It was late autumn, the grass withered and the trees withered, the cold dew fell, and the entire Wusheng County was shrouded in a decadence and loneliness.

In the hazy place, a girl was dressed in rags, dressed in sackcloth, with a ribbon tied around the forehead door, and her steps were staggering, walking alone in the deep alley.

She was hungry and cold, and finally she was exhausted and fainted on the ground. Suddenly, the autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, and the crows rose in all directions, singing around their bodies, just like the scene of the first Han Yan Wu burying relatives, and the crows helping each other.

Just after the end of the day, the sky was not yet bright, and Wusheng County was still sleepy. Coincidentally, the girl happened to fall in front of the mansion of a large family, like this one, with many servants, who often got up early and worked greedily in the evening, and perhaps any sharp-eyed servant could see her when he opened the door of the mansion.

Sure enough, the east wing of the front yard of the mansion flickered and shone brightly, and I don't know whose rooster crowed, instantly breaking the long-silenced silence of Wusheng County.

With a long creak, the door to the east wing opened, and a young man in his early twenties walked out, yawning and stretching.

"Thirty-nine? Sanjiu?! The man cleared his throat and shouted, sleepy-eyed.

"It's coming, it's coming! Son! There was a sound of answer from the backyard, and another man hurried towards the front yard, holding half a basin of steaming warm water in both hands, this was the servant.

"Childe, wash your face."

"Let's go in first, I'll go out and breathe."

The man is called Xu Xianglin, a small character Xianger, a native of Wusheng County, Dongyang County, Yangzhou, with a delicate face, a slightly thin figure, and a tender eye like water, but revealing a trace of deep perseverance, a scholarly meaning, but a significant wisp of heroic spirit.

This mansion was once purchased by his great-grandfather, and in the lifetime of his father Xu Zhao, he still lived here and did not buy a new house. Although the mansion of the Xu Mansion is large, it is difficult to resist the erosion of the years, the walls are repaired with obvious traces, and the door of the mansion symbolizing the noble gentleman is also highlighted and dilapidated.

Xu Xianglin wrapped his fox coat and walked towards the main entrance, but heard a noisy bird cry outside the door, which was very harsh and irritating.

He immediately pushed the door out, looked left and right, and was shocked to find a body lying next to the stone lion on the side of the door, and a group of crows swirled around him, hissing incessantly, but did not violate the person's flesh at all.

Xu Xianglin was stunned and frightened for a while, but this was the first time he had encountered this kind of scene, presumably it was another unfortunate person who had fled and was taken away by the king of Hades.

"Sanjiu!"

Sanjiu rushed over when he heard the sound, was taken aback when he saw this, picked up the broom in the corner of the door, rushed to the stone lion, shouted and beaten, and the crows scattered and flew in shock, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Alas, life and death are fateful, Sanjiu, find a few servants, find a secluded place, and bury it." Xu Xianglin frowned, commanded in a calm voice, and turned around to enter the door.

"Childe, this person is not dead! Seems to be still a girl. Sanjiu snorted his fingers and tried close to his nostrils, but there was still breath.

"What?"

Xu Xianglin turned around and walked to Sanjiu's side, brushed away the loose hair that the man was hiding from, and looked down carefully, it was really a girl, and her nostrils were still breathing.

"The sky was slightly hazy, and Shicai didn't see it clearly, and almost lost his life in vain. Sanjiu, go and invite Liang Gong! ”

Xu Xianglin picked up the girl with enough strength, panted and walked into the door of the mansion quickly, Sanjiu saw that the situation was in crisis, he wanted to stop talking, and hurried to Liang Gong's house.

Xu Xianglin placed her in a side room, and then instructed the maid to take care of her, just waiting for Liang Gong to arrive.

Liang Yong, known as Liang Gong by the common people, is a famous miracle doctor in Wusheng County, with superb medical skills and a far-reaching reputation, and even in the entire Dongyang County, no one knows it, no one knows it.

But this person has a strange personality, is not good at words, makes few friends, has no sons and a half daughter in the age of the sixtieth year, and has been free and easy all his life, and his whereabouts are unpredictable.

Liang Yong loves to drink the most in his life, he is addicted to alcohol, all who ask him for medical advice, a jar of good wine is indispensable, and when he encounters high-ranking officials and nobles to seek medical treatment, he also needs a lot of money in addition to fine wine.

Xu Xianglin got up early in the morning, originally to study and study, and the next year's high school character, but unexpectedly, this happened, the girl was rescued by him into the house, life and death are uncertain, and now Sanjiu is looking for Liang Gong, and I don't know if I can invite him.

Xu Xianglin knew that Liang Yong's whereabouts were mysterious and he had no fixed residence, if he was unlucky enough to find him today, this girl might not be able to save her life.

He was anxious and irritable, pacing back and forth in the study, and from time to time he went to the side room to inquire about her situation. The two maids who arranged to take care of them were so busy that they didn't dare to slack off at all.

I don't know why, Xu Xianglin's heart was restless, he really couldn't calm down to read, this was the first time he felt so flustered when he was so old, he has always been a peaceful and even somewhat indifferent person.

"Childe! Son! About two hours later, I heard someone shouting outside the gate of the house, it was the voice of Sanjiu.

Xu Xianglin left his books and rushed outside the mansion, but saw that Sanjiu and Liang Gong were out of breath, and their legs and feet were a little weak.

Sanjiu is a diligent servant, not very strong, but born with great strength and abundant physical strength, Liang Yong is an old man who is more than half a hundred years old, according to his footsteps, it is estimated that he may not arrive at the Xu Mansion at noon. In a hurry, Sanjiu humped Liang Yong all the way to Xu's mansion.

"Oops, my skeleton is about to be torn apart by you!" Liang Yong sat on the steps of the mansion door and moaned vigorously.

"Liang Gong, the incident is critical, it is really an unintentional mistake for you, please enter the house quickly to save people."

"It's still Xu Gongzi who is knowledgeable, okay, help me up."

Sanjiu saw Liang Yong slowly soaring, put him on his back again, and ran into the courtyard and entered the wing room.

"Xu Gongzi, this woman is fine, but she is overly hungry, coupled with the invasion of the autumn cold, her body is extremely weak, and she will faint and faint, fortunately, the rescue is timely, if it is three or four hours at night, I am afraid I can't do anything."

"I thanked Liang Gong for my late life." Xu Xiang Lin breathed a long sigh of relief, and his heart suddenly became much more refreshed.

"Don't suffer the wind and cold again, remember."

After that, Xu took the aged wine from Lin Chasanjiu, plus five baht and counted two to show his gratitude, but was repeatedly pushed away by Liang Yong and walked away.

Xu Xianglin instructed the servants to boil water and chop wood, boil medicine and cook, he personally took care of the girl, and then ordered Sanjiu to take the scriptures of poetry, leaning on the bed rail, and was very fascinated.

"Daddy... Father... Don't leave me... Don't..."

After most of the hour, the girl seemed to wake up, muttering as if she had some nightmare, and her head was sweating.

Xu Xianglin hurriedly took a wet cloth and wiped her face over and over again.

"You... Who are you? ”

The girl slowly opened her eyes in confusion, but saw a strange man sitting on the edge of the bed, so close to her, her eyes suddenly turned frightened, and she struggled with her arms, trying to push him away.

Xu Xianglin hurriedly stood up, took a few steps back, bowed his head and apologized: "Just now I saw the lady talking nonsense in her dream, sweating profusely, so I wiped it with a damp cloth, if there is any offense, please forgive me." ”

The girl's face gradually softened, but in the blink of an eye, her eyes burst into tears, and her chapped lips trembled uncontrollably.

"Dare to ask the lady why she is crying?" Xu Xianglin was very surprised, thinking that she should be happy because she had picked up a life, but at this time, she was sad again.

The girl turned her face sideways, and had no intention of replying, and sobbed in a low voice, and the tears that flowed soaked the silk pillow.

Seeing this, Xu Xianglin wanted to stop talking, stopping and wanting to speak, he didn't know what to do for a while, he had never experienced such a thing, and he was clumsy in pleasing people.

Fortunately, the maid entered the side room with a bowl of soup and medicine at this time, and when she saw Xu Xianglin standing up, she said with a smile: "Childe, how can you tell people at will about the girl's family, let the slave persuade her." So saying, he sat down at the head of the bed.

"Take care of me and let me know if anything."

After that, Xu Xianglin took the poetry book and went out.

"Childe, the poetry book has been taken down."

Xu Xianglin returned to the study, his mind was not on the book at all, he actually took the poetry book upside down, his eyes wandered, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

In addition to sleeping in the study, Sanjiu almost spent most of the rest of the time in the study with Xu Xianglin, never leaving an inch, taking care of his food, clothing and daily life, which was the arrangement of Xu's mother Liu.

"Sort these books in order and fetch the piano." Xu Xianglin put the poetry book aside.

"Childe, let's read it a little longer, if the master finds out, I will be miserable." Sanjiu was whipped by Master Xu a few days ago because he was lazy and dozed off, and he was punished for cutting firewood for half a month.

"I have long been familiar with these poetry books, and it will be a waste of energy to read them again." Four books and five classics, scriptures and historical books, Xu Xianglin has studied since he was a child, and he knows his principles and ways.

"Childe, I heard that next year's Zhongzheng official is Chen Tong Chen County Order, just by virtue of your friendship with Chen Xiu, it is not easy to get a first-class character, and the old lady's heart disease is also counted!"

Chen Xiu is the eldest son of Chen Tong, and he is also Xu Xianglin's playmate from childhood to adulthood.

"The ability to be opportunistic is absolutely undesirable, and if you get the best quality in it, I will not be at ease."

"But Childe, you haven't passed the Zhongzheng exam for three years, if you haven't passed the exam this year, then the old lady will really be dizzy."

When Xu Xianglin heard this, his brows tightened, he looked around the room full of books, shook his head and sighed.

"Childe, I heard that a new temple has been built in Jinling recently, and the opening ceremony was held today, the senior monk Fu Dashi led the monks to invite the Buddha to chant scriptures, transcending sentient beings, the lord and his wife rushed to Jinling before dawn, think about it must be very lively." The more Sanjiu talked, the more excited he became, as if he had been there.

"Oh? Why haven't I heard? ”

"Childe soaks in the study all day, where would he hear about these things."

"The Dharma is out of mind, and if you have that spare time, it is better to give some food to the beggars who pass by."

"Sanjiu is stupid, the son is noble, I don't understand the Dharma or anything, the old lady doesn't know when to return home, the son is better to study with peace of mind, so as not to be punished."

"Needless to say, take the piano, if you are bumped into by my father, with me, they will not punish you."

Sanjiu nagged for a long time, but he was helpless, so he had to obediently move out of the piano.

The autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, the backyard of Xufu was full of broken flowers and willows, and the high walls of the deep courtyard seemed to be in a cage. With a cup of sake in his stomach, Xu Xianglin sat in the pavilion, stroking the piano and sighing.