A life of clearness

Chapter 13: Mirror
"Who?" Rong Qing realized her voice was hoarse as soon as she spoke.

"It's me." The voice was old.

Who are you? Rong Qing was about to complain when she suddenly felt that the voice was very familiar.

No way... She stood up quickly and rushed behind the screen in one step.

A person stood there quietly.

... Fortunately, it was a "human". "Master, why are you here?"

"Is it impossible to come?" Master Guo said in a flat voice.

"Not really. Please take a seat. The tea is still hot." Rong Qing welcomed Master Guo to take a seat.

Coming in from behind the screen, I saw Zhong Xiu busy arranging the writing instruments and other things on the desk. As for Jia Jia, I couldn't see her. I guess she was hiding from strangers and hiding under the desk again.

When Zhong Xiu saw Master Guo coming in, he immediately stopped what he was doing and bowed to her.

"Master, please take a seat." Rong Qing gave up her own seat and squeezed in with Zhong Xiu.

"You seem to be in a good mood." Mr. Guo said calmly, but his words were very impolite.

Rong Qing laughed dryly, "Isn't this just to earn some extra money before buying a house? There are several vacant yards in the east part of the city now, and the prices are not bad. The key is the neighbors..."

Master Guo interrupted directly, "How are you doing with what I asked you to do?"

Rong Qing subconsciously said "Ah?"

“……” She looked at Master Guo in silence.

On the other person's aging face, a pair of slightly cloudy eyes did not flinch at this moment, staring at her, unable to move away.

The suddenly cold atmosphere seemed to be mocking Rong Qing's previous enthusiastic attitude as just an act.

After Zhong Xiu closed the book box on his side, he lowered his head with some uneasiness.

"How dare I forget what the teacher told me to do?" Rong Qing smiled, and pinched Zhong Xiu with her hand on the table as if hinting. "It's just that I've been busy editing books these days, and I can't refuse the request from the academy. Besides, didn't you take the initiative to let me take over the work of the academy?"

"You don't need to remind me of this." Master Guo said slowly, "I am old and can't wait any longer."

so?
Rong Qing's eyes flickered.

"If you have any experience recently, please tell me slowly when we get in the car." As he said this, he slowly stood up.

"Yes, I should have returned to report to you regularly. I hope you won't take it to heart because of my mistakes." She breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly helped Master Guo leave.

Master Guo said lightly, "No need to rush for a while." He turned his old eyes to Zhong Xiu and said, "Madam, come along too."

"I..." Zhong Xiu hesitated.

"There's no need to let outsiders know. She won't understand anyway." Rong Qing shook Master Guo's arm flatteringly, "Master?"

"Why are you so talkative today?" Master Guo was annoyed. "Do you want to harm her by letting her sit in?"

After the voice fell, the tea table fell silent again.

Zhong Xiu looked at Rong Qing and the others in embarrassment. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Rong Qing.

"Master, you are really a little different today. Did you encounter something..."

Mr. Guo suddenly grabbed Rong Qing's hand and glanced suggestively outside the door.

Rong Qing was standing next to the screen, so she could see outside without any obstruction.

The bookstore was not yet closed, and Shopkeeper Li was leaning against the counter, feeling sleepy. The sky was dark blue, and it was about to sink into the night. Because of the early curfew, the usually bustling street was much less crowded.

Master Guo took something out from his bosom and whispered to Rong Qing, "Take a look at this."

Rong Qing looked down and saw that it was an ancient round mirror, with ghost face vines decorating the outer circle of the mirror. It seemed to be an ordinary mirror, but the mirror reflected Rong Qing's face very clearly, and the effect was better than the mirror in the palace.

"Very good." Rong Qing praised and subconsciously took a closer look at the vine pattern.

"Just listen to me and do whatever I tell you to do. Do you understand?" Master Guo seemed to be ready to quarrel with Rong Qing, whispering a threat in her ear. Rong Qing subconsciously wanted to look up at Master Guo. Was he going to quarrel with her?
But what I saw didn't change at all... She should have looked up! My heart sank.

Rong Qing's face was reflected in the mirror. Her lips moved.

"Yes." She heard herself say this with strange joy.

Master Guo had a satisfied look on his face. He turned to look at Zhong Xiu and said, "Madam, I feel a little dizzy. Could you please come and help me?"

Zhong Xiu heard the sound of his teeth chattering slightly. When he stood up, he calmly pushed the table inside again against her warm body.

"Sir." A trembling voice.

The gentleman, who always had a gentle look in his eyes, turned his head naturally to look at her when he heard someone calling him, but his eyes were no longer the same as before. They seemed indifferent, but in fact, they were lifeless.

"Come." Rong Qing heard herself say this.

……

A carriage was parked at the entrance of the alley outside the bookstore. Old man Chen sat on the carriage, one leg bent and the other hanging diagonally, his toes almost touching the ground. He was addicted to smoking, and even at this moment, he still wanted to take a few puffs to satisfy his craving.

Old man Chen skillfully exhaled a puff of smoke slowly, his face full of enjoyment, and occasionally hummed a few opera passages through his nose, accompanied by gurgling white smoke.

It wasn't until Master Guo, Rong Qing and Zhong Xiu came closer that he reacted.

"Ouch." He smiled apologetically, quickly put out his cigarette, and hung up the pipe and the pipe.

Master Guo ignored his repeated apologies. As she entered the carriage, Rong Qing and Zhong Xiu also opened the door curtain and came in.

The carriage was not big, just enough for three people to sit in. Without the luggage, the space was not crowded.

Master Guo took out a compass from his bookcase.

The compass needle moved very slowly, but Master Guo was watching very carefully. Her fingers trembled slightly, and under her calm appearance, it seemed that she felt that things were not yet certain.

Old man Chen was already very experienced in riding. He waved his whip and imitated the long neighing of a horse, urging the horse to move forward.

The long-trained brown horse took silent steps, making a series of clattering hooves on the stone slabs. The steps were not big, but enough to pull the wheels of the cart to turn.

Old Man Chen did not ask Mr. Guo where he was going next, because he was only coming to the bookstore to pick someone up. He only knew that after completing this order, he would not have to worry about the money for cigarettes in the second half of the year.

The scholars in the academy all said they were poor, but in fact they were well-off. Old man Chen curled his lips in a jealous way.

But he could only say this in his heart. He would never dare to lift the curtain and talk to the three women inside.

The carriage passed through the streets and alleys and rushed all the way to the city gate.

"You're leaving the city so late?" The city guard asked fiercely. It was suspicious that the carriage was leaving at this hour.

Naturally, Old Man Chen will take care of these things.

Rong Qing could only hear the sounds coming and going outside the car. She felt very special now, like she was about to fall asleep but not asleep. She seemed to be lying underwater, and the clear and even loud words came in through the water, flowed into her ears, turned around and flowed out again. She could hear it, but she had no impression of it. She felt Zhong Xiu holding her hand, and she wanted to shake it back, but she forgot it in a blink of an eye.

The argument gradually became stalemate. As a low-level coachman who made a living, he dared not offend the city gate officer. Old man Chen, who had just looked down on Master Guo and others in his heart, now took the initiative to raise the banner.

As he opened the curtain of the carriage, Master Guo, who was sitting upright, was revealed with an unhappy look on his face.

The best thing these gatekeepers have practiced is not martial arts, but eyesight. They can clearly distinguish the different classes of people in Suicheng and serve them accordingly.

Master Guo seldom left the city, but as a member of the upper class of Suicheng, it was enough for these petty officials to recognize her.

They kept apologizing, and even mentioned the prince... "Master, please forgive me." "I dare not bother you to do things for the prince." And so on.

Old man Chen looked pleased, pulled down the curtains to cover the carriage tightly, raised his whip and whipped the horse's butt.

The horse neighed softly in pain. The carriage started forward, and Old Man Chen leaned on the frame and sat on it.

The gatekeepers who were left far behind by the carriage watched the carriage speeding along and blending into the night. One of them said indignantly, "Bah, you are just a bully who takes advantage of others."

(End of this chapter)