Laughing Wandering
Chapter 9: Laughing and wandering
Chang Er received the news from below and came to the study to report.
"Master, someone in Mianzhou saw the Yimiansheng brothers buying dry biscuits. They hired an ox cart at the market. According to the portrait of Changyi in Luojiang, it was them."
The multiple lamps on the square table illuminated the corners. Peng Zuoyan sat sideways on the couch, not knowing whether he heard it or not. He turned a page of butterfly-bound paper with his right hand.
"Keep looking."
Shortly after the Second Chief left, he came back in to report, "Master, Meng Chenghe from Xianliu Hall wishes to see you."
Meng Chenghe is one of the leaders of Zhangtai. If you are a visitor to this place of entertainment and want to have fun, you have to give him some face.
Peng Zuoyuan waved his hand and asked people to come in.
"I greet the general. I wish you good health."
The man, adorned with jewels and jade, was in his thirties. He spoke with a bent waist and a smile that didn't show any flattery. Judging from his approachability, he seemed to be a good businessman.
Peng Zuoyao glanced at the person he had no previous contact with and asked, "Is there anything Manager Meng needs?"
"Hey, General, I'm not dissatisfied. There's something I heard about. A concubine died in a fire at your mansion. I'm not here to share your sadness. I've had the pleasure of meeting Miss Huan. Coincidentally, I have a daughter who bears a resemblance to this concubine, so I came to ask your opinion."
Peng Zuoyan looked towards the door. The orange hem of her dress was not completely covered, and her slender waist was hooked by the same color laces. She was as quiet as a potted flower, pretending to be mysterious and hiding her flower buds.
"oh?"
He closed the storybook as if he was interested. Peng Zuoyan saw through it but didn't say anything. He took a sip of tea and watched how he would lay the groundwork for the next words.
Meng Chenghe rubbed his hands together and lied without blinking, "General, today is Sanniang's sixteenth birthday. I raised her with my hands in my hands since she was little, and she has never seen outsiders. I am Sanniang's godfather after all, so I wanted to find a good home for her. Everyone in Gongzhou knows your majestic and graceful demeanor. This is not to say that I am marrying above my station."
A good place to stay needs someone with no name or status to come and stuff it in the middle of the night? And also implying that she is a virgin and has never had a client.
Peng Zuoyan's smile deepened, "Is anyone here?"
"Look, General."
Meng Chenghe turned sideways, and a pretty figure walked over the threshold. She had a heroic look on her face, her hair tied up in a bun, revealing her soft neck and ears. Her watery eyes were naturally affectionate, and she had a youthful and beautiful appearance.
She is more beautiful than Yi Huan, but also more gaudy than Yi Huan.
If it weren't for the makeup and the resemblance, how could this face get 5 points?
Peng Zuoyan didn't show any reaction. "What's your name?"
"My dear Miss Sanniang, I greet the General."
The voice was not timid, as if he had said "successfully" countless times, and his eyes were filled with a subtle concern that made people eager to try.
"Come here, I'll take a look at you."
That’s it, it’s done. Meng Chenghe was overjoyed and performed all the formalities before leaving.
"yes."
Meng Chenghe had not yet explained his purpose, and he did not dare to disturb Peng Zuocheng's work. He stood at the door, trembling, and listened carefully to the movements inside.
"Manager Meng, since we have something to discuss, why don't we move to the main hall?"
"This?" Meng Chenghe wanted to use Qiu Sanniang to exchange for Xianliutang's pardon, but Chang Er was just a housekeeper. Could he make the decision?
Chang Er knew his hesitation and explained, "What did you tell me? I'll report it to the master later. It won't delay your business, right?"
"Thank you, Second Steward, for your help."
"Please."
Peng Zuoyan just put down the book, looked up at the person who was gradually approaching, stretched out his hand to pull the person in front of him, and stared at her with an expression that changed from cold to shy.
Peng Zuoyan half-wrapped his legs around Qiu Sanniang and asked, "Tell me, how are you two alike?"
Qiu Sanniang turned around with a smile in her eyes and said, "General, please take a good look at me. My appearance is unique in the family."
"It's not real when it's blocked."
The boneless lady couldn't help but blush when she understood his hint. She flung down her handkerchief as if to seduce him, and said angrily, "You're annoying."
Early winter is a time when the temperature fluctuates unpredictably, and it is even lower in the mountains. The two of them wrapped themselves in a piece of coarse cloth to keep out the cold. They were both dressed in men's clothes, painted black, and when they smiled at each other, only their upper and lower rows of teeth were the brightest.
Yi Huan leaned relaxedly in Chao Lanyou's arms. Although a month of life on the run had brought her hardships, the light in her eyes had not faded, and was made even brighter by his care.
Chao Lanyu added a wooden stick, tightened the blanket around Yi Huan, and said to himself, "Ah Huan, you've suffered a lot following me."
He brought her out, but instead of giving her good things, he made her sleep outdoors in the mountains every day, living under someone else's name, and endure these days of hiding with him.
"Ayu, I won't suffer if I follow you."
Rubbing his chest, Yi Huan said lightly: "Besides, you suffered because of me, and you also suffered because of my Ah Yu."
Chao Lanyu tapped the tip of her nose and replied with a smile: "I'm not bitter."
"Will godmother be in danger? Will he threaten us?" Yi Huan asked gloomily. Godmother is Chao Lanyu's biological mother and also Yi Huan's relative.
"Mother told me to let go and look for you, and not to worry about her. If anything unexpected happens," Chao Lanyu was silent, patted Yi Huan on the back, and said comfortingly: "When I see mother, I will kneel down and apologize to her."
Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial. Chao Lanyu didn't know what he would do if he had the choice again. Now they have escaped safely. As for their mother, the best way is to take her away as soon as they are settled, and the three of them will leave here far away.
Yi Huan suppressed his frustration and changed the subject, "Oh no, what if he gets tricked? Ah Yu, where are we going next?"
"Let's go south from Fucheng to Puzhou. Do you still remember the Uncle Guo I mentioned? Let's go and stay with him first. After we settle down, we can find a stable place to live a good life."
"I believe you."
Chao Lanyu gently touched her frizzy hair and gave her a loving kiss.
Ah Huan, thank you for your unconditional trust.
Before arriving in Puzhou, the two hid in a cave.
Yi Huan thought about it for a long time, afraid that he would never have the chance again in the future. He wanted to muster up all his courage and be brave, and wanted to marry Chao Lanyu tonight.
"Ayu, I want you to marry me right now."
"We haven't prepared anything, Ah Huan, I..."
Yi Huan picked up his unfinished words, "I'm afraid this is the last time we see each other, Ayu. I'm afraid we'll never be relatives again in this life."
"Ayu, I know you love me too, I don't want to wait anymore."
Chao Lanyu made up his mind and held her hand, saying, "Ah Huan, I wanted to marry you the year you came of age. I'm sorry for making you wait so long."
Yi Huan shook his head, "Soon, we will be just right forever."
"I'm Yi Huan."
"I will read it in the morning."
"We are willingly married, and we will be together through life and death. Heaven and earth are our witnesses!"
When they looked up at each other, they stared at each other, tears streaming down their cheeks.
Yi Huan said that she didn't want to get married so early. After she made her mind clear, Chao Lan was devoted to her. He never crossed the line in the past three years and always protected his beloved.
If it weren't for that man, they would have gotten married when she was eighteen, under the watchful eye of Chao Lanyu's mother, instead of in a dim cave, with the thin, coarse linen winter clothes on both of them just to keep out the cold.
When Chao Lanyu was nine years old, she met Yi Huan, who had fled from a famine at the age of seven. At that time, Zhang Lu had already died. At the age of seven, she begged for mercy in front of Chao's house, kneeling and staggering, saying that she could not eat much but could work, and she just wanted a way to survive.
Yi Huan watched Chao Lanyu grow from a nine-year-old boy to a nineteen-year-old young man from the perspective of an older soul.
He also grew into a man worthy of being trusted.
After falling in love with Chao Lanyu, Yi Huan moved out of the Chao family at the age of fifteen and saved money to build a house on the same avenue in order to separate the two families and make it easier to get married in the future.
"It was because you begged my godmother to keep me that I was able to survive."
Chao Lan warmed her hand and recalled, "Later, mother treated you better than me. When I was young and ignorant, you made me angry."
Yi Huan chuckled, "I love you, and I'm grateful to my godmother. I'm lucky to have met you."
"I'm lucky too."
The contrast between her life before and after made him feel embarrassed and guilty. Yi Huan noticed it and stretched out his hand and said, "Ayu, come here and hug me."
"If I didn't want to let nature take its course, you would have been my wife long ago." Chao Lanyu rarely revealed a bit of his exclusive and dictatorial attitude towards her, which was both cute and intimate.
Yi Huan wanted to laugh when he heard this, so he poked his throat and said, "I have always been yours, but today we can make it official."
“I, I…”
Looking at his flushed cheeks with a smile, Yi Huan asked generously: "Ayu, don't you want to? I am your wife, and today is our wedding night."
"Ahuan, I think."
The girl whom Si Mu had grown up with was right in front of him. They had just gotten married, and Chao Lanyu had an unrealistic surprise in his mind.
But now is not a good time.
Yi Huan knew that his hesitation was not because he disliked her, "You and I are of the same mind, we should have each other completely and without regrets."
Chao Lanyu changed from being passive to being active, and was gentle and considerate in everything he did. Yi Huan was mostly proactive, which often made Chao Lanyu shy.
"A Huan, you... um, can you please close your eyes?"
He was a young man who had just begun to fall in love and had never touched anyone else. But Yi Huan was different. Thinking of those forced experiences, Yi Huan's eyes gradually turned red. She held his face with both hands and looked at him, "Ayu, I want to watch you. I want to watch you enter me."
Not anyone but you.
Chao Lanyu knew what she meant by unspoken words, so he pressed closer to her, and the love and pity in his eyes seemed tangible.
"I'm sorry, Ah Huan, I came late and caused you a lot of suffering."
Yi Huan placed her chin on his shoulder and bit his tongue, unable to restrain her emotions. "Ah Yu, my husband."
"I am here."
When the blushing and heartbeat subsided, Yi Huan's whole body was still warm. The worries in his heart dissipated a lot, and the hidden worry on his face also disappeared.
"If he finds us, if you die, I will commit suicide for love. Maybe we can be reincarnated together and continue our fate in the next life."
Chao Lanyu stopped her from saying anything with his fingers, his eyes filled with rebuttal and rejection, "Ah Huan."
He was willing to sacrifice his own life for her to live well, and would not ask her to die with him to prove her loyalty.
Yi Huan's statement was more like a vow: "We are husband and wife, living and dying together. I am willing."
In Pukang County, Puzhou, Chao Lanyu found work. He would break ice in the Tuojiang River to catch snow crabs and red shrimp, selling them to restaurants. He would also set up a stall at the market to sell the rest. Yi Huan would make charcoal from birch and elm wood, which Chao Lanyu would bring to sell.
It was inconvenient for a woman to travel outside, so Yi Huan stayed at home and called herself Chao Lanyou's younger brother when she went out.
Chao Lanyu returned home at dusk, put down his things and went to find Yi Huan. After cooking, he went to wash the dishes. The two of them cleaned up the small house together.
"Ah Huan's charcoal is still warmer. I was able to cook it well after just one try. If there is a master to teach me, it would be amazing. I admire you."
Yi Huan laughed at his excessive praise and said matter-of-factly, "These charcoals don't look good, so the price can't be too high. Most people won't buy them. Go and lower the price tomorrow. If you can sell them, it will be good enough to supplement the family income."
He rubbed her working hands and blew warm breath towards her, "Ah Huan, you have worked hard."
"No, Ayu, this is our home, we contribute together."
Her words could warm his heart. Chao Lanyu took out the silver hairpin that he had prepared long ago from his sleeve and asked for credit: "Ah Huan, look at this."
"It looks really good, put it on me."
The dull silver hairpin was not bright at all. It was the only piece of jewelry that stood out against the girl's black hair. The dark, narrow-sleeved linen dress did not deprive her of her vitality.
He looked at her for a long time, then lowered his eyes to hide his self-blame and said with pity, "My wife is so beautiful."
Yi Huan raised her lips and smiled, praising, "My husband, thank you for your money. I like it very much."
"All the shrimps and crabs have been sold today. Although the silver is not as much as a lawyer, I worked hard. We will settle down here. After a while, when the situation in Gongzhou stabilizes, Ah Huan, you can go out. You don't have to dress up before going out. My Ah Huan should live an upright and open life in this world."
The news that Chao Lanyu had obtained was already the worst. People who were inquiring about the news were circling in Gongzhou. It must be that Peng Zuoyang had discovered the scam.
Chao Lanyu had no idea how long their countdown would last.
But his Yi Huan should not be confined to the backyard. She should follow her own wishes, and no one and nothing can make her give in.
Yi Huan's eyes showed more hope, and he said happily: "Thank you, A Yu."
Chao Lanyu looked at her smiling face greedily, his head leaning forward, forehead against forehead, relying on her.
"Ahuan, I want you to be happy."
Yi Huan suddenly smiled, tears fell from the corners of his eyes. He reached out to wipe away the tears from Lan Yu and looked at her tenderly and lovingly.
"Every moment since I escaped, I have been happy."
The only drawback is that every moment that should have been part of their lives has now become a precious moment that is hard to come by.
"Ayu, I'm so happy to have escaped. I'm even more satisfied to have you by my side. There will never be a time like this that I will remember in the future."
"I will always be here." Chao Lanyu said solemnly, with determination and cherishment in his eyes.
Yi Huan pressed her eyes to wipe away the tears, then threw herself into his arms, her hands skillfully placed on his waist, "Ayu, I love you so much."
He kissed her face repeatedly. Yi Huan felt sorry for him supporting the family during the day and advised: "Ayu, you've worked all day, why don't you take a rest tonight."
"Ma'am, do you think I'm no longer capable?"
The man, determined to prove himself, lowered his head and said, "Ah Huan, you can't say such considerate words at night."
Yi Huan smiled and tilted her neck back, letting him kiss her neck. She took the initiative to put her arms around his waist and explored the different pleasures of men and women with her lover.
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