Chapter 2: Ying Ke (Seven Below)

When a pot of gentle soup was finally eaten, it was already dark. Cheng Xiaojiu said hello to his mother, and got up to send Xiao Xinghua's master and servant home.

"There are two lanterns in the corner of the room, which were given to you by the shopkeeper of the candle shop. The road is dirty, you light a lantern to light the way, so that the clothes of the apricot blossoms will not be splashed with muddy water! Cheng Zhu's eyes were full of happy smiles, and he whispered.

"Got it. The butter candle in that lantern is only as thin as a finger, I'm afraid it will be lit inadvertently! Mother sleeps first, I have to go to inspect the barracks after sending the apricot blossoms. If Ermao comes to me, tell him I'm going back to the barracks! Cheng Xiaojiu agreed, and pulled out two lanterns the size of cold melons from the corner of the house. In his eyes, these two beautiful-looking guys are purely flashy decorations, and they can't illuminate at all. If you want to walk at night, it is most practical to hold a torch, holding it in your hand and splashing red stars, and even the nasty mosquitoes are so smoked that you dare not get too close to people.

The candles inside the lantern were thin, but the lighting was much better than he had expected. After walking out of more than half a mile, the candle center only dropped slightly. There is a sweet fragrance from the open lantern mouth little by little, at first only faintly, and then it is getting stronger and stronger, and when the three of them walk on the main street, the sweet fragrance of flowers is as thick as a bowl of honey that cannot be dissolved, making people feel as if they have walked into the apricot forest in spring, and the front and back are all colorful.

"What smells so good?" Cheng Xiaojiu moved the lantern mouth closer to him, twitching his nose and asking in surprise.

Xiao Xinghua obviously knew more than him, snatched the lantern from the handmaid Qiao'er and looked at it, and immediately screamed in surprise: "It's beeswax in it, authentic Yuezhou beeswax!" It's not a butter candle at all! ”

"Beeswax? Can honey also make candles? Cheng Xiaojiu's eyes widened and asked in surprise.

"Of course it's beeswax, and one costs thirty dollars!" Xiao Xinghua nodded again and again, and her eyes reflected two candle flames. "Let's blow one off, it's a waste. The other one is left for you to light up when you read at night, it works much better than a butter candle and won't burn your eyes! ”

"It's okay! There is also a small half-bag in the corner of the room. Just now I was afraid that it would not be ordered, and I had a few more in my arms! Cheng Xiaojiu smiled, and took out four finger-thick beeswax from his chest like a treasure. These are all for you, and you can use them to smoke clothes! ”

Little Apricot Blossom's eyes lit up again, like stars twinkling in the night sky. "Thank you, Little Brother Jiu!" She happily snatched all four beeswaxes, and while carefully hiding them, she twisted her nose and said: "During the Chinese New Year, Liu Erya got a small half of beeswax, and she showed it off like a baby. We let her ignite it for everyone to see, and she was reluctant to push back. The next time she comes to my house, I'll order one in each of the four corners of the house, and see what kind of face she's on! ”

Cheng Xiaojiu couldn't participate in the trivial things of these little girls' fighting, so he could only laugh and be an audience. Xiao Xinghua is like a rapping parrot, squeaking and clucking the interesting stories between herself and her close friends in recent months, and she will tell them one by one. She finally figured out Xiao Jiu's mind today, so she hoped to share all the joys and sorrows with each other like she did when she was a child. And as he spoke, the topic unconsciously pulled to the head of the eldest lady of the Zhou Mansion.

A thick fragrance of flowers came along the night breeze, circled around Cheng Xiaojiu's heart a few times, and then spread far away. Miss Zhou, that gentle, kind girl. Through a gauze curtain, I can still feel her beauty. He suddenly remembered Wang Ermao's request, smiled, and interrupted Xiao Xinghua's words, "Does Miss Zhou often go to the pharmacy?" What are the men of their family busy with? Why does she have to come forward in business? ”

"Her eldest brother is known as a scholar, and he was born to serve the emperor and govern the world, so he doesn't want to pay attention to business matters! The second brother's mind is on women, and he is not doing his job at all. Her grandfather is old again, and his legs and feet are not very dexterous. There is no way, Sister Xiuying has to do it herself! She was also very fond of medicine, so she always spent a few days of the month in the pharmacy. Last time, you and Ermao went to grab medicine, and you happened to run into her! Xiao Xinghua didn't think about it, and replied.

Cheng Xiaojiu's face was hot, and it was because the lights were dim that he didn't have to worry about being noticed by Xiao Xinghua and Qiao'er. Thinking that ten days ago, I was almost beaten out of the pharmacy as a beggar, and in the blink of an eye, thirty pieces of beeswax were quietly sent to the door as ordinary gifts, and I didn't feel like a big dream, and even the happiness in front of me became a loss, as if I had woken up, and I was afraid that I was still asleep!

Xiao Xinghua didn't mind her fiancé asking about other girls, but she was keenly aware of the other party's emotional changes. Pulling Xiao Jiu's arm and shaking it, he said in a low voice: "Brother Xiao Jiu, don't sigh!" It wasn't Sister Xiuying who told me. It was Wang Ermao's big mouth that said, he is a nymphomaniac now, as long as he sees me, he will ask Miss Zhou and Miss Zhou endlessly! ”

"I don't care about these things!" Cheng Xiaojiu nodded, with a few smiles on his face, "I'm very grateful to your good friend." If it weren't for her help that day, the shopkeeper wouldn't have been willing to sell me the medicine at a low price! ”

"Those people have dog eyes!" Xiao Xinghua scolded hatefully, "Little Brother Jiu doesn't need to be like them. Change into clean clothes and they'll be wagging their tails at you in no time! If you still don't get rid of your hatred, I'll hire a few people to make trouble with them one day. It is said that the shopkeeper's deduction of medicinal materials delayed the illness and cured the person alive. Then secretly inform Sister Xiuying and ask her to drive the shopkeeper and her guys home! ”

"You don't have to be so ruthless!" Cheng Xiaojiu immediately shook his head, unwilling to cause others to lose their jobs. "I just think about it and feel depressed, and I don't hate anyone. After all, they are doing business with an open door, and they can't sell me medicine at a loss! ”

"Little Brother Jiu is soft-hearted!" Xiao Xinghua pulled Xiao Jiu's arm, and the corners of her eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles. Both civil and military, tolerant and generous, this is the little ninth brother he knows. Looking at the entire Guantao County, there are no more than three such men. Is one of them his father, and the other? She took advantage of Cheng Xiaojiu's inattention and quietly stuck out her tongue. Think of that person for what he does! That person is not as stable as Brother Xiao Jiu at all.

As he spoke, Chengxian Street was already in front of him. Almost every house here has lanterns in front of their homes, and the streets are swept to the dust, making them seem like two completely different worlds from the dim and dirty donkey alley. Unwilling to see the fake enthusiasm of his future father-in-law, Cheng Xiaojiu stopped at a distance from the Zhu family.

"I'm going to patrol the camp tonight, so I'm not going to visit my uncle and aunt." He whispered, trying not to look at the disappointment in Xiao Xinghua's eyes, "You ask them for me." When I have time another day, I will come to the door to apologize to my uncle and concubine! ”

"Hmm!" Xiao Xinghua hummed lowly, she knew in her heart that the other party was not entering because of what she had done to cross the door, but she couldn't pick the fault on both sides, so she had to pretend that she didn't know anything. But just let Cheng Xiaojiu walk away, and he felt empty in his heart, as if he had lost some treasure. After hesitating for a moment while holding the other party's big hand, she raised her head and asked with a smile, "Then will you send me home tomorrow?" Me, I'm going to buy a live chicken tomorrow. My aunt is thin and needs to drink more chicken soup to replenish her vitality! ”

"Don't ...... Come on, if I can go home, I'll walk with you!" "Cheng Xiaojiu originally wanted to stop Xiao Xinghua from spending money for herself, but the words turned around again." However, what is going on in the barracks is uncertain, and no one knows if there will be any arrangements tomorrow! ”

"That's ......" Xiao Xinghua bit her lip, and there was a slight disappointment in her voice. But soon, she was happy again, and said, "It's all right! If you don't come back, I'll stay at your house with my aunt! Anyway, when I was a child, she used to sleep with me in her arms. Neither of them is an outsider! ”

"I'm afraid you won't get used to sleeping on my straw couch! My quilt hasn't been dismantled and washed for a long time, and the smell of sweat is very strong, which will burn you. Cheng Xiaojiu smiled and said helplessly. He still hasn't forgotten the past when his father-in-law Zhu Wanzhang was ready to repent of his marriage, and at the same time, deep down in his heart, he felt that his home was indeed a little shabby, and he had wronged Xiao Xinghua, a dust-free woman. Under the contradiction, there are some incoherent words.

"It's okay! I don't care! Xiao Xinghua looked into each other's eyes and shook her head gently. I'm not afraid! Little Brother Jiu, you don't know, you ...... today" She secretly swept Qiao'er, who had been hiding far away with a lantern, and her neck slowly hung into a beautiful arc, "I'm so scared and happy that you're like that today!" ”

In the face of such a gentle and lovely fiancée, Cheng Xiaojiu would have been melted into a puddle of spring water even if there was a piece of ice. Shaking the soft water in his palm hard, he promised in a low voice: "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer too much with me." I've saved some money and in two or three months I'll be able to buy a new house on Suzaku Street. Anyway, you can move in before you get married. I promise you'll move in! ”

"My aunt told me about buying a house!" Xiao Xinghua was embarrassed, and responded in a gnat-like voice, "Actually, in fact, little ninth brother, as long as I am with you, I, I don't care where I live!" ”

"I care!" Cheng Xiaojiu straightened his chest, as if he had a thousand catties of weight on his shoulders. He believes that he can support a home, and believes that he can give his mother and Xiao Xinghua a safe and warm room, so that he can smell the fragrance of food and hear joyful laughter in the room every day. He is already a member of the public family, and he is no longer Cheng Xiaojiu who carried a big bag on the dock at the beginning, and there is no tomorrow after today. He has a fixed salary and a number of additional benefits every month. As long as he carefully keeps the position of Bing Cao, everything he asks for is not far away.

"I know that Little Brother Jiu is good to me!" The appearance of the small apricot blossom is ever-changing, and it is more difficult to figure out than the summer weather. A moment ago, he was as shy and timid as a bird, but in the blink of an eye, he was very shrewd in thinking about Cheng Xiaojiu's new home, "Actually, you don't need to go to Suzaku Street, it's too close to the market, the house is too expensive, and it's too noisy." Chengxian Street is on the line, many people on this street have been moving recently, and there must be people who will sell their houses at a low price! ”

Cheng Xiaojiu was a little ** by his fiancée's brainless words, frowned, and asked in a low voice: "Sell the house?" Why did they move? Didn't the county form a township? Are they afraid that Zhang Jin will dare to attack the pavilion? ”

"It's not that Zhang Jin said. Stay Xiaojiu, you are really lonely! Xiao Xinghua pulled the other party hard, raised her voice and emphasized, "It's someone on Liyang's side who is rebelling." When you first entered the county office, there was this news. After that, many rich people in our county were afraid of being implicated, so they sold their houses and ran to the north to avoid the limelight. My grandfather said that they were worried about nothing, and they were planning to take the opportunity to buy some houses facing the street in preparation for the future! ”

"Liyang, rebellion?" Cheng Xiaojiu was still ignorant. In the past few days, he has put all his mind on how to improve the combat effectiveness of the villagers under limited conditions, and he has no idea about the rumors circulating in the outside world. But the sensitivity of the reader made him quickly recover from the shock, and then he was shocked by another thunderbolt thought!

"You're talking about Yang Xuangan!" Without waiting for Xiao Xinghua to explain more, Cheng Xiaojiu quickly came to a conclusion. Yang Xuangan was the chief grain officer of this Eastern Crusade, and his line was located in Liyang City in the upper reaches of the canal! At the turn of spring and summer, the grain transported north by boats on the canal was the rations for the Eastern Expeditionary Army, but after the summer, the grain ships on the canal were all sent to the nearby large families!

The Zhou family bought twenty boats of grain at a time! Without hesitation, the grain traders raised the reward to one hanger plus five buckets of rice! The batons who rescued on the boat with him that day were all recruited into the county yamen! And the five-short vendor has been coming and going to the county government day by day in the past few days! The vendor also secretly observed how he trained his troops, and the vendor rewarded people, just a silver cake worth three dollars!

In an instant, there seemed to be countless lightning bolts in the night sky, each of which made Cheng Xiaojiu shudder. The strange and seemingly unrelated things that happened around me recently were completely pierced by lightning, and slowly turned into a big poisonous snake, spitting blood-red letters at people!

"It's Yang Xuangan, it's Yang Xuangan. You don't know him, what are you afraid of?! Xiao Xinghua's voice suddenly came from his ears, making Cheng Xiaojiu regain consciousness again. He didn't dare to make his fiancée clear, so he had to shove the lantern into the other party's hand and said vaguely, "I suddenly remembered that I didn't do something, so I had to hurry to the barracks." Hurry home! If it's a little later, the uncle and concubine will be in a hurry! ”

Say it, and don't wait for the other party's consent. Turning around, he ran out like a flyer.

"Stay Xiao Jiu!" Xiao Xinghua, who was suddenly thrown into loneliness from tenderness and joy, was so angry that she raised her eyebrows and scolded with a pause.

"I'll send you home tomorrow!" Cheng Xiaojiu's voice slowly faded away, and the whole person was engulfed in darkness in the night. "Stupid little nine, dead little nine, bad little nine!" Xiao Xinghua muttered and scolded, helplessly picked up the lantern and walked to her door. "I don't understand people's minds at all, I'm really stupid like a pig!"

"Go home! Let's go back to their house tomorrow! The maidservant Qiao'er was accustomed to seeing the young lady lose her temper, so she smiled and stepped forward to comfort her.

"Go back by yourself, leave me alone!" She was answered with an angry rebuke. The hairs on Xiao Xinghua's body are erected into needles, and she escapes a hedgehog in danger. "I won't go to their house tomorrow, I have no conscience! Eat it for nothing! ”

"Actually, it's good for my uncle to be like this. He's a big man, and of course he wants to put his career first. Otherwise, if you follow him in the future, will you not eat bran and suffer the white eyes of men? Qiao'er smiled and shook her head, defending Cheng Xiaojiu in a low voice.

The second half of the sentence was quite powerful, and Xiao Xinghua listened to it, and the anger in her heart was slightly reduced. Speaking from the heart, the current Cheng Xiaojiu is definitely more likable than Cheng Xiaojiu half a month ago, at least, when he is with him, he is not afraid of being loudly counted down by his grandfather and mother-in-law. But he didn't say goodbye and left, as if he didn't take himself seriously at all! It's still like when I was a child, as if I only know how to make trouble.

"I'd rather he be with me! And not to do what a big man! The moment she closed the door, a voice said in her heart.