Chapter 4: Red Dust (Part I)

Despite the countless confusions hidden in her heart, in the evening, the kind-hearted sister-in-law Lian still took advantage of the dawn to scrub Cheng Mingzhen's wound early and put on the ointment again. The two of them were very embarrassed, and the cooperation between them was inevitably a little rusty, and occasionally the force was uneven, and the wounds on Cheng Mingzhen's body flowed out of pus and blood. scared a sister-in-law so that her face turned pale, lest the young man scold herself. Cheng Mingzhen was very generous, and said in general: "Hi! It doesn't hurt! Sooner or later, the pus and blood will come out. Now that it's gone, maybe the wound will heal sooner! ”

"It's me stupid, I can't serve people!" Sister-in-law Lian's eyes were red and she apologized.

Seeing him crying, Cheng Mingzhen was even more panicked, and quickly turned his head and comforted with a smile, "You are not Langzhong, it's strange to tie these cloth straps!" Didn't you take good care of me when I was unconscious these days? In this way, I close my eyes and straighten my waist, and you just let me be in a faint. ”

"Young Master Cheng is a good person!" Sister-in-law Lian snorted and whispered back. According to what the other party said, the progress of applying the medicine and wrapping the cloth tape was really much faster. Even so, it took half an hour to treat several large and small wounds. Cheng Mingzhen's face turned white with pain, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down one after another along his sideburns.

Seeing this, Sister-in-law Lian didn't care about any more cranky thoughts, and hurriedly ran out to find ginseng soup. The two big bowls of ginseng soup fell into his stomach, and Cheng Mingzhen's face finally returned to a trace of blood, crooked on the couch, panting weakly!

"Young Master, Young Master Cheng? Young Master Cheng, can you go! Sister-in-law Lian was scared and whispered for Cheng Mingzhen's soul. (Note 1)

"I, I'm fine. This damn Sun camel, how can today's medicine be so evil. If I had known this, I might as well be in a coma! Cheng Mingzhen gasped for a moment and responded with his eyes closed.

"That's not going to work. If the young master doesn't wake up, he will definitely kill the seven masters! Seeing that Cheng Mingzhen was finally able to speak, Sister-in-law Lian burst into laughter. After speaking, he suddenly found that Zi had made another mistake in speaking freely, and quickly lowered his head, lest he meet the young man's gaze.

Cheng Mingzhen didn't have the strength to open his eyes to look at her, and all the wounds on his body were painful. In order to prevent Sister-in-law Lian from being too anxious, he had to respond without a pair, "Seven masters, are you talking about cuckoos?" I'm afraid I've put a lot of effort into her these days! ”

"Young Master knows?" Sister-in-law Lian raised her head in surprise, and then quickly lowered her head back, "Young Master knows, does you know that the Seventh Master comes to see you every day, every day?" For this matter, the three masters and the seven masters had a very unhappy quarrel. Can seven masters ......"

As soon as the words began, they were immediately interrupted by Cheng Mingzhen without a clue, "The third master, is it Uncle Scar?" He's already back to the old camp? When did this happen? ”

"Only one day later than you. In these days, the brothers are returning from outside. I heard that the big boss turned defeat into victory, and the guy named Wang Shichong ran away, and some small people around took the initiative to come to discuss joining the gang. But none of those people seem to be serious things, and the Seven Masters are persuading the Big Masters not to take them in! ”

"Oh!" Cheng Mingzhen agreed groggyly. The medicine on the wound began to work, the hot feeling began to replace the pain, and the whole body began to become soft, and it took a lot of effort to concentrate.

"The six masters said that everyone can come back alive, thanks to your strategy! The one surnamed Wang seems to be very famous, what is the nickname of the blue-eyed fox, and many family members in the Lianghuai area have been defeated by him" lest Cheng Mingzhen fall asleep, and Sister-in-law Lian kept finding topics for the two.

"Oh!" Cheng Mingzhen nodded confusedly. Now, he finally figured out who he was fighting with that day. Wang Shichong, is this general very powerful? The name doesn't seem to be very loud! Cheng Mingzhen has only heard of Hu'er, Zhang Xutuo, Li Xu and Yu Wenshi recently, compared to these heroes of the world, Wang Shichong can be said to be unknown. But that man was very decisive in using soldiers, and he actually caught the rogues off guard. If it weren't for the fact that he was carried away by victory, his simple ambush might not have had any effect.

"After a defeat by the canal, the surname Wang retreated into Guantao County! The surrounding counties and forts were afraid to come out, so the scattered brothers found an opportunity to cross the canal and return to Zeli one after another. At the beginning, when I heard that King Zhang was defeated, almost every house in Zeli was black, and I thought that the people who went out would not come back. And guess what? Sister-in-law Lian chuckled, and her eyes were full of appreciation when she glanced at Cheng Mingzhen, "As a result, the paper money and incense candles are smoking, but people are coming back." made the whole family cry and laugh, and it almost became a pot of porridge! ”

"No wonder the bandits are willing to spend money to save me!" Cheng Mingzhen said secretly in his heart. He also felt that his idea was a failure, but he forced himself not to look for other reasons to be saved. Bandits are bandits, and even if there are a few kind people like Sister-in-law Lian among them, it will not contribute to their reputation. However, the Ping Encheng family has been loyal for generations, and should never have too much to do with bandits.

Thinking like this, his attitude towards Sister-in-law Lian slowly faded. The kind woman couldn't see Cheng Mingzhen's inner struggle, and just thought that the young man was depressed because of his injuries. On the contrary, he took care of him more and more carefully, and kept wiping his sweat with a wet cloth.

The coolness from the wet cloth made Cheng Mingzhen's spiritual platform clear for a while, but the medicinal power and instinctive evasion made his mind blur for a while. In a daze, he heard Sister-in-law Lian tell him interesting stories about Junozawa, how wild ducks hatched eggs in the reeds, how foxes got into the fence to steal chickens but were caught by dogs, lotus flowers in summer, and snow in winter. In a daze, he said how he rode on his father's shoulder to watch the lights of Chang'an, how he lost his way and stood next to the candy seller's car and cried loudly......

The joys and sorrows seemed to have happened yesterday, and the occasional mention was so kind. Cheng Mingzhen remembered that he hadn't mentioned it to anyone for many years, and he didn't dare to tell his mother, for fear of seeing his mother's tears. I don't dare to tell Wang Ermao and others, otherwise it will be regarded as showing off. Only lying on the straw mat woven by the reeds of Junozawa and talking to irrelevant people do not have any scruples. Anyway, I have to leave after all, and I have nothing to do with this place after leaving.

"Then you don't have a brother?" A slightly thick female hand wiped the sweat from the young man's forehead, and the owner of the hand asked softly.

"Nope! I'm the only one in my house! was supposed to have a younger brother, but Grandpa had an accident and didn't save it. Cheng Mingzhen sighed and replied with a wry smile.

"I thought there would be a lot of handmaidens and a lot of servants in your house. Every time you go out, you are hugging each other, a hundred times more majestic! The woman scooped some ginseng soup with a small spoon to moisten Cheng Ming's lips, and then said with a smile.

"The rice is expensive over there in Jingshi, and Grandpa is a good official, so he doesn't have much money to take. And I was young, and I was not yet a handmaid alone. Cheng Mingzhen closed his eyes and swallowed the ginseng soup, and continued to talk to the other party without saying a word.

The ginseng soup is re-warmed, and there is still a faint smell of honey. It should be the honey produced by wild bees, and the honey produced by domestic bees does not have such a strong floral fragrance. No, the floral fragrance should not come from honey, but from a woman's hand, faint, sweet, looming.

"Sister-in-law Lian, what does the eldest brother do? Are you also walking under King Zhang's tent? Suddenly thinking of such a question, Cheng Mingzhen asked in a ghostly manner.

"Your big brother?" Sister-in-law Lian paused for a moment, but she didn't expect Cheng Mingzhen to call her man like this, "He is unlucky, he was arrested and sent to Liaodong as early as the year before last, and he hasn't come back yet!" Knowing this, it would be better to enter Juyeze with Zhang Da's family! ”

"Oh!" Cheng Mingzhen nodded lightly and deliberately pretended to be stupid. People who go to Liaodong will not be able to come back. Sister-in-law Lian is really strong enough, she always has a smiling face, and never lets others see the pain in her heart. Since she refused to admit the fact that her husband had died in battle, why did she bother to break it. is so confused, but it makes life a little hopeful.

"Dog Emperor, stupid as a pig!" The woman holding the ginseng soup cursed quietly.

This doesn't seem to be Sister-in-law's voice. Cheng Mingzhen frowned slightly. He remembered that he had been taken care of by Sister-in-law Lian after changing the medicine, and he had been teased by Sister-in-law Lian, but he didn't remember when there was another person in the house! "What time is it?" Gently pushing away the ginseng soup that had been brought to his mouth, he asked loudly, then forcefully opened his dry eyelids. Under the dim torches, he saw a delicate, tired face.

It was already completely dark outside, and many small insects were circling around the torches. In order to deal with these blood-sucking creatures, the house was lit with countless wormwood sticks of earthy incense. But no matter how strong the aroma of wormwood is, it can't hide another taste, gently, quietly, and softly drilling into people's hearts.

"It's about a moment! It's already dark! The cuckoo, who was covered in the scent of wild honey, smiled and whispered. There are several obvious redness and swelling on the forehead, which have been medicated, but it may not have any effect.

"Was that you? You've been talking to me? Cheng Mingzhen was surprised and moved, and tried to support half of his body with his arms.

"Lie down! Who has the spare time to take care of you! The cuckoo pushed him hard and unceremoniously knocked him to the ground. I saw that Sister-in-law Lian was working too hard, so I came to help her. It's not been long since I arrived! Now that you're awake, hurry up and drink the ginseng soup, don't let Sister-in-law Lian go to the heat again! ”

"Then I'll have to sit and drink! Lie down and drink, don't you drink it all to the nose? Cheng Mingzhen responded with a wry smile. A wild girl is a wild girl, and she will never be reasonable. Even when he is serving people, he is careless. Fortunately, she had Sister-in-law Lian when she was unconscious, otherwise she would have to be tossed to death.

Seeing the smile in Cheng Mingzhen's eyes, the cuckoo angrily dropped the pottery bowl. "And you're still capable. Didn't you also lie down and drink soup the other day?! Don't move, take my time! ”

As she spoke, she had already turned to the top of Cheng Mingzhen's head, stuffed her arm under the young man's armpit, and slowly exerted force. The arm that immediately slashed the knife was far stronger than Sister-in-law Lian's arm, and a slight support had already allowed Cheng Mingzhen to take advantage of the situation to sit up straight. When his back against the earthen wall slowly stopped, his gaze inadvertently swept lightly over the forehead in front of him, and he was softened by the traces left by the wild bees, and he regained his peace in an instant.

Maybe it hurts too much to be stung, and the cuckoo cried. In that hurried glance, Cheng Mingzhen obviously saw tears in the corners of his eyes. And Sister-in-law Lian seems to have cried, her upper eyelids are red, and the swelling has not had time to fade. But I was obviously awake just now, why didn't I hear her choking? What kind of hell is this damn camel using?!

"Drink!" The cuckoo stiffly brought the pottery bowl to Cheng Mingzhen's mouth and commanded loudly.

"I'll come by myself, I'll come by myself!" Not daring to accept the favor of this femme fatale, Cheng Mingzhen shook his head again and again in a panic.

"Who is waiting for you!" There was another sneer in her ears, and as the medicine bowl moved away, the cuckoo returned to her appearance of a seven-master house. Xiang Lian's sister-in-law nodded, and ordered lightly: "It's better for you to come, he's afraid that I will eat him!" ”

"Young Master Cheng is a tender-faced person, he didn't mean not to drink!" Sister-in-law Lian's words sounded so awkward, as if she was defending Cheng Mingzhen, and as if she was explaining herself. While smiling, she took the medicine bowl, but her hand trembled slightly, and accidentally, she spilled a small half bowl of medicinal soup on Cheng Mingzhen's body.

"You!" The cuckoo crossed his eyebrows and glared angrily.

"Blame me, blame me!" Sister-in-law Lian hurriedly put down the medicine bowl, lowered her head and wiped the medicine with the placket of her clothes. In the midst of the busyness, a few drops of sweat-like things fell down and fell next to the medicine stains, leaving a small piece of dampness.

"Sister-in-law Lian, you didn't mean it. It's okay, I didn't get hot at all! Cheng Mingzhen couldn't help but reassure him in a low voice.

"It's not!" Sister-in-law Lian shook her head and rubbed her eyes, "I remembered my family's man who killed a thousand knives, he was so ruthless, he didn't have a letter for two years!" After that, he couldn't hold back any longer, covered his face and walked out.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became even more awkward, and the two young men bowed their heads to each other, and neither of them knew what to do! After a long while, Cheng Mingzhen sighed and said faintly: "Bring me the medicinal soup, I can really drink it myself!" ”

"Then you don't make it clear!" Seeing Cheng Mingzhen's innocent appearance, Du Juan's anger didn't come to one place, "It's okay to sleep with your eyes closed, what kind of family member is Sister-in-law Lian?!" ”

Cheng Mingzhen was speechless, so he had to bow his head and pour the medicinal soup violently. The cuckoo gouged out his eyes again, suddenly felt a sense of weakness, snorted coldly, and walked out of the room quickly.

She knew why she was angry. also knows that directing anger at Sister-in-law Lian is purely innocent. It's one thing to know, it's another thing to be able to control it. Damn Sun Huozi, why do you want to say that Cheng Mingzhen is not the life that can stay in Juyeze with peace of mind, and why do you think that he can't do a lot with everyone? What's so great about him, isn't he just a gentlemanly speaker and a hypocrisy?

"Seven masters, I'll ......" Sister-in-law Lian didn't go far, and when she saw the cuckoo chasing after her, she quickly put away her tears and took the initiative to come forward to say hello.

"I know, I don't blame you!" Looking back at the window with the torches lit, the cuckoo lowered his voice to comfort. "Uncle Camel asked you to do this, there must be a reason to do it. He is a grateful person, if you serve him well, he will definitely repay you in the future! ”

"I don't want anything in return." The kind woman shook her head with red eyes. "Thinking about pretending to be all the things that the seven masters have done these days on their heads, I don't dare to look at him! Young Master Cheng is a great accomplishment, and I know what my destiny is. I just hope that one day he can understand the thoughts of the Seven Masters about him......"

"Nonsense!" Cuckoo shrugged his shoulders slightly, "I'm just repaying him for saving everyone's lives!" What can he think about him! He's not one of us. It's like a passing wild goose and a carp that stays in Zeri for the winter. You can just look at each other! ”

This could not fool anyone, including herself. Cheng Mingzhen, who refused to be thousands of miles away, Cheng Mingzhen, who talked eloquently to the owner of the village, Cheng Mingzhen, who was desperate and cut off the head of the enemy general with a knife, Cheng Mingzhen, who was in a coma with a panicked face and like a lost child, had unconsciously imprinted on her heart, waving, waving, wiping, and erasing.

Even if we can look at each other, we will be happy for a long time. Biting his lower lip gently, the cuckoo, known as the jade-faced rakshasa, thought silently.

Not far away, two wild birds fell into the middle of the lake, causing a circle of water waves.

Note 1: Folklore has it that shouting in the ear of a dying person may bring his soul back and save his life.

Note 2: Evil. Dialect means to be in severe pain.

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