140 Extra 3
◎I never regret it.◎
It was late autumn, and the pomegranate tree in the courtyard was covered with red fruits. The skin had an amber luster from being baked by the autumn sun. When the wind blew, the branches and leaves swayed slightly, and a few ripe pomegranates trembled gently on the branches, like small lanterns.
In the wicker rocking chair under the tree, the woman dozed with her eyes lightly closed. Her eyelashes cast a light shadow under her eyes, but her brows were slightly furrowed and her lips were a little tight.
There were very light footsteps outside the courtyard gate, but just a little movement. The sleeping woman seemed to sense something and suddenly opened her eyes, with a hazy look in her eyes.
Zhang Jinfei was standing outside the Moon Gate. Seeing her awake, he was a little surprised: "Master, I deliberately stepped lightly, how could you still hear it?"
As she approached, Zhang Jinfei saw a thin layer of sweat on her temples, and even her collar was wet. He couldn't help but frown: "It's autumn now, and you're not wearing anything thick, so why are you sweating so much?"
She hurriedly pulled out a plain silk handkerchief from her sleeve, stepped forward and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead, then asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"
Xu Ruolan raised her hand and pressed her brow, her voice still a little hoarse: "It's not a nightmare...", and then she paused for a moment, then added without thinking, "It's just an absurd dream."
"What absurd dream?" Zhang Jinfei asked casually.
Xu Ruolan lowered her head slightly, staring at her ten fingers, which were as white as green onions. She said softly, "I dreamed that all ten of my fingers were covered in blood. Bloody."
After she said that, she wiped her face and looked at Zhang Jinfei.
Zhang Jinfei just thought that his master was confused in his sleep, and for the first time, he made a not-so-funny joke.
Xu Ruolan looked at her expression and realized that she didn't take her words to heart. She smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Zhang Jinfei glanced at a few books piled high on the side: "Legend of the Desert," "The Great Businesswoman," "How to Become the Number One Businesswoman"...
She picked up a book and flipped through the pages casually, asking, "Master, why are you taking these out to read again?"
Since Lady Song's story became a legend, many writers in the market began to fabricate stories about her.
The best-selling book is "The World's No. 1 Female Businessman".
There is no need to elaborate on the friendship between Master and Madam Song for many years. Now that Madam Song has gone to the Western Regions, she doesn't know when they will meet again. She knows that Master is thinking about Madam Song.
So I bought several books and gave them to my master to cheer him up.
At first, Xu Ruolan was interested and read a few books without putting them down. Then she put them aside, put them in the study, and never touched them again.
She asked curiously at the time.
Xu Ruolan simply said, "What they wrote about was their imaginary Ah Jin, not the real Ah Jin."
I don’t know how long these books have been buried at the bottom of the box. I never expected that one day they would be able to see the light of day.
Xu Ruolan said, "I've been bored lately, so I thought I'd take this out to kill time." At this point, she first glanced up at the sun, then looked at Zhang Jinfei and asked, "Why are you back at this time? Did something happen at the store?"
Zhang Jinfei said, "Yes, there is something. A customer came to the store and asked about joining the franchise. Only the master can make the decision on this matter, so I brought the customer here."
Hearing this, Xu Ruolan straightened her loosened hair and said, "In that case, you go to the front yard to entertain the guests first. I'll go back to the house to change clothes and come back."
After a while, Xu Ruolan changed into a lake blue gown and tied her hair into a bun.
When they arrived at the courtyard, a man in his forties, wearing a dark-patterned brocade robe, was standing next to the pomegranate tree. He had his hands behind his back, looking at the pomegranate tree while talking to Zhang Jinfei.
The man caught a glimpse of Xu Ruolan out of the corner of his eye, turned around and greeted her.
Xu Ruolan returned the greeting, then turned to Zhang Jinfei, who was standing beside her, and asked, "How can you be so rude? Why don't you take the guests to the main hall for tea? Instead, you let them stand here in vain?"
Before Zhang Jinfei could explain, the man spoke first, "Shopkeeper Xu, don't blame her.
"I saw the green leaves and red flowers from afar and thought it was some new and exotic species, so I wanted to come in and take a look. Madam Zhang couldn't refuse me, so she let me in."
After hearing this, Xu Ruolan said casually, "It's just an ordinary pomegranate tree. I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, I'm just curious. Rich families like Madam Xu usually plant either magnolias or crabapples in their yards, emphasizing elegance and nobility. It's rare to see people planting pomegranate trees."
Xu Ruolan smiled softly and reached out to brush the tiny pomegranate leaves. "This tree was planted by an old friend himself. He later moved here and brought it along from the old house."
"Old friend?" The man was stunned for a moment, then said a familiar name, "The old friend that Shopkeeper Xu mentioned, could it be the Princess of Pingxi, Song Jinyi?"
Xu Ruolan raised her eyebrows in slight surprise.
The man said, "Madam Song is a well-known figure in Yunzhou. Everyone knows her. Madam Xu and Madam Song are old acquaintances from many years ago."
Xu Ruolan followed his words and said, "Ajin is indeed very powerful."
The man heard her praising the other person so openly, and suddenly felt a little mischievous, so he asked, "Back then, Madam Song went to Qiaoge Street with you to do business.
"Now that he's world-famous, Manager Xu is still guarding this tiny place. Don't you think... it's a waste of talent?"
Xu Ruolan smiled indifferently. She could see the meaning behind his words. He was not the only one who had said this to her over the years.
"I'm just an ordinary person. I'm content as long as I can make a living." After that, she tilted her head and smiled at him, "But you may have a chance to compete with A Jin. After all, you think Yunzhou is just a small place, and Chayuan is just a small shop in a deep alley."
The other party immediately heard the sarcasm in the words and thought with some surprise: This Madam Xu looks gentle, but she speaks without any mercy.
He changed the subject and found another topic.
Xu Ruolan sneered in her heart and calmly followed his words to talk about other things.
Jealousy? Or love?
She can distinguish clearly.
She would not mistake love for jealousy. The relationship between her and A Jin was like that between flowers and leaves, fish and water. They depended on each other and appreciated each other.
How can others understand this feeling?
She led the man to the front hall and started talking business seriously.
The two of them finalized some details in the hall, and the rest would be discussed in detail the next day. Xu Ruolan personally escorted the other party to the door.
When she turned around and returned to the courtyard, she saw Zhang Jinfei holding a bamboo basket with a few red pomegranates in it. He also held a silver knife in his hand. When he saw her come back, he waved it excitedly and said, "Master, I think these pomegranates are ready."
Xu Ruolan walked forward and watched Zhang Jinfei place the largest pomegranate on the stone table. He gently cut open the peel with a silver knife, and the bright red flesh was revealed like exploded agate beads. Each pomegranate was plump and lustrous, and still covered with crystal juice.
Xu Ruolan said softly, "I don't know why, but the pomegranates on this tree are sweeter than those sold outside."
“There are times when it doesn’t taste good.” Zhang Jinfei said suddenly, and when she looked over, he added, “That was the year when Madam Song went to Yaowang Island.
"That year, my master left without saying goodbye, and I was scared out of my wits..." She said this without thinking, and then she realized that something was wrong after she finished speaking. She paused and hurriedly looked at her master's face.
Seeing her expression remained calm, she breathed a sigh of relief, but a question lingered in her mind: What on earth had the master been doing that year? She still didn't know the answer.
Just as I was thinking about it, I suddenly heard Xu Ruolan ask, "When Ah Jin bought you back, she didn't allow you to contact your family. Have you ever regretted it all these years?"
This sudden question made Zhang Jinfei suspicious, but after thinking about it for a while, he said, "I haven't thought about it carefully before, but now that I think about it carefully, I have no regrets.
My family was in dire straits in the past. If the shopkeeper hadn't pulled me out of the quagmire, how could I be where I am today? My parents' love for me was severed when they wanted to sell me off. Since then, I have neither thought of them nor cherished them.
"Fortunately, God has mercy on me and has taken my evil father away. Otherwise, I would be like a leech attached to my bones, and it would be difficult to free myself. I don't care about my own honor or disgrace, but I am afraid of bringing trouble to my master and everyone else."
Xu Ruolan listened to her quietly with a calm expression, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"Master, why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"
Xu Ruolan didn't respond.
After Zhang Jinfei turned and left, he added softly in her direction, "I never regret it either."
As soon as the words fell, fine raindrops began to fall from the sky. Xu Ruolan looked at the raindrops falling on the bluestone slabs and murmured to herself, "That day, it rained like this."
Her thoughts suddenly turned and returned to the past - when she had just received the letter from Song Jinyi.
The letter stated that Li He's brain disease had finally shown signs of improvement, and she was filled with joy. But before her joy could fully warm up, she caught a glimpse of a figure standing outside the store.
The smile on her face froze instantly, gradually cooling down until even her fingertips felt cold. Under the man's gaze, Xu Ruolan walked step by step to the front of the store, her tone as cold as the winter snow in December: "What are you doing here?"
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