After making sour radish and old duck soup, Jiang Yanyi used the excuse of going to Feng's house to check on the peppers to fill a bowl for Feng Shuo in a food box. She also put some duck neck in a plate and took it over.
When she was leaving, Chu Yangui called out, "Sister, are you going to the palace?"
"I'll go over and take a look at the peppers we're planting. The yard was rented to us by the palace, so I should give them a gift." Jiang Yanyi said this, but he felt a little nervous in his heart.
Chu Yangui smiled sweetly, revealing two dimples: "That's as it should be. Then, sister, please come back earlier. I'll ask Master Yao to wait for you to have dinner together."
Jiang Yanyi said, "I still have to go take care of the pepper field. If I come back late, it will delay Master Yao and the old man from returning. You can eat first when the meal is ready."
Jiang Yanyi opened the bamboo curtain and went out. It was snowing heavily outside and the bamboo curtain swayed gently. Her figure in a lake blue brocade cloak walked away, but Chu Yangui did not take his eyes off her.
When Chu Zhonglai added charcoal to the charcoal basin, he said with a gloomy look: "Uncle Zhong, I'm afraid my sister will be bullied."
Chu Zhong is over thirty years old and is an old man following Chu Changping. He has seen a lot of worldly things. Ever since the loss of his mother, his temperament has been unstable. When his cousin is around, he is well-behaved, but when his cousin is not around, he is like a little wolf cub who is ferocious and bares his teeth at everyone.
Chu Zhong comforted him: "Master, the young lady is capable, no one can embarrass her, if something really happens, the Third Master will not stand idly by."
Chu Yangui said, "No matter how powerful and capable my sister is, I am still worried about her."
The doctor from the palace who his sister had invited to treat his injuries, the carriage they took on the day they left the Chu family, and the yard that the palace rented to them... Each and every one of these things made him uneasy. If the King of Liaonan used these as threats to bully his sister, and his sister just stubbornly refused to say anything, what should he do
The Chu family was only able to flee to this remote area and settle down under the protection of the King of Liaonan. If something really happened, the King of Liaonan’s palace was extremely powerful. What could he use to seek justice for his sister
"Meow!"
The chubby little orange boy who was huddled beside the charcoal brazier and warming himself by the fire suddenly let out a loud cry and jumped far away. The hair on his back curled up. The little chubby orange boy tried to turn his head to lick the burnt hair. His cry sounded like a whimper, weak and pitiful.
Chu Yangui was brought back to his senses by the cat's cry. He concealed his panic and bent over to pick up the fat little orange. "You fell asleep next to the charcoal basin again?"
Fat Orange curled up in his arms, raised his head and called out to him twice, as if he was aggrieved, and as if he was blaming him for not taking good care of himself.
How come a big piece of its fur was burnt while it was just taking a nap
Chu Yangui touched the little fat orange's head and said, "Don't sleep next to the charcoal basin next time."
The little fat orange boy shook his head angrily and refused to let me touch him.
Chu Yangui curled up the corners of his lips and put his palm on Fat Ju's head again. Fat Ju's entire cat face was covered by his hand, and he could only yell a few times in dissatisfaction.
The bamboo curtain at the door was opened again, and several young men came into the store, talking and laughing. They were all wearing official uniforms and were obviously from the government office.
Chu Yangui raised his head and saw the well-mannered young man at the back, and his expression suddenly turned cold.
"Brother Lu, every time I invite you to Jiang's antique soup, you always refuse to come. Why, the decoration here is no worse than those big restaurants, right?" The young man standing shoulder to shoulder with Lu Linyuan said with a smile: "The female shopkeeper of this restaurant is so beautiful, just like someone who walked out of the painting of the ladies! You don't know that the youngest son of Mr. Lu has been eating the hotpot for a month in a row just to see this female shopkeeper. He is also a playboy..."
"Brother Yang, be careful with your words. You must not joke about a girl's reputation like this." Lu Linyuan frowned and said. No matter his figure or appearance, he was the most outstanding among the few people. From a distance, he was truly a handsome man.
Lu Linyuan was dragged over by several colleagues. He tried to refuse in every possible way, but failed. He was worried about seeing Jiang Yanyi, but when he glanced at the counter unintentionally and saw that it was Chu Yangui sitting there, he met Chu Yangui's eyes full of hatred, and he subconsciously looked away.
He had heard about the Chu family moving to Xizhou, but he didn't expect to meet Chu Yangui here.
In the past, he had always hated Jiang Yanyi and his brother. They were stupid and arrogant. Jiang Yanyi was shameless and kept getting close to him like a fly, bullying Yanxi whenever she got the chance. Chu Yangui was an accomplice, and he had contributed to all the evil things his sister did.
His dislike for the brother and sister stems from his love for Jiang Yanxi.
Now, perhaps his state of mind has changed. They have hurt Jiang Yanxi and have received the punishment they deserve, even far more than they deserve, and his disgust has ended. To say that he treats them as strangers seems to have an extra layer of something in it, after all, there have been too many involvements.
Lu Linyuan had been thinking a lot these days. He was still young and hot-headed when he broke off the engagement. He just thought that this marriage was forced by Jiang Yanyi herself. He broke off the engagement for Jiang Yanxi, and Jiang Yanyi suffered the consequences. Later, Chu Changping's words finally tore off his self-righteous fig leaf - if he had resisted his mother from the beginning, there would be no such marriage.
To sum up, it was because he was too cowardly at the time that this marriage was facilitated. He was not completely innocent.
What the siblings owed Jiang Yanxi was paid off in full, with one of them being sent to be a camp prostitute and the other having her legs broken.
But he had never repaid Jiang Yanyi for the money he owed her for breaking off the engagement.
Colleagues ordered mutton soup pot and asked for the store's newly bought plum wine. They talked about everything from the war in the south to romantic matters, clinking glasses and talking and laughing. Lu Linyuan didn't say a word from beginning to end. Several times, the drinking game was over with him. After a few glasses of wine, he felt even more upset.
He finally got away. They were all his colleagues, and he had spent a lot of effort to gain a foothold in the government office. Naturally, he couldn't make enemies with them over the dinner table. Before leaving, he went to the counter to pay for the meal in advance.
Although Chu Yangui hated Lu Linyuan, he thought about his sister's business and didn't want to make things awkward and drive away customers, so he blankly said the amount of money for the bill: "Four ounces and seven cents."
Lu Linyuan gave five taels and said slowly, "No need to change."
After saying this, he put on his cloak and left.
Chu Yangui took out three coins from the drawer and threw them at Lu Linyuan's back, sneering, "Sir, here's your change, keep it!"
A few strings of copper coins hit Lu Linyuan's cloak and fell into the snow.
Lu Linyuan stood with his back to Chu Yangui and said nothing. The servant beside him was hired after arriving in Xizhou. He didn’t know the relationship between the two families and was very angry. He said angrily: “How do you do things? Is there anyone who gives money like you? Be careful or I’ll tell your shopkeeper!”
Lu Linyuan said: "Qingsong, let's go."
The servant glared at Chu Yangui, picked up the copper coins that fell on the ground, and chased after Lu Linyuan. He could still hear him muttering, "Sir, you are the only one with a good temper..."
Chu Yangui sneered and said, "Your master has a good temper. He didn't cancel the engagement until the six ceremonies had reached the stage of asking for a date. He never thought that the girl he canceled the engagement with would become a laughing stock."
There are six ceremonies for marriage: Nacai, Wenming, Naji, Nazheng, Qingqi, and Qinying. Basically, after the step of Nazheng and Sending Pin, there is no regret for marriage. According to the customs of the Daxuan Dynasty, if a woman is rejected at this time, it is generally recognized that she has bad morals and is not a good woman. The two families who are getting married will probably become enemies from then on.
The servant was startled, and realized that his master might have some conflict with the young man's family, so he dared not say anything.
***
Fengfu.
When Jiang Yanyi brought the soup over, it was still hot. She poured a small bowl for Feng Shuo and urged him to drink it while it was hot: "I bought a few ducks from the noodle shop today and stewed them with sour radishes. This soup clears away heat and cools the blood. You should try it."
Feng Shuo didn't take the bowl from her hand. Instead, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her down, forcing Jiang Yanyi to sit on his lap.
She was still holding the bowl in her hand, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "What are you doing?"
Feng Shuo lowered his head and sniffed the fragrance of her hair, then gently rested his chin on her shoulder: "Hold you."
With just one sentence, Jiang Yanyi's heart softened.
They had indeed not seen each other for a long time since they left the city that day.
Jiang Yanyi leaned in his arms and told him about her recent events: "I bought a noodle shop and plan to sell noodles in the future."
She didn't mention that she was going to give the recipe to the military camp. Chef Li was in charge of the Huotou Camp, and no one knew better than him what kind of food was suitable for the army. Compared with buckwheat flour pancakes, the production cost of instant noodles was indeed much higher. Whether the matter would succeed or not, she would just wait for Chef Li's reply.
If she told Feng Shuo, even if the army might not use her instant noodle recipe at all, Feng Shuo would still let his subordinates buy the recipe at a high price.
Feng Shuo raised his eyelids: "Is there enough silver?"
Jiang Yanyi said, "Enough. The old owner of the noodle shop died, and the young owner is a good-for-nothing. He owed money to the gambling house and was in a hurry to pay it back, so he sold it to me at a discount."
She turned her head to look at him: "Why, do you want to lend me money?"
Feng Shuo tightened his arms and held the man tightly in his arms: "I'll lend it to you first, and marry you before you pay me back, then you don't have to pay it back."
Jiang Yanyi burst out laughing, "You've really thought about it for me."
Feng Shuo seemed to want to see her smile. He raised his head slightly and his chin accidentally touched Jiang Yanyi's neck.
Jiang Yanyi cried out softly, his whole body shrank, and he covered his neck with his hands as if he had been electrocuted.
The skin that his jaw touched was so delicate and tender that it was shocking. Feng Shuo's throat moved, and his eyes darkened a little. He asked in a hoarse voice, "What's wrong with your neck?"
Jiang Yanyi looked at him, seeming a little embarrassed to speak, "Nothing."
Feng Shuo refused to give in, his eyes seemed to be filled with shattered stars, his voice was so low and mellow at this moment, "Then why are you covering your neck?"
Being questioned like this, Jiang Yanyi hesitated for a moment, but finally told the truth: "I was pricked by the stubble on your chin. It hurts a little."
Feng Shuo: “…”
The ambiguous atmosphere disappeared in an instant.
He calmly raised his hand and touched his chin. He had not shaved this morning, so short stubble appeared, which was a bit prickly.
Jiang Yanyi coughed lightly and stirred the soup in the bowl with a spoon: "If you don't drink it now, the soup will get cold."
Feng Shuo still didn't reach out to take the bowl, but just glanced at Jiang Yanyi.
Jiang Yanyi hated herself for understanding the look in his eyes. She thought that he was the man she liked after all, so she might as well pamper him. She scooped up a spoonful of soup and fed it to Feng Shuo, who opened his mouth and drank it with satisfaction.
After a while, the soup is no longer hot and is warm in the mouth. It not only has the freshness of duck meat, but also the sourness of radish, which stimulates your appetite.
He nodded: "The soup is good."
Then he took the bowl from Jiang Yanyi's hand and scooped up a spoonful to feed Jiang Yanyi.
Jiang Yanyi was filled with shame and had goosebumps all over his body: "Just drink it, just drink it, I drank it when I was in the store."
Feng Shuo had no intention of giving up, so she had no choice but to take a sip.
Feng Shuo looked at her fearless expression, put the bowl of soup on the desk beside him, pressed Jiang Yanyi's back with one hand, forced her to lie on his arms, and scratched her nose with the other hand: "You ungrateful person, what are you disgusted with? No one in this world has ever drunk the soup fed by me except my mother."
Someone who didn't know what was good for him could only smile awkwardly: "I'm flattered."
It was a rare occasion for Jiang Yanyi to come over, and Feng Shuo had finally recovered his sense of taste, so he ate up all the old duck soup and duck neck.
After dinner, he said, "I found a teacher for you."
Jiang Yanyi remembered that he had mentioned to him before that he wanted to hire a teacher for Jiang Yangui. He didn't expect that he would take it seriously. His heart warmed and he asked, "Which teacher? I will go to your house to visit you tomorrow."
Xizhou is close to the outside of the Great Wall, and there are very few Confucian scholars and officials. Those with real talent have all been invited by dignitaries to become teachers. As for the remaining half-baked ones, Jiang Yanyi dare not employ them.
Feng Shuo asked: "Didn't I take you to visit him that day?"
Jiang Yanyi was stunned for a moment before realizing that Feng Shuo was talking about the old man who sold wine in Meilin.
"Although that old fellow hasn't taught anyone for a few years, he used to be quite knowledgeable. After all, he was once one of the Three Dukes. He should be able to teach your brother."
Feng Shuo spoke in a casual tone, but Jiang Yanyi was so shocked that he didn't know what to say.
As one of the three highest officials in the imperial examination, no one would be willing to accept Chu Yangui as a student. Even though Chu Yangui was his younger brother, Jiang Yanyi knew his limited knowledge.
She originally just wanted Chu Yangui to study hard and gain knowledge, to have a more open mind, and not go down a dead end in the future. But she didn't know that Feng Shuo secretly invited such a powerful person.
She hesitated and said, "Yan Gui didn't study hard before. I'm afraid he won't be in the old gentleman's eyes."
Jiang Yanyi was more worried about seeing such a learned old man teaching Chu Yangui. She was afraid that Chu Yangui would become more self-destructive after being frustrated in his studies, and she was also afraid that the teaching talent of such an old man would be wasted.
Feng Shuo said, "Don't worry, that old guy is very picky. He won't cause trouble for himself if he is a piece of rotten wood. He has already visited your store to see the people, and he personally promised to teach them, but Chi Qing has to take care of them first in the early stage. From now on, Yan Gui and Chi Qing will be brothers from the same school, so it's good to get to know each other first."
Regardless of what Chu Yangui will eventually learn, just with the identity of Junior Brother Chi Qing in it, if he becomes a staff member in the future, no one will dare to look down on him.
Jiang Yanyi looked at Feng Shuo: "So taking me out of the city that day was not a sudden impulse on your part, but something you had prepared long ago?"
Feng Shuo looked at her red eyes and stroked her cheek with his big hand: "Why are you crying? I did all this for a purpose."
He wants her.
From beginning to end.
***
When Lu Linyuan returned home, the lights were already on.
He didn't feel anything when he first drank those cups of plum wine, but after walking in the wind and snow for a while, the alcohol slowly took effect, and his fair cheeks turned red.
The candlelight reflected through the gauze window, and I could see a beautiful figure busying herself inside.
Seeing this, the servant did not follow him in, but went to the kitchen to warm himself by the fire.
Lu Linyuan pushed the door open and walked in. Jiang Yanxi was arranging the food on the table. When she saw him, she immediately smiled, "Brother Lu, you're back."
Outside, the cold wind was raging and heavy snow was pressing down on the branches. She was standing under the lamp in a goose yellow jacket and skirt, like a small pale yellow flower blooming in the cold night, fragile yet tough.
Jiang Yanxi's appearance was not stunning at first glance, but once you remembered her appearance, you would never forget it, especially her eyes, which were like a deer in the mountains, smart and clear.
She walked forward, took the cloak that Lu Linyuan had taken off, and hung it on the wall.
Smelling the alcohol on Lu Linyuan, Jiang Yanxi's eyes dimmed slightly, but she still smiled and asked, "Brother Lu, why did you come back so late today? I heated up the food several times."
After drinking and being blown by the cold wind, Lu Linyuan felt a headache when he got warm inside the house. He said, "I'm sorry, Yan Xi. I couldn't refuse today, so I had a few drinks with some colleagues. If I don't come back in the future, you can eat first, and you don't have to wait for me."
Jiang Yanxi was stunned for a moment when she heard his words. She was still smiling, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes: "I have been waiting for Brother Lu all my life, right? When I was a child, I waited for you to grow up and marry me. After entering the palace, I waited for you to take me away one day..."
The tear finally fell. Jiang Yanxi wiped her eyes and continued to smile, "Why are you saying these things? I made Brother Lu's favorite Dongpo pork. Come and eat it."
Seeing her like this, Lu Linyuan felt heartbroken, but somehow, he suddenly thought of Jiang Yanyi. After arriving in Xizhou, she was also in a desperate situation, but Jiang Yanyi never waited for anyone to help her, and was even unwilling to rely on others. It seemed that she would rather be a weed that could be stepped on into the mud and still grow again, than be a climbing vine.
He looked at Jiang Yanxi and sighed, "Yanxi, you don't have to do this for me."
The person whom he loved but could not be with in his previous life is now standing in front of him. He should be happy, but seeing that she seems to live only for him, Lu Linyuan cannot be happy.
He still has a lot of things to do in his life. If something happens to him, how will Jiang Yanxi continue to live
Jiang Yanxi stood with her back to Lu Linyuan, her hands holding the chopsticks tightly clenched, tears falling like beads from a broken string: "I will change anything that Brother Lu doesn't like."
His forehead ached, and after hearing Jiang Yanxi's words, Lu Linyuan felt so heartbroken that he became numb, and was left with only exhaustion. "Yanxi, why don't you understand? I hope you're fine, no matter when, understand?"
He stood up and went outside, but Jiang Yanxi stopped him, "Brother Lu, where are you going?"
Lu Linyuan was also feeling anxious, and was afraid that Jiang Yanxi would misunderstand something again, so he tried to soften his tone and said, "I have a headache after being exposed to the wind. I'll go to the bathroom first, and you can eat first."
Jiang Yanxi sat at the table, looking at the delicious food, but she couldn't eat a single bite. Tears kept falling from her eyelids.
She faked her death and left the palace. Shangshu Jiang was the Minister of Revenue, and the household registration documents he forged for her were real enough to fool the officers and soldiers all the way north. She thought that when she arrived in Xizhou, she would find Lu Linyuan and live with him. Lu Linyuan was still gentle to her, but she could clearly feel that he had become a stranger.
During the days of her escape, she often had nightmares, dreaming that she was caught and taken back. Sometimes she even dreamed that Emperor Feng Shiyan pressed her on the dragon couch and raped her. Sometimes she dreamed that he and his queen were lovingly holding the newborn prince...
She didn't understand why she felt heartbroken when she dreamed of him and the Queen being affectionate with each other even though she clearly hated Feng Shiyan.
Jiang Yanxi bit the back of her hand and cried silently. She didn't want to think about these things. Lu Linyuan treated her differently than before, which made her even more anxious and uneasy.
From childhood to adulthood, Lu Linyuan has been the belief that supports her to live.
Lu Linyuan was soaking in the bathtub, his head still aching. The affairs of the government office, the war in the south, the secret letter from the Lu family in the capital... These things were a mess in his mind, making his headache even worse.
The door creaked softly, and he thought it was Qingsong coming in. He said tiredly, "Qingsong, rub my back."
When a pair of soft and boneless hands touched his back, Lu Linyuan opened his eyes with a start. He turned his head and his heart trembled.
Jiang Yanxi was only wearing a vest.
"What are you doing?" Lu Linyuan was anxious and angry, but more of it was heartache, and he quickly pushed Jiang Yanxi away.
Jiang Yanxi bit her lip, stepped into the bathtub and hugged him: "Brother Lu, do you want me?"
She had been here for so long, and Lu Linyuan had always been sleeping in a room with the servant Qingsong, leaving his own room for her. He also treated her with courtesy on weekdays and never overstepped the boundaries.
Jiang Yanxi closed her eyes, pressed her face against Lu Linyuan's broad back, and tears fell down her cheeks: "If you don't mind that I'm not innocent, then take me. I will only follow you in this life."
They had made a vow to each other and pledged to spend their lives together. Jiang Yanxi believed that she only liked Lu Linyuan, and if she gave herself to him completely, perhaps she would be able to give up all thoughts of the capital.
For the rest of her life, she only wanted to be with the man she had just met when she was young and whom she had fallen in love with since she was young. She could just treat everything in the palace as a nightmare.
However, Lu Linyuan broke away from her hand: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
He stepped out of the bathtub and quickly tore off his clean clothes to wrap around Jiang Yanxi. When he looked at Jiang Yanxi's tearful face, his anger turned into sorrow. He said, "Yanxi, I respect you, don't do this."
After leaving these words, Lu Linyuan casually put on a robe and left the bathroom.
Jiang Yanxi covered her face and cried out loudly. She had risked her dignity to do this, but Lu Linyuan remained unmoved. She didn't want to think about whether he despised her for not being innocent, or whether he had changed his mind.
She could no longer face Lu Linyuan, so she packed her things and left quietly that night.
The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-12-18 23:59:36~2020-12-19 23:59:43~
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