Chapter 10: Leisurely Viewing Flowers in the Courtyard

  Liu Jinglan helplessly said: "Mom you're thinking too much, I haven't agreed to marry the senior yet, and for now I'm not even thinking about getting married."

  "You don't have to get married, can't you just date first? You stupid girl!" Yu Meimei hated her for not being competitive.

  "It's all right, Auntie. I believe that with my sincerity, I can move Jinglan. At least this time she allowed me to come here and see you both," Zhang Chen said with a refined expression.

  "Right, right, it'll be fine. I'll go in and cook a couple more dishes, then we can have dinner. You guys chat for now, Jinglan, remember to pour tea for Xiao Zhang and Lin Fei."

  As soon as Meimei left, the atmosphere cooled down.

  Zhang Chen glanced at Lin Fei, finding that Lin Fei had been silent since earlier, quietly watching the news on TV and sipping tea, seemingly oblivious to everything, which made Zhang Chen slightly dissatisfied.

  "Kobayashi, you may not have read any books, but at your young age, doing such rough work all the time is a dead end. I advise you to strive to find a way to attend a vocational school or learn a proper profession, otherwise you'll be stuck working on construction sites forever," Zhang Cheng said in a tone of authority.

  "Never mind, I don't have any great ambitions either, nor do I hope to become an official or get rich. In a few years, I'll just find a wife and settle down, as long as we can make a living. If no one looks up to me, I won't starve to death even if I'm alone."

  Liu Jinglan smiled and said: "Lin Fei, I didn't expect you to be so young and yet have such a carefree attitude. You're really content with your life."

  "Contentment is definitely not content, always wanting to eat something delicious and live a bit better, but being happy is really true", Lin Fei took out his own soft pack of Great Front Gate cigarettes, pulled one out, and offered it to Zhang Chen, "Want one?"

  Zhang Chen frowned, "Are you giving me this kind of cheap cigarette that only costs a few cents per stick? Do you think I'm as desperate for a smoke as you are?"

  "No need, I usually only smoke Cuban imported cigars, and there are ladies here, it's not convenient to smoke", Zhang Chen looked at Liu Jinglan very gently.

  Lin Fei asked Liu Jinglan, "Doesn't bother you, does it, Sister Liu?"

  "Calling me Jinglan is fine, but you're on the same level as my dad, what's with calling me sister?" Yu Jinglan gave him a white eye and said, "Smoke if you want, but don't smoke too much, dinner is almost ready."

  Zhang Cheng's eyes flashed with anger at the side, actually letting such a useless poor boy call out his favorite woman's name, it was simply blasphemy!

  But Liu Jinglan said so, he couldn't force his way in either.

  After some thought, a hint of pride appeared in his eyes, and he said loudly: "Xiao Lin, our ancient Chinese ancestors once said that 'being unadorned is noble, but being too dry will not benefit others or bring profit.'"

  You may not understand this because you are uncultured. This sentence means that taking fame, wealth and power lightly is a noble sentiment, but if one is overly detached from worldly desires, they will make little contribution to society and human life.

  Now many young people in society are like you, using a seemingly casual attitude and an indifferent attitude to face life, considering themselves as noble hermits, not caring about these worldly affairs and fame.

  But in fact, a real man should have this ambition. If he doesn't even have this kind of aspiration while living in the world, it's as if he has come to this world for nothing, and it's also a manifestation of his lack of sense of responsibility.

  "I advise you to study hard and acquire more knowledge and culture, okay, Jinglan?"

  His words were ambiguous, seemingly advising Lin Fei, but also implying that Lin Fei was pretending to be noble and actually had no ability to create a successful business.

  Zhang Chen said, subconsciously looking at Liu Jinglan beside him. He thought that his quoting of classics and poetry would surely attract a bookish girl like Liu Jinglan with its talent and emotions. Even he himself felt that he was incredibly handsome.

  Liu Jinglan also cooperated and nodded "uh-huh", "Senior's words make sense too."

  Zhang Chen's heart was delighted, and indeed, conquering such a noble and beautiful woman still required his own vast knowledge.

  "Oh? You've read 'Caigentan' too? Nowadays, many people know the 'Three Character Classic' and 'Tao Te Ching', but few actually read 'Caigentan'. It seems this guy isn't just a rich kid, he's actually read some books."

  "Roots of Wisdom", a Confucian classic written by Hong Yingming, a Taoist scholar in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, teaches people how to behave and deal with things. It uses various seemingly casual sayings and essays to expound on the truth of life.

  Just a moment ago, Zhang Chen was smiling triumphantly, but suddenly his face stiffened, his mouth half open in incredulity as he turned to stare at Lin Fei.

  "You... how did you know? Have you read it?"

  Zhang Chen couldn't believe that this kind of migrant worker, who moves from place to place looking for work and doesn't even have a diploma, would have read such Confucian classics. After all, these aren't exactly common popular readings.

  Ke Linfei nodded, spat out a mouthful of white smoke, and said leisurely: "I've read it before. I remember there's a sentence that says 'Honors and insults do not surprise, idly watching the flowers bloom and fall in front of the courtyard; going and staying without intention, freely following the clouds rolling and unfolding outside the sky.' Glory or humiliation, these are not too important. With a calm heart, appreciate the flowers blooming and falling in the courtyard. For all the ups and downs and gains and losses, one can be indifferent, smiling at the clouds gathering and dispersing in the sky.

  I think this sentence is more suitable for me. I'm not saying that I have no responsibility, no sense of duty, it's just that I've become indifferent to some things, so naturally I don't care too much about them either.

  Everyone has their own aspirations and cannot be forced, Zhang Xuechang, what do you think?

  Looking at Lin Fei's silly smile, Zhang Chen's forehead was sweating slightly, and his heart felt stuffy. He had originally wanted to show off in front of Liu Jinglan and shut Lin Fei up.

  Unexpectedly, it was helping Lin Fei make her wedding dress that used the same book's phrases to refute herself.

  It's like he's showing off in front of the door, and then says others don't know, but they actually do, they just aren't as showy as you!

  For a moment, Zhang Chen felt his ears burning with shame...

  Liu Jinglan was indeed quite surprised, "I didn't expect Lin Fei to be so cultured, it seems that he has read a lot of books, no wonder at such a young age he has this kind of temperament."

  "I've just read some nonsense, can't say I'm cultured, but I still understand the principles of being a human," said Lin Fei.

  "At least I've read it, but I couldn't recite these classic passages from memory."

  Liu Jinglan smiled slightly, like a blooming delicate lily, making Zhang Chen feel both annoyed and fond of her at the same time. He was annoyed that she wasn't smiling for him, but he liked... this woman who looked more beautiful the more he looked at her.

  Those so-called famous women in Beijing are simply green leaves surrounding a red flower compared to this woman.