Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Water Painting Garden

Dong Xiaowan lived in the Water Painting Garden for twenty-six days, but still did not see Mao Pijiang's arrival. Anxiety was deep in his heart, which was heartbreaking.At midnight that day, she couldn't sleep, so she put on her clothes and sat in front of the window. It was raining violently in autumn, or it could be said to be raining in winter. Because the weather was extremely cold, she had already started to use the stove to keep warm.She even felt that by the time Mao Pijiang returned, she had become an old woman, sitting on the steps of the Shuihui Building with her two sack-like breasts drooping, surrounded by a few pieces of swallow shit.She thought: On this autumn rainy night, under which roof is he?Will you walk on the muddy road in the rain?

At the same time, on a rugged mountain road 358 miles away from Rugao, a cart with three horses got stuck in the mud.Because the horses pulling the cart were too tired, the groom, who was still drenched in bamboo hats and coir raincoats, lashed his whip fiercely. Even after three efforts, the wheels failed to roll out of the deep mud pit.Sitting in the car were Mao Pijiang, his father, and the bookboy Mingyan. There were also more than a dozen boxes, which were filled with books, calligraphy, paintings, antiques, treasures, and cloth purchased temporarily by Master Mao. , Mountain goods.Among these objects, what Master Mao cherishes most is the twenty-seven yellow silk edicts issued to him by the emperors of the two dynasties.

Mao Pijiang lifted the corner of the curtain, and the rain immediately wet his sleeves. He asked the driver: "What's the matter?" The voice passed through the thick rain curtain and reached the driver's ears. He sounded like someone from behind the mountain. The voice was extremely weak and indistinct.But he knew from experience what the people in the car were asking, and he replied: "It's a ghost, the wheels are stuck in the mud, what a ghost place." He just opened his mouth, and the rainwater from his beard poured into his mouth, and he spat out few times.Mao Pijiang wanted to continue to ask more questions, but he changed his mind immediately after hearing the sound from his mouth.On the mountain where there is no village in front and no shop in the back, so what if you know clearly?

The driver jumped out of the car, hugged the wheels and gave a few pushes, the cart only moved a few times.Covered in mud, he stood up, lifted the curtain, took off his bamboo hat, stuck his wet head into the car, and said loudly, "It can't be done, let the horse rest for a while." Mao Pijiang and Mingyan saw that this was the end of the matter, so they couldn't care less.In fact, the cart also leaked rainwater.They let Master Mao stay in the only dry place in the car, and Master Mao was still shivering after being wrapped in two bedding.Mao Bijiang and Mingyan jumped into the heavy rain from both sides of the shaft of the car respectively, and together with the driver, they pushed hard the wheels stuck in the mud.

The three of them tried their best, and the three horses also tried their last strength, and the wheels finally rolled out of the mud pit.Mingyan was originally carrying the wooden shaft behind the cart on his shoulders, but the cart rushed forward, he couldn't stand upright, fell to the ground, his face was covered in mud.Although the wheels pulled out of the mud pit, the three horses were so exhausted that they almost didn't even have the strength to stand up, let alone go on the road.The rain was dousing them, and Mingyan felt a little pleasure only when it was poured into Mingyan, because Mingyan was closing her eyes and raising her face, letting the rain wash away the mud on her face.The mud loosened its hold, flowed into the collar, and burrowed into the cotton fibers.

Mingyan shows the brave spirit of the servant's dedication.When the groom undid the horses one by one, took the saddles, led them away, and tied them to the tree poles. In order to maintain the balance of the cart, Ming Yan carried the shafts on his shoulders, bearing the weight of the three horses. Seeing others trembling and running to help, Pijiang squeezed out a sentence between his teeth: "My lord, go away!" This sentence was the only commanding word he said to his master for many years.It wasn't until the groom tied up the horse and came to help that Mingyan was able to catch his breath.The three worked together to drag the car to the side of the road and leaned against a big rock.Master Mao fell asleep alone in the car.

Mao Pijiang and Mingyan were drenched to the ground, they dared not get in the car, for fear of getting wet the calligraphy and painting boxes in the car, so they got under the car and huddled together.The groom strode forward to find the nearest house.Mao Pijiang said to Mingyan: "This is the result of coveting too much travel. In chess, it is called 'causing loss due to greed', do you understand?" Such fright was no longer a great experience for Mr. Mao, who had seen the majestic death scene.The nearly crazy battles and successive defeats in the past year have devastated the civilian officer in the military camp. When he fully saw the situation, he retired and returned home.Based on his intuition, he guessed that Daming was at the end of his life, and he thought: Since we can't protect the country, at least we should put my home in order, right?He's old, and his behavior can't be called funk.The colleagues are very envious.

At that time, Zuo Liangyu's department, where Master Mao was located, was completely surrounded by intruders. Li Zicheng established himself as "Xin Shun King" in Xiangyang. Mao Pijiang rushed to Hengyang, received the master, and immediately hired a boat to leave the land of right and wrong. At this moment, Master Mao is struggling in his sleep.The sound of rain pushed Master Mao back to the Kaifeng battlefield.The sound of rushing rain was like waves crashing against the ship's side.It was an extraordinary escape.Due to the huge force of the intruders, the Kaifeng defender was unable to resist, so he ordered to dig the embankment of the Yellow River, and the flood flooded Kaifeng and the surrounding area for more than 300 miles.Drowning 200,000 vanguard troops of the intruders, and drowning about 100,000 Ming infantrymen and good civilians at the same time.Master Mao was able to escape by sitting on the boat that had been prepared long ago. When he stood on the side of the boat and looked at the floating corpses floating in the dim yellow waves under the sun, he completely lost his ambition to govern the country and the world. He just wanted to go home .At this moment, a floating corpse in the dream suddenly stood up and rushed towards him with its teeth and claws. He woke up suddenly, listening to the pouring rain outside the car hood.

Although the person wakes up, the fear does not leave.A horrified look appeared on his face. Once again, he vividly displayed the huge trench with a width of 16 meters, a length of 100 miles, and a depth of 8 meters. It was completed, making it the burial place of about 170,000 officers and soldiers of the Zuo Liangyu Department who fled.At that time, the generals Liu Zongmin, Li Guo, and Yuan Zongdi led an army of 500,000 to chase the thieves. Zuo Liangyu's 210,000 horses were blocked in front of the trench. Due to panic, the officers and soldiers behind did not know what happened ahead. , squeezed forward desperately, and squeezed hundreds of thousands of people running ahead out of the ditch, while the people behind (including Mr. Mao) jumped over the piles of officers and soldiers in the ditch. Many of the soldiers in the ditch were trampled dead.After running for a long distance, Master Mao saw huge thick smoke rising behind him. It turned out that it was Yuan Zongdi who ordered the trench to be set on fire, and many wounded soldiers in the trench were also burned to death.Zuo Liangyu fled to Kaifeng with only 30,000 people.Now, Mr. Mao seems to see many wounded soldiers stretching out their begging hands in the flames.He thinks he has read poetry and books on the art of war, and knows the cruelty of war, but when he actually faces it, he realizes that it is not just a few tricks that can save the country.The defeat is like a mountain!Thank goodness!Although he is in a predicament at the moment, he is far away from the war after all, and there is no worry of life and death!

Under the car, Mao Pijiang and Mingyan were so cold that they were black all over, and their upper and lower teeth were fighting.Mingyan was still very excited, what he experienced with his master this time made him feel like a hero.What impressed him the most was the three jet-black shells that the artillerymen of Hao Yaoqi's department hit the quilt on the bow of the ship. That was the third day they left Hengyang.In order to avoid Hao Yaoqi's patrol boat, they specially hired a fast boat and quickly crossed the river in the dark. They saw the only navy's stronghold of the thieves from a distance, and the sailors decided to take a risk to go there.They soaked dozens of quilts in the water and spread them on the boat. From a distance, the boat looked like it was made of quilts, so that the shells hitting the boat would not explode.When everything was ready, the ten large oars on the clipper quickly moved, and broke through the naval camp with lightning speed.They heard the thieves fired several trumpets, but they didn't understand what it meant. Maybe it was a dangerous signal!As expected, on the bank of the narrow river slightly downstream, the intruders set up eight cannons on the bank.At this moment, "Boom Boom" bombarded their clippers, and those who hit the water hit a column of soaring waves.

Everyone raised their hearts to their throats.There were three muffled sounds from the bow of the ship. It turned out that it was three round black cannonballs hitting the thick quilt.Mingyan saw that the cannonball was steaming, but it didn't explode.Later, the ship came into safety without any damage. At this moment, Ming Yan huddled under the car, and Mao Pijiang shivered beside him.There was the sound of horseshoes in front of him, and Mao Pijiang lifted his spirits. He said, "It may be the horseman." The groom did not disappoint the anticipation of pioneering the frontier.He found three families five miles ahead, not only drank half a jug of wine and borrowed two horses, but also invited two people.When they came to the wagon, the rain had stopped. Everyone hurriedly straightened the cart and drove it away with two horses.Mao Pijiang and Mingyan led the three tired horses behind the cart, thinking of the warmth that was about to arrive, they also warmed up.The two helpers enthusiastically pointed out the road, enabling them to avoid mud pits one after another smoothly.Although the mud rolled up by the wheels kept splashing on Mao Pijiang and Mingyan, they felt extremely happy. What they met were warm and hospitable simple mountain people. They changed their wet clothes and received a sumptuous dinner.In the end, I fell asleep soundly.The next day, their wet clothes were also dried.When parting, Mr. Mao gave ninety taels of silver to the three families as a token of his gratitude. It was two cloudy days in a row, and everything was depressed to death.When the cart passes through the fields in late autumn, it is always desolate and desolate.There are bright pools of water everywhere, and Mao Bijiang stares at them, remembering the past, and it breaks his heart. The groom was a taciturn man, and when he was hired, his face was clean-shaven, like a young man's.After more than 20 days of journey, his face was covered with beards, and he looked older.Seeing him, Mao Pijiang touched his beard subconsciously.The groom whipped his whip fiercely, as the scene in front of him became more and more familiar, Rugao was getting closer.The groom's whip seemed to be able to draw away the cloudy clouds, and when the cart stopped in a place to let the horses drink water, the sky had already begun to clear.When Mao Pijiang greeted the first acquaintance he met, the sun was already shining, and people stood or sat in the courtyard to bask in the sun, and new hope rose for the depressed and discouraged.The sun is warming. The cart ran through the warm sunshine like a dream, and when the sun was about to set, it carried Mr. Mao's tired body into the Rugao city gate.On the one hand, Mr. Mao was a little happy with the feeling of falling leaves returning to their roots, and on the other hand, he was sad for the disillusionment of his ideals. His mixed face made Mao Pijiang shocked.Mao Pijiang retracted his body and sat beside him.The master saw only a little change in Rugao when he was young, and thought that the years were deceiving him, and the spring water deliberately did not clean the place during the noisy time, leaving behind a nostalgic scene.He couldn't bear to look any longer, and ordered: "Put down the car curtain." Ming Yan immediately followed suit, and a fine bamboo curtain divided the outside world.Master Mao feels better. Only Mingyan was overjoyed at returning home, couldn't help sticking his head out of the car curtain, and greeted people along the way, all to prove that he was not dead, and acquaintances should not forget him. "Hey! Ma San." "Old man Zhu, are you going to play chess again?" "Er Niang Sun, have you eaten yet?" "Aunt Zhao, are you wearing new clothes?" "Gou Mazi, how many more fish did you catch today?" , business is good." "Blacksmith Jade, please give me a big knife in two days." All the people smiled at Mingyan when they heard the greeting. home?" Su Yuanfang heard the news of the master's return from the grocery store next to the Town God's Temple.At that time, she was standing on the threshold watching the refugee who escaped from Luonan flicking cotton, and the cotton maker was beating his big bow with a mallet. The scene fascinated and intoxicated her.She came to see the craftsmanship of the cotton maker, and was going to ask him to make a dozen new quilts for Maofu.Had it not been for the overcast weather that made her tired, she would have come here long ago.As soon as the sun came out today, she put down her sewing and walked out the door. On the way, she remembered that she had left her sewing basket in the corridor.When the maid Cuiyun carefully jumped over a puddle of water on tiptoe and twisted her buttocks, and whispered the news in her ear, Su Yuanfang walked away. She was thinking of her husband, with an imperceptible expression on her face. Faint red tide. Su Yuanfang stepped through the gate of Mao Mansion, and saw the master sitting in the middle of the hall, leaning his head on the wooden chair, very tired.Usually he is dignified when he comes home, but this time he looks like a dying patient.She thought it was due to the fatigue of the journey, but in fact the master had been hit hard by fate, and the foundation on which his life's ambitions had been built had completely collapsed.Is there anything more sad than a lifetime of hard work in vain? Mao Pijiang sat on the side drinking tea.Seeing Su Yuanfang walking in, he put down the tea bowl, stood up, smiled and nodded towards her, but because of the master and the old lady, he didn't go up to her immediately.Su Yuanfang greeted the master and gave her a big gift of detention and release, and the master let her die. He looked at his wife, her youth had not faded away, and her happiness was still with her son.He knew that the years of war were coming, and he was worried about their future lives.The old lady handed him a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, thus sharing his sorrow instantly, and he smiled gratefully. On the other side, Mingyan was happily telling Maoquan and others about the three black shells that the intruders hit in front of him.The master hated him like a noisy cicada in summer, but he didn't stop him disheartened.Mingyan's adventures made the audience envious, and the maids suddenly realized that Mingyan was already a man, as evidenced by the sparse beard at the corner of his mouth. The joy of the entire Mao family was made hesitant by the master's sullen mood.Sadness infects everyone.The scenery in late autumn also matches this breath.Fortunately, it got dark early, the bleak clouds were submerged in the darkness, and the bright red candles shone with joy.During dinner, the wine table is still filled with the joy of life.Su Yuanfang quietly told Mao Pijiang: "Dong Xiaowan came to Rugao by himself." Mao Pijiang was startled, and the chopsticks holding the meat were hanging by his mouth.He originally planned to go to Suzhou to marry her in person, now that's all right, how can he open his mouth to the master?He felt that Dong Xiaowan was too aggressive, and felt a little unhappy.Of course, he still doesn't know what happened to Dong Xiaowan in Suzhou.Mao Pijiang ate mechanically, he was entangled by Dong Xiaowan.I didn't notice how the seats were scattered. After the meal, the master felt even more tired, so the old lady and Su Yuanfang helped him into the house and went to bed.Su Yuanfang exited the room and extinguished more than a dozen red candles on the corridor with bamboo tubes.Immediately a shadow fell over the room.Mao Pijiang was still propping his face on his elbows in a daze, Su Yuanfang knew that he was thinking of Dong Xiaowan. Mao Bijiang was too tired, so he went into the bedroom and simply hugged Su Yuanfang.He also knew that this movement was not enough to express the love and tenderness he owed since parting, but she was too sleepy, so she understood and helped him take off his gown.He went straight to bed, fell asleep, but couldn't fall asleep.He felt that as soon as he closed his eyes, Dong Xiaowan appeared in front of him, flicking his eyelids with his hands. Su Yuanfang tidies up the room to suppress her impulse, and she shows amazing restraint in this respect, although as she grows older, her demands become more and more frequent, and she tends to never be satisfied.When her husband was not at home, she also indulged herself, shutting herself in the bedroom alone and playing with her body.So she got into the habit of washing her hands first every morning instead of going to the bathroom first.Now, she felt that she had restrained her desire, so she extinguished the candle, and the room was filled with a faint blue night light. She slowly took off her clothes, got into bed naked, and lay down beside Mao Pijiang. She couldn't sleep either.But pretend to close your eyes and breathe evenly.Mao Pijiang looked at her with sleepy eyes several times, convinced that she was asleep, and turned around gently.He felt that Dong Xiaowan acted too hastily, and her behavior made him wonder if he had misjudged the person.He thought Dong Xiaowan might be an inconsiderate woman.How did that happen?He couldn't figure it out. On the other side, Su Yuanfang endured her own suffering, and her husband was by her side.It hurt her that he was tossing and turning like this for another woman.She finally understood that the same bed with different dreams is the greatest fear in life.She also hated herself, knowing that her husband had misunderstood Dong Xiaowan because she didn't understand the situation, but she didn't relieve him of his worries, but pretended to be asleep and caught his situation with her ears.However, she felt that there was no reason to hate herself.As a result, a great sense of grievance seized her heart.It was as if a hand had opened the piston of the lacrimal gland, and the tears gushed out instantly, and her consciousness had no time to stop it. Seeing her wet and tearful face, Mao Pijiang's heart skipped a beat. Feeling ashamed in his heart, he called softly timidly: "Yuan Fang." She finally couldn't bear it anymore and began to cry.Sadness cannot be suppressed, and fate is unbearable.He covered her like a cloak... When he slid softly to the side amidst her moans, he closed his eyes contentedly, stretched out his hands and grasped the edge of the bed behind his head, savoring the aftertaste in his body carefully... After a long time, Mao Pijiang asked softly: "Yuan Fang, how long has Dong Xiaowan been here?" "I've been here for a few days. You Xixi, Dong Min, and Mom Shan came with me. I arranged for them to live in the Water Painting Garden. My mother has already seen her, and my mother is very satisfied." Mao Pijiang frowned and sighed: "It's all here." "You don't know, she comes in person, so you don't have to go to Suzhou in person. Isn't it great?" "It's convenient. I'm worried..." "worry about what?" "I'm worried that she will adopt this kind of rogue behavior of a little girl in the market. It's a coercive method to force me to marry her. I hate people's persecution the most in my life." "She's not that kind of person." "I hope not." Su Yuanfang saw the doubts on his face like a boy, and felt that men always grow up.She smiled and asked, "Do you love her?" "Love. But..." "But she didn't fully satisfy your selfish thoughts. You men all have such bad virtues. You are right to be gentle and considerate, but when people need help, you have to wait for you to spare time before reaching out to help. " Mao Pijiang glanced at her, but didn't say anything, he felt that what she said was reasonable, and sometimes, she was a bit heroine-like.In order to cover up his slight embarrassment, Mao Pijiang reached out and touched one of Su Yuanfang's breasts.After letting him touch it a few times, she opened his hand with a charming smile. She continued: "What's the use of being anxious here? Do you know what trouble Dong Xiaowan is in? All your worries are out of selfish thoughts." "What trouble did Dong Xiaowan encounter?" Su Yuanfang sighed.Then he gently narrated how Dong Xiaowan was robbed in Suzhou, how he was imprisoned in a pagoda, and how he was rescued by Liu Rushi, Qian Muzhai, and General Yang Kun.Finally, I talked about Dong Xiaowan's situation after he arrived in Rugao.Mao Pijiang felt even more ashamed of herself because she added her own opinions and imaginations to her narrative, as well as a series of sympathetic sighs for the tragic experience.Su Yuanfang said: "Dong Xiaowan is really a strange woman. I am content to meet such a beautiful girlfriend in this life. She came to Rugao because she loves you!" "I blamed her wrongly." Mao Pijiang thought of those doubts just now, and felt very embarrassed.He is a little complacent about having wives and concubines like Su Yuanfang and Dong Xiaowan. Su Yuanfang stood up, and asked with a smile, "What day do you plan to see her?" "I'll go tomorrow." Mao Pijiang blurted out Dong Xiaowan's voice and smile without thinking. "Not tomorrow." "This...are you jealous?" In fact, Su Yuanfang was really jealous seeing him so eager.But when she asked him, she had already expected him to answer like this.Many things in life do not reduce the unhappiness in your heart when it happens just because you predict the result.Otherwise, everyone knows that they are going to die, so why are they still afraid of death? Su Yuanfang pointed his finger at his forehead, and said: "Who is jealous? Why don't you think about it, the master just came home, there must be a lot of entertainment, can you go away? Besides, you must let the master know about Dong Xiaowan, you How are you going to tell the master?" Mao Pijiang himself thought of this.At this moment, he embraced her and said, "Of course I have to rely on my wife." "Bah!" Su Yuanfang pushed him a few times without pushing him away. "I don't take this kind of idle work." "Wife, good wife. I beg you." Mao Pijiang said while squeezing her soft body. "Enough, enough." She gasped and said, "I promise you, I promise you. Do... ah..." Mao Pijiang smiled and let go. Su Yuanfang said: "Look at your appearance. Hey, let me ask you, do you plan to marry her?" "Of course I want to marry. Why? Do you regret it?" "I don't regret it. After marrying her, what should I do?" "The three of us sleep together." "Fart, although I don't mind you marrying her, I would rather die than allow her to sleep in my bed." "Then you go to her bed?" "Not to mention." "What do you say?" "You can do whatever you want, I just beg you not to forget me, and don't leave me alone." "How could it be?" Mao Pijiang said while expressing his gratitude with intimacy.At the same time, he also felt Su Yuanfang's hand groping... In an instant, she realized that this flesh and blood body would soon be shared by others, and would no longer be monopolized by herself.There is an idea in my heart to destroy him.At least, she voluntarily renounced a principle she had pursued since the day of her wedding. This principle was taught to her by her mother.The night before her marriage, her mother came to her boudoir and taught her about intercourse and taboos very patiently.She was living in her boudoir at that time, and she only had a virgin's hazy imagination about intercourse. Although she had peeped a few pages of "Pictures of Erotic Palace" and "Ci Hua of Jin Ping Mei", she still believed that such things were only done by bad women.Now that this kind of thing was nakedly revealed before her eyes, and it was said by her mother herself, she was ashamed of herself and her mother.She buried her head in the crook of her knees.Finally, mother twisted her red left ear and commanded majestically: "Look up, now is not the time to be shy." So far, my mother's words echo in my ears from time to time.Especially in those lonely times, she used this principle to bind her lust. "Good girl, remember now: men are useless things. You should not be too greedy, but restraint. Excessive indulgence will damage his body. You don't feel it when you are young. When you are old, you will have to work hard all your life to take care of him. Must be restrained." The mother also gave her a gold hairpin, telling her that a man sometimes risked his death to maintain his manly face, and when he couldn't stop himself from venting, he would stab his tailbone with this hairpin. "Don't be afraid to stab him, you have to stab him hard. It is better to be injured than to lose your life." My mother said, "This hairpin saved your father, and he has learned to behave now." At that time, Su Yuanfang was only fourteen years old. Now, at twenty-eight, she had a desire that frightened even herself.She gave up the commandment of restraint and insisted on hurting him.Mao Pijiang was intimidated by her fierce behavior, and he leaned on her sweaty body without daring to move, and was quickly disarmed by Su Yuanfang.He did feel hurt. In the next six days, Su Yuanfang's requests became more and more frequent, seemingly endless.She even broke the time limit, as long as she is free, even during the day. She has a clear purpose, that is, to let another woman get her old things, although she doesn't hate Dong Xiaowan.Mao Bijiang was a little scared, so he tried to avoid her.Looking at his weak and cowering figure, she let out a high-pitched laugh from her heart, but the laughter didn't come out, but echoed in her mind, shaking her own head. On the second day after Mao Bijiang returned home, he asked Mingyan to go to Shuihui Garden to greet Dong Xiaowan, and gave her a Hunan embroidered folding fan made of bamboo for the concubine Xiang. Time." Dong Xiaowan was overjoyed when he heard the news.He asked Mingyan to sit down, and put cakes, fruits, melon seeds, and peanuts on the table. Mingyan was not too polite, and ate happily.Xixi kept asking about the imposter's situation. Mingyan was extremely proud, and narrated his adventures with relish, including many exaggerated details, especially the three black cannonballs, which were completely deified by him.Dong Xiaowan and Xixi were a little terrified when they heard this.Xi Xi shouted: "It's dangerous!" Ming Yan was extremely proud.He has long realized that only by blowing to the woman in his boudoir can he not be pointed out.Last night, when he blew three cannonballs to the blacksmith on the corner, he was humiliated in public, and the neighbors laughed at him for saying Shan Hai Jing. After Mingyan had exhausted her enjoyment, she said goodbye and left.Dong Xiaowan was playing with the folding fan all the time, opening it and closing it for a while.The happiness in her heart is indescribable.Xixi stood in front of the window, shivering from the wind rushing in from under the torn parchment. "It's time to paper the windows." "It's time to post it." Dong Xiaowan and Xixi had been busy all day, replacing all the windows of the Water Painting Garden with new paper.Shan Ma boiled a large pot of rice soup for the two of them last night.The single mother heard them singing on the windowsill when she was taking a nap. Xixi shared her sister's joy.When Dong Xiaowan asked her to help change the sheets, she smiled and said, "Sister, this sheet was changed a few days ago." "It's dirty again." Dong Xiaowan said.To prove it, she picked up a few off-white hairs from the pillow. "Hee hee, it must be a bed curtain for Mr. Mao." "Damn girl." Dong Xiaowan pretended to hit her, but Xixi hurriedly hid behind the big vase behind her.There are chrysanthemums in the vases, and some flower seedlings will never open because they were too young when they were folded, hanging there like sick.These are the last few flowers of this year, the winter wind has arrived in Rugao. Time is passing.Dong Xiaowan changed new sheets every day, waiting for Mao Pijiang.But he didn't come.What happened?Dong Xiaowan sat on the bed with her knees folded and thought.In the middle of the night, she often had hallucinations, and heard someone stepping on dead branches and fallen leaves, coming downstairs along the stone path, then going upstairs, and knocking on her door.She heard Mao Pijiang calling her, and hurriedly got up to open the door.It was empty outside the door, and the north wind was blowing the earth. This kind of thing happened three times in a row, and I was scared to death.She told Xixi.On the fourth night, in order to ward off evil spirits, Xixi moved a lamp to the front of the door.That night, Dong Xiaowan slept soundly.At dawn, she got up earlier than Xixi, and went to open the door, but when the door opened, a person rolled in.She jumped back in fright, it turned out to be a single mother, she got up from the floor screaming "Ouch, Ouch", holding the lamp from last night in her arms.If it weren't for Shan Ma, the lamp would have almost caused a fire, and a large piece of the door would have been scorched.She put out the fire and was leaning against the door to calm her panic when Dong Xiaowan opened the door. For a whole day, Dong Xiaowan passed the time in his room by writing poems.She was frightened twice that day, but it was actually just frightening herself.Perhaps it was the void of lovesickness that drew her attention into the stillness, the boundless stillness. The first time I was frightened, it was because a mouse swaggered up to the desk in broad daylight, with its whiskers moving, and ran to the inkstone tray, sniffing the fragrant ink.Dong Xiaowan shuddered, dropped the pen and ran away.She told Shan Mom out of breath.Shan's mother said, "What's so scary about mice?" Shan's mother went upstairs as she spoke. She couldn't figure out why nine out of ten women were afraid of mice.There were no mice in that room, Dong Xiaowan asked her to promise three times before entering the room boldly.The presence of rats attests to the accuracy of silence.Dong Xiaowan slipped into the silence again. The second fright came when she was lighting the lamps and blowing out the candles just after dark.There was a flapping sound through the open window, and then something fell on the downstairs steps.Just as Dong Xiaowan was about to stick out her head out of curiosity, something flew towards her face from outside the window, flew over her head, and fell into the room with a "slap".She slumped down on a chair in fright.When it was clear what it was, the shock turned into surprise. It was a big folding fan, which Mao Bijiang carried with him.He's here at last. It turned out that Mao Pijiang came here at night while he was free.Walking downstairs and meeting Xi Xi, he held up a finger to tell Xi Xi to say goodbye, and Xi Xi pointed at the open window.Mao Pijiang suddenly thought of the custom in the Qinhuai old courtyard. If a man wants to see a woman, he first throws an object in from the window. If the woman wants to, she will throw fruit or cakes out.When Hou Chaozong met Li Xiangjun, he threw a folding fan (the famous "peach blossom fan") into it.Mao Pijiang did the same thing, he didn't throw it in the first time, and only threw it in the second time.Dong Xiaowan smiled knowingly, took a pear, went to the window, and hit him hard.He was looking at her and smiling, and he was not careful when he was hit by a pear on the forehead, and a lump immediately appeared.With his "Ouch", Dong Xiaowan laughed happily, and the silver bell-like laughter spread throughout the water painting garden.She hadn't laughed so heartily for a long time, even when Mao Pijiang stepped into the room, clutching her forehead, she was still laughing and bent over laughing. She applied hot water to the bump on his forehead, and said coquettishly: "This is a small punishment for you." Mao Pijiang hugged her waist, and kissed her cheek."I'm here to apologize for keeping you waiting," he said. Both of them were very happy, and each talked about their love and experiences after parting.They are nothing more than running accounts, but they are the best love words in the ears of lovers.When people who love each other are together, sometimes just the tone of voice is enough, what they say is not important.Both of them tried hard to see their figure in each other's eyes, looking for yesterday's happiness.He had already heard about Dong Xiaowan's misfortune from Su Yuanfang, and it sounded rather strange at the moment.He imagined that he rescued her alone, even after a life-and-death struggle.He also imagined that after he rescued her, he would die in her arms, what a tragic love.The look of regret on his face just matched Dong Xiaowan's narration, and she thought he was deeply moved. She continued to tell, and he continued to indulge in his imagination.She noticed that he was distracted, and asked him what he was thinking, and he said that he was thinking about the boat that night when he just met her.Her face flushed, and she wrapped her arms around his head more tightly.The four eyes met, the pupils dilated, she closed her eyes, and opened her lips slightly to welcome his kiss.This kiss was too deep and long for both of them, and it felt like they were about to suffocate.The two hugged each other tightly and enjoyed each other's breath for a long time. It was almost midnight, and Dong Xiaowan was reluctant to part with Bijiang to say goodbye.He understood her mood, so he took her hand and walked around the garden a few more times.The north wind made both of them feel cold.She returned to the room alone, stroked the flat surface of the bed, and realized for the first time that being with her sweetheart does not necessarily mean going to bed.This is a new experience for her. Mao Pijiang returned to Mao's mansion, trying to avoid Su Yuanfang, and secretly went to bed.But as soon as he entered the bedroom, she followed him.Seeing the lump on his forehead, she said it must have hit Dong Xiaowan's bedside.He flatly denied it.She said she didn't blame him.After speaking, he turned around and pretended to be angry. He was afraid that she would cry, so he had to admit that he bumped against the edge of the bed.Su Yuanfang smiled.She suddenly changed her poor attitude for the past few days, and became considerate of him, allowing him to sleep peacefully. Mao Bijiang slipped out of the house early in the morning and wandered around the land of Maofu.All the trees were bare, and the trees on both sides of the official road were bent over as if bowing to each other.Mao Pijiang wanted to find a way to get his father to accept Dong Xiaowan. He believed that there was a source of wisdom hidden in his leisurely pace, and wonderful ideas often popped into his mind. Just when Mao Pijiang racked his brains outdoors and failed to find a good way to tell the master about Dong Xiaowan, Master Mao learned about it from a letter.This letter was written by Qian Muzhai to Mr. Mao.The letter praised Dong Xiaowan's deep affection, and her qualities of virtuous and intelligent, pure and self-love, and hatred of evil.Of course, he did not forget to praise her beauty, self-cultivation, and outstanding taste, and Mr. Mao said with emotion: "This kind of woman can be an emperor's empress." Mu Zhai told him in the letter that he had helped Dong Xiaowan get out of her citizenship, and she was free.Master Mao Zou frowned. Su Yuanfang just walked in with a wooden box in his arms.She found this box from the room where the clutter was piled up. At first, it was the gold-painted pattern on the box that attracted her. After wiping off the dust, she found that inside was half a box of dried chrysanthemums, picked last year to make tea. There are more than a dozen pieces of licorice and Tianqi, a nostalgic fragrance.She didn't know when it was put there.She said: "Master, these chrysanthemums have medicinal properties, and drinking tea can relieve spleen fire." He asked her to put the wooden box aside.Women can always find old millet and rotten sesame seeds, or they can dig out some old things to fight against men.He said, "Yuan Fang, let me ask you, who is Dong Xiaowan?" Su Yuanfang was startled, the wooden box fell to the ground with a "hula", and the chrysanthemums inside were scattered all over the floor.She hastily knelt down in front of the master.She didn't know who told him.Could it be the old lady?Seeing that the master had returned to his previous majestic face, she had no choice but to tell the whole story, everything she knew and what she guessed. After listening to Master Mao, he leaned back on the armchair dejectedly and didn't say anything.Just wait for Mao Pijiang to come.Su Yuanfang saw that his majesty disappeared in an instant. This is a very rational old man who has been defeated by time. Su Yuanfang first went to find the old lady, and then went to Mao Bijiang, Mingyan said that he was taking a walk outdoors, so she told Mingyan to go and tell him to come back, and then ran back to the main hall. Mao Bijiang rushed back.Mr. Mao has been persuaded and explained by the old lady and the young lady in turn and has been forced to give up his stereotypes about prostitutes. He finds that a done deal is done, and it will be even more frustrating if he wants to change.所以，他只例行公事似的问了冒辟疆几句，然后责令他择吉日将董小宛娶过来。冒辟疆大喜过望，在他看来极困难的事竟然如此简单便解决了，他后悔自己白焦虑了这么多天。 待冒辟疆和苏元芳退下之后，冒老爷对老夫人说：“这小子翅膀硬了。”她看见他眼中有泪闪动，便用枯干的手抚摸他花白的头发，如同他们年轻时一样。 娶董小宛的婚礼极其简单。但冒府毕竟是如皋的大户，其热闹程度依旧令老百姓们羡慕和嫉妒。那几天，冒府和水绘园里挂满了大红灯笼，通宵不灭，红彤彤的像着了火，映红了如皋的夜空。这样的场面，如皋人要等到顺治八年才重新目睹。 单妈后来回忆道：“太快了。花轿进了水绘园时，我还在房里试着换一套新衣服。待我出门去，他们已经接走了董小宛。董旻和惜惜在一株绽出花蕾的梅花树下哭。他们身后挂着的一挂鞭炮已炸到最后几颗，地上是些红纸屑，空中飘着硝烟。说实话，有点凄凉。” 一对红彤彤的新人拜堂之后，便送入洞房。冒辟疆知道那红头盖之下是个美人。并不像当年娶苏元芳时那样担心，因为当时有人告诉他说苏元芳是个麻子，而且是兔唇，牙齿外露。那人诡秘地说，“亲嘴要先碰着牙齿。”那个玩笑着实让他害怕，待揭了红头盖，他大喜过望的表情深映在苏元芳心中，使她一生对夫君充满信心。此刻，苏元芳在离洞房十丈远的茅厕中逃避客人的目光，她难以平息心中的妒意，她设想俩人在洞房中的举动就想哭。她真的回忆起自己嫁过来那天的情景。 结婚没有给爱画上句号，相反，爱插上了翅膀向前飞，幸福在扩大。董小宛沉浸在甜蜜之中，变得更美。如皋人为了能够目睹她的风采，常常在水绘园附近游荡，不久，离水绘园最近那条街的商业慢慢繁荣起来，在顺治年间达到鼎盛，后随董小宛的离去而衰落。 白天，董小宛和苏元芳是一对倾心的闺友，无论是闲谈、散步、做事，俩人都配合得天衣无缝。到了夜里，董小宛无意争宠，可苏元芳却在使暗劲，至少她自己也明白她在折磨冒辟疆。他大伤脑筋的事就是怎样在夜里和她和睦相处，也就是怎样分配自己的爱。多少次，他很想有分身术。他甚至恨冬天的被窝太暖和使他不得不连续作战。他瘦了。 转眼过了春节，又过了元宵。老夫人终于看出苗头。有几次，她把两个儿媳妇叫到跟前，但欲言又止，她怕挑明了会使两人更加疯狂地争夺。 冒辟疆曾经想靠两个女人的月经期避上几天，但令他惊异的是，俩人都是同时来那玩意，他疑心是老天爷捣鬼。 终于，连续五个晚上他既没在冒府也没到水绘园。董小宛认为在苏元芳处，苏元芳以为在董小宛处。其实，冒辟疆一个人溜到某个私塾先生处下围棋，通宵通宵地下。但好景不长，一个妇女将话传到老夫人耳中：“人们都觉得你儿子不敢回家，是中了妖精的邪。” 老夫人愤怒了，叫来两个儿媳妇。她将拐杖在地板上敲得“笃笃”响，头上的发丝在打颤。苏元芳和董小宛赶快跪在她的面前。她说道：“两个不争气的东西。自己的夫君都不晓得爱惜。瞧他多瘦啦！”董小宛主动将所有的过错揽到自己身上。苏元芳倍受感动，为自己的自私想法羞愧不已。从此，俩人相处更合睦了。冒辟疆也从无形的争夺中解放出来。