The woman gently held him in her arms, kissed the top of his head, and said to him gently: "Don't be afraid, my mother is here." You and the nurse are hiding here, don't make a sound, don't move, be good. ”

"It's okay, as long as you don't move......"

In this repeated female voice, he felt a darkness around him, a slight tingling sensation on his face and hands, and a smell of dry straw on the tip of his nose.

Then he heard the sound of hurried footsteps, shouting, clashing, screaming......

The voices were sometimes far away, sometimes near, and he tried to listen, but he could not understand what they were saying, it seemed to be a language he did not understand.

Later, there was a strong smell of blood in the darkness, which made people feel sick, he was afraid, he wanted to cry, but a hand tightly covered his mouth and nose.

He felt out of breath, but he didn't dare to move.

He remembered what the female voice had told him before: "Don't make a sound, don't move." ”

"It's okay, as long as you don't move......"

Darkness swept over him like a flood, engulfing him completely......

Xiao Tian on the couch woke up suddenly and opened his eyes.

He sat up from the couch and gasped heavily: "Whew——, huh-"

His chest rose and fell rapidly, and when he raised his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes, he found that the tentacles were wet, and the corners of his eyes were wet.

Xiao Tian stared at his slightly wet right index finger in disbelief, motionless like a stone carving.

After a while, Xiao Tian finally moved, and wiped his right hand on his robe.

He said to himself that he must have been bewitched by Mu Yan, otherwise how could he have such an inexplicable dream?

The gentle female voice sounded in his ears again: "Don't be afraid, my mother is here." ”

The female voice seemed to be engraved in the depths of his memory.

Xiao Tian sat for a moment longer, his eyes slightly dazed.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! ”

In the distance, there was the sound of the third watch, which woke him up from his trance.

Xiao Tian raised his hand to his neck and took out the Guanyin jade lock, his fingers gently rubbing the familiar and delicate lines on it.

Although he had repeatedly said that he had bought it at a pawnshop, he knew about his own affairs, and this jade lock had been with him since he could remember.

The dart head said that when he bought him, he was wearing this jade lock.

The dart head once sighed that the man had a conscience, and he didn't take away this jade lock. This jade lock is slightly damaged, but the jade quality is good, and it can be used as some silver when taken to a pawnshop.

Xiao Tian had always refused to believe the story told by the second elder of the Chu family before, but after Fang Cai's dream, a crack suddenly appeared in his originally unbreakable heart defense.

A thought came to his mind that he had to face squarely—

Could it be that he is really Chu Tingshu?!

Xiao Tian's pupils shrank, and he grasped the jade lock in his hand tighter.

He sat there motionless, in a trance.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! ”

When there was a sound of the fourth watch outside, Xiao Tiancai suddenly realized that he had been sitting for an hour.

He fell backwards, fell on the couch, and closed his eyes.

Although he closed his eyes, Xiao Tian did not feel sleepy, and in the second half of the night, he tossed and turned, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

This night has become unprecedentedly long, and Rao is when he hid alone in Jianning Temple to recuperate after he was injured and fell into the river before, he had never been so anxious......

The sky outside the house gradually brightened, and at some point, the sky turned white, and the silence of dawn was broken by the loud crowing of chickens.

Xiao Tian jumped up from the couch and quickly put on his boots.

Even after a sleepless night, his eyes were still clear and in good spirits.

Xiao Tian made a decision in his heart: since he had decided to run, it was better to run early than to run that night, he would run now!

Anyway, he had quietly stocked up on some injury medicine a few days ago, enough for him to cope with it on the road for a while.

Xiao Tian quickly took out the burden placed in the cabinet and carried it on his back. Of course, he didn't go through the front door, sneaked out of the window of the inner room, and then skilfully climbed trees over the wall.

His left shoulder has not fully recovered, and he can only climb the tree with the strength of his right arm and legs, which is somewhat unsmooth.

"It's not promising!"

He patted his left shoulder in disgust, not noticing that shortly after he jumped off the wall, a black figure appeared on the wall, looking in the direction he had left.

The man in black was very cautious, and when Xiao Tian walked away, he quietly continued to follow.

At the same time, another dark shadow hurried in the other direction.

So, before it was too late, Mu Yan's door was knocked on by the wind.

"Tuk-tuk."

Luo Feng said outside the door: "Childe, Mo Twenty has something to tell you." ”

Mo Twenty-One and Mo Twenty-two are the secret guards sent by Mu Yan.

"Come in." Mu Yan's lazy voice came from the inner room.

Luo Feng took a man in black into the inner room, Mu Yan yawned sleepily while wearing his outer clothes, and said casually: "That kid ran away?" ”

The man in black is Mo Twenty and responded.

Mu Yan hooked his lips, not surprised.

When he sent Xiao Tian back to the Chu family yesterday, Mu Yan guessed that Xiao Tian's temperament would not be so easy to believe their words, and most of them would run, so he called two secret guards to keep an eye on him, so as not to lose people and let Zhen Zhen worry.

Fortunately, I am wise and martial! Mu Yan thought triumphantly and ordered, "Mo Twenty-one, you find someone to hold him back for a while." ”

"Yes, Childe." Mo Twenty clenched his fists and retreated.

Mu Yan took a black belt three fingers wide, tied it around his waist, and glanced at the Western clock next to him.

The curfew doesn't end until the fifth watch, and in a quarter of an hour, it's time to open the city gates.

Xiao Tian had already arrived at the South City Gate, but he was secretly hiding in the alley and did not dare to see anyone.

The curfew is not over yet, and if you are caught at this time, you will be in trouble.

What to be afraid of, what to come.

In the distance, I saw a group of soldiers walking in the direction of the city gate.

"I've been tired all night, and I can finally go back and rest."

"When I get back from shift, I'll have to sleep until the sun goes down."

"What's the hurry! Let's find a food shop to eat before we go back. ”

“……”

The voices of the soldiers talking approached this side, and Xiao Tian hurriedly retreated to the back of the alley.

Originally, it was less than a quarter of an hour before the city gate was opened, and the patrols and city gate guards would generally turn a blind eye, but Xiao Tian's heart was weak, he was a foreigner and had no way to lead him, and he couldn't withstand the interrogation, and more things were better than less.

Xiao Tian was in a hurry to avoid the patrol, but he didn't expect that in another alley next to him, an old man in gray suddenly pushed a wooden cart backwards, and the two happened to collide.

I only heard a few loud "bangs", and several boxes piled up on the wooden cart fell.

The lids of two of the chests were broken, and a lot of fruit rolled out of the chests, and the bones rolled to the ground in a mess.

All this happened too fast, Rao is Xiao Tian boasted that his skills were not bad, but he couldn't react at all.

Xiao Tian glanced at at the pomegranates that were at least two or three hundred in this place, a little headache and a little annoyed.

If he hadn't been hiding from the patrol, he wouldn't have bumped into anyone else.

"It's over! All fallen! The wrinkled old man held his head and exclaimed, his face pale, "These pomegranates were sent to Huangjiazhuang outside the city by the master's family, and they must be delivered before the hour, otherwise people don't want this batch of pomegranates." ”

"I won't be able to save my errand this time......" The old man trembled, and a front tooth was missing from his slightly shriveled mouth.

Xiao Tian hurriedly squatted down and comforted the other party: "Big brother, don't worry, I'll help you pick it up together." The pomegranate skin is thick, and it is not so easy to break, let's pack these pomegranates first, and you can send them over quickly, it will definitely be in time. ”

Xiao Tian said that he would do it, rolled up his sleeves, and helped the old man pick up the pomegranates on the ground together.

"Yes. You're right, we're going to have to pick them all up. The old man said yes as if he were grabbing a piece of driftwood, and squatted down to pick up the pomegranate on the ground.

A few patrolling soldiers happened to pass by, and also glanced into the alley, and saw that the two of them were squatting on the ground to pick up pomegranates, and after only one glance, they withdrew their gaze and continued to walk in the direction of the city gate.

After a while, the shouts of the people came from the direction of the city gate: "The city gate is open!" ”

Then, the rumbling sound of opening the city gate sounded, and the ground shook slightly.

Xiao Tian sighed silently in his heart, and said in his heart: The sins he did had to clean up by himself.

He resigned himself to helping to pick up pomegranates, each of which was the size of a teacup, and he couldn't catch a few at a time with his hands, so he simply carried them in the pocket of his robe, picked up about twenty at a time, and then put them in the box.

There were at least three or four hundred pomegranates in the two boxes, and it took a cup of tea to finally put them all back in the boxes.

But then, a new problem arose -

"This lid is broken!" The old man screamed in a panic, helpless.

Xiao Tian leaned over to take a look, the lock on the box was broken, and the shaft connecting the box and the lid was also broken.

It's easy to say that trouble is trouble, and it's easy to say it.

"Big brother, do you have hemp rope?" Xiao Tian raised his eyes and asked.

The old man shook his head, his brows furrowed even tighter, he patted a burden on the wooden cart and said, "I only brought a few steamed buns with me this trip......"

Xiao Tian immediately said, "Big brother, you wait a minute." ”

Xiao Tian untied the burden on his body and took out a two-inch-wide roll of white gauze from it, which he originally used to bandage the wound on his left shoulder.

He used the gauze as a hemp rope, tied the lid to the box, and piled it back on the cart.

Ay! Send the Buddha to the West.

Xiao Tianxin said, simply wrap these boxes around with gauze, and firmly fix them on the wooden cart, so as not to be knocked down again next time. He used to be a dart master, and he was always familiar with them, and he did it smoothly.

The old man rubbed his hands, watched from the side, and thanked him again and again: "Little brother, you are really a good person!" ”

The sky is gradually getting brighter, the sun is rising, and there are more people on the road, many of whom are heading in the direction of the south city gate, intending to leave the city early.

The streets are becoming more and more lively, and from time to time the sound of passers-by can be heard talking:

"Who were those people looking for? I don't look like a government person. ”

"You don't know, that's the guard of the Xuanguo Mansion, it seems to be looking for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old son."

"Yes, yes! Even on the street in front, there are guards from the Xuanguo Mansion looking for someone! ”

"Ouch, these sons and daughters of rich and noble families are really idle after eating, and what are they doing to run away from home......"

As the son-in-law in other people's mouths, the corners of Xiao Tian's eyes twitched.

He was in a hurry, knotted the gauze as fast as he could, and carried the burden back on his back.

"Big brother, I still have something urgent, so I'll go first." Xiao Tian clapped his hands, and without waiting for the old man's reaction, he rushed towards the mouth of the alley.

He had to get out of the city quickly.

The capital is Mu Yan's territory, and when he reacts, he may not be so easy to get out of the capital again.

However, when Xiao Tian came to the mouth of the alley, he had to stop again.

On the street ahead, a somewhat familiar female voice shouted in the distance: "Xiaotian! Little God! ”

The voice was hoarse, with a kind of heart-contagious sadness.

Xiao Tian's body stiffened, and he immediately recognized it, it was Mrs. Chu's voice.

At this time, the old man pushed the wooden cart past Xiao Tian, and said with a smile: "Little brother, I really thanked you just now." I rushed to deliver the goods and left first. ”

The old man hurried towards the south city gate, but Xiao Tian didn't even dare to respond, and carefully hid in the shadows in the alley.

"Little God! Little God! Little ......"

The old female voice was getting closer and closer, coming this way.

Each sound was like a heavy hammer hitting Xiao Tian's heart, and he stood stiff in place.

He knew that he should leave this alley and then leave the capital through the other city gates, even if it would require a circle, but it was obviously safer than walking through the south gate.

But reason is reason, at this moment, his body can't move, and the other hustle and bustle around him are far away from him, and he can only hear Mrs. Chu's voice in his ears.

As far as Xiao Tian saw with his own eyes yesterday, the lady of the Xuanguo Mansion was a graceful and luxurious person, and she was the kind of noble and courteous lady in the drama book.

Before this moment, Xiao Tian couldn't imagine that she would shout in the street in a gaffe, but now......

Her voice sounded like she was about to cry......

Xiao Tian's heart was very complicated, the feeling was a little indescribable, astringent, sullen, heavy, there was a voice telling him to leave quickly, and another voice persuaded him to stay, the two voices tug-of-war in his heart, swaying from side to side.

Xiao Tian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, he made a decision, he said to himself, take a look, and he will leave.

He quietly poked out half of his head.

Two or three feet away, Mrs. Chu, who was wearing a rust-colored gown, hurriedly walked towards the city gate, she walked in a hurry, a little sweat appeared on her forehead, and even her sideburns were scattered with a few strands of broken hair, her eyes were panicked, and she was embarrassed. The two maids trotted behind Mrs. Chu.

Xiao Tian looked at Mrs. Chu in a daze, her eyes opened slightly, and she suddenly remembered an old man.

In addition to the children who were bought by the dart head like him, there are also some children from nearby families who are sent to the dart board to learn art, and when they grow up, they will be the brothers of the dart master.

Senior Brother Cheng is one of them.

Five years ago, Senior Brother Cheng and a group of senior brothers went out to dart and encountered water bandits, and Senior Brother Cheng did not come back alive.

It was still his brothers who accompanied the dart head to send Senior Brother Cheng's coffin to the Cheng family, and there was no one else in the Cheng family, only Aunt Cheng was a widow.

At that time, Aunt Cheng flew on the coffin sadly, crying hoarsely and grief-stricken, which was deeply engraved in Xiao Tian's heart.

The dart head asked them to take care of Aunt Cheng more, and when he went to see Aunt Cheng again the next day, he found that she had turned white overnight.

The past flashed in front of Xiao Tian's eyes like a marquee, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

The Chu family is not inferior to themselves......

Xiao Tian said to himself.

He was about to withdraw his gaze, but he saw that Mrs. Chu didn't know what to trip under her feet, her body stumbled slightly, and she fell forward.

"Mrs. Tai!"

The two maids shouted out and stepped forward quickly, wanting to support Mrs. Chu.

Xiao Tian's pupils shrank, his movements were faster than his brain, and he rushed out of the alley and grabbed Mrs. Chu's arm.

"Little God!" Mrs. Chu's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Xiao Tian's arm tightly without thinking about it, as if she was afraid that the person in front of her was just her hallucination.

The two maids in the rear were stunned, "Third Young Master! ”

"Little Heavenly ......" Mrs. Chu called again, her voice was even more hoarse, tears flashed, she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything.

She hugged Xiao Tian tightly, just calling his name repeatedly, her voice choked.

Xiao Tian's body was as stiff as a stone carving, his mind was blank, even he didn't know how he could rush out like this, and there was an inexplicable feeling in his heart.

Gradually, his body relaxed, and he lowered his eyes to look at the old woman, who was more than half a head shorter than him.

He could clearly feel that the other party's body was trembling slightly, like a remnant chrysanthemum in the wind and rain.

He felt as if his heart was being grabbed by something, and the gentle female voice in the dream sounded in his ears again: "Don't be afraid, my mother is here." ”

In the dream, the owner of the voice gently patted him on the back......

As if pulled by some kind of force, Xiao Tian slowly raised his hand, and then patted Mrs. Tai's back gently, again and again......

Between grandparents and grandchildren, the atmosphere is warm.

The two maids a few steps away could see that their eyes were red, and they wiped the tears from the corners of their eyes with a handkerchief.

More than ten zhang away, Mu Yan and Old Lady Chu watched this scene quietly.

Mu Yan, who was dressed in a purple straight jacket, stood with his hands in his hands, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, although Xiaotian, this kid is a little confused and suspicious, but his heart is good." ”

"......" At this moment, the old lady Chu, who has experienced a lot of ups and downs, also has red eyes, and her pupils are changing brightly and secretly, surging with extremely complex emotions.

Early in the morning, the little maid they sent to take care of Xiao Tian found that the inner room was empty.

The little guy immediately went to the second elder, and the entire Guogong Mansion blew up.

The subordinates searched all the corners of the mansion, but they didn't find Xiao Tian anywhere.

Mrs. Chu went crazy and immediately sent someone out of the mansion to find it, and even she and the old lady went out of the mansion to find someone in person.

They searched for a few streets but didn't find anyone, until Mu Yan found them, saying that Xiao Tian was near the South City Gate, and the second elder of the Chu family hurriedly looked for them again.

Thankfully, they found it!

If he loses this child again, Old Lady Chu can't believe what will happen to his wife......

Old lady Chu calmed down, turned her head to Mu Yan and said, "Ah Yan, thanks to you today." ”

"Little things." Mu Yan smiled slightly, and pointed to a teahouse next to him, "Old lady Chu, I won't disturb your ancestors and grandchildren, I'll go in and have a cup of tea." ”

Mu Yan put his hands behind his back and leisurely walked towards the teahouse that had just opened.

Old Lady Chu stared deeply at the two grandchildren, and the early morning glow sprinkled softly on the two of them, gilding them with a golden halo, which made Xiao Tian's baby face softer.

Under Xiao Tian's persuasion, Mrs. Chu gradually calmed down, and her tears stopped.

Old Lady Chu walked quickly towards Mrs. Chu and Xiao Tian, and heard Xiao Tian coaxing Mrs. Chu: "Don't cry. I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving......"

His face looked a little impatient at first glance, but his tone was extremely gentle, and his right hand was still gently caressing Mrs. Chu's back, giving her a good breath.

Old lady Chu smiled, just like Ah Yan said, this child's heart is good.

Old Lady Chu stopped two or three steps away, looking at the pair of ancestors and grandchildren with soft eyes, and his mood was much lighter.

Passers-by on the street naturally saw this scene and pointed at them, and there were more and more onlookers.

The people who were watching were all embarrassed, they only felt that the nobles of the Guogong Mansion were unreachable, but now it seems that the wife of the Guogong Mansion is just an ordinary grandmother.

The excitement ended, and those passers-by also dispersed, and from time to time you could hear words such as "Xuanguo Mansion", "found someone", and "run away from home" faintly floated over.

Xiao Tian couldn't argue with these passers-by, so he could only pretend that he hadn't heard it, and his mood was even more complicated.

Ay!

He sighed silently in his heart, and muttered to himself: So, this person, he can't stay in a comfortable place for too long, what should he do now?!

Xiao Tian half-lowered his eyes, his right hand was still comforting Mrs. Chu, and his eyes were even deeper.

Whether he is Chu Tingshu or not, he knows that he must go, and there is still a group of brothers waiting for him in Taichuzhai......

He won't leave them behind!

Just like when they were children, the dart head taught them, everyone has their own things to do.

Xiao Tian's eyes were resolute and unshakable.

At this time, Old Lady Chu took two steps closer, raised her hand and gently patted Xiao Tian's shoulder, and said meaningfully: "Xiaotian, if a man wants to make a contribution, it is a good thing to aim in the distance, and home is not your cage." ”

"......" Xiao Tianxia subconsciously raised his eyes to look at Old Lady Chu, and the two looked at each other for a few breaths.

Old lady Chu also stroked his wife's back soothingly, and said, "Let's go home first." ”

Mrs. Chu came back to her senses at this time, looking at so many passers-by around her, she was a little embarrassed about her gaffe.

She wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and nodded, "Yes." We 'go home'. ”

She deliberately accentuated the words "homecoming".

Xiao Tian couldn't stand being pointed at like this, so he couldn't wait to respond: "Let's go home first." ”

Along the way, Mrs. Chu pulled Xiao Tian tightly, for fear that he would lose it again. Because the old couple hurriedly went out of the house early in the morning to find it, and there was no carriage, so they walked back.

The guards of the Chu family knew that the third young master had found it, and they all closed their teams one after another.

Xiao Tian also slowed down his pace with Mrs. Chu and her pace.

Mrs. Chu chattered and said, "Xiaotian, you haven't eaten in the morning, have you?" Hungry or not? ”

"There is a century-old shop on Fengying Street in front, and the shortbread sold in it is very delicious, and the business is very good, and you have to queue up every day."

"Before, your father and your sister liked ......"

Mrs. Chu said, Xiao Tian occasionally responded, looked at Mrs. Chu, and thought of the brothers in her own village.

A thought suddenly came to his mind—

Zhao'an.

Xiao Tian's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he remembered what Mu Yan said to him in Jianning Temple last time:

"I heard that you have a group of brothers who followed you from birth to death, what do you think they want? Is it like Xu Dajian to pay homage to the marquis? ”

"Even if you don't think about yourself, don't you think about them?"

"Are you going to let them and their descendants also be bandits for the rest of their lives?!"

“……”

Xiao Tian's heart became more complicated, filled with an indescribable taste.

After a while, Xiao Tian suddenly asked, "Old lady Chu, what do you think of the imperial court?" ”

The two elders of the Chu family glanced at each other, and even Mrs. Chu vaguely sensed that something was wrong, and she took the initiative to propose: "Xiaotian, you and your grandfather are waiting here, and I will go to line up to buy shortbread." ”

Mrs. Chu pointed to the Liu family's shortbread shop in front of her, and took the maid to the entrance of the shop.

As Mrs. Chu said, the business of this century-old shortbread shop is very prosperous, and it is only early in the morning, and there is already a long queue at the entrance of the shop, and an attractive fragrance comes to the nose.

Originally, it was enough to call the maid to do such a thing as queuing up to buy shortbread, and Mrs. Chu was just an excuse to walk away, so that Old Lady Chu and Xiao Tianzu could talk in private.

Old Lady Chu looked at his grandson who was as tall as him fixedly, and with his sharpness and shrewdness, he immediately guessed Xiao Tian's intention to ask this, and remained silent.

------Off topic------

Good morning!