"Big sister, big sister? Jianghu!" Fatty Wang's voice shouted outside the courtyard gate.
I hesitated for a moment, then opened the door tremblingly: "Haha, Master, is something wrong?"
Fatty Wang looked into the room and said, "It's been a long time, is your mother still angry?"
"Hey, I'm sewing in the house. I want to make me a new dress."
"Go and call your mother over for dinner."
"Don't dare. How about...you go?" I frowned, how could I bring the flames of war to myself?
"I said you kid..." Fatty Wang raised his hand, paused for a moment, then patted his thigh gently: "Forget it, she won't come, come here!"
"me?"
"What? My master's words don't work anymore?"
I looked inside the room, but there was no reaction from my mother-in-law. It was getting dark, and I didn’t go to cook. I probably had other plans, but I just couldn’t save my face. With this in mind, I just went with the flow and went on.
It’s time for dinner.
"Isn't mother here?" Wang Jiajia looked behind us, a little disappointed.
"Don't worry about her, love comes or not." Fatty Wang dragged the bench out: "Come, Jianghu, have a few drinks with me tonight."
"Yes, Master." I glanced at it and saw that it was still the same lunch dishes, and my appetite suddenly disappeared.
"Well, good wine." Fatty Wang was in high spirits. After drinking a glass of wine, he stretched out his hand and said, "Bring it here and show it to me."
My heart trembled: "What?"
"Pictures!" Fatty Wang said with a serious face: "I was going to ask you for it at noon. Why, didn't you draw it?"
"Oh, Aye, have a good meal, what's the point of not picturing it?"
"Don't worry about it, bring me the anatomy diagram!"
I smiled timidly: "Master, wouldn't it be off-putting to see these on this dinner table?"
"You didn't draw, did you?"
Fatty Wang came close to my face with his eyes wide open, and the smell of alcohol in his mouth made me quickly turn my head away.
"Asking you! Did you not draw?"
"yes."
"Why? Can't you do it?"
"Yes." I swallowed: "The deceased is the most important person. I think it is a bit too cruel to randomly destroy other people's corpses like this."
"Cruel? He was so meticulous that he killed seventeen spies in my Xiangzhou government office!" Fatty Wang slapped his palm on the table, causing the wine in his glass to spill out.
"I...I think...even if he is cut into pieces, those people will not survive. Why bother...I...I really can't do it. If master wants to beat me, just do it!"
"you……"
"Aye, Brother Jianghu is kind-hearted. He can't even bear to kill fish on weekdays. How can you let him dissect a corpse?" Wang Jiajia grabbed Fatty Wang's arm and shook it: "Aye, today is your birthday. You keep saying this.
A corpse is so unlucky. Didn't you say that you want Brother Jianghu to accompany you to have a good time? Then you can eat while I bring food to mother."
"Well, that's all. For Jiajia's sake, I won't punish you. Li Jianghu, please remember that kindness cannot be eaten as food. When it's time to be cruel, you have to be cruel, otherwise
, you are being cruel to yourself!"
"Yes, thank you Master for your teaching." I quickly cupped my fists and saluted.
I know my weaknesses: timidity, cowardice, or too kind... This is a world where the jungle eats the strong, and only the strong can survive. During the day in Jianghu Inn, weren't the two people, one white and one gray, still worried?
Tubo is afraid that he will attack us in Xiangzhou. If the enemy does come, should I kill him without ceremony, or should I wait to be killed?
…
"Jianghu, I'm sorry for you as my teacher. Originally, I wanted to give up my position to you, but now I feel that I can still work for a few more years and earn some more money. Haha, save more for Jiajia.
A little dowry would be nice."
Fatty Wang had a few glasses of wine, and his words became a little more sad. He patted my shoulder gently: "I am also half a hundred years old. Your mother's joke is right. I am close to the coffin again."
One step. Haha, everyone is destined to die, but the only one I can't let go of is Jia Jia.
Hey, she is a miserable child. She has never met her mother. She was stabbed by me... Your mother and I both agree with your marriage, and Jiajia is deeply devoted to you. But I know you are not very willing, after all.
Her face..."
"Master, I will treat her like my own sister. I will take good care of her at all times and will never let anyone bully her."
"Okay, haha, I won't force you to force yourself. She will be twenty in a few months. Do you think anyone will be willing to marry her?"
"Yes... yes." I replied, feeling a little unsure. Wang Jiajia's face is indeed too frightening. I haven't gotten used to it after seeing it for so many years. Which other man can bear it? Unless he marries a blind man.
.
"Hey, let's talk about it." Fatty Wang filled another glass of wine: "Tomorrow I will take you to visit a person and see if he has any way to find you a job."
"Who?"
Fatty Wang started to lie again: "I haven't seen an old friend in more than two years."
"oh."
After eating and drinking, I helped Fatty Wang back into the house, took off his shoes and threw them on the bed, wandering about to go home. When I walked out of the house, I saw Wang Jiajia standing alone in the yard in a daze.
"Jiajia?" I burped and patted my chest, feeling that my throat was so hot that it was uncomfortable.
"Brother Jianghu, are you going back?"
"Well, let's go... let's go."
"Hey, are you okay?"
Okay? I know I'm fine. I'm still clear in my mind. It's just that my feet are a little shaky and I feel like the ground is not solid with every step I take.
Wang Jiajia grabbed my arm and put it on her shoulders: "How much wine have you eaten?"
"Jiajia, you...are so kind. Don't worry, you...will get married...I promised Fatty Wang that if you...can't get married, you...have a brother, brother...
...I will support you...I will support you for the rest of my life."
"Who asked you to raise him?" Wang Jiajia yelled.
How dare she...dare to yell at me? I thought I should have a good argument with her. Just as I was about to take a step, I fell heavily to the ground. It was so dark. At first, there were a few stars flashing in front of my eyes, but then nothing happened.
Out of sight...
…
The next day.
"Brother Jianghu, are you awake?" Wang Jiajia's smile gradually became clearer.
I sat up slowly and gently hit my forehead: "Jiajia? What time is it?"
"It's time. Mom asked me to take care of you. She has already gone to the street to set up a stall. I, Aye, helped her pick up the load."
I was overjoyed: "The two of them have reconciled again?"
Wang Jiajia took it for granted and said: "What's so strange about this? They were never like this. They were obviously very quarrelsome and vowed not to have any contact with each other, but in the end they forgot about it after spending the night."
"Hey, do you think this is the so-called 'couples have quarrels at the head of the bed and fight at the end of the bed'?" I said with a bad smile on my face.
"Brother Jianghu, you're here again, are you so anxious to marry your mother off?"
"Oh oh oh, don't be hasty, don't be hasty, the water will flow slowly and everything will come true. Every time we worry about it, they don't admit it. There is really nothing we can do about them. Hmph, just let them go. I'll see how long they can keep pretending?"
As I said this, I suddenly felt a little awkward. When I looked down, I was shocked: "You...what did you do?"
Wang Jiajia blushed and quickly threw the clothes in her hand to me and turned her back: "You vomited and the clothes smelled so bad that I took them off and washed them. I found some clean clothes and I was going to change them for you." You are not allowed to wear it because you are too hot..."
I quickly put on my clothes, sweating profusely on my forehead, and I felt like I had sobered up from the wine.
Did I vomit? Is it true? Who knows. The key is that it is true that Wang Jiajia took off my clothes. How could a girl like me look at my body at will?
Wang Jiajia was also shy: "I...I cooked you some hangover soup, and I'll bring it to you."
"Um."
Wang Jiajia's cooking skills are really good. A bowl of sweet and sour batter made of unknown materials melts in your mouth and warms your stomach after eating it.
"Well, it's delicious. Do you have any more?"
"I'll serve it to you again."
Wang Jiajia looked at me eating two big bowls in a row and was very satisfied. She handed me a wet towel to wipe my face and lowered her head silently.
"What's wrong?"
"Brother Jianghu, I heard everything you said to Aye yesterday. I...I know you don't like me. Don't worry, I won't pester you."
"No...I don't dislike you..." I didn't know how to persuade her at the moment.
Wang Jiajia smiled slightly: "I know Aye has been worried about my marriage. Haha, if a woman doesn't get married after 20, she will be laughed at. Anyway, it's only a few months away. When the day comes, I Just go to Yunyin Temple and become a monk..."
"No, Jiajia, I... I was drunk last night and I don't even remember what stupid things I said. Don't take it to heart." I looked at the woman in front of me with pity: "You are so good, you must You will find your right husband, this matter will be taken care of by me, I will help you keep an eye on it if nothing happens."
"Okay, brother Jianghu, don't talk about me anymore, let everything take its course." Wang Jiajia pursed her lips and squeezed out a smile: "Oh, by the way, Aye said, let you wake up and go to Jianghu Inn Go to him. He said he would take you to meet someone."
"Oh, yes, yes, Fatty Wang... No, Master said that I would ask someone to help me find an errand today. I have to go." I quickly put on my shoes and rushed to the Jianghu Inn as fast as I could.
"Finally here! Let's go." Fatty Wang was holding tea. When he saw me entering the store, he nodded towards the food box on the table and said, "Take it."
"Where are we going?" I swallowed, this fat man didn't even let me drink water.
***
In a desolate courtyard in Xiangzhou City, the door of the courtyard was ajar, and a man was sitting in a wheelchair, weaving a bamboo basket. His hair and beard were slightly messy, his clothes were a little wrinkled, and one of his trouser legs was rolled up into a He was swaying as if he wanted to express his sorrowful experience.
Fatty Wang straightened his clothes and gently opened the door.
"Is it Xiao Mu?" the man in the wheelchair asked. When he saw it was us, the smile froze on his face.
"Lao Meng, it's me."
"Fat Wang?"
I quickly took a few steps forward and placed the food box on the stone next to him: "I'm going to Li Jianghu to pay my respects to Mr. Meng."
Meng Shouzi glanced at me and snorted: "Your apprentice?"
"Yes." Fatty Wang felt a little uncomfortable and glanced secretly at the courtyard: "I haven't seen you for more than two years. Are you okay?"