A carriage passed by on the nearby official road. Nan Yi wanted to catch up and ask for help, but he stumbled over a vine buried in the snow and fell to the ground.
The people in the carriage seemed to sense something. A slender hand opened the curtain. The man in the carriage took a look outside, but there was only white snow in the west, and nothing unusual could be seen.
The cold wind blew in, and Xie Heng couldn't help coughing a few more times. Qiao Yinzhi, who was sitting next to him, immediately stretched out his hand nervously, helped him put down the curtain, gathered his cloak for him, and looked at him distressedly.
Xie Heng showed her a pale smile again, and then held her hand.
The carriage just drove past.
Nan Yi struggled to get up from the snow. She caught a glimpse of the man in the car from a distance, who seemed to lift the curtain and take a look outside. But before she could even run over, the carriage drove away.
Nan Yi was about to cry but had no tears. Behind her were pursuers, but in front of her was the unobstructed official road. She was almost helpless and desperate. She was a little panicked for a moment, could she escape from his Wuzhishan?
At this moment, Nan Yi didn't know that the thread of time had begun to close. In the carriage she passed by, there was someone who could affect her destiny.
——
Luyang Town is located in the shade of Hukou Mountain, across a valley is Lidu Mansion.
The ancestors of the Qin family had great Confucian scholars, but none of their descendants could even pass the Jinshi examination. By this generation, they were gradually declining. They were not considered inconspicuous in Lidu Mansion, but they were still considered a wealthy family in Luyang Town.
On this day, there were repeated knocks on the closed door of the Qin family.
The Qin Mansion is located in the center of Luyang Town, and the house occupies several acres of land. It is better to have peace and quiet in the bustle. It's been snowing heavily for days, and there are few pedestrians walking on the street. It's not like there will be any visitors at this hour.
The housekeeper came out to open the door in confusion, but saw a little beggar knocking on the door. The little beggar was unkempt, and he couldn't tell whether he was a man or a woman. There was even blood on his dirty clothes.
The butler took out a few pennies from his sleeve in disgust and threw them on the ground.
"Don't beg for food in front of Qin's house, stay away."
Nan Yi, who was almost dying, grabbed the butler's trouser leg.
"I'm looking for Qin Yue."
The housekeeper was stunned and looked at Nan Yi a few more times: "What do you want from our master?"
"Go and tell him that I am Xiaoyingxian's daughter."
When the housekeeper heard that the matter was serious, he turned around and ran into the courtyard.
——
Nan Yi is an illegitimate daughter, the daughter of a prostitute. The prostitute has no name, only her stage name is Xiaoyingxian.
When she was young, she was considered a role in the romance field, but she believed the lies of a dandy who was willing to redeem her life and let her become an outlaw, and she wished to give birth to a daughter for the dandy.
The dandy had a powerful wife who would never allow this unworthy illegitimate daughter to enter the house. She also ordered people to drive the prostitute and her daughter out of the town.
After the prostitute gave birth to the child, she had no money to take care of her. She was beaten severely and became lame. She suddenly became much older and her beauty was no longer good. She made a living by starching and clothing people, and dragged her daughter away after she was hungry and well-fed. big.
But Xiaoyingxian's love for Nan Yi is just that she can't starve her to death. She blames Nan Yi for all the unsatisfactory things in her life.
The words Nan Yi has heard most since she was a child are - "If I hadn't given birth to you, I don't know how happy I would be now."
By the way, Nan Yi also heard many words cursed by Xiao Yingxian against Qin Yue. From these descriptions, Nan Yi probably also knew that his father, whom he had never met before, lived a decent life in Luyang Town and had both children.
Even if she knew who her father was, Nan Yi still couldn't have a last name. She was used to being a duckweed in this world. Unless she was desperate, she would not knock on the Qin family's door. She didn't dare and didn't expect it.
But she couldn't go far with her own feet. She was too afraid of being caught by Xie Queshan. She could only hold on to a glimmer of hope, hoping that the Qin family would lend a helping hand for the sake of blood.
The housekeeper closed the door a crack, and Nan Yi looked at the Qin family's courtyard through the crack.
The snow outside was overwhelming and it was difficult to walk, but inside there were people sweeping the snow in the yard to make it easier to walk. The world inside looks too warm.
Nan Yi just waited. After a long time, the housekeeper came back in a hurry.
"Little lady, please come inside."
Are they willing to help me? Nan Yi was still a little unbelievable, but her feet, which were numb from the cold, took a step forward before she realized it.
Great, she's alive.
Nan Yi relaxed all of a sudden, then her vision went dark, she fell forward and fell unconscious.
——
Xie Queshan returned to the military camp, and He Ping behind him also brought back an ambiguous female corpse.
"Catch him back and kill him."
He wanted to inform Usha in a concise and concise manner.
Husha didn't pay attention to what the girl looked like. He glanced at the body of the woman and found that she had just died, so he safely had the body thrown into a mass grave.
After returning to the deserted tent, He Ping asked Xie Queshan in confusion: "Sir, what is there about that thief worth saving? Why did he have to go to so much trouble to find a corpse from a mass grave and hide it from others?"
"You must abide by the rules of the game," Xie Queshan stood by the basin and washed his hands carefully, using soap locust to wash away the blood between his nails.
He Ping handed over the towel, looking confused.
"It's not over yet." Xie Queshan said firmly.
——
When Nan Yi woke up, she had the illusion that she was in Penglai Wonderland. The room was filled with fragrance, warm as spring, and the quilt under her was as soft as clouds.
She moved, and now she felt the pain all over her western limbs. She tried to get up, but she had no strength at all.
"woke up?"
A woman helped Nan Yi sit up, her hands were soft. Nan Yi hid subconsciously. Well-maintained hands represented years of pampering and pampering. She was afraid that she would dirty those hands.
Nan Yi moved to the corner of the bed and looked at the woman nervously. The woman's smile was meticulous. Although there were some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and there were half a strand of white hair hidden on her temples, she could still see the beauty and dignity of a lady.
"I am your aunt, you can just call me mother. What is your name?"
Nan Yi's mind was buzzing, and he was stunned for a while before replying: "Nan Yi, Nan from the south, clothes from clothes."
Mrs. Qin looked at Nan Yi.
The day she first arrived, her whole body was smelly and dirty as if fished out of the mud, but now that the dirt was washed away, this pretty face fully revealed its beauty.
When she looked at you timidly with her dark pupils, the light and shadow in her eyes turned thousands of times, as if there was a sea that was about to emerge. Even Mrs. Qin had to admit that she was a beauty.
"Nanyi, the doctor said that you seem to have walked on the mountain road for a long time, and your whole body is severely exhausted. You need to rest for some time."
Nan Yi shook his head, sat up on his knees, shrank his head and whispered: "Qin...Ms. Qin, I don't want to disturb you, and I don't want to ask for any status. I just want to go to Fufeng County to find my friends, but I We are really desperate... You don’t have to take me in, just lend me some money, and I will definitely pay it back in the future."
Mrs. Qin still smiled like that and looked at Nan Yi calmly.
"Friend? Are you a gentleman or a girl?"
"He is a reliable young master named Zhang Yuehui. I met him in Lujiang. He went to join the army three years ago. He should be in the Fufeng County camp now. As long as I can find him, he will take me in."
"Is he your lover?"
Nan Yi hesitated and nodded.
It is true that there was no engagement or oath between her and Zhang Yuehui. He left in a hurry, leaving only a valuable jade bracelet and a few words, but she was convinced that she had lived in those years of small bridges and flowing water. Li noticed that there were different feelings between them. Otherwise, why would he give her such a valuable token?
Even though she was still ignorant about love, she still decided that she wanted to marry Zhang Yuehui, and he was her last relative in this world.
Relying on this belief, she traveled thousands of miles to find him. If she didn't even have this thought, she would really have nowhere to go.
She didn't want to explain too much to Mrs. Qin, so she recognized him as her lover to save some words. No matter whether the Qin family is hateful or kind, she doesn't want to have too much involvement with them.
"Then mother sends someone to find him, so you can stay in the Qin Mansion to take care of yourself." Mrs. Qin reached out and touched Nan Yi's face lovingly, "Back then, I was young and vigorous, and I owed Xiaoyingxian, and I also owed it to Xiao Yingxian. The blood of the Qin family has been left out for many years. Fortunately, you grew up safely and became tall and graceful. Now... I want to make up for it, are you willing to give mother this chance? "
Nan Yi had a natural resistance to this kind-hearted woman. After being cursed by her mother for many years, this lady had a face like an old witch and a heart like a snake and a scorpion. Nan Yi only believed half of her words, but Zhang Yue replied: Her weakness.
"Seriously...can you help me find him?"
"Of course. Your father also nodded. Whatever you want, he will help you achieve it."
Nan Yi was still wary, but the bait was too big and fragrant, so she nodded.
"Ms. Qin, I have one more thing. I want to go to Lidu Mansion."
"Lidu Mansion has been occupied by the Qi people, and there are also Qi soldiers in Hukou Mountain. In addition, there is heavy snow these days, so it is not easy to go there. Tell mother, what do you want to do in Lidu Mansion?"
Nan Yi blinked, thought quickly, and made up an excuse: "...my mother had a last wish before she died. She wanted to buy a snack from Guoyulou in Lidu Mansion. I think this was her wish. It's an important memory, I want to help her fulfill this little wish and taste it for her."
"Let's do this. You tell me what you want to buy, and I'll tell your father to send someone to buy it for you."
"Madam, can you take a pen and paper and write it down? I'm afraid it's a bit complicated and I might forget it."
Mrs. Qin kindly took out a pen and paper.
Nan Yi recounted: "Buy a Chengsha dumpling and make it into the shape of a peach blossom. Peach blossoms usually only have five petals, but I want a six-petal shape."
A few days later, when Nan Yi saw her father Qin Yue, she finally understood why she didn't have any tokens, but the Qin family had no doubt about her identity.
In the past, the neighbors said that she looked like Xiao Yingxian. In fact, she only had the face shape like her mother. Her eyebrows were more like Qin Yue's, with high eyebrow bones and straight and deep eyes, so she did not have the charming look of Xiao Yingxian.
This is the power of blood. Even though she has never met, it still leaves a stubborn mark on her.
It's a pity that they are not familiar with each other at all, and they are even a little embarrassed when they meet.
Qin Yue was still a little nervous, so he opened the food box in front of him with a stiff smile on his face.
"The Chengsha dumplings you asked for, I first ordered my servants to buy them for you from Lidu Mansion. However, the journey back and forth is not short, and the snacks are already cold."
"Did you buy this from Guoyulou?"
"Yes, your mother even wrote a special note to explain it - you see, this food box is also engraved with the sign of Guoyulou. But there is no mold for the six-petal peach blossom shape, so it is not easy to make. This dumpling The stuffing inside is leaking out.”
Is the filling leaking? Maybe the six-petal peach blossom Chengsha dumplings just can’t be made well, so it also symbolizes the leakage of the plan. This idea flashed through Nan Yi's mind quickly. She looked at the words on the food box, pretended to understand, and nodded, thinking that this must be true, the words must have been delivered, and the big stone in her heart fell to the ground.
"Thank you, Mr. Qin."
The harsh words of "Master Qin" made Qin Yue stiffer, but he didn't have the ability of his eldest wife to turn spring breeze into rain, so he could only pretend not to hear.
"Nanyi, there is one more thing. It's a coincidence. I was just about to send someone to Fufeng County to look for your fiancé. Then I learned that a team from the Fufeng County camp arrived at Hukou Mountain. The magistrate of Lidu Prefecture and I It was a friendship over drinking, so I asked him to inquire about it and found out that there was a captain named Zhang Yuehui in this team."
"real?"
Nan Yi stood up in shock, then realized that he seemed too abrupt, and sat back awkwardly, but his eyes and face were full of anticipation.
Qin Yue quickly glanced at Nan Yi's face, then looked away and pointed at the bracelet on Nan Yi's wrist.
"Of course it's true. I even went to meet him specifically. He said that he gave you a bracelet as a token. Is it the one you have?"
Nan Yi's reserved face showed the brightest smile in recent days: "Yes! It's really him. Can I see him?"
"You and him are both getting married, how can you meet in private?"
Before anyone arrived, Mrs. Qin's voice floated into the room first. Hearing this voice, Qin Yue seemed to be relieved and quickly stood up to welcome his wife to sit down.
"What marriage?" Nan Yi was confused.
"Come, let your mother explain it to you in detail."
"First of all, he is in the army and it is not convenient for him to go out alone, but he will have a rest in three days."
"Then I'll go see him first in three days."
"You kid, why are you so impatient? Secondly, my mother thought that in these troubled times, it is not easy to meet her. After today, there is no tomorrow, so why not take advantage of him to take a break in three days? You will get married. In the name of husband and wife, it will be easier for you to meet in the future."
Nan Yi's eyes widened. She made up the story about her lover. How could she get married in one step? Is this really what Zhang Yuehui meant? Will he marry her?
Mrs. Qin saw that her expression was still not relaxed, so she kindly took out a Chengsha dumpling from the plate and stuffed it into Nan Yi's hand.
"Come, let's have some snacks first, and we'll talk slowly. You will marry from the Qin family, and we will prepare a dowry for you. We will never let you be looked down upon by their family."
Just as Nan Yi was about to say something, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.
The skin of the Chengsha dumpling in my hand was still soft. Going back and forth from Luyang City to Lidu Mansion, we passed Hukou Mountain on the way. There was such a heavy snowstorm. Even if the food box was wrapped in cotton cloth, the Chengsha dumplings should have been frozen hard. How could they still be soft?
