Chapter 31

To Pei You'an, this evening's accident was as if nothing had happened, and it passed away. He was as still as still water, as usual. But in Jiafu, all the joy and excitement in the past few days since he was taken out by him, is like a slender bud that has just emerged from the ground. Frozen.

Jiafu regretted the words she blurted out for a while, but it was also because of his ensuing response that she was reminded again.

She was very happy a few days ago.

Pei You'an was kind to her, tolerated her, observed her careful thoughts, and even made concessions in front of her. For example, this time, at the last moment of his departure, he relented and agreed to take her with him, but the barrier he set between the two of them was not. So sturdy, there was little hope of breaking the wall. She doesn't have so much time to slowly seek him to like her and be fascinated by her - and to be honest, in front of Pei You'an, she has no confidence in herself, except for the misfortune that she brought to herself in a previous life, she will see it in this life. With the skin that seems to be doomed, what else does she have? How could a man as exiled as Pei You'an like her and then agree to marry her?

But the idea of ​​marrying him had taken root in her heart from the very first day, and Jiafu couldn't get rid of this temptation to want to get close to him so that she could have a branch.

How can he make him promise himself?

This new blow, just like the words she blurted out without thinking, came unexpectedly, and Jiafu's mood was inevitably depressed. When he was about to return, he raised his smiley face again and waited for him. After waiting for a while, he saw his figure appear from a distance, next to An Cangzhu, the young master of the Tusi Mansion who had been with him yesterday.

An Cangzhu just caught up with Pei You'an just now. This is a dark-skinned, strong-looking young man with thick eyebrows and high nose. He wears earrings, a short knife around his waist, and the scabbard is full of gems of various colors. Pei You'an had saved his life before, so he respected Pei You'an very much.

An Cangzhu said a few words about the meeting between her father and Meng Ding Tusi Yisan tomorrow, and then asked: "Master Pei, your cousin, does she have a husband's family?"

Tomorrow, the meeting between the two chief chieftains of Mengmu and Mengding at Anlongguan on the border was facilitated by Pei Youan. Because of the importance of the matter, he had just come all the way. He had been thinking about this, and suddenly heard An Cangzhu ask about this, and gave a slight sigh. Startled, turned his face, glanced at him, saw the young man's face was slightly embarrassed, but the two eyes that were directed at him were full of expectations, and after a little thought, he understood.

In terms of age, he is not much older than the young chief of the Tusi Mansion, but in contrast to this young man full of vigor beside him, for a moment, Pei You'an's heart suddenly gave birth to a faint sense of desolation. sense.

He didn't really want to talk about this kind of topic about Jiafu with the young man beside him, but he still said, "She's still waiting for her."

An Cangzhu's eyes lit up: "Where is her home?"

Pei You'an said: "Quanzhou people."

An Cangzhu immediately became excited: "I know Quanzhou! When I was young, my father invited me to a Western table, and he was also a native of Quanzhou. I heard him say that Quanzhou is rich and rich, and there are many ship ports. Every day Hundreds of thousands of boats go in and out, and there are rare treasures all over the world. Seven or eight out of ten come from Quanzhou! There is a rich man named Zhen in Quanzhou who specializes in sea boats.

Pei You'an said vaguely: "She does have a few boats in her family..."

An Cangzhu hurriedly said, "That's great. Master Pei, can I have an interview with my cousin? My father is about to buy a batch of spices, and he is afraid that I will be deceived because I am located in the border area, and I will use it as a shoddy one. My cousin has a boat at home. There is also a spice business, wouldn't it be good for me to directly negotiate with my cousin?"

The guest room where Pei You'an lived was not far ahead. When he hesitated, An Cangzhu raised his eyes, just in time to see Jiafu standing at the door looking up at him, with a happy expression on his face, leaving Pei You'an behind and hurried to the front. , called out "Cousin Zhen".

Jiafu recognized that it was the son of the chieftain's mansion yesterday. Seeing him greeting her with a smile on her face, and calling her "Cousin Zhen", the tone seemed to be familiar. She glanced at Pei You'an, who was following behind her, and was a little confused. , Out of etiquette, he responded and performed the gift of a thousand blessings.

An Cangzhu waved her hands hurriedly, and said that she first apologized to Jiafu for her sister's behavior yesterday, saying that she had already taught her a lesson when she went back, and she would not dare to ask for trouble again.

In yesterday's fight, the fight was a happy one. After that, Pei You'an also protected her and didn't blame her for being ignorant. But after the fight, he wanted to live two lifetimes, and he was tearing up with a little girl like this. It's really incredible, and it's not a glorious thing. I didn't want to mention it, so I answered vaguely.

An Cangzhu didn't come here just to make amends, she finished her head and said, "Just now I heard Mr. Pei say that your home is in Quanzhou, and you have a boat to travel overseas? I'm about to buy a batch of spices here, and the number is not enough. It’s small, and it will be repurchased in the future. I wonder if my cousin’s family is willing to accept this business? The deposit will be delivered, and everything will go according to your rules. If it is convenient, I can discuss it with my cousin in detail.”

This was a no-brainer, Jiafu was stunned, and looked at Pei You'an subconsciously.

He was standing behind An Cangzhu, his expression was flat, and he looked almost the same as usual. Jiafu couldn't see what he meant, but she didn't think about it, and immediately said: "Thank you young master for your kindness. It's just unfortunate, my family Although there are a few boats in China, there are not many spices in the goods that have traveled in the past two years, so this business may not be possible."

An Cangzhu was not discouraged, and said, "Since my cousin is from Quanzhou, she must know some cargo owners. Can you recommend some good ones for me?"

Jiafu looked apologetic: "I'm really sorry, I only know embroidery and drawing red at home, and I don't know anything about the outside world. I'm afraid I can't help the young master."

An Cangzhu looked disappointed, but soon, she said cheerfully: "It doesn't matter. I think that Mr. Pei is so busy with affairs these days that I am afraid that he has no time to take care of his cousin. Since she came to me, she is a distinguished guest of the Tusi Mansion. , I have a few scenic spots here, but if my cousin doesn't give up, how about I send someone to lead you out for a walk?"

He turned to Pei You'an: "Lord Pei, I see my cousin staying in the guest house all day long, unable to move an inch, so I feel suffocated. Lord Pei has come from a long way to resolve disputes for my Mengmu Mansion. Do the best of the landlord's friendship."

Pei You'an couldn't help looking at Jiafu, and her eyes met the two eyes she cast in the air. Seeing that the corners of her lips were slightly upturned, her smile seemed to be absent, her eyebrows were soft, her eyes were light and watery, and her expression was charming and tactful. There is a vague sense of ambiguity.

This feeling is extremely mysterious, elusive, and yet everywhere.

He was in a trance, suspecting that he was looking at the wrong eye, and subconsciously looked over again, but Jiafu had already turned his face, so everything disappeared in an instant. Seeing her smiling at An Cangzhu, Pei You'an said, "I don't dare to bother the young master. To be honest, the reason why I came here with my eldest cousin was because I had been ill before and needed to be treated by my eldest cousin. Come to your land, because I can’t give up halfway, so I brought me here. When I get healthy, how about bothering the young master again?”

These words should be accurate, not only explaining why Pei You'an brought her here inexplicably, but also euphemistically rejecting An Cangzhu's warm invitation.

Pei Youan regained his senses and glanced at her again.

She looked at the toast's son with a pair of bright eyes with a sincere expression.

An Cangzhu was disappointed again, so she nodded and let her rest in peace and left unhappy.

Jiafu followed Pei Youan in, brought tea diligently, and said with a smile, "Cousin, why are you back so early today? Do you have to go out tonight?"

From here, Pei Youan has to meet all kinds of people every day, and tomorrow is the key to this trip. His mind was originally condensed, but at this moment, seeing her walking around in front of him, his mood was inexplicably relaxed, and he smiled. : "Everything is arranged, I also pushed the toast's banquet, I will not be out at night, rest early, and I will have business tomorrow."

Jiafu was very happy: "It's great, cousin, sit down, I'll go see the sweet soup I made, and I'll serve you a bowl."

Pei You'an didn't like sweet things at first, but she liked sweet things, so he followed her, looking at her briskly away back for a moment, fascinated.

...

Early the next morning, Pei You'an An Jilong and his party came out of the Tusi Mansion and arrived at Anlong Pass, which borders Mengding Mansion. Here, under the auspices of Pei You'an, An Jilong and Meng Ding Tusi Yisan will have a meeting to resolve the recent resurgence of disputes.

This new dispute comes from the consolation envoy Ma who left not long ago. When he was there, he deliberately rewarded An Jilong generously, passed on the emperor's order to give him the title of "Great Chieftain", and with a single sentence, he lightly divided the Anlong Pass, which had always been in dispute between Mengmu Mansion and Meng Ding Mansion. Giving it to An Jilong caused Ethan's dissatisfaction. As soon as Lord Ma left, Ethan destroyed the covenant made a few years ago and attacked Mengmu Mansion again on the pretext that his ancestral land could not be lost to him.

The reason why we chose the meeting place here today is to reassure each other. The flat ground where they met was open and wide, with no trees and rocks to block, no one could hide, and no ambush could be set up.

According to the previous agreement, An Jilong only brought twenty selected guards. When he arrived at the location, he ordered the guards to stop in the open space a few feet away, and he and Pei Youan took their seats.

There were still two quarters of an hour before the appointment. Except for Ethan, who had not arrived yet, the other dozen chiefs who were invited to witness had already arrived. Everyone present knew Pei You'an, and when they saw him coming, they all greeted him. After the greeting, Pei You'an did his part to sit in the middle, An Jilong sat on the left and the right was vacant, waiting for Ethan's arrival.

The sun gradually rose, and the appointed time had come, but Ethan had not yet appeared. An Jilong was unhappy, and the chieftains talked in a low voice. After a while, at the end of the line of sight, a large group of black horses finally appeared. The rising dust came towards this side. Looking at this posture, there were at least hundreds of people, mighty and mighty, and gradually approached, and it was clear that it was Ethan who was late.

The two parties originally agreed to bring a maximum of 20 guards each, but the meeting has not yet started. Ethan didn't say anything late, so he broke the rules and brought so many people to the scene. An Cangzhu, who was standing beside An Jilong, was angry. Immediately said: "Father, what does he want to do? I'll go and count the troops!"

Before he came out, An Jilong also brought hundreds of people to make sure it happened, but the rest of them were left several miles away and were not brought here.

An Jilong was also annoyed, glanced at Pei You'an, saw that he was still, still sitting on it, staring straight ahead, with a calm expression, thought for a while, and held back his anger: "He probably wants to give us a slap in the face. With Lord Pei around, I don't think he would dare to mess around. Let's see."