Chapter 3: Even Marriage Proposals Require Careful Planning

  The old man has come, what's the big fuss about? This old fellow comes over three or four times a day, whether there's something going on or not. It seems like he's afraid his son will fly away and won't be at peace until he sees him every day to develop production.

  Huo Xi continued sitting there eating fruit, ignoring the clamoring servants outside, these underlings were even more sycophantic than they had been when he was at ***.

  "Father!" Out of politeness, Huo Hai still stood up straight, while Lin Shuang'er and Meng Die on either side were also extremely respectful.

  "Hey, hey! Xiao Er, since your father comes over every day, don't be too formal, just relax and be yourself at home!" He Qing was estimated to be around 40 years old, tall in stature, with a well-groomed beard, clearly a shrewd businessman.

  "Of all the virtues, filial piety is the first; how can I abandon it? Previously, when I was at *** I got into the habit of currying favor with the boss and his wife. Now that I'm here, Huo Hai feels he can't forget his roots!"

  Hearing his own son like this, Huo Qing was all smiles. His son's writing talent stood out and he was very filial. When he went out to socialize, his old face also gained a lot of prestige!

  "It's said that you've bought a new servant, but isn't this little girl?" Huo Qing's expression turned serious, his eyes began to wander over Lin Shuang'er's body, making the little girl feel uneasy all over.

  Actually, Huo Qi knew what Huo Qing meant. Yesterday, the matter of Cai Zi *** Min 'female' had already caused a stir in the city. When Huo Qing went to the court, although he didn't go, he was also anxious at home. His own son was a talented young man and couldn't have his reputation ruined because of this small matter!

  Huo Qi knew that Huo Qing's question now meant to probe his attitude towards this little girl, *** brought the little girl back, could it be that he wanted to take her as a wife or concubine?

  "Back to Father, the thing last night was indeed a mistake of mine, I apologize for my impoliteness. I had no other intention but to make amends." Huo Hai declared his innocence, thinking to himself, "I didn't have any special intention to spend so much silver to buy him back, I'm not crazy!"

  Huo Ji said this, and Lin Shuang'er's face gradually changed color. If the talented person in front of her was telling the truth, then she felt that she had no significance in the Huo family!

  Meng Die was overjoyed, thinking that since the young master wasn't interested in the new maid, she would receive more affection herself. She couldn't help but shiver at the memory of the young master's caress that day.

  "This is great! The weather is nice today, why don't you take your father to the Water Human World for a walk?" Huo Qing smiled with relief, seeing that his son was not infatuated with a certain woman, and his heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally put back.

  Huo Qi actually knew that Huo Qing's invitation for him to take a stroll in the Water Realm was not purely for father-son bonding.

  Merchants have always had no extra time to deal with family trivia, Huo Qing specially "extracted" the time to make money to take a walk with Huo Hai, and there must be something to say.

  What else could be a shocking and earth-shaking event, Huo Qi understood in his heart that after experiencing the storm of yesterday, Huo Qing must think that his son has grown up and reached the age of marriage.

  Men understand men better, but sometimes it still can't solve practical problems!

  Huò Jiǎo felt that it was better for him to be cautious, if he were to get married now, then his chances of seeking 'flowers' and asking willows would be fewer.

  In modern people's minds, a married man is half dead, life is dull and tasteless! Spending a lifetime with one 'woman' is not what Huo wants.

  But if it's a beautiful girl, then it's a different story. Huo would definitely become a gentle husband immediately, and first take care of her. After all, he is a scholar in this era, and it's inconvenient to flirt with flowers and ask for willows, so it's more convenient to take advantage of the little girl by his side.

  The water is still rippling with gentle waves, and the breeze is blowing softly. The pavilion on the east side of the garden is surrounded by dense lotus leaves and blooming lotus flowers!

  "Ah, Xiao Er, you're already eighteen this year, aren't you?" Huo Qing sat down at the stone table, getting straight to the point!

  "Back to Father's words, I'm already eighteen!" Huo Hai smiled secretly, I was over twenty in that era, but back here I'm only eighteen, much younger!

  "As your father, I know you're diligent in your studies, but if you have any intention of getting married, I'll take care of it for you! You don't need to be tongue-tied, after all, a man should get married when he comes of age, isn't that right?" Huo Qing seemed to be afraid of embarrassing his son and smiled awkwardly.

  Ancient scholars are just like modern-day young ladies, they get shy easily! However, it seems that nowadays young ladies rarely get shy, at least Hou Hai felt that she had never seen such a thing before!

  "The kid temporarily... doesn't have this idea yet! A good son's ambition is in all directions, I should learn from my father and put my mind on turning the world upside down, not spending every day 'infatuated' with a gentle hometown!" When saying these words, Huo was about to vomit!

  He couldn't reveal his intention to think of a 'woman' before understanding what kind of 'woman' Ho Qing had in mind, otherwise if Ho Qing was thinking of a dinosaur, wouldn't he be done for this lifetime?

  It's not entirely true, in this era, it was much simpler for a husband to divorce his wife than in modern society, with just one letter of divorce, the fate of a woman could be changed instantly, Huo Xiao felt that this was the glorious era that truly revealed the nature of men!

  "Heh heh, how about this! Tomorrow I'll invite Zhang and his 'daughter' to come home for dinner, you have to join us too, got it?" Huo Qing finally made his move, looks like he's more anxious than his own son.

  "Ah, I understand!" He Xi was secretly delighted. This Zhang official was indeed a man of some background. He called him "official", but he didn't actually hold any official position and his family wasn't wealthy either.

  But in Shuyuan County, no one dared not to give face to Zhang Gongzi, because Zhang Furen's father was the governor of Yangzhou, and Shuyuan County was under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou. Who would dare not to give face to the son-in-law of the governor?

  If it weren't for this Zhang official being unlearned and untalented, he would have risen to a high position long ago. Now he wouldn't be stuck in Shuyuan County!

  Cutting to the chase, Zhang's only daughter, Eldest Miss Zhang, has a face as lovely as Xishi, and is especially skilled at playing the guqin. In Shuyuan County, she is renowned far and wide, and many young masters and scholars have gone crazy for her!

  Zhang brought his daughter to the Ho's house as a guest. It seems he has intentions for this marriage, which is why Ho Ji was secretly delighted!

  In this era, a talented man marrying a beautiful woman is a joyful thing for everyone! Huo Xiao thought to himself that he was just an ordinary "托" (a derogatory term), but after coming here, he became a talented man admired by all, and on top of that, he's about to get a stunningly beautiful woman who looks like Xi Shi, the heavens are truly fair!

  Returning to his study, he was still secretly delighted. Although he had never seen Xi Shi before, she could 'captivate' the sons of China for several thousand years, what a noble appearance that is?

  You're going to get a Miss Zhang with the same face as her, which was never treated like this before in ***!

  What's more, she is the granddaughter of Governor Shi, and after finishing with her, Huo Xiao felt that in the future, he would be invincible in Yangzhou, and killing a few people or raping several women wouldn't be a big deal at all!

  Of course he wouldn't do such a thing, what a genius!

  "Master, have some tea!" A sweet voice interrupted Huo Xiao's reverie.

  Only when he took a closer look did he realize that the person in front of him was Lin Shuang'er, who seemed to have changed into a completely different person. She wore the attire of a Ho family maid, her figure more slender and delicate, her hair tied up, and her pale face had a faint pink glow.

  What's more, she has now launched an offensive, determined to compete with Meng Die for the young master's favor. The previous *** incident seems to have been thrown out of her mind, and the current her is like a jealous woman who likes to quarrel and be petty.

  "Oh, just put it on the table!" Huo Ji insisted on his own principles, even if he was very pleased, he couldn't be too good to 'her', otherwise happiness would be lost.

  Lin Shuang'er quickly placed the tea on the table in front of Huo Xiao, then stepped behind him: "Young Master, you've been out for a walk with Old Master for so long, you must be tired? Let me give you a back massage!"

  Xiao Nizi's voice is really nice, at least better than Meng Die's. If she works in a *** (store/restaurant), there will definitely be many people who become repeat customers because of this enchanting voice!

  No wonder, Lin Shuang'er's massage skills are also top-notch, with a pleasant voice and a set of super-good massage techniques that can conquer any man!

  Huò Hài was lying on the chaise longue, letting Xiǎo Nī Zǐ's small hands roam over his shoulders and chest, every place she touched was incredibly soft, what a delightful feeling!

  "Master, are you comfortable?" Lin Shuang'er leaned in close to Huo Xiao's ear and asked softly, her face already flushed pink. Although she appeared very enthusiastic, this was her first time coming into contact with a man, and her cherry-sized heart almost jumped out.

  "You've had quite some experience in massaging shoulders and chests, but don't be proud of yourself, you should continue to make progress and strive for breakthroughs in other areas! Even if she's already very satisfied, Huo Hai felt that he shouldn't praise her too much, it's a matter of principle!"

  "Other parts? Young master, shouldn't I be learning how to massage other parts as well?" Er'er asked hesitantly after a moment of confusion.

  Huo He only thought of this now, reminding himself that he was living in a society without 'sex' education, not to mention talking about romance with a young girl, it's like a blind man lighting a lamp and wasting wax!

  "Hmm, Buddha said it's unspeakable, you'd better figure it out yourself!" Huo Hai muttered to himself, "Is Young Master going to ask me to teach him how to play the flute like a 'jade maiden'? If so, I'll have to abandon my title as a talented scholar!"