Liu Han was taken away, leaving only Xiang Zhong in the room, what to do next, he was at a loss for a while, so he could only sit down silently by the console.

Things developed too bizarrely, and reversed too quickly, so he didn't have time to think and judge at all.

Xiang Zhong sighed as if he was groaning, and suddenly fell on the table, burying his face in the palms of his hands.

As the size of the population grew, so did the settlements of the four main groups.

Those who like to live in groups in the base spontaneously combine to form small villages.

There are also those who prefer to be alone, and they build their homes in the mountains far from the village or in some place they like.

This is a main street in a village, and on both sides of the street are scattered buildings of different styles, some of which are Han Chinese standards, some of which are steeped in garden houses, some are all wooden, and some are more alternative, that is, grassland tents.

Among them is a courtyard house of blue bricks and red tiles, and the walls of the house are covered with rattans with a rustic flavor, and the sun shines on the dead leaves, which are painted with a layer of beautiful color.

A young and beautiful girl was leaning against the siding, her hair as black as jade, her eyes as gentle as those of an antelope, and her slender fingers, with the beauty of ancient Greek carvings, caressing a bouquet of thousand-year-old red flowers, the petals of which had been torn apart and scattered on the floor.

Her arms were bare to her elbows, warm as jade, as beautiful as the hands of the goddess Venus.

Her soft, beautiful feet were dressed in gauze stockings, and small gray-blue flowers were embroidered at the ankles, and one foot was gently tapping the ground due to inner anxiety, as if deliberately trying to show off her plump and well-proportioned calves.

Not far from her sat a tall young man of about twenty-two years of age, who was shaking his hind legs from his chair and resting his arms on an old moth-eaten table, watching her with a troubled look on his face.

He was questioning her with his eyes, but the young girl controlled him with a resolute and calm gaze.

"Look, Ruoyin," said the young man, "the festival is approaching, and my mother has prepared a rich dinner, and she said, this dinner party lacks a hostess, will you be the hostess of the dinner?" ”

"I've told you a hundred times, Xiang Zhong. You're asking any more questions. Also, please remember my full name, my name is Zhao Ruoyin. ”

"Alas, say it again, I beg you, say it again, so that I will believe! Even if you say it a hundred times. Say you reject my love. That's what your mother promised me to know more.

You don't care about my well-being, you don't care about my life or death, alas! I've dreamed of being your husband for ten years, Ruoyin, and now you've dashed my hopes, the only hope I have ever had in the world! ”

"But after all, this is not what I made you have that kind of hope, Xiang Zhong, if I did something wrong and caused you to have a misunderstanding, I apologize to you here" Zhao Ruoyin slowed down, and then said, "You can't blame me, I never hinted at you anything." I've always said to you, 'I only see you as my brother, and don't ask me for affection beyond brother and sister, because my heart already belongs to someone else.' 'Didn't I always say that to you, Xiang Zhong? ”

"Yes, I know very well, Ruoyin," Xiang Zhong replied. "Yes, it's good that you confessed to me, but it's cruel after all.

Have you forgotten that intermarriage is a sacred law for us? ”

"You're wrong, Xiang Zhong, it's not a law, it's just a custom in your hometown.

I beg you not to rely on this custom to help you, you have reached the age of military service and become a colonist, and for now it is only a temporary postponement, and you may be conscripted into the army at any time.

Once you become a colonist, how will you settle me? I, a helpless orphan, with no possessions, only a crumbling hut and some tattered fishing nets, a pitiful inheritance that my father had passed down to my mother after he left, and my mother had passed it on to me. (Here, I would like to explain to you that Ruoyin's father was one of the first volunteers who followed Goode to stay and become the first colonist)

Xiang Zhong, you also know that it has been more than 50 years since my mother died, and I have almost completely relied on everyone's relief to make ends meet, and you have a fashion to ask me to help you so that I can share the harvest of your fishing, I accept it, Xiang Zhong, because you are my cousin, we grew up together, and because, if I refuse, it will break your heart. But I know very well in my heart that I will sell these fish - Xiang Zhong, what is the difference between this and charity! ”

"So what does it matter? Ruoyin, despite your loneliness and poverty, you are still like the proudest princess, fully worthy of me! To me, all I need is a faithful woman and a good housewife, but where can I find a better man than you in both? ”

"Xiang Zhong," Ruoyin shook her head and said, "It's hard to say whether a woman can be a good housewife, but if she loves another person more than her husband, who can say that she is a loyal woman?" Please be content with our friendship, I repeat to you, I can only promise you this, I cannot promise you what I cannot give you. ”

"I understand," Xiang Zhong replied, "You can endure your own poverty, but you are afraid that I will be poor, then, Ruoyin, as long as I have your love, I will work hard."

You will bring me good luck, I will make a fortune, I can expand my fishery, and maybe I can find a position as a warehouse manager, and then I will be a merchant. If you want, I can also apply for the start of the colonization plan immediately, let's go to that eggshell star, just the two of us, in the future, we will be the masters of this planet, let those orangutans become our slaves, you are the empress high there! ”

"You can't do that, we're colonizers, not marauders. You are a soldier, and the reason why you can stay in the village is because there is no war now. So, you should be a fisherman.

Don't be cranky, because dreams can make reality more unbearable for you. Be content with my friendship, for I can't give you more than that. ”

"Well, you're right, Ruoyin." Xiang Zhong said emotionally, "Since you despise the black hair, yellow skin, and flat nose that our ancestors handed down, I will replace it."

I'm going to go to Carter and get a full facelift, a high nose, sunken eyes, white and red eyes, and freckles all over his face. You should be dressed like this, right? ”

"What do you mean by that?" Ruoyin glanced at him angrily. "- What nonsense are you talking about? I don't understand. ”

"I mean, Ruoyin, the reason you're so ruthless to me is because you're waiting for someone, and he's dressed like that. But maybe the person you're waiting for is unreliable. ”

"Xiang Zhong!" "I thought you were a kind-hearted person, but now I know I'm wrong!" Xiang Zhong, you are so despicable! Yes, I don't deny it, I'm waiting, I love the person you refer to, even if he doesn't come back, I don't believe he will be as unreliable as you say, I believe that he will only love me alone until death. ”

The angry expression finally took over the face that Xiang Zhong was now fully controlling.

Ruoyin didn't seem to see it at all, and continued: "I know what you think in your heart, Xiang Zhong, because I don't love you, so you have a grudge against him, and you will use your short knife to duel with his dagger."

But what is the result in the end? If you fail, you will lose my friendship, and if you defeat him, you will see my friendship with you turn into hatred.

Believe me, trying to win the heart of a woman who loves a man by going into a fight with that man is simply stupid.

No, Xiang Zhong, you must not have such bad thoughts. You can't make me your wife, and you can still see me as your friend and sister. With tears in her eyes, she said blankly, "Wait, wait, Xiang Zhong!" I don't want the friendship between our fathers and even our grandparents to end in our hands. ”

Xiang Zhong didn't answer, he didn't want to wipe the tears from Ruoyin's face, although every tear was like every drop of blood on his heart, but these tears were not for him, on the contrary, for another person, he stood up and paced around the hut, and then he suddenly clenched his fists with a gloomy face and stopped in front of Ruoyin, and said to her, "Ruoyin, please say it again, is this your final decision?" ”

"I love Jack," said the girl calmly, "and no one can be my husband but Jack." ”

"Will you love him forever?"

"I love him for one day when I live."

Xiang Zhong lowered his head like a defeated warrior and let out a long breath, and suddenly he raised his head to look at her again, gritted his teeth and said, "If he dies。。。。。。 ”

Ruoyin didn't wait for Xiang Zhong to finish speaking, and said loudly angrily: "If he dies, I will die with him." ”

"Ruoyin!" At this time, a voice suddenly shouted excitedly outside the house, "Ruoyin! ”

"Ahh The young woman's face flushed with excitement, and she jumped up excitedly, "You see, he hasn't forgotten me, he's coming!" She rushed to the door, opened it, and said, "Jack, here I am!" ”

Xiang Zhong's face was pale, and his whole body trembled, as if he saw a red snake spitting out a fiery letter and walking under his feet, he shrank back, staggered back on the chair, and sat down at once.

Jack and Ruoyin hugged each other tightly, and the dazzling sunlight shone in through the open room, shining them in the light waves.

They forgot everything in an instant.

The extreme joy seemed to isolate them from the world, and they could only speak intermittently, because they were extremely happy, and when people were extremely happy, they looked sad on the surface.

Suddenly, Jack spotted Xiang Zhong's gloomy face, a face buried in the shadows with a threatening aura. The young man moved unconsciously, and subconsciously pressed the pistol on his waist.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Jack turned around with a frown and said, "I didn't know there was another person here. Then he turned to Ruoyin and asked, "Who is this gentleman?" ”

"This gentleman is going to be your best friend, Jack, because he is my friend, my brother, and his name is Xiang Zhong—besides you, Jack, he is my favorite person in the world. Don't you remember him? ”

"Yes, remember," said Jack, and he didn't let go of Ruoyin's hand, holding Ruoyin with one hand, and extending the other hand affectionately to the poor Xiang Zhong.

But Xiang Zhong did not react to this friendly expression, and remained motionless like a stone statue.

Jack then took his hand back, looked carefully at Ruoyin, who was anxious here, and then looked at Xiang Zhong, who was gloomy and hostile. Seeing that he understood everything, his face immediately changed, and he was a little angry: "I came in such a hurry, I didn't expect to meet an opponent here. ”

"A rival!" Ruoyin glanced at Xiang Zhong angrily and shouted, "What are you talking about, Jack, I have an opponent in my family?" If that is the case, I will take your arm, and together we will find a barren planet, leave this home, and never return. ”

Xiang Zhong's eyes almost shot fire.

"If anything misfortune befalls you, dear Jack," the girl continued calmly, making Xiang Zhong feel that she had read the bad thoughts in his heart, "if you do suffer misfortune, I will climb to the rocks in the middle of Jones Lake, and jump from there, and perish at the bottom of the lake forever." ”

Xiang Zhong's face turned pale, like a dead man.

"You are mistaken, Jack," she added, "there is no opponent of yours here—only my brother Xiang Zhong here, who will shake your hand like an old friend." ”

After the young girl said this last sentence, she fixed her majestic eyes on Xiang Zhong, who slowly walked towards Jack and stretched out his hand as if hypnotized by the light.

His hatred was like a fierce but powerless wave, shattered by Ruoyin's words.

As soon as he touched Jack's hand, he felt that he could not take it anymore, so he rushed out of the house.

"Oh! Oh! He shouted, running like a madman, and his hands clawed at his hair,—— "Oh! Can anyone help me get rid of this person? I was so unlucky! ”

"Hey, Xiang Zhong! Feed! Xiang Zhong! You're running so fast, where are you going? When Xiang Zhong rushed out of the courtyard and passed by a gazebo at the corner of the street, a voice came.

The young man stopped suddenly, looked around, and saw Liu Han and another uncle, Carter, sitting across from each other in a pergola.

"Hey," Liu Han said, "why don't you come?" Don't you even have time to say hello to your elders? ”

"Especially when they still have a full bottle of wine in front of them." Carter continued.

Xiang Zhong looked at them with a trance-like look and didn't say anything.

"He doesn't look right," Carter said, touching Mr. Liu's knee.

"Don't make us mistake, Jack won, right?"

"Hmm, let's ask for clarification," Liu Han said, then turned to the young man and said, "Hey, Xiang Zhong, have you made up your mind?" ”

Xiang Zhong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slowly walked into the gazebo, where the shade seemed to calm him a little, and the refreshing air reinvigorated his exhausted body.

"Hello!" He said, "Did you call me?" So saying, he sat down heavily on the chair beside the table, as if he had collapsed.

"I saw you running around like a madman, so I called you, afraid you would jump into the lake," said Kaliuhan laughing. "Hell! When a person has a friend, not only do you have to invite him to drink, but you also have to dissuade him from going to the lake for a stroll with nothing to do. ”

"Well, I say, Xiang Zhong," Carter said, "your face looks very wrong, as if you have fallen out of love." A rude laugh erupted.

"Come on!" Liu Han said, "How can a young man like him lose in love." Carter, don't make fun of him! ”

"No," Carter replied, "you just have to hear his sigh!" Come on, come on, Xiang Zhong raised his head and told us about it. Friends are most concerned about your health, if you have anything to displeasure about, say it, let us be happy. With wine, it is not enough to just have dried fish fillet. ”

"I'm fine, I didn't give birth to anything" Xiang Zhong clenched his fists, and his head still didn't raise up.

"Ahh Look, Carter," said Liu Han, with a wink at his friend, "that's what happened, and now Xiang Zhong in front of you, a brave man of the Han Dynasty, is the foremost fisherman in this village.

He fell in love with a very beautiful girl, named Zhao Ruyin, unfortunately, that beautiful girl was in love with Jack with a freckled face, I just saw Jack also walk into the Zhao family's courtyard。。。。。。 You should understand the mystery of this! ”

"No, I don't understand." Carter said.

"Poor Xiang Zhong was rejected by other girls." Liu Han added.

"Yes, but so what?" Xiang Zhong raised his head suddenly, his eyes staring at Liu Han, as if he was looking for someone to vent his anger. "Who cares about that... Ruyin? She loves whoever she wants, doesn't she? ”

"Oh! If you want to say that, it's a different story! Liu Han said, "I thought you were a real person from the Han Heavenly Dynasty, and people told me that anyone who was from the Han Heavenly Dynasty would never let their opponents take away something." What is the old saying? Those who dare to covet my lover will be punished even if they are far away, yes. Xiang Zhong, you can't be cowardly, your rival is not an ordinary powerful person, I heard that the big boss attaches great importance to him. ”

Xiang Zhong smiled sadly, "It's just a rival in love, how can I be afraid?" Rivals in love will never be afraid! He said.