How did you end up here?

Mrs. He secretly hated in her heart, if you hadn't beaten my board, I would have had to recuperate for so many days. After that, he lived in such an expensive inn in Weihe County for many days and spent a lot of silver.

Then you followed the bandits up the mountain yourself, and left us behind and were robbed by another gang of bandits, and the rest of the money on us was looted, so why did we fall into the situation of being kicked out of the inn?

Fortunately, we were blessed with a great fortune, and there was a carriage passing by halfway. To put it mildly, I begged them to bring them to the county seat, and according to the footsteps of a few of us, I am afraid that they would have frozen to death and starved to death in the mountains.

You little dare to ask me why I have fallen into such a situation?

If it weren't for Madame's orders, I would have brought you back anyway, would I have to be treated here by your little slut?

I thought so in my heart, but she didn't show it on her face, but put on a real face:

"Miss didn't know, you were taken up by the thieves that day, and a few of us were in a hurry, so we hurried to this Changping County to report to the official. Unexpectedly, on the way, we encountered a gang of bandits and robbed us clean.

Ben came to the county government and thought about reporting to the official, hoping that the government could send troops to rescue you, but unexpectedly, the county order didn't care at all, and only made a record and sent us. In desperation, we had no choice but to find this inn to live and wait for news from the young lady. ”

Chu Qingruo sneered in his heart: I'm afraid that you only reported the incident of property being robbed, right? If you tell the county government that Zaifu's grandson has been kidnapped, how will the county government ignore it?

I'm afraid that the county magistrate here will desperately rescue him, and it's too late to pat his ass, and he will send you away at will?

She didn't expose her either, and looked at her with a smile: "It's the little girl who worries her mother." After saying that, he raised his feet and walked into the inn with everyone, ignoring the four of them directly.

The four dogs raised their feet to follow up with the inn, but were stopped by Xiao Eryi: "You dare to come in?" Get out of here, don't break your legs! ”

The four dogs had no choice but to shout at the door: "Miss, Miss! ”

Chu Qingruo turned around and asked knowingly, "What's the matter?" ”

Mrs. He grinded her teeth secretly in her heart: "Miss, our silver has been robbed, you see ......"

Mother Zhou got Chu Qingruo's eyes, and said, "You want to borrow silver, right?" Not! ”

Han Ling'er covered her mouth and snickered, and started a round with understanding: "Mother Zhou, don't be like this, Mother Xu, they are also pitiful, or Miss you can borrow them a little silver, right?" ”

The four dogs nodded busily.

Chu Qingruo had done enough foreshadowing, and then he spoke slowly: "How many taels of silver do you want to borrow?" ”

Mrs. He thought for a while, turned her head to look at the other three dogs, and gritted her teeth: "Four hundred taels!" "It's a long way to go to the capital here, and it will take at least a month to walk, so you still have to spend a hundred taels per person, right?

Yi Qing couldn't help but shake his head secretly. Commander Yuan couldn't help but scold angrily: "You really know how to open your mouth, a month's journey costs one hundred taels per person!" You're so valuable! ”

Chu Qingruo didn't blink and said, "Okay! I'll lend you four hundred taels! ”

When everyone heard this, they hurriedly tried to stop her, but she changed her words: "But if you lend you this silver, you have to make a note for me." ”

The four dogs were a little hesitant, the four of them, except for Mrs. He, who was the eldest lady's dowry girl, who had three taels of silver every month, and the other three only had one tael of silver.

Mrs. He's one hundred taels begged the eldest lady to intercede, maybe the eldest lady would pay it back for her, but when will they have to pay it off?

And Mrs. He thinks that letting her make a note for this little slut is equivalent to making her a little shorter in front of her, how faceless it is! How can you deal with this little slut in the future?

Thinking of this, all four of them stopped talking.

"Then you should think about it, and let the little second brother call me." Chu Qingruo was not in a hurry, threw down this sentence, and asked everyone for a room, and Xiao Er led the way away.

After Yi Qing, Chu Qingruo and Zhou's mother returned to their rooms. Putting down the burden, Zhou's mother pulled her and asked, "Miss, where did we get so much silver to lend to them?" We don't have enough of our own money. ”

She smiled and patted Zhou's mother's hand, and playfully lied to her: "Mountain people have their own tricks!" ”

In the suspicion on Zhou's mother's face, she called out to Commander Yuan, wrote a list for him, and asked him to take it to the largest study in Changping County to find the shopkeeper to meet the materials she needed.

Commander Yuan went quickly, and when he arrived at the study, he showed the list to the shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper knew that this was an expert! Hurriedly took out the old ink, old paper, and antique scrolls needed for the list from the secret room.

What are these things for?

In the world of antique calligraphy and painting, there is a craft called: "old". Ordinary people make the same thing old as it is, smoke it yellow, and smoke it black with kerosene. Make a spot here, a spot there.

It's simple worn-in.

The highest level of oldness in calligraphy and painting is that except for the person who writes and paints is not real, everything else is true.

For example, if you want to make a painting of a painter from the previous dynasty, first find someone who has a good painting and paint like this painter, and use the ink and paper of the same period as the painter of the previous dynasty to follow the painting of that painter.

Then you can use a scroll from the same period, or earlier than that era, and sell it as if it were the real thing.

Even regardless of the authenticity of the calligraphy and paintings on it, the materials used alone are already expensive, so naturally the price of selling them will not be cheap.

Chu Qingruo hid in the room for a few days in a row, and after painting a painting, he asked Commander Yuan to send it to the painting house together with the painting scroll. After taking it back, she asked Zhou's mother to take it out and sell it, and a painting cost more than 900 taels.

Those dogs couldn't see that there was a little bit of hardness, and after struggling for several days, until they were about to die of hunger, they had no choice but to call Xiao Er, find Chu Qingruo to come out, set up a note and take the money.

Back in the house, Zhou's mother couldn't help but be a little worried. None of these people, except for Mrs. He, paid back the money. Isn't this money lent to them just meat buns and beating dogs?

Chu Qingruo smiled mysteriously at her: "Mother Zhou, you just have to put away these IOUs, and they will be of their own use when the time comes." ”

In the past few days when Chu Qingruo was busy, Yi Qing stayed at home every day, and she didn't know what was wrong with her, as soon as she closed her eyes, she thought that she knew that the bandits' den was dangerous, but she was still unwilling to leave herself alone to escape.

The emotions that had been bitterly suppressed in his heart and deliberately ignored by him broke out of the cocoon without paying attention, and no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, he couldn't suppress it.

If she is a high-ranking daughter, she can go back to the palace and ask for a holy decree to marry. But she is an ordinary girl, I am afraid that the palace wall and deep courtyard, where eating people and not spitting out bones, cannot accommodate an ordinary woman like her who has neither background nor power.

Yi Qing knows that such a big identity gap is something that he and she will never be able to cross. sighed, I could only collect my mood, bury this thought in the bottom of my heart, and dare not confide in half of it.

Two days later, with the slightest trace of affection that had just been born in his heart, but he had to pinch it off with his own hands, he and Chu Qingruo hurriedly embarked on the road back to Beijing with a heavy face.

Along the way, Yi Qing seemed a little distracted, and saw that Chu Qing wanted to persuade him, but he didn't know what he was worried about, so he could only silently swallow the words of comfort and accompany him to be silent all the way.

The light rain in the sky street is as moist as a crisp, and the grass color is close but there is none.

It is the most beneficial spring of the year, and it is absolutely better than the smoke and willows in the imperial capital.

The spring color of April is like a beautiful girl, bright and subtle. The sun shone gently on the two carriages that were slowly advancing, but they were not in a hurry.

After a long journey of several months, Chu Qingruo and his party had already arrived at the outskirts of the capital. There were more and more pedestrians on the road, so they had to slow down the carriage.

In the distance, a tall city gate stands majestically, and the vermilion word "Imperial Capital" on the city tower is faintly visible. After many years of absence, she finally returned to the place that once made her miserable.

The prosperity of the capital is like a dusty woman with ten miles of fireworks, welcoming guests yesterday, and he will send you to the next day, always a new person for the old person. No matter how happy you come, you are so quiet when you go.

It swallows up not only the years, but also the joys and sorrows of many......

Chu Qingruo didn't like it here, not at all. Compared with the prosperity of the city, she misses the tranquility and tranquility of Wutong Village even more.

There is no grass fragrance she loves, only the smell of fat powder all over the city; There are no flowers and plants here that can make her roll around, there are just people coming and going, and the traffic is endless.

After passing the Ping'an Fang, the group stopped the carriage. Chu Qingruo and Yi Qing saluted each other and said goodbye.

After letting Chu Qingruo into the carriage of the Chu family, the four dogs followed the carriage and stopped in front of a brand-new courtyard gate together.

The tall courtyard gate is surrounded by a large neat wall, and the top of the wall is neatly covered with a row of black and blue tiles, sealed with tiles printed with various patterns, and the lush green bamboos can't bear the loneliness and poke their heads out, telling the scenery in the courtyard.

The courtyard gate is made in the shape of a torii, and on the two ebony-colored doors at the bottom, there is a brass pepper figure inlaid on the left and right sides, and two polished copper rings are held in the mouth.

"Tuk Tuk"

Mrs. He stepped forward and buckled the door, and the heavy door creaked open, revealing a wrinkled face in her fifties.

"Oh, is Lady He back?"

Seeing that it was Mrs. He who knocked on the door, the old man of the porter hurriedly opened the door with a smiling face, closed the threshold, and welcomed her in.

"Well, hurry up, I'm tired from this trip. What about the eldest lady? ”

Mrs. He seems to have returned to the posture of just entering the small courtyard of the Chu family. It seems that she was not the one who was hit by the board along the way, bitten by a dog, and kowtowed and begged for mercy.