Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 112: Piano and Flute Ensemble
Even though the other party spoke rudely, Xiao Wang still maintained a gentle and polite demeanor, he said.

"These two are my friends. They also happen to be going to Chang'an. I am on the same route as them, so I will go with them. Du Er, do you know that you are in Weizhou?"

Du Lingzhou's expression froze, and then he said nonchalantly, "Of course I know."

After saying this he rode away on horseback.

At this time, Li Chengge had returned to Xiao Wang's side. Li Chengge said slowly, "Du Er must have lied. He is the only child of the Du family now. Old Madam Du protects him like the apple of her eye. She holds him in her mouth for fear that he will melt and holds him in her hands for fear that he will freeze. She must not want him to travel so far across mountains and rivers. This guy must have sneaked out without telling his family."

Xiao Wang could already tell from Du Lingzhou's reaction just now that what Li Chengge said should be right.

"Don't worry about him, let's go back to the boat first."

The group walked towards the ferry.

Yan Ciwan realized that someone was following her. She suddenly turned around and saw Du Lingzhou and his servant not far away.

They didn't expect Yan Ciwan to suddenly turn around and were caught off guard. It was futile to try to hide at this time.

So Du Lingzhou simply stopped hiding and rode his horse to the ferry openly.

Li Chengge pointed at him and said, "You actually followed us!"

Du Lingzhou lied without blushing or beating his heart: "It's ridiculous. What's the benefit of me following you? I came here to take a boat ride!"

At this moment, there was only one boat parked next to the ferry, which was the boat that Yan Ciwan, Xiao Wang and others were on.

Du Lingzhou found the captain, paid the fare, and then boarded the ship with his entourage and horses.

Seeing this, Xiao Wang and Li Chengge had no choice but to return to the boat with Yan Ciwan and others.

The ship set sail again.

In order to pass the time, Yan Ciwan plans to learn to play "The Returning Person". She doesn't have a piano, so she can only borrow one from Xiao Wang.

After that, the sound of piano could be heard coming from her room almost every day.

She played haltingly at first, but after becoming familiar with the music score, she played more and more fluently.

Five days passed in a blink of an eye. She was practicing the piano on the boat as usual today when she suddenly heard the sound of a flute. The flute sound rose and fell with her piano, melodious and harmonious.

Yan Ciwan recognized that it was the sound of Xiao Wang's flute.

The corners of her lips curled slightly, and her fingertips lightly plucked the strings of the piano, playing the entire song together with the other party.

When the last note ended, Xiao Wang put down the flute.

He stood on the deck, with a moist breeze blowing in his face. The weather had turned cooler, but he did not feel cold at all. He gently stroked the flute in his hand, savoring the piano and flute duet he had just played.

There were heavy footsteps behind him, followed by Du Lingzhou's voice.

"Xiao Liu! Why did you leave Dongdu without saying a word?"

Xiao Wang turned around and looked at him, saying: "This is my private matter, it has nothing to do with you."

When Du Lingzhou saw the short flute in his hand, he immediately became furious and said angrily: "Besides playing the piano and flute, what else can you do? I don't understand, there are so many outstanding men in Chang'an City, why did Qu Qiniang fall for you?!"

Xiao Wang put the short flute into his wide sleeves and said calmly, "I am not familiar with Qu Qiniang, so please be careful with your words and don't affect her reputation."

After that he was leaving.

Du Lingzhou stretched out his hand to block his way, his expression was very fierce: "Don't pretend to be a gentleman here! You are a hypocritical guy, you are the best at deceiving people! You must compete with me today. If you beat me, our grudge will be written off. If you lose, you must recognize me as your boss, and you must obey my orders from now on!"

There were a few people standing on the deck admiring the scenery. When they saw that there was something exciting to watch, they all came over to Du Lingzhou and Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang asked, "What do you want to compete in?"

Du Lingzhou said without hesitation: "As a man, of course we should compete in fist and kick skills! Let's fight here, whoever falls first loses!"

Uncle Jiu, who had been standing not far away and watching, couldn't help but rush over and said when he heard this.

"No! My Liu Lang is in poor health and cannot use force!"

Du Lingzhou laughed out loud and said rudely, "Why don't you find a more serious excuse to lie? You said you're not in good health. You can only fool outsiders. I've never seen Xiao Liu get seriously ill since he was a child. This guy has always been in good health!"

At this time, Yan Ciwan, Chaolu and Li Chengge came out of the cabin one after another.

Li Chengge didn't want his cousin to be harassed in public, so he immediately stood up to testify for his cousin.

"My cousin is indeed not in good health. He has not been sick much because his family has taken good care of him. If you really want to compete, you can compete with Uncle Jiu."

Uncle Jiu immediately responded, "I am willing to fight in Liu Lang's place!"

Du Lingzhou looked disdainful: "Who are you to compete with me?"

The honest man Uncle Jiu's face turned red after being scolded.

Xiao Wang suddenly said, "We are on a boat, there are people everywhere. Fists and feet have no eyes. It would be bad if we hurt someone. How about we fight after we get off the boat?"

The anxious captain heard this and nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes, this gentleman is right! Please be kind and don't fight on our ship. It would be fine if something was broken, but it would be bad if someone was hurt!"

Du Lingzhou's goal was to compete with Xiao Wang. Now that Xiao Wang has agreed to compete with him, his goal is half achieved.

So he decided to quit while he was ahead: "It's settled then. When the boat docks, we'll get off and compete. Don't even think about escaping then!"

Xiao Wang nodded to indicate that it was okay.

The boatman put his hands together, bowed and thanked the two guests again and again for their kindness.

After Du Lingzhou left in a proud and heroic manner, the people who were watching the fun on the deck also dispersed.

Yan Ciwan walked up to Xiao Wang and asked, "Are you really planning to compete with him?"

Xiao Wang smiled slightly: "It's just a delaying tactic."

Yan Ciwan immediately understood what he meant and felt relieved.

She immediately asked curiously, "That Du Er seems to be very hostile to you. Have you ever had any conflicts with him?"

Xiao Wang didn't know what he was thinking about, and his expression became very subtle.

"Nothing, just a little holiday when I was a kid."

"You two knew each other when you were kids?"

"Well, the Du family and the Xiao family are neighbors, and we often interact with each other. Du Er and I are about the same age, and we often played together when we were young."

Yan Ciwan became more and more curious: "Since we are good friends, why is he treating you like this now?"

At this time, Li Chengge also came over and said with a smile, "It must be because Madam Du always likes to praise my cousin. My cousin is both civil and military, humble and polite. He is a model of a noble family son. Madam Du likes him very much. She likes to praise him whenever she has nothing to do. She wishes he could be the grandson of the Du family. Du Er is a petty guy, so he must be envious and jealous."

Yan Ciwan lowered his voice and gossiped, "What about the Qu Qiniang he just mentioned?"

　It's the last two days, are there any tickets left?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)