Chapter 26: Happy and harmonious

The Xie family has not been so lively for a long time. It has been poor and expensive for a long time. There are endless neighbors visiting the neighbors, which is completely incomparable to the deserted days before. What makes the neighbors regret is that Xie's mother is still ill and cannot meet guests, while Qing'er is still a little too young, so it is difficult for the female family to get in touch.

The pressure to talk to Xie Zhubu was a little too high. Although Xie Hong smiled when he treated people, everyone who talked to him felt very uncomfortable, and they all felt that Xie Hong had a momentum that made people dare not look up.

The most enviable thing is the Ma family. Not only can the second aunt enter the house at the Xie family, but she can help inside and outside, just like half of the master, but even the boy from the Ma family is following the chief clerk. Seeing his arrogant look, it is really jealous. The chief clerk must have a bright future, and he can even get along with him to make a living, right?

The most annoying thing is the silly Zhang Erniu. He doesn't know how lucky he is. The matter at the yamen has not yet been spread to Ping'anfang. Erniu is not usually revealed, and no one knows his ferocity. Everyone only regrets that he has occupied a place next to Xie Hong, but he doesn't cherish it. This black guy doesn't even say a word. Just smirking, a great opportunity is wasted, which makes many people beat their chests and stamp their feet.

The noise was in the evening, and the neighbors dispersed, but the Xie family was still lively. Except for Erniu, the Ma family also came. Only Xie Hong was disappointed because Qing'er said nothing and would not let him go into the kitchen again. Even if he went in, he could only speak out and wanted to do it. That was the little girl's territory. She was driven out twice and Xie Hong gave up this idea.

So the little girl has a high understanding, but she just read it yesterday. Today, with Xie Hong's guidance, the things she made are already quite good. Xie Hong estimated that the little girl's cooking talent should be above him. He just relied on his skillfulness. The real seasoning can only be said to be average.

Well, for the sake of her belly, Qing'er is still worth nurturing. Xie Hong touched her chin and set a development direction for the little girl.

Qing'er didn't know that the dazed brother beside her was thinking about her. The little girl was neatly making more than ten dishes before dark, and she was full of joy.

"Brother Hong, is the dish made by Qing'er delicious?" He picked up a chopstick from the dish he had just prepared and carefully let Xie Hong taste it. The little girl stared at Xie Hong with her bright big eyes, without blinking, and put her little hands on her chest, holding it tightly, obviously very nervous.

"Well, it's very good. You can be a second-level chef after learning." Xie Hong was a little absent-minded and responded casually.

"Wow, that's great!" The efforts made were recognized by authoritative people. The little girl was very happy, but Qing'er quickly remembered another question and asked in confusion: "But, what is a second-level chef?"

Wow, I was too confused and said, Xie Hong was sweating and stammering: "The second-level chef... is a level worse than the first-level chef. He can be eaten by officials. The first-level chef can cook for the emperor. Qing'er must work hard."

"That's how..." Qing'er thought about it, "Qing'er doesn't want to cook food for the emperor. Qing'er just needs to cook food for Brother Hong and her mother." The girl's tone was firm, and she would not submit to the emperor even if she had any coercion and temptation.

So touched. Xie Hong, who had just deceived the little girl, blushed. Fortunately, Erniu rushed in and made him less embarrassed. Good brother, every time he appeared in a critical moment.

"Brother Xiaohong, it smells so good. Can you eat?" This guy was attracted by the fragrance.

"Okay, okay, let's serve?" Xie Hong said one after another.

Of course, the dining table was very lively. My son had a bright future, and the neighbors kept saying yes. Seeing these, Xie's mother was much better and she said a lot of things at the dining table.

However, the protagonist at the dinner table was not Xie's mother, nor Xie Hong, but Ma Wentao. This guy's mouth was amazing. Apart from the fight, he was worried that Xie's mother would not say anything, everything from Xie Hong's offering to the fact that he heard about Xie Hong's case at the Yamen, and then to Ping'anfang to impress the bully Chen family, he spoke in a verbal way and was full of splashes.

No one here, except Xie Hong himself, knew about these things. After his lecture, except Zhang Erniu, who was hungry, the others even forgot to eat food.

Qing'er's eyes shining. Looking at her brother Hong, she admired her very much. The little girl had a little secret in her heart, which no one else knew, that is, Brother Hong was also good at cooking, and she cooked better than Qing'er. Brother Hong was great.

"Hong'er, you did a good job today. Our family is also from a poor family. You can't forget your roots." Xie's mother was happy. Her son suddenly did what her husband thought about for the rest of his life. Although her son changed a little suddenly, the old man looked at his son's goodness. He only thought that his son fell ill and then he suddenly became sensible.

"Although you are good at being the chief clerk, your studies cannot be delayed. You still have to have a proper imperial examination." The old lady reminded again.

Let’s forget about this... I remembered the Four Books and Five Classics, Xie Hong was very troubled. It’s safer to take the emperor route directly. But the old man is actually like a child and needs to be coaxed. Xie Hong didn’t agree with it, but he said sweetly: “Mom, don’t worry, the child knows it.”

"That's good." The old man was indeed very relieved.

After a meal, everyone in the Ma family also said goodbye. Before leaving, Ma Wentao told Xie Hong that he was going to Xuanfu to hire a famous doctor. He felt that he had already followed Xie Hong, so he might as well do the most important thing. Xie Hong certainly thought it was good, so he took the money and asked him to take it with him. After some advice, Ma Wentao finally accepted it.

After cleaning up, everyone has rested.

However, Xie Hong couldn't sleep. It was not that he was not sleepy, but Erniu's snoring was too loud, like thunder. After tossing and turning for a while, Xie Hong decided to go to the yard to enjoy the cool air.

These days have been sunny, and tonight it is also like water. The cicadas are chirping and the cool breeze blows on their faces. It is very comfortable. After stretching, Xie Hong was suddenly stunned. A small figure sat under the jujube tree in the yard. What is it to be patched with by the moonlight? If it isn't Qing'er, who else is there?

"Qing'er, what are you doing?" Xie Hong asked with concern.

"Well... nothing." Unexpectedly, Xie Hong suddenly appeared. The little girl felt like she was discovered secretly. Her face turned red and she hurriedly wanted to put away the things in her hand.

Xie Hong had such a good eye. As soon as Qing'er hesitated, he could see clearly what the girl had in her hand. It was a blue shirt, which had been sewn halfway. The cloth was exactly what he bought yesterday. Xie Hong felt warm and walked forward quickly and said:

"Qing'er, it's so dark outside. Why do you sew these things and ruin your eyes? Besides, our family is rich now, why don't you light the lights?"

"But Brother Hong became an official and his clothes were patched. Second Aunt said that it would be embarrassing. Lamp oil is very expensive and money is needed to treat my mother..." The girl argued with a small voice and blushing face.

"What's the shame or not? Don't listen to the second aunt's nonsense. Don't do it anymore. Have a good rest. I've been busy all day today." Xie Hong felt so distressed when he heard Qing'er say this.

"Yeah, um..." Qing'er agreed, but refused to move under her feet, and grabbed the half-finished clothes tightly in her hands, as if she was afraid that Xie Hong would come to grab them.

"Okay, Qing'er, brother, can you teach you sewing well?" Xie Hong knew what the little girl was thinking when he looked at her appearance. He knew that the little girl was also very stubborn, and when her eyes turned, she had other solutions.

"Brother Hong, you... teach me sewing clothes?" The little girl still couldn't beat the old fox. Sure enough, she fell into a trap. There were men among the chefs in this era, and there were recipes in books. But men do needlework, which is too exaggerated. Anyway, Qing'er had never heard of it.

"That's right, I'm a craftsman."

Xie Hong touched his chin and smiled proudly. The handicrafts cover a wide range of things. Not to mention sewing, weaving and embroidery, he can also do it. His level is quite high. Otherwise, how could he win multiple awards in the World Competition?

"Craftsman? But my mother said, Brother Hong is a scholar?" Although the little girl's blind admiration has been upgraded, Qing'er still noticed where Xie Hong said it.

"Ha... Well, scholars are actually craftsmen," he didn't know much about it until he went to bed in the middle of the night. Xie Hong scratched his head and started making up again. However, Qing'er was not stupid, and her big eyes still had a light of doubt.

"Qing'er, look, what does this scholar do? Isn't it just writing and painting? Isn't it also a hand-made person? It's very artistic, so it's also a craftsman." The messy theory has some effect. Looking at Qing'er's half-believing and half-doubted, Xie Hong, who deceived the little girl again, felt guilty, and quickly changed the topic and took the needle and thread from Qing'er's hand.

"Come on, Qing'er, I'll teach you. Look, you need to leave threads here, and make stitches here..."

What Xie Hong is most satisfied with this body is his hands. It doesn’t matter what appearance or anything else. Besides, Xie Hong looks similar to his original appearance. The most important thing for a person is temperament. But if this hand is not good, his skills are really not able to be used. The slender fingers of this body are very suitable for use. Scholars have good hands and no secret injuries at all.

His fingers flew, and his clothes quickly formed, with dense lines and corners, comparable to the effect of later sewing machines. Qing'er was so surprised by this skill. Her eyes became wider and wider, and she wanted to see it more clearly. No matter how bright the moonlight was at night was not as bright as the daylight, the little girl leaned over unconsciously.

Xie Hong said he wanted to teach, but in fact he wanted to finish the robe so that Qing'er could go to rest, so his subordinates were also very quick. While he was busy, a faint fragrance suddenly blew into his nose. Then, a warm body leaned up and he froze.

The little girl's body was soft and fragrant, and the summer shirt was very thin. Xie Hong could even feel the delicateness behind the cloth. He began to regret that he felt so keen, because under such contact, he could not control himself.

"Brother Hong, why did you stop? Are you tired?" As soon as he stopped, Qing'er noticed it. The little girl raised her head and her big eyes flashed. Xie Hong could see that there was a moon and a self in it.

Facing such innocent eyes, Xie Hong felt very ashamed. This was an innocent little girl! Could it be that my brother was also infected by that beast Ma Wentao? How could he be tempted to such a young girl? Well, he must have been infected by that beast, otherwise my brother would be a gentleman.

"Well, yes, you're not tired, you see, this should be like this..." Xie Hong shook his head and hurriedly changed the topic. Fortunately, Qing'er was simple and didn't know that he had so many thoughts in his mind. Seeing that he continued, she turned her mind to sewing work.

Xie Hong's face was hot, causing his subordinates to be faster, which made Qing'er very amazed. After a while, the girl's mood suddenly became depressed: "Brother Hong is so good, but Qing'er is very clumsy and can't help with anything. She has been dragging her brother's back... Brother Hong won't want Qing'er anymore, um..." As he muttered, when he arrived at the back, tears were already everywhere in his beautiful eyes, and he started to cry.

Wow, this is so fatal. Xie Hong was a man in his two lives and had never had a serious relationship. He would not guess the girl's thoughts. However, he always firmly believed that the man who made his beloved girl cry was not a good man. Although he was at a loss, he still tried hard to coax the girl.

"How could you not want Qing'er? Qing'er is so great. Look, you learned once yesterday, and the dishes you cooked today are delicious. Erniu has eaten so much, but it is not enough, right? The needlework is also very good, well, Qing'er is also beautiful..." Xie Hong was anxious and said all the advantages he could think of.

He had always liked this sensible little girl. When his family was in trouble, Qing'er had to finish her family's work and helped her to wash clothes and make money to supplement her family's income. She never complained about her hardships, and never made any demands on food, clothing and expenses. Her heart was all over her.

Judging from the progress of sewing the clothes, Xie Hong could easily guess that the little girl had been busy all day, and last night was probably the same as today. Thinking that Qing'er had been busy for the middle of the night, cooking for herself in the morning and then getting up, Xie Hong was very moved.

"Don't worry, Qing'er, even if the land is gone, the sea will be with you, I will be with Qing'er." At this point, Xie Hong's tone was already a little more solemn.

The girl was keen. Although she did not fully understand the meaning of her brother's words, Qing'er still felt Xie Hong's intention. The little girl suddenly felt a little shy and felt like she was acting cute. The sensible Qing'er never acted cute. However, she felt very happy to be able to act cute to someone she could rely on.

"Brother Hong has really changed a lot after he recovered from his illness," Qing'er thought to herself. In the past, the nerd in the past would say something that should not be treated inappropriately, and the men and women would not be kissed, which made Qing'er feel a sense of strangeness, and the little girl always thought that her brother didn't like her.

It turned out that my brother liked Qing'er. The little girl had a red face and slowly leaned against the slightly thin but warm chest. Brother Hong's arms were very warm.

"Brother Hong, can you sing a song for Qing'er?" His voice was shy, but his tone was filled with expectation.

"Uh, okay." As a professional craftsman, Xie Hong's singing voice is not very good, but who can refuse such a request at such a time? Fortunately, most popular songs in later generations are not difficult to sing, and Xie Hong is not very difficult to do.

He raised his head and found that at this time, the fruits on the tree were still very green. Xie Hong smiled, searched for the familiar melody from his memory, and sang it gently.

"Dear my baby, I will cross the mountains and look for the missing sun, and look for the missing moon..."

Not very melodious melody, the singing voice was also very average, but Xie Hong felt the little body in his arms tighten slightly, and then became softer.

"I want to touch the moon with my own hands and write your name on it..."

Xie Hong reached out and held Qing'er gently in his arms. His gentle movements were like holding a rare treasure.

"... Finally, I will come back safely, come back and tell you all that, kiss my baby."

After singing a song, Xie Hong looked down and saw that the little man in his arms had fallen asleep. The little girl who put her worries down was sleeping sweetly, smiling and revealing her two dimples, which were so cute.

Are you exhausted? Xie Hong couldn't bear to wake her up, so he wrapped the half-sewn robe on Qing'er's body, and then leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.

The night is always so quiet, the cool wind blows on my face, and Xie Hong's heart is extremely warm.
Chapter completed!