In fact, for any outsider, standing in front of the vermilion gate of the Zhou family's old mansion at this time, looking at the majestic stone lions on both sides, the spontaneous sense of fear in his heart is enough to replace the chill brought by the external environment to the body.

Passing through the gate, what catches your eye is still the magnificent retro stone carving mural in the impression, the Qujiang River carved on the wall, one of the eight views of Guanzhong.

After the painting, the servant led the three to the cloister, and then along an artificial lake to the east wing.

Nan Qiao married to Linjiang, and she came to the old mansion countless times, but every time she came, if she was not led by her subordinates, she would probably get lost.

Thinking of this, she tilted her head and told the two children: "Follow me to see the old man first, and wait for the meal obediently after seeing it, it's cold in the mountains, don't run around." ”

Zhou Simu sniffed: "Got it." ”

Yun Nuo nodded.

For half an hour, as if a century had passed, the maid and the three of them stopped outside the room where Old Man Zhou was staying.

The two carved wooden doors were hidden, and the lanterns on the porch swayed in the wind, and the light fell on the slightly open crack of the door, and a figure could be faintly seen walking inside.

The servant left, and Nan Qiao was about to raise his hand and knock on the door, but the wooden door was opened from the inside.

The man was dressed in a navy blue coat, his face was clear, his expression was natural, and his tall figure stood in the room, almost blocking all the lighting behind him.

The moment he saw Zhou Chongyue, Yun Nuo's originally nervous heart seemed to ease a lot in an instant.

Seeing Nan Qiao outside the door, the man bowed slightly: "Second sister-in-law." ”

Nan Qiao smiled and glanced at the room behind him.

Zhou Chongyue nodded knowingly, then his eyes fell on the girl next to him whose face was red from the cold, and he stepped out of the way until they went in first.

Yun Nuo turned her head to look at the corridor, and the afterglow followed the back of the road for a long time, until she was pulled by Zhou Simu's hand, she came back to her senses and stepped into the door behind her aunt.

The room was covered with a thick carpet, the air was warm, and there was a faint mixture of incense to calm the nerves and help sleep, Yun Nuo wondered, would it not be the time to come to visit now.

When I was shaking my head, I heard my aunt's voice: "Glutinous." ”

Yun Nuo hurriedly retracted his thoughts, her soft eyelashes drooped slightly, and she obediently shouted: "Grandpa Zhou." ”

Old man Zhou is seventy years old, and when he looks at his appearance, he is still in good spirits, but even if he is old, he is still the head of the Zhou family.

In charge of such a big family, he has been in a high position for decades, and he has a majesty in his aura, not to mention anything else, just looking at Zhou Simu's own granddaughter, at this time, seeing the old man with low eyebrows, he didn't even dare to breathe.

After the maid finished serving tea, Old Man Zhou pointed to the chair next to him and motioned for his daughter-in-law and two children to sit.

When we met for the first time, the first sentence was undoubtedly a greeting to my in-laws who were far away in Nanshi, Yun Nuo paused when he picked up the teacup, put it down again, raised his head to look at the main seat, and told his grandmother all about her recent situation.

The girl spoke very carefully, from her grandmother's poor health a few months ago, to the current recovery status, until the end of the topic, saying that her grandmother should not travel far away, and asked her to say hello to his old man on her behalf.

The room was quiet, Old Man Zhou's eyes fell on the girl, looked at it for a moment, nodded imperceptibly, if it was a careful person, he could see that under the old man's unsmiling face, there seemed to be some gentleness hidden.

In the face of such a junior who advances and retreats to a certain extent, and she is still a girl, no one can bear to continue to keep a straight face, and this head of the Zhou family is no exception.

After a few pleasantries, the old man was tired, Nan Qiao got up to say goodbye, left the main house with the two children, and under the guidance of the servant, went to the courtyard where the banquet was held tonight.

After the people left, Old Man Zhou took a sip of tea and motioned to the waiting servant to ask him to come over and call the eldest and second children.

On the other side, it wasn't until he walked far out of the main house that Yun Nuo breathed a sigh of relief without a trace.

It is rumored that the ancestors of the Zhou family had a strict family education, although she came once a few years ago, but it happened that the old man Zhou was unwell and was recuperating, so she did not have the opportunity to visit in person.

After more than five years, when she came back this year, she finally understood what it meant to be truly heard.

That night, the banquet was noisy and lively, and there were nearly 200 people in the Zhou family and the side family together.

Yun Nuo and Zhou Simu occupied a table alone, and except for Zhou Xiling on the side, the rest were unfamiliar faces. So although there were many people, she couldn't experience half of the fun of this dinner.

She searched subconsciously, and soon caught the familiar figure.

Zhou Chongyue sat at the middle table, next to Mr. Zhou, he wore a slightly thicker casual jacket tonight, with a dark sweater inside, revealing a straight and clean shirt collar, giving people a feeling of still being clear and warm, and his face was a little alienated.

Turning his gaze slightly, Yun Nuo was on the other side of the old man, and saw Gu Yinlou, who had seen him last time.

Gu Yinlou, as a visitor, is different from others, and everyone knows what kind of identity she sits next to the old man.

The daughter-in-law hand-picked by the head of the family, as Zhou Simu revealed before, so many people came tonight, probably to witness the marriage of Zhou Chongyue and Gu Yinlou.

Looking at the sumptuous dishes in front of her, Yun Nuo was a little unable to swallow, and finally managed to reach seven o'clock, during which scattered people got off the table, she glanced at Zhou Simu, who was eating with relish next to her, and couldn't bear to interrupt, so she could only leave the table first.

When passing by the lake, I looked at the opposite shore from a distance and saw Zhou Xiling followed by a few younger peers, a group of people who bought fireworks from somewhere, clamoring to go to the yard to put them.

They set up the fireworks side by side in the clearing, and Zhou Xiling took the cigarette butt from his mouth and lit the fuse with the scarlet spark.

In the night, the young man took a few steps back, and when the smoke was handed back to his mouth, a beam of fire flew straight into the thick ink of the night sky, and then bloomed into colorful starlight, and the ink-stained night suddenly brightened as day.

Compared to the bustle on the other side, this side of the lake is a little deserted.

Yun Nuo put his hands in his clothes pockets, so cold that he kept stamping his feet, standing in front of the unobstructed lake, looking up at the fireworks, the night breeze blowing, immersed in bursts of biting cold.

Until she noticed someone approaching behind her, she turned her head slightly sideways and was slightly stunned when she saw someone coming.

"Third uncle?"

Zhou Chongyue walked slowly, unbuttoned her coat with one hand and took it off, draped it on her as usual, and reminded in a low voice: "The ground is slippery, don't get too close to the lake." ”

Wrapped in warmth, Yun Nuo shook his head.

She glanced at the clothes on her body and asked stiffly, "Let people see it, will they gossip?" ”

"What gossip." The man's gaze fell on her face.

Looking at his calm and deep eyes, what Yun Nuo wanted to say swallowed back at once.

The fireworks were shining, and the two stood still for a moment, and Zhou Chongyue's gentle voice sounded in their ears: "You left the table early tonight, do you want to eat something else." ”

She looked up in surprise, trying to tell if his words of concern were serious or just casually asked.

Zhou Chongyue didn't avoid it, so she quietly let the girl watch, but she looked at it and found that she was starting to feel wrong again.

The obviously faster heartbeat made Yun Nuo quickly retract her gaze, she turned around, took off her clothes and handed them to the man, and then left without knowing what to say.

Looking at the girl's back, Zhou Chongyue's eyes froze, and the black coat was held in his hand, as if adding a thousand catties of weight.

After a while, he turned his head to look at the fireworks dissipating in the night sky, and a faint mockery appeared in the corners of his eyes.

Tonight's wine is not strong, but the drinkers are no longer sober.

The beauty of fireworks is actually just a flash in the pan of self-deception, the morning light is coming, and the cover of the night has faded, and he is still the hypocrite who can't escape his cage.