Today's afternoon sunshine is rare good, although the air is still cold, Mei Ruojun sat in the corner of the study, holding an embroidered bandage in her hand, but her eyes looked at the begonia tree outside the window, Zhao's mother sat on the side to tie the insole, although there were three big living people in the room, it was quiet as no one.

Ruojun feels that his life is static, there is no past and no future, and everything is over before it begins. The three words Ruikang said to himself that night: "Trust me. What does that mean? She didn't know that her mother-in-law had intercepted a note, and she didn't know that Ruikang's three words were actually a continuation of the words on the note: "When the wind and snow are over, there is a flower protector."

She knew that she should abide by the way of women and accept everything resignedly, but after all, she had just turned eighteen years old, and a girl's best youth had just begun to bloom, and was she about to wither? She couldn't stop her thoughts, she couldn't extinguish the longing in her heart, she just thought about his every move, every word and deed, so naturally and repeatedly.

"Bang--" A crisp sound of cups and bowls crashing made Mei Ruojun and Zhao's mother stunned, raised their heads, and looked towards the desk, Zhao's mother quickly put down the insoles in her hands, picked up the teapot from the table, walked over, and refilled the cup with tea.

"Young Master, are you hungry, do you want Mother Zhao to give you those snacks?" Mother Zhao stepped forward and asked softly.

Ryan picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and didn't speak, Mother Zhao just sighed and shook her head, her eyes were full of sadness, since Ryan was born, she held him in her arms, took care of him, and pulled the big one, although he was not biological, but he was no different from his own child.

Ruojun saw Mother Zhao quietly pulling her sleeves and wiping the corners of her eyes, stepped forward to take her hand, and said, "Mother Zhao, I see that the weather is good today, so let's help Ryan go out for a walk." You can't be bored in the house. ”

"This ......," Zhao's mother hesitated. Ruojun hurriedly said: "Don't worry, you help him out, I will follow far behind." ”

"You see, Ryan's face is pale, and it's also because he can't see the sun, at this time his father and mother are resting, and there is no one in the garden, you help him out for a walk, I don't get close." Ruojun added.

Mother Zhao looked back at Zhou Ruian, thinking about the same reason, walked to the desk and said, "Young Master, can you go out for a walk with Mother Zhao?" ”

Ryan slowly put down the paintbrush and looked at Mother Zhao blankly, Mother Zhao helped him up and sent the cane to him, Ryan was indeed tired, his feet were numb, and when he stood up, he couldn't use any strength on his feet, and almost fell to his knees, but fortunately, Mother Zhao hugged her, Ruojun also subconsciously stepped forward to help him, Ruojun just touched his left arm, and he didn't know whether it was convulsions or deliberate, he shook it violently and shook Ruojun's hand away. Then with a crutch in one hand and Zhao's mother's shoulder with the other, he slowly walked out of the house.

Although Ruojun knew about his condition, she was still uncomfortable in her heart, but now she was much stronger than when she first entered the door, she followed silently and walked out of the study.

The garden is already full of early spring, the snow and ice are gradually melting, the branches of the trees are showing a little green bud packs, and the earth is gradually blooming. Ruojun was in the sun, and his mood quickly improved.

Zhao's mother helped Ryan to walk slowly in the garden, Ryan's interest seemed to be very high, walked around and around, and then walked to the back garden, Zhao's mother was old after all, and she had to carefully help Ryan, and she turned around in the garden a few times, and she already felt that her legs and feet were sore, and said: "Young Master, let's rest and go to the back garden." ”

Ryan looked at her, pulled down her hand holding herself, but alone on crutches, limped to the back garden, Zhao's mother wanted to catch up, but her legs and feet were no longer sharp, just a few steps, one foot on the side of the small stone road, "ouch", one couldn't stand, sat on the ground, Ruojun hurriedly walked up, helped her up, let her sit on the stone bench on the side, and said: "You sit first, I'll follow Ryan." ”

Mother Zhao grabbed her uneasily, and said worriedly: "Grandma, you must be careful." After thinking about it, he said, "I think I'd better call Cuiliu or Zhou Fu." ”

Ruojun smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm just following him, I won't scare him." With that, he turned around and followed Ryan into the back garden, Ryan limped quickly among the flowers and trees, Ruojun didn't know why he walked so fast, but he followed him four or five steps away.

Zhou Ruian stopped after walking a few steps, seemed to know that Ruojun was following behind him, he was very dissatisfied, he turned around and lowered his head and glanced at Ruojun, Ruojun hurriedly took two steps back in fright, and after a while Ruian walked forward again, and somehow, Mei Ruojun followed Ruian, walked and walked into a small fork in the road, Ruojun only knew that this fork in the road was the place to lead to the livestock shed and the firewood and sundries, but he never walked in, Ryan turned a corner and walked in, but stood motionless at the entrance, It seemed that something else attracted his eye, Mei Ruojun followed quickly, it turned out that there was a yard behind this path, there was a horse shed in the yard, three horses, a donkey and a mule, and a small vegetable field, a small wooden house, a few chickens were free-range in the yard pecking on the ground at will, and there was a pile of firewood and a bunch of farm tools and tools next to the horse shed, which was very messy.

Ryan was stunned to stare at the horses in the barn, limped towards the barn, halfway through, the wooden door of the wooden house on the side "creaked" open, Guo Xingquan held a wine bottle in his hand, full of wine, staggered out of the wooden house, saw Ryan and Ruojun standing at the door one after the other, a slightly surprised contemptuous smile appeared on their faces, and they shouted exaggeratedly: "Yo! This is not the eldest young master and the new young grandmother, it is really rare. Saying that, he took two steps forward and walked in front of Ruojun, his eyes slipped over her face, and he grinned: "The eldest young grandmother is really a fairy, wait for the little one to introduce herself, in Xia Guo Xingquan, in the Zhou family to raise horses." Saying that, he crooked his neck, and suddenly made a Manchu salute, which startled Mei Ruojun.

Mei Ruojun only knew that there was such a person as him in the backyard, but he had never had a positive close contact, at this time, he looked at it, this Guo Xingquan was a man in his forties, he was really not good-looking, a pair of eight-figure eyebrows, eyebrows were horizontal and vertical, a pair of mouse eyes, the eyeballs were restless in the eye sockets, the eyes were always erratic, and a mouthful of uneven yellow and black teeth made people look particularly uncomfortable, Mei Ruojun quickly turned his gaze away and took two steps back.

Zhou Ruian didn't pay attention to Guo Xingquan, just walked to the stable, he wanted to touch the horse. Guo Xingquan looked at him limping, shook his head and said to Mei Ruojun: "Tut-tut, it's really flowers and cow dung, it's better to marry him than to marry me, so I can walk and run, have sound limbs, and be able to talk and laugh." ”

Mei Ruojun was ashamed and shocked, everyone in the Zhou family strictly adhered to etiquette, and no one dared to speak like this to the master's family, and he was clearly laughing at Zhou Ruian and teasing himself. Ruojun subconsciously walked to Ruian's side, wanting to get a little protection, and said with a slight tremor in his mouth: "Guo Xingquan, how can you talk like this?" You, you're too presumptuous. ”

Guo Xingquan rubbed his nose with his thumb and laughed twice and said, "Grandma, I'm telling the truth." As he spoke, he took two steps forward, put his face up, and said with a smile: "Do you have fun with him?" ”

Mei Ruojun walked into the stable and pulled Ryan's sleeve twice, she felt very scared, she didn't know why this Guo Xingquan dared to be so bold and presumptuous, Ruojun held back the fear and disgust in his heart, and said: "Guo Xingquan, you are too much, I will tell the old lady later." ”

Guo Xingquan hiccuped, laughed and said, "Old lady? Haha, the life of the old man of the Zhou family was saved by Lao Tzu, otherwise he could enjoy glory and wealth here? Mrs. Zhou, hehe, when she was young, she was also a merry girl! What's going on in the Zhou family that I don't know? ”

Mei Ruojun frowned, she didn't want to listen to his drunken words anymore, she just wanted to leave quickly, but she couldn't leave Ryan here alone, she stepped forward and took Ryan's arm to leave, she was so nervous and scared that she forgot about Ryan's illness.

Ryan was happily touching the horse on the side, and was pulled hard by Ruojun, who was very unhappy in his heart, screamed, and pushed Ruojun away with his backhand, Ruojun was pushed back a few steps by him and fell on a pile of firewood, a wooden thorn pierced into her palm, and the other hand was also scratched by the rough bark, Mei Ruojun shouted "ah--", and blood flowed out of the wound.

She cried, the wound in her heart hurt far more than the wound on her hand, yes, she forgot that he was a patient, yes, she was too anxious, yes, it was all her fault, but she felt very helpless and sad, what was she going to do? How many more times will this happen in the future? Who can she rely on for the long years ahead? She looked at the blood on her hands, sat on the ground and began to cry.

Hearing her shouts and cries, Zhou Ruian suddenly seemed to understand a little, and he slowly shifted his attention from the horse's body to Ruojun sitting on the ground, she was crying, she was crying? Why is she crying? His head was in turmoil, but she was crying, he didn't want her to cry, he didn't want her to cry, but what did he do? What did you do? He felt that his head was hurting, he was struggling with himself, whether to get out of that closed world, or to face this cruel real world? He didn't know, he hesitated, he looked at her crying in front of the pyre in pain.

Guo Xingquan took a sip of wine, laughed twice, staggered forward, and said nonsense: "Young grandmother, follow me, it's a waste of your beauty to marry such a fool." As he spoke, he reached out to grab Mei Ruojun, who was just sad and depressed at this time, and didn't listen to what he was saying at all.

Suddenly, Ryan didn't know where he got the courage, and raised his crutches high and hit Guo Xingquan.