Chapter 10, A pear tree laden with blossoms weighs down the crabapple.

Zhang Yuandao: "It doesn't hurt to give it a try"

Zhan Shiyuan understood Fan Zhen's intentions and smiled, saying: "I shall take my leave first; Brother Fan, please stay and have a long conversation with Young Master Jiezi"

... ...

Qiu Ling cried out: "Young Master Jiezi, please save me, the old man is not only old and ugly, but also covered in scabies. I would rather die than marry him. I beg you, Young Master Jiezi, only you can make Third Young Master change his mind. I implore you, Young Master."

Zhang Yuan continued to play chess with Zhang E while blindfolded, and the result of the match was that Zhang Yuan won again

Zhang Yuan immediately wrote a letter and asked Qiu Ling to deliver it to Zhang E. Qiu Ling, feeling timid, hesitated to go. Zhang Yuan said, "The success or failure of this matter depends on this letter." Only then did Qiu Ling take the letter and return to Xi Zhang.

At this moment, Qiuling was clearly not in high spirits, weeping and saying: "Sister Yiting, please help me plead with Young Master Jiezai, my family’s young master wants to give me to the old gatekeeper."

On that evening, Qiuling arrived, bringing her servant, who had a letter of endorsement from Zhang E

Before long, Wuling led in a maid of about seventeen or eighteen years, with a delicate appearance. The maid knelt outside the study, weeping sorrowfully and said: "Young Master Jiezai, I implore you—"

Zhang E, seeing that Zhang Yuan spoke politely, felt delighted and said: "Well said, well said. What matter does the gentleman have?"

Qiu Ling was afraid of being matched with the old, ugly, and filthy Old Wu, and having to face the disdain of the servants from the West Zhang and their scheming. She felt utterly humiliated, thinking it would be better to die. However, Fan Qingke, though not young anymore, was much better compared to Old Wu. There was no reason to refuse.

Qiu Ling said: "The young master Yan Ke once had a wager with young master Jie Zi, and the little maid—oh, the little maid is willing to serve young master Jie Zi."

Fan Zhen smiled and said, "This maid's words are pitiful, and she truly does not match that Wu Cangtou. If Young Master Jiezai could obtain her from the Third Young Master, it would indeed be a delightful matter"

Zhang E entered the study and saw that only Zhang Yuan was present. She felt a sense of relief, her expression softened, and she clasped her hands together, asking: "Jiezi, what is it that you called me for?"

Qiu Ling usually appears quite proud. Yi Ting is washing clothes by the Tao Lao River, and sometimes she stands under the willows by the riverbank, cracking sunflower seeds while chatting with Yi Ting. On one occasion, she even deliberately compared whose hands looked better. Yi Ting has to wash clothes in the water all year round, so her hands are naturally rough; how could they compare to Qiu Ling's delicate hands? However, Yi Ting is not someone to be easily provoked. She retorted, "I may work harder, but I have never been beaten. My mistress treats the servants well." Qiu Ling, embarrassed and angry, no longer paid any attention to Yi Ting.

Fan Zhen asked curiously, "What bet?"

Qiu Ling cried out: "Little maid begs you, young master..."

However, Zhang Yuan said: "Mr. Fan, please go to the side room to take shelter for a moment; I also need to leave some face for my third brother."

Zhang Edao: "Alright, see you tomorrow." and books

Zhang Yuandao: "Well, send me off then; I must surpass that old Wu head no matter what."

Zhang Yuandao: "Please take a seat, my three brothers. I have a matter to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan felt quite uncomfortable: "This Qiuling, when she heard Zhang E say she would be given to me, cried out 'no, no' at that time. Now, she is to be sent to Old Wu by Zhang E, and only then does she think of coming to me. Heh, am I, Zhang Jiezai, only slightly better than Old Wu?" He shook his head and said, "I do not want your service."

It is already the early days of the seventh month in the lunar calendar, and Zhang Yuan's eyesight has mostly recovered. He had previously tried reading a page of a book by himself and listening to someone read a page. The memory retention was significantly different; he could only remember a small portion when reading by himself, while listening once allowed him to remember eight or nine out of ten.

Fan Zhen then began to read, and after reading about ten pages, she heard Zhang Cai come to report that the third son of the Xi family had arrived

Zhang Yuan has already listened to the "Collected Annotations of the Four Books" and the "Five Classics" once. He read other texts such as the "Discourses of the States" and the "Strategies of the Warring States" four hundred years later. Since he intends to specialize in the "Spring and Autumn Annals," it is essential to read Dong Zhongshu's "Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn" and Yang Shixun's "Commentary on the Spring and Autumn by Guliang." Zhang Yuan did not have these two books at home, so he asked Fan Zhen to borrow them from the West Zhang to read to him.

Zhang E smiled and said, "Alright, let her come over later. Jiezi, I want to play a game of chess with you first."

Fan Zhen smiled and said, "Is it that old man with the surname Wu? He's over sixty years old. https://m.hetushu.com.com, a pear tree laden with blossoms overshadowing the crabapple." As she spoke, she also made a couple of "tsk tsk" sounds, seemingly filled with envy

Kneeling at the threshold, Qiuling said: "It was this morning that the Third Young Master ordered the maid to marry the old man."

Zhang E now has a bit of admiration for this younger cousin, who is half a year her junior, and said: "Jiezi, tomorrow I will play Go with you. Do you still dare to play blindfolded against me?"

Madam Zhang, of the Lü family, also heard someone knocking at the back garden door. She called for the maid Yiting to come and take a look. Upon seeing the Western maid kneeling outside the young master's study, Yiting exclaimed, "Oh, Qiuling, what are you doing here!"

Zhang Yuandao: "Mr. Fan, it is still early. Please continue reading this seventh volume, Mr. Fan."

And wait a moment, Fan Zhen bowed to Zhang Yuan and said: "Young Master Jiezi, may I have a word with you in private."

On the afternoon of the Qixi Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month, Zhang Yuan was in his study listening to Fan and Zhan recite "Chunqiu Fanlu" for him. Hearing someone knocking at the small door in the back garden, and knowing that those who usually entered and exited through the back door were typically servants seeking convenience, Zhang Yuan instructed Wuling to go and see who it was

After Zhan Shiyuan left, only Zhang Yuan and Fan Zhen remained in the study. Fan Zhen deeply bowed to Zhang Yuan and said softly, "It is with great regret that the young master learns of my wife's early passing, and I have not remarried since. If the young master could persuade the third young master to take Qiuling as my concubine, I would be immensely grateful."

Fan Zhen was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed her gratitude

Zhang Yuan smiled as he looked at this man, Fan Zhen, who was nearly fifty years old, had a goatee, and was slender. Hmm, not bad. A gentleman should help others achieve their good. Engaging in such charitable deeds is certainly worthwhile, he said: "Then I will give it a try"

As soon as the maid opened her mouth, Zhang Yuan recognized her as the beautiful maid who had accompanied Zhang E to place a bet that day, and he asked, "What is the matter?"

Yiting Road: "This is quite strange, the young master of the Yan family wants to match you with a servant, why are you coming to ask my young master for help!"

Zhang Yuan glanced at that Qiu Ling. Although she had some beauty, it was merely gaudy, and she was too snobbish, favoring the rich over the poor. He had no interest in her and shook his head, saying: "I do not want her to serve—Wuling, send her away"

Fan Zhen could not help but laugh out loud, saying to Zhang Yuan: "This is what happened. Young Master Yan Ke has been sitting quietly with his eyes closed for a few days, seemingly without gaining any insight. When someone reads to him, he becomes increasingly restless. I don't know how this Qiu Ling has offended Young Master Yan Ke, as he gets beaten every few days. However, I have not heard anything about sending gifts to the old gatekeeper."

There are many who can play blind chess, but due to the myriad variations and numerous pieces in Go, I have not heard of anyone who can play blindfolded.

Zhang Yuan thought: "It seems that heaven intends for me to appreciate beauty for a lifetime. That's fine; it's not unusual to memorize what I see at a glance, but it's rare to remember what I hear. However, I need to always have two people around me who can read books to me. Lao Fan and Lao Zhan won't last long, so I need to find others. Hmm, having a beauty read to me at night seems good, but I am still young and have no money. I will take my time and gradually acquire books, planning for the long term."

Fan Zhenxin thought: "Indeed, it comes at my call."

At this moment, Qiuling could no longer hold back and spoke of the matter regarding Zhang E losing to Zhang Yuan that day

Fan Zhen secretly nodded; this Zhang Yuan truly did not behave like a fifteen-year-old boy. His demeanor and depth of character were far from ordinary.

Zhang Yuandao: "I heard that the three brothers intend to give Qiuling to the gatekeeper, Old Wu. Qiuling came to me, crying and complaining, saying that she would rather serve me than marry that old Wu. It seems that I, Zhang Jiezai, am still more favored by the beauty than that old Wu."

The Zhang family does not seem surprised by Zhang Yuan's changes. Zhang's mother, Lu, believes that her son has become more sensible after suffering from an eye ailment. Meanwhile, the young servant, Wu Ling, who spends every day with Zhang Yuan, feels nothing but joy; he likes the current young master. He has thoroughly humiliated the young gentlemen from the Xi Zhang family twice, which is quite satisfying. The ten-year-old Tu Ting can be ignored, and as for Yi Ting, being illiterate, he does not perceive any difference between a young master who reads and one who does not. As for Zhang Dachun and Zhang Cai, they have yet to experience the methods of the young master Jiezi.

Zhang E burst into laughter and said, "That wretched maid actually came to you for help, how about it, Jizi, do you want her?"

Zhang Yuan then called Qiu Ling in and informed her that Mr. Fan intended to take her as a concubine, asking for her thoughts on the matter

Fan Zhen and Zhan Shiyuan exchanged glances, thinking to themselves that no wonder the young master of the Yan family had been drinking wildly that day; it turned out there was such a significant source of frustration.