Chapter 108: Meet

Looking down from Qinghe Tower, this is already a very lively town.

Of course, this place cannot be compared with the capital in the north, Xuanzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, or some other places on the road. But compared to some of the small towns that you pass by these days, it is already densely populated, stable and prosperous.

There are many women on the streets here, some of them carry burdens, some carry baskets, crisp and spicy signs, embroidery thread, rouge, melons, and flowers, Xiao Dong does not know what to do. This is not seen in the capital, and this is not the case in Xuanzhou. The atmosphere of the capital is more open than that of Xuanzhou, ladies can go to the street, travel, incense, and meetings, girls can also go to the academy, and many women with hats can be seen on the street. On the streets of Xuanzhou, except for girls under the age of five and half-aged women, there are no young women.

Pingzhou here seems so simple and free.

Xiao Dong held his cheeks and looked at the endless stream of people on the street below, and for a moment he had the illusion of returning to modern times. Although she didn't understand what these people were saying at all. Ten miles of different winds, a hundred miles of different customs. It is adjacent to Suizhou, but the accent is different from Suizhou.

Qin Lie added a bowl of tea for her: "Taste it." ”

Xiao Dong glanced at him vigilantly: "It's not salty, right?" ”

"It's not."

"Really no salt?"

Qin Lie couldn't help but smile: "There really isn't." ”

Xiao Dong took it up and tasted it with confidence.

It's okay, it's okay.

The guy who went upstairs just now poured tea, Xiaodong looked a little green and faint, similar to the tea he usually drinks, but he almost squirted out in his mouth as soon as he drank it.

That tea is salty.

In fact, before the tea entered her throat, she already felt that something was wrong. Because she smelled a smell of green onion and ginger...... But she was moving too fast.

The expression on Qin Lie's face was so narrow: "Look at you, you drank so fast, I haven't had time to tell you yet, this tea is not the same as the tea you drank in the past." ”

He clearly meant it

"It's really not salty this time."

Xiao Dong smelled the smell first, and sure enough, it was a quiet and quiet tea fragrance. She tasted it carefully.

"This Qinghe Building is also the property of the Zhang family." Qin Lie said, "Do you want to see Zhao Zhi?" I can ask someone to arrange it. ”

"Is the Zhang family far away from here?"

"Not far." Qin Lie pointed to the east: "From here, you see, there is a large piece of blue-tiled roof over there, that is the Zhang family." ”

Xiao Dong looked out of the window, and sure enough, it was not too far away.

"Is Zhao Zhi doing well in the Zhang family?"

"The news I asked people to inquire about said that it was okay."

Passable –

That is, not very happy.

Xiao Dong looked at the teacup and nodded slowly.

"I want to meet her."

"Well, let's go." Qin Lie stood up and put the tea money on the table.

Qin Lie called a sedan chair to come, the road in Pingzhou was not smooth, high and low, up and down for a while. After almost a meal, the sedan chair stopped, and Qin Lie lifted the sedan curtain: "It's here, come." ”

Xiao Dong looked up, this is a small nunnery, in which Guanyin is enshrined. The patio is very small, and there are two camellia plants planted in the yard, and the flowers are in full bloom, and the flowers are heavy, the size of a bowl.

"We'll wait here for a while."

An old nun came up with tea, without saying a word, with no expression on her face, and she did not raise her eyes to look at them. She was dressed in a gray silk robe, and she didn't make a sound when she walked, like a gray ghost.

"What is this place?"

"Behind Zhang's house, there is a bridge. Go out and walk a hundred and ten steps to the east, and cross the bridge to the back door of Zhang's house. ”

It's unusually quiet, and the hustle and bustle of the street in front of it doesn't seem to have anything to do with it. The incense in the furnace burned a large section of ash, and fell down and scattered into a cloud of ashes.

Xiao Dong vaguely heard the sound of footsteps, far away, real and illusory.

Then the voice grew clearer and closer.

With a creak, the courtyard door was pushed open.

Xiao Dong glanced at Qin Lie and slowly stood up with his chair.

The people who came from outside had already walked to the door and stopped there.

Through a door, the outside looks much brighter than the inside.

Xiao Dong couldn't see her face clearly for a while.

vaguely felt that Zhao Zhi was not like this.

But what does Zhao Zhi really look like?

In Xiao Dong's memory, the clearest thing is that when they went to school in Jiyutang, Zhao Zhi combed her hair and wore a pair of powder snow-like velvet flowers. There is often a piece of sugar in his mouth, so the left and right cheeks occasionally bulge, which looks very funny.

"Xiaodong?"

She slowly crossed the threshold and stood there holding on to it.

Xiao Dong finally saw her appearance clearly.

The person in front of him is no longer the Zhao Zhi with a ruddy face and crooked eyes when she laughs. She was covered with lead powder, so her complexion was not so natural. Her hair was combed into a bun and looked a little sharp. There is a vertical mark in the center of the eyebrows, and it seems that the whole face is a little sad and depressed.

Before I saw Zhao Zhi, Xiao Dong once thought about whether they would cry and laugh and hug each other when they met again after a long absence, and there were endless words-

She took a deep breath and held back the tears in her eyes: "Ah Zhi." ”

Zhao Zhi's lips trembled slightly, her lips pursed, and her eyes were slightly red: "I really didn't expect it...... I can see you again in this life...... What are you doing here? When did it arrive? ”

"We are returning to Suizhou, passing through here."

Zhao Zhi nodded and said softly, "I haven't congratulated you yet." ”

Qin Lie said softly, "You two will talk for a while, I'll wait for you outside." ”

"You...... How are you doing? ”

Zhao Zhi nodded and said slowly, "It's okay." Even here, I don't know anyone, I don't know anyone. My mother-in-law is a little strict, but my father-in-law is very good to me...... How is the capital? ”

This question is even more difficult for Xiaodong to answer.

In fact, Zhao Zhi knows many things, and Xiao Dong also mentioned them in the letter.

What can the capital do? The capital is good, everything is business as usual. It's just that no one in the capital mentions King Jingjun and the second prince at all, as if these two people never existed. Of course, the people associated with them, there has never existed.

Why...... They used to be so close, sisters, friends, classmates, playmates...... Write together, practice the piano together, and secretly pass notes during the Jiyutang exam.

Now that they are all married, those pasts are like being blown away by a strong wind, and they cannot be grasped in a vague way, and they will never come back.

The two sat down, and Xiao Dong said, "I'm afraid that the Zhang family will be strict with you, and it won't be so convenient to go to the door at first glance, so Qin Lie arranged for us to meet like this first." If it's convenient for you, I'll pay you a formal visit tomorrow. ”

"Well, the Zhang family is a big family here, and the family rules are stricter. But you and I are cousins, so there's nothing wrong with coming to see me. ”

Having said that, Zhao Zhi didn't say anything about letting Xiao Dong officially visit the gate of Zhang's house.

I don't know if the Zhang family knows everything about King Jingjun. However, I guess I also know it. Although the Great Xia Dynasty did not involve married women. But the Zhang family married such a hot potato-like daughter-in-law, so they naturally had to be careful to restrain it, so as not to cause anything to harm their own family.

Zhao Zhi said some gossip a little: "When I first came, I was not used to it, the meals I ate, the house I lived in, and the tea here and salt ...... I don't understand much when the people of the Zhang family speak, and there is usually no one to talk to......"

Xiao Dong thought, she has also seen this. Indeed, putting salt in tea is too unaccustomed.

"I got sick when I first arrived, and I was sick for a long time. It's probably not adaptable......"

Maybe it's because at that time, she also heard the news that King Jingjun and the second prince launched a palace rebellion but ended up in defeat, right?

Xiao Dong took out a pair of bracelets inlaid with ruyi beads and a longevity lock with precious stones: "I'm in a hurry, this is for my little nephew who has never met." ”

Zhao Zhi looked at it in a daze, but didn't reach out to pick it up.

Xiao Dong looked at her with some confusion.

"I ...... I haven't seen him for more than a month. Zhao Zhi didn't finish speaking, and tears slipped down her face. She took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and wiped the powder from her face into a mess.

"How?"

Zhao Zhi took a few deep breaths and wiped her nose again: "He...... I was carried by my mother-in-law. After I gave birth, my mother-in-law took the baby to her yard to raise it. Later, I wanted the child back, but within two days, because the child had a tummy, my mother-in-law said that I couldn't take care of me when I was young, and the nurse was not happy or something...... He took the child away again. ”

It sounds like this, the old lady of the Zhang family can't find fault in what she does. First, she is a mother-in-law and the unyielding master in the inner courtyard of the Zhang family, Zhao Zhi must respect her, serve her, and not disobey. Second, what she said about taking the child away was not wrong. Zhao Zhi was weak after giving birth, and after taking care of the child for two days, she did not take care of it well.

"So, what did your husband say?"

Zhao Zhi said in a thick nasal voice, "He went to tell his mother when he brought it back before." But this time, he also said that he would raise it over there and bring it back when he was older. ”

What does this say...... That's right.

But for Zhao Zhi, how can it be so easy.

Her family was ruined, and she left her hometown to come to Pingzhou, and she couldn't even understand what people were talking here. Her relatives are gone. In such a situation, the child she gave birth to is truly connected to her blood, is real, and completely belongs to her. Although he has a husband, Zhang Manting must first be a good son, a man with a top door, and he should have more things to consider. His family, his own self, even if he can be considerate of Zhao Zhi - but that is far from enough.

In such a situation, the child was taken away, and for Zhao Zhi, it must be like picking her heart.

Even if a year or two years have passed, the child will be brought back again, but how tormented should Zhao Zhi be in the middle?

Xiao Dong comforted her a few words, but she herself felt how pale this comfort was. How happy Zhao Zhi used to be, in the Jingjun Palace, the princess of Jingjun was also held in the palm of her hand, and the previous ten years were smooth. Now there is no one to protect her, no matter how many grievances there are, there is nowhere to complain.

She was not comforted, but Zhao Zhi could still bear it. As soon as Xiao Dong persuaded her, Zhao Zhi's tears flowed more and more. Maybe it's in Zhang's house, and he can't even cry happily.

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After my feet were worn out, I cried with skin allergies~~ Sure enough, in the spring, I was a big coffee table, full of cups and cutlery