"Be obedient." Xiao Luolan gently squeezed her daughter's hand.
Xiao Qingxue pouted: "Okay."
Fang Yun lowered her head and responded: "Thank you, Master, for the reward."
Xiao Luolan was actually a little worried about how to get along with Fang Yun. Finally, she grabbed a handful of preserved fruits from the plate and gave it to the little girl: "Remember to take some after drinking the medicine."
Fang Yun's hands were full of preserved fruits. She remembered that before her parents died and the drought happened, their family lived in a small village. Every time she fell ill, her mother-in-law would always ask her father to buy a piece of candy from the salesman. Candy is expensive, but sweet to the heart.
"Why are your eyes red? Are you scared by the assassin?" Xiao Luolan pulled the little girl to the other side of the soft couch and asked softly. Xiao Qingxue leaned her head over and comforted her: "Fangyun, don't be afraid. , there are several servants outside protecting us. "
Fang Yun held the preserved fruit tightly and showed a small smile: "I'm not afraid, I just thought of my parents."
Xiao Luolan listened and touched the little girl's head.
"You really have no fear. When you were fleeing, you saw a lot of dead people. People were starved to death, beaten to death. Many people died every day. Magistrate Dou was a good man. He was the only one who opened the city gate to cook food. He gave us porridge to drink. We, the victims who escaped from Chunshou County, are very grateful to him." Fang Yun ruffled the corners of her clothes and whispered with red ears. Mrs. Xiao's touch on her head was so soft and light, just like in her memory. Mother's hand.
"So, if anything happens in the future, I can go out and have a look. I'm not afraid." Fang Yun plucked up the courage to say. When the arrow came, Fang Yun was lying on the carriage, and Mrs. Xiao was next to her, holding her in her arms. Mrs. Xiao was looking at Mrs. Xiao, but she still had half of her body protecting her. Mrs. Xiao was trembling with cold, but she tremblingly told her to lie down and not get up.
Of course Fang Yun, who had been in exile, knew that something had happened outside and many people had died. As a maid, she should have taken the initiative to go out and check after hearing no sound. This was her duty as a personal maid, not to let her master Protect her.
She didn't go out at that time...she really missed the care Mrs. Xiao gave her.
Fang Yun felt deeply guilty for her petty thoughts.
After listening to this, Xiao Luolan looked at Fang Yun. This little girl was about the same age as her daughter. She was thin and frail, but she looked several years younger than Qingxue. And she herself was almost twice their age, and they were only ten years old. How old is Xiao Luolan? She knows that this is ancient times and cannot be applied to modern age. However, she can't help but pity the seventeen-year-old Fang Yun.
Xiao Luolan regarded Fang Yun as a half-grown girl, but now she heard the little girl say weakly that she was not afraid.
Xiao Luolan smiled unconsciously, she was their adult, there was no need for these little guys to stand in front of her.
She is an adult, Xiao Luolan said to herself in her heart, and she put Fang Yun's hand on her daughter's hand: "Just take care of yourselves, both of you."
Fang Yun opened her eyes wide: "Slave..."
"Don't worry, grandma, we will take good care of ourselves." Xiao Qingxue didn't want her mother to worry, so she puffed up her chest and promised.
"Then, slave, slave, go get the soothing soup." Fang Yun looked at the two pairs of hands together and quickly retracted, but there was inexplicable joy in her heart. Mrs. Xiao was also very good, and then she panicked. He went out in a panic.
When Fang Yun brought two bowls of dark concoction, Xiao Qingxue's little face wrinkled up like a bitter melon before she drank it. She pinched her nose and saw that Fang Yun next to her drank it very quickly, finishing the entire bowl. Jing, knowing that he couldn't escape, drank the concoction and suddenly felt that his whole body was not well.
Seeing that her daughter was speechless in pain, Xiao Luolan hurriedly stuffed two peach preserves for her.
Fang Yun mixed a bowl of honey water and gave it to the young master.
Xiao Qingxue drank the sweet water and finally recovered. Ancient Chinese medicine was really bitter.
"But Mrs. Xiao, Miss Xiao?" A strange male voice suddenly came from the window.
Because the window was wide open, Xiao Luolan could easily see the Cang County Magistrate. He was riding on a horse, one meter away from the carriage, with a nervous look on his chubby face.
"I am." Xiao Luolan had a good impression of Magistrate Cang, who had saved many people, and responded: "Does Magistrate Dou have anything to do with me?"
Dou Yaoming wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. Seeing that Lei's horsemen around him didn't react much, he moved closer with the horse's belly between his legs: "Mrs. Xiao, the carriage you rented was damaged by an arrow. I'll change it later." The carriage is for you.”
Xiao Luolan looked at the carriage wall. It was originally made of solid wood. Several holes had been pierced by arrows and cracks were everywhere. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Thank you then."
"You're welcome, you're welcome, this is what you should do." Dou Yaoming heard Mrs. Xiao's thanks and waved his hands repeatedly: "You wait here, my slave will send the new carriage over soon."
Xiao Qingxue poked her head out to look at Magistrate Dou and said, "Magistrate Dou, do you know who those assassins are?"
Dou Yaoming smiled bitterly: "This, Miss Xiao, has not been found out yet, and I don't know about it for the time being. If my eldest brother is here, I might get some useful information."
"Is your eldest brother very powerful?" Xiao Qingxue guessed that Magistrate Dou's eldest brother was a master in solving crimes.
Speaking of his eldest brother, Dou Yaoming's waist seemed to straighten a little: "Eldest brother, he works under Judge Xu under Lord Jiedushi. He is often exposed to prison cases and has experience in torture and autopsy."
Dou Yaoming also had selfish motives for coming here this time. He saw that the Jiedushi Master treated Mrs. Xiao very differently, and his eldest brother worked under Judge Xu. Zeng Tuiguan resigned three months ago to take care of his old age. , so the official recommendation position became vacant. Although he felt that his eldest brother was outstanding, Judge Xu also had many talented people under his command, and the competition was very high. The eldest brother was so busy that he hadn’t written to him for a long time. This time he was here Mention his eldest brother in front of Mrs. Xiao so that Mrs. Xiao can have an impression of his eldest brother, just in case one day it will work.
Xiao Qingxue understood clearly that the eldest brother of Magistrate Dou was the subordinate of Sect Leader Zhou.
About half an hour later, Magistrate Dou's carriage was delivered, and the two carriages were changed. Although Fang Yun and some of the horsemen helped, by the time the arrangements were completed, it was already afternoon.
Zhou Xu walked over. He had taken off his light armor and was simply wearing a dark blue robe. One corner of the robe was tucked into the leather belt. He strode with long legs and there were wet marks on the cuffs.
Xiao Luolan approached with her daughter. Before she could say anything, a fish tied with a straw rope appeared in front of her eyes. It was jumping alive, with water droplets splashing everywhere, and was immediately caught by a big hand.
Zhou Xu took the fish and said with a smile: "There is a stream in the forest. The water is crystal clear and there are a lot of fish. I went down and caught a few. For lunch, I drank fish soup and ate grilled fish. I had already grilled several. Xiao Madam, Miss Xiao, come quickly."
When we arrived at our destination, a big blanket was spread on the grass, next to groups of willows and a small river flowing.
Xiao Qingxue sat down with a round fan in her hand, her cheeks flushed. She turned her head and found that Fang Yun was at Lei Bao's side. They also had food there, which was also grilled fish, and there was fish soup cooking in the pot.
Not much different except for multiple blankets to sit on.
"Come, Mrs. Xiao, have a try." Zhou Xu sat on the blanket, while Zhao Qingshan fanned and made tea beside his lord.
There is a golden fish grilled on the clean green leaves, with some seasonings sprinkled on it, and the fish smell is overflowing.
Xiao Luolan took it and said, "Thank you, Sect Master Zhou, I'll do it myself."
Zhou Xu handed over another one: "Mrs. Xiao, this is for you, eat it quickly."
The fish meat was fresh and tender, and the skin was crispy. Xiao Qingxue used bamboo chopsticks to eat two pieces in a row and drank a full bowl of fish soup.
Xiao Qingxue touched her belly with satisfaction.
"Miss Xiao, how are my skills at grilling fish?" Zhou Xu asked.
Xiao Qingxue answered truthfully: "Very good."
Zhou Xu agreed: "I also think my craftsmanship is very good."
Xiao Qingxue thought that Sect Master Zhou was quite humorous, and her eyes curled up.
After eating, Xiao Qingxue didn't want to go back to the stuffy carriage and wanted to enjoy the coolness under the shade of a tree. Xiao Luolan naturally followed her. She knelt down on the blanket. Xiao Qingxue rested on her mother's legs and looked at Lan Lan. The sky was filled with white clouds like cotton candy, and my eyelids dropped. After a while, I turned over and fell asleep.
Xiao Luolan held a round fan, and the fanning movement became lighter. She gently moved her daughter's little face that was sleeping on her abdomen. Qingxue was very afraid of heat in summer, and she had the habit of taking a nap. Her face flushed with heat, Xiao Luolan lowered her head to block all the sunlight leaking from the shade of the trees, and fanned her daughter with a round fan.
The beautiful woman has cloud-like hair on her temples, and the bright sunlight falls on her body. Her fluttering skirt falls to the ground like a flower in bloom. Her snow-white neck hangs low. Under the extremely full arc, her waist is too thin to be held. The wind blew the willows, as if they were swaying, and was gentle and gentle. Even the ordinary round fan in Mrs. Xiao's hand became a little more beautiful when she held it.
Zhou Xu sat not far away, looking at Mrs. Xiao, slightly absent-minded.
Zhao Qingshan drank tea and suddenly asked in a confused manner: "Master, do you like it so much?"
He took off his armor and went down to the river to catch fish, and grilled the fish with his own hands. How could the dignified Youzhou Jiedushi do this? Besides, Mrs. Xiao's husband is still alive, and his heart is not with the lord at all. The lord is now completely It's just wishful thinking.
Zhou Xu broke off a grass root and grinded it with his teeth. There was an astringent smell of grass. His narrow eyes were full of deep possessiveness. He smiled, his Adam's apple twitched, and whispered: "You know what I'm thinking about now." What?"
Zhao Qingshan paused while drinking tea.
"I think." Zhou Xu narrowed his eyes and sighed, "It would be great if Mrs. Xiao's husband died."
Chapter 19
late at night.
Xiao Luolan suddenly opened her eyes, with cold sweat on her forehead. The bloody human head in the dream could not be removed from her mind. She was breathing rapidly, her heart was beating a little fast, and her hands and feet were a little weak.
The moonlight shone in from outside the window. Xiao Luolan couldn't sleep and gently turned over and sat up. Her daughter was sleeping on the inside. Fang Yun was sleeping in the middle of the carriage, covered with a thin quilt. She seemed to be awakened, her eyes He also opened it, straightened up and looked at his master.
Xiao Luolan felt very sorry, shushed Fang Yun, picked up a thin blanket and put it on her body.
Fang Yun blinked, then nodded.
Xiao Luolan got off the soft couch wearing soft shoes, opened the gauze curtain and opened the car door, and took a breath of cool night air. The round moon hung in the sky, and the silver moonlight filled the ground.
On the grass in the distance, two tents emitted faint lights.
Their carriage was in the middle, and there were riders patrolling the outside. Lei Hu was leaning against a thick tree trunk and eating roast chicken. When he saw Mrs. Xiao getting off the carriage, he wiped the corners of his mouth and stepped forward without thinking.
"Mrs. Xiao, why are you down?"
Xiao Luolan said sheepishly: "I can't sleep. Did I disturb you?"
Lei Hu still held a half-eaten roast chicken in his hand and said with a naive smile: "No, I just have a big appetite, so I always eat more than others."
"If you can't sleep, why don't you go to the river and watch the fireflies. The grass over there is full of fireflies now. The fireflies are most abundant in this month. They will disappear in more than a month." Lei Hu bit. He took a bite of the chicken leg and pointed vaguely in one direction: "Don't worry, there are also Lei's cavalry patrolling the river."
Xiao Luolan took a look and saw that the distance was not too far away. It was not far from the small stream where they had lunch. There seemed to be groups of grass on the bank. Xiao Luolan was so focused on fanning her daughter in the afternoon that she forgot to observe her surroundings. environment.
"Thank you Lei Langjun, I'm going." Xiao Luolan thanked Lei Hu.
"You're welcome." Seeing Mrs. Xiao walking away, Lei Hu scratched his head and walked towards the sect master's tent. A servant of the Lei family blocked him outside the door: "What's the matter?"
"Um, does Mrs. Xiao's matter matter?" Lei Hu intuitively felt that he should report it to the sect master.
The lights in the tent turned on for a while, and after a while, the voice of the sect leader came.
"come in."
Lei Hu opened the tent and went in. At a glance, he saw that the sect master was only wearing a pair of obscene trousers, with his naked upper body leaning on the hidden bag, and a slightly thick blanket spread underneath.
"What's the matter with Mrs. Xiao?" Zhou Xu asked while reading the military book.
Lei Hu honestly told what happened just now.
Zhou Xu: "I understand."
Lei Hu looked at the sect leader and saw no sign from him, so he could only leave. Zhou Xu thought for a while, put on a robe and walked out of the tent, and came to Zhao Qingshan's tent. Seeing that Zhao Qingshan was sleeping soundly, he took away the fishing rod in the tent.
The poem says that fishing for white dew on a moonlit night, there is no breeze in the fields.
Then he would also fish at night.
Xiao Luolan sat on a stone by the stream, and her mood instantly improved a lot. There were many fireflies in the grass not far away, flickering in the dark night, like small lanterns, lighting up the stream. It had been a long time. Having seen the fireflies, she stared at them intently.
There was a sudden sound above the stream. Xiao Luolan turned her head and looked to the left. The fireflies in this area seemed to be frightened by something. They instantly scattered into flowing fireflies. The grass was pushed away by a big hand. Zhou Zongzhu was barefoot with his pants rolled up. Wearing a coat and holding a fishing rod, he came out of the grass and was obviously surprised to see Xiao Luolan.
"Mrs. Xiao, why are you here?"
Xiao Luolan didn't expect to meet Sect Master Zhou: "I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."
Zhou Xu held up a fish and said with a smile: "I have nothing to do. I caught a fish at night." He waded through the water, walked to the stone and sat on the grass, and saw a pair of blue satin soft shoes.
Zhou Xu was the first to ask: "I have no sleep at night, is Mrs. Xiao worried about something?"
When Xiao Luolan heard Sect Leader Zhou's concerned question, she didn't want to say that she had a nightmare, and just said, "No, it's too hot in the summer. I came here to get some air."
Zhou Xu saw Mrs. Xiao under the moonlight only wearing a plain dress and a thin brown velvet blanket. Her long black hair fell behind her like a waterfall. She was sitting on a stone with her knees bent, her snow-white feet under her plain dress. The peaks of the skirt are looming as the breeze blows.
Zhou Xu glanced at it and looked away. He stood up and walked to the grass to fold the calamus. Then he returned to the stone and sat down cross-legged. He selected some calamus and started braiding it.
