Chapter 8 8

The lights and candles in the water pavilion were brilliant, and soon after everyone dispersed, they started playing cards again.There were three large rooms in a row. In the middle room, the maids and maids ate the leftover soup and were busy clearing the table.There is a table of mahjong tiles in the room on the left.Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Shen are happily playing mahjong with the two uncles and wives of the Zhou family.In the room on the right, Mrs. Zhou, Mrs. Wang and Juexin accompanied Mrs. Zhou typing cards.The younger generation has all gone to play elsewhere, only Young Master Mei and Jian Yun are still watching cards in the room.Juexin went to the table after lunch and didn't check the cards. He felt a bit boring. Besides, he sat under the hands of old lady Zhou, who had always been slow in dealing cards, which made him feel even more depressed. He couldn't help but think about other things.Gradually, he couldn't put his heart on the cards.Later, he accidentally played a card and asked Zhou to go with a pair of sixteen-carat "Red Piaotai in the Garden".After the cards were laid down, Mrs. Wang gave him a reproachful look from the opposite side.He pretended not to notice.He felt a little pain in his head again, and paid the money in a trance.At this time, it was time for him to "sit down" and rest.He stood up and said to Jian Yun who was standing next to him watching the cards: "Play a few cards for me, and I'll come as soon as I go." Jian Yun nodded in response to the word "yes", and sat down on his seat .He didn't say anything anymore, and walked out of the water pavilion slowly by himself.

"Master, slow down, it's very dark outside, let me light you up," Cuihuan called from behind. Hearing this, Juexin stopped at the door, turned his head slightly and asked, "Is there anything else you need to do here?" Xia, Qian'er, and Chunlan all stayed here to smoke," Cuihuan replied, and she lit a wind and rain lantern, and carried it out of the water pavilion. On the stone steps on the right under the outside window, there is a stove with two kettles on it.There was a small table next to it. Old Wang was sitting in front of the table, holding a singing book in his hand, reading in a low voice by the faint light of the bright corner lamp on the table, shaking his shaved head slightly. light head.

"Second Master Wang, is there any boiling water?" Cuihuan asked loudly. "Ah." Lao Wang looked up abruptly, glanced at Cuihuan, and quickly replied with a smile: "Sister Cui, it will be opened in a while." "Then please send a pot to the Huxin Pavilion. Miss, they are all there," Cuihuan reminded. "Okay. I'll deliver the water when it boils," Lao Wang noticed Juexin beside him and stood up respectfully. Cuihuan looked at Juexin sideways, and asked: "Young Master, are you leaving?" Then she carried the wind and rain lamp and walked down the steps.Juexin also followed her to the bottom.

The sky is not very dark, a few large clouds spread across the dark gray canvas, and in many places there are stars twinkling like bright eyes.The night is soft and warm.The sound of playing cards, laughter and conversation in the water pavilion floated out, passed through the air, and gradually disappeared into the distance.Only the lights are still clinging to the soft ground, making those rockery and trees a little more radiant. Cuihuan walked in front with the wind and rain lamp, Juexin followed.They turned around a rockery, and when they reached the shore of the lake, they walked along a pine forest, and then turned into the pine forest.It was completely dark inside the pine forest.The wind and rain lamp emitted a circle of white light, illuminating a small area, and Juexin followed the light closely.Neither of them spoke, just walking hurriedly.From time to time there was a "rustling" sound in the pine forest, as if something was jumping on the branches, so Cuihuan looked back several times in a little surprise.Seeing Juexin's head buried in thought, she felt relieved.

The two walked out of the pine forest, with the vast sky above their heads again.Before, the air seemed a little oppressive, but now it seems much more comfortable.They passed a winding railing and entered a small door.The thatched gazebo suddenly appeared against the background of the white and white walls.In front of the pavilion, several camellias are in full bloom. The flowers are red and white, and they are placed in the lush dark green leaves like dots.Juexin didn't have the heart to look at the scenery.He still moved his feet with his head down.He seemed to be immersed in deep thought, but in fact he never thought about one thing definitively.His thoughts were constantly wandering, jumping quickly from one thing to another, from one figure to another.His feelings would not be known by that Cuihuan who was lighting up the wind and rain for him in front.Cuihuan walked carefully in the moss-covered courtyard.When she saw this thatched pavilion, saw these camellias and osmanthus trees, she began to think of one thing.She walked to the wooden bridge beside the creek, and the sound of gurgling water suddenly rang in her ears. She looked up at the bamboo forest on the other side, and memories unfolded in her mind.She was a little excited and couldn't help blurting out "Eldest Young Master".

"Yes," Juexin agreed vaguely, then looked up at Cuihuan in surprise.He wondered what she was going to say to him. Cuihuan went onto the bridge with a lamp.She hesitated for a moment.She was a little timid, not daring to utter her thoughts to Juexin immediately.However, the silence that followed Juexin's "um" oppressed her like a question waiting to be answered.When she crossed the bridge and was about to walk into the bamboo grove, she suddenly plucked up her courage and said, "Eldest young master, don't you want to help the second lady, think of a way?" "Help the second lady?" Juexin heard this unexpected sentence She was even more surprised and asked, "What are you talking about?" "You know about the second young lady's marriage, the young master." Cuihuan's courage gradually increased. Although her voice was still a little trembling, but compared The previous one was much firmer.She continued confidently: "Master Chen's aunt is incompetent, and many people know about the quarrel outside. Our master has no eyes and made this marriage alive, and ruined the second young lady's life easily. Eldest young master, you and Second Miss are very close, can you think of a way?" "Ah." Juexin walked forward following the light, and listened attentively to Cuihuan's words.These words were completely unexpected to him, but they moved him greatly.This seems to be a key that opened an ancient suitcase, and now people have to turn out the items in the box one by one.That was his painful memory, that was the trauma of his past.He walked silently, his steps getting heavier.He seemed to fall into a deeper thought.When Cuihuan's voice suddenly stopped, he suddenly called out the word "ah".

Seeing that he didn't answer, Cuihuan said in a pleading tone: "Eldest young master, if you don't pity the second lady, who else will pity her? Only you can think of a way for her..." Juexin didn't wait for her to finish speaking. , suddenly interrupted and said: "The third wife has a way, you can call the second lady to ask her. It must be useful." These two sentences were also spoken by the tongue, and he seemed to use them as an excuse. "Eldest young master, you still don't know our wife's temper," Cuihuan said in a resentful tone, "Our wife doesn't care much about Second Miss, she doesn't care much about anything. Whatever the master says is good, just What's good." At this moment, they stepped out of the small bamboo fence gate, and some strange rocks under the steps blocked their way.They walked around the strange rock.Juexin suddenly said to himself, "I can't do anything about it." The voice trembled desolately in the air for a long time.He felt that he had exhausted his strength.

Cuihuan saw that she had said so many words, but got such an answer, she felt a little angry, so she stopped making a sound, and just walked forward quickly, as if angry.They walked into a corridor, and Juexin gradually understood her feelings, and felt that something was wrong with him, so he accosted and praised: "Cuihuan, I can't see you defending your second lady like this." Afterwards, he again Said: "You serve the second lady, you should also persuade her to relax a little bit." "Yes," Cuihuan replied briefly.But she immediately felt that it was unreasonable to be angry with the young master, so she changed her tone and continued: "The young master is right. I have also persuaded the second lady. The second lady has always treated people kindly, and she never treats me as a subordinate." Look at it. But it's useless for me to persuade her. Recently, she often sighs with a sad face, and sometimes wakes up crying from a dream. Only when the young master, you are with the second young master and Miss Qin, is the second lady willing to laugh more A few times. Eldest young master, you should know that the second young lady can only rely on you to help her. If you have no other choice..." The further Cuihuan went on, the more emotional elements in her voice, Shuying was troubled The expressive face gradually expanded before her eyes, blinding her to everything else.Shuying's fate, Shuying's situation, the joys and sorrows of that young woman captured all her thoughts.The degree of this concern exceeds the word "sympathy" can express.She later seemed to be struggling for her own happiness, begging for help from her own bad luck.So to Juexin's ears, the following two sentences were almost like a desperate wail.He suddenly thought that Cuihuan was crying, but in fact he was crying in his heart.He could not go on listening to what might have hurt his heart more, so he interrupted her.Called "Cuihuan" beseechingly.When the girl suddenly swallowed her words and turned back to look at him, he hardened his heart and said, "Don't go on." Afterwards, he said to himself as if to defend himself: "You don't understand me, you all don't understand me. Me." Hearing such completely unexpected words, Cuihuan quickly turned to look at him.She took a quick glance and was in the darkness again, so of course she couldn't see the expression on his face.She wondered if her words offended him.She was a little panicked, and she still wanted to say a few words of explanation to him, but they had already walked out the inner gate of the garden, and they would be under Juexin's window after two or three steps.

"Cuihuan, you go back, Miss Er and the others are waiting for you. I don't need a lamp anymore." Juexin saw a piece of light coming from his room with the shadow of the flower screen curtain reflected on the stone floor in front, and called Cuihuan stopped and sent her back to the garden. Cuihuan agreed and stopped.She looked at Juexin hesitantly, and suddenly asked: "Young master, do you have anything else to say?" "No, this trip will be difficult for you," Juexin replied gently, shaking his head slightly.He left the emerald ring, strode forward alone, passed under his window, exited the outer door of the garden, turned into the corridor, and entered his room.

He lifted the door curtain, stepped on the threshold with one foot, and saw a black shadow leaning over the writing desk.The shadow raised his head in surprise when he heard the footsteps, and turned his face away, and called "Daddy" in surprise.This is his Haier.The child was kneeling on the stool, so he got down immediately and ran to meet him. A gentle smile appeared on Juexin's face, and all the previous unpleasant thoughts flew away, as if he had locked the old suitcase tightly again.He held Hai Chen's hand lovingly, bowed his head and asked kindly, "Haier, are you still up?" Xin walked to the front of the desk, kept looking up at Ju Xin, his eyes were shining with joy.

Haichen climbed up the stool, and brought a picture book spread out on the desk to Juexin.Juexin sat down on the activity chair next to him. "Daddy, look, this group of bearded foreign soldiers is so fierce..." Haichen pointed to a large page of pictures and said excitedly to Juexin. "This is our soldier. Cannon, boom, boom! Airship, woo, woo!... Daddy, did we win the battle?" Juexin stared blankly at Haichen, as if he didn't hear Haichen's question .His loving eyes swept over Hai Chen's round face.Haichen didn't feel his gaze at all.The more he looked at Haichen, the more he couldn't bear to look away.Gradually his eyes were shaking, as if something was struggling to burst out of his eye sockets.He expected an outburst of emotion, but he fought it back.When Haichen closed his mouth, he suddenly felt the silence in the room, and felt Haichen's thick black eyes rolling on his face, and then he asked aloud: "You are reading here alone, are you alone?" Not afraid? Where is Mrs. He? Where has she gone?" The voice revealed his feelings: love, worry, worry, grief. "Sister-in-law He went to the kitchen, she will be back," Haichen replied innocently.Seeing Juexin just looking at him without speaking, he went on: "Daddy, I don't want to sleep, I want to wait for you to come back. It will be fine if you come back. Did you win the card game?" He raised his mouth slightly and said, "I I want to go to the garden to watch you play cards, but Mrs. He won't take me there. She said there are ghosts in the garden at night. She lied to me. Daddy is not afraid of ghosts, and neither am I. Mom is here, and she will lead me there." Juexin hurriedly He opened his eyes and looked out the window, and said in a gentle voice, "Don't blame Mrs. He. It's not good for children to go into the garden at night." "Daddy, the house is very empty. There are too few people, and you are not there." , I can't sleep," Haichen began to say in a complaining tone. Juexin couldn't bear it anymore, he hugged Haichen from the stool.He held Haichen tightly in his arms and shook him, brushed his cheek against Haichen's short hair, and whimpered, "My dear, go to sleep." Tears flowed down his cheeks from the corners of his eyes. Haichen couldn't understand the new mood.He knew that this movement was his father's expression of his love for him, but he didn't understand why his father would suddenly make such a movement.He doesn't think about it.Because his mind stays on other things.He stuck his head out of Juexin's arms.Juexin's tears fell on his forehead.Unconsciously, he exclaimed, "Daddy, why are you crying?" Juexin stretched out a hand to wipe his eyes, and replied in a calm voice, "Honey, I'm not crying. My eyes fell into tears." Dust." "I'll show you," Haichen said, straightening his body, kneeling on Juexin's knees, and stretching out his hands to touch Juexin's eyelids. Juexin turned his head, pinched Haichen's hands again, and let them go.He said lovingly: "Baby, sit still and don't move. My eyes don't matter, it's already healed." Haichen sat down obediently.He sat on Juexin's lap, looked around, and suddenly asked with a solemn face: "Daddy, is it true that Mommy won't come to see us again?" "Dear boy, didn't I tell you Has mother gone to heaven? She is very happy in heaven," Juexin replied sadly. "Daddy, I miss mom, do you know mom? You miss mom, and I miss mom. She is happy in heaven. Why don't you come back to see us? Mom always likes me very much. I miss her very much. I miss her at night. I couldn't fall asleep, so I called my mother softly, I thought that when my mother heard me calling her, she would come back to see me. Daddy, mother really can't bear to come back to see us?" Hai Chen leaned sideways and took Juexin's left arm, two Staring at Juexin's sad face with small eyes, he asked Juexin seriously with a thoughtful look. Juexin could not answer Haichen.He silently hugged the child tightly.He looked over the child's head to a bust of a woman hanging on the opposite wall.Tears wet his eyes.The woman's face became blurred.He wanted to hold back his tears, but the tears flowed out uncontrollably.He didn't want the child to see his tears, so he let go of his heart, pretended to be a little harsh and told the child: "Don't talk too much. It's getting late, you go to bed, Daddy has something else to do." Hai Chen Timidly, he sneaked a glance at Juexin, gave a vague promise in disappointment, and stopped talking.But he didn't go on.Juexin was silent.Later Mrs. He entered the room.Seeing Haichen sitting on Juexin's lap, she said, "Young Master Sun, let's go to bed," she walked over to hug him. Haichen saw Mrs. He walking over, ignored her, but suddenly turned around and threw himself into Juexin's arms.He squeezed his mouth and said beggingly: "Daddy, I don't want to sleep. You play with me for a while. I fell asleep, and you walked away again." The child's miserable voice rang weakly in the room.Mrs. He withdrew her hands and stood beside her blankly without making a sound.Juexin hugged the child tightly, letting the child's face rest on his shoulders, he gritted his teeth and said nothing, only shook his head at Mrs. He.Mrs. He sighed lightly, then walked into the inner room. Haichen was still sobbing softly in Juexin's arms.His head trembled slightly on Juexin's shoulder.Juexin gently stroked Haichen's body, then looked up at the photo on the wall with teary eyes.There was a sudden soreness in his heart, and he whispered to himself, "Jue, you saw it. What do you want me to do? You bless, bless Hai'er..." Haichen didn't hear Juexin's words clearly.He sobbed for a while, then raised his head and wiped his tears with his hands, and said affectionately to Juexin, "Daddy, I won't cry anymore. You teach me how to read." He turned around and reached for the picture book on the table. Juexin hurriedly pulled Haichen's hand back, gently stopped Haichen and said, "Don't read any more today. Darling, it's getting late, go to bed." Haichen gave Juexin an affectionate look, and suddenly asked Said: "Daddy, don't you want to play cards?" "No more. Daddy is here with you. Go to sleep," Juexin replied kindly, shaking his head. Haichen looked at Juexin again, smiled slightly, and said obediently, "Daddy, I'm asleep." He rested his head on Juexin's arms and closed his eyes.Juexin gently patted him.At first he moved a little and opened his eyes to see, but soon he fell into a deep sleep. After a while, Juexin looked down at Haichen's face.Hai Chen was sleeping peacefully and soundly, with his mouth slightly opened, and there was still a smile on his lips.But from Juexin's point of view, this smile is very lonely.He put his mouth close to Hai Chen's ear, and called softly, "Hai'er." Hai Chen didn't agree, and didn't even move.He stared at the lonely sleeping face for a long time, then raised his head and looked around.The room was empty and silent.In the corner stood the dark shadows of two bookshelves.Next to an exquisite small square table, there is a small leisure chair for children.The electric lights also seemed dimmer than usual.He lowered his head to look at Haichen again, staring at the child desperately, wishing he could swallow the child in one gulp.The child seemed completely unaware of his feelings.There was still a lonely smile on that small mouth.He thought: I don't know what the child dreamed about.But the more he looked at this face, the more excited he became.He felt as if his heart was going to jump out of his throat.He raised his head and let out a long breath.His eyes went back to the photographs on the wall.It was still that gentle, beautiful face.Her bright eyes looked down from the wall, and at this time her eyes also seemed to have a sad expression.His heart ached faintly again.He forgot himself and whispered: "Jue, Jue." The pair of eyes did not move for a moment.He tried to look at those eyes carefully again, but his own eyes were already blurred. "Are you asleep?" A woman's low voice unexpectedly rang in Juexin's ears.He turned around in surprise.It was Mrs. He who was talking. She had just walked out of it, and he didn't notice it at all.She stood by the side, stretched out both hands, waiting to hug Haichen in.When he saw Mrs. He, he didn't answer, but turned his head to look at Haichen, and hugged Haichen even tighter, as if he was afraid that Mrs. He would snatch the child away from him. Mrs. He was not aware of this situation.She went on to say: "Young master, let me carry you in." Juexin raised his head and took a look at Mrs. He.This time he understood completely.He nodded silently, carefully picked up the child gently, and let Mrs. He take it.Seeing that the child was already lying in Mrs. He's arms, he solemnly ordered, "Be careful." "Yes," Mrs. He agreed, while carefully carrying Haichen into the inner room. Juexin watched Mrs. He's back disappear behind the threshold.He turned his head and looked around again.He was at a loss.He managed to get up and wanted to go back into the garden.But he had lost all resistance to the sense of emptiness and calm that oppressed him.He felt weak for a while, unable to support himself, so he sat down again, bent his head on the desk, and wept secretly. Just at this time, the footsteps of three women sounded on the stone steps outside the window.A girl's voice called out from under the window: "Brother!" Juexin didn't seem to hear it in the room.One woman walked back with a wind and rain lamp, while the other two turned into the aisle and entered Juexin's room. "Brother," Shuying called out in surprise, "Aren't you going to play cards?" Seeing his shoulders shrugging, she asked with concern, "Are you feeling well?" Juexin raised his head, his face full of tears. It's tear stains.He replied: "I don't have anything. Jianyun is fighting for me. I'll go after a while." He didn't avoid Shuying's eyes.But when he accidentally found Hui standing behind Shuying, he seemed a little embarrassed. "Are you crying?" Seeing Juexin's tears, Shuying couldn't help asking half surprised and half sympathetic. Juexin gave them a wry smile, and explained, "I just talked to Haier a few words. He talked about his mother. I was a little sad when I thought about it afterwards, so I cried." Wipe your eyes with your handkerchief. "Why bother! Your own body is also very important," Shuying blamed with a smile, but there was sadness in her smile. "Why bother to think about those things?" "It's no wonder that the big cousin is as good as the big cousin. Who is not attached to it? It's really amazing to think about it..." Hui continued, and she finished speaking When he said this, he couldn't help raising his eyes to look at the photo on the wall.The image of a lively young woman moved in her mind.She lowered her head, and the shadow immediately disappeared.In front of her eyes was Juexin's tear-stained face half illuminated by the light.Her eye circles turned red, and she felt sad, she quickly swallowed the following words, and slightly turned her head away. "Cousin Hui, please sit down," Juexin said to Hui with a forced smile, "You haven't sat in my room for several years. Do you see how it looks like before?" "Okay, cousin Hui, just sit down." Let it go," Shuying secretly glanced at Hui, and then greeted her gently.She said to Juexin again: "Brother, I'll call for someone to bring you a basin of water to wash your face." She said that and was about to go out. "Second sister, you don't have to go out, Mrs. He is inside," Juexin hurriedly stopped.He raised his voice and called "Sister He" twice.Mrs. He agreed inside.When he turned his head and saw Hui still standing beside the desk, he asked with a smile, "Cousin Hui, are you not sitting?" "It's good to sit for a while longer. It doesn't matter if I go. Jianyun likes to play cards, so let him play for a while longer," Juexin begged to stay, and the empty and calm room suddenly seemed warm and peaceful in his eyes Got angry. Mrs. He came out from inside and called "Eldest Young Master". "Give me a handkerchief to wipe my face," Juexin said, raising his eyes savingly, then turned to look at Hui, with a melancholy smile on his thin face.He asked with concern: "You don't seem to be in good health. I think my cousin is in very bad health. Are you in any pain?" Hui shook her head and replied in a low voice, "It's okay." Shuying glanced at Hui , interrupted and said: "There is no illness, but she is weak. Although she is a little better than cousin Mei, she still needs to take care of herself." Juexin smiled and said lightly: "You are much stranger to me now. Yes. The last time you left the provincial capital, you were a little girl. You often stopped me and asked me this and that. Do you remember?" Hui's face turned a faint blush.She lowered her eyes and replied in a low voice: "I remember it all. But it wasn't too young at that time." "I also know about you. Cousin Mei also told me that you cried for several nights because of this matter... ..." Juexin continued, but his voice changed a bit.At this moment, Mrs. He wrung the facekerchief and handed it to him. He then wiped his face, handed the handkerchief back to Mrs. He, and ordered, "Pour three cups of tea." Mrs. He agreed and went to the inner room .She quickly brought out a tea tray, and placed the three cups of tea on it in front of the three of them in turn.She secretly glanced at the three of them with curiosity, then walked away gently. "Brother, why do you bother to mention this kind of thing again? Are you going to make us cry too?" Shuying couldn't help frowning and said to Juexin reproachfully. Juexin looked at Shuying with pity, and then stopped his gaze on Hui's face.He suddenly changed his trembling voice and said: "You see, the three of us have fallen into the same fate. Seeing you, it's like seeing my own past. It doesn't matter to me. My life is over. The third brother recently Letters accusing me of being an unnecessary victim. He was quite right. But you are too young to follow in my footsteps. I think it is cruel." He was very excited, as if It was as if he was about to cry, but he suddenly suppressed his feelings with great effort.He stopped talking in a voice that seemed determined: "I won't talk anymore. If I continue talking, I will start crying again. Maybe it will make you cry too.... You just sit down." Hui still leaned on Standing at the writing desk, pressing one arm on the stack of thread-bound books covered with cloth covers in front of him.She raised her tearful eyes and called out: "Big cousin." She wanted to say something, but her lips only moved once and then closed tightly.Only her grateful eyes kept caressing Juexin's suddenly dark face. A silence ensued in the room.The silence seemed to suffocate the three of them.They struggled desperately. "Cousin Hui, let's go." After a while, Shuying's voice suddenly sounded. "Let Brother rest for a while. Let's go and get the things and go with him into the garden. We have been delayed for a long time..." But suddenly the heavy gong sounded like the wailing of wild animals in the street.The night is already very quiet.Every blow hit the gong like a broken hope. "Why is it the second watch!" Shuying said to herself in surprise.Then she said to Hui in disappointment: "Then Cousin Hui, are you really going back?" Shuying thought for a while, and suddenly took Hui's arm happily and said, "Cousin Hui, you don't want to go back tonight. Sister Qin is also sleeping with us tonight." "No," Hui shook her head, sadly replied. "I can't do it without talking to my father first." "I'll go tell Grandma Zhou, she can make the decision," Shuying still stubbornly grasped the hope that was about to fly away. "It's useless," Loh said sadly. "Even my mother-in-law can't beat my father." The sound of the gong in the street gradually died down, and it seemed to go to other streets farther away. As soon as Hui finished speaking, Cuihuan came into the room from the outside with a wind and rain lamp. "Second miss, have you picked up all the things? Let's go quickly, the second watch is over," Cuihuan said with a smile as soon as she entered the room. "Not yet," Shuying replied with a smile, "We'll go right away!" She begged Juexin again: "Brother, you can accompany us to aunt's house." "Alright," Juexin agreed. , followed them to Zhou's room. Shuying and Hui stacked the skirts and other things they took off during the day and wrapped them in a bag.Shuying planned to ask a maid to carry the burden into the garden.But Juexin volunteered, saying that he was willing to fight the wind and rain.They couldn't hold him back, so they asked him to take the lamp from Cuihuan, and Cuihuan held the burden.So the four of them walked out of the room in a single file, and turned into the outer door of the garden through the corridor.