Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Reunion

I paid enough money in Dunhuang City that a caravan bound for Chang'an agreed to take me along. I was in a carriage with all my belongings and four others.The so-called all the belongings are worth nothing but the set of Loulan dresses. My father once told me about many scenes of Chang'an City, and I have imagined the appearance of Chang'an City countless times, but when I saw it with my own eyes, I was still overwhelmed by its majesty and majesty.Visually inspected the road I was walking on, it was about fifteen feet wide, the road surface was divided into three sections with water ditches at intervals, the middle one was six to seven feet wide, and the side roads on both sides were about four feet each.When I first entered the city, the man driving the car told me proudly that the road in the middle is for the emperor, and the roads on both sides are for officials and common people.

As far as the eye can see, there are row upon row of beautiful mansions, the eaves seem to be able to reach the sky, and various trees such as Chinese elm, pines and cypresses are planted on both sides of the wide road, which are lush and lush, adding a bit of softness to this imperial city . Holding my package, I kept walking along the street, immersed in the excitement of seeing Chang'an City for the first time.A corner of a house and an arched bridge amazed me. I think I began to understand Dad’s feelings. I’m used to seeing such exquisite and gorgeous people since I was a child. It's where the sheep are.

I don't know how long I walked, until it got dark, I realized that I should find a place to rest.Although I chose the cheapest inn, the money in my hand is only enough to stay for more than ten days.After carefully counting the money twice under the oil lamp, I couldn't help but miss the days when the Western Regions didn't need to spend money. How should I make a living in the future? I was in a daze under the lamp, and suddenly remembered that there was an extra fee for the oil lamp, so I hurriedly put away my things, turned off the lamp and went to sleep.In the dark, I felt sad for a while, then laughed again.Chang'an City is so big and can support so many people, am I worse than others?I have hands and feet, will I still starve to death?What a worry!

However, when I went around Chang'an City three times, I began to wonder, can I really support myself?Slaves, kabuki, these all have to sell themselves, I will definitely not sell myself and let others dominate my life.I don't even know how to embroider and make clothes.I don’t even know what women should know, and the most troublesome thing is that I don’t have a guarantor. A store heard that I can read and can settle accounts, and the salary is only one-third of that of a man. The shrewd lady boss was quite tempted. But when she asked me "Can someone from Chang'an City be your guarantor", I shook my head, which made her shake her head very regretfully.They can't hire someone who doesn't know the bottom line.

I tried to find Xiao Huo and the others, thinking that at least they could act as my guarantor, but after inquiries from merchants, they all shook their heads. I have never seen such a spice merchant.I was helpless and disappointed, and I blamed Xiao Huo a little bit. He really lied to me. The Double Ninth Festival is approaching, impatient shops have already planted dogwoods at the entrances, flower sellers have also placed cornels on the pavement, and a jar of chrysanthemum wine in the hotel is placed outside the store to attract the attention of passers-by, everyone is intoxicated. In the joy of the holidays, and I'm broke.I haven't eaten a bite since yesterday, and I don't know where I'm staying tonight.

The pungent smell of cornel in the air, the elegant fragrance of chrysanthemums, and the happy looks on people's faces, all these have nothing to do with me. I am alone on the bustling street with people coming and going. I took the package and headed out of the city.There's a birch grove to the west, and I'm going to live there tonight, so I can at least have a fire to keep myself warm, and maybe catch a rabbit or something if I'm lucky.Sleeping in the wild is commonplace for me, but it is really hard to be hungry. When I was depressed, I wondered if I had come by mistake, thinking that if I pawned the Loulan dress in the package, I would have enough money to go back to the Western Regions.Then he felt very reconciled. I'm afraid Dad would never have thought that the daughter of the Han family whom he had carefully trained would not be able to survive in the city of Chang'an in the Han Dynasty.

When I arrived in the birch forest, I found that there were many people who had the same thoughts as me. Many beggars chose to rest here, eating and chatting in front of the campfire in small groups. I walked silently among the piles of campfires, and the aroma of the food made my stomach hurt.I took a fancy to a big tree, and was about to sleep under it tonight, when a beggar by the campfire jumped up screaming and yelling: "You blind dog, do you understand the rules? That's your grandfather's place." I turned around and stared at him angrily. He didn't urinate like a wolf to mark his sphere of influence. Even if I didn't mean to offend, I didn't have to utter bad words.But after thinking about it, why should I bother with a fool like him, so I bowed my head and walked away, looking for another place.

The man next to him stared at me maliciously, licked his lower lip and said, "Little lady, that area is already occupied, but if you are willing to sing a song for me, maybe my father will be willing to sleep with you when he is happy." Let me give you a little place, and let you sleep with the master." A group of beggars laughed loudly. I turned around and looked at them, just as I was about to squat down and pull out the dagger hidden in my calf, a little beggar walked up to the three rogues with a jug of wine in his hand, and said casually: "Man, my luck today!" Well, I even asked for a pot of high-quality chrysanthemum wine from Yipinju."

Hearing this, the beggars all looked away from me and stared at the flagon in his hand.The beggar who scolded me at first laughed and said: "You are not very big, but you are quite clever. No one in this area can compare to you." The little beggar sat down firmly, and handed him the jug casually: "You guys also have a drink, don't be polite to the young master, the men are having fun today, and celebrate the festival like the old men." The three beggars immediately His eyebrows stretched out, his face seemed to be shiny, he yelled three times and drank with his fists, completely forgetting my existence.

An old beggar with white hair came up to me and said, "Girl, in this life, there is no obstacle that you can't overcome, and there is no anger that you can't bear. They always talk without meaning, so don't take it seriously. If you don't mind , Accompany me, an old man, to warm up by the fire." In the past few days, I have experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships, and a few gentle words made my hostility disappear.I bit my lip and nodded, and followed the old beggar to his campfire.Smiling, he touched two cakes out of the bag, put them on the fire to bake, looked around again, saw that no one was paying attention, and handed me a gourd: "Drink chrysanthemum wine first, warm your body, cakes It will be fine in a while."

I hesitated and didn't reach out. A rich man's bag of gold is not worth much, but the food in the hands of a beggar is more expensive than gold.The old beggar said with a stern face: "Do you think it's a beggar's thing?" I shook my head, and he said again: "Are you afraid that the alcohol will be strong? Don't worry, this is Yipinju's chrysanthemum wine specially made for the Double Ninth Festival. It is suitable for the whole family The old and the young drink together, the taste is sweet, but the alcohol is not strong." I said: "We are not relatives, but I am already very grateful to that little brother who saved me from the siege just now." The old beggar looked at me carefully, and said with a smile: "Who in this world doesn't have three disasters and five disasters, even the emperor wants the prime minister to help!" Then he forced the gourd into my hand, and I held the jug and said in a low voice: "Thank you grandpa." Grandpa handed me the baked cake, and said with a low smile, "It's not so easy to take advantage of Gouwazi. The pot of wine is mixed with water." Tossing and turning at night, always unable to fall asleep.Gouwazi later told me that if I was not afraid of hardship, I could knock on the back door of every house and ask if someone wanted to wash clothes, because when he was begging, he had seen women knocking on the door to collect clothes for others to wash.I have strength, and I am not afraid of suffering, as long as I can support myself first.I silently pray for good luck tomorrow. As soon as it was dawn, I went to the city to try my luck, and I only remembered when I entered the city. When I left in a hurry, I even forgot the package with the old man and Gouwazi.Then I thought about it, the only thing that was valuable in it was a set of dresses, anyway, they were all trustworthy people, and I made an appointment to go back to see them at night, the most important thing at present was to find a job to do. Knock on the door of one family, and one family refuses.Later, a kind aunt told me that the laundry is done by acquaintances who come to collect and wash clothes, not just for strangers.I didn't give up, I still knocked one after another. "Someone washes the clothes in our courtyard." The burly man waved me away, and a woman dressed up enchantingly was about to go out. When I passed by me, I was still asking: "Is there any other chores? I also I can do it, as long as I have a full meal." The man didn't make a sound, but the woman stopped, looked me up and down, thought for a while, and asked, "Are you a foreigner?" I nodded. She asked: "How long have you been here? Chang'an speaks really well, but he can't hear a foreign accent." For that possible job opportunity, I honestly replied: "It's been half a month, and I'm a fast learner." The woman nodded in surprise: "It seems that he is a smart man. Does Chang'an have any relatives or acquaintances?" I shook my head with a wry smile, and she said with a smile: "Yes, if there are relatives and friends, how can they fall into this situation. How about it! You help clean up the yard, and I will give you some cakes. Would you like it?" I was overjoyed and nodded vigorously: "Thank you, madam." She laughed and said, "You can just call me Hong Gu. Well done, maybe we will see each other for a long time in the future!" After I finished my work, Aunt Hong smiled and praised me for my quick hands and feet. She put a plate of cakes on the table and gave me a bowl of hot soup.I haven't eaten anything since morning. I was already so hungry that I quickly grabbed one and ate it.Honggu watched me eat while giggling, and asked me questions without saying a word. When I was half full, I thought of Gouwazi and Grandpa the Beggar, and asked Honggu, "Can I take the rest of the cake?" A look of surprise flashed across Hong Gu's face: "What's wrong?" I said, "I want to save it for dinner when I'm hungry." She smiled relievedly: "It's up to you! Have a few mouthfuls of hot soup first, and I'll ask someone to wrap it up for you." I took a few sips of the soup and suddenly felt something was wrong.My head started to feel dizzy, and my hands and feet were a little weak. I knew that I was right, and I pretended to stand up casually: "My grandpa is still waiting for me to go back. If the cake is wrapped, I will leave first." Hong Gu also stood up and said with a smile: "Then you go slowly, I won't see you off." I walked out quickly, and there were two big men standing at the door.Without saying a word, I immediately pulled out the dagger, but my body was already staggering to the point of falling.Hong Gu leaned against the door frame and said with a smile: "If you're tired, rest here with me! I guess you don't have any grandpa waiting, so what's the rush?" Two big men came over, I wanted to assassinate them, but my eyes were darkened, the dagger in my hand was snatched by them, and I fell limply on the ground, the last consciousness was hearing Honggu say: "What a smart little girl!" Wife! I’m afraid she’s a connoisseur who took the drug of standing upside down, but it took her so long to faint. Give her some more and put her under surveillance, otherwise, be careful of your skin!” I don't know how long I was in a coma, but when I woke up, I found that I was not the only one, there was another girl locked up with me, with a beautiful appearance and a demure temperament.Seeing me wake up, she hurriedly poured a glass of water and handed it to me.I stared at her quietly without taking the cup in her hand. Her eyes were red: "There is no medicine in this water, and there is no need for it. The guards here are very strict, and you can't escape." I said, "I'm not thirsty." She turned around and put the cup back on the table, and then shrank back to the opposite couch. I moved a bit, and there was no problem with my normal movements, but I still couldn't lift my limbs. It seems that they specially gave me other medicines. After sitting quietly for a while, clearing my mind, I said to the girl opposite: "My name is Jin Yu, and I was drugged by a man named Hong Gu, how about you?" She said: "My name is Fang Ru, and I was sold here by my stepmother." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. I didn't care about comforting her emotions, and hurriedly asked: "Do you know where this is? Why did they bring me here?" Fang Ru burst into tears, choked up and said, "This is Luoyufang, a well-known singing and dancing workshop in Chang'an City. You must be kidnapped because you are beautiful." I don't know whether to be happy or worried when I heard the words. From a wolf boy with a rough behavior to a slender girl today, Dad Fei's thoughts have finally been recognized by outsiders, and she is such an enchanting woman as Honggu. It turns out that my beauty is also qualified to be a confidante It's a disaster, but before I use my beauty to harm others, I first harm myself.If you can eat, drink, talk about love, play and have fun like Meixi, Daji, and Baosi, and let the whole country be buried for them in the end, the disaster will be a disaster, and I admit it, but What am I? I asked, "Are they asking us to sell our bodies?" Fang Ru said: "This is a singing and dancing workshop, not a prostitution workshop. The girls here only sell their singing and dancing talents. It can be said that as long as someone pays enough money or meets a powerful person, even if you don't want to, it's still difficult Escape bad luck. Unless someone redeems you, or you have outstanding singing and dancing skills and special status, the most outstanding entertainers in Chang'an can even enter and leave the palace." I shook my head and smiled wryly, just as I was about to ask Fang Ru something more, the door was suddenly opened, and two big men walked in.Fang Ru cried immediately, "I won't go, I won't go." Honggu walked in with her waist lightly swaying, and she smiled charmingly and infinitely: "How many times have you been looking for death? You have suffered a lot of beatings, why don't you have a long memory? Today is up to you, so I dressed up and went to follow you." Sisters, learn a little bit." After speaking, he winked at the two big men, who immediately dragged Fang Ru towards the layman. Fang Ru waved her hands wildly, grabbing everything she could grab as much as she could, as if she could change her fate, but it didn't work.The quilt, as she slid off the bed, was pulled out of her hands by the big man; only five shallow fingernail marks were left on the door frame, and her hands finally loosened with all her strength. I stared at the scene in front of me without blinking. Hong Gu looked me up and down, and sighed: "You should know where this is, but you don't panic, you don't cry, you don't make trouble, are you resigned to your fate, or do you have other thoughts?" I replied: "Is it useful to be afraid? Is it useful to cry? Can fear and tears make you let me go? I am afraid that the exchange is a whip or other punishment. Since the end result is the same, then I can at least Choose a path that is less painful. I am willing to listen to your orders in the future." Hong Gu was stunned for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and stared at me: "Have you ever seen people who accidentally fell into the water? They panicked because they didn't know how to swim, and they struggled to surface, but in fact, the more they struggled, the more they sank. The faster they are, the more often they are not drowned, but choked to death when the water enters their noses while struggling. In fact, they don’t know that if they are willing to relax their bodies, even people who can’t swim can float on the water. What’s more The ridiculous thing is that many people who fell into the water are very close to the shore, and they can often walk back to the shore with only one breath." Honggu and I looked at each other for a while, and both of us had a smile on our lips, but they had different meanings.She smoothed her temples with her slender fingers: "What's your name?" I said, "Golden jade." Hong Gu nodded her head: "I'll send a maid to take you to my room later, if you want anything you can talk to her. I have other things to do right now." As she spoke, she turned around charmingly and wanted to leave, but her figure stopped He paused, turned his head and said, "Actually, I should have saved your life. If it wasn't for me, you would either end up starving to death on the street or begging for a living, but your appearance must make you unable to escape bad luck, that's true Dirty and filthy." After finishing speaking, he ignored my reaction and walked away with a twist of his waist. I began to learn to dance, sing, play the flute, and even embroider. Singing and dancing are the easiest for me. The Huns have a passionate personality and love singing and dancing. I have danced thousands of times around the bonfire since I was a child, and I have been taught by the best maiko in the Huns palace. Different, but the dance theory is the same.On the contrary, it is the flute and embroidery that make me very laborious. I don't know how other girls see these, but I slowly learned the taste myself, and often practiced the flute when I was alone.Especially at night, I like to play the flute to the moon, but I can't even play a tune now. It's music, it's better to say it's ghost crying.But I am enjoying myself, always wondering if Brother Wolf will like it, and I will play it to him at the full moon in the future. The girls in the shop thought I was noisy, and complained to Honggu many times.Honggu, however, wholeheartedly sided with me, and even scolded the complainants, saying that if they were half as diligent as me, they would have been popular in Chang'an city long ago.It stands to reason that I should hate Honggu, but this person has a bright and attractive appearance, a shrewd but not stingy personality, and her words are thought-provoking from time to time. I really can't hate her. The days slipped by without leaving a trace, and when I could barely play a piece of "Baitou Yin", the new year was almost here. The New Year is a holiday for family members, and even the most flirtatious men have to go home for reunion at this time, and the garden that has been singing and dancing all the time suddenly becomes deserted.There are no relatives or no reason in the house, or there are women who are equal to none. Maybe it is because of this desertion that they want to liven up the New Year more and more.I don't know whether to convince myself or to prove it to others, even Honggu, who seems to have seen through the world, is doing the same. She spends a lot of money and arranges the inside and outside of the house in red and green. Enough lively, enough festive. On the night of New Year's Eve, Hong Gu loudly ordered the nursing home to lock the doors and windows and guard the gate in front of me.Then he ordered the old woman to heat up the house, and gathered more than 20 girls in the garden to sit around on the big couch, arrange the dishes, and serve wine orders.Everyone, either because they were happy or because they were sad, drank desperately, even Fang Ru, who was always depressed and not very gregarious, had to drink every time he drank, and he didn't hesitate. I didn't have much capacity for alcohol, and what I drank was sorghum wine with great stamina. After three or five cups, my feet were already weak and dizzy. Uncomfortable, I opened my eyes and saw that Fang Ru was sleeping soundly with her head on my chest, and she even used me as a pillow. Looking around, everyone fell asleep in a distorted state. You pressed my leg, and I leaned on your back. The quilt was half covered. Fortunately, the house was warmed up, but it couldn’t be frozen. There was a sense of peace.I gently raised Fang Ru's head, stuffed her with a pillow, closed my eyes and fell asleep again. Just a little bit confused, suddenly heard shouting outside, after a while someone came to knock on the door, all the girls muttered, pulled the quilt and went back to sleep.But Honggu immediately jumped off the kang, smiled at me, motioned for me to continue sleeping, wiped her hair, put on her jacket, and walked out of the room quickly. I straightened my dress and went down to the window to look out.Hong Gu was saluting to two men, one old and one young.The older man looked arrogant and just nodded slightly.The young girl asked Hong Gu what to say, and I vaguely heard something like "...woman... looks... three months ago... Master Fang..." I couldn't see Hong Gu's expression clearly, but I felt that she seemed a little frightened.Saying that, the two men moved forward, Honggu wanted to stop her, but she withdrew her hands in fear, and ran over quickly, shouting: "Get up! Get up quickly!" The girls on the kang turned over lazily, a few of them who were lightly drunk got up limply, and looked around in bewilderment, while a few of them who were very drunk were still lying down.I saw that the situation was not right, so I hurried to push them: "Hurry up, something is wrong!" Then everyone came to their senses. Honggu raised the curtain, and the two men came in one after the other, looking carefully at the faces of the girls in the room.Sister Shuangshuang, who sang the best in the yard, obviously recognized the person. She was always a bit cold and reserved, and she smiled and saluted the two of them: "There are distinguished guests coming on the first day of the Lunar New Year. It seems that everything should go well in our garden this year. , Shuang'er is here to wish Lord Wu a New Year greeting, and wish him good health." Master Wu's tense face eased slightly, and immediately tensed up again, slightly nodded to Sister Shuangshuang, his eyes still looking at each of them one by one. I have been hiding in the corner, when Master Wu looked at me, I smiled and bowed to him, but his expression suddenly changed, and he kept staring at me.While looking at me carefully, he asked Hong Gu: "Where did she come from? When did she enter the garden?" Hong Gu's face was pale, she hesitated and said nothing, Master Wu shouted: "You still don't tell the truth at this time? Do you really want to kill yourself?" Hong Gu shivered for a moment, lowered her head and replied, "She is from another place, and she has been in the garden for three months." Master Wu looked at me and asked, "Are Hong Gu's telling the truth?" I thought Hong Gu was telling the truth except for the most important point, so I replied, "It's the truth." Master Wu looked at me carefully again, and muttered to himself: "It shouldn't be wrong, the appearance, time, and identity are all suitable." Turning his head to Honggu, he said: "Master Fang has been looking for people for half a month to estimate It's her. I'm not a person around the owner of the boat, so I don't know, and I don't dare to speculate. You made trouble yourself, and you can handle it yourself. I'll wait for you outside." The young man hurriedly lifted the curtain , Master Wu hurried out of the house. Hong Gu bowed deeply to Master Wu's back: "Hong'er will remember Master Wu's great kindness." Aunt Hong was silent for a moment, then shouted: "Except for Xiaoyu, everyone go out." Sister Shuangshuang glanced at me and led everyone away quickly. Hong Gu quickly walked a few steps to me, with a complex expression on her face, she knelt down suddenly. I hurriedly knelt down to help her: "Guy Hong, don't be afraid. I don't know who Master Wu is, and I don't know what he means by the so-called master of the boat. Anyway, don't worry, there is no enmity between you and me. I only know that you have provided me with food, accommodation and fun in the past few months, and I have learned a lot of new things." When I first arrived in Chang'an, one more friend would be more convenient in the future, not to mention Honggu didn't cause me any harm Actual harm must be forgiven and forgiven. Hong Gu's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and her voice was slightly choked: "Xiao Yu, it's rare that you have such a big heart. I won't talk nonsense, this is what Hong Gu owes you, Hong Gu will write it down first." He took out a bottle of medicine that he kept next to his body, and poured one out for me.I took it and put it in my mouth. Honggu quickly handed me water, watched me drink it, and said: "After a cup of tea, your strength will slowly recover. But because you have been given medicine for a long time, So it may take four or five days to recover." I smiled and said, "I can wait." Hong Gu nodded gratefully, twisted the handkerchief for me to wipe my face, fixed my hair for me, helped me arrange my dress, took my hand and went out.Seeing us coming out, Master Wu glanced at the hands that Honggu and I held each other, his expression softened a lot, and he said with a smile, "Then let's go!" Honggu and I rode in the same carriage and followed Master Wu's carriage.Until now, I don't understand what happened, I just know that we are going to meet a person, this person seems to be looking for someone like me, and this person seems to have a lot of status in Chang'an City, because even he is not allowed to get close His subordinates can make the well-known Sister Shuangshuang in Chang'an City polite and courteous, and make the shrewd and powerful Aunt Hong afraid. "Gu Hong, who is the owner of the boat Master Wu is talking about?" Honggu said: "You really don't know the owner of the stone boat?" I shook my head: "I have just arrived in Chang'an, and I have no relatives. How could I know such a noble person? If I want to know him, would I still be so curious?" Honggu said in surprise: "It's really strange. The owner of the boat has not been involved in the business of Chang'an City for several years. The garden I run is also in the stone boat industry. I pay a certain amount of money to Shifang every year according to the quality of the business. In the past, Shifang would interfere. How our subordinates operate, but as long as we abide by the rules in the past few years, Shifang doesn't care about other things." "What rules?" I asked. Hong Gu blushed: "There are many rules, for example, it is not allowed to kidnap women into the industry." I wanted to laugh but I quickly held it back. No wonder she was so scared. It turned out that she had violated a taboo. I held her hand and said, "I will never tell anyone about this, but in the future..." Hong Gu hurriedly said: "One time is enough, and I won't do it again. I'm too impatient, I always want to be the most popular singing and dancing hall in Chang'an City. Although Shuangshuang's singing skills are outstanding, the rest is not as good. I have been thinking about finding a Top-notch talents are always hard to get what they want. A good appearance may not be a good figure. Both are good, but the mechanism is bad. The day I saw you became greedy, made a big mistake, and I was worried about everything afterwards. As soon as Shifang knows about the consequences, the mistake has already been made." Seeing that Hong Gu's tone was sincere, I quickly changed the subject with a smile: "Hong Gu is praising me in a different way! I'm going to see the owner of Shifang in a while, but I don't know anything about Shifang. Tell me about the stone boat?" After hearing this, Honggu thought for a while and said: "Actually, I know very little, because Shifang has always kept a low profile. I have been in Chang'an City since I was a child, and I can be regarded as a person with a broad face, but I have never met the owner of the boat. According to old people, Shifang seems to have started as a jade business, which was already in the reign of Emperor Wen. Later, Shifang’s business grew bigger and bigger. When Emperor Jing ascended the throne and Empress Dowager Dou presided over the government, almost All the big gem and jade stores, silk and spice shops, restaurants, gambling halls, and song and dance halls were either opened by Shifang alone, or Shifang cooperated with other businesses. Later, Shifang stopped expanding business suddenly, even the original business slowed down. Slowly letting go, and acting more low-key and secretive, I haven't heard anything about Shifang in the past three or four years. If I didn't have to report and pay to Master Wu every year, I would have forgotten that my garden belonged to Shifang. But after all, 'a skinny camel is bigger than a horse', although on the surface it seems that Shifang is not as good as before in Chang'an City, but no businessman dares to offend Shifang easily." While Hong Gu was talking, I was contemplating what had happened. If this person ordered someone to look for me, and he could tell me my appearance, he must have seen me.The businessman in Chang'an is so mysterious, the scene of me riding a horse with Xiao Huo suddenly flashed in my mind, could it be him? The carriage slowly stopped in front of a house.Hong Gu's complexion changed, and she became dignified and solemn, and the coquettishness that flowed in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes in the past disappeared. Master Wu saw us getting out of the car, and Fang stepped forward to knock on the door.From the outside, there is no difference between this house and the houses of ordinary wealthy businessmen. The word "Shifu" is simply engraved on the door plaque. Master Wu patted the door knocker twice, and immediately stepped aside and stood bowed.Hong Gu hurriedly stood behind Master Wu and stood with her hands down. Such a big rule?I curled my lips and stood under Hong Gu just like that. The door opened silently, and an old man with a long beard looked at us.Master Wu immediately bowed and saluted: "Master, Xiao Wu saluted you." Hong Gu followed suit. The old man waved his hand to get him up, and his eyes fell on me: "Is this the person you found?" Master Wu smiled and replied: "Yes, I searched and searched, but I didn't expect it to be right under my nose. The situation is probably right. Is the old man right?" The old man said: "Is that right? I don't know. The two that were sent first were sent back just after entering the door." As he spoke, he turned around and led the way. Master Wu hurriedly lowered his head to follow, Hong Gu and I followed behind and entered the gate.The old man led us to a small hall: "Let's all sit down!" Then he turned and went out the door.A boy about ten years old was serving tea to us with a tea tray. Mr. Wu actually stood up and bowed his body to express his gratitude.Although Honggu and I were surprised, we followed suit. The boy served good tea, smiled and stepped back.As soon as he went out, the old man came in again with a smile on his face.Master Wu immediately stood up and asked, "But right?" The old man said: "That's right! You go back first, the owner of the boat will decide whether to reward or punish." After finishing speaking, he ignored Master Wu and Gu Hong, and said to me: "Come with me!" I looked at Hong Gu, and Hong Gu nodded to me, motioning for me to follow quickly. Because I was also curious about whether this mysterious and powerful boat owner was Xiao Huo, I didn't hesitate and immediately followed the old man. Turning around the front room, passing through a small round door, and walking between the two walls for a while, the eyes suddenly opened up.The promenade is twists and turns, straddling the lake, and I don’t know where it leads. Because it is severe winter, I only see a smooth ice surface and willow and peach trees without green leaves on the shore, but the view is wide and refreshing. This house is surprisingly unique, the front is like an ordinary house, but the rear is so extraordinary. After crossing the lake, the colors around it become vivid. Although it is the cold winter months, the bamboo forest is still full of vitality. My mood brightened up too. The old man looked back and saw my expression, and said with a smile: "If you like it, come back to play later. I also love this bamboo forest. It is cool in summer and full of vitality in winter. This is the Bamboo Pavilion, and there are plum gardens and Lanju along the lake. And Chrysanthemum House." I nodded with a smile, ran a few steps, and rushed to his side. At the end of the bamboo grove is an exquisite courtyard with the gate ajar.The old man whispered to me: "Go!" I saw that the old man didn't intend to go in, so I saluted him, and he waved me to go. In a corner of the yard, several large blue stones are piled up irregularly, and a large clump of bamboo is planted in the middle, and a few white pigeons are parked on it. A man in Tsing Yi was sitting facing the sun, a white pigeon was lying on his lap, and there was a charcoal stove at his feet. The air quickly condensed into smoke, making his motionless figure a little erratic. It turned out to be him!Whether in the desert or in Chang'an City, as long as he is there, no matter how ordinary the scenery is, it will become its own scenery because of him, making people unforgettable. The scene in front of me made me dare not disturb him. I followed his gaze and looked up at the sun in the sky. Even though it was the winter sun, it was still a bit dazzling.I squinted my eyes and turned to look at him, but he was looking at me, his pupils were shining like black gems. He pointed to the bamboo couch beside him, and asked with a smile, "Is Chang'an fun?" With a simple but familiar greeting from him, my heart suddenly warmed up, and I suddenly didn't bother to ask my stomach full of questions, because these questions were not important at all, the important thing was that I met him again here. I briskly sat next to him: "I was busy feeding my stomach when I came here, and then I stayed in Honggu's garden all day, and didn't play anywhere!" He slightly pursed his lips and said with a smile: "I think you are doing well. Honggu is also a good trainer. Now that you stand out, you look a bit like a lady in Chang'an City." I recalled the embarrassment when I saw him for the first time by the Crescent Lake, and I was a little bit ashamed and annoyed: "I have always been good, but people need clothes and horses need saddles." A boy came out of the house with his head down holding a small square food case, put the food case in front of us, and brought me another cup of tea.When I took the tea, I casually swept across his face, and immediately widened my eyes: "You son of a bitch?" Gouwazi said to me with a straight face and seriousness: "Call me Shi Feng from now on, Gouwazi don't bark anymore, that's what happens when a hero is in trouble." I looked at his serious face, suppressed a smile, and responded repeatedly: "Yes, Shi Feng, Young Master Shi, why are you here?" He glanced at me angrily: "Master Jiu brought me back." He lowered his head and backed away after speaking. Jiu Ye said: "Because his grandfather was seriously ill, Xiaofeng had no choice but to pawn the clothes you left with them. It just so happened that the owner of the pawn shop went to the Western Regions with me that day, saw that suit of clothes, and reported the matter to him." Come up. I think Xiaofeng is pure, filial, and quick-witted. He is a rare business talent, so I keep him by my side." I nodded, it turned out that it was Xiaofeng who learned that I was "in distress" Chang'an: "How is Grandpa's illness?" Master Jiu put his hands close to the stove to warm up: "You're old, you don't have a fixed place to live, you're hungry and full, it's not a serious illness, you just need to take care of it now. Listen to Xiaofeng, he's always worried about you, Go back and see him." I said, "I'll go if you don't tell me." He asked, "Did Honggu ever make things difficult for you?" I hurriedly said: "No." "Why are you nervous?" He asked with a smile. "Who knows what your rules are? If it's like the Western Regions, you can chop off a hand at every turn. It would be a pity for a beauty like Honggu." He lowered his eyes and thought for a while: "This matter is not a simple grievance between you and Honggu. If you let go of it this time, I'm afraid someone will commit the crime in the future. Those weak girls will be unlucky." I looked at him sideways: "Aunt Hong has already promised me that she will never do it again. Is there a way to get the best of both worlds?" He raised his eyebrows suddenly: "Leave this matter to Old Wu! Something happened to one of his people, so I don't have to worry about it for him here." He originally had a calm and gentle expression, but these few words brought With a trace of joking and gloating, I burst out laughing. The winter sun had set early and it was already cold.I glanced at his legs and said with a smile, "I feel a little cold." He picked up the white dove, raised his hand, and the white dove flew away.He stretched out his hand as a gesture of invitation, and pushed the wheelchair towards the door of the house.I was about to reach out to help him, but I suddenly recalled the scene of him getting off the carriage when I first met, so I quickly withdrew my hand. When approaching the door, the door suddenly opened slowly, but there was no one inside.I looked around in surprise, and he explained with a smile: "There is an mechanism in the basement in front of the door. When the wheelchair is out of date, touch the mechanism and the door will automatically open." I took a closer look at the ground under my feet, but I couldn't see anything unusual, and followed him into the house with admiration in my heart. The whole room has been specially designed, there is no threshold, and everything is placed where a person can just sit and get it.The few cases are not the low and low ones popular in the Han Dynasty today, but the height is just enough for people to sit in a wheelchair, which is the usual style of Hu people.It is not known whether he was the first person in Chang'an City to use the Hu table and Hu chair. He invited me to sit down, and when I saw the oiled pan on the table, I remembered that I hadn't eaten since I woke up!Swallowing saliva, he was looking at the sanzi, but his stomach could not wait any longer, and he groaned a few times. He was making tea when he heard the sound and turned to look at me.I said embarrassedly: "Have you heard the sound of a hungry stomach? I want to eat that plate of sanzi." He smiled slightly: "It's for the Chinese New Year. It's okay to eat and play, but it's too greasy to eat as a meal. Tell the kitchen to prepare a meal for you! What do you want to eat?" I haven't been happy for a long time, and I frowned again, what to eat?I can't order.After thinking for a while, Yu Yu said: "Whatever you want! The most important thing is to have meat, large pieces of meat. Don't be like Hong Gu's, where good meat is cut into shreds or dices, and it will still be fresh after eating once or twice , It’s really boring after eating for a long time.” He smiled and pulled a rope in the corner, and Xiaofeng came in quickly.He ordered: "Let the kitchen make a roasted whole elbow, and prepare two vegetarian dishes for delivery." After glancing at me, he added: "Hurry up." He put the tea tray on his lap and wheeled the wheelchair over. I glanced at him, turned a blind eye to the tea that was about to splash, and picked a sanzi to eat.He put a cup of tea in front of me, I immediately picked it up, blew on it, and took a sip with the Sanzi. He seemed quite happy, and took a sip from the teacup: "I rarely have guests, this is the first time I make tea for someone, you just go ahead and drink it!" With something in my mouth, I nodded vaguely: "You have a lot of brothers and sisters in your family, right? Is there Master Shi?" He said indifferently: "I am the only one in the family. My father hoped for a prosperous population, and ordered everyone to call me Ninth Young Master since I was a child. It was auspicious. Now I am used to calling me. Although it is not as my father wished, I am too lazy to ask them to change their mouths." I swallowed the food in my mouth: "I have a pack of wolves besides me in my family. The one you saw that day was only my younger brother." There was a smile on his face: "I heard from the next person that your name is Jin Yu?" I nodded: "What's your name?" "Meng Ximo." I was surprised: "Your surname is not Shi? Are you the owner of Shifang?" "Who told you that the owner of Shifang's surname is Shi?" I stuck out my tongue: "I saw Shifu written on the door, so I took it for granted. Ximo, the desert to the west, is not named after the atmosphere of the Central Plains." He laughed and said, "Your name is Jin Yu, and I haven't seen you as rich as Jin Yu." I smiled slightly and said, "Not now, but in the future." Xiaofeng came in with a food box, just opened the lid, I already smelled a tangy aroma, I rushed to the table, suddenly remembered that the master hadn't spoken yet, and turned to look at him.He said gently: "Hurry up and eat while it's hot! I'm not hungry now, so I won't eat with you." I sat on the table and munched. The millet rice and vegetables on the side didn't move at all, so I just ate with one elbow.He turned the wheelchair to the opposite side of me, and pushed the green vegetables that I pushed aside back to me: "Eat some green vegetables." I glanced at the green vegetables and ignored them, and he said again: "Girls eat more green vegetables, it looks better." Will be watery." I froze for a moment, is there such a saying?Seeing his serious expression, he doesn't seem to be coaxing me.Looking at the alluring elbow and the bland vegetables, he struggled for a while between the beauty and the delicious food, finally picked up the vegetables, and turned his head to look out the window with a smile. Happy are those who have enough to eat!Holding my ample stomach, smelling the tea in front of me, I feel that the joy of life is nothing but this. While drinking tea, I was thinking about it, and finally put down the teacup, cleared my throat and looked at him with a smile.He gestured to me to say something with his eyes. "Hmm! Hmm! This...you see, I used to live in Honggu's place with good food and good food, and I could learn a lot, but now that you are making such a fuss, Honggu must not dare to keep me anymore Now, I don’t have any money with me now. As the saying goes, a good man should be a good man when he does things. I think you are very handsome, so you must be responsible for me, right?” After I finished speaking without blushing and panting, I looked at he. He stared at me with a smile and didn't speak for a long time.But my face became hotter and hotter. I looked away, looked at the ground and said, "I can read, do arithmetic, and have strength. I'm not stupid. Do you think you need help from the shop below you?" "You want to stay in Chang'an?" "I've just arrived, and I don't want to leave yet. I can't tell when I will leave." "Live here first! I'll see what suits you, and you should think about what you like to do and what you want to do." My heart fell to the ground, I got up and saluted him: "Thank you! I won't live in vain, I can do what Xiaofeng can do." He smiled and shook his head: "You are different from Xiaofeng, Xiaofeng is Shifang's apprentice, and now he is grinding his temper." I said, "What about me?" He hesitated slightly and said: "You are my guest." I was a little disappointed in my heart, but he added: "An old friend who met again." say. In a few days, I have searched the inside and outside of the Shifu, and I also saw the man in purple and the man in black I met last time by the Crescent Moon Spring. One is Shi Jinyan and the other is Shi Shenxing.When I heard their names, I laughed secretly. They are really good names. Seeing me living in the bamboo house, the two of them yelled, "How is this possible? Lord Jiu likes to be quiet, and Xiaofeng and the others can't live here at night. If you say you want to live in the bamboo house, Master Jiu will let you live in it." ?” Shen Xing just took a deep look at me, then lowered his eyes and stared at the ground without moving. The two of them, together with Shi Tianzhao, who was in charge of Shifang's accounts, were in charge of almost all of Shifang's business.The three of them would come to the Bamboo Pavilion one after another every morning to describe their business dealings with Lord Jiu in detail, for different periods of time.Xiaofeng and three other boys of similar age often listen in the house. The names of the four happen to be Feng, Yu, Thunder, and Dian.When they were discussing business, I consciously stayed far away from the Bamboo Pavilion, as far away as possible.Today, because she was thinking about Hong Gu and the others, she simply avoided the Shifu. It has been snowing heavily for the past two days, making travel inconvenient.It happened that the snow stopped today, so I could go and see them. "Yu'er, why are you dressed so lightly? It's not cold in the snow, so I'll ask the servant girl to find you some clothes." Uncle Shi, who led us into the mansion that day, ordered someone to drive me while nagging. I jumped, waved my hands and said with a smile: "As long as I'm not hungry, I'm not afraid of the cold. This day is nothing to me." Shi Bo smiled and told me to come back early. Although the snow has stopped, the sky has not yet cleared up. There are still lead-colored clouds, overlapping and pressing down, and the gray sky is so low that it seems to be falling.The snow on the ground was very thick, and the wind passed by, rolling up snow foam and sending it straight to people.Most of the passers-by on the road couldn't afford to sit in a carriage, and all of them curled up as hard as they could, with their necks shrunk, walking carefully on the snow.Occasionally speeding carriages splashed snow on the ground, and pedestrians who couldn't dodge in time were often splashed with half-melted black snow. I raised my voice and told the coachman to yell a little, so that pedestrians should be prepared and walk slowly when passing pedestrians.The coachman answered loudly. The gate of the garden was closed tightly, and the two bright red lanterns that used to be lit regardless of night and day were gone.I patted on the door, and after a long while, someone shouted from inside: "The door is not open for these few days..." As I was speaking, the old woman who opened the door saw that it was me, and hurriedly closed her voice, turned her head with a strange expression, and raised her voice to call Honggu. Hong Gu ran out in a hurry, took my hand and said with a smile, "You really have a heart, and you still want to see me." I asked, "What's the matter? Why aren't you doing business?" Honggu took me and sat down beside the charcoal stove, and sighed: "It's not my fault, Mr. Wu is worrying, and he doesn't know what to do with me. He was thinking about the meaning of his superiors, and it seemed that it would be easier to deal with the serious ones." It’s hard to explain, I heard that I can’t even sleep well these days, but there is no proper way. But I can’t let me open the door to do business as usual, so I was ordered to close the door first.” I laughed: "That's because Mr. Wu is partial to you and doesn't want you to suffer, so he's trying to find a solution in a dilemma." Honggu stretched out her hand and tapped my forehead: "Thank you too, otherwise Master Wu would not be able to protect me. By the way, have you seen the boat master? Why did he look for you? What do you look like? How old are you?" ?” I said: "There are so many sisters in the garden pointing at you to eat! You don't worry about your own business, but you are here to inquire about these things." Hong Gu smiled and said: "Come on! If you don't want to tell me, I won't ask, but you should tell me why the master boat is looking for you. Didn't you say that you have no relatives in Chang'an, and you have no relatives at home?" I pursed my lips and smiled: "We have met before, and it is considered old acquaintance, but I didn't know that he was also in Chang'an." Hong Gu spread her hands and sighed: "It's really not as good as the sky, no matter how smart I am, I can't fight the sky." The two were laughing and chatting around the stove, when a little maid picked up the curtain and rushed in, and hurriedly said, "Miss Shuangshuang went out, but the servant couldn't stop her, and she was even reprimanded." Hong Gu asked with a straight face, "What did she say?" The maid bowed her head and said: "She said it was unreasonable because she would stop doing business by herself. If she doesn't do business today, she won't do business tomorrow. Then what will she eat in the future? She also said... She also said that Tianxiangfang paid a big price. Holding on to the old love, now... now I think it's better to go, saying that a woman's youth is limited, and her whole life is pointing to these few short years, so she can't afford to waste it." Hong Gu's face was ugly at first, but after hearing that, her expression softened, she sighed lightly, and ordered the maidservant to go down.I asked, "Is Tianxiangfang Shifang's business?" Honggu said: "It used to be, but it's not anymore. I don't know what happened. In the past two years, it has become more and more popular. The dance halls in Shifang have their own affairs. I have seen it. Soon, it will be the only one in Chang'an City. I am a subordinate, and I don't know what the owner of the boat means, but I let it grow." Hong Gu stared at the charcoal fire in silence for a while, then got up with a smile and said, "Don't talk about these troublesome things, and it's not my turn to worry about it. I've been bored in the house these days, and it's snowed for two days. It’s a good day to appreciate plum blossoms, since I’m not doing business anyway, I’ll just call all the girls and go out to relax.” I hurriedly agreed. I was in the same car with Honggu. Honggu was afraid of the cold, so she was wrapped in a fox fur cloak and embroidered gloves on her hands. Seeing that I was only wearing a smock over the dark clothes, she envied me.But what she envied was not my good health, but her envy that I could count to nine days in the cold, and that I could still be "slim and slim" when everyone was wrapped up like a rice dumpling. When the carriage was about to leave the city gate, there was a sudden noise.Teams of guards raised their guns to separate the pedestrians. Passers-by stopped and hid on the side of the road. Our car also stopped at the door of a store. People shouted and neighed for a while, and the scene was very chaotic. Curiously, I raised the curtain and looked out.Hong Gu smiled and said: "Silly girl! In the future, such a scene will be rare in Chang'an City. You have never seen His Majesty walk through the Royal Road. The scene and formation are amazing!" While she was talking, several people from far away had already trotted over from the city gate.I poked my head and stared carefully. From a distance, I saw that they were all young, and they were all dressed in brocade clothes and fur, and their horses were heroic. I caught sight of a person, and my heart suddenly trembled. Isn't that... that person with a stern face and starry eyes is Xiao Huo?Although the clothes and demeanor are far from those in the desert at this time, I believe that I have not admitted my mistake.The other teenagers were laughing and joking while riding their horses, but he kept his lips tightly shut and looked into the distance. It was obvious that although he was here, his heart was not. Aunt Hong probably saw my look of surprise, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?" I pointed to Xiao Huo and asked, "Who is he?" Hong Gu covered her mouth and laughed softly: "Yu'er's vision is really good! Although these people are all born in princes and nobles, he is the most unusual, and he is still unmarried, and he has not even settled on a marriage. .” I gave Hong Gu a sideways look: "Hong Gu is a very good matchmaker, what a pity that she got into the wrong profession." Honggu smiled and pointed at Xiao Huo and said, "This person's aunt is the queen, and his uncle was named a general. His reputation spread far and wide in the Western Regions of the Xiongnu, and there are 8,700 households in the city. He is called Huo Qubing, and he will work hard immediately." They are all very extraordinary, and they are well-known overlords in Chang'an City. Outsiders look taciturn and have no joy or anger, but it is said that their temper is extremely arrogant. Even his uncle dared to contradict him in front of everyone, but he just followed His Majesty's temper and protected him in everything. , no one in Chang'an City dares to offend him." I stared at his horse figure, feeling hard to describe in my heart. In Chang'an city, when I was most at a loss, I hoped to find him, but I couldn't.When I entered the stone mansion, I thought that I would see him at the end of the bamboo forest through the corridor, but it was still not.But when I least expected it, he showed up.Although I had thought that his identity might be unusual, I never thought that he would be the nephew of the empress and the general. He seemed to be aware of it immediately, and looked sideways in our direction, his eyes flicked across the crowd, and I suddenly lowered the curtain. On the way, Aunt Hong teased me several times, but I just listened with a slight smile.Aunt Hong felt that it was meaningless, so she stopped talking and laughing, and looked at my expression carefully. After a while, she suppressed her voice and said suddenly: "Why should I belittle myself? I have been unlucky in my life. When I was young, I only cared about what I liked in my heart, and I didn't think about it carefully. Now that the truth is clear, people have already I am old. You are young now, and you are born with such a appearance. As long as you have the heart, what is impossible in Chang'an City? Even today's Empress Wei, her status is not much higher than ours in the past. Her mother is a princess A slave in the mansion gave birth to her through an affair. She didn't even have a father, so she had to assume the surname Wei. When she became an adult, she was just a singing girl in the princess' mansion. Later, she was favored by His Majesty by virtue of her appearance. Besides, General Wei was also an illegitimate son. When he was young, he ran horses for others. Not only did he not have enough to eat, but he was often whipped by his master. Later, he made great achievements in conquering the Xiongnu and became an extremely human minister." 我侧身笑搂着红姑：“好姐姐，我的心思倒不在此。我只是在心里琢磨一件过去的事情而已。歌女做皇后，马奴当将军，你的道理我明白。我们虽是女人，可既然生在这个门第并不算森严，女人又频频干预朝政的年代，也可以说一句'王侯将相，宁有种乎'。” 红姑神情怔怔，嘴里慢慢念了一遍“王侯将相，宁有种乎”，似乎深感于其中滋味：“你这话是从哪里听来的？如果我像你这般大时，能明白这样的话，如今也许就是另外一番局面。” 红姑自负美貌，聪慧灵巧也远胜众人，可惜容颜渐老，仍旧在风尘中挣扎，心有不甘，也只能徒呼奈何。 白雪红梅相辉映，确是极美的景色，我眼在看，心却没有赏，只是咧着嘴一直笑着。红姑心中也担了不少心事，对着开得正艳的花，似乎又添了一层落寞。 赏花归来时，天色已黑，红姑和别的姑娘合坐马车回园子，我自行乘车回了石府。竹馆内九爷独自一人正在灯下看书，晕黄的烛光映得他的身上带着一层暖意。我的眼眶突然有些酸，以前在外面疯闹得晚了时，阿爹也会坐在灯下一面看书，一面等我。一盏灯，一个人，却就是温暖。 我静静地站在门口，屋内的温馨宁静缓缓流淌进心中，让我不舒服了一下午的心渐渐安稳下来。他若有所觉，笑着抬头看向我：“怎么在门口傻站着？” 我一面进屋子，一面道：“我去看红姑了，后来还和她一块儿出城看了梅花。” 他温和地问：“吃饭了吗？” 我道：“晚饭虽没正经吃，可红姑带了不少吃的东西，一面玩一面吃，也吃饱了。” 他微颔了下首没有再说话，我犹豫了会儿，问道：“你为什么任由石舫的歌舞坊各自为政，不但不能联手抗敌，还彼此牵绊？外面人都怀疑是石舫内部出了乱子，舫主无能为力呢！” 他搁下手中竹简，带着几分漫不经心，笑说道：“他们没有猜错，我的确是心有余而力不足。” 我摇摇头，沉默了会儿道：“你不是说让我想想自己