Denghuaxiao

Chapter 234 Concerns

 The north wind howls outside the house.

 The lights in the room were frozen.

He was sitting by the fire, his dark eyes bottomless, reflecting the dancing flames, and shining brightly in the dark night.

 Lu Tong was startled.

miss…

Suddenly a picture from a long time ago flashed before my eyes.

In the old house of the Lu family in Changwu County, she was lying on the table watching Lu Qian write. The young man's writing was straight and vigorous, much better than her dog crawling calligraphy.

“The dark moon brings the breeze to the lake, and we can’t find the way to each other... The water chestnuts can’t sing clearly, but we know that we are in this pond..."

"What's unclear, what's not thorough, what are you writing?" When she was a child, she grabbed the ink paper that Lu Qian had written, "Why can't I understand a sentence?"

Lu Qian took the ink paper back from her hand and said angrily: "Read more books, Lu San. If you continue to live like this, when you grow up, people who write love poems to you won't be able to understand."

“Love poem?” She asked suspiciously, “Is this a love poem?”

"if not?"

“I don’t understand.” Lu Yan rolled his eyes: “There’s not even a word for ‘love’ in it, so how can it be called a love poem?”

 “Tacky!”

Lu Qian hated the irony and taught her, "Be subtle, be subtle! If the feelings you express are poetic, they should naturally be tactful."

She glanced sideways at her brother and stuffed a piece of wheat candy into her mouth: "You understand so well, then tell me, what is love?"

Lu Qian is studying in the academy. He has never seen a girl in his home. He talks nonsense and it seems that she is not studying well.

Lu Qianqing coughed twice. He had never liked a girl before, so he racked his brains to say: "Love means that you will always think about someone, miss someone, and always think of him and him when you are fine. I’m happiest when we’re together…”

“Oh,” Lu Yan said, “From what you said, it’s not very subtle! Are you making it up?”

Lu Qian: "...I won't tell you about playing the harp to a cow. You will understand when you grow up and have a lover."

 You will understand when you grow up and have a lover.

She used to think that Lu Qian said this casually to scare her, but now she gradually understands it.

 When you are in love with someone, you will really miss someone for no reason.

 A human voice came to my ears: "Is this question so difficult to answer?"

She came to her senses and saw Pei Yunying sitting in front of the stove, his handsome features dazzling under the light, looking at her with unclear meaning.

"No." His heart skipped a beat, and Lu Zhuo quickly replied, "I haven't thought about it."

"Yeah?"

 He nodded, "That's quite a pity."

Although he said this, the man's tone was not lost, but instead he was smiling.

The snow water in the pot was already warm. He took the pot and poured the water into the red clay teacup. He walked up to Lu Yun with the teacup in hand.

Lu Zong was sitting on the edge of the couch, watching Pei Yunying leaning closer and putting the tea cup into her hand.

 “Drink, ‘Laxue’.”

 Lu Huan: “…”

She was about to retort that this was nothing, but when she raised her eyes, she saw the clear smile in his eyes, as if he could see through everything, know her guilty conscience and secrets, and glimpse her avoidance and sadness.

 Lu Zhuo held the cup tightly.

For some reason, she felt something was different about Pei Yunying.

As if he had put aside some scruples, he teased more and more openly. No, it was not teasing. He was like a fisherman holding a pole on the river bank, slowly putting down the bait, and then moving away, now far away, now close, waiting patiently and with a sure chance of winning. People take the bait.

She felt guilty, so she couldn't resist, she backed away step by step, and was in disarray.

Seeing her like this, Pei Yunying curled her lips, returned to the table, walked into the room, and picked up the quilt placed at the foot of the couch.

The bedding is thick and heavy, and the needlework is very rough. Considering his pampered and meticulous habits, it is really difficult for him.

Sure enough, he walked to the bed and glanced at the ground critically: "Here?"

 Lu Zhen nodded.

He didn't say anything. He straightened it up and spread the mattress on the floor at the head of the bed.

Lu Zong drank water and watched his movements. Although this man was a child of a noble family, he was sometimes arrogant and picky, but at other times he adapted exceptionally well, which was surprising.

 “Aren’t you going to rest?” He sat on the mat and looked up at Lu Zhuo.

Lu Chen put the empty cup on the table, thought for a moment, then looked at the small oil lamp on the table in the room, and said, "If you fall asleep at night, there is no need to turn off the light."

Pei Yunying looked at her and raised his eyebrows: "Lu Huan, you are not worried about what I will do to you at night, are you?"

Lu Yan was speechless for a moment and mocked: "The palace commander also knows that my needle is very powerful. If you are not afraid of becoming the second Jin Xianrong, you can give it a try."

Pei Yunying: “…”

Seeing that he was deflated, she felt a little better for some reason, and just then she lay down on the bed with her clothes on.

Strange to say, she was in the same room with Pei Yunying. Although her mood was subtle and uncomfortable, she was really not worried. This man was clearly not a gentleman, and his behavior was not well behaved. However, it seemed that she believed him from the bottom of her heart. This trust made her It was horrifying that she felt so at ease with him.

Pei Yunying chuckled, didn't care about her, and lay down with his head in his hands.

The lamp oil burned quietly in the room, blocking the wind and snow outside. The meager warmth of the stove was actually not much warmer in this cold day, but the two people in the room did not feel cold. They were silent, each thinking about their own thoughts.

Pei Yunying lay there for a moment and caught a glimpse of something long at the foot of the bed. He thought it was a snake. He frowned and sat up. He picked up the silver knife and found that it was a rope.

It is a very thick hemp rope, neither long nor short. It seems to have been used for many years and has some signs of wear and tear. If used to bind medicinal materials, it seems to be a little short.

He picked up the rope with the tip of the knife and looked sideways at Lu Yan on the couch: "Why is there still a rope?"

Lu Zhuo sat up and saw what he was holding. His expression changed immediately and he snatched it back.

Pei Yunying caught a glimpse of her face, his eyes moved slightly, and after a moment, he said thoughtfully: "Isn't this really a dark shop?"

The length of this rope is not enough for hanging, and it is barely enough for binding things. It is most suitable for tying hands and feet. In the interrogation room in front of the palace, the ropes binding the hands and feet of prisoners were exactly this length.

Lu Zhuo's heart skipped a beat, and he replied coldly: "You've already moved in, it's too late to say this." Worried that he might see his expression, he stuffed the rope under the bed, turned his back and lay down. not talking anymore.

Pei Yunying turned to look at her back and said nothing for a long time.

After a while, he lay down again, his expression not as relaxed as before. He suddenly thought of something and raised his eyes to look at the earthen wall above his head.

The place where the bedding was set up was next to the wall. When he first entered the room and looked around, he found scratches on the wall.

The scratches are in subtle locations, not too high, and more near the base of the wall. The marks are obviously messy, like fingernail marks left on the wall by someone who fell to the ground in pain.

In the past, when prisoners were interrogated in the prison in front of the palace, some prisoners would roll on the ground and scratch the walls when they were in pain. The marks on them were like this. He could see it very clearly and was very sure. Then he thought of the rope just now. …

Pei Yunying frowned slightly and looked at the couch.

Lu Zong turned his back to him and faced the wall angrily, leaving only the back of his head outside.

 He was startled for a moment, and then became a little funny.

No one was in the mountains, and he was located in a house. He was a man, and he always had a cautious personality with Lu Yan. In this way, he exposed his back outside.

　　It’s really not the least bit defenseless against him.

 He glanced at the scratches on the wall again, looked away, and lay down again.

 …

 The night is getting deeper.

 The snow on Luomei Peak is getting heavier and heavier.

The wind poured in through the cracks in the window, and the sound of branches breaking outside the door could be heard.

In the past, it was always difficult for her to fall asleep in such cold weather, but she didn't know whether it was because she was too tired today or because there was one more person in the room. Lu Yan lay on the couch, looking at the dim light in the room, and looked at As he lay there, he felt that his eyelids gradually became heavy and he slowly fell asleep.

The snow was falling harder and harder, and the silvery white snow was floating, turning into a cloud-like skirt.

 Someone called in her ear: "Seventeen."

 Seventeen?

She raised her head and looked towards the sound.

Under the bright red plum tree, a woman with beautiful features sat down. She put down the book in her hand and waved to her.

"come over."

 Yunniang…

 She walked over blankly.

Yun Niang was sitting under the tree, with a small stove in front of her, and a clay pot snuggling up. The pot was steaming, condensing into a fine mist in the ice and snow.

 There is a bitter medicinal fragrance emanating from it.

Yun Niang stretched out her hand, held the handle of the pot with a handkerchief, lifted the medicine pot, and poured it into the empty bowl on the stone table.

The medicine bowl was filled immediately. The woman stood up, walked to her side, took her hand, and said, "You have been up the mountain for three days, are you still used to it?"

"Habit."

Yun Niang nodded with satisfaction, "That's good." She smiled, "Now that we're up the mountain, I'll show you some friends."

friend?

Lu Zhen was stunned for a moment.

She followed Yun Niang all the way from Changwu County to Luomei Peak in southern Jiangsu. Three days after going up the mountain, she had never seen anyone. She and Yun Niang seemed to be the only two people in Luomei Peak. Where did they come from?

Yun Niang held her hand, like a loving elder, patient and gentle, and walked to a large patch of blooming grass behind the house. Lu Zhen didn't know what they were planting, but he only felt that the grass and trees were lush and colorful.

 The woman stopped in front of the grass.

 “Look,” she said.

 Lu Zong looked over and felt horrified.

In the center of the clumps of grass and trees, rows of dark earth mounds were faintly raised. Lu Zhuo couldn't see clearly at first, but when he saw it clearly, his scalp couldn't help but tingle.

　That are rows of tombs.

The burial was not done carefully and was a little sloppy. However, during the epidemic in Changwu County, countless people died of illness. There were often such sloppy graves beside the field edges. She had seen too many of them.

Lu Zhen's voice trembled: "This is..."

“They are your sixteen brothers and sisters,” Yun Niang explained with a smile.

“They are all about the same age as you,” the woman said softly: “They also spent some time with me at Luomei Peak, but they are a little frail and spend too little time with me.”

“Xiao Qi,” Yun Niang said, “You must stay with me a little longer.”

 Lu Zhen was trembling with fear.

Yunniang kept calling her "Seventeen", but she didn't know what it meant. Now, in these rows of tombs, some clues can be seen.

 She will be the seventeenth person buried here, she is the seventeenth dead person.

As if she was amused by her suddenly pale face, Yun Niang was surprised: "Why do you look like that, do you think I will kill you?"

The woman stroked her head and said angrily: "Silly boy."

She was too frightened to move, her legs were weak, and she was led by Yun Niang like a puppet, back to the thatched cottage.

“Xiao Qi, when you asked me to save your family, you told me that you could do anything.”

 Lu Zong looked at her, his heart gradually falling: "What do you want me to do, Miss?"

Yun Niang walked to the stone table, picked up the medicine bowl filled with soup and handed it to her, smiling slightly.

“Drink it.” The brown soup rippled slightly in the bowl. She saw her panicked face in the bowl, so scared and helpless.

 She had no choice.

Lu Chen drank up all the medicine in the medicine bowl. Yun Niang took out the handkerchief, wiped the moist medicine at the corners of her mouth, and spoke with a smile.

"Don't be afraid, this is not poison, and it won't kill you. It will just make you feel a little bit worse."

"I saw that you drank the medicine very quickly just now. You seem to be a good boy who is not afraid of hardship."

Yun Niang pushed her gently into the thatched house, and then the door was locked with a click. Lu Zhen came to his senses and rushed to the door to knock on it. He heard the woman's smiling voice coming from outside the door.

“The bowl of medicine just now is called ‘Crossing the Ant Formation’.”

"One hour after taking it, you will feel a little bit of pain, like a colony of ants crawling over, with nowhere to go. If you can endure it for three hours, once the effect of the medicine wears off, you will be fine, but if you can't endure it, you may have to Be careful."

“The little sixteen sister in front of you just couldn’t bear this bowl of medicine. She hung herself from the beam with a rope. When she took it off, she looked ugly.”

“Xiao Qi,” she said, “you have to hold on.”

The footsteps outside the door gradually faded away. No matter how hard she banged on the door, there was no reply. Yun Niang had already left.

 She was left alone in this room.

The room was dark and the windows were locked. She had nowhere to go. She stepped back, but her foot stepped on something and she almost tripped. When she lowered her head, she saw that it was a length of rope.

The rope was quite thick, and there were some dark blood stains on the rope. Lu Yan suddenly remembered what Yun Niang said just now, "The little sixteen sister in front of you just couldn't bear this bowl of medicine, so she hung herself from the beam with a rope." ".

That is the rope hanging from the beam left by the medicine drinker in front.

As if being pricked by a needle, Lu Zhuo loosened his grip and the thick rope fell away.

She jerked away.

Lu Zhen rushed to the door and knocked on it again: "Miss, Yun Niang! Let me out! I want to go out!"

 The only answer she got was silence.

　　Until she was tired from patting and slowly slid down from the door, there was no reply. Lu Zhuo sat behind the door, huddled up with his arms crossed, looking at the **** rope, feeling despair in his heart.

She will die. She will never survive it. Sixteen people have died before her. Sooner or later, she will be buried in the grass garden and become a puddle of mud.

 She can no longer reunite with her parents, brothers and sisters.

Mom, dad, brothers and sisters…

She cried for a long time until her voice became hoarse, but in the extreme panic, she gradually calmed down.

 No, she cannot die.

 She died here, no one would know, and her parents would never know about her for the rest of their lives.

 At least not now!

I don’t know where the strength came from, Lu Zhen got up again, and threw the thick blood-stained rope on the ground. She was thinking, Yun Niang just said that she would just get through the pain. She wanted to get through it, how to get through it...

As his eyes swept across the room, Lu Zhuo's gaze fell on the scissors on the table.

Those were the silver scissors used to shorten the wicks. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Yun Niang left them in the house.

Lu Zong stood up and picked up the pair of scissors, then picked up the long rope on the ground, and made up his mind to cut it in two.

This length of rope is best for hanging, but she had to use this rope to tie her hands. The rope-tying method she had learned from Lu Qian once bound her hands, making it impossible to break free.

 She wants to give it a try.

The method of tying the rope was no longer clear in his memory, and the pain was gradually coming from his heart. Lu Zhuo shook his hands and almost lost his grip on the hemp rope. He stumbled and put the hemp rope around his wrist, and the hemp rope At the last moment of putting it on, huge pain hit my face.

Yun Niang lied to her.

It wasn’t a little painful at all. It was pain that was enough to destroy one's willpower.

She was in too much pain. At that moment, she suddenly understood why the "Sixteen" in front of her used a rope to hang from the beam. It was really more uncomfortable than death.

When she was most unbearable, she couldn't help scratching the wall, her nails dug deeply into the mud wall, and blood gradually overflowed from her fingers. She rolled on the ground in pain, and there was no light in the dark little room. There was only a hoarse cry.

 …

 “Yunniang…”

 In the quiet night, someone suddenly heard a voice.

Pei Yunying opened his eyes suddenly.

 Alone outside, he always slept lightly. The lights in the room had been blown out by the wind at some point, but an even more depressing low voice came from the couch.

“Lu Huan?” Pei Yunying frowned and looked at the bed.

 No one answered.

 He turned over and sat up, touched the fire handle, and lit the oil lamp on the table. The warm flame swayed in the room. He put the oil lamp on the table beside him and walked to Lu Shuo's couch.

 Lu Zong closed his eyes.

Before going to bed, she faced the wall. Now she had turned over and curled up into one body. Her face, which was always calm, looked painful, and large drops of sweat oozed from her forehead.

Pei Yunying's complexion changed slightly, and he shook Lu Zhu's shoulder: "Lu Zhu?"

  She seemed to be trapped in a dream and was not awake. The next moment, she suddenly stretched out her hand.

Pei Yunying was stunned for a moment and looked down.

 Lu Zong grabbed his hand.

She held on very tightly, refusing to let go, with great strength, like a drowning person holding on to the last straw. Her eyes were closed tightly, and her nails almost dug into the back of his hand. Pei Yunying let her hold on, Called her name in a low voice: "Lu Huan?"

"Yunniang..." She moaned drowsily, and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead into her neck.

 It seems like you are stuck in a dream and it is difficult to wake up.

 The lights in the room flickered, Pei Yunying's eyes were dark, and he made an immediate decision. His fingertips brushed the acupuncture points on her neck and applied a little more force.

There was a sudden exclamation, and the person on the couch suddenly opened his eyes.

Lu Zong suddenly sat up and gasped for air.

 A hand reaches out from behind.

Lu Zhen felt like she was being pulled into a warm embrace. This embrace carried a familiar crisp fragrance, which dispelled the cold medicinal fragrance in her dream. The warmth slowly spread from behind. She raised her eyes and met Pei Yunying's hanging lips. sight.

 For a sudden moment, Lu Zhu suddenly understood.

This was not the first time she had taken medicine when she climbed up to Luomei Peak. "Crossing the Ant Formation" was just a painful dream in the past. She is now a medical officer at Shengjing Hanlin Medical Hospital. Yun Niang is dead, so she does not have to live in anxiety and fear. After taking bowl after bowl of unknown decoction, she went up the mountain to find herbs to help with the epidemic.

 She was dreaming again.

 She has been dreaming lately.

 If this continues, she will not be able to distinguish between dreams and reality.

“Lu Huo.” Pei Yunying’s voice came to his ears, and Lu Huo looked up.

Pei Yunying frowned and looked at her.

That young face was no longer as calm as before, and he raised his hand to explore her forehead.

 “What’s the matter with you?” he asked.

 Lu Zhen calmed down and avoided his gaze, "I had a dream just now."

He took back the hand covering Lu Zhuo's forehead: "Who is Yun Niang? You kept calling Yun Niang's name in your dream."

Lu Zhen's body stiffened.

Pei Yunying frowned and stared at her.

Her face is very pale, and she is usually very thin. Now that Sunan has worked hard to rescue the epidemic, she has become thinner than before. Her face is only the size of a palm, her eyes are no longer calm as usual, they are a little distracted and confused, and her lips are as white as paper. .

Lu Zong, from the beginning of knowing her, has been either calm or crazy, but this was the first time he saw her "fear".

 In her dream, there was something she feared.

 “Is he your enemy?”

 Lu Zong was startled and came back to his senses.

 He is always very sharp.

 Lu Zongbie began: "No."

 He said nothing and stared at her closely. The eyes that had always been gentle in shape seemed to be stained by the frost and snow on the plum branches of Luomei Peak at this moment, giving them a light and cold look.

 There is a heavy wind and snow outside the door, and the stove in the house is dimly lit. The two looked at each other, one was aggressive and the other was evasive.

After being silent for a while, Pei Yunying moved his eyes away, as if he finally let her go, stood up and said, "You were sweating all over just now. There is a handkerchief in the medical kit. I'll get it for you."

 Lu Zhu breathed a sigh of relief.

The young man walked to the table in the room. On the table was Lu Zhuo's medical box. He opened the medical box and reached out to get the white silk inside.

Lu Zhen watched his movements, and as he watched, he suddenly remembered something. He froze and got off the bed. He didn't even bother to put on his shoes and ran to Pei Yunying: "Wait a minute-"

This panic did not have any effect.

 She watched helplessly as Pei Yunying picked up something from the medical box.

It was a colorful silk ribbon, with an exquisite shape and complete weaving. It was a beautiful pomegranate color. It looked like a thin cloud in full bloom in the dark night. When the shadow was reflected, the light color also became gorgeous.

Pei Yunying once asked her to make a birthday gift. She made it up for a long time, but in the end she never sent it out.

 “What is this?” He turned around.

Lu Zong pursed his lips and reached out to grab it, but he held it slightly higher, making it difficult for her to reach.

Pei Yunying said: "Why are you wearing this colorful ribbon?"

"Other people's," Lu Zhu said firmly, "I just kept it."

"Yeah?"

He nodded, and gently wrapped his fingertips around the colorful ribbon, revealing a small piece of wood under the tassel that was not round.

 “Then what is this?”

 Lu Zhuo froze.

The tiny piece of wood dangled from his fingertips.

Lu Zhen clenched his fists slightly.

 That was a piece of wood she took from Pei Yunying's wooden pagoda.

　　On the Chinese Valentine's Day, his specious words made her temporarily shaken. At that time, Pei Yunying offered her a piece, but she refused, but in the end, for some unknown reason, she took another piece away.

Later she left Shengjing and came to Sunan, and she kept this piece of wood well. Many times she tried to throw it away, but in the end she never succeeded.

 Colorful ribbons and wooden blocks hide her secret thoughts. She carefully guarded the secret, but on this windy and snowy night, it was suddenly revealed.

 In the quiet and quiet night, there was wind and snow whizzing by outside the door. The young man lowered his eyes, looked at Lu Zhu's embarrassed appearance, and said calmly: "Lu Zhu."

He stared into her eyes: "Let me ask you again, are you really honest with me and without any selfishness?"

 Lu Zhen's breathing was stagnant.

 She wanted to retort instinctively, but when she saw those dark eyes, she couldn't say a word.

 “I...” she muttered.

Those beautiful black eyes stared at her, and the light swayed in his eyes, as if they had not been played for a long time.

 He said coldly: "I see the answer."