Zhao Pei's body suddenly froze. She didn't dare to look back but had to. She twisted her neck with difficulty and saw a blurry figure behind her. When she could see the man's features clearly in the moonlight, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why are you here?" He Hui looked at her suspiciously, seeing her panic. Zhao Pei opened her mouth to explain, but heard footsteps coming from afar. Her heart tightened again, and she ran into the alley, holding Ruhua with one hand and He Hui with the other.
"I have to leave here right away." Zhao Pei whispered as she walked, "Can you take me out of the city gate?"
He Hui immediately understood: "You escaped?"
Zhao Pei said, "Hmm," "Can you help me?"
They stopped and stood facing each other. The high eaves blocked the moonlight. At this moment, they were trapped in the darkness and could not see each other's expressions. She could only stare at his vague eyes.
"Okay." He Hui hesitated for a long time before breaking the silence, "I'll take you away."
Zhao Pei smiled lightly, and felt his hand exerting force, squeezing her tightly, which was a little painful. But she suddenly felt much more at ease. Thank you. She kept repeating it in her heart, but she knew that these two words did not need to be said out loud. My dear friend is He Hui.
The three of them hurried to the city gate, only to find that it was closed and under strict guard. There were also many patrols everywhere, seemingly looking for someone.
They hid in the dark, silently watching the busy figures. He Hui sighed: "It seems that something unexpected has happened. The city gates are closed. What a coincidence."
Zhao Pei murmured, "He's really fast."
He Hui froze when he heard her say that. He turned around and stared at her for a while: "You mean..."
Zhao Pei bit her lip awkwardly, "Brother He, I won't hide anything from you anymore. Actually, he... My name is Xu Zhao Pei, and Xu Kun is my father. A few days ago, the emperor wanted to marry his son, but I didn't want to, so I fled here. Who would have thought... he would catch up with me."
He Hui stared at her blankly, his expression changing all the time. No wonder, such an extraordinary woman didn't seem to be born in the common people, and the handsome man in black clothes also had a noble air. As for him... He was just wearing straw sandals, how could...
Seeing that he was silent, Zhao Pei was afraid that he would be angry that she had lied to him, so she asked carefully, "Brother He?" Just then, the firelight came in, and before He Hui could speak, he directly pulled Zhao Pei and Ruhua to the ground. Zhao Pei just pressed directly on him, looking at him somewhat bewilderedly, but she stiffly said a word.
His head buzzed, and he stared at the beautiful face in front of him. Her eyes were shining, and her red lips seemed to be about to touch his face. He felt his eager breathing and strong heartbeat. There was an impulse in his mind, but it gradually cooled down after hearing her words.
He Hui held her tightly, their eyes met, but he kept asking her questions. Are you telling the truth? Is it true? Is it true
After waiting for the voices to fade away, Zhao Pei quickly jumped up, her cheeks flushed. But she still asked, "Are you angry?"
"How could that be?" He smiled helplessly, "You have your own difficulties, how could I be such a narrow-minded person?"
Seeing that he was not angry, Zhao Pei felt relieved and gradually smiled.
Ruhua was trembling with fear, and had no time to ponder their expressions and words. She said with a slightly tearful voice: "Miss, we have to hide now, otherwise..."
Zhao Pei frowned. Where to hide? He Hui immediately replied, "That's right. Staying here is not an option. Since I have already met him, it must be unsafe for me to stay there." He thought for a moment and said slowly, "There is another good place. Come on, I will take you there."
It was midnight, and He Hui led them to a small temple. Zhao Pei looked around. It was the first time she had seen such a simple temple. There was only one room with a Buddha statue. Although it had a kind face, the bronze paint on its body was already mottled. Zhao Pei thought that if the emperor saw it, he would be furious. He would have to give a thousand taels of silver. He could not neglect the Buddha.
He Hui reached out and knocked on the door of the small house on the other side. The dull sound was particularly loud in the dark night. Zhao Pei shivered in the cold wind and waited for a long time but no one came to open the door.
He Hui was a little embarrassed: "Maybe I didn't hear it."
She continued to knock on the door patiently. Finally, there was some light in the dark room and the door was opened with great effort. In the moonlight, she saw a face full of wrinkles, and the man's eyes were so narrow that they seemed to be a line. Zhao Pei doubted whether she could see. In such a night, this face seemed a little scary.
He Hui stepped forward with a smile, bowed politely and said, "Master Fang."
The old lady called "Mrs. Fang" was a little surprised when she saw He Hui, and then she looked at the two people beside him, a girl with beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and a boy who was detached from the world. She smiled softly, and her face was full of wrinkles, which frightened Zhao Pei. "Hui'er, who are these two girls?"
He Hui hurriedly said, "Master, Hui'er needs your help with something else." Then he helped her into the house. Zhao Pei and Ruhua followed closely and closed the door, fearing that someone might be following them.
After listening to He Hui's brief words, Nun Fang nodded and said, "It's okay. You can stay here for a while. The Buddha will protect you."
"Thank you very much." The three of them thanked him repeatedly.
"Well, Hui'er won't stay any longer. Come visit Miss Xu... and Master's Aunt tomorrow morning." After saying this, he glanced at Zhao Pei who was standing aside, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself and walked away.
Sister Fang smiled at them and said, "Ladies, follow me to the clean room."
She held an oil lamp and led them to the small room behind the Buddha statue. The room was not big, with only a bed and a small table, nothing else. Zhao Pei had been spoiled by her family since she was born, and she had never seen such a place. But now, as long as she could have a place to stay for the night, it was already good enough.
"Master, thank you." Zhao Pei didn't know how to address her, so she could only follow He Hui's words.
Nun Fang smiled and waved her hands: "This is my job. Besides, I have never seen He Hui so enthusiastic to help anyone. He has always been indifferent to people and things, but this time is a special case." While smiling, she saw that Zhao Pei did not have the expression she expected, and with a little doubt, she immediately said: "Young lady, have a good rest. I will leave first."
Zhao Pei waited for her to leave, and slowly lay down on the musty bed. Ruhua sat on the side and seemed a little worried: "Miss, do you think we can escape?"
Zhao Pei didn't look at her, staring at the corner of the wall covered with spider webs and muttering, "Maybe. It depends on God." The man in white appeared in his mind, and his nose felt a little sour. Do you know that I was so wronged, so resistant, and took such risks just for you? Do you know...
The corners of her eyes were wet, she reached out and gently wiped them away, then slowly closed her eyes: "Ruhua, take a break. Tomorrow, we have to crawl out even if we have to."
At that time, she was so determined in her faith that she would never back down, never be weak, and never submit. But later, in just a moment, she changed her mind. (To be continued)