Chapter Ten Little Beauty

  Chen Xin ended the second interview early and hurriedly went to find Liu Minyou and others. When he arrived at the gate of the Temple of Literature, he didn't see anyone, probably because they had already gone in to have fun. He also turned around the wall, passed by the pool, and went through the door with a star-shaped window, searching for them along the way.

  The Temple of Literature in the Ming Dynasty was built according to the specifications set in the 13th year of the Hongwu era: "The main hall has six pillars, the Lingxing Gate has three, the east and west corridors have 76 pillars, the kitchen and warehouse have eight pillars each, and the slaughterhouse has six pillars." The Temple of Literature in Tianjin is larger than the standard specifications. Chen Xin wandered around inside but couldn't find Liu Min's inscription, so he went into the Dacheng Hall to take a look. The Dacheng Hall is the core building of the Temple of Literature and also the largest one. It has beautifully carved beams and exquisite decorations. In addition to the statues of Confucius and Yan Hui, there are also ten philosopher statues. However, there were not many people worshiping in the hall.

  Since the fall of Confucius, people have been very unfamiliar with these people, and Chen Xin is no exception. Except for that business-minded Zigong, he knows nothing about others and is not interested at all. After turning around in a circle, he feels bored and wants to come out. Just as he reaches the door, a figure flashes before his eyes, and someone rushes out from beside him. Chen Xin hastily retreats backward, barely letting him pass.

  She was a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a long emerald green dress with a white jacket over it. Her hair was styled in two buns on her head, and her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting. Her face had no makeup, but perhaps because she had been walking quickly, her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if they had been lightly dusted with rouge. With the emerald green dress, she looked just like a young lotus flower beginning to bloom.

  Chen Xin secretly exclaimed in his heart: "Little beauty."

  "Ah!" The young woman let out a low cry of surprise, patting her chest as if she had been startled. Chen Xin Zheng, who was feeling bored, looked at the girl's fresh and lovely appearance and suddenly felt mischievous. He stepped forward with a fierce expression and said to the girl, "Little girl, you're walking so hastily, you almost injured an old man like me."

  The little girl hastily waved her hand, just about to apologize, and stole a glance at Chen Xin, but it was a young handsome man, his face red as he said in a low voice: "What kind of old man are you?"

  "My surname is Lao and my given name is Renjia, I was born as an old family member."

  The girl's eyes suddenly curved into a crescent moon shape, covering her mouth and giggling softly: "Who has this kind of name?"

  Chen Xin saw that the woman loved to laugh and thought it was interesting. He took advantage of the situation and continued: "I am a single man, you can also call me 'old husband'."

  The woman let out a burst of silvery laughter, and Chen Xin suddenly felt as if hundreds of flowers were blooming before his eyes. He heard the woman laughing and saying, "So you're still an eunuch; what are you doing outside the palace?"

  Chen Xin didn't understand what a eunuch was, and with a self-satisfied smile, thinking he had successfully teased her, he said: "Since you know I'm from an official's family, you should humbly listen to my teachings. You're just a young girl, why aren't you at home learning domestic skills, studying the Biographies of Exemplary Women? Running around outside all day will bring shame to the great Ming dynasty!"

  The woman suppressed her smile and replied: "You old... little man, all you say is nonsense. I, a young woman, just going out for a walk, how can it affect the great Ming dynasty?"

  "Who says it doesn't affect, a man at home is a daughter, married out is a woman. A virtuous daughter has a virtuous wife, so the king's education begins from the boudoir. You walk with a strong wind and don't respect the elderly, that's not virtuous, if you're not virtuous, it will ruin the king's education, ruining the king's education is affecting the Great Ming Jiangshan."

  "What's wrong with walking quickly? Is there a rule in the Women's Virtues that says you can't walk fast? Besides, it's an emergency and exceptions can be made. Moreover, you're not really an old lady."

  Chen Xin feigned surprise: "You, a young woman, know about wifely virtue; that's not bad. However, wifely virtue is only one of the four virtues. I, an old man, have five virtues, and my moral integrity is still slightly higher than yours."

  The young woman's curiosity was piqued and she asked: "I've never heard that eunuchs have five virtues, tell me about it."

  Chen Xinyang smiled complacently and said, "I can eat, drink, sleep, and play to my heart's content, but I just can't get tired. I call myself 'The Five-Contented Old Man', hehe."

  The woman laughed so hard she bent over at the waist and couldn't lift her head up.

  Chen Xin continued in a serious tone, "You don't have to be ashamed and apologize with your head hung low. It's good that you know your mistake. Since your attitude is sincere, I'll give you an additional virtue, called 'A woman without talent is virtuous.' You must remember this. Don't come to the temple to play around when there's nothing going on. If you can master even a little bit of Confucius' teachings, then this virtue will be gone."

  The girl was about to lift her head, but after listening, she laughed even more, propping up her waist with her hand, unable to speak, her face also laughing bright red, like a Red Fuji apple. After saying this for a while, she also knew that Chen Xin was teasing her. After laughing for a long time, she didn't talk to Chen Xin again, but she didn't mean to leave either. In her heart, she just felt that this person was interesting, and with a red face, she leaned against the door and rubbed her belly.

  Chen Xin had enough of the teasing, feeling great, and said to the young woman: "Now that you know your mistake, I'm leaving. Do you want to come with me?"

  The woman turned her head and didn't look at Chen Xin, saying: "You little man, mind your own business, you go your way, I'm going to find my Zhang Po."

  "Originally you lost your wife and got lost, be careful not to be snapped away by the snapping turtle, taken to the turtle's nest to become a nesting lady, giving birth to a nest of little turtles."

  The woman said: "Who says I can't find the way? My home is just nearby. I'm afraid Zhang's wife will get lost."

  "That old woman just wants to get rid of it, not even a flower seller would want it. I can pick one up by the roadside with just a casual reach. If you really lost it, I'll send you another one tomorrow. Leave me your phone number and address so I can deliver it to your doorstep."

  The girl lightly snorted and said "Hmph, you're talking nonsense. How could I tell you where my home is?"

  Chen Xin burst out laughing and made a bow, saying: "If you want the old man to leave, just post a note with 'Heavenly King Covers the Earthy Tiger' on the gate of the Temple of Literature. I'll see it and bring it to you. The price is negotiable, haha." With that, he dropped the woman and swaggered out the door.

  The little girl looked at Chen Xin's back and whispered: "Don't even think about finding a wife for you, what is 'the king of heaven and earth'?"

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  Chen Xin walked out of the wall, Liu Minyou and others were already waiting for him, still looking in the direction of the wine shop. Chen Xin laughed from behind: "Where can't people meet, heroes have been separated for a long time."

  Everyone turned around to see that it was Chen Xin, and they quickly surrounded him to ask about the interview situation. Chen Xin boasted a bit, in short, he had successfully landed the job, Zhang Er Hui and Wang Dai Xi were so happy that they jumped up.

  Zhang Da Hui grasped his head and asked: "Brother Chen, is this account room's monthly salary two taels?"

  Liu Min replied: "That's right, it's not a small amount. You can buy several dozen kilograms of meat now."

  "It's just two taels of silver, it's not even worth your while to take us to cheat people out of their money."

  "Swindling money, swindling money, swindling money." Liu Min chased after him, scolding and hitting Zhang Dahuai's head.

  Zhang Da Hui hid while covering his head and begged for mercy: "Ah yo, ah yo, I won't cheat anymore, I'll be the accountant too." Hai Gou Zi stood by, foolishly smiling and cheering.

  Liu Min stopped after getting tired and asked Chen Xin about the situation, saying with some concern: "This master has such a temper, it seems that earning this wage is not easy."

  Chen Xin said carelessly, "When the soldiers come, we'll block them; when the food comes, we'll open our mouths. Originally, it was just a plan to practice, not really relying on him for food. We'll talk about these things later. Today there's nothing else to do, let's go take a look at Dai Tiezi and his gang."

  Liu Minyou didn't want to go, he said: "Since we have a job, we should buy a house early. I think I'll go take a look at the house first. The owner of the inn yesterday said he knew a real estate agent."

  "Buy a house? Is it that urgent? Can't it wait till tomorrow? Besides, you're still unemployed, aren't you? You have plenty of time to look slowly."

  Liu Minyou insisted, "It's urgent, every day we have to stay in an inn and eat at a restaurant, which costs more than one yuan per day. Besides, if we buy it quickly, we can also bring the wounded soldiers from Dai Tiezi's place to live here, which is better than their thatched cottage."

  "Hurry up, hurry up!" Wang Dai Xi and Zhang Er Hui also pulled at Chen Xin's clothes, refusing to let go.

  "Brother Chen, why don't we buy a place to live? We can just sleep in the woodshed and be happy. Let's not wander around anymore."

  Chen Xin leaned forward and scratched the noses of the two men, asking: "That inn has everything, isn't it better than a thatched cottage?"

  "The inn is not one's own home, but a thatched cottage is also home."

  Chen Xin stood up and sighed "Just in time."