When a heavy snow fell, Cheng Ping finally walked into Nancheng without worrying about being blocked on the road again.
Children were playing in the snow in the alley. Cheng Ping shouted, and the children stopped and looked at him.
"The little liar is back!"
Before Cheng Ping could say anything, the children shouted. He subconsciously raised his hand and turned around, but he heard the sound of footsteps and no snowballs hitting him. He turned around and put down his hand, and saw that all the children had run away.
What's going on? Has he turned into a terrible insect?
Cheng Ping took advantage of the situation and made a gesture of baring his teeth and claws. He let out a whimper, shook his shoulders and walked inside.
With such heavy snow, he had to find a place to live. While looking around, he stepped on the snow crunching. Before he could walk out of the alley, he heard the sound of footsteps. The group of children rushed back again, and there were still people behind him.
There are several women.
Cheng Ping was so frightened that he stopped and raised his hands to show that he didn't take anything.
"Oh, Brother Ping, why did you come back just now?"
A woman shouted with a smile and hurriedly came over.
Brother Ping?
Cheng Ping stared at her with wide eyes, then quickly turned to look behind him. There was no one else in the empty alley.
The woman reached out and grabbed him, dragging him forward.
"... I'm talking about you. What are you looking at? Why did it take you so long to come back? It's the Chinese New Year. Everyone is worried and said they want to go out and look for you..."
What what?
"Madam, are you looking for me?" Cheng Ping asked, trying to hide away.
But two more women came around, both smiling and pulling and pushing, making it impossible for him to hide away, until they pushed him in front of a room.
"Your place has been tidied up." The women laughed.
Cheng Ping looked at the house in front of him. Although it was just a simple house made of straw and wooden boards, it was pretty good for Nan Cheng.
"Mine?" he said, pointing to himself.
"Yes, don't be dissatisfied with the simplicity. After all, after the New Year, the new house over there is built, and I will give you a new home." The women laughed.
And a new house?
Cheng Ping looked at them in surprise and couldn't help but look up and around. Did he go to the wrong place? Or was he dreaming?
He stretched out his hand and pinched himself, hissing twice in pain.
"Huh?" He was suddenly stunned and looked over there, "Then, is that Mr. Cheng?"
In the snow, a boy was holding a green cloth umbrella, and a boy was supporting a man standing in front of a house. Although the man was wearing a cloak and a hat, Cheng Ping still recognized him at a glance as Mr. Cheng.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Cheng is here to see Mrs. Cheng again." The women said nonchalantly.
Cheng Ping looked at these women again and was shocked again.
Master Cheng is a god-like existence to Nan Cheng, and everyone is extremely respectful when they see him. Of course, the opportunities to see him are very few.
But looking at these women now, not only do they have a common attitude, but they also have this tone, this expression...
What happened here these days since he left?
"Ms. Cheng?" He thought of something and asked, "Which Mrs. Cheng?"
The women laughed.
"That's the Mrs. Cheng you've met." They laughed in unison.
Cheng Ping suddenly understood, but then he was surprised and looked over there.
"Why does Mrs. Cheng live here?" he asked.
Banqin opened the door and looked at Mr. Cheng outside the door, feeling helpless.
"Sir, why are you here again? My wife really doesn't see visitors," she said.
Hearing what she said, the Zhou family's entourage who were standing under the porches of the two courtyards immediately came over with evil expressions on their faces.
Mr. Cheng's expression remained unchanged.
"I'm not a guest." He said, "Go and tell her that I'm not free now. I'll just wait here. I'm not an outsider, so I'm not afraid of being rude."
Of course he is not a guest, he is an elder, and the complaint has already been filed. It is okay to ask the elder to wait outside the door in the cold and snowy weather, and then he faints or something. It is just a few words to be pointed out by the world.
Banqin looked at Mr. Cheng, bit her lower lip, and stomped in.
Mr. Cheng raised his feet and stepped forward to follow. He looked at the woman sitting inside the half-open door holding a book. She looked increasingly confused through the heavy snow.
If you know archery, this Zhou family can teach you...
If you know how to cure diseases, who will teach you?
Can a fool become a good person? Did he really meet a strange person? Or maybe he was not that stupid in the first place, but he gradually got better as he grew older, but they didn't notice it when they weren't in front of them?
Anyway, no matter what, let’s talk about the matter at hand first.
"What do you want?" Mr. Cheng asked, walking towards the door, "Have you had enough trouble?"
"It's my turn to ask you this." Cheng Jiaoniang put down the book in her hand and said, looking at Mr. Cheng and smiling slightly, "Have you had enough trouble? I didn't care about those things when I was young, and I can't blame you for my long-term love. But later
It’s a little too much, it’s happened over and over again, why do you want to ask me now if I’ve had enough trouble?”
What happens again and again... who happens again and again
Mr. Cheng sneered in his heart.
"What do you want now?" he asked.
Cheng Jiaoniang looked at him.
"If you ask me this, do you think I'm joking?" she said.
Do you think I'm joking?
Mr. Cheng was in a trance for a while, as if he saw the woman in front of him stand up, with the bow and arrow in her hand pointed at him...
"If you want a dowry, I'll give you a dowry. What else do you want?" He couldn't help but said in a daze.
"Dowry." Cheng Jiaoniang smiled, "It doesn't matter whether you want it or not."
Doesn't matter?
Mr. Cheng came back to his senses and sneered again, "If it really doesn't matter, you don't have to go to the government to make trouble!"
"So you don't care? Just let the money be wasted by corrupt officials in the government?" he said.
Cheng Jiaoniang glanced at him.
"Is this money..." she said and smiled.
At this time, there was the sound of carriages and horses outside the door, accompanied by noisy people.
Someone is coming again?
Mr. Cheng turned his head and looked out the door.
He has also heard these days that there is a lot of traffic on the south side, and people come to give New Year gifts almost every now and then. Most of them are from Beijing. It is not possible for a small family to travel so far in winter to give New Year gifts.
It's a toss-up, and it can't be done with just a little bit of friendship.
Friendship cannot be achieved, but interests can be achieved.
Cure!
Mr. Cheng gritted his teeth again, Wang family!
"Madam, the store in Beijing is here to give you bonuses!" Brother Jin jumped in happily and shouted.
Banqin, who was kneeling beside the door, also stood up with a cry of joy.
"Is Sister Banqin here?" she asked.
Someone stepped in outside the door.
"Sister Banqin didn't come. There are a lot of things going on in Beijing, and business is busy. She can't leave. Please forgive me, madam."
This is a middle-aged man, wearing a thick leather robe and a hat, with a travel-stained face. He bows to him as soon as he enters the door.
"Come in and warm your hands, Brother Jin will make some tea..."
"I've arrived a long time ago, but I walked slowly due to snow on the road..."
"Don't be in a hurry, wouldn't it be easier to just walk into the memorial hall?"
"Sister Banqin and shopkeeper Wu said that the New Year will be lively, so it's better to come here and see people."
There were only one or two more people in the yard, but it seemed like there were seventeen or eight more people in the yard. They were talking, laughing, and running around. Mr. Cheng felt a roar in his ears. He was clearly standing on the porch, but he seemed to be on the horizon. No one was watching.
Even to him, he couldn't see these people clearly.
Who are these people? What are they talking about?
A shop in the capital? Dividends? And... is Banqin here?
Is there something else the Wang family is hiding from them?
"Sir, if you are fine, please come back."
There is a girl's voice in my ear.
Mr. Cheng didn't know why he actually walked out. The scene outside the door was even more lively than inside.
Two large trucks were unloading goods in a lively manner, and they were surrounded by children, who were jostling and laughing from time to time because of the candies thrown by people here.
"…Why are there still three families?"
"Originally, the big shopkeeper said that they should be included together, but no one was willing to do so. They said that if they sell well to the boss's wife, they can't let the big shopkeeper take it all by himself..."
This remark caused a roar of laughter in the audience.
Mr. Cheng stood still and listened.
Three...home!
"...So the big shopkeeper is taking advantage? If he gives away three copies, he doesn't have to give them away. He can just put his name on them."
There was another burst of laughter.
"...This is from Taipingju... This is from Shenxianju... This is from a drug store... Isn't it strange? The owner of the drug store knew that he didn't make as much money as these two, so he put even more thought into it. Look at these things, they are exquisite
very…"
People in front of the car, including children, gathered around and shouted in admiration.
Mr. Cheng also walked over a few steps in a daze, stretched out his hand and patted a man.
The man looked back at him.
"The Immortal House you mentioned..." Mr. Cheng looked at him and said with a slightly trembling voice, "But it also sells passing immortals..."
The man laughed.
"Old man, you made a mistake." He said.
no….
Mr. Cheng felt relieved.
"It's not that we also sell it, but..." The man held out a finger, with a bit of pride, "We are the only one who sells it, and there is no other store in Beijing."
Mr. Cheng looked at him, his face getting paler and paler.
"From your family?" he said in a trembling voice, "This passing god is, is..."
He turned his head suddenly and looked at Cheng Jiaoniang's courtyard door. He pointed with his hand tremblingly, but couldn't say what he wanted to say.
"Oh, yes, this passing fairy belongs to our wife..." The man smiled and took the initiative to answer. While looking at Mr. Cheng, he seemed to realize that the old man was well-dressed, so he was a little curious, "My father-in-law, you
Who is he?"
Who am I?
I'm a fool!
Mr. Cheng shouted, but no sound came out of his mouth. He opened his mouth, his eyes went dark, his body tilted, and there were screams in his ears.
So you don't care? Just let the money be wasted by those corrupt officials in the government?
Is this money...
It’s not like there’s nothing to care about! You already have gold and silver in your hand, so what’s the point of wasting some money to buy something comfortable and happy?
No wonder she dared! No wonder she was willing!
What on earth is going on with this idiot! What on earth is going on with all this!
At this time in the capital, it was not snowing but the sky was clear, which made the palace in the winter much brighter.
The New Year festival made the palace very busy.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, the royal palace has sent you a new year's gift." The chamberlain said with a smile as he entered the door and handed over a gift list, "Your Highness, come and take a look?"
Prince Jin'an retracted his outstretched legs and sat cross-legged, reaching out to take the gift list.
"It's still the same outfit as last year." He glanced at it and said, "I probably can't wear these clothes. They were smaller last year. I don't know if they are bigger or smaller this year..."
These gift lists are uniformly prepared by the Royal Palace Ceremony Department and have the same format.
"Do you have any letters from your mother or siblings?" he asked after a moment of pause.
Many things have changed as I grow older, and I no longer ask questions in silence, but there is only one question that I have to ask every year and never changes.
Unfortunately, the answer was also the same, and the waiter lowered his eyes to avoid his sight.
"I'm busy at the end of the year, so the princess didn't take care of it... Your Highness, didn't the princess write a letter two months ago..." He said with a busy smile.
Prince Jin'an smiled and nodded.
"Yes, my mother wrote a letter two months ago. I forgot about it. She asked me to inquire about my younger brother's title, but I haven't had a chance to talk about it yet." He smiled and stood up, "While celebrating the New Year,
Your Majesty and the Queen Mother are happy, so I will look for an opportunity to take a walk. Although it is the same every year, it is still a gift after all, and it is a gift from my family. Let's take a look."
The gift list in his hand fell to the ground with a flick, and the embroidered robe swept over it, and he stepped away.
*************************
PS: Recommendation: The new work "The King's Wife" by Xi Muzi, the author of "Life in the Qing Dynasty".
Introduction: The leisurely love between the reborn Bai Fumei and the second rich man.
It will be put on the shelves soon and can be slaughtered. (To be continued)
