I don’t know how long he had been here, but Xu Xiuyi looked apologetic.
"I am late."
But he didn't care at all and gently took her into his arms.
"I'm willing to wait."
"What if I don't come?"
"Then I will wait until eternity."
Feeling warm in her heart, she wrapped her hands around his neck, her eyes sparkling with water.
"How long is eternity?"
"What do you think?"
He leaned forward and kissed her lips. There was a strong fragrance of tea in his mouth.
After all, Wuliting is also a place where people come and go, so it is not suitable to be overly affectionate. A small kiss left both of them still unfinished. Xu Xiu got up and said to Mr. An Cheng: "How about going to the lake for a swim?"
Young Master An Cheng also relied on her.
"good."
Near Wuliting is the Baita Lake. The sun in early summer is not too harsh yet, and the wind is blowing ripples. The entire lake is like gold, with sparkling waves. A small boat can paddle on the lake.
He was well prepared, including cakes and drinks.
The boat was bought from the boatman. There was a small table on the boat. He was holding the boat, but he was probably not an expert in this area. He tilted the boat up and down, making no distinction between east, west and north. Xu Xiuyi made tea while making fun of him.
Finally he stopped in the middle of the lake, seemingly defeated.
"Just don't move and let the wind blow me back to the shore."
Xu Xiuyi agreed.
"Otherwise, it will take the year of the monkey and the month of the horse to go back."
"I haven't learned that there are only deserts and grasslands outside the customs, and there are no ships."
Outside the customs was probably his home, and Xu Xiuyi suddenly realized that she knew nothing about him.
While the tea was still brewing, she held her chin up and looked at him, her big eyes gleaming.
"I never knew your home. Who else is there in your family?"
He was startled for a moment, then chuckled: "I used to have a mother, but she passed away due to illness two years ago, and now I am alone."
"Where's your dad?"
Xu Xiuyi blurted out and asked.
An Chengshao shook his head: "My father died before I was born."
"sorry."
Xu Xiuyi did not expect that both An Chengshao's parents died. In a sense, An Chengshao was an orphan.
She couldn't help but feel a little pity, and reached out to hold An Chengshao's hand, wanting to give him the warmth of family.
"If I go back to the outside world with you, will you take me to the desert or the grassland?"
An Chengshao's eyes were full of tenderness and doting.
"I will accompany you wherever you want to go. I have a horse called Wu Mu'er. I think you will like it."
"Umu'er, haha, I thought there once was a hero, and his horse's name also had the character "black" in it."
An Chengshao was obviously interested. In fact, he was interested in listening to anything she said.
"What's that horse's name?"
"Wuzui, it's in a playbook. You people outside the customs probably don't listen to plays. You probably don't know that this is a play about heroes and beauties. The hero in it is a Wuzhui horse."
She wanted to tell her their world bit by bit.
About history, about her.
The story of Xiang Yu and Yu Ji was the love she had most envied. If you don't leave, I won't give up. Even if the ending is miserable, I will go to Huangquan with you and have nothing to seek in this life.
She told this story to An Chengshao, who was fascinated by it. He didn't know whether it was because she told it well or because she was so beautiful.
"What about the end?"
"This is already the end. The Han soldiers have captured the territory, and there are songs of distress from all directions. The king is exhausted, and the concubine has no chance to live. At the last supper, Yu Ji committed suicide, and Xiang Yu was forced to Wujiang, and finally committed suicide."
"Will such a tragedy happen again in a script?"
Xu Xiuyi chuckled: "Although it is a tragedy, it is a story that will last forever. I envy this kind of love, which can accompany you through life and death."
An Chengshao suddenly took her hand, put it to his lips and kissed her softly: "Are you willing to be with me, life and death?"
Xu Xiuyi was startled, then smiled and said: "You don't look like a short-lived ghost. If not, I will die before you."
She was joking, but he was extremely serious: "If you leave me, I will chase you even to the underworld of the King of Hell."
"Haha, okay, you are so powerful that even the King of Hell is afraid of you. Let's drink tea, it's already cold."
An Chengshao stretched out his slender arm and touched the scar on Xu Xiuyi's forehead across the small table: "Who was that man that day?"
Xu Xiuyi's body visibly stiffened, and an imperceptible hint of unhappiness flashed through An Chengshao's eyes.
Seeing that Xu Xiuyi seemed unwilling to answer, he raised the topic himself, and then dealt with it hastily: "You are so beautiful. If I hadn't happened to pass by that night, I wouldn't have dared to imagine that there would be someone else."
What are the consequences? If someone dares to take advantage of you regardless of your wishes in the future, I will destroy him."
Xu Xiuyi gave a stiff smile. She really didn't want to let down such a beautiful lake and mountain scenery. Seeing that Young Master An Cheng probably regarded Su Jinyuan in the box that day as a man who was rude, frivolous and admired her, she didn't want to continue this topic.
"Let's have tea. Did you bring anything to eat? I'm a little hungry."
Master An Cheng opened the basket he had brought. On the bottom of the basket were several plates of cakes and fruits, all from Wufangzhai. Even if he queued up early, he might not be able to buy the crystal hibiscus cake.
She was hungry, but when the food was actually taken out, she had no appetite. She just ate a few symbolic mouthfuls, and felt that the sweetness was too greasy. She drank a sip of tea to rinse her mouth, and couldn't eat anymore.
.
"Why don't you eat?"
An Chengshao asked.
She shook her head.
"I don't know if it's because of the hot weather lately, but I don't like to eat much."
"Are you sick? Have you seen a doctor?"
Xu Xiuyi chuckled softly: "What doctor are you looking at? I already have one at home. It shouldn't be the case. I'm strong and healthy, so what kind of disease can I get? Maybe it's because of Su Jinyi's headache, plus what happened to you a few days ago.
.”
"It's my fault. I have to find a way to send you a message no matter what, but she is really clinging to me too tightly, and she threatens me with death from time to time. After all, her father is kind to me, and I...
…”
"Look at you, you're so panicked. I didn't say anything to you. I know, I believe you. I was holding my breath a few days ago and I couldn't live with myself. I'll probably be fine in a few days."
"Then Su Jinyi, what tricks did you think of to deal with you?"
An Chengshao asked.
Xu Xiuyi shrugged: "If you don't mention him, it would be disappointing. I will naturally have a way to deal with him."
"Xiu'er."
"What's wrong?"
He hesitated to speak. After a long while, he shook his head: "It's nothing. Don't be too tired. You have no responsibility to the Su family. As soon as I finish my work, I will take you far away."
Fly far away.
Xu Xiuyi just smiled and said nothing.
As the sun set in the west, the boats floated to the shore, and a large fire cloud illuminated the entire western sky as if it were gilded.
The clouds were rolling, and the cool breeze came in bursts, rolling up the long hair of the two people, and entangled them wantonly behind them.
Time is so short, it would be nice if there was no separation.
But I have to go back eventually.
The two of them walked back along the lakeside. They were full and wanted to cherish even a moment.
Holding hands, his palms are warm.
"Xiu'er, let's embroider a purse."
I don’t know why he suddenly wanted a purse. Xu Xiuyi’s female beauty is actually very good. After all, her family has trained her to be a good wife and mother since she was a child.
"What kind of pattern do you want?"
"You choose. I only have one request, which is to put a small tuft of your hair in the compartment of my purse. This way, even if I can't see you all the time, I can still feel a little bit of you, which is still good."
"Oh, I understand. What on earth did you come to the capital for?"
She just asked casually, but he didn't seem willing to answer.
"It's not a big deal. It probably won't take long. For your sake, I want to step up."
Xu Xiuyi nodded: "Oh."
Finally, a knot arose in her heart. She intuitively felt that the matter that Young Master An Cheng was doing must not be as simple and time-consuming as what he said. He remained tight-lipped and refused to tell her. Could it be that this matter was something bad?
But looking at An Chengshao, she thought about her too much. An Chengshao was not the kind of person who would do bad things.
When I went back with An Chengshao, it was just getting dark, and Xu Xiuyi was still living at her parents' house. I chatted with Xu Yuan for a while that night, and Xu Yuan was still worried about the old lady from the Hube family.
Xu Xiuyi didn't know if this person was really that ugly. Seeing that her father was worried, she comforted her for a few words and went back to her room after seeing that Xu Yuan looked better.
As soon as she returned, she saw Zhong Yaqin in her room, apparently waiting for her.
When he saw her coming back, he stood up and walked over.
"Xiu Yi, do you know with whom your brother went to Guanwai?"
"Master An's caravan, didn't father tell you?"
Xu Xiuyi asked.
Zhong Yaqin's eyes turned red: "Stop lying to me, I've seen it all."
Xu Xiuyi's heart skipped a beat: "What did you see?"
"My father-in-law told me that your brother went with the caravan to the outside of the customs. I thought that it would be inconvenient for your brother to eat outside the customs, so I thought about preparing some pastries that he usually loves most, and wait for him to come back. I went out to Wufuzhai in the afternoon
, I saw it. Although my face was covered, that figure and back were those of your brother. Even if I were to kill him, I wouldn’t admit it. He, he..."
Zhong Yaqin started crying as she spoke.
Xu Xiuyi didn't know what to say for a moment.
"He was with a woman, and his face was also covered. I couldn't tell which girl it was. They were holding hands. I may have mistaken the figure from behind, but your brother has a small cut on his little finger. I
Look carefully, this is the location."
Xu Lanqing is a talented person in both civil and military skills, and he has also suffered some injuries as a swordsman and gun wielder. Xu Xiuyi never knew that Xu Lanqing had a knife wound on her little finger, which shows Zhong Yaqin's meticulous care for Xu Lanqing.
However, she didn't understand how Xu Lanqing could be with a woman. Logically speaking, shouldn't Xu Lanqing be with the Fifth Prince?
Is it possible that the Fifth Prince put on red makeup for her brother in order to avoid suspicion?
She was stunned.
Zhong Yaqin suppressed her cry: "I have actually known for a long time that your brother doesn't like me. You probably don't know that from the time we got married to today, he, he has never touched me. Xiu Yi, am I a failure as a woman?"
?”
Zhong Yaqin would say this to Xu Xiuyi. It is true that the grievance she feels in her heart has a certain reason, but to a large extent, it probably stems from the fact that Xu Xiuyi's husband is also such a person.
There was a woman with a crush outside who never paid much attention to Xu Xiuyi. People said that Su Jinyuan left home in the middle of the night after their wedding and never spent the night in the new house again.
She privately thought that she and Xu Xiuyi had something in common and they sympathized with each other.
Xu Xiuyi was actually really shocked. She didn't know that the relationship between Xu Lanqing and the fifth prince was so deep that they could not have a normal relationship between a man and a woman.
What could she say? She could only comfort: "Sister-in-law, things may not be what you think. Have you seen where my brother and that woman went?"
"After I finished shopping, I went up the mountain to worship Buddha."
Worshiping Buddha, could it be...
Suddenly I thought of that night when I met the Fifth Prince at Thousand Buddhas Temple and brought the meal back to the room in person. Could it be because someone was hiding in the room?
And if this is the case, this person is obviously her brother Xu Lanqing.
"You said that when my father had an accident, I wanted to go to worship Buddha and God, but your brother always refused to accompany me because he was too busy. Now..."
"Sister-in-law, I beg you first not to tell dad about this matter. You know, according to dad's temper, he has to beat my brother to death. In this way, I will let my brother give you an explanation for this matter, and I will find a way.
Summon him and bring him back to apologize to you."
Zhong Yaqin thought that things had reached this point. She had no relatives, no reason and no support in the capital, so she couldn't make a fuss. Even if Xu Lanqing really had a woman outside, she could only swallow her anger.
Now that she saw that Xu Xiuyi was still willing to make the decision for her, she was about to hold back her tears.
"It doesn't matter if your brother really doesn't like me. I know that coercion is not sweet. I just hope that he will not ruin his own future. He will take the scientific examination next year and don't delay his serious studies because of a woman."
Zhong Yaqin was afraid that Xu Lanqing would become hot-headed, so she eloped with that woman.
If Xu Lanqing just found a woman outside, she would still be the original match after all. She endured this tone and agreed to marry him back. After all, she was the older one.
But if everyone in Xu Lanqing runs away, she will become a living widow.
Her father had already skinned her once and told her to be a careful person in her husband's family and not to make any mistakes.
If her husband doesn't want her anymore, how can she live?
Xu Xiuyi nodded in agreement: "Sister-in-law, brother is a sensible person. Don't worry. Sister-in-law, please don't think about it first. Don't mention it to dad. He has been troubled by trivial matters recently. It's already annoying enough."
Zhong Yaqin sniffed and agreed: "I didn't mean that."
"Then sister-in-law, be careful to go back."
As soon as Zhong Yaqin left, Xu Xiuyi felt a headache. She didn't expect Xu Lanqing and Wu Mo to have such a high-profile quarrel.
What's more, I didn't expect that the world is so small that two people would be bumped into by Zhong Yaqin.
Should she go to Thousand Buddha Temple?
＊
Early the next morning, Xu Xiuyi asked her maid to prepare a vegetarian meal, saying that she was going to the mountain to worship Buddha and make a wish.
As the sedan reached halfway up the mountain, she always felt that if she showed up like this, it would probably embarrass Xu Lanqing. Moreover, what she was going to say and what identity and standpoint she was going to say it from were all problems.
After much deliberation, she asked the sedan to go back the way it came.
The long staircase leading to the Thousand Buddhas Temple is very narrow and can only accommodate three people walking abreast. If a sedan is going up or down the mountain, the pedestrians must move to the side to avoid it. If two sedans are heading towards each other and bump into each other, one of the sedans must move to the top.
Inside the top edge, let the other rider pass first.
Xu Xiuyi went up the mountain early, and she had never seen such early pilgrims coming back from the mountain after worshiping the gods.
When we were going down the mountain, it happened to be the time when people went up the mountain to worship Buddha.
Along the way, the sedan chair was always on the edge, for fear of blocking the way of the believers.
After walking for a while, he was stuck by an oncoming sedan.
As usual, there were two sedans, and one of them just had to give way. However, Xu Xiuyi had not yet given the order to let the servants give way. A rough and arrogant voice came from the sedan in front.
"Whoever doesn't have a good eye dares to be our lady's sedan chair, please get out of the way."
Xu Xiuyi was not a high-profile and domineering person at first, but now that people's attitude is like that of an animal, she is no longer so humble.
"Go forward."
She told the bearers that they were going down the mountain and that they were going up the mountain. In terms of attack and defense strategy, they were slightly better.
The sedan was forced over, and the sedan on the top of the mountain was indeed forced to lean to the side frequently. If it didn't lean on it, both the people and the sedan would roll down.
"Tang, stop, stop, which family is it? Do you want to die? Do you know who is sitting in our sedan chair?"
Who doesn't Xu Xiuyi know? She only knows that when asking others to give way, there must be at least the most polite words.
Saying "please make way" will not kill you.
"Whose family do you belong to?"
The Xu family's bearer replied.
The other person suddenly sneered and said arrogantly: "The person sitting in this sedan chair is the sister of Lord Hube Shangshu. Why, open your dog eyes and see clearly the sedan chair of the Hube family. If you know how to look, get out of the way quickly. I have offended the household."
Sir, I don’t have any good fruit to eat from you.”
Xu Xiuyi in the sedan really felt like laughing.
Yesterday I mentioned this sister of the Tobe family, and today I met her. Isn’t it fate?
However, this is probably a bad fate.
It is said that a servant follows his master. Looking at the arrogant and domineering maid with sharp teeth, Xu Xiuyi did not expect that the eldest lady in the sedan chair would be a gentle, well-educated and well-educated lady.
Yes, otherwise, how could she turn into an old girl in her thirties, shamelessly kissing a man when she sees him? It's hard for her father, who is so old, to worry about this matter and can't eat or sleep well.
Xu Xiuyi wanted to see what kind of appearance this old lady from the Hubu family had like a female Zhong Kui, and what kind of temperament she had like a dominatrix.
She signaled the bearer to stop the sedan, got out of the sedan, smiled lightly at the lake-blue hat in front of her, and said, "Sister, this is Xu Xiuyi from the Duke Protector's Mansion. I'm really sorry for blocking my sister's way."
"The Protector's Mansion, get off the sedan, get off the sedan."
A happy voice came from the sedan, and the maid hurried over to lift the door of the sedan.
You wouldn't know it from looking at it, and you would be shocked at first glance. This is not a female Zhong Kui. She is clearly an hermaphrodite.
If the man in the sedan didn't have three ounces of meat on his chest and two bulging meat buns, Xu Xiuyi would have thought he was a man.
The legendary Ruhua has a pockmarked face and a very thick beard, making her look like she has two beards.
Even that voice was very rough.
"Third Grandma of the Su family, I really didn't know it was you." That "Ruhua" came out of the sedan, and when she got closer, she saw that her eyes were just a slit, and her nose was small and exquisite, but with such a face, it was a waste.
.
Her lips are very thick, and she is heavily made up, with about a kilogram of powder on her face. When she smiles, she feels the powder puffs falling off her face, but it cannot cover the code words on her lips and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
Xu Xiuyi smiled slightly and said generously: "Sister, are you really going up the mountain to burn incense?"
On the other side, "Ruhua" blushed: "I'm here to fulfill my wish, Ripple, why don't I come over and apologize to the third grandma for making you uneducated and making you yell. How do I teach you in daily life?"
Be courteous to others, and don't show off my brother's title all day long."
While she was talking, she poked the head of the arrogant girl so hard that she couldn't stand still. She kept trying to apologize to Xu Xiuyi while she was busy.
Seeing Miss Ruhua directing and acting like this, Xu Xiuyi felt like laughing more and more, but in the end she didn't have the nerve to actually laugh.
"Sister, did your wish come true? Congratulations to sister."
Miss Ruhua's face turned even redder, but she had covered up some of the spots on her face.
Freckles are cute to other people, but her freckles always give people a dirty look.
Maybe that face is too ugly.
"Well, it's come true. In a few days, we will be able to see each other more often."
"Sister, what do you mean?"
"Haha, just ask your father when you go home. From now on, we can't be sisters. After all, it's unreasonable. But today, we are still sisters. My name is Lu Yu'er, sister Xiu Yi, and I'm not in a hurry.
You go down the mountain first."
What a beautiful name, but now I feel like it has been spoiled.
Even her girl, ripples and ripples, is full of poetry and painting. Oh, this woman, although she tried her best to hide her vulgarity, she is a vulgar woman at first glance.
She gave way, and Xu Xiuyi was not polite. He just leaned into her ear and said something before getting on the sedan. Lu Yuer's face was slightly startled. When Xu Xiuyi walked away and Ripple called her, she realized and hurriedly said to Ripple.
: "Hurry up and go up the mountain. I still want to go."
If you want to ask Xu Xiuyi what he said to her, it actually doesn't matter. Xu Xiuyi just said that seeing sister Yu'er's face rosy and her body shining brightly, it probably means good things are coming soon, and she just wants to hurry up and become a family with her sister.
Lu Yu'er's silly look was purely for joy.
After going down the mountain, Xu Xiuyi asked someone to invite the eighth aunt to the Xu family.
In the room, the eighth aunt looked at her with some embarrassment: "Grandma, the girls you asked me to find are old and ugly. But when these girls heard that they were going to be matchmakers for the Su family, they all thought I was a liar.
Well, if you don’t believe it, they probably didn’t expect such a big pie to fall from the sky, and the fourth master of your family can be considered a very talented person.”
"There's no need to be embarrassed. I've already found a man I'm happy with. All you have to do is make the marriage a success for me."
"I wonder whose girl grandma is talking about?"
"The girl from whose family, oh, she is from the same family, the Minister of Household Affairs, she will definitely not be the fourth master and eighth aunt of our family. The remaining two big ingots will have to rely on your own ability."
Speaking of the big ingot, the eighth aunt's eyes lit up, and she nodded hurriedly: "Of course, of course, why didn't I think of that old lady from the Hubu family? It's just that the old lady had a bad temper and made several matchmakers with her.
Even if they coaxed me away and even beat me up, I would never dare to come to your door again. Since that is what you asked for by name, old lady, I will definitely get it done this time."
"Eighth aunt took trouble."
"No matter what, I took grandma's money and always did good things for grandma. So grandma, I'll take my leave."
"Go, as soon as possible."
"Yes, yes, three days, at most three days."
On the third day, the Hube family will kiss each other and see how the Su family refuses.
Su Jinyu was young and handsome, and considering the old lady that the Hubu family hated to marry, how could he not let her go?