But the regret in my heart never goes away.
Just when he thought his father would give him one, his father said nothing.
Xiao Luolan looked at the remaining New Year's copper coin from Sect Master Zhou and frowned slightly, while Xiao Qingxue hesitated to speak.
Time passed gradually.
Zhou Shenzhi felt lost. Listening to the sound of New Year's fireworks, he was so lost that his eyes suddenly turned red.
Chapter 157
At the end of the vigil, the two children also went back to their rooms to rest.
Xiao Luolan looked at her daughter who turned around three times and found that she hesitated and refused to leave. On the contrary, Shen Zhi, the child, bowed politely and left.
But how could Xiao Luolan ignore his gaffe at a certain moment? Even her daughter was looking at them restlessly, not knowing what to do.
Xiao Qingxue saw her brother leaving and wanted to catch up. The New Year's coins in her hand suddenly became hot to the touch. Of course she was happy that her father and mother had given her a New Year's gift, but if she was the only one who had this gift, , then she might as well not have it. Seeing her brother like that made her feel uncomfortable.
Why don't she bring her father's other new year's copper coin to her brother? Xiao Qingxue thought this, her feet stopped in place, and she glanced at her father secretly, wondering why he did this.
"It's getting late, my good daughter, go back to bed." Zhou Xu glanced at the sky with a calm expression and smiled at Qingxue.
"Dad, I..." Xiao Qingxue stepped forward slowly. To be honest, this was the first time she felt her father's aura. It was clear that her father was also kind and pleasant to her, but she just felt upset in her heart. , panicked, Dad’s tone of voice was clearly irrefutable.
"Good boy, go to bed quickly. You won't be able to get up tomorrow." Zhou Xu patted his daughter on the shoulder and asked her to go back.
Xiao Qingxue pouted and went back reluctantly. When she returned to her own Luming Garden, she tossed and turned and couldn't sleep.
"It's getting late, Madam..." Zhou Xu looked at Madam.
Xiao Luolan pursed her lips tightly. She raised her eyes to look at the well-behaved Zongzhu Zhou who insisted on making trouble for the two children. She knew in her heart that this man's temperament had not changed at all. When he wanted to manipulate people's hearts, he would not do anything to his enemies or his family. They can all be cruel.
When the family is reunited, do we have to suffer such injustice to another child? Even she could see Shenzhi's expectation for the New Year's coin. Xiao Luolan felt depressed and angry, like the continuous high temperature and sultry heat before a heavy rain fell, and her whole body was in the oppressive air.
He could change to another method of punishment at any time, but he didn't want to. Xiao Luolan stood up, the ring on his body rang softly, his hands were wrapped in his big sleeves, and he left immediately, not wanting to listen to what Sect Leader Zhou said anymore. .
He is the head of the Zhou clan, he is the governor of Youzhou, and he is the general. His position means that everyone must obey him, but can it be the same at home and outside?
Isn't Sect Master Zhou's punishment to the Lu family enough? Why must Shen Zhi be implicated, or in such a way...
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Xiao Luolan sat in a small pavilion in Jinghu Lake, looking at the water waves of Jinghu Lake under the full moonlight. During the Chinese New Year this year, she asked Chunhua and the others to go back to her family to stay vigil, so it was rare to see her by her side. of no one.
It was quiet all around, with the cold wind blowing in my face at night.
Xiao Luolan knew that she would be very busy tomorrow and had to get up early to eat gold ingots. Although she did not sweep the dust on the first day of the new year, as soon as the door opened, officials from various counties would arrange their servants to line up and hand over famous plaques to celebrate the New Year. But at this moment, she No sleepiness at all.
She looked at the flowing water of Jinghu Lake, and she could feel the disappointment of Shen Zhi's child if she put herself in his shoes. But Shen Zhi didn't say a word, and even left at the end of the vigil.
Xiao Luolan truly cared for Shen Zhi as another child, so now her heart ached.
She lowered her head and searched around, and took out a New Year's copper coin. It was said to be a copper coin, but it was carved from a piece of fine sapphire. The three New Year's copper coins were all sapphire-colored, inlaid with gold rims, with words engraved on the inside, and no holes. , is a lucky gift in the shape of a copper coin. If you ignore the words, these copper coins are all the same.
Xiao Luolan looked at it for a while, then walked out of the Jinghu Pavilion while holding up the hem of her skirt. Zhouzhai was quite big. When passing by her daughter's Luming Garden, Xiao Luolan found that the lights had been turned off in the garden. She was the one who came the most in Zhouzhai. In addition to Mingxintang, the other place is Luming Garden. Shen Zhi's Yueying residence is opposite her daughter's Luming Garden, separated by an artificial lake.
Xiao Luolan held a lantern, crossed the bridge, and passed a small garden before arriving at Yueying Residence.
She rarely came to Shen Zhi's side because she was worried that Shen Zhi would think she was meddling in his affairs. Children in reorganized families are always more sensitive.
"Mistress." Shuqi from Yueying Residence saw the mistress coming and saluted quickly.
"Is this a book chess game? Is Shen Zhi here?" Xiao Luolan asked, holding a lantern. She knew that there were four book boys beside Shen Zhi.
"If I go back to my mistress, Mr. Lang hasn't come back yet." Shuqi said quickly.
"Didn't come back?" Xiao Luolan suddenly became concerned and turned to Shen Zhi's study, over there at Luobi Pavilion. Perhaps he was back in the study, or at his friend's place. She remembered that Shen Zhi had a good friend from the Xie family. His name is Xie Deyong.
"Mother, what happened? Do you want to send someone to find Young Master?" Shuqi asked boldly. He had been with Young Master since he was a child and was loyal to him, so he was a little worried.
"No need for the moment." Xiao Luolan said, Shen Zhi was a face-loving person, and it would be inappropriate for his reputation to come to him in a big way. She turned to Shuqi and said, "Just wait here."
"Wei." Shuqi responded.
When they arrived at Luobi Pavilion, Xiao Luolan held a lantern, and her heart sank. There was no light on in Luobi Pavilion, and Shen Zhi was not here. Shu Yan was the book boy of Luobi Pavilion. He was also surprised to see his mistress coming. After all, the mistress had always I rarely set foot in Shaolangjun's place.
The lights in the study room suddenly turned on, and Xiao Luolan couldn't help but feel happy.
"Hmm? Who's out there in the middle of the night?" The door opened, and a sleepy young man's voice sounded.
Xie Deyong was wearing a white fox fur coat. The inner clothes were loose and exposed a large area of chest. He stepped on wooden clogs and leaned against the door and yawned. He was so sleepy that when he saw the woman holding a lantern in the courtyard, He immediately stood upright, his pupils were like paint, his face was as white as jade, and he had the handsome appearance of a good husband.
When Xiao Luolan saw that it was not Shen Zhi, her joy gradually dissipated. As her mood fluctuated, she became increasingly worried about where Shen Zhi had gone at night.
Xie Deyong was blown by the cold wind, gathered up his clothes, and bowed to Mistress Youzhou. He disliked that Langge's courtyard was too deserted, so he stayed with his friends during the Chinese New Year. He didn't expect to sleep well. There was a commotion outside. When the light came on, he put on his clothes and stood up, wanting to see what was going on outside. Unexpectedly, he saw Mistress Youzhou.
"Deyong pays homage to the general's wife." Xie Deyong saluted respectfully.
Xiao Luolan was in a hurry to find someone, so she didn't have time to talk to Shen Zhi's friend, so she hummed softly and said, "Thank you, sir, have a good rest." and left.
After Mistress Youzhou left, Xie Deyong slowly stood up.
He raised his head and glanced at the moonlight, but he felt that it was not as bright as before.
He had been in and out of the palace since he was a child, and had been reading to the prince when he was young. Naturally, he had seen the long-famous Concubine Xi, who was fascinated by her appearance. She had no intention of going to court early in the morning. Concubine Xi was naturally beautiful, with a silvery face, peach blossom eyes, and a naturally charming body. The figure is plump and graceful. Even as the woman aged, she did not lose favor. On the contrary, she became more and more favored by the saints. There are as many beauties as stars in Chang'an. All the beauties in the world have gathered in Chang'an. The most famous concubine, The girls from the aristocratic families in the Chang'an symposium all have good looks, as well as the famous prostitutes in Chang'an. Only the courtesans from the Luoyang Jingshu Banquet can compete with each other...
Xie Deyong recalled the glimpse of the Mistress of Youzhou, and seemed to understand why this woman could become the Mistress of Youzhou as a woman who took care of children.
Imagine that the bright moon is in the sky, the garden is filled with water, a lamp is held in the woman's snowy hands, and the black and dark gold dress under the cloak blooms at her feet. When the woman looks back, her eyebrows are raised slightly, like spring water. Her eyes were filled with joy and sorrow, and there was a thrilling mature beauty in the movement of her brows.
Especially today in the family temple, the woman was dressed very solemnly and coldly. Even the flower on her forehead was a sharp pale gold color, but there was an unnoticeable anxiety in her eyes.
If a Bodhisattva lowers his eyebrows and is gentle, he will only have mercy on you.
Xie Deyong knew that this was his illusion, but he just couldn't control himself from thinking this way. It wasn't until the cold wind made him shiver that Xie Deyong returned to his room.
Xiao Luolan held a lantern and slowly searched for people in Zhou's house, starting from where Shenzhi lived.
Zhou Xu drank some more wine since his wife left. Thinking that his wife was angry today, he must have gone back to the house.
He waited until the moon went down before he stood up with a jar of wine.
Zhou Shenzhi was sitting under a remote roof ridge, looking at the fireworks in the sky. When Zhou Xu came up, he found that this boy had drunk a lot of wine.
He sat down and placed the burning knife beside him.
Zhou Shenzhi was not drunk, but at this moment he wished he was drunk. When he was drunk, he would no longer have to pretend. When he was drunk, he could loudly ask why his father was so partial. But he was not drunk, so he had to hold on and insist on it. Behave and behave yourself.
"How old are you, why are you still crying like a child?" Zhou Xu looked at him for a while.
Zhou Shenzhi gritted his teeth and said nothing, but finally couldn't hold back and said: "It doesn't matter if I'm with you anyway, you don't have to worry about me."
Zhou Xu raised his head and looked at the moon. The bright moon shines on thousands of families. It would be great if everyone could be reunited every year.
"How can you ignore it? I am your father." Zhou Xu saw his son's eyes were red and remembered that he had not seen him like this for many years. He paused and said, "Your mother left early. Uncle Sun wrote that When you were born, you were like a sickly cat cub, with a small and pitiful voice. You were sick and didn't drink milk. I was thinking about how you were going to survive?" Zhou Xu seemed to have returned to Yanmen Pass when he received the letter from Uncle Sun's family. , there was no big fluctuation in his voice, just a hint of confusion.
Zhou Shenzhi continued to grit his teeth and said nothing, his eyes getting redder and redder.
"The war was going on at that time, and I was so anxious that I had a lot of bubbles in my mouth. After I gave you the New Year's copper coins, your health didn't get better either. I was so worried that I couldn't sleep all night long, thinking about whether I should study or not. The way to raise a child in the South is to give you a cheap name so that you can support yourself." Zhou Xu said this with a smile, but fortunately he grew up.
Zhou Shenzhi became even more angry when he heard his father's smiling voice.
The two father and son sat on the tiles, no one said anything.
Zhou Xu opened the wine jar and took a sip of wine, then poured a glass for his son.
Zhou Shenzhi held his head and refused to answer the question.
Zhou Xu continued to take a sip of wine, and then left with the wine jar. Zhou Shenzhi gritted his teeth to prevent himself from losing his composure, but his heart was extremely cold. Just now, he was quite important in his words, but now he didn't want to say more than two or three sentences. If you talk to him more, will it be so difficult for him to impress his father?
Feeling furious and unspeakable, Zhou Shenzhi couldn't sit still anymore and stood up. He wanted to ask his father if he had a mother, Amei, and he became an outsider in his heart. Is it this way! As Xie Deyong said, when you have a stepmother, you have a stepfather, and the love you had for him will disappear. If this is true...
Zhou Shenzhi found that he couldn't accept this at all. He kicked the tiles angrily, and the sound of shattering tiles was heard under the ground.
"Keep your voice down, your mother is resting at Mingxintang."
His father's voice sounded on the other side, and Zhou Shenzhi was startled. He stepped forward and crossed the ridge of the roof, and found his father sleeping on the tiles with his hands on the pillow, and the wine jar next to him.
"Son, come here." Zhou Xu smiled.
Zhou Shenzhi found that he had been tricked by his father, and sat beside him with a sullen expression. The atmosphere between the two was no longer so tense because of what had just happened, but it did not relax either, and they remained in a stalemate.
"Here." Zhou Xu took out the New Year's copper coins from his brocade bag.
Zhou Shenzhi clenched his fist and refused to take it.
"I really don't want it. You lost the New Year's copper coin wrapped with colorful threads when you were a child. This is the last one." Zhou Xu tossed the copper coin carelessly: "Since you don't want it, I will throw it into the Jinghu Lake. ." After that, he waved his long arm and threw it into the night, without even giving Zhou Shenzhi time to regret it.
Zhou Shenzhi immediately raised his head to look into the darkness, and suddenly stood up. His mind went blank. His body took a step ahead of his brain. Zhou Xu pulled his son down and gave him his things.
Zhou Shenzhi sat down and looked down at the New Year's copper coins in his hand.
The vision suddenly became blurry, and a little coldness dripped on the small words.
The four small characters on it are faintly visible.
"The words your mother thought of." Zhou Xu looked at the night sky.
Zhou Shenzhi held the New Year's coin tightly, and the four small characters on it slightly touched his hands. The four simple characters were peace and joy. Zhou Shenzhi thought of the wet nurse who took care of him when he was young. She was his mother. At that time, he was slightly He is more sensible and knows that he does not have a biological mother and does not feel anything wrong because he has someone accompanying him wherever he goes, coaxing him and following him, but the wet nurse often looks at him with sad eyes. Later, when he grew up, the wet nurse because Because she was homesick and in bad health, Zhou Shenzhi asked her to go back to Xunjiangrong to raise her. Anyway, he often went to his uncle's house, so he didn't feel too sad about the parting.
On the day of separation, the wet nurse held him in a deserted place, touched his head, wept silently, and said in a soft voice: "Young Master, your mother had one wish for you before she died, that she be safe. You must Peace, peace."
Zhou Shenzhi burst into tears.
Zhou Xu listened to his son's choking voice and took a sip of wine: "You have friendship with the Lu family, that's why you were indifferent after knowing what the Lu family did, because Lan Niang is not your biological mother."
"But I want you to know that Lan Niang's heart for you is the same as your biological mother's heart."
Zhou Shenzhi's face was filled with tears. His longing for his mother and guilt for his stepmother made him embarrassed to face his father: "I just think it would be better for my father to handle this matter."
"If Lan Niang were your biological mother, would you still be polite to the Lu family? You wouldn't. If Lan Niang was aggressive by nature, harsh and unforgiving, and could disturb the family, would you write a book to let the Lu family know? Be more restrained, you will." Zhou Xu said calmly.
His father's words were like a sword that pierced through everything in his daily life. Zhou Shenzhi moved his lips lightly, but was speechless and extremely ashamed: "Father, I'm sorry."
"You should say this to your mother." Zhou Xudao.
Zhou Shenzhi held the New Year's Eve coins tightly and wanted to find his mother. Zhou Xu picked up the wine jar and stood up: "When I came to find you, your mother went to Mingxintang and must have fallen asleep."
"Then I'll go see my mother tomorrow morning."
"Okay, let's go down." Zhou Xu sighed. Zhou Shenzhi followed his father and wiped away his tears in embarrassment. When he arrived below, he saw another calm man.
Halfway through the walk, I suddenly saw candlelight looming in the rockery group not far away, as if someone was walking looking for something.
