After bidding farewell to Xu Xing and others, and walking out of Wuwei Tower, Xia Yunhe packed up his clothes and walked to Wulu Alley.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, every household hangs mugwort to cook rice dumplings, and the streets and alleys are filled with a sweet smell.
On the ancient street paved with bluestone slabs, the salesman rested on the bamboo rack, and the sachets were hung on the rack. Each one was delicate and lovely, and filled with cinnabar, realgar, mugwort and other spices, giving it a rich aroma.
The salesman wears a row of five-color ropes on his left wrist, and holds a handful of colorful ropes in his palm. There are small bells hanging on the ends of the ropes, which jingle as he walks.
There is no need to shout loudly, just stop at the intersection, and after a while, there will be a circle of people around.
Since it is a festival, it is natural to celebrate it.
Xia Yunhe also chose three sachets, hanging one on his waist and putting the remaining two in his sleeve pockets to take back to Zhenniang and Sanniang.
As soon as we arrived at the alley, we happened to bump into a group of patrolling battalion officers. There were eight people in total, all of them tall, wearing crimson robes embroidered with gold, wearing wild goose feather sabers on their waists, and their brows were filled with seriousness. The leading sergeant had a handsome face and stood out.
This man also saw Xia Yunhe. He sent his men away first, then stepped forward, swept the sachet from her waist, cupped his fists and saluted, "Mr. Xia, are you buying the sachet?"
Xia Yunhe looked up and felt familiar. After bowing, he remembered that this person's name was Mu Xiunian. The Mu family had been a noble family for generations, but now it has declined.
Although this son of a noble family is young, he has a solid martial arts background. His majesty once praised him for his ability to pierce the Yangtze with a hundred steps. He was originally the right guard of the imperial palace. The Mu family also placed their hopes on Mu Xiunian. However, He offended Concubine Wan Gui's favored eunuch and took advantage of the palace's purge to catch gamblers. He was framed on a false charge and was expelled from the palace and sent down to become a small commander in the patrol camp.
She smiled and said: "It turned out to be Boss Mu, but he lost his value?"
Mu Xiunian's face was as solemn as water, and his brows could not hide his worry, "Thieves have been coming out frequently recently, so I have to patrol every place. I just finished the East Street, and there is still a West Street. I'm afraid it will be busy until late at night."
After saying "Thank you", Xia Yunhe remembered that Zhen Niang had said that thieves were around in the morning, and Mu Xiunian's words were in line with this.
She asked, "Whose family lost something?"
Not wanting to get into Mu Xiunian's mind, he just saw the young man furrowing his brows and sighing repeatedly, "Nothing was reported to the police. I only said to arrest the thief. In recent days, people from Xanadu have checked three times, but still found nothing. If I can't find it again, Come on, it’s not just our brothers who want to see their faces, I, the boss, have also done my best.”
Mu Xiunian sighed and looked at her, "Let's not talk about it anymore. Mr. Xia, how is your health now? The last time you fainted on the street, it was really scary when I sent you back."
Hearing that it was Mu Xiunian who sent him back to his summer residence, Xia Yunhe couldn't help but feel a little more grateful and thanked him. Seeing that Mu Xiunian was very serious about his duties and a bit straightforward, he sincerely suggested, "Mr. Mu knows this area well." Go deeper than me. Since no trace of the thief has been found in ordinary searches, you might as well try to contact some groups who may know the whereabouts of the thief. Maybe you can learn something from these people."
Mu Xiunian held the fist in his right hand and the palm of his left hand, suddenly enlightened, a smile appeared on his cheeks, he cupped his hands and thanked her, "Mr. Xia, thank you very much."
With the direction in hand, the young man walked briskly for a few steps, turned around and thanked Xia Yunhe again, and she returned the favor from afar.
Watching the young man leave, she murmured to herself, "This thief is really extraordinary. He has nothing missing and no portrait. He searched out of thin air. I'm afraid he has an ulterior motive."
It was just a small episode. After regaining his composure, Xia Yunhe walked towards Xia Zhai.
When she first bought a house, she liked the tranquility here. After moving in, she found that there were many vacant houses around.
She was the only one who lived in the same family, and following the scent of the rice dumplings, she could feel where the door of the summer house was with her eyes closed.
Fresh rice dumpling leaves and horsegrass smell really delicious after cooking.
After entering the yard, changing clothes and giving the sachet to Zhenniang, she leaned against the big pillow and watched Zhenniang peeling the rice dumplings, cutting them into small pieces and pouring honey on them.
Xia Yunhe held up a small spoon and took one bite at a time. The rice dumplings are stuffed with red dates and walnuts. They are sweet and glutinous and leave a fragrant aroma in your mouth.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Zhen Niang went to open the door. It turned out that Sanniang was back.
The woman's voice then reached Xia Yunhe's ears, "It smells so good, I can smell it at the entrance of the alley."
Zhenniang asked her to eat rice dumplings. Sanniang smiled and said that her clothes were expensive and it would not be too late to eat them after changing into regular clothes.
Not long after, Sanniang opened the gray curtain, took a breath, sat on the edge of the kang, kicked off her shoes, and squeezed in beside Xia Yunhe.
As time went by, Sanniang and Xia Yunhe became familiar with each other, and they were no longer reserved. When Xia Yunhe's face turned gloomy, she would slip aside and have a private chat with Zhen Niang, and wait for Xia Yunhe to feel better, and then join her to have fun with her.
Sanniang held her chin and watched Xia Yunhe eating the rice dumplings for a long time, swallowed her saliva, and waited for Zhenniang to bring the sweet rice dumplings. Before cutting them into small pieces, she ate them one by one, looking like she was very hungry.
Xia Yunhe gave her the sachet with a smile and asked, "Are you not full at the palace banquet?"
Speaking of the palace banquet, Sanniang became silent and seemed a little unhappy. Xia Yunhe frowned. The people at the palace banquet were either rich or noble, so they would not target Sanniang. Unable to figure out the reason, Xia Yunhe asked, "Is Concubine Wan Gui making things difficult for you?"
Sanniang shook her head, "The imperial concubine is very kind, and she even praised me for learning etiquette well."
"Is it because the other female members of the clan are making things difficult for you?"
Sanniang sighed and lost interest, "No, the empress and the nobles are all very kind. If I want to write a poem, no one will make it difficult for me if I say I can't."
While talking, Sanniang ate three rice dumplings and continued to eat with a small bowl.
Zhen Niang looked at the girl and heard that she wanted to eat, so she quickly stopped her, "My stomach is bloated after eating too many rice dumplings. Please wait for a while while I cook porridge. Be patient and drink some porridge later to warm your stomach." After that, he went to work in the kitchen.
Sanniang sat aside, holding a teapot and pouring water for herself.
Xia Yunhe asked, "The palace banquet should have wine and food, why is this so? Those noble ladies are making things difficult for you? Are they not giving you food?"
Sanniang shook her head gently, looked up at Xia Yunhe, and thought in her mind that after Concubine Wan Gui finished talking about the lake tour, everyone headed towards the lake, and she followed. Suddenly, the Seventh Prince Xie Yi intercepted her at the rockery and pulled out his long sword holder. He went up to her neck and threatened in a deep voice.
"Come to the palace banquet. If you can't carry it clearly and you dare to cause trouble to your husband, you won't be able to leave the palace alive."
Then, he took her to a room and locked the door.
The seventh prince stood outside the door with a casual attitude, "Just stay here and take care of yourself. After the palace banquet is over, I will let you out naturally."
"How dare you speak out," he yelled hastily, sheathing his sword and grinding his teeth, "I can draw my sword faster than they can."
Sanniang sighed. She was locked in the room by the seventh prince until the palace banquet was over, feeling hungry and thirsty. Seeing that Xia Yunhe was completely unaware of the seventh prince's temperament, Sanniang murmured for a long time before finally making up her mind, biting her lip, and politely reminded Xia Yunhe, "Sir, don't you think the seventh prince is a little weird?"
Xia Yunhe didn't catch the other words and said with a smile, "His Majesty Seventh is humble, polite, diligent and studious, how is it weird?"
What's weird? Weird everywhere!
Sanniang lowered her eyelids and said nothing. She was not sure whether the Seventh Prince was special to Xia Yunhe, or whether he was resented for his rudeness in Xiahe Village. She couldn't tell, but the Seventh Prince's eyes were sinister, and she could tell him at just one glance. A chill ran down her back, and she thought for a long time before swallowing the words on her lips.
Seeing that Sanniang was still about to speak, Xia Yunhe thought for a moment and consoled him, "His Royal Highness Seventh left Chu at the age of seven and served as a hostage in Beirong for six years. The hardships and dangers are unknown. He has only been back home for half a year. It is inevitable that he is still not used to it. More Just be considerate.”
Sanniang thought to herself, maybe she was thinking too much, so she suppressed her worries and nodded. Suddenly she realized that Zhenniang had been gone for a long time, so she said, "I'll go see Sister Zhen and help her."
…
Xia Yunhe slowly finished the last bite of sweet rice dumplings and wiped his mouth clean with a handkerchief.
Sanniang's exclamation came from outside, "Who are you!" Someone else covered her mouth to block her voice.
Xia Yunhe was shocked. She opened the curtain and left the house. There was no one in the courtyard. She called out, "Sanniang?"
No one responded.
Then he shouted, "Zhenniang?"
A gust of wind passed through the hall, and everything was quiet.
Her heart was palpitating, and she tried her best to steady her thoughts and calm her voice, "I wonder what kind of hero he is, and why he is here?"
There was a slight noise in the hut, and Xia Yunhe suddenly remembered that Zhenniang said that the hut had been infested with rats recently. Where could the rats come from that could take two people away? Thinking of the thief Mu Xiunian said again, and connecting the two, she sighed secretly, fearing that she would be targeted by this thief.
After a while, a man's voice came from the restaurant, "I just want something to stutter. I've been hungry for two days. I smelled the aroma of rice dumplings here and came here to find them."
The voice is clear and clear, not like a vicious person. Of course, it is not accurate to distinguish good from evil by voice.
In order to stabilize this person, Xia Yunhe said, "This is not a big deal. There will always be difficult times when you are away from home. Whatever you want to eat, just take it."
There was silence for a long time before a voice came, "Thank you." After a pause, he added, "They are all in the restaurant."
Then, there was a sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets, and after a cup of tea, a young man with an unfamiliar face came out of the shop.
The upper body is a black arrow jacket, the lower body is bloomers of the same color, and the trousers are tightly tied into cowhide short boots. He has a knight-errant vibe all over his body. Even though his face is covered with dust and frost, and his hair is scattered on both sides of his forehead, he still has an extraordinary bearing. He took two steps, but he covered his chest with a painful expression, as if he was injured and couldn't use his strength.
He held five rice dumplings tied with strings and cupped his fists at Xia Yunhe. "If you have any medicine for trauma, please give me one or two."
Although the young man was polite, there was murderous intent in his eyes. Xia Yunhe did not dare to neglect, so he went back to the house to get the medicine and handed it over to the visitor.
When handing over the medicine package, Xia Yunhe smelled the smell of blood, which was coming from the young man, and she made a rough judgment in her mind.
The young man put the medicine on the tip of his nose and sniffed it. After confirming that it was medicine for injuries, he put it in his arms and said thanks, "I've been bothered you for a long time, so don't blame me." After saying that, he picked up five rice dumplings, used his strength to jump up to the wall in three steps, and then After a few leaps, he disappeared among the green bricks and black tiles of Wulu Lane.
There were many vacant houses nearby, perfect for this man to hide in.
Xia Yunhe went to the hut to untie Zhenniang and Sanniang, and several people helped him back into the house. It took him a long time to calm down.
Zhenniang said: "Master, I said there were rats before, but I was afraid it wasn't this person, so I said that most of the steamed buns that were steamed on the first day were gone the next day. Now that I think about it, it was this person who took away the steamed buns."
Sanniang covered her heart and asked, "Master, who is he?"
Xia Yunhe's eyebrows moved slightly and he pondered for a moment, "I don't know."
The injured mysterious young man, the titular thief... Xia Yunhe lowered his eyes and remembered Xu Xing's words about Chen Haizhou being stabbed. The three things were so coincidental that it was no coincidence that they were connected together.
This young man was the assassin who killed Chen Haizhou, and he was also the person that the patrol camp wanted to arrest under the pretext of arresting thieves.
She stood up and poured water for the three of them. She smiled and concealed her thoughts, "If that person comes to get food again, just let him get it. He is just a rice dumpling thief who comes here based on the taste."
On the Dragon Boat Festival in the 43rd year of Yuanhua, Xia Yunhe's house was robbed, and a pack of trauma medicine and five sweet date rice dumplings were lost.
