It was a sunny and windy day. Yu Shu and Yu Xiaoxiu played happily for the whole afternoon. They flew kites, climbed trees, washed their feet by the river, and picked up stones. At first, Yu Xiaoxiu was still a little reluctant, but under Yu Shu's constant teasing, he gradually relaxed his smiling face and played with her.
The two played for a while by the river, Yu Shu pulled off Yu Xiaoxiu's hair rope with her long arms and legs, messed up his hair, and then turned around and ran away. Yu Xiaoxiu, with disheveled hair, chased her all over the river bank.
"Come on, come on! Short legs, you're so slow! "
"Give it back to me!" Yu Xiaoxiu chased her crazily and shouted in exasperation.
"Haha, no — ouch!"
Extreme joy turned to sorrow. Yu Shu ran backward with the hair rope in her hand, grinning and laughing. She accidentally tripped over a stone and fell to the ground on her butt. Her laughter turned into a cry of pain.
"Sister!"
Yu Xiaoxiu stopped in his tracks and quickly ran over, trying to help her up in a fluster. But Yu Shu waved her hand, gritted her teeth and said, "I'm fine." Then she lowered her head and lay back on the soft lawn, panting.
"I'm done. I'm exhausted."
Seeing that she was fine, Yu Xiaoxiu sat down beside her and grabbed the hair rope in her hand. When he was about to comb his hair, Yu Shu pulled him back by the collar and made him lie on the ground. The grass was very soft, and the small blades of grass rubbed against his ears, tickling and very comfortable.
"Look." Yu Shu pointed to the sky for him to see.
As the sun set, clouds of sunset rose into the sky and were burned red by the sunlight. Like a furnace fire, the clouds in the sky were ignited, surging with life at the last moment. Looking at the magnificent sunset, there seemed to be something stirring in people's hearts.
Yu Shu turned her head and looked at Yu Xiaoxiu. Perhaps it was because her change had lightened his burden, but he rarely revealed a gloomy expression in the past few days. At this moment, his young and clean face was flushed red by the sunset, and his eyes shone with light. He looked more like an eleven-year-old boy.
She put her hands behind her head and suddenly said,
"I want to learn Yi well and open a Yi shop in the future. I'll have endless money, I'll be able to eat whatever I want, play whatever I want, and I'll be respected by others. No one will be able to confine me or whip me with rattan …"
Hearing this, Yu Xiaoxiu couldn't help laughing, and then he heard Yu Shu ask,
"Xiaoxiu, what do you want to do in the future?"
Since Yu Shu started the conversation, Yu Xiaoxiu's head moved, and he thought for a while before answering awkwardly,
"We have our own house, we can support ourselves, we won't be bullied, we won't be looked down upon."
"Okay!" Yu Shu answered with all her strength. She grabbed Yu Xiaoxiu's hand, raised it high, and announced loudly,
"Then from now on, the two of us will learn Yi well and open a Yi shop in the future. We will make a lot of money, eat well, and live in a big house. We will be respected, we won't be bullied, and no one will dare to look down on us!"
She turned their wishes into a common wish. Yu Xiaoxiu heard the difference. Looking at her raised hand, he turned his head and met Yu Shu's sparkling eyes. Enthusiasm, kindness, and sincerity, it was so different from the way his sister looked at him in the past. As if realizing that this was not an ordinary promise, he quickly made a choice. He moved his fingers and held her hand tightly, saying firmly,
"Okay."
The siblings looked at each other and couldn't help but grin. Yu Shu sat up and pulled the thin Yu Xiaoxiu up from the grass.
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious."
"My hair …"
"Hehe, come, I'll tie it up for you."
***
"Let me tell you, the wonton shop on Changmenpu Street is very delicious. The skin is thin, and the stuffing is fragrant."
Yu Shu promoted the wonton sold by Sister Zhao to Yu Xiaoxiu along the way. Not only did she expose Yu Xiaoxiu's gluttony, but her stomach also sang two empty words. There were still two cakes left in the bag. She asked Yu Xiaoxiu, but he didn't eat them, so she put them away.
When they walked back to Changmenpu Street, it was already dark. Lanterns were hung at the end of the street. People were coming and going, and the fragrance of tea and food made the street lively at night.
Sister Zhao's business was as good as ever. The three sets of tables were full of customers. Yu Shu and Yu Xiaoxiu stood on the side and waited for a while before they sat down. Because Yu Shu had come here with Cao Zixin once and talked to Sister Zhao, she was afraid that it would be troublesome if she recognized her. So, she deliberately wore Yu Xiaoxiu's short robe when she went out in the afternoon. She only painted her eyebrows. Fortunately, it was dark and no difference could be seen.
Sister Zhao had good eyesight and recognized her. She went forward to wipe the table, smiled at her and said,
"Sit down, why don't I see Shopkeeper Cao?"
"The shopkeeper has something to do. The shop is not open today. I brought my brother here to eat wonton. Auntie, give us two bowls of chicken soup."
Last time, when Yu Shu came to eat, she followed Cao Zixin and called the boss's wife, Sister Zhao. But Sister Zhao laughed at her and said that a 30-year-old woman like her couldn't afford to be called sister. She only asked Yu Shu to call her auntie.
Yu Shu and Sister Zhao exchanged greetings. Yu Xiaoxiu sat aside in a somewhat reserved manner, not moving or looking around.
Sister Zhao said yes and reached out to touch Yu Xiaoxiu's head. "This is your brother. What's his name?"
Yu Xiaoxiu bowed his head uncomfortably. Yu Shu answered for him, "His name is Xiaoxiu. Xiaoxiu, greet him."
"… Auntie." If Aunt Liu were here, she would be shocked. Yu Xiaoxiu had never been so obedient to Yu Shu before.
Sister Zhao seemed to like children. She looked at Yu Xiaoxiu with soft eyes and said, "Good boy.
Sit down. I'll go and cook it for you. There are a lot of fillings today. It's guaranteed to be delicious. "
Sister Zhao turned back to cook. Yu Xiaoxiu whispered to Yu Shu, "How much is a bowl?"
"What? Are you afraid that you can't afford it? Here, let's settle the bill first." As she said, she took out her purse, took out a dime of silver and put it on the table. Then she gave the purse to Yu Xiaoxiu, "Take the money."
Yu Xiaoxiu pushed it to her. She didn't want it, so she took it for the time being. She took out two copper coins and threw them on the table. Yu Shu was bored, so she turned her head and looked around. Her attention was attracted by the magnificent restaurant across the street. She pointed at the plaque on the door of the first floor, touched Yu Xiaoxiu, and asked,
"Is it written 'Drunken Fragrance House'?"
Yu Xiaoxiu raised his head to take a look, then lowered his head to continue throwing copper coins.
Coincidentally, as soon as Yu Shu recognized the plaque, she saw a group of young boys and girls walking out of the restaurant. They stood at the door and said goodbye. She looked carefully and found that they were all "acquaintances".
"Master Xue, today's meal was really comfortable. The meal at your house during the day was boring. There were so many elders and we couldn't drink. It was better for us to eat out. I haven't tasted the Drunken Immortal Duck for two months. Next time I treat, I'll choose this place."
"Hey, can you afford it? The table just now cost at least 20 taels of silver. Your mother won't pay you."
"I'm talking to Master Xue. Why are you interrupting?"
"Alright." Xue Wenzhe was surrounded by a group of people who were talking at once. He had drunk too much during the banquet and felt dizzy. He waved his hand to stop them from arguing and said with a slurred tongue, "Let's disperse and go home early."
Seeing them coming out, several carriages came to the door immediately. Some took the carriages, and some walked away. Only Ji Zhu was left. She looked worriedly at Xue Wenzhe who was standing with his hands on the pillar and said,
"Why didn't anyone come to pick you up? Why don't you take my carriage first?"
"No." Xue Wenzhe waved his hand. His eyes were blurred. He squinted at Ji Zhu's two heads and said, "My uncle is having a drink nearby. He said he would come to pick me up. You go home first. No, no need to send me."
The coachman urged. Ji Zhu had no choice but to leave him in the carriage and leave reluctantly.
Yu Shu compared Young Master Xue's drunken appearance as he hugged a pillar and rubbed himself against it with his high and mighty demeanor in the private school. She found it amusing, so she took a few more glances. Out of the corner of her eye, a customer eating wonton at the next table stood up and strode towards the restaurant across the street.
She saw the tall and thin man walking towards Xue Wenzhe. Her sight was blocked for a moment. She didn't know what he said to Xue Wenzhe. When she looked again, Xue Wenzhe had been carefully supported by the man and was walking towards her.
"Uh …"
"Young master, this way. Be careful."
The two of them walked past Big Sister Zhao's stall and directly into the dark alley behind it. Yu Shu didn't turn her head. She just stared at the two until they disappeared. She frowned. Her intuition told her that something was wrong.
According to Yu Xiaoxiu, Xue Wenzhe was the young master of the Liu family. His father was a senior official in the capital. In order to learn Yi, he lived with the Liu family. For a young master, it should take more than an hour to walk from Changmenpu to the east of the city. Why didn't he have a carriage to pick him up? Even the daughter of a concubine, Ji Zhu, had a carriage to pick her up.
So strange.
"Two bowls of wonton. Enjoy." Sister Zhao put two full bowls on the table. Not a drop of soup was spilled. The bowls were filled with fragrance. The amount was two or three more than the normal amount.
Yu Shu came back to her senses. She was about to thank her when she heard a "clang". The copper coins in Yu Xiaoxiu's hand were empty. He jumped to the ground and rolled backward.
"Hey," Yu Xiaoxiu whispered. He stood up and chased after him. In the blink of an eye, he ran into the alley.
Yu Shu was stunned for a moment. She smiled and lowered her head. She picked up the spoon, blew on it, and drank two mouthfuls of soup. She raised her eyes to look at the alley. She vaguely heard a small noise. Inexplicably, she panicked, put down the spoon, stood up, and rushed into the alley.
"Xiaoxiu?"
She called out in a low voice, but no one responded. Her intuition told her that something was wrong. She stuck close to the wall and ran forward a dozen steps. Suddenly, she saw a few vague figures in front of her. She squinted her eyes and looked hard. Not far away, under the dim light, a tall, thin man was carrying a person on his shoulder and holding another person under his arm. He was talking to another person in a low voice.
"Got it. Why is there another one?"
"We were seen. Take him with us. It's a boy. He might be useful."
"Shh, someone is coming."
The hair on Yu Shu's body stood up. The first thing she wanted to do was to shout. This was Changmenpu. There were so many people coming and going. Shouting was the safest thing to do. But in fact, as soon as she opened her mouth, she was hit by a palm from behind and fainted.
"You two are too careless."
"Brother Feng, we —"
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