Although the official didn't know who I was, when he saw my unscrupulous appearance in front of Pei Yuanxiu, he probably guessed that my identity was not ordinary, so he knelt down and turned to me and said, "Yes, the lower official did hear that some of those entourages called him Lord Liu." ”

I walked up to him and looked at him nervously: "Which Lord Liu, what is his name Liu?!" ”

"This, the lower official doesn't know."

"Don't know? What about him, how does he look? How is the character? ”

"This—"

The official looked at me with some embarrassment and said, "The rank of the lower official is not enough, and he can't attend the reception banquet of Lord Qincha at all, but he just took a look in a trance when he was in the side hall." That Lord Liu should be a young man, he is quite tall, just a little thin, but his appearance, Xia Guan really didn't see it-"

My face darkened.

The official was originally cautious, and probably saw that my status by Pei Yuanxiu's side was not low, and then looking at my sad appearance now, he tried his best to think for a while, and suddenly seemed to remember something, and clapped his hands and said, "By the way, the lower official remembered." Before the lower officials secretly left Yangzhou, they also heard that this lord had issued several new decrees in Yangzhou Prefecture, officially deposing the untouchable status of the people of Yangzhou, and there had also been a great restructuring in terms of taxation and forced labor, and I heard that the people of Yangzhou applauded. They called him 'as strong as a yaksha in face and as kind as a bodhisattva'. ”

My heart fluttered when I heard it.

The face is as strong as a yaksha, and the heart is as kind as a bodhisattva?

This, will this be a light chill?

No matter what, I can't associate him with "a face as strong as a yaksha", just in this room, in this courtyard, his smile is as warm as a spring breeze, how can it be as strong as a yaksha? And on top of the night banquet, such a thunderous method, blood flows five steps with every word and deed, is it really a light cold?

However, if it weren't for him, the new decrees issued by the Yangzhou government, the abolition of untouchable people, especially the reform of taxation and forced labor, were proposed by him in this place.

If it's not him, who is it?

Which Lord Liu can go deep into the tiger's den like this, risk his life, and snatch Yangzhou back from the hands of traitors!

I just feel like my heart is messed up.

At this moment, Su Su walked in from outside, and when she saw me lost her soul and pale face, and saw the debris on the ground, she hurriedly stepped forward to help me: "Miss, what's wrong with you?" ”

Her anxious voice and warm hands made me suddenly feel a sense of authenticity.

Looking at her, and then at Pei Yuanxiu, who had a solemn face, I hesitated for a moment, and then said, "You came just in time, help me clean up." ”

"Okay."

She nodded hurriedly, and leaned down to clean up the debris on the ground, and I had already turned around and walked out, Pei Yuanxiu saw that I was leaving, and hurriedly stood up on the table: "Qingying!" ”

I looked back at him, a little dazed.

"Where are you going?"

"Me? I want to go out for a walk. As I spoke, I smiled at him, "You should have something to discuss, it's inconvenient for me to stay here." I went out for a walk, and it was by the river. ”

Looking at my smile, Pei Yuanxiu's appearance seemed to be a little dazed.

After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Don't go too far,"

"Hmm."

I turned around and walked away.

It has not yet passed the New Year, and there is still a joyful atmosphere of the New Year everywhere in the village, and there are still a lot of red papers piled up on the ground, all of which are left after the firecrackers, and these things are heard to be cleaned after the New Year, so at a glance, the whole village seems to be covered with a red carpet, full of joy.

In the air, there is also the smell of fish wafting from the kitchens of every house.

I walked slowly along the path, and after a while I came to the river.

Compared with the bustle of the village, of course, it is much more deserted here, it is still the New Year, and no one will go down to the river, the river is cold, as if it is also frozen by such coldness, almost no flow, only closer, can you hear the sound of gurgling water.

I walked aimlessly along the river, my thoughts wandering as my steps.

Suddenly, there was a chill under my feet.

I looked down and found that I had stepped into the water, and the river had wet the corners of my skirt and my ankles, so I hurriedly limped to a big rock by the river and sat down, wrung out the corners of my skirt, and could not take off my shoes and socks, but I didn't want to go home now, so I could only sit and hang like this.

And as soon as I looked up, I saw a vast sky in front of me.

It is the city of Yangzhou......

I vaguely remember that on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, when I stood in the yard, I saw the fireworks in Yangzhou City, thousands of purples and thousands of reds, fire trees and silver flowers, I only felt beautiful, but I could not imagine that the fireworks illuminated not only my eyes, but also his eyes.

Is it really him?

Is it really him who made a decision to kill in Yangzhou City, and even splashed blood with five steps in a word?

But why did he come to Yangzhou?

When I was in Uncle Ghost's Ferry Pavilion, he once promised me that he would not go down to Jiangnan lightly, why did he break his promise to me so quickly? Yangzhou City, the city that once made Liu Shizhou and Liu Yi sacrifice with their lives, how much impact will it have on his future?

I couldn't even think about it.

Just when my heart was in turmoil, a gentle voice sounded beside me—

"Lightness?"

I looked back and saw that it was Ruxiang, she was wearing a jade-colored jacket, standing by the river, and as soon as she saw me, she immediately walked over: "Why are you here?" ”

"I, I'm here for a walk. What about you? ”

"Me too."

When she saw the wet corners of my skirt, she knew what was happening, and she didn't leave, but sat on the stone like me, and helped me hold the corners of my skirt open and tremble.

I couldn't help but look at her.

These days, she has been with me, and before I know it, we have become good sisters who talk about everything. However, it is impossible for me and her to talk about everything, and I know that there is always a place in her heart that I, not even herself, can touch again.

The two of them were so silent, and the sound of the water slowly became abrupt, and it only felt like the experiences and memories of the two people, and the years passed with the water. I thought for a while, and suddenly asked, "Ruexiang, how are you doing now?" ”

She looked at me and couldn't help but smile.

I thought about what I had asked and smiled.

I get along with her almost day and night, only these geniuses of the New Year have not met, and now she suddenly asks like this, and anyone has to laugh.

But after laughing for a while, gradually, she seemed to feel something, the smile faded, she was silent for a while, and said softly: "It's okay." ”

"What's a good way?"

She lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes reflected the water, thought for a while, and said slowly, "It's much better than before." The money is much looser, and since the second brother came back, Gou Er has become more honest, and he didn't dare to beat me anymore, and he went to find a serious job. The family is getting better day by day; As for me—" she thought, smiling suddenly, and said to me, "I'm a little boss now." ”

I smiled and nodded.

"I'll tell you secretly—" she whispered in my ear, "I actually know about my private money, but he doesn't dare to ask me." He's afraid of my second brother. ”

As she spoke, her shoulders shrugged with laughter, and I laughed with her.

"And I'm learning to read now. Don't tell anyone, I've known hundreds. In the future, I can also help you go out to negotiate business with people and sign a contract. ”

I looked at her with some surprise.

I didn't expect Rue Xiang to be so motivated, and she secretly began to learn to read. To say that she is not young now, and she has no foundation in reading, and everyone in the world has a perception that "a woman is virtuous if she is not talented", she is willing to work hard like this, which really surprises me.

It seems that she has really integrated the embroidery workshop into her life, so she will devote herself so wholeheartedly.

She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed softly, "It's okay if a woman lives like this." I don't have anything to complain about. ”

When she said this, even I felt that it was true, that I had plenty of money and was doing my own work, and my husband could be regarded as having lost his way, and there was nothing to be dissatisfied with.

But in her heart, she was still a little dazed, and even looked at her, although her face was smiling, her eyes were empty.

I looked her in the eye for a long time before asking, "Then do you feel happy?" ”

"Happiness?"

She muttered these two words, and after a while, she smiled faintly, but in that smile, there was a little more sparseness, and said, "Forget it." It's kind of happiness. ”

Calculate......?

I was more and more dazed, looking at her.

Happiness can be counted? It's better than in the past, I have more money, I don't get beaten by my husband, my husband has found a job, and I'm no longer idle...... In this way, can it be considered happiness?

But what is the original happiness? Rue remember? Or is it because of the previous badness, her original expectations have been shattered, and she doesn't even remember what she originally wanted, so as long as there is a better one in front of her, or the bad one becomes less bad, she can accept it, even if it is not what she originally wanted, it can be regarded as happiness?

My heart became more and more chaotic, Rue Xiang looked at my eyebrows and wrinkled into Sichuan characters, and said softly: "Light, what's wrong with you?" ”

“……”

"Why do I think you're not having a good time this year? Did something happen to you? Who are those people in your family? What happened to you on Chinese New Year's Eve? ”

I hesitated for a moment to meet her concerned eyes, and finally said softly: "Ruxiang, light cold - Liu San'er, he's back." ”

"Huh?!"

Rue Xiang jumped up in shock, her eyes widened, and she looked at me in shock: "What did you say?!" ”

I also stood up slowly, and some of the slightly cool **** skirts fell, bringing a burst of coolness. I looked into her surprised eyes and said calmly, "He went back to Yangzhou." ”

"He—what about the others? In your home? Or—"

"In Yangzhou."

"Yangzhou?"

"Yes, if I'm not mistaken, the newly appointed Yangzhou Mansion Yin last night is him."

Rue Xiang had an expression of disbelief, dumbfounded and speechless for a long time, and when she spoke again, she stammered a little: "He-you said that he became a big official, did he really become such a big official?" The governor of Yangzhou Mansion?! ”

"Hmm."

“…… Lord Fu Yin?! She still couldn't believe it, and muttered repeatedly, and suddenly, as if she remembered something, she turned to look at me: "Then, why didn't he come to you yet?" ”

I was silent for a moment and said, "He won't come to me." ”

"Why?"

I smiled faintly in my heart. "He has what he wants to do."

"That, that—" Rue Xiang seemed to be a little at a loss, she held my cold hands, looked left and right, looked around, and suddenly said, "Don't you want to see him too?" ”

“……”

This time I didn't speak, my lips slightly closed.

He has what he wants to do, because he won't live for love, so he can desperately save me from the prison, or he can ruthlessly push me off the moat and make me leave the imperial city completely and leave him. He wanted me to find my own happiness.

But he may not know that without him, happiness may only be able to count.

And the happiness I really want, shouldn't be counted......

Rue Xiang looked at me, as if she felt something, held my hand tighter, and said: "Light, I don't know what happened between you, and you don't tell me, whether he has failed you, and why is he such a big official now." However, if you still want to see him, you should go. Whether he's sorry for you or he's lost to you, you always have to say it face to face to make it clear! ”

Words must always be made clear to your face......

Looking at her anxious for me, I felt that my heart didn't seem to be so uncomfortable, in fact, there are many kinds of feelings between people, even if I suffer a lot, there are other people, kind people, with their gentle emotions to comfort me.

Thinking of this, I smiled faintly: "Thank you." ”

She was stunned and looked at me: "What are you thanking me for?" ”

“……”

I only smiled, didn't speak, took her hand and walked slowly back along the river, the sun was just right, sprinkled on the surface of the river to reflect a sparkling wave, me and her two slender figures reflected in the light, although slender, it seemed to have a warm power.

Maybe it's because of what she just said......

Yes, I want to see him.

I should have seen him too.

No matter what has happened in the past year and how much he has changed, my state of mind has not changed. I still love him, my heart aches for every good or bad news about him, and I want to know what he hurts and how he is now. Even if I really can't go on the road with him, I don't want it to end with the fusion of ice and fire that night.

When we were about to reach the entrance of the village, Rue Xiang and I were about to part ways, and I watched her turn to leave, but it was no longer as brisk as when she came, and I suddenly stopped her: "Rue Xiang." ”

She looked back at me.

"You-" When the words came to my mouth, it became more difficult, I hesitated for a long time, and finally asked softly and carefully, "Do you still miss him?" ”

Ruexiang's face suddenly turned pale.

She gave me the feeling that a scar that had healed and even forgot that she had been injured was suddenly uncovered by someone, and suddenly blood flowed everywhere, and the sting pain that pierced her heart suddenly overwhelmed her.

I also regretted my mistake and hurriedly said, "I'm sorry. ”

“……”

She stood there silently, her whole person seemed to have condensed into an ice sculpture, and she was stunned for a long time before she slowly raised her head to look at me, and her voice was also cold: "Light." ”

“……”

"Don't ask again."

"I'm sorry, Rue, I wasn't-"

"I know." She interrupted me, her voice somewhat weak. She and I couldn't say anything for a while, and we couldn't move our feet, the two of them were silent and opposite, but they were not as quiet and indifferent as before, on the contrary, it seemed that it was not only her who was uncovered, but also me, and even the pain was slowly contagious between the two people.

I don't know how long it took for her to raise her head to look at me, and said softly: "Light, I won't mention it again in the future, and you don't have to ask again." This page should be turned over, okay? ”

I nodded hurriedly, wanting to bite off my tongue.

Because she mentioned the light cold in front of me more than once, it made me think that she had recovered and had forgotten that past, but it was just an unintentional question from me, but I found that she had not completely come out of the memories at all.

Rue Xiang walked slowly and walked in front of me, her voice was as soft as the sound of running water next to her, and once she was gone, she would not look back.

She looked at me and said softly, "What I just said, I am happy now." ”

“……”

"But happiness shouldn't be counted as ......"

“……”

"Yes, yes, no, no. I know that it is not, and I know that it cannot be reached, so I can only calculate. ”

When she spoke, her throat was also a little choked, and she swallowed hard for a long time, and finally blocked something back, but her eyes still turned red, and said, "But I really can't think about it anymore." Even if Gou Er is still idle now, or still beating me, I can't think about it anymore. ”

“……”

"Light, as long as you get married, everything is different."

“……”

"I don't want to be scolded as a watery poplar, and I still look down on myself."

“……”

"You're still qualified, so you should go see him. No matter how you two choose, while each other is still qualified to choose each other, even if the decision is wrong, at least you make it. ”

With that, a gleam welled up in her eyes, and she let go of my hand, turned and walked away.

I stood there in a daze, looking at her figure, Rue Xiang took a few steps, and then hesitated, stopped, and slowly looked back at me: "Light." ”

"Rue ......"

"If I could have lived the way I am now...... Originally, I wouldn't have married. ”

“……”

"At least, when I think of him, I am above board, and I won't be made to look down on myself."