Zhou Zijun brought two carriages to the west corner gate of the Grand Tutor's Mansion. The extra carriage was sent by the Wen family.
He got off the horse and said to the carriage behind him, "We've arrived. You can go back now."
The coachman was a little confused. The two people in the carriage were the master's maids. The Duke specially asked them to come to the Zhou Mansion to serve the master.
Xiangdong in the car heard this and also lifted the car curtain and said with a smile, "Master Zhou San, we are your girls and we can't leave our master."
Zhou Zijun's face darkened and he snorted coldly, "They say the Duke of Qing's Mansion is neither up nor down. It's true. A maid is so ignorant of the rules. If you don't want to leave, then stay here. You are not qualified to enter the Zhou Mansion yet."
He waved his hand, and two followers led their horses into the corner gate, followed by the Zhou Mansion's carriage. The Wen Mansion's carriage at the back didn't dare to enter the gate and was locked outside.
Zhou Zijun mounted his horse again and asked the two followers to stop. He drove the carriage alone, turning many corners, passing through a long corridor, and entered a remote courtyard.
This small courtyard is called Jingsiyuan, located at the westernmost part of the Zhou Mansion. In the past, it was where the Zhou family members who made mistakes would face the wall and reflect on their mistakes. No one, whether master or servant, usually came here.
Because of Wen Zhuofeng's arrival, the Zhou family also arranged two guards nearby and ordered no one to approach, making the place even quieter.
Zhao Wuzheng stood at the door, looking eagerly. Seeing the carriage coming in, he bowed to Zhou Zijun and said with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Zhou San. I'll remember this kind gesture of affection."
In the twilight, Zhao Wu's skin, as white as jade, glowed slightly red, and the big dimples on his cheeks added a bit of joy.
Zhou Zijun sighed once again, this kid's luck was too good. He was rescued, and that person also had the Jade Regenerating Cream. He didn't know how much of it he had applied to his face, making it look more delicate than a girl's.
Because my grandfather had a close relationship with the old doctor, whenever he came to the capital, he would give the Zhou family some of the Jade-like Regenerating Ointment. It was a tiny amount, barely enough for the tip of an index finger. Every time they got it, the women would eagerly grab it, giving it to the girls about to get married or looking for a husband...
Zhou Zijun collected his thoughts and smiled, "You're welcome. I heard from my grandfather that you are very skilled in martial arts. Let's spar with each other someday."
Zhao Wu smiled and said, "Okay, please give me more advice next time, Brother Zhou San."
In the yard, besides Zhao Wu and Zhou Zijun, there was only a coachman, He Xi, and Li Agui, a servant from the Zhou mansion who came specifically to serve Wen Zhuofeng.
Zhao Wu subconsciously glanced at the closed gate before going over to lift the car curtain, first taking the wheelchair down, then carrying Wen Zhuofeng out of the car. Zhao Wu paused at Wen Zhuofeng's light legs, and a deep sense of bitterness welled up in his heart as he placed him in the wheelchair.
Wen Zhuofeng's face was pale, his cheeks sunken. Even though the rich colors of the sunset gave him a rouge-like hue, it was still obvious that his skin color was abnormal and bloodless. A blanket covered his legs, but it was still clear that his legs were extremely thin and narrow, disproportionate to his upper body.
When he came to this completely unfamiliar place and faced his dearest brother, Wen Zhuofeng finally felt like he had escaped death.
Even though he had just lifted a corner of the car curtain to peek outside, the strange yet familiar street scene, the pedestrians hurrying on the road, the children on the side of the road, chickens, dogs, and noisy sounds, everything that had only appeared in his dreams in the past ten years was now vividly displayed before his eyes... He was still afraid that he would be sent back to that wolf's den in the next moment, and he dared not relax at all.
Wen Zhuofeng let out a long breath, then took another deep one. He looked again at the boundless sky and the brilliant clouds in the west. Moisture welled in his eyes, and he smiled through his tears. "Finally, I'm leaving there. For ten years, trapped in a corner, barely surviving, I'd forgotten that the wind blows from all directions, and that the world is so vast..."
Seeing Wen Zhuofeng like this, and thinking of the young man ten years ago who was both talented in literature and martial arts and full of vigor, Zhou Zijun felt a little sad. He said, "Brother Wen, you are only 26 years old. Once you stand on your feet again in the future, you still have a lot of good times ahead of you."
Wen Zhuofeng clasped his fists and said to Zhou Zijun, "Thank you, Zijun. Please also thank Old Master Zhou and Duke Zhou on my behalf. Zhuofeng will always remember this great favor." After saying this, he sat down and bowed again.
After Zhou Zijun and the driver left, Zhao Wu asked He Xi to go back and tell Xu Lanyin that he would not be back for the next few days, and that Doctor Huang would come to the Zhou Mansion in person to treat Wen Zhuofeng tomorrow afternoon...
Zhao Wu pushed Wen Zhuofeng into the house. It had been renovated, with the steps and threshold removed and a slope formed at the entrance.
Li Agui had already laid out the wine and food. Zhao Wu filled a glass of wine for Wen Zhuofeng and filled one for himself, saying with a smile, "I wish you, big brother, to be able to stand up again and walk as fast as the wind."
Wen Zhuofeng took the wine cup and sniffed it, then drank it all in one gulp. He smiled and said, "Brother, I appreciate your good words."
After drinking a glass of wine, there was a blush on his face.
Ever since he became disabled, Wen Yan had always had people bring him alcohol. He knew Wen Yan's ill intentions and refused to drink. He couldn't let his eyes become blind, and then his heart become blind. But after his brother's accident, he was heartbroken and turned to alcoholism, living a life of drunkenness and debauchery. Later, when Min Hu came to see him and learned that his brother had survived the ordeal, he regained hope for the future and stopped drinking.
He personally picked up the wine jug, filled his brother's cup, then filled his own, raised his cup and said with a smile, "Today is the day of my brother's rebirth. May we brothers work together to find out the truth and avenge our parents and ourselves."
The two of them drank up the wine in their glasses.
He Xi rode back to the courtyard quickly and reported the situation of Zhao Wu's brothers to Xu Lanyin.
Xu Lanyin was relieved and happy for the brothers. She said, "Tell the Second Master that we are doing well and will be moving tomorrow. Tell him not to worry and just focus on that." She added, "Serve Master Wen well, and come back and tell me if anything happens."
Zhao Wu asked his servants to call Wen Zhuofeng "Master" and call him "Second Master".
Xu Lanyin went to Zhao Wu's house to pack some clothes and asked He Xi to take them to Zhou's house.
The next morning, Xu Lanyin took He Dong and Zhang Qi to say goodbye to the old couple, and gave them one or two taels of silver each, and moved to the new house.
The previous arrangement was that Zhao Wu and Wen Zhuofeng lived in the second courtyard, while Xu Lanyin and Zhangqi lived in the third courtyard. Since Wen Zhuofeng did not come here for treatment, Zhao Wu wanted Xu Lanyin to live in the main courtyard and he to live in the outer courtyard.
If Xu Lanyin didn't agree, Wen Zhuofeng would always move out.
Although the house was simple with only a few pieces of furniture, Xu Lanyin felt at home, much more at ease than living in that small courtyard. The first thing she did was to close the door and hide the gold bars and banknotes.
Afterwards, she took Zhangqi to the kitchen to cook a few dishes. Today was the first day of the meal, so it had to be something formal.
The meal was ready, and there were three people at three tables, which was quite deserted.
The chess master smiled and said, "When the eldest and second masters come back, the house will be lively."
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