Fu hid under the eaves of the Qingtang. Judging from the mud-covered shoes, he must have been traveling for a long time.
"Don't you have an umbrella?" Xiaoman approached and asked him.
The scholar smiled slightly awkwardly: "Yes, yes, but..." He took out the umbrella from his arms. The umbrella surface was already dilapidated, and even the ribs had cracks. This umbrella can no longer be used.
"Then why don't you throw it away?"
"Better than nothing." The scholar put away the umbrella again, and when he raised his hand, a strong medicinal fragrance came from his arms.
"It smells so good! You..." Xiaoman stretched out his neck and sniffed. Before he could finish his exclamation, he was interrupted by Bai Suzhen. Bai Suzhen came out of the room and called out: "Xiaoman, what are you doing again? Why are you like this?"
Big medicinal smell?”
Xiaoman was unconvinced: "Bai Suzhen, which of your eyes saw that I was messing around?"
The scholar looked at the sudden appearance of Bai Suzhen and bowed repeatedly: "It's me. I've been practicing medicine since I was a child, so my body always smells of medicine. I was just hiding from the rain. I didn't expect to disturb you. I'm leaving now."
As he said this, the person got into the rain.
"Hey, no problem, no problem." Bai Suzhen was happy to help others and pulled the scholar. Looking at the travelers in front of her, she asked with a smile: "Young master, I don't know how to call him?"
The scholar smiled slightly: "My surname is Xu Mingxian, and my courtesy name is Hanwen."
This was the first time Xiaoman met Xu Xian. The frail scholar, who was in embarrassment but was full of medicine, hid in the Qingtang from the rain, talked with Bai Suzhen, and deceived Xiaoman and Bai Suzhen for a year.
An umbrella for rations.
When she thought of Bai Suzhen taking the umbrella from her hand and giving it to this person named Xu Xian, Xiaoman felt unhappy. She didn't like him at all, even if he came to the door with medicine to say thank you, it would be useless.
"Tea!" Xiaoman placed two cups of tea heavily on the table and deliberately sat between Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian.
"Miss Xiaoman's tea list smells delicious."
Xiaoman pouted: "Not as good as you."
Xu Xian thought she was childish and just put the medicine on the table and said to Bai Suzhen: "The usage of these medicines is written on it, just follow it."
Bai Suzhen did not refuse and handed the medicine to Xiaoman: "Brother Xu is too polite. I'm fine, I'm just a little cold."
"Appropriate use of medicine is always beneficial. People with cold bodies are weaker. Moreover," he looked around, "Bai Suzhen, you live in such a cold and humid place. It will be very harmful to your health after a long time."
Bai Suzhen just smiled but said nothing.
"By the way," Xu Xian seemed to be remembering something, "Speaking of this, I think of the young lady from Bai Mansion."
Bai Suzhen's heart moved: "What?"
Xu Xian sipped tea and talked casually: "That lady has also been frail and sick since she was a child. Although no one can match her umbrella-making skills, she can only produce one umbrella a year. During these days when I was in Baohe Hall, the people in Baifu
I come to my door every day to get medicine. Although it is a supplement, no matter how good a person is, I can't stand such torture."
Xiaoman on the side frowned inadvertently and suddenly said: "What disease does that young lady have?"
Xu Xian was startled, as if he didn't expect Xiaoman's attitude to change for the better: "I don't know about this. I have asked famous doctors all over Hangzhou and they can't find any symptoms. I just take some tonics every day and it's fine."
It’s just about extending your life.”
Xiaoman secretly glanced at Bai Suzhen, lying on the tea cup and licking the tea.
She has seen that Miss Bai family before.
When they first came to Hangzhou, Bai Suzhen and her belongings only had a broken umbrella, which covered the two of them in the continuous rain. Bai Suzhen put the whole umbrella over Xiaoman's head and let herself be beaten by the wind and rain outside. At this moment,
A paper umbrella broke into their sight. A few plum blossoms were dotted on the plain umbrella, just like a scene in the passing years.
"This is what our young lady gave to you." Xiao Yahui pointed not far away, threw the umbrella into Bai Suzhen's arms and ran away.
Xiaoman looked up, and sure enough, there was a thin figure standing behind the heavy rain and fog. He couldn't see his face clearly, but he could feel that he was frail.
She took the umbrella from Bai Suzhen's hand. There was a white character engraved on the handle of the old bamboo, handsome but profound.
"Bai Suzhen..."
"Xiaoman, let's stop here."
"Stop?"
Bai Suzhen smiled calmly: "Well, here, open an umbrella shop, make some tea, and listen to the light rain."
"……Why?"
Bai Suzhen kept looking in the direction where the young lady was going, and didn't speak for a long time.
In this way, an inadvertent meeting on the Broken Bridge in West Lake made them stop walking for more than ten years. They opened a Qingtang in Hangzhou and started selling umbrellas.
Soon after, Xiaoman learned that the young lady’s name was Bai Suzhen.
"Xiaoman, you can use the medicine Mr. Xu brought." Bai Suzhen opened the medicine bag. Inside were some mugwort, calamus and the like, which can dispel the cold. "You can make a medicine bag and play with it when you have nothing to do."
"
Xiaoman didn't want it: "This is for you."
Bai Suzhen rewrapped the medicine: "You know I don't need these, but if you keep living with me in a cold place, your body will not be able to bear it."
"If you don't want it, neither will I!"
"Alas." Bai Suzhen sighed: "You know that I am different from you. I am a snake and you are not."
Xiaoman was so angry that he picked up the medicine and ran back to his room, shouting: "Humph, I hate dead snakes!"
Bai Suzhen smiled, Xiaoman always has the temper of a child.
There was a long moonlight outside and the streets were sparsely populated. He turned around and took out a long sandalwood box from under the wall.
Touching the lid of the box, his eyes were full of tenderness. There lay an umbrella with plain plum blossoms.
But he never saw Xiaoman looking at him from the crack in the door, his eyes bright and dark.
She has been having a dream. In the dream, there is a magnificent palace. She stands at the highest point and has a panoramic view of the whole world.
In that world, sometimes it was prosperous and prosperous, and sometimes it was at war with each other, changing like a revolving lantern, and reincarnation was endless.
But no matter what the scene was, there was always someone in front of her to watch it with her. Except for one of those people, who was a woman, the rest were all men. Some of them had worldly ambitions, some were indulged in pleasure, or some were inactive, but they were always there.
There is such a person standing with her on this high platform looking at the world.
It's just that she has never seen their appearance. What she sees in her eyes is only their backs.
However, just outside this palace, there was a scene that suddenly interspersed. Although it was short-lived, it could never be forgotten.
It was a bamboo forest, and a white emerald-green Bai Suzhen was looking up at her. There was surprise in her eyes.
"Miss, Miss..."
Someone called her gently, and she woke up slowly, with the confusion in her eyes after waking up for the first time.
"Miss, you are trapped in a nightmare again."
She looked at the person next to her, and it was Xiaoman.
"Am I dreaming again?" She sat up, her body already wet with cold sweat.
Xiaoman brought a towel and tea: "Miss is talking nonsense again, she keeps calling "Master, Master."