Wen Jiahe didn't say a word until the scene where the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl met on the Magpie Bridge.
She was sitting upright on the chair, with her back straight, using her lifelong etiquette. She didn't even dare to take a breath or turn her head. She opened her eyes wide and looked at the people on the stage without blinking. Cowherd and Weaver Girl.
When the play ended, the theater burst into applause. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked out holding hands with Shanshan. Just as he stepped out of the theater, he saw the emperor wearing a Sun Wukong mask bend down and put Shan Shan on his shoulders.
Wen Jiahe: "..."
She took a sudden breath, holding it in until her cheeks turned red.
Her father was a general with a strong physique and often rode as a horse for his younger daughter. Her mother also vaguely hinted to her that the relationship between Shanshan and the emperor was extraordinary. But Zhigui knew that the emperor was always dignified and solemn, and she was frightened when she saw him. Normally, she would not even dare to speak loudly in front of the emperor. How could she have imagined that he would be regarded as a "big horse" by others.
He is also wearing a funny Sun Wukong mask, but there is no majesty left at all.
Wen Jiahe glanced at the servants following him.
It would be nice if her parents could take her with them when they go out...
Shanshan was completely unaware, sitting high up and taking in the excitement of the whole street. She had just watched the play, but she was still not satisfied and was looking for other entertainment on the street. There was an acrobatic performance not far away, and the crowd gathered on several floors. People in the center were holding bowls and playing altars, and there were also people competing in poems and guessing riddles. Shanshan looked around and saw someone playing hutong.
She looked down and saw the stone, grinned, and patted the "big horse" under her: "Uncle, let's go."
Wen Jiahe took another breath.
The prize for the pot-throwing competition was a gorgeous lantern with a meticulously painted picture of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. It was so exquisite that many people were attracted to it. Now it was two young men competing in a competition. The battle was stalemate. Shanshan watched with relish for a long time. After throwing eight arrows, the winner was quickly determined.
The loser turned around and saw that he was still an acquaintance. Shanshan shouted: "Big cousin!"
Qi Yun followed the sound and greeted gently: "Aunt Qing, Shanshan, Shitou, you are also out to play."
He was still a little embarrassed: "I made you laugh."
"Cousin, who is that person?" Shanshan looked at the young man who had won: "I just saw that he didn't miss a single arrow. It's really amazing."
"That is Mr. Zhao, who is also studying in the school. Like Shitou, he is very talented in riding and shooting." The throwing pot evolved from the archery ceremony. Mentioning this, Qi Yun said with great interest: "It's lively today. Since Here, Shitou might as well give it a try, maybe he can beat Mr. Zhao."
Shanshan thinks so too.
Someone happened to ask: "Does anyone else want to compete with Mr. Zhao?"
Shanshan immediately raised his hand: "Yes! There is it here!"
Everyone turned around after hearing the sound and saw a little girl carved in pink and jade "riding" on a "Sun Wukong". Shitou was still a little shy at first, but Shanshan said excitedly: "Brother Shitou, I want that lantern."
Stone: "Yeah!"
He pushed aside the crowd and stood inside.
Mr. Zhao glanced at him and said proactively: "Tuoba, I know you. I heard that you are superb in archery and that you have become a disciple of General Wen. I have long wanted to compete with you."
Shitou took the eight bamboo arrows and nodded to him. Without saying a word, he looked at the copper kettle with a slender neck not far away in a prepared manner.
The rules of throwing pots are simple. Two parties sit on a mat, each holding eight bamboo arrows, and take turns throwing pots. Whoever hits the most arrows wins. It was my first time playing with stones, and I threw one crookedly at the beginning. He pursed his lips and looked more serious.
But Mr. Zhao was obviously a skilled player. He had already defeated many people in a row before Qi Yun. He looked relaxed, followed Shi Jitou, picked up an arrow and threw it out. His casual attitude undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on his opponent. Shitou was more cautious and hit all the shots in the back. At the end of the count, there was still one less shot than Mr. Zhao.
Mr. Zhao said: "Tuoba, next time we go to the shooting range and compete with bows and arrows."
Shitou pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. He returned to Shanshan, his head drooping, feeling extremely disappointed.
"Brother Shitou, you were so awesome just now." Shanshan held up the little goldfish lantern in his hand and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter if you don't win the lantern, I already have one."
As soon as she finished speaking, she was hugged down. Shanshan slowly looked up and saw that it was the emperor himself who had gone up.
Bian Chen also took eight bamboo arrows. Without taking off his mask, he asked calmly: "Can I come?"
Mr. Zhao was stunned for a moment and said happily: "Please."
This time Bian Chen went first.
Mr. Zhao made hundreds of hits, and the same happened to him. The first four bamboo arrows all fell into the pot, but when he reached the fifth one, he suddenly stood up and turned in one direction.
The onlookers took a breath: "Is he going to sit on his back and throw himself away?!"
With your back to the pot, you can't even see the spout, and the feel of reverse throwing is different from that of forward throwing. It's like a blind man walking at night - even more difficult!
While everyone was still discussing, Bian Chen had already thrown the arrow in his hand. There was just a clang sound and the arrow sank into the pot.
Everyone was in an uproar.
Shan Shan was so excited that her little hands turned red.
Seeing this, Young Master Zhao also turned around.
The next four arrows were shot backwards by both sides. At first Mr. Zhao was calm and composed, but now he was sweating profusely. If you can't see it, the pressure of missing the shot will be greater. If you hear the clang of the previous person's shot, you are afraid that you will lose the direction. Under the pressure, you will lose your position first.
An arrow was thrown, but the sound of hitting the pot was not heard as expected, so Mr. Zhao felt bad in his heart.
Sure enough, out of a total of eight arrows, he hit six, and the man wearing the Sun Wukong mask hit them all.
Someone asked: "Who else wants to compete with this young master?"
The onlookers looked at each other in shock, and no one stood up for a moment.
Shanshan clapped her hands and her eyes were bright when she saw the gorgeous lantern being handed to her by the emperor's uncle. The lanterns were exquisite and gorgeous, and there were meticulous paintings on all sides by famous artists. The lights were bright and the pictures were lifelike. Compared with them, the little lantern in her hand was reduced to dust.
Shanshan let out a short cry of surprise. She did not rush to take the lantern. Instead, she opened her arms and put her arms around the Emperor's uncle's neck. She stood on tiptoes like she usually did with her mother, and happily touched his face through the mask. Shangbobo kissed him twice.
Bian Chen froze in place for a moment, his whole body as stiff as a stone statue, but the corners of his lips behind the mask instinctively raised, like the spring breeze blowing on his face.
The lantern was won by someone, but the pot-throwing competition was not over yet. Another jackpot was taken out, and the crowd gathered around again.
Mr. Zhao lost once and did not want to participate. He called his friends to leave. He also recognized Shanshan. Before leaving, he casually praised: "Wen Shan, your father is really awesome."
"he……"
Be good and stay still.
It took her a long time to come back to her senses and realize who his father was, but before she had time to explain, Mr. Zhao had already walked away after saying this.
After a while, Bian Chen reacted first, patted her gently, and wanted to ask her if she wanted to sit on his shoulder again. This time it was Shanshan's turn to feel embarrassed. She brushed away the emperor's hand and ran behind her mother, revealing a pair of round, black and bright puppy-like eyes, looking at him timidly.
He wore a mask of Sun Dasheng, and his face could not be seen through the mask, but he was tall and straight, with an extraordinary demeanor, even more handsome than Sun Wukong on the stage.
Shanshan is silent.
She has her own father, and although she hasn't met him yet, she has thought about it many times. Sometimes her father looked like a thin scholar, and sometimes he had a big beard. The father in her imagination would come to play with her every day, read her stories, and act like a big horse to her. Just like Sun Dasheng, he is as majestic and majestic.
She has heard from many people who want to be their father. Matchmaker Wang introduced Uncle Shen and the like, but none of them thought of going to the Emperor's uncle. She had never thought about having a stepfather, but no one, whether it was Uncle Shen or Mr. He, had ever treated her like a big horse.
But the emperor knows it.
The emperor's uncle's shoulders were broad and reliable, and he easily carried her up. It was the first time that she sat so high, as if she could reach out and pick the stars in the sky. But the emperor is someone else's father, not hers.
Shanshan was a little sad and hid behind her mother, not even looking at him.
Bian Chen's hand was hanging in the air, and he looked at Wen Yiqing helplessly. Wen Yiqing lowered his head and coaxed his daughter twice. Seeing that Shanshan refused to come out, she could only look at him apologetically.
The speaker was unintentional, but the three people listening had different thoughts.
Wen Yiqing was also absent-minded.
She followed them closely, clearly seeing the relationship between the two of them, and they were so close that they were no different from other fathers and daughters. She knew what was going on in her little girl's head, but she had no time to coax her because she was also thinking wildly.
I remember him standing in front of me regardless of his own safety that day, thinking about him bending down to be a good horse for Shanshan, and thinking about Mr. Zhao's unintentional words just now.
She was still restless all night, thinking about what he said that day and asking her to believe him again.
Fortunately, Shan Shan's melancholy went away as quickly as it came. He didn't take a few steps and quickly dissipated. He held hands with his friends and went to play happily.
There is Yuelao Temple in the city. In front of the door is a big leafy tree, which is tied with red silk. Young boys and girls write their names and the names of their sweethearts on it to pray for a good marriage. Today is Chinese Valentine's Day, and people gathered in a circle under the tree. It seems that today's search for marriage seems to be more effective.
Shanshan liked to join in the fun, squeezed around in the crowd, and then came back. He also took a piece of red silk and a small wooden sign to write his name on.
She was very excited, but when it was her turn to write her name, she had difficulty. She clutched the brush and didn't know how to write.
Wen Yiqing found it a bit funny: "How old are you, what kind of marriage are you looking for?"
Shanshan thought for a while: "Then if I write about me, my mother, Jiahe, and Brother Shitou, will Grandpa God respond to me?"
"Yue Lao is in charge of the marriage between men and women, but he doesn't care about the relationship between friends."
Shan Shan wrinkled his little face in embarrassment.
Just when Wen Yiqing was about to persuade her to give up, he saw her frowning, squinting and laughing, and with a big stroke of her pen, she wrote her mother's name crookedly on the wooden sign in her own dog-crawling character.
Wen Yiqing was puzzled.
Shanshan kept writing. After finishing his mother's name, he continued to write his own name. She sipped the sweet little pear, and under her mother's eyes, she added three more words to her name, and it became - "Kind Daddy"!
She was young and had no chance of getting married, so she begged for it on behalf of her parents. She doesn't know where her father is yet, but she hopes that Grandpa Yue will show up and reconcile her father with her mother quickly.
Then he threw away the pen and went to hang up the sign happily.
"Shan Shan!"
When Wen Yiqing came back to her senses, she saw that the little girl had already run away with the wooden sign. She wanted to stop her, but was grabbed by someone.
It's Bian Chen.
He also saw the content on the wooden sign, and his expression at this time could not be seen through a mask.
She turned back. Shanshan was short and could not reach such a tall tree. Shitou took the initiative to squat down and let her sit on his shoulders. He was tall and stood up straight. Shanshan stretched out his hand again and easily tied the red silk On to the tree trunk. She tied it tightly and tied two more knots.
The red silk wooden plaques all over the tree are similar. When the wind blows, they collide and make a clanging sound. Looking for them again is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Over there Wen Jiahe was saying: "I will also write one for my father and my mother!"
Wen Yiqing pursed her lips and broke away from the man's hand angrily.
Bian Chen said: "I heard that the Yuelao Temple here is very effective."
"So what." Wen Yiqing said in a firm tone: "There are so many separations and separations in the world. Even couples can reconcile. No matter how much the gods care about, they won't care about trivial matters."
His tone was soothing, as if he was smiling: "I offer sacrifices to heaven every year, so the gods should be a bit generous."
"Even if gods have great powers, they don't have the final say on this matter."
Yes or no, it's up to her.
Bian Chen looked not far away. Under the trees, there were not only unmarried young men and women, but also middle-aged people with children, or couples with gray hair supporting each other. His eyes moved slightly and he looked to the other side. A little girl who looked similar to him and Ah Qing was jumping up and down, reaching out to touch the red silk on the tree.
Even she couldn't find the sign she hung up with her own hands.
He smiled behind the mask: "The man just now recognized me and Shanshan as father and daughter. Even outsiders can recognize us, but I have never heard Shanshan call me daddy."
Wen Yiqing was silent for a moment and said bluntly: "If you want to... it's not impossible."
Bian Chen shook his head.
If one day, Shanshan can recognize him and call him his father, his life experience will be revealed to the world. By then, mother and daughter will have to enter the palace. But he knew that Wen Yiqing was unwilling.
Even though he has thousands of ways to force people into the palace, he is unwilling to impose these on his wife and daughter.
Or let Shanshan know her life experience. She is young and always thinks about why her parents are separated. Instead of being sad about it, she should live happily.
"If we both come from humble backgrounds, it would be better to be a commoner couple." Bian Chen sighed: "You open a shop, and I will study for merit and fame. When you are old enough, I will find someone to propose marriage to your parents. In this way, I will not miss Shanshan when she is born, and I will be able to see her grow up, teach her homework, and teach her to write her father’s name.”
Wen Yiqing said softly: "Why make these useless assumptions."
Bian Chen continued: "The prince is fifteen years old and has already joined the government to participate in politics. In a few years, he will be able to take charge of his own affairs... If one day, I leave the palace and just be a country man with no name and no salary, by then Do you dislike me?"
Wen Yiqing asked: "Can you give it up?"
Bian Chen was noncommittal.
But she didn't believe it.
He dressed up in disguise, as if he had forgotten his noble status, and was just an ordinary father who would coax his daughter in a low voice, and would even let her sit on his shoulders and bow down for her.
When she saw that scene, she didn't need Wen Jia and this several-year-old child to stay calm. She was stunned in place and even forgot to take steps.
The stubborn heart trembled a little.
A young couple walked by with their children in their arms, laughter brushing against their ears. Wen Yiqing's eyes subconsciously followed her. The couple cuddled closely together, and their eyes quickly left the warm family.
She turned her head away and said, "Even if you are relieved of your responsibilities, you still have a noble status and I cannot reach you."
"If I were just a commoner farmer."
"..."
Bian Chen heard something: "Are you willing?"
"..."
"Aqing, actually you still have me in your heart, right?"
"..."
Wen Yiqing turned his head.
She wanted to deny it, but in front of the Yuelao Temple, all the men and women were praying for marriage, and under the clay statues of gods with kind-hearted eyes, it seemed that after her heart softened, she couldn't even say anything against her heart. So he could only shut his mouth.
Bian Chen took off his mask, revealing his handsome face underneath.
He never liked to smile, and always frowned, with a deep mark between his eyebrows. But at this time, his eyes were soft, and the coldness and inhumanity of the past had all faded away. The lights on the street were shining brightly, and his deep brows were covered with a layer of warm light.
No matter how restrained their temperament is, all people in the world who are affirmed by their beloved will always look the same, eager to express their joy. There are many young people around who are shy about showing their feelings. How much older is he? Unlike those immature and clumsy youngsters, he has already tasted love.
So he leaned down.
Wen Yiqing's almond-shaped eyes widened, all she could see was him. She clutched her dress, her body stiffened, and she recalled the first intimate contact between the two of them for no reason.
It was in a bamboo forest in the village. This man restrained himself and asked for her permission beforehand.
The sound of bamboo rustling at that time seemed to overlap with the human voice at this moment, and the innocent and childish laughter of children came like a shock that broke through an illusion.
Her mind was thinking of running away, but her feet were heavy and she didn't move at all.
Then he watched helplessly as the man who had restrained himself and restored etiquette took the Sun Wukong mask given by his little daughter and covered the sides of their faces, creating a small inch of privacy in the bustle. In her dazed gaze, , offended, and fell into a soft and gentle kiss.
