"Xiao... Ming!" Lixiang noticed Mingyu's loss of composure and called her softly.
Mingyu came back to her senses and wiped the soup splashed on her hands in a panic. Her heart sank and her fingers were shaking. She could hardly hold the spoon in her hand.
Li Xiang also heard what the two merchants said and was also very surprised. However, seeing Mingyu's pale face, she leaned close to Mingyu's ear and whispered, "What they said may not be true. Didn't we listen to people bragging in Qin Town last night?"
Seeing Lixiang's worried look, Mingyu wanted to smile to ease the atmosphere, but she couldn't smile no matter what. She remembered the bright moonlit night when the nobleman, dressed in a cold moonlight, took the bamboo flute from her hand somewhat rudely and played a desolate and sad song.
She also remembered that in the ancestral temple of Sima Hou's mansion, when Luo Lingxiu instigated Miao to attack her without any reason, he, who was serious and stern, spoke for her calmly.
It was hard for Mingyu to imagine that such a talented and handsome young man would become the victim of a traitor's knife.
The two traveling merchants at the other end of the stall were still sighing, "The men of the Sima family are all heroes. Lord Sima killed the Tartars and sacrificed his life for his country. His son is no coward either!"
"It's not easy for them either. They seem to be rich and prosperous on weekdays, but when the critical moment comes, they can't even save their lives. They are no better than us ordinary people! At least they are safe and sound. Wars and rebellions will never be their turn!" Another person echoed.
Mingyu no longer had the heart to listen to what the two people were saying. If the news was true, Sima Qing and Sima Xi had both died for their country, and Sima Hong, the only remaining male in the marquis's mansion, was still in Tianshui, his life or death unknown. The Sima Marquis's mansion was essentially destroyed.
Mingyu had already put down her spoon when the bowl of wontons was still halfway untouched.
"You don't want to eat anymore? Eat some more!" Lixiang advised.
Mingyu shook her head. She had already made up her mind to go back to her parents' home, but when she heard that Sima Xi had died, she felt inexplicably sad and couldn't eat.
Seeing Mingyu's firm attitude, Lixiang stopped trying to persuade them. She quickly ate up the remaining wontons and left the stall with Mingyu. The two businessmen at the other end of the stall were still chatting excitedly about current affairs, attracting many people to stand by and listen.
It was already late, lanterns were hung in front of the shops along the street, and a few more stalls were added next to the wonton stall, forming a small night market with bright lights. In the dim light of the second floor of the restaurant on the corner, the sound of cute singing could be heard.
Thinking of the Tianshui that had turned into a sea of fire, the calmness before her eyes made Mingyu feel as if she was in a dream.
The two of them walked slowly down the street hand in hand. After eating the steaming wontons, their bodies and feet were warm. Li Xiang asked, "Where are we going?"
Mingyu looked around at the shops on both sides of the street. When she saw an inn, she stood on tiptoe to take a closer look and said with a smile, "Of course I'm going to find an inn to stay in!"
"We have..." Lixiang hesitated to speak. They didn't have a single penny left, and all that was left was some small change. Mingyu had reminded them several times not to show off their wealth.
Seeing Lixiang's frightened face, Mingyu patted her hands and comforted her: "We are in Baochuan now. There are soldiers guarding here, and there are so many yamen runners patrolling the streets. Nothing big will happen." Besides, if the two girls don't have a good rest for a few days in this cold weather, they might get sick.
After walking back and forth on Baochuan West Street for two times, Mingyu finally decided on an inn and took Lixiang inside. It was already late, and there were no people in the lobby. When the innkeeper saw the two little beggars, his eyebrows were a little impatient, but he still said politely: "I'm sorry, the bunk beds are full."
Mingyu motioned to Lixiang, who took out a piece of silver from her bosom, weighing about two taels, and handed it to the waiter. Mingyu looked at the waiter's surprised expression and said with a smile, "We don't want to live in a dormitory, we want to live in a single room. How many days can this money cover?"
The waiter then came to his senses, called the shopkeeper, and took out an exquisite small beam scale to weigh them. The shopkeeper was about forty years old and looked at Mingyu and Lixiang carefully.
Mingyu was calm and let the shopkeeper look at him from top to bottom. He lowered his voice and said, "It's inconvenient for us two brothers to flee. Please don't be offended, shopkeeper. Our family will come to pick us up in two days."
Seeing Mingyu's generous attitude, the shopkeeper was at a loss for words and said politely, "My two young men, this is two taels and two cents of silver in total. A single room costs seven hundred cents a day. This is enough for you to stay for three days. I'll give you another hundred cents! If you leave early, I'll refund your room fee."
Mingyu took the money he handed over, took Lixiang's hand, and followed the waiter to a room at the end of the second floor. The room was simply furnished with only a bed and a table. Mingyu untied the knot of the money string, counted out ten coins and gave them to the waiter, asking him to bring in a bucket of hot water.
Naturally, after receiving the reward, the guy immediately brought over a full bucket of hot water.
Mingyu and Lixiang blocked the door with a table, then took off their dirty and smelly clothes and took their first bath in the past few days. After the bath, Mingyu sat in the quilt and wiped her long hair, while Lixiang put on her outer robe and washed their inner clothes with the bath water and hung them on the windowsill.
The two of them had been frightened for two or three days, and finally they had their first peaceful sleep in the warm bed.
When Mingyu woke up again, it was already noon. Lixiang had already gotten up, put on her outer robe and went to collect the clothes hanging on the windowsill. She turned around and saw Mingyu open her eyes. Lixiang hurried over with the clothes and said with a smile, "Miss, are you awake?" They had already left the Anxi Marquis' Mansion, and she didn't want to call Mingyu the second wife anymore.
Mingyu's bones and muscles were aching all over her body. The slightest movement made her feel extremely sore, especially her arms that were holding the reins, which she could hardly lift.
"What time is it?" Mingyu asked. When he opened his mouth, he found that his nose was badly blocked.
Li Xiang recognized Mingyu's strong nasal tone and came over in shock, putting her hand on Mingyu's forehead, "Ouch, it's a little hot!"
"It's okay, just drink some hot tea and sweat it out." Mingyu smiled and pushed Lixiang's hand away. She was just very tired these days, and when her tense nerves suddenly relaxed, her body would have some minor problems. It was not a big deal and she would recover after two days of rest.
Seeing that Mingyu was in good spirits, Lixiang felt relieved. She helped Mingyu put on her clothes and went out to buy food for her. There were many food stalls on the street. Lixiang bought two sesame cakes and asked the waiter to bring a pot of hot tea. There were also two cold and hard steamed buns in her bag, but the two of them were too lazy to even look at the buns.
"Miss, what should we do next?" Lixiang asked vaguely while biting the pancake.
Mingyu thought for a moment and said, "Now that the war has started, there must be a lot of people doing business here who will return to their hometowns for refuge. Let's ask those caravans heading to Jiangnan if they are willing to take us back."
Li Xiang said "hmm", and after a while she looked at Ming Yu who was daydreaming while breaking sesame cakes, and asked tentatively: "Are we really going back to Jiangnan like this? And never coming back again?"
Mingyu was listless, looking down and thinking about something unconsciously, until Lixiang called her again, she came back to her senses and asked in confusion: "What did you say?"
Li Xiang sighed. Mingyu had been acting strange since last night. She couldn't help but ask, "Miss, do you want to find a doctor to see you? You can't just put off the treatment!"
"I'm fine. I'll be fine after a good sleep." Mingyu waved her hand. They didn't have much money on them. They didn't know how much money they would have to pay the caravan if they followed it. They could save as much as they could. "What did you say just now?" Mingyu asked.
"I'm asking...are we just going back to Jiangnan and never coming back?" Lixiang repeated what she had just said.
Mingyu smiled and said confidently, "Of course, I will never come back!" As Mingyu spoke, her bright black eyes were full of spirit. The life she had been looking forward to was getting closer and closer to her.
After eating the cake, Mingyu lay down to sleep again. She slept until the sun was setting. When she opened her eyes, she felt her nose was unblocked and she felt refreshed. She secretly felt that she had taken good care of her body in the past few months. If she had just married into the Marquis' Mansion, she would definitely not be able to bear this minor illness.
In the afternoon, Mingyu and Lixiang, as usual, wore their old robes and shoes with several holes that they had bought from shopping and went to the streets to inquire about the caravans heading to Jiangnan.
Hard work pays off. The two men asked until their mouths were dry and they finally found a family. The caravan leader saw that they were two young brothers in shabby clothes and did not ask them for much money. He only charged three taels of silver per person and told them to set off in three days. The leader just needed to leave two empty seats for them on the loaded carriage.
Mingyu naturally agreed, agreed on the departure time, and took Lixiang back to the inn.
After resting for two days, Mingyu and Lixiang occasionally went out to buy some food. They sat in the room most of the time. There were a few big men living in the next room, and the sound of talking, noise and snoring could be heard all the time. Lixiang and Mingyu were a little scared, afraid that they would be discovered that they were girls, so they acted more carefully and wiped their faces with black ash before going out.
At dusk on the third day, Mingyu went downstairs and asked the waiter at the counter for a pair of scissors. He was going to go back to his room to cut the silver ingot into small pieces and pay for a day's room. Then he heard a crowd of people surging outside the inn, as if there was a big event to watch.
Seeing Mingyu also tiptoeing to look outside, the waiter kindly explained, "Everyone on the street has been talking about it since yesterday. They heard that the King of Shu sent troops to fight the Tartars, and the one leading the troops is a very young general. Everyone went to see it!"
As they were talking, a man in armor and riding a horse passed by the inn, followed by rows of soldiers marching in unison.
At that moment, Mingyu saw the man's profile clearly. He was stunned for a moment, then grabbed the scissors and ran out the door. Relying on his small body, he squeezed through the bustling crowd and shouted at the muscular back of the rider: "Uncle Lu! Uncle Lu!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets on Qidian (). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
It is made by].
div>
BAIDU_CLB_LT_ID = "519311";