Zhou Xu changed into his robe, sat at the table, picked up the wine bottle and poured himself a glass of wine: "Who said there wasn't any? Isn't Madam here?"
Xiao Luolan sat opposite Sect Master Zhou and didn't quite understand the sentiments of the ancients.
"What's more, boating on the river and beauties cooking wine is one of the great pleasures in life." Zhou Xu said with a smile, widening his clothes and sleeves, his brows and eyes widened, and his expression was extremely happy.
Chapter 44
The boat was sailing across the river. Lei Bao and Lei Hu were sitting on the back side, swaying the wooden sticks, and they were flowing with the water without much effort. They were wearing raincoats and bamboo hats. From a distance, they looked like two little black men. At the same time, followed by a behemoth giant ship, dozens of sterns were all members of the Zhou family. They were not on both sides of the giant ship, but were divided on all sides of the light boat, faintly surrounding the light boat and guarding the sides.
Lei Hu heard the laughter of the sect leader in the cabin and looked around. Lei Bao patted his bamboo hat with his hand. It was raining heavily. The water level on the river seemed to have risen a bit. The waves were rough. The water slapped on the boat. Lei Hu touched it. A handful of rainwater splashed on my face. On both sides of the Kuojiang River, the weeds on the tidal flats were reduced to a thin line by the wind. Wild birds flapped their wings and flew over the water, flying high into the cloudy sky.
After the rumbling thunder, silvery white lightning pierced the sky, and the rain became heavier.
Xiao Luolan opened the window a little, a little worried that the boat would capsize, and looked nervously at the gloomy weather outside.
There was a clay stove in the cabin, and the charcoal fire was burning brightly, so I didn't feel the chill of the river wind. Xiao Luolan looked at it for a while, frowned and tightened his cloak.
"Sect Leader Zhou, let's go back to the ship."
Zhou Xu took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "Madam, please wait patiently for a while, such a small wind and wave will not capsize the boat."
Xiao Luolan stopped talking when she heard what Sect Master Zhou said. Sect Master Zhou knew Xunjiang so well, so he must know the situation better than she, an outsider, did.
"Come, madam, have a sip of wine to warm yourself up." Zhou Xu picked up another wine glass from the wooden tray, carried the wine flask and poured a glass of warm wine for Madam Xiao.
"This wine is green plum wine. It's not intoxicating. Madam, try it." Zhou Xudao, because Madam Xiao was there, when he finally chose the wine, he chose the bland fruit wine instead of Youzhou Lie Dao Zi. Listen, Qingshan said that drinking fruit wine has some health benefits for women, so Zhou Xu became more inclined to green plum wine.
"Thank you, Sect Leader Zhou, I'd better drink tea." Xiao Luolan put the pottery pot for boiling water on the small stove and prepared the water to boil for tea.
"It would be nice if Madam called me Zhou Lang." Zhou Xu always felt that Madam Xiao's title was not close enough to him. He drank slightly sweet fruit wine and prepared to drink Madam Xiao's tea later.
After a while, the water in the teapot began to bubble.
Xiao Luolan couldn't pronounce such an intimate name, so she just lowered her head and scooped a small wooden spoon of tea leaves into the boiling water from the tea can next to her. After waiting for about half an hour, she placed the teapot on the bamboo mat with a white cloth.
Then she poured herself a cup of tea. Because the boat was shaking slightly, she didn't dare to fill it up, so she only poured half a cup.
Zhou Xu stretched out the cup.
Xiao Luolan poured him a cup of tea, and Zhou Xu took the opportunity to touch Mrs. Xiao's hand and put it down when she saw it was slightly warm.
Xiao Luolan turned her head and looked out of the river. The weather was changing rapidly. She just made tea and left the cloudy area. Instead, there were signs of the sun showing up. The golden sunlight pierced the clouds and formed beams of light on the river. , there are several fishing boats in the distance.
The golden light is sparkling, the river is broad and the clouds are low.
Xiao Luolan looked at it for a while and felt that her mood had broadened and her depression had dissipated.
Seeing that there seemed to be a smile on Mrs. Xiao's lips, Zhou Xu couldn't help but also narrowed his eyes and smiled.
Mrs. Xiao looked at the river scene, and Zhou Xu looked at Mrs. Xiao.
Suddenly, intermittent whistles came from the river.
Xiao Luolan opened the window completely. The vermilion boat had four floors. It was particularly shocking when viewed from the bottom up. The bottom floor was the oar hand that rocked the boat. There were ten-meter-long racket poles on both sides of the boat. The upper floor was filled with several rows. Among the hundreds of soldiers, Xiao Luolan also knew that there were Black Cloud Horses in the cabin on that floor. When they boarded the ship, Sect Leader Zhou took them with him and covered the eyes of the Black Cloud Horses with black cloth while the Lei family rode carefully. Under the leadership of An Yao, the horses boarded the boat. There were soldiers and Lei's cavalry patrolling the second and third floors. The top floor was housing. Xiao Luolan was pulled into the boat by Sect Leader Zhou with only a quick glance.
The daughter was wearing a red riding uniform and seemed to be blowing a pottery whistle. Xiao Luolan looked at her for a while and found that she was not leaning on the railing, but on the inside of the railing, which made her feel a little relieved.
Zhou Xu also took a look and said with a smile: "Mrs. Xiao really loves her daughter as much as her life."
Xiao Luolan's face turned slightly red after being teased by Sect Leader Zhou.
When he came back from the street that day, Reg reported every move of Mrs. Xiao to him. Zhou Xu naturally knew that Mrs. Xiao also had a pottery whistle, which was in the shape of a bird. He looked at Mrs. Xiao's neck. , a thin red rope was looming, hidden in the bright moon. Zhou Xu knew that the little bird whistle was deep in the bright moon.
He thought of the golden thread of longevity he had given to Mrs. Xiao. Mrs. Xiao didn't even look at it, let alone wear it. It was still in the dark box, but it was a whistle made of rough pottery worth just a few cents each. He was worried that the pottery whistle would scratch Mrs. Xiao's tender flesh, but Mrs. Xiao loved it like a treasure.
Is his heart so unworthy of her? The title is the same, always showing a touch of alienation.
Zhou Xu took a sip of tea with a calm expression.
On the boat, Xiao Qingxue sat on the peony cushion and blew a pottery whistle. The melodious whistle carried far away with the wind, and then gradually dispersed in the wind and disappeared.
A few wild birds that were not afraid of people flew to the railing and looked at the little lady.
Xiao Qingxue saw a big cormorant with a fish in its mouth. It was the first time she saw this kind of bird, and she stood up to take a closer look.
A small stone suddenly hit the cormorant. The cormorant was frightened and caused the wild birds at the railing to fly away. The railing was suddenly empty.
Xiao Qingxue turned around and saw the young foreigner.
"The cormorants on the river are generally raised by fishermen and have owners. Strangers may be attacked if they approach them." Tuoba Mu looked at the peony-shaped cushions in front of Madam Xiao's feet, but did not look at her.
Xiao Qingxue sighed, it turned out to be like this.
"Why are you here?" After Xiao Qingxue finished speaking, she realized that there seemed to be ambiguity in her words, and then said, "I mean, are you not with Zhou Liulang?"
She remembered that the two of them had always been inseparable from each other.
Hearing this, Tuoba Mu looked up at Madam Xiao. She was wearing a red round-neck robe today, looking like a pampered young man. She had a small whip hanging around her waist and a small pink sachet, which was particularly beautiful.
Tuoba Mu felt that his heart was beating unsatisfactorily. Today's sunshine seemed to be particularly hot: "Sixteenth Lang, he brought Zheng Duzhi from Taiyang County with him."
Xiao Qingxue didn't understand. It felt like he only spoke half of what he said. Everyone knew he was an official. He brought the official to discuss something, so he let this foreign boy come out. In this case, their friendship is very plastic. , she heard from Reg that when Zhou Liulang was punished to kneel, he was implicated and had to kneel for a long time. The next day, Zhou Liulang rushed him to get medicine. No wonder he was in a hurry.
Tuoba Mu saw Madam Xiao's puzzled expression and added, "Everyone knows that she is a famous prostitute with outstanding talent and appearance, eloquent and well-informed."
Xiao Qingxue was completely stunned after hearing this. After a while, she finally let out a sigh. Xiao Qingxue put her hands on the railing and looked at the river, feeling depressed. This was ancient times. If she and her mother hadn't met each other, Well-meaning Sect Leader Zhou, I'm afraid their fate won't be much better.
"Zheng Duzhi from Taiyang County once talked with a famous talker in Chang'an, so his net worth has increased greatly. In Taiyang County, a thousand pieces of gold are hard to come by. This time, the 16th Lang invited her over..." Tuoba Mu was halfway through his sentence when he noticed that Mrs. Xiao He seemed to be in a bad mood, so he stopped.
He looked at her secretly, and every time her eyelashes twitched, his heart beat violently, as if the giant ship was rocking.
Tuoba Mu has never done anything out of the ordinary since he became sensible. He has always been careful to survive, but he remembered the woman sitting next to Zheng Douzhi in Zhou Liulang's room. Her figure was slightly similar to Mrs. Xiao. , and then I thought that Mrs. Xiao was Mrs. Xiao’s daughter...
"Miss Xiao."
Xiao Qingxue turned to look at this foreign young man and blinked: "What's going on?"
Tuoba Mu lowered his eyes slightly and said dryly: "Mrs. Xiao and Sect Master Zhou are boating."
Xiao Qingxue looked under the giant boat and finally found her mother's boat among a pile of sterns.
She leaned on the railing and took a closer look. Her mother and Sect Master Zhou were sitting opposite each other, seemingly drinking tea.
Xiao Qingxue instantly remembered that her mother had sent sour plum soup to Clan Master Zhou, and Clan Master Zhou enthusiastically taught her whip training for free. For a moment, she felt angry and disappointed. Fortunately, she had asked her mother specifically, and Clan Master Zhou also !
If they were not interested, why did her mother avoid her drinking tea with Clan Master Zhou? Xiao Qingxue felt sour and complicated, so she said that her previous feeling was correct, her mother and Clan Master Zhou actually fooled her together!
She must ask her mother carefully when she comes back.
Tuoba Mu saw that Mrs. Xiao had a strange expression and was worried that she still didn't understand, so he said, "Zheng Duzhi brought a woman with him, who seems to be a bit like Mrs. Xiao."
When Xiao Qingxue heard this, she immediately didn't understand something. Zhou Shiliu Lang really had bad intentions this week.
Although she knew that Clan Master Zhou was not a good choice for her mother, when she saw her mother and Clan Master Zhou drinking tea, and there seemed to be something between them, Xiao Qingxue disliked Zhou Liulang even more, even though he had a longer face. A pleasing face.
Xiao Qingxue wanted to see how the woman Zheng Duzhi brought looked like her mother. She walked a few steps and found that she could not find Zhou Liulang's residence at all.
Xiao Qingxue looked at the young man who sent her the message, and was a little curious about his repeated help: "What's your name?"
Tuoba Mu held the scimitar at his waist and felt that his palms were sweaty: "Tuoba, Tuoba Mu."
"Tuoba Langjun, thank you." Xiao Qingxue is not a reckless person. She knew that if she came to Zhou Liulang at this time, Zhou Liulang would definitely turn his anger on the innocent Tuoba Mu, and he would not be able to retaliate. She would give him a few whippings. Xiao Qingxue thought carefully and resisted the urge to find Zhou Shiliu.
"No, you're welcome." Tuoba Mu avoided Mrs. Xiao's sight.
Xiao Qingxue found that this foreign boy blushed easily, probably because of his foreign race. Not only was his outline deeper than ordinary people, but his skin color was also whiter. In this way, the blush was more obvious. He had long eyelashes and light blue eyes. It is deeper under the shadow, like a deep blue lake.
Tuoba Mu noticed Madam Xiao staring at his face, her hand holding the knife tightened, he turned around suddenly and left without saying a word.
Xiao Qingxue stayed where she was, wondering what was wrong?
Back in the room, Tuoba Mu rarely looked at the bronze mirror in the room. He had an obvious alien appearance. Because of this face, all the ostracism and ridicule he had suffered for a long time came to mind. He looked into his blue eyes, Xiao Xiao Will my wife think his face is strange?
But he can't change his face... The witch doctors in the tribe have tried to change the eyes of other tribesmen, but they failed without exception.
He couldn't even change his eyes.
He is from a foreign race, with the blood of a foreign race on his body. His eyes and hair color are his lifelong mark. He is different from the people of Dachu after all.
Non-my family, its heart must be different. For these words, the Tuoba tribe shed countless blood and died many times before they could climb up to the status of Jiedushi clan. With this status, the Tuoba tribe can live a better life.
"Another fish is coming up."
Xiao Luolan turned to look at the cabin door.
A pale hand lifted the curtain, and then a young man with white hair walked in.
The young man seemed to be sick and not in good health. He was wearing a green robe. He was thin and frail, with a handsome face and a friendly smile in his illness.
Xiao Luolan looked at his white hair for a while, and then she realized that he was rude, so she stopped looking. She said that she was a fish. Sect leader Zhou was obviously waiting for this young man, so he wanted to avoid it.
"Shizi, you're here, sit down quickly." Zhou Xu smiled and called Cui Shizi over, and put the straw mat beside him.
Cui Shizi sat down calmly, took out his handkerchief, covered his mouth and coughed.
Seeing this, Xiao Luolan closed the window.
Cui Shizi slowly raised his head and glanced at Mrs. Xiao, with a smile on his face.
Xiao Luolan thought for a while and stood up, leaving space for Sect Leader Zhou and this young man. She heard Granny Cui say that she had a younger brother, who must be Cui Langjun, who was in poor health.
"It's windy outside, Madam, there's no need to go out." Zhou Xu took Madam Xiao's hand, asked her to sit back down, and said warmly: "I believe Madam."
Xiao Luolan sat back down awkwardly.
Cui Shizi's smile did not change, he took out a few rolls of paper from his sleeves and handed them to his lord, saying: "There is no need to leave Tuoba Agu there to negotiate when we return to Yi Kingdom. My lord can recruit them back."
Zhou Xu looked over the pieces of paper, remained silent for a long time, and then put them in the stove to burn.
The green smoke curled up, and Xiao Luolan only saw the smile of Sect Master Zhou opposite him: "You are right, there is no need to keep those bitches who eat inside and outside. If the old king doesn't want to be a human being, I can help him and send his whole family on the road together." , this way you won’t be alone on the road to hell.”
Xiao Luolan's heart skipped a beat, and she was so frightened by the murderous intent in Sect Leader Zhou's words that she broke into a cold sweat.
Cui Shizi poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip.
He looked at Mrs. Xiao. She was wearing a crane-feather cloak, with raven hair and dew. She was clear and gorgeous, her lips were as red as cherry, and her body was so plump that even when she was frightened, she still had a unique maturity of timidity and pity. style.
Does the Lord actually like this type? Cui Shizi remembered that in the past, some people would send beauties to his lord. They were all beautiful in their own way, but without exception they were all rejected by him. He observed again and found that there was a rare dark blue incense hanging on the lord's waist. Cui Shizi, who has been soaked in medicine all year round, quickly identified the herbs in the sachet. They were all ordinary herbs. The dark blue sachet fabric was a bit old. It must have been worn by the owner from time to time and repeated. Touched…
Cui Shizi couldn't help but glance at the woman named Xiao again, thoughtfully.
evening.
