Refinement

Li Chengmao's daughter is only about seven or eight years old. Her big watery eyes are very beautiful, her small mouth is slightly pouted, and her waist is straight, giving her an air of maturity.It was the little girl who went to Susheng Inn to beg for wine a few days ago. Su Yulian prepared several drawers of steamed buns for her so that she could take them with her. She looked very hungry.

Su Yulian sat down in front of her and said softly, "What's your name?"

The girl stared at Baozi eagerly and ignored him.Su Yulian said again: "Try one if you want to eat it, I won't tell others."

The girl raised her chin and snorted coldly: "If you don't get paid for your merits, I won't eat your buns! If you eat them, you ask me for money and I don't have it! If you ask me to pay for it with your own body, then I'm not at a big loss! "

Su Yulian was amused by her: "Who taught you this argument?"

The girl said: "This is the principle of being a human being. My father taught me that you should not be greedy for others' petty gain, otherwise you won't know if you are sold! Girls must have backbone!"

"These principles are all right, but they are useless when you can't help yourself. Do you think I can't sell you now? Find a bundle of hemp rope and send it to the brothel, and you can get a lot of money in exchange." .Since this is already the case, why don’t you fill your stomach and save your strength to speak? You have been hungry for three or four days, and you will starve to death by then. It’s useless to have that pristine body.”

The girl thought about it outside, stared at the steamed stuffed bun and said coldly, "You can't eat that either! I'd rather starve to death soberly than be betrayed by you for no apparent reason. Besides, how would I know if the steamed stuffed bun was drugged or not?"

Su Yulian laughed loudly, his pale face turned slightly bloody, he knew that she still wanted to eat, so he said: "You are very thoughtful, why don't I divide the buns in half, give you one half, and eat the other half myself. "

The girl swallowed: "Gentlemen don't eat cheap food! I have no money!"

Su Yulian couldn't hide her appreciation, and said leisurely: "I don't want your money, and I don't give it to you for nothing. Look at this, I will ask you a question later, and you can eat a bun if you answer one. I’ll ask you a few questions, and if you don’t want to eat, you don’t have to answer any of them.”

Sitting in front of the steamed stuffed bun, the girl was very satisfied with the proposal: "Ask."

"What's your name?"

Without raising her head, the girl stretched out her hand to grab a steamed bun, swallowed the steamed stuffed bun, and said, "My name is Gou Qier."

Su Yulian: "I said the name, not the nickname. What did your father call you?"

Gou Chia'er took another one, quickly stuffed it into his mouth, and said inarticulately: "Even if the old man calls me Gou Chia'er, others won't call me that."

Su Yulian nodded: "Okay, then I will call you Li Qi. How long has it been since you saw your father?"

"It's been a long time." Li Qi reached for the bun, but was restrained by Su Yu: "This is not the answer."

Li Qiedao: "He used to come home drunk every day. He may have died recently. I can't remember how long he hasn't come back." She said this nonchalantly, as if she didn't care about her father's life or death. But I don't know if her father cares about her.

"Your father doesn't care about you, how do you live and what do you eat?"

Li Qi pursed his lips and did not speak, nor did he reach out for the bun.

"Then let's take a guess. Guess where he would be if he didn't die?"

Li Qi lowered his head, and was about to cry because of his grievance: "I know he is not dead. With his character, he is either drinking somewhere or finding a beautiful woman somewhere to have fun. Recently, people often send things to my house. I think I may If the stepmother comes in, she won't let my father come back to me, so I don't dare to eat what I have, and I dare not use what is useful, for fear that she will send me away with those things, and I will lose my father."

Su Yulian scratched her head: "Since your father comes home drunk every day, it means he attaches great importance to you and will not want you."

"Then why did he suddenly disappear?"

Su Yulian: "I guess he may be as involuntary as you."

"What is involuntary?" Li Qi secretly grabbed the steamed stuffed bun to eat, but Su Yulian pretended not to see it.

"That's—to do what you don't want to do, stay where you don't want to be, etc. Who can do everything as they want?"

Li Qi half understood: "I know, we can't do whatever we want, only my mother can, and my mother won't be involuntary."

Li Qie's mother is Liu Jinniang, who is famous for using drugs. Su Yulian heard about her, became addicted to drugs, was rejected and suppressed by the Li family, and eventually died of drugs. "Think about your father, do you want to write him a letter? The study is next to it, and I'm going to read a book for a while."

Li Qi held the brush in his hand and refused to move it. The ink on the pen dripped and pooled on the paper.Su Yulian didn't disturb her either, and quietly read a book aside, not knowing what was interesting in the book, so he couldn't put it down for a while.Xiao Jiuer delivered the medicine and said softly: "Young master, I have really wronged you by running around for the past few days. We will be able to arrive at the Hou's Mansion in half a day after we set off again."

Su Yulian raised her head and smiled at her: "Call me just before leaving, and change a piece of paper for her."

Li Qi put down his pen and stared at Su Yulian with a straight face: "I don't know how to write!"

Su Yulian: "This is looking for relatives for you, do you want me to teach you?"

Li Qi leaned on the table: "Then—you say something, and I'll write it down."

"I'm helping you find relatives. I'm just responsible for passing on the news. If I use my words to influence your thoughts, your father will think that you are being coerced by me, and I may cause unnecessary trouble. If you really want to find your father , just try to write with the emotions you can express, tell him how much you miss him and how much you need him. I will find someone to copy it out for you and post it to ensure that no matter where your father is, you will receive your news .”

"Okay." Li Qi tilted his head and thought for a while before taking up his pen again, changing to a new piece of paper, and wrote two lines: The capital buries the emperor's father, and there is a beautiful woman in the Hou's mansion.After finishing writing, he picked up the paper and gave it to Xiao Jiu'er, saying to her, "Just pass these two sentences on."

Su Yulian had already glimpsed the contents of the letter, and nodded to Xiao Jiu'er: "Little girl has good eyesight, and knows who can handle errands. Xiao Jiu'er, I will make you worry."

Li Qie watched Xiao Jiuer leave, and suddenly said: "Sister Fat likes you, she looks at you like my father looks at my mother."

As if he didn't hear it, Su Yulian said, "The old name for burying the emperor or his father was 'Feng'an', and 'Buying the Emperor's father' refers to Feng'an Hou. The meaning of the whole sentence is: there is a beauty living in Feng'an Hou's mansion in the capital?"

Li Qi nodded: "Probably that's what I mean. I want to tell him where I am. If he cares about me, he will come for me. If he doesn't care about me, he should come for a beautiful woman. In addition, there is also the literal meaning of this sentence, he If you really don't come to me, I can only treat him as dead here."

"That makes sense. I think your handwriting is pretty good and your literary talent is pretty good. Can you tell me who taught you how to read and write?"

Li Qi had almost eaten, and he confessed honestly: "When my father is awake, he will teach me to write and explain the principles of life to me. Don't look at my small size, I have seen more things than ordinary adults!"

"Then you are really amazing. I don't have the opportunity to see the big world. If you have time, tell me. How about I prepare delicious food for you. It's absolutely fair to exchange one thing for one thing."