(27)
When the music of the piano stops, it's already time to eat.
Su Qing smiled and accepted the broth served by her maid Zichai, and then left the camp, returning to the carriage tied outside the forest, and gave this comfortable place back to the women as a lookout.
It was just that the weather was sultry and hot that day, and the tent was airtight. A piece of brilliant purple and red was reflected in the sky for a long time, and it refused to fall into the night. Therefore, the girls could only sit around the fire outside the camp to enjoy the cool air and rest, so as to nourish their tired bodies and minds.
Facing the cool river breeze, there is no need to be shy at that dinner table where only women are present. It's just that Mrs. Xiang and Zhao Xiaomei don't think so, probably because of some reasons, no matter how simple the conditions are, they don't want to lose their only manners.
In this way, an indescribable sense of distance developed between the two people who did not know each other. The younger sister could only sit aside and watch indifferently from the other two. Even if Mrs. Xiang wanted to whisper to her maid, she would cover her mouth slightly, for fear of being seen by "strangers".
Such a meal made Zhao Xiaomei feel even more tortured. At this moment, she actually hoped that the "big thief" who had rescued her many times would come to save her again.
However, Su Qing did not come this time. He even stayed by the carriage outside the forest all night. The reason was probably related to Mrs. Xiang.
"Perhaps it is because the 'Mrs. Xiang' in front of me is so indifferent to me because she is angry with her young master?" Zhao Xiaomei used the purest heart to speculate on other people's malicious intentions, but naturally the result was little. Because the elegant and humble young lady had not shown any obvious hostility towards him.
In the end, it was just Zhao Xiaomei who felt something in her heart.
It's not pleasant to be under someone else's roof. Zhao Xiaomei is used to being protected and accommodated by others, but now she can only rely on a prodigal son?
The younger sister secretly thought to herself and laughed at herself: "In the end, I am just a wealthy lady who has doubts about whether she can survive alone. No matter how bold and outrageous ideas she comes up with, it is difficult to erase the mark that has been deeply imprinted on her body and mind since she was born. '...that is what is called fate."
Before she started this journey, maybe she would have been waiting for a divorce, let alone dreaming about keeping her heart for that person and thinking about that person every day. Everything will follow the rules until it reaches the ending that others hope for.
Zhao Xiaomei only ate a little bit of minced meat, as if she didn't want to eat too much of other people's food, so she walked straight to the river and looked at the dejected grass bathing in the river, which was very contrasting with her own reflection.
That dirty face, accompanied by the seemingly endless sunsets and sunsets, made her still youthful temperament instantly look much older. It turned out to be just a moment, but it became infinitely longer because of the emotional impact between illusion and reality.
A cry of grief and indignation that had been suppressed for a long time finally burst out with two lines of tender tears: "If my brother could listen to my sister's advice, things would never end up like this!"
When everything is going smoothly, regret rarely appears on people's faces; but when they are in trouble, such emotions often linger around them for a long time.
The little girl walked along the river bank. I saw her wiping her tears and sobbing uncontrollably, and gradually moved away from the camp.
And in the camp, the sad tune slowly sounded again. Looking from a distance, it turned out that Mrs. Xiang was advising the little maid Zi Chai on her piano skills. Seeing this, Zhao Xiaomei found a flat stone alone and sat by the river to listen to music.
She was amazed at the great friendship between the master and servant, and at the same time pitiful that she could only enjoy herself now. The little girl sat there so lonely, until the last light in the sky was covered by darkness and the sound of the piano completely disappeared, she started to pay attention. .
I thought that the two women in the camp had fallen asleep one after another, but when I returned there, I discovered that the little maid Zichai was still roasting the broth in the pottery bowl in front of the campfire.
This little maid looks to be about the same age as Zhao Xiaomei, but her temperament is relatively mature. There is really a purple hairpin stuck in her head, which is said to be a gift from her young lady. Her hair was neatly pulled up, allowing people to see her facial features clearly. Although it was not exquisite, it would not be embarrassing. On the contrary, those eyes that are as clear as the younger sister can often make people unable to resist the temptation and reveal their true feelings to her.
When the maid Zichai saw that the lady from the Zhao family was coming, she quickly got up and went over to ask her to sit next to her and said, "Miss Zhao has been here for a while. There is still some broth here, but are you hungry?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl's stomach rumbled a few times, and then she started eating and drinking the broth without any ceremony, quickly filling her stomach.
Through the campfire, Zi Chai could clearly see the tear stains on the little sister's face, which were also mixed with dirty mud and rotten grass. It was very curious that such a sad thing could make a woman from such an aristocratic family have no time to care about her appearance, so Zi Chai asked: "Miss Zhao, don't take it to heart. My lady just let Mr. Su train her, and she was unwilling to do so." , she just treated you like that. In fact, she really hopes that you can take care of Mr. Su on her behalf."
"No, no! I didn't think that much!" Zhao Xiaomei denied repeatedly, "The way I looked just now was also because of other things..."
"Oh, is that about your brother?" Zichai replied: "Miss Zhao, there is no need to worry. As long as it is what you want, Miss Su, Mr. Su will definitely do it!"
"Ah? Why?"
"Because he likes you!" Zi Chai asked, "Is it possible, Miss Zhao, that you didn't notice it at all?"
"That's not..." the younger sister said, "It's just that I don't know why someone like him likes me?"
"It is said that Mr. Su once told the reason when he was drunk!" Zi Chai said: "I'm afraid it's because Miss Zhao looks like Mr. Su's little sister who has passed away many years ago, so he treats you like this, right?"
After saying that, Zhao Xiaomei suddenly realized and replied: "No wonder, he treats me like my silly brother, not like the flirting between men and women."
"Actually, Mr. Su is no longer as romantic as the rumors in the world." Zi Chai seemed to be defending Su Qing, and said for the little sister: "Miss and I were saved by him... Miss She was originally a street geisha, and she played the piano very well, and she often accompanied people in pubs and inns. However, her father was weak and sick, and the money she earned was gradually not enough to support her life. "
"One day, Mr. Xiang of my family met the young lady by chance. Knowing her difficulties, he made a contract and took her as his concubine. He supported her whole family. This incident became a good talk in the town. The two of them played the harp and the harp in harmony, just like the gods. We are like a couple and have lived a good life for several years."
"Unexpectedly, in the days that followed, Mr. Xiang suffered from an unknown illness and became exhausted day by day. The doctor said that only by transporting rare things like the 'East China Sea Divine Pearl' from the East China Sea to use as medicine could he be brought back to life. At that time, it was only God's will that played a role in bringing people back to life. Mr. Su happened to be interested in this kind of treasure, so he stole it during transportation." Zi Chai drooped her eyelids and recalled with a slight regret: "Mr. Su didn't know that this was a life-saving medicine, and indirectly killed Mr. Xiang."
When Zhao Xiaomei heard this, she was so angry that she immediately shouted: "Su Qing is such an unrepentant bastard!"
"Miss Zhao, the story is not over yet!" Zichai continued: "Then the rich man Wang Ba in the town took advantage of the fact that there was no one in the Xiang family and colluded with the housekeeper to seize all the property. In fact, he just coveted Mrs. Xiang. It’s been a long time, so I took the opportunity to recruit her! Miss, she was in tears all day long, and almost died crying at home!”
"Later on, I was the maid accompanying the young lady in the wedding car of Wang Ba. If Mr. Su hadn't arrived at that time, I really don't know what life would have been like in the future."
"Su Qing, did he save you?" the younger sister asked.
"Master Su realized later that his trip had killed a whole family, so he went to rob the wedding car and humiliated the king!" Zi Chai seemed to still be in the scene of that day, holding both hands She gestured at what Su Qing had done, and then said: "Then, Miss, she knew that Mr. Su had killed her husband, but he saved her from the sea of suffering, and felt that there was no repayment. In the end, because she had nowhere to go in this world, I stayed here and stayed with Mr. Su to work."
"That's why Su Qing said that he was sorry for Mrs. Xiang?" Zhao Xiaomei shook her head repeatedly and sighed sadly for this story.
"Master Su initially thought that the 'East China Sea Divine Pearl' was a dispensable thing in the hands of the rich, so he wanted to steal it for his own purposes, but he never expected that he had killed someone, so he felt very guilty. To this day, he is still grudged about this That's why he often asks the young lady to leave Yumantang and find a place of her own. After all, it's not a serious business there, for fear of ruining the young lady's title of 'chaste and martyrdom'."
After listening to the narration of the little maid Zi Chai, Zhao Xiaomei finally got to know Su Qing better and knew about his personality of "a thief with good manners". She sighed with emotion: "In this way, I have many such powerful brothers. Isn’t that a good thing?”
The two girls talked about past stories with great interest until late at night, when the firewood burned out, they returned to the tent to rest.
