The snow had stopped but the sky had not cleared up yet. There was still thick snow on the streets. The road was cold and slippery, and there were few pedestrians. Lian Da was a very experienced driver, and he drove the carriage along the ruts made by other carriages, and he was not going slowly.
The carriage was very warm. Perhaps because of Feng's instructions, Lian Sao placed a semi-enclosed brass brazier. She sat in a corner by herself, but pushed the brazier in front of Mei Niang. Mei Niang smiled, leaned over and pulled her over, asking her to warm herself by the fire. Lian Sao couldn't refuse, so she didn't refuse anymore. She sat opposite Mei Niang, but just looked at her and said with a smile:
"My lady looks really good in this outfit. There is no other handsome young man on the street like you!"
Mei Niang said: "Isn't our master good?"
Lian's wife said hurriedly: "Well, well, only our uncle can compare with you, I haven't seen anyone else!"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "It's a pity that I didn't grow into a man, otherwise... By the way, Sister Lian, just call me Second Master outside!"
"Oh! I can save myself that."
Lian's wife immediately turned around, lifted the carriage curtain, and shouted outside: "Old man, did you hear me? Just call me Second Master!"
Mei Niang was sweating. Fortunately, she had already left the city, otherwise it would have been strange to hear her shouting in the street.
General Lian wrapped his cotton robe tightly around him, turned around and pulled down the carriage curtain, and shouted in a buzzing voice:
"What are you yelling about? Do I need you to teach me? Be careful of the cold wind, or you'll freeze me, or you'll suffer!"
Lian's wife muttered, "This damn old man!"
Mei Niang laughed: "Sister Lian, Brother Lian is only in his early thirties, why are you calling him an old man?"
Lian's wife said, "You can't call him old man? Your eldest son is already thirteen years old, and your two daughters are seven and nine years old."
Mei Niang enviously said, "You two are so lucky to have a son and a daughter, both grown up!"
Lian's wife grinned, "Hey, that's nothing. I don't know, the Lu Fu couple who came with us as housemates are younger than us and have seven children. One a year, that's a real blessing!"
Mei Niang was stunned. She couldn't help shuddering, imagining a woman giving birth every year for seven years with her stomach never idle.
Lian's wife hurriedly moved the brazier closer: "Are you feeling cold, aunt? Do you want some more charcoal?"
Mei Niang nodded: "Add more, the charcoal fire is strong, and the car will be warmer. And tell Brother Lian: Can you go faster?"
Lian's wife shouted outside: "Old man, the second master said: Can you go faster?"
Lian shouted in: "Alright! Sit tight, the snow is not smooth, it will bump!"
As expected, as the speed of the car increased, the carriage became chaotic, with cushions and blankets flying everywhere and the brazier moving left and right. Lian Sao was trying to protect the brazier, while Mei Niang just sat on the cushions under her buttocks, smiling and swaying her body like dancing as the car bumped around. Lian Sao was stunned and thought that this young lady was really a deity who could endure such up and down bouncing. Little did she know that in her previous life she could ride the roller coaster two or three times in a row, go on pirate ships and bungee jumping, and yet she was afraid of riding in a carriage
After running for a while, the car suddenly stopped. Lian's wife breathed a sigh of relief, let go of the brazier, and shouted outside:
"Why don't you run away?"
There was silence outside the car for a while, then Lian Da jumped out of the car and ran away. He heard him talking to someone, then he ran back and approached the car and said:
"My Lord, someone blocked our way and said he wanted to see you!"
Lian Sao looked at Mei Niang blankly and shouted, "No, no, our master won't see anyone!"
Lian Da lifted the curtain, poked his head in, and whispered, "That gentleman doesn't look like an ordinary person. He is accompanied by four or five fierce-looking men. They have horses, but that gentleman can't ride them. They said they want to trade their horses for our carriage!"
"How ridiculous!" Mei Niang said, "What should we do if we give him the carriage? I can't ride a horse!"
Lian Da said, "But they won't let us go. What should we do? If we charge in headfirst, I'm afraid we won't be able to get through. If we fight, we won't be able to defeat them either... Otherwise, should we run back?"
Mei Niang was a little nervous: Damn it, my trip was not going well, how come I encountered a roadblock
She thought for a moment and said to Lian Da, "Go and tell him that we won't change carriages. If he is really too injured to walk, you can give him a ride."
Lian Da ran away, and soon he heard many people's footsteps coming towards him. Did they really accept help? Mei Niang's heartbeat accelerated, and she regretted this decision a little, but there seemed to be no other way except this.
He forced himself to remain calm and told Lian Sao: "Just sit aside, don't be afraid!"
Mrs. Lian nodded and stood still obediently.
Someone outside the car said loudly: "I am Xing, and I would like to invite Master Qin to meet me!"
Mei Niang calculated the direction from which the sound came, and imagined that Xing must be standing on the right, three or two steps away from the carriage, slightly bowing and waiting. She couldn't help gritting her teeth and closing her eyes: There's no way to escape. Well, I'm ready to do what I do, so why should I be afraid of seeing them
She adjusted her hair bun, straightened her clothes, walked out of the carriage with confidence, stood at the shaft, raised her hands and bowed, and said in a deliberately low voice:
"Brother Xing is polite! I am Qin Er. I feel a little cold and cannot stand in the wind for a long time. I hope you can understand!"
As he was speaking, he looked around and was almost frightened to the point of falling out of the car.
Lian Da only said that there were four or five of them, how could they be more than that? Without counting, she knew that there were no less than a dozen people standing below her, looking up at her. They were all strong and sturdy, tall and strong, wearing tight clothes, wearing black cloaks embroidered with gold patterns, with white faces, black beards, and mustaches. They had different faces and extraordinary demeanors. Among them, there was a handsome and arrogant young man who looked like he had come out of a cartoon. He was wearing a cloak made entirely of silver fox fur. The gorgeousness of it greatly shocked Mei Niang's pitiful vanity. She snatched a silver fox fur cloak from Zheng Meiyu's hand, thinking that it was good enough to have that little decoration. There was really a world beyond the world. The handsome man in front of her was amazing! Fortunately, such a cloak was worn by a man, otherwise, she would probably be jealous for a long time.
The silver fox man was also looking at Mei Niang, his eyes were cold, arrogant and unscrupulous.
He was probably the one who got hurt? I really couldn't tell. He was full of arrogance, with his hands outstretched, supporting the people on both sides, revealing his tight-fitting outfit embroidered with gold and silver threads and flying clouds and dragons. A wide leather belt inlaid with gemstones protected his muscular waist. He wore rhino leather thick-soled boots, a purple jade buckle on his head holding up his jet-black hair, and a beaded fur forehead protector, which made his stern face look a little warmer.
Mei Niang thought: These people must be either rich or noble, and we cannot afford to offend them. If they insist on changing the car, then let them do it. It is better to have less trouble than more. Now is not the time to argue with them.
Xing, who had just been pretending to be polite, said:
"We are back from hunting, and our master has accidentally injured his leg. There is no village or inn here. Mr. Qin is a young man of talent and a kind-hearted man. Can you give the carriage to our master? We have more than ten good horses and some silver, which should be enough to buy your carriage!"
Mei Niang raised her eyebrows and said generously: "It's too formal to talk about money. The mountains and rivers are always flowing, so just think of it as a good deed done by Qin to make a good relationship with you. Your horses look good, just leave three horses for us to use as running gear!"
Lian's wife leaned out of the car and shouted, "No, Master. You are not in good health. What if the wind gets you hurt? And you can't ride a horse!"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment: "Lian, Lian Er, I'm the boss, how dare you interfere?"
He waved to Lian Da: "Come here, help me down, let them take the car!"
But then the silver fox man spoke: "Since you don't know how to ride a horse, there's no need to force yourself. Just go!"
It was Xing's turn to be stunned: "Master..."
The silver fox man said coldly: "Let him go! So what if I broke my leg? I don't care. Why should I let others suffer from frostbite?"
The tough men around him changed their expressions and begged, "Master, please take care of yourself!"
The silver fox man showed an impatient expression on his face: "Shut up! I didn't ask you to follow me, go away!"
The wind was freezing cold, Mei Niang was shivering, rubbing her hands, breathing heavily, and looking at these people in confusion. Then she saw Xing approaching and begging in a low voice:
"My master won't force others to take things... Could you please borrow the words of the second master of the Qin family and invite my master to ride with you?"
Mei Niang looked at him, and Xing clasped his fists and said, "I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future!"
Several people nearby also saluted Mei Niang with fists. Mei Niang had no choice but to return the salute. She held Lian Da's shoulders and jumped off the carriage. She walked to the side of the silver fox man and said:
"If you don't mind, why don't you take the carriage with me? When I get to the place, you can take the carriage as you like!"
The silver fox man turned to look at her, with a playful smile on his face: "What did you call me?"
Someone nearby shouted, "You ignorant kid..."
The silver fox man changed his expression and kicked him: "Why are you talking so much? Get out!"
The man knelt down and hugged his feet: "I deserve to die! Please take care of yourself and don't hurt your legs!"
Mei Niang swallowed hard: "Who are these people? What did you call him just now? Brother, is that not okay? Should I call him Grandpa?"
Go! I won't do it.
The silver fox man was going to kick that person: "Apologize to him!"
"Yes, yes! Master, calm down!"
The man stood up and walked in front of Mei Niang, kneeling on one knee: "I am Shan Yong, a lowly man, who has no vision and has offended Master Qin. I apologize here!"
Mei Niang shook her hands and said hurriedly:
"Don't kneel, don't kneel! Qin and Qin Er can't bear it. They will lose their fortune and life."
Shan Yong knelt down and couldn't get up. Mei Niang looked around helplessly with a panic-stricken face. The silver fox man looked at her silently without saying a word.
Xing came up and tapped Shan Yong's head, saying angrily, "Mr. Qin called you to get up, didn't you hear me?"
"No, no, Master Qin just told me not to kneel..."
The silver fox man laughed angrily: "Even if I can't kill myself, I will be pissed off to death by idiots like you one day!"
Another gust of cold wind blew. Mei Niang, without her cloak, could no longer bear it. Her teeth chattered, her face turned pale, and she grabbed the silver fox man:
"Please, please! Get in the car, I can't stand it..."
Without even looking at the expression on his face, she directed the people around him: "Come on, help your grandfather get in the car!"
Lian Da let go of the pedal and Mei Niang climbed up first. The Silver Fox Man was carried over by his followers without any reason. Mei Niang helped to pull him from above, while the followers lifted him from behind and finally got him into the car.
Mei Niang breathed a sigh of relief. If she continued to waste time with him like this, before the miracle doctor came back, she would be frozen into an ice stick or a zombie!
Mei Niang moved the brazier as close to the silver fox man as possible to keep him warmer.
The ruthless man glared at Mrs. Lian and said, "You, get out!"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment: Isn't this too rude? She motioned Lian Sao to sit as close to the door as possible, and said to the silver fox man:
"This is my old servant. She has rheumatism in her legs and feet and cannot stand the cold. I hope... I hope you can understand and let her hide here from the cold wind!"
Lian's wife lowered her head and pointed her flat servant's hat at them, not daring to say a word.
The silver fox man looked at Mei Niang and said calmly, "Go twenty miles ahead and send me to Guiyun Villa!"
Mei Niang looked at him in surprise: "What did you say? Guiyun Villa?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)