Yijuan cloud

Chapter 7 Formerly known as Cirrus
The room was quiet, and I felt the sharp pain in my back becoming more and more unbearable.

The sun is good and shines on my face through the window.

I was groggy from the pain.In a daze, I felt like I was sleeping on the couch in my mother's room. My mother was watching over me and chatting with Aunt Zhao...

Such a simple and happy time is already so far away that it seems like a dream.

There was a pain in my back, and two lines of tears quickly slipped into my temples.

"Mom--" I closed my eyes and shouted indistinctly.

A vague idea gradually formed in my mind.I don't want to live like this as a slave anymore.

There were several knocks on the door, and I answered, but the sound was too quiet, so the other party knocked a few more times, then pushed the door open and came in.

A delicate maid came in, closed the door, sat down beside my bed, and said softly: "Second Young Master asked me to deliver medicine to you. This medicine is very good at dispersing blood and blood stasis. It is much better than what the doctors prescribed outside. It makes people happy." I apply it on you every morning and evening, and the wound will scab over in a few days."

I said hoarsely: "Thank you."

She said: "If you want to thank us, you should also thank our second young master. Thank you for interceding for you this time. Otherwise, after thirty lashes, you will be dead and crippled. Our second young master is famous for being warm-hearted and will help everyone. Save everyone, who doesn’t know who this whip is for? I see you look smart, I’ll give you a few words, so you have to understand clearly who is the real tiger and who is the paper tiger. "

She got up and left, leaving me alone again.

Of course I know that Mrs. Cao, who seems easy-going and indifferent, is the real tiger in the Cao family, but I don't want to please and flatter her.

And Aunt You and Cao Yingshan, two paper tigers who are strong on the outside but weak on the inside, are even more unreliable.

I was beaten to pieces and was carried back to the yard.

Cao Yingshan stayed far away and said, "It's such a show of framing the blame and killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. Look, the person was beaten. Let's find a doctor to prescribe some medicine for her." She didn't care anymore. .

By the time I could move freely, it was already half a month later.

The triangular maples in the courtyard are as red as fire, and the red leaves all over the ground seem to be covered with a red carpet.

In the next few days, the second young master will come to this maple leaf forest to paint.

In order not to disturb his elegance, few people come here.

I followed the remote path and turned into the maple leaf forest. I looked around to make sure there was no one else around before walking over.

Although his steps were very light, the fallen leaves under his feet had already become crispy and made a loud sound when he stepped on them.

"Who? What are you doing? Go ahead if you have nothing to do! Didn't you see the young master painting?"

The boy standing behind the second young master shouted from afar.

I am still some distance away from them. If I respond at this time, if the voice is too low, they will not be able to hear it. If the voice is too loud, others may not hear it. For a moment, it will neither advance nor retreat.

When he was hesitating, the second young master poked his head out from behind the easel, said "Hey" and said loudly: "The red leaves and green skirt are absolutely beautiful! Please don't move, young lady, I will draw you into the painting."

I had to stand quietly, my feet were numb, and then I saw him put down his pen and said, "You should come and take a look."

He kept staring at the drawing paper. When I walked beside him, he turned around. When he saw it was me, his eyes suddenly lit up and he smiled: "Is it you? Are you healed? Ashamed! I let you stand for so long. Can’t you stand it anymore?”

I laughed: "I am a working slave, how can I be so fragile? Thank you, Second Young Master, for caring about me. My slave's injury has been healed long ago."

He was startled for a moment and smiled heartily, perhaps remembering what he himself said that night on the rainy night, but I still remember it so clearly. He asked happily: "What are you doing here?"

I wrung the handkerchief with both hands and glanced at the boy. He pondered for a moment, raised his hand slightly, and the boy quietly went to watch in the distance.

"Is it okay to say it now?"

I took out the sachet that I had made for several days, held it in both hands, and said, "I saw that the second young master always carries a wine flask when walking. He should drink alcohol often. In this way, he will have a drunken headache. Smell this to refresh your mind." The sachet will provide a lot of relief.”

He picked it up from my hand, brushed his cool fingers over my palm, then put it to his nose and smelled it, and praised: "Well, it tastes refreshing. I can only smell the fragrance of mint, what else?"

I smiled and said, "Mint is the main one, supplemented by crape myrtle, gardenia, and pangbangxiang. These flowers and plants are all planted in the yard. In winter, add some wintersweet, and the effect will be better."

"How can you be so ingenious? The embroidery on this sachet is also elegant. I like it very much, so I won't be polite. Thank you." I knelt down and was about to kowtow when he stopped me: "What are you doing?" What? If you have something to say, stand up and say it."

I was still kneeling and said, "I just hate that I can't give anything else to the Second Young Master except this gadget. You saved my life. Although this kindness is unforgettable, it is hard for me to repay you."

"So that's why. Get up quickly. I'm going to move my mouth in front of my mother. In terms of skill, you might as well bother making this sachet."

Seeing that I couldn't afford it, he shook his head, turned around and went to get the easel, as if I couldn't afford it, so he left.

I quickly stood up, stopped in front of him, and said, "Before I entered Cao's house, I had a younger brother in the city. He was injured. He said he would come to see me after his injury was better, but he never came. I was really worried." , and I can’t get out, I would like to ask the second young master to help me look for it.”

He said: "I don't think it's a big deal. Just tell me your brother's name and age. As long as he is in Yangzhou City, I can help you find him in half a month or in a few days."

I was pleasantly surprised, as if I was going to see Xing'er at any time. My heart was so excited that my nose felt a little sore: "Thank you. His... name is Xing'er. He is 11 years old. He looks thin and small, and looks... looks... "I caught a glimpse of the drawing paper from the corner of my eye, and excitedly pointed at it and said, "Can I draw it?"

"Of course, that's the best."

I sat down and quickly drew Xing'er's head.

The second young master held it in his hand: "The technique is concise and expressive, and the painting is fast. I didn't expect you to be so good at painting."

"Second Young Master Miuzan, in front of you, he is nothing more than a trivial person."

"That's too modest. Okay, don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as there is news." I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him carefully putting away Xing'er's portrait.

"Oh, by the way, what's your name? I've seen you a few times, but I still don't know what your name is?" he asked.

I thought for a moment and said, "My original name was Lin Juanyun. The third lady didn't think it sounded good, so she changed my name to Duo'er."

He sighed: "This is the style of the third sister. Cirrus Yun, unfazed by favors and humiliations, watching the flowers blooming and falling in front of the court, no intention of leaving or leaving, looking at the clouds rolling and relaxing in the sky. What does your family do? Ordinary people can't afford such a good family. name."

I thought about the origin of my name.When my father decided to leave home to practice Taoism, he left two names for a boy and a girl. At that time, he was in an indifferent and detached state of mind and regarded the world of mortals as nothing, so the girl's name was Cirrus.

It was not a name filled with love.

Now the whole family is on the run and displaced... How can these be explained clearly?

I said calmly: "It's just an ordinary family in the countryside."

Before I said goodbye, I remembered something again and asked him hurriedly: "I wonder how the second young master persuaded his wife to spare my remaining twenty lashes?"

He said: "The government has been in turmoil in the past two years, so our family, except for my father, left the capital and came to live in Yangzhou. Although it was said that my father planned to resign and became idle, he asked his family to move here in advance, but in fact they still took refuge. Therefore, it is even more important to keep a low profile. I told my mother that there was a family in the capital. When they were investigated, many corpses of slaves were dug up in the yard, so they were punished with a higher crime. A little girl like you was beaten thirty times by the servants. , you must lose your life, if I say this, does my mother have any reason not to let you go?"

Five days have passed and there is still no news about the second young master, which makes me anxious.

When I was thinking wildly, the Second Young Master's personal servant, Fu Ming, called me when no one was around and said, "He hasn't been found yet, but I've asked a reliable person to look for him. I'm afraid you might be anxious, so the Second Young Master asked me to come and tell you." .”

Xing'er was not found, and I was very disappointed, but the second young master specially asked someone to go there just to avoid worrying that I would be anxious. This kind of thoughtfulness was particularly touching.

A few days later, I was walking out of breath while carrying a basket of apricots newly delivered from the warehouse.

Suddenly, several men walked out from behind the rockery. I was about to avoid them, but I heard the second young master's voice: "I knew you were going to get something. I've been waiting for you for a while."

I put down the apricot basket, looked up, and saw the second young master standing side by side with a burly young man, with two attendants behind each.

Compared with the gentle and elegant Second Young Master, this strange man seems to be the opposite of the Second Young Master. He has a tall and straight figure, a resolute face and slightly dark and rough skin. Even if he is not compared with the Second Young Master, everyone in Yangzhou City is fairer and tenderer than him. , he seemed to have been blown by wind and sand for many years, and did not look like a local.

His eyes were stern, he glanced at me lightly, turned to the second young master and smiled: "No wonder you are so interested in me, you wish I could give you a military order. It turns out it is for your beautiful maid."

My face sank, and the second young master also said hurriedly: "Brother Fan, please don't talk nonsense. Miss Lin is the maid in my third sister's house. She has only met and spoken to me a few times. Her brother can't be found, please." I'm looking for you. Since I promised, I must keep my promise and do my best to live up to the words of a gentleman. It's hard to catch up with a horse."

"Yeah, I know, I'm being rude." His voice was calm and clear.

After finishing speaking, he said to me: "Last month, people in the city's inns, restaurants, street shops, and street beggars said they had seen your brother, and he asked everyone he met if he had seen a twelve-year-old. A three-year-old girl with big eyes and a small mouth, very pretty?"

(End of this chapter)