Rong Ting's fingertips and palms are covered with a layer of calluses. From fetching water to working as a child to secretly practicing martial arts when he was older, the calluses on his hands have grown thicker and thicker.
When it brushed across Jiang Rao's delicate palm, the frosted touch made her palm tremble twice with itchiness.
I couldn't help but pull my hand back, but he held my wrist tightly.
The five fingers holding her wrist moved closer and deeper, as if they could touch the bones.
Although Jiang Rao looks thin, she is actually well-proportioned and has a slender frame, with no visible bones.
Rong Ting pinched her wrist and felt it was soft.
He lowered his eyes, as if looking at the palm of her hand, but his gaze was always fixed on the part of her wrist that was encircled by his hand.
Very easy to pinch.
He finished drawing the last stroke of the character "渟". It was time to let go, but he just looked up at her. "Water is on the left, pavilion is on the right, dot the water."
The hands didn't want to let go.
Jiang Rao nodded.
This word was unfamiliar, but she felt familiar just by hearing it. She raised her eyes slightly and met Rong Ting's eyes looking at her. She was surprised. A dull and strange emotion arose in her heart. She opened her mouth unconsciously and called out: "Brother Ting."
After she shouted, her heart skipped a beat.
The name came out of his mouth casually, as if... he had called it many times before.
The area behind Rong Ting's ears quickly turned red as if he was trembling. He let go of his hand and said in a tense voice, "Hmm."
Jiang Jinxing followed suit, "Brother Ting——"
The same words, when said by someone else, had an immediate effect, and the redness behind Rong Ting's ears faded away, disappearing right where it was.
He frowned, and before Jiang Jinxing could utter the word "brother", he looked at him with cold eyes, "You, just call me brother."
Jiang Jinxing felt that he was being treated differently.
But you can't mess with your backer. He sat upright, behaved obediently, and called whatever he was told to do, "Brother."
The little bully has never been so obedient since he was born.
He pointed at Jiang Rao, then at himself, and introduced himself to Rong Ting, "My sister's name is Jiang Niannian, and I'm Jiang Jinxing."
Jiang Rao: "My name is Jiang Rao, not Nian Nian."
Rong Ting said, "I've heard your mother call you Niannian."
"That's the small word, my family members called it that."
"oh."
“Which word ‘娆’?” Rong Ting asked again.
He knew in his heart which word it was.
As he said this, he stretched out his hand just as Jiang Rao had done just now.
Blink and wait for her to write.
Jiang Rao hesitated for a moment and then stretched out her hand.
He writes
There is no reason for her not to write.
She placed her fingertips on his palm and wrote the words, stroke by stroke.
This was the first time Jiang Rao saw his open palms. It turned out that the calluses on his palms were so thick. Replace with some thin and long knife marks. You can tell at a glance that it's a warrior's hand.
Against this backdrop, her fingers looked like freshly steamed buns, white and soft.
Rong Ting lowered his eyes and looked at him.
She lowered her head and carefully drew horizontal and vertical lines on the palm of his hand. Her hair was thick and soft, with a few uneven strands of fluffy hair on her forehead. The skin on her cheeks was white and soft, and her expression was well-behaved and quiet.
His eyes rested on her cheek.
Maybe it's softer there than her wrist.
Rong Ting closed his eyes darkly.
The small fingertips moved slowly to the palm of his hand, vertically and horizontally, and it felt like a feather tail was scratching him, making him feel hot.
The feeling of skin touching skin is a little itchy, but also a little warm and reassuring.
Female, Yao.
Rao.
Rao, it sounds nice when I just repeat it in my heart.
Jiang Rao finally finished writing, raised her head and looked at him with interest.
Waiting for him to call her name.
The temperature in Rong Ting's palm quickly cooled, but his eyes slightly curved, revealing a bitter smile of extreme helplessness and guilt, "I... didn't understand."
“It’s okay, I’ll write it again.”
She didn't think her name was difficult, thinking that he would understand it if she wrote it once.
However, it doesn't take much effort to write it again.
Jiang Rao lowered her head and wrote again.
"I... just don't understand."
His eyes became more and more guilty, and he lowered his eyes with a look of self-blame.
Seeing his helpless look as if he was afraid of being punished, Jiang Rao's heart softened. Even though she didn't have patience, she was able to be very patient and stretched out her finger to write it again.
but
Writing for the third time.
I don’t understand the third time.
She bit her lower lip, this time looking somewhat dejected.
She wasn't angry at him, she was angry at herself.
Although he always showed a self-blaming and guilty expression, as if the fault was all his, her name was not difficult at all. He didn't understand it, and it must be that she didn't write it well. He anxiously gestured to the air, "Rao, it means beautiful."
She was so anxious that she almost died. He finally spoke clearly, "I recognize her. It's Rao."
Jiang Rao breathed a sigh of relief and finally laughed. She couldn't help but want to touch his head as a reward, as if her brother had learned some words, but suddenly put her hand down.
Although he didn't resist or dodge this time, she didn't put her hand on him in the end. After all, he was not her brother.
Jiang Jinxing saw that they were playing and no one noticed him, so he leaned over with his little head to try to attract his older brothers and sisters' attention.
Unfortunately, no one was looking at him, so he had to roll up his sleeves, stretched out his chubby hand, and said to Rong Ting, "Brother, my word 'Jing' is even harder to write, so I'll write it for you to see."
Rong Ting stopped laughing.
He also withdrew his hand.
His slender fingers were clenched into fists and placed behind his back.
"No need." His voice was a little cold, which was very different from the warm smile just now. "I will."
…
“I’m so pissed off!”
Two days later, in a street teahouse, Yang Qian'an sat at a round table and said angrily.
She was surrounded by several other noble ladies from Yecheng families who were on good terms with her.
Yang Qi'an had the best family background, so she was naturally the most popular one among them. Someone immediately followed up on her words and asked, "Who made you angry?"
Yang Qian was so angry that he wanted to smash the teacup, "The Jiang family from outside the village are so ruthless!"
"My brother didn't save the fat boy because of what they said just now! Who would help them after being mad at them? As a result, because of such a small matter, that family not only completely cut off relations with my family, but also blocked several of my father's businesses."
Yang Qi'an became angrier and angrier as he spoke, "But my father is not angry with them, he is only blaming my brother!"
A noble lady beside me heard it.
Compared with the Yang family, the family from other places is obviously more powerful. Otherwise, considering Mr. Yang's usual style of bullying others by taking advantage of his power, how could he be so humble?
The Yang family is well-known in Yecheng. Yang Qian'an thought that once she left Yecheng, her family would also be well-known?
It's quite funny.
But no one really told Yang Qian'an the truth. Their family backgrounds were not as good as hers, so they just went along with her on the surface and said, "That family is really hateful."
Yang Qian'an got their approval, and he finally had a place to vent his anger. He slammed the table and said angrily, "It's more than abominable!"
Her face was grim and ugly. "Just because their little fat boy was robbed, the county magistrate rushed to curry favor and arrested the beggar leader. Now people outside are praising their family and saying that they are blessed. If my brother hadn't been too lazy to care, this reputation should belong to my brother!"
At this time, someone said, "The beggars here form gangs and factions. Now that their leader has been arrested, won't any of the smaller gangs go looking for trouble with the Jiang family?"
"No." Yang Qi'an was so angry that he cursed, "They are all cowards."
Those beggars were so afraid of death that when they saw that the county magistrate respected Mr. Jiang Si, they did not dare to retaliate.
A noble lady looked at Yang Qian'an and laughed in her heart.
That's not being as timid as a mouse.
It's clearly a recognition of the times.
The family didn't even bother to file a complaint with the authorities, but the county magistrate was already in a hurry to arrest the robbers. Doesn't this show how wealthy their family is when they're trying to curry favor with them?
It would be easy to stop Mr. Yang's business.
Who here can do this.
Someone chuckled. "Those street beggars are like rats. If you expect them to do some tricks to change jobs, I'm afraid no one can catch them. Even if you let them gamble their lives, they are afraid of death."
Yang Qian'an's heart moved.
By doing some small actions, she can vent her anger.
She narrowed her eyes and suddenly fell into deep thought.
…
Rong Ting was getting medicine for himself in the clinic.
But the old doctor suddenly frowned and looked outside, his eyes full of disdain, and he muttered in a low voice, "The daughter of the Yang family has been completely misled. She actually hangs out with beggars."
When Rong Ting heard this, he looked over and saw Yang Qian'an and her maid talking to a dirty little beggar on the side of the street.
The old doctor sighed as he watched, "This girl just went around saying that my medical skills are not good because the medicine I prescribed for her was too bitter. No one is perfect, and my medical skills are not good enough, but she can't say that my medical skills are not good just because the medicine I prescribed is bitter. Isn't this unfair?"
He complained for a while, saying, "If this girl gets married in the future, she will definitely bring disaster to her entire in-laws' family."
Suddenly he turned his head and looked at Rong Ting, "If it was that little girl Jiang, she would be a good person, clean, not servile, and not arrogant."
"Yes, I know."
The old doctor suddenly became very curious, "I asked you to try that method last time. Did it work?"
Rong Ting coughed and said, "It's useful."
He said enthusiastically: "I have other ways. This is how I married my wife..."
Rong Ting had already pushed his wheelchair towards the door, "Old sir, I have something to do, so I won't bother you anymore today."
He lifted the curtain and left the clinic.
As soon as he came out of the clinic, he saw Yang Qian'an pointing and gesturing at the little beggar. His wheelchair stopped, and after taking a few glances, his eyes darkened.
…
Yang Qian'an always looked arrogant when looking at others, let alone the little beggars. She was too lazy to talk to them and asked her maid to do it while she just watched and listened from a distance.
"Your eldest brother was captured
You guys, the younger brothers, are just going to live your days in ease? No wonder the beggars in the neighboring counties said that the beggars in Yecheng were worse than dogs. ”
"Oh, I know you're afraid of death. Yes, the Jiang family is indeed very powerful. But don't you have any way to vent your eldest brother's anger? I just saw you throwing feces on the walls of those people you disliked, and you were quite diligent in throwing it, and others couldn't catch you. This time, you really made people laugh."
“…”
The maidservant followed Yang Qian'an's instructions and saw some anger in the little beggar's eyes, so he ran back to the group of beggars.
The maid returned to Yang Qian'an and asked her daughter anxiously, "Girl, will they listen to me if I talk like this?"
Yang Qian'an snorted coldly, "If you don't listen, you will be worse than a dog."
"But if they really threw feces on the Jiang family's wall..."
This method is really too despicable.
Yang Qianan glanced at her and said, "How about it? This is the only way for me to vent my anger."
"Besides, didn't you hear what Miss Yang and Miss Li said? Those beggars are like rats in the night. Even if you are careful, you probably won't be able to catch them." Thinking of the scene of the Jiang family's wall being splashed with feces, she giggled, "Who knows, they may go there more than once."
She put her hands behind her back and said to the maid, "Go find some more people to tell more beggars about this, so that the one who just heard it won't dare to do it."
…
Although separated by a tea stall, Rong Ting heard everything she said.
He stopped a man, gave him some money, and asked him to say something to the little beggar.
After hearing this, the little beggar's eyes became even more fierce, and he spat, "I was almost tricked and used as a pawn! I have to go back quickly and tell others not to get tricked too."
The man came back and told Rong Ting that the matter was settled. Rong Ting gave him three taels of silver and said, "You stay here at the tea stall and tell everyone you meet that the person who secretly reported the officials was the young master of the Yang family. The county magistrate took his money and released the news that no one had reported the officials."
There are many people coming and going at the tea stall, and news spreads quickly. If the news gets out, the beggars will definitely hear it.
Three taels of silver was almost what the tea stall owner could earn from selling tea for half a year. He just spread a few rumors and said it was said by the customers. No one could hold him responsible, so of course he readily accepted the offer.
Rong Ting tapped his fingers lightly on his armrest and looked at the people coming and going in Yecheng, with a hint of mockery and compassion in his eyes.
His father was only in Nanjing, and he only saw the world from the memorials.
How exactly did the local officials help him maintain his power? The case was solved before the powerful officials even reported it. The complaints of ordinary people have been ignored.
Just like his father, who only knew from a word or two from the Queen whether his harem was peaceful and whether his son was living well, but had no idea whether he was really dead or alive.
A single leaf can block one's view.
But he calls himself a wise ruler.
So sad and ridiculous.
…
That night, Yang family.
"Why does it smell bad?"
The maids who were keeping watch at night were whispering to each other.
Looking with a lantern, they saw that the four walls behind the Yang family's house were all covered with feces. The whole mansion was in an uproar.
What’s even more hateful is that someone had written a few words on one of the walls.
"Come back later."
Yang Qian'an was so angry that he almost died.
…
While bathing at night, Rong Ting threw away the wheelchair, stood up with the crutches he carved out of wood, and walked forward.
When he reached the wooden barrel, his steps were difficult, his legs felt weak, and he was sweating profusely due to anxiety.
He took off his clothes and lowered himself into the barrel.
The wooden barrel was filled with smelly Chinese herbs. He suddenly held his breath and sank to the bottom of the water.
The underwater vision became dark.
His heart was like a quagmire, with dark and filthy emotions fermenting all day long.
He had a dream last night. In the dream, his leg was healed and he saw her in the palace. He was very happy, but when he opened his mouth, he called her "Imperial Sister-in-law".
He was so angry that he woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall asleep again.
I put on a coat and sat on the edge of the bed with my eyes open, and opened the window to let in the cool air, but it couldn't calm the anger in my heart.
The fact that Jiang Rao almost got engaged to one of his royal brothers made him feel an endless sense of crisis.
If she returned to the capital and the man who was almost engaged to her saw her, how could he not feel regret for not being able to get engaged to her, since she was such a good person.
Then continue to pester and destroy it.
Then they got engaged again.
Absolutely not. Can’t.
Rong Ting emerged from the water in an instant, gasping for breath.
He didn't want to stay where he was any longer.
He couldn't just be greedy for her pity for him and be willing to be a real cripple.
If you want something, you have to have the ability to compete with others and snatch it from others, even if the means are despicable and despicable.
But……
Which stinkbug almost got engaged to her?
With a gloomy face, he thought about his royal brother from beginning to end, and used three-tenths of his internal strength in his palm, and slapped it heavily on the water surface where the herbs were floating.
Water Drops
It splashed high and splashed all over his gloomy face.
He leaned against the edge of the barrel, his naked chest covered in sweat rising and falling slightly, his heart filled with anger.
The water with the herbs floating in it had been cold for a long time, and he was lost in thought without realizing it.
Until my temple started to ache.
He wanted to get up and fetch a towel to wipe his body. His legs, which had regained some strength, were now weak and limp.
The night was thick all around.
No one can help him.
Rong Ting remained silent, leaning back, trying to use his body weight to push down the barrel and then climb out.
He was already used to the awkward feeling of dragging his legs forward.
You have to find a way to dry yourself first.
Because of the cold wind last night, his face felt a little hot today. Maybe he caught a cold, which was why he felt so weak now.
If you don't dry it out, the cold will only get worse.
His crippled and broken body was so weak that it filled him with hatred.
He leaned back and the barrel fell to the ground.
But the water in the wooden barrel splashed all over the floor, and the splashing water extinguished the candlelight, and the dim light in the room was instantly extinguished.
Some water splashed into his eyes.
Rong Ting opened his slightly aching eyes. He could see in the night as clearly as in the daytime. He saw his current situation clearly. His body, covered in the smell of medicine, fell to the ground in a mess.
Dragging my weak legs, even two steps seemed like a chasm and I had to crawl to get to my clothes.
He was once again annoyed by his crippled leg, but he heard rustling footsteps in the yard.
The steps were small but rapid.
He frowned.
He was naked, with no clothes on, and no hidden weapon at hand.
If an assassin came at this time, it would be easy to take his life.
The footsteps stopped in front of the door.
The man outside the door seemed to hesitate for a moment.
The young man in the room held his breath and pretended that no one was in the room, but his back was slightly arched, like a little leopard about to hunt, ready to fight to the death even though he was powerless.
But then I heard a familiar, breathless voice coming from outside the door.
"Brother Ting, are you okay?"
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