The winter sun always feels unreal: it is pale, blind, bright, like silver shimmering, but there is no temperature at all. Even on this sunny morning, it hung brightly in the sky, no different from today and tomorrow—but walking down the street, it was still cold to the bone, as if the light had turned into a bitter wind as soon as it touched the ground, and it was about to peel off people's skins and go back to make drums.

The sun is so pale and hypocritical, and the bad thing is that it is everywhere. It seems to deceive, it occupies a place in every corner, forcing people to forget its unfulfilled duties, and instead to appreciate the light it has brought, and make people shrink into their homes, bake on the fire, and say, Ah, how warm.

Sunlight pierced through the window and shone on a pure white teapot. The teapot was round and clear, made of a piece of white jade, with a soft and soft luster. The tea leaves in the pot unfold smoothly, tender green and smooth, delicate like flower buds.

The beautiful young woman gently lifted the handle of the pot with one hand, slowly poured the tea into the small cup on the table, poured water into the teacup close to the mouth of the teacup, and then lifted the wrist to raise the pot, and repeated the high and low pour three times, and the water flowed out like a clear spring between the mountain peaks. Immediately afterwards, she continued to press her wrist to put the boiling kettle close to the mouth of the teacup and continue to pour water.

There was a tiny ripple in the middle of the turquoise and clear tea, and it trembled and dispersed.

She grabbed the ear of the cup with one hand, held the bottom of the cup with the other, and leaned over to bring the tea to the man in front of her.

The man's hands were slightly apart, and his half-clenched fists rested lightly on the edge of the table in front of him, as if he was very happy and urgent. He bowed slightly in his seat and said, "Thank you." ”

The woman pouring the tea said, "I'm really scared. Why does Your Highness thank me?"

"Tea etiquette has always been like this, and I have to abide by the rules. He smiled and picked up a cup of tea, pinched the delicate and small teacup, looked at and smelled the tea, moved the cup between his nose and lips, sniffed and sipped, drunk and obsessed, like tasting wine, closed his eyes and forgot about it.

"Good tea. The color is green, fragrant, mellow, and the shape is beautiful. The aroma is fresh and tender, and the taste is fresh and sweet. The man smiled, his eyes wandering back and forth over her, "It is worthy of the West Lake Mingqian Longjing, and it is worthy of being the best tea master." ”

The woman bowed her head and said, "Don't dare, I'm just a tea picker, how can I afford such a name?" Her eyebrows and eyes are soft and weak, miserable, her face is delicate and soft, she is gentle and lovely, and her body is also weak and willow-like to support the wind, like a brittle branch, brushing across the water. When she spoke, her voice trembled a little, and it was a frightened oriole.

"They don't understand, beauty with tea is more intoxicating than wine. The man squinted his eyes and said, "Hey, strange, this is this year's Ming Qian tea, why is it that at this time, it is still so mellow and fragrant when it is delivered, which makes people feel that it has returned to a year ago?

"Not really. The woman said - in her professional field, she seemed much more confident than just now.

The man frowned slightly, and looked up at her: "Oh? ”

"Preserving tea leaves with ice does preserve its color and freshness, but it doesn't do anything to preserve the aroma. If Your Highness you drink tea taken out of the ice cellar, it will definitely not be as fragrant as just now, and 'tea fragrance' is actually a very important point in tea tasting, and it is also the soul of tea. Preserved under the ice, although the tea leaves are still green, the aroma is suppressed, reducing the freshness and concentration of the tea, just like the corpse, it is dead tea, and drinking it is equal to not drinking it. ”

"Is there such a thing? No wonder the Mingqian tea I usually buy is more and more weak the more I drink it, but it's a pity to abandon it, I can't drink it every day when I drink water, so I have to give more than half of it to others. I didn't expect you to have such an exquisiteness there, and even so many rules for drinking tea, which is really interesting. The man seemed to be a little interested, and a slight glint of excitement flashed in his eyes, "Come, you go on." ”

"Ming Qian tea is the most expensive one, but the more expensive, the more people have to scramble, often just picked tea, as soon as it comes out of the pot, it is immediately snatched up. After grabbing it, I didn't pay attention to preservation, so most of it was wasted. ”

"I see, I used to be a tyrannical thing...... the man smiled as he held the tea, "So, what do you usually do?"

"After the completion of many teas, there will normally be a process called 'ash collection', and when the ash collection is completed, the tea will be able to retain the aroma for a longer time, so that the tea will be sold to the outside world.

"That's right. What is ash harvesting? I want to hear something specific, let's talk about it. ”

"Collecting ash is—in words you can understand, the roasted tea leaves are still moist, and this wetness, which many people like you see, is a sign of its nobility, but in fact it is highly susceptible to moisture and spoilage—you know? But it can be avoided. We will wrap the tea leaves into small packets with paper or cloth, put them in a jar covered with quicklime, cover them with a lid, and leave them for seven days and seven nights, or longer. After seven days, the tea leaves will be more fragrant and fragrant, the taste will be more mellow and refreshing, and even make its fragrance more intense. That's where ash collection comes in. ”

The man thoughtfully swept his eyes around and carefully placed the empty teacup back on the table. Seeing this, the woman stepped forward to refill his tea. He waved his hand to show that he didn't have to. Seeing that he refused, the woman was also a little stunned, but when he was sleepy and uninterested, she made a brief conclusion: "It's just that people who drink Ming Qian tea are always too anxious, afraid that they won't be able to grab it, so they are in a hurry to buy the tea without waiting for us to complete this process." Most of this kind of tea is enjoyed by nobles from afar, but unfortunately, they always can't taste the best ......"

The man had already stood up and walked up to her, and before she could finish speaking, he suddenly twisted her slender neck and lifted her up from the ground. The woman's eyes widened, her face quickly turned red, and she kicked her legs desperately, breaking his hands and trying to break free, but to no avail. She opened her mouth, but she couldn't make a sound.

"All this you said is useless. The reason why tea is precious before the Ming Dynasty is not because of your planting, let alone because of your preservation, but because of its rarity, its transience, and its irreproducibility, so there will be such a rising price. Do you know what is precious? I give you more money, do you know how to spend it? Preserving Ming Qian tea, this is simply superfluous. Just like your life, it's redundant. ”

The woman began to cry. Seeing her crying, the man showed no mercy, but increased the strength of his hand, and the woman could only squeeze a gurgling sound from her throat.

"Those who listen to stories always have to pay the price, and in order to listen to a useless, tea story, I actually want to listen to you to deny me, and I denied it twice. Just because you dare to deny me? I don't understand anything about what you say? If you want to get out of here, I understand it every day and every night. You are as docile as a dog, carrying tea and water, sleeping with me, and living carefully step by step until now, but you never thought that you would show flaws here, isn't it? You've been cherishing this bag of tea to give yourself a chance to escape. You put sweat medicine in the tea, which is colorless and tasteless, but it will make the tea spoil. Aside from the aroma, it's as sour as vinegar, you know?"

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. The man smiled and said, "Why do I know? Just because I am Zhao Li, the king of Shen." I'm the one who wants to rule the world in the future, so why can't I know everything?"

When Zhao Yan showed this crazy expression, the woman realized that her life was about to come to an end.

She heard a voice: "What a disappointment." ”

In Wang Liefeng's feelings, this trip home is really tortuous. Of course, for him, time is always flexible, long and short, and in the time of war, life and death are a matter of an instant. He couldn't count the number of times he had escaped death, but they didn't add up to a few hours, but at that time, he thought that there would be a wasteland as long as the old land, and he heard that people would repeat the last thing they had done when they died, and he thought countless times that he was going to be swept into this boring and bloody whirlpool, this eternal river of boundless time.

Time is only short at home, no matter how long it is, it is not enough, it is a young master of the servant of the family, and a brother who cheers for his sister. As soon as he returned home, he didn't have to talk about state affairs, he didn't have to care about world affairs, as long as someone came to talk to him about the trivial things at home, chattering, reporting good news, or complaining, all of which made him extremely happy and made him experience the taste of life - how unfair it was that he was born and died for the sake of the well-being of the people, but he rarely got a glimpse of what life was like.

He always had the worry that if he didn't go home, he would never be able to go home again. It seemed that each time the life and death were more dangerous than the last, and the number of times he could go home was becoming less and less, and the time was shorter, he often comforted himself that when he was forty or fifty years old and could no longer fight, he could return to his hometown and retire for the rest of his life...... However, he is only in his early twenties this year, and he is already scarred, will he live until that day?

The pessimistic outlook on his fate makes Wang Liefeng hope that all the pain will be borne by himself, not his sister. He wants her to grow as she wants, he wants her to be brutal and less bullied, as for practicing martial arts, if she doesn't want to, she can't do it, he can protect her. For now, Wang Liefeng's biggest wish is to hope that she can find a good family to marry and live her life in peace and stability, then he can rest assured. If she doesn't like it, then let her play for a few more years. Wang Liefeng often feels that he is like a boring middle-aged man in terms of family considerations, perhaps because he has experienced many misfortunes, so it is best to just get his wish.

His wounds had not fully healed, and he was still tired. If Lin Long hadn't helped him heal, he was afraid that he would be exhausted at the moment and die halfway through. If you have the next chance to meet her, you should really say thank you, and ah, and the things she mentioned, it's best to find someone to help you...... With this in mind, he knocked on his door.

The one who opened the door was the little maid Xiaoqin at home: "Young master, are you back?"

When Wang Liefeng saw Xiaoqin, he was stunned for a moment: "Xiaoqin, why are you here to open the door, how heavy is this door, can you push a little girl? Where's Ah Li?"

The teenage Xiaoqin looked gray-headed, her eyes seemed to be full of tears, and she lowered her head and didn't dare to speak.

"What's wrong?" Wang Liefeng asked again, "What about Ah Li?"

"Sister Ah Li is out......"

"Go out?" Wang Liefeng questioned. Before the words fell, he was hit by something, and with an ouch, he looked down. It was his sister's cat that came out of it, rubbing his legs like hairballs, raising its head and meowing.

Wang Liefeng ignored it. But the cat kept barking, and the milk was milky, like a baby crying. So Wang Liefeng leaned down and picked it up: "The cat's nails are cut, right?"

It's okay not to hug it, but as soon as he hugs, the cat jumps into his arms, licking and biting, fierce and eager. Wang Liefeng remembered that he had stuffed a roast chicken in his clothes. He picked up the skin on the back of the cat's neck, lifted it into the air, and asked Xiaoqin, "Why are you so hungry?"

Xiaoqin snorted: "Sister Ah Li said that cats can't die of hunger, and they will find food by themselves, so don't worry about it." ”

The cat struggled hard, broke free of Wang Liefeng's hand, and fled out as soon as it landed.

Xiaoqin said: "Ah, it's going to run away!"

Wang Liefeng took a step out, bent down and picked up the cat again, held it in his arms, stroked its head, walked in quickly, and said, "The cat really doesn't need to be taken care of every meal." However, our house was spotless, not a single mouse could be caught, and the leftovers were disposed of in time. What's more, this cat is not a Central Plains cat, you see, the body is round and the face is flat, the hair is long and the ground is long, it was originally used as a pet for people to play, even if it is put outside, it has no survivability at all. It's normal for Chu Li to take care of it for two or three days on a whim, but after that, you have to keep up. ”

"The young master has taught me a lesson. Xiaoqin closed the door and said in a trembling voice, "It's just that there are too many things in the past two days, and I can't arrange it, so I will keep it to take care of the master, and I don't dare to be a little lazy, so I naturally ignore the cat." ”

Wang Liefeng paused: "What's wrong?...... Is my father's condition serious?"

He was walking to his father's room, the first thing he did every time he came home. Although my father may not be able to see, hear, or speak, he is alive after all. To be alive is to be cared for from morning to night.

"Nope. The lord is the same as usual, very good. It's just, it's just ......," Xiaoqin said, "someone sent some silver, saying that you are gone." ”

"I'm gone?" Wang Liefeng looked at the cat he was holding in surprise, and sighed in his heart.

“...... Hatsuri hasn't come back yet?"

Xiao Qin burst into tears: "Yes, yes, young master, I didn't dare to say it just now, for fear that you would be sad." ”

Wang Liefeng suddenly felt five thunderbolts, and it was difficult to breathe for a moment, and he pinched the cat unconsciously, and the cat screamed in pain, stretched out his claws and scratched, and ran away.

Wang Liefeng said: "I haven't come back once in the middle?"

Xiaoqin shook her head and said, "No." Mademoiselle hasn't been back since she said she was going out to look for you the night before. Everyone is very anxious, except for a few people who are left at home to take care of the old man and cook and clean, they have all gone out to find someone, but there has been no news so far......"

"How can this be?" Wang Liefeng said anxiously, "It stands to reason that the road back is very safe, not to mention that there are many people at night, it is impossible for an accident, and it is even more impossible to disappear out of thin air, she is very serious, and she has never had any accidents, so I am relieved that she left the house alone." Unless she ......"

Speaking of this, Wang Liefeng was already in a cold sweat: "She shouldn't be going to follow that killer...... "Young master, what did you say, what kind of killer, do you know where the young lady went?"

"I know. Ah, I don't know. Wang Liefeng was a little dazed, Xiao Qin rarely saw the young master show such an expression, "If this is really the case, then what should I do......"

My father was like a breathing statue that lay there no matter what was going on outside. I don't know if he knows that something happened at home, at least not from his face for the time being. Wang Liefeng only thought that he was a normal person with limited mobility, he walked into the room silently, walked in front of him, knelt down and said, "Father, my son is not filial, so I came to see you at this time." ”

The silver-haired butler sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes were like wood, stagnant and not turning, staring at Wang Liefeng deadly, opening his mouth sneeringly, and hissing: "Young master...... Not ......"

Wang Liefeng nodded at him: "It's been a long time, Director Sheng." ”

"Don't go...... Don't ......," the butler muttered stupidly.

This is what the housekeeper said when he persuaded his father the night before his father's accident. At that time, the butler seemed to have dreamed of something terrible, and when he woke up, he begged his father not to go to war. My father smiled and said, "It's just a dream, can I not go to war for the sake of a dream?" Death on the battlefield is too common, death is not terrible, you can't run away for this reason, maybe he escaped alone, and let the whole family suffer sins. Even if it is a true prophecy, if nothing happens, it cannot be considered a prophecy, it is unavoidable, and it may be false if it is just a dream.

Death is not scary. Life is worse than death. The father was carried back, and he was a living person, but he did not have all the reactions that a living person should have. The old butler blamed himself for this, and after a month he went mad, and sat beside his father all day, and said to him that he could not go, and that no one could pull him away.

Wang Liefeng said: "Now that I have something to look for again, my son has to go, please forgive me." Last but not least, I hope you will continue to bless me and keep me from dying for a while. ”

The housekeeper said, "Young master, don't go to ......"

Wang Liefeng stood up, walked out of the room quickly, and asked Xiaoqin when he arrived at the door: "Where did you go to find someone?"

Xiaoqin said: "People have been sent everywhere to look for it, but unfortunately there are no clues." ”

Wang Liefeng suddenly said angrily: "Won't you put up a notice? She has so many portraits, just find a few and post them, isn't it much better than asking questions like headless flies?

Xiaoqin was frightened and nodded desperately with tears in her eyes.

Wang Liefeng was impatient, and was about to have a seizure, noticing his gaffe, so he endured it, sighed again, and said: "If the tears are useful, even if a man has tears and doesn't flick, he can cry the Great Wall down." Don't cry. When Ah Li was your age, she was already very capable, so she wouldn't cry. ”

Xiaoqin covered her mouth and choked with a twitch.

After being silent for a long time, it seemed that Wang Liefeng had exhausted his strength in this short silence, and when he spoke, he was actually weak: "Xiaoqin." ”

Xiaoqin hurriedly responded: "Young master, I'll listen." ”

"Wait for them to come back today, tell them that they don't have to look for it, and I'll bring Hatsuri back. ”

"Understood. Master, you are ......"

Wang Liefeng got up and walked out the door and asked, "When will Ah Li come back?"

"I'm sorry young master, I'm late. ”

Xiaoqin and Wang Liefeng looked out the door.

Ah Li appeared at the door panting, holding bundles of portraits in her hands. She raised her head, and a pair of gentle and quiet eyes flickered darkly, which made Wang Liefeng's heart feel much more steady. Ah Li was born a little beautiful, her cheeks and lips were round and fleshy, she always smiled on weekdays, she was a bright and reliable smile, and she was a strategizing and general smile. The contours and lines of her entire person are round, blunt, and non-aggressive, giving a sense of safety and reliability. She wore her hair coiled and a long, high-waisted skirt with a chebel or pressed over the skirt and a cardigan over it.

It was biting cold outside, but her cheeks were red from the rush.

"What are you doing here?" asked Wang Liefeng.

Ah Li said: "I'll print some portraits, and ask someone to post some tomorrow morning." Young master, Xiaoqin told you, Miss didn't come back overnight or day, and there was no news, which really made people anxious. Miss is really willful......"

She chose the lightest words to say, but both sides knew that the situation could be serious.

Wang Liefeng let out a sigh and said, "It's worthy of Ah Li." ”

Ah Li is the leading maid in the family, only Wang Liefeng is one or two years old, and he has come to the Wang family to do things since he was a child, and followed the old housekeeper to keep the house in order. Gradually, she can arrange the big and small affairs of the family, at that time Wang Liefeng was still catching rabbits in the garden, she watched from the side, watching Wang Liefeng grow up day by day.

After the housekeeper went crazy, he thought about the friendship for many years, and the matter was caused by his father, Wang Liefeng couldn't say anything about dismissal, so he said that he asked Ah Li to help decide things together, but in fact, he directly let her take over the housekeeper's work.

The decisions made by Ah Li are generally worth considering. Wang Liefeng was very relieved of her.

"Ah Li," Wang Liefeng commanded, "you stay at home and take care of people, and feed a cat when you have time, don't forget." Alas, you don't seem to have done anything wrong, but I didn't take good care of her and made you make a big fuss. ...... Don't worry too much, my name, who doesn't know in Bianjing City, who dares to touch General Wang's sister? So, Chu Li will be fine. Ah, it's going to be fine. ”

After analyzing it like this, Wang Liefeng didn't know the bottom in his heart.

His name is certainly a safe shade, but once he can't hold it down, the difficulty of the matter may not be solved by reporting his name.

Maybe you can't solve it in person.

But what can be done then?

This is his dearest sister, one of his few relatives who can communicate, and it is his backlash and weakness.

Ah Li bowed her head: "Got it, young master, I'll arrange for them all to come back, and everything will be as usual." You walk slowly. ”

"Well, it's business as usual, and that's fine. Wang Liefeng said, "Just arrange it as I usually do when I'm not there, and that's fine." ”

Ah Li's shoulders moved slightly, and she lowered her head and responded, "Yes." ”