Chapter 35

Sponsored Chapter 35: The Tomb of Emperor Hui of Jin Pt 3

“Where’s the courier?”

“Sir, the person sent the letter then left.”

Lu Feng let the housemaid aunt to go out first, the pointed to the invitation letter on the table and said, “This is the invitation letter for the auction that I meant.”

Zhang Qiu looked back and forth at the envelope and there was no sender’s name written down. He looked at Li Shu and said, “Go or not?” Although he asked, his face obviously showed an eagerness to go.

Li Shu smiled, "Why not go?"

They were worrying about the lack of invitations, and now they had it. Regardless of the purpose of whoever it was, it was just perfect timing that they needed go to the auction to achieve their goal.

Two days before the auction, they stayed at the Senior Brother’s house.

Hua Hua had a good time with Little Zongzi. In the afternoon, a little boy came over; a little handsome brother with big eyebrows and big eyes. Zhang Qiu heard senior brother mentioned that he was a child of a neighbor’s family called Yang Bao. Since his health was not well enough to move to the mountain, Yang Bao’s parents moved here with him.

What a rich people!

Zhang Qiu thought, the villas in this area could not be own without a few tens of million.

After watching the three children played for a while, Zhang Qiu discovered that Yang Bao was very protective of Hua Hua and he was also secretly guarded against his son. So long as Hua Hua kissed his son’s face, Yang Bao’s face was not happy and he would go to kiss Hua Hua back.

Something’s wrong!

That was just a first sign, Zhang Qiu quickly advised himself. These children are only five or six years old, you are just so hopelessly impure ah!

It was Little Zongzi's first time to play with children, especially three people played well. Yang Bao was generous to Little Zongzi besides guarding against him kissing with Hua Hua. He let Little Zongzi flipped around his head and built a castle for Little Zongzi with Hua Hua’s building blocks.

When they were tired of playing, Hua Ting talked with Yang Bao at the side. “Xiao Jiang is so small because he is not in good health and was born with illness. This is a secret. You should keep it secret for uncle.”

Yang Bao patted his chest and nodded. Afterwards, Lu Feng sent Yang Bao back.

Xiao Jiang’s skin was still porcelain white, but it could be seen that he was really happy. He jumped into Zhang Qiu’s palm; each jump was particularly adorable with shining big eyes that impatiently stared at Zhang Qiu. “Baba, big brother is fun.”

“Nn, you’re well-behaved. You can still play with big brother tomorrow.” Zhang Qiu pulled his son’s skirt when it slid down to his waist with all the jumping. “Dear son, Daddy will take you to buy clothes tomorrow.”

Little Zongzi was not interested in buying clothes. He was very happy to hear that he could play with big brother tomorrow. He was bouncing vivaciously until he reached Zhang Qiu’s head, he sat cross-legged on top and propped up his hands to his cheeks, he asked, “Baba, has tomorrow arrived?”

“Sleep and it will arrive.” Zhang Qiu came back to his room with Little Zongzi on his head. Once he saw Li Shu, he pulled Little Zongzi down. “You give him a bath.” Seizing the opportunity, he lay on his stomach on the bed and did not get up. He was so sleepy, and his body soreness had not receded.

Li Shu stared at certain someone who had no self-awareness, sticking out his butt and moved it around on the bed. Li Shu's eyes could not help but darken a bit and faintly congesting into dark red. On the bed, Zhang Qiu suddenly shivered. Li Shu went to the bathroom with Little Zongzi.

Sure enough, he was so tired that he hallucinated. He had felt hairy just now.

Li Shu got a basin full of water. Who knew where Little Zongzi got a little yellow duck, he looked at Li Shu, seeming impatiently eager to try something.

“Ducky.” The duckling was given by Hua Hua to Little Zongzi.

Li Shu put the little yellow duck into the basin. Little Zongzi immediately rode on the little yellow duck and floated on the water. Li Shu smiled and put the basin in the corner of the door. “Have a good time.”

Little Zongzi was very happy.

Li Shu went straight to the bed and touched Zhang Qiu’s neck with his hands that soaked in water. Zhang Qiu shivered by the cold and said vaguely, “Xiao Jiang done bathing?”

“Still bathing, it’s your turn.”

“You bath first; I’ll sleep for another five minutes.” Zhang Qiu struggled to get up and finally gave up.

Li Shu gave no room for resistance. He picked up the person and said, “You sleep, I give you a bath.”

Zhang Qiu was too lazy to think about the beauty [ ZQ懒得动心想还挺美的 (?)]. Now Li Shu was becoming more and more like a wife; taking care of his children, cleaning up his house and waiting for him to take a bath.

The door of the bathroom was closed tightly, and Little Zongzi who fluttered at the door looked at it with some curiosity in his eyes, but after a second he was immersed in the joy of riding the little yellow duck.

Inside bathroom was the sound of water trickling.

“SongBao, stand up straight.”

“Can’t stand up.”

Li Shu’s voice carried a little temptation, “Then you wrap your legs around my waist and I wash with you in my arms.”

“Ok…” After a while, Zhang Qiu shouted angrily in the bathroom, “Fuck your uncle[1] Li Shu!!!”

After Zhang Qiu took a bath, he was too tired to lift his arms. His legs were wrapped around Li Shu’s waist and carried back to the bed. Every step Li Shu took, he had the illusion that he had just been ruthlessly topped in the bathroom. Zhang Qiu blushed and felt something hard behind his butt.

"Li Shu, are you human?!!"

Beast! He’s dying and Li Shu was so energetic.

“I am originally not a human being.” Li Shu saw that his SongBao had crumpled into a ball, he showed mercy. “Sleep, I won’t do it.”

Zhang Qiu finally put his heart back in his stomach and soon fell asleep wrapped in a quilt.

The unreliable Daddy finally found Little Zongzi, who was blistered and wrinkled. He threw Little Zongzi onto the bed, wrapped in a towel. After playing for half a day, Little Zongzi was exhausted and fell asleep right next to Zhang Qiu’s head.

The next morning, Zhang Qiu packed Little Zongzi into his pocket and went to the toy store with Li Shu. He never knew that he had a hobby of changing clothes; all kinds of clothes to buy. He took Little Zongzi's picture while backing the surveillance camera's blind spot. Little Zongzi really deserved to be his son; he looked handsome in whatever he put on!

Little formal attire, casual wear, pony boots.

Li Shu was in a good mood today. He made a great show of being honest while commenting at the side; this one not bad; this color is a little dark and something like that.

“There are even mini villas!” Zhang Qiu's eyes popped out when he saw the price tag. Nowadays, little girl was really costly; just this small clothes was not cheap, unlike adults’ clothes. He paid 100 yuan for two T-shirts but that was the price for buying a set for Little Zongzi. If matched it on a pair of shoes, it would be genuine leather.

Li Shu thought Zhang Qiu wanted it, he said concisely, “Buy it.”

“I’m sorry, sir. This doll house has been booked. If you want, you can order, but it may take a few days to be transferred.” The salesperson said apologetically.

Zhang Qiu didn’t want to buy such an expensive fake house. He waved his hand away, “No–”

“If Mr. Li Shu wants it, I can give it to you.”

A crisp female voice came from behind, and the salesperson said hello with a smile, “Miss Su, you came.” He also said to Li Shu and Zhang Qiu, “Dear customers, this is Miss Su, the owner of the doll house.”

Zhang Qiu turned to look; this Miss Su looked to be young, about eighteen or nineteen year old, with white melon seed face and lips curved upward, which was not smiling but like smiling, slanting sweetly, but also not very similar because the temperament of her body was somewhat cold. [T/N: Too hard to translate this part]

“Hello, Mr. Li Shu, I'm Su WanTing. I’ve heard your name for a long time and I’ve wanted to see you.” Su WanTing reached out her hand and smiled with her lovely eyes bent.

The sense of indifference to refuse people for thousands of miles away suddenly disappeared. Zhang Qiu pouted his lips. Li Shu’s physique was really troublesome wherever he go.

Li Shu was very indifferent. He ignored Su WanTing’s outstretched hand and looked at Zhang Qiu. “Are we done?”

“Done.” He did not want to wait for Li Shu to attract bees and butterflies! Zhang Qiu put the clothes at the checkout counter. “Check out.”

Su WanTing's face was a little stiff. She took her hand back without looking at Zhang Qiu she said with a smile, “I have members of his family who can give discounts. Today I invited them.”

“No need.” Li Shu handed the card over.

Su WanTing, who had been rejected several times, could not hang up her girl’s face, so she laughed and did not speak.

Zhang Qiu thought it was impolite to treat a gentle girl like this. However, if he was really to inquire solicitously about the girl's well-being, Li Shu would be more angry at him. Therefore, between Li Shu's anger and the girl's loser face, he chose the girl's loser face.

Li Shu already has an owner, girl, you are beautiful and rich, don't have to worry if you can't find good man.

After checking out, Li Shu carried the bag. Zhang Qiu apologetically smiled at the girl, but she ignored him.

Li Shu, with a cold face, said, “SongBao, are your waist all right?”

“All ri–” Zhang Qiu saw Li Shu's ill-intention expression, blessed his soul that he stopped. He knew what Li Shu meant, and hurriedly shook his head. “It’s still sore and painful, no good, still no good.”

Li Shu hook up his lips and smiled faintly. “Then we go back and I'll massage it for you.”

Why are these words so familiar? It seemed Li Shu had once said it to him, and after that his waist hurt even more.

Zhang Qiu thought about his hovering between life and death last night, and suddenly he had no back pain but kidney pain!

When they were home, he didn't know what Li Shu was crazy about; once again he was tossed from side to side. The two days he came to Beijing, he never went out; he was in bed all the time. He woke up the next day limping and was laughed at by Pixian Hui Wang.

“Xiao Qiuqiu, the hemorrhoid ointment is not enough?”

Zhang Qiu:… I'm tired and lazy to fight.

The auction was held in the evening at a hotel neared to Panjiayuan. Zhang Qiu, who had no formal clothes, went to buy clothes in the afternoon and then went directly to the hotel to join Lu Feng and Pei Qing. One card, two attendees; he and Li Shu, Lu Feng brought Hua Ting and Pei Qing’s invitation card, and one of them, naturally went to Pixian Hui Wang.

The hotel was interesting and appealing. Their invitation cards were checked at the entrance, and then they were guided by a specific person. The inside was similar the front of a theater. There were two floors of boxes encircled in three sides. The boxes were not hidden, but there were bamboo curtains. If it was pulled down, the outsider could not see the inside but the insider could see the outside. The stage had been set up and there was a row of seats in front of the patio.

They were lead to three boxes; Pixian Hui Wang shook his head and said, "We're together, just take us to a big box."

They were sitting in the big box at the side of the first floor, with a view just above the seats.

Before long, a waiter brought tea and cakes. Zhang Qiu took a piece of cake and ate it. It tasted good. He put it in his pocket, Little Zongzi showed his head; like a chick pecking the rice, his tiny mouth ate bit by bit neatly. Zhang Qiu served his family's Daye[1] and son to drink tea.

Several people were chatting, especially Pei Qing, who they met for the first time. Just then, they had just exchange simple greeting and didn’t have a proper chat.

"… After a few years in the army, my leg’s injury relapsed, so I retired." Pei Qing said.

No wonder that Pei Qing was a person who was upright and whose temperament was not what ordinary people could have; he looked particularly capable and vigorous, with a very big and tall stature, and robust facial features. At first glance, he didn’t look very good at all. But when Zhang Qiu looked at him carefully, he looked good; typical of traditional aesthetics and looked like a tough man.

Zhang Qiu especially admired the soldiers. He could not help looking at Pei Qing more. As a result, he had a cold hand on his thigh. Zhang Qiu knew it was Li Shu. His family's wife loved to eat vinegar so much; he couldn’t do anything about it.

Zhang Qiu took back his line of sight. Pei Qing changed the subject to the owner of the auction. “The owner’s surname is Su Zhicai. He is over sixty years old and is from Hangzhou.” As he was speaking, there was a noise outside. Pei Qing went to the curtain, looked over it and said, “Here comes the boss.”

Lu Feng raised the curtain and Zhang Qiu looked out curiously, just so happened to meet a glance from outside.

“That girl looked familiar…” The more Zhang Qiu tried to remember, the less he remembered it, but he felt she was familiar, as if he had just seen her.

Li Shu said lightly, “Shopping mall, Su WanTing.”

“Turned out it was her. I just said she looked familiar, but with her style of dress today, no wonder I didn't recognized her.” Zhang Qiu said.

At yesterday's encounter, the impression that Su WanTing left him was of a beautiful and sweet girl. Today, she was wearing a small golden tassel dress, her hair was permed and pulled up, and her red lips were painted. There was a bit of purity mixed with a woman's charm.

Zhang Qiu glanced around; many of the guests in the box had gone out. Most of the men looked at Su WanTing.

“Su WanTing is Su Zhicai’s only daughter.” Pei Qing explained.

Zhang Qiu was stunned at first because Su Zhicai looked so old, if they stood together they would look like grandparent and grandchildren not father and daughter. Not only Zhang Qiu, who did not understand, but Hua Ting also felt strange.

Pei Qing explained, “I heard that Boss Su had two sons, but they died one after another. Now only his daughter is left.”

Not a moment later Su WanTing supported Su Zhicai to come over, and Su WanTing stared at Li Shu and said with a smile, "Mr. Li, we met again." Then she faced Su Zhicai while acting like a spoiled child, "Daddy, this was the one I mentioned, Mr. Li Shu."

“Oh-oh, this is the famous Mr. Li Shu on the road!” Su Zhicai’s eyes didn't seem good. The person circled around Li Shu, gave a few polite greetings so as to let them felt welcome; said if there was anything, just tell his daughter what he needed, his daughter always wanted to associate with Li Shu and so on.

Soon after, the auction began. Su Zhicai and Su WanTing also sat down on the seat at the patio.

One antique was put on the auction display on the stage. Among them, Lu Feng also took part to bid it and gave it to Hua Ting’s parents. It was of good quality, but the map they wanted was not on the display until the last one, it was still missing.

“We were tricked?” Pixian Hui Wang’s face sank a little.

Pei Qing, who did this line of business, murmured, “There are rules in this line. The things on the auction book, there is no reason why they don’t appear. There may be a follow-up.”

“The Su family used this map to hook us up.” Li Shu said at the side.

As soon as the words fell, the box's door opened and a bodyguard pushed the door opened while protecting Su WanTing to come in. Su WanTing held a wooden box in her hand and stared directly at Li Shu. She got straight to the point and said, “I want to make a deal with you.” After that, she raised the wooden box in her hand.

It seemed that the purpose of today’s auction was very clear.

Footnote:

[1] 大爷 [dà yé] = arrogant idler; self-centered show-off; uncle; term of respect for older man

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