Broken Iron Clothes

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Holding a pack of medicinal powder in hand, Xu Bing lit the table and sat in meditation for a while before going out the door with the jug in hand, and called Zhang Ling, "Let's go."

After hearing the sound, Zhang Ling jumped down from the railing, raised his fingers to pick off the riding whip tied around his waist, and followed.

The grass and trees surround the house, the flowers are scattered on the grate fence, and there is only one thatched hut with its door closed in the smoke.

Zhang Ling held a thatch in the corner of his mouth, and squatted by the door with his arms hanging on his knees. From time to time, birds would make noise, so he would pick up stones and smash the birds down as if having fun, and then continued to flick The thatch around the mouth.

Xu Bing came in the afternoon, and when he entered, he carried two small altars of wine and a wine jug in his hand.Jiang Yu didn't say anything, just put down the basket that Ben was still holding, and sat down.

The wine jar was empty, only the jug was still on the table, Xu Bin didn't say anything, but Jiang Yu knew that it was for him to drink.

Now Xu Bin was a little drunk, held the empty altar in his hand, and said drunkenly: "When I went far to the northwest, I saw the desert snow field, the wind and snow blowing, and the majestic mountains. If you go east, you can see it again. The mighty river pours out from the cloud mountain, surging southward..."

He stared at a certain place and choked for a moment, as if he saw that figure rafting on the water and walking between the bridges, but he traveled to the northwest of Dali, and when he lit the lamp for a night tour, he always thought of the same person...

"Yu Chuan, Yu Chuan, I traced the mountains and rivers for you to see, with the tip of my pen, and ink on the paper, but 11 years ago, I wiped all the paper on the Bianwu River, and you have never been able to take a look."

220 Eight sheets of drawing paper, sinking into the river.

At that time, he really thought that Jiang Yu was gone, and his grief overwhelmed other emotions, which made him unbearable for a while, and wept bitterly towards the river.

But whether it was his longing for Jiang Yu when he was far away in the northwest, or the pain when he was boating on the Bianwu River, Jiang Yu never took a look at it.

Xu Bing rubbed his face, frowned and blinked away the tears in his eyes, and then said: "I have been in the Northwest for five years. I have no relatives or friends. I walk alone day and night. How can you not even have a piece of letter paper?" Willing to write to me..."

Letterhead...

Jiang Yu's eyes moved slightly, and he saw the wine jar in Xu Bing's hand hit the edge of the table and dropped his hand. He followed the falling jar and looked towards the ground, but what he saw was a pen with ink marks on it.

When she was young, Jiang Yu bent down to pick up the ink pen, but when she looked up again, she saw Cheng Yuanjun standing by the door, and hurriedly covered the paper on the table.

"Sir." Jiang Yu pretended to be calm.

"What are you writing?" Cheng Yuanjun approached and stretched out his hand to take out the paper that Jiang Yu had covered up. The words "Bo Jin, the words are like meeting you" stood out in your eyes.

Cheng Yuanjun folded the paper slowly and said, "Do you understand why I asked Bo Jin to go to the northwest?"

Jiang Yu said: "Bo Jin made a slip of the tongue in front of everyone. My husband sent him to the Northwest to teach him what is war and suffering."

"He dared to say in front of many students in the Imperial College that 'fighting can protect the safety of the country', so he should have thought of how he would mislead his children if such one-sided words were spread in this way," Cheng Yuanjun said angrily, with a serious expression on his face, unconsciously He clenched his fingers tightly, "How can we talk about living and living in troubled times? How can we talk about the peace and prosperity of the country and the people when the people are full of wars?" He casually trampled on the peace that the border soldiers strived for. Since he intends to embark on an official career , how can you not know that "the rise and fall are the sufferings of the people" is not just talking about it. Today's Dali is not considered a prosperous world, but when building high-rise buildings and building cities, isn't it common people who are suffering from corvee? How many people in the border can escape from being displaced and having their homes destroyed?"

Jiang Yu listened to the teaching with his head down, and then Cheng Yuanjun continued: "Although Bojin's family is rich, as a minister, he should look at all living beings and consolidate the foundation of the country. If he doesn't know what it is like to suffer for the soldiers and the people on the frontier, I will let him He tasted it himself. The soldiers on the frontier are very homesick. If the war is unstoppable and the chaos continues, they may not expect to see a letter from home for a few years, so your correspondence with him should be cut off. I have already managed the Northwest. A few old acquaintances, if he can't support it, someone will give generously."

Jiang Yu said: "Although the master tried his best to make him think about his mistakes, after all, Bo Jin was born in Yancheng. He has a high spirit and has never encountered any hardships. The conditions in the Northwest are already difficult. If you don't even give him a thought, how can you support him?" come over……"

Cheng Yuanjun interrupted: "His temperament needs to be tempered. He even had you to advise him when he was in Yancheng, but Yu Chuan, can you not leave him half a step at all times? If you and I are not by his side in the future On the other hand, who can guarantee that he can achieve self-reflection and self-realization. Bo Jin has always relied on you too much, and if this continues, it will not be a good thing for you or him."

"But sir..."

"No, but I've made up my mind. Since he respectfully calls me 'Sir', I won't allow him to ignore people's livelihood because of a momentary slip of the tongue. If you still insist on sending a letter to him, you will shut your doors and think about it for three months."

As soon as the words fell, Jiang Yu lifted her robe and knelt down resolutely without any hesitation.

Cheng Yuanjun clenched his sleeves tightly and said in shock, "You are..."

"Sir, Yu Chuan's intentions are hard to change, and he is willing to close the door and think about his mistakes."

Since then, Cheng Yuanjun deliberately did not mention this matter, and Jiang Yu has no way of knowing Xu Bin's whereabouts. He wrote a pile of letter paper but did not know where to send it.

But Jiang Yu never said these things to Xu Bing.

"I've never told you about these things," Xu Bin said.

He squatted down to pick up the empty altar, and when he got up, he couldn't stand still and shook it. Jiang Yu supported him.Xu Bin's heart flashed a little moved, and he couldn't help holding Jiang Yu's hand instead.

Holding the lost warmth in her hand, Xu Bin was in a daze for a moment before remembering what she was about to say.

"Yu Chuan, in those years you made me wait, and in these years you made me hard to find, who and what made you avoid me?"

Jiang Yu's eyes were gloomy, she looked straight at Xu Bin, and said: "How did I survive back then, where is the former prince, and do I have the intention to participate in politics? You have laid the groundwork so much, and what you want to ask the most are these three sentences. Because the former crown prince and I, no matter who stays in the world, it is a threat to you. You are worried that the former crown prince is a royal family. If one day he can return to the city, it is only natural to replace the throne, and you are worried about me intervening. Chaotang, another civil servant will confront you tit for tat."

Like a thorn in his hand, Xu Bing shrank his fingertips suddenly, and gradually let go of his fingers.

"Yu Chuan..." He smiled wryly and called tentatively.

But Jiang Yu looked away: "Bo Jin, I know you too well, it doesn't matter whether we have a lot of things to say or not."

"I don't ask why you came to find me or how you found me, so you don't have to ask those words anymore," Jiang Yu clasped his fingers tightly, his lips moved, and he hesitated to say the second half of the sentence after a long while, "I am not I haven't thought about the relationship between you and Feng's, it's just that I don't want to admit it. Now I can only say that I have a clear conscience towards Da Li, can you?"

From the moment he saw Xu Bing, Jiang Yu guessed today's result, but there were too many regrets between them, so he pretended to be innocent and spent time in the mountains and rivers every day, just to make up for what they missed. joy.

Xu Bing forced a smile, and said, "Yu Chuan, I thought there was still friendship between us. It turns out that the so-called water flow and flowers fade are all true."

Jiang Yu said: "Since you also believe in the principle of 'the past cannot be refuted', why bother to bind each other with the past, now you are no longer Xu Bojin before going to the northwest, and I am not Jiang Yuchuan before falling into the river. We are our own masters, we go our own way, and we have nothing to say."

So much can change in five years.From the moment Xu Bin returned to Jacheng from the northwest and learned that Jiang Yu had become the prince and grand teacher, they were destined to part ways.

"I have nothing to say..." Xu Bin was stabbed by these four words, he shook his head and laughed at himself, the resentment accumulated in his heart could no longer be contained, and gradually burst out.

"I admire you when you are talking among the literati, and I am grateful to you when you are helping me out. I regard you as an elder brother, and I also recognize you as a close friend. In the first half of my life, Xu Bojin was the only one who treated me sincerely. , but what do you take me for?" The gleam in his eyes appeared again, Xu Bing propped himself on the table, his face flushed.

Jiang Yu stared at the jug on the table and remained silent. At this point, he didn't intend to say anything.

Xu Bin looked at Jiang Yu, but it seemed that he could only hear the word disappointment from his silence.

He then sneered and said, "Yes, I thought I was frivolous and arrogant when I was young, and I provoked you a lot, but if you are so unwilling to accept me, why don't you refuse to help me with all your strength, and then when I went to the Northwest alone, at the end of my life You don’t even want to give me a single thought. Do you know what it’s like to be exhausted little by little? You know that after I returned home, I learned that you, Jiang Yuchuan, became a prince and grand teacher when I was down and down. What does it taste like?!"

Jiang Yu looked at him with gentle eyes, but stretched out his hand to the jug on the table, raised it to his mouth and drank it down, just like how resolutely he knelt in front of Cheng Yuanjun back then.

Xu Bing looked up at him in disbelief, and froze on the spot, just like 11 years ago, he watched the drawing papers full of nostalgia sinking into the river, powerless.

"That's the end of it," Jiang Yu said indifferently, "Bojin, you just hate me alone, stop taking the lives of the people of Dali as a joke."

"Jiang Yuchuan." Xu Bing smiled suddenly, and the corners of his mouth gradually parted. He leaned on the table and smiled uncontrollably, his eyes were red and his voice was trembling.

"Jiang Yuchuan..." Xu Bing called with a sob.

With tense fingers, he buried his head on the table and cried, "It's too late..."

The mountains and rivers are far away, and they see it too late.

-

When leaving, Xu Bing looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Yu Chuan, let's say goodbye today. We will never see each other again. Would you like to send me another ride?"

Jiang Yu stepped up and followed him, watching him go to the carriage.

"Let's go, it's going to rain." Jiang Yu said.

Xu Bing stopped in his tracks suddenly, his throat constricted.

In the cold winter 22 years ago, Jiang Yu also sent him off behind him.At that time, the post road was covered with white snow, and he looked at the bleak road ahead, and when he turned around, he could still see the way home.

"Let's go, it's going to rain," Jiang Yu said, "The road ahead is difficult, don't forget me."

Xu Bin pretended to be joking: "Who are you, why should I remember you?"

Jiang Yu smiled happily and said, "Jiang Yuchuan, Xu Bojin's close friend."

The past suddenly seemed like a dream, Xu Bin took a step forward, the past of wading through the water and toasting for fun had been covered under the frost and snow of that year.

confidant.

Xu Bing said softly, but now he has lost his way back, and he dare not look back, only knowing that the person behind him will definitely stand in the same place and watch him, just like before.

"Let's go." Xu Bin said with his back.

"Let's go." Jiang Yu replied, "There's no need to look back."

Xu Bing didn't answer any more, stepped into the car quickly, and sat up straight with her eyes closed.His eyes were scorching hot, he raised his hand and rubbed the center of his brows, but his five fingers were still trembling, and tears were all over his face.

The carriage passed by on the mountain road. Zhang Ling played with the whip, rapped on the carriage leisurely, and asked, "He left like this before the poison was released. If others see the dead body, they will make a fuss. Do you really need me to turn around and clean it up?" ?”

"Need not."

Xu Bing murmured to himself, "No one should go back."

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"Rise and fall are the suffering of the people" adapted from Zhang Yanghao's "Shanpo Yang·Tong Caring Ancient" "Prosperity, the people are suffering; death, the people are suffering."