The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 92 The sound of singing is tender and tender

There were obviously still the same lanterns, the same flow of people, and even the **** poems read by the young men chasing behind the green cars were no different from those an hour ago, but Liuli felt that everything was different. The person next to her was holding her hand all the time. His hand was warm and stable, not tightly held, but no matter how suddenly crowded, he would not let go. Instead, he would quickly bring her into a generous embrace. He easily protected her in the turbulent crowd. Every time at this time, a smile would come to her lips uncontrollably—fortunately, no one could see it.

Pei Xingjian no longer wore the ridiculous Tawoki Niang mask, but he put it on Liuli's face without refusal, and said to her in a coaxing tone, "If you bear with me a little longer today, let's watch the lanterns together in the future." "You don't have to wear this stuffy thing anymore." Liuli knew that he was worried that if he met someone who knew them, he would cause gossip for her, but she felt that it was fine like this. She could look at him how she wanted with the mask on. Just look at him however you want, smile however you want, and don't worry about scaring others.

With his hair tied like this tonight, Pei Xingjian looks more heroic than usual. When he smiles, his whole face seems to light up. He talks and walks much more briskly than usual, as if he is a different person. He took Liuli to several places near Dongshi with ease, and lowered his head to tell her whose handiwork the two-story lamp building was, and whose relatives and friends were sitting in that magnificent lamp shed. The two of them walked for an unknown amount of time. When the moon was at its zenith, they passed a lightship in front of the gate of Chu Suiliang's mansion and finally arrived at the crossroads of Pingkangfang. There is a lantern tree that is five or six feet high, with more than a dozen branches extending in all directions. On it are lifelike lotus lanterns, peony lanterns, dragon and tiger lanterns, beauty lanterns... There are crowds of people all around, and you can hear them. The sound of singing came from under the tree.

Pei Xingjian lowered his head and said, "When it comes to step singing in Chang'an City, this place is the most lively. Sometimes there are hundreds of people singing together all night long and returning at dawn. Do you want to go in and have a look?"

Liuli listened to the melodious and cheerful singing inside, feeling a little lost. But looking at the dense crowd of heads in front of her, she shook her head and said, "There are too many people."

Pei Xingjian raised his head and glanced inside. He didn't know what he thought of, and he laughed, "A few years ago, when I first entered Hongwen Hall, I made an appointment with my classmates to come here to see the excitement. I wanted to go in, but I didn't want to crowd with others. , I was really young and frivolous at that time, and without thinking I shouted at the top of my voice, "The beauties from Qinyin Pavilion are coming out to watch the lanterns!" Many people ran towards Qinyin Pavilion in the west with a roar, and we all got in at once. …”

Liuli couldn't help but laugh when she thought about Pei Xingjian's naughty and mischievous appearance as a teenager. Pei Xingjian looked at her and smiled, "If you want to go in, how about I call you like that again tonight?"

Liuli smiled and waved her hands, "No! If anyone still remembers the evil trick I got into back then, I'm afraid I'll be beaten into a pig's head before I even get in and see the beauty."

Pei Xingjian raised his eyebrows and smiled, "You underestimate me too much. Do you think I will still say that?"

Liuli thought for a while and nodded seriously, "Of course not. I guess you will yell, oh, who dropped the money bag?"

Pei Xingjian was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly, "What a good idea you have!"

When the two came out of Pingkangfang, the night wind was getting colder and the crowds of people watching the lanterns gradually became sparse. Pei Xingjian looked up at the moonlight and sighed, "I'm afraid it's almost the fourth watch." He turned to Liuli and said, "Let's go back. You have a good rest. I'll pick you up for a drink in the afternoon."

Liuli almost thought that there was something wrong with her ears for a moment, and she was so stunned that she couldn't say a word. Pei Xingjian smiled happily, "I have won the bet made by my mentor tonight. Shangyuan can take you out every day for the past three days."

Liuli couldn't help but ask, "What if you lose?"

Pei Xingjian glanced at her with a half-smile but not a smile, "You look down on me like this? It's called knowing oneself and knowing the enemy. How can I bet if I don't have any confidence? I have known for a long time which path my mentor and others will take and how many people they will bring. He also guessed this, but he probably didn't expect that I would wear women's clothes, let alone that I could recognize you. Therefore, when he made this bet, he would definitely lose. But I’m probably better at figuring out people’s minds and laying out doubts.”

Liuli became more and more curious, "I still don't understand, how can you recognize me?"

Pei Xingjian lowered his head and stared into her eyes, "I will take you to a place tomorrow afternoon. You will understand everything after you go there."

Liuli looked at him and felt that her mind slowly became blank again. Pei Xingjian smiled and sighed, leading Liuli back. Liuli was stunned for a long time before he remembered, "You haven't said yet, what will happen if you lose?" ?”

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "If I lose, I will go to my mentor's house for dinner every day before we get married!"

Liuli suddenly felt something in her heart and said softly, "You used to go there often, but why haven't you come here to eat anymore in the past few years?"

Pei Xingjian fell silent, and Liuli felt her heart start to feel a little heavy when she heard him let out a long sigh, "You may have heard that my mentor had a young daughter. She was only ten years old when I first came to my mentor's sect. I always thought of her as my biological sister. Later, something happened in my family and I moved back to this compound. I still went there every day as usual, but I never thought that she had grown up. The situation here was already complicated. I don’t know who spread the gossip, saying that my sister’s wife had ulterior motives for helping me. In this way, how could I get over it? Later, although my sister was married, I was not used to it. For one thing, I didn’t want to go. If I bring my troubles to my mentor's house, the silence after the excitement seems to be particularly difficult. It would be better to stay like this forever. "

 So that’s what happened! To what extent would those people push him before he would give up? Liuli's heart felt clogged, and she couldn't help but hold his hand tightly with her backhand. Pei Xingjian looked down at her and chuckled, "I have worked so hard just to get you to marry me as soon as possible. You Not very happy!"

Liuli couldn't help but laugh or cry. The tightness in her chest immediately dissipated by more than half, and she snorted softly. She had obviously been tricked by him into agreeing, okay? Seeing that she was almost at the gate of Changxingfang, she remembered the hot house in Yongningfang, and hurriedly recounted what happened and the general situation of the house in a low voice, "What do you think should be done? I also told my stepmother that she I still want to ask you to make up your mind." Pei Xingjian smiled lightly and said, "I can't refuse it anyway. How about we go check out the house tomorrow?"

Liuli said blankly, "A house like that only has a concierge. It wouldn't be good if people saw it, right?"

Pei Xingjian said lightly, "Of course no one will see it. Let's climb over the wall and get in."

Liuli stared at the man next to her with wide eyes, and had to admit that there were probably many things she didn't know about him.

In a blink of an eye, the door of Su Mansion was in front of him. Pei Xingjian stood in the shadow of the lamp and said with a smile, "It's so late, I won't throw myself into a trap. If my teacher wants to ask you, just tell the truth." As he said that, he reached out and took off her mask. He came down, looked at her for a long time, then suddenly lowered his head and kissed her gently on the forehead, saying softly, "Have a good rest and wait for me to pick you up."

　　…………

The carriage rolled, and unexpectedly turned a corner and entered the south gate of the West Market. There were still those familiar shops on both sides of the road. The smell of various spices mixed with the aroma of wine, meat, balsam and powder came straight through the screen window of the carriage, and the smell was still the same. Exactly the same as in memory. Looking at this road that she would never go wrong with her eyes closed, Liuli was almost unspeakably shocked: Could it be that Pei Xingjian picked her up specially to take her to visit her uncle at Jia Val Store? But now...

There were still dozens of meters away from Jia Vale's shop, but the carriage suddenly stopped. Liuli was stunned for a moment, put on her hat, opened the curtain and jumped out. Pei Xingjian had already dismounted and reached out to pick her up. There was a small wine shop in front of me. There was no Orchid in the house. The tables and chairs on the front were all ordinary. It had just opened, and there were not many customers inside. She would pass by this restaurant twice a day, but she never paid attention to what was going on inside.

A young boy came out with a smile on his face and said, "Jiuro, please come in quickly. I haven't seen you for a while, but you're still sitting in the same place?"

 He is actually a regular customer of this store? Liuli turned around and glanced at Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian just smiled and nodded to her. The waiter led the way diligently to the second floor. He took them to a private seat near the window and asked, "These two people in the shop are here." Rixin has imported Xiliang wine and August He’s Sanle wine, would Jiulang want to try it?”

Pei Xingjian said, "It's still the old rule. First heat up a pot of Wuyun juice. Then go to the restaurant in front and buy a Yuanri plate." Turning around, he asked Liuli again, "What would you like to drink?"

Liuli had hardly drank wine in the past few years, so she wanted to say that she might as well stop drinking, but looking at his expectant eyes, what she blurted out was, "Wine."

Pei Xingjian's eyes lit up and he laughed, "Another glass of Xiliang wine." The waiter responded loudly with a smile and exited the door.

Unlike the main hall on the first floor, where most students sit at tables and drinkers sit casually, the private room on the second floor still has mats on the seats and long tables with low tables. Pei Xingjian and Liuli sat down across from each other, and Pei Xingjian sat down. He asked with a smile, "What did your mentor say when you went back last night?"

Last night, Liuli walked to the door in a daze and knocked the knocker. When the concierge opened the door, she immediately looked behind her several times. As soon as she returned to her yard, Su Dingcong rushed over with Mrs. Yu... I remembered Liuli couldn't help but laugh at Su Dingfang's anxious look at that time, "Of course I hated you for running away so fast, so I asked me a question, and I said you were disguised as a woman, and that you recognized my figure. The adoptive father also stamped his feet and sighed for a long time, saying that he was too careless." He still couldn't help but said, "The adoptive father also asked me why you can recognize my figure. Naturally, I don't know when you have seen me. I’ve been there so many times, why can’t I remember it at all?”

Pei Xingjian smiled and said nothing. He stretched out his hand and pushed with a little force. The lower half of the window next to the two of them was pushed open more than two feet wide. The cold wind rushed in, and the street below could be seen. Pei Xingjian let go and closed the window lattice, then looked up at Liuli, "In the past few years, if I have nothing to do after I go to the office, I will come here to drink a bottle of wine and go back when the market closes. I remember that for more than a month, almost every day I can see you every day.”

Liuli couldn't help but be stunned. She went in and out of the West Market every day, but it only happened in February and March of the year before last. He only saw her two or three times at that time, right? I didn't help him at all, and even stabbed him unceremoniously on the price of the laminated screen. How could he...

Pei Xingjian just looked at her deeply in silence. There were two gentle knocks on the door, and he smiled, "Can I have a glass of wine first to build up my courage?"

Many thanks to my dear students Xianxiang, Xiannianhuakai and Xiaoxiaomei for the pink tip.

 (End of this chapter)