"If one day, the three-legged situation is untenable - which side will you be on?"

He asked this sentence very lightly, but it was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, slamming at me, and for a while my whole body was a little confused.

Actually, I may not be unaware that this is something I will have to face sooner or later.

However, this choice is too difficult.

Countless times, when this question is about to come to my mind, I will immediately subconsciously avoid it, countless times.

So, until now, when this question came out of Yan Qingchen's mouth, I was completely caught off guard.

In my stunned gaze, he slowly turned around to look at me, and said calmly: "If one day, the world is really in chaos, the emperor, Pei Yuanxiu and me—or that Liu Qinghan, will you stand by that person's side?" ”

Liu Qinghan?

Hearing this name, my eyebrows immediately furrowed: "What do you say he does?" ”

"Isn't he—"

"You should know," I interrupted him with a raised voice, "I never choose to do it for the sake of one person. It has been so, it is now, and it will be so. ”

“……”

"So this question, I can't answer you, even if I say it, maybe one day it will turn into a deception."

“……”

"Because, the world is impermanent."

Yan Qingchen glanced at me, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes, and after a while, he slowly turned around, pushed open the door and went out.

For some reason, I took two steps back and sat down on the stool.

At this time, Pei Yuanxiu walked in from outside the door, he glanced at the other side twice, and said softly: "Yan Qingchen is here?" ”

"Hmm."

"What is he here for?"

"It's nothing," I shook my head slightly, and when he sat down across from me, I said, "You told them that we were going back?" ”

"Uh-he's here to ask about this?"

"It's just talking. When do we leave? ”

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I was shocked: "So fast?!" ”

He smiled: "You forgot, we've been out for half a year, and it's time to go back." What's more, Xue Muhua has no news until now, he-he can't stay. ”

By the way, I forgot that.

It's the same as when I lost my son, but I'm afraid that the mood of Yao Lao is also burning inside, and it is very tormenting.

I nodded, "Okay then." I'll talk to Li'er later. ”

When Su Su came back with Li'er in the evening, I immediately told her that we were going back to Jinling, but Li'er didn't react much, just blinked a few times and asked, "Where is the third uncle?" ”

I was stunned for a moment, and I didn't know how to answer, Pei Yuanxiu was already on the side and said, "He's going back too." Back to Yangzhou. ”

"Are we with the third uncle?"

"Nope. We have our ship, he has his ship. ”

"Oh."

Li'er lowered her head, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she didn't say anything more, turned around and went to her small room. Su Su hurriedly stepped forward: "Miss, then I-"

"Don't worry," I said, "you can stay and keep a watch for your cousin." I have explained everything else to the people of the Yan family, and they will not embarrass you. When your wake is over, I'll have someone come and take you back to Jinling. ”

"Thank you, Miss, for making it happen."

She gave a slight blessing, and then turned around and retreated.

When she exited the room and closed the door with her hand, Pei Yuanxiu slowly walked behind me, stretched out his hands around my waist, put his cheek on my shoulder, rubbed it gently, and said, "Now, all the qiē are settled." ”

I nodded, "Yes." ”

"Then you don't have to worry."

"Am I worried about something?"

He chuckled in my ear, reached out directly, and gently pressed my eyebrows, I only felt a black eyebrow, and a hot temperature from his palm ironed my skin, slowly smoothing my eyebrows.

"It's better now."

“……”

I didn't speak, I just slowly turned around and smiled at him: "Yuan Xiu." ”

"Huh?"

"You're not going to look for the Franc gun, are you?"

Early the next morning, we were ready to go.

Just like when they came, when they left, the Yan family still prepared a huge team. However, this time it is not only us who are leaving, Liu Qinghan and Wu Yanqiu, as well as Xiao Yusheng sent by the Yan family, all have to set off for Sanjiangkou together, and the momentum is naturally different.

When we just walked out of the gate of the Yan family, looking at the long convoy and the onlookers under the long steps, I couldn't help but show a somewhat sluggish expression.

At this moment, I only thought of Yan Qingchen's three words-

Keepers.

This land, the creatures on the land, and the culture that has lasted for thousands of years, are ancestral industries, and they are treasures that cannot be obliterated by history and time no matter what.

Yan Qingchen's three words "keeper" said this heaviness and solemnity.

I turned my head slowly and saw him sitting in a wheelchair, whispering something to Xiao Yusheng who was standing beside me. The jade-faced boy who was so frightened was quite respectful, and nodded yes as he listened.

And standing not far from them was the old lady Yan whose face was not very good-looking.

I know that she has been ignoring me, but after all, I am leaving, I thought about it, and still led Li'er over: "Li'er, we are leaving today, you give a salute to your grandmother." ”

Li'er knelt down and kowtowed to her.

Old Mrs. Yan's face was stretched long, as if she wanted to look at us, but she didn't want to look at us, and when Li'er kowtowed to her, she became more and more uncomfortable, and hesitated for a long time, and when I pulled Li'er up from the ground and was about to turn away, she suddenly said, "Wait a minute." ”

Let's go back.

She frowned, and finally took out a purse from her sleeve, half given and half lost, and stuffed it into Li'er's arms.

I looked at her with some surprise.

She said: "My daughter's family should be rich and nurtured, and cherishing the name and festival should also be raised from an early age. What did you take this girl to look like? If you don't take care of it, when she grows up in the future, there will be a time when you cry. ”

I couldn't help but think she was talking ugly, but I nodded patiently: "Got it." ”

She didn't look like she was listening, snorted coldly, and turned to ignore us.

I didn't know whether to cry or laugh, so I could only lead Li'er to turn around and walk back, when I walked past Liu Qinghan, they both looked at each other, but Li'er pursed her mouth more and more, and lowered her head without daring to say a word, Liu Qinghan blinked her eyes and didn't say anything.

At this moment, a tall figure walked in front of us.

He is a fearless monk.

His eyes were red again, and he looked like he was about to cry, so I panicked and hurried to comfort him, but he said: "The Sprinkle family is really reluctant to give up the eldest lady." Finally, the eldest lady explained one thing, and she messed it up, woo woo. ”

I hurriedly laughed and said, "What's the problem?" Uncle Fearless, I'm glad to have you this time. ”

"If the Sprinkle family wants to be useful, they won't let Yan Qinghan's little rabbit cub run away, and now it's going to make a big fuss."

"Uncle Fearless, I can't blame you for this."

I sighed and said, "Buddhism talks about karma. Maybe his time hasn't come yet. ”

The fearless monk took a sip and said, "The eldest lady said this, as if God was helping him." ”

I smiled and said, "Heaven is constant, not for Yao, not for ruin." ”

I appeased him a few more words, and finally calmed down his anger and grievances, and considering that he had a big quarrel with Mrs. Yan before, he was afraid that it would not be easy to stay in the Yan family, so I told him euphemistically, and after I left, it would be better for him to go back to Tianmu Temple. Who knew that he was very chic, only said that it was difficult to come out, and he still wanted to walk in Xichuan, I think since this is the case, simply let him do a small favor, and he was busy happily agreed.

When we should say goodbye to everything else, Aunt Hong also hugged me and shed tears, and it was finally time to set off.

Yan Qingchen seemed to have finished explaining everything he wanted to explain to Xiao Yusheng, but he still asked people to lift his wheelchair to the bottom of the long steps, and waited for all three of us to get into their own carriages, and his wheelchair stopped next to our carriage, sitting there quietly watching me being helped by others, ready to board the carriage.

This time, it was I who stopped and looked back at him.

Today is a rare sunny day in Shudi, the sky is high and the clouds are white, and the sun is more dazzling than summer, but it is not so scorching, and his white skin almost reflects a dazzling light.

I thought for a moment and said, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" ”

He shook his head quietly.

In the carriage, Pei Yuanxiu and Li'er had already poked their heads out to look at me.

I waved my hand to wait for the attendant who was holding me to wait, then turned around and walked up to him, looking down at him.

Xichuan is facing a huge crisis, which is a status quo that I could never have imagined before, but he only sued me about this matter, and did not intend to face it with me, I can probably understand that this is his persistence and persistence as the head of the Yan family and as a "keeper".

In this respect, I am not as good as him.

I thought for a while, slowly leaned down to look into his eyes, and said softly: "Before the world is chaotic, I will always be in Jinling." ”

He looked at me with a smile and nodded, "I understand." ”

"I don't want you to come to me, but if something happens to Nishikawa, I won't stay out of it."

"I understand."

I took one last look at him, nodded, turned and got into the carriage.

The huge convoy stopped in front of the Yan family's majestic main house for a moment, and then heard the sound of horse whips one after another, like bursting firecrackers, urging the horses forward.

I sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain slightly, and saw that Yan Qingchen was still looking at me in the same place, with a faint gloom in his clear eyes, watching our carriage move forward slowly.