Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Taoye River Pavilion beauty event

The sky has been painted with bright colors. A knock on the door sounded outside the door of Mrs. Zong's uncle's house.Dong Xiaowan was a little surprised at the accuracy of Chen Ada's search.When they entered the house, they were at least half a mile away from Chen Ada and the others, which made Dong Xiaowan believe that Chen Ada had a dog-like nose. Dong Xiaowan heard threatening shouts from outside the house. "Open the door quickly, our man has abducted the woman and ran in." "If you don't, we'll burn your bird house down." "Open it quickly, or we will report to the police, and you will not have a good life."

Dong Xiaowan was panicked by the shouts outside, she couldn't tell whose voice it was.She felt that she had escaped into a dark dry well, and sat in the well without light. Shan Ma grabbed Dong Xiaowan's arm and tried her best to keep her trembling body from falling down.Zong Xin felt that death was approaching him step by step, and his dull eyes were fixed on the door.He knew that once Chen Ada caught him, the only thing waiting for him was death. At this time, the sound of knocking on the door sounded chaotically. There were fists, feet, and roots hitting the door. It was as lively as people beating pigs around the mountain.Gradually, the gate couldn't bear the violent blows, and it began to tremble amidst the panic-filled noise.

Zong Xin's aunt saw that the gate could not withstand the impact, so she picked up the fireproof gong in a hurry, "boring, boring..." and knocked randomly.The sound of the gong woke up all the sleeping villagers in the village, and they judged that the village was on fire unconsciously.So they rushed out of the house with buckets, basins and everything that could hold water, and rushed to Zongxin's uncle's house after they identified the source of the sound of the gong.A child rubbing his eyes rushed forward with a urinal. "Mother Xu, open the door." A young man called out.

When Zongxin's aunt heard that everyone from the village was coming, she became more courageous. She opened the door suddenly and shouted, "Erhu, these three people came to my house early in the morning and knocked on the door. I don't know what they want What are you doing?" Zong Xin's aunt pointed at Chen Ada and the three of them. "You dare to come here to play wild?" "It's not a good thing to look at them." Everyone vented their anger at being woken up and drowsy on Chen Ada and the other three. Seeing that the momentum was wrong, Wu Liang said to Chen Ada in a low voice: "Brother, let's take advantage of the situation and leave. We've angered them all, so it won't end well."

Chen Ada glanced at the dark crowd, then at the room of Mrs. Zong's uncle's house, then turned and left bitterly. The villagers in the village saw that there was nothing to do, and one by two went home with those water-holding utensils. The disappearance of the chaotic voices outside the door made Dong Xiaowan feel a world away, and she felt very strange listening to her own breathing.Her gaze drifted in the other direction, crossing the route by which she could escape.The feeling that Mao Pijiang was gradually going away turned around at this moment and walked slowly towards her again.The single mother also remembered all the glory of her youth, with a smile on her face.Zong Xin was still sitting on the chair.

Zong Xin's uncle's family misjudged Dong Xiaowan at this time.Dong Xiaowan made them think that she should be the niece and daughter-in-law.Based on this premise, Zong Xin's aunt continued to think about how the honest and kind Zong Xin got Dong Xiaowan.She couldn't think of anything about Zong Xin that attracted women. She had already seen this from Zong Xin's uncle, so she couldn't figure out when and why she married Zong Xin's uncle.In the end, she couldn't think of any result. She felt that the acquaintance between Zong Xin and Dong Xiaowan was related to the pursuit of those people.

The disaster is over, but Zongxin's uncle Xu Ren murmurs in his heart.He is not as happy as his wife for Zong Xin bringing a girl home. A kind and honest person like him usually thinks about things from the dark side.Ever since Zong Xin, Dong Xiaowan and others flashed into the room, he was worried.He watched them bring into the house a kind of gloom, and he restrained the rapidly growing resentment in his heart. After Chen Ada and his party left in a panic, the growing resentment in his heart came out bit by bit.Driven by a blind thought, he thought that Zong Xin leading a girl to run in the dark was not a good omen, and Zong Xin's flustered mood made him think it was a disaster.He also made a judgment in his heart, deciding that the girl was either tricked by Zong Xin or abducted, and this determination was always flashing on his pale face.After Chen Ada's departure, he didn't think that the matter was over, what followed was his anger at Zong Xin's behavior and his fear of being discovered by others.His narrow mind didn't realize that the kindness and honesty of their family had been passed down to Zong Xin. When he later found out that Dong Xiaowan's background was not what he imagined, he came to the conclusion that he was old and blind, He blamed himself for trying to drive Dong Xiaowan out at that time.

"Go ask and see where they came from. If there is something wrong, it's best to tell them to go." Xu Ren stubbornly sat on the chair and said to his wife. "Don't you trust your nephew?" Xu Ren's wife was carrying a pot of hot soybean milk to deliver to Dong Xiaowan.She stared at Xu Ren and replied: "Xin'er is so old and doesn't have any money, where can I find such a daughter-in-law. Xin'er is as honest as you, what bad things can he do? " Xu Ren's wife walked to the back room with a pot of soybean milk.Faced with the appearance of Xu Ren's wife, Dong Xiaowan didn't realize anything at the first moment.When Xu Ren's wife brought her a bowl of soy milk, the memory hidden in her mind appeared. She hesitated and called out to Xu Ren's wife: "Are you Xu's mother?"

From this cry, Xu Ren's wife realized that there was some kind of surprise of reunion, but she was a little skeptical about the affirmation of this element.She raised her lost eyes and looked at Dong Xiaowan carefully again, but she first yelled in the same tone as Dong Xiaowan: "Girl, it's you!" Then, Xu Ren's wife couldn't help trembling in surprise, and the soy milk in her hand overflowed a lot. When Dong Xiaowan started drinking soy milk, she still felt a bit cautious. After she was convinced that the other party was the old couple Xu Ren whom she rescued on the way in Nanjing, her desire to drink soy milk became even stronger.

Xu's mother was still intoxicated by this unexpected reunion for a while, and when she woke up, Dong Xiaowan had already drank all the soy milk.So she hurried out of the house again. Xu Ren's sitting posture in the chair has not changed at all. He looked at the movements of Xu's mother when she came out, and thought in his heart that time had flown back?My wife walks so briskly! "You old man, thank you for not following you, otherwise we would have made a big mistake." Mother Xu said while pouring soy milk and cracking eggs. These words made Xu Ren feel a little dizzy, but his obsessive thoughts were still wandering in his mind.

"Is that really Xiner's daughter-in-law?" "Bah! That's Miss Dong!" "Which Miss Dong?" "You ungrateful old man. It's that Miss Dong who saved us in Nanjing." A moment of confusion appeared on Xu Ren's face, but his obsessive thoughts had retreated from his mind. "Is it really her?" After Xu Ren finished speaking, his stubborn posture of sitting on the chair no longer existed. He stood up and ran into the inner room. "Wait, take this soy milk and eggs to Miss Dong." Xu Ren and his wife left Majiazhuang and lived in this fishing village together.The gesture of the old couple often recalling the past under the old pagoda tree in the village has become a landscape in this village.They believe that Dong Xiaowan is a good person as firmly as they believe that everyone will die.They no longer considered whether Dong Xiaowan was the niece and daughter-in-law brought back by Zong Xin, that was no longer important to them.Zong Xin's help to Dong Xiaowan, as their kindness to Dong Xiaowan, is far from being able to offset the kindness of Dong Xiaowan in their hearts.At this moment, they were intoxicated with the excitement of meeting Dong Xiaowan.At this time, there was a sound of calling to buy tofu outside the house, but they had forgotten that they were running a tofu shop. Early that morning, Chen Ada and his party returned to the ship.They couldn't remember how many stones they kicked and how many bamboo forests they passed.When they boarded the boat, Chen Ahsan's whole body was broken and he had no strength at all.Chen Ada's face turned pale. Wu Liang boarded the boat gracefully. He held the side of the boat with one hand and flew onto the boat gently.He attributed Dong Xiaowan's escape to the fact that he didn't direct the scene well, and he ignored the existence of Zong Xin.At the beginning, he only regarded Zong Xin as a handyman behind the scenes, but he didn't expect Zong Xin to act as a guest actor against his will and occupy an important role.He takes Dong Xiaowan's escape as a lesson.The only regret that remains in his heart now is that he can't go back to Yangzhou to find Zhu Huiyu, and he can't go to see the daughter he thought was born to Zhu Huiyu.When he fled from Reed Beach later, he saw Zhu Huiyu sitting on the bed wearing a red bellyband and smiling at him, as if saying: Goodbye, Wu Liang. Chen Ah San sat on the bow of the boat with his head drooping like a rooster whose neck had been cut off, and Chen Ah Da yelled and cursed angrily. "Damn it, Zong Xin the son of a bitch. He ran away and lost all his money." "For the current plan, we have only one way to go. At least we got three hundred taels of silver. Now that people have run away, how can Uncle Jia let us go." Wu Liang began to act as a dog-headed military adviser again. The morning sun is warm. Zongsan Guizi rode a horse and followed two green cloth sedan chairs towards the reed beach.When he was two miles away from the reed beach, Zongsan Guizi suddenly stopped humming an obscene tune, a crow flew over his head, and some crow droppings fell on his silk shirt. "Damn, bad luck." At this time, he felt that the silence of the reed flat was unusual, and a smell full of disaster floated from above the reed flat and rushed into his nostrils.He galloped to the reed bank with all his strength, and scanned the reeds with suspicious eyes, but all he saw was the reeds fluttering in the wind.Then he opened his mouth like a pig's butthole and shouted loudly: "Wu Liang, Wu Liang." Only three teals were alarmed by his sonorous voice.At this moment, he realized that the bad luck brought by the crow was inevitable, and the sun was full of coolness at this moment.He rode on the horse and yelled twice: "It's over, it's over." Then he fell off the horse as if he had been shot, and the posture in which he fell off the horse was so graceful to the bearers. When Zong Sanguizi woke up, Uncle Jia's family, Jia Xing, and bearers pulled him and shook him.The first thing he did when he woke up was to cry loudly, and Jia Xing was very moved by his painful appearance. "They ran, they ran!" "It's over, it's over." Zongsan Kameko kept shouting.At this moment, what he thought of was Uncle Jia's appearance of smiling but not smiling.He regretted why he didn't recognize Wu Liang's face clearly. At this moment, he wished he could pull Wu Liang's bones out of his body piece by piece. Uncle Jia's family was full of joy. In the evening, two small green cloth sedan chairs sneaked into the gate of Jia's mansion, and Zong Sanguizi followed the sedan chairs.Uncle Jia stood on the sill of the main room with a newly replaced folding fan in his hand, pointing here and there, while the servants were busy shuttling back and forth in the courtyard.When Uncle Jia saw Zong Sanguizi enter the yard, he was instructing his servants to hang a pair of lanterns.A servant's hand trembled for no reason, and the lantern fell to the ground and rolled three times, just in front of Zongsan Kameko's feet.Seeing Zongsan Guizi's downcast look, Uncle Jia knew that the falling lantern was to welcome Zongsan Guizi's arrival. "Zong Laosan, where are you?" The element of joy in Uncle Jia's voice was gone. Zongsan Guizi jumped in front of Uncle Jia like a dog, bent his legs and knelt down.Because the strength of kneeling was too great, Zongsan Kameko bounced up again. "Damn me! Damn me!" Zongsanguizi's cries startled two sparrows staying on the eaves, and the two sparrows took a look at Zongsanguizi before flying away. "Jia Xing, what's going on." Uncle Jia, his eyes shifted to Jia Xing. "Go back to my lord, when we went, the boats were gone." Jia Xing's bent waist was like a branch broken by the wind. Uncle Jia looked at Zongsan Guizi with a sinister smile.The folding fan in his hand tapped lightly on the table, and behind him stood two malnourished domestic servants in green clothes. The shadow of Zongsan Guizi printed on the wall is like the reeds on the reed beach being swayed by the river wind.He stood in the middle of the main room, the paper-studded lattice windows rattled in the night wind, and there were two eerie cries from time to time in the dark night.At this time, Zong Sanguizi felt that his bladder was about to burst, and he wanted to vent his joy in the main room, but Uncle Jia's gaze had anesthetized his urinary nerves like an anesthetic. "Zong San, I won't talk about people or money, you hand over that bald donkey to me." Uncle Jia's words finally lingered in the main room, which made Zongsan Guizi feel better.After all, there is still the voice of someone speaking. "Master Jia, I would rather——pay for..." Zongsan Kameko felt that the anesthesia of the urinary nerves was gradually recovering, so he withdrew a few drops into his crotch. "Jia Xing, where's the money?" "Go back to Elder Master and bring three thousand taels. Third Master Zong took three hundred taels, and here are two thousand seven hundred taels." "Ha ha ha ha." Uncle Jia's miserly laughter made the dust on the wall fall down one after another. "Zong San, if you dare to cheat on both sides, then you will pay six hundred taels. But what will you do about the gangster who kidnapped you?" Zong Sanguizi tried to squeeze a few more drops of urine, but Uncle Jia's words closed his urethra like a floodgate. "Master Jia, that's none of my business." When Zhu Huiyu, Zongsanguizi's wife, came to Jia's mansion, Zongsanguizi was kneeling and begging for mercy from Uncle Jia. Zhu Huiyu walked into the hall and smiled flirtatiously at Uncle Jia. Zong San's deception.When Zhu Huiyu put a hand on his shoulder, he almost blurted out to tell Zong Sangui to get out. Zongsan Guizi watched his wife Zhu Huiyu arrive and quietly squeezed out a few drops of urine. "Master Jia, we have a good friendship! Zongsan is sorry for your old age, and he didn't do it on purpose. For my sake, ask him to pay you three hundred taels, okay?" Zhu Huiyu's delicate voice temporarily stopped everyone's irritability.She was rubbing Uncle Jia's back with one hand, and every movement made Uncle Jia understand.When Uncle Jia couldn't bear it anymore, he asked Zong Sanguizi to leave.Zongsan Kaizi took a long pee as soon as he stepped out of the gate. That night Zhu Huiyu stayed at Uncle Jia's mansion, she sat on the bed wearing the red bellyband that Wu Liang missed, and the sitting posture made Uncle Jia very excited.Their actions were ferocious and violent, and their loud yells caused a neighbor's dog to bark too. Finally, when a white belly appeared in the sky, Uncle Jia fell asleep drenched in sweat. When Zong Sanguizi fainted by the reed beach, Dong Xiaowan asked Xu Ren to take a letter to Zheng Chaozong in Dongguan. Xu Ren knocked on the door of Zheng's mansion very cautiously.In Xu Ren's eyes, the courtyard of the Zheng Mansion looked clear and clear. The road leading directly to the hall was paved with bluestone slabs, with clear lines on the bluestone slabs, and a servant was sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground. Zheng Chaozong was writing in front of the desk in the study when a breeze blew in and lifted a corner of the paper.He looked up and saw that the doors and windows were all in good condition. He pressed down the corner of the paper in doubt, when a voice calling for him came from outside the door. "Young Master, someone is looking for you, and we are waiting in the main room now." When Zheng Chaozong appeared in Xu Ren's eyes, Xu Ren looked him up and down.He wanted to find out the unstable factors from Zheng Chaozong, but he was disappointed.Then he said to Zheng Chaozong very solemnly: "Are you Mr. Zheng?" "yes." Zheng Chaozong saw something unusual from Xu Ren's cautious expression. "I was asked to bring you a letter." Xu Ren handed Dong Xiaowan's letter to Zheng Chaozong after confirming that he could not find Zheng Chaozong's restlessness. Zheng Chaozong took the letter from Xu Ren and opened it for a look. In his eyes, there was the calm look that Xu Ren had expected to appear when he saw him for the first time.He first thanked Xu Ren's family for their generosity, and kept Xu Ren for lunch, then sent him out, and told him to pick up Dong Xiaowan tomorrow morning. The next morning, when the sun emerged from the sky, Dong Xiaowan woke up from her sweet dream.The fear of the past few days made her face pale, and she tried her best to forget those things, but the dog barking when she fled made her unable to get rid of it. She simply dressed up, and then walked out of Xu Ren's thatched hut.She walked to the entrance of the village, and the clearness of the autumn sky filled her eyes with relief; she took a deep breath, and the moist air of the morning refreshed her lungs, and the freshness penetrated her whole body. .At this time, the roofs of the village seemed to be covered with a layer of clouds, and several voices calling the children to go home for breakfast sounded in the village.Dong Xiaowan also felt hungry at this time, so she left the village entrance and walked towards Xu Ren's thatched hut. An official sedan chair and a small sedan chair appeared at the entrance of the village. A bearer asked a villager at the entrance of the village something, and then the two sedan chairs went straight to Xu Ren's house.Shan Ma's eyelids that had been beating non-stop for several days subsided this morning. When the bearers knocked on Xu Ren's door, Shan Ma knew that the people who came to pick them up had arrived. After autumn, the bare fields glow golden yellow in the sun, like a garden with pruned branches slowly showing its childish outline.Dong Xiaowan and Shan Ma got on the sedan chair in the sunshine. When Dong Xiaowan got on the sedan chair, she looked back with a smile that made all the gazes in the village freeze in the air. The elderly man in the village—97-year-old Wang Huaigen was walking on crutches. The trembling shadow in the sun suddenly stopped trembling at this moment.The moment Dong Xiaowan got into the sedan chair, she suddenly thought of Zong Xin. She turned her head and looked at the crowd in the village, but Zong Xin was nowhere to be seen. Two salty tears fell slowly. Dong Xiaowan glanced at the crowd and then thought of Mao Pijiang in Nanjing, and then she stepped on the sedan chair resolutely.When the sedan chair left the village, touching sobs came from Xu Ren's house, and the villagers were deeply attracted by the sobs. At this time, Xu Ren and his wife transferred the scene of them looking back on the past under the old locust tree to the entrance of the village. , Until a long time later, they still clearly remembered how the sedan chair Dong Xiaowan was in when he left. At dusk, two sedan chairs drove into the gate of Zheng's mansion under the dazzling sunset. Zheng Chaozong watched Dong Xiaowan dressed as a village girl step out of the sedan chair, but Dong Xiaowan's elegant and elegant temperament still overflowed the courtyard through the costume of the village girl. . Zheng Chaozong and his wife took Dong Xiaowan to the courtyard. Zheng Chaozong's mother was waiting for Dong Xiaowan's visit.When Dong Xiaowan came to her and said a blessing, Mrs. Zheng's face burst into a smile. She judged Dong Xiaowan's abnormality based on her decades of wind and rain experience.At this moment, she thought of what happened to Dong Xiaowan in the past few days, she left the chair and walked in front of Dong Xiaowan, took Dong Xiaowan's slender hand, and murmured from her dry lips: "Poor girl." The sun was still lingering by the west mountain that day, and there were three shy knocks on the gate of Zheng's mansion.As the door opened gently, Zong Xin came to Zheng's courtyard hesitantly.At noon, when Dong Xiaowan left Guazhou and looked back on the sedan chair, Zong Xin felt that the relationship between him and Dong Xiaowan was not over yet. Said: Zong Xin, go and escort Miss Dong to Nanjing! Shan Ma watched Zong Xin walk in. She was pouring a basin of water.She looked at Zong Xin's body covered with golden light, and she knew that Zong Xin brought good luck. When Zong Xin arrived, Zheng Chaozong was writing the word "geese" on the desk in the study. He was thinking about who to send Dong Xiaowan to Nanjing.When he heard about Zong Xin's arrival, he only wrote "factory" in the character "Yan" in his pen, and the pen hung in the air, and then he thought about the story of Zong Xin's rescue of Dong Xiaowan carefully. , the conclusion is: Zong Xin is indeed reliable. Dong Xiaowan changed her clothes at this time and was immersed in the joy of reuniting with Mao Bijiang soon after the disaster. On this day, the boat arrived at the outskirts of Jinling.The sunny days for several consecutive days changed the weather, and the sky was covered with melancholy dark clouds. The willow trees along both sides of the river seemed to be complaining after being ravaged by the ruthless autumn wind under the low sky.Dong Xiaowan stood at the bow of the boat, her dress fluttered like a bird, and the boat moved forward in the waves like a plowshare pulled by an ox.The stone city with tigers and dragons appeared in Dong Xiaowan's sight. She saw Qixia Mountain, Qingliang Mountain, and Mufu Mountain indistinctly.The wind on the river gradually picked up, Dong Xiaowan didn't realize that her thoughts at this moment were mixed with joy and sorrow.As the ship sailed, the image of Mao Pijiang composing poems and drinking wine flashed in her mind from time to time, and Zhu Tongrui's funny face interspersed from time to time.Dong Xiaowan was immersed in this chaotic state of mind.Zong Xin approached Dong Xiaowan unknowingly in a chaotic association. When he saw the river wind blowing Dong Xiaowan's dress, he seemed to be enjoying a moving and intense dance. He wanted to pull Dong Xiaowan away from the bow, but his clumsy hands As soon as he touched Dong Xiaowan's fluttering dress, he immediately ran away like a squirrel. The soft autumn rain fell from the sky, and once the rain melted into the river, it became silent. The crystal clear raindrops wove a beaded net on Dong Xiaowan's head, and the few drops of water hanging from her eyebrows were as delicate and moving as the tears of longing. .Dong Xiaowan stood motionless on the bow of the boat, and her eyes froze at this moment.At this time, Zong Xin was deeply moved by Dong Xiaowan's posture, and several passers-by on the bank of the river also looked at it attentively. As the boat passed Yanziji, Dong Xiaowan was thinking about a song "Recounting Sorrow" that he hadn't sung for a long time.At this time, there was a strong wind on the river, and the waves hit Dong Xiaowan's body, and the boat bumped violently with the waves.Before Dong Xiaowan could take back her thoughts, she was thrown into the river. At this time, Zong Xin was still obsessed with admiring Dong Xiaowan's posture.Zong Xin came to his senses when Shan's mother screamed loudly to save her, so he plunged into the river.Dong Xiaowan was floating and sinking like a wine bottle in the river. Zong Xin grabbed her by the skirt with a sudden movement only two or three meters away from her. Throwing a plank into the river, Zong Xin grabbed the plank when he was exhausted, and at this moment he had a thought that was almost sinful—he wanted to die in the river with Dong Xiaowan. Zong Xin rolled his eyes and collapsed on the board of the boat. Dong Xiaowan was unconsciously squeezed by the boatman's wife, and soon the river flowed out of Dong Xiaowan's purple mouth.At this time, Shan Ma's terrified eyes were still staring at the surging river. Dong Xiaowan slowly woke up from the coma. sinister smile.When Dong Xiaowan knew that it was Zong Xin who rescued her from the middle of the river, she gave Zong Xin a pale smile on her tired face.Seeing Dong Xiaowan's smile, Zong Xin blamed himself for the almost sinful thoughts he had in the river at that time, so he also smiled at Dong Xiaowan full of remorse. The ship docked at Yanziji for two days, and Dong Xiaowan's delicate and beautiful body could not return to normal.For the past two days, Shan Ma stayed by Dong Xiaowan's bed all day long, and Zong Xin lingered at the door of the cabin all day long.Dong Xiaowan couldn't control his desire to meet Mao Pijiang, so he ordered a boat to enter Jinling. This is the afternoon of that day. On August 12th in the 16th year of Chongzhen, the ship berthed at Sanshan Gate in Jinling.Dong Xiaowan sent Zheng Chaozong's family to Chengxian Street to find out if Mao Pijiang had left the imperial court.The news of the return made Dong Xiaowan full of sorrow—it would take two days for Mao Pijiang to come out. The two days made Dong Xiaowan feel very long.Zhu Tongrui's intimidation also made Dong Xiaowan depressed. "Shan Mom, go to Yinyuan Qian's Mansion, tell Liu Rushi's sister, and ask her to pick us up." Dong Xiaowan told Shan Ma that when Shan Ma found Yinyuan Qianfu, a golden moon quietly appeared from the side of the mountain, and everything on the ground seemed to be covered with a layer of golden veil. The hazy place adds a layer of quiet terror.After a series of frightening incidents, Shan Ma couldn't control the force of knocking on the door. The loud knock on the door at night caused Liu Rushi, who was sewing in the house, to have her finger pricked by a needle. The pain in her finger did not make Liu Rushi panic. Instead, she calmly walked out of the house to meet the single mother under the golden moonlight. The arrival of the single mother made Liu Rushi a little surprised. Looking at the trembling legs of the single mother under the moonlight, she knew that there was something waiting for her to do.I don't know if Shan Ma's feet were trembling because she was in a hurry, or because she was afraid of the night. When Liu Rushi asked her why she came, Shan Ma answered in a trembling voice as well. The sedan chair went out of Qian's mansion and drove towards the Sanshan Gate silently. Dong Xiaowan stood at the bow of the boat and watched the floating clouds beside the golden moon and the shimmering tree shadows on the shore. When the sedan chair came to Sanshan Gate, Dong Xiaowan remembered the morning when her father took her to Dongpo Mountain to see plum blossoms when she was a child. . When Zong Xin saw the sedan chair, he was once again gripped tightly by sadness, and the pain of being separated from Dong Xiaowan made him unbearable.The sadness born in Zong Xin's heart was swimming around in his body, he had a foresighted feeling that he and Dong Xiaowan would part from here forever, his face distorted by sadness looked a little ferocious in the night.The deep and dark woods on the shore made Zong Xin feel that it would be his destination.At this time, Zong Xin began to hate why the wind and rain in Yanziji were no longer rampant two days ago, and hated the plank under the boatman. Dong Xiaowan didn't notice Zong Xin's expression.When the sedan chair stopped on the shore, Zong Xin had a moving smile on his face.Dong Xiaowan's smile looked even more moving under the moonlight.She smiled and asked Zong Xin to stay at Sanshan Gate for two days, because Mao Bijiang would pick her up here in two days.Zong Xin agreed to Dong Xiaowan's request very simply. Under Dong Xiaowan's smiling gaze, Zong Xin's whole body trembled a little. Dong Xiaowan noticed Zong Xin's trembling, but she mistakenly thought it was the shaking of the boat.When Dong Xiaowan got off the boat and got into the sedan chair, he stroked Zong Xin's shoulder gratefully, his eyes closed due to pain and lack of courage.When he opened his eyes, the sedan chair Dong Xiaowan was riding in had already gone a long way. "Sister Wan, come in!" "Sister..." Liu Rushi dragged Dong Xiaowan to the back room.Now Dong Xiaowan seems to have drifted in the sea for a few days and saw the land, his whole body is immersed in a sad and relieved atmosphere. Qian Muzhai, Liu Rushi and Dong Xiaowan were sitting in the room, a cup of scented tea was placed in front of Dong Xiaowan, the rising heat made Dong Xiaowan feel that these days are very ethereal and empty.She also thought of Zong Xin.Zong Xin was sitting on the bow, his eyes were stuck in the distance, and everything near him became dull.The vague and erratic images in the distance and the moon in the sky always give Zong Xin a sense of unreality, and he can't accept the fact that Dong Xiaowan gets on the sedan chair and walks away. "Don't reveal that you have arrived in Nanjing, Zhu Tongrui is very treacherous." Qian Muzhai said to Liu Rushi. "Miss Dong, you really have vision. Mao Pijiang is a talented person, and you are a beautiful woman, a gifted scholar and a beautiful lady." Qian Muzhai said to Dong Xiaowan with nothing to say. "Master Qian, thank you for your care." Dong Xiaowan's cheeks still had two red clouds. "With your sister taking care of you, I can only obey orders." Qian Muzhai said with a smile. "I picked up little sister Xiaowan here, and I didn't tell you beforehand, why are you upset? I apologize here." Liu Rushi showed a hint of naughtiness. "How dare, how dare, I'm afraid you won't open the door." Qian Muzhai said. Qian Muzhai laughed out loud, Liu Rushi and Dong Xiaowan covered their mouths and smiled. "Sister Xiao Wan is sleeping with me for the past two days, so you can just live in the study." "Respect, ma'am." It was very late at night, and only the voice of the watchman came from the depths of the alley: "The sky is dry and the things are dry, be careful of the candles..." Dong Xiaowan and Liu Rushi were lying on the bed and whispering, a single red candle was burning on the table, the sound of the night wind outside the window seemed very far away.Liu Rushi put one arm around Dong Xiaowan's shoulder, and Dong Xiaowan's head leaned on Liu Rushi's shoulder as if she had found a port of call.Dong Xiaowan told Liu Rushi what happened in the past few years. At first, her voice was very calm, as calm as the clear autumn night sky.When it comes to her mother's death, Dong Xiaowan's whole body flinches...the parting with Mao Bijiang...the escape in Suzhou...the conspiracy in Luweitan...the death of Yanziji...Zong Xin's honesty, Dong Xiaowan's tears finally Wetting Liu Rushi's clothes, Liu Rushi also burst into tears unknowingly. "Sister Wan, life is really hard for you and me." Liu Rushi remained motionless, "Life in a brothel is like this. The impostor is very good, he is an important figure in Fushe, and he writes flowers, but he fails the exam repeatedly because the traitor is in power. Wanmei, you should hold on to Mr. Imposter, and let us all find a good home." "Sister, why don't I want to be like this, Mr. Ma is very kind to me." Dong Xiaowan paused, "Master Qian is in a high position, why is he not as bold as when he was in the Donglin Party?" "He said he was tired of the official battles." "Wu Sangui led the Qing soldiers into the customs. The country is in danger, so we should be cautious." "If he clings to the rich and powerful, I will turn against him." The red candle has been burned out, and a piece of moonlight is printed on the window.Dong Xiaowan's eyes were full of obsession, and when her gaze mixed with the moonlight outside the window, she seemed to think of a white silk shirt worn by Mao Pijiang. "Sister Wan, it's not easy for you to meet Mr. Mao, this meeting will seal a lifelong event." Dong Xiaowan seems to have seen her marriage with Mao Pijiang. "You can't go to Suzhou." Dong Xiaowan thought of her father, who was as old as a withered vine, playing the flute. The night was disappearing bit by bit, and the moonlight was also slowly disappearing. When the belly of the sky was white, Dong Xiaowan fell asleep in Liu Rushi's arms. Zong Xin spent the whole night with the night at the bow of the ship. His long and silent conversation with the night ended at dawn, and he forgot what sleep is.He felt that his life these days was a dream, but there was a real existence in the dream, and finally he had to admit that reality was very close to him.When the boatman's wife got up to make breakfast, she saw Zong Xin sitting on the bow of the boat, who was soaked in the night water. She thought Zong Xin had swum in the river with his clothes on. On the morning of August 14th, Mao Pijiang, Fang Mizhi and others left the Thorn Courtyard and rushed to Chen Dingsheng's house, while Hou Chaozong rushed to Meixianglou. Seeing Mao Pijiang and several people entering the house, Mingyan pulled Mao Pijiang and said in a low voice: "My lord, Miss Xiaowan has been here for two or three days." Mao Bijiang immediately stopped talking with Fang Mizhi, and after a while, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "Where?" "The boat stops at Sanshan Gate." "Will someone come to her today?" "No." Mao Pijiang turned around and was about to go out. One of the party secretaries grabbed Mao Pijiang: "You have received the imperial decree? You obeyed in such a hurry." "What are you doing?" Mao Pijiang was a little annoyed. "Tell me to pick you up in a sedan chair." Fang Mizhi smiled and said, "Don't you go to Taoye Apartment to rent a golden house where you can hide your beauty?" "Please." Mao Pijiang apologized a little. "Accept the order. Say hello to 'A-Jiao'." Mao Bijiang walked out of the gate, hurriedly turned left into an alley and went straight to Sanshan Gate. The way he walked caused the dogs in the street to stare at him suspiciously. Mao Bijiang went all the way to Sanshan Gate.Zong Xin was still sitting on the bow of the boat with his usual posture. When he saw Mao Pijiang approaching the boat, he knew that Dong Xiaowan's request to him was coming to an end. "Are you a fake son?" Zong Xin asked, "Miss Dong told me to wait for you here." Zong Xin was not as happy as completing the task. "Where's Miss Dong?" Mao Pijiang asked. "I was picked up by Miss Liu Rushi two days ago." Zong Xin's expression is now very depressed. Mao Pijiang let out a long breath that was accumulated in his heart, it was a feeling of relief.The sun in late autumn is very bright, giving people a warm feeling.A few birds in the sky cast a string of erratic shadows on Zong Xin under the bright sunlight. Mao Pijiang asked Zong Xin to go with him to the Qian Mansion to pick up Dong Xiaowan, Zong Xin looked at the shadows left by the birds in the sky and said, "Young Master Mao, I'm going back." In the early morning of this day, Qian Muzhai easily crossed a stone bench, and turned very leisurely at the corner of the corridor.When I came to the back hall, I saw Liu Rushi lying on the bed and was very sleepy, so I reached out and patted Liu Rushi's face, and Liu Rushi woke up slowly under the gentle pat.The burnt red candle on the table is like a scar, and the sun is still hiding behind the mountain and refuses to come out. Liu Rushi rubbed his eyes and smiled at Qian Muzhai. "Where's Miss Wan?" Liu Rushi asked. "I don't know. Maybe I went to the back garden." Qian Muzhai handed Liu Rushi's dress. "After the exam this morning, Pijiang will definitely come." Liu Rushi sat up and took the dress. "Oh! Go and sell Xiao Wan's music book, maybe you have to spend some money to help Xiao Wan pay off the debt." Liu Rushi leaned into Qian Muzhai's arms. "It should be like this." Qian Muzhai said. Liu Rushi kissed Qian Muzhai's cheek. "You help me get dressed?" Dong Xiaowan sat on a stone bench by the pond in the back garden. The water surface of the pond was covered with fallen leaves, but the ripples could still be seen.Dong Xiaowan looked at the yellowest leaf in the pond, which was pure and transparent yellow in the morning light, lying quietly on the water surface. “宛妹，辟疆来了。”柳如是来到董小宛的身后。“快出去吧！” 那片叶子在水波中飘动了起来。 “我不去。”董小宛的脸上露出激动和羞涩。 冒辟疆冲进钱府在前厅遇见钱牧斋。 “钱大人。”冒辟疆的眼睛向四周张望着。 “贤侄，你这样急匆匆的，想必这次考试定是满意了。”钱牧斋漫不经心说道。 “大人过奖了，晚生无才无运。” “你们年轻人比我们行啊！”钱牧斋端起茶杯慢慢呷了一口茶。 “我来是找董小宛的。” “呵……”钱牧斋一阵大笑。 当他踏进后花园破烂陈旧的圆形拱门时站住了——董小宛坐在池塘边的石凳上。这时他努力回想镇江分别时董小宛的模样。 董小宛听见后面急促的脚步声在离她十几米处停下了，她知道她期待的人儿出现了，但她此时内心的激动与羞涩将她固执地留在那里，使她一动不动。 池塘里的落叶被秋风吹得翻飞起来。 “宛君……”冒辟疆停下的身体又向前走去。 董小宛全身颤抖地从石凳上站起来，她缓缓地转过身，眼泪顺着脸流了下来。 “公子……” 冒辟疆搂住董小宛，两人相对啜泣起来。冒辟疆在这一刻觉得时间静止了，太阳已跑到他们的头上，池塘的中央不知何时露出一块没有落叶的水面，那潭水很幽绿，在阳光的蒸发下，后花园里散发着落叶腐烂的气味。 冒辟疆听着董小宛述说瓜州滩夜晚的狗叫声、燕子矶的江水、包伯平老朽的智慧、宗新的老实……在董小宛泣不成声的时候，柳如是挽着钱牧斋走进圆拱门。 “一对死命鸳鸯。”柳如是放开挽着钱牧斋的手笑着走到董小宛和冒辟疆的面前。 “宛妹，你哭起来好丑呀！你这样子，辟疆可不会要你了。辟疆，你说是不是？” 董小宛拭掉脸上的泪水，露出像糖一样甜的笑容。 “走吧，进去吃午饭。”钱牧斋站在圆形拱门下说道。 四人到后堂吃了饭，单妈进来对董小宛说道：“姑娘，要不要去对宗新说声，说姑娘安排好了？” “给船夫一点酒资，另外给宗新送一百两银子。”董小宛说。 “单妈，你去感谢一下宗新，去了之后到桃叶寓馆来找我们。”冒辟疆说。 宗新坐在船头，苍白而平静的面容仿佛正在进行一场冗长的回忆。许多年以后，他仍能清楚地记起那天燕子矶的风有多大、江中有多少个漩涡，宗新看着江面上阳光的晃动，他觉得有一种透不过气的感受。江水缓缓地流淌，宗新心中想着江水流过一个弯又流过一个弯，他想象江水流过弯道是否会改变形象。最后他的思绪停留在大海的汇合处，他想那时江水就不复存在了。 “开船了！……”船家的叫声从船尾响起。 侯朝宗一出试院，便赶往媚香楼，李香君用她熟练的娇笑迎着侯朝宗走上楼。 侯朝宗迫不及待一把搂住李香君纤细的腰，嘴不停地在李香君的脸上啄了起来，双手在李香君的背上向下抚摸，动作极其油猾。当侯朝宗的手渐渐地往下，往下时，李香君将侯朝宗推开了。 “呸，急猴儿！”李香君微笑着嗔道。 “能不急吗？几日不见了。” “有个人来了，你猜是谁？”李香君说。 看着李香君的娇态，侯朝宗感觉心中很平和。李香君的这种娇态是他常常期待的，他清楚记得第一次见到这种模样时，自己是何等的激动。侯朝宗也清楚这种娇态是不容侵犯的。 侯朝宗盯着李香君的脸沉默一会儿。 “是——张天如？” “继续猜。”李香君娇媚地摇摇头。 “一定是——夏允彝。” “再猜。”李香君笑得前合后仰。 “……陈圆圆？” “有点像了。” “顾横波？” "wrong." 侯朝宗假装忧伤地叹了一口气说：“暂时认输，等会儿再猜。” “不行，不行，继续猜。” 李贞丽上楼的脚步声很重，楼梯缝隙间隐藏的灰尘纷纷往下掉。 “什么事乐呵呵的？”李贞丽问。 “香君叫猜个人，茶都不得喝。”侯朝宗说。 “鬼丫头！永远长不大？”李贞丽对李香君说，“说来我也猜猜。” “你知道的。”李香君说。 “你是说小宛姑娘吧！”季贞丽说。 “小宛……哈哈……辟疆这回该乐了。”侯朝宗端着准备喝的茶杯停在空中，茶水随着他抖动的手从杯沿溢了出来。 李香君捋了捋充满香味的长发，踱到窗前，推开纸糊的格子窗，望着高远的天空。 “我早就想去看小宛了。她现在住在如是姐姐的家中，如是姐姐叫我们暂时不要去，怕泄漏了消息，那朱统锐像饿狗，时时嗅着空中的气味。如是姐姐还叫我转告白门、玉京、妥娘三个人，让晚上去。现在好了，你们考完了，让我们多约上几个人去看看小宛妹妹，我心中闷了几天的气也该让它出来换换新鲜的了。” 这年的秋天，秋风秋雨愁煞人的天气很少，天空总是处在一种高远的调子中。在这种气候下，人们的心也像被打开了，脸上浸在忘记了国仇家恨的笑容里。秦淮河畔在白天也能处处听见歌女的歌声和各种乐器的演奏声，到了夜晚，更是一片热闹的境地。挂着灯笼的画舫在秦淮河上穿梭游动，河边的青楼倩影朦胧，青楼女子的喧叫声在这一刻也显得悦耳动听。 舒畅的事情，就会使人软融融的。董小宛和冒辟疆、柳如是乘着轿前往桃叶寓馆。柳如是见寓馆还可以，收拾得像风吹过一般洁净，她指着冒辟疆向董小宛做了一个逗趣的手势。董小宛看见柳如是的手势掩口抿笑起来，冒辟疆装着没有看见。这时茗烟正端茶进来，后面一群人嘻嘻地笑得花枝招展。 走在前面的是李香君，她看见董小宛便飞燕般扑了过去，一只茶杯也被碰落在地。 “唉呀，我们的小宛妹妹瘦了，是不是想冒公子……” "..." 一群人在屋中叽叽喳喳，像一群喧闹的麻雀。 “说说别后的日子。”李香君对董小宛说。 董小宛的声音立即像流水般缓缓地在屋中流淌起来，它绕过每一个人，最后停在冒辟疆的身上，冒辟疆与柳如是跟着董小宛的讲述又静静地体验了深夜赶路时的狗叫声。窗外的阳光依然灿烂，远处传来沙哑的歌声，并伴有混合不清的乐器声。茗烟突然而至打破屋里的寂静：“顾夫人、马夫人来了！” 话音刚落，顾横波、马婉容就出现在屋里，身上还带着风尘仆仆的灰尘味，大家相互见过礼，柳如是对顾横波问道：“横波妹，什么时候来的呀？” “她呀！昨天将老公丢在合肥，自己独自一人就跑来了。” 马婉容抢着说。 一群人又围着顾横波、马婉容喧闹起来。这时隐隐从窗边传来啜泣声，啜泣立即浸入喧闹声中，并渐渐显露出来，最后屋里就只有这种声音在飘荡了。 郑妥娘站在窗边，手里拿着一块丝织白手巾，正往脸上擦着。在人群的喧闹声像沸水一样翻腾的时候，她忍受不住董小宛依偎着冒辟疆的幸福，这种充满蜜情柔意的形象将她深深地刺伤，使她记忆的闸门突然被打开。她对往事的伤怀和对以后日子的不可预计使她深深地处于一种忧郁中。她明白青楼辉煌的日子正渐渐地离她远去，她也厌倦了那种出卖色相的生活。她感觉一只灰白的影子正慢慢向她靠拢，在那灰白的影子下，她那充满亮丽的身躯被一点一点消毁，她不由感到莫名的恐惧，于是她离开人群走到窗前，正好太阳被一块白云遮住，她仿佛觉得世界一下子就黑暗起来，她的泪水也就跟着流了出来，于是不住抽动的嘴唇里吐出了断续的啜泣声。 人群顺着啜泣声的方向望过去，只见郑妥娘颤抖的身子和抽动的双肩。郑妥娘这时也觉得屋里突然安静了下来，她缓缓地转过身子，看见人们都用一种怀疑的目光盯着她，脸不由红了起来，羞涩中带着苦味地笑了笑。 “平时最爱笑的就是你，今日是怎么了？”顾横波首先打破寂静。 “你的猫儿尿可真多！”柳如是笑着说。 “看着你们都有了美好的归宿，我……”郑妥娘的双手交叉着抱在胸前。 “还有我和玉京呢！”寇白门脸上的笑容也消失了。 董小宛将身边的冒辟疆轻轻地推开。 “哭得出个如意郎君？像我找个老头子算了。”柳如是说。 “你受得住那老头子的重压吗！”顾横波斜了一眼柳如是说。 “你少斗嘴，你那媚劲儿，姓龚的才受不住呢！” 屋里又一次被笑声填满，窗外秋日的景致纷纷从窗口涌进来，在巷子中行走的一个老年乞丐自言自语地说着：“今日可以吃顿饱饭了。” 乞丐走到桃叶寓馆门前的台阶上坐下，伸长鼻子等待着酒肉香味的飘来，他那仅露眼白的眼睛发出与阳光一样明亮的光。他抬头望了望太阳，发现太阳偏中不远，于是他走到台阶边的墙角迎面躺了下去，闭上了他那已分辨不清物体的眼睛。一只狗走到乞丐的身边，嗅了嗅那露出脚趾的脚，然后带着鄙屑的神态朝着巷子的深处遛去。 冒辟疆与男人们来到外屋，茗烟满面春光地跑进跑出。茗烟的忙碌奔跑并没有被人们所注意，但他的行为和脸上露出的神情被单妈看得一清二楚。她看见茗烟奔跑的姿式像一只蝴蝶翩翩起舞。 单妈注视着屋中的一切，每一个人的到来都没有逃脱她那双老眼。她将每个人的每一个动作都仔细地记着，她分析每个人的心情。当郑妥娘依窗伤怀的时候，对于这一点，她在郑妥娘进屋的时候从她那微露伤怀的眼中已看到。单妈看见冒辟疆一群男人走出来，她从侯朝宗与方密之的调笑声中预计到明日夜晚的秦淮河将比往日更热闹。她听着里屋的喧闹声，觉得自己也回到了年轻时代，但她将所有记忆翻一遍，觉得她的年龄处于一种灰色的影子中，她想不出有什么辉煌，于是她又开始咒骂时光的流逝。 杨龙友带着满脸和气的神情走进来，单妈看得很清楚。他手拿折扇边走边扇，单妈计算那扇子的左右摇晃节奏，以后的事实证明单妈那时的眼光很准确，她从方密之充满诡秘的眼里看出方密之在杨龙友身上的打算。方密之与侯朝宗商议明日中秋庆贺一下冒辟疆与董小宛的重逢，他苦于没有什么新的花样，当杨龙友出现的时候，于是他的主意便出现了，他用充满诡秘的眼光盯着杨龙友，但他并不知道单妈已将他的主意看穿。 方密之热情异常地拉住杨龙友的手，将杨龙友按在椅子上坐下，茗烟轻盈地端上一杯茶。他首先对杨龙友说明天要庆祝一下冒辟疆与董小宛的重逢，但没有什么新的节目，为了明日热闹一些，所以不得不请杨龙友出面。杨龙友在方密之的语言下一步一步进入方密之设定的角色中，当他知道是叫他去请胡子的班子来演新剧《燕子笺》时，在他的脑海中出现的是前次胡子被方密之等人痛揍的狼狈样，单妈见杨龙友沉思地坐在椅子上，他手中的折扇这时停止了扇动，脸上露出阴晴不一的表情。杨龙友沉思了一会儿，然后端起茶杯喝了一口，扇子继续有规律地扇动起来。 太阳已渐渐地偏西，巷子中行走的人不像午时稀少，在午后期待饱饭的老年乞丐也于昏沉沉的睡意中醒来。他伸开双手伸了一个舒服的懒腰，待他清醒地向四周一望——惊异地发现他的四周还有十几个他同等身份的人躺在旁边。他向桃叶寓馆的大门前望了望，感觉那里还是寂静如前，然后他抬头望了望天空，看见太阳已偏向西边，他拉长他的嗅觉深深地吸了一口气。这时，大门“嚓”的一声打开了，单妈手拿一吊铜钱站立于大门的台阶上，其他昏睡中的乞丐随着这“嚓”的一声突然惊醒过来，单妈的声音在巷子中响起：“这吊钱，你们拿去买东西吃。可怜的人。” 钱从单妈的手中优美地划了一道狐线，带着幸福与饱暖的声音落在乞丐群中。 朱统锐坐在书房内闭目养神，一个丫环替他捏着酸痛的肩。书房很昏暗，屋中的一切都蒙上一层神秘的色彩，一个泛着眩光的古陶瓷放在面对朱统锐的木架上。木架呈暗红色，在昏暗的光线之中，看上去像人血经过长时间的存放的颜色，朱统锐看着古陶瓷中间凸起的部位，他有一种冲动的感觉，似乎那中间藏有一种诱人的物体。朱统锐稍稍侧动了一下身子，用手指了指大腿，那丫环便又转身走到他的面前蹲下用手在他的大腿上按摩起来。朱统锐面无表情地坐在椅子上，屋中一片寂静，一只老鼠在屋角探了探头，隐身于一只框子下面。 朱统锐在那丫环的按摩下有一种昏昏欲睡的感觉，一阵阵少女的体香飘入他的鼻中。朱统锐从那体香中感觉出缺少点清新的味道。想到这里，朱统锐的脸上抽动了一下，他微微张开眼，越过丫环的头顶看了一眼凸起的古陶瓷。这一刻，朱统锐觉得董小宛装在那里面，于是他兴奋地抖动了一下，丫环随着朱统锐的抖动停止了按摩，她也觉得有一种不安定的气氛在向她围拢。朱统锐把眼光从古陶瓷上转到丫环的脸上，他发觉这丫环还长得不错，那鼻梁间的几颗雀斑在昏暗之中跃跃欲试。朱统锐伸出一只手按在丫环的头上，头发有一种粘乎乎的感觉，然后朱统锐用右脚掂了掂丫环的屁股。丫环穿着一件淡绿色的衣服，在朱统锐的眼中，他仿佛看到春潮盈动的江水。朱统锐极其缓慢地将丫环拉到他的腿上坐下，然后用手摸了摸丫环干燥的嘴唇，数了数那鼻梁的雀斑。丫环双手背在身后一动不动，任由朱统锐的调戏，她感觉朱统锐的手像一条无毒的蛇在她身上游动。朱统锐的手在丫环的乳房上停住，并用力地挤捏起来，丫环猫叫一样哼了几声，然后朱统锐极其熟练地撩起了丫环的衣裙。屋中的寂静被一种无声的动作打破，那只藏身于框子下的老鼠迅速地奔跑到了屋角。这时书房外响起下人的声音，声音透过门上的缝隙传入屋中：“老爷，董小宛到南京了。” 一只红纸外壳套着的烛在桌子上燃着，茗烟与单妈早已睡下，冒辟疆抱着董小宛默默无声。时间在这时处于一种无声的流动中，远处传来秦淮河的喧哗声。董小宛的思绪仿佛停留在很遥远的地方，她依偎着的冒辟疆给她一种靠岸的感觉。屋中处于一种半明半暗的状态，蜡烛放出的光在董小宛的脸上投下一片阴影。冒辟疆看着董小宛脸上的阴影，觉得她还没有脱离惊恐，于是他用力搂紧了她，并转动了一下方向，让那阴影从董小宛的脸上消失。房中很安静，透露出一种祥和，从冒辟疆和董小宛的脸上可以看出他们处于一种重逢的温情中，像在追忆那些分别日子的思念。在这种环境下，董小宛平静地想起夜晚的狗叫声。当她的思绪转到宗新身上的时候，产生了一丝歉意。 时间缓缓地流动着，冒辟疆与董小宛毫无睡意地相拥而卧，在蜡烛燃尽熄灭的时候，一片洁白的月光从窗户投进屋中。董小宛在月光投进来时，意识到今天是八月十四了，于是她自然地想起了在苏州的董旻和惜惜。 董旻坐在院中的老槐树下，手中拿着一壶酒，他抬头望一眼月亮喝一口酒，他喝酒的样子像是欲把岁月吞下，在他的身旁放着跟随他几十年的那根笛子，今夜他将与月光为伴了。在董旻来到院中的时候，惜惜早已站立在一株紫藤旁。惜惜看着董旻蹒跚地从屋中出来，然后慢慢地走到老槐树下坐下，她看着董旻对着夜空喝酒的姿式，感到了自己的苍老。月亮略带一丝黄色，使院子仿佛荒芜了很久。自董小宛离开苏州后，惜惜就将那挑着担子在街上叫卖的青年忘记了，她这时突然想起霍华的家奴和那双色迷迷的眼睛，她也产生了逃离这里的念头。 董旻对着月亮将一壶酒喝了个精光，最后将酒壶对着嘴抖了抖，几滴浑浊的酒滑入他的嘴中。他想叫惜惜再去灌一壶来，但他不忍心打破院中的寂静，于是董旻放下酒壶拿起那支笛子，用衣袖擦了擦上面的露水，然后放在嘴边，一缕笛声在静寂的夜空响起，那声音中飘荡着一种接近死亡的音符。 惜惜听着笛音在院中响起，她记得这首曲子董小宛曾经吹奏过，但她想不起叫什么曲名；惜惜听着，顺着笛音的起伏，一种忧闷的心情在她的身上蔓延开来。老槐树干秃的树枝投在月光下的影子正好将董旻围在中央，惜惜觉得董旻犹如坐在笼中。这时月已中天，惜惜突然意识到明日是中秋，她抬头望了一眼天空，然后转身回屋去了。 董旻在月光下一曲又一曲地吹奏着笛子，由于露水的原因，笛声中溶进潮湿的音符。董旻每吹奏一曲笛子都使他想起一段往事，在月光暗淡的时候，董旻在一曲中结束了他的演奏。他最后抬头望了一眼月亮，嘴里含混不清地说着：“明日再叙。” 夜色在天空慢慢弥漫开来，秦淮河飘流了几十年的风流韵事在今日依然璀璨，画舫、楼亭、绸缎、脂粉、男人、女人充塞其中，莺歌燕舞、棋琴书画含混着一种国破家亡的气味。一个流浪的书生，在秦淮河飘荡了几年，北方家乡的风光已被他深深地遗忘；他逢人便说：“江南好，江南好。” 书生的脸上流露出女人的脂粉气，树皮一样的纹路在他的脸上已悄然显露。他站在河堤边用一种鬼气的声音喊到：“小凤，小凤。” 一只破旧的画舫划至堤边，两只又瘦又小的灯笼像磷火一样挂在船头，从舱内走出一个被岁月埋葬了半截的女人，她看见书生便喜气洋洋地说道：“公子来了，上来吧。” 昨日桃叶寓馆的热闹在南京城里悄然地传开，那些王孙贵族、公子哥儿在今日早早地打扮好，等待着夜晚的到来。他们岂肯放过这绝好的机会，在平日千金都难买与董小宛等的一面。在方密之、侯朝宗等人还在布置桃叶河亭的时候，人群已开始堆集在桃叶河亭旁，他们极有耐心似的看着方密之等人的布置，其中几个显得心中不够沉着地时不时抬头望望天空。 今天的日子跟往常有点不一样，当夜色像鱼网一样拉开后，一轮磨盘大的月亮爬出了山顶。这时一丝焦急情绪在人群中蔓延开来，人群的眼光都朝着桃叶寓馆的方向盯着，他们像等待某种奇迹的出现。正在人群心神不定的时候，董小宛一行慢慢地从桃叶寓馆的方向走了过来，人群像春天的笋子一样站了起来，他们看着董小宛一行像欣赏春日里的美景。 “来了，来了！”人群中有人喊道。 “那是董小宛，那是李香君……”有人充满骄傲神气地喊道。 “好美呀！” “真漂亮！” 人群的所有眼光被董小宛一行用绳拉着，绷得直直的。随着董小宛一行人的移动，眼光也缓缓地转动方向。董小宛觉得人群中的眼光像束束阳光直射在她的身上，羞涩从她的心里冒了出来，她扭头望了一眼走在身旁的柳如是。柳如是感觉到人群的眼光和董小宛的不自在，她朝着董小宛顽皮地做了个害羞的姿式，董小宛脸上升起了晚霞。 “小宛妹妹，当姐姐的可不如你了！” 人群的眼光在经过一百八十度的转折后，进入了桃叶河亭，待董小宛一行的身影掩埋在桃叶河亭后面时，人群醒悟般地像被狂风卷起的落叶纷纷扑向桃叶河亭。 朱统锐在离桃叶河亭一百米处的一幢楼上的窗口边站着，从他的脸上看不出任何风吹草动的痕迹。楼上空荡荡的，中间只放着一张缺了一只角的黑色桌子。在董小宛一行走向桃叶河亭的路上，朱统锐从朦胧的夜色中一眼就看见了在人群的眼光直射下低着头的董小宛和董小宛脸上升起的晚霞，他看见人群像迎接公主般地将董小宛一行目送进桃叶河亭。 董小宛在走进桃叶河亭时回头望了望，朱统锐觉得那眼光透过夜色直射进他的心脏，这种眼光使朱统锐在许多年