Past
Xie Lingxi remembered this incident, simply because it was not a pleasant memory at all.
The youngest daughter was still very young. Although Xie Lingxi was not born into a gentle and loving family, she was still treated well and raised with care. However, when her daughter, Jia Ying, wandered into the mountains, she was outmaneuvered by Liu Xu, who was only ten years old at the time.
Years ago, when she was separated from her brother and wandering aimlessly, she met a young man wearing a short shirt, with a pear blossom tree on his head, lazily selling wine on the street in the spring sunshine.
—That was the third month after Liu Xu was abducted. He was forced to sell counterfeit liquor while also deceiving the elderly, women, and children.
It was Xie Lingxi who allowed his winery to open.
On a bright, sunny day, he wore a faded white headscarf and revealed a kind face: "Little sister, have you gotten separated from your parents?"
Xie Lingxi nodded timidly.
Liu Xu was young at the time, but he was not lacking in compassion.
He pondered for a moment, thinking that selling such a young child was utterly heinous, but if he failed today, he might not be able to save his own life. So he came up with a compromise, bending down and coaxing, "Do you have any money?"
Upon seeing the young girl, who was covered in dust and dirt, Liu Xu was even more pleased, as her demeanor clearly indicated that she came from a wealthy and noble family. He patiently gestured, "Silver, copper coins? Do you know what they are? They're the kind used to buy clothes and food..."
Xie Lingxi stared wide-eyed and nodded hesitantly.
Liu Xu continued his deception: "This wine of mine was once watered under the Bodhi tree. Buy it and you will be able to find your parents."
As he spoke, noticing that he had unconsciously used some difficult words, he quickly explained, "The Bodhi tree is a sacred tree, very powerful."
Xie Lingxi didn't know anything about the Immortal Tree, and the "Bodhi" she saw in the book was just a flawless thing. She took Liu Xu's second half of the sentence to heart: "Really... I can find my parents?"
Liu Xu nodded: "You believe me!"
After the two finished their negotiation, under the pear tree, Xie Lingxi rummaged around in his pocket for a long time and found a stack of useless recipes.
Squirrel-shaped fish, stir-fried lily bulbs...
Seeing this, Liu Xu's hand holding the note trembled, and he became anxious: "You child, what kind of things are you carrying... all show and no substance?!"
Xie Lingxi: "I'll trade these for a jar of wine."
Liu Xu jumped up: "How can we exchange this!"
“It really can’t be replaced,” Xie Lingxi looked at him with her still somewhat childish eyes, “because the wine is fake.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xu frowned, almost being fooled by the little girl. Then he heard her say, "If I give you ten copper coins, will you take me to the north of the mountain?"
"Fifteen."
Xie Lingxi calmed down: "Deal."
The tall young man had a kind face. Although he loved money, it was out of necessity. Xie Lingxi judged him in her heart and seemed to think that he was at least a good person.
The two agreed to meet under the pear tree in the alley to the east two days later, but when the day came, Liu Xu did not show up.
Xie Lingxi waited from early morning until midnight. That night, a light spring rain began to fall. Her thin spring clothes could not keep out the cold wind, and she caught a cold, panting heavily.
The next day, Liu Xu remembered the little girl and rushed over, only to find a half-dead body.
...
It was a summer night, and Xie Lingxi looked at him coldly. "You dare say that you weren't the one who tricked me into buying wine?"
The breeze was pleasant tonight. Liu Xu finally remembered, his heart skipped a few seconds, and he explained, "I did not mean to break my promise that day."
Xie Lingxi nodded: "You got hit."
Because he couldn't sell any small items and couldn't convert them into silver, he was beaten so badly by the bandits that he was too weak to even get out of bed. Even though he remembered the matter, he couldn't keep his appointment.
Poor Xie Lingxi, whose already weak body was further weakened, although she survived the ordeal and her brain was not damaged, her health deteriorated day by day, and she often clutched her heart like Xi Shi.
"When I woke up later, I found myself lying in a cargo wagon. I heard that this batch of silk brocade was to be transported to the north of the mountain and sold to the local noble families."
Liu Xu smiled bitterly: "It was I who almost caused your death. All I'm doing is fulfilling what I promised you."
"yes."
Xie Lingxi slowly recalled, "We met again later in Shanbei."
She looked at Liu Xu, whose face was pale with worry because of the past, yet he still accused her, "But it seems you've forgotten everything."
How many people do we meet over the years, and how many of them do we get to meet again?
Even the deepest memories will fade with time, but Liu Xu said, "No, I remember."
“When I was young, I went astray. Fortunately, I was blessed by the heavens. That pot of fake wine was sold only to you and my master. In the end, that harmful wine shop was also smashed to pieces by my brother.”
The lotus pond reflected the pale moonlight. Xie Lingxi stroked the white jade buckle tied at her waist, the auspicious knot on it revealing a captivating crimson. "That day, my brother and I went to find you, truly to express our gratitude. But you thought we were enemies you had unintentionally provoked, and you started fighting with my brother, brandishing a wooden stick."
Liu Xu smiled gloomily: "How do you know I didn't do it knowing it was impossible?"
He had long since given up on dealing with that mess.
The Confucian classics constrained his mind in every way, and there was no moment when he was more delighted than when the earthenware jar containing fake wine exploded.
Having said that, the two recounted their past in detail. Liu Xu only had one question left. He touched his face and asked, "Do I look this much like I did as a child? How did you recognize me?"
Xie Lingxi sneered: "You still expect me to recognize you? You little thief who seeks fame and fortune, the way you tie the bow on the gauze, apart from the person who made me weak when I was a child, I have never seen anyone else bandage it like that."
Liu Xu knew he was in the wrong, but his mouth remained stubborn as he mumbled softly, "That's not a bow."
What is that?
"It is Kun, it is Kun's two arms."
...
The old story resurfaced. Xie Lingxi picked up the white pear blossoms that had fallen in the past. Just as she was finding peace of mind, a servant came knocking noisily at her door, saying that her husband was fighting with a warrior in the east alley.
"What?"
Is Liu Xu out of his mind to fight? Didn't he keep his martial arts skills a secret before?
Seeing Xie Lingxi with a handful of snow beside him, the servant shivered from the cold and stammered, "No, it wasn't you who struck first, sir. It was just that the man's words were rude, and you couldn't stand it—"
He wanted to defend his husband, but before he could finish speaking, he saw his cold wife walk out the door like a whirlwind, not even noticing that she had mistakenly draped a green shoulder sleeve over her.
It was the height of summer, and the torrential rain of the previous night had done nothing to alleviate the heat; in fact, it made the daytime even more sweltering. Xie Lingxi endured the scorching heat of the bricks and tiles on the street and turned to ask the servant, "Where is my lord?"
According to those around him, Liu Xu was now beaten black and blue, his head was bleeding, and he was on the verge of death!
This person is really something, making Xie Lingxi a widow on the second day after they got engaged!
The servant caught up, sweating profusely: "Madam, this...this is West Alley!"
Xie Lingxi's face, which remained motionless, seemed about to crack.
Fortunately, the servant was quick-witted and soon pulled over a carriage. He nimbly mounted the black horse and called out, "Madam, please have a seat!"
...
The carriage, braving the scorching sun, stumbled and lurched, but finally arrived at the East Alley where the incident occurred.
A crowd had gathered on the street, all seeking shade under the awnings of the surrounding shops. In the distance, the sound of hooves approached. A black horse with a diagonal scar on its face reluctantly pulled the carriage. As soon as it stopped, a beautiful young woman appeared from behind the curtain.
Xie Lingxi lifted the curtain with her slender hand, looked around, and fixed her gaze on the culprit in front of the Eight Treasures Pavilion.
The pastry stall was smashed, and a young man with a fierce and indifferent expression lay on the remaining crumbs.
It's not Liu Xu.
Xie Lingxi turned to the servant with a puzzled look, only to see the young man burst into tears upon seeing her: "Madam, Madam Xie, please forgive me, I accidentally killed Young Master Liu!"
What are you saying? Is she deaf...?
Because she was deep in thought, Xie Lingxi did not notice that her brows were furrowed and her face was pale. Moreover, due to this change, her naturally aloof temperament was like ice melting into snow, making her look like a widow who had just lost her husband in an official's family.
Someone nearby couldn't stand it any longer and interjected, "Are you that young man's wife?"
Xie Lingxi nodded.
The man said with pity, "Those two gentlemen were fighting just now. Your husband was just passing by, but he was unfortunately beaten to death on the spot. Heaven have mercy on him!"
"...died on the spot?"
Xie Lingxi's body trembled slightly, as if she were about to be broken by the wind.
The man inside the rice cake immediately retorted, "Accidental injury! It was an accidental injury!"
A passerby rolled up his sleeves and shouted angrily, "Accidental injury?!"
"Accidental injury is still injury! Come here, let this old man take you to the government office to get a beating with a cane!"
"It's none of your business!"
The man spat at the old man watching, stood up while supporting himself with rice cake, then turned around and knelt down with a thud, saying to Xie Lingxi, "My wife! I've wronged my husband, please kill me!"
The scene descended into chaos. Xie Lingxi, unaccustomed to being the target of everyone's criticism, ordered his servant to push through the crowd. Finally regaining his senses, he asked the man who had been pleading with Xie Lingxi to kill him, "You just said you killed Liu Xu?"
Where are the others?
The man seemed to wake from a dream: "A person?"
"The person hasn't developed a fever yet; they're at the clinic."
...
It's Huichuntang again.
When the old doctor saw Xie Lingxi, his hands, covered in age spots, trembled, and his heart pounded wildly. He led her into an inner room, behind a screen, where Liu Xu lay on the same couch where Xie Lingxi had lain when they first met, frail, pale, and lifeless.
Before Xie Lingxi could speak, a person walked out from behind the bamboo yellow cloth curtain beside her, his back straight. "Third Sister, please calm down."
The visitor was General Pei.
He was dressed casually today, his azure robe making him look radiant, and his matching hairband was embroidered with a few plum blossoms, I wonder if it was made by his sister.
Seeing him, Xie Lingxi finally felt a little more at ease. She had thought the whole thing was absurd, but the surrounding atmosphere had almost swayed her. Now, pointing to the person pretending to be dead on the bed, she asked, "What does this mean?"
"Liu Xu, get up!"
The call of "Liu Xu" startled everyone. Those with whom he had only a casual acquaintance addressed him by his courtesy name; closer acquaintances might call him "Fourth Brother." To call him by his given name would be offensive. Meanwhile, Liu Xu, lying on his sickbed, sat bolt upright as if he had sprung a fish out of water—
Xie Lingxi is angry!
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