My father passed away early, and my mother has returned to her parents' home in Taiyuan. Our house in Beijing has been confiscated, and my family members have each gone to live with their relatives, leaving me alone.
No wonder he always stays in restaurants and has so little luggage. It’s really pitiful to think about it.
Xu Jiang realized it belatedly and asked, "Do you have any money on you? Is it enough for the consultation?"
Jiang Gu threw away the paper and pen and closed his eyes, pretending to be dead.
Xu Jiang suddenly felt the urge to throw him out and let him freeze to death.
After entrusting Jiang Gu to Doctor Chen and leaving him the consultation fee, Xu Jiang went back to the market with an umbrella.
The snow had been falling all day and hadn't stopped even at night. She wrapped her cloak tightly around her and, guided by the light of the snow, followed the wheel tracks until she reached Huailiu Lane.
Her shoes and socks were soaked, and she quickened her pace, eager to go back to the shop to change clothes, warm herself by the fire, boil a pot of wine, and cook a bowl of soup noodles to warm herself up.
I just felt that this half-day's rush was longer and more tiring than years of traveling. Perhaps it's because I have a place to return to, and I've become more pampered.
Even though she blamed herself like this, she couldn't help but smile.
Go home.
Just as I arrived at the shop, I saw that the door was open and the shopkeeper Wang was standing at the door, looking around anxiously.
As soon as he saw her, a smile of surprise appeared on his face, and then he asked angrily, "Madam Xu, where have you been? Why did you come back so late? I thought something happened to you. Do you know that Brother Lou is almost going crazy looking for you?"
Xu Jiang slapped his forehead and said in frustration, "Oh no! This happened so suddenly, I forgot to leave a message for him. Where is he? Is he in there?"
"I'm going to look for you. I'll find a street and come back."
"How many streets has he searched?"
"Four or five."
"I'll pick him up!"
Shopkeeper Wang quickly stopped her and said, "Don't bother. He'll be back soon. If you go again by then, you two will probably be busy until dawn."
Xu Jiang thought about it and agreed, so she stood at the door and waited.
While waiting, he asked Shopkeeper Wang, "Did he ask you to wait for me?"
"Isn't it? He knocked on the door just as I was about to eat. When he heard you weren't back yet, he couldn't eat anymore and came to wait for you."
"I'm so sorry for causing you so much worry in this heavy snow and wind."
"What's the big deal? As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. Besides, I can't eat so much of your food for free. It's my duty."
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "Thank you."
Shopkeeper Wang snorted, "You're still laughing! You didn't see Brother Lou's expression. Luckily my little girl didn't see it, or she would have been scared and cried all night."
Xu Jiang was worried when she heard this. She was in a hurry to go out today and forgot about him for a moment. She didn't know how angry she was.
"I'm back." As soon as Manager Wang finished speaking, the heavy sound of horse hooves reached Xu Jiang's ears.
She looked up and saw Lou Yunchun, holding a lantern, riding his horse through the snow. Perhaps he had spotted her, so he kicked his horse and galloped straight towards her.
Xu Jiang hurriedly warned him, "Slow down!"
Before the horse arrived, he jumped off the horse, rushed to Xu Jiang, and looked her up and down.
Seeing that she was intact, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where have you been? Why didn't you leave a message?"
The lantern fell to the ground, and flames ignited, burning Xu Jiang's heart with pain and heat.
"I suddenly ran into something urgent and forgot about it. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Shopkeeper Wang quickly tried to smooth things over, "It's good you're back, it's good you're back. Madam Xu didn't mean it, Brother Lou, please don't be angry." He then turned to Xu Jiang and said, "This time it was your negligence. Next time if there's something urgent, remember to leave a note, or just let me know. It's only a few steps away."
Xu Jiang nodded hurriedly, "I'll definitely remember next time. I won't forget it again."
Shopkeeper Wang saw Lou Yunchun's face soften a bit, and knowing that he couldn't stay any longer, he started to walk back. "Since we're back, hurry inside and rest. It's cold outside. I'm going home too. My little girl is still waiting for me."
"Thank you for your trouble. I'll treat you to a drink tomorrow."
"No, no, I have to go to my mother-in-law's house tomorrow. I'll come back when I have time."
"Okay, you can go."
"Okay, okay." After walking a few steps, he saw the horse's reins lying on the ground and reminded him, "Don't forget to tie the horse, otherwise you'll have to look for it again later."
"That's for sure."
After seeing off Shopkeeper Wang, Xu Jiang wanted to go and tie up the horse, but Lou Yunchun stopped her and said, "You go inside, I'll do it."
After saying this, he led the horse to the donkey stable.
Xu Jiang stared at his back, pressed his chest, and stepped into the shop.
The fire in the stove had gone out and the room was a little cold. Xu Jiang found some lamp oil and lit charcoal. Lou Yunchun came to help. After the stove was lit, Xu Jiang found a pot to boil water and make ginger tea.
"Give it to me." Lou Yunchun took the teapot and said to her, "Hurry up and change your clothes. Your clothes, shoes and socks are all wet. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Xu Jiang felt a little sad when she saw that he not only did not blame her but was worried that she would catch a cold.
Lou Yunchun put the teapot on the stove. Seeing that she had not left yet, he was about to urge her, but he met her eyes that were filled with tears.
My heart suddenly panicked, and I quickly grabbed her hand and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"
Xu Jiang shook her head, smiled again, and squeezed his hand. "I'm going to change. Wait for me."
Seeing her turn into the small door, Lou Yunchun felt a little depressed. He came to look for her after work, but saw the door was closed and a wooden sign saying "Out for business" was hung on it. He thought she was just going to go near.
He had the key to the bookstore, so he opened the door and went in to wait. When he entered, he saw that the fire was cold and there were still some scrolls on the table that had not been put away. He knew that she had left in a hurry and had been gone for a long time.
He went to the backyard again and saw the donkey sleeping, and he suddenly felt uneasy.
It’s snowing so heavily today and the donkey is not tied up. Where could she go?
He waited anxiously until dark, when the gates were closed, but she still hadn't returned. Finally, unable to sit still any longer, he asked Shopkeeper Wang to help watch the gate, and then he rode out to look for her.
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