Chapter 172 Chapter Sixteen Waiting for You to Come Back

Chu Qiao sat on the stone steps, looking at the sea of ​​clouds in the sky, the flowers in the courtyard were incomparably bright, red and yellow, very attractive. The waiter at the inn was sitting on a small stool, making tea very seriously.He was just a child of thirteen or fourteen years old, just at the age when he was young and escaped. Duoji and Ping An also sat beside him, chatting with him casually. Chu Qiao heard them talk about the scenery of Shuqiu in Sichuan, the ancient plank road in the hills of southern Xinjiang, the Cangjian Pavilion in Daxia, the Wuya Mountain in Biantang, and finally the heavy snow in Yanbei. The topic gradually became lively. After getting up, Jingjing also came out of the room, and while eating various candied fruit, poked her head and chatted with a few people.

Mei Xiang was sitting under the camphor tree, weaving a wreath, her fingers fluttering like butterflies, dazzlingly nimble. The sky gradually darkened, lights were lit in the yard, and the heat gradually dissipated.Jingjing asked the kitchen for several ice bowls, filled with various fruits, which were cool and very nice to look at. After all, it was the previous heavy rain that washed away the suspension bridge in front of Autumn Wind City, and the trip of Chu Qiao and others was delayed. They had to stay in Autumn Wind City for two days before they could continue their journey northward.

Now, they live in a small inn near the mountains and rivers. The entire inn is built on the mountainside, with ups and downs, well-proportioned, and lush trees. From a distance, it looks like a forest. Chu Qiao's room is located on a high rocky cliff, facing the west. The boss thinks he is an elegant person, because this place is next to Xizhao Mountain, so he named it Xizhao Courtyard. Every evening, the sunset here is extremely beautiful. . Zhuge Yue lives in the Guizang building next to him. Yesterday afternoon he sent his guards to help the government build the suspension bridge and ferry. It must be urgent and he needs to go back immediately.

It rained during the day, and it stopped in the afternoon. The leaves are green and the flowers are scattered, but they are even more charming. Chu Qiao was wearing a beige linen skirt, with an ebony hairpin on her head, her long black hair tied up in a bun, looking very refreshing and comfortable. The moon is very round tonight, Chu Qiao looked at the moon quietly, and suddenly remembered that the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, but this place does not celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This place calls the Mid-Autumn Festival the White Moon Festival, which comes from a song that Chu Qiao once heard in the army.The song sang about a man who rode out to fight for many years, from a soldier to a corporal, from a corporal to a general, and finally he returned home after the battle, only to find that the house at home had collapsed , his wife was snatched away by others, his parents and son were starved to death, his bones were turned into ashes, and there was not even a grave.

She still remembers the last sentence in the song: The moon shines on my soul, urging you to return home early. Since then, the White Moon Festival has become a reunion festival. People are advised to cherish family members, not to ignore family affection for the sake of immediate gains and losses, and regret it when it is irretrievable. The moon shines on my soul, urging you to return home early... "sounds so good." Mei Xiang stopped Ying Luo in her hand, turned her head to look at Chu Qiao, said with a smile, "I've never heard Miss sing before." Chu Qiao was taken aback for a moment, and then realized that she had hummed unknowingly.

"This is really a good song. Miss, can you understand the meaning of this song now?" Chu Qiao tilted her head slightly: "Mei Xiang really likes to reason with others recently." "I haven't read a book, and what I know is the simplest truth. How can it compare to Miss's knowledge?" Mei Xiang chuckled, and then said: "But sometimes, the more you know, the more confused your mind will be. , but will ignore some very simple truths.” "Day after day, year after year, I go up to the beams of the house, look at the village road, but I still don't see Fulang. Fulang protects the frontier, outsiders kick the door and wall, children have no clothes, parents are hungry. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and the soldiers are not there. In the village, the evil village head is the king of the earth. There is a slight wind and rain, the cold snow piles up the broken house, and the moon shines on my soul, urging you to return to the hometown as soon as possible."

The smile on Mei Xiang's face was very peaceful, leaning against the tree and humming quietly, some petals fell and hit the wreath in her hand, and the white light of the moon fell on her fingers, like curved butterfly wings. At this time, a flute suddenly sounded faintly in the distance.The distance is too far, the sound of the flute is slightly ethereal, there is a kind of lingering, occasionally in the high place, but it is not lost, three times and nine turns, curling like smoke, empty and long, don't have a magnanimous feeling. Pingan and the others were still chatting, but when they heard the sound of the flute, they suddenly stopped talking. Duoji sat up straight, his eyes filled with admiration. Quiet look.

Mei Xiang stood up, turned her head, and went back to the room. When she came out again, she held a beige cloak and lightly draped it on Chu Qiao's shoulders. It's time to rest now. The backyard of this inn is very beautiful, and the moonlight is just right tonight, so you might as well go out for a walk, miss." Chu Qiao turned her head away, only to see Mei Xiang looking at her with a faint smile, with hints of encouragement and encouragement in her eyes. "Mei Xiang..." Chu Qiao wanted to say something, but couldn't say it after all. Mei Xiang said: "Miss, Mei Xiang doesn't understand anything, I don't understand the world's righteousness, beliefs and beliefs. I just hope that Miss can live happily. You are a good person. That song should not be sung for you."

The moonlight shone on Chu Qiao's face, she was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help thinking of the second half of the song: The green mountains are cold and hot, the snow is drifting, the king does not know the way back, and the world is boundless.The child died of the plague, the parents had no rice soup, and the concubine had to sell herself in exchange for living food.Husband has ambitions, unwilling to be poor and lowly. He has been looking forward to the king's return for ten years, and his temples are stained with frost.There are many entanglements in the world, years of water and sorrow, don't ask for great wealth and honor, poor and humble share a bed.

"Mei Xiang, go get that light green one." Mei Xiang was taken aback for a moment, and looked at her hesitantly. But she suddenly laughed, stood up and said: "The whole day is either white or black, like a funeral." The moonlight shines all the way, she walked quietly, all the years past slipped in her mind one by one, like a row of flying egrets, flying meandering through the world of ink painting and calligraphy.Everything that was fierce or gray or rich or vast and bleak gradually settled in the bottom of my heart, turning into a puddle of water and gradually freezing into ice.

Enmity, fetters, hatred, entanglement, help, hand in hand, life and death, reunion, struggle, joy, parting, loss... Every time she took a step, a picture, a landscape would appear in front of her eyes, and each painting carried too many heavy things.There are national hatred, personal grievances, debts and wrongs, persistent thoughts, years of repression and forbearance, and fierce and circling attempts to break through the shackles. So many emotions filled the bottom of my heart, and they were finally pierced one by one by the plain and straightforward lyrics, and spread out fiercely along the fingertips. She is Yi Wang Bihu, who uses reason and calmness to form a thin layer of ice for herself, suppressing all the emotions she feels are wrong. One year, two years, many years. There is a small pavilion on a secluded pool in the back mountain. The wooden pavilion has been a bit dilapidated, but the boss planted a few Duruo and wisteria under the pavilion with great care. The small flower discs climbed up along the vines. , winding the pillars round and round, adding a bit of elegance and tranquility. The moonlight shone faintly in the blue deep pool in front, and a full moon sprinkled in the middle of the water waves, a snow-white round. Zhuge Yue was dressed in a lavender gown, sitting casually on the steps under the pavilion, with one leg bent and the other straight, his back leaning against a peeling pillar, a few strands of black hair slipped from his temples and fell on his face.His appearance is still very handsome, holding a turquoise bamboo flute in his hand, playing a very beautiful tune.There is no obsession with resentment, no lofty ambition of Lingyun, just like a country ballad played by an ordinary boy, sometimes light and sometimes soothing, with the mischievous Du Ruoxiang wandering around him, like a naughty child. Chu Qiao stood there quietly, without making a sound, the wind blew through her light green cloak, and the tulle floated like willow branches in early spring. She seems to have never looked at him so carefully. The years have been rough, and many years have passed. She used to feel sorry for herself and felt how unfortunate she was, but now that she thinks about it, at least she is much luckier than the general sung in that song.The house hasn't collapsed, the relatives haven't died, but the one she loves is still standing where she is. As long as she is willing to turn around, she can get into his hands. Even though he was separated by thousands of miles and the world couldn't tolerate him, he still walked firmly to today step by step, using his rare willfulness and stubbornness to break through the confinement again and again, propping up a clear sky for her to hide from. With the icy smile in her heart, she seemed to hear the edifice of reason collapse, and she said to herself: Maybe, I can be willful once. After all, she hasn't been willful for many years. The sound of the flute stopped suddenly, and the man turned his head slantingly, seeing the woman in green standing quietly under the osmanthus tree, slightly lost in thought. "How did you come?" "You are allowed to come, but I am not allowed?" Chu Qiao smiled, walked over, kicked Zhuge Yue's leg, and said, "Get out of the way." The man retracted his legs, and she took advantage of the opportunity to sit down.The white and bright waves of the deep pool reflected on her face, like broken pearls, full of leisurely. "Zhuge Yue, the suspension bridge will be repaired tomorrow, so you're going back to Daxia, right?" Zhuge Yue nodded, looked at her in surprise, and said, "What's wrong?" "Then when are you coming to see me?" A trace of surprise flashed through the man's eyes, but he was a little strange, looking her up and down, as if she had some conspiracy. "Do you want to wait for Emperor Xia to die? Or do you have to wait for Zhao Che to ascend the throne? When the time comes, will you be able to return home intact?" Chu Qiao sat on the stone steps with her knees bent, the hat behind the cloak drooped on her back, slightly protruding, hugging her snow-white neck.Her chin rested on her knees, her eyes were looking at the pool in front of her, she suddenly turned her head and said, "Zhuge Yue, let me sing a song for you." The woman's eyes are very clear, not the sorrow of knowing the world. She looked at him quietly and smiled quietly, just like many times in the dream. There were no other impurities in the eyes, no other people's eyes. Shadow, only him. He forgot how he nodded, and saw her happily resting her cheeks on her hands, the moonlight drawing a beautiful arc on her face.Her voice was very soft, like the waves of fine sand, piercing through the tranquility of the night little by little, and walking into his heart leisurely. Long, long ago, you owned me, I owned you, long, long ago, you left me to fly far away.The outside world is wonderful, but the outside world is very helpless. When you think the outside world is wonderful, I will sincerely bless you here.Whenever the sun goes down, I am always here looking forward to you.Although it is raining in the sky, I still wait for your return date. Along with the night wind, the singing echoed quietly in the courtyard full of Du Ruo's fragrance, Chu Qiao turned her head, her eyes were so clear.She stretched out her hand, and approached Zhuge Yue's hand very carefully, not like any other time in the past, just like a girl in love for the first time, her nervous fingertips trembled a little bit, little by little. Yes, lightly touched the back of the man's hand, and then gently squeezed his fingers with his fingers, only to see that it was so cold, like water in a secluded pool. Zhuge Yue turned his head to look at her, with a stunned expression.The night wind blew between them, and the fragrance of the flower buds in the pavilion was overwhelming. They sat on the steps like children, holding hands, and no one spoke first. They have always been opposites, and once the battle is in a straight line, they seem to be a little confused about their positions. Zhuge Yue wanted to laugh, but he felt that he must not laugh at this time. He frowned seriously, and the expression on his face was very thought-provoking. After letting go of her knots, Chu Qiao became very natural. She took his hand and asked with wide eyes, "Zhuge Yue, how is Qinghai?" "Huh?" The man froze for a moment, then said, "It's okay." "Is that pretty?" Someone replied in a very unromantic way: "There are a few places that are not bad." "Is it cold in Qinghai?" "It's not cold in summer, but it's cold in winter." Chu Qiao said hopefully, "The people there must be very simple." "Are you stupid? There aren't many bad guys? The world is as black as crows. Who has no selfish motives?" "Ah?" Chu Qiao finally frowned: "Then Qinghai is not very good." "When did I say that place is ready?" Chu Qiao was speechless, is this what a man said before he wanted to elope with a woman? "But there's one thing that's nice about that place." Chu Qiao asked: "What's the matter?" Zhuge Yue smiled smugly: "I have the final say on that place." Zhuge Yue laughed a few times to himself, but when he found that no one praised him, he stopped in depression. "Xing'er, since when?" Chu Qiao was slightly taken aback, then turned her head and asked, "What did you say?" Zhuge Yue was silent for a moment, as if it was difficult to speak, his brows slowly wrinkled, and he said after a long time, "Since when did you stop hating me?" "Who says no hate?" Chu Qiao groaned angrily, gesticulating with her head with her fist and said, "I've written it all down here." Zhuge Yue glanced at her with disdain: "Duplicity." The moon lightly illuminates everything below. In fact, many times, some things only need a few words and a small action, but it takes so many years to get to this step. The osmanthus tree swayed, and the man's fingers naturally turned around, holding the woman's cold fingers in his palm. So many years of hard work, so many years of persistence, it seems that they are only waiting for this one action. He turned his head away, and grinned happily at an angle that no one else could see. On the second day, the suspension bridge was finally repaired. They left Qiufeng City, crossed the Muling River by water, and then went ashore to Qiusha County, where they were about to part ways. The two teams of carriages stopped in place, Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao stood at the front of the team, the weather was clear and blue. Zhuge Yue looked at the north coolly and said, "I'm leaving." "Oh," Chu Qiao nodded, "Let's go." "Stop fooling around with Li Ce, and go back to your inn when you have nothing to do." "Who fooled around?" Chu Qiao frowned. "Humph……" "Zhuge Yue, we are about to separate, we all restrain ourselves and make a good impression on each other." Zhuge Yue hummed awkwardly: "I have never had a good impression of you." Chu Qiao went up to pinch him angrily: "Are you still human? Do you still have humanity? Who was crying and begging me?" Chu Qiao's pinching was very painful, Zhuge Yue was also angry: "My surname is Chu, when did I cry and beg you?" are not there? Chu Qiao thought about it, and it seems that there is no such thing. But the actions are similar, why do you have such an indifferent attitude after you succeed?Besides, it's not considered a success now, is it? She gave him a hard look: "just pretend." The cold war went on for a while, and they looked at each other angrily, and the original sadness of parting gradually faded away. After all, it's one step closer, isn't it? At the very least, it's already natural to joke around. "I'm serious." Zhuge Yue suddenly said seriously, "Stop messing around with Li Ce, and don't meddle in Bian Tang's state affairs. I find that you, a woman, like to meddle too much." have a finger in the pie? Chu Qiao stared at him, and said very unhappy: "I just wanted to remind him before." "What about now? What are you going to do?" Chu Qiao said angrily: "Aren't you going to leave? I'll go say goodbye to him." it's time to go?Where are you going? Zhuge Yue's mood suddenly improved a lot. He cleared his throat somewhat unnaturally, and then said: "Anyway, you should pay attention, Li Ce's bastard is not a good thing." Chu Qiao shook her head, and said with emotion: "The so-called demolishing the bridge after crossing the river is probably talking about people like you." "What did you say?" Zhuge Yue was really going to become angry, Chu Qiao raised her hand, with an expression of unwillingness to be like him: "You don't want to leave, it will be dark in a while, if you don't leave, I will leave. " After dawdling for a long time, Zhuge Yue suddenly took out a white jade bell from his bosom, which looked ordinary, raised it to her mouth and said, "Sing me that song you sang last night again." Chu Qiao was taken aback, and asked, "Why?" Zhuge Yue's face suddenly turned red, he was actually very cute, he frowned and said, "There are so many reasons, if you are told to sing, you can sing." "Singing also requires mood. I'm in a bad mood right now and don't want to sing." Zhuge Yue stared at her with murderous eyes that he had practiced for many years, and he didn't look away for a long time. Chu Qiao felt a little guilty after being watched by him, and said softly: "There are so many people watching, and when I sing, they all listen. I can't be a man anymore." Reluctantly accepting her explanation, Zhuge Yue said, "Then you say something to it." "Say what?" The man almost gritted his teeth and said, "Whatever!" Chu Qiao immediately yelled at the bell: "Zhuge Yue is a bastard!" The voice was so loud that even the many followers below gave it sideways glances. Zhuge Yue was furious, turned around and left.Seeing that the joke was getting too big, Chu Qiao hurriedly took a step forward, grabbed his hand, and said to the little bell, "Remember, I'm waiting for you." Just one sentence lowered the man's anger. In fact, he is really a very coaxable person. "What is this?" Chu Qiao touched it a few times in wonder, only to feel that it looked like stone but not stone, like jade but not jade, and the workmanship was very fine. It took the shape of a bell, but inside it was twisted and twisted, like a human ear. Zhuge Yue ignored her, and just said, "Let's go, it's just a matter of time." Is he still reasonable? The two walked into the team, and finally they were about to leave, Chu Qiao couldn't help telling her in a very serious way: "Be careful in everything." Zhuge Yue waved his hands calmly, and got on the horse very calmly. He looked lonely and arrogant, indifferent like water, and looked superior: "Remember what I said." After all, he walked away surrounded by a group of guards. The figure gradually faded away, but Chu Qiao still stood there without reacting. Jingjing leaned forward, looking obsessed, and murmured: "Sister, brother-in-law is so cruel." Duoji frowned, not wanting to listen, and said in a deep voice: "Jingjing, don't talk nonsense." "Just say it!" Jingjing turned her head and stared at him, grimacing and shouting, "You're mad at you!" "Duoji, do you know what this is?" Chu Qiao frowned and asked, describing the appearance of Zhuge Yue's little bell. Duoji frowned slightly, thought for a while, and then said: "Miss, if you read correctly, it should be the legendary Xiangzhi Bell. It is recorded in ancient books that it is one of the three great treasures of the Southwest Fengyu Clan. The people of the Fengyu tribe have exquisite craftsmanship and are proficient in mechanical secrets. This familiar bell was made by the eighth generation head of the Fengyu tribe. It is said that as long as you speak loudly to the mouth of the bell, the sound will be preserved by the bell. Once it is blown by the wind , the sound will be repeated, and the tone of the tone will not change. It's just that the whereabouts of the Fengyu tribe have always been secretive. No one has heard of them for many years. The acquaintance bell has long been lost. Where is the lady looking This bell has arrived, can you hear the bell speak?" Chu Qiao was slightly stunned. The horseshoes in the distance had long since disappeared, leaving only a line of dust flying on the plank road. "Acquaintance Bell?" Zhuge Yue abandoned his cart and rode his horse, and now he was approaching the border of Great Xia, and the people who came to meet him were right ahead, and they no longer carefully concealed themselves. The weather was very warm and there was no wind, but when the horse started to run, there was still a slight breeze blowing over, sweeping the bell around his neck. "Remember, I'm waiting for you." The woman's low murmur was gentle and lingering, and it rang softly in her ears, like a pool of clear lake water, quietly engulfing the dust like smoke.The corners of his mouth could not help but twitch slightly, but before the smile could reach his eyes, another voice suddenly pierced: Zhuge Yue is a bastard! The sound was so loud that all the guards who were galloping on their horses were startled, they stopped their horses in horror and all looked at him suspiciously. Zhuge Yue's face was as ugly as it was in an instant. On the post road to the east, in the green cloth carriage, Chu Qiao was still thinking hard: "Isn't that like a tape recorder?" "Sister, what's the tape recorder?" Jingjing leaned forward, blinking her eyes and asking.Since meeting Zhuge Yue, the little girl was in a very good mood, and her relationship with Chu Qiao immediately returned to the previous intimacy. After hearing this, Chu Qiao explained to her enthusiastically: "This tape recorder..." Mei Xiang sat at the other end of the carriage, looked at Chu Qiao who was explaining the principle of the tape recorder to Jingjing, and couldn't help smiling. In fact, life is like this a lot of times, the authorities are obsessed, and the bystanders are clear. Many things are not as complicated as imagined, but because of some obsessions in the heart, they stubbornly stick to it and waste good time. No matter how smart a person is, as long as things are If it happens to yourself, you will also be at a loss. Sometimes, as long as you step out, everything in the future will change drastically. "The road has not gone to the end, maybe there will be other changes, are you afraid?" The wind blew across the clear water of the Youtan, drawing a shallow ripple. She leaned her head gently on his shoulder, and the fragrance of Du Ruo slowly wafted in. Her voice was very low, as if she had broken through all the hesitation in her heart, and gradually condensed into three short words: "I Don't be afraid." He smiled softly, put his arms around her waist, and sat there until dawn.