Chapter 4 Chapter Two

After all, it was already spring, and despite the cold wind, when the sun came out, my body was still warm. Yan Wei walked happily on the way out of the city, the spring grass should have sprouted, and the first herb-picking season of the year has come again. "Miss Wei! In such a hurry, where are you going?" Hearing this voice, Yan Wei turned around slowly with an uncomfortable expression on her face. A woman in her fifties, dressed in gorgeous clothes, twisted her fat waist, walked over quickly, raised her hand and said, "Ouch! I was planning to go to your house to look for you, but I just happened to meet you here!"

Yan Wei said impatiently, "It's Wu Hou, what's the matter?" The woman called Wu Hou clapped her hands and said, "It's a good thing to find you. The River God Festival will be held in two days. How about you playing the role of the River God Empress this year?" Yan Wei asked curiously, "Didn't they all play the role of Lu Jin in previous years?" Wu Heng said: "Don't mention her soon, I don't know when, I secretly got pregnant with others, this river god empress must be a virgin, you know..." Yan Wei's eyes widened in surprise: "What?! Lu Jin is pregnant? Why didn't I know?"

Wu Hou wondered: "Aren't you two very close? Why, she didn't even tell you? Don't look at this girl who is usually gentle and quiet, but she has big ideas in her heart!" Yan Wei lowered her head and thought back, since Li Qichen came, she was busy treating his injuries, plus she was too lazy to go out in the cold winter, and she and Lu Jin were indeed getting estranged gradually, so she hadn't seen each other for three months. Wu Hou continued to babble there: "This girl is not very good at doing things. She just said she was pregnant at this juncture, and there are only three or five days left. Let me find someone temporarily, after thinking about it. , and you are the most suitable!"

Yan Wei scoffed, "Where am I suitable? I'm not as pretty as Miss Lu Jin." Wu Hou patted her thigh and said with a smile: "Miss Wei, you! You are too careless about your appearance. Your facial features are extremely delicate. If you put on a light layer of powder and touch your upper lip, you don't know how beautiful you are!" "As he spoke, he looked Yan Wei up and down, and clicked his tongue, as if he saw something delicious. Yan Wei said impatiently: "I'm too lazy to do this, I have other things to do!" After saying that, she turned around and wanted to leave.

Wu Hou hurriedly tugged on Yan Wei's sleeve, and said, "Hey! Listen to me! To pretend to be the goddess of the river, the appearance is second, and the key is to have good water quality. Although the river god sacrifice was before Lingxun, but some years Ling Xun came early, so it is still a little dangerous. A girl died more than ten years ago, and the king was furious, so nothing can happen again!" Yan Wei said: "I'm not the only girl with good water skills, you can find someone else." Wu Hou said with a smile: "You have to be good at water, you have to be upright, you have to be an unmarried virgin, and you can't be too young. A girl who is too young will not look good in the dress of the Goddess of the River! On the day of the River God Sacrifice, all the princes and nobles will come to watch the ceremony, even if the king does not come, he will send a son to come..."

Yan Wei opened her mouth to interrupt her: "Yo! The co-author is here to make fun of me that I can't get married!" Wu Hou smiled apologetically and said, "My good girl, you've thought too much. You thought it was a good thing, but Lu Jin also said that you are suitable, so I came to you. It's great to play the goddess of the river, overnight It is famous in the whole city, and those who propose marriage the next day will break through the threshold!" Yan Wei sneered and said, "I don't need you to worry about my life's major event!" Wu Hou slapped her face with her right hand and said, "Look at my stinky mouth, I only say things that girls don't like to hear! You didn't do this for nothing. Ten buckets of grain, two horses of silk, and If you have the clothes of the Goddess of the River, they are all yours! The clothes are Jiang Guo's silk and Jiang Guo's embroidery, you can't buy them even if you have money!"

After hearing this, Yan Wei was a little moved, and said, "Then Lu Jin has been the Empress of the River God for two years, so she already has two sets of clothes?" Wu Hou smiled and said: "That's not true! Every year I go to Jiangguo to order a new one! Previously, the empresses of the River God all kept this dress as their wedding dress. It is the most auspicious. This crimson water is as endless as ever!" Seeing that Yan Wei didn't answer, Wu Hou continued: "Aside from grain and silk, there are other rewards from the king or son! Your father has been away from home for more than a year, right? You also have a sick person in your family, and the livelihood must be It is also difficult, after all, there are not many people who will go to you to see a doctor..."

Yan Wei sneered and said: "Hmph! Of course, if my father is not here now, there will naturally be more people like you witches seeking medical treatment. If my father is here, you will have to drink the northwest wind!" Wu Hou smiled apologetically and said, "Your father Yan Changchu is a genius doctor, so of course we can't compare with him. I think he was still a doctor! But those are all old things before you were born. It's far away, Miss Wei, think about it carefully. It's true that you should come down, you can benefit yourself, and there is nothing dangerous about it, if I find a girl of twelve or thirteen years old, if something happens to you, you will have a bad conscience, isn't that the reason?"

Yan Wei sneered, and said with a sneer: "You witches have always claimed to be knowledgeable, laughing at us doctors who only cure diseases and save people. You not only know how to cure diseases, but also know astronomy and geography. You can do calculations and pray for rain. Qi Qing, just figure out if there will be flood waters on the day of the River God Festival, and if there will be any danger!" Wu Hou smiled awkwardly: "Yes, yes... We just eat and drink, so there is no such thing as a hundred trials... Do you think this is a good job? How many things have happened in the history of sacrifices? ? In the accident more than ten years ago, three people died. Do you take it as a joke? Sigh!"

Yan Wei said: "Since it's so dangerous, I'd better not do it." After speaking, she turned to leave. Wu Hou hurriedly opened her arms to block her: "Ouch! My good girl, she is really not dangerous at all. More than ten years ago, the river god sacrifices used rafts that were only a few cases in size, and there was a bad custom at that time. If the river god's wife fell into the water It means that it was taken away by the God of the river, and no one was allowed to save it. After that, the king changed the rules. The raft was big and stable, and it floated down the river. With less than one mile of water, even if there is an accident, you can easily handle it with your water skills, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Lu Jin, her water skills are far worse than yours, so don’t worry about it!”

Yan Wei pondered for a while, and said, "Okay! I'll go ask Lu Jin, and I'll get back to you later." Wu Houxi said: "You have to hold on tight. If you don't agree, I have to find someone else. If you agree, you have to try on the clothes first, learn etiquette, and understand the etiquette. What if you are in front of the king? If something goes wrong, I won’t be able to keep my head.” Yan Wei said impatiently: "It's so long-winded, I'll go to Lu Jin's house first, and I'll talk to you before dark, can't I?" Then she turned around and headed north. This is a small courtyard in the north of the city. Jujube trees and Chinese toon trees are planted in the small courtyard, and the curved ruler-shaped hall and two rooms are clean and tidy. Warm sunlight pours in through the flower windows, coating the interior with a golden orange color.A charcoal brazier was burning underground, faintly exuding the fragrance of cinnamon.Sitting on the bed was a woman with a beautiful face, her skin was as white as transparent, and she was wrapped in layers of clothes, making her look even more lonely and pitiful. Yan Wei said in shock: "Lu Jin! I haven't seen you for a few days, why have you lost so much weight?" Lu Jin felt a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry...Yan Wei, you already know, right? It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I have been in poor health, afraid of the cold, too lazy to go out..." Yan Wei: "Yes! I just rushed over after hearing what Wu Hou said. What's going on? Tell me!" Lu Jin put down the work she was doing—it was a baby's blouse, she lowered her head and said softly, "It's nothing... I met you during the Twelfth Moon Festival, it's just... that..." The voice was so low that it was almost inaudible. Yan Wei said anxiously: "Hey! Then why didn't he marry you?!" Lu Jin twiddled the hem of his clothes, and said in a low voice: "It was just the beginning of the first month, and he left as a soldier. I heard that he was going to Changyan Pass on the border of Jiang Country... There are three brothers in his family, and he travels three times. You know, A family of three members, according to the law, he must be a soldier..." Yan Wei said: "Then I should let you go through the door first." Lu Jin said: "Nagina has already conscripted, but the time is too tight, there is no time to get married..." Yan Wei breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Oh... so that's the case, then why don't you live in your husband's house?" Lu Jin said: "He lost his mother when he was young, his elder brother and second elder brother haven't married yet, and his family is a bit poorer, all of them are men, so it's a lot of inconvenience... Plus I'm very sick, mother said it's better for her to take care of me ..." Yan Wei said urgently: "Since you are not feeling well, why didn't you come to me?" She pulled Lu Jin's wrist to feel her pulse. Lu Jin raised her head and smiled softly: "Actually, there is nothing wrong with it, it's just nausea and can't eat. There should be no medicine for nausea, right?" Yan Wei waved her hand to tell her not to speak, then pulled the other hand to feel her pulse, pondered for a while and said, "It's nothing serious, but it's not good for the fetus if you're always so thin." Lu Jin smiled and said, "It's okay, it will be fine after a while." Yan Wei said: "I'll give you some medicine in two days. It's warming and nourishing, and it can also regulate the intestines and stomach. It will have some effect." Lu Jin held Yan Wei's hand and said with a smile, "Then I will trouble you." Yan Wei looked up at Lu Jin's neck, and said in surprise, "Where's your jade?" Lu Jin smiled and said, "Of course he took it away..." Yan Wei was a little annoyed, and said angrily: "You know, this protective jade should not be taken off since I was a child, otherwise I will lose my protection, especially if you are pregnant..." Lu Jin smiled and patted the back of Yan Wei's hand: "It might be dangerous for him to go to the border, so why not let him wear it? Besides, he gave me his protective jade too!" A sash with a tiger-shaped variegated jade pendant tied on it. Yan Wei asked: "Will there be a war with Jiang Guo?" Lu Jin said: "It's hard to say... Your Majesty's obsession is to capture Jiang Guo. In the past two years, the north has been considered stable. It is estimated that the conquest of Jiang Guo will start again. I heard that the number of soldiers recruited this time is also higher than in previous years. And all of them are going to Changyan Pass..." For Jiang Guo, Yan Wei had no feelings at all, and she didn't take it seriously when she asked casually.He just played with the piece of jade over and over again, and said with a smile: "Hey...this jade is not worth as much as your piece of jade, you are at a disadvantage!" Lu Jin also laughed happily, pointing to her belly and said, "Where am I at a disadvantage? There's still a villain here!" Yan Wei said: "To be serious, that Wu Hou begged me to act as this year's Goddess of the River, do you think I should agree to her?" Lu Jin said: "Why didn't you agree? After a day of relaxation, the rewards received are equivalent to half a year's income of ordinary people, and you can still wear beautiful clothes, attracting everyone's attention, what a sight!" Yan Wei said, "Is there no danger?" Lu Jin said: "It's not that you haven't ridden that kind of raft before. The only difference is that you can't pole during the river god sacrifice. You have to separate your feet one after the other, and use the force of the water. As long as you keep the raft well and don't overturn, Just go down the river." Yan Wei turned her head and thought for a moment, clapped her hands together, and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll go back to Wuhou right now, and I'll try to pretend to be the Goddess of the River, is it fun?" Lu Jin looked at Yan Wei with a smile, her eyes were full of doting, she was a mother after all, she seemed to have grown up a lot all of a sudden. Yan Wei went to Uncle Meng's first, handed over the errands for Li Qichen, and came out from Wu Hou's again, it was already dark.The sky was slightly windy, Yan Wei wrapped her clothes tightly, hurried home, bypassed the main gate of the inner city "Yingmen", and turned a street corner, and she was home.Just as she was turning a corner, she suddenly felt a black figure passing by behind her, and she broke out in a cold sweat.When I looked back, was there anyone there?