"Can't get a wife?" You He thought he heard wrongly, "Father, can't I get a wife?"
The old man was surprised by You He's reaction so strongly that he couldn't help but worry even more: "How is it possible to get a wife?"
You He never went to Wuchen Nunnery again, the place that once brought him sweetness and sadness.
You He no longer hangs out with his playmates of many years, they have completely disappointed him.
He is an imperfect man, and he wants to come into contact with others who are also imperfect men.
He devoted himself to learning the work of widowhood from his adoptive father.
He wants to be a masterpiece that explores another kind of imperfect person - the person who has lost his life.
During the Spring Festival when I was seventeen years old, Kaifeng Mansion in the capital was as lively as in previous years. All kinds of amusement acrobats, drama performers, divination sellers, and medicine sellers had all gathered here since the winter solstice of the previous year. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival was the last day of the festival. Climax night.
You He and his adoptive father went to watch the lanterns together. The entire Kaifeng Mansion was decorated with tens of thousands of lanterns, making it look like an opera singer.
While You He was reciting a lantern riddle, his mind suddenly moved and he turned his head and looked to the side.
Among the thousands of people, the others seemed to dim in an instant, except for one girl, who was exceptionally clear and bright.
"Lian'er...?"
The surroundings became quiet for an instant, and You He's mind seemed to suddenly clear up. He forgot that there were many people around him, and just rushed over desperately, not even hearing the curses of the people he hit.
"It's you, Lian'er, it's you!"
After not seeing each other for three or four years, Lian'er has become even more beautiful. The girl's figure has matured, like a newly ripe peach, plump as if it is about to overflow with juice.
He rushed to the girl and looked at her excitedly.
What was especially exciting was that she was not wearing a monk's robe, but an ordinary girl's dress.
"Lian'er, I finally see you!"
"Hey! What a bold guy!" A middle-aged woman stepped in and said, "You evil young man, how dare you call my lady by her first name?"
The girl was so surprised that she covered her mouth with her sleeves and looked at You He in fear.
"Lian'er, don't you recognize me?" You He ignored the woman, "Have you returned to secular life?"
The girl opened her watery eyes, and the panic in her eyes was mixed with a lot of doubts.
The middle-aged woman standing in front of the girl raised her eyebrows and shouted, "Hey! You're still a sissy bastard! Get out of here!"
The woman swept her legs and kicked You He's knees away. When You He screamed in pain, she dragged the girl away and fled.
"Lian'er, don't leave!"
A fist came from the side and said: "You are so bold, bastard, molesting a decent woman?"
The people nearby gathered around, intending to teach You He a lesson.
The old man rushed forward, dragged You He away and ran away.
Seeing that the target was gone, people dispersed in a hurry.
When he got home, Lao Zuo didn't say anything, and neither did You He.
The old man helped him apply some medicine and asked him to wash his face. After seeing how late it was, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The adoptive father's silence made You He feel very uneasy.
But there was something else that disturbed him even more.
The next day, he secretly left home, slipped out of the city, and went to a village near Wuchen nunnery, where he waited expectantly.
The city is so noisy and lively, but this Wuchen Nunnery is extremely peaceful.
After waiting for a long time, the door of the nunnery opened gently, and You He's heart jumped wildly, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.
Sure enough, it was Lian'er, wearing a plain monk's robe, holding a basket in her hand, not knowing where she was going.
You He secretly followed her, and when he was some distance away from Wuchen Nunnery, You He quietly called her.
Lian'er was startled for a moment, then turned around and saw You He. She looked around anxiously, afraid of seeing her master: "What's the matter?"
You He stepped forward happily, but Lian'er hid a few steps back: "Why are you still looking for me?"
"I saw you in the city last night, but you didn't recognize me..."
"Nonsense," Lian'er looked around in panic, "When did I go to the city?"
"Lian'er, I'm not pestering you, but I haven't seen you for four years, so don't treat me so coldly."
"Master will do something terrible when he sees it."
"I won't tell her, she won't know that you went to the lantern festival."
"Stop making nonsense," Lian'er said with a frown, "I didn't go into the city. Master will shave my head next month, so don't come to me again."
After saying that, Lian'er ran away in a hurry.
You He didn't catch up, he was only filled with doubts.
He didn't understand, but he had an answer in his mind, and he couldn't believe the answer.
"He'er," a heavy palm patted his shoulder, making him startled with guilt, "That's it. You can't come to her again."
The adoptive father never said he knew about it and never expressed his opinion.
This time, the sudden appearance behind him made him feel that there was something very mysterious about it.
"Father, you already knew this?" He didn't dare to look back.
"I knew it a long time ago," Old Man Zuo sighed, "That's why I persuaded you."
You He shook his head: "Don't worry, foster father, the child will no longer have wishful thinking."
"That's good."
"Lian'er is about to be tonsured."
"Her aunt has finally decided?"
"aunt?"
You He turned his head and caught the twinkle in the old man's eyes.
The old man knew that he had slipped up.
"Father, do you know about Lian'er?"
Lao Zuo is a person who doesn't lie. He only chooses "not to lie" or "not to tell". He doesn't like lying, because after lying, he needs more lies, and lying is too troublesome.
"Father, isn't the Lian'er I met at the lantern festival last night not Lian'er?"
"He'er..." The old man was very embarrassed and begged him with his eyes to stop asking.
"Father, Lian'er didn't recognize me last night, but Lian'er recognized me just now. Why?"
"He'er, my adoptive father doesn't want to tell you."
"Why? Foster father."
"It is related to the future of many people. Once someone knows it, someone will change their life and no longer be able to live as happily as before," said the old man. "This is the so-called 'secret'. It is better not to know than to know." .”
"I would like to know."
The less people know about it, the more people want to know. This is also the characteristic of "secret".
"Unless," the old man looked at him seriously, biting his lower lip, "you can do two things for me."
"Don't say two, even ten!"
When Lao Zuo saw the determination in You He's eyes, he had already softened his heart.
He shook his head and sighed: "It's a private matter, but if I don't tell you, I'm afraid I won't give up..."
He raised his head and made up his mind: "First, you must rely on me and never talk to others."
"I agree." You He nodded heavily.
"Second, don't, don't go to Wuchen Nunnery again."
You He held his breath, held back the tears that were about to leak out of his eyes, and nodded.
This nod completely stripped him of the many years of sweet memories, the days and nights of lovesickness, and the little extravagant hope that remained in the corner of his heart.
He once told himself that he should be a man of his word and follow the example of his adoptive father.
This persistence took him through a lot of hardships in the future.
"Okay," the old man closed his eyes for a while, thinking about his next sentence, "Do you like eating Zheng's cakes?"
"like."
You He was stunned for a moment.
He couldn't figure out the medicine in the gourd, but it was undeniable that Zheng's cakes were the most delicious.
There are many cake shops in the capital, but two are the most famous. They are both famous shops with more than fifty ovens baking cakes at the same time. One is the Zhang family in front of the Wucheng King Temple, and the other is the Zheng family in front of the Huangjian Courtyard.
Whether it's fried cakes or Hu cakes, he thinks Zheng's ones are the most delicious.
"This Wuchen Nunnery belongs to the Zheng family. The old nun in the nunnery, Hui Ran, is the aunt of the boss of the Zheng family."
I see.
You He nodded.
"Hui Ran began to eat vegetarian food when he was young. Later, he simply shaved his head and established a nunnery here to practice. He had little contact with the Zheng family, but Wuchen nunnery was maintained by the Zheng family."
"What about Lian'er?"
"This is the key point," said the old man, "Lian'er is Miss Zheng's family."
You He was not surprised, he just didn't understand because Lian'er said that she had lost her parents since she was a child and was raised by Hui Ran.
"The current head of the Zheng family is the second wife, and the other members of the family have always been unconvinced. The head of the family didn't have a son at the time, and was always anxious to have a son so that he could inherit the family business in the future."
"Then, they gave birth to Lian'er?"
"You are half right," said the old man. "The wife of the house gave birth to two girls for the first time, one of whom was Lian'er."
You He understood.
"The head of the house was very angry and asked Po Wen to drown the two baby girls on the spot. The head's wife cried and begged, so he agreed to keep one, but he still wanted to kill the other."
