74 Mistaking Water
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Xie Linchuan was young, and although he had some broken bones, he was able to jump around freely in just three to five months.
As soon as he got well, he urged Mrs. Liang to find a matchmaker and go to Jiang's house to make an appointment.
By the spring of the second year of Zhaowu, the wedding was about to be arranged.
Needless to say, there are plenty of people in the Prince of Dongping's Mansion, but Jiang Qinglan has no parents.
But as the adopted daughter of the Grand Princess, she had her experienced aunt to make arrangements, and her adopted sister Wang Hui Niang also took on the responsibility as a member of her family.
These days, Wang Hui Niang has been busy looking for someone to renovate the Jiang family's old house.
The broken eaves and rafters need to be mended, and the mottled walls need to be painted. When the time comes, I will marry into the Dongping Prince's Palace, so I can't be shabby.
One day, she ran to tell Jiang Qinglan that she had found a dark room behind the study, which contained many boxes and cages.
Jiang Qinglan went to have a look, and found that they were all old things, including Mr. Jiang's old books, Mrs. Jiang's clothes, and so on.
There was also a small box, the lid of which was covered with a thick layer of dust. Jiang Qinglan opened it and looked inside, then burst out laughing.
It was a bunch of children's toys: nine-linked rings, ox-tendon slingshots, Luban locks, and all kinds of grinding drinks.
It should be from the original body's childhood. If I give it to Tuantuan to play with, she will definitely be happy.
Jiang Qinglan picked up a Moluohe and took a closer look. It was a fat, smiling Buddha, sleeping upside down, looking very adorable.
But there was a note underneath, with a few ugly words written crookedly:
In the fifth year of Chengping, it was given by Brother Lu.
At this moment, a familiar voice sounded behind him: "What are you looking at?"
Jiang Qinglan was startled and rolled the note into a ball, holding it in his hand. Turning back, he saw Xie Linchuan, wearing a navy blue robe with narrow sleeves, a round collar and a crotch, walking in leisurely and looking around.
"A secret room?" He smiled, his face full of curiosity. "Could it be that Lord Jiang has hidden some other secret?"
"What secrets are there?" Jiang Qinglan shook his head and closed the lid with a clang. "They're just some old stuff. They haven't been cleaned up in a while, so they're really dusty."
She waved her hand and walked out. While turning sideways, she casually threw the things in her hand into the pile of junk.
Xie Linchuan grabbed her wrist through her sleeve and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Take a look at your childhood things." He was about to walk over and open the box.
Jiang Qinglan struggled slightly: "Sister Hui said that you are not allowed to come."
It is customary for newlyweds not to see each other before marriage.
The fact that she brought this up shows that she is always thinking about it.
Xie Linchuan was very happy and didn't even care when she broke free from his hand. He smiled with two deep dimples showing.
He said softly, "I know this is the last time. Today, the Flames are playing in the finals at the Xishan Cuju Stadium, and I want to take you to watch it."
Jiang Qinglan muttered to himself: "What's so interesting about playing football? What a straight man's mindset. I might as well just stay home and sleep in."
But she remembered that he was very good at playing football. Was he going to go on the court and show off in front of her?
Thinking of the little thoughts of these lovers, she couldn't help laughing.
There were no windows in the secret room and the light was very dim. Something was rustling among the pile of junk.
Jiang Qinglan instantly became alert, and had a bad feeling. Could it be...
What you fear will surely come true! Several gray and black creatures crawled out from under the box and scurried around on the open ground.
Rat! Jiang Qinglan was startled and subconsciously began to scream: "Ahhhh!"
Those guys couldn't find a hole to hide in, so they wandered back and forth on the ground.
Jiang Qinglan's mind went blank. He didn't know what he was holding onto. He jumped around with his eyes closed.
Xie Linchuan subconsciously spread out his hands and felt surrounded by the light scent of jasmine.
When I looked down, I saw that the person in my arms had sweat on his forehead, his face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were tightly closed.
He thought it was funny: she acted so mature all the time, but it turned out she was afraid of these things, and she was not even a little girl.
So she hooked her arm around his neck and carried him slowly out.
It was spring, with distant green hills looming, a hazy mist forming a backdrop. In the garden, the grass was freshly green, with dew hanging on the leaves. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the peach leaves, showering down on my face.
With pink apricots and red peaches outside and soft and fragrant jade in his arms, Xie Linchuan's heart was beating fast. He couldn't help but bend down and look at the lotus face and willow-leaf eyebrows with a smile.
Jiang Qinglan felt the light from the sky was too bright. His eyelashes moved and he slowly opened his eyes, meeting those smiling eyes that were as bright as spring sunshine.
After a moment of stunned silence, she struggled and got off him, her face as red as the peach blossoms in March.
She scolded in a low voice: "What are you doing?"
However, the low tone due to guilty conscience made it sound not like a scolding, but rather a coquettish complaint.
She remembered that she had jumped up by herself.
Xie Linchuan would never miss this opportunity to tease her. He smiled brightly, with two deep dimples on his cheeks: "I'm afraid I should be the one asking you this."
Jiang Qinglan didn't dare to look at him. She lowered her eyes and saw the pearl tassels on the shoes sparkling.
"Let's go." she said softly.
Just when she turned halfway on her toes, her hand was grabbed and a strong force made her lose her balance and fall into a warm embrace.
She widened her eyes, and felt her lips soften, and the peach blossoms all over the sky fell down...
On the corridor, Wang Huiniang was holding Tuantuan's hand and was about to go towards the hanging flower gate.
Turning the corner, Wang Huiniang saw two people under the old plum tree. Her heart skipped a beat and she immediately tried to cover Tuantuan's eyes.
Tuan Tuan had already seen it, so he pushed his hand away from the obstruction and said loudly and sincerely, "Hey, Brother Xie, why did you bite my sister?"
Wang Huiniang's face flushed, she put her hands under her armpits, picked her up and backed away, saying as she walked:
"Uh... well... adults, sometimes when they like someone, they'll bite and nibble."
After hesitating for a long time, she finally thought of the universal sentence, "You will understand when you grow up."
Tuantuan was lost in thought when he saw Huzi, dressed in shorts and carrying a fish basket, coming towards him from a distance.
The two of them agreed to go fishing in the river today and make crucian carp soup when they come back.
Tuan Tuan struggled off Wang Hui Niang, ran to Hu Zi, and bit his bare, hairy arm.
Hu Zi screamed: "Jiang Qingyuan, you are crazy!"
He pushed her to the ground and blew on the sharp teeth marks on his arm.
Ever since he knew her real name, he would call her by her full name when he was angry.
Tuan Tuan opened his legs wide and fell to the ground.
Looking at Wang Huiniang who was walking quickly towards her, and then at the angry Hu Zi, she was confused and aggrieved, pouting and questioning, "Why are they different?!"
Wang Hui Niang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "You'll understand when you grow up."
Here, sparse shadows are slanting, and a faint fragrance is floating in the air. Jiang Qinglan, who is sitting under the tree, has a rosy face and is panting softly.
After a long time of bending over, he could no longer stand, so he pushed the person back with force and hurriedly went up to the corridor.
The peach was gone halfway through eating, how could Xie Linchuan be willing to accept this?
He rushed over like a pug, grabbed her with his iron-like hands, and made them sit down on the porch.
He smiled and said, "I didn't think it through just now. Thank you for your hard work. At least your waist won't be sore now, right?" After saying that, he lowered his face again.
It happened so fast that Jiang Qinglan didn't have time to close his eyes. When he figured out what happened, he felt extremely embarrassed.
This time, he was still far away, so she quickly closed her eyes tightly.
It felt like a gentle breeze was blowing across my face, and I could hear the chirping of birds in my ears.
However, after waiting for a long time, nothing seemed to be happening.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw that Xie Linchuan had stopped smiling. His face was as gloomy as water, and he was staring at the pillar behind her.
She was a little confused, and when she turned her head to look back, her heart skipped a beat.
There are two dolls on the pillar, one with pigtails and wearing a skirt, she is a girl, the other with tied hair and wearing a long robe, she is a boy.
The handwriting is very childish, and it can be seen that it was drawn by a child.
Xie Linchuan's jawline was extremely tense. He pointed at the boy and said, "Is this Lu Fei?"
Jiang Qinglan was silent for a moment, then said honestly, "I'm afraid so." Seeing his expression change slightly and he was about to explode, she quickly added, "It wasn't drawn by me!"
If not you, then who is it?
This house was passed down from the ancestors of the Jiang family. No one has ever lived here except the Jiang family.
The handwriting is obviously that of a child. Tuantuan was probably still a baby at that time, so it couldn't be her.
It is even more impossible that it was a servant. Which servant would dare to scribble in the master's house?
The more Xie Linchuan thought about it, the angrier he became. He pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and was about to poke the painting into pieces.
Why didn't he know her earlier?
Jiang Qinglan grabbed his arm and said, "You've painted the pillars and now you have to find someone to repair the wood. Why not ask them to get some red paint and it will be gone in one swipe? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"
Xie Linchuan stopped and looked at her sideways: "Don't you feel sad?" There was a hint of pride in his tone.
Jiang Qinglan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I really didn't draw this!"
She took the dagger from his hand and put it into the scabbard. "I'll explain it to you later, okay? Didn't you say you would take me to watch the Cuju match? Why aren't you leaving yet?"
After saying that, she reached out and held his hand.
Xie Linchuan was startled for a moment, then immediately took the initiative, wrapped her hand in his warm palm, and led her forward.
But he was an angry tiger. Although he was appeased, he was still unwilling to give up, so he glared fiercely at "Lu Fei" on the pillar.
…
The Xishan Cuju Field was already packed with people.
It was another year's final between the Flame Team and the Qiyun Society. Although Li Zheng was the leader of the Imperial Guards, as a veteran player of the Flame Team, he also went down to play a game.
However, he knew that things were different now, and he didn't try his best, almost playing an exhibition match.
It would be even more difficult for Xie Linchuan to participate in such a competition.
Although it was impossible to lose, even if he won, there would be suspicion that someone else was letting him win. So he had already booked a private room in Fengyun Building and brought Jiang Qinglan to watch the match.
As soon as he sat down in the box, Xie Linchuan forgot about the pillar painting.
Recalling the past, he chuckled: "Will I still have ice-cold lemonade to drink this year?"
At that time, she had received fifty taels of silver from him, but he thought she had run away. Thinking about it now, he just felt that he was laughing.
Jiang Qinglan thought he was making fun of her. At that time, she greeted him, a big customer, with a smile and was very flattering.
She glared at him and said, "It's only a few months old, and you're eating ice. It's very cold!"
Just at this moment, the delivery boy from Fengle Tower came in with food boxes and placed a dazzling array of food on the table.
There were only three or four bites of each kind on the exquisite little plates, but the variety was frightening.
The meat dishes included golden tripe soup, stir-fried clams, goose and duck stew, minced meat and scallions, and some she couldn't identify, presumably various kinds of pickled fish.
Pickled food is a dish that is cured by salting and fermenting to give it a special flavor. Originally, it was fish pickled, but later everything could be pickled.
"Wulin Jiushi" records a variety of dishes: pickled fish bones, pickled peach blossoms, pickled whitebait...
When she read a book, she only knew the name, but now she knows all the colors, smells and tastes.
In addition, there are mutton buns, spicy vegetable cakes, honey sesame cakes, and a variety of meat dishes and snacks.
She didn't mention these things anymore, as she had experienced them all along. She only rarely touched alcohol in order to stay sober.
Xie Linchuan was a good drinker, so he introduced him to her.
The four kinds of wine presented by Fengle Tower at this time were called: Rose Dew, Xiaosha Spring, Jinbo Spring, and Mistaken Water.
"Mistakenly identified it as water?" Jiang Qinglan stared at the clear liquid and asked curiously, "Why does it have such a strange name?"
Xie Linchuan poured a cup and brought it to her lips: "This is specially prepared for you, you will know after you drink it."
Jiang Qinglan took a sip. It was neither sweet nor spicy, but light and balanced, even a bit like soda water.
No wonder they said it was prepared specially for her. The wine should be light and not intoxicating.
Xie Linchuan pulled her into his arms, chugging a whole glass of wine, and said softly, "You're so tense all day, worrying about this and that. Are you worrying about nothing?"
"I'm responsible for everything. So what if you get drunk? You're not yourself anymore."
Jiang Qinglan remained silent.
He was right. Earlier, she was really afraid that if she made a mistake, she would be misplaced in time and space and end up somewhere else.
Later, she barely adapted to this society, but was afraid that if she let something slip, people would think she was a monster and want to capture her.
It wasn't until the Lantern Festival that year that Xie Linchuan helped her deal with the Pojiao Taoist priest. And then, there was the war with the Liao Kingdom...
And now, everything is resolved.
At this moment, Jiang Qinglan snuggled in his arms, listening to his steady and strong heartbeat, staring at the people running around in the Cuju field, in silence.
When she mistakenly thought that water was coming, she drank another cup.
Perhaps it was the alcohol that emboldened her, and after a while, she whispered, "If I weren't Jiang Qinglan, would you still treat me like this?"
Xie Linchuan lowered his head and saw her rosy face, like a red plum blossom in the snow, and her eyes moving like spring water just beginning to melt. His heart was throbbing, and he couldn't help but pinch her cheek:
"If you're not Jiang Qinglan, then who are you? Jiang Ning?"
He smiled brightly.
"Come to think of it, why haven't I heard of you before? You must be acting like Jiang Qinglan in the mansion, hiding all your whimsical ideas and courage."
"If I had known you were Jiang Ning, what would Lu Fei have to do with you?"
After saying that, he poured in another full cup of mistaken water.
Jiang Qinglan smiled, a sweet feeling permeating her heart. His words were like he had decided on her, Jiang Ning.
But at this time her mind was dizzy and she couldn't say anything sweet. When she heard him mention Lu Fei, she kept silent, just stayed in his arms and stared at the game outside.
At first, I was just staring at the Cuju field in a trance, but later I started to pay attention. It seemed that the red team was attacking very fiercely.
She remembered that Li Zheng had played football here a few years ago, so she casually asked, "What's your level in Lin'an City, you and Li Zheng? Who's the better player?"
"Don't you know what my level is?"
Xie Linchuan seemed a little dissatisfied with her chaos, curled his lips, and grabbed Lu Fei again and scorned him:
"Lu Fei, he's full of tricks, and he's always using deceptive tactics. Just like him, he's not very honest."
Jiang Qinglan drank the wine and lost his usual cautious demeanor. He muttered softly:
"I didn't ask him why you're so quick to speak. Are you feeling guilty because you're not as skilled as him?"
Xie Linchuan looked down at her: "What did you say?"
Jiang Qinglan felt lazy all over and rubbed himself against her arms, messing up his hair. He smiled and said, "I say, how do I know if you are lying to me? Please tell me in detail."
Speaking of Cuju, Xie Linchuan was quite serious:
"Li Zheng is a real talent. He has practiced shooting for over ten years and has a lot of explosive power. I can't beat him."
"He's only five years older than me, and his style of play requires a lot of physical effort. In two years, he won't be as good as me."
He was a man who was never modest. Although he was very capable, it was a bit strange for him to say it out loud.
Jiang Qinglan drank a few glasses of wine and his face was a little red. He was very hot, so she stood up and said with a smile:
"Alright, alright, you're trying to flatter yourself again. I've never seen anyone more shameless than you."
Xie Linchuan was a little annoyed at first, but then he rolled his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it: "I'm not finished yet."
His handsome eyebrows raised.
"Lu Feixu and Li Zhengmeng, but when it comes to lasting longer, it's me." After saying that, he pulled her soft little hand down and said with a smile, "If you don't believe me, try it."
Jiang Qinglan's drunkenness disappeared, and his whole body stiffened as if he had been electrocuted.
What does this madman want to do?!
But his hand was like an iron clamp, tightly holding her hand, forcing her to hold something in her hand.
…
Jiang Qinglan ran downstairs and bumped into the waiter who was about to go upstairs.
Her face was flushed, and she reeked of alcohol. She said anxiously, "Where is the kitchen? Tell me quickly! I need to wash my hands!"
The waiter said respectfully, "Don't worry, my lady. Please sit down upstairs and I will fetch some water and bring it up to you."
"No! I want to go now!" she screamed, looking like she was going to eat someone.
The waiter had no choice but to point her to the place, thinking:
I've never seen such a fierce girl, and she's drunk. I don't know whose daughter she is, but with such a temper, who can stand it?
He shook his head and walked upstairs to the box for distinguished guests.
When he got upstairs, he was even more shocked. The person just now was actually Master Xie’s fiancée?
Everyone says this Lady Jiang is gentle and kind, so what happened today? Did she run into a demon?
The waiter was puzzled.
Jiang Qinglan felt that he had indeed encountered a monster.
【Author’s words】
The names of dishes and wines in this chapter are all from "Wulin Jiushi".
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