Because of the notification of the sentry post on the official road outside the city, the two gates of the urn city and the main city have been opened, and the horse team entered the city unimpeded in the solemn respect of the soldiers on duty above and below the city. At this time, there was already a curfew in the city, and the shops and houses on the street that could accommodate four cars running from north to south had long since closed their doors and bolted them, and half of the idlers could not see them. The horseshoe clasped against the bluestone-paved streets, and the crisp sound of clattering followed the gentle night breeze in the silent night sky. Dogs barked near and far. The faithful keeper dog was quickly reprimanded by his owner, and then whined back to his den......

The horse team crossed the Xilan Bridge on the Xiaonan River along the South Street, turned a corner in front of the Gu Family Ancestral Hall, walked out of the riverside road for a while, turned a large black willow forest on the embankment, and saw the mansion at the mouth of Zaozi Lane. Shang Cheng's current mansion is a different scene compared to when he was in Huojiabao two years ago. Behind the three-foot-and-six-foot-wide wall, the four black-lacquered gates were tightly closed, and the four human-tall lanterns hanging under the high eaves of the mansion were bursting with large wax flames, reflecting the huge open space in front of the stairs in a red light. There were already a lot of people standing in the Yimen next to him, Shang Chengduan sat on horseback and the figure just appeared, and they all came around with a sigh, "Commander", "General", "Master" shouted wildly, leading the horse, holding the horse, helping the horse, slow down and not being able to catch up with the hand, he followed the side and the back without saying hello, and welcomed him into the house with a mess of laughter.

Bao Kan smiled and sent Shang Cheng into the Yimen, thinking about what had happened, and thinking about his home, he said, "My lord, then I'll go back first." ”

Shang Cheng turned around and said, "Don't eat dinner and go back?" ”

Bao Kan smiled and shook his head.

"Well, I won't keep you either." Shang Cheng didn't persuade again. This trip is half a month, and he knows that he is really worried about his pregnant mother-in-law. Besides, although Bao Kan was the captain of his own army, his official military position was that of a guard in the Admiralty's Palace, and his duties were not fulfilled in this mansion. Because he said, "Give you a few days off, and you don't have to go to the Admiral's Mansion on an errand at any time." Huaiwa's mother-in-law is heavy and has a bad temper, so you should spend more time with her at home. ”

Bao Kan originally wanted to make a joke, but he opened his mouth and swallowed the words back, nodded in agreement, explained a few more words to Suza, and left with the soldiers.

Shang Cheng was surrounded by people and returned to the courtyard where he lived, without filling his stomach first, he called hot water to take a comfortable bath, washed his hair and shaved his face, and then felt that his fatigue had been reduced a lot. He had just returned from inspecting military affairs in Yanxi. From Fangzhou to Yanzhou, the horse galloped for two days and one night, and only rested for two hours on the halfway, even if he was young and strong, and his muscles were strong, he couldn't stand running down for more than 400 miles. At this moment, squinting his eyes soaked in the hot soup, and his mind was groggy and not thinking about anything, he felt a wave of laziness slowly arise, gradually diffusing from his limbs to a hundred remains, and finally penetrating into his mind......

In a trance, he saw his mentor. The tutor, who was a little hunched back, sat with his back bent over a large pile of books, his eyes projected from the thick glasses frame, looked at him and said: "Two days ago, the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee wanted to find someone to help them do some copywriting work, and I recommended you to them. You work hard, maybe you can pass after graduation......" He just nodded in agreement, and in a blink of an eye, the secretary of the department also came over, and asked him cordially: "Xiaoshang, Director Wang of the school's political work department is asking about you again, have you made up your mind, will you stay in school in the future?" He scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "It's still early, I haven't thought about it yet." The secretary seemed to understand his difficulties and reminded him, and said with a smile, "It's an opportunity." You have to grasp ......" He was about to explain, when he saw the boss of the group company who had been transferred to work in the autonomous region. The boss said calmly: "Whether to stay in Chongqing or come back, you make your own decision." But I think it's better to come back. After all, you are familiar with the situation here......" he had to say to them, "I haven't thought about it yet. Suddenly, the girl who was in the second year of the English Department who had a good impression of her also came over, stretched out her finger and pointed at his shoulder socket, and said with a smile: "Don't forget, you still owe me a meal." ”

…… A "meow" on the roof woke him up from his mistuency. He tugged at the edge of the bucket and stared at the dark beams of the room, and it took him a long time to remember where he was.

He shook his head and walked out of the already cold bath, changed into a loose cotton clothes, and walked to the front yard with his cloth shoes on. Alas, I have been gone for more than ten days, and I don't know how many things are waiting for me to deal with; Why did you get stunned? How long has it been since you remembered the past? Three months or half a year? Or longer......

He walked into the study, sat down at the table, and sighed as he looked at the neatly arranged stacks of official documents. He flipped through it casually and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Some of the official documents were arranged before he left, and who knew that he hadn't come back yet, but the official documents came back first. He threw a few books in his hand onto the table. Don't ask, it must have been blocked at which yamen again.

He pursed his lips and stared at the mountain of official documents for a long time. There's no way, who made him the fake admiral of this Yanshan? He rubbed his face vigorously, as if trying to drive away the exhaustion and weariness that had come out of his bones, and then picked up what might have been an important paperwork, and it lay on top of a pile of official documents in front of him. At this moment he smelled the rich aroma of chicken noodle soup, and then heard a guard talking outside the hall, as if to tell him something.

This fragrance means that the Yue'er girl is here. I don't know when he started, every time he came back from a business trip, Yue'er would always think about cooking him a pot of noodle soup with enough sesame oil......

He grunted and swallowed, and his stomach was even hungrier after not eating anything for most of the day. He stood up and went to greet Yue'er, and said, "It's still a good girl to me!" I know I like noodles ......," he said at this point, and he suddenly froze. It wasn't Yue'er who came in with the tray, it was Yang He Pan'er......

He was a little embarrassed, but immediately smiled, reached out and took the tray and said, "Why you?" I thought it was Yue'er. ”

Pan'er lowered her head and said, "Sister Yue'er has gone to Xishan Dragon and Tiger Temple." ”

Shang Cheng knew that Longhu Temple was also a century-old temple erected during the reign of Gaozong in the early Tang Dynasty, and he also went around two years ago when he was waiting in Yanzhou. However, first, it is a small temple, and secondly, it is far away from the city, and the mountain road is not very easy to walk, so the incense is not very vigorous. He casually asked, "What is she going to do there?" ”

"The great monk of Quanzhou Guanyin Temple is preaching in Longhu Temple, and the seventeenth aunt and the eldest girl and the second girl all went, and the Yue'er sister also followed."

Shang Cheng was holding a bowl of noodles while browsing the official document and listening to her, chewing on the pickles cut into strips in his mouth, and asked vaguely, "Preaching?" How many days does that have to go? ”

"I went nine days ago, and I said that I would be able to come back before the Mid-Autumn Festival at the latest."

Shang Cheng replied, indicating that he had heard. He counted the days in his mind. It seems that he went to the temple within two days of leaving. But that's fine, it's better than being stuffy at home every day, and the little baby should go out to see the world more and have more experience. It's just that going to the temple to listen to the monks chanting scriptures or something, it doesn't seem to have much to do with increasing knowledge...... He was thinking wildly in his mind, and when he looked up, he saw Pan'er still standing in the ground and picking his fingers, and then he remembered that since Yue'er had been gone for several days, it seemed that this study was Pan'er cleaning and tidying up, no wonder these official documents were placed in such an orderly manner, it turned out to be like this; Although Yue'er is smart and sensible, after all, she is illiterate, and she can't pick up things in writing so neatly. And there is no need to ask, the big bowl of noodles in her hand must have been made by Pan'er, she didn't leave here, maybe she just wanted to hear a compliment from herself. He stopped his chopsticks and said a little apologetically to the "cook" who was cooking for him: "Look, your noodles are so fragrant, I took care of eating them, and I didn't say to give you a seat." Then, you can sit ...... casually."

Pan'er sat down on a drum stool furthest from the table. She didn't speak, but hung her head slightly and stared at the paperwork on the table.

Shang Cheng didn't know what to say for a while. It has been almost two years since he rescued Pan'er from the lair that broke through the sky, and even if he even took Sun Zhongshan to marry her maid Dou'er as a daughter-in-law, he didn't say a few words to this girl. Even now that she and Yue'er live in the backyard, he rarely sees her and he hardly goes into the backyard, except for one trip in May when he came back from Yandong to reunite with Uncle Seventeen's family.

But sitting like this is not an option, and you have to find some excuse to break the awkward atmosphere in this room. So he asked: "Last time, I heard Yue'er say that you are going to settle your household registration in Yanzhou, and the matter is done, right?" ”

“…… It's done, it's done. I don't know why, the girl suddenly got up. She was a little at a loss, her hands clutching her belt tightly; His face became a little pale, too.

Shang Cheng's expression changed greatly when he saw her, and he immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. This girl is a poor person, her husband's family is mean and doesn't recognize her, and her mother's family is timid and doesn't dare to take her back, even if she leaves her household registration in Yanzhou, there is actually nowhere else to go. How old is she to suffer like this? He immediately corrected his mistake and continued as if nothing happened: "I also said that if I didn't get the household registration, I would go to someone to talk about the favor, since Uncle Seventeen has done things well, then I have done this in vain." This is good, with a household registration, you don't have to worry about being checked by the officials one by one, of course, no one dares to come in this big courtyard. He chuckled dryly, a little unnaturally.

After all, Pan'er was young, so she didn't tell that his words were inconsistent, nor did she hear his laughter dry and lifeless, and she couldn't help but bite her lip and smile when she heard him say this.

Seeing the smile on her face, Shang Cheng immediately said: "Speaking of which, I have to thank you, if it weren't for you accompanying my sister, she would be alone, and she wouldn't even have a speaker all day long, and I don't know how boring the days would be." ”

"Nope! No! I...... I would also like to thank you for taking ...... to."

Shang Cheng pretended not to pay attention to her words, and interrupted her, "You can live here with peace of mind." If you are bored, it is not good to go to Uncle Seventeen's for a walk, or go to the city market to walk around and be bored at home day by day. If you don't go to the Lu family's Tao family to get to know a few little sisters. Lu Gong and Tao Gong told me a few times, complaining about why I didn't let the two girls go to each house to recognize the door. He lied casually, "Tao Gong's two granddaughters are about the same age as you, and you should have a lot to say when you are together." As he spoke, he remembered something else. Oh, the big girl is about the same age as you, right? Are you a sister, or is the eldest sister a sister? He said casually with pleasure, forgetting how impolite it is in this day and age to ask a woman's age and birthday.

Pan'er hesitated for a moment and said, "I am in the same year and month as the eldest sister, and she is five days older than me. ”

"Oh." Shang Cheng raised his face with the bowl and thought about it, but he really couldn't remember how old the eldest girl was this year, anyway, it was either eighteen or nineteen. As for the eldest girl's birthday...... A few years ago, I seemed to hear Yue'er say it twice, but after a long time, my memory has long been blurred; Seems like this month? He didn't ask again, he scooped up the noodles in two times, drank the soup in the bowl again, wiped his mouth with chopsticks, patted his belly comfortably, and praised Pan'er, "I really didn't see it, your craftsmanship is so high, it's good, it's really good!" ”

Pan'er packed up the dishes and chopsticks and went out, and after a while, she came in with a tray.

There was a flask on the tray......