Ji Gang said hurriedly, "No, Master Mao didn't send you to Hangzhou. Besides, your uncles, the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Song, have prepared a celebration banquet for you today. The invitations have been sent out. If you don't go, wouldn't that be disrespectful to the Feng family?"
Speaking of the messy family affairs, Mu Chun wanted to jump into the Qinhuai River and drown, so that he could be reborn and have peace. He pointed at his face which was swollen like a pig's head due to mosquito bites, "Do you think that I am giving face to my uncle's family by showing up at the celebration banquet like this?"
Ji Gang looked closely at Mu Chun's "dignified face" and felt that what he said made sense.
Mu Chun and Ji Gang rode together, Mu Chun in front and Ji Gang in the back. Hu Shanwei heard the noise in the carriage and opened the window to see that the two were escorting the carriage outside the window. They turned around and greeted her, "Good morning."
Hu Shanwei was shocked. Mu Chun's face was swollen like a pig's head, his clothes were dirty and full of wrinkles, like five-year-old pickles, and he was barefoot without even shoes or socks. Ji Gang had red lips and white teeth, and his clothes were neat. The two of them sat on the horse's back, one in front and the other behind, just like Zhu Bajie carrying his wife on the stage.
Mu Chun had clearly returned victorious, how come he had turned out like this
Hu Shanwei was confused, but it was not convenient to ask people about privacy on the street. When passing by a pharmacy, Hu Shanwei asked the palace maid Meixiang to buy some ointment for mosquito bites and gave it to Mu Chun.
"Thank you, Sister Shanwei." After getting the ointment, Mu Chun was in a good mood immediately. He picked out a big lump. His face, neck, hands, feet and other exposed skin were all severely affected by mosquito bites. He simply applied the ointment. It felt cool and relieved the itching as soon as it was applied. Mu Chun was so comfortable that he hummed like a well-fed pig.
Muchun's humming could be heard in the carriage, and Meixiang and the two female scholars couldn't help but laugh silently.
Hu Shanwei didn't laugh.
She felt the same pain as Muchun. This spring, her hands were covered with strawberry-like chilblains, which were red, swollen and ugly. She was self-conscious and always rolled up her sleeves to cover the chilblains, so she looked servile and hesitant.
When my hands start to itch, it feels like countless little bugs are drilling in the skin beneath my skin, as if they can't wait to dig out the rotten flesh inside to relieve the itch.
Mu Chun must be feeling very itchy after being bitten by mosquitoes like this.
The moment the plaster was applied to the skin, I felt so comfortable that I wanted to hum.
The most convenient and fastest way to get from Nanjing to Hangzhou is to take a boat and take the Yangtze River. The Qinhuai River in Nanjing's inner city flows directly into the Yangtze River. Everyone boarded the official ship at Taoye Ferry in the west city. When boarding the ship, Ji Gang asked Hu Shanwei: "Hu Dianzheng, this trip to Hangzhou is up to you. Lord Mao did not send Mu Chun to accompany him for protection. Do you really want to take him to Hangzhou?"
This involves the complicated family feud between the Mu and Feng families, as well as the father-son relationship between Mu Ying and Mu Chun, which is similar to that of enemies in their previous life. Ji Gang's reminder is actually well-intentioned. Hu Shanwei is just a small court official and he cannot afford to offend him.
Hu Shanwei was a little hesitant.
Mu Chun said, "Sister Shanwei, my father insisted that I fight him. As a son, I can't really do it even if I want to hit him. If I hit him, it would be unfilial and my life would be ruined. Don't even think about becoming a prince. If I don't fight, I will be beaten in vain. I am an adult now. If I am chased and beaten all over the city again, I will lose face."
Hu Shanwei felt the same way. Just like her stepmother Chen abused her and her hands were almost frozen, she wanted to resist. But the word "filial piety" came to her. If she dared to touch Chen's hair, the government would sentence her to 100 strokes of the cane, ruining her reputation.
Children are just one of the properties of their parents. If they are injured or even killed, it is only the parents' loss, and no one will care about the feelings of the "property".
Hu Shanwei asked him, "If you go to Hangzhou, will your father stop beating you?"
Mu Chun wanted to leave this place immediately. "He is very angry now. If I don't go to my uncle's celebration party today, I guess my uncle will find him to argue. If the Feng family and the Mu family quarrel, who will I help? I might as well leave and come back after things calm down."
Muchun has been caught in the middle for a long time and has gained rich experience.
At this time, Mu Chun was covered with dark brown plaster from head to toe, and only showed his white teeth when he spoke, looking like a Kunlun slave unloading cargo from a large ship at Taoye Ferry.
Someone on the merchant ship next door happened to take a fancy to Mu Chun, pointed at him and asked, "Hey, how much is your Kunlun slave rented for a day?"
Ji Gang and others all laughed.
Hu Shanwei did not laugh. She just felt sad, as if she was the one being laughed at.
"Get on the boat and let's go," said Hu Shanwei.
"Thank you, Sister Shanwei." Mu Chun was overjoyed and jumped onto the official ship. He was lively by nature and somersaulted happily on the deck, instantly turning sadness into joy.
Others say that he is simple-minded, but growing up in such an environment, if one is too cunning, life will be too tiring. Mu Chun would rather drink and enjoy life today and be happy every day.
The official ship set sail, passed Longjiang Post Station, and entered the Yangtze River. It was late summer, the river breeze was cool, and the reeds on both sides of the river, more than one meter tall, had matured and bloomed, and the white petals were entangled with the river breeze.
"Kunlun slaves" Mu Chun and Hu Shanwei stood at the stern, "… This is what happened." Mu Chun spread his hands helplessly, "No matter what I did, it was wrong. I came back from a life-threatening situation, thinking that I had done a great deed and that my father would look at me with new eyes from now on. But he immediately gave me a blow and even questioned whether my military exploits were in vain, because I killed bandits, not the Hu-Mei rebels. How could there be such a father? He is not happy when his son has made progress, and he has to throw dirty water on his own son. Is he satisfied?"
"Why do you treat me like this?" Mu Chun punched the railing, "Am I not his biological child?"
This made even Hu Shanwei doubt Muchun's bloodline. But soon, she gave up this terrible idea. The marriage was granted by Emperor Hongwu, and both parties were from famous families, so there was no way it could go wrong. Feng's marriage was unfortunate and she died early due to dystocia, which was already tragic. She could no longer doubt her reputation.
Hu Shanwei said, "Don't be so outspoken. If your uncle's family hears what you said, you will be beaten."
Because of his mother's death, Mu Chun's father was displeased and his uncle didn't love him.
Mu Chun said, "He doesn't like my mother, and he doesn't like the Feng family. The more the Feng family forced him to ask for the title of Crown Prince for me, the more he deliberately dragged his feet. His reason before was that I had not done anything, so it was difficult to ask for the title. Now that I have done a great job, he slandered me for making up my achievements. Bah, I don't want to be a Crown Prince. From now on, I will earn my own future. He can give the title of Crown Prince to whoever he wants. Anyway, I still have three younger brothers, so let them take it!"
After saying this, Mu Chun suddenly felt relieved. He had the ability and the emperor and empress as his strong backing, so why should he worry about his future
Upon hearing this, Hu Shanwei felt the same way and said, "Yes, once you get out of your ordinary thoughts, you will suddenly see the light. When I was a copyist at home, I felt that Yinglingfang, Chengxian Street, and Hujia Bookstore were the whole world. At that time, I felt that my lifelong support was my dowry and the man I would marry in the future. Now that I think about it, I was so superficial that even the smallest things would make me upset and cry."
"After passing the examination for female officials and entering the palace, I discovered how big the world is. It turns out that I can do a lot of things besides copying books and being someone's wife. I saw female officials such as Fan Gongzheng, Cao Shanggong, and Ru Siyao in the palace. It turns out that women can also make a difference, be officials, get promoted, and have power like men."
Hu Shanwei's eyes sparkled. "After I entered the palace, I went through many twists and turns and was busy all day, but I felt fulfilled and happy. I even..."
Hu Shanwei took a deep breath, as if to cheer himself up, and mustered up the courage to say the man's name, "I rarely even think about Wang Ning. In the past, I was looking forward to his return happily, but now I am alone in my boudoir, and I have spent my whole life in self-pity. Now I think about it, if my stepmother had not abused me and my father had not ignored me, forcing me to run away from home and steal the household registration to take the examination for a female official, I would have been in tears and gloom all my life, with no value and no future."
Hu Shanwei encouraged Mu Chun, and seemed to be encouraging himself, "Look, life gives us difficulties, we turn suffering into wealth, don't use your energy on resentment, you will live better than before, have a broader vision, and live happily. I can do it, and you can definitely do it too."
The two have different backgrounds, genders, identities, and personalities, but they are soulmates.
Mu Chun was very moved. They were both abandoned by their loved ones, but they met each other by chance and found a soulmate. It shows that God is fair.
After consoling Mu Chun, Hu Shanwei returned to the cabin to teach Mei Xiang. Mu Chun looked at her from behind. She was wearing an official robe and hat, with her back straight. Her back alone gave people a sense of confidence and vigor.
It was hard to imagine that she was the same person as the thin, timid, hunched-backed, and timid copyist in Tibet five months ago.
Without Wang Ning and her fiancé, she is actually living a better life, and she likes the way she is now.
Mu Chun suddenly remembered that Wang Ning was still alive and had become an undercover agent of the Ming Dynasty in the Northern Yuan Dynasty. He boarded the ship to Hangzhou. In addition to escaping the disputes at home, he also wanted to tell Hu Shanwei the whereabouts of her fiancé.
However, when Mu Chun saw Hu Shanwei, who was very satisfied with the current situation, had great ambitions and was determined to fight for his future, he hesitated when the words came to his lips.
Mu Chun first tested her thoughts, "Sister Shanwei!"
Hu Shanwei turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"
Mu Chun: "You are determined to become an official and get promoted, but as a female official, you are in the palace and cannot get married unless you retire. What if you meet Wang Ning... or a better man?"
Hu Shanwei smiled and said, "A woman should obey her father at home and her husband after marriage. How I live my life depends on how my father and husband are willing to treat me. If they treat me well, I will be good. If they change their minds and treat me badly, they will be like my father. Or, like Wang Ning, they will simply die and can no longer protect me. I am like a snail that has been stripped of its shell, crawling on the ground with difficulty. Anyone can step on me. I have no ability to protect myself, let alone resist."
Hu Shanwei spread out his sleeves, looked toward the eastward-flowing river and the reeds on both sides, and said loudly: "From now on, I, Hu Shanwei, will learn to grow out of my own shell."
The author has something to say: Let's sing together~~~~~"Should we put down our heavy shells and look for where the blue sky is? Floating lightly with the gentle wind, we won't feel any pain from the injuries we've experienced.
I will climb up step by step, waiting for the sunshine, looking at its face quietly. The little sky has big dreams, wrapped in a heavy shell, looking up gently.
I will climb up step by step, and fly forward on the leaves at the highest point. With the tears and sweat I shed in this little sky, one day I will have a sky of my own.
We will continue to give out 100 red envelopes tonight. In addition, there is a quiz with prizes. The first person who answers correctly will receive a big red envelope of 100 points.
Please listen to the question:
Who wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the song "Snail"