Tonight, on New Year's Eve, Shen Yinxiao took A Duo out to buy some things. It was originally a holiday, but during the day, Li Yaren came to the house again and said that someone wanted to see the house that was hanging out. The person who wanted to see her was said to be a businessman in the fragrance powder business. , because she wanted to settle on the house before the Chinese New Year, she bought it in a hurry, and she was very happy with the money. Shen Yinxiao was also happy to see the success. She planned to leave on the first day of the new year, which was exactly On the day when every family came to visit for New Year's greetings, she could go out of the city on the pretext of visiting relatives in other counties. Moreover, Wei Cheng would definitely have some entertainment on that day and would not care about her.
On New Year's Eve, the fragrant powder merchant paid a 30% deposit. The gold she specifically wanted was easy to carry and would not occupy a seat.
Having solved this important matter that had been weighing on her mind for several days, she felt much lighter. Seeing that today was a festival and the streets were lively, she took A'duo out to watch the lanterns and various plays. She also bought wine and meat during the day. , Shen's mother was busy preparing a small New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen, preparing to make rice dishes. The rice dishes were wrapped with copper coins. Whoever eats rice dishes with copper coins will have all their wishes come true in the new year.
Seeing that her daughter was about to go out to play, Shen's mother told her to pay attention to safety and not go to remote places. She also asked her to bring back some gold and red paper to use for cutting window grilles. According to custom, it is necessary to cut window grilles during the New Year. On the open window, cut into two carps, tied with lotus stalks, a thousand-mile horse, and a winged bird. Pasted on the window, it means that flowers will bloom in the coming year, wealth will come in pairs, good things will come in pairs, disasters will be eliminated, evil spirits will be exorcised, and blessings will be brought.
This year’s New Year is going by in a hurry, but as a family, we still cannot lack what we should have.
Shen Yinxiao likes this feeling. The family is harmonious and beautiful. They are busy preparing for the festival. After a busy day, they can sit around under the lamp, have a reunion dinner together as a family, chat, and be happy at the knees of their parents. What better way? She was satisfied with everything. When she arrived in Xindu, she would have no worries and her life would be more comfortable.
The painted boats on the Fanyang River were brightly lit, and both sides of the bank were crowded with tourists. Some were friends, some were young and old, and some were young couples. They were watching a variety of operas and enjoying the night view. Looking at the bustling lights of thousands of houses, she suddenly thought of Sophora japonica. That courtyard on the street.
At this time, the neighbors must be busy preparing for the New Year, but the courtyard was dark and deserted.
There are no grilles on the windows and no colorful lanterns under the eaves.
This place always comes in the opposite direction from others. When it's time for family reunions, the courtyard is deserted, with only a solitary old elm tree sticking out of the high courtyard wall. When it's time to be quiet, it's also very lively from time to time. .
Thinking about it from the beginning, it was no different from Yanhua Lane and Rouge Lane, a place where dignitaries, wealthy gentry and merchants used to keep private prostitutes. Every lamp lit had the same purpose.
She stopped in the shop selling gold paper and red paper until the shopkeeper urged her with a smile on her face. Business was good today and the shopkeeper was in a good mood, "Madam, are you going to pay?"
A'duo pulled her sleeve aside: "Sister."
She came back to her senses, reached out and took out a few more pieces of red paper: "I want some more, let's pay."
She and A'duo came out with packages filled with gold and red paper. There were people on the road. A'duo pointed at the actor singing a hundred operas in the distance. The actor was bare-chested and wearing Nuo equipment, holding a torch in his hand and mouth. Not knowing what he was holding, he spit it out at the torch, and the fire on the torch suddenly shot up several feet high. The onlookers laughed and screamed, staring intently at the fire in the actor's hand.
Shen Yinxiao and A'duo were also crowded in the crowd, looking forward to it and applauding repeatedly.
I bought a lot of snacks along the way to eat on the way when I leave for the first day of junior high school.
When she walked to the door of the house, it was already dark, and smoke was rising from every house. She rushed home with A Duo, waiting for a bowl of hot flat food. She had eaten the copper coins last year, and she didn't know where they would end up this year. Whose mouth.
Before reaching the door, as soon as I turned out of the alley, I saw several tall men waiting at the door from a distance. Behind the men, there was a warm sedan parked.
She paused.
Wei Ning saw her and nodded in greeting.
A'duo knew that these people were vaguely related to that man, and murmured with some uncertainty: "Sister, what do they want to do?"
Shen Yinxiao smiled and pushed her: "You go in first, I will come in later."
A'duo nodded blankly, looking at her and Wei Ning, who was standing aside with an expressionless expression. The joy and excitement just now disappeared, replaced by uncertainty and trepidation.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Shen Yinxiao pursed his lips and asked, "Why is Brother Wei here?"
She glanced at the warm sedan behind him: "General, are you looking for me?"
"Yes, Mrs. Shen, please get on the sedan chair."
"Where are we going? Today is New Year's Eve. We should be reunited with our family." She laughed dryly.
"The general is waiting for my wife."
She was holding on to her last bit of luck, and her voice was almost pleading: "Can you wait for me? Let's have a reunion dinner with your family first. It's the New Year today, and my mother has been preparing for it all day."
Wei Ning didn't have many opportunities to talk to her, nor did he have many opportunities to deal with women. He frowned and felt a little embarrassed.
Shen Yinxiao observed the words, felt happy, and hurriedly struck while the iron was hot: "I will finish the meal quickly, just in a while, please wait while I bring some flat food and soju for you."
She turned around to open the door and go in.
"No need." He still didn't agree after all. He just tilted his head and avoided her expected gaze: "The general has been waiting for a long time. In the end, it is better for me not to displease the general."
Her heart dropped.
"What will my parents do tonight?" Her voice was low, as if she was asking Wei Ning, but also seemed to be mumbling to herself.
"Madam, you can go in and talk to your father-in-law." He glanced into the distance, "But you can't delay for too long, the longest time is a moment."
She stood in the distance for a long time, her steps seemed to be filled with lead. It would be great if this was a dream. How could she explain it to her parents now?
On the occasion of a big festival, their daughter was being carried away by a group of strange men without telling them where she was going or what she was going to do. How did an old couple with an only daughter feel about this?
Every household was filled with laughter and joy. Could it be that her family was alone in having a gloomy holiday?
She guessed what might happen tonight. She touched her collarbone and found that the place where she originally wore the necklace was empty. She had used up the anti-child medicine. She was busy these days and didn't have time to buy a new one.
Wei Cheng must have gotten comfortable because of it. After thinking about it, she could only go to the drug store to grab a pair and fry them.
Her small face was reflected even more snow-white by the pale moonlight. She had dark willow-leaf eyebrows, black glass eyes, and her lips were light pink. When she bit her lip, her lower lip turned white.
She took a breath, clasped her fingers in her palms, and even moved her hands and feet numbly when walking. She opened the door, and Mother Shen didn't know when she was already standing behind the door.
There are many traces of age erosion on her face. The wrinkles at the end of her eyes snake out one by one, like the veins of old leaves. Her eyes are slightly turbid, like glass beads stained with dust. She stares quietly. Her, it shocked her.
"Mom." She said, her voice trembling a little, but soon she returned to normal, with a smile on her face: "Why are you standing here? It's so cold. Come in quickly."
Wei Ning only gave her a moment, so she had to hold on tighter.
Mother Shen shook her head: "Mom is not cold."
"Want to go out?" she asked warmly.
Shen Yinxiao felt that her scalp was going to explode with embarrassment, and a sense of desolation arose spontaneously. She also felt a little lucky. What if Wei Cheng just taught her to say a few words in the past, and maybe she would come back soon?
But she didn't dare to promise anything to her mother, so she pretended to smile lightly: "Well, a friend asked me to go out to play."
Mother Shen has always been a weak and timid person, she would only cry when something happened, but today she was very calm, "Don't go, if something happens, mother will stop you, or in the worst case, you will kill me and step on me." The body takes you away.”
She was frightened when she heard that. She wanted to kill or not. Seeing that the good days were just around the corner, it would not be worthwhile to fall short at this time. The green hills would be left, and she would not be afraid of running out of firewood.
"You can't kill anyone." She pulled Shen's mother's sleeve and shook it coquettishly: "You guys have a good meal at home. I should be back tonight, and we will go out of the city together in a few days."
Outside the wall, Wei Ning and others had been waiting for a long time. There was a knock on the door. She pushed Shen's mother and urged her to enter the house. She turned around and opened the door and went out.
"Let's go."
