Chapter 185 Familiar Font
Zhu Lan and Murong Jing looked at each other. Murong Jing shook her head slightly, indicating that she didn't know the situation either.
But she looked calm and continued eating.
She wouldn't take a few thieves seriously.
Zhu Lan nodded to Lu Qingfeng, "Thank you, Senior Lu, for your reminder. We will be careful on the way."
Then they chatted for a while, and when they had almost finished their meal, a servant came in and said, "Master, Old Du is here."
Zhu Lan and the others thought that they had guests and were about to get up and say goodbye, but Lu Qingfeng smiled and asked them to go out with him to take a look.
When I arrived at the door, I saw a man waiting outside with a horse. That man was the owner of the frightened horse in the morning.
As soon as Murong Jing saw the horse led behind him, her eyes immediately lit up. She circled around the brown-red horse several times, touched its chest and hind legs, and praised it as a "good horse" repeatedly.
This horse is even better than the one I saw in the morning.
Old Du smiled and said, "Look at the way this girl is judging horses. She is obviously an expert!"
Murong Jing smiled and continued to stroke the horse's mane.
Lu Qingfeng said to Zhu Lan, "I heard that the horses that the girls used to pull the carriages have been running around for several days and have become very thin. Old Du is a famous horse breeder in Qingxi Town. Let's give this precious horse to the girls to replace the old horse!"
"How can this be so embarrassing..."
"Mr. Lu is my benefactor, and you are his distinguished guests. It's just a horse, so please don't despise it, ladies." Old Du said with a smile.
"Haha, if Miss Zhu still has concerns, why not leave a calligraphy work for our Qingzhu Academy in exchange?" Lu Qingfeng said with a smile, stroking his beard.
Zhu Lan felt a little embarrassed. She was a latecomer in calligraphy. It was fine for exams, but she would feel guilty about leaving a masterpiece for others.
Lu Qingfeng didn't care. After all, the calligraphy of the top scholar in a prefecture could be shown off for a long time if it was kept in the academy.
Finally, Zhu Lan followed Lu Qingfeng to the study. Lu Qingfeng personally ground ink for her. Zhu Lan held the brush and pondered for a moment, then lifted her sleeves and wrote:
"The gate is wide open, and the fragrance of bamboo reflects the noble character.
The combination of hardness and softness, the clouds, mountains, grass and trees are all articles of art. "
Zhu Lan gently put down his pen and said, "Excuse me for showing off my poor performance."
Lu Qingfeng was as happy as if he had found a treasure. He carefully lifted up the rice paper and said, "Come here, copy the words and carve them on the pillars of our academy's gate!"
"Wait, Dad." Lu Zhiyi suddenly took two steps forward, looked at Zhu Lan's words, and his eyebrows gradually frowned.
He let out a soft "hiss" and felt that the words seemed somewhat familiar. He then went back to his study and searched for a while. When he came back, he was holding a scroll in his hands.
"Dad, look at the name Zhu Jieyuan, does it look like him?"
Lu Zhiyi unfolded the scroll on the table, on which were written the four words "The highest good is like water".
Lu Qingfeng looked back and forth. Although the handwriting was different, he could still see some similarities in the meaning of the words.
"You know what, it really looks like them." Lu Qingfeng also found it magical.
Zhu Lan was curious and walked over to look at the words on the scroll, but the next moment his eyes widened slightly.
This familiar brushstroke and style are clearly Ding Xiaoqiu's handwriting!
The calligraphy that I and my classmates learned from Ding Xiaoqiu was all taught to us stroke by stroke. There is no way I could have made a mistake!
"Ding Xiaoqiu? Is he also in Qingxi Town?" Zhu Lan asked hurriedly.
I haven't seen him for several years. I didn't expect to meet him in this remote place!
"Ding Xiaoqiu?" Lu Zhiyi shook his head in confusion.
"This is Mr. Wuyou's calligraphy. He passed by our town last month and stayed overnight. He didn't have enough money, so he wrote this calligraphy to sell for money."
Zhu Lan remembered that when they were about to part, Ding Xiaoqiu said he had given him a new name, Wuyou.
Hearing that he had left, Zhu Lan was a little disappointed and asked again: "Do you know where he went?"
Lu Zhiyi thought for a moment and said, "We only met once. Mr. Wuyou didn't say where he was going, but he left from the north gate the next day, so he should be heading north.
By the way, there is an old gentleman with him.”
Zhu Lan said "Oh" softly, and then his heart started to worry again. Could it be that Ding Xiaoqiu was also going to Northern Xinjiang?
Just now Lu Qingfeng said that the road from here to the northern border might not be safe, and Ding Xiaoqiu doesn't know martial arts, so will he be in danger?
Thinking of this, Zhu Lan couldn't help but start to worry.
"This Mr. Wuyou is an old friend of mine. If he really went to the Northern Frontier, I wonder if he would be in danger."
Zhu Lan said to the Lu family father and son: "Senior Lu, Master Lu, we will leave now without further delay."
Lu Qingfeng sent someone to harness the new horse to Zhu Lan and the others' carriage, and then he and Lu Zhiyi personally escorted their carriage out of the city.
"See you later!" The father and son bowed and said goodbye to the back of the carriage from afar.
…
After changing to new horses, the carriage indeed moved much faster.
Zhu Lan was studying the map in the car. At this speed, it would take another half a month to reach Northern Xinjiang from Qingxi Town.
Her finger landed on a small road near the Northern Frontier. "This is the only way from Tongzhou to the Northern Frontier. The thieves that Senior Lu mentioned are likely to be here."
After she finished speaking, there was no response for a long time.
Murong Jing was driving outside, but Zhu Qingyan in the car was in a daze, as if he didn't hear Zhu Lan's words at all.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhu Lan stretched out his hand and waved it in front of her eyes.
Zhu Qingyan came back to his senses, "Oh, nothing..."
She looked a little lost.
Recalling what happened in Qingxi Town, Murong Jing was able to stop a horse that was about to hurt someone with one move, while Zhu Lan used her talent to win fair rights to study for all the women in Qingxi Town.
Zhu Qingyan thought about himself and realized that he was not as good as Zhu Lan in literature and not as good as Murong Jing in martial arts. It seemed that he was of no use at all.
…
After more than ten days of journey, the carriage finally approached Yunzhou, the provincial capital closest to the northern border.
At this time, Zhu Lan was driving the carriage outside, while Murong Jing and Zhu Qingyan were resting in the carriage.
It was already afternoon, but there was still dozens of miles to Yunzhou City. Zhu Lan couldn't help feeling anxious, fearing that he wouldn't be able to find a place to stay before dark.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a not-so-delicate hand patted her shoulder. Murong Jing's voice came, asking her to go in and rest.
Since there might be danger on this road, Murong Jing felt it would be safer for her to drive herself.
Zhu Lan returned to the carriage. Zhu Qingyan, who had just woken up, said that the carriage was a bit stuffy, so he lifted the curtain and leaned out to drive with Murong Jing.
Zhu Lan looked at the map for a while, yawned, and then felt sleepy, so he propped up his head and began to doze off.
She was in a daze and didn't know how long it had been before she felt the carriage stop.
"Are we there yet?" Zhu Lan asked, trying hard to open his eyes.
But there was no response from outside the car curtain.
(I was delayed on the way, and will resume updating twice a day from tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding!!)
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