They had dumplings for dinner on New Year's Eve. The servants toasted each other with cups and glasses. Even though Jiang Yuzhu took small sips, she still looked a little drunk.
Her cheeks were stained with rouge, and she leaned into Xie Zhao's arms and said, "We are not in the capital. My parents will be relieved to know that I am doing well in the border town."
"yes."
Xie Zhao helped his wife clean her face, holding back the heat and said, "Madam, don't sleep, it's almost midnight."
Staying up at midnight is a custom during the Chinese New Year.
After midnight, a new year begins.
Jiang Yuzhu was so sleepy that she was crying. She nuzzled into Xie Zhao's arms like a kitten and said, "Yuanhe, then you can talk to me."
"good."
The maids wisely left, leaving only the couple in the room.
Xie Zhao carried Jiang Yuzhu to the small couch and helped massage her calves: "The rules in Jiangnan are strict, especially when it comes to staying up all night. Even little kids are not immune."
After one year old, one must be awake when staying up all night to welcome the New Year.
"For this reason, the elders of the clan tried various methods to wake him up. One year, they even beat drums and gongs, and my fifth brother was even frightened by it."
Xie Zhao talked about the interesting things in his childhood. After drinking the hangover soup, Jiang Yuzhu looked clearer and said with a smile: "I thought Fifth Brother was very sensible and listened to the elders since he was a child."
Xie Xuan has a gentle personality, but also a bit stubborn.
Jiang Yuzhu stood up for Xie Xuan, and the relationship between uncle and sister-in-law was good.
"Speaking of which, Fifth Brother is not young anymore. Shouldn't he get married after high school?"
Once a marriage is arranged, it would be bad to let the woman wait until she is 20 years old and becomes an old maid.
Jiang Yuzhu had some impression of Miss Song, who was engaged to Xie Zhao. She heard that she was a well-educated and well-mannered lady from a noble family.
"Before coming to the capital, I received rouge and powder made by Sister Li'er herself."
Logically, Jiang Yuzhu should have returned the gift personally, but after the imperial edict came down, she was busy with fundraising and had to set off in a hurry, so she had to leave it to her servants to prepare.
"That's fine. When Fifth Brother gets married, we'll make up for it with a generous gift."
Xie Zhao has never cared about interpersonal relationships.
The couple chatted in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
At midnight, the sound of bells was heard on the walls of the border town.
The dull ringing of the bells heralds the arrival of the new year.
After the bell rang, the people who had been holding on for a long time crawled into their beds and fell asleep.
Jiang Yuzhu was no longer drunk, her eyes were clear and she had no desire to sleep.
She took a sip of her strong tea and said with the air of a modern late-nighter, "Yuanhe, how about playing chess with me?"
"good."
Xie Zhao took out the chessboard and played chess with Jiang Yuzhu.
Xie Zhao was obviously much more patient with his wife than with Mo Qianyu.
By the late night, Jiang Yuzhu was hungry and pulled Xie Zhao into the kitchen again.
The kitchen was empty, and Xie Zhao took charge of the cooking, making a few side dishes for Jiang Yuzhu.
"Yuanhe, do you have any food left to serve? How does it taste?"
Jiang Yuzhu sniffed. She was sensitive to smells and was choked so badly that she quickly covered her mouth and nose.
"Not our house."
Xie Zhao stood up alertly and pushed open the door. Jiang Yuzhu's face froze and she followed closely behind him.
Seeing the direction of the smoke, Jiang Yuzhu was immediately shocked and said, "Oh no, it's the direction of the General's Mansion!"
On New Year’s Eve, almost all the people stay up all night, and before dawn is when people are least alert.
It is difficult to detect a flood at this time.
If you are in the room, you won't smell the smoke or fire for a short time.
Jiang Yuzhu climbed up the ladder and stood on the top, her heart hanging in the air. She couldn't help but anxiously said, "Yuanhe, hurry up, there's a fire in the general's mansion!"
Most houses of this era were made of wood.
Especially in the winter in the north, the stored water is limited, and many families use melted snow for water.
The fire spread rapidly. If it spread, it would not only bring disaster to the general's mansion, but also to several surrounding mansions.
"Thick smoke rose to the sky, why didn't anyone in the General's Mansion notice it?"
The two mansions were not far apart, and Jiang Yuzhu could not see any movement inside the mansion, and her heart sank.
"Hong Jin, Hong Xiu, Gong Huai, wake up!"
Jiang Yuzhu first woke up a few maids, and everyone met in front of the mansion gate with basins of water and other things.
Within a quarter of an hour, all the servants gathered and trotted towards the general's mansion.
Time was running out, and Jiang Yuzhu was anxious, so she had no choice but to instruct, "All of you cover your mouths and noses with wet towels. First, wake up everyone in the General's Mansion. There's strength in numbers!"
"Liang An, you're quick, go and notify the soldiers guarding the city to come and help!"
Jiang Yuzhu estimated that the fire was spreading too quickly, so she decided to be more cautious.
Inside the general's mansion, the gatekeeper was lying on the ground like a puddle of mud.
Xie Zhao rushed in and felt the patient's pulse with his hand and said, "He's not dead, he's still breathing. It seems like he was drugged and fell into a coma."
"Yuanhe, the mastermind behind this isn't interested in the concierge. Save my cousin first. Zhilan is pregnant!"
There were several fire points in the mansion, one of which was in the backyard, next to Shen Zhilan's house.
You don't need to look to know that someone must have done it on purpose.
The veins on Jiang Yuzhu's forehead were throbbing and her hands were wet. It is said that the darkest time is before dawn, and it is true.
"Madam, I went to the main courtyard and saw a dark shadow!"
The man was dressed in black and holding a fire starter in his hand. It was obvious that he was the arsonist.
There are not enough people at the moment, so Hongxiu goes to chase people, while the others are covered in dust and dirt, busy saving people.
At the same time, in the backyard.
Shen Zhilan heard a loud noise and thought she was having a nightmare. She turned over and smelled a burnt smell.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that the room was filled with black smoke and the door was on fire.
There was a layer of black tung oil on the floor of the room.
This time, Shen Zhilan was awakened and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Husband, husband!"
Subconsciously asking for help, Shen Zhilan looked towards the person beside her.
She screamed and shouted, but Mo Qianyu did not respond.
In an instant, Shen Zhilan's heart sank. She remembered the news she got on her deathbed in her previous life. The entire Mo family died in a fire, and Mo Qianyu was burned to charcoal.
According to the timeline, that would have happened many years later, so why was it brought forward?
Shen Zhilan didn't bother to think too much, she forced herself to calm down.
After checking Mo Qianyu's breath and feeling the warmth, Shen Zhilan breathed a sigh of relief. She used all her strength to drag Mo Qianyu to the ground.
"Bang!"
The door was on fire and a beam had fallen from the ceiling.
Black smoke filled the room, and Shen Zhilan was unable to open her eyes.
She saw the location of the window and decided to find a way to throw Mo Qianyu out of the window and away from the room.
Otherwise, even if you are not burned to charcoal, you will be choked to death by the large amount of ash!
Shen Zhilan gritted her teeth and tried several times, but she still couldn't lift Mo Qianyu up. She couldn't help but feel desperate.
If she can't save Mo Qianyu's fate, what's the point of her rebirth?
"Cousin, cousin, where are you!"
Shen Zhilan fell to the bottom of the valley, and only heard someone knocking on the window frame, which cheered her up.
"I'm near the window!"
Great! Her savior, cousin Jiang Yuzhu, is here!
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