Tong Pak Fu didn't have any feelings for Qiuxiang at the moment, so he didn't take it to heart.
He patted Ling Yi on the shoulder and laughed, "Alright, you go first Young Master, I'll cheer you on!"
"Thank you, Young Master. I'll treat you to a barbecue feast later."
"Deal!" Tong Pak Fu swallowed hard and said.
"Brother Pak Fu, aren't you being too good to your servant? And is that barbecue feast really that amazing?"
Tong Pak Fu chuckled and gave Ling Yi a thumbs-up, saying, "Let me put it this way, Ah Shui's cooking skills are... well, if I could eat Ah Shui's food every day, I wouldn't cook for me even if the emperor himself gave it to me."
Is it really that exaggerated?
"Don't even mention it, it's not an exaggeration at all. If I could eat Ah Shui's delicious food every day, I could quit gambling!" Zhu Zhishan chimed in.
He had previously come over for a free meal, so he naturally knew how good Ling Yi's cooking was.
They all knew how addicted Zhu Zhishan was to gambling, and hearing Zhu Zhishan say this, they became curious as well.
As they were talking, the people from the Hua Residence arrived.
After Madam Hua and her companions finished worshipping at the temple, it was time for Qiuxiang and her friends to give alms to the beggars.
"Brother, let's go!" Tong Pak Fu patted Ling Yi on the shoulder and said.
To be honest, Ling Yi was still a little nervous at this moment; he wasn't as shameless as Tong Pak Fu and the others.
"Brother, if you're not going, I'm going!" Zhu Zhishan urged.
Ling Yi gritted his teeth, rushed out, and grabbed Qiuxiang's skirt.
"I... I'm hungry!" Ling Yi ultimately didn't shout it out; there were too many people around, and she felt a little embarrassed.
He has lived for over thirty years, usually staying at home editing videos, and suffers from severe social anxiety.
Even though he caused a stir in the previous three worlds, he had only been in this world for a short time.
Moreover, I've never done anything as shameless as that.
But his weak cry did fit his current identity as a beggar.
In Qiuxiang's view, it was perfectly normal for these beggars to be afraid of them.
Qiuxiang didn't care about the dirt on Ling Yi at all. She took a steamed bun from the basket and said to Ling Yi with a smile, "Don't rush, take your time. Is one enough?"
Ling Yi was somewhat dazed, not knowing why, but he always felt that Qiuxiang's smile was Light Emission.
Seeing Ling Yi staring blankly, Qiuxiang found it somewhat amusing and couldn't help but chuckle. She took out another steamed bun and handed it to Ling Yi before turning and leaving.
Qiuxiang's laughter, however, immediately brought Ling Yi back to reality.
He could tell that Qiuxiang's laughter carried a great deal of Taunt and contempt.
Well, I almost got dazzled by that smile.
"Our Piu-piu's smile is still the prettiest!" Ling Yi muttered.
Looking back, they found Tong Pak Fu staring blankly in Qiuxiang's direction.
Ling Yi returned to Tong Pak Fu's side, saying helplessly, " Young Master, I've realized this woman isn't my type!"
Tong Pak Fu snapped out of his daze and asked, "Really?"
"Of course it's true! I don't like women who laugh so much, they're too ugly!"
What a strange reason! Tong Pak Fu couldn't understand it. Qiuxiang's smile was so beautiful. Tong Pak Fu, the Mage, had never been so moved by a woman before.
However, judging from Ling Yi's expression, it seems to be true.
He chuckled and said, "So the most beautiful smile in the world is one full of love. To be Young Master, I've taken a liking to this Qiuxiang!"
"Good luck, Young Master!"
Tong Pak Fu smiled confidently, "Watch me!"
This time, Ling Yi didn't go. Knowing the plot, he idly Zhu Zhishan beside him, "Young Master Zhu, do you think the Young Master will succeed?"
"What do you think of that Qiuxiang?" Zhu Zhishan asked in return.
"Clearly a rotten cauliflower, yet pretending to be a proud white lotus flower—in short, so fake."
Zhu Zhishan gave Ling Yi a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Your description is so apt and insightful! Brother Pak Fu is going to be at a disadvantage!"
"Although Brother Pak Fu had eight wives, he had zero real romantic experience. A marriage without love is soulless, and that is the reason for Brother Pak Fu's depression."
" Young Master is exceptionally talented and achieved fame at a young age. His life has been too smooth sailing, so experiencing some hardship is not necessarily a bad thing."
Zhu Zhishan now looked at Ling Yi with new respect; such insight was truly unbecoming of a servant.
Ling Yi's impression of Zhu Zhishan also changed; this guy was no simpleton either.
Of course, the historical Zhu Zhishan was no ordinary person; it's just that the horn in Master Sing's movie was exaggerated too much.
As they were talking, they saw Tong Pak Fu being kicked out by a monk who was holding up a sign that read "No Loud Talking".
The kick seemed powerful, but it actually did not harm Tong Pak Fu at all.
Tong Pak Fu wanted to go in, but the monk stopped him, so he had no choice but to wait.
But this wait lasted for an hour.
When Tong Pak Fu returned to the temple, Qiuxiang and the others were long gone, having left on the other side of the Hua Residence's large ship.
Tong Pak Fu was clearly carried away. He ran frantically to the shore, jumped onto a random boat, and said to the boatman, "Hey brother, chase after the Hua Residence's boat for me. The price is negotiable."
"Young master, you really know your stuff. Of all these ships, you chose mine. I'm famous for..."
Hurry up.
Tong Pak Fu, watching the large Hua Residence ship gradually disappear from sight, asked doubtfully, "Are you sure?"
"Of course!"
"Hey! Your boat's sinking, buddy!"
"Didn't I tell you? I'm known for being fast, so it's reasonable for me to sink quickly, right?"
Tong Pak Fu was speechless, and wanted to cry but couldn't shed a tear.
"Stop messing around, I'm in a hurry, bro!"
The boatman said as he rowed, "Judging from your expression, I knew you were after Qiuxiang."
How did you know?
The boatman scoffed, "I've seen plenty of rich young masters like you, but just loitering around in front of the Hua Residence is like trying to lift tofu with a rope—it's hopeless."
"What brilliant idea do you have?"
"Of course, we need to find a way to sneak into Hua Residence, D. C."
" Xiao Di, please give me some pointers, I beg you!"
"That depends on whether you're on the right track..."
Ling Yi and his three companions on the shore watched as Tong Pak Fu boarded the boat, watched as the boat sank little by little, and finally, the boat and its crew disappeared from the surface of the lake.
"Should we go and rescue them?" Wen Zhengming asked.
"Is there any point in saving him? It's so far away. By the time we swim there, Brother Tang will be dead."
"We have to get it back, at least we can still have a feast!"
Ling Yi stared speechlessly at the three guys, unsure whether they were telling the truth or not.
A moment later, Tong Pak Fu had already swum back with the boatman in his arms.
Carrying the retching boatman, they turned and ran towards another boat.
"It seems my Young Master is really carried away. I have to go and see!" Ling Yi said, ignoring Zhu Zhishan and the others, and followed Tong Pak Fu onto the boat.
Evening, at the back gate of Hua Residence, D. C.
Two flatbed carts appeared slowly, one after the other, and finally stopped not far from the entrance.
Lying on Tong Pak Fu's cart was the boatman.
Behind Tong Pak Fu, on Ling Yi's cart, were pots, pans, and various ingredients and seasonings.
Tong Pak Fu instructed the boatman in the carriage, "Hey, the show's about to start, so don't move a muscle, no matter what!"
The boatman tilted his head and said, "You said you'd give me all the money from the sale, no backing out."
"With your Wisdom, do you think you can be fooled?"
The boatman adjusted his body and nodded earnestly, saying, "That's true!"
Tong Pak Fu placed a sign next to the carriage with four characters written on it, "Selling oneself to bury one's father."
Then, he put his hand to his mouth and shouted towards the back gate of the Hua Residence, "Neighbors, come quick! A newly auctioned filial son is on sale! Even if you're not selling, come and take a look!"
Ling Yi squatted to the side, watching with amusement. Such exaggerated things only happened in Master Sing's movies.
That's absolutely outrageous.
Moreover, there are no so-called neighbors here. There's only the Hua Residence family here, so it's obvious they're here for the Hua Residence.
Even a fool could see Tong Pak Fu's intentions, right?
Forget it, I can't think about it too much. Sometimes, you really can't reason with Master Sing's movies.
After Tong Pak Fu made a few shouts, the back door was soon opened, and Qiuxiang and Sister Shiliu came out.
Upon seeing Sister Shiliu, Ling Yi couldn't help but think of Zhu Zhishan.
Thinking of Zhu Zhishan reminded me of the oath he swore at the beginning of the story.
Is Sister Shiliu ugly? Not really. She's ugly because she's deliberately made up. If you take off her makeup, she's not ugly at all; in fact, she could be considered pretty.
There's a problem here.
This is the world of movies, not a movie.
In the movie, some cesium creatures may have been depicted in an unflattering way, perhaps to suit the needs of the film.
But the world of movies is different; ugly is ugly, and beautiful is beautiful.
The fact that Sister Shiliu painted herself so ugly is clearly intentional; it's just unclear whether it was voluntary or forced.
Ling Yi couldn't help but glance at Qiuxiang again. Compared to Sister Shiliu, Qiuxiang was indeed even more beautiful now.
"Young man, coming here so Great Qing to sell yourself for your father's funeral, isn't that too Jieli?" Sister Shiliu said to Tong Pak Fu with a look of disgust.
"I didn't want to either!" Tong Pak Fu sighed.
Qiuxiang carefully examined Tong Pak Fu, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.
"We seem to have met somewhere before, you look so familiar," Qiuxiang said.
Tong Pak Fu was startled and quickly changed the subject, saying, "We've met before, so please, sisters, have pity on me and take me in for now?"
Qiuxiang remained silent, but Sister Shiliu said, "Selling oneself to bury one's father is truly tragic. We happen to be short a servant, so I think..."
Just then, a coughing sound came from a distance.
Everyone couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound, and saw a thin man, also pushing a flatbed cart, slowly walking over.
The man coughed as he walked, occasionally wiping away the blood from his mouth.
He looked like he was about to die at any moment.
Inside the vehicle, a row of men, women, and children lay down.
Next comes the iconic scene. Just like in the original story, Tong Pak Fu finally manages to get the consumptive guy into a frenzy with his exaggerated performance of " Xiaoqiang, Xiaoqiang, what's wrong with you, Xiaoqiang?"
He killed himself with a single blow.
Tong Pak Fu thus successfully infiltrated the Hua Residence.
Ling Yi laughed every time he watched this part of the movie.
However, at the movie theater, Ling Yi didn't laugh at all.
Matters of life and death are treated like child's play; joys and sorrows are turned into business transactions.
This made Ling Yi feel very uncomfortable.