Chapter 2: Ying Ke (Seven Tops)

The door of the house made of branches and wooden sticks is hidden in a humble way, very simple, but behind the door is the most peaceful place in the world in Xiao Jiu's heart. In just a few days, he suddenly changed from a poor boy who was hated by everyone to the head of the head of a thousand towns, Lord Bing Cao of the Yamen of Guantao County, and the sudden change of identity made him very uncomfortable. Lacking the most basic understanding of officialdom and not going through a gradual process of integration, after the initial excitement and ecstasy, he quickly became confused, and even filled with uneasiness and panic in the depths of his heart. At this time, the humble home placed in Donkey Hutong has just become a haven from the wind. Every time he approached the door, Xiao Jiu's mood gradually relaxed, and the tension and fatigue of the whole day slowly dissipated. After a night's rest here, and when the sun came up the next day, he had the energy to work hard for himself, for his mother, and for the future of his family, to be alert and calm to deal with his superiors, colleagues, subordinates, and all those who were relevant and irrelevant to him.

The door opened abruptly the moment he stretched out his hand. The golden red sunlight shone from behind the sunset, illuminating the little dirty face behind the door, which was black and white but full of joy. "You're back!" Not giving Cheng Xiaojiu a chance to be in a daze, Xiao Xinghua struggled to open the door and said happily. The sound was like a yellow warbler out of the valley, instantly bringing boundless vitality to the small courtyard.

"Why are you here? My mother, she fell asleep or woke up! Cheng Xiaojiu gently touched his forehead and asked a little panicked. Looking at the look on her face, Xiao Xinghua was tossing and eating just now. And the frail mothers usually squint at this time of the afternoon. The lively little apricot blossom will not be considerate of her mother's physical condition, but her mother loves her little apricot blossom very much, and will never say that this future daughter-in-law is not.

"My aunt was doing needlework in the house. I helped you stew chicken soup to nourish your body. Just put off the fire! You come back just in time to drink some while it's hot! With a quick wipe on her face with her hand, Xiao Xinghua said as a virtuous wife treats her husband. The black ash in the palm of her hand smeared her already fancy face even more fancy, and she looked like a little wild cat that had just come out of the stove.

Cheng Xiaojiuqiang held back a smile, gently took Xiao Xinghua's hand, and said gently: "Go wash your hands first, and then wipe your face." After wiping up, you can also drink chicken soup together, I have eaten in the barracks, and I can't drink so much soup alone! ”

Two red clouds instantly rose on the girl's face, half of them were shy, and the other half was because they found the charcoal ash in their palms. "Dead Xiaojiu, don't remind me earlier, I'll make you soup to drink!" She turned her face faster than she could turn a book, and she screamed on her feet. Then he shook off Cheng Xiaojiu's palm, ran to the water tank without looking back, and shouted loudly as he ran: "Qiao'er, Qiao'er, help get a basin of water." Find a clean cloth, and a mirror, rouge, flower yellow, lead powder, ......!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have warned you!" Cheng Xiaojiu smiled and muttered quietly. With these two magpie-like girls tossing around in their own homes, the mother must not have closed her eyes for a moment in the afternoon. "But that's fine, with them here, at least there will be more vitality in the yard." Comforting himself, he walked into the door, bypassed Xiao Xinghua, who was busy cleaning up his own and Qiao'er, who was also in a hurry by Xiao Xinghua, smiled and said hello to his mother, then lifted the straw curtain, returned to the wooden couch where he was resting, and reached out to untie his coat.

"Put it on the shelf!" Another crisp command sounded in his ears. Xiao Xinghua, who was washing her face, seemed to be looking around, and without turning her head or bypassing the grass curtain that separated half of the room, she saw what Cheng Xiaojiu was doing in the other half of the room. "Qiao'er, bring him my newly bought hanger. By the way, let him see if the outer robe I made fits properly. The robe was at the head of his bed, and the cuffs and underribs were not yet sewn! ”

"Hey!" The maidservant Qiao'er agreed, and floated into the house like a cloud. Although it was just a coat, Cheng Xiaojiu had never changed it in front of outsiders. Awkwardly stopping his arm in front of his chest, he is not taking it off, and it is not taking it off.

His embarrassed appearance made Qiao'er laugh dumbly, lowered his head, pursed his lips and said, "Uncle will dissolve the short brown, while it is not dark, the maid will still have time to help you wash." After washing off the sweat, it won't stick to your body if you wear it again tomorrow morning to practice. The robe on the couch was made by my young lady, and it took several days of hard work! ”

Quickly glancing behind the straw curtain, she lowered her voice and reminded with a smile: "The first time Miss made clothes, her hands were pierced several times. If your aunt is not dressed appropriately, please be careful, don't say it directly! ”

"Qiao'er, what kind of tongue are you chewing!" Xiao Xinghua couldn't hear the conversation behind the curtain clearly and protested loudly.

"Didn't say anything!" Cheng Xiaojiu nodded at Qiao'er with a smile, and quickly picked up the topic, "I'll try on the clothes you made, haha, I haven't worn a new robe for a long time!" ”

He deliberately pretended to be happy, not only to comfort Xiao Xinghua, but also to cover the tension in his heart. The materials of the new robe are very good, and the style is the most popular style for scholars in the local area recently. Cheng Xiaojiu was born with a slim body and a long waist, although his face was tanned a little, which did not match the color of the robe, but after changing into new clothes, he still added a bit of grace.

Qiao'er's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward and gently smoothed out the folds on her clothes. "It fits perfectly, the neckline is just the right size, and the waist is just right. The hem is slightly longer by half an inch, which is just right to cinch the edges. Sleeves, sleeves are also suitable here, just need to change a little bit......" While fiddling with Cheng Xiaojiu like a puppet, she loudly reported to Xiao Xinghua who was eavesdropping outside the grass curtain. "Uncle raised his arm slightly, a little more, and again, don't lift it...... Hurry up and stop! ”

That is, Cheng Xiaojiu practiced martial arts for a few days, and his reaction speed far exceeded that of ordinary people, so he stopped all his movements before tearing his sleeves. But the flaws of the whole robe have been completely exposed, the shoulders are too narrow, the sleeves are not in the right position, the waist is too thin, and the fabric on the back is also a little less. Such clothes, unless they don't move after wearing them on their bodies, with Cheng Xiaojiu's strength, they can be torn apart by twisting their bodies casually.

Suddenly, I couldn't hear the movement in the grass curtain, and the little apricot flower, who had a premonition, couldn't hold it anymore, and drilled over with a "swoop". She had just washed her face, and she hadn't had time to put on makeup in the mirror, the key was that she didn't find the mirror in Xiao Jiu's house. Therefore, it looks like a hibiscus that has just come out of the water.

Cheng Xiaojiu found that his heart was beating a few times unhappily, and his breathing was unprovokedly heavy. In order not to embarrass Xiao Xinghua, he tried his best to stabilize his body and remained motionless. But the girl's keen eyes still saw all the shortcomings of the outer robe.

"Little Brother Jiu, I, I'm trying hard to make it!" The mischievous gaze immediately turned into grievance, and Xiao Xinghua lowered her head and apologized in an extremely subtle voice.

"It's a nice dress! I still have a sweatshirt underneath, which is why I look small. Cheng Xiaojiu's speech immediately became clear, and he loudly looked for Xiao Xinghua to go under the steps, "You don't need to wear an undershirt in the summer, but I will put it on my body later, and the effect will be different." Xinghua, Qiao'er, you go out to avoid it first, I'll change it now, and go to Ermao's side to show off at night! ”

"Don't go!" Xiao Xinghua suddenly got angry and shouted loudly. Before Cheng Xiaojiu could figure out what was going on, she rushed to each other's side like the two of them were fighting when they were children, grabbed her outer robe, and pulled it down with all her might. The robe, which was not completely sewn strong, immediately cracked in half with a "bang". Immediately afterwards, there were "bang", "bang", a few cracking sounds, and the entire robe had been torn into several pieces by her.

"Little madgirl, what are you doing!" Cheng Xiaojiu looked at Xiao Xinghua very puzzled, and his tone of voice was faintly annoyed. Although the robe was messed up, it could at least be worn as an undershirt. Being pulled by Xiao Xinghua like this, at most I can sew a few pairs of socks. That's a fine Suzhou silk, nearly 20 wen a foot. If you use it to make socks, you will definitely be scolded by the neighbors for being a loser!

"I gave you, before I gave it away, it was still mine!" Xiao Xinghua bit her lip and responded loudly. Tears were already rolling around his eyes.

Cheng Xiaojiu couldn't bear it, so he had to suppress the anger in his heart and comforted him softly: "Okay, you can deal with it casually." I don't care...... Don't worry, let's pull a few more pieces of cloth tomorrow and play slowly for you! ”

Xiao Xinghua was silent, and continued to tear the silk cloth "呩la" and "呩la", and soon tore the silk cloth to the point that it was not enough material to make socks. Seeing that her uncle and young lady suddenly made such a fuss, Qiao'er was so frightened that she stuck out her tongue and slowly retreated. Cheng Zhu, who was doing needlework in the inner room, smiled, stood up, and gently covered the door.

"Dead Xiao Jiu, stupid Xiao Jiu!" Hearing that there were no outsiders nearby, Xiao Xinghua said indignantly, "I haven't measured how tall and fat you are, I guess with my eyes, of course I have to make a mistake?!" You're going to show it to others, just waiting for others to laugh at me, aren't they?! ”

"How dare I!" Cheng Xiaojiu smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I don't wear it out for others to see, isn't it?"

"Tear it like this, of course you can't wear it!" Xiao Xinghua glanced at him and pouted.

Seeing Cheng Xiaojiu's helpless appearance, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. Wiping the corners of his eyes with the rags in his hand, he suggested softly, "I'll measure your body, you stand up and don't move." ”

After that, Cheng Xiaojiu couldn't help but say, using the index finger and thumb of his right hand as a ruler, he measured it on his body one by one. At this time, Cheng Xiaojiu was only wearing an undershirt on his body after taking off his outer robe. was pressed up and down by the girl's fingers, and her whole body was numb and itchy. Suddenly, my heart was hot, and an indescribable impulse surged in my damp and hot pulse.

Xiao Xinghua didn't know that she was in trouble, and suddenly heard Xiao Jiu panting like a cow, raised her head in surprise, stared at the other party's eyes and asked, "Brother Xiao Jiu, why is your face so red?" It's not sunburn! As he spoke, he quickly stopped measuring the size and stretched out five spring onion-like fingers to touch the other party's forehead.

Cheng Xiaojiu was already overwhelmed by the girl's body fragrance, and felt a gentle wave of heat on his forehead, and the blood in his whole body flowed more and more rapidly. He tried to order himself to dodge backwards, but his body leaned forward disobediently, and as he struggled, his arms tightened, and he had already hugged Wen Xiang Nephrite in his arms.

"Little Brother Jiu!" Xiao Xinghua was shy and anxious, and tried her best to fight outward. The arms behind her back tightened her like iron tongs, and she couldn't break free for a while. She wanted to yell Xiao Jiu to let go, but suddenly realized that this was her future husband's house, and her mother-in-law and her personal maid were only separated by a wall. If the two of them listen to it, they will never be able to raise their heads in front of people in the future!

Left is not, right is not either, seeing Cheng Xiaojiu's gaze like fire, his lips are getting closer and closer to him. The girl's eyes were so frightened that her body instantly stretched into a boiled river prawn.

"I just ask him to treat me well in the future!" The girl with her eyes closed murmured a prayer to the heavens.

Heaven and earth were silent, and at this moment, only the heartbeat of himself and the other party was left in Cheng Xiaojiu's ears. "Bang bang bang", "bang bang bang", the heartbeat is like a war drum, inspiring him to overcome obstacles and move forward bravely. "Bang bang bang", "bang bang bang", the heartbeat was like thunder, awakening the most primitive instinct in his body.

He closed his eyes and continued on his way, guided by instinct. Feel the hot body temperature of my fiancée Xiao Xinghua, and feel the hot breath of my fiancée Xiao Xinghua. Closer, closer, at the moment when the blood in his whole body was already boiling, he suddenly felt a touch of coolness on his lips. Salty, numb, straight through people's hearts and spleens.

Cheng Xiaojiu was slightly stunned, and the fire in his heart immediately turned cold. He opened his eyes quickly, and then threw the girl in his arms on the bed with even greater speed. He was about to run away, but his foot was tripped over the rag dropped by Xiao Xinghua, and the whole person shook and squatted on the side of the bed in shame.

"Apricot blossom! I ......" Looking at the girl's tearful eyes, Cheng Xiaojiu felt ashamed. He stretched out his palm and slapped it in his face. The palm of the hand had just dropped halfway, but it was held tightly by another warm little hand. Fiancée Xiao Xinghua opened her eyes, wiped her tears with her other hand, and ordered shamefully: "I don't allow you to hit yourself!" Little Brother Jiu, you scared me to death just now! ”

"I, I was confused just now!" Cheng Xiaojiu explained with a red face. I was afraid that my frivolous behavior would annoy Xiao Xinghua, so with a smiling face, she said softly: "I didn't hurt you just now, did I?" It's so hot in this room, and people can't even get their senses! ”

"It hurts, of course it hurts! I was so scared that I almost fainted! Xiao Xinghua shook her fist and slapped the other party twice. But he couldn't lift up a little strength all over his body, and it hit Xiao Jiu's chest like two balls of silk touching a stone. After venting the nameless fire in her heart, her heart softened again for no reason, patted the bed beside her, and ordered in a low voice: "Dead Xiaojiu, sit down." Sit down next to me! ”

"Hey, alas!" Cheng Xiaojiu agreed repeatedly, and sat down beside Xiao Xinghua. Although it was his own bed, he didn't dare to sit on his buttocks, but he just dipped half of the side and kept a distance of about half a foot from Xiao Xinghua.

"Sit closer! Bad guy dead Xiao Jiu! The girl ordered angrily. At this moment, Cheng Xiaojiu no longer made her feel scared, but that wooden appearance made her feel a little lost in her heart.

Cheng Xiaojiu agreed again, and his body moved lightly to his fiancée's side. Xiao Xinghua also had the courage to rub against the other party, and at the moment when her clothes rubbed together, she reached out and grabbed Cheng Xiaojiu's sleeve and slowly leaned half of her body up.

The room was as quiet as a valley, and the laughter of Niangqin and Qiao'er next door came in waves, but not a word fell into the ears of Cheng Xiaojiu and Xiao Xinghua. They snuggled softly, breathing each other's scents and feeling each other's warmth. No longer afraid, no longer nervous, just feel like a stream and snow in spring, quiet and safe.

"I have an old robe, you can take it back and compare it!" I don't know how much time has passed, Cheng Xiaojiu gently moved his arm that was already numb, and said in a low voice.

"Hmm!" Xiao Xinghua suddenly became gentle, clinging to Xiao Jiu's arm like an unweaned kitten and refusing to leave.

"No matter how good or bad it is, as long as you make it, I will wear it! Don't tear it anymore, it's a pity to have such a large piece of silk cloth. Cheng Xiaojiu thought about it and whispered again. I didn't feel how bad my words were.

"Stupid little nine!" Xiao Xinghua gently moved her body, slowly turned her head, and looked at Cheng Xiaojiu's angular face and said with disgust. At this moment, Cheng Xiaojiu saw that there were two starlight burning in her eyes.

Illuminated by the "starlight", Cheng Xiaojiu reached out. Gently held Xiao Xinghua's fingers. This time, Xiao Xinghua did not rush to pull her hand away, but quietly let Xiao Jiu hold it. It seems that the whole person is also held in the palm of the other party's hand, worry-free and fearless.

"When the things in front of me are busy, I will go to your house to finalize the wedding date with my uncle!" Cheng Xiaojiu was very satisfied, and declared with a smile.

"Hmm!" Two more red clouds flew on Xiao Xinghua's face, but the corners of her eyebrows and eyes were full of joy.

"Would you like to?" Cheng Xiaojiu was dizzy and continued to ask.

"Stupid Xiaojiu, you're really stupid!" He was answered with a shy shyness. Xiao Xinghua lowered her head, and the corners of her forehead had already pressed against his shoulders again.

Cheng Xiaojiu happily wanted to laugh out loud, but he was afraid of being heard by his mother and Qiao'er. grinning and snickering for a while, he stretched out his arm and hugged Xiao Xinghua in his arms again.

There was no struggle, no trembling. The girl pressed her body against his chest and listened to his powerful heartbeat. She knew that she had found a peaceful place to live, and she would never be afraid of being left behind by Cheng Xiaojiu like when she was a child. At that time, the backyard of the Cheng family was empty and terrifying, and there seemed to be countless poisonous snakes, insects and ants staring at him under the leaves. It wasn't until his own cry beckoned the maidservant girl in the family that the damn Xiao Jiu slapped half of his head out of the corner covered in dirt, and his face was full of schadenfreude.

"Little Brother Jiu, do you like me?" Recalling the past of her childhood, Xiao Xinghua asked anxiously.

"Of course, you don't need to ask!" Cheng Xiaojiu tightened his arms and agreed loudly. After discovering that his cousin Zhu Wanzhang was ready to repent of his marriage, he looked forward to getting out of his way almost every day and regaining his wife Xiao Xinghua. Now that his wish has finally been granted, how could he not like it?

"When you were a child, why did you keep avoiding me?" Xiao Xinghua sighed faintly and continued to ask.

"Were you young then?" Cheng Xiaojiu responded with a smile, "You still remember what happened for so long!" ”

I see! Little Apricot smiled with relief, her eyes narrowed into two crescents. It was already dark, and the sound of cicadas outside the house was like a flute, faintly blowing people's hearts.