Denghuaxiao Chapter 121

 Ever since Pei Yunying came uninvited last time, Miao Liangfang had been feeling uneasy for many days.

Du Changqing didn't notice the uneasiness in the new gentleman's heart. He was busy preparing wine and fruits to send to the Kitchen God, attaching to the Stove Horse, buying Tusu wine and gum candies - he was always busy at the end of the year.

In the Yazhai bookstore on West Street, books are piled inside, and Luo Dazui sets up his stall outside. Various Zhongkui, peach boards, peach charms, Caimen blunt donkeys, Huitouluma, and Tianxing posts are piled everywhere. They are all, and the alley is always crowded with people choosing.

Du Changqing also went to pick out a few Caimen blunt donkeys. When the boy from Hu's family brought the good news, Du Changqing was posting spring posters on both sides of the gate.

The spring post was sent by Wu Xiucai on behalf of others. It has black characters on a red background and was written by Wu Xiucai himself. On one side it says "The bright moon shines brightly at the door", and on the other side it says "The spring breeze sweeps the door".

After Du Changqing finished sticking to the left, he stepped on a stool to stick to the right. Acheng was holding the foot of the stool steady for him. Yin Zheng stood a few steps away and looked up. He gestured hurriedly: "It's lower, go to the right and higher." , a little higher, by the way—"

The young man crossed the door and ran to Lu Chen. He thrust the envelope into Lu Chen's hand with a smile and said loudly: "Doctor Lu, I asked you to pay your New Year greetings. This is something you asked me to do before. Sir. Let me bring you a message, Doctor Lu, just prepare well for the spring exam, and the medical office will take care of everything!"

Du Changqing stumbled and almost fell down. Acheng helped him down. Miao Liangfang's hands were full of medicine, and he didn't care about the cane. He limped from the back of the shop and walked around behind Lu Zhuo. He stretched his neck and asked: "Did you get the quota for the spring examination?"

Lu Zhen lowered his head and took out a thin copper piece from the letter paper. On the copper piece, "Renxin Medical Center" and Lu Zhen's name were written.

 This is the order when entering the Spring Examination Hall.

"Great!" Yin Zheng was overjoyed, "Girl can take part in the spring exam!"

 In fact, these days, Miao Liangfang has been teaching Lu Chen to prepare for the spring exam. However, the harder Lu Chen works, the more worried the other people in the medical center see. It is not known whether the number of ordinary medical workers recommended by the medical office can pass the spring examination of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Moreover, Mrs. Dong, the minister of Taifu Temple, may make Lu Yun unable to stand in front of the spring examination gate with just one order. Return with success.

But God bless, maybe Mrs. Dong looked down upon such a little medical girl, or maybe in their eyes, even if Lu Zhu took part in the spring exam, he would never pass in the end, and he was just asking for trouble. , in short, Mrs. Dong did not interfere here, and the recommendation of Hu Yuan's trustee was passed so smoothly.

Lu Zhen looked at the thin copper piece in his hand, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

“It's a double happiness today.” Du Changqing kicked Acheng's butt, “Go, take out the firecrackers and let us celebrate, Doctor Lu!”

 “Master, that's not just for keeping watch at night…”

"Go if I tell you to!" Du Changqing said impatiently, "Young Master has a lot of money, but still lacks two strings of firecrackers?"

 “Oh.” Acheng rubbed his butt.

“Pick out the biggest and loudest one and put it at the door. Try to get a firecracker and throw it out. The whole West Street will explode!”

"oh!"

Early in the morning, the sound of firecrackers was heard one after another on the streets, and children running with bamboo poles hung firecrackers under the eaves.

It is already the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the shops on the street have closed. The wanderers are returning home and are busy worshiping ancestors, hanging talismans, and watching the New Year. There are not many pedestrians visible on the street. The red firecrackers light up the white snow on the long street, but the noisy sound makes the New Year's Eve The early morning made it even more deserted.

In the small courtyard of the Palace Commander's Mansion, the black dog that used to play in the snow was not there today - it was being led home by Duan Xiaoyan.

The sound of firecrackers on the long street was faintly blown into the house along the window cracks. In the department, the young man was sitting in front of the window, half of his body sunk in the chair. The cloudy sky in the depth of winter made the light in the front department not as bright as in the past. There is also a shadow of loneliness.

He was not wearing official clothes today, only wearing a rosewood-colored round-necked brocade coat. He lowered his eyes silently at the Suan Ni paperweight in front of him, not knowing what he was thinking.

Today is New Year's Eve. Except for the guards who are on duty in the palace, all the other people in front of the palace have gone home.

 Siwei, who is usually lively, becomes more and more arrogant during the most lively festivals.

 He should actually go back home.

No matter how much he hates it, he has to go back to Pei Mansion every New Year's Eve. He should go to the ancestral hall to offer incense to his mother's tablet.

But he didn't want to go back, so he just sat in this deserted guard, as if he wanted to sit there until the end of time.

This is what Qing Feng saw as soon as he entered the door. The figure of the handsome young man was trapped in darkness, without his usual sharpness, and there was a hint of tiredness in his brows and eyes.

With a slight hesitation in his steps, Pei Yunying heard the movement and raised his eyes to look at him.

"came back?"

 “Yes, my lord.”

Qing Feng entered the door, walked quickly to Pei Yunying, took out a secret letter from his arms and presented it, and whispered: "Sir, all the news about the Lu family that can be found is here."

 “Well, thank you for your hard work.”

A few days ago, due to the strange behavior of the Taishi Mansion, Pei Yunying asked Qingfeng to personally visit Changwu County to inquire about the Lu family.

Changwu County and Shengjing are thousands of miles apart. Qingfeng worked hard, changing waterways in the middle, and finally caught up on New Year's Eve.

Pei Yunying lowered his head and opened the secret letter in his hand. When Qing Feng saw him pulling out the secret scroll, he couldn't help but say: "A year ago, all the living members of the Lu family in Changwu County were wiped out. Most of the Lu family's house was burned down. I searched the house and found no clues."

Pei Yunying's eyes moved slightly.

Qingfeng lowered his head, thinking about the information he had gotten back, and sighed secretly in his heart.

Because the task came in a hurry, Qing Feng did not dare to rest after arriving in Changwu County, and immediately started investigating.

Changwu County is very small, with only a few streets. The neighbors are all familiar with each other, so it is easy to make inquiries. In addition, what happened to the Lu family spread widely in Changwu County. Qing Feng only stayed in Changwu County for a few days and found out all the news about the Lu family.

The master of the Lu family, Lu Qilin, is an ordinary teacher in Changwu County. He lives in poverty. Mrs. Li, Mrs. Lu, owns a grocery store and sells small groceries on weekdays. They have two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter Lu Rou married two years ago to the Ke family who sells porcelain in the capital. She died of illness a year later. The second son, Lu Qian, was imprisoned in Beijing a year ago for insulting women and stealing property, and was later sentenced to death.

After Lu Qilin learned that his second son was in prison, he rushed to Shengjing, but encountered huge waves on the waterway, the boat capsized, and no body was left. The remaining Mrs. Lu, Mrs. Li, lost her daughter, her son, and her husband in a short period of time. She went crazy overnight, knocked over an oil lamp at night, and died in a sea of ​​fire.

People in Changwu County were half-sighed and half-feared when they mentioned the Lu family. They just said, "The Lu family must have collided with something unclean. How come the Lu family is so evil?"

 Qing Feng knew very well that the Lu family had indeed collided, but what they had collided with was not an evil thing, but someone who had offended someone.

 This is a tragedy that wiped out an entire family.

Pei Yunying was still looking at the secret message in his hand, looking at it with a frown on his face: "Liu Kun?"

 Liu Kun was also mentioned in this letter.

Qingfeng said: "Liu Kun is Lu Qilin's cousin."

 Liu Kun is Lu Qilin's cousin, and he lived next door to the Lu family in Changwu County. But many years ago, Liu Kun took his family to Shengjing to make a living.

This news is difficult to find out, because the Liu family left Changwu County too early. Eight years ago, there was an epidemic in Changwu County, and countless people died of the disease. Later, the younger ones did not even know that there was a Liu family.

Pei Yunying stared at the secret letter in his hand, his eyes unclear: "So, Liu Kun personally sent his nephew to prison?"

"yes."

Hearing that Lu Qian was arrested by the government after committing a crime, it was Liu Kun who reported Lu Qian's hiding place. It was nothing before, but when I learned about the relationship between the Liu family and the Lu family, it was inevitable to feel a little sad when I saw Liu Kun's behavior.

Pei Yunying said calmly: "So, it's because of this."

　　The miserable corpse at the foot of Wangchun Mountain, the tragic end of the Liu brothers' exile, Wang Chunzhi's madness...it turns out that this is the crux of the hatred.

　　It's true, **** for tat.

 He lowered his eyes and his eyes fell on the bottom line of the secret letter, where Lu Qilin's youngest daughter, Lu Min, was recorded.

Seeing him like this, Qing Feng said: "Lu Qilin once had a little daughter, Lu Min, who was born on the first day of the year seventeen years ago, but she was lost when the plague broke out in Changwu County eight years ago. The person I found said she was with the kidnapper Gone, maybe dead. The Lu family has never given up looking for the child these years, but to no avail."

“In Changwu County, we can't find any news about Lu Min in recent years.” Qing Feng looked ashamed.

 He knew that Pei Yunying asked him to go to Changwu County just to confirm the identity of the youngest daughter of the Lu family. But people in Changwu County said that there was no trace of Lu Min in these years.

 Lu Min has indeed disappeared.

Pei Yunying said nothing, only looked at the secret letter, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Qing Feng asked cautiously: "Sir...do you suspect that Doctor Lu is Lu Min?"

 He said nothing. After a while, he folded the secret letter and threw it into the charcoal stove at his feet. The secret message flashed in the reddish light of the charcoal stove, turned into countless tiny embers, and disappeared.

He sat up straight and reached out to open the crack in the window. The cold wind blew from the window, putting a layer of chill on his handsome eyebrows.

After a long while, Pei Yunying replied: "Yes, I suspect she is Lu Min."

"But just because the surname is Lu..." Qing Feng hesitated, "There has been no news about Miss Lu San for so many years. Maybe the other party is just acting in Miss Lu San's name, or maybe there is someone else behind it."

“It would be difficult for Miss Lu San to achieve this by herself.”

Qing Feng could not imagine that a seventeen-year-old girl, who had been wandering for many years, came home and discovered a murder case and rushed to Shengjing alone to kill everyone involved.

Without help from others, it would be impossible for one person to do it. But if someone was helping her behind her back, who would do it, and for what purpose would they use her?

Just relying on the desire for revenge, he fought against the powerful as a commoner, and even took action against the Taishi Mansion...

 If this was really the case, Qing Feng would rather believe that Lu Zhen and Lu Min were two people, otherwise it would be really scary.

"Maybe." Pei Yunying said calmly: "Maybe someone can help her."

 He stood up and picked up the knife on the table: "I'm going out."

 "Sir..." Qing Feng turned around quickly.

"You've been working hard these days," Pei Yunying patted him on the shoulder, "It's New Year's Eve today, go back and rest by yourself."

Qingfeng looked at his back, hesitated, and swallowed the words that came to his mouth.

 It always snows in Shengjing in winter.

The long street outside is white, and from time to time the sound of firecrackers can be heard faintly in the streets and alleys. As you walk by, you can see the embers of the firecrackers falling into the snowdrifts, reflecting a bright red.

Market hotels have closed down one after another, and only a few are still open. There is a row of red brocade lanterns under the eaves like a string of fire dragons, paintings of the God of Wealth are posted in front of every door, and everything is lively and joyful.

There were very few people walking on the street. Except for the urchins wearing new clothes and setting off firecrackers, and the guests returning from drinking in the deep alleys, few people walked by. The once prosperous Shengjing City seemed to have become much deserted overnight, but that was actually a different kind of warmth.

A pair of mother and daughter walked in front of them. The mother was wearing a long emerald-colored coat, holding a silver bottle for drinking wine in her arms. The daughter beside her was about seventeen or eighteen years old. She was wearing a bright silver-red mink fur coat, with pearls and emeralds, and was particularly delicate and beautiful. He was walking and joking with his mother with his head down.

As the girl was talking, she raised her head and saw the young man coming from the opposite side. Seeing his graceful and handsome appearance, she couldn't help but blush, and she hurried past with her mother in her arms.

Pei Yunying half lowered his eyes.

On New Year's Eve, during the New Year, no matter how poor a family is, they always make some bright new clothes for their children as a sign of good luck.

The woman who just walked past, her silver-red leather coat reflected the white snow on the long street, her face looked like a peach blossom, which was really touching, but for some reason, another face gradually appeared in front of his eyes.

 A slightly pale, pretty and cold face.

 Lu Zong always wears old clothes.

Even new clothes are mostly made in dark colors such as dark blue and autumn colors. She wears white most often, snow-white silk clothes, and plain clothes with cold embroidery. She also didn't like wearing hairpins and jewelry. She never wore the hairpin that Hua Yinzi collected at the pawnshop on Qinghe Street.

She has many velvet flowers, all kinds of velvet flowers sewn with silk handkerchiefs, including delphinium color, osmanthus color, and white.

When she is dressed in jade-white silk and has white hairpins on her temples, her beautiful features always bring out a bit of unspeakable coldness. He once heard Chi Jian say that Lu Yan's clothes were too plain and simple, but Duan Xiaoyan said, "If you want to look pretty and filial, what do you know?"

 If you want to be pretty and filial...

It turns out that she was really wearing a mourning dress.

 No wonder she wears mourning clothes.

Pei Yunying stopped in his tracks.

 Snow like gravel fell from the sky, and some fell on the young man's shoulders.

From the secret letter Qing Feng brought back, it was revealed that Mrs. Lu was extremely dangerous when she gave birth to Lu Min. Lu Min was sickly and weak when she was born. Because of this, the Lu family was particularly doting on their little daughter, and they have not given up looking for her all these years.

Lu Min, the third girl from Lu, was lost in the plague in Changwu County eight years ago. Lu Min was only nine years old eight years ago. If Lu Yan is really Lu Min, she has grown up well in the past eight years, and has become calm, decisive, and ruthless. Her medical skills are comparable to those of imperial medical officers. After finding out the truth, she rushes to Shengjing to take revenge alone. This trip cannot be accomplished in an ordinary eight years.

He stayed there for too long, and the shopkeeper of a commercial building on the street poked his head out to see him. He was surprised and said, "Master Pei is here!"

Pei Yunying came back to his senses, and the old shopkeeper of Zhenbao Pavilion came forward with a smile.

"Good luck, Mr. Pei!" the old shopkeeper said enthusiastically as Pei Yunying walked in, "You're here to pick up the custom-made moths, right? They've been made a long time ago, and I've specially kept them for you!"

At the end of the year, at the first day of the year, people in Shengjing "cut black gold paper into butterfly shapes, dyed them with vermilion powder, wrapped small copper wire around the needle, and sprinkled cypress leaves on the side."

He ordered a pair of gold moths at Zhenbao Pavilion and planned to give them to Baozhu today as a New Year's gift, although Baozhu's hair is probably not suitable for wearing them right now.

The clerks at Zhenbao Pavilion were leaving in droves. The old shopkeeper was probably waiting for this last piece of business. He quickly took out a sandalwood box from the back shop and opened it to Pei Yunying.

 On the black silk mat in the box, there lay a pair of sparkling golden butterflies.

The butterfly's feathers are light and stretched, and the butterfly wings are decorated with crystal pink gems, which are lifelike, as if they are about to fly out of the box and circle the wall at the next moment.

 The old shopkeeper stared at the young man expectantly: "How is it?"

"very good."

Pei Yunying closed the lid of the box: "Thank you very much."

“My lord, you are welcome, this is all a matter of duty. I specially asked the best master in the pavilion to polish it, and it took several months from drawing to finished product. I dare not betray your trust.”

The old shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief. Ordinary people come here to polish their jewelry. Most of them are hairpin rings and jade pendants. Gold moth lanterns are sold everywhere in the market. Those made of paper are not worth much. This is the first time someone has ordered a golden butterfly. The labor is quite high, and for such a person, it is inevitable to feel anxious.

Pei Yunying smiled, paid the bill, took the sandalwood box and went out.

He was a little absent-minded when he went out. A group of seven or eight-year-old children happened to run past the door with a smile. They were caught off guard and bumped into him, causing him to fall hard.

Just when Pei Yunying was about to bend down to help him, the group of children got up from the ground with smiles, patted the snow on their bodies, held up the firecrackers in their hands and continued to run forward without looking back, laughing as they ran: "Amidst the sound of firecrackers, At the end of the year, the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu, and thousands of households always exchange new peaches for old charms..."

 Children's voices are clear and joyful, echoing in the empty streets.

He shook his head good-naturedly and was about to leave when his heart suddenly shook and something flashed through his mind.

The secret letter sent back from Changwu County stated that the third girl of the Lu family, Lu Min, was born in the early morning of the first day of the year seventeen years ago. Due to Li's difficult labor on New Year's Eve the previous day, Lu Min was sick and weak when she was born, so she was particularly pampered by the Lu family.

 Yuan day…

Qingfeng said: "Just because the surname is Lu does not necessarily prove that the third girl of the Lu family, Lu Min, is Dr. Lu. After all, there has been no news about Lu Min in Changwu County in these years."

Thousands of households always replace old talismans with new peaches.

 Snow is falling thinly and densely, and the sky and earth are silvery white. The scattered snow covered the long street bit by bit, gradually covering up the footprints that had just been running in disorder on the street.

 There is no trace.

Only a string of red brocade lanterns under the eaves were lively and bright, illuminating the snow on the ground.

There is a broken wine jar not far away. Perhaps a wine-making family passed by this place and slipped and fell on the snowy road. The wine jar was broken into half, and the aroma of Tusu wine can be faintly smelled.

In this fragrant aroma of wine, the young man stood quietly, while the heavy snow fell silently on his rosewood-colored robe, and secretly melted on his shoulders.

After a long time, Pei Yunying raised his eyes.

“So, it's this one.” He said calmly.

 It is not the "pupil" of "What is the solitary grave with double pupils", nor is it the "pupil" of "Shun Gai's double pupils are detestable".

ˈ is the "曈" of "thousands of households in the same day".

　　曈: The bright and warm appearance at sunrise.

 Happy Lantern Festival, friends!

Chapter end