In the tenth year of Yuansui, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, on the night of the Qiao Qiao Festival, the moon was bright and the breeze was refreshing.
This festival began more than 1,800 years ago. It was originally established by Bai Jiangxi, the founding emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty, to commemorate his wife Li Xu.
According to legend, the Lixu family and Emperor Baijiang had known each other since childhood. The two were childhood sweethearts, and later they became husband and wife. This strange woman was extremely beautiful and skilled in work. Her husband led his troops on the front lines to kill monsters, while she led the people. He spun yarn, cut clothes, and sewed the soles of shoes for the soldiers. Unfortunately, he was jealous of her beauty. Just when the world was about to settle down, Bai Jiangxi hurried back to the Lixu family, only to learn that his beloved wife had died a few years ago due to overwork. Jade death.
Emperor Bai Jiang was so distraught that he never renewed his marriage. Every year on his death anniversary, he burned incense and prayed for the people who cared about his beloved wife. Later, when Bai Jiang died, his descendants chose him because "seven" has the same pronunciation as "wife". The day of the sacrifice was changed to the seventh day of July every year. After more than a thousand years, this day has gradually become a good day for girls over the age of 16 to visit temple fairs and seek good luck.
Currently, Ning Yue is sitting in a small building called Cuiqianwu next to Huaqin Pond, impatiently dancing up and down a lotus flower she just picked in her hand:
"Little Stammer said he would be late, but seeing that it's almost dusk, why hasn't he come yet? It makes people anxious to wait."
Qi Ziyin on the side saw this and comforted him with a smile:
"Today, there will be an orchid night battle of skill in the palace. The palace ladies selected from all over the country will sew a brocade pattern with five-color strands on the closed floor and present it to the adult royal men. If there are any The one who can be chosen by the other party with his skill will be selected as a concubine and will get married on a certain day. Therefore, before the game of skill is over, all members of Mo Lingwei are not allowed to take leave and go out. Ning Yue, don't be so anxious and wait patiently. ."
"Waiting for the fight of cleverness to end? Then if you meet someone with clumsy hands and eyes, you have to embroider all the way until the sun rises tomorrow? No wait, no wait, I heard that tonight there will be a colorful pavilion erected in Cihuifang in Nanshi. There are many delicious and fun things inside. Ziyin, let’s go take a look quickly, otherwise we won’t be able to make the trip.”
As she spoke, Ning Yue took the hand of the boy in white, and ran towards the most crowded place in the city regardless of whether the boy agreed or not.
Perhaps because the war has just ended, this year's Qiqiao Festival is much grander than in previous years. At present, the market is filled with cars and horses, the streets are full of beauty, and there are many new things imported from other countries. Red-haired The girl looked at everything that was new, grabbed Qi Ziyin and kept asking:
"Zi Yin, what are these beautiful gadgets?"
"This thing came from the Huaiyou and Nanhua areas. It is made of various fruits and vegetables carved into the shapes of wild geese, mandarin ducks, turtles, turtles, fish and other small animals, and painted on the outside. They are called fruit-eating flowers."
"What's that green bush over there?"
"That's a new invention invented by the Weiliang people. They spread a layer of fine soil on a wooden board, sprinkled some grains and beans into the soil to make it grow green seedlings, and then arranged carefully pruned wild flower branches and the like. , and then put some little farm figures made of oil flour to make it look like a country village, and call it a grain board."
"How come you know everything? Do you always come to join in the fun of Qiqiao Festival in the past?" Ning Yue stared at her companion's face curiously.
"There's no one to accompany me, so naturally I won't go shopping alone. But every festival, the files of new merchants on Zitong Street need to be handed over to Hongluqing for filing. Master Gou will order people to send these files Make another copy and send it to the palace for circulation to the children who are studying together, so as to increase their knowledge." The boy in white received the compliment, scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, and just kept giggling at the girl.
"Ziyin, what are you doing for fun?"
"I - I just feel that there are not many opportunities to play alone with Ning Yue - so, so -"
Qi Ziyin suddenly felt a little embarrassed when he was asked, but there were some words in his heart that he did not dare to say easily, and his voice became lower and lower. Unexpectedly, the red-haired girl in front of him didn't seem to care what the other person would answer, just "Oh" After making a sound, he clapped his hands and walked towards another stall. He had no choice but to shrug his shoulders and followed again.
"Look, there are so many small fish!"
Ning Yue stared excitedly at the small red fish as thick as her little finger that were swimming around in a celadon basin in front of her. She tugged on her companion's sleeve. Upon seeing this, the owner of the stall immediately pulled out three round fish made of bamboo strips. The spoon was put into her hand:
"Girl, a copper coin can be fished out three times. If you can fish it out, I will give you a small fish."
"It's so cheap, then I will fish out all the fish in this basin today!"
Before Qi Ziyin could say anything to stop him, the girl rolled up her skirt and squatted down by the stall. She never thought that the bamboo strips seemed to be covered with a piece of gauze, but in fact it was just a piece of white paper used for ordinary writing. It cannot be immersed in water for a long time. Before Ning Yue could pick up the fish, all three paper spoons had been soaked and melted.
"No, I'm going to try again!"
The girl refused to admit defeat and took out several round spoons for catching fish from the bamboo basket next to her. This time she moved much faster, and the paper spoons finally stopped being soaked. However, she finally picked up a fish , just when he was about to pour it into the porcelain bowl nearby, the little fish twisted up, drilled a hole in the soaked paper, and escaped back into the water.
"Oh, Ziyin, come and help me fish it out!"
Ning Yue greeted her without looking back. The boy in white didn't do anything, but whispered in the girl's ear: "I'll teach you a trick. Just stack three paper spoons together, and you won't be afraid of the little fish. It’s broken!”
The red-haired girl suddenly understood and immediately tried again. Sure enough, she actually caught two small fish at once.
"It's amazing, it's amazing. Ziyin, you have such a smart mind!"
Ning Yue got excited about playing and cheered. She was about to pick up the porcelain bowl with the small fish and take it away. But as soon as she turned around, she bumped into Qi Ziyin who was still close to her. When she wanted to escape, It's too late.
In a panic, the girl only felt a rush of breath coming from the other person's mouth and nose in front of her, and then there was a soft touch on her lips, and she was pressed face to face with the other person!
"Ning Yue, yes, I'm sorry, I was too close."
Qi Ziyin quickly took half a step back, and his face suddenly turned crimson. But the red braided rope of Yujue hung around his waist, and it happened to be entangled with the long sash on the girl's gown. He pulled and pulled it. Suddenly, Ning Yue, who was already shy, completely lost her balance and threw herself heavily into his arms.
Qi Ziyin was afraid that his companion would fall and get hurt, so he quickly stretched out his arms and hugged him firmly in his arms.
"Oh, Ziyin, please let go of your hand quickly! It's so bad for people to see you like this!"
Ning Yue became more and more anxious and struggled to free herself from the opponent's arms. The two of them finally stood still, lowering their heads and trying to separate the knot between them. But just halfway through, Qi Ziyin's hand suddenly moved. Stopping, his golden pupils seemed to be possessed, looking straight over the girl's shoulders and looking behind her.
After a while, Ning Yue, who was belatedly aware of the strangeness of her companion, hurriedly put down the belt that she couldn't untie, turned her head, and saw someone in the crowd more than ten steps away from her. The figure of a young man dressed in black.
A wave of dizziness suddenly hit him, and he could no longer make any sound. He could only watch the other party turn around and walk faster and farther into the crowded market.
The girl suddenly felt that the back figure became unfamiliar, as unfamiliar as a passerby. She began to desperately pull the clothes and accessories entangled on her body, as if she would never stop him if she did not try her best to stop him from leaving. I lost this friend.
Looking at the girl's blue eyes, a shadow instantly cast over them. Qi Ziyin felt that a certain part of his heart had also turned dim gray. He didn't know what to say, so he just instinctively held the jade in his hand. Jue pulled hard. With a "pop" sound, the two were finally separated. However, due to the excessive force, Yu Jue was torn off the young man's body and fell to the ground, breaking into pieces.
However, Qi Ziyin didn't care about this at all. He just looked at Ning Yue like a gust of crimson wind as if he had lost his soul, and followed the black-eyed boy into the vast sea of people. However, he did not chase after him, but turned around silently. He walked away, feeling lost and walking in the opposite direction to his companions.
But in the crowd of people not far away, Ning Yue failed to catch up with Jiang Yan. When she turned around, she found that the young man in white behind her had disappeared without a trace. Originally, she was afraid of losing, so she did not break the barrier. There was a thin layer of ambiguity between the three of them. However, at this moment, the girl clearly felt that it was her own hands that pushed these two close friends on land further and further away from her. .When he finally reacted, he could no longer pull himself back.
"Little stammerer, Ziyin! You two should wait a moment before leaving. Wait a moment before leaving!"
The girl stood in the market and screamed hysterically, attracting the side glances of passers-by on both sides. But the half-length long tape that was torn off by Qi Ziyin and still held in her hand started to fly in the wind, like a scorpion with fangs and claws. snake.
Unknowingly, Jiang Yanzhong walked to the door of Jia Yunzhai again. He asked Sister Jia to order a steaming pot of red salmon soup, and also ordered a large pot of clear lychee roast, and went straight into the room where three people each had a meal. The Yage is a must-go for every gathering.
The Dongli woman couldn't help but worry about the big boy in front of her. The unusual aura on his body made her shudder - it was a kind of determination full of disappointment. She didn't dare to ask Heitong What happened to the young man? I could only watch him from a distance while pouring glasses of strong wine into my stomach.
Red salmon soup allowed Jiang Yan to recall every detail of the first time the three met. Qinglishao paralyzed him and helped him try to forget the heartbreaking scene he had just seen in the market. In this sweet moment Under the double attack of Yiku, he desperately tried to catch the indifference that had been in his heart since he came to Mulu City, but he couldn't catch it no matter what.
It seems that this indifference has already abandoned him and has become difficult to touch.
Jiang Yan suddenly felt as if the whole world was against him. He clutched the glass wine glass in his hand tightly and wanted to cry, but he could not squeeze out a single tear from his eyes. The young man could only raise his neck and face The empty ceiling above his head closed his eyes as dark as the sea, and let out a low and hoarse roar.
Ning Yue also appeared in the restaurant at some point. She also did not explain to Leng Jiayun, but quietly sat opposite her companion, not knowing how to remind him of her arrival.
When Jiang Yan realized that there was someone suddenly in front of him, the red salmon soup on the table was already a little cold. He was startled for a moment, then silently put down the empty wine glass in his hand, refilled it with strong liquor, and took another sip. And finish:
"Yue'er, you're still here. But it doesn't matter whether we see you or not. I originally wanted to invite you and Ziyin to have a last bottle of wine tonight and say goodbye to you in person."
"Farewell? What do you mean by farewell!"
The words of her companion made Ning Yue's heart clench tightly. She desperately hoped that she had heard wrong, but she knew deep down that it was just a fantasy that she refused to face reality.
"Yue'er, do you still remember those Shuodi people who broke into the city? The king of the country named me Beizi a month ago. In half a year, I will go to Shuobei to marry Princess Na Tuya."
The black-eyed boy had an expressionless face, as if what he was talking about had nothing to do with him.
Ning Yue never thought of such an important thing, and no news of it had leaked out in the past month. At this moment, her mind was already blank, and she completely forgot that she was here to comfort her. Instead, she burst into tears on the spot:
"What about getting married? Little Stutterer, do you really want to marry that princess?!"
It was nearly midnight, and it started to rain again at some unknown time. Thunder was rolling in the sky. The black-eyed boy looked at the crystal clear wine glass in his hand for a long time. His throat moved, as if he wanted to say something more, but couldn't. He He and the girl across from him looked at each other without saying a word, and just continued to drink cup after cup of wine that burned their throats.
In the thick dark clouds, the twin moons loomed. After a gust of night wind, the velvet flowers blooming on the trees outside the window also withered one after another, and were swept into the Accord by the rain, spreading all over the ground, forming a dirty patch.
"How could I want to marry that barbarian princess! It's just that I can't disobey my order. Besides, you and Ziyin are the closest people to me in this world. I don't want to embarrass you because of my existence, so I decided to agree. Do you understand or not?”
The black-eyed boy drank down the wine in his hand, raised his head and stared into the girl's eyes. The helplessness in his eyes was like a wandering lone wolf.
"Little stammer, the relationship between Ziyin and me is not what you think-"
Ning Yue wanted to explain clearly to the other party, but was abruptly interrupted by the dark-eyed young man:
"Yes or no, it no longer matters. After accepting the title of the king and marrying the princess of Di, I can mobilize countless people and resources, and gather enough strength to avenge my family. Already."
"What hatred do you have? Who are you seeking revenge from? Are all your efforts from beginning to end just for this day? If so, why have you been so good to me for more than three years? In your mind, Where do you put me? I tell you now, I will never allow you to agree to this marriage! Little stammer, can you not agree? I beg you!"
The girl cried, her delicate tone gradually changing from command to pleading.
"I will be nice to you, naturally because you are Ning Yue. I have always regarded you as my own Yue'er!"
Jiang Yan also suddenly raised his voice, and with a snap, he crushed the glass wine glass to pieces with his bare hands.
The red-haired girl was startled and watched the young man in front of her stand up and hold her face with his blood-covered palms. She did not make any resistance to this, but just allowed the other man to press his lips heavily towards her through the drunkenness. Kissed me!
Under the kiss, Ning Yue's every breath and every breath was filled with the young man's hot breath that was tinged with alcohol, making her not know what to do. However, before the girl could react, she drank the entire bottle. The young boy with black eyes who had been burned by Qingli had already staggered downstairs.
The extremely flustered girl wanted to continue begging the other party to stay, but something seemed to be stuck in her throat and she could not make any sound.
After a moment of dizziness, she suddenly remembered the poem that the silver-haired boy who knew how to observe stars wrote to herself three years ago on the boat with the silver skylark sail:
"...This life is full of love, and the moon is waning and I am weeping.
When we look back on the past, we will never see each other again..."
Ning Yue finally came to her senses, staggered up and wanted to chase her companions. However, before she could take two steps, she suddenly heard the horn roaring from the tower outside the city, and the alarm bells sounded in the Baisha camp of the boat master. stand up.
Mulu City, who had already fallen asleep outside Jiayunzhai, was also awakened by this sudden loud noise!
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