Misty Rain of the Old Times

"Is Jinxia County really that beautiful? Brother Xuan has mentioned it many times over the years. I'll be passing through there on my way home this time, right?"

"Well, I want to go and see. I don't know if it's really that beautiful. I vaguely remember Butler He saying it when I was very young. I've always remembered it, but I've been running around all these years and haven't had the time to go."

"The past is the past, Brother Xuan, don't think too much about it. You won't be alone in the future. I... I will always be here, accompanying you... Is Yang County fun? What is it like?"

"Yang County is a bit remote and can't be compared to the capital. The buildings there are low and old, and there are not many people. But the surrounding area is more beautiful than the capital because the vegetation in the countryside is lush, unlike the bare trees around the capital."

"I must go and see it someday. That's where Brother Xuan grew up. There are footprints left by you from childhood to adulthood. Will I be able to hear Brother Xuan's voice as a child when I go there?"

"It's been so many years, I probably won't hear it anymore."

"You can definitely lie. Brother Xuan, you said that things that exist will always exist, just like light. It will always be there no matter how far away it is. How can I not hear it..."

In the small car, the two of them seemed to have endless things to talk about, and they could talk about even the most boring things with great interest.

The road is only so long, and there will always be a time to finish it. When the sun sets, the south gate of the capital is already in sight.

A temporary separation is the premise for a happier reunion next time. Chen Xuan squeezed the little hand he had held all the way with, suppressed his reluctance to leave, and said with a smile: "Okay, we'll be out of the city soon. Xianning, go back first, otherwise I'll be worried if it's too late. It's so far away."

"No, you have to listen to me this time. I'll see Brother Xuan off to the city again, okay?" She said stubbornly, staring at Chen Xuan without blinking.

Chen Xuan's heart softened, and he nodded and said, "Okay, there's nothing I can do to you."

"That's right. Yang County is thousands of miles away from the capital. It's so far away. When will Brother Xuan come again?" She suddenly smiled happily.

Chen Xuan shook his head and said, "It's only a few thousand miles. I can run back and forth in the time it takes to eat a meal. I can come anytime."

"You're bragging! Even if you have the power of a three-story building, you can't run that fast, right?" She didn't believe it.

"I'm not bragging. You'll know later, Xianning. I might knock on your window at any time. Just don't be surprised. You'll probably still be sleeping in then," Chen Xuan said with great confidence.

Her eyes lit up and she said, "You said that, I'll remember it."

After leaving the city, the road is flat and there is little vegetation for dozens of miles. It looks a bit desolate in the autumn. The coming and going of people cannot reduce the bleakness, just like two hearts that are about to part and are reluctant to leave.

The little princess stubbornly walked for nearly ten more miles. The people on the official road were sparse, and Chen Xuan had to dissuade her from wanting to send him all the way back to Yang County and said, "Okay, Xianning, let's stop here, otherwise I'll send you directly back to the princess's mansion and come back later!"

"Well... okay, I won't see you off. Brother Xuan, please be careful on your journey. Stay safe. Remember to write to me when you get home to let me know you're safe." She tilted her head and forced a smile, but she was already feeling sad in her heart.

She was so reluctant to let him go, but she did not ask him to stay, even though she knew that Chen Xuan would stay if she asked.

The carriage had already stopped by the roadside. Chen Xuan packed his bags and said, "Instead of writing a letter to let you know I'm safe, I'd rather come over and tell you in person when I get there. Don't worry, Xianning. I haven't encountered any danger in the past two years."

"You must also pay attention to safety. No matter how capable you are, you can't be careless," she grabbed Chen Xuan's hand and warned him seriously.

Chen Xuan patted her hand and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll remember that!"

"That's right, then... Brother Xuan, you go, otherwise we won't be able to reach the next town, and I'll have to go back too. Damn it, where does the wind come from in this carriage? There are bricks in my eyes." She turned her head away, not daring to look at him, rubbing her eyes and said, her voice choked with sobs.

Rubbing her head, Chen Xuan joked: "Xianning, your eyes are so big that they can even hold bricks. I admire you."

She suddenly burst into laughter, kicked Chen Xuan lightly and said: "You don't even know how to say something nice to coax me, really. And, actually, my eyes are very small, they can only hold you, Brother Xuan."

His heart sank, but Chen Xuan laughed and said, "I'm much bigger than a brick. Xian Ning said her eyes are small. How many bricks does that take?"

"Oh, please go away, really," she hit Chen Xuan again, worried that if she continued, he would not be able to help but say words to keep her.

Chen Xuan's jokes did alleviate a lot of the sadness of separation.

After picking up his bag, Chen Xuan hung the recast white sword loosely around his waist. He shook the jade bell at his waist and said, "With it, it's like you're by my side. Every step I take rings the bell, and every step I think of you. I will miss you."

"You are so annoying, why don't you leave quickly? I will beat you up," she glared at him, thinking to herself, "Actually, I am starting to miss you now."

Nodding, Chen Xuan said: "Well, go back quickly, and don't cry behind my back. I'll bring you candied haws next time."

"Then I want two skewers, one for each of us," she said expectantly.

"it is good"

Outside, Xia Mei stared at the sky in silence, feeling both emotional and amused. "Are you guys leaving or not?" "Tsk, this is sticky, even stickier than glutinous rice cakes. It's so good to be young."

Chen Xuan, who had just gotten off the car, found that his clothes were being pulled. He turned around to look at the little princess with misty eyes. His heart ached, but he still said, "Didn't you agree not to cry?"

"I'm not crying, you idiot. Hug me. We're about to leave. Really, do you need me to remind you?" she pouted.

He moved his butt to her side, gently hugged her in his arms, put his chin on the top of her head, felt the soft and delicate body in his arms, and smelled the fragrant scent. Chen Xuan said: "I am going back this time just for a sense of ritual. Don't think too much. In fact, it is no different from me still living in Xiaomingju."

Taking a deep breath, the little princess closed her eyes and murmured, "Well, I don't care, this is the taste, I'm satisfied, go ahead."

"Then why don't you let go?" Chen Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She raised her head, her cheeks slightly red, her eyes blurred. Before Chen Xuan could react, her petal-like lips pressed against his face. Before Chen Xuan could even feel it, she was gone like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Pushing Chen Xuan away, she buried her head in the blanket and said in a muffled voice, "According to what you said, Brother Xuan, I have to stamp this in advance. That's all. Don't even think about anything else, unless you want to be hunted down by our father all over the world!"

"It's not fair, huh, forget it, hey, I don't wash my face for at least half a year," Chen Xuan said happily, touching his cheek.

The little princess, who was about to cry, chuckled and shrugged her shoulders and said, "Let's go. Who doesn't wash their face for half a year? It will definitely get chapped."

Looking at her sideways head buried in the seductive curves, Chen Xuan did not make any extra moves after all. With a hard heart, he disappeared from the carriage, jumped on the horse and said: "Xian Ning, go back early and wait for me, I will miss you, drive..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already galloped away on his horse, leaving behind a cloud of dust in the setting sun.

Without Chen Xuan by her side, the little princess felt a sense of emptiness and discomfort. It seemed as if breathing was extremely difficult. She quickly stood up and looked towards the south, only to see Chen Xuan's rapidly departing back. She reached out to hold him back, but she couldn't say anything. Tears kept flowing, blurring her vision...

Xia Mei stepped forward distressedly, hugged the little princess in her arms and comforted her: "Princess, don't cry, let's go back, Master Chen is just going home, he will be back soon"

"Well, but Aunt Xia, when will Brother Xuan come back? I'm starting to miss him now," the little princess said with a sob.

"Very soon..."

The carriage started and turned, heading towards the capital. The two sides were getting farther and farther away, and the setting sun seemed to be unable to bear to look at it and hid in the clouds.

A trip to Beijing to accompany Xiao Gao on this journey through life...

"The first time I met the little princess, the first time I held her hand, the first time I hugged her, the first time she kissed me on the cheek. I have to kiss her back next time. I just don't know when I can have a kiss on the lips. I'm afraid it will have to be after we get married. If I dare to have a kiss on the lips after getting married, I dare not imagine what else I can do. There are so many beautiful things in the world, and I have already achieved one of them. How lucky I am, how dare I ask for more."

As Chen Xuan left, he was thinking about it and felt empty in his heart. The horse he was sitting on seemed to know his mood and galloped like an arrow without daring to stop.

What a good horse! It has only been to the capital for one trip and it already knows the way.

After galloping for a few miles, Chen Xuan pulled the reins, rubbed his eyes and let out a breath, cursing in his heart, thinking that such a carefree person had to suffer this day. Perhaps this is the truly meaningful part of the world.

He took the horses to a remote place far away from the official road, and a trace of the aura of a great master was revealed. The animals within miles around were frightened and fled in all directions.

Then he turned around and chased after her, secretly escorting the little princess back to the capital, waiting silently until she returned to the princess's mansion late at night. He then felt relieved. Subconsciously, he looked in the direction of Xiao Mingju and shrank his neck. Finally, he fled out of the city, found his horse again, and headed south in the night.

While he was secretly escorting her back to the capital, the little princess seemed to have sensed something and felt particularly at ease. She even had a faint smile on her face and didn't seem so sad anymore.

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, she took out the gift Chen Xuan had given her. Following Chen Xuan's instructions, she shook the handle on the side, and then Chen Xuan's relatively clear voice came out of the small box and said, "Do you miss me? I miss you too. Eat well and rest well. I will check on you at any time. If you lose weight and look haggard, I will be distressed."

A simple phonograph box is not high-tech and can be made using traditional methods, but it cannot store too much information and the sound will gradually become blurred after being "replayed" a few times.

When the little princess heard Chen Xuan's voice, she was amazed and held it in her hands like a treasure, listening to it over and over again. She couldn't get enough of it. After so many times, the sound became a little fuzzy, and she stopped reluctantly.

"It turns out that Brother Xuan has always been here, at any time. I will listen to you, eat well and rest well. I will still be beautiful when we meet next time," she murmured happily and sadly.

On the other side, Gao Jingming returned to Xiaomingju after a busy day, with a trace of melancholy on his face. He had expected this day a long time ago. He knew it when Chen Xuan accompanied him for a drink that night.

"Young Master, here is a letter from Mr. Chen to you," Geng Hong handed Chen Xuan's letter to Gao Jingming.

He took it, nodded, and went to the study to open it and read it silently.

There were only a few simple sentences on it, "Master, I'm going home first. I don't like nagging, so I'll slip away quietly. If you have the guts, come and beat me up. Remember, if you can't convince others with reason, just write to the branch and tell them. I think few people will not sit down with me and reason calmly. Brother Du Jier, don't be embarrassed. That's all."

After reading it, Gao Jingming said with a smile: "I knew it would be like this"

After that, he raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky with a lonely expression.

You said we drink together as a couple, and now I’m the only one left.

After a moment, his heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered something. He turned around and rushed out to Wei Song, who had been following him all day, and shouted, "Xiao Song, hurry up and check if we have lost anything!"

After a while, Wei Song said with a look of both laughter and tears: "Master, this is bad. Not only have we lost things, but we have also lost all our money, not even a single penny."

"A Xuan, are you still a human being? Can't you leave some for me? That's too cruel!" Gao Jingming pointed to the sky and stomped his feet and roared, but it was too late to say anything. Chen Xuan had already absconded with the money.

What do you call this? This is called "guard against thieves day and night, but you can't guard against thieves in your own home."

After howling for a while, Gao Jingming returned to the study in silence and picked up Chen Xuan's letter again. As expected, there was an even more infuriating sentence behind it, which said, "I thought about it. Master, you are an official now. You are not short of money. What's yours is mine. I won't be polite. This is to teach you a lesson. No matter how good the relationship is, don't trust anyone easily. Come and hit me if you have the guts."

Touch~!

Gao Jingming slammed the letter onto the table and said through gritted teeth, "You didn't take anything else that could be sold. Should I thank you for that? Is that the way you're going to play it? Just wait and see. By then, I'll be eating and living your own way, and you won't be able to do anything to me..."

"Hey...Ah Xuan, you always find ways to soothe my emotions, from childhood to adulthood..."

...(End of chapter)