A carriage was driving leisurely through the woods. Su Yan was sitting cross-legged on the soft seat, counting the money and mentally confirming what he needed to buy.
Because I came in a hurry, I only brought two pieces of clothing with me, not even makeup. Although the academy has everything you need and you can get all kinds of items, there are some things that you can't take care of, so you can only think of ways to do it yourself.
It has been more than nine years since I visited Ruoshui Street, but I still remember many places. There was a stall selling candy figures on Changchun Street. The master made them look lifelike. When she was a child, she always took her wet nurse to buy them. She was stunned to eat a candy figure.
One day. At that time, her greatest happiness was only candy man.
The carriage suddenly stopped. Su Yan subconsciously put away his money bag and asked outside, "What's going on?"
"Yes, yes..." The boy seemed to have something to say.
Su Yan hurriedly got out, but his eyes went dark and he couldn't see anything. He shrank back and took a closer look. It was none other than the head of Wan Chaofang and the second son of Yan Kingdom, Xilou!
He is squatting outside the door curtain, wearing a crescent-colored brocade robe with a double breast, black silk reaching to his waist, and hair tied with a hosta, which makes his face delicate and beautiful, and his eyebrows are picturesque, like the cleanest and most penetrating morning glow on the skyline in the south of the Yangtze River.
Zhao Xia holds a pot of Shu guest in his hand, and the flowers and leaves cover half of his face. Because of the sunlight, it looks like a flower or a person, and it is difficult to tell the real difference.
I vaguely remember that day when I went to Wanchaofang, I saw the boss and his men firing porcelain vases. They were all dirty. The difference from today is as great as heaven and earth! I couldn't help but take a few more glances and felt that this young man was really good.
It's so fascinating! And all the anger in his heart disappeared. Finally, he bowed diligently and said, "I've met the Second Young Master."
"Can I borrow a car for a ride?"
"ah?"
He broke off the flower branch, touched it on her temples, neatly inserted it next to the thin plum silver hairpin, and then nodded with satisfaction.
Su Yan was so frightened that he shrank back and hid in the carriage without daring to go out: "Second Young Master, what do you mean?!"
He dove in and sat next to him, and said to the outside: "Let's go."
Su Yan looked at him in surprise, as if looking at a weirdo.
"Are you the famous Mr. Su who likes to tell stories to students?" He sat aside and arranged his robe, not forgetting to look at her appearance.
Su Yan nodded awkwardly and said, "That's not good. The boss has given me too much praise."
The second young master leaned comfortably in the corner and said: "You have to be careful. The people in Shuyou Hall are all children of aristocratic families, and you can't afford to offend them. Even if you are a gentleman, they will dare to trouble you. If you
If you can't stay any longer, tell me anytime, my place is quite quiet."
"Second Young Master has a distinguished status. We are just acquaintances. Why are you helping me?"
He raised his eyebrows: "Rong Guo has always respected Confucianism and Taoism. Since you are a gentleman, there is no need to lower your status in front of anyone. I am just the second young master, how can I get the dignity?"
Su Yan smiled naively: "The second young master has great literary talent and outstanding ability. He can control thousands of houses by one person. This kind of ability is not something ordinary people can have. It is a hundred times better than those old men in temples who just say "long live my emperor" with just one mouth.
A thousand times, you are naturally noble!"
He smiled elegantly, leaned in the corner and closed his eyes to rest.
Su Yan frowned, wondering why this person was so weird. He got on someone else's carriage without asking the reason, and made a conversation inexplicably. It's better now, just close your eyes and rest!
What kind of strange people are there in this broken place like Ruoshui!
The carriage drove slowly all the way, and after half an hour it arrived at Ruoshui Street. The street was crowded with people, and the sounds of hawkers came and went, making it very lively.
Changchang Street is the main street, running from north to south. The side streets and alleys in all directions are like the century-old trees and vines in the deep mountains and old forests. They are densely packed and intertwined, but they have their own rules.
Ruoshui City has a main river, which runs from east to west, passing through the official residence area, the palace, and then to the academy, traversing the entire city. It is precisely between this vertical and horizontal line that Ruoshui is divided into several areas: Goulan in the northwest of the city
There are tile-roofed houses and strips of shops, busy residential buildings in the northeast of the city, Sanfang and official residential areas in the southwest of the city, and the palace and academy in the southeast of the city.
The three squares are: Fugui Square, Yonghe Square and Xianghe Square.
The downtown area is quite special. It is a place where poor people gather. It is subdivided into: Qinghefang, Moshifang, and Heiyufang. Shops and restaurants are all available, making it comparable to a small Ruoshui City.
But no matter how complete the functions of the downtown area, it is still not as good as a mere long street.
The shops on Changchang Street are separated from east to west, and there are many stalls among them. These stalls make long queues line up on the street, and even the alleys are packed with people.
The goods sold come from all over the six countries. Such as glass balls from the desert, rare herbs from Yanchu, weapons from Zhao, and slaves from Wu. They are all available. A mere pottery bowl is as precious as everyone in the world.
The weapon catalog that everyone dreams of.
However, Xilou had to explain clearly to her about the weapons manual. The fact that Ruoshui started selling weapons manuals can be traced back to nine years ago. Nine years ago, after the Xuan family of Zhao State was exterminated, the Xuan family's ancestral weapons manuals unfortunately disappeared.
The world has allowed those opportunistic businessmen to succeed. They sell fake goods in the name of weapons. After being exposed, they reappear half a year later. Every time they appear, there are always a few wealthy people who are fooled. Until now, they still
No one has ever bought genuine weapons, but those unscrupulous merchants have made a lot of money. Therefore, there is actually no real weapon catalog on the market. If it does appear, it will not appear in shops, let alone be dropped.
into the hands of street vendors.
Su Yan had heard of the Xuan family, but never heard of the weapons manual. In the past, his master had only casually mentioned that the Xuan family was destroyed because they were framed. At that time, he had felt sorry for them a few times, but it didn't hurt.
Itchy, after all, it’s none of your business, so just worry about it!
Su Yan originally thought that the second young master would leave on his own, but unexpectedly he kept following him. He didn't pay attention, and he was looking around in front of the stall, feeling extremely excited! Xilou was quite generous, and he gave away all his money.
It’s also very neat.
"Ah! Isn't this the legendary four-cornered wind chime incense burner!" Su Yan held it in the palm of his hand like a treasure, and turned to Xilou to explain excitedly, "This is the palace treasure of the ancient Lao Kingdom three hundred years ago! Too much
It’s so rare! I didn’t expect it to be sold here, I thought it had been buried under the tomb of the ancient country.”
Xilou also liked it very much. He paid for it and ran to the next stall with her.
Su Yan's eyes lit up again, and he almost cried out of excitement as he knelt on the ground, "Oh my god! This is not the long-lost Three Sword Formation of Chu State! My biological grandfather! Is it real or fake?"
Xilou took a closer look and shook his head, "Fake."
Su Yan didn't take it seriously, as if he had picked up a rare treasure, "The fake ones are also rare. This Three Sword Formation is not an ancient book that ordinary people can imitate. The imitations are also antiques!" As he wanted to pay, Xilou immediately threw out the money.
I gave him the bag and said coolly, use mine!
After seeing enough and buying enough, Su Yan turned his curiosity to the busiest place, where he saw a stage set up at Caishikou where a variety of operas were being performed, and the actors could be heard singing duets from far away.
She screamed and jumped excitedly, and insisted on going over to take a look. Xilou couldn't arouse much interest, so he just silently pushed aside the crowd for her, but there were too many people. As soon as one pushed aside, another one blocked the way. Su
Yan followed him through the most crowded section of the long street. Xilou walked very slowly because he was concerned about her, but she didn't appreciate it. She pushed him and squeezed towards the stage set up in the distance. Everything happened in the process.
She was stepped on her skirt, hit on her waist, and had her hair messed up. Finally, she squeezed her way to the stage in a very embarrassed manner. She casually pushed her hair behind her ears, not being disturbed by what just happened.
After watching the play, the two of them found a nearby restaurant, and Su Yan chose a seat by the window out of habit.
Su Yan couldn't help but ask him, "Why are you so generous? You spend money without blinking an eye!" She suddenly realized something and cried out excitedly, "Wan Chaofang has so much money?!"
Xilou held his chin with one hand and frowned slightly, seemingly helpless, "It's a lot of money."
Su Yan was amazed when he heard this, "The people in the academy are so rich! It seems that as long as I stay in the academy longer, I can be as generous as you and pretend to be rich!"
His imaginative face finally changed. He was stunned for a long time, and then he smiled and shook his head.
While he was eating happily, a voice suddenly appeared behind Su Yan, like an icy spring flowing in, cooling the air instantly. Hearing the voice, Su Yan turned around and saw that it was a Buddha! She walked lightly, as if all life was broken into pieces.
Ice scum...
In the blink of an eye, she was already standing in front of them, her icy eyes were cold, her peach lips were soft, her black hair was draped over her shoulders, dancing slightly with the sudden cold wind, and she was indescribably cold and ethereal.
Su Yan and Xilou were both stunned for a moment.
Su Yan rushed to greet him, "What a coincidence, you are also here to go to the market?"
Fo Zhen's eyes glanced at the west building and smiled faintly, "It's the end of the month. I'll go out when I have time. I just saw you from a distance." Fo Zhen paused for a moment, as if he realized something, and subconsciously glanced at Xi Lou.
Lou, continued, "If you sit by the window, come over and say hello."
Su Yan did not speak immediately, but was surprised by the sudden pause in Fo Zhen's words. She felt that this pause had an ulterior motive. She thought hard for a while, but after racking her brain for a long time, it became more and more confused, and she clearly caught it.
A trace of information, but it escaped, and I felt a little regretful for a moment. At this time, Xilou was sitting opposite, silently pouring wine, shaking the sake in the bottle, eyes lowered, pursed thin lips, not knowing what he was thinking. She was transferred
After losing his thoughts, he suddenly realized that Xilou had never raised his head to look at Fo Zhen, let alone say hello. They should know each other clearly, so why didn't they say hello? Su Yan was in the position of Fo Zhan's sister at this time, and felt a little unhappy.
, just about to remind him, my eyes passed by the window inadvertently, and suddenly I thought of something, my eyes lit up, my heart suddenly became clear, and I finally had an epiphany!
She glanced meaningfully at Xilou. It seemed that this guy was secretly in love with the girl. Unfortunately, my concubine was interested but ruthless. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him and let out a long sigh.
Xilou heard the sound and looked up at her, "Why are you sighing?"
Su Yan had many clues in her mind, but Xilou didn't understand her thoughts at all.
The Buddha statue still stood there, and no one was invited to take a seat in the west tower. The situation was a bit embarrassing.
It seems that Xilou doesn't like Fo Zhen, and his attitude just now shows that he is determined not to talk to her. But Fo Zhen has no intention of leaving, and he doesn't want to eat at the same table with her, so he can only continue to waste time.
It hurts her feelings. Then the unlucky task of digging ancestral graves due to the eviction order can only be left to herself, but she really doesn’t want to dig other people’s ancestral graves, so she has to reconsider this matter. Most likely Fo Zha came here for the West Tower, and now
Sending her away really hurts the family's face. This is not my usual style, but forcing her to stay is obviously against Xilou.
She thought about it in her mind. After all, she would live with Fo Zhen under the same roof and have the most frequent interactions with him. Fo Zhen's temperament was the most unpredictable and he was a difficult person to get along with. They had just met and it was really hard to offend her.
not good.
After thinking about this matter, his whole body suddenly became clear. He smiled at Fo Zhen and said: "Look at you, you are still standing here. Others will feel distressed when they see you. Come, sit down and join us!"
Xilou's hand trembled violently, and nearly half of the drink was spilled on his hand. His eyes were in disbelief. Su Yan did not look at him, and he and Fo Zhen began to chat.
During the meal, Su Yan intentionally or unintentionally talked about Xilou and Fo Zha together, but Xilou only talked casually like a bystander. The atmosphere was awkward but not awkward. He was enthusiastic but not related. He was able to handle it.
Just right.
After this greeting and meal, Xilou went downstairs alone on the pretext of paying, and they were the only two people left on the entire floor.
Su Yan glanced at the foot of the building and quickly moved to the side of the Buddha.
"You know Xilou very well, right?"
Fo Zha raised his eyes slightly, and there was indifference hidden in his eyes that were clearer than water, "We just grew up together."
Su Yan suddenly felt pity and a little resentment in his heart, "But he doesn't care about you!"
She knew she said something she shouldn't have said, and was secretly upset, but she was looking forward to Fo Zhen's reaction.
Fo Zhen's eyes became colder and colder, and even the tips of his eyebrows were extremely cold, "Mr. Su, you are thinking too much!" After saying that, he stood up to leave, and Xilou happened to come up. The two of them were face to face in an instant. The word "embarrassment" could no longer express the atmosphere at this time.
Xilou dodged his eyes, smiled awkwardly at the Buddha, and waved to Su Yan across the Buddha, "Let's go back."
When Fo Zhen heard this, he turned around almost subconsciously. Suddenly he realized that it was not him who was calling him, and his expression darkened.
After Fo Zhen left, Xi Lou approached her with a smile and said, "Okay! We've finished watching the play, let's go back!"
Su Yan felt guilty and said, "Where can I go to the theater? Aren't I waiting for you to go with me?"
Xilou shrugged, turned around and went downstairs. Su Yan secretly stuck out his tongue behind him and followed him immediately.
"You and Fo Zha are old acquaintances?"
"yes."
"Have you ever had feelings?"
"..."
"Did you betray her, or did she betray you?"
"..."
Su Yan was reluctant and was finally stopped. Xilou looked solemnly and stared at her. Su Yan hurriedly waved his hand to beg for mercy: "I'm just curious!"
Xilou was helpless: "Does Empress Yu know?"
Su Yan was stunned, and suddenly there was a stone in her heart that made her breathless. She had not heard this name for a long time.
Xilou continued: "I was taken care of by Empress Yu when I was still in the Yan Kingdom. My biological mother died early, and she raised me. So I came here as a hostage for these years and took good care of the Buddha. Now that my benefactor is gone,
You have to find someone to continue to repay your kindness."
"Fo Zhen, she's her niece..." Su Yan's eyes were sore and she hurriedly avoided his gaze.
"I'm lucky enough to have the Buddha's love, but I can't repay her. Unfortunately, we are not meant to be together, so we can only be friends in the end."
He smiled bitterly again, "Maybe we're not even friends anymore."
"How do you say that?" Su Yan asked hurriedly.
"Everyone wants to have face. If they are rejected by me, they will naturally hate me."
Su Yan suddenly understood, patted him on the shoulder, and said sincerely: "Then you have established a grudge, respect yourself."
Xilou scratched his head and suddenly thought of a plan. He grabbed her and said sincerely: "There is a good way. How about you being with me, then she can forget about me!"
Haha, you are so smart, but you have been forgotten, and I, Su Yanke, have become a thorn in their side and a thorn in their flesh!
Su Yan lowered his voice and laughed dryly: "Master Zhang is a good strategist, a good strategist!"
"Hehe, isn't it? I have always been smart. In this way, I can escape from the sea of suffering, you can bring back a beautiful man, and the Buddha can also untie the knot in your heart, killing three birds with one stone!"
"Thank you for thinking about me and taking into account my lifelong affairs. You have such a philanthropic heart!" Su Yan's smile became colder and colder.
"Haha, isn't this a good thing I'm doing... Hey, don't do anything! A gentleman talks but doesn't do anything. We have something to discuss!"
"I'm not a gentleman, just a little girl!" She picked up the stick and chased after him, "Don't run away if you have the guts, let's go round and round again and give it a good try!"