Xie Jingtao
Xia Houlin was a little puzzled, how did he see it
He picked up the sweat towel, and a strong fragrance hit his nostrils. This fragrance was so familiar, it seemed that he had smelled it somewhere. Suddenly, he suddenly realized, and said hurriedly: "Yes, the master called the eldest young master, and the truth came out."
Xiao Shi changed his color in dismay and said, "What else is there to say? Come on, take Xia Houlin, the bastard who taught a bad young master, and let him take it back when Mr. Dai comes back. From now on, you are not allowed to enter Xie's residence. step!"
Xie Bingfeng stopped the Xiao family, turned his head and said to Xie Jinglan, "What does this have to do with Tao'er? Xie Jinglan, make it clear!"
Xie Jinglan sneered and said slowly: "Big brother is the one who loves Liu Ji so much, loves Wu Jiwu, and even carries a sweat towel all day long, which is stained with the fragrance of elder brother's body, father, do you smell it? Can't you come out?"
Xie Bingfeng hurriedly picked up the sweat towel and smelled it carefully, the scent was indeed familiar. He knew where he must have smelled it, but he thought it was Liu Ji's smell, so he didn't think much about it.
Xiao Shi accompanied him with a smile and said, "Okay, I'll call Tao'er here now, Madam Liu, why don't you hurry up?"
"Wait, don't move," Xie Bingfeng called his attendant, "Laiwang, go and invite the eldest young master to come."
Xie Jingtao came swaying and swaying, and as soon as he came, he sat on the side by himself, picked his teeth and looked at Xie Jinglan and Xia Houlin with schadenfreude, and said rather proudly: "Mother, I'm studying now, What did you ask me to do? - Oh, third brother, why are you covered in tea, it hurts to see you so pitiful."
He had the answer as soon as he arrived, and he could smell the mosquitoes on him from five steps away.
As the saying goes, ugly people are more at fault. Xie Jingtao felt that he was not good-looking, so he tried his best to make up for it elsewhere. When Xie Bingfeng saw him like this, he felt pain in his heart, liver, gallbladder and lungs, and wanted to pick up the teacup and throw it on him, but found that his teacup had fallen on Xie Jinglan, so he lifted Xiao's cup and smashed it hard on Xie Jinglan. on Tao.
Xie Jingtao shivered with fright, plopped down on his knees beside Xie Jinglan, and said tremblingly, "Father, calm down, my son is wrong."
"What's wrong with you!?"
"Son... Son..." Xie Jingtao raised his eyes subconsciously to look at Mrs. Xiao, who gave him a stern look, "Son doesn't know..."
"Then what's wrong with you!" Xie Bingfeng's beard trembled with anger, so he found a feather duster and slapped it on Xie Jingtao.
Xie Jingtao ran around the room and shouted, "Dad, stop fighting! The servants are watching!"
"You still know your face! I'll beat you to death, you unfilial son!"
"Mother! Help!"
Xie Bingfeng was old after all, and it was really hard for him to run after him for so long. He couldn't run anymore, so he had to hold on to the table and gasp for breath. Xie Jingtao hid behind Xia Houlin and shrank his neck. Xia Houlin leaned in the direction of Xie Jinglan without a trace, revealing the fat tortoise behind him.
Xie Bingfeng pointed at the sweat towel and said, "Nizi, is this sweat towel yours?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I said it wasn't."
"You! You! You roll to the ancestral hall and kneel for me, don't let me see you again!"
"Okay, I'll go right away, don't be angry." Xie Jingtao stood up and instructed the servant next to him, "Hey, you, hurry up, take my couch, snacks, spring... cough, book, what? sent to the ancestral hall.”
"Bunny!" Xie Bingfeng was so angry that he didn't catch his breath, he coughed loudly.
"There is one more person," Xie Jinglan who had been silent all the time suddenly said, "There is another person who is going to the ancestral hall to be punished."
"Who is it! Could it be the second child! He has always worked hard, no less than you, how can he be so nonsense! Xie Jingtao, you bastard, you must have ruined Tan'er!"
"Why do you blame me on the head? That kid is my mother's ear, so I won't take him." Xie Jingtao rolled his eyes.
Xie Jinglan raised her face and showed a mocking smile at Xie Bingfeng, saying, "It's really unfortunate, I've been going to Xiuwentang to review books these days, and who would have thought that I accidentally discovered the five evening fragrances you kept in the library. Lou girl's photo album. Really..." Xie Jinglan twitched the corners of his mouth, smiling a little grimly, "It's so vivid."
Xie Bingfeng was shocked and took a long time to say, "Shut up... shut up!".
"Who is the actress you mentioned just now? Liu Ji? But I don't seem to have seen it in those few albums, ah, I remember it, there is just one page missing, it seems that someone has torn it up. , is it your father?" Xie Jinglan said, "Father, it turns out that you are also a big lover, and you even carry a small portrait of Liu Ji with you."
"Shut up... Shut up!" Xie Bingfeng's eyes went black, and he raised his hand and slapped Xie Jinglan.
With a "pop", five red marks were branded on Xie Jinglan's pale face. For a while, all four were silent.
In fact, the picture albums in the library are not necessarily Xie Bingfeng's, but his reaction is so big, which fits the old saying "there is no silver 300 taels here", and everyone knows it well.
Xiao Shi's face was very ugly, and he pointed at Xie Bingfeng and said, "You... you will never change! I don't know, when you have been away from home for so many years, when did you hook up with that nasty place! Or, you have long been with you Does that bitch have a head and tail?"
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding." Xie Bingfeng said, sweating profusely, "Madam, this is a misunderstanding. It belongs to an old friend of mine, and it's just kept here."
"The booklet is on the third floor of the A-shaped bookshelf, and it is wrapped in the leather of "Zhou Li". If Madam does not believe it, you can go and see it for yourself. The title page is also stamped with Dad's seal." Xie Jinglan added expressionlessly.
Xiao Shi's face turned pale, glared at Xie Bingfeng, turned his head and went to the library.
Xie Jingtao tugged at Xia Houlin's sleeve and whispered, "Is your young master out of his mind? You dare to expose such a thing, it's really worth your life."
"You just lost your mind." Xiahou said in a muffled voice.
"My son went to the ancestral hall to receive the punishment, and I hope my father will take good care of his body." Xie Jinglan kowtowed and took Xia Houlin away.
Xie Jingtao was stunned for a while, then lifted up his robe and followed. Only Xie Bingfeng was left standing stiffly on the spot, seeing everyone in the room bowing their heads, remembering that his scandals had been exposed to the public, and his face was on fire, so he had to hide his embarrassment with anger, said: : "Get out of here!"
The Xie family's ancestral hall is very old, and the walls are mottled with gold and green. As soon as you step in, you can smell a rotten smell, making it difficult to distinguish whether it is the smell of wood or the smell of ghosts entrenched somewhere. Not many candles were lit, and Yingying illuminated the palm-sized land in front of the altar.
Xie Jingtao carried a book that seemed to be a memorial. He found a place to sit and peeked at Xie Jinglan with resentment and admiration on his face; , the meat buns are ugly.
Xie Jinglan picked a place farthest away from him, and knelt down. Seeing him kneeling, Xiahou Lin was naturally embarrassed to sit and knelt beside him.
Xie Jingtao opened the memorial and mumbled and recited it. Xia Houlin was too far away, so he couldn't hear clearly. He only heard "collaborating with the chaotic parties in the rivers and lakes, intending to rebel... This crime is the second...", Xie Jingtao memorized it for a while, Unable to carry it on his back, he turned his head to look at Xie Jinglan.
"Hey, Xie Jinglan, you really can."
Xie Jinglan was expressionless and did not mean to answer.
"Actually, I already knew about Dad. I've met him several times. If I hadn't flashed so fast, I'd have been discovered by him. I said, if you don't expose the bad things about Dad, then Are you alright, why is this necessary?" Xie Jingtao said, "However, I used to think that you are a bitch, and looking at it makes people want to beat you up, but I didn't expect you to still have This temperament."
Xie Jinglan still ignored him, and Xie Jingtao didn't mind, and continued: "Well, you will mess with me in the future. Next time I go to Wanxiang Lou, I will take you with me, hehe, let you taste Taste that ecstasy. Hey, but you're too young to know if you can taste that..."
Xia Houlin saw that the more he was talking, the more wrong he was, so he quickly stopped his words and said, "Come on you, our young master is not like you. Carry your book and stop talking nonsense."
Xie Jingtao snorted and said, "I don't know how to lift." He glanced at the memorial in his hand, then looked at them, and asked suspiciously, "Don't you carry this memorial on your back? Dad will check it the day after tomorrow."
"What? We don't have any." Xia Houlin said.
"The memorial for the impeachment of Weide. Dad has nothing to do when he is full. I want everyone in the whole house to memorize it. The literate memorize it by myself, and the illiterate memorize it with the housekeeper."
Xia Houlin was silent, and the "full house" that Xie Jingtao said probably did not include Qiuwuyuan.
Xia Houlin couldn't understand why Xie Jinglan was so amazing, how could Xie Bingfeng look like he was blind and had to put him aside and pretend he couldn't see.
The shadow of the moon moved westward, hanging high on the head of Liu Shao. Xie Jingtao's candle went out at some point, and his snoring sound came from the darkness. The night was very quiet, and there were zero insects hiding in the grass and calling, one after another. The wind was blowing outside, making the door panels tremble, and the ash on the top fell down a little, like long-lasting snow.
Xia Houlin was in a drowsy state, the door was quietly opened, and someone was hiding outside making a "hissing" sound. Xia Houlin turned his head and saw Lianxiang and Aunt Lan poking their heads, and winked at Xiahoulin with bared teeth and a grin.
Xia Houlin patted Xie Jinglan, and the two carefully bypassed Xie Jingtao and squatted by the door.
Aunt Lan handed Xia Houlin a quilt, and said with a worried face: "It's cold at night, I'm afraid you two will freeze, so cover the quilt first, if it still feels cold, get closer to the two of you, reluctantly. keep warm."
Lian Xiang's eyes were sharp, and when she saw the red marks on Xie Jinglan's face, she didn't have to guess what happened, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Auntie, it's better for you." Xia Houlin put the quilt on Xie Jinglan's back and said.
"Let's go first, if Madam Liu finds out, I don't know what to do with it again." Aunt Lan said.
"Wait," Xie Jinglan grabbed Aunt Lan's shirt and said, "Auntie, do you know why my father hates me and my mother so much?"
Aunt Lan was obviously stunned, her eyes panicked, and she said, "I..." She seemed reluctant to talk about this, and hesitated for a while without saying why.
"Auntie, I want to hear the truth."
Lianxiang said anxiously, "Auntie, just say it."
Aunt Lan sighed, glanced at Xie Jinglan, and said slowly: "Your mother was a pen-and-ink girl, you know that. One day the master got drunk and... asked your mother. Originally this It's nothing, there are things in the mansion, but your mother is a stubborn character, she can't think of it, she sneaked out of the mansion and sued the official."
"Then what?" Xie Jinglan asked.
"It also happened that the old official was an unreasonable and stubborn donkey. It was useless for the old man to plead for mercy. He convicted the old man of adultery and was demoted to three grades. Since then, the old man has hated your mother, although your mother With you in his belly, he doesn't care about both of your mothers." Aunt Lan wiped away her tears and said, "Men are so hard-hearted, they just suffer your mother and you."
"Since I went to sue the official, I made a plan to break with Xie Bingfeng, so how could I become a concubine in the mansion again?" Xia Houlin asked.
Aunt Lan shook her head and said, "At that time, my aunt didn't know that there was already a young master in her stomach, but when she found out, she couldn't get it back. Just ask a woman who can't carry her on her shoulders, how can she support a child without the young master? Dad. She originally refused to go back to the manor, but I persuaded her with all my heart, and she came back."
Xia Houlin opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but Aunt Lan was crying, but couldn't say anything.
Aunt Lan said: "Master is too cruel. My aunt lives in the yard all day long, no one cares and no one cares. After a few years, she gave up."
Xie Jinglan nodded and said, "I see, you should go back soon."
Lian Xiang reluctantly said, "Young Master, you have to take care of yourself." As she spoke, she glared at Xia Houlin, "You take good care of Young Master, this time it's all up to you."
Xia Houlin said dully: "I know."
Closing the door tightly, Xie Jinglan sat on the ground hugging his knees, looking into the darkness, not knowing what he was thinking. He was very silent tonight, hardly saying a word. I don't know when, the candles have been extinguished, the whole room is dark, the darkness as heavy as iron mixed with unspeakable grief pressed on his shoulders, making him unable to raise his head.
If Aunt Lan hadn't persuaded his mother, maybe his mother would not have died of depression.
Perhaps, he will now be a street hooligan like Xia Houlin. He would make trouble with his playmates on the street all day long, and when his mother had time to spare, he would beat him all over the street with a bamboo pole. His playmate would yell, "Xie Jinglan, run! Your mother is going to catch up with you!"
Eyes were sore, and a tiny tear came out of the socket, quivered on the warped eyelashes, and dripped into the collar along the cheek. Fortunately, it was dark in the room and Xiahou Lin could not see.
"Master."
Xia Houlin's voice suddenly sounded, Xie Jinglan burrowed his head into his knees in a panic, for fear that he would see the tears on his face.
"Actually, I lied to you before." Xia Houlin said softly.
"What did you lie to me?" Xie Jinglan tried his best to make his voice sound more normal, but it still showed a bit of a nasal voice, but because he buried his head and the voice came out of his arm, Xia Houlin didn't notice anything unusual about Xie Jinglan. .
"I know who my father is."
"Is he a white-faced scholar? Is he an official?"
"You don't care who it is, you don't know him anyway." Xia Houlin played with his fingers and said, "My mother won't let me recognize him."
Xie Jinglan raised his head and wondered, "Why?"
"My mother said that I am a man who stands above the ground. I can't ask others to be my father. If I want others to call me father, it's best to call me on my knees."
"… "
"Young master, you are more capable than me. You not only ask them to kneel and call your father, but also cry to call your father. Don't bully the poor young man. We will get it back sooner or later."
Xia Houlin said with certainty that both of them were still little brats with no hair, but they seemed to be winning. Xie Jinglan looked at Xia Houlin through the darkness where he could not see his fingers, as if he saw the light shining in his eyes, like the stars in the night.
His eyes are very beautiful, Xia Houlin once said that his eyes are very like his mother. Xie Jinglan thought of the demon-like woman in Dai Shengyan's mouth, as if she could cut everything off with a knife.
For no reason, he just believed it, not knowing whether he believed in himself or Xia Houlin.