Mountains and rivers fall into red

Chapter 4: White Toad (3)
"But this matter is extraordinary, there is no rush, otherwise Miss Xiuxiu will not go to Jiangling with all her heart."

"It's not difficult for her to give up. Isn't it because of her father? She also has a greedy and lazy mother. After you finish the matter, she will naturally follow us."

"Little one understands, let's do it now."

Shen Buyu's troubled face disappeared, and he smiled sinisterly.

In the Tao family, Xixiu sat in front of the window, her gaze was always on the gardenia tree in the yard.

Cao Guizhi walked back and forth restlessly, approached his daughter, and patiently persuaded him: "You are 15 years old, you should be sensible, what attracts you to this poor place? You have never seen the world, so you think Meng Yu Good county, when you go to Jiangling, you will find that it is hundreds of times better than Mengmata County!"

Xiuxiu felt disgusted, and contradicted: "If this is the case, why does mother stay here all the time? Wouldn't it be better to go to Jiangling?"

Cao Guizhi's eyes widened with anger, and he slapped him again: "Damn girl, I told you to talk back! Marry a chicken as a chicken, marry a dog as a dog, and I will have to suffer here for a dead idiot! The idiot has poured some melons into your head!" What, teach you to be so disobedient, you say!"

Xiuxiu cried silently.She knew that since she was sensible, her parents rarely answered each other.The mother is indifferent to others, and she never gets close. She only cares about her father and listens to her father.Now that her father is not at home, she can only be beaten and scolded. Instead of entangled with her mother like this, it is better to avoid her.

She walked out the door without saying a word, went downstairs, and left the hospital door.Cao Guizhi's sharp voice was still hissing and echoing behind him.

"No need to send rescuers! Ni Xiu'e can't help you! Everyone has to listen to the Prime Minister, did you hear that?"

In the depths of the alley, Xiuxiu stood still at the door of the wooden gate of the Chu family, casually grasping the painted copper bell half-hanging on the door lintel, shaking it from side to side and tinkling.

The door was opened immediately, and the person inside seemed to have been waiting for a long time. One hand grabbed her arm and pulled her in, pulling her all the way to the eaves of the courtyard.

Tianji was tall and handsome, with a bright smile that couldn't be concealed.He peeled a chestnut, and naturally wanted to put it into Xiuxiu's mouth: "Why haven't you come to me these days? Can you memorize the poems I taught you?"

"Where's Mama Ni?" Xiuxiu was worried, so she just caught it with her hands and kept looking into the back room.

"Mother will go out later, my third sister is about to have a baby." Tianji replied.

Xiuxiu felt melancholy.In the past ten years, many things have happened to the Chu family.First, Tianji's father died of a sudden illness, leaving a house full of orphans and widows with no one to depend on.Fortunately, when Ni Xiu'e was a nanny in Jiangling, the Prime Minister rewarded him with many gifts, so Tianji's father was buried in a dignified manner.After the father died, the four children of the Chu family matured a lot.When Xiuxiu was still ignorant, Ni Xiu'e married off her three daughters with dignity.Coupled with the fact that Tianji worked harder and treated her filially and respectfully, Ni Xiu'e was able to bear the hardships.

Ni Xiu'e came out from the back room, gave her son a blank look, and reprimanded her: "I'm chatting again, go back to the room and study hard!"

Recently, her mother's control has become tighter, and Tianji can't help but sigh and say: "Mother, Xiuxiu is here, let's chat for a while. Don't worry, I won't delay the exam, let alone go to Jiangling in the spring of next year."

"There will be a lot of things next year! Mom is saying, you need to have a better memory, the future is important, and it is only right to join the Mu family as soon as possible."

Xiuxiu heard from Tianji that all the candidates in the provincial examination, after going to Jiangling, have to be recommended by their teachers and take refuge in the family of powerful officials, which can be regarded as paving the way for their future.So she also smiled and urged him: "Go back to the room, I'll say a few words to Mama Ni, and I'll leave right away."

Tianji was reluctant to let go, and still didn't want to leave: "You talk about yours, I won't interrupt. Mother, why do you have to ask me to join the Mu family?"

Ni Xiu'e put on a straight face and said angrily: "How many times have I told you, why haven't you gotten the hang of it? The current queen's surname is Mu, and the Mu family is powerful. The queen's father, Duke Ding, once assisted the emperor with great achievements. This Great Ding was brought down by Duke Ding. What's more, the first prince was born to the empress, and the position of the crown prince is just around the corner. Although the mother is a country woman, she has seen the world, seen palaces and flowers, and Qionglou palaces. You are more savvy than anyone else, my mother has seen the power of the Mu family, and is preparing some money for you. Listen to your mother, there will be absolutely no mistakes."

What he said made Tianji nod frequently, he obediently responded, blinked at Xiuxiu, and went back to his room.Only then did Ni Xiu'e turn her head in satisfaction, gazed at Xiuxiu's face, and asked in a deep voice, "Why, did this bitch hit you again?"

Xiuxiu lowered his head sadly.

"What did she take you to Pishanji for?" Ni Xiu'e asked softly.

Xiuxiu told the matter in detail.Ni Xiu'e was stunned at first, then she chuckled and said: "Life and death are fate, wealth and honor are in the sky, your good days are here, you should be happy."

"I don't want to." Hugh said.

"Silly boy, there are some things you can't control. Even if your father knows, he will let you go."

"If I don't want to leave, no one can do anything to me." Xiuxiu shook his head, thought for a while and asked, "My father used to be a plasterer in the Prime Minister's mansion, and what does my mother do? Mama Ni, do you know?" some?"

Ni Xiu'e hesitated for a while, and replied lightly: "It's just...a maid."

As soon as the words were finished, the wooden gate was pushed open with a creak, and Cao Guizhi appeared.With a gloomy face, she walked up to Ni Xiu'e step by step, raised her eyebrows and said, "Ni Xiu'e, what nonsense are you talking about in front of my daughter?"

Ni Xiu'e was naturally not afraid, and snorted coldly: "How can I be talking nonsense? What I said is the truth."

Cao Guizhi stared at Ni Xiu'e, wanting to get angry but didn't dare to, so he simply yelled at Xiuxiu: "Don't run to other people's house all day long, is it cheap? Go home and stay for me!"

Hugh hung his head and went out.

Cao Guizhi poked Ni Xiu'e with his finger, almost poking Ni Xiu'e in the eye, and threatened: "Listen, don't mind my family's affairs! I know you have ulterior motives for being good to Xiuxiu, because you like her and want her to be your wife. Tell you, delusion!"

Not to be outdone, Ni Xiu'e spat on the ground and said with a sneer, "Bah bah, I still think it's dirty to be in-law with a bitch like you! My family's four treasures have read the Four Books and Five Classics all over the place, and they are full of knowledge. Waiting for him to get fame, there will be a queue at the door." The good girls are going to Pishanji!"

"Wait and see!" Cao Guizhi cursed fiercely, and Shi Shiran walked out of the courtyard.

Ni Xiu'e stood still and sulked.Tianji ran out from inside, looked outside a few times, closed the door, and asked his mother: "Xiuxiu's mother never comes to my house, what's the matter today? Mother, why is she arguing with you?"

"Am I worthy of arguing with this kind of woman?" Ni Xiu'e was still angry, and scolded, "Just fight for me, don't let others look down upon you!"

Tianji stuck out his tongue and muttered: "Women are really annoying." His mother made a gesture to hit him, but Tianji shrank his head and ran away.

At dusk, the willows at the ferry head are green, the lake water becomes empty and misty, and the lake smoke floats loosely.The boat appeared in the lake smoke and slowly approached the ferry.

Xiuxiu stood under the willow tree, watching all the passengers disembark, but his father was still nowhere to be seen.She sighed in disappointment, turned around and wanted to leave, when suddenly she heard someone calling her.

Looking back, I saw that it was an uncle who lived nearby.The uncle is also a plasterer, and sometimes he and his father go out to work together.He met Xiuxiu and told her that her father had entrusted him with a message because he still had some work to do and he couldn't come back, but he would definitely come home in three days.

Three days later is Hugh's birthday.It is the most suitable day to hold a ceremony on the birthday.

Xiu Xiu hurriedly thanked him and went home full of joy.

His father said that when he came back, he would hold a lively wedding ceremony for her, and Xiuxiu had been looking forward to this day.Her father was coming back soon, so she told Ni Xiu'e about it.Although Ni Xiu'e was at odds with Cao Guizhi, she was happy for Xiuxiu and promised to come and help her with it that day.Tianji was even more excited, and specially taught Xiuxiu two more poems, and Xiuxiu learned them quickly, and even wrote them in regular script on paper, preparing to exhibit them as a surprise to his father.

That day Xiuxiu got up early in the morning and put on a clean dress.Cao Guizhi suddenly knocked on her daughter's door and put an emerald jade flower holder on the table.Xiuxiu knew that it was given to them by Master Xiang, and refused to take it anyway, Cao Guizhi became angry.

"You can take it if I give it to you, it's not selling you! What can your father give you? Poor! I'm your mother, so what's the matter if I give you a flower stick? Is it okay to let others see a joke?"

Hugh had to accept it.

Ni Xiu'e came to set up a table to worship the gods.Cao Guizhi didn't understand these etiquettes, so he had to give Ni Xiu'e his hand.Even though the two could not understand each other, they lived in peace.After the time passed, the yard became lively, and the neighbors all came to congratulate Mr. Tao.Tianji's eldest sister and second sister also came, and the two little nephews jumped up and down under the gardenia tree, adding a lot of joy to the Tao's yard.Ni Xiu'e also invited the deacon of Jili and a musician, and everything was ready, and when Mr. Tao came home, the Xiuxiu ceremony of Jiji began.

Xiuxiu guessed that a ferry was coming, and wanted to go to the lake to meet her father, but Ni Xiu'e held her down and said, "Just wait here. When your father enters the house, he must be delighted to see such a bustling scene." Xiuxiu thought for a while It makes sense, so I waited patiently at home.Ni Xiu'e said so, but kindly sent Tianji to the ferry to find out what happened, and when Mr. Tao appeared, she would come back and report.

There were several hoarse sounds from the sky, and the people in the yard couldn't help but look up, only to see a few jackdaws hovering over Xiuxiu's house, passing by their pitch-black wings, and disappearing in a blink of an eye.People looked at each other and immediately became tense.Xiuxiu was also terrified at that moment, and could hardly hold the jade rod in his hand.

Not long after, there was a sound of hurried footsteps in the alley.Tianji ran in first, sweating profusely, and said to Xiuxiu: "Xiuxiu, your father..." Xiuxiu suddenly got up, but saw a few men carrying a wooden board in, and the one lying on it was exactly The father she misses day and night.

The jade rod slipped from his hand and shattered in two.

"father-"

A shrill cry came from the Tao family, and the surrounding people listened with pricked ears.In a moment, the alley, which had always been quiet, was in chaos.

15-year-old Hugh faced death for the first time.

Mr. Tao accidentally fell from a high brick wall and was on the verge of death when he was carried home.He held his last breath, and when he saw his daughter, his eyes were full of desolation, his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word.He struggled until midnight, and passed away with his eyes half open.

What was left to Xixiu was the jade pendant with gardenia stamens tightly clutched in his hand.

Xiuxiu clearly remembered that her father said that he would give her a gift on the day of the ceremony.Ruiyu is simple and unpretentious, but it took her father a whole month's wages.He was just a plasterer. He was poor all his life, and he was honest and honest, but he never made his precious daughter feel wronged.

She never expected that her dear father would leave her like this, suddenly and without warning.From then on, no one listened to her poems and prose with a smile on her face, no one stretched out her arms to shield her from the wind and rain, no one told her old-fashioned stories over and over again that never bored her... She no longer had to wait by the lake , The happy laughter of the father and daughter was no longer heard in the alley.

How could she accept the fact that her father was dead?Who can understand the pain and despair in her heart?
Xiuxiu's Jiji ceremony was replaced by his father's funeral ceremony.

At the funeral, neighbors came to worship, and old monks from nearby temples were invited to chant sutras and Buddha.Xiuxiu, dressed in filial piety, held onto his father's coffin, crying until he lost his strength.She knelt before her father's spirit and refused to leave, her sad face reflected in the curling smoke.

Cao Guizhi showed no signs of sadness, she was still floating around in the yard as if nothing had happened, with her loose robe winding all over the ground, her daughter's cries seemed to have nothing to do with her.Everyone cast contemptuous glances at her and naturally ignored her.All the pity, sympathy, and regret gathered on Xiuxiu, and the child who grew up like a flower, how will he live in the future?
Ni Xiu'e scolded angrily: "Why is Mr. Tao the one who died? The damned ones won't die, and the undeserved ones will die!"

This was heard by Cao Guizhi, and she asked with a livid face, "Let's be clear, who deserves to die?"

"So what?" Ni Xiu'e was furious, and said sarcastically, "Of course, once Mr. Tao leaves, you can do whatever you want. Xiuxiu's life is in your hands, and you can do whatever you want with her. "

"I don't need you, an outsider, to worry about my daughter's affairs. Go back and discipline your son well, put the book in your hand and don't read it, stick to the girl's house every day, can't you get ahead?"

Ni Xiu'e was so angry that she raised her throat and shouted, "Four Treasures! Four Treasures!"

When Tianji came down from upstairs, Chaoniang gave a "hush" sound: "Xiuxiu has been crying for three days, Mr. Tao is finally buried in the coffin, don't be so loud, just let her be quiet for a while."

"My old lady, I can't be quiet!" Ni Xiu'e glared at her son, grabbed his sleeve and walked out of the courtyard, "Go home! If I find you stepping into the door of her house later, I will break your leg!"

Cao Guizhi watched Ni Xiu'e's mother and son leave, sneered, closed the courtyard door, raised his eyes to look at the building, lifted the hem of his skirt and walked up the stairs slowly.

Xiuxiu sat alone on the bed, holding Ruiyu and watching silently, weeping silently.Hearing footsteps, she put away the jade pendant and turned her face away.Cao Guizhi went straight to his daughter, sat down, and cleared his throat.

"Master Xiang sent word again that once your father's [-]-day taboo is over, he will take you to Jiangling."

Xiuxiu sobbed silently and didn't answer.Cao Guizhi guessed her daughter's thoughts, and continued: "The family is poor. Once your father dies, we will be left with orphans and widows. Who else can we rely on? If it weren't for the secret help of Mr. Xiang, your father would not even have a coffin." No. Your mother has lived in Mengmata County for so long, and you are looking forward to a day of success? If you don’t go, our mother and son will starve to death sooner or later! Looking at the faces of those neighbors, I can’t think of it. Disgusting! You don't think about yourself, you have to think about your mother, do you hear me?"

She played both soft and hard ways, poking Xiuxiu's head when she was ruthless, wishing that her daughter would have more eyes, and her wish would come true.Xiuxiu neither dodges nor dodges, just sits numbly.

Her father left her, and she couldn't control anything.In the days to come, her mother will dictate her fate, and she cannot resist it.She was in a daze for a moment, her pale face raised expressionlessly, then slowly lowered, her eyes were full of fragility.

Cao Guizhi sighed with relief: "Mother, I will find someone to make you a new set of clothes." After finishing speaking, she walked out of the house gracefully.

Xiuxiu took out the jade pendant again, looked at it sadly, and cried: "Father, why did you leave Xiuxiu? Don't you want Xiuxiu? Dad..."

A few drops of clear tears rushed out of her eye sockets, rolled down her cheeks that were as delicate as porcelain, and fell to the ground, falling to pieces.

It was a rainy afternoon.

Xiuxiu stood in the yard, looked around at the familiar scenery, and couldn't help taking a breath of fresh air.

Autumn is coming, Mengmata County has been windy for a few days, and it has been drizzling for a few days, so the weather is cool.The rainwater fell along the tile gap and fell into the water tank, making a crisp ding-dong sound.Moss spread along the wall, and the vegetation was still lush, but the white flowers on the gardenia trees disappeared, and the leaves were drooping, completely listless.

"Miss, the carriage is waiting outside, it's time to go." Yan Xi, the personal servant, reminded carefully.

Yanxi was sent by the prime minister's mansion to wait on Xiuxiu. She had only been here for two days, but she couldn't bear Cao Guizhi's strange temper. While Cao Guizhi was taking a nap, she wished she could leave here quickly.

Lowering his eyes slightly, Xixiu stepped out of the threshold and into the unfathomable future.

At the foot is the stone road leading to the entrance of the alley, and 15 years of life have been spent on this narrow round-trip road.From spring to autumn, picking flowers in the morning and evening... Every grass, every tile, every breath of air is kind.All this is about to become a distant memory.

She sighed faintly.

A small white flower was inserted between her temples, her slender figure swayed gently in the wind, and the sound of her treading water brought out an inexplicable loneliness in the empty alley.

After passing Chu Tianji's house, the wooden gate was closed tightly, and there was no movement inside.

She was slightly melancholy, and continued to move forward, and saw the carriage waiting at the alley.

"Miss, hurry up!" Yan Xi urged her.

Hugh walks towards the carriage.

The carriage that came to pick her up was not conspicuous on the outside, but inside it was luxurious like never before. Xiuxiu could start the three-day and three-night journey comfortably and safely.

This is the arrangement of the prime minister, she knows.

Once her father died, she was unable to face the future.The Prime Minister is the power, the Prime Minister is the ruler, and her fate has been controlled by him.

The rain is still falling, and the rain in the south of the Yangtze River is like the mood of a girl, pattering and lingering.Xiuxiu lifted the curtain of the car and glanced at the misty sky in Mengmata County, her eyes became moist unconsciously.

Standing alone by the road, the rain drenched his whole body.He ran to the carriage, shouting "Hugh Hugh" as he ran.

"Brother Tianji!" Xiuxiu waved at him.

Seeing that Tianji was about to be unable to keep up, he shouted at the top of his throat: "Xiuxiu, wait for me to come and see you! We will meet in the spring of next year! Xiuxiu, I will definitely see you!"

Hugh nodded vigorously.

The carriage passed through the thin rain curtain, and the surrounding scenery gradually blurred, leaving only pale phantoms passing by.Xiuxiu became sad, her tears fell on her dress, and she was talking to herself.

"Can I come back later?"

叁

At dawn, mist shrouded the plains of Pingchuan.A luxurious bronze chariot, escorted by a team of people, rumbled into the Sangyu official road, and arrived at the north gate of the capital without haste.

At this time, the north gate was closed.The leading guard rode on horseback and yelled: "Huanyihou, return to the city, open the city gate!" The spear soldier standing on the watchtower glanced down and waved arrogantly: "What Huanyihou? It's not yet time to open the gate!" Wait!" The guards were furious: "Call out your chief!" The soldier scolded in disgust: "Don't you know that the chief is still sleeping? Go away, go away, and don't feel shabby in the middle of the road." !"

The guards blushed and were about to scold each other when a low voice came from the car: "Forget it! It's only half an hour away, so stop talking to them!"

The curtain of the car was lifted, and two people in bright clothes came out.The elder was born rough, with a few strands of red beard protruding from his cheeks, and a pair of majestic leopard eyes.Although the young man beside him was not as burly as the elder, he was tall and graceful, with beautiful features and eyes.These two people are Huanyi Hou Zhengwei and his nephew, the Fourth Prince Xiao Hao.

Since Xiao Hao adopted Zheng Wei, he lived in Huanyi to accompany his uncle all the year round, and only appeared in Jiangling with his uncle during palace celebrations and important sacrifices to worship the gods.This time it was Zheng Wei's elder brother's birthday, and the third prince Xiao Kui had sent a letter saying that autumn hunting was in full swing, and the two brothers had deep feelings for each other, so Xiao Hao rushed over excitedly.

(End of this chapter)