Chapter 72 touch the truth

"Msister, it's getting late. You must be tired after drinking for a long time. After washing your face, go to bed early!" Dong Xiaowan brought a copper basin of hot water and said with a smile on her face.At this moment, the banquet in the shabby house in the East Wing was over, and the couple returned to the West Wing where they usually slept. Mao Xiang didn't make a sound. "Hey, I've scared the concubine today." Dong Xiaowan put the washbasin on the low stool, and said to himself, "I've never seen the master like this, drank so much wine, Still so angry."

Mao Xiang sat down on a chair, still silent. Dong Xiaowan looked at him, then walked to the couch made of door panels, took a broken fan, and began to shake the bed to put the pillow on, while saying: "Mr. The trip is not easy, so why don't you give him a ride? However, Xianggong's illness is just right, so it's not suitable to go far away, or let Maocheng send him a ride on behalf of Xianggong!" After saying this, she found that Mao Xiang hadn't responded, so she came over, looked at her husband with wide eyes, and asked with concern: "Sir, why don't you talk? Could it be that you are not refreshed?" Then she stretched out her hand, To probe Maoxiang's forehead.

"No!" Mao Xiang shook his head to avoid her. "So……" Mao Xiang glanced at her, then turned his eyes back to the original place, and said coldly: "You haven't sung enough, do you still want to sing? Then you can sing! If you feel that you are not enjoying yourself here, you can Go back to the Qinhuai River! There, you can sing as you like! Even if you sing until dawn, no one will stop you!" Dong Xiaowan blinked her eyes, but she didn't seem to be able to react: "Sir, what are you talking about?" "I said, if you feel that singing here is not enough, go back to your Qinhuai River!" Maoxiang raised her voice.

At first, Dong Xiaowan looked at her husband in feigned surprise.But when she found that this method was not enough to relieve Mao Xiang's sharp edge, her eyes became dim, and finally, she lowered her head wordlessly and walked away slowly.However, after a while, she turned around resolutely and put on a smiling face again: "Oh, so my husband is still angry about this? In fact, I don't want to sing at all. But the master..." "Don't push the master!" Mao Xiang stood up and said explosively, "The master is drunk! But are you drunk too? You didn't drink, and you weren't drunk, but when you heard If you want to sing a song, you are so happy that you have not lost your soul! You are singing and crying, singing one song is not enough, and you want to sing a second song! Let me ask you, who are you now? Or A whore who sings on the Qinhuai River? Ah? Tell me! Are you still a whore on the Qinhuai River? Ah!"

Gritting his teeth, Mao Xiang questioned and reprimanded. Obviously, if he was not worried about being heard by the parents in the upper room and the guests in the lower room, his voice would have been louder.But in any case, letting the concubine come on stage to sing songs for the guests deeply hurt his self-esteem.If he had no choice but to submit to his father's strict orders just now, then at this moment, he couldn't help pouring out all his anger on the hateful and shameless concubine. Dong Xiaowan's smile froze.An expression mixed with despair, grievance and pain appeared from her increasingly pale face.In the end, she blankly retreated to the side of the bed, and sat down slumped.

"Hmph, if you are really a whore who sings, you don't have to worry about it, then you can sing well, and I have nothing to do with it! But if that's the case, you shouldn't marry me in the first place! Since you are a dead beggar If you marry in vainly, then even if you are pretending, you have to pretend to be worthy of this family! You know, even if you are shameless, I, Mao Xiang, will be shameless!" Mao Xiang cursed harder and harder.But Dong Xiaowan is clearly very experienced, so she never speaks back.It was only when her husband raised his voice unconsciously that she secretly looked out the window worriedly.

This somewhat reminded Maoxiang, although he was unwilling, he had to lower his voice.However, he thought of the rest of the family, and he said angrily, "You have been in the house for more than three years, but someone in the family always treats you as a bitch. You feel wronged, so wronged to death! But how do you Don't think about it, if you want people to stop waiting for you, you have to make a show yourself! Like tonight, I have repeatedly stopped you for you, but you just don't wake up at all, still like It’s like being flattered by the sky, and I still want to sing. What’s this called? This is called being born low, and the mud can’t stick to the wall!”

These last two sentences, Mao Xiang gritted his teeth and said them, they were sharp and cold like knives, they could kill people.However, Dong Xiaowan suddenly raised his head, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.But when she met her husband's menacing gaze, she quickly lowered her neck knowing she was guilty. It was at this moment that Mao Xiang's anger calmed down a bit.Although his mouth was still open and some harsh words were still rolling in his throat, when his gaze fell on Dong Xiaowan's resigned posture and that sharp and haggard face, he finally hesitated for a moment and swallowed the words that came to his lips down.Finally, he turned around, walked towards the washbasin on the low stool, and said angrily, "It's my father's idea tonight's matter, so it's understandable. But from now on, you can You have to pay attention to me! If you are so self-willed and degrading again, I won't spare you as lightly as today!"

After finally warning the concubine, he bent down and began to wash his hands. Unexpectedly, Dong Xiaowan raised her head suddenly, with tears in her eyes, she smiled excitedly and said, "Master, why don't you scold me anymore? If you scold me again, I like to hear it!" Mao Xiang couldn't help being startled, and raised his head from the washbasin: "You like——I scold you?" "yes!" "why?" "Because, because my husband no longer treats me like a whore! I really like me, I like me!" Dong Xiaowan said sincerely.Under the light, her face looked strangely bright, comfortable and serene.

Originally, seeing the concubine still laughing after being reprimanded, Mao Xiang raised his eyebrows in annoyance.Suddenly, hearing the other party say such a sentence, his heart trembled and he choked.After a while, he slowly straightened his waist, and felt a hot current rising from between his chest and diaphragm.It was a distant, poignant heat.After a long time, he turned around, looked at the concubine silently and deeply, and finally sighed. "Ah, my husband, don't be so sad!" Dong Xiaowan said excitedly, "Since I joined my husband, although An Sheng's life is not long, but that sweetness, that sweetness, I will remember it for the rest of my life." In my heart!"

Mao Xiang raised his head, looked at the oil lamp on the table, and murmured, "Ah, do you still remember?" "Remember, remember!" Dong Xiaowan nodded vigorously, "I still remember that when Mr. Liu Yuzhong was entrusted by Uncle Qian Dazong to send me to Rugao, I waited in the boat for a long time, but I didn't see my husband coming. Then I was very surprised. Later, a group of maids and mothers suddenly came and surrounded me ashore, and I felt even more frightened. Later, when I arrived at a single-family house, I saw that there were hangings, lamps, utensils, food and beverages, and everything was complete. I asked why. Because, it turned out that grandma arranged for someone to arrange it, and a stone in my heart fell to the ground immediately, knowing that I have really met a good family!" Mao Xiang nodded: "That day was because my father held a banquet in the flower hall to entertain Huang Taichong. I hadn't told my father about marrying you at that time, so I couldn't get away for a while—but, after you came, I remember that it took a full month. , you don’t play, you don’t sing, you don’t paint your eyebrows, you just embroider flowers and chant Buddha all day long, just like a little nun!” "Ah, in my heart at that time, it was as if I had escaped from a thousand hectares of fire and fell into the cool and cool world. When I thought of the five years of prostitution in Xiangshi, it was like a hellish nightmare, and my heart trembled!" Seeing that the concubine still looked terrified once she mentioned the past years of being a joker, Mao Xiang walked over, sat down beside her, held her two little hands comfortingly, and said, "Later Alright! I remember the day I formally brought you into the mansion to meet your parents. The two old people liked it very much when they saw it. They both said that they never thought that Xianger would marry such a lovely person! However, it is rare that you actually know a lot. You know how to learn etiquette, embroider and chant scriptures, but you can taste incense, grow flowers and plants, and cook food, and you can do everything well, which is unique. I remember the begonia dew you made that year. Absolutely! Others say that this begonia is also called heartbroken grass and cannot be eaten, but who knows that you made it for everyone to taste, and the taste is much better than those made from plum blossoms, wild roses, roses, sweet-scented osmanthus, and chrysanthemums! Those peach paste and melon paste, fire meat wind fish, drunken sturgeon and drunken clams, baked rabbit and crispy chicken are all delicious for a while! Alas, it's a pity where to find these things now!" "Ah, there will be, there will be! As long as the husband likes it, the concubine will definitely try to make something for him!" Mao Xiang smiled wryly and shook his head: "Don't do it, I'm just talking for fun! You have suffered a lot for me, look at your hands, they are all calloused! And you This body is really much thinner. I heard that when I was sick, you left me all the delicious food every day, and you only ate bran for one meal, and you had to do a lot of housework. Sigh, it’s really hard for you Already!" Dong Xiaowan stared at her husband obsessively, then suddenly opened her arms, hugged him hard, and started crying, saying, "Sister-in-law, husband-in-law! My concubine really loves you so much! Do you know? For you, Even if the concubine dies immediately, she is willing!" Mao Xiang had already embraced his concubine emotionally. Hearing this, he frowned immediately, and said unhappily, "What nonsense are you talking about? You can't die! Don't say those unlucky things!" "But...but," Dong Xiaowan said with tears, "when my concubine was ten years old, my mother heard that there was a blind man in Jiangshen Temple outside Shicheng Gate who was very good at fortune-telling, so she took me to let him do it. My husband said at the time that my life is more important than my body, and I have been punished many times, I am afraid that I will not live long..." Listening to the concubine's seriousness, Mao Xiang was stunned for a moment, but then shook her head, stroked her fine and soft hair, and said flatly: "Those who go to the rivers and lakes, in all likelihood, they rely on scaring and fooling people to cheat and eat. , can you believe him! Hey, it's getting late, hurry up and wash up, and go to bed!" Because of what her husband said, Dong Xiaowan seemed to be relying on something, and a smile appeared on her face again.She smiled so brightly, peacefully and for a long time, which has never been seen in the more than three years since she married into the family. Half a day later, as the last oil lamp in the dilapidated house was extinguished, the whole yard fell into a deep sleep.Only the sounds of chirping insects became denser, like playing a piece of music on a summer night. They played enthusiastically and tirelessly, injecting a little sweetness and a little peace into people's dreams... This night in the chaotic world, if nothing else happens, maybe it will just pass away.However, all of a sudden, the dogs on the street barked suddenly, one or two, three or four, more and more, barking more and more fiercely.Then, there were running footsteps, banging on the door, and anxious shouts.People began to wake up from their sleep and put on their clothes and got up.As a result, the dilapidated small town, which was still breathing heavily just now, suddenly became commotion... Because Mao Xiang and Dong Xiaowan slept too deeply, they didn't wake up suddenly until Mao Cheng knocked on the door of the west chamber and called out.When they put on their clothes in a hurry, opened the door and walked out, they found that Mao Qizong, Mrs. Ma, Grandma Su, Aunt Liu, and Yu Huai's master and servant had all gathered in the courtyard like ants on a hot pot. group. "What's the matter? What's the matter?" Mao Xiang asked nervously while tying his belt indiscriminately. "Master, Prince Lu's soldiers have crossed the river!" Mao Cheng replied. Mao Xiang was taken aback for a moment, and suddenly remembered that in October last year, he had made a false alarm about this kind of news, so he frowned and asked, "Lord Lu's soldiers? Will it be another rumor like last time?" Mao Cheng shook his head: "This time it's true! Just now I heard from people outside that a group of night fishers saw it. There were many boats coming from the south of the Yangtze River, and the torches lit up half the river. !" "If you wait like this, I'm afraid I'm going to die this time! I'm going to die!" Mao Qizong murmured.Since the drunkenness had passed, he also returned to his usual dignity and calmness. "Oh, then, what can we do then!" "Master, you have to find a way!" The women screamed in panic, and burst into tears. "Xiang'er, look at this..." the old man looked at his son and asked. Mao Xiang did not answer immediately.Because of the sudden incident, he was in a state of confusion for a while.In addition, by this time, through the collapsed lobby and gate, the street could be seen in chaos.Those preparing to flee have already started moving their belongings out.This situation made everyone more anxious, and it also made Mao Xiang feel agitated, not knowing what to do. "Master, Xianggong," Dong Xiaowan said tentatively, seeing that everyone had no idea for a while, "Why don't you go to Dabai Residence to hide for a while? After all, it's a remote place. Nanbing won't be able to get there for a while." Dabaiju is the other business of Maoxiang's friend Zhang Weichi.Last June, before their family fled Haining, they sent their female relatives to live there for a while.However, since Maoxiang and Zhang Weichi had a falling out when it was rumored that King Lu's soldiers came last time, they have not seen each other again, and now they have fled there again, whether the other party will take him in or not is a little uncertain.Therefore, Mao Xiang didn't say anything. "Master, grandpa, aunt and grandma are right," Mao Cheng picked it up, "I met Mr. Zhang on the street today, and he stopped me to ask how master and uncle are doing now. He asked a lot and was very concerned. It seems that when you leave, you still say that you can find him if you have something to do!" Mao Xiang looked at his father, feeling a little surprised by the news, but also a little touched and relieved.However, the situation did not allow him to think too much, but if Zhang Weichi really said this, then living in Dabai would certainly be a feasible choice.So he let out a "huh" and planned to express his thoughts.However, Yu Huai, who was standing by the side without opening his mouth, suddenly asked: "King Lu's soldiers came across the river with the sole purpose of recovering the homeland of Ming Dynasty. We are not Tartars, why should we flee in such a panic?" Mao Xiang was startled for a moment, then came to his senses, and said with a wry smile: "Brother has been here recently, so I don't know anything - it's all because I heard that wherever King Lu's soldiers went, anyone who saw someone with shaved hair would recognize it." As for the Tartars, they will be killed regardless of injustice. Therefore, the people have no choice but to run away one after another. Brother, you must be careful when you go on the road tomorrow!" Hearing what he said, Yu Huaiming was also very surprised.However, after pondering for a while, he resolutely said: "Since that's the case, then I will stay here for now! And everyone in the family doesn't have to leave, I will take care of everything!" "Ah, what?" Yu Huai did not answer immediately.He looked left and right, then made a gesture to invite the Mao family and his son aside, and then said in a low voice, "To tell you the truth, my nephew came to the south this time to sell fake goods, entrusted by the rebel army in Liudu." It is true that the contact with East Zhejiang is true. Shen Kuntong and Liu Mazi came south with my nephew. Because my nephew wanted to visit Pijiang, the two of them crossed the river first, and they must have met face-to-face by now. Lu Jianguo. Maybe they were the ones who made the Southern soldiers come here!" Having said that, he paused.Seeing Mao's father and son stunned, they were speechless for a moment in amazement, he gestured again, and said flatly: "In short, you don't have to leave. With my nephew here, everyone in the family will never suffer!"