Chapter 84 The Unlucky Child

Chu Huibao argued, "It was Second Aunt who didn't want to come to Xizhou with me. She asked Second Uncle for a divorce letter and left. On the day Second Aunt left, Second Uncle even knelt down to beg her."

Chu Jiabao's words became sharper as her pain was brought up, "If these things hadn't happened, why would my mother have left?"

Chu Huibao couldn't argue with her, so she said with tears in her eyes, "My mother didn't leave. It was Second Aunt who didn't want you. Third sister, don't blame others!"

Her face was chubby, her mouth was pouting, her eyes were wet like black grapes, and there were tears hanging on her eyelashes. She looked so pitiful.

Chu Jiabao looked at this cousin who had never been very smart since she was a child, and pinched her chubby face: "A child with a mother is a treasure. You and your sister are blessed but don't know how to appreciate it. How could your aunt give birth to two idiots like you!"

Chu Huibao's face was pinched and hurt, and she took a step back to avoid her hand, "It's one thing for mother to be good to us, but when mother does something wrong, we have to point it out."

She rubbed her face that was pinched and hurt, feeling wronged and angry: "I don't want to play with you, my third sister, anymore!"

Chu Huibao ran away along the corridor like a little plush ball.

Chu Jiabao bit her lip and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

When she turned around and prepared to go back to her own courtyard, Chu Zhong happened to come out of the old lady's room carrying Chu Yangui on his back. When she met Chu Yangui's dark and cold eyes, Chu Jiabao felt her heart tremble and turned her head to walk away quickly.

Chu Yangui suddenly called her: "Third sister, Yangui wants to tell you something."

Although he called Chu Jiabao sister, he was actually less than half a year younger than Chu Jiabao. In fact, thanks to the height difference between men and women, he was already more than a head taller than Chu Jiabao, but because he was too thin and pale, he looked weak.

Chu Jiabao froze. She turned her back to Chu Yangui and said, "What is it? Go

ahead." Chu Yangui said, "It's about Second Aunt. There's a pavilion in front. Let's go in and talk."

Chu Zhong carried Chu Yangui into the pavilion. Chu Jiabao followed reluctantly and urged, "Can we talk now?"

Chu Yangui said to Chu Zhong, "Uncle Zhong, just wait for me outside."

Chu Zhong glanced at Chu Jiabao. He had heard the general content of the quarrel between Chu Jiabao and Chu Huibao. Thinking that Chu Yangui might want to talk to Chu Jiabao, he put Chu Yangui on the wooden bench in the pavilion and said, "I'll be waiting at the corner door in front. If Young Master has anything, just call me."

Chu Yangui nodded.

After Chu Zhong left, when he looked at Chu Jiabao, the warmth in his eyes faded away bit by bit: "You hate me, and you also hate my sister and mother."

Chu Jiabao subconsciously avoided Chu Yangui's sight, and said sternly: "Your family is full of troublemakers, don't you hate them? The Chu family has so many manors and shops in the capital, and you can't take them all away! One third of them should have been my dowry! If it weren't for you, my mother would not have left the Chu family!"

Chu Yangui smiled, but his eyes were icy cold: "One third of the Chu family's manors and shops were your dowry? Didn't your second aunt teach you this before? You really dare to think that your second uncle is idle all day long, and all the food and drink are paid by the public. Those family businesses are still under the name of my grandfather, but they have been thinking about it."

"As for your mother, ask yourself, why did she leave the Chu family? She was just afraid of suffering in Xizhou! In her heart, you and your father are not as important as herself, that's all."

After deceiving herself for so long, Chu Yangui exposed the truth without hesitation. Chu Jiabao wanted to maintain the last bit of dignity, but she couldn't help but burst into tears.

She said viciously: "No, it's all your fault! Otherwise, my mother wouldn't have abandoned me..."

In fact, the least valued in the Chu family is the second house. Although the old lady Chu and the old lady Chu are strict with the eldest master Chu, the eldest master Chu is still the eldest son after all. If there are good things, the two elders will stick to the first house first. The second master Chu was mediocre in talent and learning. He could not pass the imperial examination and did not have the brains for business, so he lived in depression all the time.

The second elders of the Chu family thought that the second son was cowardly by nature, so they wanted him to marry a stronger wife so that he could live a better life in the future.

But who knew that the second daughter-in-law was too strong, which led to the second daughter-in-law basically having the final say in the second room. The second master Chu had no opinions and listened to his wife in everything.

The second daughter-in-law had a strong temper, so it was inevitable that she would have conflicts with Liu, who was in charge of the family. However, Liu gave birth to a son as her first child, and her position in the Chu family was stable. The second daughter-in-law only gave birth to Chu Jiabao, so she felt that she was inferior to Liu and often took out her anger on Chu Jiabao in private.

In the Chu family, Chu Jiabao was the most well-behaved child. She tried her best to do everything to make her mother like her more.

She also often envied Chu Shubao and her sister. She said whatever she wanted and did whatever she wanted. Even if Liu scolded them verbally, she never really got angry with them. Whenever they encountered something, Liu would stand in front of her children.

She even envied Jiang Yanyi and his sister. Madam Jiang did so much for them, without any shame or life... Why did her mother have to be like this?

Chu Jiabao cried like a wolf, "I have done everything she asked me to do, why doesn't she want me..."

Chu Yangui had been watching coldly until this moment, and then he said, "Everyone has their own ambitions. Your mother has lived her life just for herself. There is nothing to say. My sister and I don't owe you two houses anything. If you still target my sister in the future, I will not be polite to you."

Chu Jiabao sobbed and said nothing.

Her crying attracted Chu Zhong, who hesitated for a moment outside the pavilion before speaking, "Master, what's wrong?"

Chu Jiabao was still squatting on the ground crying with her face covered.

Chu Yangui didn't even look at Chu Jiabao, "Nothing, let's go."

Chu Zhong looked at Chu Jiabao who was crying and hiccuping, thinking that Chu Yangui's legs were inconvenient and it was impossible for him to do anything to her. It was probably that the two young masters had a quarrel. He hesitated for a moment, and finally carried Chu Yangui on his back and left.

There was no one else in the pavilion, so Chu Jiabao was able to cry loudly.

Her mother didn't want her, her father was a drunkard, and she didn't have any brothers or sisters. She just glared at Jiang Yanyi today, but Chu Yangui had to come to warn her and stand up for his sister.

Chu Jiabao was really sad, and at the same time she envied Jiang Yanyi. Even though Madam Jiang was gone, they could still support each other. Unlike her, no one would care for her wholeheartedly and plan for her in this life...

Someone held up a handkerchief and slapped it on her face. Chu Jiabao opened her eyes while sobbing, and saw Chu Huibao, who looked like a soft dough, standing in front of her, clumsily holding a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Seeing her open her eyes, Chu Huibao said with a guilty conscience: "You... don't cry, I will still play with you in the future."

She was going to the kitchen to find her elder sister and learn how to cook fish. Halfway there, she felt that what she said was a bit too much, and she couldn't help but run back to find Chu Jiabao. Unexpectedly, she ran into Chu Jiabao crying in the pavilion.

When Chu Jiabao heard what Chu Huibao said, her tears flowed even harder. She snatched the handkerchief from Chu Huibao's hand and wiped her tears: "Silly girl!"

Chu Huibao said unhappily: "I'm not stupid."

She rummaged in her sleeve pocket and took out a piece of pine nut candy and handed it to Chu Jiabao: "Here, this is the last piece I secretly hid. I couldn't even bear to eat it myself."

Chu Jiabao sniffed and slowly stopped crying: "You are so sloppy, I am not..." "Yes."

Seeing Chu Huibao was about to take back the pine nut candy, she grabbed it again and put it in her mouth: "I hurt you, why are you coming back?"

Chu Huibao said seriously: "My elder sister told me that there is no overnight hatred between sisters."

Chu Jiabao snorted: "You and I are not sisters."

Chu Huibao scratched her hair, unable to remember what the word was called, "Uncle San often said that we Chu family members all grew up on the same branch of the tree."

"Stupid! Uncle San said that we are of the same blood and branches." Chu Jiabao helped Chu Huibao tidy up the messy tufts on her head.

The sweetness of the pine nut candy slowly melted in her mouth, as if to suppress the sadness in her heart.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone in from outside the pavilion, and this winter evening did not seem so cold.

Jiang Yanyi brought a carp, while the Chu family bought sea bass.

She planned to grill the carp, and the most famous way to eat sea bass is to steam it.

Chu Shubao volunteered to help, but she obviously had never cooked before and didn't even recognize some kitchen utensils. She also found that she seemed to be completely useless, so she could only say that she could help Jiang Yanyi light the fire. However, she only filled the stove with firewood, but the fire still didn't light, and she was suffocated.

She fired all the fire-making girls in the kitchen out, so Jiang Yanyi had to go over and help her light the fire himself.

"There is too much firewood in the stove, and there is no air circulation, so the fire will not burn brightly." Jiang Yanyi pulled out some firewood and blew it in with a bamboo tube, and the fire quickly ignited.

Chu Shubao scratched her head in embarrassment: "Sister Yanyi, you know so much."

In order to continue the conversation, Jiang Yanyi said: "I didn't know this until I got to Xizhou."

She returned to the chopping board and continued to process the fish.

Chu Shubao asked, "How is Yan Gui's leg injury going?"

"The wound is already growing new flesh." Jiang Yanyi cut the carp's gills, twisted a white fishing line with one hand, and tapped the fish's body with the back of the knife with the other hand, and slowly pulled out the fishing line.

"That's good."

As soon as Chu Shubao finished speaking, she noticed the thin white thread Jiang Yanyi pulled out from the carp's gills and asked curiously, "What is this?"

After Jiang Yanyi pulled out one side of the fishing line, he turned the carp over, cut the knife, and began to pull out the other side of the fishing line. "It's carp's fishing line. It has a strong fishy smell. If you don't remove it, it will be difficult to eat."

Chu Shubao followed . As if she had discovered a new world, she walked over and twisted the fishing line that Jiang Yanyi pulled out and smelled it. Her face almost wrinkled into a bun: "The fishy smell is indeed quite strong."

Jiang Yanyi was amused by her actions. After cleaning the fish, she cut the fish in half and spread it flat. She cut the fish's back with a flower knife, smeared it with salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil, put it in a basin to marinate, and then processed the sea bass.

Wash the killed sea bass and cut it from the spine to prevent the fish from deforming due to the shrinkage of the bones after steaming. Jiang Yanyi marinated it with salt and cooking wine, then took a knife to start cutting ginger, green onion and mushroom shreds.

Chu Shubao watched with her chin propped up, but it was obvious that she was not paying attention. She hesitated for a while and said to Jiang Yanyi: "Sister Yanyi, my mother did a lot of things to let you down before. I apologize to you and Yangui on her behalf."

Fearing that Jiang Yanyi would misunderstand, she added: "I don't mean anything else. I just hope that there will be no quarrels between us young people."

Some damage has already been done. It is meaningless to ask for forgiveness, but the apology should still be given.

Jiang Yanyi did not slow down the speed of cutting vegetables at all, and just said, "What kind of quarrel could there be?"

Chu Shubao felt a little embarrassed because of Jiang Yanyi's answer, but Jiang Yanyi did not seem to bear a grudge against them, which made her a lot happier.

She is now the eldest in the family, and she always hopes that the brothers and sisters in the family can be more harmonious.

Jiang Yanyi remembered from Chu Shubao's words that she had not seen Liu since she entered the mansion, and could not help asking, "Why didn't I see my aunt?"

Chu Shubao said uncomfortably, "My mother caught a cold and is recuperating in the room."

Liu didn't catch a cold at all. She had been making soup for Madam Chu for a while, and she was tortured enough. She really didn't want to serve Madam Chu, so she lied that she was sick.

Chu Shubao couldn't tear down her mother's favor. Liu had been using cold water to cook these days, and her well-maintained hands had frostbite. She cried and wailed in her room, so she had to take her sister to Old Madam Chu's room to serve her.

Jiang Yanyi asked casually, and when she heard that Liu was sick, she said, "The weather is getting colder, so we should put a few more charcoal basins in Auntie's room."

Chu Shubao replied that they had put them.

Jiang Yanyi didn't continue the topic. She put the sea bass on a plate, stuffed scallions and ginger slices into the fish belly, and sprinkled ham and mushroom shreds around it. When

steaming dishes, the key is the heat. If the heat is not good enough, the taste of the dish will not be right.

After boiling the water under the steamer over a high fire, Jiang Yanyi put the sea bass in to steam.

Seeing her doing all these in an orderly manner, Chu Shubao enviously said, "You know how to cook so many dishes."

Jiang Yanyi was slicing ginger and garlic, "I just learned a little bit from the chef in the store."

Chu Shubao heard this and quickly rolled up her sleeves, "Are you still hiring a chef in your store? I'll go and help too!"

Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I don't have any plans for the time being."

Chu Shubao was a little disappointed when she heard this.

Jiang Yanyi smeared the marinated grilled fish with the prepared sauce, put it on an iron plate, put it in the earthen kiln oven, and started to grill the fish. While busy, he said: "If you want to learn to cook, you can also learn from the chef in the mansion."

Chu Shubao said disdainfully: "I find the dishes they cook boring when I eat them myself, so I'd better not learn."

She fiddled with the kitchen utensils on the stove, and suddenly asked mysteriously: "By the way, do you have a lover?"

Jiang Yanyi was startled by her tone. He didn't deny or admit it, but just asked: "Why do you suddenly talk about this?"

Chu Shubao looked around and made sure that no one was around before saying, "I accidentally heard my grandmother and my third uncle talking about your marriage a few days ago. My grandmother said that if my third uncle had not adopted both you and Yangui, she would have wanted Brother Chengmao to marry you. That way, no one would dare to bully you in the future no matter what."

Jiang Yanyi's hands trembled and he almost cut his finger.

Chu Shubao was frightened and rushed forward to see: "Are you okay?"

Jiang Yanyi put down the kitchen knife: "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Chu Shubao said: "Look how scared you are. I've been annoyed by my mother's nagging about marriage. I'm too lazy to listen to them. When I save enough money, I will open a shop like you and be the hostess myself!"

Jiang Yanyi didn't want to talk much about marriage, and followed her words to ask: "What kind of shop are you going to open?"

Chu Shubao touched her chin: "Rouge, the thing I'm most involved in is rouge and powder."

Hearing this answer, Jiang Yanyi's eyes moved slightly, "If you really want to open a rouge shop, I can set aside a place for you in my shop so that you can try it first. "

Chu Shubao's eyes widened, obviously she felt that she had never seen or heard of anything like this before, and she asked hesitantly: "Selling rouge in an antique soup shop?"

Jiang Yanyi told her about his previous ideas. After hearing these ideas, Chu Shubao's eyes sparkled: "In this way, it seems that you can make a lot of money. I will go to your shop to sell rouge tomorrow!"

Jiang Yanyi said: "You haven't decided what kind of rouge and powder you want to sell, and which ones can be given to female customers for free. Let's prepare them in a few days. And... your mother may not agree with this."

Chu Shubao smiled slyly: "Don't worry, I have my own way!"

This girl is always full of energy. Jiang Yanyi was infected by her, and smiled a little more, concentrating on cooking.

After steaming the sea bass for half an hour, turn off the heat and use the residual heat in the steamer to "soft steam" for a few minutes. The fish meat steamed at this temperature is just tender enough. When the lid of the steamer is opened, the fragrance is overflowing.

Because there is no soy sauce for steaming fish, Jiang Yanyi directly uses soy sauce instead. After pouring two spoonfuls of soy sauce on the fish, he spreads the chopped scallions on it. Heat the oil in the pot. When the oil temperature rises, use a large spoon to scoop half a spoonful of oil and pour it on the scallions. With a "sizzle", the freshness of the fish meat and the fragrance of the scallions are all stimulated. Then add a few pieces of coriander, and a plate of steamed sea bass is ready.

The grilled fish is still roasting in the clay kiln, and Jiang Yanyi prepares the vegetarian dishes.

The most common vegetarian dishes in winter are lotus roots and potatoes, which are also the standard for grilled fish. Lotus roots are crispy and potatoes are soft and glutinous, which can enrich the taste.

Jiang Yanyi cut the potatoes into thick strips, fried them in wide oil, and then picked them up, leaving only a small amount of oil in the pot, and added ginger and garlic to stir-fry, and poured in black beans. When the black beans were fried in hot oil, the smell was really overwhelming. Jiang Yanyi couldn't help swallowing her saliva. She quickly put the lotus roots, bean sprouts and fried potato strips into the pot and stir-fried them.

When the fish is cooked, put the vegetables on top of the fish, put it in the earthen kiln and bake it for a quarter of an hour, and then pour a spoonful of hot oil to stir-fry, and sprinkle with coriander.

The air was filled with the aroma of fermented black beans and fish. If Chu Shubao hadn't been concerned that these two dishes could be seen at a glance, she would have wanted to use chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish to taste first. She said with a tearful face, "Let's make pickled fish next time."

She could have a bite of pickled fish to relieve her craving.

Dinner was eaten by all the Chu family in Mrs. Chu's yard. In addition to the two fish dishes, the main course also included the pork rib stew and smoked goose breast prepared by the Chu family's chef early in the morning. The soup was black chicken soup that had been simmered for a whole day. It was fragrant and rich. Perhaps it was made with medicinal herbs. When you smelled it carefully, you could smell a faint bitter taste.

Although Madam Chu is old, she likes to eat something with a strong flavor. She really likes the grilled fish tonight, but it is Grandpa Chu who likes the steamed sea bass.

Grandpa Chu and Grandpa Chu didn't talk much during the meal, but the younger ones were chattering.

Chu Huibao bit her chopsticks, feeling a little disappointed because the pickled fish she liked wasn't made: "It's not pickled."

Chu Shubao gave her a chopstick of sea bass: "Is it not delicious?"

"It's delicious, but the pickled fish is the best." Chu Huibao muttered softly while holding the rice bowl.

Chu Jiabao suddenly said: "I like grilled fish with black beans."

Everyone at the table was stunned. Grandpa Chu looked like he had seen a ghost, and Grandpa Chu was always silent. Only Chu Yangui glanced at her, and soon lowered his eyes to eat his meal.

Chu Jiabao didn't care about the confusion her words brought to everyone at the table. She picked up a piece of grilled fish and put it in her own bowl.

Mrs. Chu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and handed a piece of grilled fish to Chu Jiabao: "If you like it, eat more."

She turned around and handed a piece of fish to Jiang Yanyi as well, smiling: "Eat too, girl Yi."

Jiang Yanyi thanked Mrs. Chu. She didn't expect Chu Jiabao to suddenly praise her fish, but Jiang Yanyi was happy to see that the little girl no longer had hostility towards her and Chu Yangui.

The meal was more harmonious than ever before.

It was late after dinner, so Jiang Yanyi and her brother stayed at the Chu family.

For the sake of her rouge business, Chu Shubao decided to start with Old Madam Chu. After dinner, she flattered herself in front of Old Madam Chu and proposed that she wanted to open a rouge shop. Since there was a precedent of Jiang Yanyi opening her own shop, Old Madam Chu did not object to her selling rouge.

But after all, she was an experienced person, so Madam Chu was more thoughtful. She held Chu Shubao's hand and reminded her, "Although you are sisters, the money in the accounts must be settled clearly. If the accounts are not settled clearly at the beginning, it will be more complicated later and there will be disputes."

Chu Shubao gently shook the old lady's hand and said coquettishly, "Don't worry, grandma, your granddaughter won't have to worry

about it." Madam Chu sighed and said, "You are careless. You have to be more careful when running your own business. Also, don't cause trouble for Yi girl."

Chu Shubao patted her chest and guaranteed, "Absolutely not!"

When Chu Shubao went back and told Liu about this, Liu, who was "recuperating" in bed, was almost angry to death.

She said sharply: "The girl from the Jiang family is willing to be a lowly person and wants to do these high-profile businesses. Why is she encouraging you to go there now? I know she has bad intentions!"

Chu Shubao rarely looked serious and retorted: "Mother, what are you talking about?"

Liu was overwhelmed by her daughter's momentum and stammered: "I...what's wrong with what I said?"

Chu Shubao asked her: "Since you think it's right, go to your grandmother and say it again!"

Liu was so angry that her eyes went dark: "You have been against me since you were a child, and now you have learned to use your grandmother to suppress me?"

Chu Shubao said with a stern face: "Mother, I am not going against you. You can't tell right from wrong! How can doing business mean you are willing to be lowly? Didn't you want me to marry a businessman before? Didn't you want to harm me at that time?"

Liu's fingers were almost poking Chu Shubao's face, and she said angrily: "You...you really want to piss me off to death! Can a man do business the same as a woman? A girl is in the spotlight, do you still want a reputation? If you agreed to the marriage proposal, you would be the young lady of the mansion and enjoy endless glory and wealth for the rest of your life. Is this harming you?"

"You are totally unreasonable! How can making money honestly bring disgrace upon your reputation? What's the difference between a man doing business and a woman doing business?" Chu Shubao became more and more angry as she spoke: "My grandmother agreed with my business, and I like being a female shopkeeper."

Liu was so angry that she wiped her tears: "What a sin! Why did I give birth to a daughter like you!"

Chu Shubao looked at Liu and said: "Mother, we are now relying on our third uncle to gain a foothold in Xizhou. All our food and clothing are funded by the public treasury. How long will the money we brought from the capital be enough to last? Are we going to rely on our third uncle to support us all our lives?"

After hearing what Chu Shubao said, Liu was a little embarrassed: "This..."

Chu Shubao didn't expect to be able to make everything clear with Liu. Seeing that she softened, Liu said, "I know how to do things, so don't worry about it. If you have nothing to do, why not make some clothes for your brother's children? My brother wrote to me earlier that my sister-in-law is pregnant and will probably give birth soon."

When it comes to her son, Liu complained endlessly, "Your sister-in-law is jealous. She has been married for two years without any children. She relies on her high social status and she turned her face away when your brother took a concubine. If he doesn't take a concubine, I don't know when I can have a grandson."

Chu Shubao rolled her eyes, "Sister-in-law is well-educated and well-mannered. She is like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung when she marries my brother!"

Although Chu Chengbai's first wife was the illegitimate daughter of the former Dali Temple, she was marrying down to Chu Chengbai, who had no fame. If it weren't for the fact that Mr. Chu Sanye was the general of Yunzhou at that time, this marriage would never have been possible!

She really couldn't bear to listen to Liu's words to poison her ears. Without waiting for Liu to say anything, she pulled Chu Huibao, who had already finished half a plate of cakes, out of Liu's room, "It's late, mother, you should go to bed early, and we will go back to the room."

Chu Huibao was dragged away by her sister by the collar, staring at the unfinished cakes.

Liu and Chu Shubao often quarreled. At first, she was caught in the middle and cried anxiously. Later, she learned to ignore it. Eating is so happy.

The heavy snow in Xizhou City did not stop that night, and the city was full of searching troops.

Lu Linyuan used the name of handling a case to look for Jiang Yanxi all over the city, and he was anxious when he saw the armored army directly under the jurisdiction of the palace.

The murder weapon belonged to Jiang Yanxi. This murder case was bound to be related to Jiang Yanxi. If he had found Jiang Yanxi first, there would have been room for maneuver. But now Feng Shuo's direct army had intervened, and the government office did not dare to confront them head-on.

The servant Qingsong put his hands in his sleeves and said, "Sir, we have basically walked around the entire Xizhou City. Do we still need to continue looking?"

After a whole day of anxiety, Lu Linyuan now had a splitting headache. When the cold wind blew, he felt dizzy. He said, "Continue looking."

Jiang Yanxi came all the way to Xizhou for him. How could he ignore her?

There were still few people on the street at this time, and Lu Linyuan was interrogated by the army several times.

While Lu Linyuan was having a headache, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. The armored troops in Fengshuo's mansion suddenly searched the whole city so strictly. Did something happen to the Turkic prince? After all, the last large-scale search was also to capture the Turkic prince.

He thought that the capture of the Turkic prince had changed his fate, but at this moment he felt that he might not be able to escape his fate.

The wounds on the dead man's body that belonged to the man, and Jiang Yanxi's hairpin that fell in the snow... If the Turkic prince escaped, would he have met Jiang Yanxi?

At this moment, in a ruined temple, the dilapidated temple door could hardly stop the raging cold wind, and the burning fire in front of the shrine was blown by the wind, and the flames almost fell to the ground.

Jiang Yanxi looked at the "woman" with countless wounds of all sizes, and tears fell down in anxiety: "Girl, hold on..."

She left Lu Linyuan's house last night. Because she didn't know the way and it was pitch black outside, she could only follow the light. Unexpectedly, she went to the red street by mistake and was molested by a drunkard in the corner.

When she was about to lose all hope, someone climbed over the wall. She instinctively cried for help. The woman who climbed over the wall kicked the lecher away, but because she was seriously injured and exhausted, the lecher wanted to retaliate, so the woman took off the butterfly flower hairpin on her head and stabbed the lecher to death.

The woman who saved her was seriously injured and couldn't walk alone. She couldn't find a place to rest in the middle of the night, so she had to help her to the dilapidated temple where beggars gathered.

As soon as they arrived at the dilapidated temple, the woman fainted. Jiang Yanxi found that there were deep blood marks on her wrists and ankles. If she used more force, the tendons of her hands and feet would be broken. I don't know where she got the willpower to hold on for so long.

Jiang Yanxi wanted to help her clean the wound, but when she touched the woman, she almost broke her wrist while semi-conscious. She fiercely told her to get out, so Jiang Yanxi had to give up.

The scene of Lecher's death had been in Jiang Yanxi's mind. Although she was not the one who killed him, she was still afraid. She huddled in the ruined temple to guard the woman who saved her. She never dared to go out. When she was hungry, she used earrings to exchange for some food from a few beggars nearby to barely fill her stomach. When

she heard from the beggars that someone had died in Huajie and the soldiers in Xizhou City began a large-scale search, Jiang Yanxi was even more scared.

When Ugusdan woke up, he heard someone sobbing beside him. He frowned in annoyance: "It's so noisy..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he found that his voice was hoarse, his throat hurt, his head hurt, and his limbs ached. It was not the kind of pain from being injured, but the head was heavy and the feet were light. This was a cold.

Ugusdan suddenly wanted to curse his mother.

Jiang Yanxi heard him talking and cried with joy: "Girl, you finally woke up!"

She thought that Ugustan's voice was hoarse and didn't realize that his voice was not like a woman's.

Ugustan had a severe cold and felt dizzy. Seeing the tearful face in front of him, he could hardly speak: "Give me a sip of water."

Jiang Yanxi said helplessly: "No... no water..."

There was no pot or rack in the broken temple, and she didn't dare to go out. When she was thirsty, she would go outside to make a dry snowball to eat.

She said, "Wait a minute!"

Ugustan only saw her back as she ran out. After a moment, she ran back and stuffed a snowball into his mouth. "Swallowing the snow can quench your thirst."

The snowball entered his mouth, cooling his throat all the way into his lungs.

Ugustan swore that if he had not been seriously injured and had not caught a cold, he would have broken the neck of this Central Plains woman if he did not even have the strength to raise his hands!

She clearly wanted to kill him!

He had been lurking carefully since he was imprisoned, figuring out the rotation rules of the prison guards and the number of people on duty at night, pretending to be dying to let the guards down. He had made the worst plan when he cooperated with Xie Zhizhou before, and he had also seen the construction plan of the Xizhou prison and memorized the terrain inside.

After finally escaping, he went to the base in Huajie to meet his subordinates, only to find out that the base had been destroyed long ago. In order to conceal his tracks, he burned the bloody clothes he wore out of the prison and changed into women's clothes.

The Liaonan King was very cunning, and they would definitely send people to block him if they knew he was escaping. Ugustan knew he could not stay in the red-light district any longer, so when he climbed over the wall and escaped, he happened to see someone molesting a woman. He was seriously injured at the time, and running so far had consumed a lot of energy. If he walked alone, he might faint before he could find a place to hide temporarily, so he rescued the molested woman and wanted to hide in her home.

But the woman was a road idiot, and she helped him walk around the city for a long time. His tendons, which had been severely tortured, were almost broken, and he almost died on the road.

Jiang Yanxi saw his dissatisfaction and knew that he was still ill. She was anxious and tears fell: "It's all my fault that I'm so stupid..."

Ugusdan wanted to scold her, "It's good that you know it", but he had difficulty speaking now, so he saved the energy to scold her. He glanced at the broken temple with drafts on all sides and saw that Jiang Yanxi was dressed quite decently. He asked weakly: "Why don't you go home?"

He didn't care whether she went home or not. He just wanted to hide in her house first. He didn't expect anything else, but he hoped to have a sip of hot water.

The cold can't get any worse!

Jiang Yanxi hugged her knees, buried her head very low, and said in a husky voice: "I have no home."

As soon as she finished this sentence, she began to wipe away her tears.

Ugusdan: ...

The overall situation is more important, just bear with it.

He thought she had run away from home, and patiently comforted her: "Did you have a quarrel with your family?"

Jiang Yanxi treated him as a big sister who could confide in her, and choked up and said: "I don't have any family here."

Ugusdan: "...Then where did you live before?"

Jiang Yanxi's face showed a trace of misery: "I came all the way to Xizhou just for one person, but he didn't want me."

Ugusdan lay on the ground, his face green.

He was not interested in other people's stories of eloping! He just wanted to find a place where he could temporarily heal his wounds and drink hot water!