The hairpin was thrown off the rooftop by that纨绔子弟 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) in front of him and Liu'er. But the man insisted that he stole the hairpin, simply because he turned his head when the man touched his cheek, and he was slapped for it.
Sister Liu nestled in the arms of the playboy with a smile, her eyebrows slightly curved, her eyes and brows full of charm. "Yes, you said he stole it, so he stole it."
So he was given a severe beating.
His injuries hadn't fully healed before he was dragged out to work again. With his head still fogged up, he dazedly wiped the floor and washed clothes. After finishing his work, he was too exhausted to snatch food from the other slaves, and he went hungry again and again.
Later, Sister Liu found him and brought him some food, which helped him survive and avoid dying in the cramped and smelly backyard.
The last time was when a young master from Pingyang accidentally killed someone in a brothel. The young master had a powerful family behind him, while the person he killed was just an ordinary citizen. In the end, the matter was naturally settled.
Taking advantage of everyone's deep sleep in the early morning, he reached the corpse that had already developed lividity and found its household registration. Being a commoner was better than being of lowly status.
The young master accidentally killed someone, but dared not report the death to the authorities. He could only dispose of the body quietly, which gave him an opportunity. As long as he had this household registration, he could start over outside.
When he climbed over the wall, Sister Liu saw him. She moved her lips but didn't say anything, then turned and left.
But he hadn't run far when the burly man, arriving late, caught up with him in the winding alleyways. This time, the man's attack was aimed directly at killing him.
After following his master, he didn't go to Qiliu Lane for a long time, as if the gloomy days of the past had nothing to do with him anymore. Later, when he went to the market to buy ingredients, he ran into Sister Liu'er once.
It turned out that on her way back, the madam noticed something was wrong with her expression. After a few questions, she gave in and revealed his whereabouts. It was a serious crime for a lowly servant to run away, so it was understandable that she was afraid of being implicated.
He saw Sister Liu'er's lips tremble as she uttered three words, "I'm sorry."
There's nothing to apologize for...
He was used to it long ago.
There was a ginkgo tree in the courtyard, its branches covered with dense, fan-shaped leaves. A thrush landed on it, its white plumage stretching from the corner of its eye to the back of its head, all alone and forlorn.
It opened its beak and chirped a few times; the crisp sound was rather pleasant.
He looked up and saw the bird tilt its head, its small, dark eyes meeting his, as if it were truly sizing him up. A short while later, it flapped its wings and flew away, leaving a few ginkgo leaves drifting down from the tree.
The bird flies extremely fast; in no time, it can only be seen as a small black dot.
Jiang Yan blinked, and the eyelashes that trembled with each blink resembled trembling butterfly wings, revealing his inner unease.
The moment he was called out, he seemed to already know the ending, but he still held onto a sliver of hope, just in case he had misunderstood.
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