The two sat in the cave all afternoon, eating wild fruits and blowing in the mountain breeze. They didn't want to go down the mountain until the sun turned west.
Just as we reached the foot of the mountain, a black ape suddenly jumped out from the river bank in the distance. Oh, no, it was a clay figure that looked like an ape.
Shen Qingqing twitched the corners of her lips and said, "How come you are so weird that you are doing performance art here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, they saw the clay figure running towards them jumping up and down, grinning, showing a mouth full of big white teeth.
"You two, can you help push me down... Hey, Miss Shen? Is that you, Miss Shen?"
Shen Qingqing frowned, "Who are you?"
The clay figure lifted up his sleeves and wiped his face frantically. Unexpectedly, the more he wiped, the dirtier it became. Finally, he gave up and said excitedly: "I, Yuan Xudong, do you still remember?"
The corners of Shen Qingqing's mouth twitched, "Yuan Xudong, I really belong to you."
I had expected that he would come, but I didn't expect that he would appear in such an unexpected way.
Yuan Xudong shook the mud off his hands in embarrassment, "I don't want to be like this either. It's all the fault of the old man who showed the way!"
"I arrived at the small town in the south at noon. I didn't know the way, so I asked an old man for directions. I didn't want to bother him when I asked for directions, so I even picked up a big fragrant elbow."
"It turned out that he thought my elbow was too greasy and would rather have two copper coins than my elbow!"
"Can I bear this? I argued with him on the spot whether two copper coins are worth more or two copper coins."
Shen Qingqing answered: "What then?"
"Of course I won!" Yuan Xudong looked proud, but soon his face fell. "He was a stinky old man who couldn't afford to lose. He pointed me to a mountain road. After one day, he walked two miles, and finally He even fell into a mud puddle."
Shen Qingqing turned her head and looked at Meng Yuan, both of them showing expressions of "This child is hopeless."
"Miss Shen, we are destined to meet each other. Please help me push the carriage off."
Before leaving, Yuan Xudong turned around and looked at Meng Yuan, "This brother, who are you?"
Meng Yuan's attitude was cold: "Qingqing's husband, Meng Yuan."
The word "husband" was deliberately emphasized by him.
Yuan Xudong scratched his head, "Is Miss Shen married? Why am I not impressed?"
"It's enough to have an impression now."
Meng Yuan took Shen Qingqing's wrist, took him to his side, and asked him: "Where is the carriage? Take us there."
"It's not far, just in the river to the south. We'll be there in a moment."
Yuan Xudong quickly chased after her, and kept talking all the way: "Miss Shen, I see you are not old, why can't you think of getting married early?"
"I originally wanted to introduce you to a brother. He is our famous and handsome man. His family is rich and he is good at reading. He is the perfect match for you."
Meng Yuan stopped and picked him up with one hand, "Keep talking, don't stop."
Yuan Xudong raised his feet off the ground and swung his arms and legs like a bastard with a flipped lid. "Brother, I'm just kidding. With your face, even ten brothers can't compare to you."
Meng Yuan let go of his hand and glanced at him coolly, "Finally, I have to say something humanly."
Yuan Xudong straightened out his clothes that were tightened by him, and did not dare to answer the conversation. He sneaked up to Shen Qingqing and muttered: "Your husband is quite handsome, but he is too fierce."
Shen Qingqingfeng narrowed her eyes slightly, "Have you never thought that you are the one who owes the fight?"
Yuan Xudong waved his hand, "Forget it, I won't talk anymore."
As a couple, we must protect each other.
What kind of onion is he?
The three of them walked for almost half an hour before they arrived at the small river that Yuan Xudong said was "not far away". There were two carriages in total, one was parked on the river bank, and the other was stuck in the mud, with the wheels invisible.
Four men, women and children were guarding the carriage, and Yuan Xudong introduced everyone with a smile.
The older woman wearing a sapphire blue gown is Yuan Xudong's wife, Fang. She is accompanied by an old nanny, whom she calls Ci Gu.
There was also a lean young man, about twenty years old, named Fuwang, who was Yuan Xudong's servant.
The last person was a young girl, with a delicate appearance, wearing a light yellow skirt. She looked soft and frail, and when she spoke, she seemed to have died, without making a sound.
Yuan Xudong did not introduce her identity, but simply said her name, Wenjuan. He could have guessed it without mentioning Shen Qingqing, it must be the bad fate.
Seeing through but not telling the truth, Shen Qingqing smiled and changed the subject: "You, the breadwinner, are planning to live in Ningyang County permanently?"
"Something happened at home, so I have to go out to beg for food. I hope Miss Shen..." Yuan Xudong glanced at Meng Yuan and immediately changed his mind: "I hope Mrs. Meng and Brother Meng will not dislike me and give me food."
Shen Qingqing waved her hand, "No, I can't afford to raise a piglet like you."
"Look at my body shape, how can it be related to a pig?" Yuan Xudong was unconvinced.
Meng Yuan silently added: "It's impossible to raise pigs that don't grow meat just by eating them."
"...You two are noble, I won't quarrel with you."
At this time, the weak girl Wenjuan stood up and said, "Sister Qingqing, Xudong is kidding. We have money, so we don't need help from others."
As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Qingqing and Meng Yuan's clothes unintentionally, covered her lips with a handkerchief, and coughed lightly.
Shen Qingqing rolled her eyes on the spot, ignored her, turned around and left.
Rolling up his sleeves, he walked to the carriage and waved to Meng Yuan, "Come here and push the cart. Push it out early and go home early for dinner."
Yuan Xudong patted the back of Wenjuan's hand and comforted: "She just has this temperament and doesn't like to talk to others. Just get used to it."
Fuwang, Ci Gu, and Yuan Xudong all went down to push the cart. Yuan's mother was not in good health and sat on a stone to rest.
Wenjuan was like an idiot, stupidly standing on the shore and giving instructions: "Xudong, don't go forward, the mud over there is too deep, you will sink in."
"Xudong, be careful, don't get caught by the wheels."
"Xudong..."
While she was talking enthusiastically, a ball of smelly mud flew out of nowhere and hit her mouth.
Wenjuan let out a sigh and ran to the river to rinse her mouth.
Shen Qingqing quickly retracted her arm and continued to push the cart. She suppressed a smile and whispered to Meng Yuan: "You men all like women like this, delicate and weak, like a little flower?"
Meng Yuan: "If you want to scold Yuan Xudong, just do it directly and don't accidentally hurt other people."
"His vision is really bad." Shen Qingqing clicked her tongue twice and shook her head.
Several people worked together to push the carriage ashore. Shen Qingqing washed the mud off his hands with river water and asked Yuan Xudong: "What are your plans next?"
Yuan Xudong grinned, showing his big white teeth again, "Of course it's for food! Shen, Mrs. Meng, I've been craving for your food for a long time, you can't refuse this time!"
"Seeing that it is not easy for you to come here, I will reluctantly treat you to dinner."
Shen Qingqing turned around to look at Yuan's mother, who looked pale, and said: "Hurry up and help your mother into the carriage. The old man can't let the wind blow."
After settling the old man, the group dragged their miserable bodies towards Yanghua Village. This chapter has been completed!