old grace

Liu Qin went down the mountain to invite Xie Qinghe to the banquet, and Mister Zhuang's book Tong Mian'er personally held a lantern to invite him.As night fell, the lamp in Mian'er's hand wobbled upwards along the uphill gravel road, and the students watching at the Shanshui Study were all stunned into silence.

Not long after, Mr. Zhuang's hearty laughter came from Laoshanju, and the students squatting down the slope to watch became even more silent.

Those with good intentions sneaked into the Shanshui Study to see if there were traces of ink scrolls left, but they couldn't find half a word.Instead, I saw a small bench next to the desk with the inkstone, and there were teacups and snack plates on the table——

"Is this the son of Mr. Liu's family who came to worship the mountain?" Student A said in disbelief.

All the students knew that Liu Qin's eldest son had mediocre aptitude, and his youngest son was still in elementary school, so it was impossible for him to come to study.However, when answering the paper seriously, Liu Qin moved a small bench to sit next to the students, and even drank tea and snacks with the students, which was really surprising.

"It looks like Mr. Zhuang's son." Student B thought of Mr. Zhuang's laughter in the night sky, envious and jealous.

Outside.

He Jing and Yuan Shi'an were also talking with their heads up.

From the Shanshui Study, you can see the gate of the old mountain residence. Two strings of lanterns shimmer like two clusters of stars.

He Jing rolled up her sleeves and said softly: "I don't know what kind of talent he is, but he is so favored by the two gentlemen at such a young age."

Yuan Shi'an motioned him to look east, and when He Jing turned around, he saw Triple coming from a distance with a lamp, followed by a tall and tall Confucian scholar, and the students who were watching along the way all saluted and called him Mr. Xiaozhuang.He Jing also hurriedly bowed: "Senior brother."

Zhuang Tong walked all the way, only stopping beside He Jing, and bowed slightly to Yuan Shi'an.

At that time, An bowed in return.

"Are you still resting?" Zhuang Tong asked He Jing.

He Jing raised her chin and motioned to Laoshanju: "I just came out after dinner. There's such a big commotion, let's take a look." Then she looked at Zhuang Tong standing next to him, "Sir?"

Zhuang Tong nodded slightly and said, "Father called me to accompany him."

He Jing's eyes widened.

Zhuang Tong had already bid farewell: "I'll go first. Rest early."

After seeing off Zhuang Tong, several students from the side crowded over and chattered around He Jing: "That is to say, Mr. Zhuang and some old friends from the same school came, so I asked Mr. Xiaozhuang to accompany him. What kind of regulations is this?"

He Jing said angrily: "When I visited my teacher that day, sir, didn't you also ask my senior brother to accompany me? The senior brother told me to go to bed early, and they are almost gone."

After the onlookers gradually left, He Jing stuck out her tongue to Yuan Shi'an and said, "Since my teacher's wife passed away, my brother has been in poor health. It's getting dark and I asked my brother to accompany the guests. This is terrible."

Yuan Shi'an seemed to be careless, and answered vaguely.

He Jing asked with concern: "Are you still bothered about that marriage? Now that Yuge is retired, Jingxi Hou and Xiong Taishou have pleaded guilty, and your family can hire any girl you want. Why are you more troubled than before? "

Yuan Shi'an shook his head and said, "Marriage is a joke. Don't talk about it, why don't you go drink at my place today?"

He Jing put his shoulders on his shoulders and said with a smile, "Go."

■

Laoshan dwelling inside.

Zhuang Tong was also guessing who it was, and was greeted by Mr. Zhuang the moment he entered the door: "Tong'er, come and sit down."

Zhuang Tong was bewildered by the disturbance.There are guests here, why don't you talk about the ceremony first?He stepped forward in response to his father's call, saluted Liu Qin who was sitting beside him, and set his eyes on the young man sitting opposite his father, Mr. Zhuang.

It was a young man who was unattractive but very eye-catching. His skin was by no means outstanding, but he had a very different demeanor.

In the presence of Liu Qin, it was very rare for this young man to sit opposite Mr. Zhuang.

"Father, this..."

Before Zhuang Tong could finish his sentence, Mr. Zhuang pushed him to sit beside him, forcibly rolled up his sleeves and handed them out.

"No hurry, no hurry. Mr. Zhuang is weak and frail, panting for a night walk, sit for a while and watch again." Xie Qinghe kicked off his shoes, and sat cross-legged in front of the desk casually, with a very relaxed expression.Just looking at his stretched posture, one can tell that he is very suitable for this kind of occasion, without any shyness or panic.

"That's right, I forgot about this." Old Mr. Zhuang held his son's hand, his eyes full of kindness, "This Mr. Jiang is very good at medicine. Let me show you his body, and he may recover. Come on, you Give Mr. Jiang a glass of wine."

Tong'er immediately handed over the filled wine glass, Zhuang Tong sat up and toasted Xie Qinghe in confusion: "Mr. Lao, please worry."

To Zhuang Tong's surprise, this man was really mad and disrespectful.He had done enough etiquette, and the young man sat cross-legged in front of the desk in a stable manner, and he accepted his salute naturally and casually, saying: "It's easy to do, there is no need to be too polite."

Hearing that tone, it seems that the other party's willingness to accept his courtesy is already giving him great face? !

Mr. Zhuang is familiar with his son's temperament. He is already intelligent and talented, but he is inevitably arrogant. He also has a weak disease. His body affects his emotions, and he is more prone to narrow-mindedness.His upbringing made it impossible for him to get mad at the guests in front of his elders, but he was so petty that he died of anger.

"Zi Zhong." Mr. Zhuang gave Liu Qin a wink.

Liu Qin was eating stewed pig's trotters. Hearing this, he got up quickly, asked Tong'er to wipe his hands with a hot towel, then a cold towel, and wiped his hands three times in a row. Finally, he even went to the stove to smoke, smelling the smell on his hands. No smell, so I carefully went to get Xie Qinghe's painting.

After such a cutscene, it has already attracted Zhuang Tong's attention.What is the content on that paper that Mr. Liu cherishes so much?

The drawing paper was not big, so Liu Qin slid his hands away.

What made Zhuang Tong even more concerned was that when Mian'er and Trian'er held up lamps for lighting, they were actually holding lotus lanterns with glazed lampshades.

——Glass lampshades are not easy to come by, Mr. Zhuang easily forbids Tong'er to touch them, for fear of breaking them.

This is because I am afraid that the candlelight will pick up the ink scroll, so I use the glazed lampshade.

Zhuang Tong's curiosity was pulled to the extreme, and when his eyes fell on the drawing paper held by Liu Qin, what attracted him first were Xie Qinghe's two inscriptions.Just seeing those two lines of writing, his eyes were full of surprise, appreciation, and admiration, and the fingertips hanging by his side moved slightly, unconsciously copying the handwriting on the painting, and hurriedly looked at the signature, stunned. Discovery is a strange line.

"Mr. Liu," Zhuang Tong looked back at Mr. Zhuang again, "Father, whose calligraphy is this?"

Mr. Zhuang was not afraid of hurting his son's self-confidence, and cheerfully signaled to the young man beside him: "Mr. Jiang's calligraphy."

Zhuang Tong couldn't hide his shock.

However, it is impossible for Mr. Zhuang to lie. After being shocked, Zhuang Tong suddenly understood Mr. Jiang's "arrogance".

Crazy is very crazy, but this is not delusional.This is a madman who is truly qualified to look down on the world.

Zhuang Tong is indeed proud and arrogant, but he has vision and insight. His own arrogance comes from his talent. This young man who is honored by Mr. Zhuang as "Mr. Jiang" seems to have the air of being a saint in calligraphy. Why can't you be crazy and look down on the world?Zhuang Tong was convinced.

He left the table and walked in front of Xie Qinghe, and respectfully bowed to the ground: "Mr. is tall, and the younger generation Zhuang Tong bows down."

Xie Qinghe was still as relaxed as before, and said with a smile: "It's a small skill, it's not worth mentioning."

Mr. Zhuang said with a wry smile, "My son can't understand the Book of Changes either."

Zhuang Tong was a little surprised, and turned to look at Liu Qin. Liu Qin was pointing at the painting, and Zhuang Tong discovered that the content of the painting was the landscape of the manor.

He is the son of Mr. Zhuang, of course he knows that the landscape and houses in the manor are carefully arranged by Mr. Zhuang, implying astronomy and geography.At this moment, I completely omitted the words of promotion, and when I looked at the painting again, I suddenly had a more mysterious feeling-words are a very limited way of communication. Although it is a convention, each body feels different. There are bound to be fallacies in interpretation.

Not so with painting.

Everything presented in the painting is what the author thinks in his heart and sees with his eyes.

Zhuang Tong inherited his father's talent, and he is proficient in all kinds of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. After being reminded, he was completely immersed in the landscape in the painting, and couldn't help but take a step forward to watch it at a close distance.

Liu Qin left the painting to him, and slipped back to the table to continue gnawing on the pig's trotters.

Xie Qinghe talked about the topic of old age with Mr. Zhuang: "If you learn some Qigong, it will be easier to read the Book of Changes."

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help nodding: "I also learned some qi refining skills when I was young. I don't know if it's good or bad, and my face was flushed. My wife said it was a crooked way, so I can't practice it any more. I lost it for decades. gone."

Xie Qinghe asked him what method he practiced, Mr. Zhuang muttered and gestured for a while, Xie Qinghe could only smile.

The "kung fu" that Mr. Zhuang learned is not even crooked. I don't know which charlatan made random gestures.It is said that his face was flushed from practicing qi training, and it is likely that he "practiced" in front of the sun at noon in summer, and his skin was damaged by the scorching sun...

After eating a pig's trotter, Liu Qin brought the topic back: "I don't have much knowledge in the Book of Changes. After listening to the master's explanation, I just realized that Jiang Xiaolang has a lot of knowledge in this field. In this case, why did Jiang Xiaolang come to the manor to learn as a teacher?" '?"

"I'm not going to hide from you two gentlemen." Xie Qinghe put down his wine glass and said very sincerely, "I have no intention of pursuing a career in this life, I only want to read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles. However, the two adults in the hall can't let go, there will always be a farmer who will become the emperor Tang's thoughts. Now I have hid under the pretext of being a teacher and studying, and I have asked the two gentlemen to help me make a cover, at least let me be quiet for two years."

If it were an ordinary student who dared to make such a request, he would be scolded bloody immediately, and he might be kicked out immediately.

However, the student in front of him was not a student at all.Liu Qin almost spit out tea when he heard this, Mr. Zhuang also put his knees on his knees and laughed, pointing at him and cursing angrily: "You are dishonest! You are playing tricks on your lord, and you are dragging me into the water!"

Xie Qinghe hurriedly raised his glass and begged: "Please be considerate, sir."

Old Mr. Zhuang smiled and had a drink with him.This matter must be thoughtful, not to mention that Xie Qinghe's talents do not need to be asked for advice, but Xie Qinghe cured Mr. Zhuang's back pain when he first arrived, and he will soon see a doctor for Zhuang Tong. It must be good.

Liu Qin was a bookworm, so he quickly asked, "But do you want to live here? The yard near me is empty."

He didn't even ask Mr. Zhuang, the owner of the manor, what he meant, so he arranged the house for Xie Qinghe.

Xie Qinghe said with a smile: "I have already rented a place in the afternoon, in the east of the city."

"It's time to ask. How nice it is to live here. You don't have to worry about food and drink, and you have students to help you with general affairs." Liu Qin felt very sorry.

Zhuang Tong asked suddenly: "Since you want to pretend to be a cover, sir, you have to come here every now and then, right?" He carefully put away the roll of paper, not letting Tong'er touch it, and put it back in the bookcase by himself. After walking back, he sat sideways at Xie Qinghe's table, serving wine, "Tong is willing to learn calligraphy, painting and classics with Mr. Sir, is Mr. willing to accept disciples?"

Xie Qinghe has long thought about earning a living. Since he doesn't want to be an official in this life, doing business is even more humble and exhausting. The most comfortable way is to be a teacher for a rich and powerful son.Zhuang Tong is not far from "rich and powerful" in Xie Qinghe's standard. However, Jiang Yingzhou is only 15 years old, and it would be nice to be able to eat Shu Xiu, who is filial to his apprentice - it can be regarded as early employment.

"Take it." Xie Qinghe did not shy away from his current situation of lack of money and embarrassment, "Shuxiu is in place, everything is easy to talk about."

Zhuang Tong didn't turn his head to ask his old father for instructions, and immediately stood up and bowed down: "Mr., see you, disciple Zhuang Tong."

The Zhuang family is a big landlord in Yangting County. Mr. Zhuang pays a lot of money to subsidize the students every year. Naturally, he doesn't care about paying for his son to hire a teacher.In Mr. Zhuang's opinion, Mr. Jiang's talent is far beyond that of Liu Qin. If the money given is less, I'm afraid he won't be able to buy Mr. Jiang's dedication. However, if he is given more—— If there are more than Liu Qin, Liu Qin will be unhappy.

"I also have a few students here who don't care about careers. One is teaching, and three or five are also teaching. Mr. Jiang has extraordinary attainments in calligraphy and painting. Are you interested in leading students in the manor? Naturally, they are asked to go out to study." Mr. Zhuang made an invitation.

Both Zhuang Tong and Liu Qin were surprised.

After all, Jiang Yingzhou is only 15 years old, too young.Ask him to teach as a teacher in the manor?It was too appalling to hear about it.

Mr. Zhuang has the courage to not be afraid of objections.

Since you are talented, why can't you teach in class?Do you have to stay in your 30s or [-]s and grow a beard on your face to be respected?

There is no limit to the sea of ​​learning, and the master is the teacher.

Of course, the most important thing is that Mr. Jiang has more monthly silver than Liu Qin, so he has to build up his status and aura.Liu Qin must be given a mentality that he looks up to him, that he is indeed better than me, and that he deserves more money than me.

Otherwise, Wen Zong was descended from the sky, and he went down to the earth to find Shuxiu, which made the mortal Liu Qin feel unhappy, so what should he do if he quit?

Xie Qinghe had a clear idea of ​​Mr. Zhuang's calculations. He thought about it for a moment. If he taught in the manor publicly, he would definitely not be able to keep a low profile. It is bound to crazily increase his right to speak at home, and it will become very easy to take Jiang Youniang to Yangting County, and even intervene in Jiang Youniang's marriage.

"Let's have a look. In the study of calligraphy and painting, talent is the most important thing. If there are good seedlings, you can teach them." Xie Qinghe said.

Old Mr. Zhuang mainly wanted to give him a few wealthy students, in disguise to give Zhuang Tong some extra training, lest the manor pay Xie Qinghe too much monthly money, and Liu Qin would not be happy.After talking a lot, Zhuang Tong will naturally arrange the rest, and Mr. Zhuang greeted him and drank.

Zhuang Tong has been sitting at Xie Qinghe's table serving wine.

Unexpectedly, Liu Qin had no jealousy, clinked glasses with Xie Qinghe, and imagined the happy life of his future colleagues.

Liu Qin was originally helping Mr. Zhuang with teaching and doing chores, so he arranged for Xie Qinghe a place for tea breaks after school—it was next door to his residence.He didn't shy away from it at all, but he was greedy for Xie Qinghe's handwriting, and wanted Xie Qinghe's copybook calligraphy.

This Mr. Liu ate a pig's trotter and drank two more glasses, so he pestered Xie Qinghe and asked him to write a few big characters for himself.

Both Mr. Zhuang and Zhuang Tong had never seen Xie Qinghe's own handwriting, and they also had insight. Both father and son were beating the drums.

"Write." Xie Qinghe also understood their thoughts, "Just write."

Mian'er Tripier was going to spread paper and ink, but was preempted by Liu Qin and Zhuang Tong, Xie Qinghe was still drinking, they were busy around the desk for a while, and came to invite them when they were ready.Xie Qinghe walked to the table while drunk, held the pen in his hand, and looked at the snow-white rice paper.

Write, what word?

Giving Liu Qin words is nothing more than flattering his talent, learning and character, and there are many sentences that can be used.

Jiang Yingzhou's skin was not good at drinking, Xie Qinghe's fingertips were slightly numb, and he picked up the pen and wrote the first word——

learn.

Both Liu Qin and Zhuang Tong crowded around the table, watching him with bated breath, not daring to breathe.

It wasn't until the word was finished that Liu Qin said in a low voice: "Okay, good word."

Xie Qinghe quickly wrote another word, to.

Following St.

"Learn, follow, follow, and sage." Zhuang Tong read it again, thinking that Mr. Jiang would really flatter.

These four words are almost meaningless for his father, Mr. Zhuang, but for Liu Qin?I'm afraid Mr. Liu would not dare to ask for it.

"Absurd praise, absurd praise, don't dare to take it, don't take it." Liu Qin said that he didn't dare to do it, his face was full of joy, and he couldn't close his mouth with a smile. That posture wanted to push Xie Qinghe away from the desk, and he was about to push that The adverbs were taken away, "Oh, how can this be worthy of it! Tomorrow, tomorrow, I will send a moistening pen to Jiang Xiaolang! I have to frame my words myself, and hang them in my main hall!"

Xie Qinghe thought of his younger brother, so his thoughts about drinking and talking became much lighter, he put down his pen and returned to the table, and said: "Dare to ask for Mr. Zhuang's pulse."

Zhuang Tong quickly followed, bowed and said, "I dare not."

Mr. Zhuang also helped and said: "Since he wants to learn from Mr. Jiang, he also needs to talk about etiquette."

Xie Qinghe had no choice but to say: "Zhuang Tong, come and feel the pulse."

After checking the pulse, Xie Qinghe asked a few more questions, and learned that Zhuang Tong was overly sad after his mother died of illness. He suffered from cold, fever and cough for more than half a year. It's a swollen throat and a cough, no matter how much medicine you take.

"I don't know how much medicine to clear the lungs and reduce phlegm." Mr. Zhuang is really worried, "They say there is phlegm in the lungs and it hasn't been cleared."

If Xie Qinghe's cultivation base is still there, he can slap out the phlegm accumulated in his body with two pushes.There is really no way to solve it right now.

"It's difficult to take medicine alone, and the disease is still sitting between the camp and the guard." Xie Qinghe didn't have the patience to give Zhuang Tong diet therapy, and he didn't prescribe a prescription, "It's late at night, I'm a little drunk, and you don't have enough energy , I’ll teach you a set of internal training methods for health preservation some time later, put your heart into it, and you will be able to get rid of old troubles in three to five months.”

This statement surprised Mr. Zhuang and Zhuang Tong. This young gentleman, does he really understand the method of refining qi?

Xie Qinghe got up and said goodbye: "Thank you for your hospitality today, and see you tomorrow."

Mr. Zhuang still hoped that he could cure his son's illness, so he treated him very courteously, and personally carried a lantern to see him off. Liu Qin and Zhuang Tong also followed, and two schoolboys, Mian'er and Bi'er, accompanied him with lanterns.Xie Qinghe tried to persuade them several times but couldn't persuade them, so they had to be sent to the door in a lively manner.

It was no longer a book boy who was on duty late at night, but a burly servant. Mr. Zhuang told him, "Go and hitch the carriage."

He also told Zhuang Tong: "Take your trip and send your husband home."

Zhuang Tong bowed and said yes.

Xie Qinghe refused: "I live not far from the front, and my father only rented three rooms because of his relationship, so that it is convenient for me to come to study."

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help laughing again: "If you don't study now, it's the same if you come to teach. The house is spacious and you can live comfortably. It's too late today, and Mr. Jiang will come to see tomorrow. Is the place Zizhong arranged good? If not Well, Mr. Ren can choose from various places in the family. If it is good, why not move here." It is convenient to take care of Zhuang Tong nearby to treat illnesses and strengthen his health.

Xie Qinghe didn't want to live under the fence, so he laughed and went around: "Okay, come and see tomorrow."

Mr. Zhuang still insisted that Zhuang Tong take him home.

Xie Qinghe said: "He is not in good health, he shouldn't be walking at night, and hurt his energy. Just give me a night light."

Hearing that walking at night would hurt his body, Mr. Zhuang gave up his plan to let his son take the teacher home, and pulled Xie Qinghe at the door to talk for a long time. The lamp that Xie Qinghe borrowed was about to burn out. Then let Xie Qinghe leave.

The house Jiang Zhanwen rented was not far from the manor. Xie Qinghe arrived home after walking along the long street for less than half a mile.

It's just that the front door is another half-la house, a three-and-a-half room rented by my family, and the door opens in the alley.Xie Qinghe walked into the alley with the lamp in hand, and walked around before reaching the door.Unexpectedly, he heard footsteps behind him, and he quickly retreated to find a cover before turning around.

Seeing a familiar figure, Xie Qinghe remembered that in the afternoon he went to the people's market to buy a "boy" and went home.

Seeing that Xie Qinghe was frightened, he still had a method of advancing and retreating, and was very quick and dexterous, and there was a bit of surprise in his eyes.

However, it is certainly not right to scare the owner before entering the house.

He kept a safe and comfortable distance for Xie Qinghe, knelt down, and explained to Xie Qinghe: "I was waiting at the door, and my aunt went out several times. I was surprised to see the slave guarding the door. I have inherited the identity, but the master never came home, and my aunt did not dare to let my slave in and wait at the door. It was dark, and my slave was afraid that my aunt would worry about the door, so I went outside and waited, not daring to approach."

He didn't know whether Xie Qinghe's temper was good or bad, so he asked tentatively: "I accidentally frightened the master, please punish the master."

Xie Qinghe looked him up and down with a lamp, and said: "When it gets dark, go outside and wait? Didn't you see me passing the manor by the side of the street, and you followed to the manor? Are you happy to hear that? What news did you inquire about? Do you know my details?"

The "little servant" whose face was illuminated by the light remained unchanged, and insisted in a low voice: "The servant has always been at the door of the master's house."

Jiang Yingzhou's skin quality is extremely poor, and Xie Qinghe's five senses and six senses are also very common. He really didn't notice that someone was following him, and he was really taken aback at the door of his house.However, his powers of observation have always been there.

"Zhuang Xuling suffers from back pain all the year round, and the old mountain residence where he sleeps burns the incense of Jiangzhen calming spirit day and night, and the medicated oil he uses for massage, the smell is very strange and pungent." Xie Qinghe looked at the frostbite marks left on the "boy" and said, Said lightly, "Nose pus and lung swelling, hurt the sense of smell, haven't you recovered yet?"

This is the only flaw.

If this person hadn't been injured by Winter's Evil, he would definitely be a top assassin, the one who stalks and stalks without leaving any flaws.

Realizing that Xie Qinghe didn't speculate to deceive him, but really caught his own flaws in an instant, and deduced the truth, the "little servant" who was kneeling on the ground slowly lowered his head and stopped speaking.

"I just need a servant who carries water and chops firewood by my side. I don't care who you used to be or what secrets you have. Now you broke the rules, resumed your old business, and stalked me. I also If you don’t return you to the market, you will give me back the money you paid for selling yourself, and go on your own—I won’t report to the police to arrest you.” Xie Qinghe said.

The man seemed deeply surprised, and after thinking about it, he became a little anxious: "I... I have nowhere to go. The slave also has no money to return to the master."

Xie Qinghe really didn't want him anymore, and he was a little impatient when he heard the words: "With your ability, you can go all over the world, how can you not earn money? You don't need to pay it back now, you can give it to me in a few years. let's go."

"I will carry water and chop firewood." Seeing that Xie Qinghe was about to close the door, the man grabbed the door panel in panic and begged, "Master will have to go to the market to buy another person, and it will take a lot of effort, and it will be a waste of money. Why don't you forgive me?" I am a slave to see the aftermath."

Xie Qinghe saw that his fingers were pressing on the door, and the door couldn't be closed, so he couldn't help frowning: "Let go."

Jiang Erniang had heard the sound of the door a long time ago, but because she couldn't come out after washing in the house, she hurriedly wiped her face and wrapped her hair, when she saw her younger brother standing at the door, and there was a Taoist figure against the door, she was startled , picked up the tongs erected by the wall and rushed up: "Sure enough, you are a thief, and you dare to lie to me that you are a servant who bought it. You really think my sister and son are easy to bully!"

Xie Qinghe quickly reached out to stop her, and said, "Second Sister, don't hit me, I bought it."

Jiang Erniang looked suspicious, and asked: "Then why didn't you let him in?" Then she looked at the person kneeling on the ground several times, "Could it be that he has some kind of dirty disease? Get out quickly! ——No, I'll get the rope and put He is tied to the door, and he will go to the market tomorrow to leave! What kind of people are they, bullying foreigners? They even sold us a sick one!"

Xie Qinghe was dumbfounded by her, and said: "Second sister, don't go looking for ropes, I don't want to tie people up."

Jiang Erniang found out the thick hemp rope used for packing luggage, and while leading the rope to go out, she said, "Why don't you tie people up? What if he ran away? Did someone walk away in the middle of the night?" She thought she knew very well. Brother's mentality, he said with pity, "You are a person who reads and writes, and you are impatient to do these trivial things. You bring his contract, and I will return it tomorrow, and I will go to wrangling, you don't have to worry about it."

Before Xie Qinghe could speak, the man kneeling at the door stretched out his hand obediently, and explained in a low voice: "Auntie, I don't have a dirty disease. In winter, the teeth want to freeze me to death, and they don't give me clothes to wear. I have some diseases caused by freezing , has not recovered, this disease will not be severe. Auntie, don't send me back, okay?"

What he said was very pitiful, and he no longer called himself a "slave", trying to arouse Jiang Erniang's sympathy.

——Last winter, Ren Yazi almost froze to death on purpose. Sending him back is to let him fall into the hands of the wicked again, causing him to die.

Jiang Erniang was really taken aback by what he said.

It was only Jiang Erniang who was stunned for a moment, but Xie Qinghe, who had always seemed good-tempered and kind-hearted, became stern and scolded: "In front of me, you dare to tease my sister who manipulates me? I respect you a foot, you deceive me One zhang?"

Only then did Jiang Erniang realize suddenly that her younger brother originally forbade him to enter the door.This person is using himself.

"Second sister, you go into the room and close the door." Xie Qinghe said.

Jiang Erniang hesitated for a moment, then tugged at his sleeve, and said, "He's just not good, let's get him out tomorrow, or let's let him go, it's only one or two taels of silver... It's also a life."

Seeing Xie Qinghe nodding, Jiang Erniang took a step, then turned around and whispered to him: "Don't hit him."

Xie Qinghe was surprised.

Jiang Erniang bowed her head and said, "Don't hit me. It hurts." She obviously remembered what happened to her at Xu's house.

Xie Qinghe hugged her gently, and comforted her: "No way. Second sister, I won't hit him."

Jiang Erniang glanced at him and saw the gentleness and calmness in her younger brother's eyes, then she went back to her room with peace of mind and closed the door.

Xie Qinghe looked back at the man kneeling on the ground with his neck shrunk, and said after a while, "Are you thinking, what else can I do to you if my sister forbids me to touch your flesh?"

The man still had two loops of rope wrapped around his hands, and said in a low voice, "Your slave is at the master's disposal."

"I don't want your money, I just want you to go. If you want to go, you can go now." Xie Qinghe opened the door, "If you don't want to go...you should think about how to stay .”

The man's weak face suddenly became dull.

It's not that Xie Qinghe has to think about how to punish him without touching his flesh, but that he has to think hard about how to ask his master to forgive him.

It's not Xie Qinghe who is in trouble for Jiang Erniang's intercession, but him!

Xie Qinghe ignored the "little guy" kneeling in the small courtyard, and went straight to fetch water to wash his face, cook water and wash his feet, after tidying up, he went back to the house to rest.There is a "servant" who "doesn't understand the rules" at home, and he never closes the door, watching from the other side of the wall, after all Jiang Erniang lives next door.

The man knelt in the yard blankly for half an hour, then suddenly got up and went out with the bucket.

The water at home goes to the sweet water well deep in the alley. There are many people in the daytime and they have to queue up, but there are few people at night.Compared with Xie Qinghe's useless physique, the "little servant" from the Hou's mansion is much stronger and more flexible even if he is sick. In addition, Jiang Erniang loves his younger brother's hard work carrying water, so he saves water. He secretly brought two buckets of water back, so the man filled the water tank after two trips.

After carrying the water, the man swung his knife and chopped wood again.

Because Xie Qinghe explained that he was going to move, and there was no stove at home, Jiang Erniang didn't buy much firewood.

There is not much raw firewood at home, and after a while, the firewood will be chopped.Xie Qinghe listened to the commotion outside, the man also stacked the chopped firewood one by one and arranged them in the corner of the wall.

After carrying water and chopping firewood, there was a rustling sound of sweeping the floor in the yard.

Jiang Erniang is an extremely hardworking woman, she has almost done all the work in the yard, and there is nothing else to do.

Xie Qinghe heard the man step out of the door with heavy steps, and after a while, there was the dull sound of splashing water.After a while, the man came back and put the bucket back in place.Xie Qinghe heard the wrong footsteps, sat up from the bed, and looked around.

He happened to see the man go out the door naked and wet all over, knelt at the door and picked up the thick hemp rope left by Erniang Jiang on the ground, dexterously wrapped it around his hands, and put the other end inside the door.After wrapping his hands, he held the end of the rope and closed the door.

——As Jiang Erniang said, he tied himself to the door.

Before tying himself up, he took off his shirt and poured cold water all over himself.

Yangting County is near water, Xie Qinghe and the others live near shallow water, the river wind howls at night, and the temperature is not high.

That person was bought out in the afternoon, had no dinner, no clothes to keep out the cold, kneeling in a drafty alley, and poured cold water on his body, especially since he still had the sequelae of frostbite in winter...

Jiang Erniang said that he was not allowed to beat him.

However, there are many tortures in this world, which are more terrifying and deadly than beatings.

Xie Qinghe didn't want to torture people like this, he looked at the water-stained footprints left in the yard, and opened the gate.

The man bowed his head and knelt by the door, as if he was surprised that Xie Qinghe came out so soon - not coming out is the most terrifying, coming out too slowly is also very tormented, it is best to come out when the old illness is not affected.

Coming out too fast is not good.This most likely means that the new owner is out of this game and has no interest in punishing him.

Xie Qinghe caught the flickering confusion from the corner of the man's eyes, and said, "Get up, go get dressed."

"I beg the master to give me an inch of shelter." He knelt and refused to get up, "Today is a slave's fault, which violated the taboo of the master. If the master wants to drive the slave away, he is also worried that the slave will be restless and do bad things again. The master only needs to carry water and firewood. The servant girl, I picked up this tendon, leaving only one leg, so I can't climb over the wall and enter the room. Can I stay here?"

Xie Qinghe heard what he said seriously, and asked: "You insist on staying by my side, what is your plan?"

The man bowed his head for a while before saying: "I have done many wrong things."

"Following me can atone for you?" Xie Qinghe asked back.

The man nodded for a long time.

"You speak so hesitantly and untruthfully, do you really think that I am kind and easy to bully?" Xie Qinghe asked.

The man raised his head quickly: "No. It's just that many things... can't be said now."

"Can you tell me your name?" Xie Qinghe asked.

Even after struggling with this question for a while, the man replied in a low voice: "The name on the criminal record is Yan Ji, and the slave's real name is Shu Jing. It's not an impostor. From the beginning, the slave was living for Yan Ji. Slavery deserves it."

When talking, the night wind often blows, and Shu Jing has goosebumps all over his body, trembling unconsciously.

"Come in." Xie Qinghe took the rope and made a clever move, and the rope that had been wrapped more than a dozen times loosened instantly.

This man has many thoughts and is dishonest, so he doesn't show his hands to frighten him, I'm afraid he won't be able to restrain him.

Sure enough, Shu Jing was deeply curious and afraid of his methods, and after leaning over to thank him, he walked in unsteadily, his lips turned white from the cold.Xie Qinghe found him a towel and asked him to dry it before putting on his clothes. He immediately felt that Xie Qinghe had returned to his former gentleness and ease of talking.

Unexpectedly, Xie Qinghe just put on his clothes, came out with a needle bag in his hand, and asked, "Which leg?"

Shu Jing was dumbfounded: "Huh?"

"After thinking about it, it would be too cruel to pick a tendon of yours. It would stain the yard with blood and scare the second sister. I can also use needles to cripple your leg. It's not so cruel, and the effect is the same. Yes. Do you want to keep the left leg or the right leg?" Xie Qinghe asked kindly.

Shu Jing remained silent for a moment, his face pale.

"Are you joking about picking your hamstring?" Xie Qinghe rolled up the unrolled needle bag, "Let's go out."

"No!" Shu Jing immediately denied.

"Do you know what time it is?" Xie Qinghe asked.

Shu Jing's face was bloodless, and he lowered his head and said, "Destroy your left leg."

He took off the covered trousers, exposing his thin left leg, and touched it with his hand unconsciously.

Seeing that Xie Qinghe took out the silver needle, he couldn't help asking: "Forgive me for asking, where did I start? The whole leg? Or just below the knee? Ankle?... Is it permanently useless and can never be restored? ?”

Shu Jing knows martial arts and can recognize acupuncture points naturally, who would have thought that Xie Qinghe pierced a place that was not in a meridian at all.

For a moment, Shu Jing felt that his left leg was stiff.

Xie Qinghe took out the second needle from the needle bag and asked, "Do you still want to recover?"

Shu Jing pursed his lips and denied against his will: "I dare not."

The second needle was stuck in a place that was not in the meridian, Shu Jing was completely desperate, he couldn't even feel his own legs.

Xie Qinghe put away the needle pouch and said, "Keep the needle for a quarter of an hour."

Shu Jing's face turned slightly pale, and he said in a low voice, "Thank you Master for the punishment."

"This is not a punishment. It is the price you pay voluntarily for wanting to stay. Think about it for yourself. If you have never shown off your skills, you must