Still waiting for Zhaoyang

Chapter 10
一
In the autumn of Jinluo, the fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus permeates everywhere.

Originally, Chu Qin sent a letter saying that he would be home today, but unexpectedly, he came back earlier than Xia Yue expected.

Xia Yue was about to go to the street, but saw the boy in white eagerly pushing the door and entering.

The two people just looked at each other.

Then Chu Zhong ran into the yard out of breath, and when he saw Zijin who was standing still in front of Xia Yue, he said: "Just now, I ran back like putting out a fire, saying that I was in a hurry to see Miss, but why didn't I say anything when I got home?" gone?"

He was behind Zijin, so Zijin naturally didn't hear what he said, and he didn't mean to say it to Zijin.

Xia Yue knew what Chu Zhong meant, they were always hot and cold these days, Zijin must be depressed everywhere after going out, the two brothers of the Chu family must feel distressed in their eyes.

Anyway, she is also an older sister, so she will forgive him again for the time being: "You have sweet-scented osmanthus cakes on the table. If you are hungry, eat some first. For dinner, Chang's mother hasn't started cooking yet." Her tone was still very stiff.

Zijin was stunned for a moment, nodded, and then smiled happily with her eyes bent.That kind of smile is like the breeze blowing across the frozen river, and the spring blossoms suddenly.

The thing Xia Yue cared about the most ended in Zijin's refusal.

"The young master said at the time that he was weak and unable to contribute to Duke Huai, and a peaceful life was enough." Chu Qin sighed sadly.

Xia Yue knew that Chu Qinding was extremely disappointed. He was looking forward to the ripening of the time day and night, but what he didn't want to get in return was such indifferent words from the young master.

Master Min was noncommittal.

He Xiang knocked on the door to deliver tea, and everyone stopped talking.

Zijin kept his eyes down and said nothing since he sat down, probably he still feels guilty towards the two brothers of the Chu family.He gently stroked the ancient jade in his hand with his fingertips, and when he saw Zijin's movements while he was pouring the tea, he suddenly remembered that he also stroked Xia Yue's lips with this hand that morning, distracted, The teacup was accidentally dropped, and the water overflowed.

The water had just boiled, and when it spilled onto the back of Zijin's hands, his body was also wet.Although he also practiced martial arts, but because of his hearing, he was not as fast as Chu Qin Chu Zhong.

Chu Zhong beside him immediately jumped up, wanting to see Zijin's situation.

"Master, master, I..." He Xiang was so anxious that she wanted to cry.

Zijin quickly retracted his hands into his sleeves, and smiled slightly at He Xiang: "It's okay, the water is not hot." The eyebrows at the corners of his eyes were gently curved, with an expression that made He Xiang feel relieved.

The door closed again.

He Xiang's uneasy heart was relieved a lot, and when she thought of Zijin's clear and soft eyes, she couldn't imagine why he almost did something wrong to Xia Yue that day.

As soon as He Xiang walked away, Xia Yue got up and walked: "Show me your hand."

"It's okay." Zijin simply put her hands behind her back.

Xia Yue was slightly annoyed: "Yeah, it's not hot at all, who are you fooling? Believe it or not, I'll also pour some on my hand." While talking, she was going to serve Chu Zhong's tea next to her.

"Yue'er—" Zijin had no choice but to reach out to stop her.

The hand grasping Xia Yue's wrist protruded from the sleeve. Although there was no blister, it was already swollen and red.

Xia Yue really sighed: "Although it's good to do this, you should feel sorry for yourself anyway." She dragged Zijin back to the room to apply the medicine, and when she came out, she faintly heard Master Min muttering: "It seems that Jin Luo, we still can't live long."

Xia Yue applied medicine to Zijin in the room, her eyes were red.

"I don't feel sorry for you, but I'm angry that you don't even tell me the truth." She was still annoyed.

He has been obstinate since he was a child, and no matter where he bumped when he was young, his lips were so painful that he bit his lips to bleed, but he would not make a sound.Whenever Xia Yue finds out, she will give him a solid education: If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell your sister.But after talking about it, even she felt helpless, even if she knew about it, she couldn't share any pain for him.Even so, once he knew that he was hiding something from him, he couldn't let it go.

"Now ask again, does it hurt?"

He still shook his head: "It's okay."

Xia Yue was really annoyed, she grabbed his good right hand and bit down on it.But he didn't hide, he let her bite, still it didn't hurt.She became even angrier, and it took a long time to let go. Seeing two rows of deep teeth marks, tears rolled out of her eyes suddenly: "See if you are still brave. Does it hurt?"

Zijin frowned and spit out a word: "It hurts."

Xia Yue suddenly panicked: "Did I bite hard? Or the scald medicine was not applied properly..."

He pointed to his chest: "No, it's because when you cry, it hurts here."

Xia Yue burst into tears, pushed him away and said, "I'm so sour, I'll tell your wife these words later."

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the weather in Jinluo was exceptionally good. Near sunset, the sun that had not been seen for many days came out. The setting sun was reflected on the low blue brick wall by the street, making people's faces orange.

Xia Yue came out of Minglun Street, and saw a large group of spectators gathered in the middle of the street.

A few little furry boys yelled together with a man dressed in a luxurious princely suit.

Those were the children who bullied Zhaohong by the Shuiyue Bridge last spring and were taught a lesson by Xia Yue.

But the man in Chinese clothes had a ruffian face, Xia Yue recognized him as the son of Wang Kui, a state official.Wang Kui had many wives and concubines, but he had only one son under his knees, so he doted on Wang Gan very much, and made him used to being domineering in Jinzhou City.

He must have done something outrageous today.

She thought that she should not be nosy when she went out alone.But Liu San'er's children, although they often play tricks on the street, are still children who haven't grown up.She still couldn't help stopping to inquire.

It turned out that Liu San'er and the others were making a fuss in the street and accidentally bumped into Wang Gan, knocking the fan in Wang Gan's hand to the ground, and it got dirty with mud and water.These children were all orphans. They fled here from the famine in the west, and were adopted by the old Uncle Liu of Tiepu in the west of the city. Among them was a little girl named Zijuan, who was coveted by Wang Gan for a few days, but couldn't find any excuse.

Now, Wang Gan looked at the mud-stained fan and saw Zijuan next to Liu Saner. He happened to say that the fan was worth 100 taels, and if he had no money, he would bet on Zijuan to pay.

Zijuan was hiding behind Liu San'er with tears in her eyes, but she still couldn't escape Wang Gan's lustful gaze.It was just a child of twelve or thirteen years old, his breasts hadn't even opened yet, and he looked childish.The year before last, I was still begging for food at the intersection, and I was as thin as a bamboo pole. My parents starved to death on the way.Later, he and San'er were taken to the iron shop by Old Uncle Liu, and he fell in love with his handsome appearance just now.

Wang Gan didn't care about his face, so he pushed Liu San'er away and pulled Zijuan's arm. Zijuan backed away desperately, only to hear a "stab", the sleeve on his elbow was pulled off, and his slender arm Immediately exposed to everyone's sight.

Xia Yue never saw such a thing in her life, her head was hot, and suddenly annoyed, she stepped out of the crowd: "Stop!"

Wang Gan turned his head when he heard the sound.

"My lord," she raised her voice, "Your fan isn't inlaid with gold or silver-plated. It's worth the price, at least it has a source?"

Wang Gan and Xia Yue had met on several occasions. Seeing that it was the young lady of the Min family, he pretended to be polite and said, "Once the source is revealed, don't say that I'm scaring you common people." Then he cleared his throat and looked around. Zhou Zhou, "You also know that my father is a brother of the same family as the queen empress. Now the emperor and the queen are in harmony with each other. For the sake of the queen, the emperor does not even agree to the princess Yanqing's marriage proposal. The emperor loves Wu and Wu, so even my father loves him a lot. This fan It was the object bestowed by the emperor himself during the interview last year, do you think it is a priceless treasure?"

As soon as Wang Gan said this, everyone gasped in amazement.

Xia Yue saw that the fan was clearly white on both sides, so what she said about the imperial gift was clearly a deliberate attempt to blackmail people.She sneered in her heart: "Prince Wang, the thing bestowed by the emperor, you don't put it at home to bathe and burn incense, and let it be destroyed. It's really disrespectful."

Wang Gan was taken aback for a moment. He originally wanted to bluff everyone. If he said that some famous inscription was written, but there was no word on his fan, so he boasted and said nonsense.Hearing what Xia Yue said right now, she already felt bad: "You..."

Xia Yue continued with a cold face: "What's more, the emperor is the son of a real dragon. I am afraid that such a thing should be respected to gods and Buddhas. How can the prince just ask someone to pay 100 taels on the street? If the emperor is an old man Knowing that in the young master's heart, what he bestowed is worth the price of a little beggar in Jinluo, I'm afraid it will make Long Yan unhappy."

Her voice was not loud, but her voice was crisp and clear, and she swayed Wang Gan with ease.

Wang Gan knew he was in the wrong, and the matter would not be able to end if it got too big, so he pointed at Xia Yue with a livid face and said "yes" a few times, then leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Okay, Min Xiayue, today You ruined my good deed, sir, and you will definitely have to pay it back several times in the future." After speaking, he led people away angrily.

Xia Yue is also a resigned person, since everything has been taken care of, even though her heart is beating drums, she still bites the bullet and refuses to give up, saying: "It's easy to go, I won't give it away."

The crowd also scattered.

two

Unexpectedly, Qi An would leave Jinluo before the Min family.

Qi An walked in a hurry and secretly.

So Zijin went to see him off outside the city with the other two disciples that Qi An liked more.The other two classmates reluctantly said goodbye to Qi An, babbling, only Zijin remained silent, with particularly sad eyes.

Qi An patted him on the shoulder: "Zijin, among all the disciples, you are not the smartest and the hardest working, so you have always learned as well as them. However, life will be easier if many things go with the flow some."

"gentlemen……"

Qi An said: "Occasionally, you have to think more about yourself. Although selfishness is not a gentleman's job, it is the instinct of the world. Just like I insist on leaving now."

After a while, the boat docked, and the boatman greeted Qi An to get on board.

Qi An waved his hands and smiled: "Let's all go back, there is no need to send any more."

Zijin sent her back to the Min Mansion, but she didn't see Xia Yue, and asked all the people in the mansion if they knew.

He Xiang comforted him: "Young master, don't panic, you have to think about it in the morning, did the miss say where you are going?"

Zijin was startled, and immediately went out.

He gave her the key to the academy in the morning, saying that Mr. Qi would hand over the house to his siblings, whether to sell it or keep it or use it himself, and let them handle it.

The gate of the academy was not locked, and it opened with a push. After turning a corner, he saw Xia Yue at the desks where they studied when they were young.When she heard the footsteps, she turned around and saw Zijin, and said sweetly, "I thought it was Mr. Qi who owed the money to someone, and he packed up his clothes and ran away, and the one who wanted the money came to collect the house."

Impulsively, he walked over and grabbed her arm.

Xia Yue was surprised: "What's the matter? Are you running in such a hurry? Has the master left?"

He didn't speak.

She thought it was Zijin who didn't hear clearly, so she repeated: "What's the matter?" She also tried to look behind him, and said teasingly, "Could it be that some girl from behind is chasing you, panting like this."

Zijin said: "I thought you and..." But he couldn't finish the rest of the sentence.

Xia Yue thought of something, and took Zijin's hand: "Follow me." Then she sat down at the most secluded table by the window, pointed to the blurry small words engraved on the table, and said with a smile: "This is the one I took." The hairpin wrote on it."

I don't remember how many years ago, Zijin couldn't understand someone else's words at that time.She applied to her mother to accompany him, and Qi An said something, and she wrote it down on the paper for Zijin to read.

But after a long time, she was naturally impatient, and finally became two people sitting together, he listened to him, and she played with hers.Sitting was really boring, and because of Qi An's majesty, he didn't dare to walk around casually, so he pulled out the hairpin from his head and scratched it on the wooden table.

Carve some favorite verses, and after a few days, the novelty is gone and I will carve something else.

Now it seems that there are only a few words on it that are still recognizable.

"You said that Mr. Qi didn't even want the house, so I'll come and take a look." Xia Yue touched the blurred traces again, "Oh, what did you write at that time?"

Zijin followed her fingers and looked over, startled for a moment, wrote a lot, he remembered it all, and there was one line that he kept repeating in his heart——

It starts with curly hair and ends with white hair.

three

This season's autumn, Jinluo is contrary to the weather of previous years. There is no rain, and the sun is always pale and cold.Master Min had always asked Chu Qin to prepare for the family's westward move, but because he accidentally fell one day, he couldn't move his left hand or foot after waking up, which was really a headache.

The doctor came to see him, and said that Master Min's blood vessels were blocked, and he might not survive for a few days.It happened so suddenly, if not for Zijin, Chu Qin and Chu Zhong, Xia Yue would not be able to survive alone.

So back then mother said: "Daddy and mother will give Yue'er a younger brother, okay?"

She asked: "Why, if there is a younger brother, will the love of parents for Yue'er become less?"

Mother smiled softly: "No, after having a younger brother, Yue'er will get more love, and even if she is alone in the future, she won't feel lonely."

She asked: "My younger brother will also like Yue'er, so that Yue'er will not be bullied by them?"

Mother nodded: "Yeah. But until my younger brother grows up, Yue'er has to protect him."

She readily agreed: "Then, all right."

So Zijin appeared in front of her.

At that time she said to him: Your name is Zijin, I promised mother that I will protect you.

"Cough—cough—" Dad's cough interrupted Xia Yue's memory, she hurriedly helped him sit up, put a cushion on his back, and then let the lotus fragrance warm the good soup to be delivered.

Master Min took a spoonful of the medicine and said with a smile, "I just dreamed about your mother."

"I'm thinking about her too." She wiped the remaining juice from the corner of her father's mouth with a handkerchief.Seeing that my father looked much better when he got up today, maybe the doctor made a wrong diagnosis?Thinking about it secretly, I became happy in my heart.

"Your mother's greatest wish is to let you find an ordinary, good family and live in peace.

"So, regarding the matter of adopting Zijin, your mother has always blamed me in her heart. She didn't agree with it at first, but after seeing Zijin with her own eyes, her attitude softened."

Xia Yue nodded, anyone who saw such a child would like it.

The first time I saw Zijin at home, he stood behind his father, with bright eyes, white teeth, and fair skin.At that time, she didn't know what terrible things such a young child had experienced.His eyes were full of horror, and he looked at everything around him uneasily, and he was still holding on to the corner of his father's clothes tightly.

As soon as my mother saw him, she fell in love with him, named him, treated him, taught him how to speak, and sent him to school.

Only now did she understand that with her mother's attitude, she still had a grudge in her heart. She still thought that this child's life experience made him an ominous person and would bring disaster to her daughter and the whole family.

"I'm relieved about Zijin's matter. Dad is very happy that he can have his choice, and we have no right to interfere with him. But you, Yue'er..." Father looked at her, "Daddy always can't let it go. When your mother was alive before, she thought Qi An was a nice person, but you made a mess after the marriage contract was made. You didn't like him at the time, but now that you and him have become friendly, I told Zijin that maybe There is still room for relaxation, but Qi An unexpectedly left."

"Father told Zijin..." Xia Yue looked at her father in surprise, then burst out laughing.No wonder the day Qi An left, he hurried to look for him as if he lost his soul.It turned out that he was afraid that he would leave everyone behind, so he just followed Qi An.

In the early morning of this day, Master Min talked a lot, from when Zijin and Xia Yue were young, to the experience when he and his wife first met on the street.

Later, Zijin bought the medicine and went back to the house, and Xia Yue had to have a look at it, so she interrupted for a while.

When she came back with Zijin, she found that her father had fallen asleep again.Zijin turned around and closed the door to prevent the cold air from entering the room.She walked lightly to the bed, her father was in a deep sleep, rarely seen so peacefully, without coughing.She smiled and went to tuck him in the quilt.

When she touched her father's chin, she froze for a moment.

An ominous premonition crept into her heart, she touched her father's nose with trembling hands, and then sat on the ground slumped.

With Zijin's support, Master Min's funeral was handled in a simple and decent manner.Xia Yue has been so busy that she hardly has any time to be sad.

After the first seven days, it will be Zijin's birthday in a few days.

There was no wine at home, but a dozen or so people from the house were gathered around for a meal.After the meal, Chang's mother next to him invited Zijin aside and said, "Master, I'm afraid I'm going to talk too much about something."

"Mother Chang, tell me." Zijin was curious.

(End of this chapter)