Chapter 140 Everything Has Changed (Two Chapters in One)
Standing by the window, the bright sunlight could not illuminate the boy's expression.
He turned around slowly, a faint smile on his lips, but his pupils were constricted like a cat standing on the edge of an abyss. He looked at the little girl in front of him.
A plain dress, made of very good material, but it is not a tribute and can be bought with money.
Her jet-black hair was combed into two simple buns, with a small pearl flower inserted on each side. Apart from this, there were no other decorations. She looked as plain as a figure walking out of an ink painting.
Fortunately, the little girl was in her prime, with almond eyes, rosy cheeks, bright eyes and white teeth. Even though she was dressed simply and without makeup, she was still bright and eye-catching, as bright as the morning glow.
"You are..." A long-lost name flashed through his mind, and Yang Shengqiu subconsciously wanted to escape, but the next moment, he met a pair of eyes as bright as stars.
Zhao Shiqing looked at him and said again: "Brother Xiaoyang, do you really not remember me?"
Yang Shengqiu's heart felt like it was being tugged at by a pair of invisible hands. His body trembled violently, and he murmured, "Little Nannan? Are you Little Nannan?"
Zhao Shiqing raised the corners of his mouth, his eyes curved into crescents: "Brother Xiaoyang, you finally remembered that I am Xiaonannan, and I have grown up."
Yang Shengqiu's breathing became heavier. He looked at Zhao Shiqing in disbelief. "Are you really Xiaonan? Where have you been all these years? Where is my grandfather? Is he okay?"
The smile on Zhao Shiqing's face gradually faded, and a layer of mist appeared in his eyes: "They were killed by evildoers ten years ago."
The boot that had been hanging over his head for ten years finally fell, and Yang Shengqiu fell into the chair with a thud.
Zhao Shiqing took out the letter from his bosom and gently placed it on the table in front of him: "That year, Emperor Xiaokang suddenly developed an eye disease. Lord Meng sent people to Zhuxitang to invite the old doctor Yang to come to the capital to treat Emperor Xiaokang..."
The room was silent, and the girl's voice flowed slowly in the stillness. The tone was neither light nor heavy, but to Yang Shengqiu's ears, it sounded like a violent storm, stirring up huge waves.
He lowered his head, the letter was placed in front of him, within reach. The handwriting on the envelope was strange yet familiar. Even after ten years, he could still recognize it as his grandfather's handwriting.
The envelope is thin and light, and it can fly away with a gust of wind.
Thinking of this, Yang Shengqiu suddenly raised his head. The window of the bookstore was closed, and there was no wind blowing in. The letter could not be blown out and would not be picked up by people with ulterior motives.
Yang Shengqiu breathed a sigh of relief, but met those clear eyes again.
This is the second time I have looked into the eyes of this little girl. Oh, yes, she has a name. Her name is Xiao Nannan, and she is the youngest daughter of the Shi family.
Yang Shengqiu suddenly thought of something and asked, "Are your eyes healed?"
Zhao Shiqing nodded: "Okay, actually this is the first time I see you. So, Brother Xiaoyang, if you had pretended not to know me just now, I would really have thought I recognized the wrong person."
Not sure if he was overthinking it, but Yang Shengqiu actually heard a hint of sarcasm in the little girl's tone.
He said quickly, "That year when I came back from school, I saw the gate was locked. The villagers said that Grandfather and your family had gone out to seek medical treatment. I was young at the time and believed it, thinking that you would come back soon. However, I waited and waited, but you never came back. I..."
Zhao Shiqing chuckled. She was young and had not yet learned to be patient. She did not waste time on herself and would say whatever she thought.
"Then you must have gone back often over the years, wandering helplessly outside my door, fantasizing that one day, the great doctor Yang and our family would appear before you."
Yang Shengqiu was stunned for a moment, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes: "No, I only went back once, and I haven't been to Zhuxitang since then."
Zhao Shiqing looked at him with a softer gaze. Even if you didn't lie, you really only went back once.
Your grandfather is missing, and your benefactor's family is also missing, but you are not anxious or even curious.
"Why? I'm asking why you didn't go back. Did you already know they wouldn't come back?"
Yang Shengqiu was stunned. He didn't expect that his little girl would be so aggressive when she grew up.
Come to think of it, although she was blind as a child, she was extremely smart.
Now that she asked this, she must have some suspicions.
Yang Shengqiu didn't want to hide anything. He told the truth, "My grandfather was a very upright man. When he was a royal doctor in the capital, he offended many people. Later, he was ostracized and had to leave the capital. My parents died when I was young, and my grandfather was my only relative. The place where I studied was over a hundred miles away from Zhuxitang. My grandfather was worried about me and repeatedly told me not to come back on my own unless your father came to pick me up.
And when I went back to Zhuxitang that time, it was my adoptive father who accompanied me. By the way, my adoptive father is my mentor. When he saw that I was alone, he adopted me as his son and raised me to adulthood.
Later, my adoptive father took me to Hancheng, where we stayed for many years."
It sounds blameless, but Zhao Shiqing had secretly read the letter. Thinking of the map in the letter, she felt that this matter was not that simple and that this pair of grandparents and grandchildren still had a secret.
She smiled and nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Xiaoyang."
Yang Shengqiu smiled bitterly: "What about you? Where did you go after you were rescued?"
On the way here, Zhao Shiqing wanted to tell Yang Shengqiu all about her experiences over the years. She felt that she and Brother Xiaoyang shared the same fate. In that catastrophe, she lost her loved ones, and Brother Xiaoyang also lost his grandfather. They were both orphans of the victims.
But now, she suddenly didn't want to talk about it anymore.
The person in front of me is obviously Brother Lamb, but he is not Brother Lamb.
Her little lamb brother, just like the rose that year, disappeared before she even saw it.
"A kind-hearted person sent me to a doctor, but he was a black-hearted doctor. As soon as the kind-hearted person left, he sold me to a human trafficker, who then sold me to a beggar who specialized in cutting up human flesh..."
Hearing the words "采生折割", Yang Shengqiu was surprised and looked at Zhao Shiqing again.
The girl in front of him didn't look disabled at all. She was pretty and innocent, and her manners were calm. This was the temperament that came from being pampered and raised in wealth.
No matter how you look at it, she doesn't look like a girl who grew up in that kind of place.
Seeing the surprise in his eyes, Zhao Shiqing smiled slightly and continued, "The net of heaven is vast and wide, nothing can escape it. The government arrested the kidnapper, and the evil beggar was brought to justice. I was rescued along with the other children, and later my grandfather found me."
Every word she said was true, but she concealed the Liang Wang Mansion. However, Yang Shengqiu already understood that she had grown up in her mother's family all these years.
At that time, the Yang family's grandparents and grandchildren were only staying temporarily in the Shi family. They were not clear about Shi's mother's background, and they didn't even know that Shi's mother was actually adopted by the Shi family. Therefore, when Zhao Shiqing said that she was found by her grandfather, Yang Shengqiu did not doubt it at all.
"So you came to Beijing with your grandfather?" Yang Shengqiu asked.
Zhao Shiqing nodded: "Yes."
"Then where do you live? I'll visit you someday and ask your ancestors to help me bury my grandfather. I will repay you for your great kindness."
Zhao Shiqing gave her home address and added, "Now that I've handed the letter to you, I can finally comfort Grandpa, the genius doctor. We'll play in the capital for a few more days, then we'll return to Wu. Brother Xiaoyang, will you come back with us?"
Yang Shengqiu was somewhat helpless: "I am currently in the Imperial Academy and have to go to the palace every few days. I am afraid I won't have any vacation in the next two or three years."
Zhao Shiqing understood very well and said, "It's okay. Next time I go back, I'll burn more gold ingots for you to the genius doctor. He loves you so much, he won't blame you."
Yang Shengqiu smiled bitterly: "Thank you, little girl, you are still the same as when you were little, you haven't changed at all."
Zhao Shiqing also laughed: "Really? I don't remember it very clearly."
......
Walking out of the bookstore, Zhao Shiqing put away her smile. She bit her lip, unable to describe the feeling in her heart.
Just by delivering a letter and saying a few words, she felt very tired, just like when she was plotting to make Zhu Yu a eunuch.
She did not hire a sedan chair and walked with her head lowered.
Suddenly, a carriage passed by her. She was startled and quickly made way, but she heard a light cough. She raised her head and saw the familiar fake face leaning out of the window.
"Uncle Zhen?"
Xiao Zhen: Can’t you just not call me uncle?
"Get in the car." Xiao Zhen said lightly.
Zhao Shiqing jumped lightly onto the carriage and sat opposite Xiao Zhen: "What a coincidence, where are you going?"
Xiao Zhen said, "You made such a big noise, of course I have to come out and watch the fun."
"Hahaha!" Zhao Shiqing laughed loudly, and the unhappiness just now disappeared with the laughter.
"Have you just met Yang Shengqiu?" Xiao Zhen asked.
"Hey, how did you know?" Zhao Shiqing asked curiously.
Xiao Zhen: "I was the one who told you about that bookstore. Besides, the place where you appeared just now is not far from that bookstore."
Zhao Shiqing sighed and leaned against the car wall leisurely: "You are really good. You are right about everything."
Xiao Zhen asked, "Is Yang Shengqiu different from what you remember?"
Zhao Shiqing blinked. Was Xiao Zhen the worm in her stomach? How did he know everything?
Xiao Zhen: If I can't even guess this, then my two lives have been lived in vain.
Zhao Shiqing let out a sigh that didn't match her age. "I don't know how to put it. It's just that, it's just that. I feel like Brother Xiaoyang is different from what I imagined. Forget it. Actually, I don't remember what he was like as a child. Besides, people have to grow up, and it's normal to be different from when they were young. Sigh, but I just feel a little bit of regret. Yes, it's a regret, like something is missing."
Her voice became softer and softer, and her head lowered lower and lower. Finally, she simply shrunk her entire body under the table, with only her forehead resting on the edge of the table. Xiao Zhen could only see the top of her head.
Xiao Zhen suddenly had an urge to coax her, but he didn't know how.
He moved his lips for a while before he said, "You've been in the capital for so long, have you ever seen a military drama?"
Zhao Shiqing didn't look up, but just shook his head to indicate that he hadn't seen it.
Xiao Zhen said, "Speaking of military dramas, the most popular ones are those of the Hou Qi and Hou Ba brothers. They perform two shows every afternoon at the Baoji Teahouse in Dashikan."
Zhao Shiqing finally looked up, her interest piqued. "Isn't Dashikan a women's prison? Why is it also a teahouse?"
She remembered clearly that Liu Qi was the yamen runner in Dashikan Women's Prison.
Xiao Zhen explained: "Dashikan is the name of that area. There are three streets there. In addition to the women's prison, it is also a place where all kinds of people gather. It is very chaotic.
It's normal that you don't know. I don't have the courage to take you there to play."
Loach was born and raised in the capital, and had been a thief since he was a child following his adoptive father. He definitely knew about Dashikan and had definitely been there, but he could take others there, but he didn't dare take Zhao Shiqing there.
How could the second young lady of Prince Liang's Mansion go to such a place?
Zhao Shiqing's eyes widened: "Uncle Xiao, can you take me there?"
Xiao Zhen: Okay, then Uncle Zhen becomes Uncle Xiao again.
"Okay, but you'd better change into men's clothes." Xiao Zhen said.
"Okay." Zhao Shiqing said to Da Zhuang who was driving the car outside, "Da Zhuang, we're passing by a clothing store up ahead. Please stop for a moment."
Xiao Zhen smiled and looked at her. A little girl is just a little girl. She was dejected just now, but in the blink of an eye she became full of energy.
Not far away was a clothing store. Zhao Shiqing jumped in and after a while, he changed into men's clothes and transformed into a handsome young man.
She sat back down opposite Xiao Zhen, opened the folding fan in her hand with a snap, and shook off the few fragments scattered on her forehead. She felt like she was the suave and handsome little Pan An.
What Yang Shengqiu has been thrown out of her mind by her.
The carriage continued on its way for more than half an hour before finally arriving at the legendary big stone threshold.
After getting off the carriage, Zhao Shiqing was immediately attracted by the hustle and bustle here. She looked around and said to Xiao Zhen, "There is such a good place in the capital. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
When Xiao Zhen was about to explain, Zhao Shiqing had already left him and looked up at the marionette hanging from the two-story building in front of him.
"Look, that's a puppet, performing a puppet show," she shouted happily.
Xiao Zhen laughed, children are just children.
"There's a shadow play going on up ahead. If you want to see a puppet show, let's go up there."
Zhao Shiqing asked hurriedly, "Will we miss the military enlistment drama?"
Xiao Zhen said, "The puppet show will continue until the evening, one show after another. After we finish watching the military enlistment play, we can come back here and watch it too."
Zhao Shiqing was overjoyed and pulled his sleeve and walked forward: "Come on, let's go watch the military drama first!"
Xiao Zhen looked at his sleeve being pulled up by her, and involuntarily followed her forward. After walking a few steps, Zhao Shiqing suddenly stopped and let go of Xiao Zhen.
Xiao really wanted to say, you don’t have to let go of me, I don’t mind.
Zhao Shiqing: "Where is the Baoji Teahouse you mentioned that has the military drama?"
Well, she didn't know the way.
Xiao Zhen actually didn't remember much. The last time he came here to watch Hou Qi and Hou Ba perform a military enlistment play was in his previous life.
The two asked along the way and finally found Baoji Teahouse on another street. They saw that the outside of the teahouse was surrounded by children, and laughter could be heard from inside from time to time.
Xiao Zhen was about to take Zhao Shiqing in when suddenly his eyes flashed and he saw a familiar figure.
How did he get here?
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