Chapter 33 Chapter 33 "She likes me!" (1+2 more...
When Zhang Jingxian walked out of her uncle's house with a distraught look on her face, Xie Yun saw her.
He had originally felt a sense of displeasure at her lack of understanding. But when she looked around blankly, seemingly with nowhere to go, and finally sat alone by the stream, Xie Yun felt an unfamiliar emotion.
The pain slowly grows inside the body.
Then, she talked to herself while talking to the fish in the water, and he thought she was really silly and cute.
This peasant girl clearly didn't want him to leave. If she didn't care at all, why would she be thinking about this matter all the time?
Xie Yun's figure was reflected on the water's surface. He was standing right behind her, looking down domineeringly at her reflection in the water, and asked her with a smile, who was the "he" she was talking about?
Zhang Jingxian was stunned. Without looking back, she silently picked up a stone and threw it into the water. The fish were scared away by the stone, and their reflections became fragmented.
As if that way, she could pretend not to see him.
Seeing this, Xie Yun snorted softly, staring at her intently. "If Ah Xian wants to know, you can just ask me directly. There's no need to vent your anger on a fish."
She didn't take her anger out on the fish, Zhang Jingxian retorted in her heart, and turned back hesitantly.
"So, when are you planning to leave, sir?"
She wanted to go back to her own home, a home that belonged to her completely. Although it would be lonely, at least she wouldn't feel sad.
In the busy life, time passed by in the blink of an eye.
Hearing her really ask, Xie Yun looked at her quietly, with an ambiguous mockery gradually emerging in his eyes, "If I leave, Ah Xian will be alone again."
“You can tell me you regret a thousand times, but only one fish will listen.”
He saw the loneliness buried deep within her heart and spoke directly to her, his tone careless but with an unpleasant certainty and arrogance.
It seemed that taking her away was a gift he gave her.
From the beginning to the end, in his heart, she was just a lowly peasant girl. Because she was lowly, she did not need to be respected and could be driven around at will.
Zhang Jingxian felt a breath stuck in her chest, unable to go up or down. She wanted to ask again, why?
But her aunt's words were still ringing in her ears. She couldn't afford to offend him. After pondering for a long time, she just shook her head and said, "If you have nothing else to do, my lord, I will leave first."
After sitting by the stream for a while, the dew wet the hem of her skirt, and Zhang Jingxian prepared to go back and change into another piece of clothing.
Moreover, she had been away from her uncle's house for a long time. If her uncle guessed that she had heard what her aunt said behind her back, he would inevitably create difficulties between her and her aunt.
Her uncle and aunt raised her and treated her like their own child. She could and must endure some grievances.
Zhang Jingxian left the stream, and Xie Yun looked at her with a gloomy and ugly expression.
Why was she so stubborn and couldn't admit that she wanted to leave him?
In the morning light, Xie walked over quietly and stood respectfully in front of Xie Yun.
He saw everything that happened just now.
"She likes me, but doesn't want to leave Xishan Village with me. Why do you think that is?" Xie Yun asked the subordinate who had followed him for many years. He, who was always calm and composed, actually developed subtle worries.
Hearing his question, Xie paused, and his silent expression looked as if he was made of stone.
After waiting for a long time without receiving an answer, Xie Yun suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him. When he didn't speak, those black eyes always made people feel cold.
"How could Alang think that Madam Zhang likes you?" Xie cautiously said that he didn't notice it. Every action of Madam Zhang was reasonable, and her attitude towards the envoy was mostly respectful and distant.
He called the envoy "honorable gentleman" and could not wait to go into the mountains. He did not get close to the envoy at all, and could not smile if he got a little closer to the envoy.
This behavior was completely different from those noble ladies who were so pleased with the envoy that they couldn't help but approach him. In just one day, Xie came to the conclusion that Madam Zhang did not like the envoy.
To put it bluntly, he felt that Madam Zhang seemed to have a good impression of Yucai. She took the initiative to talk to Yu, asked Yu's name, and smiled at Yu gently.
There was curiosity and admiration in her eyes when she looked at Yu.
"Since you are blind, just dig out your eyes yourself." Xie Yun laughed coldly. He was asking for trouble by asking Xie why.
Xie had only been here for a day, and he had only seen the peasant girl's face when she was angry with him. He had never known that she had tried every possible way to coax him, care about him, and even look for medicine for him.
And if she is still angry about him deceiving her, then it all makes sense. She feels insecure and is afraid of being deceived again if she leaves with him.
Xie Yun frowned sharply, but soon relaxed his brows and gave Xie a deep order.
"Ah Xian is my savior. Tell others that seeing her in the future is like seeing me."
Tsk, a peasant girl, yet she wants him to worry about her, what a trouble!
-
Zhang Jingxian returned to her uncle's house, changed her dew-soaked dress, and messed up her hair. As expected, her uncle did not notice that she had been out, and he also heard the conversation between her aunt and him.
Chun'er woke up with rosy cheeks and said happily that it was comfortable to sleep with her elder sister. She had a rare good dream.
"Why is it comfortable?" Xia'er asked foolishly. She was still young and still slept in her grandparents' room.
"Because big sister has a... pleasant fragrance, just like the valley where we secretly ran away, with wind, water and flowers." Chun'er sighed, and got a glare from her mother.
"I've told you so many times not to go wandering off into the mountains." Liu Pingniang glared at her eldest daughter, who was pretending to obey her. Turning to see her youngest giggling, she began to scold her again, "And you, don't think I don't know that we've replaced the clay pots at home."
Hearing this, Zhang Jingxian, who was eating wheat cakes silently at the side, lowered her head hurriedly. She had secretly given the new pottery jar to Xia'er.
It turns out that my aunt knows everything.
Both daughters were scolded, and Zhang Shuanghu was no exception. Several mistakes were picked out one after another. Zhang Jingxian was terrified when she heard this, fearing that her aunt's scolding would be directed at her the next moment.
However, she never did. After she finished her wheat cake, her aunt still didn't look at her.
Zhang Jingxian felt empty in her heart. She knew that her aunt still hated her and hated her for not marrying her cousin and leaving her with any hope.
"Yesterday, the nobleman regained his memory and asked me what I wanted in return." She raised her head and said softly. Instead of waiting for her aunt or uncle to speak, she might as well take the initiative to ask.
The Zhang family's house was silent for a moment, and even the absent-minded Zhang Rulin held his breath. He and several other young men in the village had encountered the strong men living in the eldest sister's house before, and they seemed extremely majestic and dangerous.
But they are just the noble's followers.
"I beg you to find my cousin and the villagers in the army and keep them safe." Zhang Jingxian continued, like a thunderclap.
"How does your Excellency answer?"
Liu Pingniang stared at her intently, her eyes burning.
"Aunt, the noble man agreed. He also asked me if I had any other requests." Zhang Jingxian smiled casually, and then she found that her aunt and uncle had tears in their eyes.
The eldest son is their first child, and now he is unknown whether he is alive or dead. How can they not worry about him?
"Ah Xian, except for this time today, remember, don't mention this matter to anyone again!" There was some guilt in Zhang Shuanghu's eyes. It was originally what they should have done, but in the end, Ah Xian had to bear the consequences.
He felt sorry for his niece.
"Yes, if the villagers knew about this, Ah Xian would definitely have a hard time living in the future." For the first time in four years, Liu Pingniang gave Zhang Jingxian a good look. She suppressed her excitement and put a steamed vegetable dumpling in Zhang Jingxian's bowl.
Zhang Jingxian should have been happy as she ate the wild vegetable dumplings, but she felt uneasy inside, always feeling that things would not go smoothly.
Especially after her aunt quickly changed her attitude towards her.
If something went wrong in the process or the result, she didn't dare to think about what would happen next.
Then, as if to confirm her uneasiness, something unexpected happened.
Not long after Zhang Jingxian and her uncle's family finished their breakfast, while the village elders were thinking about going to pay a visit to the distinguished guests and the villagers were secretly watching, two horse-drawn carriages drove in from the entrance of Xishan Village.
It was a horse-drawn carriage, not the ox-drawn cart that the villagers had seen.
A sturdy horse with a long mane pulled an ebony carriage, strolling gracefully and finally stopping at the door of Zhang's house.
There is only one Zhang family in Xishan Village.
The busy farming season was over, and Zhang Shuanghu was at home. In fact, he became alert when he heard the sound of horse hooves.
When he walked out of the house with his family and saw two tall and beautiful horses, the second son Zhang Rulin exclaimed in amazement.
Zhang Jingxian stood beside her cousin, her face slightly pale. She guessed who the owner of the carriage was before anyone else.
Sure enough, a burly figure jumped out of the car, with a solemn expression, and bowed to her deeply.
"I am here on the orders of the envoy to bring this thank you gift to Madam Zhang."
Xie bent down respectfully. His humble gesture formed a sharp contrast with his ferocious appearance, which made the villagers who came to watch the fun astonished.
Such a strong man looked more imposing and dignified than the head of the village who held power over Xishan Village and Dongshan Village, but he was willing to submit to Ah Xian.
It’s incredible, Ah Xian is just an ordinary girl in the village.
And all this was because she saved a noble man.
Rolls of silk were unloaded from the carriages, and grains such as millet, wheat, and beans were piled up into small hills. Various fruits, meat, wine, and even iron and copper utensils filled the open space under the mulberry trees, making Zhang Jingxian almost suspect that they had bought out all the property in Wuyang County.
She looked around, and the villagers' bright and eager eyes seemed to be roasting her on fire.
The air Zhang Jingxian breathed grew thinner by the second. She could almost imagine the scene she was about to face. She felt envious, jealous, and eager to make a move...
But this is not the end. The next words Xie said were like igniting a raging fire.
"In the future, if Madam Zhang has any instructions, we will definitely help her accomplish them. The envoy said, seeing Madam Zhang is like seeing the envoy himself."
At this point, Zhang Shuanghu's expression became very complicated, and he clearly realized that trouble was coming.
Because of this sentence, wave after wave of people will rush towards Ah Xian, trying to gain benefits from her.
Zhang Jingxian could think of what her uncle could think of. She couldn't help but asked Xie in a cold voice what he wanted to do and why he had to push her to the forefront.
Hearing this, Xie was a little surprised. He didn't expect that a simple peasant girl could see through the envoy's tricks.
The envoy has never been a gentleman. Sometimes, the honey he gives is poisonous.
For Madam Zhang, the true gratitude would be to give her some money and property in a low-key manner and secretly ask the county magistrate here to protect her.
"These gifts are just a small part of my gratitude. Wait, my lady, there will be a big reward later."
Xie concealed his sympathy well, said goodbye to Zhang Jingxian, and left with the two carriages.
The direction was not unfamiliar. It was the small fenced courtyard where Zhang Jingxian had lived for four years. The villagers of Xishan Village could reach it by walking along the stream for a quarter of an hour.
Such a close distance lived a noble person whom they might never meet in their entire lives.
Moreover, the nobleman said that he would try his best to meet Ah Xian's request.
Over the years, they have treated Ah Xian quite well. As a girl born in Dongshan Village, she not only got a share of the land in their Xishan Village, but also received their care.
If it weren't for their help, she might be stuck in Dongshan Village suffering. Her biological father and stepmother's family were not good people, lazy, greedy, and annoying.
"Ah Xian..." someone asked tentatively, wanting to know if he could exchange some colorful silk with her for his son's wedding.
Zhang Jingxian's aunt Liu Pingniang was quick-witted and quickly prompted the man next to her.
"Your Excellency was rescued by Ah Xian, and it's not just her credit. Today, all the villagers are here, and I, Zhang Shuanghu, will take charge. I will share some of the thank-you gifts with everyone, so that you can share this gratitude." Zhang Shuanghu spoke in time, his loud and mellow voice echoing in everyone's ears, temporarily blocking the secretly red gazes.
Her uncle's words successfully brought Zhang Jingxian back to her senses. She distributed nearly half of the thank-you gift according to their seniority.
Among them, the hometown family receives the most important gift.
After all this trouble, she was exhausted, mainly mentally.
After eating a few sour mulberries, she began to understand Xie Yun's intention. If she didn't leave with him, he would force her to leave Xishan Village.
"Vicious, selfish, and ungrateful. How could I have saved such a person?"
Zhang Jingxian murmured softly, perhaps what she saved was not a human being at all, but a poisonous snake that would bite back, cold and gloomy, and could never be warmed up.
The reason why such a scene did not happen in the previous life was because she was deceived by his disguise and willingly followed him away.
Now that she rejected him again and again, he changed his approach and forced her to agree and leave.
However, while forcing her, he called it repaying her kindness.
Although the uncle noticed something was wrong, he still believed that the niece had no bad intentions and was loyal and righteous. He should not suspect that the niece was deliberately harming his niece just because the gifts he gave were larger and the promises he made were more valuable.
"Big sister, this bow is more beautiful than the one made by father! Can I try it?" Cousin Zhang Rulin came to Zhang Jingxian hesitantly with a bow in his hand, not noticing her depressed mood.
In fact, everyone in the family was happy except her and her uncle.
The uncle was worried that there would be trouble, while the aunt was worried about her cousin and hoped that Xie Yun would value her. As for Chun'er, Xia'er and her cousin, they were young and inexperienced and had no idea that people were so sinister.
They were so excited to have these things at home that their faces turned red. Although the thank-you gift was for the big sister, the big sister loved them very much and would give them fun and delicious treats if they just acted coquettishly.
Little girl Xia'er couldn't resist the temptation and hugged the candy jar, while Chun'er couldn't let go of a golden bronze mirror.
The mirror reflected Zhang Jingxian's silent expression. The three of them realized it belatedly and the smiles on their faces disappeared.
"Big sister, isn't it good to get a thank-you gift for saving someone? Confucius even scolded his disciples for not accepting the gift." Chun'er and Xin'er from the Zheng family next door often stayed together. She heard this story from Xin'er's brother and found it very interesting and kept it in mind.
She said it at this time to express her doubts.
"Big sister, the candy is delicious, please try it." Xia'er was even more mischievous. She took out a square piece of crispy candy from the candy jar and handed it to Zhang Jingxian's mouth.
Zhang Jingxian opened her lips and took a bite, tasting the sweetness of sesame.
She smiled and said to her cousins, "It's only right to be thanked for helping others, but the gift is too expensive, I'm afraid I can't afford it."
So that's how it is. Upon hearing this, the three of them felt relieved and continued to think about the things in their hands.
-
The next day, Zhang Jingxian started to get into trouble.
At daybreak, the gray-haired village elder came to Zhang's house again and said that he had received a thank-you gift from the noble man and should go to pay a visit.
"That originally belonged to Ah Xian. You can live with me and Ah Tu." The village elders had always wanted to find a government job for Liu Tu in the county, but unfortunately it had not been successful.
Knowing that Xie Yun was from the Xie family, he immediately turned his hopeful eyes to Zhang Jingxian.
The village elder regretted not inviting the nobleman to his home. Alas, he was too timid at the time, fearing that the nobleman would be seriously injured and would not recover, implicating himself.
Helplessly, Zhang Shuanghu could only stand up and decline on behalf of his niece, saying that it was too early and it was inappropriate to visit rashly.
"Uncle, please wait a little longer. Your Excellency's entourage is currently in the county town doing some shopping, so their arrangements are certainly not complete yet, making it inconvenient for them to meet with guests."
Things are different now. In the past, nobles didn’t care about these things when they got into trouble, but now, those two carriages never stopped.
One trip after another, at a very fast speed. No one knew what had become of Zhang Jingxian's rooms.
Hearing this, the village elder backed off. He walked out of Zhang's house with his back bent, and glanced at the gate of Zheng's house next door as if unintentionally.
The wooden door was tightly shut, as if the family hadn't left yet. But the village elder's eyes gleamed as he whispered to his son, Liu Tu, to keep an eye on the Zheng family.
Zhang Shuanghu and Zheng Fu had a good relationship, and Zheng Qi, who was conscripted, was Zheng Fu's only son.
The unreachable noble person was right in front of him, and Zheng Fu could not remain indifferent.
Not long after the village elder left, the Zhang family welcomed another guest. This time, the guests were bad guests: Zhang Jingxian's biological father and his family.
The people of Dongshan Village have been eyeing Xishan Village for a long time. It doesn't make sense that when two villages are adjacent to each other, it is always Dongshan Village that is unlucky.
Dongshan Village is closer to Wuyang County and its households are wealthier than those in Xishan Village. Therefore, the people of Dongshan Village feel superior to those in Xishan Village.
However, two recent events have caused the people of Dongshan Village to lose their defenses.
One was that wild boars came down the mountain and trampled on the fields. The result was obvious. Several people in Dongshan Village were injured and a man named Yang Gouzi was half dead. However, Xishan Village won a great victory by digging pits and setting traps and got a lot of wild boar meat.
The second reason was the recent rain. Xishan Village harvested the wheat in the fields in time, while Dongshan Village worked hard but suffered heavy losses.
When these two incidents happened, Yang Xianglao of Dongshan Village could no longer sit still. He quickly found out the whole story. Both incidents were related to one person: the noble man who was saved by the girl from the Zhang family in Xishan Village!
Village head Yang quietly ordered someone to secretly watch the residence of the girl from the Zhang family, and then found that more than ten strong men had gone there and scared the girl away.
Immediately afterwards, two precious carriages came with great fanfare to the Zhang family in Xishan Village to deliver gifts of thanks.
Yang Xianglao pondered for a moment and immediately revealed the news to Yang Youhe and his family.
Yang Youhe is the biological father of the Zhang family girl! Although they had a bit of an ugly quarrel more than ten years ago, the blood relationship cannot be severed. Seeing that there is profit to be made, who can not step forward to get involved?
Yang Youhe was indeed moved when he heard the news. After discussing with his family, he cut some vegetables from the vegetable garden, took some sour fruits, and came to Xishan Village to visit his daughter whom he had abandoned many years ago.
In order to prevent his former uncle Zhang Shuanghu from driving him out, Yang Youhe's parents also followed him. As soon as the three of them entered Xishan Village, they heard the villagers' envious discussions.
How much silk, how much food, how many treasures... The three members of the Yang family quickened their pace and shouted Zhang Jingxian's name loudly when they arrived at the door of the Zhang family.
While knocking on the door, she kept calling "granddaughter Ah Xian" and "daughter". Her hypocrisy was disgusting.
Zhang Jingxian sat under the mulberry tree in the yard. A cold light flashed across the girl's face. She quietly stroked her short bow, trying hard to restrain herself.
Zhang Shuanghu did the same, wiping the longbow that had been with him for many years with a serious face. If it were not for the law, he really wanted to shoot the person outside the door with one arrow.
Chun'er and the other two were so stunned by the look on their father and cousin's face that they couldn't even breathe.
Finally, it was Liu Pingniang who broke the deadlock. She picked up a bucket of dirty water and poured it out through the wooden door without any hesitation.
"What are you yelling about? If you dare to yell again, I'll splash water on your doorstep every day!"
The sound outside the door paused for a moment, but then turned into even louder crying and cursing.
They cried for Zhang Jingxian's deceased mother and scolded the Zhang family for being heartless and leading their granddaughter and daughter astray.
Especially Zhang Shuanghu and Liu Pingniang, they said they were all bad and vicious. They deliberately kidnapped people from their Yang family and did not allow them to visit or get close to them.
“Squeak!”
The door was opened, Zhang Jingxian pulled the bowstring, and a wooden arrow fell on the ground just an inch away from Yang Youhe.
"Get lost! If you do it again, my arrow will be aimed at you. Also, my last name is Zhang."
The girl's face was frosty, and her eyes, which used to be clear and bright, were now murderous.
The Yang family ran away trembling, and before leaving, they didn't forget to curse Zhang Jingxian, "Unfilial evildoer, you should have been strangled to death when you were born!"
However, halfway through their journey, they were blocked.
The three members of the Yang family did not return home all night. It was not until the next day when people from Dongshan Village came to look for them that Zhang Jingxian got the news.
"Don't worry, my lady. The envoy has ordered that anyone who bullies you will not be spared."
At that moment, Xie came over from the stream and said so.
Following Xie Yun's orders, he took them to the small fenced yard.
And the man who looked like a poisonous snake was leisurely waiting for her to come.
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The author has something to say: Muah, Xie is not a good person!!! The red envelope has been sent, there will be a delay~
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