At noon in midsummer, the sun is scorching.
The back house of the main family of the Wei family in Fengzhou had just been poured with well water. Within a moment, it had disappeared without a trace, and not even a few drops of water could be seen. On the contrary, the bright sunlight shone down, and countless summer dust was flying in the entire courtyard, which became thicker and thicker when blown by the southerly wind. It brushed against my body and I didn't feel cool at all, as if I was being dragged into an invisible swamp, feeling indescribably boring.
Today, the Wei family has a strong family background, and the Wei family has lived in Fengzhou for a long time. Their ancestral roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Over the past hundreds of years, talents have emerged in endlessly, and they are one of the six top lords in the country. Such a distinguished family must cherish their feathers. During this extremely hot period, servants who did not use ice were ordered to rest in the shade as much as possible to avoid heatstroke. This practice has gained a good reputation as a considerate person throughout the city.
Therefore, the entire courtyard was quiet at this moment, with the occasional murmuring of cicadas adding to the deep tranquility.
The yard in front of the main house of the back house is very wide. In the southeast corner of the yard, there is a black camphor tree with two or three people hugging each other. It has lush branches and leaves, covering most of the yard. In May, even under the trees, it is really difficult to add the word "cool" behind the shade.
Under the blazing sunshine that cannot be blocked by the black camphor trees, a man and a woman stood and knelt, using the cover of the cicadas to speak softly.
Standing is a young man, wearing a goose-yellow Yueluo round-neck robe, a gold ring to tie his hair, and a jade belt to wrap his waist. He is fourteen or fifteen years old, tall and tall, with narrow arms and waist, standing tall and straight, with a delicate appearance and a bit of childishness. .
At this moment, the scorching sun was shining so hard that I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't help wiping away the sweat that seemed to be flowing down from the rain. With an anxious expression and helplessness, I lowered my voice and said: "... Mother has finished eating. I told you to take a nap. Before that, I sent someone to ask Midoriya to go to my grandmother's house, saying that eldest sister, you have something to do today, and you won't go to greet grandma for a while - grandma has already agreed. According to me, eldest sister should admit her mistake to her mother first. , Otherwise, how can I stand it if I keep kneeling until after dinner?”
"I don't." The girl who is kneeling upright is slightly older than the boy. She has a curvy waist and neat temples. Her hair is dark and shiny. Her oval face is crystal clear against the standard beauty, her eyebrows are red and her eyes are red, and her nose is straight. , The lips are undyed but red, the eyebrows are unpainted but dark, and they are bright and radiant.
She knelt under the scorching sun for more than an hour, but her eyes were still bright and bright, and she looked even more energetic. Due to the exposure, her skin, which was originally as bright as snow and jade, seemed to be stained with rouge, making her look bright and glowing. A small part of the pale crepe narrow-sleeved short-sleeved jacket she was wearing was now stained. From her forehead to behind her ears, strands of broken hair were randomly stuck to her cheeks with sweat. Water droplets dripped along the graceful curve of her chin. On Liuxian's skirt, there are now more than ten spots of dark green on the skirt - this is just something that hasn't had time to be dried off.
Even so, the eldest daughter of the Wei family, Wei Changying, still did not want to repent. She slightly raised her chin, slightly raised the corners of her mouth, and said with determination, "It's so hot, and I'm kneeling in the sun again. You just wait and see. Where can my mother sleep? Someone will be sent out to call me soon."
"But Lufang goes to grandma's place..." Her brother Wei Changfeng, the fifth son of the Wei family, did not agree with her, and reminded her with a frown - since their mother asked Wei Changying's maid Lufang to go and talk to the old lady. It was clear that Chief Guard Ying's punishment of kneeling would not end before dinner.
Wei Changying disagreed and said, "Aren't you just trying to scare me?"
"But eldest sister, you have been kneeling for more than an hour." Wei Changfeng said helplessly, "The weather is so hot, I almost fainted when I said a few words to you here, and now even the servants are hiding in the house to water What about well water? Why bother?”
"You go to the shade of the tree." Wei Changying glanced at him and wiped his face casually with his sleeves. The pale sleeves suddenly turned jade-colored. She didn't care at all and said, "You are not like me since childhood. If you practice martial arts with Uncle Jiang, you can survive even another hour of kneeling!"
Compared to her, Wei Changfeng held up his sleeves in embarrassment to provide shade, and said earnestly: "Actually, eldest sister, you come from a girl's family, and our family has been educated for generations. Why do you insist on practicing martial arts now? The world is not at peace, but our Wei family is a wealthy family in Fengzhou, with a first-class family status in the Central Plains. The war is easy and it will not make it difficult for people like us to live. Although our family has been educated for generations, we can't. It’s not that there are no private guards, does the eldest sister still expect to protect herself in the future? "
He lowered his voice and said, "Besides, eldest sister, you will leave the cabinet next year. The Shen family in Xiliang has been in command of soldiers for generations to suppress the Di people... There is no need to worry. I heard my grandmother occasionally mention that Shen Zangfeng is the best in martial arts. Last year, he performed in front of the emperor. One against ten, he defeated the descendants of the Liu family of Donghu and the Su family of Qingzhou, and came out on top. Now Rong and Di are about to make a move. There are several groups of bandits on the road from Fengzhou to Jingji. When the time comes, he will come to Fengzhou to pick up the bride in person. What is the eldest sister afraid of? ?”
"Stupid!" Wei Changying glared at him and shouted, "It is precisely because the Shen family of Xiliang has been in command of soldiers for generations, and all the men in their family have been practicing martial arts since they were young. Especially Shen Zangfeng, who has been listening to this since he was three or four years old. I grew up watching his extraordinary martial arts deeds, so I have to work hard not to let go of my martial arts—otherwise, do you think I am willing to suffer this!"
Wei Changfeng said in surprise: "What?"
"Why don't you think about it, you idiot?" Wei Changying said solemnly, "The Shen family, like Qingzhou Su and Dong Hu Liu, used martial arts to inherit the family. It is expected that the family tradition is extremely fierce. My fiancé is said to be from the Shen family. The best among his disciples! He must be very good at martial arts..."
"Isn't this great?" Wei Changfeng said blankly, "If he was not good, how could his grandfather have promised his eldest sister to him? How could the legitimate daughter of our Fengzhou Wei family be so easy to marry?"
Wei Changying said angrily: "I mean! Most of such warriors have bad tempers and rude tempers! They are prone to anger and violence! What if after I leave the cabinet, I might quarrel with him over some trivial matter, or I don't know what he likes to do? Something was wrong. He was not happy, so he grabbed me and beat me up - what if I was a weak woman? Even if he apologized afterwards, didn't I suffer first? ?”
Wei Changfeng was stunned, wiped his sweat and said: "How is this possible?! Eldest sister, you are the eldest daughter of our Wei family. The wife he is marrying is not a maid bought with a few taels of silver. He dares to hit the eldest sister. Do you think there is no one in our Wei family?"
"Hmph! These warriors are the most irritable. Who cares whether you are the wife or the concubine when you get angry? Besides, whether it is the imperial capital or Xiliang, they are far away from Fengzhou. How can you count on your parents' family again and again?" said the Chief of Guards. Ying clenched his fists, a look of determination flashed in his eyes, and sneered, "Even if he doesn't move me, what should I do if he keeps concubines and maids one by one in the future?!"
Chief Wei said calmly: "This...this...those toys, my eldest sister doesn't like them. He buys them and you sell them, isn't that all? What does it have to do with martial arts?"
"If this is the case, wouldn't I be known as jealous?" Wei Changying curled his lips and said with a sneer, "Besides, wouldn't the money that should have been in my hands be lost through this purchase and sale? Besides, I'm not Cousin Song, and I can't learn the so-called tricks of making love. After thinking about it, I have only one way to deal with such a husband and those coquettish girls who dare to climb into bed to compete for favor! "
She glanced at her brother, opened her red lips lightly, and said solemnly, "Hit!"
Wei Changfeng was stunned!
"If Shen Zangfeng dares to take a concubine in the future, if he mentions it, I'll beat him until he can't sleep for three days!" Wei Changying slowly squeezed his slender hands into crisp sounds, his bright face full of murderous aura and gloom. She said fiercely, "If he really dares to bring someone in, I'll break his legs behind closed doors! If he dares to stay with a prostitute outside, I'll tell him to never leave the medicine jar in his life!"
"Not only that, I don't like rude and disrespectful warriors! No matter what he liked in the past, it's up to me to decide how he will live his life in the future!" Wei Changying said proudly, "He must change all the preferences that I don't like. Get rid of it! If he doesn’t change it, he’ll be beaten to death! He must develop all the hobbies I like, and if he doesn’t develop them, he’ll be beaten to death!”
Wei Changfeng looked at his murderous sister with horror, and reminded him silently: "Sister, what matters now is that women should abide by the three obediences and the four virtues. You... you are like this..."
"I know!" Wei Changying said disdainfully, "Am I that stupid? I have my own ideas!"
Wei Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief and heard her continue: "Before I beat him, I will close the door!"
"!!!!!!" Wei Changfeng almost wanted to vomit blood, "What is this idea?!"
Wei Changying smiled contemptuously: "As long as no one outside knows, who knows that I am pretending to be virtuous and virtuous?"
"...Sister, are you sure you can beat Shen Zangfeng?" Wei Changfeng groaned and said, "How could you have such a ridiculous idea? How come Shen Zangfeng is also a man, and he is two years older than you, eldest sister, if you can even If you can’t deal with them, wouldn’t this martial arts be in vain?”
The guard chief Ying snorted: "Fifth brother, you don't understand. The Shen family has been in charge of military affairs for generations, and they often clashed with Qiu Di. So what they call passing down the family through martial arts, one refers to the art of war, and the other is to go into battle immediately." Why don’t I choose someone else to learn the art of forward attack from our bodyguards? It’s because Jiang Bo is the best at close combat!”
She said proudly, "After all, since Shen Zangfeng is known as the leader among the Shen family's children, he is expected to be good at military tactics and the ability to rush into battle. But I have been working hard for twelve years since I was five years old, and when I heard the chicken As the sun goes down, even the poetess Hong is just taking it in casually, and all his efforts are spent on close combat. Anyway, I don't want to fight with Shen Zangfeng, I just need to fight at close range. He at least needs it. I can focus all my energy on this one thing. I practice so hard, I don’t believe I can’t deal with him!”
Thinking of the twelve years of hard work, Wei Changying sighed and murmured: "Have I had an easy life these years? Apart from other things, just saying that practicing martial arts hard will inevitably grind out the calluses. In order to remove the calluses , I was exhausted after practicing hard every day, but I still insisted on taking medicinal baths, and then asked the maid to apply the skin-nourishing balm thickly, and massage it carefully... Only in this way can I keep practicing hard and keep my skin delicate. …Isn’t it just for the sake of a better life in the future if you persist for these twelve years?”
Wei Changfeng was speechless for a while, then said: "Sister, what mother is asking you to learn now is not to make things easier for you after you leave the government? You will leave the government next year... "
Chief Wei Ying said angrily: "Yes! I will leave the cabinet next year. Now is the critical moment, but my mother is thinking about calling me both a bride and groom and a chef. These two embroiderers and cooks are dowry." Mother, it’s not as important as me hurrying up and practicing Professor Jiang Bo’s fighting skills so that I can beat Shen Zangfeng into submission in private!”
"But eldest sister, even if you beat Shen Zangfeng so much that he is afraid of you, you can't ask him to personally host the wedding ceremony?" Wei Changfeng took a deep breath and said, "There are no concubines in the back house, eldest sister. You still have to take care of the servants' accounts, right? Shen Zangfeng was recruited by his father Yin as a personal guard among the three guards a few years ago. It is impossible for him to stay at home all day long. Sister, you have learned nothing but martial arts. Look back. What should I do if I can’t even take care of the back house? Do you want to be called brave and foolhardy?”
Wei Changying said disdainfully: "I can learn to preside over the middle school and take care of the back house slowly in the future. At worst, I will borrow Aunt Shi from my mother for a few years when I leave the cabinet. Isn't that enough for me to learn? But surrendering to the husband-in-law This is the top priority, and it is better to be foolhardy for a moment than to ignore important matters!"
Wei Changfeng groaned again and said: "Sister, are you surrendering? You beat people alive - even if you can beat people down, how can Shen Zangfeng not hold a grudge against you? After all, the right way is to be happy with each other? "
"My grandfather appointed me such a martial artist just because of a chance meeting!" Wei Changying glared at him fiercely and shouted, "It would be great if I don't burst into tears. How can we be in love with each other? It's just that The orders of the elders cannot be violated. Since I was a child, the sweetest days I can think of in the future are to beat him to be obedient and not make me angry... How could I like that kind of martial artist? ! I don’t like him. Does it matter whether he likes me or not? The important thing is that he must obey!”
Wei Changying solemnly told his younger brother: "So even if my mother asks me to kneel for ten hours, I will not learn from those trivial things about female celebrities. I have the right to kneel here to exercise my body! I don't believe that my mother can endure it. I feel bad, so you must agree to it, so that nothing like that will bother me in the future! If you can’t bear the weather, leave quickly, otherwise your mother will be embarrassed to persuade you when she sends someone out to see you. I'm in!" (To be continued)