"Zhao Changyuan, how can you be so useless! If you continue like this, when will you be able to find the medicine?" He muttered to himself in pain and annoyance, leading the horse back and forth near the pass. Suddenly, a touch of exaggerated purple emerged from the
The horse riding beside him flashed past, lighting up his whole body. "Wait!"
He roared, immediately mounted his horse and chased after her. His shouts were drowned in the sound of the two horses' hooves and the noisy voices of people on the street. He chased for more than two miles before stopping the purple figure.
This person was the wealthy man who rescued Zhao Changyuan in the inn last night. But he seemed to be too noble and forgetful to recognize the pretty face in front of him. "You are..."
Zhao Changyuan saw that his eyes were full of questions and quickly reminded him: "Master, don't you remember me? We met at Yuchi Store last night."
"Oh, I remembered. I didn't expect that we could meet here." The wealthy man's expression immediately became uncomfortable. "This... Young Master, the goods are sold and will not be returned or exchanged. Don't you regret it?"
"Sir, you have misunderstood. The jade pendant is something external to the body, and I don't care about it."
He said it sincerely, and the other party immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what are you doing, young master?"
"To be honest, I want to go to Orchid Valley to find my uncle and aunt. But I just arrived here for the first time, and I can't tell the direction for a while. I wonder if you can give me some guidance?"
The rich man listened carefully to what he said, and couldn't help but frown slightly, with a worried look on his face: "I can show you the way, but the wind and sand on the way are very windy, the terrain is changeable and difficult, and it is easy to encounter thieves. The young master looks like
You are gentle and elegant, and it seems that you have never traveled far. I advise you to turn around." The implication is, "You have never seen the world, you have a lot of money and you are stupid, you should go back home."
But Zhao Changyuan was not willing to back down, and said firmly: "Even if there are many difficulties and dangers, I will definitely go. I still ask the young master to make it clear."
The rich man shook his head: "Okay, I'll tell you how to get there." Then he kept saying this to Zhao Changyuan for a long time... "Do you understand?"
"I beg your pardon for my stupidity. Can I trouble you to speak to you again?" It's really not that he is stupid, but that the road is really convoluted, and the wealthy man's words are messy and disorganized. No matter how smart he is, he will be confused.
Fortunately, this wealthy man was a warm-hearted person. Seeing that he didn't understand, he patiently told him again in a whisper. After he finished speaking, he found that the other person's face was even more confused.
"You still don't understand? Why don't you go west first and then ask someone when you get to Guma Temple. If you ask all the way, you can always find it."
The rich man said it easily, but how to pass the language barrier? Zhao Changyuan knew that he had no language talent, so he could not overcome this problem.
Seeing the other party straddling his horse and about to go, Zhao Changyuan almost didn't even think about it. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed the reins of the other party and asked, "I wonder where the young master is going?"
The wealthy man said simply: "The place I'm going to is dozens of miles away from Orchid Valley, so we can't go the same way."
Zhao Changyuan hesitated and stopped in front of his horse. "I have an unkind request. I wonder if you can agree to it?"
The wealthy man held his forehead helplessly, his face showing some impatience. "You don't want me to send you there, do you?"
"Young Master is really wise and wise. I really mean this." Zhao Changyuan saw that the other party had made his words clear, so he shamelessly admitted. "But don't worry, Young Master, when I meet my uncle and aunt, I will definitely reward Young Master generously." This rich man.
You love money, don’t you? Then just give him money!
Who knew that this sugar-coated bullet did not impress the rich man. "I'm really sorry, I can't comply with your request. It's really because I have something important to do, and I really can't get away from it. Otherwise, I will definitely accompany you."
After that, he picked up the reins, not intending to continue fighting with Zhao Changyuan.
But at this time, Zhao Changyuan was desperate. If he let him go, where would he find a guide who could communicate with him smoothly? Gong Yueyue's life was at stake. Zhao Changyuan had already made up his mind in his heart. Even if he was tied up, he would have to do it.
Leave this wealthy man behind. He will open his arms, look at the other person steadily and say: "Master, please think about it again."
Seeing that he was so difficult to deal with, the rich man had no choice but to explain in a nice way: "This... to be honest, I have made a deal with someone this time. If I break the agreement..."
"It's mine! I'll pay it to you." At this time, Zhao Changyuan was no longer talking about a discussion, but an order, which could not be doubted.
The rich man finally sighed, dismounted and compromised: "Okay, then I will go with the young master and take you to Orchid Valley."
Zhao Changyuan thanked him with clasped fists: "I can't thank you enough!"
"Then let's hit the road, please!"
Zhao Changyuan was full of worries and had no intention of listening to his boastful talk about showing off his wealth. However, out of politeness, he still had to smile and deal with it from time to time.
It wasn't until the sun set that the wealthy man finally got tired of talking and fell silent. Only then did Zhao Changyuan have the opportunity to ask: "I wonder how long the journey is?"
The wealthy man said in a hoarse voice: "It's actually not that far, but the road is not easy to walk. If everything goes well, it will take less than two days to arrive."
After speaking, there was another silence. Zhao Changyuan is not the kind of person who is good at finding topics. Most of the time, he just wants to be a listener. The only person who can make him chatter is Gong Yueyue.
Fortunately, the wealthy man is not a boring gourd. It didn't take long for him to speak again: "You still don't know your surname?"
This question made Zhao Changyuan couldn't help laughing. He had been walking with the family all day, but he hadn't introduced himself yet: "I'm confused. I haven't introduced myself yet. My surname is Gong, and my given name is Yi. I dare to ask.
How do you call the young master?"
The rich man also smiled heartily: "Lin Mobai."
As night fell, the two of them led their horses into the market, intending to find an inn to stay. No matter how impatient Zhao Changyuan was, he could not let others suffer along with him.
Although most of the women passing by had their faces covered according to local customs, the fiery eyes on their veils still made Zhao Changyuan feel uneasy.
"Is there something on my face?" He asked Lin Mobai doubtfully.
The other party laughed dumbly: "Of course not. They have never seen a man as handsome as Brother Gong."
Zhao Changyuan doesn't care about such compliments. Whether he looks good or not has nothing to do with others. Anyway, he belongs to Gong Yueyue, and anyway, Gong Yueyue said that she likes him no matter what he is.
Lin Mobai saw that he was not only dissatisfied, but also worried, so he casually asked: "Brother Gong, has he ever married a wife?"
He nodded, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Lin Mobai smiled and said: "Madam must be a stunning beauty."
Zhao Changyuan still didn't speak, various faces of Gong Yueyue flashed through his mind, smiling, angry, angry, sickly... Unconsciously, his expression became darker than the night, and the street lights shone on his face.
They all looked soft and weak.
Lin Mobai was a little embarrassed: "Did I say something wrong?"
Zhao Changyuan looked dimly at the road ahead and murmured to himself: "In my mind, she is the only beauty."
Lin Mobai smiled and asked, "How can Brother Gong be willing to leave her at home? Aren't you afraid of the pain of lovesickness?"
"I can't bear to leave." He uttered three words softly and looked up at the dark blue sky.
God knows how reluctant he is to part with her, and God knows how afraid he is of being separated from her forever. "Does Brother Lin have a wife?" He asked casually.
"I'm not so lucky, I haven't met the person I like yet." Lin Mobai answered very straightforwardly, with a heartless look, and he certainly didn't look like an experienced person.
Zhao Changyuan smiled lightly and said calmly: "We will always meet." Wasn't he the same as Lin Mobai before him? Although he was free and easy, he knew that he could never go back.
That night, Lin Mobai took Zhao Changyuan to stay at an inn he was familiar with.
The climate outside the Great Wall was no better than that of the Central Plains, and even Zhao Changyuan's body seemed unable to withstand the acclimatized conditions. After a few bites of dinner, he lost his appetite. He returned to the house, locked the door, and fell asleep.
The temperature dropped sharply at night, and the thin quilt he was covered with could not warm his increasingly cold body. He wanted to get up and go to the store, but he also thought that he could not speak the dialect here. Lin Mobai should have gone to bed long ago, he had been rushing all day
The road was really inconvenient to disturb others' rest. So he just gritted his teeth and curled up into a ball and stayed there until dawn.
Early in the morning, the two of them had breakfast, then took the horses from the stables and set off on the road. Lin Mobai noticed that Zhao Changyuan's face looked paler than yesterday, and couldn't help but said with concern: "Brother Gong, you don't look very good today. Yesterday, you didn't look well."
Are you up late?"
Zhao Changyuan got on his horse, still looking majestic, and said nonchalantly: "It's okay, maybe I'm not used to the climate, so let's hit the road." After saying that, he rode off.
Although he was still smiling into the spring breeze like yesterday, in fact, Zhao Changyuan's physical condition at the moment could be described as terrible. When he woke up in the morning, he felt pain in his muscles and bones, his skin and flesh were cracked, and his body was cold from the inside out.
, this is a severe cold symptom. If a thermometer is placed in his mouth, he must have a high fever of at least 40 degrees.
But reason told him that at this moment, if he was allowed to fall ill in this foreign country, wouldn't he become a piece of meat on the chopping board and be slaughtered by others? So he bit his red lips and steeled himself before walking out of the room.
It was not like he had never fought a battle while ill, and he was confident that he could survive this time.
Today, Lin Mobai didn't chatter as much as yesterday. He must have seen the reluctance of his companions and couldn't bear to disturb them too much, and from time to time he asked to find a place to rest.
But Zhao Changyuan believed that the best strategy now was to reach the destination as soon as possible, find medicine and return to the Central Plains as soon as possible. His physical condition could not be relieved by stopping and resting.
Although the road leading to the Orchid Valley did not reach the desert, the farther to the northwest, the wind and sand became more and more unpredictable, and the scene in front of them was always hazy and blurry. The two of them wrapped their heads so that only their eyes were exposed, but they still inhaled.
A nose of dust. This made Zhao Changyuan, who was already suffering from a high fever, even more miserable.
He could only rely on the perseverance of a soldier and his concern for his wife, straighten his back and follow Lin Mobai forward with difficulty.
"Hold on a little longer and we'll be there soon."
"Good things take a long time, but if you can save your wife, it's nothing."