Chapter 50: Moved "Because I like him."
After Chi Xing left, a silver butterfly with sharp wings fluttered out from the peony stand in front of the house, leaving a trail of silver light wherever it passed.
It folded its wings and perched on a sedge near Song Xieqing.
"It's quite strange. The young lady who, back in the days of Yingdu, Changjing, had the audacity to marry the Imperial Preceptor, is about to be paraded through the palace gates? And yet, even after you resigned your position as Imperial Preceptor, you never promised to marry any girl. And now, a hundred years later, you've quietly married? I still remember... Ping Yishui often teased you about being a homosexual because of this."
Song Xieqing glanced sideways and asked instead of answering, "Why did you think of it tonight?"
"Perhaps... the approach of the desert has made memories, washed away by a century of wind and frost, gradually clearer." The silver butterfly fluttered its wings. "I wonder how long I'll be able to remember this time?"
Song Xieqing glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Now that I've recalled it, could you please defend Lianqing and Qingrang?"
Yin Die chuckled softly. A few days ago, her memory clouded her, and she had disparaged her brother, Mei Lianqing, and her adopted husband, Li Qingrang, to the point of being completely worthless. "But when I was alive, I certainly believed that. My brother was disgusted with me for being a woman in the military camp. He even wanted to break my legs. As for Qingrang... I'm ashamed of the five thousand Li family soldiers. I failed to defend Xiayang Pass. And I, Mei Lianjun, am ashamed of the people of the north..."
"How could Qing Rang and the other generals not know you were facing a fatal situation?" Song Xieqing sighed softly, his tone lacking inflection. "General Yun Wei, this world is over, why dwell on the past? Moreover, the people of Xiayang defended you until your last breath. It was only through your relocation of the Qing army from Huaicheng that they were able to protect the people of Xiayang from the rebels. Although he attacked the capital from Xiayang, he never plundered the people of Yuanyuan, only punishing those rebels who, under the guise of rebellion, were actually plotting treason."
The silver butterfly was silent for a moment, then suddenly flapped its wings and took off. "Pian Pian, you still don't understand what's going on with you, right? Did you deliberately put the girl holding your portrait in front of Pian Pian this morning? You clearly wanted to teach Pian Pian about the situation, but you couldn't bring yourself to speak, right?"
Therefore, I tried to use this person to tell him about his life.
Song Xieqing did not argue. His expression was calm, and no one could see any emotion in him. However, every word Yin Die said had already struck a thousand-pound rock in his heart.
"They say you never see anything like it. If I hadn't witnessed with my own eyes today that the Imperial Master was jealous of his brother's descendants, it would really be..."
Song Xieqing interrupted her with a sneer, "How long have you lived to see this? You're already dead."
"...Song Lang, are you still as irritating as you were a hundred years ago when you were with Pian Pian? If she finds another groom in the future, then no matter how sweet your words are, it will be useless."
As soon as these words fell, the sound of porcelain clinking suddenly came from inside the house. Song Xieqing's heart tightened, and he stopped chatting with her. He used his magic to quickly go into the inner room.
Zhu Hao leaned sideways, supporting herself on the couch with one hand and the ground with the other. The clear tea was all over the ground, reflecting her fair cheek like a mirror on the brick. Zhu Hao reached out and tried to touch the broken porcelain on the brick surface.
"Don't move." Song Xieqing suddenly remembered Yin Die's words. He felt that these two words were too harsh, so he continued in a gentle voice, "I'll do it."
He only needed to lift his finger slightly, and the mess on the ground was instantly cleaned up, and the broken porcelain cup was restored to its original state, placed on the table without a single crack.
Zhu Hao hid half of her face in the quilt. She saw the visitor sitting on the edge of the couch.
"Tomorrow, I want you to accompany me to visit the Xie family."
Seeing that she only had a pair of clear eyes, which reflected only him, apart from the warm candles in the room, Song Xieqing's eyebrows raised unconsciously, "Why do you want to go?"
His heart was as clear as a mirror, and he wanted to hear her say it in person. He couldn't help but look forward to what she would say.
"Song Xieqing." Her voice was hoarse from days of coughing. "I want to glimpse another you from other people's mouths. It's definitely not the infamous you that people who don't know the truth say, but the real you that few people know, the one who committed suicide a hundred years ago."
…
The sky was clear for only one day. The next morning, the sky was covered with dark clouds and Huaicheng was shrouded in gray.
Zhu Hao heard footsteps approaching and hurriedly stuffed the bloody handkerchief under her pillow.
Miaoli brought a bowl of egg custard into the room, with steam rising from the bowl. She knew that Zhuhao was going out today, so she put the egg custard somewhere to cool down, and started helping Zhuhao wash and dress.
When everything is done and the egg custard has warmed up, you can sit on the brocade stool and enjoy a light meal.
She saw Miaoli holding the pajamas she had just changed and about to open the door. Zhu Hao thought for a moment and called her.
When he heard the wonderful truth, his shoulders trembled noticeably.
The spoon made a crisp sound when it touched the bowl. Zhu Hao said softly, "Miao Li, is there anything you want to tell me? Or, is there anything I can help you with?"
Miaoli hugged the clothes in her arms tightly, lowered her head, and whispered, "Sister, no."
Zhu Hao held the handle of the spoon, frowning slightly. "If you get pregnant, please let me know, okay?"
Miaoli smiled with her almond-shaped eyes curved, "Thank you, sister."
Zhu Hao only ate a few spoonfuls of egg custard under Miaoli's nose. After Miaoli left, the egg custard in her bowl was not touched again. Later, Song Xieqing threatened her in a roundabout way, saying that if Zhu Hao did not finish the egg custard, he would not let her go to Xie's house with her.
Therefore, Zhu Hao had to suppress his resentment and stuff the remaining egg custard into his stomach one spoonful after another.
The two of them did not inform Qiu Er to prepare a car. No matter how good the sedan was, she could not withstand the bumps. Moreover, with him accompanying her, anything else would be a burden to her.
Having him is enough.
Zhu Hao gathered his cloak and snuggled into Song Xieqing's arms.
She naturally put her arms around Song Xieqing's waist, and suddenly felt his waist and abdomen straighten. She raised her head and felt the top of her hair brush against his Adam's apple and jaw. She recalled the scenes when Song Xieqing took her away. She was always in his arms, or there was physical contact. Maybe this was a necessary condition to trigger the magic?
At this moment, Zhu Hao watched Song Xieqing suddenly freeze, and she asked uncertainly, "Isn't it supposed to be like this?"
She had already taken a step back, but was pulled back by this man. Zhu Hao buried her head in his chest, and the tassels on her cloak were entangled with the leather belt around his waist.
Song Xieqing's little finger lightly hooked the leather strap, loosening the tangled tassels. The corners of his mouth curved up noticeably, "Well, that's it."
Zhu Hao saw his black hair flying in the rapidly changing scenery, or wrapped around her neck, until the black hair no longer fluttered. Zhu Hao crawled out of his arms and looked up to see the Xie family plaque.
The door was tightly closed and there was no doorman on duty. Song Xieqing knocked on the door cymbal, and Zhu Hao took the opportunity to smooth a strand of his messy hair.
Song Xieqing glanced at her bun and skirt. He had just been protecting her intentionally and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with his manners.
A dull thud echoed from the front door, and it was Xie Shangqing's father who opened it. Although Xie Shangqing had already greeted the family, his father was still so frightened by Song Xieqing's appearance that he nearly fell over. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this man was the reincarnation of the Huaixian! Could it be that the Huaixian had appeared, wishing to bless the Xie family?
"Madam Zhu!" Xie Shangqing rushed out of the Chuihua Gate upon hearing the noise. She took Zhu Hao's arm and led him inside, saying with a smile, "Have you two had breakfast? If you don't mind, you can fill your stomach in my small living room. Great-grandfather is in great spirits today, and he doesn't seem to have forgotten anything. He spoke to me in an organized manner..."
"Miss Xie, my husband and I have already had breakfast. I wonder if Mr. Xie is available right now?"
"You are the guests of honor. It's always convenient for you. Everything should be centered around you two." She noticed Zhu Hao's frivolous pace and slowed down her own pace. When she turned sideways, she saw Song Xieqing raising his arms to protect Zhu Hao from behind.
She recalled Shi Chunsheng's appearance when he returned Song Lang's handwritten letter that morning. His eyes were pale and he looked haggard, obviously having not slept all night. She wondered what he had talked about with Lady Zhu's husband...
Xie Ju needed to rest, so he stayed in a remote little pavilion. The three of them turned and circled, and when they arrived at the door, Song Xieqing suddenly stopped.
Zhu Hao met his eyes and explained to Xie Shangqing, "Miss Xie, my husband will be in later. Please allow me to pay my respects to Elder Xie first."
Xie Shangqing's expression was hesitant again and again. Zhu Hao replied, "I know what Miss Xie is thinking. Don't worry, he will definitely meet with Elder Xie."
She recalled how Song Xieqing protected Zhu Hao along the way, and thought that he was an obedient husband. Xie Shangqing thought about it again and again and nodded.
Although she didn't understand why Madam Zhu was so curious about her great-grandfather, Xie Shangqing went to the Zhu residence just to give it a try. If it was absolutely necessary, she had even planned to forcibly abduct the two of them and bring them back to the Xie residence to meet Xie Ju. Who would have thought... Zhu Hao agreed in one breath.
Xie Shangqing was puzzled. It couldn't be possible... that the dead really came back to the world of the living, right?
…
Zhu Hao: Before this, no one had ever seen an elder who was over a hundred years old. Xie Ju was the first one.
His residence was quite simple, the inner room was tidy and clean, and there was no dust anywhere that the naked eye could see. All the furniture inside was made of wood and was not painted. When he breathed in and out, he could only smell a faint wood fragrance.
Xie Ju lay flat on the couch, his chest rising and falling slightly.
Xie Shangqing carefully brought a soft seat with a backrest to Zhu Hao. Then, she wrapped Xie Ju's wrinkled and spotted hands in her arms and called softly, "Great-grandfather, Madam Zhu is here."
After being called several times, Xie Ju slowly opened his eyes.
His left eye was cloudy and lifeless, but his right eye was extremely bright, emitting a brilliant light.
Xie Ju lay on a pile of soft pillows, his neck stiff and his head nodded.
Seeing that Xie Ju remained silent and only stared at Zhu Hao, Xie Shangqing felt a little nervous and asked, "Great-grandfather, who am I?"
Only when the person on the couch called out the word "Yao'er" in the local accent did Xie Shangqing breathe a sigh of relief.
"Little girl, why do you... want to know more about him?"
The centenarian was born with a hoarse voice, as if there was always a mouthful of turbid phlegm stuck in his throat for years.
Zhu Hao met Xie Shangqing's gaze in silence. She thought for a moment and then said, "Miss Xie, I want to drink Chunyun."
Xie Shangqing raised an eyebrow. "Chunyun?" This tea wasn't particularly expensive, just complicated to brew. Besides, what kind of tea was she supposed to drink as a patient? Xie Shangqing, while secretly complaining, knew Zhu Hao was trying to get rid of her. Seeing that Xie Ju was fine and hadn't suffered any amnesia, she tactfully replied, "Okay."
Zhu Hao and Xie Ju were the only ones left in the inner room.
Zhu Hao pondered over what Xie Ju had just asked. In her drowsiness, she raised her bright eyes and glanced at the windowsill. The figure of that person was stretched by the hazy skylight and reflected on the window frame.
"Thank you, sir." Logically speaking, at such a distance, people outside the house should not be able to hear the two people's conversation, but he was not an ordinary person.
She pinched her skirt at her knees and answered Xie Juzhi's question, "Because I like him."
The person outside the window turned slightly to the side, and a strong wind suddenly blew between heaven and earth, blowing his clothes against the window.
Zhu Hao overheard the old man on the sickbed sighing, "He... I first met him when I was five years old."
Her mind was not here at all, she just stared out the window.
She really wanted to rush out to see what expression he had.
Whether, moved by her.
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The author has something to say: Xiao Song’s expression:
1. Secretly happy 2. Openly happy 3. Extremely happy
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