69 Chapter 069

◎Old house◎

There is a water tank in front of the Guiyuan Inn. There are withered lotus leaves in the tank, and a few koi fish are swimming around the tank.

The sun shines obliquely through the ripples in the water, giving the koi's fiery red scales a golden sheen.

Lin Fan had previously thought these koi were not of good quality, but now he felt that they were indeed worthy of their reputation.

He ran out of the door like a gust of wind, and when his eyes fell on the blue cloth carriage, his footsteps suddenly stopped.

I have a thousand words in my heart, but I am hesitant.

Before Xie Mingshuo even entered the inn, he was blocked at the door by Lin Fan. The boy acted as if he didn't see him, and his eyes were only on the carriage a few feet away.

Tsk tsk, she even changed into new clothes. If conditions permit, I'm afraid she would even burn incense and fumigate her clothes.

He said angrily, "What are you standing there for?"

Lin Fan came back to his senses in surprise: "Sorry, Brother Meng."

“…”

He had no time to care about Xie Mingshuo's emotions. He took a step forward, slowly approached the carriage, and stood beside the shaft.

My heart was beating like a drum, pounding in my ears.

Before the word "Meng" came out of his mouth, a white and slender hand lifted the green curtain.

"Come up."

Jiang Qing was very perceptive and immediately stepped forward to take the curtain, standing silently by the side.

The hand stretched out a little further, with its fingertips pointing in the direction of Lin Fan. There were faint calluses on the fingertips, and the lines on the palm were clear and distinct.

Lin Fan's heart suddenly felt hot, and he wanted to hold the other person immediately, but his hands and feet were out of control and he stood there in a daze.

Xie Mingzhuo chuckled: "Don't want to?"

"no!"

Lin Fan's ears instantly turned red. He immediately touched her fingertips, jumped lightly into the car, and his figure disappeared into the curtain.

"Aqing, drive."

"yes."

The carriage swayed gently over the bluestone slabs and headed into the next alley.

Xie Mingshuo's eyes widened as he ran after her: "Second Mother, there's me too!"

The carriage drove away mercilessly, leaving behind only the words "You go back first".

Xie Mingshuo pinched his Ren Zhong acupoint desperately before finally catching his breath and rushing back, muttering to himself, "I must tell my parents and my eldest brother about this. He can't be the only one suffering from this!"

Inside the carriage, Lin Fan stumbled due to the inertia of the forward movement. In order to avoid bumping into Xie Mingzhuo, he quickly knelt forward to relieve the force. His knees hit the floor of the carriage with a dull thud.

Although the carriage is wide, the space is limited. Since both of them are tall and have long legs, they feel a bit cramped.

The tip of his nose just touched Xie Mingzhuo's knee. His hands were supported on the sides of her legs, and he seemed to be kneeling in front of her legs, looking quite pitiful.

The carriage was moving steadily, and Lin Fan immediately jumped up, covering his nose, but he forgot about the low canopy and heard another muffled thud.

“…”

Xie Mingzhuo was amused by him. How could the calm and composed Team Leader Lin, whom he hadn't seen for a while, suddenly become so irritable?

"Miss Meng," Lin Fan said, regretting his own stupidity. He chose a seat that was neither too far nor too close, and sat down. "How are you?"

Xie Mingzhuo: "I'm fine, but how's your nose bone?"

"It's okay." Lin Fan put his hand down. The tip of his nose was a little red, but not swollen, so there should be no problem.

There was medicine in the car. Xie Mingzhuo took out a bottle of ointment to reduce swelling and blood stasis, stood up and sat next to him, "Bow your head."

Lin Fan immediately lowered his head, his eyes falling on her hands.

Her hand opened the small round jar of blue-white glaze, scraped a layer of ointment with the jade medicine, and then brought it close to the tip of his nose.

The cool ointment was applied to the tip of the nose, gently and slowly, like a feather fluttering back and forth, itching from the tip of the nose to the heart.

She was looking up at him, her face without any makeup, her eyebrows and eyes were very beautiful, and when her eyelids drooped slightly, she added a bit of majesty.

But her movements in applying the medicine were extremely gentle, her sleeves rising and falling, and there was a faint fragrance that was elegant and intoxicating.

I don't know what kind of incense you used, is it possible to buy it in the market?

When they met again, he had not prepared any gifts.

"Is it heavy?"

"Hmm... hm? It's not heavy."

Xie Mingzhuo withdrew his hand, raised his eyelashes, and met his eyes.

The fresh fragrance of the ointment mixed with the light fragrance of her wrist, creating a more complex and rich aroma. The fragrance was hazy and elusive, just like the girl in front of him, charming and mysterious.

Lin Fan grabbed her wrist, his chest heaving, his eyes surging, and he opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he only sighed: "Miss Meng..."

Don't be abrupt or offensive.

He kept reminding himself in his mind, but the fire in his chest burned more and more fiercely, almost making him lose his mind.

"Lin Fan."

Xie Mingzhuo's voice was calm, yet cold, like icy jade, quenching the fire in his heart.

He suddenly regained his senses, loosened his grip, and looked away, not daring to look at her again.

Xie Mingzhuo packed up the medicine jar and put it back in the storage drawer.

When moving, he inevitably had to stand up and bend over, and the rustling sound of his robe sleeves rubbing against the floor and the hem of his clothes brushing against the floor echoed in the carriage, making Lin Fan gradually feel uneasy.

Is Miss Meng angry? Does Miss Meng think he's too reckless? Miss Meng...

The slender hands pinched both sides of his jaw, neither lightly nor heavily, the fingertips were warm and soft, and the refreshing fragrance came again.

"It's just a little red, it won't damage your appearance, so don't worry."

Lin Fan said in a daze: "I'm not worried."

"Then what are you thinking about?" Xie Mingzhuo let him go and sat back in his seat.

After they were far away, Lin Fan regained some of his sanity, but he didn't know how to respond.

He didn't want to fool around, but he also knew that it would be too rude to just say "I miss you".

"Lin Yingjie is your father?"

Lin Fan's breathing suddenly stopped, and his heart, which had been beating wildly just now, suddenly sank. The confusion in his eyes dissipated, and was stained with a hint of hidden worry.

Did she know the identity of the son of a guilty official?

Would Miss Meng dislike...

"In the banquet hall of Prince Liang's mansion, you mentioned Tusi officials in a strange way. After returning to Beijing, I checked the records of their appointments and dismissals. The Lin family suffered a tragic disaster ten years ago, and ten years ago, you were stranded in Anlu and taken in by a circus troupe. This can't be a coincidence."

Lin Fan felt both sad and happy.

The sour thing is that Miss Meng might give up on him because of this, but the happy thing is that Miss Meng still remembers the two short sentences he said.

Ten years ago, he was only ten years old and did not understand the ins and outs of the case, but he firmly believed that his father would not do such a thing. Therefore, the court did not distinguish right from wrong and made his father bear the infamy after his death. He was extremely disappointed with the court.

It’s not that he hasn’t thought about overturning the verdict, but Lin Xizhou is dead. With what identity and reason can he overturn the verdict?

Who would be willing to reopen a case from ten years ago for him?

Seeing his dejected look, Xie Mingzhuo slowed down his tone and said, "After reviewing the files, I found many doubts. I intend to petition His Majesty to overturn the verdict."

Lin Fan suddenly raised his head, "Miss Meng?!"

"But it's not easy to thoroughly investigate a case from ten years ago. If we want to overturn the verdict, strong evidence is essential. I'm afraid there are many implications behind this case."

Lin Fan's breath suddenly became heavier, and there seemed to be a myriad of emotions surging in his eyes: surprise, excitement, gratitude, so complex that it was difficult to express in words.

"Miss Meng, what do you need me to do?"

Xie Mingzhuo smiled and said, "You settle down first, and we'll discuss this later."

"good."

Lin Fan knew he was in a state of confusion, unable to think calmly. Miss Meng hadn't been sharing her heartfelt words with him just to see him act stupid.

As a member of the Lin family, the role he can play in this case should be more crucial than anyone else.

Can't fall behind.

"Second Madam, we're here." Jiang Qing called out to stop the carriage.

This place is located in Huanghuafang, just across the street from Mingshifang, not far away.

Lin Fan got off the carriage first, and only after picking up Xie Mingzhuo did he vaguely feel a sense of familiarity.

Memories buried deep inside emerge like a spring.

"This is your house. You don't have to stay in an inn anymore." Xie Mingzhuo walked up the stairs and walked to the gate of the courtyard.

Before Lin Yingjie went to Guizhou, he served as an official in Beijing for several years. He bought a three-courtyard house and settled in Huanghuafang.

Lin Fan lived and grew up here until he was seven years old. After that, he followed his father to Guizhou, and his impression of the place became increasingly vague.

Lin Fan's eyes were filled with bitterness, and he muttered, "Did you buy this house?"

Before the Lin family's accident, this house was still the Lin family's property and had been vacant. After the accident, the house was confiscated and put on the market for rent and sale.

In the past few years, no one dared to buy it, and only some wealthy businessmen who came to Beijing rented it for a short period of time. In recent years, the affairs of the Lin family have been forgotten. The house changed hands several times and finally fell into the name of a sixth-rank official in Beijing.

Xie Mingzhuo chose another house with a better location for the Beijing official and bought this house.

"Although I don't know if you will come to the capital, it's always a good idea to make arrangements in advance. The house has been cleaned. I will have someone go to the inn to get your luggage later. You can stay here tonight."

Lin Fan's throat was clogged. How could he deserve Miss Meng's care?

"How much did it cost?" he asked sincerely. "I've saved some money over the past few years. It's definitely not enough to buy a house in the capital, but I will work hard to make money and pay you back."

It's not that they are strangers, he just doesn't have the face to spend Miss Meng's money.

Xie Mingzhuo didn't refuse and said with a smile, "You can owe me the money first. If you agree, I'll go to the government office tomorrow and take possession of this house. It will be in your name."

"I..." Lin Fan knew that this gift was too heavy, but when he thought of his childhood memories and the friendship between this house and Miss Meng, he nodded, "Thank you, Miss Meng. I will pay the interest."

Jiang Qing on the side thought to herself: Don't argue with the princess about money. You will never be as rich as the princess in your life. Just get used to it.

Xie Mingzhuo remained noncommittal and tilted his head to signal, "Go in and take a look?"

"good."

The gate of the house has been replaced with a new one and the courtyard wall has been repaired, but you can still vaguely see the erosion caused by wind and rain over the years.

The plaque on the door reads "Meng's House".

Lin Fan took the key, opened the bronze door, and pushed it gently.

When the gate of the courtyard is opened, the stone screen wall is coated with a layer of orange-gold glow, and the reliefs on it are lifelike.

The house had changed hands several times and its layout had been modified many times, making it very different from what he remembered.

Lin Fan gathered his emotions, stepped over the threshold, turned around and extended his hand to Xie Mingzhuo, smiling slightly, "Miss Meng, please come in."

In the imperial palace, Xie Mingshuo hurriedly summoned his parents and elder brother to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. After sending away the palace servants, he took a big gulp of water.

"What's going on?" Meng Qi said absentmindedly, "I'm only halfway through my research."

Xie Mingxuan: "Hurry up and tell me."

"I was almost winning the game, why are you in such a hurry?" Xie Changfeng was still thinking about the game and felt quite regretful.

Xie Mingshuo slumped down on a wide chair and snorted coldly, "I see you guys are only concerned with your own affairs every day and don't care about Tiezhu at all!"

When the three heard this, their expressions changed immediately.

"What happened to Spoon?"

"If you don't stop her, she'll have a boyfriend!" Xie Mingshuo was very unhappy. "How old is she? It won't take another ten years."

Three people: "..."

"Why aren't you talking?"

Meng Qi coughed lightly and asked, "Did you see the person? What does he look like? What's his personality like? How many people are there in his family?"

"Appearance and family background are secondary; the most important thing is character," Xie Changfeng emphasized. "Character must be up to standard."

Xie Mingshuo's mouth twitched. He shouldn't have had any expectations for the old couple, so he looked for an ally: "Xie Mingxuan, say something."

"Shao Shao has always been independent-minded. She has her reasons for everything she does. There's no need for us to interfere." Xie Mingxuan said slowly, "But we still need to meet her."

“…”