On the way back, He Yan kept looking at the basket of flowers in Chu Zhao's hands.
The flower basket looked very beautiful. The peddler wrote the two words "Zi Lan" with extra care. His words were elegant and refined, and when placed together with the various fragrances in the basket, they really brought out the best in each other.
"Brother Chu, you must eat it as soon as you get back," He Yan said. "Otherwise, with the weather in Jiyang, it will melt very quickly." She had also bought a qilin-shaped one for herself, but she had already finished it. "I've tasted it. It tastes good, and it's not too sweet."
Chu Zhao smiled gently. "Thank you, A He. I'll be very careful when I get back."
He Yan was finally relieved.
After they bought the sugar paintings, they walked back along the river bank. When there was nothing to talk about, He Yan occasionally asked Xu Zhiheng about his visit.
"Brother Chu, how was it when you went back to attend your friend's wedding? Was it very lively?"
Chu Zhao was slightly startled, but then he smiled and replied, "Yes, it was very lively. After all, she was General Feihong's sister. His Highness the Crown Prince even personally came to congratulate her. "
He Yan was a little suspicious. His Highness the Crown Prince? Did the Crown Prince come to see Xu Zhiheng get married for Xu Zhiheng, He Rufei, or both? Was the Crown Prince also involved in the conspiracy between the He family and the Xu family? Furthermore, did the Crown Prince know her identity?
"But …" Chu Zhao sighed again. "Perhaps Master Xu was deeply in love with his late wife. During the wedding, he even cried."
He Yan said, "Ah?"
Perhaps her face was full of disbelief, but Chu Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What's wrong? You don't believe that there are men in this world who are deeply in love? "
He Yan thought to himself. Of course, she believed that there were men in this world who were deeply in love. For example, He Sui, her current father. After Madam He passed away, he raised his two children alone. Lady He was so arrogant and willful. He Sui could spoil the little girl because she looked like his wife. It could be seen that there were people in the world who were deeply in love and had no regrets. But this person could be anyone, and it definitely wouldn't be Xu Zhiheng.
"It's not that I don't believe him." He Yan concealed the ridicule in his eyes and said, "It's just that if he behaves like this, wouldn't his new wife be angry?"
General Feihong and the other members of the He family were all deeply moved. So, although it's lively, it's just that this wedding banquet is a little sad. "
He Yan felt that among the many jokes he had heard this year, Chu Zhao's joke was the funniest. Would the He family be sad for her? If this was said to the pigs in the pigsty, the pigs would feel that their brains had been insulted. But when Chu Zhao talked about this matter, it was obvious that most people thought this way.
If he did something bad, then he did it. But after he did it, he put on a sorrowful and pitiful appearance and pretended to be a pitiful person who was rarely affectionate and righteous. It was really disgusting.
"A He doesn't seem to agree with this one's words?" Chu Zhao paid attention to her expression.
He Yan smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just feel that this Old Master Xu is very interesting."
"What do you mean?"
"If he really is deeply in love and can't forget his wife, even if His Majesty personally bestows the marriage, he can still refuse if he wants to. After all, he's a man. "He Yan lightly mocked," If he's a woman, it's normal for her to be unable to decide her own marriage fate. Brother Chu, you've heard of young masters who snatch by force, you've heard of evil tyrants who force women into prostitution, and you've heard of beastly fathers who sell their daughters for glory. But have you ever heard of a woman who does this? "
"From what Brother Chu said just now, that Old Master Xu is like a weak woman who was forced to get married. That newly married Young Mistress Xu is like an evil person who forced him to marry her. What does this mean? If he doesn't want to get married, no one can drag him to the wedding hall. If he doesn't want to consummate his marriage, could it be that Young Mistress Xu can still take him by force? If he still continues to be obsessed with his' deceased wife 'in the future, what will the new Young Mistress Xu do? I feel that it's not fair to that person. This friend of Brother Chu's is also a bit hypocritical. "
She spoke bluntly. He Xinying was her younger sister from the same father and mother. Even though she hated the He family, He Xinying had never done anything to her. He Yan couldn't love her, nor could he hate her. He could only treat her as a stranger.
Any sane person who heard this would only think that Xu Zhiheng was the one who was in the wrong. It wasn't enough to destroy one member of the He family. Now, he had to send in another victim.
How cold-blooded and ridiculous!
Chu Zhao was stunned for a moment. Then, he suddenly smiled and stopped walking. He cupped his hands and said to He Yan, "Is this one narrow-minded? Or is it that Brother He, as a woman, can stand in a woman's shoes and empathize?"
"It's just that no one has ever thought of standing in their shoes."
"A He is very different from ordinary women."
He Yan looked at her and asked, "How is he different?"
Chu Zhao continued to walk forward. His voice was still very gentle as he said, "Most women, even when faced with this kind of predicament, have long been numb and indifferent. They don't think as much as A He does. A He is thinking for them right now, but it's very likely that they're enjoying themselves and will blame you for meddling in other people's business. "
He Yan smiled and said, "Brother Chu's words sound a bit high and mighty."
Chu Zhao's smile froze for a moment. "Why do you say that?"
"The imperial court is a man's imperial court. The major affairs of the world are the major affairs of the world. Even when it comes to reading books and going to the battlefield, it's also men who have a unique style. The world praises men as heroes, but at most, they praise women as beauties. It's really unreasonable. Men have taken advantage of the world, but in turn, they blame women for being numb and not wanting to make progress. If this isn't high and mighty, then what is it? "
"Brother Chu thinks that I'm very different from ordinary women because I've read books, walked out of the house, and even rebelled against the orthodoxy and entered the army. There aren't many women like me in the world. But if you let those women be like me and see the snow of the Liangzhou Guard, the water of Jiyang City, the long moon of the desert, and the rivers, seas, and mountains, do you think they'll be willing to be trapped in a house that's filled with jealousy? Do you think they'll still be complacent, numb, and ignorant? "
He Yan smiled. At this moment, her smile carried a bit of ridicule. It was actually somewhat similar to Xiao Jue's. "I think the men in the world are worried about this point, so they've set up many ridiculous rules to bind women. They've used the Three Cardinal Principles and Five Constant Principles to break their wings. They've also used those groundless' virtuous wives and beauties' to judge them. The more ignorant they are, the more the men feel at ease. It's clearly their fault, but they still have to say, 'Look, women are shallow'!"
"Because they also know that once a woman has the chance to 'choose', she'll definitely not be willing to become a vase in the backyard waiting for her husband to feed her. Those outstanding women will become generals, swordsmen, scholars, and aides. They'll compete with them for the glory of the world, and they won't necessarily win. "
The girl's eyes were clear and bright like the spring water in Jiyang City. They were transparent and clear, and one could see them clearly. They were clean and translucent, as if they could reflect the most brilliant sunlight.
Chu Zhao was momentarily stunned. He had always been eloquent and would never make the atmosphere awkward, but at this moment, he actually didn't know what to say. It was as if no matter what he said, he couldn't refute the person in front of him. It was clearly laughable, overconfident, and naïve to the point that it made people feel annoyed. It was awe-inspiring righteousness, but it actually reflected a person's shadow. There was nowhere to hide in the darkness.
He Yan also felt that it was unfair.
Although pretending to be "He Rufei" brought a lot of pain to her life, at the same time, it also allowed her to see many things that women couldn't see in their entire lives. If she didn't pretend to be "He Rufei", she wouldn't have known that compared to women, men could do so much more. If you were talented in literature, you could become a scholar with a stomach full of scriptures. If you were outstanding in martial arts, you could become a general with outstanding military achievements. Even if you were mediocre in everything, you could still be the most ordinary person on the street. To put it bluntly, even in Le Tong Village, women were gambling prostitutes, while men were gambling customers.
It was because she later became "Young Mistress Xu" and had been both a man and a woman that she knew that the world treated men and women differently. It wasn't that men didn't suffer, but their suffering could become the cornerstone to judge themselves. As for women's suffering, they waited their entire lives for men's affirmation.
They were all reincarnated as humans, so who was more noble than the other? The funny thing was that some men even looked down on women from the bottom of their hearts. It made people speechless.
After she finished speaking in one breath, she realized that Chu Zhao didn't say anything for a while. She secretly thought, 'Could it be that my words offended Chu Zhao?'
But on second thought, if she offended him, then so be it. In any case, he didn't have the strength to truss a chicken. Even if he fought, he wouldn't be able to beat her.
"Brother Chu, what I said just now was a bit too impatient." He Yan said with a smile, "I hope Brother Chu won't mind my lack of manners."
"I won't." Chu Zhao looked at her with a strange look in his eyes, "A He's heart is admirable. Chu Zhao is ashamed of his inferiority. In the future, I won't say such nonsense like today. A He's words, I will always keep them in my heart. "
Chu Zhao was really a gentleman. Just now, she had said a lot of things, but he was still very gentle like a spring breeze.
He Yan smiled, "Then let's go quickly."
Chu Zhao nodded and smiled in response.
The two of them continued to walk on the road back to Cui Manor. He Yan lowered his head and secretly sighed in his heart.
Chu Zhao and Xiao Jue were ultimately different. When dealing with women, they both thought that women were weak and couldn't protect themselves. However, the former's judgment had a trace of negation and condescension, while the latter's treatment of the female corpse in the backyard of the Sun Family in Liangzhou City was more of pity.
As a general, he should be magnanimous, upright, calm, and brave. But more importantly, he should have a heart of pity for the weak.
When He Yan and Chu Zhao came back, it was already very late. Chu Zhao's courtyard was a bit further away than He Yan's courtyard. When they reached the door, Chu Zhao said, "A He should also rest early today."
"Brother Chu, remember to eat it early." He Yan was still thinking about his candy basket painting, so he reminded him.
He looked at the flower basket in his hand, shook his head, and smiled, "Definitely."
He Yan watched him leave, then turned around and wanted to go back to the room. When she looked back, she saw a person standing in the small pavilion under the long corridor, looking at her with a smile. His white clothes fluttered in the wind. It was Liu Buwang.
"Master hasn't rested yet?" He Yan walked over and asked. She rarely saw Liu Buwang these days at night.
"I came out to get some fresh air." Liu Buwang looked at her. "Did you go to buy candy paintings?"
He Yan nodded. "Fourth Young Master Chu helped me hide my identity. After thinking about it, I still gave him something. I was kind to him, so he couldn't go around telling others my secret. Candy paintings in Jiyang City are quite cheap. I gave him the most expensive one. It's at least ten copper coins in Shuo Jing City, but only eight copper coins here. It's cheap and good. "
Liu Buwang smiled and looked at her. "A He, you're much more lively now than before."
He Yan was stunned.
When she met Liu Buwang in her previous life, it was the most difficult time. She had just escaped from the peaceful days in Shuo Jing City and came to the cruel and bloody military camp. She had many secrets, so she was always a little cautious. Even though she occasionally showed her unbridled side when she was with Liu Buwang on the mountain, most of the time, she tried not to cause trouble for others.
Now that she thought about it, it seemed that since she became "Lady He", she had unconsciously let go of herself a lot. For example, going out to buy candy paintings with Chu Zhao today was absolutely impossible in the past.
Was it because she was a woman now, or was it because she could do whatever she wanted without the restrictions of the He Family? And she didn't have to worry about the secret under the mask being seen by others?
"Isn't it good to be like this now?" He Yan said with a smile, "It doesn't have to be steady."
Liu Buwang said, "It's good to be like this."
When he said this, he looked a little disappointed. No one knew what he was thinking. He Yan wanted to ask, but when she saw Liu Buwang's indifferent gaze, she swallowed the words back.
Liu Buwang seemed a little sad.
The moon in spring was not as bright as the one in autumn. It was hazy and cute. Liu Buwang's gaze fell on the corners of his little disciple's mouth, but another figure appeared in his mind.
Mu Hongjin.
Back then, Mu Hongjin was also like this. Her eyes were clean and bright, and occasionally there was a trace of wisdom in them. Her red dress was also delicate, and there were always some flowers and birds embroidered on the corners of her dress, which was exquisite and beautiful. The young girl always had two long braids with silver bells under them. When she walked, the bells would make a pleasant tinkling sound. Sometimes, before he got close, he would hear the sound of the bells and know that she had come.
At that time, he had such a tail following him every day, which was really annoying. He had said many times that he hoped the two of them would part ways. Every time, Mu Hongjin would pout and immediately cry. No matter how hard Liu Buwang's heart was, he was not good at dealing with a girl's tears. So every time, she easily resolved it. In the end, he had tacitly agreed that this person was a sticky candy that he couldn't get rid of. He let her follow him and cause trouble for him.
Mu Hongjin knew how to enjoy life. She had brought a lot of money, but in less than half a month, she squandered it all. At that time, Liu Buwang didn't know that Mu Hongjin was the beloved daughter of King Meng Ji, and he only despised her extravagant and lascivious life. She didn't care what Liu Buwang thought of her. She had so much money, and she insisted that he enjoy it with her.
Half a month later, Mu Hongjin had spent all her money, so she had to eat with Liu Buwang.
In the inn, they slept in the simplest kind, and the food was also very ordinary. Mu Hongjin didn't have money to buy the trinkets on the street. After half a day, she protested to Liu Buwang, "Young hero, can't we have a good meal?"
"No."
Liu Buwang didn't have much money. The seven disciples of Daoist Yunji went down the mountain to gain experience. Although it was said that they went down the mountain to gain experience, in fact, they were just experiencing the secular world. As for what they did in daily life, his senior fellow apprentices gave him some of the work they had received before. To put it bluntly, they took the money from others and had to eliminate disasters for others. It was just that their sect was not allowed to do evil or curry favor for personal gain. So much so that in the end, what they really did was to 'help the tenants of the farmstead find their lost sheep' or 'help a married girl send a secret letter back to her maiden home'. These kinds of trivial matters, and the money they received was also very little. Sometimes, they even had to help people write letters to their families. They didn't refuse anyone and accepted everything.
A cold and otherworldly young man in white walked on the path of the farmstead with a lost sheep. The scene was a little funny. Mu Hongjin laughed at him, "What kind of sect do you belong to? Why do you have to do everything? Why don't you follow me? I … "
"You what?" Liu Buwang asked her angrily.
"I …" Mu Hongjin rolled her beautiful eyes, "I'll pay you more than he does!"
Liu Buwang was so angry that he didn't want to speak.
But it was true. After all, he hadn't finished the task his senior fellow apprentice gave him. Because he was doing these small things, he didn't get much money. If he was alone, it would be fine. But now that Mu Hongjin was with him, he had spent all his money. One person had become two people. Inn, meals … Life was so tight that he wished he could split a copper coin in half to spend it.
It could be seen that Mu Hongjin was also trying her best to adapt to this rough life. She made a fuss for a few days, but when she saw that Liu Buwang was really a little angry, she didn't dare to say anything more. She honestly lived a simple life with Liu Buwang.
But her habit of wanting to buy everything she saw in her bones still hadn't changed.
Liu Buwang still remembered that one day, they met an old woman selling flowers beside a teahouse outside Jiyang City. There were two bamboo baskets and a carrying pole in front of the old woman, and the bamboo baskets were full of wild chrysanthemums. They were slender and lovely, light pink and white. They were also very cheap. They should have been picked directly from the foot of Qiyun Mountain.
Mu Hongjin leaned over to take a look. Seeing this, the old woman said with a smile, "Young Master, buy me a flower to wear."
"No need."
"Okay, okay!"
The two of them spoke at the same time. Liu Buwang gave Mu Hongjin a warning look, and Mu Hongjin pursed her lips aggrievedly. The old woman smiled, picked a flower from the bamboo basket, and gave it to Mu Hongjin, "You're pretty, so this flower is for you. Wear it on your head. It's very beautiful! "
Mu Hongjin took it happily. She said sweetly with a smile, "Thank you, Granny!"
In this case, Liu Buwang couldn't just leave, so he took out a copper coin from his sleeve and handed it to the old woman.
"No, no." The old woman looked at him with a smile, "The little girl is cute. I like her. Young Master, just treat her better in the future. "
Liu Buwang turned his head. Mu Hongjin got the flower and put it on her ear happily. She asked Liu Buwang, "Is it beautiful?"
Liu Buwang said uncomfortably, "It has nothing to do with me."
Mu Hongjin glared at him, squatted down, and looked at the jewelry and cosmetics in the carrying pole. After a while, she picked up a silver bracelet and exclaimed, "This is beautiful!"
It was a very simple silver bracelet. It seemed to have been roughly polished by someone, and even the edges were not very smooth. On the edge of the bracelet, a circle of lifelike wild chrysanthemums was carved, so it looked fresh and lovely.
"This is so beautiful!" Mu Hongjin praised.
"This is called a Happy Bracelet. It was carved by my husband and me together." The old woman said with a smile, "Give one to your sweetheart and wear it for the rest of your life. Young Master, why don't you buy one for me? It will last forever. "
"Did you hear that, Young Hero Liu?" Mu Hongjin begged, "Quickly give me one!"
Liu Buwang looked at her coldly, took the silver bracelet from her hand, and put it back into the carrying pole. Then, he said coldly to the old woman, "She's not my sweetheart."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Mu Hongjin's eyes. In the end, she didn't take the silver bracelet again and muttered, "How do you know that I'm not your sweetheart?"
How do you know?
Yes, how do I know?
The young man was proud and didn't understand that the joy of youth came quietly. By the time he understood, it had already become a calamity and there was no way to avoid it.
Later, many years had passed. Liu Buwang often thought that if he had bought the silver bracelet in front of Mu Hongjin and put it on her hand that day, they wouldn't have come to that point. As the old woman said, they wouldn't have been separated for the rest of their lives.
It was ridiculous that he also believed that strange forces and gods were predestined.
The moonlight sprinkled on the ground, forming a layer of white frost. The bell in his memory gradually faded away, and only the wind in Jiyang City that had been separated for many years fell in his ears. It was lonely and a little cold in his heart.
"Do you like Xiao Jue?"
The unexpected voice interrupted He Yan's contemplation. He Yan turned his head in surprise. Liu Buwang retracted his gaze and looked at her with a knowing smile. He repeated again, "A He, do you like Xiao Jue?"
"… No." He Yan subconsciously retorted. After a while, she asked again, "Master, why do you say that?"
"Haven't you noticed?" Liu Buwang said lightly, "When you're around him, you're very relaxed. You trust him more than you trust me. "
He Yan was stunned. Did she?
Maybe she did. Whether it was in the previous life or this life, she might have many misunderstandings about Xiao Jue's appearance in her heart. Whether he was indifferent or bad, she had never doubted that Xiao Jue would hurt her from the beginning to the end. He Yan, who seemed to be careless about everything, always maintained a sense of vigilance in her heart. She didn't let go of this vigilance when facing Liu Buwang, Xu Zhiheng, He Rufei, and even He Sui and his son who had no attacking power in the He Family.
But she always trusted Xiao Jue.
"It's not time or experience that makes you so relaxed now. It's him." Liu Buwang's voice was gentle. "A He, do you still want to deny it?"
He Yan didn't speak.
After a while, she raised her head and looked at the moon hanging on the roof. The moon was big and white, and its silver light sprinkled over the whole yard, gently watching the people in the night.
"Master, look at the moon in the sky." She said slowly, "It can shine on the backyard of the rich and the ditch in the wilderness. But you can't catch it, right? "
"I can't catch the moon, nor can I make the moon come for me, so I can just stand here and look at it from afar."
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