Chapter 226 She Belongs to Me
"Shut up!" Wen Rulei pointed at Wen Yueyin's nose viciously. "Now that my eldest brother is gone, I'll be in charge of the household! I'll decide. Starting tomorrow, you'll be washing clothes for others! You'll earn ten copper coins a basket of clothes, which is enough to barely make a living and won't hold my second brother and me back!"
Washing clothes...
Wen Yueyin couldn't believe it and became angry out of shame.
She lived for two lifetimes and never washed clothes for anyone!
She roared, "I'm a lady from a wealthy family, after all. How can I go out in public and wash clothes for others?! Why should you be the one calling the shots at home? With my eldest brother gone, I should be the one making the decisions! I'll make the decision. Starting tomorrow, you'll be performing on the streets, breaking rocks with your chest. After all, all you've got is a stable boy. You might as well be doing acrobatics!"
"you--"
Wen Rulei was so furious that he raised his hand to slap Wen Yueyin.
"Alright!" Wen Ruyun stood between the two of them. "There's an order of seniority. Now that our eldest brother is gone, it's naturally up to me, the second oldest brother, to take charge of the household. I'll make the decision. Starting tomorrow, we'll go wander the streets and see if we can find any business opportunities to make a fortune. No matter what, even if there's still a grudge between us, we must protect this household while our eldest brother is gone!"
…
Every autumn rain brings a chill.
After Xie Guanlan recovered from his injury, he moved to the government office.
The Zhenbei Palace was extremely secretive about the affair between Xie Guanlan and Wen Xingluo, and none of the servants dared to mention it, as if the incident had never happened.
But every night when Wen Xingluo looked at Canglang Pavilion, looking at the dark and lightless high-rise building, she always knew clearly that the secret between her and Xie Guanlan had been made public.
Obviously, neither her grandmother nor her father punished her.
But as she walked in the palace, she still had the illusion that her heart was being cut out and executed.
She couldn't see him anymore.
Wei Ying came in with a plate of fresh dates. "These are from the palace's back garden. Would you like to try some?"
Before he could finish his words, he saw the girl curled up on the bed in her ivory nightgown, her long black hair disheveled, making her originally pretty face look pale and thin. The candlelight was dim, and her shoulders were shaking violently when she covered her mouth and coughed, looking so pitiful.
Wei Ying sat down, "Your cold hasn't healed yet?"
Wen Xingluo nodded, then shook his head.
"If you keep going like this, when will it end?" Wei Ying tilted her head. "You're so stupid! Why did you give your heart away before you gave the person away?"
"I don't……"
Wen Xingluo retorted softly.
The moment he opened his mouth, tears unexpectedly rolled down his cheeks.
She clutched the collar of her shirt tightly over her heart.
She thought that her liking for Xie Guanlan was just an ordinary one.
But it was not until she could no longer see him, until he completely disappeared from the palace, that she realized that Xie Guanlan meant more to her than just the first person she admired in her youth.
He is...
Her beloved family.
"During the beginning of winter, there will be a night lantern festival in Chengdu." Wei Ying sat down beside her and wiped her tears. "Then I'll go for a walk with you. Trust me, going out more often will help you unwind."
Wen Xingluo leaned into Wei Ying's arms.
She buried her face in the girl's chest and choked out a "Thank you, cousin."
Wei Ying gently stroked her thin back and subconsciously looked towards the window.
The cold nights grow longer, the mist drifts, and frost forms on the fields.
Winter is coming.
In another courtyard of the Zhenbei Palace, the doors and windows of the room were closed and the curtains were drawn.
The candlelight flickered, and the solitary lamp was dim, unable to illuminate the dark and cold night.
Letters piled up on the desk like snowflakes.
Xie Yanchen knelt behind the desk, holding his head and staring at the opened letters in front of him.
Each letter contained only one sentence:
——I set out from the capital.
——Passing through Jinyang, the scenery is very beautiful.
——Tried Fenjiu in Xinghua Village.
——There was someone wearing white clothes at the bow, and I mistook him for A'yan, haha.
…
——First entered Shu.
——Passing through Bazhong, the mountains are steep.
——The night is getting colder, and the mountains are turning green and yellow.
——When will we cut the candle in the west window together and talk about the night rain in Bashan?
As he got closer to the land of Bashu, the man sent letters more and more frequently, wishing he could send one every day.
He spoke incessantly, as if the two of them were close friends.
Xie Yanchen didn't reply to any of the letters.
Looking at the man's powerful and beautiful handwriting, he suddenly overturned the desk in front of him and stomped on the letters as if to vent his anger.
After stepping on it enough, he quickly walked out of the room with the lantern and climbed straight up a tree.
He curled up silently in the branch.
It seemed that only hiding in this small space could give him a sense of security.
…
On the day of the Beginning of Winter, Wei Ying took Wen Xingluo to the street to see the lanterns.
Xie Shian was worried, so he pulled Xie Yanchen along with him.
The market is bustling with activity, with many vendors coming in from other places. There is a wide variety of goods on display, and some vendors even set up small games such as ring toss and pot throwing to attract customers.
Wei Ying held a bamboo and wooden ring and insisted on giving the biggest reward to Wen Xingluo.
Wen Xingluo and the other two stood by and watched her try for quarter of an hour but still failed to hit the target.
Xie Shian yelled, "Cousin, the money you earned from tossing rings can buy prizes!"
"It's different!" Wei Ying insisted and asked the boss for ten more rings.
There was a noisy commotion coming from not far away. It was a procession of gods dressed as the Winter God Xuanming passing by.
Xie Yanchen put his hands in his pockets and looked up at Xuanming.
A Taoist boy leads the way, with a tall canopy.
Xuanming sat on a throne carried by eight people. He was wearing a dark black brocade robe with wide sleeves and floral patterns, a golden crown on his head, and a dark blue painted wooden mask on his face. A green snake hung on each side of his ears. He exuded a noble yet mysterious feeling.
The priests in the team chanted an ancient song, "The dark underworld is shady, hibernating insects hide. The grass and trees fall, and the winter frost arrives. Eliminate chaos and evil, reform and change customs..."
The bronze bell rang.
Xie Yanchen followed subconsciously.
After the parade went away, Xie Shian looked around and said, "Well, my second brother has followed the parade again! Ningning, I don't think my cousin will be able to make a shot for a while, why don't we go to the front and take a walk? I want to eat plum cake."
Wen Xingluo nodded.
After the two men left, Wei Ying, with a cold face, asked the boss to buy fifty more bamboo rings, and put on the rings even harder.
Just when she was getting annoyed, a huge net suddenly fell from the sky and trapped her!
Wei Ying's pupils suddenly contracted and she struggled violently like a frightened bird.
Amid the noise of the night market, someone came in a sedan chair.
The chariot was luxurious, with light gauze curtains hanging around it. As the night wind blew the curtains open, it could be vaguely seen that the young man inside was not wearing any inner clothes, but only casually wearing a loose black mink feather cloak, revealing his strong and beautiful chest muscles.
He lazily propped up his face, his voice low and playful, "Since the boss gets whatever he hits with his stall, then this girl is mine."
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