Chapter 17 The sixteenth chapter is soft and heartbroken

One day, when Xiao Shishilang went to draw water, he suddenly found Shen Bijun sitting by the spring, looking down at his stomach. She didn't seem to notice that Xiao Shishilang had come to her side at all. Xiao Shishilang couldn't help asking: "What are you thinking?" Shen Bijun seemed to be taken aback, a strange change occurred on his face immediately, and it took a long time before he forced a smile and said, "No, I didn't think about anything." Xiao Shishilang didn't ask any more questions. He just asked that sentence, and he is already regretting it.

Because he knew that when a woman said: "I didn't think about anything", she must be thinking about many things in her heart, many things that she didn't want others to know. These things happen to be guessed by others. Of course Xiao Shishilang knew what Shen Bijun was thinking. The next day, Shen Bijun found that the almost completed house had been demolished again. The cans of unfinished wine were also empty. Xiao Shishilang was sitting under the tree, with a hint of alcohol on his face, as if he hadn't slept all night. Shen Bijun's heart suddenly beat faster.

She already faintly felt that something unfortunate was about to happen. He whispered and asked, "You...why did you tear down the house?" Xiao Shishilang had no expression on his face, he didn't even glance at her, he just said indifferently: "Since no one lives there, why don't you demolish it?" Shen Bijun said: "Why... how come no one lives here? You..." Xiao Shishilang said, "I'm leaving already." Shen Bijun's whole body seemed to have suddenly cooled down, and he said in a squeaky voice, "Let's go? Why are you leaving? Isn't this your home?"

Xiao Shishilang said: "I have already told you that I have no family, and I am a born scumbag. If I can't stay here for two months, I want to go out and cause trouble." Shen Bijun's heart seemed to be pricked by a needle, and he couldn't help but said: "Is what you said the truth?" Xiao Shishilang said: "Why should I lie? I'm not used to this kind of life." Shen Bijun said: "What's so bad about this kind of life?" Xiao Shishilang said coldly: "What you think is good, I may not think it is good too. You are fundamentally different from me. I am born to be a person who likes to cause trouble and seek excitement."

Shen Bijun's eyes were already wet, and he said: "But I..." Xiao Shishilang said: "You should go too, those who should go will always go sooner or later." Although Shen Bijun was holding back reluctantly, tears still flowed down his face. She suddenly understood what Xiao Shishilang meant. "He didn't really want to go, he just knew I was going." "I couldn't have stayed here forever." "People who should go will always have to go sooner or later." "Even if I want to escape, how long can I escape?" Shen Bijun gritted his teeth and said, "When shall we leave?"

Xiao Shishilang said: "Let's go now." Shen Bijun said: "Okay." She suddenly turned her head and ran back to the wooden house, and her crying was heard in the wooden house immediately. Xiao Shishilang still had no expression on his face. The wind was blowing on him, but it was still warm. But the lake outside has frozen... After leaving the valley, Shen Bijun knew that it was already winter! Winter is coming so fast. The roads are covered with ice and snow, and there are few pedestrians. Xiao Shishilang took the peaches and pears grown in the valley to a big family in the city and sold them for a few taels of silver—in winter, the value of this kind of fruit is naturally very expensive. It is enough to spend on their journey.

So he hired a mule cart for Shen Bijun. He himself was always on the outside of the wheel. Only then did Shen Bijun know: It turned out that every penny spent by the "thief" Xiao Shishilang was justified and innocent, and was obtained by his own labor. Even though he had robbed, it was for other people and other things. Only then did Shen Bijun know what kind of person "Big Thief" Xiao Shishilang was. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed that such a person existed in the world. Although her understanding of Xiao Shishilang is getting deeper and deeper, the distance seems to be getting further and further away.

In that valley, they were so close, so close that they could even hear each other's inner voice. As soon as he was out of the valley, the distance between them immediately became farther away. "Are we really originally people living in two worlds?" It was snowing heavily, and it had been falling for several days. In the small inn at the foot of the mountain, apart from them, there were no other guests. Shen Bijun was "waiting" again. What is she waiting for now? It's parting!only parting... Suddenly, a carriage stopped outside the door, and Xiao Shishilang rushed in after getting off the carriage. Although his face was pale, his expression was very excited.

Seeing Xiao Shishilang come back, Shen Bijun couldn't help feeling warm in his heart.Hastily went out to greet her, Yan Ran said: "Unexpectedly, you will come back by car today." For most men, there are probably few things in the world that are cuter and more enjoyable than the smile of the girl he likes. Usually when Shen Bijun was smiling, Xiao Shishilang's eyes almost never left her face.Maybe it's just because he knows his chances of seeing her smile are numbered. But today, he didn't even look at her, he just said indifferently: "This car was called for you."

Shen Bijun was stunned, and said: "I called for me..." Women are indeed much more sensitive than men. Seeing Xiao Shishilang's expression, she immediately realized that something was wrong, and the smile on her face gradually froze. Xiao Shishilang said: "Yes, I called for you, because you are not familiar with the roads around here." Shen Bijun's body was shrinking back, as if he suddenly felt a biting chill.She wanted to speak, but her lips were trembling. Because she knew that Xiao Shishilang went out every day to inquire about Lian Chengbi. It took a long time before she summoned up her courage and said, "You...have you found him?"

Xiao Shishilang said: "Yes." His answer was short, short as a needle, terribly short. The expression on Shen Bijun's face was also as if he had been pricked by a needle. She had always been a well-bred woman, and she knew that a woman should be glad, after all, to hear news of her husband. But for some reason, she couldn't make herself look pleasantly surprised. After a long time, she asked softly, "Where is he?" Xiao Shishilang said: "The coachman at the door knows the place, he will take you there." Shen Bijun finally showed a smile on his face, and said, "Thank you." Of course she knew that these three words came from her own mouth, but the voice sounded so strange and distant, as if she was listening to a stranger. She knew she was smiling, of course, but her face was so numb, it was as if the smile was on someone else's face. Xiao Shishilang said: "You're welcome, this is what I should do." His voice was cold and his expression was cold. But what about his heart? Shen Bijun said: "Did you tell the car to wait outside?" Xiao Shishilang said: "Yes! Fortunately, it's still early, and you can still travel a long way, and...you don't have any luggage to pack anyway." A strange smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he continued: "And I know you must be in a hurry to leave." Shen Bijun nodded slowly, and said: "Yes, I haven't seen him for a long time." Xiao Shishilang said: "Okay, let's go! We may have a chance to meet in the future." Both of them spoke very softly and slowly, as if they had to use a lot of strength to speak out. Is this really what they want to say in their hearts, how many people in the world can have the courage to say it? Since the gods wanted him to meet her, why did they have to hide each other, deceive each other, and even hurt each other... Xiao Shishilang turned around suddenly and said, "You still have a long way to go, I won't delay you anymore, goodbye." Shen Bijun said: "That's right, I still have a long way to go, you... are you leaving too?" Xiao Shishilang said lightly: "Yes, as long as a person lives, he has to keep walking." Shen Bijun bit his lips suddenly, and said loudly: "I want to do one more thing, I wonder if you agree or not?" Although Xiao Shishilang stopped in his tracks, he didn't look back, and said, "What's the matter?" Shen Bijun said: "I...I want to buy you a drink." She seemed to have plucked up her courage, and then said: "I invited you, not you, I didn't say anything else, just said that you invited me every day, and I should invite me back once." Xiao Shishilang said: "But you..." Shen Bijun smiled and said: "Although I have nothing in my pocket, at least this thing can be exchanged for a few jars of wine, isn't it?" She pulled out the gold hairpin from her head. Although this gold hairpin is not very precious, it is the most cherished thing for her, because it was inserted on her head by Lian Chengbi himself on the first day after her marriage. She never thought that she would exchange this gold hairpin for a few jars of wine. But now she has absolutely no regrets, as long as she can have another drink with Xiao Shishilang, the last time, no matter what the price is, it will be worth it. Xiao Shishilang sacrificed so much for her, she felt that she should sacrifice for him at least once. She knew that she would never be able to repay him in this life. Xiao Shishilang finally turned around and saw the golden hairpin in her hand. He seemed to have a lot to say, but in the end, he just smiled lightly and said: "You know, as long as there is wine, I can never refuse." Drunk, drunk really fast, if a person really wants to get drunk, he will definitely get drunk very fast. Because even if he is not drunk, he can pretend to be drunk.The most wonderful thing is that if a person wants to pretend to be drunk, then in the end, he often can't tell whether he is pretending to be drunk or not.Still really drunk? Xiao Shishilang was humming that song again.Drunken people are often unable to speak, but they can sing.Because singing is much easier than talking. Shen Bijun listened quietly for a long time again, she was still sober, because she didn't dare to get drunk, she knew that once she was drunk, she would no longer be able to control herself, and she was afraid that she would do something terrible. People who dare not die often die faster. But those who dare not get drunk will never get drunk, because they already have this feeling in their heart. When the wine reaches a certain level, they can no longer drink it, and they will spit it out after drinking. If a man's heart does not accept a certain thing, neither will his stomach. The singing is still so desolate, so bleak. Shen Bijun's eyes gradually became wet, and he couldn't help asking: "I have heard this song many times, but I still don't know what it means?" The singing stopped suddenly, and Xiao Shishilang's eyes suddenly came back from the distant and hazy distance, fixed on Shen Bijun's face, and said, "Do you really want to know?" Shen Bijun said: "Really." Xiao Shishilang said: "You don't understand, it's just because this is a pastoral song sung by the Mongolian people in Guan, but if you understand the meaning of this song, I'm afraid you will never want to listen to it again." Shen Bijun said: "Why?" Xiao Shishilang showed that sharp sarcasm again, and said: "Because the meaning of this song will never be understood or appreciated by people like you." Shen Bijun lowered his head and said, "Maybe... maybe I'm a little different from other people?" Xiao Shishilang stared at her for a long time, and suddenly said loudly: "Okay, let me tell you, listen..." He groped, found the wine, drank it all, and continued slowly: "The meaning of this song is that people in the world only know how to pity the sheep and sympathize with the sheep. Few people know the pain and loneliness of wolves. The world only sees the cruelty of the wolf when it eats the sheep, but it does not see how it endures loneliness and hunger, wandering in the ice and snow, the sheep should eat grass when they are hungry, and the wolf is hungry? Should it starve to death?" His voice was full of grief and indignation, and his voice became louder and louder! "Let me ask you, if you wandered for many days on the ice and snow wasteland with biting cold wind, without a drop of water or a grain of rice, if you saw a sheep, would you eat it?" Shen Bijun lowered his head and never raised it. Xiao Shishilang drank another glass of wine, suddenly hit the glass with chopsticks, and sang loudly: "In the late spring and March, when the grass grows and the weather is cold, who feeds the wolves? The hearts of the people pity the sheep, the hearts of the wolves are alone, the hearts of the heavens are sympathetic, the world is like frost..." The singing voice was high-pitched, and when it reached this point, it suddenly crackled. Tears welled up in Shen Bijun's eyes. Xiao Shishilang was already lying on the table, waving his hand and saying, "I'm drunk and sleepy, let's go! You go... hurry up, since you have to go sooner or later, it's better to go earlier, lest others chase you..." Shen Bijun's heart has never been so disturbed. She knew that this time, she would definitely be able to go back, back to the world she was familiar with, and everything would return to stability, normality, and tranquility. This time she went back, and there will never be anyone or anything to disturb her again. This was what she wanted, and she should have been happy. but now…… She wiped away the tears and asked herself: "If Xiao Shishilang pulls me and asks me not to leave, will I stay for him?" "Will I give up that kind of stable and normal life, give up honor and status, give up those who care about me, give up everything for him?" She didn't dare to think about it anymore. She knew that she was not a strong person, and she didn't dare to test herself. She didn't even dare to think about Xiao Shishilang's kindness to her, his bright eyes, and the affection in his eyes. Now, all she wants is Lian Chengbi. She is determined to be Lian Chengbi's faithful wife because... Now the carriages and horses have stopped, and she has returned to her own world. This is a man's world, not a wolf's. The yard is so quiet that you can even hear the sound of falling leaves. Because the night is very deep now, and this is a very noble inn, where all the noble guests live, they all know how to respect and love themselves, and will never disturb others. Lian Chengbi lived in this courtyard. The clerk in the storehouse brought her here with surprised eyes, she just waved her hand, and the clerk left without even asking a single extra word. People who work in this kind of place, the first thing to learn is to distinguish what should be asked and what should not be asked. In the west wing, the lights were still on. Shen Bijun quietly walked across the yard and up the stone steps. There are only four or five stone steps, but she seems to never be able to walk up them. For some reason, she seemed to have an indescribable fear in her heart, and she didn't have the courage to open the door, and she didn't have the courage to face her husband. What is she afraid of? Is she afraid that Lian Chengbi will ask her: "Where are you these days?" Although the lights in the house were bright, the voice was very low. Until then, someone suddenly raised his voice and asked, "Who is that outside?" Although the voice has raised, it is still so reserved, so gentle and polite. Shen Bijun knew that this was Lianchengbi, and few people in the world could restrain themselves like him. At this moment, all kinds of benefits of Lian Chengbi came back to her heart.She suddenly realized that she was also missing him. At this moment, she wished she could rush into the house and throw herself into his arms. But she didn't do that. She knew that Lian Chengbi didn't like people with impulsive emotions. She walked up the stone steps slowly, the door was already opened, and the one standing at the door was Lian Chengbi. For the past two months, he has been searching for his wife, worrying, anxious, and missing. Now, his wife suddenly miraculously appeared outside the door. But even at this moment, he didn't show excitement, surprise, or even shake his wife's hand. He just stared at her, smiled softly, and said softly, "Are you back?" Shen Bijun just nodded slightly, and said softly: "Yes, I'm back." Just two sentences like that, nothing else. Shen Bijun's heart was in a mess, but suddenly calmed down. She was already used to this kind of indifferent and quiet feeling, but now, she realized that nothing had changed. Lian Chengbi would never ask what she didn't want to say. In his world, there should be an appropriate distance between people, whether it is father and son, brothers, or husband and wife. Although this distance makes people feel lonely, it also protects people's safety, dignity, and peace... In the room besides Liancheng Bi, there are Zhao Wuji, Hai Lingzi, Tu Xiaotian, the head of the seventy-two bodyguard bureaus in the sixty-three provinces in the south, the north, and the south, Situ Zhongping, who is known as "stable as Mount Tai" in the world, and the "six-year-old" in martial arts. Li Gang, the "true gentleman who does not mess with his looks" in "Gentlemen". These five people are famous knights all over the world, and they are all friends of Lian Chengbi, so naturally they all recognize Mr. Shen Bi. Although the five people didn't say anything, they couldn't help feeling strange! "My wife has been missing for two months, and the husband doesn't ask her where she has been these days? What has she done? The wife doesn't even say anything." They all felt that this couple was really strange and rare. There were still wine and dishes on the table, which made Shen Bijun feel strange. Lian Chengbi is not only the most able to restrain himself, but also takes good care of his body. Shen Bijun rarely sees him drinking; once. Of course she wouldn't ask. But Lian Chengbi explained himself, he smiled and said: "Before you came back, we were discussing something." Zhao Wuji continued to laugh and said: "Sister-in-law should always know that men are greedy, no matter what they discuss, they must have something to eat, and wine is absolutely indispensable." Shen Bijun nodded, and said sweetly, "I know." Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered, and said: "Sister-in-law Madam knows what we are discussing?" Shen Bijun shook his head, and said sweetly, "How would I know!" She learned from a very young age that if a woman wants to be a good wife praised by everyone, she must always smile in front of her husband and friends. Sometimes, she even laughed so hard that her cheeks went numb. Zhao Wuji said: "Ten days ago, a big event happened here, I invited Mr. Lian and the three of them to come here for this reason." Shen Bijun said: "Oh? I don't know what it is?" She didn't want to ask, but sometimes "don't ask" is not polite; because "don't ask" means indifference to her husband's friends. Although she has always had a bad impression of Zao Wou-ki, because she always felt that he was very popular and very talkative. People who can talk will inevitably talk a lot; she has never appreciated people who talk a lot. Zhao Wuji said: "There is a third master Meng in this place, I don't know if my sister-in-law has heard of it before?" Shen Bijun smiled and said, "I know very few people." Zhao Wuji said: "This third master Meng donates money generously, not inferior to the old Mengchang. Who knows that more than ten days ago, the Meng family village was ransacked, and more than a hundred people in the family, regardless of gender, were all robbed. People were killed cleanly!" Shen Bijun frowned and said, "I don't know who did it?" Zhao Wuji said: "Of course it's the 'Big Thief' Xiao Shishilang!" Shen Bijun's heart jumped suddenly, and he lost his voice: "You mean Xiao Shishilang?" Zhao Wuji said: "That's right! Besides Xiao Shishilang, who else has such a dark heart? Such hot hands?" Shen Bijun managed to control himself, and said: "Since Mengjiazhuang has no survivors, how do you know that it must be him?" Zhao Wuji said: "Xiao Shishilang is not only malicious, but also defiant. Every time he commits a crime, he deliberately leaves his name..." Shen Bijun felt a burst of enthusiasm, and couldn't control it any longer, and said loudly: "Impossible! It is absolutely impossible for Xiao Shishilang to do this murderous hand! You have all wronged him, he is definitely not the person you imagined !" Zhao Wuji's complexion changed, he forced a smile and said: "Sister-in-law is kind-hearted, it is inevitable that she will treat bad people as good people." Li Gang's eyes were like a knife, staring at Shen Bijun, and suddenly said: "But how does Mrs. Sister-in-law know that it is definitely not him who did this murderous thing?" Shen Bijun's body was trembling, and he almost couldn't help rushing out, running far away, never to hear these words or see these people again. But she knew that she must not leave, she must stand up and speak up, she owed Xiao Shishilang too much, and now is the time for her to pay off the debt. She bit her lip and said word by word: "I know he can't kill people here, because I have never left him in the past two months!" After saying this, everyone was stunned. Shen Bijun didn't need to look, but knew the expressions on their faces; he didn't need to guess, he also knew what they were thinking in their hearts! But she doesn't regret it, and she doesn't care. Now that she has said this, she is ready to bear all the consequences. I don't know how long it took before Lian Chengbi said slowly: "I'm afraid we have misunderstood this matter, I believe what my wife said will never be false." His voice was still so calm, so gentle. Tu Xiaotian nodded slowly, and murmured: "It must be a misunderstanding, it must be..." Zhao Wuji also kept nodding, and suddenly stood up, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law Madam is exhausted from the journey, I will take my leave first, and tomorrow I will greet Madam Sister-in-law." Hai Lingzi didn't say a word, he bowed to the ground and walked out first. Only Situ Zhongping still sat still. This person really deserves to be "steady as Mount Tai", after Zhao Wuji, Tu Xiaotian, and Hai Lingzi all walked out, he said in a deep voice: "Brother Li, take a step slowly." Although Li Gang's mouth was still closed, his footsteps had stopped. Situ Zhong said calmly: "If Xiao Shishilang didn't do this thing, he probably didn't do anything else. We wronged him this time, and maybe he wronged him for other things." Hearing these words in Shen Bijun's ears, he was really indescribably grateful. She knew that Situ Zhongping's background was just a troll in the bodyguard agency, and it was not easy to climb up to where he is today. Therefore, he has always been cautious and rarely speaks, lest he will cause trouble by talking too much, and cause trouble to his upper body. Given his status, he really cannot say a word wrongly. This sentence actually came out of his mouth, and the volume was naturally different from what others said. Although Li Gang might not be able to hear it, he could only listen. Situ Zhongping said: "Since you and I call ourselves chivalrous, we must not violate the word 'chivalry' in our actions. We would rather let go of a thousand villains than wrong a single good person." He sighed, and continued: "As the saying goes: accusations by thousands of people will lead to nothing. If a person has been wronged and cannot defend himself, the feeling is actually worse than death." Shen Bijun listened quietly, only to feel that she had never heard such admiration and moving words in her life. Although Situ Zhongping is a very ordinary person, his face is even a bit dull, and the top of his head is slightly bald, as if he has experienced the joys and sorrows of middle age, and has no extravagant hopes for life, just waiting to be buried. But at this moment, in Shen Bijun's eyes, this person seemed to have become indescribably sublime and great, and she almost couldn't help but want to kiss his bald head. Situ Zhongping said again: "If Xiao Shishilang is really not the kind of villain in the legend, not only can we not wrong him, but we have to find ways to defend him, clear his stigma, and let him be a good man. " His eyes suddenly turned to Shen Bijun, and he continued slowly: "But people's hearts are unpredictable. Whether a person is good or evil may not be obvious in just three or two months." Shen Bijun said decisively: "But I can guarantee that he is definitely not a bad person." She lowered her head and continued slowly: "In the past two months, I have learned a lot about him, especially he has saved me again and again, and he still asks nothing from me. When I hear about you, Send me here immediately..." At this point, her voice seemed to be choked up, and she couldn't even speak. Situ Zhongping said: "Since this is the case, Mrs. Sister-in-law should also try to wash away his stigma." Shen Bijun bit his lip, and said sadly: "I thought I would never be able to repay his kindness to me. As long as I can wash away his stigma and let him be a new man, I am willing to do anything." Situ Zhongping murmured, "I wonder when Madam Sister-in-law broke up with him?" Shen Bijun said: "Just after today's Xu hour." Situ Zhongping said: "Then, he must still be around?" Shen Bijun said: "Yes." Situ Zhongping pondered for a while, and said: "In my opinion, it's best for Mrs. Sister-in-law to invite him here so that we can see what kind of person he is and get to know him better." He smiled, and said again: "We have heard a lot about Xiao Shishilang's name, but no one has seen his person so far." Shen Bijun showed his face and said: "If you see him, you can definitely see what kind of person he is, but..." She suddenly frowned again and said, "Not today." Situ Zhongping said: "Why?" Shen Bijun said: "Today...he is so drunk that he can't even speak clearly." Situ Zhongping smiled and said, "Is he often drunk?" Shen Bijun also smiled, and said, "I'm often drunk." Situ Zhongping smiled and said: "A person who is often drunk must have a good capacity for alcohol, and he must be a straightforward person. If there is a chance, I would like to have a few drinks with him." Shen Bijun said sweetly: "The chief escort has the strength of rivers and seas, everyone in the world knows that no matter how much he drinks, he is still 'as stable as Mount Tai', but I don't think he may lose to you." Situ Zhongping smiled and said, "Oh? How much did he drink today?" Shen Bijun said: "Probably at least ten catties." Situ Zhongping said leisurely: "If he can drink more than ten catties, he can be regarded as a good drinker, but it depends on where he drinks it? What kind of wine is he drinking?" He smiled, and continued: "The strength of a person's ability to drink has something to do with the timing, location, and harmony of people." Shen Bijun said: "The place to drink is not good. It's in a small inn at the foot of the mountain outside the city. The wine they drink is not very good, it's just ordinary knives." Situ Zhongping smiled and said: "In this way, he really can drink well, I would like to meet him even more, but..." He stood up slowly and said: "It's getting late today, but fortunately, there is no rush for this matter. It won't be too late to invite Mrs. Sister-in-law after her rest... If I don't leave at this moment, I really don't know what to do gone." He smiled slightly, clasped his fists together, and said again: "The words just now aroused my interest in drinking again. I wonder if brother Li is interested in going to have another drink with me?" Li Gang said: "Good!" From beginning to end, he only said such a word.