The inside and outside of Zhujiazhuang have changed from the previous prosperity to plain white everywhere, cold and deserted, revealing signs of decay after Huasheng.

The backyard of Zhujiazhuang has never been affected by the prosperity or decline of the front, because it is the most remote and lonely place in the entire Zhujiazhuang.

The backyard occupies almost the same size as the frontyard, and is separated by a high wall through which a small wooden gate can pass. After passing through the wooden gate, it was like arriving at a mountainous wasteland, with no pavilions and flowers, only wild trees and weeds growing in the wind, and a winding path disappeared along the chaotic mountain. Looking up, in the far corner, there was a large dark room.

Shen Yi walked along, looking at this secluded and simple backyard, although he already knew that Zhu Tianxiang was left out in the cold, but it was still a little hard to believe that the second son of the dignified Zhu family would live in this kind of place, and the gorgeous and exquisite front yard was really different from heaven and earth.

Hua Susu looked west, and couldn't help but ask Bai Xinyu beside him, "This is the residence of the second son of Zhu......?"

Bai Xinyu said: "How can it be so simple? Because since the day the second son was born, he has been disliked by the Zhu family, and I heard that if it wasn't for the old lady Zhu who couldn't bear it, he would have been abandoned by the old owner Zhu and drowned in the mountain stream." ”

"Why?" Hua Susu asked curiously: "I see that Zhu Er Gongzi, although he is weak, he has a gentle and humble temperament, which is much more comfortable than the triumphant Zhu Zhuang owner." ”

Bai Xinyu looked ahead, his eyes were hazy, he didn't know what he was thinking, and said slowly: "The ancestors of the Zhu family have gone through hardships to create the name of Zhujiazhuang, and their prestige has been growing for many years, and they have high hopes for their descendants. In this generation, I wish the eldest brother is blessed, born excellent and outstanding, I wish the old owner to be very proud, and when the old lady is pregnant again, I am very much looking forward to it, thinking that I will give birth to another dragon, but who knows that the second son is so weak and incompetent. I wish the old owner a big disappointment, and feel a big loss of face, I can't wait to get rid of this rebel with my own hands, although in the end I can't stop the old lady from crying, so I have to let her live secretly, but I also snubbed the old lady. Within a few years, the old lady died of depression. Since then, the Zhu family, especially Brother Zhu, has always deeply hated Zhu Ergongzi, is deeply ashamed, regarded as an ominous person, and can't wait for his early death. ”

Hua Susu said indignantly: "The people of this Zhu family are so cruel to their relatives, it can be seen that they are not good people. ”

Sheng Donglai nodded again and again: "The note left by the killer organization has the words "Final Retribution" written on it, and it is not clear that this owner of the village has really done bad things that hurt nature and reason." ”

Shen Yi lowered his head and listened, silent, but his heart was chaotic and couldn't figure it out. He looked up at the sky where the clouds and mist floated, and felt that the human heart was like this sky, and the changes in wind and clouds were unpredictable.

After a long time, he turned his head and asked Bai Xinyu: "It is known that the owner of Bai Zhai and the owner of Zhu Zhuang are close friends?"

Bai Xinyu first looked at Shen Yi carefully, and then said slowly: "My eldest brother and Zhu eldest brother have been friends since childhood, but they have different temperaments, I wish my eldest brother is enthusiastic and has friends all over the world, while my eldest brother has a withdrawn personality and only makes one friend to Zhu eldest brother." However, as far as I know, although Brother Zhu has made many friends, he only regards my eldest brother as his most trusted confidant. ”

After she finished speaking, she looked at Shen Yi again, her face was worried, she hesitated, and said, "Shen Daxia doesn't suspect that my eldest brother is the murderer of Brother Zhu, right?" Her emotions became a little excited, and she said in a trembling voice: "Although my eldest brother looks indifferent, he is actually enthusiastic and hidden, but he is unwilling to show it. He has always treated Brother Zhu more than his own life, and he will not betray and frame Brother Zhu no matter what. ”

Without waiting for Shen Yi to speak, Hua Susu had already preemptively said: "Xinyu, don't worry, Brother Shen has always enforced the law impartially and will never wronged a good person." ”

Shen Yi didn't answer, but looked up at the distance ahead.

A person turned around in the shadow of the trees in the distance, with a small figure, bowing his head, and when he saw Shen Yi and the others coming from the opposite side, his head hung lower, as if he didn't want to see people or be seen.

When I got closer, I saw someone holding a flower basket, and the basket was full of flowers, but it was Qi Xiaoyu, a flower girl from the Qi family flower shop under the mountain. The path was narrow, in order not to block everyone, she deliberately walked on the grass on the side of the road, without saying a word, silently walking, although she couldn't see others, she didn't look at Shen Yi at all, and seemed to have completely forgotten the previous gift of flowers in the old teahouse.

Shen Yi thought about it, but he didn't care about this Qi Xiaoyu, and still walked forward slowly.

Hua Susu and Bai Xinyu turned their heads to look at Qi Xiaoyu in unison, and their eyes especially fell on the basket of delicate flowers.

Sheng Donglai followed closely behind Shen Yi, and did not look at Qi Xiaoyu, but deliberately put on an expression that only women are interested in what flowers, girls, and he and Shen Yi are both dignified men, so they will not care about this little thing at all. Although he made a big gesture of not caring about anything, he was actually always glancing at Bai Xinyu, but he didn't even realize it.

Hua Susu looked back at Qi Xiaoyu's slender figure that was gradually moving away, and asked, "How can there be a flower girl in this Zhujiazhuang?"

Bai Xinyu glanced back at Qi Xiaoyu, turned his head again, took two steps forward, and said unhurriedly: "This flower girl is called Qi Xiaoyu, the family heirloom flower raising skills, her parents died when she was a child, and she lived with her grandfather, but she didn't expect that her grandfather would die in a few years, and it was difficult for Qi Xiaoyu to take over the family's flower land at a young age and still sell flowers for a living." The old housekeeper blessed and took pity on her, so he bought her family's flowers, and specially allowed her to enter and leave Zhujiazhuang freely. Especially after my second sister got married, she was sent flowers by this Qi Xiaoyu every day. But......" Bai Xinyu suddenly stopped talking, looked back at the direction where Qi Xiaoyu disappeared, looked confused, and said slowly: "However, she usually only goes in and out of the front yard, how could she come to this backyard today?"

Hua Susu asked, "Why can't she come to this backyard? If she is allowed to enter and leave Zhujiazhuang, maybe there are people in this backyard who like her flowers?"

Bai Xinyu said with certainty: "In this place in the backyard, only Zhu Ergongzi lives alone, and even other servants rarely come over, and, as far as I know, Zhu Ergongzi doesn't like flowers at all......" She paused again before continuing: "Actually, Zhu Ergongzi doesn't like anything, he just likes to stay in his room alone, and he doesn't come out to see people all day long." ”

Hua Susu asked, "Even if others don't like him, but he is the only one living here, there is no need to hide from people, right?"

Bai Xinyu looked at her and said, "If a person has been regarded as a superfluous ominous person since he was a child, of course, it is most comfortable to hide alone. ”

Hua Susu stopped talking, she was favored by her parents and brothers since she was a child, although she had not experienced the taste of being disliked, she could also understand Zhu Tianxiang's mood of escaping from the world.

Bai Xinyu suddenly clapped his hands and said: "I know why Qi Xiaoyu is here, I remember that the second sister once mentioned that the Qi family's flower field is at the foot of this back mountain, and it must be the most convenient way to enter and exit Zhujiazhuang from here." ”

After two more turns, I walked out of the loess path and stepped onto a gravel path. At the end of the path was the big black house from a distance, with gray walls and gray tiles, without any superfluous decoration and color.

Outside the door, under the rain eaves, Zhu Tianxiang sat alone and quietly in a wheelchair, his hands hanging on his laps, staring at the distance, as if he had seen a far away, but as if he was not looking at anything, but completely immersed in his own thoughts.

In this vast backyard without superfluous decorations, he seems to be extremely lonely and lonely, but at the same time, he has a strange and contradictory kind of chic and comfortable in the world.

Shen Yi stepped forward slowly, his eyes did not leave Zhu Tianxiang, and his impression of him gradually changed, feeling that he was not as cowardly and incompetent as when he first met, maybe under his weak body, he had an extremely intelligent heart beyond ordinary people, and he could also have earth-shattering thoughts.

Zhu Tianxiang turned his eyes and saw everyone. He seemed to be in good spirits, and although he was still timid and shy, he did not hide from it, waiting for everyone to come over.

Shen Yi looked at him, smiled, and said, "Brother Zhu, I'm just looking around in Zhujiazhuang, if it's convenient, I also want to ask Brother Zhu a few questions." ”

Zhu Tianxiang didn't look at the others, just looked at Shen Yi, and said: "Brother Shen has worked tirelessly to find the killer who killed the eldest brother, if there is anything that needs the help of the younger brother, please don't be polite." ”

He was not accustomed to talking to people, and it seemed that it took a lot of effort to get the words complete. After he finished speaking, he took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to continue looking at Shen Yi, wanting to see Shen Yi's reaction.

He saw that Shen Yi's face was calm, and there was enthusiastic encouragement and understanding in his gentle eyes. The blood in his body seemed to be boiling, and this was the first time that someone had treated him as an equal. This person who treats him equally is not an ordinary person, but Shen Yi, a well-known Jiangnan hero. At this moment, Shen Yi had aroused the confidence and enthusiasm that he had hidden deep in his heart.

He looked at Shen Yi, there was not only gratitude but also appreciation in his eyes, and a smile slowly bloomed on his lips. He always thought he would never laugh in his life.

He smiled and said, "Brother Shen, please." ”