Chapter 45: "Literally."
Song Linsheng's heart was hanging in his chest, but he finally put it back into his stomach after hearing that Madam Wen Yu was fine.
Wen Yu watched Song Linsheng's expression change several times before finally settling down.
He stood up, first brushing his hair away from his face, then straightening his robe. Wen Yu couldn't help but sigh. Song Linsheng was still Song Linsheng. Even if he wasn't the dignified Lord Song sitting in the Jiangyang government office, he was still the second son of the Song family, raised in the secluded courtyards and pavilions.
It is a good habit to always remember to dress properly.
While admiring her, Wen Yu felt a mixture of speechlessness and choking. She looked around and raised her head. They were probably in some kind of pit. There was no wind or light on all sides. Only above their heads, where they had fallen, was a little sunlight leaking in from the pit's opening.
The light was cool and still, projecting from above, as if separated into separate beams. Occasionally, gravel would fall from the edge of the pit, making a "whoosh" sound as it fell and a "ding-ding" sound as it landed.
The pit was as high as three or four people. Without the help of magic, with only the strength of her and Song Linsheng, even if she broke her arms and legs and stacked them up again, she would not be able to reach the hole.
Wen Yu only needed to take a glance to know that it was not an attainable height, so he did not bother to test it and just sat cross-legged where he was.
Wen Yu didn't know what to do next, so she just relaxed. Since Song Linsheng was not in a hurry, she was not in a hurry either.
Song Linsheng stood there hesitating for a moment, as if he had made some decision. He nodded to himself and untied his outer robe. With the frost-colored robe hanging on his elbow, he walked towards Wen Yuxing.
"The Yuan River has long been known as the Golden Water and the Silver River. This not only refers to the convenience and trade that the river's water conservancy and canal transportation bring to the people of Jiangyang, but also refers to the literal meaning."
Song Linsheng spoke calmly, maintaining his composure as if the bright moon was in his arms even though he was in a dark puddle.
"Literally?"
Wen Yu repeated Song Linsheng's words. Which literal meaning did they have? Song Linsheng's words filtered through Wen Yu's mind, and soon she understood the key point.
"Golden Water and Silvery Way?" Wen Yu asked tentatively.
"That's right..." Song Linsheng took over the conversation. As he spoke, he had already walked to Wen Yu's side and draped the frosty outer robe over Wen Yu's shoulders.
"Do you know why the banks of the Yuan River are so wide?"
Wen Yu put her hands on the lapels of her shirt, thinking that Song Linsheng was thin and it would be better not to take his coat. However, Song Linsheng's action was not to be refused, so Wen Yu had no choice but to accept it.
"We were just talking about the Golden Water and the Silver River, so why are you mentioning the width of the water bank for no reason?"
Song Linsheng moved half an inch away and sat down next to Wen Yu. In a clear voice, he answered Wen Yu's questions.
"The Yuan River is a good place for fishing boats and many ships to sail. Why don't the people dig up the banks and widen the river to create more navigation channels?"
Without waiting for Wen Yu to speak, Song Linsheng continued.
"Because the riverbed is covered in gold, it can't be easily mined. It requires a special team of workers."
"What's more, all gold and silver should be publicly owned. Jiangyang Prefecture didn't even have a prefect before I took office, so naturally there was no one to oversee the gold mining."
The more Wen Yu listened, the more confused she became. She only grasped one key word, which was -
"Gold panning?"
Wen Yu couldn't help but be amazed. To say that Jiangyang Prefecture was rich was an understatement. There was actually gold under the riverbed?
"Madam Wenyu, do you remember the line 'Though it is hard to sift through the water,'" Song Linsheng asked Wenyu to take over before he finished speaking.
"I know that! 'Though it's hard to sift through the sand, gold will eventually be found.' Well!" Her poetry and calligraphy have improved considerably, and now Song Linsheng can no longer easily test her.
After she finished speaking, Song Linsheng couldn't help but smile. He nodded slightly to indicate that Wen Yu's answer was correct.
"This is exactly the sentence. This sentence describes the process of gold mining."
"Jiangyang Prefecture also hosted a gold rush in the early years, but it was probably shelved later, so there are still some unfilled foundation pits left on the river bank from the gold rush—"
Song Linsheng looked around. This place was dark and damp, and had been soaked in river water for a long time. Fortunately, it was not the flood season, otherwise he and Madam Wen Yu would not be able to survive the night.
"So, we fell into someone's gold mining pit?"
Wen Yu's eyes were wide open, a look of disbelief on her face. Her eyebrows couldn't help but curl downwards into a splayed shape, and her lips were pursed. Anyone who saw her would have thought she was about to burst into tears.
But she didn't want to cry, she just couldn't figure out one thing -
How come she wasn't part of the gold rush? Why did she end up falling into the gold rush?
Wen Yu's cheeks puffed up with anger. This was simply unreasonable! Unreasonable!
Her master loved things that sparkled with gold, and treasures piled up in the Temple of Spring could be seen everywhere, just like the rows of farmlands in the mortal world, which was no longer surprising.
Wen Yu had developed a refined taste in the Spring Temple, and she looked down upon worldly things. She wasn't even coveting a speck of gold; she couldn't explain why she was so angry.
"From the looks of it, that's about it." Song Linsheng's face showed the satisfaction of having survived a disaster, and his tone suddenly became very cheerful. "Just now, I was in the distance and saw Madam Wenyu walking around here, and I knew you might step into the foundation pit—"
"So I waved to Madam Wenyu from a distance, wanting to tell you not to move around casually." Song Linsheng felt amused when he recalled that he and Madam Wenyu were playing dumb from a distance just now.
The two of them are really interesting.
Wen Yu's face flushed with embarrassment when she heard this. The wind was so loud, how could she have heard anything just now? She thought Song Linsheng was telling her to leave quickly!
"Then why did you come down with me? Wouldn't it be better for you to stay up there and get help?"
Wen Yu said stubbornly. She didn't mean to blame him, but Song Linsheng's smile was so dazzling, like the everlasting mountains and rivers, the endless sun and moon. She couldn't help but want to talk back, so that he wouldn't laugh so freely anymore.
As expected, Song Linsheng fulfilled her wish and stopped smiling.
Hmm...why did he follow?
At first, he just wanted to remind Madam Wen Yu to be careful with her step, but before he could reach Madam Wen Yu, he saw from a distance that her feet slipped and her body tilted.
He was only worried about Madam Wen Yu falling, so he ran over to stop her without giving it much thought. He just felt a surge of anger rushing to his head, and needless to say, his feet made the decision before his brain.
Now that he was asked this question, Song Linsheng finally reacted.
Yes! If he had stayed up there, he could have gone back to the city to find some help to rescue Wen Yu, instead of being stuck in the cave with her, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Song Linsheng couldn't help but feel guilty. He raised his hand and scratched the tip of his nose, trying to hide something. Was it a flash of panic? Or was it the shame he was trying so hard to hide?
Song Linsheng coughed lightly and quickly convinced himself.
It's done, so why be angry? He only wanted to avoid letting Madam Wen Yu fall into danger alone, so he followed her and didn't have time to worry about so many things.
But even so, so what?
Is it true that everything in this world must be justified? Must there be a reason for everything?
Even if he did something unreasonable and without asking why, what then? The answer is obvious: nothing. In life, there are two simplest things: getting dressed and eating, and speaking and doing things. If one cannot follow one's heart in even these trivial matters, then life is truly meaningless.
Song Linsheng felt that his idea was correct, so he stopped worrying about what Wen Yu had said.
He even nodded in satisfaction, with an inexplicable look of joy on his face.
Wen Yu watched the changing expressions on his face, which were even more brilliant than those on the Shangsi Festival. She wondered what he was thinking. Wen Yu stopped arguing with him and only stole a glance at Song Linsheng's expression from the corner of her eye.
"Don't worry, Xiyan will definitely come looking for us later. We will be rescued then."
After listening to Song Linsheng's words, Wen Yu recalled what he said when he washed the inkstone when he went out this morning. The comparison between the two made her laugh uncontrollably.
"Then I have to ask the Second Young Master—" Wen Yu raised the end of her voice and stretched it out, whetting Song Linsheng's appetite.
"When you go out today, did you tell Xiyan where you are going?"
Song Linsheng had been fully prepared, waiting for Wen Yu to ask a question, but he didn't expect her to hit the nail on the head. Song Linsheng felt embarrassed and a little ashamed.
He left in a hurry this morning and indeed hadn't told Xi Yan where he was going. Now we have to wait for Xi Yan to notice something's wrong and then bring people out to look for him and Madam Wen Yu. This... I'm afraid we'll have to wait a bit longer!
Song Linsheng lowered his head, a suspicious blush rising on his face. He stammered, "Not really... not..."
"Ouch!" Wen Yu pretended to be amazed, moved closer to Song Linsheng to check his expression, and her tone was a little exaggerated.
"What's wrong, Second Young Master?" Wen Yu saw Song Linsheng's face gradually turning red, but he asked knowingly, pretending to be confused.
"Second Young Master, are you shy?"
"Excuse me, Second Young Master!"
At this moment, not to mention this foundation pit, there are probably only the two of them in the area within a radius of ten miles, so it doesn't matter if Wen Yu says some funny things.
Strings of laughter slipped out from between her lips and teeth like sweet silver bells. Wen Yu couldn't help laughing and fell backwards with an exaggerated expression.
"Just...just laugh! It's still early, and there will always be a time when you...there will always be a time when you can't laugh anymore."
Now Xiyan is the only possibility for the two of them to be saved. Unfortunately, Xiyan stayed up all night last night, and after finishing Shumo's work this morning, he will probably have to sleep all day, and it is not certain when he will wake up.
Song Linsheng's momentum weakened. It was strange that whenever Song Linsheng was with Wen Yu, Song Linsheng's arrogance was always weaker, and Wen Yu always overshadowed him.
Wen Yu's smile gradually faded. Thinking back to the scene, she couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that you and I can only wait for Xi Yan to come today? I left home early this morning and saw no one on the street. There are so few people here, I'm even more afraid that we won't be able to meet each other."
Song Linsheng nodded in agreement, "Although Shangsi refers to the third day of March, the people of Jiangyang usually have three days off on March 3rd."
"During these three days, people stayed indoors, goods were not moved, and everyone in the city, young and old, regardless of their occupation, stayed at home to rest. Therefore, no one was seen on the streets."
Wen Yu nodded as she listened to Song Linsheng's explanation.
"Oh—I see." Wen Yu changed the subject, catching Song Linsheng off guard. "Then why did the Second Young Master leave the house so early in the morning without even telling the owner to wash his inkstone?"
"Why isn't the Second Young Master resting at home?"
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