Chapter 91 Giving a comb symbolizes growing old together in harmony.
"Wenxi, you may leave."
Xiao Shu slowly put down his wine cup. "Lord Zhou, is this a suspicion that someone is hiding in my residence?"
"Let's leave Hezhou aside for now, but now that we've reached Yuzhou, isn't Lord Zhou going a bit too far?"
Zhou Congxian lowered his eyes slightly before raising them.
“This boy once received favors from Madam Jiang. Shuangjiang was her maid, so he has always remembered it and that’s why he admitted his mistake.”
Xiao Shu nodded knowingly, then gestured towards his wine glass.
"Oh, Jiang Shi, I heard she died in a fire?"
His lips curled slightly, as if he hadn't noticed Zhou Congxian's subtle change in expression, and he slapped the table.
"If you ask me, it's just a woman. What kind of woman can't Lord Zhou have?"
"My lord, please don't leave! The beauties of Yuzhou are no less than those of the capital. I will find a few good ones for Lord Zhou!"
Zhou Congxian's eyes darkened for a moment, then he spoke.
"I have come here today to invite Lord Qin to return to court. Your Highness need not hide any longer."
Xiao Shu said, "Lord Qin is the magistrate of Ding County. Lord Zhou is mistaken in coming to me."
Zhou Congxian: "The criminal record of the Prefect of Yuzhou has been sent to the capital by express courier, and the person is on his way."
"Lord Qin has served as an official for many years and is a pillar of the court. He is the kind of person His Majesty desires, but His Highness wants him to be the governor of Yuzhou."
His voice paused, "Your Highness, don't forget that the appointment of officials is decided by the court."
Xiao Shu smiled and said, "Ding County is Lord Qin's hometown. He has dedicated most of his life to serving the country. Can't he spend the rest of his life at home?"
Zhou Congxian had the imperial edict tucked into his robes.
Now, however, no one can be found to receive the message.
Neither he nor Xiao Shu were actually drunk; they were both pretending to be drunk for the other's benefit.
"Your Highness should know that officials must not disobey imperial orders."
Xiao Shu looked into his eyes and said, "I think Lord Qin understands better than Lord Zhou why officials should serve."
He slowly stood up. "We've had our drinks and our words."
"It's getting late, Lord Zhou, please move to the guest courtyard to rest."
His expression darkened only after Zhou Congxian left.
Father Emperor disliked Lord Qin back then, and His Majesty will not like him now either.
Is it that they want Lord Qin to return to court, or are they afraid that he will have Lord Qin's support?
This paranoia is exactly the same as that of the late emperor.
Zhou Congxian stayed in Yuzhou for five days.
Yao Shisan didn't want to stay hidden in the courtyard all the time, so she took advantage of Zhou Congxian's absence and led the people in the courtyard to the forest farm for fun.
I heard that now is the time to pick fruit.
She and Shuang'er had just carried Fu'er onto the carriage when they saw Zhou Congxian and Ji Xiaoman riding back on horseback through the carriage window.
She and Shuang'er dared not utter a sound.
To prevent Fu'er from suddenly speaking, Shuang'er grabbed a piece of pastry and stuffed it into her mouth.
Zhou Congxian dismounted and looked up to see Wen Xi.
Ji Xiaoman was so drunk that he mistook her for Shuangjiang.
She was directing the guards to move a box to the back of the carriage and tie it up.
The carriage curtain was lifted by the wind, and in an instant, someone inside grabbed the curtain.
Although it was just a fleeting moment.
But he saw a child's feet inside.
His brows furrowed slightly. Did Xiao Shu really have a child?
"May I ask, young lady, who is sitting inside...?"
Wenxi glanced at him. "Regarding the matter in Hezhou, my Highness overlooked it out of consideration for your kindness, sir. For you to ask this question now is already impolite."
Ji Xiaoman knew she was drunk and had mistaken someone for someone else, and had even pinched the person's arm until it turned red, so she was extremely embarrassed.
Now that she was being so rude to his master, he immediately took two steps forward.
"This is the upbringing of the maids in the Prince Cheng's mansion..."
"Xiaoman".
Zhou Congxian tugged at him.
Wenxi ignored them and, seeing that the carriage was already loaded, turned around and jumped onto it.
"Walk!"
The driver cracked his whip as he drove the chariot.
The heavy wheels rolled on the stone road with a dull thud.
Zhou Congxian took one last look at the carriage, then turned and walked into the Prince's Mansion.
He didn't see it.
After turning around, a mischievous little hand lifted the car window.
The person he had been searching for was right inside the car.
Shuang'er's breath hitched when she saw the back of Zhou Congxian's head, and she immediately picked up Fu'er.
"Fou'er, be good. Let's look out the window after we leave the city."
Fu'er was puzzled. "Mother said that since Sugar Flower gave me Sugar Flower, I should say hello to Sugar Flower Sister."
I haven't said hello yet.
Yao Shisan touched her little face. "Sister Tanghua didn't set up her stall today. Maybe next time."
"Oh, okay."
The timber from Longchang Mountain is no longer exclusively supplied to the Su family.
Now, people from the entire city of Yuzhou, as well as the surrounding counties, are coming here to haul timber.
Farmers' lives are much better now.
To make it easier to transport timber, even the mountain roads have been widened.
Horse-drawn carriages can now easily go up the mountain.
The houses destroyed by the fire in the forest farm are being repaired, and everyone is working hard to get things done.
When Yao Shisan appeared, everyone rushed over.
"You're all busy. It's still hot in Yuzhou City. I'm bringing the kids up here to play for a couple of days."
"Madam, if you don't mind, please have dinner with us!"
The grandmother closest to her quickly nudged her husband, "Didn't Gao Wazi hunt two pheasants the other day? Hurry up and start cooking!"
"Hey!" The energetic old man pushed through the crowd and ran towards home.
"No need, no need! We brought our own pots!"
Shuang'er quickly stopped her.
When Yao Shisan was a child, the villagers around him were all simple and honest.
If they hadn't refused, they probably wouldn't have done any work today.
"Alright, we'll take care of you then."
Only after she said that did everyone go back to their work, satisfied.
In the forest farm, everyone's houses were built together, nestled under lush, green trees.
Every child here is a tree-climbing expert.
A child about the same age as Fu'er, using both hands and feet, climbed up the tree, which was taller than a person, in no time.
Fu'er was curious about everything, and in the blink of an eye, she had become friends with several children in the forest farm.
Looking at his daughter's smiling face, which was as bright as a little sun, Yao Shisan felt countless times grateful that she had been reborn and had successfully escaped with Fu'er.
At this time in my previous life, Shuangjiang had already been murdered.
Fu'er was also taken away by Song Jiyun.
They're all here now.
They are all alive.
They are all doing well.
People living in the mountains and forests can always come up with unexpected things.
At mealtime, the lame farmer arrived carrying a pot of soup filled with incredibly delicious mushrooms.
This isn't something you can eat this season.
If this were in the capital, it could be exchanged for a considerable amount of silver.
“Goods from the mountains aren’t worth much, but Lord Qin has had this soup twice and said it was delicious. Since Madam is from the capital, we asked my wife to make some.”
Shuang'er had eaten some good food at the Duke of England's mansion.
But once we got to the mountains, we discovered that all the real treasures were right there!
One bite and it's so delicious, I wish I could drink it all!
"This is so delicious!!"
The people in the forest eat together; each household prepares a dish, and then they eat together.
The mountains are full of fruits, and they also make a lot of fruit wines, which are sweet and don't burn your throat.
Shuang'er, who had never drunk alcohol before, drank quite a few cups. By the time everyone noticed her again, she had already slumped to one side and fallen asleep.
After the meal, the men continued logging, while the women went out to gather fruit and dig for wild produce to sell for a little money and supplement their household income.
The older people stayed behind to look after the houses and children.
Those with a bit of energy can also make tables, chairs, and benches, which they then take to the temple fair or market to sell.
When the sun sets, everyone returns.
that's all.
They work at sunrise and rest at sunset.
The cycle repeats itself.
Yao Shisan stood by the mountain path, watching the crimson sunset.
She felt completely at ease.
"Mother!"
Fu'er appeared out of nowhere, covered in dirt from playing, looking like a little monkey.
She was holding a wriggling earthworm in her hand.
She showed it to her mother with a proud look on her face, "Brother Gen taught me to catch it!"
Yao Shisan, “…”
"Okay, go have fun..."
The little girl skipped and hopped off to find her friends again.
She turned her head again, and more than a dozen figures appeared on the mountain path.
They carried their tools, chatting and laughing, with Wei Xun lagging behind.
He didn't come back with them at noon.
The farmers said he was a man of few words, and although he came to supervise the felling of trees, he had worked alongside them every day and had gotten quite tanned.
He really is starting to resemble a mountain person more and more.
When Wei Xun saw her, he was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously looked for Shuang'er.
Yao Shisan: "Shuang'er is drinking too much fruit wine and has already fallen asleep."
As soon as she finished speaking, Shuang'er came down from the stilt house on the far side.
"Sister, how did I fall asleep? My head is still spinning."
“I distinctly remember that we weren’t eating…”
Looking up, I saw Wei Xun, who looked even more robust against the setting sun in the mountains.
Her words froze.
The hand that had been rubbing his head paused for a moment before slowly lowering it.
Yao Shisan looked at the two of them, "I...I'm going to find Fu'er."
She turned and left.
"elder sister!"
Shuang'er also wanted to leave, but Wei Xun stopped her.
"Shuang'er, the shoes are very comfortable."
For some reason, whenever Shuang'er saw him, she always thought of Yao Shisan's words about preparing a dowry for her.
The more she tried to stop thinking about it, the more those words seemed to creep into her mind.
She didn't dare look at him, and just stammered, "No, no need to thank me, you helped me too..."
Wei Xun took something out of his pocket, stepped forward, and handed it to her.
"I don't have much money, so I could only make one myself. This is my first time making one, please forgive me."
A wooden comb.
The wood is of excellent quality, and the workmanship is very meticulous.
The style is rather simple.
Although it was the first time making it, you could tell that a lot of thought and effort had been put into it.
Shuang'er froze for a moment, "Why...why did you give me a comb..."
Giving a comb as a gift symbolizes the wish for a long and happy marriage...
Wei Xun looked down at his feet.
"Because you gave me shoes."
Shuang'er covered the comb, her heart sinking slightly.
It turns out it was just a matter of reciprocity.
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