In the middle of the night, before the rooster crowed, Sangsang got up quietly. She put on the loose handmaiden uniform and the worn cotton shoes, and walked out of the bedroom to the courtyard.
She wiped the remaining snow on the edge of the well, filled the water tank in the kitchen with water, and put the firewood she chopped the day before in the corner. Then she picked up the broom, walked to the front of the shop, and swept the floor clean. Then she began to wipe the table and tidy up the scattered writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. She squatted by the door and carefully checked whether there were any problems.
These were the things she usually did every day, but today she was more focused and serious. She finished everything well. The sky in the east was already faintly showing some morning light. She squinted at the sky, walked out of the Old Brush Pen Shop, and went to the alley to buy two bowls of hot and sour noodle slice soup.
Sitting at the table, Sangsang quietly ate her own hot and sour noodle slice soup, and then washed her own bowl. She walked back to the bedroom and began to pack up her clothes. She took out the box from under the bed, divided the thick notes into two identical piles, and put the one that she thought belonged to her in her arms.
She walked to the side of the kang and looked at Ning Que, who was still sleeping soundly. She slowly frowned and looked at him seriously for a long time. Then she picked up her luggage and left without any hesitation.
The door of the Old Brush Pen Shop opened.
The door of the Old Brush Pen Shop was closed.
Because she had repaired it a few days ago, the door didn't make any sound and didn't alarm anyone.
She carried her luggage and left silently. Her thin figure disappeared in the Lin 47th Street where the night and the morning light converged. She never appeared again, as if she had never been here before.
…
…
The Grand Secretary's Mansion was quiet in the morning light. The dark and heavy door was closed tightly. The servants sweeping the floor outside deliberately controlled the friction between the broom and the ground. The towering winter trees in the mansion were silent.
Sangsang carried her luggage and walked to the door of the Grand Secretary's Mansion. She said a few words to the vigilant servant, and then ignored him. She frowned and walked to the closed door and began to knock.
It was unclear if it was because she was in a bad mood that day, but her small fists contained a great deal of force. Her fists landed on the thick and heavy door of the Grand Scholar's Manor, giving off a loud and muffled thud, sounding like the beating of a war drum.
The sound of knocking on the door, which sounded like a war drum, woke up the people in the Grand Secretary's Mansion. Curses and displeased inquiries could be vaguely heard behind the door. The servant who was sweeping the floor outside the Grand Secretary's Mansion was scared to death. He quickly ran to the back of Sangsang and was about to drive away this wild girl who came out of nowhere. However, the door was opened at this moment.
"Second Butler, I really didn't expect this wild girl to be so bold," the servant said with a sullen face.
The sleepy second housekeeper rubbed his eyes and looked at the little handmaiden in front of him with a face full of displeasure. He waved his hand and was about to order someone to drive her away. However, he suddenly felt that this little handmaiden was a little familiar. He subconsciously rubbed his eyes again and finally woke up. He remembered the matter that had spread around the manor a few days ago.
"You … you … you are … Xiao … Xiao …"
…
…
Because they got up in a hurry, Grand Secretary Zeng Jing and his wife were both wearing casual clothes. Not to mention washing up, even their hair was a little messy. However, when they looked at the little girl standing quietly in front of them, their emotions were even more chaotic.
Sangsang tightened the bundle on her right shoulder and looked down at her little shoes sticking out of her skirt. She said, "That day, you said that I was your daughter?"
Mrs. Zeng nodded repeatedly, her face full of surprise. If it weren't for the Grand Secretary supporting her, she would have fainted on the ground in happiness.
Sangsang continued to look at the tips of her shoes. After a moment of silence, she said softly, "When I was a child, I heard … he told me about the law of the Tang Empire. Before marriage, the husband and wife have the responsibility to raise the children. That day, you asked me to move to the Grand Secretary's Mansion. If it is to fulfill the responsibility stipulated by the law of the Tang Empire, can I move here?"
"Of course you can." Mrs. Zeng held her hand in surprise and said, "This is your home. Of course you can come back to live."
Grand Secretary Zeng Jing looked at the dark and thin little girl in front of him. He was happy but also confused. He thought of the day when he and his wife went to the shop to beg her to come back, but she refused and said that she wanted to live with her young master. As the Grand Secretary of the imperial court, he certainly knew what had happened after Ning Que returned to Chang 'an. He wondered what had happened to make her willing to come back and be his daughter.
After all, he was the Grand Secretary of the imperial court and an elder who paid attention to the dignity of a father. Since Zeng Jing had already confirmed that Sangsang was his daughter, he naturally asked her directly.
Sangsang raised her head and looked at the couple in front of her. She said seriously, "I don't like him anymore, so I don't want to live with him."
Grand Secretary Zeng frowned slightly. He remembered that the Empress had reminded him and his wife not to break off their relationship. After a moment of silence, he said, "After all, you have been together for many years. Not to mention the relationship between master and servant, you have helped each other in the past. Even if you want to move back to the Grand Secretary's Mansion, it seems that you should inform Ning Que first."
Sangsang glanced at him and suddenly turned to walk out of the Grand Secretary's Mansion.
Mrs. Zeng was shocked. She hurriedly grabbed her and said in a trembling voice, "What's wrong?"
Sangsang looked at Grand Secretary Zeng quietly and did not speak.
Mrs. Zeng was extremely flustered. She glared at the Grand Secretary and said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense if you don't know how to speak human language. If you make my poor child disappear again, I will not let you off!"
The Grand Secretary's Mansion had always respected his wife. Although Zeng Jing did not think that what he had said was wrong, he was even more angry that Sangsang ignored him as a father. But under his wife's murderous gaze, he could only shut up.
Sangsang looked at Mrs. Zeng and said, "I will live with you, not him."
Mrs. Zeng was overjoyed and said, "As you wish. I will immediately ask someone to move your father's things to the study."
…
…
When Ning Que got up, he did not see Sangsang. He put on a coat and walked to the courtyard to call for her. Sangsang did not reply, so he stretched and walked to the kitchen. He found that Sangsang did not light a fire or boil water. He could not help but shake his head. He walked to the front bed and saw the bowl of sour noodle slice soup on the table.
"How can I have breakfast without brushing my teeth?"
He looked at the bowl of sour and spicy noodle slice soup and thought with a frown. He had been used to a pair of small hands bringing a bowl of water and dental tools to him after he got up. Suddenly, he felt a little unaccustomed to having no one to serve him one day.
"Even if you are in a hurry to go out and buy the freshest bowl of soup, you have to help me wash my face and brush my teeth before you go out. Eh, something's wrong. I've already bought the noodle soup. Where did you go?"
Ning Que sat at the table and ate the sour and spicy noodle slice while thinking about where Sangsang had gone. In the end, he guessed that her stingy habit had acted up again and she insisted on going to the South Gate Market to buy fresh vegetables from farmers outside the city.
"It's only two or three copper coins cheaper. Is it worth it to get up so early in the morning and travel so far?"
After eating the sour and spicy noodle slice, Ning Que laughed at someone as he walked back to the backyard with the dirty bowl. He threw the bowl beside the stove and felt a little sleepy, so he went back to sleep.
He woke up again when the sky was bright. He rubbed his eyes and walked out of the house in his slippers. There was still no movement in the front bed or the backyard. He could not help but shout angrily, "Where is the hot water? Are you going to let me go out? "
No one answered him. It was quiet in the front and backyard of the Old Brush Pen Shop.
Ning Que was startled and walked to the kitchen. The dirty bowl was still on the edge of the stove and the stove was still filled with cold smoke. There was no firewood or fire, so it was naturally impossible for there to be any hot water.
He walked to the wall of the courtyard and looked at the neat pile of fine firewood. He shook his head and sighed. Then he carried a small pile of fine firewood back to the kitchen and started to boil water.
Although it had been many years since he had done any housework, he had been responsible for their lives in the past few years, so it was not difficult for him to start a fire and boil water. Not long after, the water in the pot began to emit steam.
Ning Que looked at the steam on the pot and suddenly felt that something was wrong.
After the water was heated, he washed his face and for some unknown reason, he washed the dirty bowl on the edge of the stove.
If it were any other day, he would have gone to the Academy or wandered around Chang 'an. But today, he did not go anywhere. Instead, he silently walked to the front berth and sat in his armchair. Looking at the tables, chairs, and shelves that had been polished until they shone, and at the clean floor that had been swept clean, he began to stare blankly.
He was silent by the table for a long time, and his face looked a little stiff. From time to time, people passed by in the alley. He would raise his head when they reflected on the door, but no one pushed the door open.
No one pushed the door open.
Ning Que waited in silence until it was almost noon. He suddenly got up, opened the door and walked out.
He went to the Bianfang in the Eastern City to buy a roast duck and some vegetables in the market. Then he returned to the Old Brush Pen Shop.
Sangsang was still not in the shop. Ning Que went into the kitchen after a moment of silence. He picked up the spatula and fried two plates of vegetables, steamed a pot of rice, peeled the roast duck, and put it on the plate beautifully. Then he brought it to the front bed.
Two pairs of chopsticks, two big bowls of steaming white rice, and a sumptuous meal.
Ning Que looked at the meal on the table with satisfaction. He put his hands on his knees and continued to wait.
However, after a long time, no one came back for lunch.
There were still two pairs of chopsticks, but only one person, and the rice and vegetables were already cold.
Ning Que stared at the meal on the table for a long time, and then he picked up the chopsticks and began to eat.
However, for some reason, his hands were trembling. He tried for a long time, but he could not even pick up a single vegetable.
He grabbed the chopsticks and wanted to throw them out, but he forcibly restrained himself and slowly put them on the table.
He suddenly stood up and walked back to the bedroom in the backyard. He rudely lifted the bed board, took out the box, and poured all the contents of the box on the bed.
Looking at the fluttering notes, he finally confirmed that she had left by herself.
Ning Que folded the notes again and put them into his arms expressionlessly. He took out the Primordial Thirteen Arrows from the sundry box in the corner and put them into his bag. He stuffed all the Fu papers into his sleeves, picked up the chopper beside the pile of firewood, and put it into his waist. Finally, he put the big black umbrella on his back and walked out of the Old Brush Pen Shop.
He knew that Sangsang should not be in danger, but he knew that this would be the most difficult battle he would face in his life. So he brought all the most important things with him. It seemed that this was the only way to comfort himself that he would be able to find the most important thing in his life.
If he could not find it, then there was no need for him to come back.
…
…
(This is the last chapter for today. The speed will slow down in the next few days. Everyone should know the reason. I'm writing the most important part of the plot. This kind of plot makes me nervous and vigilant, and I have to write it above 95 points to live up to my original intention of writing this book. So it will be slow, but I believe that it will definitely be good. That's good.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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