The snow melted and the ice melted. The cold February river gradually merged into a surging river. Fish jumped out of the water and birds flew across the sky. After the colorful spring passed, time entered the sometimes violent and sometimes dull summer. Occasionally, there would be heavy rain falling on the ground. The rain would beat on the banana leaves, flooding the places that had been ravaged in the past. Occasionally, there would be a lively morning, a hot afternoon, and a rare cool night. The fan would beat against the mosquito net, and the mosquito incense would ripple with thin smoke.
Jing Han, thirteenth year, summer.
When the wind and snow blew, it was no longer cold. She stood there, wanting to see her father and mother on the other side of the wind and snow. She wanted to see her older sister and younger brother in the wind and snow. She walked in that direction, and the silhouettes gradually became clear.
When the night was at its darkest, something seemed to surge out from the deepest part of her heart. She did not know what kind of emotion it was. When she opened her eyes, the mosquito net was slightly swaying from the cool midnight wind. She had kicked the blanket away, and the man was not by her side.
Yuan Jin 'er lay on the bed for a while. The bright moonlight shone in through the window. She was only wearing a pink dudou, revealing her smooth back and arms. Her slender legs and slender feet seemed to be covered with a layer of sparkling moonlight, which shone faintly like ivory. There was a red string around her right ankle.
Her emotions were still spinning in her dream. Although she opened her eyes, she still lay there motionlessly. After a while, her fingers gently grabbed the blanket beside her, and she thought of the time she spent with him last night. She thought of those shameless things and the obsession she had with him. No matter what happened at the time, after everything settled down, it only made her feel warm.
She already had a family.
Thus, even if she saw the wind and snow that she had not seen for a long time again, she would not feel cold. Instead, she wanted to see how they looked.
After all, the girl in the wind and snow had already grown up.
She got up from the bed and put on silk pants and clothes. Then she got off the bed, put on her embroidered shoes, and walked out the door. On the recliner in the courtyard, Ning Yi was sitting there, thinking about something. She looked for a while before walking over. Under the moonlight, the woman in thin satin clothes looked like a graceful fairy. When she got close, she held the man's hand, sat down on the side of the recliner, and looked at his face.
"Sorry, there was a message just now. I didn't wake you up."
The man was thinking about something with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes and smiled at him. Jiner shook her head, but she was thinking of something that happened a few years ago when she first heard the name Ning Yi. In the blink of an eye, four or five years had passed. Come to think of it, it had been four or five years since she was sold to live in a brothel. Four or five years after that, another four or five years had passed. Now, it had been thirteen years since Jing Han. Thinking of this, after a while she took off her embroidered shoes, climbed onto the couch, and lay down with him. Although the chair was spacious, it was still a little narrow to accommodate two people. Ning Yi hugged her and let her lie on his chest, their bodies pressed together.
"What happened?" Jin'er asked softly.
"Nothing." Ning Yi shook his head, his voice also soft. "Just a report from the north. Ever since Wanyan Agu was killed last year, because of the enlistment decree, the security in the north has improved a lot."
Ning Yi's words seemed to be directed at Jin'er, but in reality, it wasn't necessarily so. He was just sorting out the clues in his mind. There was a pleasant cool breeze at night.
"Actually, it's not a bad thing. After the security improved, a large number of peddlers moved there. Now, the prosperity of the north of Bianliang has increased by at least thirty percent. In half a year, everyone said that Tan Shumi's enlistment decree gave birth to all Buddhas … Mm, some of the people in the north, after all, have our Takeshi's shadow. "
"Is Liheng still worried about the war?" Jin'er asked.
"A little." Ning Yi smiled. He hugged Jin'er with his left hand, but his right hand reached under her clothes, feeling the delicate and soft skin of a woman. However, for the two of them who had been husband and wife for so long, this level of physical intimacy was the same as the level of a cat rubbing its neck. It was not a strange thing.
"I don't understand these things, but I always feel that the war is something very far away. Now that the world is at peace and the world is so good, I always feel … how can there be a war? But, Husband still knows that there will be a war, right? "
As Jin 'er whispered, Ning Yi smiled and shook his head. "That's not it. Sometimes, I also feel that maybe the war is something very far away. Maybe I'm wrong. Especially when there are many trivial things, it makes me think that way."
"If there is no war, will Liheng take us to the south?"
"Mm, back to Jiangning, or find a small place, and live together until we are old."
"If I'm old, will the Xiang Association abandon me?"
"Ah?"
"Because I only look a little better now. After a few years, when I am old, won't Liheng drive me into a dark room?"
"…"
The whispered words rang in the night. After a while, the man got up from the recliner and carried his wife back to the bedroom. The moment he stepped over the threshold, the silence of the night was broken by a violent noise.
"Who —"
"Night attack!"
"Which friend …"
"Jingnan's Seven Killing Spear and … Lulin friends … Kill the inner demons …"
"You are tired of living —"
"Set fire …"
The sound of fighting extended from outside. Ning Yi stood there listening to these words, and Jin'er, who was in his arms, grabbed his clothes. When he entered the room, he lifted the mosquito net and put her on the bed, but Jin'er still grabbed his clothes and refused to let go.
"A group of small characters, they can't do anything. It is very safe here. I will go and have a look. You sleep first, wait for me to come back. "
"You also said that they are small characters, then don't go …"
Jin'er lay there looking at him, her eyes like an injured baby.
"After catching them, I have to think about how to deal with them. These guys are endless, I can't let them have it easy."
Ning Yi stooped down and hugged Jin 'er who was lying on the bed. Jin' er also wrapped her arms around his neck in a death grip. After hugging him for a while, she finally let him go.
"Be careful and come back early … Every time you go, I will be worried … The whole family will be worried …"
"I know …" Ning Yi kissed her forehead, then got up and took a breath. Jin'er watched the man mumble "kill them" all the way out, and she smiled.
After Ning Yi left, the chaotic sounds of fighting and killing could still be heard. Then, someone set fire, and someone put out the fire. Jin'er lay on the bed for a while, but she couldn't fall asleep. She sat up and wanted to get out of bed, only to find that her shoes were left in the courtyard. She stepped on the ground barefoot, walked to the door, looked at the chaos outside, and listened to the sounds coming in. Then, she sat down by the door.
After a while, the woman folded her arms, curled her legs, and fell asleep on the ground by the door.
When the sky was darkest in the early morning, it was quiet outside. Ning Yi came back from outside and picked up the woman sleeping by the door. The two of them returned to the bed and hugged each other to sleep for a while.
*****
In the morning, Jin'er came out of the courtyard and went to the restaurant by the street to ask someone to prepare breakfast. This was a Takeshi branch in a town south of Bianliang. Although the riot last night was not small and even caused a small fire, there were still pedestrians coming and going on the streets at this time, which was quite lively.
Many merchants and scholars stayed in Takeshi's restaurants to eat the special snacks that were known as the specialty of the capital. After Jin'er and the accompanying guards sat down at a table covered by a screen in the restaurant, she found that someone outside was secretly looking over.
Because she didn't ask for a private room, Jin'er's appearance and figure were outstanding, so it was not surprising that people would sometimes look at her. At this time, she was dressed like a married woman, and there were attendants and guards by her side. Basically, no one dared to come up and make trouble. But this time, when Jiner took a look outside, she was taken aback.
At the other end of her field of vision, the people sitting at the table should be some outsiders who had also stayed at the Bamboo Shop last night. A few men brought along their wives, concubines, and family members. From the looks of it, their families should be rather well-off. Among them, there was a woman whose appearance caused Jin Er's eyelids to involuntarily twitch.
Even the woman, who was dressed rather neatly, would occasionally turn her head and look at Jiner through the gap of the screen. Jin'er glanced at her, opened her mouth, and then turned her gaze back calmly. She pressed her hands on her closed knees, and after a while, she glanced over again.
Beside the married woman, there was also a well-dressed, but old rural official. From his clothes, it could be seen that he was talking with a few companions. Jin'er also glanced a few times, trying to match the figure with an image in her memory.
The old official and the young married woman were probably husband and wife. When they noticed that the woman beside them was not right, they also looked over. Jin'er didn't want to look at him. She sat quietly with her hands clasped together, and didn't look over. After the old official looked over a few times, he seemed to stretch his neck to see more clearly. Through the gap of the screen, the man named Qi Xinyong frowned and looked out. Seeing that iron tower-like man, the old official quickly turned his head and patted the concubine beside him, telling her not to look over there, in case something happened.
Not long after, breakfast was served, and the table outside had already paid and left. Ning Yi came up from below. Seeing Ning Yi's figure, Jin'er clenched her fists and was extremely excited. "Husband, Husband, I'm so powerful, I'm so powerful, I'm going to have supernatural powers soon!"
"Huh? What's going on? "Ning Yi smiled and was stunned." These things on the table were conjured by you? "
"No, no." Jin'er lowered her voice and looked excited. "Husband, did I tell you that I had a dream last night? I dreamed of my sister."
"Uh … I don't think so."
"I just dreamed of my sister. Father, mother, brother, and sister. Then, did you notice the table of people who just went down?" Jin'er held Ning Yi's hand and ran out. She looked down from the balcony on the second floor, but she couldn't see the group of people anymore. She pulled Ning Yi back to the side of the screen and looked out the window at the street outside. Only then did she see the figures in the crowd, followed by a few large carriages.
Jin'er hid behind Ning Yi and pointed down sneakily. "Look, look, look. The one wearing the green floral dress seems to be my sister. And that official, the fat one, is her Husband. He's my brother-in-law … I haven't seen them for a long time, but it should be them."
The woman in the crowd was still looking up. Jin'er hugged Ning Yi's hand and hid. Ning Yi looked a few times. "Are you sure that's not your father?"
"No, no, it's brother-in-law." Jin'er hugged Ning Yi's arm tightly and hid beside him. She laughed happily, causing Ning Yi's arm to press tightly against her chest. Then, she found something. "And my friend, look, that skinny tuberculosis guy at the back of the car. It's brother-in-law's son. It's them. Husband, I told you before. When I came home, that old man looked at me with his lustful eyes, and the tuberculosis guy also looked at me with his lustful eyes …"
Although it sounded like she was talking about bad memories, Jin'er was obviously in a cheerful mood. Ning Yi pursed his lips. "You saw your sister, and your sister seems to have seen you. Do you want to go down and greet her? As for brother-in-law and his son, do you want me to scare them? "
"No need." Jin'er smiled and poked her head out. Then, she retracted her head. "My sister doesn't recognize me, and I don't recognize her. If I really go down and greet her, what should I say? I used to feel very disappointed when I thought of my sister. Now, I don't feel disappointed anymore. Maybe I still miss her a little, but … there's no need to talk about how she is now when we meet. "
Ning Yi looked out of the window and touched her head.
"But, Husband, I'm really amazing, right? I dreamed of her last night, and today, I saw her. Also, when I went there last time, big sister kept talking to me about how she fought for favor with this brother-in-law, how she didn't have a good life, and how she was bullied by others. Today, I see, the rich master even brought her out for such a long trip. My sister … she should be living a good life. When I think about it, I actually feel a little happy … Heh, strange fate … "
She rubbed against Ning Yi happily like a kitten.
Not long after, her sister and brother-in-law's family went forward and disappeared in the crowd.
The world was very big, but life was very small. The trivial parting, the trivial meeting, the trivial fate … Among all these trivial things, even Ning Yi would sometimes wonder if the war really happened far, far away from the heavens. It was now the sixth month of the lunar calendar in the 13th year of Jinghan's reign. To the north of Bianliang City, Takeshi's tentacles could see very far. In a town to the west of Taiyuan, as the sun set in the west, large trees cast shade on the streets. A crowd gathered here, listening to the storyteller from Sui Zhu Ji's carriage tell wuxia stories in high spirits. On the side of the storyteller's stall, a stall was also set up next to a big cart, providing all kinds of cheap snacks or practical daily necessities. For a moment, this side of the town was very lively.
A group of people who looked like they were from Jianghu watched all this coldly from the side of the street.
Takeshi had already made a name for himself in this area. Every time he told a story, the juggling and magic performances interspersed with it were very influential, causing the town to be lively until late at night. This day was no different. When the sun set and the moon rose, Takeshi's people prepared to pack up, and the townspeople who had gathered finally dispersed and went home to rest.
When the people on the street finally dispersed, a few people from the Greenwood Forest who had been standing guard by the side of the road for the whole night finally came over. The leader was a tall man with a long Eyebrow Staff on his back. He was strong and handsome, and his eyes showed the vicissitudes of life and calmness, looking quite murderous.
"Let me tell you something." The man walked over and said with a frown, "Let's forget about today. From now on, Takeshi's people are not allowed to come here, or else I'll beat you to death."
His tone was so ordinary that it seemed like he was talking about something very trivial. Takeshi's people who were packing up stopped and looked at each other. Nearby, a Takeshi guard in charge of security had also walked over. He looked at the man with a rather complicated expression.
"Chief Shi, long time no see." The Takeshi guard cupped his hands. "What you said is impossible."
"You know me." The man with the surname Shi fixed his eyes on him. With a movement of his arm, the Eyebrow Staff on his back appeared in his hand in the blink of an eye. This movement caused the air to suddenly whistle, and a murderous aura to fill the air. For some reason, he was obviously very wary of exposing his identity.
"Nine-patterned Dragon Shi Jin, Chief Shi." The guard cupped his hands. "I was also from Liangshan, so naturally I know Chief Shi."
Because of this sentence, the atmosphere instantly became cold. Shi Jin tilted his head, and the corners of his mouth formed a terrifying arc.
"Traitorous thing!"
Not many people saw that moment of exchange, but after the sudden roar, the Takeshi guard who was still walking forward with cupped hands was already flying backward with blood spraying into the sky. The pressure of the staff shadow was like a whistling gust of wind, sweeping across the entire field, and then with a loud bang, it hit the ground. In the summer night, dust scattered, and cracks appeared on the ground.
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