(Catching Insects)
Yu Shu decided to visit Jing Chen yesterday. The next afternoon, she left the Chamber of Commerce and went directly to the plum forest in the east of the city.
The plum forest was between Wanxiang Street and Changmenpu Street, so it was not a long walk.
The plum flowers on the riverbank had already withered, and the trees were bearing small yellow-green fruits, which was very pleasing. Because in April, most people went to admire the apricots, and the plum flowers were neglected, so there were not many people on the riverbank.
Yu Shu walked around the forest twice, but did not see Jing Chen. She secretly guessed that he had left, and could not help but feel a little disappointed. It was not easy to get to know such a powerful Taoist, but before she could find out anything about Longhu Mountain, he disappeared, and he did not even say goodbye. She regretted it so much.
Yu Shu swung a branch that she had picked up from the ground in frustration. She lowered her head and walked back from the bridge. She didn't notice a white shadow flitting across the river. A few dragonflies skimmed over the water and disappeared into the forest behind her from the other side of the river.
"Little Yu."
Yu Shu's footsteps staggered, and the wind blew over. She thought she was hallucinating, so she turned her head and saw an elegant white figure standing at the end of the bridge that she had just walked past. He was looking at her with his arms folded. Who else could it be but Jing Chen?
Yu Shu was happy, and threw away the branch and trotted over, "Hero Jing Chen, you didn't leave?"
Jing Chen shook his head, "I haven't finished my business, so I can't leave. Did you come to find me?"
Yu Shu nodded, "Yes, I came to see you." She added in her heart, to see if you are hungry.
Jing Chen's brows furrowed, then relaxed. He smiled faintly, weakening the spring breeze on the river.
Why does a man like him have such a beautiful smile? Yu Shu complained in her heart, but she also grinned at him. Her eyes wandered around his body, and then stopped.
If she remembered correctly, she saw him a few times a month ago. He was wearing the same white robe, and he was still wearing the same robe. Other than the color being a little gray, there was nothing different about it. Don't tell me he hasn't changed his clothes for so long?
"These are my sect's Daoist robes. I have three, but they're all dirty."
Hearing Jing Chen's serious answer, Yu Shu was embarrassed to realize that she had just asked the last sentence in her heart. She hurriedly pretended to be stupid and tried to make up for it, "You still have clothes. I've never seen you carry a bag, so I thought you Taoist priests don't need to change clothes. "
Jing Chen said, "There are servants at the mountain gate who wash the clothes. They have to be changed every other day. But it's inconvenient to go out, so I can only make do. "
He was a clean person, but he had no choice but to change his clothes when he was outside. Every night, he could only go to the river outside the city and soak his body in cold water so that he wouldn't get dusty.
Yu Shu could hear the hidden helplessness in his words, so she blurted out, "Why don't I help you wash them?"
After saying that, she wanted to slap him. How could a girl propose to wash a man's clothes, even if he was a Taoist priest? She could only look at Jing Chen, waiting for him to refuse.
"Alright, follow me." Jing Chen turned around. He walked into the forest, so he missed Yu Shu's stiff expression.
It turned out that a hero was also a human, and a Taoist priest was not an immortal. Jing Chen flew up and took a bag from the tree. He took out three gray robes and gave them to Yu Shu, saying, "Thank you."
Yu Shu laughed dryly and took them. This time, she was not in the mood to yell at his qinggong, so she rolled the two robes in her hands. Fortunately, although the clothes were gray, they didn't have a strange smell. Otherwise, she was afraid that her face would turn black.
"Then I'll bring them back when I'm done washing them."
"Well, no hurry." Jing Chen looked down at himself, "I can still wear this for a few days."
Yu Shu looked up and down, and her eyes fell on his slightly damp boots. She didn't want to continue this topic, afraid that she would be the first to take his shoes back to wash, so she changed the topic, "Ah, have you eaten today?"
Jing Chen turned to look at the dusk sky and said, "Not yet."
Yu Shu said, "Do you still have the money for the bead last time?"
Jing Chen shook his head, took out an empty money bag from his sleeve, and squeezed it, "No."
"…" Sure enough, she couldn't put too much hope on this little white guy. He was just wearing a layer of a hero's skin, so he didn't eat anything. Twenty taels of silver would be gone in a month. If it wasn't for his luck that saved her, he would have starved to death sooner or later.
"Do you still have the bead?" Yu Shu asked. If not, she still had two taels of silver on her, she could lend it to him first.
When Jing Chen heard this, he thought for a moment, then reached behind his back and pulled out the sword with a 'shua' sound. The green light was piercingly cold, and Yu Shu was so shocked that she took a step back before she could stabilize her footing. She stood with one foot forward and one foot back, staring at the sword as if she was facing a great enemy. It was not that she was timid, but that she cherished her life too much. Now that she had been reborn, anything that could threaten her life would make her feel uncomfortable all over.
Jing Chen's eyes slid over her body, and he lowered his head with a silent smile. He spun the sword in his hand half a circle, and the blade pointed towards himself.
The security alarm was lifted, and Yu Shu stood up straight. She watched as Jing Chen's fingers nimbly untied a sword tassel hanging from the hilt of the sword. She didn't notice it before, but looking again today, Jing Chen's long sword with a black hilt and golden scabbard had an oblate carved jade pendant hanging on it.
"I'll have to trouble you to make a trip for me."
He wanted her to exchange it for money. Yu Shu took the sword tassel, and turned it over and over to look at the jade pendant hanging in the middle. She knew it was unusual, so she hesitated and said: "Such a precious thing, it would be a pity to pawn it."
"It's okay." Jing Chen's tone was light, as if it was not a piece of jade, but a stone.
Yu Shu suggested: "Why not make it a living contract, and redeem it when you have money in the future?"
Jing Chen was puzzled: "What is a living contract?"
Yu Shu patiently explained: "The place where people exchange things for money is called a pawn shop. Pawned things are divided into a living contract and a dead contract. A living contract is less money, but you can redeem it with money in the future. A dead contract is more money, but if the thing is pawned, the boss can sell it to someone else. Even if you have money in the future, you may not be able to find it."
Jing Chen was very interested in worldly affairs, so he listened to her carefully, and then said: "It doesn't matter, you can do as you see fit."
This person really knew how to be lazy and save trouble. Yu Shu cursed silently. Then let him be a living deed. This piece of jade seemed to be worth a lot of money, and there would be a lot of living deeds. It would be enough for him to use for another month or two.
Yu Shu did not pay attention to the person in front of her as she thought. Jing Chen quietly looked at her for a while, and suddenly said: "Do you still have the Yellowfrost Stone that I gave you last time?"
"Ah, ah? Yes. "
"If you have nothing to do, rub it on your palm a few times."
"Oh, okay." Yu Shu nodded. She was holding a pile of dirty clothes, so she did not have the interest to ask Jing Chen about the scenery on Mount Longhu. She had nothing to say, and Jing Chen was not good at talking, so the atmosphere became cold. A cold wind blew. Yu Shu felt uncomfortable, so she had to say goodbye: "Then I will go back first."
Jing Chen did not want to stay: "Go."
Yu Shu turned around and walked for a while. When she got off the bridge, she suddenly remembered that Jing Chen had no money, so she had nowhere to eat dinner. She hurried back and wanted to give him the money she had left. But in the forest where he was just a moment ago, he was nowhere to be seen.
She shouted a few times, but no one responded. She muttered a few words in confusion, and then hurried home after the sun went down.
*
*
*
At night, the sky was clear. The master and the apprentice sat in a small courtyard and watched the stars. One was lying comfortably on a rattan chair, and the other was struggling to raise his head.
"See? Above the Big Dipper, the seventh star is called Pojun. It is said that when King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty died, this star became dark. It is a big killing star, responsible for the lives of husband and wife, children, and servants. It is the same as the Seven Murders and the Greedy Wolf Stars. On the contrary, if it is in the middle of the day, you will be promoted. If it is a woman's life, it will bring prosperity to the husband and children … "
Qing Zheng did not speak fast, so Yu Shu listened carefully. She would ask him again if she missed something, so she did not deliberately write it down on paper.
Moreover, the night sky was very beautiful, and the silver lake was full of stars. The posture was charming, as if there was a charming beauty in front of him. How could he be distracted?
"Everything is related to the stars. In the world, there are a few people who are accompanied by the stars, and they will have great achievements in the future." Qing Zheng patted his knee and glanced at Yu Shu, who was rubbing her neck, and said: "For example, the fourth miss of the Ji family. It is said that when she was born, the sky was full of stars, and the summer cicadas were silent. The whole Yiyang City was shocked. Until now, more than 11 years have passed. She is indeed outstanding and extraordinary."
When Yu Shu heard the title of 'the fourth miss of the Ji family', her ears twitched. She asked curiously: "Shifu, have you seen her?"
Qing Zheng said: "A few years ago, when I was in and out of the Ji family, I stayed in the Jingshi Hall. The Ji family wanted me to give pointers to the Xingxuan girl, so I deliberately took advantage of one of her mistakes and punished her to come to the Jingshi Hall to reflect. I saw that her aptitude was excellent, so I gave her pointers for a period of time. She did well and passed the Great Yan Examination next year."
When he mentioned it, Yu Shu suddenly remembered that when she had just met Qing Zheng, this old man had said 'Xingxuan girl' several times. In other words, he was disdainful of her inferiority.
Come to think of it, this Ji Si was one of the main culprits who harmed 'her' life. A jade pendant killed a person. With such a preconceived notion, based on the principle of narrow-mindedness, how could Yu Shu have any good impression of this outstanding Xingxuan girl that Qing Zheng spoke of?
But Qing Zheng didn't agree with her. He sighed again: "Xingxuan girl is smart, gentle, and considerate. She is intelligent and perceptive, and she often buys wine to show her filial piety to your shifu. Hmph, if it weren't for your shifu picking on you, how could I have accepted a disobedient, stinky girl like you?"
Yu Shu used all her strength to roll her eyes, but her face didn't turn black. She was already an adult, so how could she not understand that the old man was deliberately making fun of her? Didn't she just plucked a few strands of his beard the day before yesterday? Two nights later, he was still holding a grudge, calling him stingy and refusing to admit it?
Only she could get along with him. A stingy shifu and a narrow-minded disciple. Was there anything more compatible than this?
"Alas."
Hearing his heavy sigh, Yu Shu held back her laughter. In order to satisfy his vanity, she had to pretend to be jealous and said: "Don't sigh. It's just some wine. In the future, when I become rich, I will make a wine pool for you and let you swim in it. Didn't you just talk about King Zhou? That guy has a wine pool, and he also has a meat forest. Do you want it?"
The small courtyard was quiet for a moment, and then a curse burst out, mixed with a few muffled laughs.
The stars in the sky looked down at the master and disciple bickering on the ground, blinking happily.
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