"Did you hear what was said that night?"
He looked at her from the doorway against the light, trying hard to see every subtle expression on her face.
"I heard it quite clearly." Ye Nuan answered whatever he asked.
"So what did you mean when you said you didn't have anyone you liked?"
“That’s what it means.”
Qi Wuze's brows furrowed more and more, and he began to ask with some suspicion: "You - don't like - me?"
Ye Nuan: "I don't like it."
Qi Wuze didn't believe it, and suppressed his excitement: "You are talking nonsense, how could you not like me? If you don't like me, why do you treat me differently from others?"
Ye Nuan said bluntly, "I have a good impression of you, but it's far from the level of liking you. At least I haven't thought about being with you or marrying you."
Qi Wuze: “.” Was it all my illusion before?
"Then you-then why did you kiss me and hug me?"
Ye Nuan poked her forehead: "It's probably all a misunderstanding!" Why do I feel like a scumbag!
"Misunderstanding?" Qi Wuze chewed his words over and over again, letting out a barely audible sneer as he approached Ye Nuan. Seeing his expression was off, Ye Nuan immediately turned the tables, "You, before you asked me, did you ever ask yourself if you liked me?"
"Do you think I'm interesting or useful? Why should others like you if you don't say anything?"
"You—you stand still!"
Facing her questioning, Qi Wuze's anger, resentment, and grievance suddenly dissipated. Thinking carefully, he seemed to have never said he liked her. From the beginning to the end, he had always believed that she must like him. But soon he became puzzled. If she didn't like him, why would she hug him, kiss him, and treat him differently from others?
Qi Wuze was completely confused and felt that he needed to sort things out.
Ye Nuan stared at him warily, watching his expression change several times, from anger to annoyance to loss and confusion. She asked hesitantly, "Are you okay? Actually, maybe you don't like me either, but you just misunderstood yourself."
Qi Wuze looked up and stared at her intently. Just when Ye Nuan thought he was going to do something, he walked out without saying a word.
Ye Nuan chased him out of the kitchen, and he walked towards the outside of the farm. After a while, he rode away on his snow-covered horse.
"What's wrong with you? You run away every time you get angry." Let you not ask anything and just daydream arrogantly every day.
When she looked away, she saw Chu Xuesong standing in the corridor, looking at her with a smile on his face. He was an eyesore no matter how she looked at him. So she said, "Xiaobai, if you have nothing to do, take out the compost from the ground and cover the soil."
After a while, she finally felt relieved when she saw the picturesque figure in white dragging an iron rake busy among the vegetables.
It was already dark when Qi Wuze returned to the City Lord's Mansion. Seeing him return, the housekeeper immediately ordered someone to light a lamp and prepare dinner. He waved his hand to let everyone go downstairs and sat in the dark bedroom for a while. Then he went to the kitchen and watched the chef prepare one meat and one vegetable dish.
The cook kept nagging as he cooked, "City Lord, you stay at Yunjian Farm every day. Why don't you stop by to eat before coming back? Miss Ye's food is much better than the one at the mansion. Isn't that your favorite?"
The kitchen was filled with smoke, and it would be unnecessary for him to sit anywhere.
He suddenly asked, "Do you think I go there every day because I like the food?"
The chef shook his spoon, his whole body trembling, and said with a smile: "Could it be that you went there because you like the girl?"
"That's not right. Didn't you tell Gao Shoucheng that you don't like Miss Ye?"
Qi Wuze frowned: "Did the madman tell you?"
The rest of the people in the kitchen said in unison, "Hmm!" At first, they all thought the city lord liked the girl and that was why he went there every day, but Gao Shoucheng caught them and lectured them righteously: "Our city lord doesn't like Miss Ye!"
The people in the kitchen were talking at once and complaining bitterly about Gao Zangfeng's misdeeds of beating people.
Qi Wuze cursed inwardly, biting his teeth. But then he thought, he did say that before. Did Ah Nuan also hear those words? Did she really dislike him if she didn't say anything?
The chef placed a meat dish and a vegetable dish in front of him and asked, "City Lord, would you like another bowl of noodles?"
Qi Wuze shook his head: "It's for my dad."
The chef said suspiciously, "The old city lord has already eaten."
Qi Wuze looked at the food in his hand and sighed, "It's okay, I'll eat with him."
He carried the food through corridors and archways, finally stopping in front of an old, yet relatively clean courtyard. The servant saw him approaching and quickly saluted, saying softly, "City Lord."
He waved his hand and walked in. The courtyard was beautifully decorated, with dead branches and fallen leaves scattered across the ground, and empty flower pots everywhere. The door to the house was open, and a candle flickered by the window. Before he even entered, he could hear the sound of chattering coming from inside.
From time to time there was a dry laugh.
Qi Wuze calmed down, walked into the door, and shouted with a smile: "Dad"
The chatterbox, as usual, seemed not to hear him and continued watering the flower in the pot in front of him, saying as he did so, "This flower will grow soon, Rui'er. I'll plant it for you when it grows."
The old man standing in front of the window had white hair and beard, and his originally straight back was now hunched. He was clearly in his fifties but looked like a man in his sixties, and his body was filled with a heavy air of death.
After more than a decade, Qi Wuze still couldn't get used to his once tall and handsome father becoming like this. He stepped inside, put the food on the table, and went to pull Qi Yan.
"Dad, mom asked you to eat, otherwise I will get angry again." His father used to be obsessed with martial arts and always forgot to eat and sleep. Every time, his mother would pull his ears and drag him to the dinner table.
Only her mother could cure her father.
Qi Yan, who had been ignoring others, immediately put down what he was holding and sat down at the table with him. He said nervously, "Don't make your mother angry, Xiaoze. Eat quickly, or your mother will be angry."
Qi Wuze served him some rice and also filled a bowl for himself. While eating, he asked, "Dad, how did you and Mom meet? How did you know that I liked Mom?"
Qi Yan's favorite thing after he went crazy was to talk about his past with his wife over and over again.
"Your mother and I met inside the Great Wall. I liked her the moment I saw her. I thought she was so pretty. Her eyes, nose, everything about her just touched my heart. I wanted to protect her forever and see her smile at me every day."
"You don't know that when your mother saw me for the first time, she scolded me and called me a lecher..." Qi Yan became more and more excited as he spoke.
Qi Wuze suddenly asked: "Dad, why did Mom like you later?"
Qi Yan thought about it and smiled, "Maybe she feels that no one treats her better than me."
No one treats her better than me?
His father continued to ramble on, and Qi Wuze listened for most of the night. The moonlight, like frost, slanted down, finally tugging his father to sleep. He quietly got up and reached out to pull at the Emei Chunhui that his father was holding.
His father had always treasured this flower and refused to throw it away even after it withered for years. He tried several times and finally got the flower out. Then he carefully put the person on the bed and tiptoed out.
When he walked out of the yard, he said to the gatekeeper, "Go find another flower pot and put it in my father's room. Remember to be gentle and don't wake him up."
The servant nodded.
Qi Wuze carried the withered flowers all the way to the stable. In the winter weather, even a breath could produce frost. Under the bewildered gazes of his servants, he rode out of the city in the snow, under the stars and the moon. The gloomy look on his face was gone, and he looked bright and cheerful.
What does it matter whether she likes me or not?
He was now very sure that he liked her. He would be secretly happy about her little actions and would be angry if other men approached her.
I feel happy when I see her, and I want her to smile at me all the time.
No one in this world treats her better than himself. He will give this flower to A Nuan now, and one day she will bloom.
As daylight dawned, the people of Liuguang City were all ready to go. After the grain was loaded onto the truck, Hu Li personally said goodbye to Ye Nuan. Just before departure, Liu Yu, who had been so quiet, said he wouldn't leave, insisting on staying on the farm permanently.
Hu Li had a headache and asked the people who followed him to take turns to persuade Liu Yu, but he drove them all out.
A large group of people were waiting at the gate of the courtyard, while Liu Yu was hiding alone in the wooden building with the door closed and refusing to come out.
Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Chu Xuesong stepped forward and said gently, "I'll go and persuade them. General Hu, wait."
"You?" Hu Li felt that it was impossible to persuade this thin scholar.
Chu Xuesong chuckled and walked into the wooden house. A moment later, screams were heard from the wooden house. Liuguangcheng recognized the voice as their young master's and wanted to go see what was going on, but was stopped by Hu Li.
A moment later, Liu Yu covered his mouth and followed the gentle Chu Xuesong out obediently. He started to twitch when he saw Hu Li, his voice trembling: "General Hu, I, I want to go back." The people here are too cruel. They don't hit people in the face when they hit them, but this time this stinky scholar actually hit him in the face!
Hu Li's eyes twitched, and he felt extremely happy. Their young master deserved to be punished, and it should have been done long ago.
"Come, help the young master onto the camel."
After settling Liu Yu down, she turned to Ye Nuan and bowed to express her gratitude: "Miss Ye, thank you so much. We will come back to exchange food with you next year."
"No, it's business. I have to thank you too!"
The two smiled at each other. Hu Li was about to leave, while Liu Yu was clinging to the camel and staring at Ye Nuan eagerly. Suddenly, he remembered something, reached into his arms, and finally took out a sandalwood token with gold painting and handed it to her.
Ye Nuan didn't answer and asked in confusion: "What?"
"This is the Young Master's Order of Liuguang City. If you come to Liuguang City, you can come to me directly with this."
Hu Li wanted to stop him: "Young Master!" How could this token be given to anyone casually?
Ye Nuan observed his expression and declined, "No, the desert is so far away, I probably won't go there. You should keep the token yourself."
Liu Yu felt extremely aggrieved, but when he saw Chu Xuesong's smiling eyes, he immediately became timid. He shrunk his neck, took his hand back, and asked sadly, "Then, can I come next time?"
Ye Nuan chuckled twice, "Why don't you ask General Hu?"
Hu Li waved his hand, and the camel caravan immediately set off. Liu Yu turned his head and kept looking back. Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard in the distance. The leading group was stopped, and a man stepped out of the caravan. He was dressed in purple, with flowing hair, and was gorgeous and flamboyant. It was Master Jiang of the Creation Pavilion.
What is she here for?
Jiang Ji dismounted from her horse with quick and decisive movements, the golden abacus around her neck clacking. She smiled at Hu Li and said, "General Hu, you didn't go to the Creation Pavilion this time. Why did you leave?"
Hu Li looked a little uncomfortable. He sat on the camel and bowed to Jiang Ji. "Master Jiang, we have already exchanged for food. We have other things to do in Liuguang City so we won't bother you any more. Bye."
Jiang Ji's eyes swept over the camels laden with grain, her beautiful features suddenly sharpening. "General Hu, can you guarantee that you'll be able to exchange grain from her every year?"
There was a clear threat in these words, and Hu Li was immediately displeased. However, he didn't want to offend her, so he just said solemnly, "Pavilion Master Jiang, when buying food, of course we buy it from where it's cheapest. If your price is fair, we'll go there ourselves."
"The Creation Pavilion, relying on its exclusive business, has raised its prices several times higher than the normal price of rice within the Great Wall. The grain they exchange for the Flowing Light Brocade every year is only half of what they got this time. Anyone with common sense knows where the bargain lies."
"The journey is long, I won't chat with you any longer, Master. Goodbye!"
The people from the Creation Pavilion were still blocking the way in front. The two sides were deadlocked for a while, and Jiang Ji waved her hand to let them pass.
She is an honest businesswoman. She can double the price, but she will not force people to buy or sell.
After the people from Liuguang City left, Jiang Ji led them towards Ye Nuan, then looked at Chu Xuesong behind Ye Nuan. Her eyes were sharp and she chuckled softly, "Little girl, you have a good trick. It's not a good habit to intercept people halfway."
Su was about to step forward, but was stopped by Ye Nuan. She said to Jiang Ji, "Business is for everyone, and the Creation Pavilion can't take it all. Besides, I'm just selling things at a normal price, so Pavilion Master Jiang can do it too."
This is of course impossible. The wasteland is a barren place where bandits are rampant. Who would be willing to come here if they can't make huge profits?
Jiang Ji sneered, "I underestimated you. The farm is doing well, and I don't care about other things. But you don't have any Liuguangjin to keep, so why not sell it to me?" Apart from her, even Qi Wuze could not enter the customs, and she was the only one who had a market for Liuguangjin.
Ye Nuan agreed readily: "Okay, one horse." She stretched out five fingers and shook them.
Jiang Ji exclaimed: "Five hundred taels? Why don't you just rob it?" In previous years, she always calculated the price at two hundred taels, but this one was more than double.
"Five hundred taels isn't much. Pavilion Master Jiang can at least double it if he sells it. It's good as long as there's a profit."
Jiang Ji chuckled twice. "From here to the interior, the labor and carriage expenses, the round trip costs are free! Calculating it this way, the profit is too little. Three hundred taels is not enough!"
Ye Nuan: "Six hundred taels."
"You!" Jiang Ji gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes piercing with murderous intent. But when she thought of the man who specifically wanted the Liuguangjin, she had no choice but to accept it. "Okay, you can go get it now. I'll pay you and I'll give you the goods."
Ye Nuan said to Chu Xuesong, "Xiaobai, go with my mother and move the Liuguangjin out."
Chu Xuesong nodded and just as he turned around, a strong wind hit him from behind, not towards him but towards Ye Nuan's neck. He narrowed his eyes slightly and instinctively reached out to block it. But the opponent was faster, the abacus clacking in his hand, and he waved his hand towards Ye Nuan's face.
Ye Nuan looked at the grinning Jiang Ji in horror, and then was led in a different direction by Chu Xuesong. Chu Xuesong turned his wrist and clamped the golden abacus with one hand. Jiang Ji, like a swimming fish, directly reached for the "Shuoxue" at his waist.
Chu Xuesong retreated quickly, and several wooden beads popped out from Jiang Ji's golden abacus and shot towards Ye Nuan's eyes. He could no longer care about anything else, and unsheathed "Shuoxue". The cold light swept across, and the wooden beads were directly cut into two pieces and fell to the ground with a thud.
Jiang Ji quickly retreated a long way away, looked at Ye Nuan with a smile, and said, "Girl, look how good I am to you. The man next to you is not a weak scholar."
Chu Xuesong's hand trembled, and he looked at Ye Nuan in panic.
"Ah Nuan...please listen to my explanation..."
Ye Nuan didn't say anything, but avoided his outstretched hand and took two steps back. Chu Xuesong's face turned pale, and he suddenly didn't have the courage to look at her face again.
Jiang Ji was pleased: Very good, he just wanted Chu Xuesong to be unable to stay here.
This madman can't distinguish between friend and foe. He's clearly here to hook people, but he always ruins her business. This time, he even dares to help intercept her business. It's so infuriating.
She pointed out his identity: "Chu Dang..."
Chu Xuesong suddenly looked up and stared at Jiang Ji with resentment, murderous intent in his eyes. He turned his wrist and moved towards her.
When he went crazy, even ten Jiang Jis couldn't stand up to him. Jiang Ji's people surrounded him, and she angrily yelled, "Madman, don't forget you still need the Creation Pavilion."
He chuckled, his eyes reddened, and he said in a cold voice: "Who told you to meddle in other people's business! Creation Pavilion...it's better not to have it!" The usually gentle and kind man now had a cold and solemn look on his face, his moves were sharp and ruthless, he no longer looked like a weak scholar.
While beating her, Jiang Ji yelled at Ye Nuan, "Girl, are you still doing business? Hurry up and wake up this lunatic."
Ye Nuan was still shocked. Didn’t he say that he had only learned martial arts for two years?
Chu Xuesong's white clothes were stained with blood, but he didn't care and fought with a completely reckless attitude, as if as long as he killed all these people, Ye Nuan would forget the scene just now.
"Xiaobai, stop now!" Ye Nuan was shocked.
Chu Xuesong was so bloodthirsty that he didn't stop. Seeing the people around him fall one by one, Jiang Ji suddenly regretted exposing this madman.
Another sword thrust forward, and seeing no way to avoid it, the sound of horse hooves approached from afar, and a man suddenly jumped off the horse. Jiang Ji only glanced at him, her eyes filled with ecstasy, and she shouted, "City Lord Qi, help me! This madman Chu Xuesong wants to kill people."
Qi Wuze was still holding the flowerpot, looking at Jiang Ji and then at Ye Nuan.
Jiang Ji was so anxious that she wanted to curse: "It's already this late, and you're still just talking about love. If it weren't for me, you would have been stolen long ago! There's no way he can get away for a while, and I'm going to die here!"
However, Qi Wuze still walked towards Ye Nuan first. His bloodshot eyes seemed to have light. He handed the flowerpot in his hand to her and said softly, "You promised me before that you would help me grow flowers. Does it still count now?" His eyes were bright and full of expectation.
The person in front of her seemed a little different, but Ye Nuan didn't have time to think about it. She immediately picked up the flower pot and pushed him, "Stop Xiaobai, don't let him kill people here!"
Qi Wuze didn't even look over there, but instead looked at her with a bright smile on his face, "Okay, I'll do whatever you want."
Ye Nuan: “.” You better go, or someone will die if you don’t go.
When 'Shuoxue' touched Jiang Ji's neck, Qi Wuze threw out his black gold broken-pattern knife directly.
bite!
The sword trembled, and Chu Xuesong's palms were numb. He took several steps back, and his eyes were blood red under his eyelashes.
Jiang Ji patted her chest and trembled as she stood up from behind Qi Wuze. A small amount of blood oozed from her neck. She glared at Chu Xuesong fiercely and cursed, "You lunatic! Who told you to steal my business? Why are you so angry after being exposed? You're not a good bandit leader, so why are you running to her? You have no good intentions!"
A cruel smile appeared on Chu Xuesong's lips, and 'Shuoxue' suddenly split into two. While intercepting Qi Wuze, the whole sword slid backwards, and the other sword went straight for her throat.
Jiang Ji was horrified and stepped back repeatedly. Seeing Ye Nuan standing there, the abacus in her hand flew out, and the golden chain directly brought the flowerpot in her hand to block Chu Xuesong's powerful attack.
Ding Dong!
Shuoxue's sword intent was fierce, and the huge and sharp impact broke the flowerpot into countless pieces, along with the dead Emei Chunhui inside.
That was the flower Qi Wuze had given her; it was his mother's favorite flower. Ye Nuan's heart trembled suddenly, and she looked up across. Behind Chu Xuesong, Qi Wuze's eyes were red, and the veins on his hand holding the knife were bulging. His whole body seemed to be trembling, along with every crack on the knife.
Ye Nuan had a bad feeling, and sure enough, the next moment, Qi Wuze was even crazier than Chu Xuesong. He not only chopped Chu Xuesong, but also the culprit Jiang Ji!
The battlefield was too chaotic, so she silently took a few steps back.
Dogs barked in the distance, and a large group of horse bandits surrounded the farm. The leader, He Xin, saw Chu Xuesong covered in blood and shouted anxiously, "Master!"
Seeing the bandits getting closer and closer, Ye Nuan grabbed the still frantic Qi Wuze and dragged him into the yard. However, the next moment, her hand was grabbed by Chu Xuesong. When she turned around, she saw hurt in his eyes.
"Ah Nuan."
Ye Nuan raised her foot and kicked Chu Xuesong. Chu Xuesong could have clearly dodged it but he still took the kick, leaving a stain on his white waist.
“Let go!”
Chu Xuesong didn't want to let go. Once he let go, A Nuan would never pay attention to him again.
Qi Wuze stared at his hand with bloodshot eyes, then raised his knife and started to chop it.
"Master!" He Xin shouted urgently, turned over and dismounted. His scimitar collided with Qi Wuze's blade, sparks flew, and he fell backwards with Chu Xuesong.
The bandits rushed forward to help, but seeing that the enemy was outnumbered and powerful, Ye Nuan dragged Qi Wuze away.
Jiang Ji cursed and followed Ye Nuan into the yard with the remaining men.
The gate to the yard was shut, and Huajuan rushed out howling. A pack of wolves echoed him in the distance, and soon they all rushed over. A faint rustling sound came from the corner of the yard, and a large number of venomous snakes crawled over the fence, spitting their venom at the bandits.
The horses neighed, and the bandits looked at the scene in panic, shouting to Chu Xuesong, "Boss!"
Chu Xuesong's lips were stained with blood, his peach blossom eyes slightly closed, his half-closed eyes were icy cold, he looked at the group of horse bandits behind him, and asked in a stern voice: "Who asked you to come?"
Faced with such a powerful leader, the bandits were all silent, trembling and afraid to speak. He Xin supported him and said nervously, "Master, I was the one who notified everyone to come." If they didn't come, the master would be in trouble under Qi Wuze.
Chu Xuesong grabbed He Xin's neck with one hand, threw him far away, and yelled, "Get out!"
He Xin bumped into the horse's back, spat out a mouthful of blood, struggled to get up, and without saying a word, he led the bandits to retreat a hundred meters away and just watched from afar.
Ye Nuan had never seen Xiao Bai like this before. He was cold, fierce and vicious, like a poppy flower growing in the darkness, dangerous and deadly.
As expected, you can’t pick up things that are dumped outside!
Ye Xiaohu was holding Xiao Hei in shock and called out in a stammer, "Sir..."
Chu Xuesong swayed twice, looking across the courtyard wall at Ye Nuan, who was still dragging Qi Wuze. Her peach blossom eyes were raised with a smile, her snow-white clothes were stained with blood, and her eyes were filled with a light that was easily broken. She called out very gently: "A Nuan..."
Ye Nuan frowned slightly and didn't say anything.
Chu Xuesong took two steps closer. The venomous snake on the fence was spitting its core at him. He smiled the most harmless smile and said to Ye Nuan, "Ah Nuan, I, I didn't mean to lie to you. I... I won't hurt you... Can you let me continue, stay here?"
There was an almost unconcealable pleading in his eyes, and his expression was sad and fragile, as if he would collapse if Ye Nuan said no.
Jiang Ji was a little stunned. In the ten years that she had known Chu Xuesong, she had never seen this madman act like this.
Is he really interested in the girl from the Ye family?
Everyone in the yard looked at Ye Nuan. Ye Nuan moved her hand, but Qi Wuze grabbed it back. He was furious and fierce, like a heavy sword unsheathed. His cold eyes slashed towards Chu Xuesong outside the yard. His strong and inviolable possessive desire made him blurt out: "Get out! She's mine!"
Chu Xuesong turned his gaze towards Qi Wuze, the sword gleaming fiercely, not giving in at all, "Why should she be yours?
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