Chapter 27 Tombstone Under Xiaoying's guidance, Zhao Hui came to the kitchen...
Under Xiaoying's guidance, Zhao Hui came to the kitchen.
As soon as I entered the door, a strong medicinal fragrance hit my nose.
In the mist, the back of a girl can be vaguely seen.
She was wearing a simple cotton gown, and her long, shiny black hair was loosely tied up, hanging naturally to her waist, swaying gently with her every subtle movement.
She held a wooden spoon tightly in her hand, stirring the herbs in the casserole continuously. Her skill and concentration made her completely unaware of the two people's arrival.
"Miss Tang."
Xiaoying beside her reminded softly.
Hearing the sound, Tang Suzi put down the wooden spoon, turned around and looked at the door, only to see Xiaoying and an elegant lady standing there.
She was confused, and then she heard Xiaoying's introduction.
"This is the Pavilion Master's mother, Madam Zhao."
Upon learning of his identity, Tang Suzi was slightly surprised.
It turns out that this is Fang Buyu's mother.
At this moment, she was looking at him with a gentle smile, making him feel noble and kind.
"Hello, Madam Zhao."
Tang Suzi bowed respectfully.
Zhao Hui quickly stepped forward and helped Tang Suzi up.
"You're welcome, Miss Tang. I'm sorry for the hard work you've put in taking care of me these days."
Tang Suzi shook his head slightly.
"It's not hard, it's what I should do."
Only when she got closer and took a closer look did Zhao Hui see Tang Suzi's face more clearly.
There was an indescribable elegance in her eyes and brows, like a mountain spring, pure and flawless, making people feel extremely comfortable.
But her cheeks were slightly red from the heat of the fire, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes, revealing a bit of fatigue.
Xiaoying also noticed this and quickly said,
"Miss Tang, you haven't had a rest for several days, right? Go back and rest, leave this to me."
Tang Suzi was a little hesitant.
"Miss Tang, go back and rest, we are here."
Zhao Hui patted Tang Suzi's shoulder gently and joined in the persuasion.
"Oh well,"
Tang Suzi pointed to the boiling medicine pot beside him.
"This pot of medicine will be ready in about half a quarter of an hour. Thank you for your help."
After Tang Suzi left, Zhao Hui asked Xiaoying casually,
"What is the relationship between this Miss Tang and Buyu?"
"oh,"
Xiaoying quickly answered,
"Miss Tang was rescued by the Pavilion Master two months ago. She had nowhere else to go, so the Pavilion Master let her live in the mansion."
"Oh? Is that all?"
Zhao Hui asked curiously.
"Um?"
Xiaoying looked confused.
Looking at Xiaoying's expression, Zhao Hui had no choice but to give up and decided to observe and explore it slowly in the future.
"Forget it, just get me a casserole."
While Xiaoying was getting the casserole, Zhao Hui took out the processed pigeons from the bamboo basket and gently washed them in clean water.
After Xiaoying prepared the casserole, she quickly said,
"Madam, let me do it."
Zhao Hui carefully drained the washed pigeons and set them aside.
"No need. I want to cook a pot of pigeon soup for Bu Yu myself. You just need to help me light the fire."
"Madam, you are so thoughtful. I believe that Pavilion Master will get better soon after drinking the pigeon soup."
Xiaoying praised from the side.
Zhao Hui responded with a smile and began to prepare the ingredients for stewing the pigeon.
She picked a few fresh green onion leaves from the bamboo basket, washed them and tied them into a knot. She also took a few pieces of old ginger, cut them into thin slices, and put them together with red dates and wolfberries in a small dish for later use.
When everything was ready, she put the pigeon into the casserole, added enough water to just cover the pigeon, and then slowly sprinkled the prepared ingredients into the pot.
As the fire lit, the pigeon and ingredients slowly blended in the casserole, and the aroma gradually spread throughout the kitchen.
Zhao Hui sat on a stool nearby, listening to the gurgling sound of the pot boiling, her eyes softened by the dancing flames of the stove.
She unconsciously recalled many things from the past.
She recalled her girlhood and her childhood sweetheart with Liu Mingzhong, who had privately made a lifelong vow to each other.
However, fate was cruel. Liu Mingzhong was sent to the palace due to family changes, and when she reached the age of 15, her family arranged for her to marry a local businessman.
In the first one or two years after their marriage, her husband was initially considerate to her, but unfortunately, she was unable to get pregnant.
When she went to see a doctor later, the doctor told them that she was born with a cold uterus and had difficulty conceiving.
From then on, the love between the couple gradually faded, and her husband's family's attitude towards her became increasingly cold.
Her husband began to bring in new wives from his second and third wives, and her position in the house became awkward and difficult.
After continuous cold treatment and humiliation, she finally couldn't bear it anymore, asked her husband for a divorce, and resolutely left the house.
She will never forget that day. When she stepped out of her husband's house, it suddenly started raining heavily and she was carrying only a lonely bag.
Indeed, she had never expected that after marrying into this family for many years and working hard for half her life, she would end up with only such a simple bag.
She hugged the bag tightly, trying to resist the heavy rain, but the rain still soaked her clothes.
She walked alone on the street, surrounded by dim lights and families reunited, but she found herself with nowhere to live.
At that moment, she broke down and squatted on the street corner, covering her face and crying.
After an unknown amount of time, the rain stopped.
She slowly raised her head.
In the hazy rain and fog, she saw a strange yet familiar face.
He was soaking wet, holding a large oil-paper umbrella, and leaning towards her.
It turns out that the rain didn't stop.
It was he who shielded her from the wind and rain.
Afterwards, Liu Mingzhong arranged accommodation for her and supported her in opening a silk shop to pass the time.
Due to the busy affairs in the palace, Liu Mingzhong rarely had time to visit her.
A woman living alone and a man who occasionally visits her will naturally attract some rumors.
One evening, after finishing her business for the day, she was on her way home from buying groceries, but was stopped by a drunk old man in the alley.
The old man spoke rudely to her and she struggled desperately but could not break free.
Just when she was in despair, a young man rushed out, bit the old man's arm tightly, and tried his best to pull the old man away from her, saving her from danger.
After escaping danger, she asked the boy's name.
He said his name was Fang Buyu.
Later she found out that he was an orphan from Zuiyue Tower.
But Zuiyue Tower was far away from where she lived, and she couldn't help but wonder how he could have happened to appear there and save her.
For a long time, the malice of the people around her made her extremely vigilant and she dared not approach strangers rashly.
But she couldn't help but take a detour to secretly see him occasionally.
Sometimes you can see him busy at the door of Zuiyue Tower.
Sometimes in the evening, you would see him squatting alone at the foot of the stairs of Zuiyue Tower, tearing at the veins of fallen leaves in a daze.
He looked like a stern young man and rarely smiled.
But once, she saw him sitting with a little girl and eating steamed buns. He looked at the little girl tenderly, his eyes curved like crescent moons.
At that moment, she discovered that he could laugh too.
It's good that his life isn't a completely dry swamp.
As the days passed, she loved the child more and more.
She had thought about adopting him, but then she felt that her own life was still unclear, so how could she talk about saving others?
Until an unexpected event completely changed her mind.
On their way home with Liu Mingzhong, they were unfortunately assassinated by Liu Mingzhong's enemy.
During the escape, Fang Buyu suddenly appeared and guided them to escape in other directions, while he himself went to divert the enemy.
Afterwards, she and Liu Mingzhong went to Zuiyue Tower to thank him, but learned that he had not returned for several days.
It was later learned that he had also been missing since the death of a friend of his.
She was extremely worried and tried to find out his whereabouts but to no avail.
Where could he be then? Could it be...?
Finally, she found out where Fang Buyu's friend was buried, and went to the cemetery with Liu Mingzhong.
When she arrived at the cemetery, the scene she saw was one she would never forget.
She saw the small figure leaning against the tombstone, with messy hair, sunken eye sockets, fingers stained with red mud, and blood.
The stone tablet next to it showed traces of manual chiseling mixed with blood, and was engraved with:
"God bless Zhou Tiao."
Zhao Hui slowly walked forward, squatted down, and stretched out her hand to him.
"Good boy, come home with me..."
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