This is the first time Zhou Yu has seen Sima Xian crying.

On the way to hurry when he heard the news, Zhou Yu's mind had passed many imaginary scenes like a cloud. He thought about what kind of expression Sima Xian would have, whether it was solemn or hesitant, whether it was annoyance or sadness, but he never thought that she would be so embarrassed as in front of him. When Zhou Yu pushed the door open, what caught his eye was the ugly crying appearance of losing his proud demeanor. The grief pulled the originally beautiful facial features out of a distorted appearance, the delicate makeup was messy and dirty by tears, and her red and swollen eyes cried heartbreakingly.

The sassy figure of the past flashed in front of Zhou Yu's eyes. It was outlined by the afterglow of the setting sun, the heroic and free wild horse fluttered her flying hair, and her smile was proud and hearty even against the setting sun. Compared with the appearance of shining without powder in the past, Sima Xian is now so ugly, her cowering body with her shoulders bent and crying is like a craggy dace.

How humble, how ugly.

But Zhou Yu still took pity. He was originally not afraid of people crying, but Gu Yao grabbed his hand, bit his lips and sobbed with a pitiful appearance, and the two lines of tears flowing down from the corners of his eyes were like pear blossoms kissing new rain. But he shook off her hand rudely, and lost his demeanor as a brother of the family, and the picturesque beauty was very ugly to him. But when he saw Sima Xian's face distorted from crying in pain, and saw the ugly green tendons looming on her forehead, Zhou Yu's heart was dull and dull like a knife and axe. When he entered the door, he should have saluted the visitors on the side, but now he couldn't care about anything, so he hurried forward to wipe away the tears on his beloved's face in distress.

Little by little, her tears flowed down his heart.

"Ah Xian doesn't cry, I already know it." He hugged her back tightly, and gently patted the comfort with his palm, letting the warm liquid soak his shoulders: "I'm crying like a cat." Let's go wash my face, I'm all in charge. ”

Sima Xian cried and nodded hesitantly. She withdrew from his embrace, and when she saw Zhou Yu squinting her beautiful eyes and smiling at herself, the fierce turmoil in her heart began to strangely calm down. She staggered to her feet, and stepped out of the room almost with a thousand feet.

"How can you be so out of shape in front of outsiders, this girl is becoming more and more presumptuous." Sima Lang quietly took a sip of tea. The tea in the cup was already warm, so he casually took the porcelain cup on the side, raised the pot and added a cup of warm new tea for Zhou Yu: "It's cold and cold, Gong Jin drink some hot warmth." ”

Faced with this greeting like an old friend meeting again, Zhou Yu only bowed to Sima Lang humbly, and then sat down calmly and took the tea he handed over with both hands.

"Although Yu is far away in Lujiang, he has also heard of Brother Boda's high surname and admires him very much." He looked at Sima Lang, his smiling gaze was true and sincere, "It's just because Brother Boda is in a hurry, and the younger brother doesn't have time to set up a banquet for the time being, and he still looks at Haihan where the hospitality is not good." ”

Sima Lang also smiled, and there was a faint tenderness between his elegant eyebrows.

"You're welcome. I'm just here to pick up my sister, so I can't bother me too much. ”

"The marriage contract has been made, and the marriage will be consummated. Yu has been educated since elementary school, and she has also heard that a woman returned to her hometown to visit her before she got married because she was reluctant to her mother's family. It's just that this wedding date is not far away, and it coincides with my father's return to his hometown after a long absence, and Ah Xian is afraid that he won't be able to spare time. It is better to wait for the two families to officially get married, and Yu will take Ah Xian back, which can be regarded as a formal visit to the elders and brothers of the Sima family. ”

Zhou Yu said with a calm expression, and at the end, he held the lamp with both hands, and toasted Sima Lang with tea instead of wine. Facing this seasoned young man, Sima Lang's eyes were unabated, but his heart looked at him carefully as if he were scrutinizing. It is said that Zhou Yu, the son of Zhou Yi, is a young hero in Luoyang, and his demeanor and conversation can be called the dragon and phoenix among people. He was born with a face like a crown of jade, eyes like stars, and a tall posture like a pine and cypress. And his demeanor is calm and elegant, his speech and attitude are sincere and eager, and he is a young man with a natural demeanor. In a trance, Sima Lang actually recalled how he looked when he was the same age as him, but secretly laughed at himself that he was just a vain old man for so many years, and he almost forgot the terrible truth of the next life.

"Gong Jin, this is pretending to be confused with me." He looked at Zhou Yu, his gentle expression was like soft satin, and there were sharp needles hidden under it: "As far as this matter is concerned, you and I know each other well. Why did I come to the treasure land, Gongjin must have heard about it from my uncle, right? Since everyone understands people, it is better to talk straight to the point - I will definitely take Xian'er away, and my uncle can't make the decision on this marriage alone. Gongjin is also a knowledgeable person, if the parents are not ordered and the matchmaker does not say anything, do you think such a hasty and hasty marriage contract can be in line with the etiquette law? ”

"Brother Boda misunderstood. Yu and Ah Xian are happy with each other, none of the Zhou family members objected, and the marriage contract was also given by Yu's parents. Moreover, the teacher once personally wrote a book on this matter to Sima's house at the turn of summer and autumn, but because Sima Gong did not reply, he thought that he was acquiescing and answered this family matter for Ah Xian. After a pause, Zhou Yu seemed to think of something, raised his hand and stroked his chin and thought carefully: "If you think about it, the teacher has the responsibility of raising in the second year, and Yu Ah Xian also has the grace of preaching and teaching. Don't say that it is for her to ask for a marriage, that is, it is reasonable to take the initiative to arrange family affairs for her. ”

“…… Gong Jin. I think you're mistaken. Sima Lang sighed slightly and chuckled. He changed his previous amiable and elegant posture, and there was a bit of majestic alienation between the pauses in his tone. And after saying this, he coughed lightly as if he felt embarrassed, and a worried and cautious smile hung between his handsome eyebrows, and he slowly asked word by word as if tentatively: "Sister she...... Didn't she tell you about her background? ”

Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment. He really didn't hear anything about his life experience from Sima Xian's mouth, she only said that she was the daughter of the Sima family, is there any secret that no one knows about it? For some reason, although Zhou Yu didn't know why, he only felt that Sima Lang's voice was full of mockery. The almost apologetic smile on his face was more like pity for himself, as if they were the only relatives who were in the same spirit, and he was always just an outsider.

However, Zhou Yu really didn't understand what he had misunderstood and what the so-called life experience was a puzzle. Like a bad omen, Sima Xian's weeping face suddenly floated in front of him, and in an instant, it turned into a dense drum beat beating his heart. Strong intuition and full hints are telling him that the "life experience" is what he has never known but has always been crucial. Therefore, although he was very reluctant, he still did not change his face, and only gritted his teeth lightly and asked, "...... What background? ”

When Sima Lang heard this, his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

It was an unbelievable look in his eyes, and the alienation and compassion in his eyes were even greater than before.

No one spoke, and it was as if they could still hear the sound of snowflakes on the ground in the courtyard.

Zhou Yu felt isolated. Being looked at by Sima Lang with such an unfamiliar gaze, he felt uncomfortable, but he forced himself not to move. Zhou Yu remembered the helpless look and words of the other party when he first came here to beg the teacher to say something for him.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just that my nephew is as stubborn as his father, and he is really a difficult lord to talk to. You want to negotiate with him on this matter, but as a teacher, I am afraid that you will suffer a dumb loss. The teacher shook his head, only sighed heavily and patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder.

It is as fast as the wind, as slow as a forest, and as aggressive as fire.

Zhou Yu did understand.

It's just that sitting on the table drinking hot tea and talking about some family affairs, he feels that the young man in front of him has a powerful aura that has been honed over the years. Sima Lang's words have the power to stir up deafening, but the words and phrases that seem to be homely gossip are more like the art of war. Sima Lang, who is more than nine feet long, is as majestic as a jade mountain even when he sits down, and the corners of his warm eyes are particularly majestic when he smiles, as if he is attacking people to a dead end with a soft momentum, and he is in a dilemma.

"I'm talking a lot about this kind of thing, so you might as well ask her personally." Sima Lang was silent for a long time, as if he understood something, he restrained his previous expression, showed a polite and relaxed smile on his face, and poured another cup of tea for Zhou Yu and himself: "Sister She's going back with me, if you don't believe it, you can ask her in person." ”

Zhou Yu's inner defense line is collapsing little by little. He felt that he was not going to lose at all in this argument, and he did not lose. It's just that he suddenly understood that some things are not a debate that can finalize the end, and what he thinks he understands is just the tip of the iceberg.

"That being the case, Yu retired." Zhou Yu had mixed feelings in his heart, but he smiled happily back, got up and gave a salute without being humble or arrogant, and walked out of the door with raised steps.

Sima Lang looked at his back, his fingers holding the teacup hanging in the air. The noisy cold wind raised Zhou Yu's crimson cloak hunting, just like his pure mood and enthusiasm. The snow light outlined his heroic figure. Even though his heart is surging like a black cloud pressing down on the city, his face on the side still depicts a calm expression that is not shocked. has this determination at a young age, and the evaluation of the young Yingjie is really true, Sima Lang secretly wondered in his heart.

But.

"Gong Jin, you're still too young."

He watched Zhou Yu's departure, smiled and gently put down the porcelain cup handed to his lips.

————————————

This should have been the Chinese New Year's Eve of reunion, but now no one is having a good time.

Sima Xian sat on the frozen river with his knees crossed. There are no stars or moons in the night, but the snow light wipes the cold night brightly, and the lonely sky is covered with a thin silver shirt. The wind shakes and the clouds disperse, and the frozen river surface is like a mirror, reflecting the frost and snow frozen for thousands of miles on the riverside, and the cold and lonely distant mountains under the long sky.

The snow swallowed up the woollen cloak edges, and Sima Xian stared at the frozen river, his white clothes blending with the snow and ice. This narrow river, which used to only sing in a shallow voice, now contains Vientiane Senluo like a hidden mirror. At this moment, she thought of Sun Ce. Escaping from all comfort and sympathy, Sun Ce, who sat alone on the bank of the river and caressed the river breeze, was so strong and open-minded at that time. At the time of parting, his face was much more mature and sophisticated than before, and there was deep worry in his eyes when he looked at Zhou Yu and Sima Xian.

Bo Fu, I used to laugh at you for being fake, but in fact, you lived more thoroughly than anyone else. Thinking like this, Sima Xian chuckled sadly. She buried her face in her arms around her knees, but not a single tear could come from the corners of her closed eyes. Between the silence and the haze, she felt that her toes were covered with warm fabric, and her toes, which had been soaked in snow, no longer felt cold and painful.

Sima Xian raised her head hesitantly and saw Zhou Yu sitting beside her. Her feet were covered with the cloak he had just taken off, and she was still warm from her body temperature.

Zhou Yu looked at her, his bright eyes burning into a torch on a snowy night. He silently pulled Sima Xian's frozen hands, watching her jade shoot-like fingertips glow slightly red. Sima Xian blinked his dry eyes, lowered his head and tried to pull his hands out of his palms, but he was pulled by him at the moment of retreat, and then the whole person was tightly clinging to his arms.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Zhou Yu calmed his voice and asked softly in Sima Xian's ear. His voice was soft and steady, and the warm breath spread behind her ears, soaking like spring breeze and rain, calming her chaotic thoughts a little.

It must be a hint from the eldest brother, Sima Xian thought. The two years seem to have given birth to an inevitable tacit understanding, and she can find out what the other party thinks by exchanging glances, so she doesn't have to ask, and naturally knows what Zhou Yu is asking.

"If Gong Jin had asked, I would have told the truth. But if you don't ask, why should I expose my scars? ”

"Listening to your eldest brother say that, I can guess it." Zhou Yu sighed and raised his hand to caress the hair on the back of her head. When he first heard Sima Lang talk about his life experience but didn't want to say more, although he didn't know what was going on, he could still read something ominous from that hesitant expression. He didn't blame Sima Xian, and he didn't think that there would be some estrangement or alienation between them because of this. Even if she did hide something from herself, what if she did? Zhou Yu has long believed that Sima Xian is his lifelong partner. They went from acquaintance, acquaintance to love, and how could they ever do something that disappointed each other.

"Does Gong Jin know why I hate snow?" Sima Xian opened his palm into the void. The snow had stopped, nothing had fallen into her palm, and even the wind had died quietly. "My body has never been able to stand the cold, which is the legacy of the snow. It was only because I was abandoned in the ice and snow when I was a baby, frostbitten inside, that I was tortured on every biting winter day, and life was worse than death. ”

The past is like a living swimming fish, following the trajectory of Sima Xian's voice is gradually surfacing. There are some things that Zhou Yu may have thought of a long time ago. As for her, as a martial arts practitioner, she couldn't stand the cold, and after only soaking in the river water in April for a while, she had a high fever that did not go away for three days; Her arms could easily pull away her bow and arrows, but her ten fingers always lacked strength; Even about her body temperature is cold all year round, and in winter, it is as cold as frost, so that she always huddles on the warm couch on weekdays...... Many details that had been overlooked in the past now densely covered Zhou Yu's eyes. He should have thought of the secrets hidden behind him, but he was always ignoring the many anomalies.

Sima Xian crouched in his arms, peacefully telling the old things.

At that time, Sima Fang was only in his twenties, and he was rushing to Luoyang from Wenxian County in a carriage on business. The winter in the north is naturally cold, and the snow flakes are raging wildly in the sky and the earth by the force of the wind, and the deep snow almost drowns the horses' hooves. The roads were also blocked, and the originally light car could barely move an inch in the snowstorm.

It was after this slow march for half a day, but the pace of the carriage suddenly increased slightly. Sima Fang thought that the weather was improving, so he reached out to open the curtain of the car, but he heard the sound of the wind still whistling in his ears brushing the curtain, and the goose feathers and heavy snow also took the opportunity to pour into his arms. Sima Fang was choked by the wind and snow, and couldn't help coughing violently.

"Childe, it's not a small mouthy, what are you doing with this curtain when you have nothing to do? The wind and snow are heavy, if the son accidentally catches a cold, then I can't afford to be a subordinate. The attendant of the chariot heard the commotion behind him and whipped his horse again.

"I saw that the carriage was moving fast, and I thought that the road conditions were much better, so I wanted to open the curtain to breathe, but I didn't want to, but it was still ......like this."

"Childe doesn't know. The villain hurriedly drove away not because the weather was improving, but because there happened to be a mass grave nearby, and many people died of the epidemic a few days ago, and he was very unlucky. ”

Sima Fang was shocked, and couldn't help but lift the curtain again, and looked at both sides of the road in the open sky. The smell of the fishy smell that vaguely floated in the air penetrated his nostrils, and his eyes widened as the most cruel and desolate scene he had ever seen in his life.

The mounds of snow, the jagged bones that lay on them, the remnants of old blood freeze-dried to black powder, and the rotten flesh that still crumbles over the broken bones. Hundreds of corpses were hastily and haphazardly buried, covered with a bleak color of snow, scattering a dark ash between heaven and earth like the wandering of the dead.

This is undoubtedly the hell of death. If the living set foot on it, all they can experience is endless despair and desolation. There was a dead silence, and only the fierce north wind whistling in the ears poured into the ears with the ferocity of tearing the eardrum, and anyone could only lower the curtain and retreat.

But Sima Fang didn't. Instead, he leaned out in the raging wind and snow, as if looking for something.

"Oh boy, what are you doing! Go back and sit and watch out for the cold! ”

"Shhhhh As if searching for something, his eyes looked around with the moving vision: "There is a baby crying, stop quickly!" ”

When the entourage heard this, his heart sank. This terrible desolation is a place of mass burial, and in this cold season, how can there be any living people? He couldn't even hear the baby's cry. But I'm afraid that the son was frightened and hallucinated, or that he bumped into a ghost in the daytime. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he became frightened for no reason, and did not listen to the Lord's command, but drove the carriage faster.

But Sima Fang heard it clearly. Between this blank world, there is a delicate and confused baby crying and the sound of the wind into the ears. And the further the carriage went, the more muffled the cry became, almost pulling away from his consciousness. Seeing that he was about to leave this Infernal Hell, Sima Fang, who had always been weak and quiet, suddenly rushed forward and grabbed the bridle in the hands of his entourage to stop the horse. The galloping horse was frightened, and in a panic it neighed and raised its two front hooves high, almost throwing out the driver and the people behind it. The entourage who was driving was still frightened, but saw that Sima Fang had gone in the direction of the cry as if nothing had happened. The wind and snow covered his back, and his originally tall figure was squeezed weak and thin in the field of vision.

Sima Fang just relied on the cry like a gossamer to find it. The faint but never extinguished cry tugged at his heart, and in it was the ardent longing of the sprouts that did not want to be strangled in the thick soil. This is the expectation of life, but also the nostalgia of the world. The weeping child may not understand what cold and pain are, but he racks his strength to survive in heaven and earth.

Finally, Sima Fang braved the raging wind and snow and picked up a baby girl who was still swaddling from behind a stone tablet. Her little face was bruised from the cold, her eyes could hardly be opened, and even the sound of her cries was gradually extinguished. Fortunately, the stone tablet shielded her from most of the wind and snow, and the fabric that wrapped her body was not too thin. Sima Fang hurriedly carried him into the carriage, ignored the dissuasion of his entourage, put aside the business to be done in Luoyang for the time being, and rushed back to his home in Wen County overnight.

The baby had a high fever for several days after being rescued. Although it is only a symptom of a cold, the doctor also said that the child is too young and may leave the root of the disease in the future. Sima Fang thanked the doctor, and when he was changing the baby into a new swaddling cloth, he took out a silk belt with her birth date written on it from the original old cloth, but did not mention her name, obviously the child was deliberately abandoned. Sima Fang couldn't bear it, so he adopted him in the mansion with his wife, and took care of it day and night, treating it as his own. When she grew up, Sima Fang personally taught her to read and write, and treated her like his own son. He was worried that her physique was weak, so he asked someone to invite a master in Beijing to teach her archery, and he took care of this adopted daughter meticulously.

"In the past ten years, I have never dared to forget my father's kindness." Sima Xian's chin rested on Zhou Yu's shoulder. Her voice was slightly hoarse at the mention of the old things. More than ten years have passed, and Sima Xian has grown from a weak and thin baby to a slim girl. She had folded her palms together on countless starry nights, thanking her father for saving her life and nurturing her, and thanking the people in the house for taking care of her, so that her soul could swim back to the world from the edge of hell, like the children of ordinary people.

“…… So do you think about it, or do you decide to go home? ”

After Zhou Yu asked this sentence, he felt the body in his arms tremble obviously. He didn't mean to blame, he just hugged her tighter. This girl, who is usually as unruly as a wild horse and more resolute and cold as a lone wolf, is now like a fledgling with wounded wings, only cowering in his arms and licking the gurgling and bleeding wounds. Zhou Yu, who was born in a wealthy family, naturally did not have a similar experience, but he felt how empathetic he was, he only hated that he had never known about these pasts earlier, and even more hated that he could not say a word to comfort Sima Xian. He understands all her difficulties, but he never wants Sima Xian to leave him. They are even more aware that if they only say goodbye in this life, they may never have the opportunity to see each other again.

"Gong Jin, do you believe in the existence of souls?" Sima Xian gently withdrew from Zhou Yu's warm embrace, his fingers running around his sideburns, watching the snow light reflect his handsome silhouette transparently.

"I don't believe that." Zhou Yu smiled, "But I often feel that you and I may be the same soul." ”

Sima Xian looked at Zhou Yu's face, his smile and words touched the softest place in her heart. She also didn't believe in the so-called spirits, but she always felt that they were like silk threads, tightly and deeply bound. The tacit understanding is so that it has long been inseparable. And if they are the same soul, they will love each other forever.

"I'm sorry, Brother Yu, I'm definitely going to leave this time." Sima Xian also smiled, and the dry and barren eyes were filled with warm liquid again, just like ice and snow melting, only to feel that the outline of the person in front of him gradually blurred: "I will like you for the rest of my life." But you don't have to wait for me, and you don't have to wait, it's just that when you get married, ......"

"Don't talk about that." Zhou Yu interrupted her, and her expression became serious in an instant. This was the first time he had interrupted Sima Xian's words in the middle of a conversation. Before, whatever she said, he would listen attentively with sparkling eyes, even if it was an innocuous joke. However, at this moment, Zhou Yu frowned and wiped away the tears rolling down from the corners of his eyes for Sima Xian. She cried a little too much today, and her clear and agile eyes were already bloodshot. Zhou Yu didn't want her to cry, let alone listen to her say such cruel words in person.

Because she has always been such a decisive and chic woman in his heart.

"If you say that again, I'm not going to forgive you."

Zhou Yu sighed, but still held Sima Xian's face with pity, and kissed her at the corner of her lips. Her lips were cold, and her breath floated like a kiss on a fine snow-covered nephrite.

"When are you leaving?"

"Big brother means that he will leave tomorrow."

"It's a good day on the first day of the Lunar New Year." Zhou Yu smiled bitterly, but also with a half-joking taste, "Tomorrow, let me stroke another song for you." ”

The night was getting darker, and the air was colder than before, perhaps in the second half of the night. Sima Xian raised his head, looked at the darker and darker colors of the sky, and walked slowly on the snow-covered road with his feet. In the past, they walked together thousands of times on the familiar and smooth road, from the laughter of the three to the company of the two, but now it is empty and lonely, and there is only one person left. The hustle and bustle of Chinese New Year's Eve has faded, the feasts of all families have dispersed, and the cold streets seem particularly long and boring tonight. Heaven and earth were stirred in the vast darkness, but the door was still open, and the warm orange candle flame illuminated the snow in front of the steps, as if it was always waiting for someone.

Sima Xian leaned against the courtyard wall, his feet soaked in snow and cold as heavy as lead. She walked to the open door and saw the young man sitting in front of the courtroom from a distance. The snow fell on his shoulders, and he held a bouquet of freshly picked red plums between his fingers, and his long body was shrouded in the dim warm candlelight.

"You're back."

Sima Lang smiled, as if everything had settled.

He stretched out his hand to Sima Xian holding the flower branch, and a brand-new snowflake fell leisurely into the stamen of the red plum.