The world of film and television begins from childhood

Zhou Huai is a smart and nimble person, but he is a little timid and does not dare to join the army. His dream is to take over his father's job and continue to be the steward in the Mansion of the Loyal and Brave Marquis.

Watching Zhou Huai flee in panic, Zhou Chen smiled and turned his attention back to the book.

Time passed by bit by bit, and his reading speed was not fast. After all, they are all ancient Chinese books now, which are different from modern Xiaobai Wen, which cannot read ten lines at a glance.

"Sir, this is the fruit tea we sent you. Please taste it."

Hearing Zhao Paner's voice, Zhou Chen raised his head and then looked at the fruit tea on the table.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Please."

It was almost noon when Zhou Chen asked Zhou Huai to leave Zhao’s Tea Shop.

But in the next few days, Zhou Chen came to Zhao's Tea Shop to drink tea every day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, and he would bring a book to read every time he drank tea.

So after a few days, I became more familiar with Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang, and we even knew each other's names.

It was morning again. Zhou Chen was drinking tea and reading in the teahouse, while Zhou Huai ran outside to chat with Zhang Heng and his guards.

Because Zhou Chen was the only guest in the morning, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang stayed in the kitchen. However, Sun Sanniang would look up at Zhou Chen from time to time, full of curiosity.

"Hey, Pan'er, it's already the sixth day. What does Mr. Zhou want from us when he comes to drink tea every day? Are our tea and fruit cakes really that good?"

Zhao Pan'er smiled and said, "I don't know if my tea is good or not, but Sanniang, your fruit cake is absolutely amazing. He might have come here just for that."

"hehe."

Sun Sanniang laughed at herself and said, "Don't laugh at me. I think he didn't come for my fruit cakes, but for you."

Seeing Sun Sanniang's teasing eyes, Zhao Pan'er immediately said coquettishly: "Sanniang, don't make fun of me. I don't believe you can't see that this Mr. Zhou has an extraordinary temperament. He doesn't look like someone from a small place like us. I'm just a country woman. How could he have any thoughts about me?"

"That's hard to say. Pan'er, you are so pretty and have skills. You are going to be the wife of a Jinshi in the future. Who knows who will look down on whom."

Sun Sanniang treats Zhao Pan'er, her neighbor for many years, like a sister and highly recognizes Zhao Pan'er's abilities.

"What do you mean by Jinshi's wife? Don't talk nonsense."

Zhao Pan'er pretended to be dissatisfied, but a smile appeared on the corners of her mouth involuntarily.

Sun Sanniang saw that her words were not what she meant, so she smiled and picked up the fruit that had been prepared on the table.

"Mr. Zhou has been supporting us for several days in a row. I'm going to give him a few plates of fruit."

As she spoke, she picked up the plate and walked towards where Zhou Chen was.

"Mr. Zhou, this is the fruit I just made, please try it."

Zhou Chen put down the book and said, "Madam Sun's fruit is very good. If it goes to Tokyo, it will definitely be very popular."

"Tokyo? Mr. Zhou has been to Tokyo?"

As soon as Zhou Chen mentioned Tokyo, Sun Sanniang's eyes lit up. The prosperity of Tokyo is famous all over the world. I don't know how many foreigners are eager to go to Tokyo to see and see. Although Sun Sanniang has never been there, I have heard of it. Naturally, I am also very yearning for Tokyo.

"Of course, not only have I been there, but I've also lived there for more than ten years."

"Mr. Zhou is from Tokyo, is he from Tokyo?"

Sun Sanniang was even more surprised. In her eyes, people from Tokyo were naturally superior to them, so her tone was full of surprise and envy.

"Is Tokyo very lively and prosperous? Are there a lot of rich people? Do you often see dignitaries on the streets? I also heard that Tokyo never turns off the lights at night and is a city that never sleeps. Is this true?"

Zhou Chen nodded and said, "It's not that exaggerated, but Tokyo is indeed more prosperous than other states. Madam Sun wants to go to Tokyo?"

Sun Sanniang looked longing: "Of course I want to, but I don't think there is much hope in this life. I can only hope that my son can pass the imperial examination and take me to Tokyo to see the world."

"Want to take the imperial examination? Yes, it's a good thing to have lofty ambitions."

Zhou Chen praised her, but thinking of Fu Zifang's performance in the original novel, he felt that Sun Sanniang's idea was too naive. Judging from the ungrateful character that the child had shown when he was a child, whether he could pass the exam was another matter. Even if he did, whether he would recognize Sun Sanniang or not would depend on whether Sun Sanniang was of any use to him.

Sun Sanniang asked, "Mr. Zhou, I see that you have an extraordinary bearing. You must be a scholar and have achieved great success, right?"

"Madam Sun, you have a good eye. I have indeed studied for a few years and have achieved some success."

"Yeah, I was saying, you look different from the rest of us. A scholar can tell at a glance. Mr. Zhou, what is your title? It must be more than just a scholar, right?"

"I was a second-class Jinshi in the sixth year of Dazhong Xiangfu."

"A second-class Jinshi is also a Jinshi, right?"

Sun Sanniang had a confused look on her face. She only knew about Jinshi, Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, Tanhua and so on. As for the first-class Jinshi and the second-class Jinshi, she had no idea what they were.

Without waiting for Zhou Chen to explain, Zhao Pan'er, who had already walked over, said, "Sanniang, a second-class Jinshi is a Jinshi, and it is also a Jinshi with a relatively high ranking."

"Ah, so powerful? Isn't that the fame and honor that Ouyang Xu has always hoped for?" Sun Sanniang was shocked.

Zhao Pan'er looked helpless. This Sanniang was good in every way except her mouth, which was always full of flaws.

But now is not the time to think about this. She looked at Zhou Chen seriously again with a respectful attitude.

"Master Zhou, we were not very hospitable before and we didn't know who you were. Please don't blame us."

The mistakes will be corrected later. I have something to do today, so I will update more tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 964: Give Zhao Paner a Vaccination

"Ms. Zhao, you are too polite. You don't have to call me Sir, because I don't hold any official position now."

In fact, Zhou Chen was not without an official position. After all, he was the second-class duke of the Song Dynasty, Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. If you really counted it, he was more honorable than most officials.

But it was naturally impossible for Zhou Chen to specifically tell Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang about his identity.

Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were very surprised to hear Zhou Chen say that he had no official position. After all, in their eyes, a Jinshi could definitely become an official. Could it be that a Jinshi could not become an official?

Sun Sanniang was straightforward: "Didn't Mr. Zhou hold an official post? You are a Jinshi, and don't all Jinshi hold an official post?"

Zhou Chen explained: "It is true that Jinshi can become an official, but that does not mean that all Jinshi can become an official. It also depends on the vacancies in the court. As for why I did not become an official, there are some special reasons, which I will not tell you."

Seeing that Zhou Chen had no intention of continuing, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were tactful and did not ask any further questions.

Zhao Pan'er hesitated for a while, then asked softly, "Mr. Zhou, you are from Tokyo, I want to ask you something."

"You said."

"Has the Imperial Examination in Tokyo already started by now?"

"When I left Tokyo a few days ago, it hadn't started yet, but it should have started now. Why do you ask this, Madam Zhao? Do any of your relatives go to Tokyo to take part in the palace examination?" Zhou Chen asked knowingly.

Before Zhao Pan'er could say anything, Sun Sanniang said impatiently, "Pan'er's fiancé went to Tokyo to take the exam a few months ago. When he passes the exam, they will get married, and Pan'er will finally be free."

"Sanniang."

Zhao Pan'er shouted with some dissatisfaction. Sun Sanniang also realized that she had spoken too quickly and apologized to Zhao Pan'er with an embarrassed look on her face. As soon as she apologized, Zhao Pan'er calmed down. The two had been together for eight or nine years, so of course she knew what kind of temper Sun Sanniang had.

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "So that's how it is. Madam Zhao is so outstanding, so I'm sure her fiancé must also be handsome and talented, but..."

At first, when Zhao Pan'er heard Zhou Chen praising herself and Ouyang Xu, she kept a modest smile, but when the word "but" came out, her smile froze.

Sun Sanniang was even more anxious than she was: "But what, Mr. Zhou, tell me what you mean."

Zhou Chen picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, motioned for Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang to sit down, and then spoke again.

"First of all, I don't know Ms. Zhao's fiancé, and I don't know him well. I don't know what his personality is like, but I know a lot about the situation in Tokyo."

"If he fails the exam, then there's nothing to say. But if he passes the exam and gets a good ranking, then he has to face a problem. When the results of the Tokyo Palace Examination are announced, it is very popular to catch a son-in-law from the list. If he does well, he is likely to be valued by the nobles in Tokyo City and be caught as a son-in-law."

"Ah? Is this true? Are people in Tokyo so lawless that they can force someone to be their son-in-law?" Sun Sanniang was shocked.

"What's so strange about this? If you pass the imperial examination and get a good ranking, it means you have great potential. The dignitaries in Tokyo are willing to invest in advance, and if the successful candidates can get help from nobles, many of them would be more than happy to do so."

As soon as Zhou Chen finished speaking, Zhao Paner said firmly: "Ouyang is not that kind of person. He is a gentleman. I believe him."

Sun Sanniang also echoed: "Yes, Ouyang Xu is definitely not that kind of person. Our Pan'er still has good eyes for people. When Ouyang Xu was down and out, it was Pan'er who always supported him in his studies. If he succeeds in high school, he will definitely not forget Pan'er."

Zhou Chen smiled and did not refute, but just explained the reason and facts.

"I'm not the kind of person who likes to say bad things about people behind their backs. I'm just analyzing it for you. If you want to hear it, I'll tell you. If you don't want to hear it, I won't tell you."

Sun Sanniang didn't say anything, but just looked at Zhao Pan'er, whose expression kept changing.

"If it were Ouyang High School, would those dignitaries in Tokyo really arrest him as their son-in-law?"

"That depends on how outstanding he is. I'm telling you, many similar things have happened in Tokyo before. Some scholars who passed the imperial examinations even abandoned their wives and children in their hometowns, divorced their wives, and married the daughters of other nobles in order to marry the daughters of nobles and to have a prosperous official career."

Sun Sanniang scolded: "This is too shameless, are they still human?"

Zhou Chen sneered, "For some people, face is not important, and getting real benefits is the most important. I also look down on such people, but it is undeniable that such people can sometimes do well. It is obvious which one is more useful to them, a powerless wife from the countryside or a daughter of a noble family."

"There are even some more powerful nobles who can ask the emperor to force you to marry them even if you don't want to. Who dares to resist the emperor's will?"

Zhao Pan'er's eyes were a little confused, but she finally said firmly: "I believe Ouyang, if he is admitted to high school, he will definitely come back to pick me up."

Zhou Chen praised: "It should be so. I believe no one would be willing to give up a wonderful woman like Madam Zhao."

Zhao Pan'er's mind was still echoing with Zhou Chen's words, but she didn't care what Zhou Chen said. Instead, Sun Sanniang looked at Zhou Chen suspiciously, then looked at Zhao Pan'er. She had felt that Mr. Zhou was interested in Pan'er before, and now this feeling was even stronger.

After a long silence, Zhao Paner suddenly asked another question.

"Mr. Zhou, I want to ask, in your Tokyo, are there women like us doing business in public? Well, except in the places of fireworks."

"Of course there are, but most shops are run by men, and women are usually behind the scenes. However, many street vendors are run by women."

Zhou Chen understood what Zhao Paner meant by asking this question. Although Zhao Paner was ready to take care of her husband and children after marrying Ouyang Xu, she had been used to being self-reliant for so many years. If she had a choice, she would definitely still want to start her own business.

Women like Zhao Pan'er are everywhere in modern society, but in the Song Dynasty, they were absolutely rare and out of place.

After chatting with Zhou Chen, Zhao Paner was out of shape the whole day and even closed the door early in the afternoon.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Sun Sanniang saw Zhao Pan'er sitting there, looking at the river, and walked over to sit next to her.

"Pan'er, I see you've been in a trance all day, is it because of what Mr. Zhou said?"

Zhao Pan'er did not answer directly, but asked: "He is from Tokyo, he must know Tokyo better than us, he has no reason to deceive us, not to mention that if you think about it carefully, what he said is not unreasonable. It is obvious which is more important, a powerful wife or a powerless wife."

Sun Sanniang comforted him, "Don't let your imagination run wild. Your Mr. Ouyang is not that kind of person. You have worked hard to take care of him for three years. He eats your food and uses your things. Even the money he spent on the imperial examinations was given by you. If he dares to turn against you, he is not worthy of being a human being."

Zhao Pan'er rolled her eyes at her and said angrily, "Sanniang, Ouyang is not that kind of person. What I'm thinking is that if Ouyang passes the exam and becomes an official in Tokyo in the future, I wonder if I can get used to the life there if I go there."

"Oh, oh, oh, you are ready to go to Tokyo, Madam Jinshi?"

"Hate."

Although Zhao Pan'er is a woman, she is still strong in heart. After thinking about it for a while, she soon returned to normal.

The main reason was that she thought about it for a long time, and finally she believed in her relationship with Ouyang Xu, and felt that Ouyang Xu would never betray her, let alone abandon her.

Sun Sanniang held her chin with a thoughtful look on her face.

"However, what I am more curious about is that Mr. Zhou, who is obviously a Jinshi, why didn't he become an official, and even came to our Qiantang from Tokyo. Pan'er, do you think he has offended someone?"

"Maybe, Sanniang, I see you seem to have a good impression of Mr. Zhou?" Zhao Pan'er suddenly teased.

Sun Sanniang was teased, but she was not as shy as Zhao Pan'er. Instead, she puffed out her chest and said, "Yes, I think Mr. Zhou is very good. He is handsome, a Jinshi, and lives in Tokyo. If I were ten years younger, I would definitely look for a man like Mr. Zhou instead of someone like Fu Zifang's father."

Sun Sanniang's generous admission made Zhao Pan'er at a loss, and she didn't discuss this topic any further.

When Zhou Chen returned to the inn, Qin Yi came over to report.

"My Lord, I went to Jin Huan's house according to your order. I brought all the things you asked me to do and informed him to stay at home for a while. He didn't need to rush to join us."

"Well, go inform him before we go back."

Zhou Chen estimated that it would take some time for Gu Qianfan to arrive in Qiantang and for news from Ouyang Xu to come back, so he was not planning to leave Qiantang, and naturally there was no need to call Jin Huan back early so that he could enjoy family happiness.

In addition to drinking tea at Zhao’s Tea House every day, Zhou Chen would also stroll around Qiantang and take in the scenery.

But compared to Tokyo, Qiantang County is still too small, the people are all busy, and there are too few places to visit.

Zhou Chen also wanted to go to the Jiaofangsi to have some fun, because there were too few places for him to play, plus he had the side quest of "Listening to Music in the Brothels", so going to the Jiaofangsi was not only for enjoyment, but also to complete the task.

But after thinking about it, he decided not to go. Although no one in Qiantang knew him, even if he went to the Jiaofangsi, no one would know if he was careful.

But just because others don't know doesn't mean that he didn't do it. Since he has traveled to ancient times and to the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and the old marquis has been very good to him, he still has to abide by the things that should be abided by.

If nothing else, just to give me peace of mind.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

On the stone arch bridge outside Zhao's Teahouse, Zhou Huai was eating candied fruit and bragging to Zhang Heng and Xue Wu.

"Zhang Heng, Xue Wu, let me tell you, our Marquis is definitely attracted to Miss Zhao from this tea shop, otherwise he wouldn't have come here to drink tea for more than ten days in a row."

Zhang Heng and Xue Wu looked at each other, neither agreeing nor refuting.