Qi Ning's question obviously made Hua Lianxiang feel a little strange. He hesitated and couldn't help but ask: "Then... who is the fortune teller? Sir... why do you want to ask him?"
"It's nothing." Since the other party didn't know, Qining didn't say much. He pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you have any other relatives? Is your father still there?"
"Before I was sold to Donghai, I... I also got the news that my father was dead." Hua Lianxiang said sadly.
"So, you no longer have any relatives?" Qining sympathized.
Hua Lian Xiang's lips moved slightly, but she hesitated to speak, but did not say it. Qin Ning felt that she seemed to have something to say, and said warmly: "You don't have to have any scruples. Since we are destined to sit together, if... if there is any difficulty, Just tell me, maybe I can help you a little bit."
"I also... I don't know if he is... a relative." Hua Lianxiang was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and whispered softly: "He asked me... He asked me to call him big brother. He was... very good to me. Sometimes... sometimes I really regard him as an elder brother...!" At this point, he smiled awkwardly.
Qi Ning immediately cheered up and asked: "Him? Who is he you are talking about?"
Hua Lianxiang thought for a moment before saying: "I don't know his name either, so I always call him big brother." He raised his head slightly and glanced at Qi Ning, then said softly: "He is just like an uncle, he is very kind to others, even if I...even if I did something wrong He doesn't get angry at anything."
Qi Ning could clearly see that when Hua Lianxiang mentioned that eldest brother, there was a soft color between her eyebrows, and there was even a trace of unconcealable warmth in her eyes.
Qi Ning vaguely felt that he had caught something, and raised his hand to get the wine bottle on the dressing table. Seeing this, Hua Lianxiang stood up quickly, grabbed the wine bottle before Qi Ning, and hurriedly poured some wine for Qi Ning. Then he held the glass with both hands and carefully brought it to Qining. Qining took the glass, nodded slightly, nuzzled his mouth, motioned Hua Lianxiang to sit down, and said with a smile: "It's still very early before dawn. If you're not sleepy, we'll be here How about we talk here?"
"Uncle... I can do whatever I want." Hua Lianxiang obeyed, "I'm not sleepy."
Qining smiled and said: "Your eldest brother should be a very interesting person. Why don't you tell me his story. Where is he from?"
"I... I don't know." Hua Lianxiang shook his head: "I don't know where he came from, and I don't know... I don't know where he is going. I just saw him for the first time in the spring of last year."
"oh?"
"Just like... just like today." Hua Lianxiang said softly: "That night, I accidentally bumped into a guest, and then... the guest kicked me to the ground and picked up a chair to hit me...! " She spoke in a very calm tone when she talked about this matter. Qining knew that being bullied like this was probably a common occurrence for Hua Lianxiang, so she heard Hua Lianxiang continue: "At that time, eldest brother... eldest brother suddenly appeared. , blocked that person, just like... just like the uncle saved me tonight...!"
Qi Ning was startled, and suddenly understood why Hua Lianxiang mentioned that eldest brother. He obviously came to the rescue tonight, so Hua Lianxiang couldn't help but think of that eldest brother, and couldn't help but say it.
"Is that how you met?"
Hua Lianxiang nodded: "The eldest brother also gave money to my mother that night. Just like the uncle, he also came to my house. He didn't say anything that night and kept drinking. He didn't leave until almost dawn." His eyes were full. It was a sweet look: "I thought I would never see him again, but three days later, he came to my place again, and he kept drinking and didn't say anything."
Qining sighed: "It seems that your eldest brother has a good drinking capacity."
"He... he has a good drinking capacity." Hua Lianxiang said: "But... But I always felt that he was depressed and seemed to have something on his mind. When he came here for the third time, he brought me snacks, and then... asked about me. Family background.”
"oh?"
"I told him my life story, and he didn't say much anymore. Before I left the next day, he asked me to call him big brother from now on. He said... He said I looked like his sister." Hua Lianxiang said, "It's over. It was more than a month later that he came over again and brought me delicious food. I asked him if I really looked like his sister. He said that my eyes looked the same as his sister's. He also told me that his sister was in the 10s. He disappeared when he was three years old, and he has been looking for him for many years, but he has never been found.”
Qining took a sip of wine and did not interrupt.
"After that, he would come to my place once a month, and he would talk to me every time." Hua Lianxiang said, "Yes, he... He also gave me a painting, uncle, if you want... you want to see See?"
Qi Ning hurriedly said: "Okay, let me see what is painted."
Hua Lianxiang stood up, squatted down, and pulled out a wooden box from under the bed. The wooden box looked very old. Hua Lianxiang pulled the box out, opened the box, and then carefully took out the scroll from inside. The outside of the scroll was covered with a coarse cloth. Wrapping it up, Hua Lianxiang obviously valued the painting very much. She opened the rough cloth very gently, took out the scroll from inside, held it in both hands, and carefully presented it to Qining.
Qining knew that Hua Lianxiang attached great importance to the painting, so he was very careful when he took it. Look, there was no place to unfold the painting in the room, but Hua Lianxiang had already gone over and smoothed the bed very obediently.
This wooden bed was also extremely crude. Although the sheets were old, they were still clean. Qi Ning put the scroll on the bed and slowly unfolded it. Hua Lianxiang picked up the oil lamp and stood beside the bed to illuminate Qi Ning, but He didn't dare to get too close, not because he was afraid of Qi Ning, but because he was afraid of accidentally splashing oil and fire on the scroll.
Qining could see clearly by the light of the fire. This was a seascape picture. The boundless sea appeared magnificent in this picture. The wind swept the sea surface, causing fine waves. On the horizon, seabirds soared freely. At the end of the horizon, a red sun is very conspicuous.
To be fair, the brushstrokes of this painting are not very outstanding, but the boundless and spectacular momentum of the sea is still displayed in this painting.
"This is the painting that the elder brother gave you?" Qining stared at the scroll carefully. The whole painting only had a sea view, no payment, and no other writing: "Can he say who painted this?"
"I asked my eldest brother and he said... He said it was done by his own hands."
"Why did he give you this painting?" Qining asked doubtfully.
Hua Lianxiang explained: "My eldest brother knew that after I came to the East China Sea, I have been locked up in Zuiliu Pavilion without going out once. He asked me if I had ever seen the sea. I... I said that one day my mother would let me go free. , I will go to the beach to see with my own eyes what the sea looks like." The girl had a look of longing on her face, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips: "Brother said that one day, when I come here next time, I will Brought me this painting.”
"I see." Qi Ning nodded slightly, understood the reason, and then frowned and said: "Your worth in Zuiliu Pavilion shouldn't be high, right? Since you look exactly like his sister, and he treats you very well, why... don't you help? Are you redeeming yourself?"
Hua Lianxiang's appearance was ruined and she became a handyman of Zuiliu Pavilion. In fact, her worth is not even comparable to that of other miscellaneous women. No matter how evil-minded Zui Liuge is, there is no such thing as Hua Lianxiang. Thoughts on making a lot of money out of her.
Hua Lianxiang lowered her head and remained silent.
Qi Ning knew at a glance that the eldest brother had never mentioned the matter of redemption. Although he felt a little strange, he couldn't say any more. He still stared at the painting, hoping to find something fishy in it.
"Yes, can you tell me what that eldest brother looks like?" Qining asked calmly.
Today, I didn't find anything special about Hua Lianxiang. Only the big brother Hua Lianxiang suddenly mentioned made Qi Ning think about it. Based on Qining's judgment, Hua Lianxiang didn't seem to mention that on purpose. People, but since he took the initiative to bring it up, it proved that Hua Lianxiang had no intention of hiding it.
"He is not tall, has a long and thin face, and thick eyebrows." Hua Lianxiang was deeply impressed by the elder brother and said: "His skin is bronze, but I heard that people living by the sea have that kind of skin color, and he His hands are big, rough, and have thick calluses...!" After a pause, he said softly: "There is a scar on his left wrist, as if... someone had cut him."
"Scar?" Qining narrowed his eyes: "Are you sure he is from the East China Sea?"
Hua Lianxiang shook his head and said: "He is not from the East China Sea. The first time he talked to me, I...I knew that he was not from the East China Sea. He also said that his hometown is also in Yueyang, and he and I are fellow villagers."
"Yueyang people?"
"But he said that he has been in the East China Sea for many years." Hua Lianxiang said, "So his accent sounds like someone from the East China Sea, but if you listen carefully, the accent still has the flavor of Yueyang."
Qining pondered for a moment and then asked softly: "Besides these, is there anything else he left behind? I think your elder brother is very interesting. If there is a chance, I would like to become friends with him."
Hua Lianxiang showed a faint smile: "You are both good people. If we meet, we will definitely become friends." Thinking of something, he put down the oil lamp, raised his hand, took off the simple necklace from his neck, and held it to Qi Ning. : "This necklace was also given to me by my eldest brother. He said it could keep me safe."
Qi Ning had noticed this necklace before, but he couldn't see the pendant. But now he could see it clearly. On the dark rope, there were milky white objects hanging like crescent moons. Qi Ning reached out and took it. , Minato took a closer look under the lamp, only to find that the thing seemed to be a polished tooth. It was smooth and tight in the hand, but it was obviously not a human tooth, but rather like the teeth of some kind of animal. For a moment, I couldn’t think of what animal’s tooth it could be, so I couldn’t help but ask: “Is this a tooth?”
"It's a shark's tooth!" Hua Lianxiang explained: "Brother said that sharks are the most ferocious in the sea. He took the shark's tooth and polished it like this. He always carries it with him." Staring at the shark tooth pendant, he couldn't help but wonder. Wu was moved and said: "Brother gave me this necklace, saying that with this necklace in the future, I will be able to turn disaster into good luck and disaster into good fortune...!"
"Shark teeth?" Qining's face changed slightly and he asked urgently: "You said he took the shark teeth and polished them into this shape. Could it be that... he killed the shark himself?"
Hua Lianxiang shook his head and said, "I don't know either. My eldest brother rarely talks, so I don't dare to ask more questions."
"Shark teeth... Shark teeth...!" Qining murmured to himself, suddenly realizing something, a light flashed in his eyes, and asked: "Miss Tingxiang, when was the last time you saw your elder brother?"
"Just... more than ten days ago." Qining's reaction made Hua Lianxiang a little overwhelmed.
"Shark... sea...!" Qining closed his eyes and whispered to himself: "Black tiger shark...!"