The weather in Luoyang City is getting colder and colder. It snowed a few days ago. The eaves of Zhixingyuan are covered with long icicles, and the branches are piled with white snow. From a distance, it looks like a tree with white flowers. .
The snow on the road has been cleared and piled in the open space. A few sparrows are jumping and pecking on the withered grass. The snow not far away is stained with black soil and mixed together, like a pile of dirty cotton.
The cold wind blows, and some snow foam falls on the trees...
He An walked under the tree and tightened his collar, stamping his feet that were numb from the cold. Several sparrows on the grass flew up to the treetops in panic.
The bell rang a little early for the end of get out of class today. Because the weather was too cold, the dining room began to serve ginger soup every day, and charcoal fires were lit from time to time in the school building. The School of Liberal Arts also distributed cotton-padded clothes and other cold-proof items to some poor students. , despite this, some students still fell ill.
He An was wearing a thin cotton shirt. As he walked, the energy flowed through the exercises, and he no longer felt cold for a moment.
There were only a few pedestrians in Zhixingyuan. When he walked to the gate, he saw the black carriage not far away. The driver was wearing a thick cotton jacket and sitting on the shaft of the carriage holding a whip. The horse pulling the carriage had shiny fur and was kicking. He dug his front hooves into the snow under the tree, snorted impatiently, and puffs of white air came out of his nose.
The curtain of the car was lifted, Han Chanjuan glanced at He An, jumped out of the car with a happy face, turned around and said something to the coachman, who drove the carriage and left alone.
"What do you want to eat today? I'll treat you!"
The two were walking side by side on Zhuque Street. He An glanced at Han Chanjuan with a smile and asked.
Today she was wearing a white fox crotch pleated cloak, with a small grass-colored sachet hanging from the yellow silk ribbon around her waist, and a white Zhaojun warm hat on her head. She looked at He An with clear black and white eyes, pursed her lips and smiled, with a few beautiful stems on her forehead. The hair falls out from the hat, looking indescribably naughty and cute.
"It's really cold today, why don't we have hot pot!" Han Chanjuan rubbed her little hands and put them to her mouth and breathed: "The hot pot tastes really good, but it's a pity that it's too far away. The hot pot in Zuixianlou is said to be from a Persian chef. , the taste is really weird, um..."
"I know a place not far from here. The food is pretty good. Dazhi took me there a few days ago," He An said.
"Well, by the way, why didn't your Dazhi brother come with you today?" Han Chanjuan thought of Fan Dazhi's naive appearance, and her eyes turned into crescent moons with a smile.
"He has been obsessed with the new skills recently. He said he was at a critical moment. It was rare for him to work so hard, so I didn't bring him here." He An explained with a smile.
The two of them turned along Zhuque Street to Dingding Street, crossed Changchun Road, and walked to a row of wine shops near Chongwenfang. A strange mixed smell wafted over from a distance.
There is a mule and horse market nearby, and you can vaguely hear the neighing of cattle, horses, and sheep. The roads are muddy and sewage flows across the street, as well as livestock excrement. The smell of grass and livestock wafts in the air. The smell of cooking in nearby restaurants fragrance.
It gets dark early in the winter, and there are fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street. The bright lights in the wine shop look particularly warm in the cold dusk.
He An took Han Chanjuan into a small shop called "Yuxiangzhai". The shop is not big, with several tables of diners sitting around eating steaming hot pot. When Han Chanjuan walked in, their eyes lit up.
A man wearing a ragged felt hat dropped the chopsticks for picking up vegetables in his hand. He leaned over to pick them up in a panic, and quickly touched his companion with his elbow. The companion was pouring wine into the cup. He looked up and saw the bright and moving people. Han Chanjuan was stunned for a moment, and didn't wake up until the overflowing wine spilled on her legs.
The two of them found an empty seat in the corner and sat down. The waiter came forward to greet her enthusiastically. Han Chanjuan resumed her character of a hot and spicy lady. She ordered two plates of mutton, some seasonal vegetables, two kilograms of beef, and a fat beef. Chicken, two mandarin fish, half roasted lamb leg. Seeing this, He An was secretly speechless. He quietly put his hand into his pocket and touched the pitiful bits of silver and a few copper plates in the bag.
"Boy, in addition to the hot pot, two plates of mutton, and a few vegetables, what I just ordered was packaged for me and sent to Zhixingyuan, um... let's just say it was delivered to Mr. Fan Dazhi's residence. "
"Oh... The profit in this small shop is small. There is really no precedent for this, Miss..." Before the waiter finished speaking, Han Chanjuan took out a delicate purse and took out a gold nugget the size of a soybean: " Is this enough?"
"That's enough, that's enough. I'll arrange for someone to deliver it to you immediately." The waiter took it over with a bright smile, nodded and bowed, and hurriedly served the food to the two of them.
"I agreed that I would treat you to dinner. How can you... make me feel so embarrassed?" He An was slightly unhappy.
"Do you still agree with me?" Han Chanjuan glared at He An and smiled brightly: "If you feel embarrassed, please invite me next time!"
He An felt warm and wanted to say something. The waiter had already served the charcoal fire and the steaming hot pot. When the mutton and other dishes were placed on the table, Han Chanjuan put a few pieces of mutton and vegetables into the boiling pot. In the pot, stir gently with chopsticks.
She lowered her long eyelashes and said softly: "People who practice martial arts have a big appetite. When my father was practicing martial arts when he was young, he could eat half a sheep in one meal. This is how he said, "The poor in literature and the rich in martial arts" come from, Children from poor families have no strength when they are hungry. Although you don’t spend much in Zhixingyuan, you will still have a lot of money to spend in the future. Don’t talk to my mother-in-law anymore. Come, try this mutton. Is it delicious? "
He An looked at her brows and eyes, which were full of concern. There was no trace of her usual unruly and willful look. He felt moved for no reason, sniffed and said, "This place is really rough. I forgot that there is a mule and horse nearby." market."
Han Chanjuan took a bite of the mutton and smiled like a flower: "The mutton here is good, very fresh. The mules and horses are nothing. When I was in... Xiliang, my family also raised a lot of cows and horses, and I felt very friendly." As she spoke, she served He An some vegetables. The hot pot was boiling with milky soup. The thinly sliced mutton was cooked to an extremely tender texture. The two of them ate with great pleasure...
On winter nights, the imperial capital Luoyang City is still brightly lit, with countless lanterns lighting up in the distant palace, and the night is dotted with stars and bustling.
Several dog barks sounded in Chongwenfang, which gradually turned into whimpers in the cold wind, and slowly became silent. A shabby cloth strip was blown by the wind and fluttered enchantingly, sweeping across the smooth bluestone slabs of Dingding Street. Floating farther away, the lanterns under the eaves were blown swaying, and the flags hanging outside the closed wine shop were blown loudly.
After the meal, the two of them walked side by side on the street. The night was getting late, and there was no one on the cold and empty street. Han Chanjuan tightened her collar, and the blush on her cheeks that was steamed by the hot pot heat had not faded yet.
"Today... I'm very happy, thank you!" Han Chanjuan followed He An, her long eyelashes fluttering, and she said with a charming smile: "I wish you success in advance, the one who always gives you a challenge This guy is really annoying. The more you tolerate some people, the more he advances. But... no matter what you do, I will support you!"
He An didn't say anything. He vaguely felt that something was wrong.
Quiet, too quiet, the street was as quiet as death, and the lantern illuminated the two people, casting two long black shadows.
There was a cold wind blowing, stirring the withered yellow leaves on the bluestone pavement, making the leaves roll and rustle.
He An listened intently, one ear kept twitching, and his face was solemn.
"What's wrong?" Han Chanjuan noticed something strange about He An and couldn't help asking softly.
At the other end of the dark long street, the wind was blowing again, and with the wind were two short and rapid buzzing sounds.
He An's expression changed drastically and he threw Han Chanjuan down. The moment the two of them were about to fall to the ground, he slapped the ground with one palm and turned around quickly.
At the same time, two short steel arrows turned into white light and passed by, inserting into the door panel of the shop behind the two people, making two muffled sounds.
"No!" He An pulled Han Chanjuan and ran quickly without hesitation. There was obviously more than one attacker, and they were using powerful crossbows. The Dachen Empire has very strict control over bows and arrows. Except for the army, the use of other private armed forces is strictly prohibited. The farther away the crossbow is, the accuracy and power will be greatly weakened accordingly.
He An pulled Han Chanjuan and ran away quickly along the walls of the shops on the street, specifically choosing places with obstacles to walk through. Running in the middle of an empty street was undoubtedly a moving target.
There was a "whoosh, whoosh" sound from behind, and another short arrow passed over the head, penetrated the lantern under the eaves, and ignited a ball of fire.
He An glanced back, and saw two men in black wearing black scarves running and jumping, chasing after him.
Not long after, Han Chanjuan was out of breath. Instead of showing panic on her pretty face, she asked with a bit of excitement: "You... you... how did you... find out something was wrong?"
"When we came out... we couldn't hear a sound from the nearby mule and horse market... This kind of silence was too abnormal..." He An held her hand and ran quickly, his voice drifting in the wind.
"Whoosh", the man in black chasing behind closed the distance, raised his hand and fired with a powerful crossbow. The crossbow arrows made of fine steel turned into two white rays of light, hitting He An's back like a meteor.
Without looking back, He An suddenly grabbed Han Chanjuan's slender waist, jumped up, and galloped along the wall at an angle unimaginable to ordinary people. Two flying crossbow arrows hit the wall and made a glide. The sparks fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
He An's feet landed on the ground, but his heart sank...
Two more men in black appeared in front of the spacious street, wearing the same black scarves and holding bright long knives in their hands, surrounding them.
He An quickly looked around, took Han Chanjuan in his arm and ran quickly, dodging into an alley on the street without thinking.
The alley was deep and dark. The two of them ran for dozens of meters in one breath. He An couldn't help but be dumbfounded. This turned out to be a dead end. He suddenly turned around, and saw four men in black standing at the entrance of the alley, with long swords as bright as frost in their hands.
He An looked at the high walls on both sides, sighed secretly, and said to Han Chanjuan in a deep voice: "Wait a minute, you run away when you get the chance, I will drag them!"
Han Chanjuan glanced at the man in black at the entrance of the alley and wrinkled her beautiful nose: "I don't. I share the blessings and the hardships. I can't leave you alone!" After saying that, she took two steps forward. , standing in front of He An, like a little female cat with teeth and claws.
He An didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He took her arm and was about to speak when a harsh laughter like a night owl suddenly sounded in the air.
"You brat, today is the day you die!" A brown figure floated down from the high wall.
"It's you?"
Seeing the face of the visitor clearly, He An's face instantly turned pale.
