31.
While Fang Tinglan was upstairs talking to the lord, Hailian was downstairs helping the cook... kill a chicken.
He cut the throat to bleed, boiled water to pluck the hair, and the knife line was printed on the chicken's chest and abdomen. In a short time, he emptied the internal organs and placed them on the table one by one. After dozens of wrist movements, the chicken was evenly formed. Throwing a piece into the bowl, the fat cook was very surprised, and asked him if he had been an apprentice in a tavern when he was a child, Hailian shook his head.
"The reasoning is the same." He didn't want to say anything more, and Mrs. Yonoel called his name in the living room, so Hailian put down the kitchen knife and walked out.
"It's a rare time for you to come, so I'm sorry to ask you for help." Madam smiled apologetically.
"It's okay, let's go." Hailian sat back in the living room and continued the previous topic, "Is Xiaoyu okay?"
"She is very good," the old lady nodded. "When I came back last time, I said that Her Royal Highness admired her very much. The other ladies in Chuizhi Court also treated her very well. There is only one thing that is not good."
Hailian was startled, and hurriedly asked, "What is it?"
The old lady stretched out her index finger and pointed at Hailian: "Only one thing is that her brother always doesn't want to see her, which makes her feel bad." She moved towards Hailian's direction, "Your brother is a monster, obviously Every time I come here, I have to ask about Xiaoyu's situation, lest she be wronged a little, so why don't you want to see her?"
Why
Hai Lian lowered his head. When he just killed the chicken, one or two drops of blood splashed on his fingertips. Although he had washed them with water, there were still dark red marks trapped between his fingers. He curled up his bloody fingers: "She is now She is already the Viscount's adopted daughter, so why have a brother from a slum, it's not good for her reputation."
"Lying again." The old lady sighed.
Helian was silent.
"I said it, and the master also said that although you only wanted us to adopt Haiyu back then, if you want, we can also create an identity for you." Madam Yonoel stared at Hailian's drooping eyelashes, "You know I know that for the past three years, my master and I have regarded you as our own child."
"Forget it, I'm a gangster. What does it matter to be a lord, a scholar, and a son of a robber." Hailian smiled, he turned his head, and the sound of pots and pots being stewed could already be heard from the kitchen next door Sound, the scent of flowers on the table seems to be absent, it is the smell that will be at home.
"The old man and I never thought you were a gangster," Mrs. Yonoel shook her head, "The gangster will not save the kidnapped person, nor will he save the carload of children who will be sent to be slaves—"
"That's just a deal!" Hailian blurted out, "I saved you because your son died, and because I couldn't support Xiaoyu. Don't think of me so noble!"
The tone was so strong that even the cook poked her head out of the kitchen: "Madam?"
"We're fine, you can continue to work." The old lady waved the cook to go back, then turned her head and frowned, "Hai Lian..."
"Ma'am, I had a good life when I was young, that's enough. I had a father and a mother, and I didn't have to worry about food and clothing. My father took me to see the sea of flowers on the outskirts of Taiyan City, and my mother made sweet mash for me. , and Xiaoyu has nothing. She lost her mother when she was born, and after a few years in Tisu, her father disappeared, and we were the only ones left, but she followed me and could only go to the port every day to dig through garbage, and even , even..." When he said this, his eyes were already flushed, but he gritted his teeth and refused to cry, "I want her to live a good life, she is more worthy of a good life than me. I'm already like this, I don't want Haiyu to live again Follow me, you just came to your door, that's all."
After the young man finished speaking this long paragraph, his chest rose and fell several times before he calmed down and breathed: "I know what you want to say, ma'am, but I'm not worth it. I'm fine alone." He emphasized.
"Since you don't want to accept the money today, you can keep it for Xiaoyu. It can be regarded as my future dowry money for Xiaoyu." Hailian sniffed hard and stood up, "She has you and the old man now. , there will be a good man to be her husband to take care of her in the future, as for me, I am really not a competent brother, so it should be better."
When he said this, he turned around and wanted to leave, but the old lady quickly grabbed his wrist: "You don't want her as a younger sister, so who are you going to give the clothes she made?"
"...what clothes?" Hailian was taken aback.
"Xiaoyu went home once last month. You avoided her and didn't want to see her, so she had to leave a shirt she made for you at home and asked me to pass it to you." Mrs. Yonoel also stood up, "Even if you want to leave, take your things with you. You can't let such a bad old man wear young people's clothes." After she finished speaking with a smile, she patted the back of Hailian's hand and turned to go to the inner room.
After a while, the old lady walked out with a snow-white silk dress, and the sea connected.
Hai Lian himself had worn this tattered single shirt for many years, not only the shoulders and elbows were worn out, but also the yellow, gray and gray mess caused by fighting in the black boxing ring a few days ago was deeply imprinted on it. On rough linen. And the clothes in his hand feel as soft as the tender skin of a baby, and the white silk can almost glow under the evening light—this kind of fabric is probably not seen in the closets of the dandies in Shiratori District. There is one.
"Xiaoyu said that because of her good paperwork, Her Royal Highness rewarded her with a piece of Dongzhou silk, and she used it to make this dress. It was the first time she cut a dress, but the stitches were not good enough, and the collar was still hanging The sisters in the court sewed it for her, she knew she couldn’t see it, so she asked me to help her see if it fits, would you like to try it on?” the old lady suggested with a smile.
"I..." the young man stammered a bit, "I can't..."
"Try it," the old lady said softly, "Young man looks so good-looking, he must look good in clothes."
"That's right, it's pretty." The cook came out to help while wiping her hands in her apron. She lifted her fat arm and grabbed Hailian's shoulder, "If I have money and a beautiful son like you, I wish I could You are being told to wear such clothes every day! Am I right, ma'am?"
Madam Yonoel nodded with a smile.
When Hai Lian sent Hai Yu to the Viscount and his wife, the little girl was twelve years old, and her body only reached his chest, like a thin kitten. Because of his guilt towards the girl, he has avoided seeing the girl for three years. He would rather Haiyu never have his brother, but the other party has never forgotten him for a moment—the shoulder width of the clothes, the length of the arms, he knows it will be perfect for him without trying. .
The young men traveling across land and sea have held knives, hemp ropes, rudder wheels, and the arms of dead people in their hands, and they have never trembled in the slightest. At this moment, their palms can't support such a light clothes, as if it is a heavy weight. Heart.
"Wait, I'm still..." Before Hailian could say anything more, the cook pushed her into the inner room beside her and closed the door behind her. He listened to the old lady outside the door instructing the cook to prepare the table for dinner, and sighed.
32.
When Hai Lian changed her clothes and opened the door, Lord Yonoel from upstairs happened to come down holding a candlestick.
The old man didn't realize that there was an extra person in the family for a moment, he squinted his eyes to recognize it, and then exclaimed: "You are... Hailian?!"
"It's me, Sir." Hailian smiled awkwardly. Just as he was about to salute the Viscount, his already stiff expression froze in an instant.
Unsurprisingly, he saw Fang Tinglan following the Viscount down the stairs.
The pupils of the other party were also full of surprise, not so much an accident, but rather a mixture of many emotions that people can't distinguish clearly. Holding the handrail, the man slowly smiled at Hailian: "Good evening, Hailian."
The lord was surprised: "You know each other?"
In order to prevent Fang Tinglan from talking nonsense again, Hai Lian hurriedly said: "Yes, my neighbor." By the way, he gave Fang Tinglan a warning look.
"Well, I live downstairs in Hailian," Fang Tinglan said along with him, "During the time I came to Jiumeng, Hailian helped a lot. It's a coincidence that we met here today."
"It's a coincidence." Hailian gritted his teeth.
It's a pity that the old lady neither saw Hailian's eyes nor heard the tone squeezed out between the young man's teeth. She looked pleasantly surprised, as if the lonely young son had finally made friends, and warmly greeted: "Then the guest just happens to have dinner together. In the evening, I will call a carriage to take you back together. By the way, old man, I said that Xiaoyu must know her brother well, look, how well it fits you."
"Not bad, not bad," the old man came down, looked at it carefully, and nodded while touching the well-maintained beard on his chin. "It fits well, and it fits the temperament, and the waist should be straighter."
Hai Lian moved his lips. He could neither reject the old lady's kindness nor listen to the old man's words. Finally, he straightened his shoulders and nodded in agreement to the dinner invitation. The young man felt uncomfortable, and tried not to look at the burning gaze beside him, so he simply turned around and asked the old lady: "I'm done trying, can I change it back? Such expensive clothes, it doesn't matter if they get dirty after eating." it is good."
"Go." The old lady was very satisfied, her eyes were bright, and she sighed softly when she looked at Hailian, "Speaking of which, I seem to have a few of Cleo's clothes, you can take them back later."
"Don't stop, the people in the mud areas are so easy to be robbed. You go to the dining room, and I will come over when I change my clothes." Hailian quickly waved his hand to stop. When he was beside him, he suddenly raised his hand to grab the other's arm, "Come in with me."
Fang Tinglan didn't expect this, he was staggered by Hai Lian, almost staggered into the room. As soon as he stood still, Hailian closed the door and asked directly, "What are you doing here?"
"Business."
Hailian obviously didn't believe it.
"It's really serious. The old man knows the clues of the person I want you to kill for me, so I came here to inquire about it," Fang Tinglan explained, "I didn't expect you to be here."
"real?"
"Really, I'll tell you the details after dinner." Fang Tinglan smiled sincerely.
Hai Lian frowned, the other party talked too much, he was still dubious: "Let's say you didn't lie to me, go out, I'll change clothes."
"You lied to me, Hailian."
"What did I lie to you?"
"You told me that your family members are all dead. But if I didn't miss it just now..." Fang Tinglan pointed to the clothes on Hailian's body, "Xiaoyu is your sister?"
The young man's face changed under the light, and he suppressed it immediately, and replied in a blunt tone: "I don't have a younger sister. It's the daughter of the Viscount and his wife, and it has nothing to do with me."
"Really?" Fang Tinglan didn't point it out, but said with emotion, "It seems that this lady likes you very much, so she can tailor such a close-fitting dress."
Hailian lowered her eyes to look at her body, and the light white knife mark at the end of her eyes twitched slightly: "... probably."
He was too lazy to drive the other party out, so he hurriedly took off his new clothes, and was about to put them away when Fang Tinglan picked them up. The man said softly, "Obviously I cherish it, why pretend not to like it just to get angry with me? I'll fold it for you." .”
Hailian's throat choked up, and he couldn't express what he was feeling. He simply bit his lips and refused to answer. He turned his head to grab the old clothes, but just as he stretched out his hands from his sleeves, the Dongzhou fox beside him suddenly opened his mouth again. .
"You have always been hostile to me, is it because Huisha died in that naval battle?"
When Hai Lian heard this, his hands paused. He first pulled up his sleeves and straightened the corners of his clothes before replying, "No."
As soon as the words fell, Fang Tinglan felt his chest sinking—the other party suddenly turned around and held down his front, and at the same time, a hook was caught on his feet. Fang Tinglan couldn't hold his balance, and fell back into a table against the wall. In the soft chair, the old wood supporting it was suddenly stressed, making a sharp creaking sound.
"Fang Tinglan, you can't finish it! If it weren't for the two people outside who didn't like to see me with a knife, I didn't bring anything with me today, I would have—"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
These four words immediately suppressed Hailian's anger.
Fang Tinglan leaned on the back of the chair and looked up at Hai Lian—if it wasn't for the cold anger in his eyes, this would indeed be an extremely ambiguous gesture. He maintained this posture and raised his eyebrows: "You haven't finished answering my question yet."
"I said it's not because of the dust." Hai Lian said.
"Then why?"
"I hate your smile."
"laugh?"
"I don't like the way you smile at me, at O'Brien, at Quicksilver, at anyone. You are the same at acquaintances, at strangers, only those who act in the theater smile like that Mercury told me that you have a problem, and I also know that your purpose of coming to Tisu is not simple, so I will not ask you, and you should leave me alone. There is only one thing," Hailian's eyes fell on the corner of Fang Tinglan's mouth For a moment, then move up slowly until you look into those dark eyes, "Don't expect me to be friends with a dummy."
Fang Tinglan was surprised by the other party's intuition: "You are the first person to say that. Even if other people can see it, they would rather be friends with such a person."
"Others are other people, I am me." Hailian said.
The distance between the two was so close that they almost smelled each other. Hailian opened and closed her thin lips when she spoke, and Fang Tinglan could almost hear the subtle sticky sound of the other's teeth touching the tip of her tongue. He stared at the backlit face of the little pirate under the light, and a thought suddenly crossed his mind for no reason.
Although the new clothes are also very good-looking, but this kind of casual unlined shirt is more suitable for him.
Seeing the other party's absent-minded expression, Hailian became more angry, and couldn't help raising his voice: "Do you understand?"
"Understood." Fang Tinglan nodded, and he sighed deliberately, "Then what should I do so that His Excellency Hailian, the number one assassin and pirate in Jiumeng, will not be so hostile to me?"
"How?" Hailian twitched the corner of her mouth.
In the next second, Hai Lian's face, which was originally very close, moved back a little, and then slammed forward. Fang Tinglan was shocked. Just when he thought their lips were about to collide, there was a sudden flash in front of his eyes. Hei, on the contrary, there was a sudden sharp pain on his forehead: "Hiss—"
This hit was not light, and Hailian's forehead was also red. He finally let go of his grip on the other side's skirt, took a step back, and for the first time showed a smug and wanton smile in front of Fang Tinglan.
"You're more pleasing to the eye when you're drunk," he said.