Section 45 Question 2 (continued)

  Shen Mo spent another three copper coins to buy a small package, a bowl of tofu pudding and two free side dishes. He carried them back to the table and ate slowly.

  Hua Ping was sitting opposite, holding a teacup and occasionally taking a sip, her eyes fixed on Shen Mo. She thought to herself, "Even eating is so elegant, it's unbearable..." But when Shen Mo looked over at her, Hua Ping quickly lowered her head, not daring to make eye contact with him.

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  The two of them just looked at each other and ate, each thinking about their own affairs. In fact, Hua Ping was not the so-called flower idiot, she was so unashamed because she had no choice but to pursue Shen Mo silently, it was her helpless sorrow.

  The Yin family had an unwritten rule that if a young lady's personal maid did not get married before the young lady was engaged, it would be considered as agreeing to follow the young lady to her future husband's household as a concubine, and the best fate she could have in the future would only be a slightly higher status as a lesser wife.

  If it were someone else, they would be very welcome to this fate. After all, being the young lady's confidant, in the future husband's household, they would be the closest of the two. With the support of their own mistress as the head wife, not only would they not have to worry about being bullied by others, but there is also a great possibility of helping the mistress manage finances and other matters, with considerable benefits. If they were to give birth to a child with a good reputation, their position would be even more secure. It's really not a bad way out...

  But Hua Ping had been with Miss Yin for a long time and had also learned some self-respect and self-love. She felt that it was better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix, and rather than becoming a lowly concubine in a wealthy household, she would rather marry into a humble family and live a carefree life.

  Although it is said that, finding a suitable family for her is not an easy task. If the conditions are poor, she will definitely be dissatisfied. If the family background is too good, they will look down on her as a maid. It's been dragging on like this, neither high nor low, until now.

  This year, the young lady has reached the age of pinning up her hair and will soon be waiting in the boudoir. Once she is engaged, her fate will also be settled. The time left for her is already very little...

  After being in contact with Shen Mo for a period of time, she found that although this young man was poor, he had good character and humor, especially since he was also an avid reader, which meant that the future held endless possibilities!

  She felt that this was her last and best chance, after careful consideration, she finally decided to break the cauldron and sink the boat, regardless of worldly eyes, pursuing her own happiness.

  But troubles also come with it, that is, this kid is really too outstanding! This is of course a good thing, but she always worries that he will fly high and leave herself in the dust. So she finds it hard to feel secure...

  The girl didn't know how to proceed, she felt like a lonely boat, trapped in the vast ocean, unable to find direction, and unclear about her future...

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  After swallowing the soup dumplings and tofu pudding, he patted his belly contentedly, picked up a cup of clear tea to take a sniff, closed his eyes comfortably and said: "I'm full now, you can talk business."

  He wanted to say "Can't you come find me without any official business?" but the words changed on his lips to: "How did you know I have official business?"

  He silently pointed at the sachet slanting from her shoulder and smiled: "Yet I've never seen you wear this before."

  "You're clever." Hua Ping shrunk her neck, took off her backpack and said: "Guess what's inside?" As she spoke, she became spirited again.

  Shenmo smiled and said: "Jin Yuanbao?"

  "Guess again?" The girl shook her head and smiled.

  "Silver ingot..."

  "Guess again..." The girl said weakly.

  "Tongyuanbao." Shenmo said very seriously, until the painting screen was about to go crazy, he spread his hands and laughed: "I really can't guess it."

  "Hmph, I suppose you can't guess either." Hua Ping said with a pleased smile: "Let me tell you, this is the method to remove trees from the river! How's that? Unexpected, right?"

  "Really so unexpected? Is this your idea?" He had actually guessed it a long time ago, but just wanted to make her happy.

  Who would have thought that he had so many tricks up his sleeve? Indeed, it was true. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said, "I'm just a simpleton, I don't understand these things, it's my young mistress who came up with them."

  "Let me take a look," said Shen Mo with a enthusiastic expression, stretching out his hand.

  She pulled back the fragrant package and giggled: "Do you think you can just take it away for nothing?"

  "I don't have any money." Shen Mo spread his hands and said, "I only have a few coppers, I'll give them all to you." As he spoke, he fished out seven or eight coppers from his pocket and slapped them onto the table.

  The girl almost picked up these copper plates and stuffed them into his mouth. She said in a low voice, "Of course I don't want anything, but my mistress is not related to you, and she helps you like this, can't you show some gratitude?"

  Shenmo Choumei said with a bitter face: "Your family's young lady is from a big and wealthy family, she doesn't care about anything, how can I express myself?"

  "Of course, it's not about the gift itself, what matters is the thought behind it." Huaping said seriously: "You have to leave a good impression on her..." As he spoke, his face turned red again.

  Hehe smiled and said: "Then I'll write a thank-you letter later."

  "Write a bit better, okay." Huaping reluctantly agreed and handed over the fragrant package.

  She silently took it over, opened it and looked inside, only to find a piece of folded paper with a painting on it. When she unfolded it, she saw that it was a picture of a large bathtub without a bottom. Below the painting was a line of elegant small script that read:

  First, the diver dives to the bottom of the river and measures the length and maximum diameter of the tree trunk underwater. Then, he seeks help from a shipbuilding master to make a wooden barrel that is only slightly larger than the measured size. Next, someone cuts off all the branches of the old tree above the water, loads the large barrel onto a boat, and from the treetop, it is deeply inserted into the water, with the mouth exposed above the water surface. Then, using a large ladle to scoop out the river water in the barrel, one can safely saw the wood inside the barrel, and at most, it will be done within half a day.

  After a moment of contemplation, Shen Mo sincerely praised: "Miss Yin's wisdom is extraordinary, really breathtaking... even compared to me, it's only a thin line apart."

  The first half of the sentence was still nodding frequently, but by the second half, he almost fell to the ground, and angrily said: "Shen Chao Sheng, you're outrageous!"

  "Don't be angry." Shen Mo forced a bitter smile and comforted him: "I'm just stating the facts."

  "Doesn't this method work?" asked Huaping with wide open eyes.

  "Although I haven't tried it, it should be fine." Shen Mo nodded and said: "At least in theory, it makes perfect sense."

  "You're talking nonsense again?"

  He smiled wryly and said, "I just think this method is a bit too extravagant... it's not very good to make such a big fuss."

  "If you have the ability, then don't!" The painter stood up with a huff and said: "That's what a real hero is like!"

  Division line

  Sorry sorry, wrote half of it and wasn't satisfied, deleted and rewrote it... I'll definitely post more tomorrow...... votes votes