Tao Qingyun, calling her brother, laughed heartily: "Back then, he..."
Dusk is approaching.
Qin Weixi tidied herself up again before leaving the inn. She only took Zijin with her and didn't even glance at the two wide-open doors of the next room.
Lu Yu personally prepared a table full of food and wine, while her youngest daughter remained under the eaves, silently reading a book. When the little girl saw her holding a wooden box in front of her again, just like that day, she smiled sweetly at her: "Thank you, elder sister."
Qin Weixi met those eyes that looked exactly like Li Mou's, and gently patted her head with a smile in her eyes.
She watched Lu Yu bustling around the kitchen, then rolled up her sleeves and helped her pick up the bowls and chopsticks. Lu Yu stood there for a moment, then slowly said, "I don't know why, but seeing Luo Qiniang and your loving husband suddenly reminded me of my own husband who died young."
Qin Weixi feigned surprise and turned to look at the seemingly oblivious young girl under the eaves: "Husband of Lady Yu... I was rude. The other day I saw that the twin lotus hairpin you were wearing was very beautiful."
Lu Yu choked up and shook her head: "It's alright. It was a gift from my husband when we got married."
Qin Weixi looked at her with pity: "I don't know how Madam Yu's husband passed away. It must have been hard for you to raise your young daughter alone and make a living."
Lu Yu looked up, her eyes glistening with tears, then bit her lip, her gaze hesitant. Qin Weixi smiled and said, "If it's inconvenient to say, then there's no need to say it, Madam Yu." With that, she went to find the little maid who was leaning under the eaves, listening intently.
Lu Yu suddenly spoke, "He got himself into jail." At this point, Lu Yu couldn't stop sobbing silently, "I don't know if he died unjustly, or if he really got into trouble with the law, or if he offended someone..."
Qin Weixi's face paled instantly: "Is this true? Madam Yu, what kind of legal trouble has your husband gotten into? If he is truly wronged, why don't you go home and tell your grandmother so she can help you deal with it? Your father has lived in the north with your grandmother for many years and may know some high-ranking officials. Even if the wronged person is already dead, we should still clear his name."
Lu Yu was taken aback: "Seventh Sister, you know I'm from the North?"
Qin Weixi said truthfully, "Madam Yu, you didn't hide your accent at all. Seventh Sister and I hit it off immediately. I could tell from your accent that you are from the capital."
Lu Yu's eyes darted around, but he refused to say another word, focusing only on pouring one cup of wine after another from the wine jar.
In her dazed state, she continued to sob silently, her eyes occasionally glancing out the window at her youngest daughter sitting quietly. Qin Weixi thought, everyone has a weakness, and this is Lu Yu's only weakness now.
Lu Yu continued drinking his wine, but noticed that Luo Qiniang across from him wasn't drinking at all. He asked in confusion, "Doesn't Qiniang drink?"
Qin Weixi picked up the wine cup and took a small sip. "Since it was invited by Madam Yu, it would be impolite of me to refuse. However, I don't like drinking. My husband doesn't like me drinking either." As she said this, she leaned over and took the wine cup from Lu Yu's hand, advising, "Madam Yu, drinking is very harmful to your health."
Lu Yu's mind went blank for a moment, and then she burst into tears without any restraint.
"Seventh Sister! My husband, who died young, used to give me the same advice. I wonder if he offended someone back then..."
Lu Yu's youngest daughter suddenly dropped her books from the courtyard and ran into the house, grabbing her arm and saying repeatedly, "Mother, Mother... you're drunk, you've eaten too much. Sister is still here!" As she spoke, she pushed her forcefully.
Lu Yu sobered up instantly, and after a moment of confusion, she cried even louder at the girl sitting opposite her.
The little girl ran to the kitchen to fetch water for her mother, and after seeing that her mother had calmed down, she rolled her bright eyes around and went to cook a hangover soup herself.
"Please trouble you to look after Mother for a moment, I'll go get some wine."
Lu Yu suddenly sobered up from his drunkenness, grabbed Qin Weixi with one hand and cried out, "Luo Qiniang, what should I do! The money my husband left for me and my daughter has been swindled away. If I hadn't taken matters into my own hands, my daughter would have suffered so much more with me."
Qin Weixi listened quietly, and seeing that the little girl in the kitchen hadn't come out, he seized the opportunity to say, "Even though Yu Niangzi's husband is in jail, he still managed to settle you two up so well. He really is..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lu Yu had already gotten up and rushed to her side, grabbing her tightly with one hand while tears streamed down his face.
The little girl from the kitchen finally came in with a bowl of soup. She hurriedly put it aside and stepped forward to pull the two of them apart.
Qin Weixi looked at Lu Yu, who was crying incessantly but still wary of her, with eyes as cold as frost, her heart as firm as stone. The little girl, whose eyes were also red, turned around unexpectedly and met those eyes, and was startled.
It wasn't until Chu Yening and Tao Qingyun arrived one after another and forcibly pulled Lu Yu, who was clinging to her tightly, away that Lu Yu stopped crying and fell into a deep sleep.
On the way back to the inn, Qin Weixi said, "We underestimated her. She has been living on the run for ten years with her daughter. How could she easily let her guard down?"
Chu Yening grabbed her hand and squeezed it, saying casually, "Now that we're here, we won't let her disappear like she did back then. Since she's already told you about her husband's imprisonment, perhaps she's had enough of living on the run all these years."
Tao Qingyun watched this scene from behind, snorted twice, narrowed her eyes and said, "I knew it. Now you're not even on guard against me anymore, are you? Aren't you afraid I'll go back and tell A-Ling?"
Chu Yening seemed not to hear and continued to pull her forward. Seeing this, Qin Weixi leaned closer slightly and tentatively asked, "Does brother know?"
At this moment, Chu Yening finally smiled. After seemingly pondering for a while, he stamped his foot and said, "With Brother Luo's wisdom, I think he shouldn't be able to hide it from him, right?"
Qin Weixi rolled her bright eyes suspiciously, while Tao Qingyun behind her snorted again: "What a pair of bastards who value women over friends..."
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Weixi had already pulled him close, wrapping her arm around his without any hesitation. She then mimicked his humming and laughed, "Who said that? We're doing great! One brother here, another brother there, both are important. I'm a little upset about what happened with that Lady Yu today, so how about we go out for a walk tomorrow?"
"After returning to Beijing, with this Chen Daban and that Sun Daban, this Ma Lianren and that Liang Shuwen, I can no longer be as carefree as I am now."
Tao Qingyun smiled knowingly and gently tapped her forehead with her folding fan: "I can't smell any alcohol. Why do you look like you're drunk?"
Qin Weixi smiled, then suddenly pulled them forcefully, bringing them to a stop in place. She looked around, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast a shadow of the three of them, creating a silhouette of them standing side by side.
"My two elder brothers, am I wrong?"
The two of them looked at him and laughed in unison, saying, "Yes!"
*
As the first rays of sunlight shone on the entire village, Tao Qingyun had already planned the journey for the three of them to Baoping Temple, an ancient temple in this mountain town that was very popular with the locals.
Mu Tong, Zi Jin, Xue Zhao, and others remained hidden in the shadows, following and protecting Qin Weixi from afar. Qin Weixi couldn't help but sigh that it would be wonderful if there were two Pu Niangs in this world.
The shadows of the trees swayed, a world of lush foliage, and winter snow had suddenly arrived in the capital.
As Tao Qingyun walked toward the ancient temple, he said with a smile, "I have passed by many ancient temples when I was young, but I, your third brother, have never stepped into one."
Qin Weixi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "What do you mean? Shouldn't one seek safety even more when traveling?"
Looking at the temple in the distance, Tao Qingyun suddenly said quietly, "What else can I do? Back then, I was young and impetuous, and I felt that there were some things I had to fight for myself. Later, I realized that there is some truth to the saying that there are gods watching over us."
"Back when I returned to the capital from Jiangnan, I went to a temple to light a prayer lamp for you, Seventh Sister. And now you're standing right in front of me, perfectly fine."
Chu Yening suddenly spoke up: "So you also have no intention of entering officialdom, and have styled yourself Hanqing Hermit?"
Tao Qingyun glanced at him upon hearing this, then curled her lip and said, "What else? I'm happy enough just living my life to the fullest. Stop nagging. You guys can go in, I'm not going in."
But Qin Weixi disagreed. With a smile, she stood on the stone steps of the ancient temple and said to him, "But when has Third Brother ever lived for himself? If you come out to play, what is the point of not going into the temple to pay your respects? The gods will be angry. Third Brother, come in with us quickly." As she spoke, she pushed him step by step into the ancient temple.
Just then, some children who had come with their elders to pray for blessings and draw lots were playing with their friends. They pushed and shoved the person who hadn't seen them standing still on the stone steps, and unexpectedly bumped into Tao Qingyun.
The girl was only seven or eight years old, with her hair styled in two buns, wearing a pink dress and a light skirt. She had delicate features, bright eyes, and white teeth. She was knocked back several steps by the force of the impact, and then came to her feet.
Tao Qingyun couldn't help but smile when she saw that it was a clever little girl. She clutched her chest and pretended to be in pain from the bump: "Ouch, little girl, you bumped into your brother and hurt him."
The little girl straightened up, put her hands on her hips, and said fearlessly, "You bumped into me. I wasn't looking where I was going, but you were. You were looking where you were going. I was playing with my friend. How could it be that I bumped into you?"
Tao Qingyun was taken aback when she heard this, and when she turned around, she saw the two people behind her with their eyes downcast, trying not to laugh.
"You're quite the smooth talker!" he said, pulling a few pieces of silver from a purse hanging from his waist. "So it's my fault? I'll apologize to you, kid. Go buy some candy."
The little girl refused to accept the gift, and instead pulled her friend down the stone steps of the ancient temple, saying, "You're not my brother!"
Tao Qingyun laughed heartily upon hearing this, and her smile deepened as she watched the little child's figure gradually disappear into the distance. She turned back to Chu Yening and said, "What a clever little girl! Why does she look so familiar? You old fox, doesn't she resemble your seventh sister?"
Qin Weixi was surprised to hear him suddenly call her name. "Me? When I was young, I was... eloquent? quick-witted?"
Chu Yening chuckled softly.
"But I still remember when my third brother used to give me candy. You and your brothers used to play the game of being the king of the mountain by the Floating Jade Pavilion in the palace. Whoever was the first to find the treasure that Eunuch Abao had hidden would take the treasure back to the Floating Jade Pavilion and stand on that mountain. At that time, everyone would have to listen to the mountain king."
Tao Qingyun laughed again: "Then what did I say back then?" She then glanced at Chu Yening: "Who won, me or your fourth brother?"
Qin Weixi recalled her youthful days with gentle and joyful eyes: "Back then, my brother took me into the palace to find Afu, who was clamoring to see me. That was the first time my third brother saw me." She cleared her throat and imitated the young man's tone: "My lovely little sister, I am your good brother. Call me brother and I will buy you lots of candy."
Tao Qingyun smiled and said, "Did I buy it for you?"
Qin Weixi said, "No. You've long forgotten about this matter since you became a mountain king. But that day, I became a mountain king because you wanted me to call you 'good brother'."
Tao Qingyun laughed heartily: "How come I remember your third brother buying it for you? But I didn't say that first, it was your fox brother. When you were born, we boys were gathered outside Aunt Xiao's courtyard. When we saw you, your fox brother was the first to rush over, and even A-Shuo was pushed to the back."
Tao Qingyun laughed heartily: "He said he'd call me 'brother,' and that he'd buy me flowers to wear. We all remember that!"
"What? How come I didn't know?" Qin Weixi recalled the pearl flowers in that rustic village back then.
Tao Qingyun laughed again, and with a flick of his robe, he pretended to walk out of the ancient temple to buy her sweets: "Come on, Third Brother will go buy you some now, as many as you want."
Qin Weixi immediately stopped him, smiling and saying, "I've already eaten."
She had tasted that sweetness that touched her heart. No, it was the sweetness that warmed her soul. It was the sweetness she had tasted when her precocious and mature third brother, Qingyun, like his elder brother Luo Ling, poured all his strength into lifting her out of the raging river, risking his own life to save her.
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