The sky in Fengyou County has been changing recently. Maybe there was a strong wind and thunder rolling around last night, but there were no fixed puddles in the long street the next day. The sky was high and far away from the ground, and there was light sunlight falling loosely to the ground. The small yellow leaves had faded away. Thoughts on the autumn trees, but the latter did not want to accept any affection. The yellow leaves were like flying snow in the middle of winter, fluttering and swaying on the branches. As for the autumn trees all over Fengyou County, they were like a woman's eyes wet with tears. Double eyelashes, even more lonely.
The Zhang family's mansion is located in the capital of Fengyou County, so it is inevitable that it will be like this. There are flowers all around, and the servants have been asked to take care of them year after year. Whenever there are pests and heavy rains in summer, these servants need to protect them with all their heart, and even buy roots elsewhere. Solid flowers and trees are inserted around the flowers and plants to support the young seedlings and prevent them from being blown off by wind and rain. In the side rooms of the mansion, if they are not allowed to go out for fun, they have no choice but to spend time in the ten acres of flower fields outside the courtyard. However, although the handymen work hard, they still cannot delay the weather. In autumn, most of the flowers are withered, and only a few flowers are left struggling to support them. , the flowers and leaves are gradually wilting, and work such as fighting with grass is becoming more and more rare.
The warm sun was getting warmer just now, but not long after, the wind was howling outside, and the clouds were dense, covering thousands of miles away, seeming to come out of thin air, with curling clouds and fog, covering the whole city.
Among the women who were still drinking tea and chatting in the courtyard, some of the very brave ones heard the sound of rolling thunder and were immediately frightened. They didn't even care about the toys and tea soup at hand. They said goodbye with their wives and returned to the house with pale faces. They picked up their skirts and hurried away. Go and go inside to escape the torrential rain.
"It's a strange thing. In previous years, the autumn rains in Fengyou County should not have been so abundant." The sun shrank and was hidden behind the rain clouds, and the main hall became quite dark. When two or three maids walked over, they lit the lights. , he could see his surroundings clearly. After looking at the stormy scene outside, Zhang Honglou mentioned something casually, then picked up the hot tea in his palm, took a small sip, raised his eyebrows and then frowned.
There is tea in the tea cup. The richness and bitterness is comparable to the decoction, but I don't know what to brew it with. The leaves are as round as copper coins and slightly black.
"Although the momentum is great, who knows whether the rain will be enough to stop it." Zhang Xiulou was obviously very sleepy and had been working hard for a long time. Now when he goes out, he needs to hold up the memorial platform to be clearer. Now the sky is gloomy and he is sleepy. His thoughts surged involuntarily, and he supported the edge of the table with one arm, and said casually, "If we wait until the end, it will only be a sporadic autumn rain, but it is not as good as a long street with water like a vast ocean. It will be more enjoyable in my youth." You and I often listen to Yu playing the harp, practicing Chinese calligraphy and composing poems. We originally thought that in the future we could become a frivolous scholar, and get drunk and leave a few poems and essays that later generations would call "Dou De Jiu Yu". It's not as good as Mi Yu who had his own way and was born in the Zhang family, I don't know whether it was a disaster or a blessing."
Zhang Honglou didn't say much. He just took advantage of the bright lights in the main hall and looked at his brother with slightly sunken face. Then he lowered his head and looked at the bowl of tea soup in his palm. All the words were immediately stuck in his throat and he could not form a single word.
"Do you hate me as your brother for sending you to do such a thing? If it happens, the whole caravan will probably suffer a great disaster. The members of the caravan who show off their power now will most likely become starved on the road and withered bones in the countryside in the future. How can you send your own brothers to do such things that are detrimental to your morality?"
"But since I, Zhang Xiulou, have taken over the title of head of this family, I have to pass on the businessmen of the Zhang family, who have hundreds of people and dozens of generations. In the final analysis, most of the caravans are just poor people. This shop Yes or no, to me, there is really not much difference. It is far from the point of breaking the bones, and it has not shaken the Zhang family's heritage. You should know that my brother has always been cold-tempered, and the other merchants Life or death, what do you have to do with me? It's just to gain some morale. In addition, all the merchants in Fengyou County have been brought under the control of my Zhang family, so we are incompatible with the caravan."
"It's not my brother's nature to act on impulse." Zhang Honglou stared at the lights around him and felt that the sky outside was getting darker and darker. It was clearly midday, but it was like a cool night. He quickly squeezed out a question through his teeth, " Mother Jun’er, brother still can’t let go?”
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Zhang Xiulou, the leader, did not answer, but rubbed his brows to slightly relieve his sleepiness. He took a sip of the Kuchu tea soup, as if he did not taste the bitterness, and said with a calm smile, "This tea is called Kuque, and it can get rid of cold symptoms. It looks like a rolling ball hanging on the jade, but the entrance is miserable. I remember that when Jun'er's mother and I were traveling together to enjoy the mountains and rivers, we went outside the eastern border of Yizhang and saw these copper coins. Bitter tea, at that time, I heard people say that it can dispel the inner fire, and it is not so cold as to dissipate the fire energy all over the body. It can be regarded as an excellent tea. If you find it difficult to drink, please send someone to change it. That’s it.”
"The gang of thieves who intercepted and killed Jun'er's mother have been killed. Although they are also from Jianghu, they have nothing to do with the caravan. My brother has always been generous and kind, and treats the merchants of Fengyou County well. He often helps poor people. Why is he alone? I cannot tolerate people from the Jianghu." Zhang Honglou looked downcast and looked extremely ugly. He still spoke truthfully and did not look at his brother's face.
A few raindrops fell, and soon it started to rain heavily.
Contrary to what Zhang Xiulou said, this shower of rain was coming in a fierce manner. The rain screen reflected on the screen was as bright as day. It was clearly a downpour. It was beating on the eaves of the building, but there was no sound at all.
"It seems that Brother Xian has guessed it right. The rain is indeed strong. Brother Yu is wrong, but he never wants to take it back." The middle-aged man leaning against the giant tree closed his eyes and seemed to be listening to the rain outside the courtyard. Beating, slightly sleepy, he murmured softly, "Look, the rain is strong, and the falling rain is making a crackling sound, just like the Milky Way bursting its banks and covering the world. But there are these giant trees relying on each other, and the branches are supporting each other. Two or three are clustered together. I have to hold up the snow to cover the rain, even if the rain is strong, there is nothing I can do."
Every word is about Qiu Yu, but if you look at the man's expression through the light, he is clearly determined, leaving no room for turning.
Zhang Honglou wanted to say goodbye several times, but when the rain outside became more and more impatient, he finally gave up. He raised his head and stared at his brother's face, and said with a cold smile, "Brother's actions are really trying to force the caravan into a dead end, but Many of them have never done anything arrogant, they are just ordinary people with some skills who just want to make a living in the gang. What my brother is doing is different from that group of thieves back then."
"Of course there are differences." The middle-aged man opened his eyes, glanced at the angry Zhang Honglou, and smiled softly, "Now the county governor is an old friend of mine, and he has long been dissatisfied with the caravan's arrogance and arrogance all day long. Ji, what I did for my brother was just to push the boat along and add icing on the cake. How can I be the same as those thieves in the world? I gave all my money to the gang of thieves, but in the end I never spared my life. Mother Jun'er gave me the horse. Compared to Zhang Xiulou, who committed suicide by jumping off a cliff, I didn't have any thoughts of killing, I just wanted to get rid of the caravan, how can we say the same thing?"
At this point, the smile on the man's face had already disappeared, but the corners of his mouth were still slightly raised, and he said coldly and calmly: "Red Mansion doesn't need any more persuasion. You know what I mean. I have already been incompatible with this group of people in the world, so why waste my words." "
"It's hard to feel relieved if you don't let go of your hatred."
The man had an absurd look on his face, grinning and replied, "It's even harder to feel relieved when there is endless hatred. People in the world talk about the world of rivers and lakes. Since I have swallowed my wife, how can I not pierce them all? You and I, young man It is said in the book at that time that repaying evil with kindness is the behavior of a saint. I am not a saint, so I should repay kindness with kindness and repay hatred with evil. There is nothing wrong with that."
The lights were swaying, and the strong wind and rain outside the main hall brought the rain and coolness into the hall, almost extinguishing the originally stable lights. They swung several times, and finally found silence. From time to time, there was a sound of rolling thunder, which reflected the faces of the two brothers in the hall. Their eyebrows were clearly similar, but their applications were absolutely different.
"This decision cannot be changed by life or death. I also know my dear brother's thoughts. If I were left under the knife and ax of the thief that day, I am afraid that Jiuquan will return to my soul. I also want to advise Jun'er mother not to indulge too much in the word resentment. But since the person has passed away, the person left behind, whether thinking or thinking about it, must always find a reason to live."
"Jun'er went out a while ago and encountered several venomous snakes before leaving the city. The only people in the city were those in the caravans who took the snakes and applied their venom to concealed weapons to hurt the enemy. Although my wife has not told me, I have my own. Knowing the means, the thieves forced me, Zhang Xiulou, to kill my wife, and now the caravan wants to attack Jun'er again. If I were to replace him with a good brother, could it be possible that he would come to visit me and plead guilty?"
Zhang Honglou frowned fiercely.
The rain was pouring down, but the giant trees still stood tall and the ground was as dry as ever.
The man sitting in the seat waved his hands, closed his eyes again, rested his head on the huge tree, coughed several times in succession, calmed himself with the tea, and said tiredly, "Brother, I have been very tired in the past few days. Maybe my body bones are not as big as before, or maybe I am moving." I have been thinking too much and haven't calmed down for many days. In addition, the wind and cold have not recovered, and I am very sleepy. It is just the right time to sleep in the torrential rain. I follow the servants to go to the unused house to rest. It will not be too late to leave after the rain stops. "
Just at this time, a maid came out of the back hall, placed the soup she had just boiled on the table, and said abruptly, "Madam saw that the master looked haggard and coughed and wheezed frequently, so she specially sent a slave to make a good soup. She said it was for this trip. I met an idle doctor who was very famous when I was out, so I spent a lot of money to get a prescription and gave it to the master to try it. Even if it is not to cure the cold, it can also be used to recuperate the body. I might as well drink it while it is hot to warm up my body. "
"I'm interested." Zhang Xiulou opened his eyes slightly, but had no intention of drinking. "Jun'er is still young. He was frightened a few days ago and needs to be comforted by his wife. There are a lot of things recently, including the chores at home and the restless concubines. I asked my wife to take care of the room, and then I left alone, taking the red building with me to a vacant room to rest and serve her well."
He immediately closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep.
Zhang Honglou stood up and was about to follow the maid out of the main hall, but he remembered something. He put his robe on the middle-aged man who was already snoring slightly, sighed deeply, and then walked out of the room slowly.
"The branches are overlapping each other, but they are connected by the root system." In the empty main hall, Zhang Xiulou muttered, shifted his body posture, and fell asleep leaning against the giant tree.
"It's quite warm."
