It was getting late, and the candles in the room were not very bright. Ruan Yuyi was afraid of hurting her eyes, so she had to make a speech.
A Qing sent her out of the room, and because of Lao Yu's intrusion, she specifically warned her, "No matter what noise you hear at night, girl, please don't open the door. It just rings its bell, and you can sleep in your bed."
Be more careful at night, it's best to be prepared."
She was startled, "Why?"
Ah Qing smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know where the refugees came from. Today they always come to the village to beg for food. Their attitude is like a robbery. It's not an exaggeration to say that locusts are passing through the border."
I didn't remind them yesterday because they locked the doors and windows. Since several houses were broken into before, no one dared to sleep without locking the door at night.
Those people have gone crazy with hunger. It's not that they don't have mercy, it's just that they are depriving themselves of food, so how can they get any relief from the surplus food? It's just to protect themselves.
She pursed her lips and said, "Thank you, girl."
Just as he was about to turn around, there was a knocking sound at the door, one after another, deafening in the silent darkness. The two looked at each other, both with slightly stern looks on their faces.
Ah Qing gave instructions in a low voice and went to find her brother.
The knocking on the door was still continuing, but it was not chaotic. Instead, it was of a three-light kind and very well-behaved. Ruan Yuyi was suspicious, if they were the refugees they mentioned, would they be so noisy?
She walked to the window and planned to open a small opening to check.
Suddenly a hand stretched out to block her. She looked along the arm and saw Brother Aqing sullenly saying in a low voice, "Girl, I'll do it."
She hummed softly and took a few steps back.
He poked a small hole, squinted one eye, and looked out. His body stiffened slightly.
The people outside were not refugees, but a man in brocade robes, and two or three men in green robes. The man in brocade robes seemed to be the leader. The person who knocked on the door turned his back to Brother Aqing and reported something to the man in a low voice.
The man lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then raised his head slightly to signal him to continue knocking.
The wind and snow subsided for a while, and Brother Aqing used the dim light to see clearly the face of the man in brocade. He had a pointed chin, slightly raised eyes, and a half-smile on his lips, as if the face was a different mask.
He had seen this man, who was embraced by several officials and left the official residence. He was nodded and bowed by the officials.
Although he could not tell what official position this person held, he knew that he had considerable power.
But why would such a person come to a remote place like theirs? And would it be detrimental to them? Several thoughts flashed through his mind for a moment, all mixed together in one place, causing him to frown even more.
He straightened up and moved away from the window, still holding his hand on it. He tilted his head and shook his head at the two girls behind him.
Ah Qing frowned, "Not a refugee?"
At this moment, people outside seemed to have lost their patience and no longer wanted to observe the etiquette. Someone shouted "open the door" loudly.
Ruan Yuyi suddenly stepped forward - she recognized the voice, it was a guard beside His Majesty.
Brother Ah Qing's expression changed, and he didn't even have time to stop him. In desperation, he had no choice but to pull her behind him. She staggered and fell into the arms of Jiang Huaiyang who came after hearing the sound.
The old wooden door made a sharp low sound, and the light from the outside came in.
The person who came was none other than Wen Zhi. He was holding a candle lamp in his hand, which was swaying in the wind. In fact, if he had not known that the two masters were inside, he would have had the door broken open, and there would be no way to leave this door open.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Brother Ah Qing stood in front, groping for the broom beside him.
He turned a deaf ear and saluted the person behind brother A-Qing, "Sir, madam, I'm late."
Brother Ah Qing's hand stiffened and he knocked the broom to the ground, making a crisp sound. He couldn't help but step aside and followed Wen Zhi's gaze to look at the two people behind him.
Jiang Huaiyang put his arm around her shoulders. The two of them looked calm and seemed not surprised.
"It's indeed too late," he said softly, "You can go back and receive your punishment."
The warm pheasant bowed its head in response.
This back and forth made Ah Qing and the two of them unable to distinguish the situation for a while. Especially brother Ah Qing, who had seen Wen Pheasant from a distance, was speechless for a while.
He had previously thought that these two people were wealthy businessmen from the capital, but now that he knew their identities, he would not have dared to guess.
While the master and servants were talking, he had time to take a closer look at the little lady.
She was wearing a thorn hairpin sarong, and she looked very elegant just standing upright. Her face, illuminated by the candlelight, was whiter than frost and snow, and her bright eyes and dark eyebrows were all dazzling.
At this moment, he seemed to be pushed very far away, and the two days together seemed unreal.
Jiang Huaiyang lowered his head and asked her, "Are you leaving?"
Ruan Yuyi saw that the wind and snow outside were gradually subsided. If she waited another day, she didn't know what the situation would be like tomorrow. Besides, she was too embarrassed to bother the family anymore, so she nodded.
Several people walked out, and a guard handed them prepared umbrellas.
Wen Zhi stepped forward, cupped his hands to Ah Qing and his brother and said, "Thank you for taking care of me these past two days. I will send enough rice and noodles to each household soon to express my gratitude."
Seeing that several people were about to leave, Brother Ah Qing came back to his senses and called to them, "Hold on, these rice noodles may be a life-saving thing for some families in the village. I have no right to refuse them on their behalf.
"It's just that for such a big matter, I need to inform the village chief. Can you guys come with me?"
The group in front really stopped walking.
Wen Zhi glanced at Jiang Huaiyang with a questioning look in his eyes. When he saw him nodding, he smiled at Brother Aqing and said, "Please lead the way."
Brother Ah Qing breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, he felt a sense of joy in his heart. He told Ah Qing to stay at home and took the initiative to walk in front. The road ahead was dark, and a guard handed him a lantern as he led the way.
He hesitated for a moment, then took it and thanked him in a low voice. The lamp was swinging from side to side in his hand, and he couldn't tell whether the hand of the person carrying the lamp was shaking or whether it was caused by the wind.
.
Most people in the countryside do not have the conditions to light lamps all night, because they usually work at sunrise and rest at sunset. It is actually easy to find the elder's house, as the window still shines with candlelight at this moment.
Jiang Huaiyang turned his head and looked around, and suddenly felt that the scene in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before. He just assumed that most of the scenes in the countryside were similar, so he didn't think about it further.
Brother Ah Qing knocked on the door.
The person who answered the door was the wife of the village chief. She rubbed her eyes, fiddled with her shoes, and glanced at the person in front of her, "They are from Zhang Yin's family. It's this time. Why—" She caught a glimpse of the people waiting around him, and suddenly swallowed
Replied the second half of the sentence.
"This is?"
Brother Ah Qing hurriedly explained the reason for his visit.
Mrs. Li Zhang opened her mouth and breathed in a lot of cold air. It took a long time before she responded, "I, I will call him. He is awake. Please come quickly."
The one leaning on the imperial chair inside was holding a long pipe. He thought it was a long pipe. When he heard the noise, he thought it was his wife coming back and said without looking back, "Come and help me get this pipe."
Brother Ah Qing looked embarrassed and glanced at Jiang Huaiyang, only to see that his expression was as usual.