du He's attire was not much better, as his father wore coarse linen clothes, he couldn't wear silk or satin, otherwise people would think his father was his servant when they walked together, although he was spoiled, he didn't have such an unfilial nerve.

  Two people, one in front and one behind, crossed the small bridge and arrived at the boundary of Zhangsun's family. At a glance, they saw a lush paddy field that was extremely luxuriant, dense and full without any gaps. The rice had already grown to one meter high, and when the wind blew, it was like a green ocean with rolling waves.

  Du Ruhui was just about to reach out and touch the sturdy rice stalks when he heard a shout from behind: "What are you doing, why are you messing with my family's crops?"

  Yang Damao and his son Yang Tienniu were on their way to help the landlord with irrigation when they met an old man and a young boy who wanted to sabotage their crops.

  Du Ruhui saw someone coming and stopped what he was doing, lightly laughing and asking: "Hehe, I'm from the opposite village, I saw that your place is a lush green, it can be seen all the way from our village, so I couldn't help but come over to take a look."

  As soon as they heard it was the Zhuangzi across from them, the two of them were no longer as tense as before.

  What a coincidence! A gust of wind blew by, blowing away the grass hat on Du Ruhui's head, revealing skin that was too fair to belong to a farmer.

  "Dad, they're lying! How can their delicate skin be as dark as ours from being out in the wind and sun all day?" Yang Tie Niu pointed at Du Ruhui's face, removing the straw hat from Du He's head with one hand. This is truly delicate skin.

  Du Ruhui felt embarrassed in his heart, at this age, being called tender and delicate by a young man half his junior. If those old friends heard about it, they would definitely tease him mercilessly.

  Yang Da Mo woke up with a start, Young Master had ordered that no one was allowed to harm these rice plants.

  "Who are you?" Yang Damao gripped the iron hoe in his hand, ready to protect the crops.

  "Father, big brother, you forgot to bring tea!" A clear and sweet voice came from behind, a little girl ran to Yang Dama's side, suddenly saw the handsome Du Gongzi, her face was covered with peach blossoms, her face turned red, unlike before she was loud and boisterous, instead she said in a soft and gentle tone: "I'll give you a salute, Master Du!"

  Yang Tienniu shielded his sister behind him and asked, "Which Master Du are you referring to?"

  Yang Chunhua pushed her brother away with one hand and said with a smile: "Brother, your memory is really bad. Isn't it just the young master's good friend, Du Gongzi?"

  Du Ruhui and Du He saw that someone recognized them, so they didn't think it was necessary to explain themselves. But before they could even catch their breath, Yang Tie Niu took two steps forward, grabbed the front of Du He's shirt, and said: "You're the scoundrel who made Cui Hua lose her appetite?"

  "Big brother, let go, don't be rash." Yang Chunhua was anxious, worried that big brother would hit Du He.

  Du He was very innocent, he really didn't know which one was Cui Hua!

  "Calm down, calm down!" Du He said softly, seeing that Yang Tie Niu was very sturdy and strong, he definitely couldn't beat him.

  Du Ruhui's face was gloomy, and his son guessed that he had harmed someone else's daughter.

  "Calm down, damn it!" Yang Tie Niu burst out in coarse language. "You said she's good-looking, why don't you go to my house and propose? That bastard Du Gongzi left, and now he can't eat or sleep, laid up with illness!"

  "Big brother, don't be reckless!"

  Du He was speechless. The woman he had praised, not the whole street, but also more than half of the street. If they were to marry one by one, the Du family's backyard would have been overcrowded long ago.

  "This big brother, praising a woman's beauty is just flattery, not a proposal for marriage! Since ancient times, matters of marriage have been decided by matchmakers, how can one make such decisions on their own?!" Du He strongly argued, but he actually had no idea what Cui Hua looked like, and only knew that she must be unattractive, otherwise he would have remembered her. In the Changsun family's village, there was only Zhao Widow, who had a slender figure, a pretty face, and eyes that made one's heart flutter.

  "Then..."

  "What's that! I praise many people for being good-looking, do I have to marry them all back home?!" Du He was impatient, what kind of person is this, talking nonsense.

  "Big brother, it really has nothing to do with Master Du, he didn't harm your sister." Yang Chunhua explained.

  Yang Tienniu did not believe it and said: "If it's not him, then who is it?"

  "Yes, yes, it's the Cheng brothers!" Yang Chunhua saw that today was no joke, and Du Gongzi was really going to be beaten by his older brother.

  "Which son of the Cheng family?" Yang Da Mo and Yang Tie Niu glared with anger, the Cheng brothers looked so ugly and evil, how could Cui Hua like him?

  "I don't know, I just know that person has a black mole on the right side of his butt." Yang Chunhua said directly, without caring about being shy.

  Du Ruhui put his mind at ease and said with a smile: "Hehe, my son has always been polite and wouldn't do such an impolite thing."

  "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'll go find the Cheng brothers!" Yang Tie Niu turned around, ready to head to the training grounds to beat up the Cheng brothers, with an air of determination to get to the bottom of things.

  "Big brother, don't go! They are five brothers who are evil and violent, you can't beat them!" Yang Chunhua cried out, not even caring about being coy in front of Du He.

  Yang Dama was furious and said, "I'll go back and ask clearly, if it's really the seed of the Cheng family brothers, even if I risk my old life, I will give my daughter a fair deal!"

  Du Ruhui and Du He were shocked, never expecting to hear such a shocking piece of gossip. The old Cheng family was too powerful, having only lived in the village for less than two months and already getting the daughter of the village head pregnant. Cheng Yaojin, that old scoundrel, always lecturing others on morality, now had his own scandal exposed.

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