The Romance of the West Chamber: The Bells are Ringing

As night fell, Zhang Sheng and Qin Tong led their horses and rode quickly under the moonlight. Puzhou in the distance has long disappeared from sight, leaving only the misty night and endless silence. The sound of horse hooves echoed in the quiet night, seeming to break the tranquility.

"Zong Dan, parting always makes people feel helpless. Along the way, I thought a lot, and I couldn't help but feel a little heavy in my heart." Zhang Sheng was riding on the horse, looking at the vast night in front of him, with a feeling of sadness in his heart.

After hearing this, Qintong was silent and just nodded slightly to show his understanding. He thought in his mind: "I'm really not used to this Gong calling me by my name instead of calling me a dog slave. But that's okay, after all, he still wants me to accompany him on this journey."

He led the horse and walked in front of Zhang Sheng. The two of them walked forward in the night.

The night wind carried a hint of coolness, blowing on Zhang Sheng's cheek, making him feel desolate. He looked into the distance and seemed to see the spire of the temple looming in the dusk clouds, as if to tell him: separation is doomed, but the future is still worth looking forward to. But he shook his head and seemed to disappear again.

Finally arrived at the hotel and was greeted warmly by the waiter. "Gentlemen, do you want to stay in a hotel? We have good guest rooms here." His voice was full of attentive enthusiasm.

"Well, give us two good guest rooms." Zhang Sheng ordered.

"Okay, you guys take a rest for a while, and I'll prepare it for you." The waiter responded.

Zhang Sheng and Qintong followed the waiter into the store. The lights in the store were dim, but they could feel the warmth of home. Zhang said angrily: "Zong Dan, take the horse to feed it!"

After a pause, he added: "Light the lamp, I don't want to eat anything, I just want to sleep for a while."

The piano boy lit the lamp and said, "Then I'm a little tired, so I'll go to the stable to rest."

So he took the white horse to the stable, fed the horse hay, and made a bed in the stable to get ready for bed.

Zhang Sheng was lying on the bed, thinking a lot, and said to himself: "How can I sleep tonight? The feeling of longing comes to my heart! I miss Cui Yingying. Her smile and her eyes are unforgettable."

"There is only a solitary pillow for company in the hotel, and the sound of crickets in the autumn night makes people even more sad. What makes me sad is the sound of the paper window being blown open by the wind. I am lying alone in the bed, and the quilt is thin and cold. When can I How about making the bed warmer?" Zhang Sheng thought in his mind.

In the stables, Qintong was also missing the matchmaker.

"The matchmaker is always so considerate. Her gentleness and concern make me feel extremely at ease." Qintong said to Baima.

Baima stopped chewing, lowered his head and rubbed the piano boy with his head.

Qintong smiled and said: "You know what a good horse is." It was a hard journey and he fell asleep without realizing it.

In the study, Zhang Sheng also fell asleep.

Cui Yingying walked alone through the mountain road at night, the moonlight shining on her slender figure like a faint silver gauze.

Cui Yingying thought as she walked: "It's really uneasy to say goodbye to Zhang Sheng by the pavilion. The old lady and Mei Xiang have already gone to bed, so I ran out of the city privately, hoping to catch up with him."

Her mood was complicated, and her longing for Zhang Sheng became more and more profound in the silent night. The night wind swept across her face and ruffled her long hair, but it could not dispel the sadness in her heart.

Cui Yingying unconsciously thought: "Zhang Sheng touched my emotions, so he ignored the long journey. He hid it from the wife who could control me, and stabilized the anxious concubine in my heart. Thinking of his painful sigh when he was about to mount the horse, Crying makes me dull and lifeless. It’s not because I have evil thoughts in my heart. Ever since we parted, as the sun sets, my heart has become heavy with worry and I have become as thin as a stick. It has only been half a day since we parted, but my green skirt has already become loose and wrinkled. Three or four folds, who has ever experienced such torture and weight loss?”

She walked in a hurry, as if she was chasing not only Zhang Sheng, but also her own mood. On this desolate mountain path, she walked hurriedly, looking back from time to time, as if expecting Zhang Sheng's figure to emerge in the night.

"The short-lived marriage has just calmed down; the helpless fame makes people parted and damaged. The unbreakable sadness has been relieved just now; the lovesickness that can't be put away is still the same now." Cui Yingying walked quickly and said to herself, "Qingshuang The clean blue waves, the yellow leaves floating under the white dew. The road is high and low, and the road is twists and turns; the wind from all over the field is blowing and swaying left and right. I am running here, but I don't know where he can sleep and rest?

Wrapped in her inner conflict, she began to feel breathless. The wild flowers beside the road swayed gently where she walked, as if dancing to her mood. Under the moonlight, her shadow was very long, like a lonely shadow, reflecting her mood at the moment.

Walking in this wilderness, I couldn't help the fear in my heart, and I was panting heavily and couldn't keep my breath. Hurrying on the road is like trying to scare a snake away.

"Zhang Sheng, who misses me, is speechless in the hotel, sulking into the cold night." Cui Yingying thought to herself, "The rain at dusk is urging the sound of the cold crickets, and the morning breeze is blowing the waning moon. I will wake up tonight after I wake up." Where is it?"

Cui Yingying came to the door of the store and knocked gently, her heart full of expectation and anxiety.

Zhang Sheng heard the sound in the room, his heart skipped a beat, and he asked doubtfully who was knocking: "Who is knocking on the door? It sounded like a woman's voice. I'll open the door first to see who it is. If it's a person, please hurry up. Just tell me, if it’s a ghost, please disappear quickly.”

She couldn't help but respond: "It's me. The old lady has fallen asleep. I thought you were gone. When can I see you again? I came here specially to go with you."

When Zhang Sheng heard Cui Yingying's voice, his heart warmed up and he stood up and opened the door.

The moment the door opened, Zhang Sheng saw her, and a familiar tenderness filled his heart. He held her hand and said softly: "Why are you here? You are so dangerous. But you turn out to be your sister. It's rare for a young lady to be so attentive!"

Cui Yingying smiled, a trace of determination flashed in her eyes: "For you, it doesn't matter if the journey is long."

Zhang Sheng pulled her into the house, and they stood under the dim light, warm and slightly sad. Zhang Sheng stroked Cui Yingying's sleeves, and there were thousands of words in his heart, but he didn't know where to start. He whispered: "You have worked hard for me."

Cui Yingying looked deeply into his eyes, feeling an inexplicable affection surge in her heart. She felt his concern and the weight of this otherness. She sighed softly: "For you, I don't care about the long journey. Thinking of you forgetting to sleep and eat, the fragrance fades, the flowers bloom and fall, I still consciously fight for it; even if the pillow is cold, the phoenix is ​​alone, the moon is full and the clouds cover , what’s so sad to think about.”

Zhang Sheng suddenly lowered his head and found that Yingying's shoes were wet from the night dew, and a small gash had been made in the soles of her feet. Zhang Sheng saw this and felt heartbroken. He gently took her hand and stroked her injured foot gently, with a smile on his lips: "Yingying, you are really a woman who always does things for others."

Cui Yingying felt Zhang Sheng's warmth and tears filled her eyes. She gently withdrew her hand and said shyly: "Don't look at it, this little injury is nothing."

Then he said: "I think that the most painful thing in life is parting. Unfortunately, I have to trek through thousands of miles of mountains alone. It is better to cut off loyalty and kindness than to break up like this. Although it is a short period of time, don't guess that it will be like a bottle falling and a hairpin breaking. Don’t be infatuated with heroes, don’t envy arrogance and luxury; voluntarily choose to live in the same quilt and die in the same hole.”

At this time, a group of soldiers suddenly rushed to the door of the store and shouted: "I just saw a woman crossing the river. I don't know where she went? Quickly pick up the torch and look after it. She has obviously gone to this store. Hurry up." Find her!"

Zhang Sheng was startled, his heart tightened, and he said anxiously: "How can this be good?"