Chapter Fifteen Holding Your Hand

  The Chen Family Ancestral Hall is brightly lit.

  The one sitting at the head of the hall was Chen Hu.

  "Big brother, will that little rabbit from the Liang family really come?" Chen Hu's younger brother Chen Bao asked.

  Chen Hu nodded and said, "He will come, today he sent someone to buy grain." Then Chen Hu turned to ask Chen Youchuan who was standing in the lower hall: "Youchuan, what does this mean?"

  The master of the house seemed to be testing him, and Chen Youchuan pondered for a moment before saying: "Clan leader, this shows that there is no surplus grain on Xiaoniu Mountain. Our card tax is like blocking people's throats, he must solve it as soon as possible."

  Chen Hu nodded and said: "That's right, so I'm sure that Liang Shanbo will appear tonight."

  "Alright then, let's see which of these twelve is the most audacious." One of the eight gentlemen sitting in the upper and lower halls said.

  Before long, a man came running and knelt down in the lower hall, saying: "Report!"

  "Speak!"

  Liáng Shān Bó came out, and also coming out with him were Chén Sì Niáng and another woman.

  "What was I saying, haha!" Chen Hu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

  After a while, someone came to report that Chen Si Niang had returned home, and another woman and Liang Shanbo were in the village, but they didn't see them coming to the ancestral hall. The two people seemed to be sightseeing.

  "Brother, what does this mean?" Chen Bao asked.

  Chen Hu sneered and said, "Liang Shanbo thinks he can put on a show in front of us, pretending to be nonchalant, but actually he's anxious inside."

  "Who is that other woman?"

  Chen Hu's eyes narrowed and after a while he said: "If I'm not mistaken, it should be Zhu Yingtai."

  "Is that the filial daughter?" Ba Gong immediately began to discuss.

  Chen Hu nodded and said: "If it's that Zhu Ying Tai, we should treat her with courtesy. We can't let people laugh at the Chen family for only knowing about bravery but not etiquette."

  The eight officials nodded in unison.

  "Open the temple gate!" Chen Hu ordered.

  The two large bronze-doored gates slowly opened with a creak.

  In the past, whether a family was wealthy or poor, they all emphasized loyalty and filial piety as the foundation of their household. Even if some families had sons who were thieves or daughters who were prostitutes, they would never dare to say that loyalty and filial piety were not important. This is the fundamental principle for a family's survival in chaotic times. Children absolutely obeyed their parents, and brothers and sisters treated each other with courtesy and respect. Under these strict requirements of etiquette, a family could be tightly bonded together.

  After waiting for half a stick of incense, the person still hadn't arrived. Chen Bao was getting impatient and said: "They're being too arrogant, Big Brother, tell Hei Tun to bring the person over."

  Chen Hu waved his hand. Just then, someone came to report that Liangshan and Zhu Yingtai had arrived.

  Liangshan Xing arrived at his destination and took Zhu Qingyun to stroll around Chenjia Bay.

  In the past, accompanying his girlfriend, going shopping was a required course for Liangshan. Later on, Liangshan also came to like going shopping.

  Liangshan and Zhu Qingyun strolled around Chenjia Bay, just wanting to find the feeling of the past.

  However, Chenjiawu was not Wangfujing Street, so there wasn't much of a commercial street, only one grain store, one cloth store and three grocery stores, two ready-made garment stores, six artisan shops, it was really desolate.

  Without these, Liangshan made it up and instilled some market economy consciousness into Zhu Qingyun.

  Zhu Liyun initially maintained a calm and cool demeanor, but later her expressions became more vivid and lively.

  What is Mr. Xiang talking about? Without agriculture, there's no stability; without industry, there's no strength; and without commerce, there's no wealth. What kind of logic is this? Zhi Qingyun has read many books, but it seems she hasn't really seen them.

  The granary is full and yet one knows etiquette. It's indeed close in meaning. I hope Qingyun will think again about the strange words and tone of her husband, and there's really some truth to it.

  Agriculture is nothing, without food in hand, one's heart will be anxious, and the world will inevitably be in chaos. Now every family is stockpiling grain for this reason.

  What is industry? It refers to the ability to mass-produce certain products on a large scale. One loom is not industry, but thousands of looms lined up together are industry. Large-scale production can reduce costs. Iron smelting and salt production are all industries. Without these, a country will not be strong, and this is true.

  Merchants may have no status, but they indeed have a lot of money. Therefore, what the husband said makes sense.

  None of these are serious. The key is that Liangshan concluded in the end, Ren Fa is naturally Taoism, Ren Fa oneself, which is to handle things according to the inherent laws of human society, that is Confucianism.

  So Confucians enter the world, while Taoists leave it. Liangshan's lightly spoken words left Zhu Qingyun somewhat dizzy.

  The husband is not unlearned and untalented as others say, but a talented recluse.

  Wishing Qingyun to be simple-minded, whatever he thinks in his heart will naturally show on his face. Liangshan can see it, and Hu Kan becomes even more vigorous.

  When Su Ya was good with Liang Shan, he always liked to make some strange and weird things for Su Ya. Su Ya would like them all, her surprised expression was very vivid, a pair of autumn water-like eyes staring at him, saying in an astonished and slightly reverent tone: How did you think of this?

  Missing Su Ya, Liang Shan's heart ached, his hand stretched out and grasped Zhu Qingyun's hand.

  Ruan Yun struggled for a while but couldn't break free.

  She was as calm as a lake, most sensitive to others' emotions. She found that her husband suddenly became sentimental, with dense melancholy in his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned her hand over, grasping Liangshan's hand. In her mind, she suddenly remembered a sentence: Hold your hand, grow old together.

  What's going on? Qingyun shook her head and cleared her mind.

  A bright moon hangs above, the upturned eaves of the roof, a qilin crouches on the ridge, fish-scale tiles glimmering in the light, as far as the eye can see, it's a dreamlike scene to Liangshan.

  In the distance, there were joyful songs and laughter. That was the only wine house in the village, with three floors, which was also a place for men to seek pleasure.

  Liang Shan didn't think about the next negotiation, how to deal with the old fox of ancient times. Zhu Qingyun's hand was warm and tender, just like when he used to hold Su Ya's hand strolling on that straight big road in front of school.

  Liang Shan just hopes to hold onto Zhu Qingyun's hand and keep walking like this, without stopping, even if it's an illusion, then just keep being mistaken.

  The good feeling didn't last long, a servant emerged from an alleyway with a sly smile: "Young Master Liang, our master has invited you." It was as if the beautiful symphony record had suddenly been interrupted by a loud scratching sound due to a power outage.

  Liáng Shān's narrowed eyes opened, and he returned to the mundane world.

  The Chen family ancestral hall is more majestic than the Liang family ancestral hall. At the entrance of the hall, there are two stone lions on either side, staring angrily at those who come.

  The gate was wide open and the lights were shining brightly inside, it seemed that Old Fox Chen had expected him to come.

  Liáng Shān and Zhù Qīngyún walked into the ancestral hall hand in hand. Zhù Qīngyún struggled, but her hand was still held by Liáng Shān.

  Chen Youchuan could hardly forget this scene in his life: the gate was wide open, and he could see the moon hanging high in the sky, extremely large and bright. A man and a woman walked in hand in hand, their clothes fluttering in the wind, as if they were celestial beings.

  Before long, Liangshan and Zhu Qingyun stood in the middle of the lower hall. Liangshan finally let go of Zhu Qingyun's hand, cupped his hands and said loudly: "Junior Liangshan Bo pays respects to the head of the Chen family!"

  Chen Hu's narrowed eyes widened, emitting a cold glow, and he nodded, saying: "Come on, let Xiaonu Zhen Yingtai take a seat."

  A young man from the Chen family immediately brought over a chair and placed it at an angle, making a "please sit" gesture.

  "No need, I'll stand if my husband stands." Zong Liyun's voice was soft but firm.

  "Let's watch it together!" Chen Hu said with a faint smile.

  Liáng Shān waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, Clan Leader. It's more pleasant to talk standing up."

  Chen Hu's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't fall for it. If Liang Shanbo had taken the seat smoothly, it would have been thanks to the woman's influence that he saved face, and if word got out, people would definitely laugh at him.

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