Xie Pinggang was confused.
Xie Qiao said again, "His fingernails are quite clean, but didn't you see that they're cracked? This person... loves to bite his nails, so he's still suspicious. Look at the back of his hands. His bones are deep and tendons protrude. He has many worries and little joy. His bones are hard and thin, and his veins are shallow and large. He's muddle-headed, and he's lonely, poor, foolish, and ignorant."
He was talented?
That was absolutely impossible.
It was possible that this suspicious and timid person was talented, unless he had enough advantages in other aspects, such as his family background, his parents, and other congenital conditions. It would still be fine.
However, this person's loneliness and poverty were obvious. It could be seen that his congenital conditions were terrible.
In this situation, no matter what, he could not be the kind of person that her eldest brother said he was. He was not confident enough at all!
"Did you stare at him earlier because he... has terrible physiognomy?" Xie Pinggang looked at her in all seriousness.
"Eldest Brother, all the good things you said are in this portrait. Don't you think it's weird?" Xie Qiao pointed at the portrait, "If this is a living person in the portrait, then he is really like what you said. He's a rich scholar."
Xie Pinggang looked at the portrait, "Isn't this him? There's no difference!"
"There's a difference!" Xie Qiao was very stubborn.
'It's just that a pig like you can't tell the difference!'
Xie Qiao put the portrait away. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Where did this portrait come from?"
"I snatched it from the scholar's inn," Xie Pinggang's tone was a little uncomfortable.
Seeing Xie Qiao staring at her, he explained, "That day, I went to the scholar's inn for a drink. I wanted to see if there were any suitable scholars there. With a glance, I saw that this person looked good, so I took off the portrait and chatted with him."
"The scholar's inn?" Xie Qiao was surprised.
She knew that the scholar's inn was where scholars loved to live.
The imperial examination will be held in a few days. There should be quite a number of students from other places that frequented the scholar's inn. It was said that the scholar's inn would even draw portraits of some talented students and hang them on the wall.
"The scholar's inn wouldn't simply draw portraits of students, right?" Xie Qiao suddenly asked.
"It seems so. Those who are painted are people who have competed in the scholar's inn and have their talent acknowledged by the people there," Xie Pinggang nodded.
Xie Qiao's expression changed.
Looking at the person below, she asked her eldest brother, "Did he say that he will participate in the imperial examination in spring this year?"
"I asked and said he will, but..." Xie Pinggang thought for a moment, "This person is quite different from the scholars I have seen. When other scholars mention the imperial examination, they will be more nervous or show some worry. He is quite calm, and... At this time, most scholars are not willing to be out and about."
Even if a person was very confident, when faced with such a big event like the imperial examination, it was impossible for him to act as if nothing had happened.
After listening to Xie Qiao's analysis earlier, Xie Pinggang thought it was a little strange.
"Eldest Brother, let me read your fortune," Xie Qiao suddenly said with a serious expression.
Xie Pinggang sat up straight.
Xie Qiao took out a few copper coins on the spot. The tea cup shook with a loud thud and was placed on the table. Then, she closed her eyes and memorized the place and the coin's side. After going back and forth a few times, her expression became serious.
Xie Pinggang was scared stiff by her weird look.
"Hurry up. The one below is waiting for me," Xie Pinggang urged.
Soon, Xie Qiao said, "Eldest Brother's good luck is coming."
"What?" Xie Pinggang was confused.
Xie Qiao looked at the person below, "There must be litigation in front of you. Eldest Brother, you're facing a variable. Do you dare to take it?"
Xie Pinggang was speechless. He thought this girl was out of her mind and she should be gotten rid of.
What kind of nonsense was that?