After Gu Xu finished writing his wish, he carefully tied it to the branch with a red rope.
Then he turned around, smiled at Shi Xiaohan and said, "I've finished writing, you can open your eyes."
Shi Xiaohan immediately put down his hands covering his eyes: "What did you write?"
Gu Xu shrugged: "If you don't tell me, why should I tell you?"
Shi Xiaohan snorted and stopped talking.
Accidentally, this cunning guy took advantage of him.
It's a pity that I have to swallow the bitter fruit I sow with tears in my eyes.
…………
Then the two of them came to the river quietly.
What catches the eye are ripples glowing with golden light, schools of playful and swimming fish, and fishermen fishing in small boats.
"It's so beautiful." Gu Xu sighed silently.
His life has always been in a hurry.
It’s rare to have the opportunity to stop and appreciate the scenery around you like today.
At this moment, a feather shuttlecock flew from behind and landed next to them.
They both turned around and saw several children playing by the river.
"Big brother, big sister, can you return the shuttlecock to us?" One of the children pointed to the shuttlecock on the ground and said to the two of them with some restraint.
Gu Xu was about to drive Zhen Yuan to pick up the shuttlecock.
But Shi Xiaohan took a step forward, lifted one end of the shuttlecock to the instep of his feet, used the arch of his foot to nimbly kick the shuttlecock up from the ground, and accurately kicked it to the children.
"Big sister is so awesome!" Seeing such a scene, the children all opened their eyes wide, obviously not expecting that there was a master hidden among the passers-by.
"Of course I'm awesome!" Shi Xiaohan raised his chin proudly.
As she spoke, she couldn't help but join the children and pass the feather shuttlecock around with them.
Accompanied by bursts of laughter like silver bells, the shuttlecock was like a bird holding her feet, dancing beside her exquisite embroidered shoes.
Gu Xu stood aside with a smile on his face, watching quietly without stepping forward to disturb.
Although it is a cold late autumn at this time.
But she seemed to be in the spring scenery, in the unique spring scenery.
…………
On this day, the two of them wandered aimlessly in the suburbs of Yishui County until the sun set.
It wasn't until after dinner at a street restaurant that Shi Xiaohan said goodbye to Gu Xu and returned to his home alone.
The maid Chenxi hurried over to greet him.
She first took off her lady's greasy robe and put on clean clothes.
Then he sat her down at the dressing table and removed the hairpin from her head.
"Miss looks very happy today," Chen Xi said with a smile while gently combing her long black hair that reached her waist, "Did you go on a mission with Mr. Gu again?"
"No," Shi Xiaohan denied, "I went to Caishi Street with Gu Xu for a barbecue, and then went for a walk by the Yi River.
"I really didn't expect that that stingy guy Gu Xu would take the initiative to pay for a treat today for the first time!"
Chen Xi smiled but did not respond immediately.
After straightening her hair, Chen Xi brought a basin of hot water and placed it next to the chair.
Shi Xiaohan immediately took off his embroidered shoes and put his white feet into the water.
The girl's feet are not big, but the proportions are just right. They look slender and cute, like finely carved porcelain.
While soaking her feet, she gently stirred the water with her toes, causing ripples to appear on it.
And the corners of her mouth raised slightly inadvertently, revealing shallow dimples, looking like a silly child immersed in self-amusement.
"Chenxi, that guy Gu Xu is really annoying!" The girl paused for a moment, then continued, "Last night I quietly sneaked away to get the Lu family's haunted house without telling me in advance! With his fragile body, if anything happened He was accidentally approached by a ghost and lost his life, but there was no one to help him collect the body!
"Huh, apart from being good-looking, being a little smarter, being a little more talented in cultivation...he is just a complete bastard!"
After hearing her words, Chen Xi finally couldn't help laughing.
"Chenxi, what are you laughing at?" Shi Xiaohan glanced at her suspiciously, "Did I just say something funny?"
"Young lady is always like this, never leaving Sir Gu alone." Chen Xi replied with a chuckle.
"No! Don't talk nonsense!" Shi Xiaohan stamped his feet violently, and the water in the wooden basin splashed high.
At this moment, Chen Xi was very fortunate that Shi Xiaohan's father, Shi Lei, was still far away in Laizhou Mansion and did not hear his daughter's words.
Otherwise, Mr. Qianhu, who always regards his daughter as the apple of his eye, will definitely rush out of the house with a sword in hand to see which pig wants to take away his cabbage.
…………
late at night.
The stars in the sky dimmed, and the lights on the earth went out.
Yishui County has long fallen asleep in silence.
Chen Jisheng finally finished his day's work, holding a lantern and preparing to rest in the duty room behind the Yamen.
But at this moment, under the dim light of the lantern, he saw a familiar figure sitting alone on the steps of the Yamen, motionless like a sculpture.
"Gu Xu?" He called the man's name, "Why are you sitting here alone?"
According to Caring Xu's past habits, he should practice diligently at home alone in the middle of the night.
Gu Xu's abnormal behavior today surprised Chen Jisheng.
"Master Chen, I encountered something troublesome today." Hearing his voice, Gu Xu turned his head and smiled at him.
"Something bothering you?"
As Chen Jisheng spoke, he straightened his robe and sat next to Gu Xu.
He has always felt that Gu Xu's mind is very mature, and he doesn't look like a seventeen-year-old boy at all - he can always come up with various methods to solve all the problems that stand in front of him with ease.
Unexpectedly, he was also troubled by worries.
"Master Chen, you should know that my pace of life has always been very fast. I am running forward non-stop almost every minute," Gu Xu said calmly, "Today, I earned five thousand merit points and I am in a good mood. Then reward yourself for a day of relaxation - slow down your pace a little and look at the scenery around you.
“So I discovered that I missed so many things while running so hard.
“I have never paid attention to the beautiful scenery of the Yi River in autumn, never heard the fishermen singing loudly on the river, never indulged in enjoying the barbecue on the street, never played and played shuttlecock with my peers...
"The most important thing is that I never noticed..."
At this point, Gu Xu suddenly stopped. After hesitating for a long time, he slowly said the next few words:
"She seems to like me."
Hearing this, Chen Jisheng couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
"Silly boy, you didn't realize it until now?"
Chen Jisheng often pays attention to Gu Xu's work and life, so he naturally knows who the "she" in his words refers to.
That girl Shi Xiaohan, whenever she saw Gu Xu, her apricot-like eyes would sparkle, as bright and moving as the stars on a summer night.
"The key to the question now is, what do you think?" Chen Jisheng asked.
Gu Xu remained silent.
Following his eyes, his thoughts drifted past the houses in front of him, across the streets and alleys of Yishui, across the wide Yihe River, past the distant ruins of Laoshan Mountain and Luojing City, and towards the vast horizon.
The road is too long.
He couldn't see the end at all.
Finally, he sighed softly, with a bitter smile on his face:
"I don't dare to be tempted."
