Chapter 8 Section five

Lu Guichen was holding a food box tied with a brocade, and walked outside the barracks where he and Ji Ye lived, and heard whispers coming from inside.That was Ye Jin's voice, soft and faint, as if speaking to someone, or talking to himself. "Don't talk too much outside. No matter what happens, just be quiet. If you talk, they will laugh at you instead." "If they really laugh at you, don't worry. What's the point of making them laugh? It's not like we haven't been laughed at before. There are rough people in Shangyang Pass. If you provoke them, they will beat you. "

"I know, I know, I know you know it in your heart, but you just can't say it. Don't move, it will be fine in a moment." "Others don't care about you, you have to take care of yourself, always remember to wash your hair, your hair is all tangled, and you haven't washed your hair for many days...don't move, close your eyes, the water won't flow in .” Lu Guichen was stunned for a moment.This is the center of the supply camp, which is heavily guarded and few people move around, so Xi Yan ordered Princess Xiaozhou to be placed here, and at the same time, ordinary soldiers were prohibited from approaching this barracks.This barracks is intended for mid-level officers to live in. There are two small rooms, one for Ji Ye and Lu Guichen, one for Ye Jin and Xiao Zhou, and a simple hall in the middle.Lu Guichen couldn't tell who Ye Jin was talking to, it seemed like he was talking to a child, but it wasn't Xiaozhou, it was a stranger.And there should be no strangers here.

Lu Guichen became alert, held down the handle of the knife, and slightly pushed open the half-hidden door.He was very careful not to make a sound. "If you can go home, everything will be fine." Ye Jin sighed softly. She didn't realize that someone was peeping through the gap in the door, and she still lowered her head and rubbed a handful of white hair in the washbasin vigorously.The old man beside her lowered his head, lying on the side of the water basin, and let Ye Jin play with it obediently.He tilted his head, facing the crack of the door, obviously seeing Lu Guichen looking in through the crack of the door, his eyes lit up suddenly.He stared at Lu Guichen with his eyes wide open, like a naughty child, and at the same time his nose twitched, clearing two lines of snot.

Lu Guichen was taken aback, and felt a little uneasy, feeling that he was a person who peeped at other people's secrets, and now he was discovered.The old man didn't speak, he closed one eye and made a funny face at Lu Guichen. Lu Guichen knew this old man. He was Ye Zhengshu, the captain of chariots and riders who was arrested after breaking the city, and Ye Jin's father. He remembered that Ye Jin had asked him to do something, but before he had time to talk to Xi Yan, Ye Zhengshu had already appeared here.He was a little surprised, and continued to watch silently. Ye Jin wrapped the washed hair with a towel and dried Ye Zhengshu.The old man's hair was already very thin, and the wet water revealed streaks of pale scalp. Ye Jin stroked his scalp gently with her pointed fingers, combing his hair.She probably didn't have a comb.Ye Zhengshu sat obediently on the chair at first, but suddenly started giggling, probably because Ye Jin tickled him.

"Be obedient and don't move," Ye Jin held his head steady, "It hasn't been wiped dry yet." A gust of wind blew, and with a sound of "Yiya", the half-hidden door opened.Lu Guichen didn't expect this turn of events, and it was too late to dodge.He and Ye Jin faced each other, both of them were stunned, Lu Guichen lowered his head in embarrassment, and scratched his head. After a while, Lu Guichen took out a comb from his waist, bowed his head and handed it over. Ye Jin took it silently: "Thank you, Young Master Chen, this Shangyang Pass is full of men, it's really hard to find a comb."

"It's not mine... I bought it for a friend." Lu Guichen muttered. He bought the original-color wooden comb for Yuran, and there was a bird with wings spread low at one corner of the wooden comb, and the carving knife was very skillful.When he was shopping in Nanhuai, the peddler who sold the wooden comb saw that he was from a wealthy family, and tried all the good things in the past to sell him the wooden comb. The peddler kept chattering, son, are you going to give this wooden comb to a girl whose hair is as black as water? Lu Guichen thought that Yuran's hair was indeed as smooth as water, but it was golden.

The peddler also said, son, how beautiful it would be for a girl to have such an exquisite wooden comb pinned to her head! Lu Guichen was sullen and wanted to say that with Yuran's temperament of running around, even if you put an iron cage on her head, she would lose her, let alone a comb? The peddler also said, son, look at the handwork of this wooden comb, not to mention that there are ten towns in Wanzhou, and it is the only one in Nanhuai City. Lu Guichen thought that no matter how good the wooden comb is, it is still far behind the carved red tooth combs on the heads of the girls around Young Master Yu, right?

The peddler finally couldn't stand this customer anymore, he sighed and said, my lord, it is not expensive to buy a comb, but you think that this comb will be able to go back and forth hundreds of times a day between the girl's long hair from now on, and the black hair is like water, It's all love!Even if she is far away from you, watching her hold the comb you gave her, you feel as if you are by her side and never leave for a moment.Why are you so reluctant to part with such a small amount of money? Lu Guichen was stunned for a while, and silently took out a gold baht to buy the comb.

On the day of parting, he stood by the small river with this comb in his arms, watching Yu Ran and Ji Ye sitting on the wall talking under the moonlight, not knowing what Ji Ye said made Yu Ran unhappy, so she stood up and doubled her eyes. With his arms stretched out, he passed the wall lightly like a bird and flew away. Ji Ye stepped on a stone, the stone fell into the river, and the ripples swayed. Lu Guichen looked down at the broken moonlight in the ripples, and touched the comb that he hadn't given away. Lu Guichen sat aside thinking like an idiot, watching Ye Jin comb her father's hair.The old man put his hands on his knees honestly, obedient like a child.

After Ye Jin combed his hair, he helped him wipe away his snot.At this time, footsteps came from outside.The door was pushed open, and Chuwei Military Academy in black stood outside. Lu Guichen pressed his saber and got up, and the Chu Wei Military Academy came up to greet him. "Subordinates of General Bai Yi of the Chu Wei State, Si Qiuyi and Cheng Buchan, the personal battalion school lieutenants, pay homage to Young Master Chen." The leader Si Qiuyi actually knew Lu Guichen. "Are you two here for something?" Lu Guichen asked. "General Xi said that Lord Ye Zhengshu's daughter had done a great job in protecting the princess, so they should have a face-to-face meeting, so General Bai asked his subordinates to bring Lord Ye over. But now it's late at night, and it's about time to go back, Lord Ye Zhengshu If he is still guilty, he will be imprisoned, whether he will be pardoned..." He glanced at Ye Jin, "I will ask His Majesty to make a decision when it comes to the apocalypse."

"Oh, that's right." Lu Guichen thought that Xi Yan actually remembered these trivial things, even though he seemed to be such a loose person. The old man whimpered, as if crying, but also as if he had something to say, and held Ye Jin's hand.Ye Jin stroked his face lightly, and suddenly found that there was still some clotted eye mucus in the corner of his eyes.She pulled out a handkerchief from her waist and put it close, gently wiped the corners of Ye Zhengshu's eyes while blowing. At this time, no one could tell whether she and Ye Zhengshu were daughter and father, or mother and child. Lu Guichen's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and he lowered his head.The Chu Wei Military Academy had already stepped up to take Ye Zhengshu away, but stopped.The people around stood silently, Ye Jin stood on tiptoe, and wiped the corners of Ye Zhengshu's eyes. Ye Jin retracted the towel, and opened Ye Zhengshu's fingers one by one.Her hands turned red from being squeezed, and Ye Zhengshu's strength was unexpectedly great. "Father, go back with the officers," she said softly. The military academy escorted Ye Zhengshu away, and Ye Zhengshu desperately looked back at his daughter, with a groan in his throat.But his arms were held by the military academy, and he was powerless to resist. "I'll pick you up soon." Ye Jin said softly. The figures of Ye Zhengshu and the military academies disappeared into the darkness outside the door. Ye Jin and Lu Guichen stood opposite each other, both a little embarrassed and speechless.Lu Guichen scratched his head and wanted to retreat to the room where he and Ji Ye lived. "Thank you, Young Master Chen, for arranging my meeting with my father." Ye Jin said behind his back. "I didn't arrange it," Lu Guichen hurriedly waved his hands, "It's General Xi and General Bai." "That's thanks to General Xi and General Bai. Seeing that he is safe, I feel a lot more relaxed." Lu Guichen was silent for a while: "I said I was sending Master Ye to see you, but actually I wanted to see how the princess is doing." He noticed that Si Qiuyi, the leader of the two military academies, kept looking towards the room where Princess Xiaozhou lived before leaving. He walked into the house where he and Himeno lived, and closed the door behind him, facing a pair of bright black eyes, which were Himeno staring at him in the dark.Himeno wasn't asleep. "Do you want to eat fruit?" Lu Guichen asked nonchalantly. "What kind of fruit?" Ji Yeweng asked angrily. "The imperial envoy from the imperial capital came today and gave the imperial fruit to the palace." Lu Guichen lifted the food box in his hand, "The general gave it to us, but it is so sweet that it is not as good as the cakes in Zihuan Palace. tasty." "That's all?" Ji Ye felt that Lu Guichen's expression was wrong. "There are also some treasures and edicts from the emperor." Lu Guichen sat by Ji Ye's bed, took a deep breath, and wanted to relieve the fatigue on his body, "But there is no military rations or medicinal supplies, and there is almost not enough food. , and there is no medical treatment for the wounded soldiers. I heard that General Bai Yi lost his temper today, saying that if there is no more supplies, the Chu Wei Army will be the first to withdraw from Shangyang Pass." He was silent for a moment: "In our Northland, winning a battle is the greatest glory. Which general can destroy the enemy, the herdsman's family would rather slaughter all the cattle and sheep to entertain him, and the lord will also send a large group of envoys to give him a gift." For utensils, cattle and sheep, and slaves. It’s not the same as here, if you win, it’s like being forgotten.” "What should we do? Can the general say anything?" Ji Ye asked. "The general didn't say anything. When Xiyuan and I came out, the general was playing the piano in the military tent." "Playing the piano?" "It's Nanhuai's minor tune "It's Better to Go Home". The general is probably thinking of withdrawing his troops." Lu Guichen looked at the roof, "I always feel that the general is not very enthusiastic about this expedition." "He is not enthusiastic about anything." Himeno said. Lu Guichen thought for a while, then shook his head. "If you have time, help me fetch a basin of water outside. I have to wash my face, which is terribly dirty." Ji Ye said. "Didn't Ah Jin wipe your face for you?" Ji Ye frowned suddenly: "Ajin, Ajin, it seems like you know her very well. I don't want to serve others like a waste." After a while he said again: "I don't like that woman." "What?" Lu Guichen was puzzled, "I think she looks a bit like you, have you seen her eyes? They are pure black like yours, and it's rare to see such eyes." Ji Ye frowned, with a look of disgust on his face, and turned his head away: "Anyway, I don't want to see her face, it will be annoying to people, how does she look like me?" Lu Guichen knew that this friend couldn't be dragged back even if he was stubborn, so he didn't persuade him much, and patted him on the shoulder: "Then I'll fetch water for you." He came out of the house and saw Ye Jin sitting on the threshold, facing the darkness outside, leaving only his slender back.Quiet, like a statue.His heart moved, and he picked up the only copper basin from the corner of the hall, and he wanted to step out the door from Ye Jin's side.Ye Jin turned sideways slightly, but didn't move much. Lu Guichen thought for a while, sat down next to Ye Jin, and put the copper basin in front of him.Neither of them spoke, the sound of clappers in the barracks slowly passed through the air, passed by their door, and then went away. "Thank you for saving me." Lu Guichen broke the awkward silence, "I've always wanted to tell you, but I don't know how to say it." He knew that he was just making excuses, this is not what he wanted to say. "My family is in Yunzhong. Before my father became an official in the royal family, he was just an unknown official in Chu Weiguo." Ye Jin said softly. "I used to be the second person in Shangyang Pass, but I didn't expect to be a small official before." Lu Guichen's heart moved, as if what he wanted to know was seen through by Ye Jin at a glance, "Your family is not the Ye family in the cloud. Is it? I've heard of it, one of the seven most famous big families in the Eastern Continent." "Sir, it's not what you think," Ye Jin smiled softly, "Which one of our seven big families in Donglu doesn't have tens of thousands of descendants? My family is a tiny branch in the Ye family. The surname Ye' has nothing to do with those important people in the master's family. If you have to be shameless to visit relatives, it's nothing more than being given a few gold baht by the servants and asking the servants to give it out politely." She straightened her hair at the sideburns: "Then my mother remarried." "Remarry?" Lu Guichen froze for a moment. "Chu Weiguo's officials are strict, but corruption is rampant. Because the officials are paid very little salary, they are forced to embezzle. If they are caught, the punishment is extremely severe. Those who embezzle more than five gold baht can be executed. But five gold baht is not enough for an official family to give gifts to their superiors during the holidays. The officials below all form gangs and hide from each other in order to protect themselves. My father is a timid person, and it's not that he doesn't want to embezzle , but the law was harsh, he dared not. So whenever it was time to give gifts to the boss, the family was so poor that there was no food left. One year, on the first day of the year, my father exchanged the last rice for a few gold bahts, and he could only buy a few The pork legs were sent to the homes of several bosses. Others gave gold, jade and treasures..." Ye Jin still smiled lightly, "The boss also knows who he is, so he doesn't care about his offerings, just making fun of him So he let him go. But when he came out of the boss's door, he thought that his family was so poor that they didn't even have rice, let alone meat and vegetables, so they couldn't celebrate this festival. So he sneaked to the porch and picked up the pork leg from himself. Stealthily cut off a knife of fat, and ran home with it in his arms." Lu Guichen listened silently, chewing on the sadness in her words. But Ye Jin's tone was still calm: "My grandfather was also a petty official, and he was a bit cunning, and the family had some money. Usually he hated my father for being cowardly and useless, and he seldom interacted with her, but Yuan Ri had to come and see his daughter. So He came to our house with home-cooked dishes and a few jars of wine. When he entered the door, he saw my father guarding a pot. In the pot was the piece of meat boiled in white water. There was nothing else to eat. My grandfather was angry with him. How could an official's family be so embarrassed that they didn't even enter the door, just dropped their things, and took my mother back to their own home." "Your father...is he feeling sad?" Lu Guichen said softly. "Fortunately, he is the kind of person who accepts everything. There were times when my grandfather took my mother home." Ye Jin said, "Father took out some of the things my grandfather sent and ate it with me. The New Year’s meal, and the piece of boiled meat. He comforted me that my grandfather would send my mother back when his anger subsides in a few days. I was only four years old that year, and I believed what my father said was right. But it was me The last time I saw my mother..." "What?" Lu Guichen was taken aback. "When my father cut the pig's leg, he was accidentally seen by the cook of the superior's family, and turned to complain to the superior. The superior did not blame the father, knowing that his family was poor, so he just left the severed pig's leg intact. I sent it back with a sarcastic note. But this matter spread among the officials in the cloud, and everyone regarded it as a joke about the festival. My grandfather has a lot of connections, so it naturally spread to the In his ears. My grandfather felt that there had never been such a disgrace in his life. This time he was really furious and completely despaired of his father. My father waited for my mother to come back, but what he waited for was a letter from my grandfather "breaking the marriage" 'A document. My grandfather said that he had a meager income and could not support his wife, so he also sent the document of divorce to the official office." "How...is this possible?" Lu Guichen murmured. He was at a loss for a while, he thought what to do, this is not even facing tens of thousands of enemies on the battlefield, you can draw your sword and rise up, at worst, you will die in a battle, which is also the glory of a warrior.But at that time, Ye Zhengshu had no choice. He couldn't draw his sword, so he could only beg humbly. "Father panicked. He appealed to the government office and wrote a letter to beg his grandfather. But this time he really hurt my grandfather's face. The person who manages the household registration in the government office is an old friend of my grandfather. Soon the government office approved it, saying that it was found out whether my father Ability to support his wife. It is ridiculous to say that the official office said that a petty official who earns the salary of the official office can’t support his wife.” "Then your mother...remarried?" Lu Guichen felt like he was asking nonsense. "Remarried." Ye Jin nodded, "In order to get rid of my father's ideas, my grandfather asked many ways, and within two months, he ordered a new marriage for my mother. The other party was a subordinate of my grandfather, a very smart young man. At that time, he was promoted very quickly, thanks to his grandfather who supported him a lot. The other party was not married yet, but he was willing to marry his mother. My grandfather felt very happy, so he resolutely refused to let my mother take me, saying that he would forget the past. , don’t have anything to do with it.” "How...is this possible?" Lu Guichen said. He felt like talking to Ye Jin like a fool, always asking some meaningless questions without thinking.But he really wanted to ask, how could this be?A woman gave birth to a child, but someone insisted that she throw the child away and remarry, just because the child's father was a cowardly and useless person. "How can this be?" Lu Guichen asked himself repeatedly in his heart. "My mother asked someone to come and tell me that when she gets married, she will find a way to pick me up, so that everyone can be reunited," Ye Jin said. "But she... did she agree?" Lu Guichen became anxious. "I agree. Maybe my mother also hates my father's incompetence. I don't remember much about my childhood. I just remember that they often quarreled and my father was kicked out. He squatted by the stove in the kitchen and lit the fire silently. In the morning When he got up, he sat there and fell asleep." Ye Jin said, "My mother just got married like this. On the day my mother got married, my father sneaked out to watch, and when he came back, he squatted by the stove and silently lit the fire." Lu Guichen lowered his head, suddenly there was an unbearable soreness in his nose. "In the next month, he went to the tavern to drink every day, and he went crazy after drinking. He shouted at home that he was also a descendant of the Ye family in Yunzhong, no one could look down on him, and he could also go to the battlefield. One day when the time comes, he will marry the most beautiful woman in the cloud, and welcome that woman with a silver chariot, so that those who look down on him can see it with their own eyes." Ye Jin smiled and shook her head, "But he shouted for a while He would hug me and cry loudly, telling me not to leave him, not to go to that person's house." Lu Guichen inserted his fingers into his hair and held his head with both hands, suddenly feeling exhausted. "But suddenly news came that my mother threw herself into a well and died." Lu Guichen raised his head in shock: "Why?" "Later I heard that the man actually married his mother and felt very uncomfortable. After all, he was married to a woman who had children, just for future promotion. The man's mother was even more dissatisfied. All I saw was the cold faces of the husband and mother-in-law. But you think, can a woman who has been married twice return to her natal family? My mother is a person with a very strong personality, and she finally couldn't bear it. She was raped by that man After being slapped across the face, a person ran out and died in a well not far from my house." Ye Jin raised her head and said quietly, "I always wondered if she wanted to come back, but finally I can't come back..." Lu Guichen's tears rolled down silently.He didn't dare to wipe it, he felt that it was embarrassing for a man to cry like this, so he bowed his head and hugged his head, and put his forehead on his knees. "It's late at night, Young Master Chen, go to bed early. These trivial things will be the same one day? I'll fetch water for you." Ye Jin walked out with a copper basin in her hand. Lu Guichen was taken aback, thinking that Ye Jin had heard the conversation between him and Ji Ye in the room just now.