The mountains are burdened with snow, and the floating life is not yet over.
All the way to the horse, finally in the afternoon around four o’clock when arrived at the small town. Originally thought to be an ordinary town, did not expect to ride into the small town, reversed Zhu Pingan’s idea.
The streets were smooth stone paths, the houses on both sides had green bricks and black tiles, flying eaves and corners, and the ancient style still existed. This town seems to have been infiltrated by the ancient rhythms of long poems for thousands of years, there is a sense of historical heaviness, jumping into the town, it is like stepping into a volume of poetry full of ink.
The town is as picturesque as ink, but for Zhu Pingan, who has been travelling all day in the wind and snow, it is not as attractive as a bowl of steaming noodle soup and a warm comforter.
Dismounting and seeking an inn, he paid for the room and was helped by the shopkeeper to lead the killer black horse to the backyard before carrying the things on the horse’s back to the room.
“This little brother, please send a bowl of mutton soup.” Zhu Pingan called out to the shop chap who was about to leave, and asked him to ask the back kitchen to make a bowl of steaming mutton soup.
“Mutton soup is ten cents a bowl, if you add more cakes, one cent per cake.” The shop boy turned around and answered.
Mutton soup was ten Wen for a bowl, it was about two Wen more expensive than in one’s own town, about because it was a windy and snowy day, and perhaps because one was a foreigner.
“A bowl of mutton soup is fine, the cakes are not necessary.” Zhu Pingan fished out ten Wen from his sleeve corset and handed it to the shopkeeper ah.
The shopkeeper took the money, answered with a promise and went out. While Zhu Pingan was cleaning up the bed, the shopkeeper came in with a bowl of steaming mutton soup, placed it on the table, and then excused himself.
The hot, snow-white, sweet-smelling mutton soup had green onions floating on it, and the haggis and mutton were rolling around in the bowl, steaming and full of aroma.
Zhu Pingan couldn’t wait to pull out two of his mother Chen’s cooked cakes from his baggage, break them into pieces and put them into the steaming mutton soup, and then put another piece into his mouth, and instantly, the aroma blended into his entire body.
”The colour is white like jade. Water and fat mingling, pure texture, fresh but not stinky, fragrant but not greasy. Rotten but not sticky.’
In the snowy winter, there is such a bowl of mutton soup with oil cake full of mother’s love, don’t be too happy.
When you are travelling on a snowy and windy day, you are cold and tired. Especially after eating a full meal, the sleepiness was even more intense. So, Zhu Pingan simply took off his clothes and directly lay down on the bed and slept, even the idea of taking a hot bath that he had thought of before was put to the back of his mind, he was really too tired.
It is said that a weak scholar’s hands have no power to bind a chicken, huh, now think back this sentence is very wrong. But in terms of the Beijing examination, the scholar to the Beijing examination far from the place of the scholar to drive half a year to the capital, the wind and food, trekking mountains and water. Continuous travelling for half a year, if the scholar is really weak, and how can he do it.
It did not take long for Zhu Pingan to snore and enter dreamland.
The Li family in Shanghe Village had passed the Lunar New Year’s Eve, the red lanterns were still hanging high, and the servants were methodically doing the work at hand.
When it was almost evening, a horse neighing sounded from the doorway, and Wang Xiao Er, who had gone to deliver a letter to Zhu Ping An, entered the house.
Three fire pans were burning in Miss Li’s boudoir, and there was a water basin in the corner to replenish moisture. Even in the cold winter with tight winds and snow, the room was as warm and cosy as spring.
Big Miss Li sat in front of the table and chairs by the window and was looking out the window with a full heart, seemingly waiting for someone.
The table and chairs carved from fine sandalwood were meticulously engraved with different patterns. Everywhere flows the delicate and gentle feeling of a daughter’s home. That sandalwood carved table placed a few sheets of rice paper, ink stone on the rest of a few brushes, rice paper is a poem, fine penmanship, the ink is not dry:
“Enter my door of lovesickness, and know my pain of lovesickness. Long lovesickness is long memories, short lovesickness is endless, if I had known that it would trip up people’s hearts, why didn’t I know each other in the first place.”
Suddenly, Miss Li’s eyes lit up, outside the window buns little maid pawing the hem of her skirt is trotting towards the boudoir here.
“Miss, Miss, Big Brother Wang is here.”
Seconds later, the bun little maid ran in with a gasp, and as soon as she entered the door, she shouted and reported to her own miss.
“Just come, Miss I’m a little hungry, you go to the back kitchen and keep an eye on the cook to make me a tofu carp soup, today’s flavour should be lighter, I can’t trust anyone else. Well, before you go to the back kitchen, call Wang Xiao Er for me.”
Li Shu calmly and unperturbedly picked up the brush and continued to write down the poems she had not finished, not even raising her head when she ordered the buns little maid.
“Well, I’ll go now.” Baozi little maid listen to the young lady meaning to say the most trustworthy themselves, happy little face flushed, nodded again and again to answer, pawing the hem of the skirt on the bum trotting out.
After about five minutes, an old mum led Wang Xiao Er walked in, the old mum led to, stood in the doorway. Wang Xiao Er to walk into the head has been low, do not dare to look up to see the lady’s boudoir of any of the same things, only look at their own toes, walked three steps on the footsteps stopped.
“Wang Xiao Er, what was his reaction?”
Li Shu stopped her brush after Wang Xiao Er and the old mum entered the door and faintly asked, as if she was indifferent, but her ears were stretched.
“Auntie was a little surprised when she heard about the marriage contract.” Wang Xiao Er lowered his head and replied.
Hearing this, Li Shu’s slender jade hand held the brush, unknowingly staining the rice paper under the brush with a large ball of ink.
“However, when Xiao Er will hand the marriage certificate to Auntie, Auntie read it over, nodded and put it away close to his heart.” Wang Xiao Er lowered his head and then replied.
Hearing that Zhu Pingan nodded his head and put away the marriage certificate close to his body, Li Shu’s eyebrows were stretched, she did not expect that nerd to put it away close to his body, she thought that he would come back to withdraw from the marriage in a brain fart.
“Did he say anything?” Li Shu asked with interest.
Wang Xiao Er lowered his head and recounted the original question and answer between him and Zhu Ping An, to Li Shu.
After hearing this, Li Shu skimmed her small mouth. This nerd is not afraid to die of exhaustion, there is a horse, what’s the hurry!
“When I first met Auntie, Auntie was encountering a wild wolf” Wang Xiao Er paused and told the story of Zhu Ping An’s encounter with the wolf.
“Ah? How is he?”
Upon hearing this, Li Shu, who was still calm and relaxed, pressed her brush to the paper in an instant, uttering a surprised voice, her pretty face filled with worry.
The next second after asking, Li Shu realised that she had overreacted a little bit, in addition, since this Wang Xiao Er was able to give himself such a report here, it must be that the nerd was fine.
“What bad luck, something happened just after we got engaged, people won’t say I’m a husband hater.”
Thus, Li Shu coughed and resumed her unperturbed and calm appearance, and her mouth also gave herself a step.
“Auntie is not in trouble at all, thanks to Miss letting my little brother go to deliver the message, that’s why I arrived in time and stabbed the evil wolf to death with a single shot.” Wang Xiao Er put all the credit on Li Shu.
“Oh.”
Li Shu faintly let out an oh.
The room was quiet for a moment, Wang Xiao Er lowered his head to look at his own feet, then he heard his own young lady’s command.
“Forget it, so that people don’t say that my life is hard and I’m a husband hunter, you shouldn’t go to my father’s place this time, just pack up and go north. Well, since that person wants to travel thousands of miles, you can protect it in the dark, if nothing happens, don’t show up. My father’s place, I’ll speak for myself.”
Li Shu casually kneaded the ink-stained rice paper under her pen into a ball and threw it into the paper basket to the side, casually instructing a sentence.
“I’ll go down and clean it up.” Wang Xiao Er bent his head low in reply, bending his waist and backing up outside.
“Wait, did you buy the medicine I asked you to buy?”
As Wang Xiao Er pushed his way to the door, he suddenly heard an enquiry from Missy.
