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Chapter 55
There was a roaring wind in his ear, the speed of stepping on the snow was too fast, the surrounding was dark, and the scenery passed quickly on both sides, and an Changqing could only see the everlasting bright stars overhead.
I don't know how long ran, but two people stopped on the edge of a small lake on the back of the snow.
If he had not seen it with his own eyes, no one would have thought that there was such a clear lake hidden in the depths of the desert. Maybe there is plenty of water, and the vegetation by the lake is more Overgrow than anywhere else. Among the vibrant grass, there are sporadic fireflies flying.
The moon and stars in the sky are reflected in the lake at this time, as if there is another untouchable star river hidden in the lake, as beautiful as a fairyland.
An Changqing got off his horse and walked around the lake in amazement. Xiao Zhige put the snow to play and followed him.
"it's so beautiful here. How did Prince find it?"
Looking for a clean stone by the lake, an Changqing brushed off the sand and dust and sat down, looking up at Xiao Zhige with a smile.
"I used to camp near here when I was marching." Xiao Zhige sat down at his side and slowly told him what had happened in the past.
At that time, he had just joined the army, and he was just a little soldier with little reputation. His army was transferred from Yanzhou to Liangzhou and was stationed not far away to rest when he did not march at night. At that time he was young and far less calm than he is now. He was woken up in the middle of the night by several soldiers in the same camp and sneaked out to find something to eat.
They were all half-grown boys, although they were full during the day, but they were not hungry. When their stomach cooed in the evening, they remembered that there was a lake here, so they asked their three or five companions to sneak out to catch fish. Sleep by the lake when you are full, and sneak back to the barracks before dawn.
"it was here that I became acquainted with Chang." At the beginning, he took the lead in encouraging him to go out to catch fish and eat, that is, Chang Chang.
Just not waiting for them to be happy for a few days, they heard that the war in Liangzhou was urgent, and they rushed to help, but unexpectedly, they suffered heavy losses in that battle. Only he and Chang Zaichang were still alive when they went to catch fish.
"it was hard at that time, wasn't it?" Watching him twist his eyebrows into memories, an Changqing asked softly.
He still held a man's hand in his hand, which was supposed to be a very good-looking pair of hands with broad palms and long and powerful fingers, but over the years he held a gun to kill the enemy, which made his knuckles thicker, palms covered with cocoons, and felt very rough. An Changqing once saw the hands of the prince and the third prince, all white and delicate, and could not even find a wound.
The prince who is pampered and pampered is supposed to be the crown prince and the third prince. Only Xiao Zhige has suffered a lot since he was a child.
Xiao Zhige shook his head and said with some smile, "bitter, but it's worth it."
"if you want to get something, you have to exchange it for something else."
When he said this, Xiao Zhige kept his eyes locked on an Changqing. Before the age of twenty, he really experienced the pain and tasted the cold and warm. But he always remembers what his mother's imperial concubine told him: each person in this world has his own destiny. Some people are sweet before they are bitter, and some people are bitter before they are sweet. Although my son has had ups and downs since he was a child, he will be willing to come when the hardship is over. You have to be patient. Wait, don't worry.
Xiao Zhige always remembered what his mother's imperial concubine told him.
He felt that an Changqing was his "joys and sorrows." He traded the ups and downs of the first two decades for the rest of his life.
An Changqing didn't know what he was thinking. He looked calm, thought about it, touched the oil paper bag in his purse, and fed it into his mouth with a round pine nut.
"when I'm here, it won't be hard."
The sweet taste of sugar spread on the tip of the tongue, and when Xiao Zhige looked down at him, he saw an Changqing smiling at him: "is it sweet?"
Xiao Zhige's eyes were slightly dark, and he was bewitched and generally bowed his head and kissed him, sent pine nuts into his mouth and murmured in a low voice: "Sweet, you taste it."
An Changqing held the melting pine nut in her mouth and looked at his face close at hand, and his heart stirred up vigorously, as if he had installed a big drum, which made him dizzy.
In order to cover up her panic, an Changqing crunched the pine nut candy and swallowed it, and then held out a small tip of her tongue to signal: "it's gone."
What he means is that this is the last pine nut in his pocket.
However, Xiao Zhige did not understand what he meant. His eyes were only fixed on the tip of a light red tongue that stretched out and retracted. He could not help itching between his throat and bowed his head to taste it again.
The light sweetness circulates between the two populations, and even the breath is the sweetness of pine nut candy.
An Changqing pressed against his chest and pushed people away to gasp for breath.
Xiao Zhige pressed his back and said low in his ear: "it's still sweet."
An Changqing glared at him, raised her hand and wiped her mouth, and said silently, "nonsense, no kissing." One more kiss will break the skin.
Xiao Zhige's Adam's apple rolled, the deeper his eyes, his fingers skillfully counted his dorsal spine node, and asked in a mute voice: "what I gave you last time.". Prescription, did you follow it? How come I haven't seen you use it since I came to Yanzhou? "
When she heard this unexpectedly, an Changqing stared, flushed quickly, stuttered for a while, and then uttered a complete sentence: "…". Use it, run out. "
When he was in Beijing, he warmed up with jade every day according to the prescription, and after using six small jade sticks, he did contraction exercises every day before going to bed according to the recorded method of breathing. This method is hidden, when he did it, he was too embarrassed to tell Xiao Zhige, he naturally did not know.
Glimpsing his reddish neck, Xiao Zhige chuckled and said, "when we get back to Yangzhou, shall we round the room?"
He used to worry too much, and he endured it for too long. But now can't help it.
An Changqing glanced sideways at him and murmured, "I didn't know who refused to get married."
Xiao Zhige was dumb, and a moment later he kissed him gently: "it's my fault." Here, give me another chance, will you? "
"I'll take a look at the snow." An Changqing got up, did not answer this question, ran to the edge of the snow, grabbed the reins and said to him, "didn't you say you want to teach me how to ride a horse?" Have you taught it or not? "
Xiao Zhige laughed, got up and walked towards him.
……
When the two men came back, the subordinates who went hunting also came back, and they were roasting the hare they had caught on the fire.
An Changqing sat on the horse, Xiao Zhige was holding the reins, and the two came slowly from afar. The subordinates looked surprised and muttered to themselves: have they ever seen the king of the Northern War be so careless and gentle to anyone? It's different when you're married.
On the face, all of them hung their heads and pretended to concentrate on roasting rabbits, glancing out of the corner of their eyes.
Only Chang Zaichang looked more and more painful and reminded him bitterly: "We are going to fight the Xizang people, not for you to fall in love!"
An Changqing felt a little embarrassed when she heard the words, and her face flushed slightly.
Xiao Zhige glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "say one more word, and you will go and talk to the Xizi people yourself."
This is the dead point of Chang Zaichang, who instantly shut up and slipped back to his place.
There happened to be a subordinate at the barbecue, but he was handsome. Chang used to sit by the fire and stare at people, looking dignified and not knowing what he was thinking. When his subordinates' hands began to tremble, he suddenly said, "are men and men really so good?"
The subordinate's hand shook and the half-cooked rabbit fell into the fire.
……
After sleeping in the open for one night, at dawn the next day, the party packed their bags and got on their horses and went on their way. It was only in the afternoon that finally arrived in Liangzhou.
Liangzhou and Yanzhou are close to each other, but the difference is not small. Exotic people with high noses and deep eyes can be seen everywhere in the city, and even the dress of the common people is quite different from that of Dawei.
Xiao Zhige explained to him: "Liangzhou is adjacent to Xipu, and many Western dung people who have suffered a lot of humiliation in Xipu have secretly come to Liangzhou." Although there is no household registration in Liangzhou, it is better than being bullied and oppressed as a livestock business in Xiyang. Many Western dung people settled in Liangzhou, and some even became their own children with the Dazu people, so that this generation merged into what is now Liangzhou. in this way, many Western dung people settled in Liangzhou, and some of them even became their own children.
Due to the integration of the Western dung people, it has also brought a lot of Western customs and traditions, which gradually affected the people of Liangzhou, making Liangzhou look exotic. An Changqing looked at the street vendors on both sides, simply dizzying.
When he got into the city and went to Chang Zaichang's residence, Xiao Zhige wanted to discuss with Chang Zaichang about how to deal with Xichang. An Changqing had nothing to do, so he took an escort and went around the city.
It is also located at the border, but Liangzhou is obviously more lively than Yanzhou. Because of its location and Xiao Zhige, Yanzhou has always been the city most hated by Beidi and the city with the most frequent wars. Therefore, naturally, it is not as lively and bustling as the neighboring Liangzhou and Chenzhou.
An Changqing showed people around and saw a lot of interesting gadgets. After walking two streets, ran into a teahouse where there was a Xiyi dancer dancing with monkeys. An Changqing looked at the surprise and took people in to have a cup of tea and have a rest.
Liangzhou tea is also different from ordinary tea, the tea here is not tea, but a variety of spices and medicinal herbs, the taste is a little salty, at first a little unaccustomed to drink, but drink two more mouthfuls, and can smack out the fragrance.
After drinking two cups of tea and watching a monkey dance, an Changqing saw that it was getting late, so she got up and got ready to go back. After going out, saw a lot of people around the opposite of the teahouse, and there was a faint rebuke from a man.
Looking through the gap in the crowd, saw a big man smoking a young girl with a piece of bamboo. The little girl was about a teenager, with little clothes on her head, shoulders and arms exposed, and a leather case like a fish's tail on her legs. He was kneeling at the edge of a big water tank, holding his arms and trembling.
An Changqing frowned, squeezed into the crowd, listened to the discussion around, and then got to the bottom of it.
It turned out that this was a pair of father and daughter who performed in a big water tank, dressed in fishtail covers and pretending to be a mackerel. It is said that when the little girl failed to hold her breath and made a mistake during the performance just now, the big man got angry and punished her.
Although he can't bear to see it, he is a father and daughter, and passers-by don't mind their own business. Just surround you and persuade me every word. The big man talked more and more energetically, saying that the family was poor and that the child's mother was seriously ill waiting for money to cure, but the child could not even do this well.
The little girl knelt on the ground with her arms in her arms and her head hanging down without saying a word.
Until the big man said, "I worked so hard to raise her", the little girl suddenly raised her head and hated: "you are not my father!" You didn't raise me! "
The big man gave her a slap in his voice and gave her a good slap: "I told you to talk nonsense!" I'm not your father. Who is?! "
The little girl trembled, but still insisted, "you're not!"
The big man was so angry that he picked up the small wooden stool beside the water tank and was about to hit her, but he was stopped by an Changqing first. Beckoning the guard to separate the people, an Changqing protected the little girl behind her and said angrily, "how could you be such a father?"
When the big man saw that he was well dressed and had an escort, he suddenly felt a little shaky, but he still pinched his neck and said, "you, you mind your own business, this is my family business!"
An Changqing ignored him, frowned and helped the little girl up, only to find that she had a fish tail on her leg and could not stand up at all. She could only sit on the ground first, took off her robe and put it on her.
"did you just say he's not your father?"
The little girl gave him a hesitant look, as if to tell if he was a bad guy. An Changqing looked at her gently and waited patiently for her answer.
Probably thinking that an Changqing did not look like a bad person, she nodded and said, "he is not my father. My father is long dead." He bought me. "
As soon as the little girl said this, the onlookers quit and began to point fingers at the big man. If they are pro-father and daughter, they will not be able to control other people's family affairs. But now that he knew that he was not born to him, all the words of the big man were deceiving them, and everyone began to be filled with righteous indignation.
An Changqing looked at the child, thought about it and asked, "how much did you buy it?" I'll give you the money, and I'll take the child with me. "
The big man is a little reluctant, but this child has earned a lot of money for him, and it is a cash cow that can generate money for a long time. He stumbled and said, "how can there be forced buying and selling?"
An Changqing could not bear to grind his mouth with him. She glanced at the guard around him. The guard looked cold, took a long knife out of its sheath, and looked at him badly.
The big man panicked, saw that he was not easy to mess with, and hurriedly said, "sell!" I'll sell it! 520. I bought it at 520. "
"he's talking nonsense. it's clear that he spent only five taels of silver!" The little girl said in a crisp voice.
The big man choked and glared at her viciously.
An Changqing took out five taels of silver and threw it to him and asked the guard to pick up the thin little child and take him back. Just as he was about to leave, someone stopped him and said, "this Childe, please stay."
An Changqing had a meal and looked back, only to see a young man in Tsing Yi, smiling at the corners of his mouth, very handsome, but looking at some weak appearance, with a beautiful maid on his side.
"what's wrong with your son?"
"the child is wearing a fishtail cover on his leg. If he doesn't take it off in time, he may hurt his leg."
An Changqing was stupefied and followed his fingers to see the child. The fishtail cover began at his waist and wrapped tightly around his legs, and he could hardly see any gap. Look at the little girl, who has been biting her lips tightly, although she has not spoken, her lips have turned white.
"my maid will pick it up. If you don't mind, you can find a place to get the fishtail from the child's leg first."
An Changqing meditated for a moment, thinking that he had brought an escort, but this man only brought a maid, so there should be no danger. Nodding, he entered the nearest teahouse and asked the waiter to prepare a wing room for them.
Although the little girl is not old, she is a girl in the end, and it is not good to take a fishtail condom in public.
After entering the wing, the maid picked up the child to the screen and went to get the fishtail cover on her leg. An Changqing is waiting outside for tea with the young man. The young man was very talkative and volunteered to report to his own family.
"my surname is Xue, and my first name is Yi Shan. I don't know what your son is called. "
"my last name is Ann, my name is Nuo."
For those who are unfamiliar with the land, they are accosted on their own initiative, and an Changqing is on guard in the end.
Xue Yi said, "I think Mr. an is a stranger. You are not from Liangzhou, are you?"
An Changqing did not say where she was from, but only said, "Yes, I have something to do in Liangzhou."
The two chatted casually, and the maid came out with the child in her arms, wrapped in an Changqing's robe and blushing a little.
The maid had no expression on her face and replied to Xue Yi, "the fishtail cover has been taken off and the leg has not been hurt, but this is a boy, not a girl."
An Changqing looked surprised and subconsciously went to see the child. The child is very good-looking, because he is young and has some gender-indistinguishable beauty, but a large red fish-scale birthmark grows under the left eye, which destroys the beauty.
The little boy looked at an Changqing with apprehension: "he told me to dress up as a girl, saying that there are many people in this way."
"he" naturally refers to the big man who bought him.
An Changqing immediately knew it, went forward and touched his head, took his hand, and said to Xue Yi, "now that the matter has been settled, I have something to do at home, so I will go first." Thank you very much, Brother Xue. "
Xue Yi smiled and said, "you're welcome, Brother Ann, take care." We are destined to meet again. "
An Changqing nodded to him and left with the little boy.
Behind him, Xue Yi did not turn away until he was out of sight. The maid, Kui Xue, followed him by her side and whispered, "Master Xiang, don't you want to go back?" Chang Zaichang has already brought someone back. "
Xue Yi, that is, Xue Wuyi, smiled faintly and said, "it's time to go back." Chang Jai-chang is back, and it's time for the king of the Northern War to arrive. "
Li Xue said, "do you want me to prepare the carriage?"
"take your time." Xue Wuyi waved his hand and suddenly asked, "Xue Xue, do you think there will be two unrelated people who look exactly the same in this world?"
Kui Xue shook her head and said, "the maidservant has never seen it."
Xue Wuyi mused for a moment and said, "send someone to find out the origin of this Ann."
"Yes."
The author has something to say: Chang Zaichang: we have to have a good chat about Xili.
Pussy (impatient): what a fart! Hurry up and finish the fight. I'm still in a hurry to get back to the round room.