Ink Burns

Chapter 105 Selfish Retention

As soon as Madam Zhu passed away, the Geng Tie was completed.

As expected, the eight characters are extremely compatible.

After the first month of the year, the three letters and six ceremonies were completed one after another. Forty-eight bearers of betrothal gifts were carried from the city gate of Songjiang Prefecture to the old residence of the Liu family with the sound of gongs and drums. Later, Zhao Tingguang, the judge of the Nanzhili case investigation, was invited to act as an envoy to propose marriage, and the Liu family invited Han Chengrang, the former prefect of Suzhou Prefecture, to act as a matchmaker.

That Zhao Tingguang, presumably, was the superior "Lord Zhao" about whom Liu Huan had hidden the information.

The Liu family's old house was decorated with lights and full of joy, and it was particularly eye-catching and eye-catching in the market.

Everyone in the city knows that the mad dog in the capital has found an owner.

The position of Mrs. Dog fell into the hands of the Liu family.

The protagonist of this marriage, Shan Yue, was quietly hiding in the backyard of Liu Mansion.

Steady as Mount Tai and as still as still water.

At night, Shanyue wrote down all these names on a notebook with a cold expression.

"Master Yao, the Supervisory Censor of the Censorate—"

"Zhao Tingguang, the magistrate of the Nanzhili case inspection team—"

Finish up with a pen.

The handwriting on the paper gradually faded, like rain water seeping into the soil, slowly losing its color and shape.

Qiu Tao rested her chin on the back of her hand and tilted her head: "Magic tricks!"

Qiu Tao's eyes sparkled.

Children are like seedlings. If they are planted in poor soil, they will wither and become yellow and skinny. But if they are planted in fertile soil, they will grow rapidly.

However, after taking good care of herself for a month or so, Qiu Tao's cheeks, which used to be pale and thin, now have plump cheeks, and her movements have become more natural.

Shanyue casually asked her to practice Beijing dialect, but unexpectedly this child had amazing action ability and strong comprehension ability.

Just following Shanyue and listening carefully to the conversations between Mrs. Zhu and He Wuma, he understood most of it. In addition, after a few days of practice, he completely abandoned the falling ending tone of Wu Nongyu and pronounced the words in a careless and uncle-like manner.

The best thing to say is: "Misfortunes are like scrambled eggs."

Shan Yue was puzzled: "What? What?"

Qiu Tao explained: "Scrambled eggs with tomatoes."

Qiu Tao said again: "Praise."

Shan Yue:? I really don’t understand this at all.

Qiu Tao explained: "It means bitter melon."

Qiu Tao gave a thumbs up: "Lielielie!"

Shan Yue no longer wanted to guess, and asked weakly, "What kind of fruit and vegetable is this?"

Unexpectedly, Qiu Tao abandoned the vegetarian dishes and turned to chicken soup: "It means awesome, awesome, awesome!"

Shanyue: Thinking back carefully, the accents of those buyers from the capital who used to buy paintings on Shantang Street in Suzhou were really the same.

——He spoke in a slightly distorted Mandarin accent, and when he spoke too fast, the words in the middle seemed to be stuck in his throat and couldn't be spit out.

This kid really understands it.

Shanyue also gave Qiu Tao a thumbs up: "Lielielie."

After the three books and six ceremonies were finalized, the Liu family detained Shanyue in the old house. In the morning, he studied the family tree, and in the afternoon, Grandma Liu came to give lessons. At night, either Qiu came to give instructions, or Liu Boyu said a few ambiguous jealous words. With such a squeezed arrangement, Shanyue had almost no time for himself, let alone going out.

During this time, the old Lu who was a "bridge keeper" came over and said, "It's all over the city. Are you really going to get married?"

Shan Yue nodded: "I really want to get married."

Old Lu was puzzled: "To expand the sales of fake paintings?"

Shan Yue: I’m not that dedicated.

"Some private matters." Shan Yue had never talked about revenge with the "bridge members": the fewer people who knew about it, the safer it would be, both for himself and others.

Shan Yue lowered his voice through the window lattice: "Second Miss, please tell me about the matter of 'bridge bone'."

Old Lu shook his hand: "Miss won't go back. Fifth Master has confirmed with her that she wants to follow you into the capital."

Lao Lu did not convey the original words.

Miss Wang Er’s original words contained a lot of dog and father-in-law content: “Damn it! I have worked so hard to raise this thing for so long, I have to continue to raise it! Madam Censor! A seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister! I have to take advantage of her power and show off my power to that girl!”

I don’t know whether the first “dog” and the second “dog” are the same dog.

Anyway, in Wang Erniang's words, both "dog" and "father" are very busy.

Shan Yue was somewhat helpless: "The capital is definitely not a blessed land. I explained this to Second Young Lady earlier. Did Fifth Master persuade her?"

When it comes to "Fifth Master Sun", Lao Lu quickly waved his hand and said, "Then you can find a chance to talk to Fifth Master yourself."

If you want to find Fifth Master, you have to go out.

She has too many things to do when she goes out.

At this time, the role of Qiu Tao's learning of Beijing dialect became apparent.

On the ninth day of the third lunar month, Qiu Tao, with her nose in the air, spoke in fluent Beijing dialect and made a request to Qiu.

". Earlier in the fortress, Madam arranged the painting. The old lady at home is 87 years old and has difficulty walking. She is not willing to travel a long distance to return home, but she misses the mountain scenery and the little carp in Hanshan Temple. Madam asked Miss Liu to collect some materials when she is free and paint a picture of Hanshan Temple. When she marries to the capital, she can present it to the old lady to please her first."

Qiu dared not refuse: After Madam Zhu came to propose marriage, Liu Huan asked her to go and give her a long lecture - "You can't treat them as ordinary relatives! You are just a deliveryman, and they are the buyers, who are you a relative to! Don't chat about any family matters or small talk! What boss who pays for money likes to listen to people eating melon seeds!?"

Only then did Qiu realize that she had overstepped her bounds.

Now that Qiu Tao had spoken, Qiu Shi agreed first, but she did not dare to release the goods privately. If something went wrong, who would be held responsible? She could only secretly testify to the chief steward Liu.

Manager Liu frowned and asked, "Who said that?"

Qiu replied: "The little maidservant beside that girl, who was brought down from the fortress, is called Tao'er."

Manager Liu was relieved and waved his hand: "Let her go. That girl is the Blood Dropper left by the Xue family. Don't worry if she follows you."

The beautiful misunderstanding continues to this day.

After getting the guarantee, Qiu immediately arranged a two-day carriage journey to and from Hanshan Temple. She set out early the next morning, accompanied by an unfamiliar old woman, and the carriage drove towards Hanshan Temple.

The Liu family might have the ability to clear out Hanshan Temple, but Shanyue was not qualified enough for the Liu family to use this ability for her. Therefore, when dusk fell, people were leaving Hanshan Temple in droves, with donkey carts and ox carts turning their wheels, carrying goods, little girls with veils, and farmers wearing bamboo raincoats. There was an endless stream of people coming and going, and the noise was deafening.

Qiu settled down in the inner wing of Hanshan Temple.

When it was completely dark, the maid who was accompanying them yawned and went to check on them: "Miss Shanyue, Miss Shanyue, it's a cold spring day in the mountains, don't paint for too long at night, your hands and feet will become stiff!"

A lamp was on in the side room, and the old woman put her ear to the hemp paper pasted on the window frame to listen.

After a while, an impatient little girl's crisp voice came from inside: "Got it! I'm watching, mother-in-law, go to bed early!"

It’s the girl Qiutou.

She had never seen this girl look at people with her eyes - she just looked down on people with her nose!

Coming from a wealthy and powerful family in Beijing, he is incredible!

We are all servants, why are you so arrogant!

The old woman rolled her eyes, clapped her hands on her mouth, yawned, and went back to her room to sleep.

It was a late spring cold in the mountains, and the cold mountain moon huddled on the ox cart. It was not until we got down the mountain and the road became flat that we felt a little warmer.

Old Lu drove to the silk shop in the east of the city first. Uncle Sun Wu was waiting in the main hall early in the morning. The large wooden table in front of him was covered with a few old paintings. He looked up when he heard the door creak. He first checked whether Shanyue was in trouble or not. Seeing that the visitor was intact, his face was still as cold as ice.

"Everyone in the city is saying that you are getting married?" Uncle Sun Wu put down his pen casually, blew on the signature that was not yet dry, and raised his eyes slightly, his eyes were bright and flickering.

Shanyue sat down in front of the large wooden table, leaning back unconsciously, always maintaining a suitable and polite distance from Master Sun Wu.

"Yes, the bride will set off in ten days and go to the capital."

Shan Yue spoke in a light tone, as if stating that eating porridge in the morning would be easier to digest than drinking soy milk.

Suddenly, Master Sun Wu felt a surge of foul air rising from his chest to his throat.

"Why?" He believed that he had the right to ask questions.

At the same time, he also felt that he had an obligation to express his opinion: "It's not appropriate. I think it's not appropriate."

Shan Yue tilted his head and frowned slightly: "Do I have any paintings that should be completed but are not yet completed? Or is it that the paintings I drew before have caused any trouble for you and 'Crossing Bridge Bone'?"

The foul air got stuck in my throat, blocking all my emotions and questions.
"No, no, not at all." Uncle Sun Wu lowered his eyes slightly while checking the height of the signature.

Shan Yue pursed her lips and said, "Whether it's right or wrong, what does it have to do with you?"

"I, 'Guoqiaogu', and you have never signed any documents regarding 'ownership'. I drew the master plate, and you bought my master plate piece by piece. After the payment, we had nothing to do with each other. I am grateful to you for buying me from Tianqiao, but over the years, the master plate I gave you and the profit I made for you have probably exceeded five taels of silver by a hundred times - even when I borrowed Uncle Lu's carriage from you earlier, I paid for it."

Shan Yue whispered, "I don't think I have to explain to you my whereabouts and my thoughts..."

Before the word "quantity" was even finished, Master Sun Wu interrupted with a deep voice: "The money and goods have been paid, and they have nothing to do with each other. This is the way you will feel at ease!"

After so many years of companionship and an intertwined friendship, how can we watch her rush into a flame and insist on having her own way?
In his heart, Master Sun Wu tried to hide his feelings for the girl as "friendship" rather than "emotion".

Next year, he will be thirty-six years old.

In this birth year, the luck is not favorable and it is easy to clash with Tai Sui.

Thirty-six-year-old Master Sun Wu already had some fine lines at the corners of his eyes and between his eyebrows. His usually calm face had distinct facial features. His lips were slightly opened, and his tongue seemed to be pressing against his jaw so that he could breathe smoothly.

His whole body was like a bunch of bamboo joints that had missed the season but still insisted on growing taller and swaying unsteadily.

He was in some pain, but pain was inevitable.

But I can't tell what he is suffering from: is he suffering from the mountain moon's stubbornness in leaning towards the tiger mountain, or is he suffering from the "friendship" that cannot be expressed in words.

Master Sun Wu often felt that he was despicable: with such a huge age gap, how could he have such mean thoughts in front of the girl he had watched grow up since she was a child?
Although this "friendship" cannot be expressed in words, he cannot just watch Shan Yue fall into despair.

"I know you have a blood feud." Master Sun Wu lowered his voice and said, "In recent years, I have also been secretly investigating. Do you think that the Chang family, a family of meritorious service with deep roots in the capital, is as easy to deal with as the Cheng family?"

Shan Yue slowly raised his head, frowned and asked, "Have you found out about the Chang family in the capital?"

Master Sun Wu whispered, "Snakes have their own ways, and rats have their own ways. Although I have no power, I have many ways. Although I haven't found out the whole picture, I have had some vague clues a year or two ago."

Shanyue frequently traveled between Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture. In the past few years, he would go to Hetou Village in Songjiang Prefecture every Qingming Festival.
怕火
No household registration card.
It reminds people of the wildfire in Fushou Mountain.

Coincidentally, in the year when the forest fire occurred, the young master of the Chang family in the capital city went around asking for a painting of "A Forest Fire at Night".
Shan Yue stared at Master Sun Wu quietly with deep eyes.

Master Sun Wu continued, "Do you think that by marrying a second- or third-rank official, you can smoothly take advantage of the situation?"

Master Sun Wu answered his own question and shook his head, saying, "It won't work. Officials protect each other, and everyone is in danger. You will be like a small fish jumping into the sea. You will drown in the salty sea in less than two days!"

"Even though you are a daughter of an official family, you are not of the same kind as them. If you are not of the same kind, how can you ride a horse and travel a distance together?"

"Then who is the same kind of person as me?" Shanyue asked.

Master Sun Wu raised his eyebrows and said, "I have been your senior teacher for nearly ten years, and 'Guoqiaogu' has been by your side for nearly ten years. We are on the same path!"

He nailed himself in the position of "division commander".

After these words were spoken, Master Sun Wu finally felt that he was justified.

Keep Shanyue by your side with all the right reasons.

"In life, hatred is not something you can live forever! No matter if the other party is a century-old tree and you are just a tiny ant, it is like a mayfly trying to shake a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot. It is just like hitting a stone with an egg!"

"Why don't we stay at the 'bridge bone' and take our time. We may have a chance!"

Stay at the "bridge", stay by his side, at least in this small piece of land of Shantang Street, he can protect her.

In the name of "teacher".

Give yourself peace of mind.

"Opportunity?" Shan Yue smiled and said, "What opportunity? An opportunity to serve tea and water to the rich and powerful? Or an opportunity to kowtow?"

Shan Yue stood up, his eyes cold, "Fifth Master, you are a businessman, you have always been prudent and have never done dangerous business, never made money with blood on it - I don't ask you to help, I just ask you to pretend you don't know."

When Shan Yue was about to leave, he seemed to have thought of something, turned sideways and looked back, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone: "After all, to you, I am only worth five taels of silver. If it's more than five taels, my life and death will be at the mercy of fate."

Master Sun Wu’s expression froze.

Shanyue pushed the door open and turned away.

Uncle Sun Wu lost his concentration for a moment, and his hand slipped from the edge of the table. He fell heavily before he came to his senses in shock.

Five taels of silver.

Five taels of silver
A bitter smile flashed across Master Sun Wu's face: Because at that time, he only had five taels of silver on him.

(End of this chapter)