Xianjin had poor eyesight at night, and the lights in Jingxian were dim and not as grand as those in Xuancheng, so he borrowed an oilcloth lantern from Xiaodaoxiang on the way.
The young master of Xiaodaoxiang is already married. Compared with the white-lipped and red-faced boy in the boy band, he is much more mature and stable, and he doesn't blush easily.
The young master sent Xianjin out of the store and planned to take him to the intersection.
The pregnant wife curiously poked her head out to look around. She was about the same age as Xianjin, and her eyes were pure and clear. "...Are you Shopkeeper He? "
Xianjin smiled and nodded, and responded with the same enthusiastic tone, "Are you Xiao Daoxiang's young mistress!?"
The young master's wife pursed her lips and smiled, revealing two shallow dimples of shyness, with an excited and happy look in her eyes, "I finally see a living person!"
Xianjin wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "First, tell me, where did you see the dead in the past?"
The wife was shy but laughed at the same time.
The young master quickly waved his hand and told his wife to put her head back, "It's going to rain soon!"
The wife looked at Xianjin twice reluctantly, then skillfully retracted her head back into the window frame.
Like a well-trained little turtle.
Xianjin's mood inexplicably improved a little.
Seeing that Xianjin was not unhappy, the young master smiled and explained, "You don't know yet? You are now very famous in Jing County. You were already famous in Jing County, and the third master spread the word that his daughter is now the chief steward of the Chen family, and will soon become a royal merchant and go down in history--"
The young master smiled shyly, "The third master said that it was at least the level of being included in the Jingxian County Annals and burning the first incense stick during the New Year."
Xianjin: "Ahem... ahem..."
It's really bragging that you don't have to pay taxes...
When they arrived at the intersection, the young master handed the oilcloth lantern to Xianjin, glanced at the Wuxi River flowing under the moonlight, and kindly reminded him, "Although there are scholars who take care of it on their own initiative, the Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard is not what it used to be. There are many weeds, wild cats, and wild dogs. You can go in and take a look and then come out."
Directly opposite the intersection is the small stone bridge leading to Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard.
Xianjin smiled and nodded, "I'm going to the Thatched Cottage to borrow two books. I haven't finished the homework that Principal Qiao assigned to me in two years."
Teacher Qiao always had to come back, and when he came back, he found that not only was her thesis not finished, but she hadn't even started to write a topic.
hehe.
She will die a horrible death.
The young master of Xiaodaoxiang was surprised, "Master Qiao is coming back?"
Although I am not sure about the gold, I still want to have a good luck, right? ——"It will be soon..."
After saying goodbye to the young master, he carried a lantern and an umbrella, walked across the stone arch bridge he had walked across countless times, and walked into the Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard in the long future.
Just as the young master said, the Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard without Master Qiao was not overgrown with weeds, but it was desolate and cold everywhere. The school that was once bustling with people had been deserted for two years and had long since become a haven for wild cats and foxes. The thatched cottage was sealed with red cloth, and the big copper lock on the door was covered with a layer of dust. The copper bell that was always busy made a creaking sound when it was shaken.
Xianjin held a lantern in one hand and stood silently on the road lined with towering pines and cypresses. He raised his head slightly. The dark and misty tree trunks stood upright into the sky, and their shadows were projected in the semi-circular moonlight like a line-drawn silhouette.
The pouring moonlight and the oilcloth lantern shining like a firefly, the two beams of light mixed together, casting a hazy and dim mist on the girl's stubborn and straight back.
In the pine and cypress forest, a hunched black shadow, like a bow gathering strength, whizzed past in the silhouette.
The rare fragility of Xianjin was shattered into pieces.
“Who is it!”
Xianjin turned around abruptly, quickly retracted his right hand into his sleeve, and touched the scimitar dagger inlaid with rubies and sapphires.
The shadow was silent.
Xianjin was so angry that he laughed: This bastard, he stole without even looking for the right place! What could be in the academy?! The only ancient books in the thatched cottage were confiscated by the government long ago! The most valuable thing is probably the big bronze bell!
What a stupid thief to steal from a beggar’s house!
"Please move on, my good man!" Xianjin shouted, looking around alertly, his right hand already pushing open the scabbard of his ruby and sapphire scimitar dagger, "There are code of conduct for thieves! Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard is a quiet place for studying and practicing calligraphy, please move to the Bai family in Xuancheng Prefecture as soon as possible - they have gold, silver, and treasures in their house!"
Xianjin felt that the wind around him had calmed down.
"Oh--"
A chuckle came from behind.
Hoarse and cold, like the hoarseness of rime in the cold snow-capped mountains.
Xianjin turned around abruptly and threw the lantern onto the ground covered with pine needles and moonlight. In a flash, he drew out the knife's scabbard, and with a flash of cold light, the tip of the knife was facing the shadow behind him!
The black shadow did not dodge, the tip of the dagger scratched his chest, and his clothes flew into the air.
"...You have to cut the throat with your backhand so that the blood won't splash onto your body." The black shadow spoke.
Along with this low and hoarse voice, a face finally raised its head, revealing itself in the moonlight in the sky and the light of the oil lamp on the ground.
An angular jaw, a sharp and clear lip peak, a highly folded face, a straight nose and a pair of narrow eyebrows.
Xianjin's heart skipped a beat. He squinted his eyes, and after adapting to the darkness, he finally saw the outline of the shadow. He clenched his hands and whispered, "Qiao Hui!"
Sharp and clear thin lips, with the corners slightly raised.
Qiao Hui bent down and picked up the lantern, but instead of handing it to Xianjin, he held it in his own hand.
Restore light.
Xianjin can see more clearly.
Qiao Baoyuan had deep facial features. The pine and cypress branches blocked the moonlight, and the shadow cast by them slanted across the young man's left cheek, but could not conceal his bright eyes and drooping eyelashes.
Xianjin suppressed his excitement and stamped his feet unconsciously, "...You were the one who threw the note to me at the beginning of the year, weren't you? When did you come back? Why didn't you go to see Baozhu? Is Master Qiao okay?! Where have you been? They said you went to Fujian and died at sea. Your sister prayed to Mazu, Bodhisattva, and Daozun, and all the gods and Buddhas in the sky! Since the government didn't issue a warrant for your arrest, you should have written a few letters to your sister to let her know you were safe! Baozhu hasn't spoken for three months and has eaten very little! You dead man..."
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