In Ruyunlou, there was no longer the bustle of the crowds of years ago. Cailian explained with a smile that after Mother Ding passed away, many girls in Ruyunlou left. Those who wanted to get married got married, and those who wanted to go home went home. Cailian did not find other girls to come in. There was no shortage of brothels in the city. After Hua Youxian went to Yangzhou, Ruyunlou's business was not as good as before. After the girls left, there was almost no one.
"It's not bad. Usually everyone will do some other small business to make some money, and it's enough to make a living." Cailian smiled and said, "It's just that the sisters have nowhere else to go. Ruyun Tower was built by mother, and it is also the home of the sisters."
People should be content. It is good enough for them the way they are now.
Hua Youxian asked everyone to sit down in the banquet hall and ordered people to prepare the food and wine. At the same time, he asked Yan He and the others, "What are the young masters doing now?"
A few years have passed, and the boys have grown into young adults. They no longer have the youthfulness of the past, but it can be seen that each of them has had extraordinary experiences.
"I am now a doctor," Lin Shuanghe said seriously, waving his folding fan, "but I only treat women. I am loved by the world and have been given the beautiful name 'the white-robed saint'. I am very ashamed."
He Yan looked at Lin Shuanghe in surprise. Although Lin Shuanghe was outspoken on weekdays, this was the first time he showed off himself since they met again.
Maybe it's because I always want to perform better in front of the person I admired when I was young.
"This one is even more powerful," he pointed at Yan He with his fan, "Gui De Zhonglang General, Yan General."
Cai Lian was extremely surprised, "The young masters are so powerful now!"
Yan He felt a little uncomfortable for some reason. He stroked his ponytail and snorted, "Not as good as General Feng Yun."
"General Feng Yun?" Hua Youxian was startled. She followed Yan He's gaze and saw Xiao Jue drinking tea calmly. "Master Xiao... is he the current General Feng Yun?"
Lin Shuanghe: “That’s right.”
Hua Youxian and Cailian both took a breath of cold air. That year, the group of young men introduced themselves, but this one and one of the masked young men never spoke. At that time, everyone thought that either their identities were too noble to be revealed, or their identities were ordinary and not worth mentioning. However, Hua Youxian thought that the outstanding appearance and demeanor of the young man in white robes made him the first one.
Now, after so many years, I never expected that he was the famous commander of the right army of the Wei Dynasty.
"This one is even more coincidental," Lin Shuanghe pointed at Yang Mingzhi and said jokingly, "Now the patrol officer of your Jinling City is this Lord Yang."
Yang Mingzhi moved his lips, but finally said nothing.
Hua Youxian and Cailian didn't know the reason, but were extremely happy. They said, "It seems that Young Master Yang and Jinling City are really destined to be together. It's such a coincidence!"
"That's right." Lin Shuanghe snorted, "How can it be such a coincidence."
"These two young masters look a little unfamiliar," Hua Youxian looked at He Yan and Chu Zhao and spoke in confusion.
"This is the first time for both of them to come to Jinling," Lin Shuanghe explained. "This one's surname is Chu, you can just call him Master Chu. This one is my good friend, he was personally appointed as Wu'an Lang by His Majesty at a young age, and he is also a subordinate of Commander Xiao, his name is He Yan."
"Mr. Chu, Mr. He." Hua Youxian saluted with a smile, "Since this is your first time in Jinling, you must try the wine and food at Ruyunlou."
When these words came out, Lin Shuanghe's eyes lit up, "Miss Youxian, is the chef of Ruyun Tower still the same person as before?"
Hua Youxian smiled and nodded: "The wine and food are all prepared by the sisters in the building, just like before. If the young masters like it, everyone will be very happy."
He Yan still remembered that the food and wine in Ruyunlou were really excellent, completely different from those in Shuojing Restaurant, sweet and mellow, leaving a lasting aftertaste. When she returned to Shuojing later, the He family had never been short of food and clothing, but she never tasted the delicacies like those in Ruyunlou again.
After the greetings, someone brought wine and food to the long table. They were all home-cooked dishes, duck oil pancakes, plum blossom cakes, wontons, red bean dumplings, pork fat dumplings... They were bright and fragrant. After arriving in Jinling in the afternoon, He Yan had not eaten yet, and he was already hungry. Seeing that everyone was just talking, he tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help it. He silently raised his chopsticks, held the smoked fish and silver thread noodles in front of him, and ate them in small bites.
The silver noodles were thin and soft, and melted in the mouth. As soon as they went down the hot stomach, they pulled out all the gluttonous worms in the stomach. Seeing that no one was paying attention, He Yan picked up another crystal bun.
Lin Shuanghe was talking to Hua Youxian about the interesting things that happened in recent years, and where the young men who came to Xianchang Pavilion together had gone. He Yan listened while eating without delay, grabbing a piece of flower-shaped steamed bun.
The dishes were naturally delicious, especially after the days in Rundu City when even dried cakes were not enough, and even tofu pudding became more precious than Yushan. He Yan saw a plate of glutinous rice and lotus root at the other end of the long table, and he was a little eager to try it.
The glutinous rice lotus root in Ruyunlou is sweet and delicious. One bite is like biting into the Jiangnan water town with small bridges, flowing water, clear wind and bright moon. She loved it very much in the past. She still remembers that when she first came to Ruyunlou, she ate the whole plate of glutinous rice lotus root. So she wanted to secretly take a piece to taste while everyone was talking to see if it still tasted the same as before.
Unfortunately, the plate of glutinous rice and lotus root was placed at the end of the long table farthest from her.
He Yan tried to pick up the chopsticks and stretched out her hand to pick it up, but it was too far away. If she stood up to pick up the food, it would be too rude. After trying a few times, she had no choice but to give up. She was sighing in her heart, and the next moment, she suddenly saw a piece of glutinous rice lotus root in the bowl in front of her.
He Yan was stunned, and then he saw Xiao Jue put down his chopsticks, as if he was not the one who did this just now. He did not look at He Yan, but listened to Lin Shuanghe's words with his head tilted, as if he did this just casually and did not take it to heart.
He Yan's ears turned slightly red. Before she could figure out what to do next, she saw another piece of glutinous rice and lotus root in the bowl in front of her. She was stunned and subconsciously raised her head to meet Chu Zhao's smiling expression.
The conversations at the table had stopped at some point. There were suddenly two pieces of glutinous rice and lotus root in He Yan's bowl, and everyone else at the table stared at her with ambiguous looks.
He Yan's eyes went dark. What was this? She just wanted to quietly eat some snacks, so why did she become the center of everyone's attention?
On this side, Chu Zhao smiled warmly, as always, while on the other side, Xiao Jue looked at her calmly, which made people feel uneasy.
Yan He frowned and looked at her for a while, then tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks and said, "I want to ask, Wu Anlang, are you a royal relative?"
He Yan: "...No."
"If not," Yan He asked incredulously, "Why would the two of them," he pointed at Xiao Jue and then Chu Zhao with his chopsticks, "behave like they were competing for favor."
As soon as the word "compete for favor" came out, He Yan was horrified.
Before she could think of how to reply, Lin Shuanghe had already started laughing. He stretched out his chopsticks to take away the piece of glutinous rice lotus root that Chu Zhao had given to He Yan, and said with a smile: "Hey, my favorite thing to eat is glutinous rice lotus root. It turns out that Fourth Master Chu understands me. That's great." He took a bite, "So sweet! Thank you Fourth Master Chu."
Chu Zhao was slightly startled when he saw this, then he smiled and shook his head without saying anything.
He Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Lin Shuanghe, who was a smart man, had managed to get the matter over with. Otherwise, Xiao Jue would definitely think of her. But Chu Zhao was also worried. Why would he suddenly pick up food for her? If other people saw this behavior, they would inevitably find it strange.
Hua Youxian seemed to have noticed something and clapped his hands with a smile. A girl with a fallen horse bun came forward carrying a small pot of wine.
"Young masters, you haven't had the Bifang wine from Ruyun Tower for a long time, right?" She placed the wine jar on the table. "This is the last jar of Bifang wine left this year."
The attendant girl brought a few glass cups, and when the Bifang wine was poured into the cups, it was green and shimmering, and the fragrance filled the nose. He Yan still remembered the sweet and clear wine in Ruyun Tower when he was young, which made people slightly tipsy but not drunk. He was very excited for a moment, and when the girl was about to pour the wine into the cup in front of He Yan, Xiao Jue glanced at her and suddenly said, "Give her a bowl of milk."
He Yan: “…”
The girl pouring the wine was also stunned, looking at Xiao Jue at a loss. He Yan was puzzled and asked, "Commander-in-chief, why should I drink milk?"
The man was very calm and said, "Milk makes you taller."
Yan He touched his chin, glanced at He Yan with scrutiny, and nodded in response: "Indeed, this boy is indeed a little short."
Hua Youxian laughed, "Master Xiao, there is no milk in Ruyun Tower. The Bifang wine is a bit strong, I'm afraid this young master can't drink it. Dingxiang, go get some rose water."
Not long after, a girl brought in rose water. When the rose water was poured into the cup, it was a light red color that was completely different from the Bifang wine. He Yan picked it up and took a sip, and couldn't help but be stunned.
This wine was exactly the same as the sweet wine she tasted in Ruoyun Tower that year.
Yan He at the side also rushed over to get a cup, took a sip and frowned, "What is this? It's sweet, like fruit syrup."
"This is rose water, which is usually for the girls to drink."
Yan He was completely unaware and laughed at He Yan, "Wu Anlang, did you hear me? This is for the girls to drink! Are you still a gentleman?"
The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it to heart. He Yan was speechless. Just as she was thinking about how to respond without being rude, Lin Shuanghe on the side came to her rescue. Lin Shuanghe waved his fan and said slowly, "Yan Nanguang, you came to Ruyun Tower when you were young, and now you are here again. Does your wife know about this?"
Yan He's face changed drastically.
"Ms. Chengxiu is very particular about etiquette, and Mr. Xia is also very chaste. I'm afraid no one in the Xia family has ever been to a brothel, but you made an exception. I wonder how Miss Chengxiu would look at you if she knew about this?"
"You... stop talking nonsense." Yan He stammered in rebuttal, but this rebuttal was very weak.
He Yan heard this and asked curiously, "Ms. Chengxiu? Is she General Yan's wife?"
"Ms. Xia Chengxiu, the eldest daughter of Mr. Xia, the chief academician of the Imperial College, is graceful and polite. Many families in the capital city of Shuo wanted to hire beautiful women for their young masters, but Yan Nanguang got there first." Lin Shuanghe laughed and teased, "It is said that even heroes cannot resist the temptation of beauty. I heard that our General Yan listens to his wife very much in the mansion. His wife tells him to go east but not west. His wife doesn't allow him to drink alcohol, and he only drinks tea when socializing with colleagues. He is truly a model of a virtuous husband."
Yan He's face flushed, "Lin Shuanghe, you...don't talk nonsense here!"
"Oh? Isn't that the case? Then when I return to Shuojing, I will definitely ask my sister-in-law about it." He said.
Yan He did not dare to say anything more. If Lin Shuanghe really confronted Xia Chengxiu, he would slap him in the face. He glanced at the people at the table and took a different approach. He raised his ponytail, slammed the wine cup in front of him on the table, and said loudly: "What's wrong with listening to the wife? A real man can bend and stretch! Besides, this general at least has a wife. Do you have one? Do you? Everyone present, who has a wife now?"
He Yan: “…”
This is really unacceptable.
Yan He drank the wine in front of him again. Maybe it was because the Bifang wine was particularly intoxicating, but he was already tipsy. He first asked Lin Shuanghe, "You hang out with women every day. All the women in the world are your sisters. May I ask if you have a wife?"
Lin Shuanghe: “…No.”
As if he had won a battle, he asked Yang Mingzhi with satisfaction, "You have a gentle temperament and great talent. It is said that talented men never lack beautiful women. Do you have a wife?"
Yang Mingzhi: “…No.”
Yan He became more and more interested and looked at Chu Zhao, "You have..." He suddenly stopped and said to himself, "Your wife has been chosen, forget it, next one."
He then asked He Yan: "Little guy, do you have a wife?"
He Yan: “…”
She really can't have this.
Yan He turned to Xiao Jue again and looked at him with pride. "You are the best in Xianchang Hall. You have a handsome face, an outstanding figure, and are invincible in both literature and martial arts. In those years, the threshold outside Xianchang Hall was almost trampled down by girls. But... may I ask, do you have a wife?"
Xiao Jue looked at him calmly.
"I can tell you don't have one!" Yan He swept everyone at the table by himself. He probably thought it was a great honor for him to have a wife. He was more and more happy and proud. He slapped the table, stood up and said loudly: "It seems that you are all nothing. Do you know how great it is to have a wife? When you returned home late at night, did anyone wait for you under the lamp? When you had a headache, did you ever drink the hot soup cooked by your wife? Not to mention the clothes and boots sewn by your wife herself, huh," he glanced at everyone with contempt, as if he was looking down on the emperor, "Don't even mention having a wife. I'm afraid you haven't even held a girl's hand in your life until now, and you still have your first kiss."
The more he talked, the more outrageous it became. He Yan covered his face with his hands, unable to bear to watch any more. Yang Mingzhi couldn't help but pull on Yan He's robe, "Brother Nan Guang, it's over."
The girls who were pouring wine and playing the zither beside him couldn't help but chuckle at this. They felt that this seemingly arrogant young man was also kind of recklessly cute at this moment.
Cai Lian smiled and said, "Young Master Yan is wrong. We are in Ruyun Tower here. If you are looking for a girl, we have everything. The young masters are so outstanding. If they really choose the sisters in the tower, I think everyone will be willing to do it."
He Yan was so shocked that she almost dropped the cup. What was this? Was she recommending herself as a bed partner? No! Absolutely not! Although it was Ruyunlou, she had always regarded it as a proper tavern.
Just as she thought of this, she saw two beautiful girls beside Cailian rushing towards Xiao Jue. They really had good taste and picked the most outstanding one. He Yan acted faster than he thought and shouted subconsciously, "No!"
The two girls who were about to persuade him to drink were stopped, and the others at the table looked at her.
Facing Xiao Jue's thoughtful gaze, He Yan calmed down and said, "We came here just to drink, not to talk about love."
Hearing this, Hua Youxian smiled even more happily. She poured herself a cup of Bifang wine and pretended to toast He Yan, "Young Master is so cute. I toast you a cup."
He Yan felt like a simple and honest scholar who had accidentally entered a goblin's cave. At this moment, he felt so weak, pitiful and helpless.
After finishing a cup of rose water, Cai Lian smiled and said, "Young masters, do you still remember that many years ago, we sang and danced together here?" She looked at Yan He, "Young Master Yan even danced with a knife on the table at that time."
Yan He was stunned: "Why don't I remember?"
It would have been better if he hadn't said this. Once he said it, He Yan also remembered it. After helping Hua Youxian drive away Tong Qiushi and frightening Liu Rui away, everyone drank and celebrated in Ruoyunlou. The girls in Ruoyunlou played the piano and danced, and it was very lively. Mother Ding took out the best Bifang wine to entertain them. Yan He drank the most and got drunk the fastest. After getting drunk, he drew out a long knife and cut the lotus used to decorate the vase into two halves.
Everyone was startled, and before they could stop him, they saw the young man in particularly bright and eye-catching clothes step onto the table and start to dance with a sword. While dancing, he chanted: "There is a tree in the east of the sky, and a candle dragon is placed under it. I will chop off the dragon's feet and chew its meat, so that it cannot turn back in the morning and cannot lie down at night!"
The friends rushed to pull him off the table. Lin Shuanghe covered his mouth and said to the girls beside him with a smile: "This guy is drunk and talking nonsense. Don't take it seriously. Sisters, just forget about it and don't take it to heart." At the same time, she turned around and scolded Yan He: "What dragon slayer... How dare you say such treasonous words? If your father knew, he would take you back and break your legs tomorrow."
Unfortunately, Yan He was already extremely drunk at that time.
"Everyone was drunk at that time," Lin Shuanghe recalled the past and sighed, "Bifang has a strong drinking habit. Now that I think about it, apart from Huaijin, it was He Rufei who could drink the most and was the most sober."
"He Rufei?" Yan He lost interest when he heard the name He Rufei and snorted, "I think he secretly poured out the wine. I don't believe you that he can drink a lot! He must have done something wrong."
He Yan lowered her eyes, looking at the deep red wine in the wine cup in front of her, thinking, that time, she was indeed not drunk, even when everyone was unconscious, she returned to her room very sober, and went to bed with her clothes on. The reason was simple, because everyone was drinking Bifang wine, only she was drinking Rose Dew like today.
Rose dew was just as Yan He said, a sweet fruit dew. Although it was wine, it was definitely not as alcoholic as Bifang wine. Moreover, she was very careful that day, so she drank very little. That's why she was able to stand when everyone else was lying down.
But...why was she the only one who got Roselle back then?
He Yan couldn't figure it out.
A girl played the pipa, the sound was cheerful and made people happy. When I was young, I always liked to watch tragedies on the stage and listen to sad songs. I always felt that worldly joys were not as unforgettable as the sorrows. As I grew older, I tried to achieve perfection in everything, but I knew perfection was difficult.
All we seek is a moment.
Cai Lian covered her mouth and smiled, "Not only that, at that time, the young masters also left their calligraphy treasures in various places in Ruyun Tower, but later on, over time, those calligraphy treasures were lost. Otherwise, it would be a pleasure to be able to take them out and see them today."
"What's so great about calligraphy?" Yan He said indifferently, "Just write another one. We have a great talent like Yang here. What can't he write? Isn't it?"
Yang Ming was stunned and said nothing.
Hua Youxian seemed to be touched by his words, and said "wait a moment" and stood up and left. Everyone was confused about what she was going to do. After a while, the girl came over with a long scroll and walked up to everyone.
"Miss Youxian, what is this?" Lin Shuanghe asked.
Hua Youxian looked at the scroll in her arms and stroked it gently, her eyes full of nostalgia and memories. She spoke softly, "I wonder if the young masters still remember that when we celebrated in Ruyun Tower, Prince Wang was also there."
Everyone fell silent.
"Prince Wang" was the cause of everything and the end of everything. Since the reunion, everyone deliberately avoided talking about him, for fear of hurting Hua Youxian. Although no one knows why, it is possible that a girl who is willing to sacrifice herself for her lover and travel thousands of miles to break up suddenly must have encountered something sad enough.
"When the young masters were drinking and talking, Prince Wang painted a picture of them all." She said as she asked the girl beside her to help her unroll the scroll. "Later, Prince Wang and I divorced. When I left the mansion, I didn't take any luggage with me except this."
As soon as he finished speaking, the long scroll in his hand slowly unfolded and fell into everyone's sight.
Without making any other comments about Wang Sheng, his talent is indeed real. His brushstrokes perfectly capture the characteristics of each person, making them vivid and lifelike. In the long scroll, lights are flickering, and the music of the erhu is endless. The skirts of the beautiful girls are like lotus flowers, and the long table is tilted with wine pots and cups.
A young man with a high ponytail was standing on the table, dancing with a sword, and there was another young man under the table, holding a folding fan in one hand and trying to pull him with the other. Yang Mingzhi, who was standing next to him, was not as calm as he was now, but his expression was as gentle as ever. When his sister asked him to drink, he waved his hands in panic to refuse.
He Yan also saw himself.
The masked girl sat in the corner, seemingly forgotten amidst the laughter and joy. She tilted her head slightly, as if following something. Her eyes fell on the young man in a white robe who was sitting in the middle, casually drinking with his head down.
－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－
Regarding the fight for favor, Dr. Lin, who sees through everything, said: Damn! This man has a damn strong desire to win!
Yanyan: Even though I am a cowboy, I only order milk at the bar~~