Chapter 75

On the second day, before noon on the 26th day of the second lunar month, Zhong Shiwén, the young master Zhong, arrived at "Qing Yuan." He had two purposes: to visit his sister and to deliver wedding invitations to the穿越众 (time-travelers), inviting them to attend his wedding on the 2nd day of the third lunar month. Everyone, upon hearing the news, naturally offered their congratulations and promised to attend, after which they began chatting with him about the bride.

Zhong Shiwén said that the bride's family name was Xia, and they were also a prominent family in Fan County, with a similar background to the Zhong family. The two families had been friends for many years, and the marriage had been arranged when they were children. He had met the bride when he was young, and she was a beautiful little girl back then. Now, he imagined she must have grown even more beautiful.

At this point, Zhong Ziqí hurriedly interjected, "That's right, that's right. I've met Sister Xia, and she is a great beauty. Moreover, she is very kind, gentle, and virtuous, a truly rare person."

Hearing his sister praise his wife, Zhong Shiwén felt a small sense of pride and smiled like a flower. At this moment, Wang Feng asked, "Brother-in-law, what is our future sister-in-law's name?"

Before Zhong Shiwén could answer, Zhong Ziqí pinched Wang Feng hard and scolded, "Why are you asking about the name of someone's wife?"

Wang Feng, looking aggrieved, said, "I was just asking casually, is that a crime?"

Zhang Weixin explained from the side, "Xiaofeng, according to the customs of the Central Plains, it is not appropriate to ask for a woman's name casually. Ziqí is right."

Hearing this, Wang Feng quickly apologized to Zhong Shiwén. Zhong Shiwén waved his hands and said, "No problem, no problem. We are all family, so there's no need to be so formal. My future sister-in-law's name is Xia Jinguí, Jinguí as in the golden osmanthus."

After Zhong Shiwén said this, he noticed that the room suddenly became quiet. Everyone, except his sister, looked at him with strange expressions, as if he had said something very funny, but they were holding back their laughter. He scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Brother-in-law, Leader Wang, Leader Zhang, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like this? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Zhong Ziqí poked Wang Feng, who was trying hard not to laugh, and scolded, "Why do you have such an ugly expression? My sister-in-law is named Xia Jinguí, what's so strange about that?"

Wang Feng, who had been trying hard not to laugh, couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Soon, everyone else started laughing too. Zhong Shiwén felt very embarrassed, while Zhong Ziqí was so angry that she started hitting Wang Feng. Wang Xiaojun, fearing that Zhong Shiwén might misunderstand and create a rift, quickly suppressed his laughter, bowed to Zhong Shiwén, and apologized, "Brother Zhong, please don't be offended. We have no ill intentions; we are not laughing at you or your future sister-in-law. We are laughing because your sister-in-law's name is the same as a character in a novel we read while overseas. In the novel, although Xia Jinguí is only seventeen and very beautiful, she is a fierce woman. After getting married, she tamed her husband, known as the 'Dull Tyrant,' completely. She is a very distinctive character in the book. This book is very famous on the island where we lived, and most of us have read it and have a strong impression of this unique character. So, when we heard that your sister-in-law has the same name, we couldn't help but laugh. I apologize, Brother Zhong, and hope you don't take it to heart."

After hearing Wang Xiaojun's explanation, Zhong Shiwén, who had been a bit resentful, understood and waved his hand, saying, "No problem, no problem. We are all family, so a little joke is nothing to worry about."

Zhong Ziqí, clearly intrigued by the novel Wang Xiaojun mentioned, often felt bored and wanted to read some legendary or strange stories to pass the time. She asked her husband, "Husband, since you've read this book, what is its name, who wrote it, and can it be found in the Central Plains?"

Wang Feng, though not a literary enthusiast, had read "Dream of the Red Chamber," one of the Four Great Classical Novels, and replied, "Um... the book is called 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' and the author is Cao Xueqin. As for whether it can be found in the Central Plains..."

Just as Wang Feng was hesitating about how to explain that the book could not be found in the Central Plains, Zhang Weixin took over and said, "Sister-in-law, Cao Xueqin, the author of this novel, is also one of our clansmen from overseas, but he lived over two hundred years ago and has long passed away. The novel is considered a classic on the large island overseas, and many people enjoy reading it. However, it cannot be found in the Central Plains because there was no contact between our place and the Central Plains before. If you want to read it, it will be very difficult."

Hearing this negative response, Zhong Ziqí was a bit disappointed. However, the little sister quickly found a solution but didn't want to use her charm in front of so many people. She decided to wait until they were back in their room.

Later, Wang Xiaojun invited Xie Tian and others to meet Zhong Shiwén, introduced them to each other, and hoped they would take care of each other in the future. Zhong Shiwén, while marveling at the hardships Xie Tian and others had endured, was also amazed by the incredible story of meeting old friends in a foreign land.

After some more casual conversation, the time-travelers set up a banquet to entertain Zhong Shiwén. After the meal, Zhong Shiwén bid farewell and continued to deliver wedding invitations to other families. The time-travelers saw him off at the gate and waved goodbye.

In the afternoon, the committee listened to a report from the technology group on the progress of the flintlock gun development. The technology group displayed three completed sample guns and explained in detail the various components and working principles of the gun. The committee praised the technology group for achieving results within a month and thanked all the members involved in the development, encouraging them to continue their efforts to put the flintlock gun into practical use soon.

However, having only sample guns was not enough; the product needed to be tested to ensure it met the design standards. The testing location was chosen to be the "Jing Yuan" villa at the foot of Baojin Mountain outside the city, and the testing date was set for two days later. At that time, members of the committee, the technology group, and the security group would all be present to witness this historic moment.

After the engineers from the technology group left, Zhang Weixin and Wang Xiaojun returned to Wang Xiaojun's residence to discuss the flintlock gun experiment and how to use this firearm in the future. When they entered the room, they found Wang Feng sitting in a chair, looking dejected and drinking tea. As soon as he saw them, Wang Feng jumped up, ran to Zhang Weixin, and tightly gripped his hand, saying excitedly, "Brother Xin, it's great that you're here. If you hadn't come, I would have dragged my brother to find you."

Zhang Weixin was startled by his sudden action, and Wang Xiaojun, feeling his cousin's forehead to make sure he wasn't feverish, scolded him, "What's wrong with you, acting so suddenly? What happened that got you so excited?"

Wang Feng quickly released Zhang Weixin's hand and explained to his cousin, "Brother, don't be angry. I have an urgent request for Brother Xin, and I got too excited when I saw him. The matter is this... it all started with my brother-in-law's soon-to-be wife. No, it should start with the name of the future sister-in-law. This afternoon, we talked about Xia Jinguí from 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' and Ziqí became very interested in the novel. She kept pestering me to tell her the story of 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' and wouldn't let me go to bed until I did.

The problem is, although I've read the book, it was so long ago that I only remember Bao, Dai, Chai, and Xia Jinguí, and a few other characters like Grandma Jia and Lady Wang. I can't remember the story. So, I had to come to Professor Zhang for help. Professor Zhang, as a history teacher, should be more familiar with these classical literary works. Professor Zhang, could you spare some time to tell me some of the content of 'Dream of the Red Chamber' so I can fool that stubborn little beauty and avoid sleeping in the living room for a few days?"

Hearing that Wang Feng was being forced by the Zhong family's little sister to tell the story of "Dream of the Red Chamber" or face sleeping in the living room, Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin burst out laughing. Wang Xiaojun, still laughing, patted his cousin's shoulder and said, "You, you. I told you to read more books before, but you didn't listen. Now, you know the benefits of reading, don't you? You've been living too comfortably lately, and it's time for you to sleep in the living room and suffer a bit."

Faced with the "jealousy" of his two brothers over his comfortable life, Wang Feng inwardly despised them. However, since he was asking for help, he couldn't show it on his face.

So, after Wang Feng's repeated requests, Professor Zhang Weixin, who was flattered by the title, finally agreed to tell him some stories from "Dream of the Red Chamber" to help him deal with his wife and avoid being punished to sleep in the living room.

"Dream of the Red Chamber" has over a million words, so it couldn't be finished in a short time. Zhang Weixin spent almost the entire afternoon telling Wang Feng the first few chapters, enough to get him through the next few days. As for the rest, it would depend on how long the Zhong family's little sister's interest in the novel lasted. If it lasted long, Zhang Weixin would tell him more. If it was short, this might be enough.

Wang Feng listened patiently and carefully for the entire afternoon, then reviewed what Zhang Weixin had told him several times, feeling he had memorized it well. After thanking Professor Zhang with a bow, he ran back to his courtyard to show off to the Zhong family's little sister. As for the effect, it was unknown. From that day on, Wang Feng would often find Zhang Weixin to tell him more "Dream of the Red Chamber," making Zhang Weixin feel like he was becoming a storyteller. However, since he had promised Wang Feng, he couldn't give up halfway and had to grit his teeth and continue.