The wind was swaying gently, and inside the narrow hull, through the gauze, two veiled women could be vaguely seen drinking tea and playing chess. On the bow of the boat, one was sitting with a pipa in her arms, and the other was sitting cross-legged.
On the futon, a Jiaowei Qin was placed in her lap.
The river was sparkling, but Shang Jingyao seemed to have walked into the painting herself. She obviously couldn't hear the girls playing the piano, or hearing their low voices and smiles, but she seemed to be immersed in the scene and could feel their emotions.
Sound and smile.
After stealing half a day's leisure, I returned to the countryside in a carefree way. Between the mountains and rivers, I feel sleepy, with the fragrance of tea and the sweetness of the mountain spring water.
"Xian'er, you look so fascinated, but do you miss them?"
Shang Jingyao opened and closed her lips, pointed at the four women in the painting and asked, "Who are they?"
"Have you forgotten this? They are your sisters?!" Su Zhen stretched out her hand to touch her forehead, "Did she bump her head when she went out? Let's go down the mountain to see the doctor later."
"No, I'm fine! I just want to know who owns this piano and pipa?"
"These...these are the dowry given to you by your sister." Su Zhen hesitated, obviously hiding something.
Dowry? Whether it is a solitary calligraphy and painting in this house, or a Jiaowei Qin and Pipa, it is absolutely impossible for them to afford it based on their family background.
"I...I want to go back and see my parents? Is that okay?" Shang Jingyao asked in a low voice.
"Of course, come on, take a rest first, and I'll make you some fish soup to recuperate."
Shang Jingyao stirred up his clothes with his right hand and sat awkwardly on the soft couch, his ears burning, "Thank you... thank you."
Su Zhen looked at Shang Jingyao with strange eyes, and suddenly laughed out loud.
"Um...what are you laughing at?"
"My wife used to be delicate and domineering, but today she seems to be a completely different person."
"Really? Is that good or bad?"
Su Zhen was stunned and couldn't help but laugh, "It's very good that your lady is like this."
After saying that, Su Zhen walked out.
Shang Jingyao listened to the noise outside. She quickly stood up and walked towards the painting again. She couldn't help but want to reach out and touch it, but when she was about to touch it, she retracted her hand as if she was electrocuted.
Carefully walking around the house a few times, she forgot who she was, but she was not stupid. Along the way, the villagers' level of food and clothing had far exceeded the limit that ordinary people should have.
When she stepped out of the threshold, she smelled a refreshing fragrance, swallowed softly and rubbed her dry belly, "Mr. Su..."
As soon as the call came out, Su Zhen, dressed in white robe, rolled up her sleeves and was sitting on a wooden stake chopping firewood. Suddenly, a high-spirited young man passed by, holding a black ancient xun, standing proudly in the air and overlooking everything.
"Hey, Xian'er? Why did you come out?"
"I don't know why, but I always feel that my heart is filled with panic."
"Could it be that I haven't seen you for a while and the lady misses me?"
The smile on Su Zhen's lips was very real, and the tenderness and admiration in her eyes were so strong that it was almost impossible to get rid of it.
Shang Jingyao, who was deeply in love, had instinctively ignored the suspicious things at this moment. Listening to the laughter of the villagers passing by outside the farmyard, the peaceful and peaceful scene made her unwilling to explore the truth anymore.
The resistance is gradually fading, and I am even blinded by the beauty in front of me.
Shang Jingyao sat in front of the stone table and quietly watched Su Zhen chopping firewood. She held her chin with the backs of her hands and carefully looked at the perfect facial features. Especially when Su Zhen smiled at her, she felt that the beauty of the four seasons in the world was not as good as
The person in front of me is half colorless.
"Master Su, I seem to have remembered you."
Su Zhen's smile froze slightly, then returned to normal, and said jokingly, "Don't think you can stop seeing a doctor or taking medicine just by telling nonsense."
With a casual throw, he threw the wooden stake firmly on the wooden pier. With a heavier hand movement, the ax fell and with a 'click' sound, the wooden stake was split into two pieces from the middle and fell to the ground. This happened repeatedly.
The skillful movements fell in Shang Jingyao's eyes. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Even though she was chopping firewood, she felt that Su Zhen was different from the woodcutter in the mountains. With such a transparent and clear temperament, how could she be willing to hide in the mountains?
"I didn't lie to you! It really made an impression. I remember you can play the xun!"
"When I was young, I learned how to play the xun from my husband for a few days, but he found it unpleasant. Not only the neighbors couldn't stand it, but even my mother came to persuade me to give up..."
"Then what else have you learned?"
"Kick Cuju."
"This sounds good!"
Su Zhen smiled bitterly and said, "But we overplayed our game and put Cuju aside and started playing. In the end, each of us brought a bunch of mud balls back to our houses, thinking of drying them and then fighting again! Who would have ever wanted to forget Cuju?
I didn’t take it home with me, and since then, my father has never let me touch Cuju again.”
Shang Jingyao looked at his troubled expression and tried her best to hold back laughter, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably, "In addition to this, is there anything else?"
"Carve a human figure out of radish."
"Well, this one is simpler, sir, I'm sure you will be praised this time."
Su Zhen shook her head, "Sir, the flower I carved looks like the head of a broom star."
"Ah? Broom star?"
"Yes, he is still a broom star with a chicken coop head."
The woman should have smiled without showing her teeth, but Shang Jingyao smiled heartily. Later, she heard many "past events" from Su Zhen's mouth.
When she heard the sound of boiling water coming from the kitchen, Su Zhen put down her axe, went to work in the small kitchen, and soon brought out the stewed fish soup.
The two of them sat in front of a square stone table in the small courtyard, with green shade above their heads and the chirping of summer insects and cicadas in their ears.
Shang Jingyao took a spoonful of it with a spoon and tasted it, but suddenly paused.
"How does it taste? Does it taste good?"
Su Zhen's eyes at this moment were like those of a child asking for praise in front of their mother. Shang Jingyao swallowed the soup with difficulty, "It seems a bit sweet."
Su Zhen said "Hmm" in surprise, and almost spit out after taking a bite, "Maybe I confused the salt and sugar. Just wait, I'll make it again."
Shang Jingyao felt inexplicably happy. When she looked up, she saw her bowl being taken away. She was shocked and wanted to grab Su Zhen's hand. However, she made a mistake in half a step and accidentally grabbed Su Zhen's sleeve, causing the sleeve to hook.
Standing on the edge of the square stone table, they both froze in embarrassment as they heard a long "stab" sound of their clothes breaking.
"Isn't it inappropriate for my lady to do this in broad daylight?" Su Zhen put the torn sleeves back on her body and spoke first, deliberately teasing to resolve the awkward atmosphere.
"Ah...I'm sorry...I didn't mean it. I just wanted to tell you that I think it tastes good! You don't need to take it away!"
Shang Jingyao held up the porcelain bowl with both hands, drank the fish soup in the bowl with a slurp, and looked at Su Zhen with a sweet smile.
Su Zhen looked at her funny, shook her head helplessly, sat down again, picked out the fish bones for her, and put them on the plate in front of her.
Shang Jingyao suddenly had the illusion that everything she was experiencing now seemed to be the life she had dreamed of, contentment and ease.
"Master Su, have we known each other for a long time?" This chapter has been completed!