The snow fell extremely early this year.
Not only is it extra early, it’s also extra big and crazy. The soft scene of the word "First Snow" cannot match this moment at all. It is more like a long-planned war. The snow particles in the storm are like sand and gravel, and scraping them on the face is like being tortured. Everyone is hiding at home, and the small traders and hawkers who used to be able to enjoy the weather are nowhere to be seen, and there is not even a single chicken, duck, cat or dog. The dead leaves that had not yet fallen off the branches in late autumn were also swept away, and the bare branches trembled in the icy fog.
The narrow streets also seemed too spacious. The air was also dyed gray by the blizzard, and from any angle, it looked like a chaotic and boring dynamic landscape. And on such an empty street, there was a small figure, slowly moving forward. In this gray world without any reference, she seemed to be standing still. But the snow had just fallen and the roads were not completely flooded yet. She could still travel a little longer while the weather was not so cold and the ground was not so slippery.
She must leave today, and she can only leave today. Bad weather is the best cover. No one would have thought that the eldest daughter of a wealthy family would sneak out at this time. But to put it bluntly, Ling Huan is considered a wealthy family, but not all of them are that rich. The family surnamed Ye is a businessman and has prospered for four to five hundred years until today. It is a rare "noble family". There are many people who are related to each other, and not everyone has contacts with this family. Sometimes the blood relationship is so close that no similarity can be found in the faces. Even if we know each other's names while walking on the street, we may not be able to think of saying hello. However, their family is still kind and righteous. Anyone with the surname Ye who doesn't get along well will be entertained by our family and several branch families with good conditions. Please introduce me to a job, or give me some money to do something. Of course, it won’t really make you die of old age. The Ye family, which has a good bloodline, still has very strict family training, although it is slightly different.
The Ye Linghuan family is a branch family, a branch family, and it can be regarded as a business. The antique business is quite famous in this small and unpretentious town. It seems that it was passed down from grandpa or grandpa, and it seems that the idea was still made by my mother. The Ye family would never look down on women. Women are very smart, especially if there are several big accountants in the business family. Those who can count multipliers in the blink of an eye with their eyes closed are usually women. Of course, it’s not that men don’t know how to do calculations, but they like to do more calculations. They prefer to run errands outside and are aggressive in collecting debts. Later, more people were hired, and apart from calculating the general ledger, there were fewer people doing it themselves, which also saved time and effort.
Ling Huan stole... and took out a lot of things from home. In addition to the necessities for a few days and nights, there was also a lot of banknotes. The banknotes were carefully counted. She didn't like spending money, so she saved a lot. Because the gold and silver ingots were too heavy, I only had a handful of broken silver. Copper? She had never seen it before. Wasn't it used for kicking shuttlecocks?
The luggage was not big, but compared to her small body, it looked a bit heavy. She wore a white mink fur coat with a thick skirt that she usually wears. The colors were green and grass green. But she also wore a snow cape because the wind and snow were too heavy. The outermost layer of the snow canopy is a layer of shiny silk satin, warm yellow, with large pieces of silver osmanthus embroidered on it. She was reluctant to wear it because it was a distant relative of hers - the relationship was too troublesome and she couldn't remember clearly. In short, the one she called sister was made of silk and embroidered with golden osmanthus. But she thought about it for a long time and decided that it would be too heavy even if she stuffed it in her luggage, so she might as well wear it on her body. Now she was very happy for her original decision. Her whole face was buried in the edge of the snow canopy and the down of her fur coat, only a pair of eyes were exposed. It might look a bit suspicious to others, but no one is looking anyway. She also wants to wear something low-key. What if she is robbed? But her parents didn't prepare cheap clothes for her, or at least they couldn't withstand the snow. She had no choice but to wrap her little self into a ball, and the cut colors must be distinct. Walk through this section first, go to the next city to find another branch of the escort agency, find an excuse to hire a few people, and put your mind at ease.
First she had to be able to pass.
The wind and snow condensed into frost on the plush, and turned into water under her body temperature, which almost made her eyes dazzle. She felt that her face was wet, mixed with heat and sweat, which was very awkward. Her skin was so tender that even a little bit of snow scraped directly on her eyelids would make her grit her teeth in pain, but she managed to bear it, which is really amazing. She had to walk a little faster to the civilian inn on the edge of the city. She had to find someone from outside the city who knew her. Although she could get them to work for money, she didn't want to be interrogated like a household registration check. Complaints will be sold quickly. She ran away secretly and couldn't be caught by her family. Ling Huan couldn't help it. If they hadn't agreed to anything, she wouldn't have taken such a risk. A girl in her early twenties is unmarried and has no one to protect her. Isn’t this troublesome?
But Ling Huan had a reason to leave. If possible, she wouldn't want to leave the warmth of her home. Once the snow stops, the courtyard will definitely be covered with a thick layer of snow. She only needs to hold the stove, sit with her parents on the velvet-covered wicker chairs in the corridor, watch the dogs rolling in the snow, people having snowball fights and building snowmen, and then drink a sip of hot tea. She stopped her mind and didn't dare to think about it any more. She would cry if she thought about it again.
She walked for a whole hour. It's amazing, even for a soldier who has experienced many battles to reach this point in this bad weather, it is admirable. In the past, this distance could actually be reached by walking in three quarters of an hour. Her house is located far away and is more spacious, unlike other wealthy families who only choose expensive sites. The city is too noisy and chaotic for their liking.
That’s it! She quickened her pace. The boots crunched on the snowy road. Because it was fresh snow, it had not been stepped on, so it would not be crushed into ice and make the road feel slippery. But there was a row of cars here, but no horses. They were probably all pulled separately to the shed to avoid the cold. She opened the door and walked into the simple inn. Everyone turned to look at her. The dim candlelight made people feel sleepy and yawned one after another. All the old men are resting here, with cold tea in front of them. They glanced at her casually, then moved their eyes back, continuing to stare at the tea cups, chatting in pairs about the boring topic just now. On weekdays, as long as there are many coachmen and few guests, it is still very lively, but now everyone is lifeless.
"Close the door quickly! The wind is blowing in, and old rheumatism is killing me." An old man shouted, and she quickly turned around and closed the door.
"Here comes another one." Someone said casually, and then chatted with the person next to him.
Ling Hu took a few steps forward. Wherever I walked, the remaining snow melted quickly, leaving behind puddles of irregular footprints.
"Can someone please take the car?" she asked, pulling back the velvet in front of her.
No one paid attention to her. Only two or three people glanced at her and continued to pour tea and chat. She could understand by looking at this posture that no one wanted to do business today. How does this work? Once the snow stops, you still have to wait for the snow to melt on your own, or hire someone to shovel it. While the road is not closed now, can she get to the bottom of the mountain in time? To go to another city, in addition to an ordinary road, you also have to climb a small mountain. Her goal was to go down to the mountain and stay in a nice hotel there. I went to her house several times during the summer to escape the heat, and the conditions were very good. But if you can't go, you can only stop here, fearing that your family will take you back as soon as the snow stops.
"Can anyone give me a ride? I'll pay two - no, three times! Just go to the foot of the mountain."
Everyone knows the foot of the mountain she is talking about. There is a mountain nearby, but it is not easy to get around. Although the mountain is not high, it is a small half ring, hugging the small city. Although a few people's eyes lit up, it was fleeting. They may all feel that their lives are at stake. I'm afraid it's not worth it to freeze this little money.
"Any amount of money will do!" Ling Huan was anxious, "You can still leave now!"
"Oh, girl, it's not that we won't take you." An old man with a gray beard said, he was quite kind, "This heavy snow came suddenly. Look at you, you still know how to wear two extra layers, we were not prepared. If it freezes, we won't be able to run any work all winter."
"I'm sitting in the car and can lend you my snow awning..."
A middle-aged man shouted: "It's too fancy."
"Too short." Another old man said.
"Can you deliver it?"
A young man poked his head out from the small group of people, seeming interested. I don’t know if I want to exchange it for money, or give it to the girl I like to please her.
"This is not okay..." She hugged herself tightly and shook her head. The young man rolled his eyes and lay down on the table again.
She stood dazed.
"Are you a girl from the Ye family?"
There was an uncle on her left who raised the teapot. She looked over and thought he looked familiar. He must be a local coachman. Ling Huan pursed his lips and said nothing. The uncle poured the tea and gestured towards the back of the room with the spout of the teapot.
"What's the emergency? You can ask Uncle Qin. His wife is seriously ill and needs money to buy medicine. I saw him going out just now. I wonder if he has to drive. His old horse can run in wind or rain, and He is the same, but he is too stubborn and always loses his temper before going on the road. Maybe you can go and have a look if he hasn't left yet."
"Thanks!"
Ye Linghua rushed towards the back door, remembering to close the door this time. Sure enough, he saw a carriage on the road from a distance, and the driver slowly prepared to get on. She ran forward and asked eagerly:
"Uncle, are you leaving? Go to Shangener."
The uncle squinted his eyes. He didn't know that his eyes were not big in the first place, but his eyesight was not very good. His head was bald and looked cold, and his face was deeply furrowed, making it easy for snow to hide. He finally heard clearly, nodded, and pointed to the car. Ling Huan was overjoyed and Ma Liu climbed into the car.
After getting into the car, Ling Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She put her luggage aside.
"Why……"
Wenwen's weak complaint frightened her.
One hand grabbed her bundle and moved it away with difficulty, revealing a young man's face.
