The next day is the last day of the year in the old calendar. In the morning, Juehui woke up late, and when he opened his eyes, the sunlight was already shining through the window, illuminating the room very brightly. Juemin stood in front of the bed and looked at him with a smile and said:

"Look, how did you sleep last night?"

Jue Hui looked at herself, and it turned out that a quilt was pressing half of her body. He lifted the quilt and realized that he had fallen asleep on the bed last night without undressing. He smiled at Juemin and sat up, feeling the sun sting his eyes and rubbing his hand twice. The old mother Huang, who was serving their brothers, was walking into the room with a basin in her hand.

"I ate so much wine last night, I was so drunk that I didn't even take off my clothes and fell asleep, and it was easy to catch a cold on such a cold day. I'll cover you. You fell straight on the bed, sleeping so soundly, sleeping until this time of the day that you didn't get up! Huang Ma grunted alone, but there was still a smile on her wrinkled face. She rebukes them often, as a mother rebukes her son. They knew her temper and knew that she really loved them, so both brothers liked her.

Juemin smiled, and Juehui couldn't help but laugh too.

"Huang Ma, you are so talkative. Everyone is happy at the New Year's dinner, so what's the point of eating a few more glasses of wine? Ah, I remember, last night you stood next to me and kept looking at me with your eyes open and fierce, which made me so bored! During the holidays, you should also relax us. You're better than Madame, who doesn't care much about us," Jue Hui grumbled with a smile, deliberately joking with her.

"It's because my wife doesn't care about you that I take care of you!" Huang's mother is making the bed. When he heard Juehui's last words, he turned back to him and said to him. "I'm in my fifties. I've been working in the mansion for more than ten years, and I've seen you grow up. I have served you for more than ten years. You also look up to me, and you have never scolded me for a word. I wanted to go home for a long time, but I couldn't help it. I've seen everything in the mansion. It's not the same now. I often think that it is better to leave as soon as possible, Qingshui has lived, and he has come to live in muddy water, it is not worth it. But I can't bear you. I'm gone, and there's no one to take care of you. You are really two good young masters, just like the wife who passed away. If my wife is still here, I would like it when I see you grow up! And our young grandmother, who in the mansion doesn't like her? Be nice to her, too! I think my wife will bless you well in heaven, and in the future, you will be able to read well and become a great official, and even my old wife will have face at that time! ”

"If you really become a big official, I'm afraid you will forget about you, an old woman, where will I remember you?" Juehui smiled.

"You won't. I don't want you to do me any good. As long as you study and become famous, I will be relieved," she said sincerely, looking at them lovingly with kind eyes.

"Mama Huang, we won't forget you," Juemin said, and went over and patted her on the shoulder. She smiled at him, took the basin and walked out the door, and was about to cross the threshold, when she turned back and said, "Don't eat any more today." ”

"It doesn't matter if you eat less," Juehui said with a smile, but she had already walked out of the room and couldn't hear.

"She's so good, it's really rare to see a good person like her among the 'people below'," Juemin praised Huang Ma unconsciously after seeing that Huang's mother had gone.

"This is really your great impression: it turns out that the 'subordinates' have the same feelings and conscience as the master," Juehui said sarcastically.

Juemin knew that Juehui was laughing at him, so he kept silent. He lifted his feet and walked outside.

"Are you going to my aunt's house again?" Jue Hui asked loudly in the back.

As soon as Juemin stepped out of the threshold, he heard Juehui asking, so he looked back at him, as if to reproach him, but still replied gently, "No, I will go for a walk in the garden, will you go too?" Jue Hui nodded, and followed Juemin out. They walked past the door of Juexin's room and heard Qian'er, the maidservant of the fourth room, calling "eldest young master" inside. They didn't pay any attention and went straight to the garden.

"Let's go to the right, I know Grandpa is in Merlin," said Juemin as soon as they entered the Moon Cave Gate, and walked to the right. On the right is a winding cloister, with pink and white walls inlaid with marble screens, and a few windows beyond that, which are from the outer living room; Outside is a stone railing. There is a large rockery outside the railing, and there is a long patio, which is usually planted with some flowers and plants; There is also a flower stand, on which the withered branches of several peonies stand bravely in the cold air, and each branch is wrapped with cotton.

"That's the way it works. Although it is a dead branch, it does not shiver at all in the cold wind. We should follow its example. Don't be like that little grass, which falls down and withers when the frost comes! Juehui looked at the flower stand and said this praise.

"You're talking again," said Kyawmin with a laugh; "Although the peony survived the winter like this, made leaves and bloomed, it still couldn't escape a pair of scissors from grandpa."

"What's the matter? The next year is not just the same as the new flowers! Jue Hui replied enthusiastically. They went forward again.

They went out of the cloister, down the stone steps, and into a patio. There are some strange stones piled up in the patio, high and low, made into various shapes, some like old men bowing down, some like roaring lions, and some like white cranes with long necks. They walked forward around the strange rock, and went up the stone steps, but in front of them was a bamboo hedge, and a small door was left in the middle, just enough for one person to enter and exit. They saw only a bamboo forest in front of the door, and there seemed to be no road, but when they entered the gate, they found a sheep intestine path in the middle of the bamboo forest. After walking through the bamboo forest, they heard the sound of gurgling water, it turned out that there was a small stream at the end of the bamboo forest, and the water flowed down from the rockery, which was very clear, and people could see the stones and fallen leaves under the water. A wooden bridge led them to the opposite bank. They crossed the bridge and walked into a patio. In the middle of the patio is a thatched pavilion. There are several laurel trees and camellias in front of the pavilion. Passing through the pavilion was another pink and white wall, and there was a small door in the left corner, and as soon as they turned the corner, the sound of waves suddenly came into their ears.

They were led into a winding maze of railings, and they walked around for a long time before they got out of it. In front of it is a dam planted with many tall pine trees. In the pine forest, there is only the sound of the wind. Halfway through, they saw a sparse pine tree on the right, and a corner of the red-painted window loomed out. They walked out of the pine forest. In front of it is a white and bright lake, the lake is like a crescent moon, surrounding the opposite bank, and people can see the pavilion in the middle of the lake and the curved bridge here.

They stood on the shore of the lake for a while, looking at the slightly undulating water. Jue Hui couldn't get rid of his childishness, so he picked up a few stones and threw them at the opposite side. He tried to throw the pebble to the other side, but it fell in the middle of the lake. Juemin also picked up two or three stones to throw, but he couldn't throw them. Although the lake is narrower in this section, it is far from the opposite shore and cannot be reached by stones.

"Okay, don't throw stones. Let's go and find a place to sit on the other side," Juemin dissuaded Jue Hui and said. The two men walked up the narrow round-arched bridge to the other side.

They got off the bridge, and in front of them was a meadow more than a foot wide, and went up the stone steps, where there was a large patio, in which a few magnolia trees were planted, and in the middle there was a gravel-paved road, and on both sides there were eight green porcelain stools, and then up a stone staircase came to the newly painted building, which was all vermilion except for the tiles, and looked bright and dazzling. There is a plaque hanging under the eaves, on which there are three black official characters: "Evening Fragrance Building".

Juemin sat down on the porcelain stool and looked up to see the plaque written by his grandfather in front of the building.

Juehui walked alone on the steps. He looked at his brother sitting on the porcelain stool and smiled, and then said, "Let's go to the back mountain." ”

"Rest for a while," Juemin sat down, refusing to get up, and he excused himself.

"Okay, then I'll take a look inside," Juehui said, pushing the door open and entering.

He had never paid attention to the calligraphy, paintings, and furnishings inside, but after a cursory glance, he turned to the back and climbed the stairs to the top.

There turned out to be someone upstairs. That's Juexin. He lay weakly on the bed, his eyes half-closed, and he looked very haggard.

"What? Big brother, you sleep here! Alone, quietly! Juehui cried out in shock.

Juexin opened his eyes, looked at Juehui, and smiled reluctantly: "I want to hide here and rest for a while." I'm so tired these days. There's really no way to be quiet in your own room, this thing is coming to you, and that thing is coming to you. I have to stay up all night tonight, so it's better to rest for a while early, so as not to be unable to support it at the time. ”

"Qian'er was looking for you just now, and I don't know what happened," Juehui said.

"You didn't tell her I was here, did you?" Juexin hurriedly asked.

"Nope. I didn't see her, but I heard her calling out to you in your house. ”

"Okay," Juexin said reassuringly, "I know that the fourth father must have called me to do something for him, and it is better to avoid it." ”

Jue Hui thought that the big brother's strategy had changed now. But he immediately had another question: if he uses a strategy to deal with the environment like his eldest brother, he doesn't know what the results will be.

"Big brother, you ate a lot of wine last night. You've been a lover of wine lately, and you weren't like that before. Your body is not very good, why bother to eat like this, there is no benefit to eating alcohol! Jue Hui remembered this incident and persuaded his eldest brother in a serious way. He is a man who speaks wherever he thinks.

"You often laugh at my strategy, and this is one of my strategies," Juexin sat up and said with a wry smile. "The reality weighs me too hard. After eating wine and getting drunk, I feel that life is easy. He paused and added, "I admit I'm a coward." I didn't dare to face life, I didn't have the courage. I had to make myself a little confused and live in oblivion. ”

Jue Hui thought bitterly: What else can a person do if he admits that he is a coward? He began to pity Juexin, and later sympathized with Juexin. He had wanted to say a few words to comfort his eldest brother, but fearing that it would lead to more unpleasant remarks, he stopped his mouth and planned to go downstairs.

"Third brother, don't go," Juehui was called by Juexin; Juexin said seriously: "I still have something to ask you." ”

Jue Hui walked back in front of Jue Xin. Juexin looked at him and asked, "Have you seen Cousin Mei?" ”

"Cousin Mei? How did you know she was in the province? Jue Hui asked in surprise, he didn't expect Jue Xin to ask such a question. I didn't see her, Sister Qin did. ”

Juexin nodded and said, "I've seen her." This was a few days ago, in the commercial mall, at the entrance of Xinfaxiang. He paused at this point, as if to recall the scene. Jue Hui stood in front of him, silent, just looking at his face, wanting to know his mood from his face, to know what he was thinking at this time.

"She came out with her aunt. The eldest aunt was talking to someone in the shop. She looked at the clothes in front of the store. I saw her at a glance, and I almost screamed. She looked up and saw me. She nodded as if to greet hers, and looked inside, and I followed her face to see my aunt inside. I didn't dare approach her, so I had to stand and watch her from a distance. Her watery eyes stared at me for a moment. I saw her lips moving slightly, and I thought she might say something, but who knew that she would drop her head and walk in without saying a word, and would not look back at me again. ”

A burst of child's laughter burst into the building, but fell silent again. Juexin paused for a moment and continued:

"This meeting reminded me of the past. I've forgotten about her as a person, your sister-in-law is very good to me, and I like your sister-in-law very much. But now that May is back, she reminds me of everything I used to be. How can I not want her, you say? I can't forget her in such an environment. I'd love to know how she's feeling right now. I think she might resent me for having failed her. I know that she is married, widowed, and has returned to her mother's house to live with her aunt......" He paused, a look of pain and remorse on his face. He sighed slightly.

"She won't resent you. After a long time, and after such changes, everyone will forget the past. I don't know why you're trying to take the past with you! The past should be buried deeply. We should only look at the present and think about the future. And Cousin Mei may have forgotten about you a long time ago," Jue Hui said the last sentence, knowing in her heart that she was lying.

"You don't understand," Juexin shook her head, "how can she forget the past?" They are the easiest women to remember the past. If her circumstances are a little better, and she has a husband who is considerate of her, then she may be able to forget some of them, and I can rest assured. However, fate played tricks on her, so that she was a young widow, accompanied by that stubborn mother, and lived that nunnery-like life. How do you think I can be at ease, and how can I forget her! But the more I think of her, I feel sorry for your sister-in-law. Your sister-in-law loves me like that, and I want to love others. If I continue like this, I'll hurt two women. How do you think I can forgive myself? …… The reality is too painful. I want to confuse my brain a bit, so I've been eating a lot lately. You don't know, I often cry behind people's backs, and naturally I won't cry in front of people. And the wine lost its narcotic effect after a short time, and remorse followed, and I felt that I should not have been cowardly to this step, and I hated myself! ”

Juehui wanted to reproach Juexin at first: "You found it all yourself." Why didn't you resist and speak your own opinions? Now it's time to blame! But seeing Juexin's painful expression that was more pathetic than tears, he felt that there was no reason to blame Juexin now. He persuaded half-pity and half-comfortingly: "There is a solution to this." As long as Cousin Mei falls in love with someone else in the future and marries again, all problems will be solved. ”

Juexin shook his head and smiled bitterly: "This can't be done." You're really hooked on the new book. You don't open your eyes to see the reality of the environment. Do you think such a thing is possible in her kind of family? Not to mention that her mother would not agree, even she herself would never have such thoughts. ”

Jue Hui didn't seem to have anything to say, and he didn't feel the need to argue with Jue Xin. Now in terms of thinking, he is getting farther and farther away from his eldest brother. It is true that he is not able to understand the new. He thought, if such a thing is justified, why can't it be done? Sacrificing one's own life's happiness for the sake of a realistic environment that can be changed is unnecessary and does no one good, but it is just to prolong the life of the old family for a few more hours. Why can't Cousin Mei remarry? Since the eldest brother loves her, why does he want to marry the current sister-in-law? After marrying my sister-in-law, why do you still think about Cousin Mei? He seemed to understand all this, but after a while he felt that he really couldn't understand it. Everything in this big family was a complex knot that his straightforward, passionate young heart could not untie. He stood in front of his eldest brother and looked at his eldest brother's face with a painful expression, and a terrible thought suddenly came to his heart. The sad truth is that there is no hope for such people, and there is no way to save them. Bringing them new thoughts, opening their eyes to the world for what it is, only adds to their suffering, just as it makes a dead body stand up and see its own decay.

This painful truth tormented the heart of his youth. He seemed to understand all this, and the more unpleasant outcome of the future appeared before his eyes as if prophesied. It was as if he saw an abyss in front of his eldest brother in front of such a man, but they walked towards it without hesitation, as if they did not know it. In fact, it is better not to know, because they are already irretrievable. His own situation was such that he watched them go towards the abyss, but he could not save them. What a painful thing it is! Thinking of this, he himself became melancholy. He seemed to have walked into a narrow alley and couldn't find a way out. The laughter outside reached his ears one after another, as if to mock him.

"Forget it, where can there be so many things in a small brain! As long as I do a good job myself. Thinking like this, it seemed that the best solution had been found, and he stopped thinking about these things. He walked to the window, put his head out of the window to look, and saw Jueying, Juequn, and the sisters Shuying, Shuhua, Shuzhen, and Shufen kicking the shuttlecock on the steps, and Juemin also joined in kicking inside.

"Why are you all here?" Jue Hui asked loudly with a smile. "Haven't you eaten yet?"

Shuhua is kicking the shuttlecock below, counting while kicking. She was taken aback when she heard Juehui's voice, instinctively raised her head to look, and then hurriedly hooked the shuttlecock with her foot, but it was too late, and the shuttlecock "tower" fell to the ground with a bang, and it had just been kicked one hundred and forty-five times.

The Juemin brothers and sisters, who were helping to count impatiently, cheered in unison when they saw the shuttlecock falling. Shuhua couldn't stop in anger, and she must be compensated by Juehui.

"Why should I pay for it? I didn't speak to you," Jue Hui replied with a smile, and he turned away from the window, ready to go downstairs.

As soon as he turned around, he saw that Juexin was no longer here, and at the same time he heard the sound of stairs. He walked slowly to the top of the stairs and walked down the stairs.

He also heard Juexin talking below on the stairs, and when he got below, Juexin was already kicking the shuttlecock there.

"Now it's almost time to eat, and you're still kicking shuttlecocks here, and you're causing the servants to look everywhere," Juehui said.

"It's still early! Grandpa told me to have a little dinner today, everyone ate too much wine last night, and we got up more Yan today," Shuhua hurriedly replied, and after she said that, she went to count how many shuttlecocks Juexin kicked again.

"Third brother, aren't you coming to kick?" The childlike Jueying raised her head and made a strange face at Jue Hui and asked with a smile.

Juehui was about to answer, but Shuhua preemptively said: "He can't kick, he can't kick ten times!" She laughed at Juehui like this, as if she had taken revenge on the previous shuttlecock, and a smug smile appeared on her round pink face.

At this time, Juexin had already fallen into the shuttlecock, and Shuying should continue to kick it. Sookyoung is an expert at kicking shuttlecocks, and she attracts everyone's attention from the beginning. She kicked unhurriedly and slowly, counting the numbers in her mouth, one hand holding the braid behind her back, and her body moved very regularly. The shuttlecock turned into something very obedient, and it just jumped up and down at her feet. It was as if there was a suction on her feet, and the shuttlecock fell and always landed on her feet. She kicked for a long time, but she was still not far from the same place.

Everyone counted for her, and watched her kick with envy. Everyone wanted her to kick the shuttlecock immediately, but in fact the more she kicked, the more the shuttlecock refused to leave her feet, as if she would never kick the shuttlecock off alone. So everyone complained again, and some even made noises to distract her.

Jue Hui sat on a porcelain stool in the patio, and he watched the competition without speaking. He sat alone, not participating in their laughter, and even looking at them with envy. For the first time, he felt sad that he was not familiar with the various games.

But it's only for a moment. Loneliness struck suddenly, but it quickly went. He watched calmly, but also with interest, how the game unfolded.

The shuttlecock on Sook-young's toes finally fell, and it was Shu-jung's turn to kick again. The twelve-year-old girl struggled to dance her little feet in red satin embroidered shoes. The deformed feet attract attention with their delicate appearance. Jue Hui, like everyone else, had noticed the little feet that were famous in the mansion, but they had never won his affection. To him, the little feet were like bullet marks on the wall of the gate, and they evoked a painful memory for him. So the wails of Sook-jeong's bound feet came back to his ears over those years.

However, there stood clearly in front of her. is still the little feet that have won the love of some people, and it is still the little feet that have been exchanged for her pain and blood and tears. But here she laughed all now, and there was not a trace of sorrow on her face. It was the face of an innocent, cheerful girl, without a sad expression on it.

"Maybe she's too young to know yet," thinking so, Jue Hui inadvertently fell on Jue Xin's face, which he was looking for something.

Juexin smiled and talked to Shuying, who was standing next to him. Shuying showed an angry look, and wanted to twist Juexin's arms, but Juexin ran to the bottom of the stairs, and Shuying chased after her. Juexin ran around the magnolia tree twice. Shuying couldn't catch up with him behind, so she was angry and wanted to pick up clods of soil to throw him. He jumped down the stone steps to the grass and prepared to cross the bridge.

"Don't run, I'm not chasing you. Come back," Shuying shouted under a magnolia tree.

Juexin has already stopped at the bridgehead. He looked at Shuying and smiled, and exhaled a few times in succession.

"Big brother, come on, it's time for you to kick the shuttlecock," Shuying said again.

Juexin still stood still.

"Okay, it's up to you, it doesn't matter if you don't have one," Shuying said, pretending to be angry, and turned around and walked back to the stone steps in front of the building.

As soon as she turned around, Juexin walked back. He walked softly, stifled a smile, and walked across the patio to the bottom of the steps. Sookyoung stood on the stairs with her back to the outside and her braids hanging down. He pinched her braids, but Shufen saw it, and she laughed and shouted: "Second sister, there is someone behind you!" Shuying quickly turned her head to see that he had stuck a small branch in her braid. Sook-young pulled her braids and pulled out the branches and threw them on the ground. The crowd laughed happily.

Jue Hui watched all this silently, and he couldn't help but laugh. At the same time, however, he could not suppress another thought. He thought that people were so forgetful, and the same person had changed two faces in a short period of time. Later, he thought that it was probably because of this forgetfulness that he was able to live in pain. Thinking like this, he also had a temporary understanding of the eldest brother who had just dug up the grave of the past and immediately forgot everything.