readx; On the third day after He Huan returned to his residence in Songzhou City, Vice Zhou came and sent them to Jizhou to join Tao and the others. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info she heard Vice General Zhou tell Lin Zhutou to be sure to protect them, especially her.

He Huan wanted to do something for Xie San, and after thinking about it, she took Vice Admiral Zhou to find the old shipwright who had crossed the ocean. Most of the boatmen's families died at sea a decade ago. They escaped because of their old age and infirmity. Although the people they hate the most are thieves on the sea, it is the Lin He family who employ them, so naturally they will not give He Huan a good face.

He Huan almost knelt down and begged them, and they told her about the distribution of islands on the sea, the laws of weather changes, water currents and tides, and so on. He Huan knew that Xie San also found fishermen to understand the situation at sea, but she still picked up the lights and sorted them out, and spent a day and night to write a thick letter to him based on everyone's oral descriptions.

Vice General Zhou left with her letter, He Huan slept hard all day, and when he woke up, he asked He Jing about his homework and helped Tao and Cao with housework.

Tao and Cao didn't dare to ask, until Tao couldn't help but muttered to Cao, why the thieves had been driven to the sea, they still couldn't go back to He's house, and they needed to hide and live, He Huan calmly told them that she and Xie San had identified each other. For fear that the thieves would catch her and threaten Xie San, they could only be cautious for the time being.

Cao's heart is straightforward and fast, blurting out that if Xie San doesn't come back, what will she do? He Huan smiled and only replied, she only married Xie San in this life.

After another two days, Vice General Zhou turned back to Jizhou. He didn't bring Xie San's message, but he brought back a message. Lin Zhutou insisted on following Xie San on the expedition. Xie San agreed. Only then did he send him to protect them instead of Lin Zhutou.

Afterwards, Deputy General Zhou told He Huan privately that because of the limited ships and weapons, Xie San only selected more than 200 people to go to the battle, and the rest of the rebels were either assigned to coastal towns or waited by the sea.

He Huan saw the worry in Vice General Zhou's eyes, and comforted him a few words in turn.

In the vast sea, the distant fleet is like a kite with a broken string, and no news comes back. Dow and Cao were anxious. Even He Jing often looked at the east in a daze, only He Huan didn't seem to be worried at all, and he no longer remembered Shen Nianxi, only occasionally, when he talked about the trivialities of the capital with Vice General Zhou, he seemed particularly focused.

In a blink of an eye, it is the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, according to the local customs of Jizhou, on this day, you have to cook rice with red beans and cook the rice red. Then use the green vegetables and snow-white tofu to make a plate of white and green tofu vegetables. The New Year is approaching, and He Jing's school has been closed. He Huan went to the street with him early in the morning to buy tofu.

The people are forgetful, a few months ago the strength of the united city to fight the bandits has long been blown away by the north wind, only the shouts of the vendors on the street, the rice cakes, the oil Chengzi just got off the oil pot "la" sound, the air is diffused with fritters, the fragrance of soy milk, everything seems lively and calm.

He Jing walked beside He Huan and looked up at her. Everyone repeatedly told him not to mention Xie Sanye in front of the eldest sister, but he always felt that everyone was cautious, and the eldest sister was unhappy.

"Brother Jing, what's wrong?" He Huan lowered his head and smiled at He Jing.

He Jing frowned slightly and blurted out: "Eldest sister, you don't look as good when you smile as before." ”

He Huan's smile froze, and in a moment of thought, she pretended to be angry and said, "What do you mean by Brother Jing, the eldest sister is not good-looking now?" ”

"No, no." He Jing's face turned red suddenly, and he was so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks. In the past, he always felt that when the eldest sister laughed, even her eyes were smiling, and he felt very happy when she looked at it, but now, she still looks the same as before, but her eyes can't smile anymore.

He Huan took He Jing's hand and said with a smile: "The eldest sister is joking with you." Let's go, we bought tofu and went home early, Vice General Zhou said, we can't stay on the street. ”

He Jing nodded, and couldn't help asking, "Eldest sister, aren't you really worried about Third Master Xie?" ”

"He's going to be back, why should I worry?"

"Yes, he'll be back." He Jing nodded heavily and said loudly: "Although Third Master Xie is always unruly and loves to laugh at me, he is a really good person." Mother said that good people will be rewarded. ”

"How do you know he's unruly?"

"Eldest sister, you don't know, every time he goes to the school to look for me, he never walks through the main gate, he climbs the wall to go to the yard."

"yes, he does like to climb walls."

……

As they walked, they bought two greens and a piece of tofu, and were about to go back when they heard the sound of horses' hooves galloping towards them. He Huan hurriedly pulled He Jing to the side of the street, and heard the man shout: "It's back, the righteous army is back, and it's a big victory!" ”

The tofu in He Huan's hand fell to the ground with a "poof". She was anxious to ask clearly, but the people had already exploded, and in the blink of an eye, she surrounded the man and asked for details.

The man on horseback shook his whip into the air and said in a loud voice: "Don't worry, everyone, in short, we have won a great victory and captured many people, including many Japanese people, and they have been escorted to the camp outside Songzhou City." I'm going to go to the Yamen to find Deputy General Zhou at this time, and I'll talk to you in detail when I go back, and everyone will let go. ”

Although everyone was anxious, they still gave way to the road. He Huan stood in place, watching the man disappear from his sight.

"Big sister." He Jing pulled He Huan's shirt and said happily: "Third Master Xie is back, why don't we go to Songzhou City!" ”

He Huan came back to his senses and said in a trembling voice: "Let's go back, go home and wait, I promised him that I would wait for him at home." She didn't care about the tofu that had been broken to pieces, and turned around and walked back.

When He Huan's sister and brother returned to their temporary residence, Vice General Zhou had already sent someone to the ward to ask them to wait patiently and not go anywhere.

The waiting was anxious, and everyone in the He family was restless, but despite the people on the street talking about it, there was no news of Xie San.

In the afternoon, the neighbor Wang Cripple came to the door and told them that in addition to the captured bandits, the rebels had also brought back many corpses. Even if I couldn't find the bodies of the sacrificed soldiers, I brought back their relics. There are also young people who participated in the rebel army in Jizhou City, and at this time, a few families are happy and a few are sad.

Cao Shi was silent when he saw He Huan. Hurry to stop the lame king. Hint that he says something pleased. He Huan snorted again.

Wang Cripple will be relieved, and said with a smile: "This time, Third Master Xie can be regarded as raising his eyebrows with everyone, you must not know that most of the so-called Japanese thieves are Han Chinese, and there are only two or three percent of them." I heard that they farmed and built houses on small islands in the sea. Some of them have even become biological children! Most of the shipwrights who went to sea three years ago did not die, but were taken to work as hard laborers......"

"And such a thing?" Tao exclaimed, glanced at He Huan nervously, and asked hesitantly, "What about those people ten years ago?" Are you also caught doing hard labor? ”

"I haven't heard of this, but as far as I can see...... No, in my opinion, ten years ago it was a real robbery, all the ships were burned, and there would be no living people. The lame king said while shaking his head. Intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at Cao.

Cao Shi was so frightened that he hurriedly avoided his gaze and stood behind Tao. Fortunately, He Huan and Tao both remembered Xie San. Didn't notice their little movements.

In the afternoon, the originally clear sky suddenly rolled in dark clouds. He Huan was so upset that he had to go to the kitchen to cook red beans. Cao's excuse to buy tofu went to the street.

As the red beans "poofed" in the pot, snow beads fell in the sky, and after a while, snow began to fall. He Huan stood at the door of the kitchen and looked up at the sky, the crystal snowflakes flew in the wind, and disappeared as soon as they fell to the ground. She vaguely heard Cao Shi say to Tao that she had just gone to the street to inquire, Xie San and Lin Zhutou were not in the military camp outside Songzhou City, and no one had even seen them at all.

He Huan just didn't hear this, turned around and turned back behind the stove, his eyes staring at the raging fire, his eyes slowly turning red.

In the dead of night, Vice General Zhou galloped in the goose feather snow. He turned over and dismounted at the gate of the small courtyard where the He family temporarily lived, looked back at his men, and said in a suppressed voice: "Later-" He stopped abruptly, sighed heavily, strode to the door, and knocked on the door hard.

Vice General Zhou knocked only four or five times, and the door opened. Cao Shi looked at him, then behind him, and asked urgently, "What about Third Master Xie?" ”

Vice General Zhou didn't answer, but just looked over Cao's shoulder towards the courtyard, and He Huan was standing in front of the room looking at him. He clenched his hands into fists, walked towards He Huan step by step, took out a thick letter from his arms, and handed it to He Huan with both hands.

He Huan recognized this envelope, it was Xie Sanlin before he set out for the expedition, she asked Vice General Zhou to bring him, and inside was the topographic map of the sea area that she had sorted out overnight. For a moment, her mind went blank, and she took the envelope and opened the seal.

Inside the envelope were stacks of fifty or sixty sheets of letters, large and small, that looked like they had been torn from a book. On the outside of the letter is a long strip of brown paper folded around the letter.

He Huan pursed his lips tightly and slowly unfolded the brown paper, there was only one line of words on it, which was written in a hurry, as if it had been written in a hurry.

He Huan recognized that it was Xie San's handwriting. She didn't dare to look down, but the words still caught her eye one by one: If I didn't hand over this letter to you, I didn't fulfill my promise to you, so you don't have to keep your promise.

Tears blurred He Huan's vision, she took a deep breath, suppressed the tears in her eyes, slowly folded the kraft paper according to the original creases, and then wrapped the letter paper with kraft paper, and finally stuffed the whole stack of letter back into the envelope, reached out and handed it to Vice General Zhou, and said calmly: "I will wait for him to hand over this letter to me with his own hands." ”

Vice General Zhou didn't dare to pick it up, and said in a dumb voice: "The third master ordered early in the morning, if he has any accidents, he must hand over this letter to you." ”

"I'll wait for him to hand it over to me." He Huan repeated.

Vice General Zhou still didn't stretch out his hand, but He Huan stubbornly wanted to return the letter to him. At this moment, time seems to have stopped, and only the snowflakes flying in the sky seem to prove to everyone that all this in front of us is not a static calligraphy and painting.

I don't know how long it took, Cao couldn't stand the scorching oppressive atmosphere, she strode to the porch, grabbed the envelope, turned around and handed it to Tao, and said loudly: "Big lady, look at what is written on it." ”

Without waiting for Tao to open the envelope, He Huan snatched the envelope from her hand, stuffed it to Vice General Zhou, and said word by word: "He promised me that he would fulfill his promise." When he returns, you ask him to hand over the letter to me. ”

Upon hearing this, Dow immediately burst into tears. Cao also had a bad premonition, and turned his head to ask Vice General Zhou: "What happened?" ”

Vice General Zhou's right hand clenched the envelope tightly, as if the letter weighed a thousand gold. He looked at He Huan, took a step back, and shouted to his subordinates: "You come!" ”

The young soldier's expression was choked, he raised his head to look at the roof, and reported loudly: "At that time, we had already won, and the third master asked us to search all the islands, saying that we must find an eight-month-old baby." Everyone searched for a few days but couldn't find it, and the third master decided to go back to the shore first. Just the day before everyone was ready to leave, the third master and Uncle Shen were talking on a rock on the edge of the cliff. Somehow, Lin Zhutou suddenly ran over. I don't know what happened, I just saw Lin Zhutou and Uncle Shen fall off the cliff, and the third master followed and jumped down. ”

Hearing this, Cao also cried. Don't say it's a cold winter, the water temperature is cold, that is, in July and August, how many people can survive falling from the cliff?

He Huan heard the soldier say that when Xie San ordered people to look for Shen Nianxi, his right hand unconsciously held the door frame, and his nails almost pinched the door board. It wasn't until Cao's cry interrupted the soldier's words that she spoke: "And then? Didn't you go into the water to look for it? ”

"Found." The soldier choked and nodded, "Everyone has been looking for three days together, whether it is the third master, Uncle Shen, or Lin Zhutou, all of them have no one alive or dead." The boatman at the helm said that the wind and waves were strong at this time, and he was probably ...... by the waves."

"Don't cry." He Huan turned his head and scolded Tao and Cao, and then raised his head to Vice General Zhou and said, "As long as the body is not found, it means that he will definitely come back to me." ”

Vice General Zhou didn't want Xie San to be alive, but if he was alive, he would have joined the army long ago. He couldn't bear to say this to He Huan, he just looked at her wordlessly.

He Huan smiled at him and asked calmly: "Vice General Zhou, you came late at night, are you going back to Beijing early tomorrow morning to resume your life?" ”

"Yes." Vice General Zhou nodded, "The third master has already arranged it, if he is ...... If he ......" he couldn't go on.

"Since you are in a hurry to leave for Beijing, then we will not delay you. By the way, can we go home? ”

The calmer He Huan is, the more worried Vice General Zhou is, but what can he do? He replied in a deep voice: "Zhao Yi is dead, and all his henchmen will be escorted back to Beijing......

He Huan asked: "About Uncle Shen, I don't know how Vice Zhou will be presented?" ”

Vice General Zhou sighed and said meaningfully: "The Shen family is innocent, I will return to the emperor according to the third master's instructions earlier, Uncle Shen was kidnapped and killed by the traitor." ”

"Thank you, Vice Admiral Zhou." He Huan saluted Vice General Zhou and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, I'm tired, so I won't send you away, I wish you a smooth journey." With that, she closed the door in front of everyone.

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Woo woo, I'm going to finish it right away, but the word count is more than 12,000, I'm really chattering, woo woo, follow this chapter first, and the rest will be tomorrow. (To be continued.) )