Yang Fan stammered, "This Xiao Qianyue, because of his ugly appearance and poor family, has yet to find a wife in his thirties …"
The female assassin raised her thin, curved eyebrows, "So what?"
Yang Fan mustered up his courage and said, "But at the beginning of this year, he picked up a girl on the road, and later … that girl became his wife."
At this point, Yang Fan lowered his head in 'embarrassment'. The purpose of his words was clear as day.
His shy and bashful appearance was the normal reaction of a young man who was forced to reveal his inner thoughts. Yang Fan was very familiar with this kind of pretentiousness. This was a skill he had learned from dealing with those passionate, bold, and lively Nanyang girls since young.
The female assassin was stunned.
What Yang Fan said was not a rare thing in that era. In almost every city and every village, similar things had happened: a homeless girl was taken in by someone, and then became the daughter-in-law of that person. This kind of thing was too common.
When the female assassin heard Yang Fan's words, she immediately thought of herself. Back then, didn't she also have nowhere to go and almost become someone's child bride?
However, this little thief in front of her, who seemed rather good-looking, actually saved her because he wanted to imitate his good neighbor with the surname Xiao and get himself a cheap wife! He was going to pick up the female assassin who assassinated the Empress and make her his wife! The female assassin really did not know how to comment on this guy's whimsical and magical idea. She was so stunned that she did not answer for a long time.
Seeing that she did not speak, Yang Fan's face turned even redder. He scratched his head and said, "At that time … actually it was just a muddle-headed thought. I didn't really want to … cough cough, it's not like I don't want to repay your kindness. Don't worry, I can't force you on this kind of thing. I was just thinking …"
Of course, he could not tell this woman that he only saved her because she was being chased by the government, and he instinctively hated the government, so he shared a common enemy with her. He could not tell the woman that the way she leaned helplessly by the stream was so much like him in his childhood that he had been touched, so he could only make up a plausible excuse.
The female assassin believed him. She did not know whether she should be angry or amused. She stared at Yang Fan for a long time, then sighed and said, "You have saved my life. I naturally have to repay this kindness, but …"
Seeing the light in Yang Fan's eyes, the female assassin hurriedly added, "But, it's not what you think. In any case, I will repay you. I don't like to owe others. I am very tired now and want to rest. We can talk tomorrow, okay? "
"Okay, okay!"
Yang Fan imitated Ma Qiao's helpless appearance when he was scolded by his mother. He rubbed his hands together and said with a silly smile, "Alright, then let's go to bed first. It's already late, and I still have to wake up early tomorrow morning. If there's anything, we'll talk about it tomorrow." With that said, Yang Fan sat down on the bed and began to take off his shoes.
The female assassin was shocked, "What are you doing?"
Yang Fan was at a loss, "Sleeping. I only have this wooden bed, you … don't tell me you want me to sleep in the woodshed?"
Preposterous!
The female assassin's pretty face became serious, "You sleep on the floor!"
Yang Fan said, "Miss, can't you be reasonable? This is my house! "
The female assassin pressed down on the sword spring, and with a "clang", the sharp sword bounced out half a foot. Yang Fan was startled and hurriedly "slipped" to the floor, giving up the idea of reasoning with her.
The female assassin lightly snorted, sheathed the sword, and hugged it in front of her chest.
Yang Fan lay down on the floor with his clothes on, secretly glanced at her, and said with 'concern', "Miss, I am afraid it is not good to sleep in wet clothes, but I only have this set of clothes. I really have nothing else to change into. If you want to take off your wet clothes, it is actually not a big deal. After all, when the lamp blows out, nothing can be seen."
The female assassin did not speak, but only stared at him with her beautiful big eyes.
She could tell that this brat was just a street kid with some scoundrelly habits. He was not evil, nor did he have the guts to do anything evil. However, he was not a good son who knew his place either. Perhaps he still had some evil intentions towards her, so she could not give him a good face.
Yang Fan was somewhat unable to resist her gaze, and muttered, "Isn't there a blanket? You can just cover yourself with it …"
Yang Fan said and blew out the lamp.
As soon as the oil lamp was extinguished, the room suddenly … became clear.
Tonight, the crescent moon was like a hook, and the sky was filled with bright stars. Yang Fan originally thought that after the lamp was extinguished, it would be darker, but who knew that the room was actually as cold as frost. Yang Fan turned his head to look at the girl, and met the girl's big bright eyes. Even her facial features were vaguely discernible.
Yang Fan "sincerely" said, "I really … can't see, I'm blindfolded!" (As the saying goes: night blindness)
The female assassin still did not speak, and only stared at him with her beautiful big eyes.
Yang Fan could not take it anymore, so he turned around and went to sleep.
The corner of the girl's mouth twitched twice. Her shoulder was very painful, and her body was very tired, but for some reason, she actually felt like laughing, "How did I meet such a clown …"
…
The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the bell and drum above the Gate of Heaven sounded.
When the first drum sounded, the female assassin opened her eyes. Although she was still a little sleepy, with such a loud bell and drum, how could she fall asleep? When she opened her eyes, she found that the man sleeping on the floor had disappeared. The female assassin's heart tightened, and she immediately turned over and sat up. Because the movement of sitting up was too sudden, it affected her wound and caused a burst of pain.
She frowned, sat up, and lightly pressed on her shoulder, and looked around vigilantly.
The morning light shone into the room through the window, and there was still a kind of gray darkness. The room was empty, except for a bed, a few tables, and a broken box stuck to the wall, there was nothing else. Although there were not many things, it gave off an extremely messy feeling, which was obviously the characteristic of a bachelor. The room was dirty and messy, except for the places that the owner of the house often touched, there was even a thick layer of dust in other places.
The female assassin walked to the wall, and opened the broken box to take a look. This was the only piece of furniture in this messy house that looked like a pig's nest. It was as that fellow had said, there was not a single piece of clothing inside. That fellow's entire outfit seemed to only be the one that he was wearing. If she wore this black outfit and walked out in broad daylight …
The female assassin lightly shook her head.
Although she did not know where the man that she had yet to reveal his name had gone, she was not worried that he would report her to the authorities. If that person had the intention to report her, he would not have taken the risk to carry her home last night, and would have just thrown her into Marquis Wu's shop. Even if he had changed his mind, he could have reported her when she was unconscious, and would not have waited until now.
But could she trust this person, and use this person's place to recuperate? Although this fellow had a glib tongue, he seemed to have the heart of a thief, but did not have the guts. She did not have to worry that he would harm her. But …
The female assassin slightly muttered to herself.
Although she had failed in her mission, she was not worried in this aspect. How could assassinating the Empress be so easy? When she had first entered the palace to assassinate the Empress, the Young Master had estimated that the chances of success were not very high. But even if there was only a 10% chance, she still had to give it her all.
Although she had failed, the Featherwood Guard still had the Young Master's spies. She had been able to smoothly sneak into the Radiance Temple to carry out the assassination because of the help of the spies. The Young Master was certainly aware of her failure and her escape. If the Young Master knew of this situation, he would naturally know how to respond.
Right now, the only thing she had to do was to protect herself. And the only thing she had to worry about was whether or not the authorities would search the entire city. If that was the case, then this little thief who had the heart of a thief but no guts would hear the news, become timid, and betray her.
As she thought about it, she calmed down. In these past years, Empress Wu had eradicated Li Tang's royal family's kings one by one. Even when her eldest son and second son had become stumbling blocks in her path, she had killed them without hesitation. She had wantonly appointed ruthless officials and used all sorts of pretexts to purge the ministers loyal to Li Tang. She had also frequently used 'gifts of fortune' to build momentum for herself. It was clear that she wanted to remove Li Tang's life.
At this time, Empress Wu had done everything she could to create an atmosphere of 'the entire world is loyal to her'. How could she spread the news of her assassination to the world and encourage the arrogance of the rebel forces?
… …
"Pah, pah, pah!"
As the female assassin was deep in thought, she heard some faint sounds coming from the courtyard. She closed the box and walked towards the door.
In the courtyard, Yang Fan was squatting by the well, brushing his teeth.
The handle of the brush was made of cow bones and the bristles of the brush were dipped in green salt. His mouth was full of pig hair.
Yang Fan spat out the pig hair in his mouth and muttered, "This toothbrush is still new. It's just been used and it's already starting to shed hair. Auntie's toothbrush is really not that good. How can such a toothbrush be sold?"
At this time, most people still used willow branches to brush their teeth. The willow branches that had been soaked in water in advance were bitten open with their teeth. The willow fibers inside protruded out and turned into tiny wooden teeth. Or they used loofah. However, toothbrushes had already been invented, but the "toothpaste" made of herbs such as poria cocos had not been invented yet. Only green salt was still used.
But nowadays, toothbrushes were still a luxury. Ordinary people would not spend money on them. Yang Fan was in a favorable position. Because Maqiao's mother was a toothbrush maker, he was able to get a few for free. Therefore, he became one of the first testers of Maqiao's toothbrushes.
However, it seemed that this Maqiao's toothbrush was obviously a fake product. The bristles not only had a pig hair smell, but the handle made of cow bones would start to turn black after being soaked in water a few times. Some rough and hard places could easily scratch the gums.
In fact, those who made toothbrushes had their own secrets, such as chopping the cow bones, drilling the cow bones, and binding the bristles. These steps could be done at a glance. But the chopped cow bones had to be soaked in rice water for a few days to preserve them. The soaked bone slices had to be smoothed with a hemp file and then polished in a wooden barrel with yellow vines. After the toothbrush was made, it had to be fumigated with sulfur to remove the smell and disinfect it. These tricks were not easy to think of.
As Yang Fan was grumbling and complaining, the door opened with a creak.
The female assassin stood there quietly, like an orchid growing in a deep valley. Her demure appearance did not have the slightest trace of a female assassin's fierce and murderous aura.
She stood by the door. Her haggard cheeks were extremely pale due to the loss of blood. As a result, her originally white cheeks had a layer of translucent texture. A few strands of hair hung down her egg-white cheeks, making her skin even more white like jade.
Yang Fan smiled. He waved his hand at her and said, "You're awake. Come out. It doesn't matter. This is only the first round of drumming. In this Xiu Wen Workshop, no one would wake up earlier than me."
His smile was very bright, as bright as the sun. When he smiled, two shallow dimples appeared on his cheeks. When the female assassin saw this, she actually had a feeling of "You're a beauty, why did you have to be a thief?"
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