Still waiting for Zhaoyang

Chapter 3
"I really don't know, how come you can talk as soon as you meet Mr. Qi, and you are always like this when you are with me. Is it true that I am not as likable as Mr. Qi?"

Zijin was still noncommittal, and smiled to prevaricate.

"Last time I heard from Mr. Qi that you could actually beat him, so how about playing with me?" Xia Yue didn't hear whether he agreed, so she went to fetch the chessboard and chess box while talking, and laid them out one by one, and then He ordered his younger brother to light up all the lights in the house.

Just a few minutes after sitting down, Xia Yue stared at Zijin, blinked her eyes suddenly and said, "Now that I think about it, Zhaohong's words are not unreasonable." She was referring to Zhaohong's remark that they are similar.

Zijin's hand was originally placed in the wisteria box, gently touching the smooth surface of the glazed chess pieces.Hearing Xia Yue's words, a somewhat complicated expression flashed across the soft face.

He lowered his head, and said calmly, "I can't compare to Mr.." He is not good at talking, and once he said more, he would pause for a moment, think about it and continue, "Do you remember, the first time I saw Mr. playing chess?" scene."

Xia Yue put a sunspot in her hand to her lips: "Why don't you remember."

That was the first time Dad invited Qi An to his home and begged him to take Zijin into his family.

As soon as she and mother came home, when they walked around the garden, they saw father and a young man sitting in the gazebo playing chess.The young man was about [-] years old, and the greenness on his face made it difficult for people to believe that he was the number one talent in the Eastern Region - Qi An.

However, all doubts disappeared at the moment when he placed a piece on the bluestone chessboard.

With her straight back, firm eyes, and the elegant and confident posture of Nianziluo, she felt calm in an instant.

Then look at Zijin standing respectfully beside the chess board, just like himself.

Such a man with a plain face, but his gestures make people think he is so good-looking.

Zijin fiddled with the chess pieces in the box, and there was a "crash".

"Later, the master knew that I couldn't hear the sound, so he got up and took a pen and paper to write a sentence to ask me."

"What?"

Xia Yue was a little surprised, it was the first time she heard this, it probably happened after she left.

"What is the way of the world?" Zijin replied.

Xia Yue chuckled: "How come such an old-fashioned question is asked to a child."

But I don't know if Zijin noticed Xia Yue's words, he dropped the chess piece on the table, and said nothing.

The wind subsided, followed by the sound of rain falling on the roof tiles. At first, there was a rhythmic crisp ding-dong, and gradually the raindrops became denser and denser, turning into a roar.

He smelled the moist air: "Is it raining?"

"Yes."

Zijin got up and walked to the window, pushed open the window, and the fresh earthy smell of spring came rushing towards his face, he took a deep breath happily.

Xia Yue propped her chin and felt a little sleepy: "How did you know I would play tricks on you just now?"

Naturally, he didn't hear it, so Xia Yue covered the lampshade of a lamp, and the light suddenly dimmed. He turned around suspiciously and looked at Xia Yue.She let go of the lampshade and repeated the words again. Zijin smiled and said, "There is no one else in this family except you, and you have..." He stopped in the middle of the sentence.

The lamps around Xia Yue were very brightly lit, he didn't notice it under the lamp just now, but now from the dark place here, Xia Yue is only wearing a close-fitting gauze dress, the candlelight shines through, and the figure inside is faintly visible .

"Do I smell something?" Xia Yue raised her sleeve and sniffed.

She raised her hand to make the curve of her chest more obvious.

Zijin blushed and turned her face away: "Why did you run out without getting dressed?"

"Aren't I in a hurry?" Xia Yue said and stood up, ready to go back to the house to pick it up.

Zijin said, "Sit down, and I'll go get it." He held up a lamp and strode out of the room at such a speed that he almost rushed out the door.

After a while, he came back with his clothes.

At that time, Xia Yue had fallen asleep on the table.There was no other way, so Zijin had no choice but to pick her up, put her on the bed gently, and tuck her in the quilt.Turning around, she saw that the black and white pieces on the chessboard had long been messed up by her sleeping position, and occasionally some were blown to the ground.He leaned over to pick it up, put them back into the box one by one, and then pulled out a book from the shelf and sat back at the table.

Early in the morning, Master Min asked He Xiang to find the two of them, saying that a famous doctor happened to be passing by Jinluo, so he asked Chu Zhong from the mansion to lead the siblings to seek medical treatment.

That old man named Liu Shi took the pulse with one hand and twirled the few remaining beards on his chin with one hand, and asked after a long time: "Didn't this ear disease come from the mother's womb?"

"Yes, Young Master suffered from a cold when he was nine years old, and he lost his hearing after the high fever." Chu Zhong nodded beside him.

"Nine years old? No wonder you can still say something like that, but it took a lot of thought." Liu Shi continued to twirl his beard and nodded.

"Thanks to my wife and master's patience and hard work." Chu Zhong replied.

Old man Liu glanced at Chu Zhong displeasedly, blew his beard and said embarrassingly: "Is it you or him who diagnoses the disease, let him answer by himself, can't you?"

Chu Zhong's face flushed suddenly, and he looked at Zijin in embarrassment.

Xia Yue pursed her lips and suppressed her smile: "You old doctor, you are so tricky, no one can answer you the same. I have shown you for a long time, just one sentence, can it be cured or not?"

Liu Shi squinted at Xia Yue, and said with a straight face, "I think you are more tricky girl. How can you explain the root cause of the disease for so many years. This disease... can be cured, but it cannot be cured."

Xia Yue immediately raised some hopes, and hurriedly asked: "How to say?"

"It means that this old man can't be cured. But this old man has an uncle who is proficient in the way of pricking acupoints with silver needles. Acupuncture is the most suitable for this young man's disease. And I have seen him cure such diseases. But..."

"But what? No matter how expensive the doctor's consultation fee is or how far away the place is, you can ask him." Xia Yue said anxiously.

"It's not a question of far or near. My uncle's surname is Li, and his single name is Ji. If the girl was in the imperial capital, I'm afraid she would have heard of his name long ago. He has a different official career from mine. He came from an official position. It was the court of Yuqiantai Hospital who sentenced him. If you can please him, he can be cured."

After hearing the words, the three of them did not speak.

After a while, Chu Zhong sighed deeply.

How could the royal doctor in the palace have the opportunity to treat them, let alone——

The faintly bright lamp in Xia Yue's heart suddenly went out.

three

It's raining.

She likes to stay in bed the most in this kind of weather.

It was Jin Luo's morning voice again.

The tofu sellers yelled in rhymes, there was the sound of the stone mill in the backyard, and the autumn rain slammed on the tiles...

She could still hear it faintly in her dream.

I don't know when I started not liking these sounds.

During the Yongqing period of Emperor Jingzong, the scientific examination was abolished in those years because of the opposition of some gentry.His father studied hard for several years, but it was of no use. Later, by chance, he became a guest at the pre-chu's mansion, and was recommended to be an official in Canghuang, where he met his mother.After she could remember, her father was transferred back to the imperial capital and became an official in the capital.

Following her father wandering for several times, she always felt that she was a very strange person.In the imperial capital, because her mother's natal family was a businessman, she was always looked down upon by others, and had very little contact with other people.That's why she hates Dijing, those philistine words and sly faces.

So that when he learned that his father suddenly resigned from office and went to Jinluo, he was very happy.

Unexpectedly, Jinluo is still out of place.

The Jinluo dialect that she has worked hard to learn will have a distinct imperial accent, which attracts surprised eyes from time to time.

I have seen too many indifferent and misty water town scenery, and I miss the scenery of the imperial capital again.

The majestic and vast mountains that tower into the sky.

That cold and snowy winter.

That splendid and luxurious street restaurant.

Then there is the sea.

Her father once took her to see Weilu Xianhai in the east of Gyeonggi during the days when the government was closed for the New Year.

In winter, the sea in the north is gray and dark, with fierce and turbulent waves beating against the black reefs.

Colliding with each other, unyielding for thousands of years.

But Jinluo's water, Jinluo's lake, and the people here all seem to be wandering in a narrow tank, never able to appreciate the majesty and strength of the sea.Sometimes she wonders if there are such men in the imperial capital, who are resolute and rebellious like Wei Luhai.

When my father met someone for the first time, he would call himself the Jinluo clan.Every time she heard this sentence, she would be taken aback.So, where should she be from, Jinluo or Dijing?
Occasionally, when she told her younger brother her feelings about Dijing, Zijin would always say flatly, "I don't remember much about Dijing."

Maybe he didn't forget, but he just didn't want to remember it.

There is a place in everyone's heart that they don't want others to reach, maybe dark or soft.For example, for her, it was the blue-gray sea in the imperial capital that she had seen when she was young, but for Zijin?

Zijin grew up, humble, gentle, polite, and knowing how to advance and retreat, just as she and her mother expected.Zijin has grown into a beautiful boy according to her preferences.

She is good at silk and bamboo, so she asked him to learn to play the piano and flute.

She loves chess and dragged him to indulge in it.

L……

The sound of rain on the roof is getting denser.

Someone entered the room again, whispering something.

Facing such noise, she frowned unhappily, her eyelids were still too heavy to open.

A familiar palm touched the temperature of her forehead.

"Compared to last night, it's much better." He Xiang whispered.

Zijin nodded, and withdrew his hand: "Then invite Dr. Zhang to have a look, and see if there are some additions or subtractions to the original prescription."

He was sitting by the bed, unable to hear all the noises outside, but just now when He Xiang went out with the prescription as ordered, he opened the door and brought in some wet earthy smell, his nose told him that the rain must be heavy again up.

For a while, there were only the two of them left in the room.

Xia Yue was sleeping on the bed, her breathing was a lot faster than usual, sometimes mixed with murmured dreams.Just now he tucked the quilt up for her, and his arms were restlessly exposed again.

He smiled helplessly, he really didn't know who was the younger brother and who was the older sister.He had no choice but to put his hands back under the quilt for her, and as soon as he bent down and bowed his head, his hair slid down from his shoulders and gently brushed against Xia Yue's face.

She seemed to feel itchy, and in her sleep, she casually grabbed those strands of black hair in her hands and never let go.

Zijin's head froze in mid-air, and for a moment his face was very close to hers.

Seeing her flushed face from burning overnight, and the faint fragrance lingering in her nose.It's not like he hasn't been so close to her before, but for some reason, his heart suddenly beat wildly at this moment.

Those shy lips were tempting something in his heart, so he couldn't help stretching out his hand, stroking her lips with his fingertips, his eyes were confused and hot, and then he bent down bit by bit.

Suddenly, Xia Yue murmured restlessly in her dream, her lips grinned slightly, the shape of her mouth seemed to be calling "brother".

younger brother.

Zijin woke up suddenly, as if being burned, she got up abruptly and escaped from Xia Yue's boudoir.Not caring about the rain, and not caring about Chu Zhong calling him from behind, he fled out of Min Mansion all the way, and walked to the lake outside the city. After his heartbeat gradually calmed down, he felt that the strands of hair that he forcibly pulled out from Xia Yue's hands were twitching faintly. pain.

The surface of Jinluo Lake became more misty due to the drizzle.

It seems that something has quietly awakened...

At that time, Zijin, who was at a loss, didn't notice Hexiang who was hiding in the corner outside the door, holding a soup, because he was so surprised by seeing all this.

She opened her mouth in surprise and couldn't close it for a long time.

When she regained her senses and entered the room with the soup, Xia Yue had already woken up. She was sitting on the bed in her unlined clothes, her eyes were still in the dazed state after a high fever.She patted her drowsy head: "I vaguely heard you and Zijin talking. What about others?"

"Master, he... he... has something to go out." He Xiang endured it, but after all, he still didn't tell Xia Yue the truth.

Things seemed to go so smoothly.

But for several days in a row, Zijin deliberately avoided Xia Yue.

The awkwardness between the siblings didn't last long before they were disturbed by another incident.

On that day, Qi An was in the Cuiwei Tower and felt that the Jinluo Prefecture official across the street wrote an article in order to please his concubine by booking Changyuan for ten days.At that time, he wrote the article in one go, even before the tea in the cup was cold, and wrote the article, and the words were pearls, and the sentences were incisive, criticizing Wang Kui's character and official status for many years.

Wang Kui was furious, so he ordered Qi An to be arrested, and he wanted to get rid of him quickly.

However, Qi An was originally a well-known sage and talented man, and the state government recommended him to teach in Taixue several times, but he never came out behind closed doors.Wang Kui had no choice but to take him into custody temporarily.

In the meantime, a group of Confucian scholars have been dealing with the state government.

Qi An's temper was also screwed up, and he would not bow his head.

Wang Kui couldn't get off the stage, and it happened that there were two sentences in which he criticized the government of the dynasty, nothing more than saying "If the imperial examination is not restored, the country will perish".Wang Kui took advantage of the fact that he was going to execute Qi An for the crime of disrespecting the government.

Unexpectedly, this article reached the ears of the emperor for some reason. It is said that the emperor suddenly smiled and said: "If the officials in my court do not have such tolerance, they will be officials." , and did not urge Yushitai to thoroughly investigate Wang Kui, but just laughed it off with one sentence.

When Wang Kui heard the hadith, he released Qi An overnight, and sent eight sedan chairs to take him home.

"In the end, Wang Kui not only couldn't do anything to Mr. Qi, but he had to take good care of him. If there is someone who stumbles at home, it will be bad luck if the court intervenes." Xia Yue giggled.

"As long as Mr. Qi is fine," Zijin said.

Xia Yue thought of that article, and couldn't help boasting: "Mr. Qi really has the pride of a literati."

Originally it was fine, but when Zijin heard Xia Yue's words, his eyes suddenly dimmed.

A few days later, Xia Yue met Qi An on the road, and bowed her lapel.

Looking at Xia Yue's expression, Qi An felt that she seemed to have something to say, so he said, "I just got some Mingqian new tea from a friend, Miss Min, would you like to try it at Bishe?"

After Xia Yue agreed, she sent He Xiang to send her father's medicine back first.

Under the thatched shed, the autumn wind is blowing.

Xia Yue asked: "Mr. Qi, when you saw Zijin recently, did you think he was unhappy?" His eyes were concerned and worried.

"It's okay. He has always been the most obedient and sensible."

"Oh. That's why I annoyed him?" Xia Yue frowned and muttered to herself.

Suddenly, Qi'an's book boy who was cleaning the weeds under the vines interjected, "Mr. Min is usually the most tolerant, no matter what happens, he won't get annoyed."

"Tolerance?" Qi An was a little emotional when he heard this word, "A child in his teens doesn't know what tolerance is, he must have experienced some great suffering and grief before."

Xia Yue glanced at Qi An when she heard the words, and then she said enviously: "No wonder Zijin admires Mr. the most, and even I boasted a few words indiscriminately, but he didn't allow him."

"What did Miss Min say?"

So Xia Yue recounted how Zijin walked away because of discussing Qi'an's article that day.

"Maybe it's not because of the person the girl praised, but because the words came out of the girl's mouth?" He hesitated to say these words.

Xia Yue was taken aback: "Don't I often praise him? Why are you so stingy?"

Going home alone, I met Zijin who was practicing and exhaling according to Chu Qin and Chu Zhong's instructions one by one.

She laughed when she saw Zijin, and then simply sat down on the stone bench to look at him.

Zijin was practicing well alone, but seeing Xia Yue kept staring at him, his back was a little hairy from laughing, and the two of them had ignored each other for many days, so her behavior made him feel even more strange, so he moved more and more. Getting stiffer.

"Ah——even the monkeys juggling at the corner of the street are better than yours." She seized the opportunity to say something while he was looking this way, lest he pretend not to know again.

Zijin's face was slightly embarrassed, and she continued to practice.

Xia Yue went to interrupt his movements: "Don't ignore me from now on."

"Yue'er, you..." Zijin was slightly stunned, and he was able to pass the test because he couldn't help but surrender every time he had an awkward situation.This time she would take the initiative to talk to him to break the deadlock.

"After listening to Mr. Qi's words, I decide to forgive you."

Mr. Qi?
Zijin lowered her eyes when she heard these three words, and said rather disappointedly: "I'm going to change clothes." He took a few steps back and left.

The atmosphere between the siblings became cold again.

(End of this chapter)