Envy

Huo Zhi's hand holding the scroll trembled unknowingly.He asked, "Where did you get this painting?"

Under the sun, the young man squinted his eyes and looked at him: "Where I love you, that's how I came here. If you like it or not, if you don't want it, just leave quickly, so as not to stain my painting."

Huo Zhi dropped the pastry in his hand, strode up to him, grabbed his lapel, and lifted him up: "I ask you, how did this painting come about!" Seeing his red eyes, the young man was frightened. I shivered, and immediately turned into a coward: "No, I don't know where this painting came from. If you like it, just take it away, take it away..."

Huo Zhi punched him in the face.The young man fell into the pile of calligraphy and painting, and the bamboo shelf on the side fell down, and the book and painting scroll hit him in the face.There was a lot of movement, and passers-by stopped to watch.

When the young man saw that passers-by were watching, he became bolder. Throwing away the book on his body, a carp stood up and shouted: "Everyone in the village is watching. This man relies on his own ability. He came up with the idea of ​​this famous painting of mine, and I refused to follow him, so I was beaten and kicked mercilessly. Everyone judges, should such a person go to the yamen!"

Although passers-by were watching, no one responded to him.

Huo Zhi put the sword with scabbard on his shoulder: "Let me ask one last time, where did you get this painting!"

The young man looked around, as if no one wanted to uphold justice, he straightened his neck and replied: "Are you sick, it's none of your business where this painting of mine came from!"

Then Huo Zhi's sword hit the man's arm, he kicked the young man's leg mercilessly, cut the young man's hand behind his back, and punched and kicked him.

The young man's head was pressed to the ground, he couldn't resist, and finally begged for mercy: "I said, I said, stop beating! I said..." Huo Zhigang let go, his eyes rolled, and he rushed towards the crowd. But was restrained by Huo Zhi again, fell down, broke his nose, and had a nosebleed.Huo Zhi stepped on his back.

"Okay, okay, let me tell you." He put his hands on the ground, his back was trampled hard, and his waist touched the ground. "This painting was sold to me by Liu Laosan from Wucun."

"Who is that."

The young man reluctantly said: "The ancestors of his family were all engaged in the dead business and made a living by robbing tombs. He used to be from Fulian, but now his family has moved to Mucheng. This painting is his unlucky life in Fulian." I stole it from the grave of a ghost. I want to know that if I buy this painting, I will get into such a big trouble, even if I give it to me for nothing, I don’t want it.”

Huo Zhi let him go in a daze.

At this time, the official patrolling the street pushed aside the crowd: "Get out of the way. Someone came to report just now, saying that there is trouble here."

The young man knelt down with a plop, hugged the official's leg, pointed to Huo Zhi and said, "Officer, this is the man who bullied the weak and beat me up like this."

The leading officer was also startled when he saw the young man with a bruised nose and a swollen face, and said to Huo Zhi: "You boy, you dare to make trouble right under our noses, come with us to the yamen and let me see if your bone is tough or not." .”

Meng Xi was watching, and when she heard that the officer wanted to take Huo Zhi away, she immediately came out of the crowd and pulled away the policeman's hand holding Huo Zhi's arm.She was only up to his shoulders, but she was still in front of him.

"Officer, he didn't cause trouble on purpose. Can you let him go this time? I will scold him severely when I go back."

When the officer saw this fair-skinned and beautiful girl, he was polite: "Little lady, your husband has caused trouble, so you must come back to the Yamen with us. Otherwise, he won't know what Wang Fa is. Take him away!"

Huo Zhi didn't resist, and was escorted away by the officials.Then, the passers-by dispersed, only Meng Xi was still standing there, watching them go away.In her impression, Huo Zhi was calm and calm no matter what happened, and he never did anything impulsive.

She always thought that the impulsive thing was only done by her third brother because he was irritated by Shaojun's affairs.She didn't know that Huo Zhi would be so impatient.

The young man who was beaten thought he was unlucky to clean up the calligraphy and paintings at the stand, got up and was about to take away the painting of a beauty in green clothes, when Meng Xi stepped forward and said: "Brother, you can sell this painting to me. "

The young man looked at her suspiciously: "Aren't you the wife of that person just now?"

Meng Xi said, "I'm really sorry. I don't know what happened to him today, so please forgive me. How about you...make a price?"

The young man pursed his lips and stretched out a finger: "100 taels, I won't sell anything less. I've really suffered eight lifetimes of bad luck today. When I meet such a person, he is really sick!"

Meng Xi unwrapped his purse, only a few coppers were left in it.After thinking about it, she took off the hairpin on her head and handed it to the young man: "Can you see this?"

The young man took it, weighed it in his hand for a long time, and then "hummed" from his nose: "Barely enough. It's cheap for you, so you can take it away. Take care of your husband, don't let him run out again." It hurts people."

Meng Xi took down the painting, and her eyes fell on the face of the beauty in green in the painting, as if she was trapped in an ice cellar for a moment.

The one on the beauty map is none other than Yan Miao.That Yan Miao who used to gallop around with a sword and fell in love with Huo Zhi for many years, but died in Shen Gui's fire.

……

She didn't know how she walked back to the inn. After crossing the threshold, her third brother came over.

"Erqi, what's wrong with you? Why is your face so ugly?" Meng Tou looked behind her, held her shoulders, and asked her, "Where is Huo Zhi, didn't you accompany Huo Zhi out? Why are you the only one?" People are back?"

Meng Xi said with a weary look: "He was taken to the government office, and he will probably not be able to return until very late."

Xue Ye was eating sesame seed cakes, and his legs got out from the long bench he was sitting on, and he also approached her, asking in surprise, "Why was Huo Zhi taken away by the government? What did he do?"

She shook her head and headed for the stairs.Meng Tou and Xue Ye followed her.

Xue Ye said: "How come you don't know anything, you should know a little bit. Have you encountered any trouble?"

Meng Tou asked: "What's wrong with him, you tell the third brother. And the hairpin on your head, don't you like that hairpin the most? I saw you wearing it before going out, why did you lose it? Two Seven? You should say something."

Meng Xi still kept shaking her head, she grabbed Meng Tou's sleeve, her voice was already crying, she said: "Brother, I don't want to talk, please don't ask me." The stairs go up.

Meng Tou's hand is hanging, it's not easy to stop her.He said, "Then what do you want for dinner, I'll take it to your room."

Meng Xi said without looking back, "I'm not hungry, I don't want to eat anything. I'm just sleepy and want to sleep."