"Do you think I look like I can sing? I'll be a little bit better at dancing."
Xie Jinglan suddenly remembered the white light shot from Xia Houlin's wrist before boarding the boat, grabbed his right hand, and ripped off his sleeve. Xia Houlin was unprepared and was caught in the face. Xie Jinglan took a closer look and asked curiously, "What is this?"
On his wrist was an iron wrist guard with a small crossbow. Xie Jinglan looked at him suspiciously and said, "How could you have such a thing?"
"Uh..." Xia Houlin hummed for a long time, but didn't say why.
"You mentioned your mother in the library before, and just now you said that you are going south and north. Could it be..."
Xia Houlin was sweating profusely, and his hands and feet were cold. He wondered how to smooth things out this time. It would be bad if Xie Jinglan knew that he was an assassin. Once the assassin's identity was revealed, he had to evacuate.
Although he hasn't put up a sign yet, he's not really an assassin.
Xie Jinglan looked suddenly realized, and said, "Your mother is also a thief. Stealing is your family's ancestral business? Then this can't be called a thief, it has to be called a thief."
Xia Houlin: "...you say yes, then it is..."
Xie Jinglan put down his sleeves and said, "You have to keep this stuff away, so that no one else will find out. I know that poetry and books can be passed down to the family, and martial arts can be passed down to the family, but I didn't expect that stealing can become an ancestor's business. It's not what a gentleman does, but fortunately, you are good now, and you will have a good life and work in the future, so don't do such deeds again."
Xiahou Lin agreed graciously, and secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Xie Jinglan looked at the faint clouds of smoke in the sky. Occasionally, birds flew by, and they disappeared in a moment.
If it becomes a cloud of smoke and birds in the sky, ignorant and unaware, can there be no resentment and no hatred.
He said softly, "Xiahou Rin, tell me about your parents."
"what?"
"I thought that although my mother died, at least I still have a father. He is just far away in the capital and can't take care of me, but he must still miss me. I didn't expect that he forgot that he had a son like me." Xie Jinglan smiled bitterly, "Tell me about your parents. I'm curious about what it's like to have parents."
"Well, actually, I don't have a father either." Xia Houlin scratched his head, "I followed my mother since I was a child. I used to live in the mountains. I didn't see each other for a few months. But as long as my mother was free, she would take me to the mountains to hunt pheasants, catch rabbits, and dig out bird nests. It was fun.
"The conditions on the mountain are not good, especially in our area, where there are horns and horns, there is often famine, and money is not easy to use. Sometimes the family can't open the pot, and my mother will lead me several miles to other people's homes. Begging for nothing. Sometimes my mother has a lot of face, so I can have a meal. Sometimes other people run out of rice and drive us out with a broom. But my mother taught me not to be afraid. Shame on you, it's yours when you eat it."
Xie Jinglan didn't know what to put on her face, so after deliberating on the words for a long time, she slowly commented: "Your mother is really... Zhuoran is outstanding."
In this way, it seems that it is still better than a mother.
Xia Houlin naively thought that Xie Jinglan was really complimenting people, and smiled embarrassedly: "Although my mother is sometimes unreliable, sewing clothes can make holes bigger, cooking can burn down the house, but she But we are the most famous people in this industry." Xia Houlin danced with excitement, and lied casually, anyway, it is enough to express his mother's ability to go to the sky, "There is nothing in the world that my mother can't steal, Even if it is the night pearl on the golden crown of the emperor, it is like searching for something."
Xie Jinglan corrected: "The emperor does not wear a golden crown, but a black gauze, and there is no night pearl on it."
"What about him, it's all the same." Xiahou waved his hand indifferently, "As for my father, alas, I have also investigated who my father is for a long time. I think my father may be a hero in the arena, after all, according to me Mother's temperament, she will never like a white-faced scholar. Sooner or later, he will pick me and my mother on a horse, and then we will roam the rivers and lakes and be happy. "
Sometimes, there is hope when the truth is unknown. Like Xie Jinglan, his own mother was buried by himself, and his father was clearly in front of him.
Although both of them knew very well, Xia Houlin's heroic father was just a bubble in the water, and if he poked it with a needle, he would flicker and disappear without a trace.
"Then where is your mother now, why did she sell you to someone else?"
"My mother took a business and went to the Western Regions. Before she left, she entrusted me to my uncle. My uncle thought I was in the way, so he sold me. He said that when my mother came back, he would buy me back."
"..." What kind of family is this.
Xie Jinglan suddenly felt that it was a blessing from a previous life that Xia Houlin could grow to such a size intact.
"But my uncle said that our business is a life-threatening business, and no one in the mountain can live beyond the age of forty. This time I went to the Western Regions and broke two seniors. I don't know if my mother will be able to come back safely."
"So dangerous? If so, why do you want to take over this deal?"
Xia Houlin didn't want to explain in depth, so he said covertly, "Alas, we are coerced by others to do what we do, and we can't help ourselves. We have a boss, and if we don't do it, he will kill him."
Xie Jinglan couldn't understand what he heard, but fortunately, he was not someone who asked the bottom line. Seeing Xia Houlin's appearance, he could also guess that this was their secret, so it was inconvenient to say more, so he could only comfort him awkwardly: "It's okay, your mother is so powerful. , I will definitely be able to come back to pick you up safely."
Xiahou Li responded hastily.
Uncle Duan said that the Western Regions were dangerous and unpredictable, but he stubbornly believed that his mother was invincible in the world. Not because he really believed in his mother's strength, but because he didn't want to think deeply.
Without words for a while, Xiahou Linjiu was a little bit up, blushing, and turned to look at Xie Jinglan, his brows were slightly wrinkled, and his expression was a little lonely.
Xia Houlin leaned over, hugged Xie Jinglan, and said with a smile: "Why, I can't bear to see you, Lord? Don't worry, Lord will come to see you every time! We are good brothers!"
Xie Jinglan turned his head and hummed, "Who is your good brother, you are my book boy and my servant!"
After speaking, he lowered his eyes, and the crescent-like eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, covering the emotions in his eyes. He has long understood that no one can accompany anyone forever. If Mother is gone, Aunt Lan will also go, so will Lianxiang, and Xia Houlin is no exception. The difference is only sooner or later.
Since sooner or later we have to separate, there is some love, so don't take it too seriously.
He freed Xia Houlin's hand without a trace, and walked on the gravel road with his head sullen. No matter how Xia Houlin shouted behind him, he did not look back.
Lianxiang and Aunt Lan were overjoyed when they heard the good news. Lian Xiang saw that Xia Houlin really helped Xie Jinglan, and no longer treated him coldly as before, made rice cakes in the evening, and brought Xia Houlin an unprecedented serving.
However, Xia Houlin gradually discovered that no matter what he did, Xie Jinglan didn't respond as if he couldn't see him. Even if Xia Houlin accidentally poured the tea at Xie Jinglan's feet, Xie Jinglan just lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, then walked away and continued reading. His mouth was tightly closed, and he just refused to say a word to him.
It is said that according to the temperament of the eldest lady who couldn't see any stains in the past, she should have been furious long ago.
Aunt Rulan and Lian Xiang both discovered something was wrong with Xie Jinglan, and they secretly discussed that the young master's temperament was a lot colder, whether it was someone who pulled out the tiger's beard and angered the young master. The two of them reflected on themselves one by one, and they both felt that they could get rid of the suspicion, so they brought Xia Houlin to interrogate him. Poor Xia Houlin was still confused.
Before Xia Houlin could figure out the reason, someone came from the eldest lady and brought a pile of books, pen, ink, paper and inkstone, as well as a complete set of cabinets and desks. As soon as the leading maid entered the yard, she shouted: "Oh, how can the third young master live in such a poor place? He doesn't even have a study room, how do you servants do things? I don't know how to report to the housekeeper if the room leaks. Come to make up? Come and come, hurry up, quickly clean up this, and have to clean up a study room!"
Lianxiang muttered strangely: "I don't know where the demon wind is blowing the weasel."
This is really strange. There are so many people in Qiuwuyuan, which usually no one cares, and they are more noisy than each other, making Xie Jinglan's head hurt. The maid was again accusing Aunt Lan of being clumsy, and being critical of Xiahou Lian's clumsiness. She assigned four or five maids and servants to stay and waited on her. Xie Jinglan refused to keep Xia Houlin's job, and put the child in the study to do some odd jobs.
In fact, Xia Houlin really hoped to be in the top position. It would be nice to stay in the study every day and read the book.
"Third young master, I'm really sorry that I have only sent the four treasures of the study to the appliances. The eldest lady personally went to the street to buy them, and invited craftsmen to enter the house to make cabinets and desks. You can see that these are all fine pear trees. , I hope the young master is not to blame." The grandmother stepped forward and gave a blessing and said.
Xie Jinglan nodded expressionlessly and said nothing. He pointed at Xia Houlin and asked him to take some pens, ink, paper and inkstone and send them to the back room. At the same time, there was an order prohibiting anyone other than Xia Houlin from entering his bedroom.
Mammy's expression changed, thinking that this child would know Liwei at such a young age.
If Xia Houlin knew that Mammy thought so, he would definitely have a stomachache from laughing, but Xie Jinglan was actually just disgusting people outside for being unclean. You must know that Xia Houlin, the only one who can enter his bedroom, must take three baths a day under his coercion and inducement, although Xia Houlin's three baths are three buckets of water.
The craftsman was repairing the house, and the ding ding rang non-stop, Xie Jinglan turned a deaf ear, greedily caressing the coveted rice paper, the soft touch made him fascinated. He used to practice calligraphy on rough grass paper. Last time Xia Houlin gave him rice paper, but he didn't dare to use it. Now he can use the first-class Xuan paper in an open and honest way.
He looked at it carefully, and it was the same as the one in Xie Jingtao's house.
I can't wait to grind the ink and put down the pen, the tip of the pen lightly touches the paper. I wrote a few words, barely able to catch my eye. Looking up, he saw Xia Houlin flipping through his new book boredly, handing over the pen and asking Xiahou Lin to write a few words for him to see.
Xia Houlin did not refuse, and immediately wrote his name on it. Xie Jinglan looked at it, and only felt that such a fine rice paper was wasted. The word was really informal, with branches and vines growing at random, and the pattern randomly arranged by the ants was more beautiful than this word.
"I haven't practiced, I'm just writing, you're just looking at it." Xiahou Rin put down his pen, propped his head up and watched the chickens and dogs outside the window, "The madam and your father have the same morality, look at you, look at you. I have become a disciple of Dai Shengyan, so I have sent so many things."
Xie Jinglan had a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and she was in a bright mood. Just as she was about to take Xia Houlin's words, she remembered that he should leave him on the air, and if she was about to say it, she picked up the pen and practiced her calligraphy with concentration.
Xia Houlin was at a loss, thinking about breaking his head and not knowing where he had offended him. He stared at Xie Jinglan for a long time, and suddenly figured out a sense of alienation from Xie Jinglan's performance in the past few days.
In addition to not speaking, the guy avoided meeting him. Originally living under the same roof, looking up and not seeing him, Xie Jinglan just didn't meet him in the past few days. If it wasn't for the pen, ink, paper, inkstone and inkstone sent by the people of the eldest lady today, Xie Jinglan disliked the uncleanness of the people outside, and he still couldn't enter the inner room.
But it's good, why does this guy keep away from him
There was a knock on the door, Xia Houlin pushed it open, and Madam Liu, who had spoken before, stood at the door and said to Xie Jinglan, "Young master, Madam said that you are in good health recently, and the rules of keeping your mind at dawn and dusk cannot be broken. Nian pity, you are weak and have not taught you the rules well. Now you are Mr. Dai's disciple, so naturally you must know the etiquette. After dinner in the evening, Madam invites you to study etiquette in the main courtyard. No, it's a joke."
Xie Jinglan nodded coldly: "I see."
The two fell into an awkward silence again, Xie Jinglan ignored it and picked up the book to read.
Xia Houlin was very bored in the study. Xie Jinglan, the wooden nerd who only knew how to read and write, couldn't make a fart with ten sticks, so he was full of strength to be a gourd with a saw. Xia Houlin was bored, sneaked back to the house to sleep, and was caught by the newcomer Liu Mama.
Madam Liu saw that Xia Houlin was not pleasing to the eye. In just one afternoon, she took this matter and made a lot of slander in front of Xie Jinglan. Xie Jinglan felt a pain in her head, so she simply let Xia Houlin sleep in the study.
Anyway, with the door closed, no one knew whether Xia Houlin was serving tea or water or sleeping.
It's just that Xie Jinglan couldn't help but wonder who was the young master and who was the servant when he saw him sleeping all over the place. Speechless and speechless, Xie Jinglan resigned himself to refilling the tea, polished the ink, and pulled a quilt that slipped off Xia Houlin's body.