Yuque Qiu

The Cheng family in Suzhou has the largest weaving workshop in the area, with hundreds of jacquard looms, thousands of weavers and embroiderers. However, as long as one mentions the curtain book, one will naturally think of Suzhou Cheng's.

In the middle of the year, the Yan family's shop ordered a batch of fabrics from the Cheng family, and when the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, the Cheng family sent someone to say that the fabrics Mr. Yan wanted were ready, and they wanted to have a look before loading them on the ship.

Yan Yuque is a careful and cautious person. He thought that many of the people who ordered this piece of fabric were high officials in the imperial court. After it was transported to the capital and found the problem, it would really cause some trouble. It's troublesome, but at least I've confirmed it myself, so I feel relieved, so I set off for Suzhou.

Before Yan Yuque became the supervisor of the Silk Brocade Academy, the Yan family’s business was very big. Not only did they have semicolons in various places, but they also had their own weaving workshops. Most of the fabrics were directly supplied to the Silk Brocade Academy or paid tribute to the imperial court. , especially in the weaving workshops in the capital, there are all kinds of skilled weavers and embroiderers. The fabrics or embroidery paintings produced are so exquisite that they can be called rare treasures.

After Yan Yuque took the position of supervisor of Lingjin Academy, his father was getting older, and the Yan family's business was neglected and gradually let go. Compared with the good times, there are many semicolons in various places , although there are only a few places in the capital, the reputation of the Yan family is still resounding, and it also plays a pivotal role in the chamber of commerce in the capital. Central officials, and even princely families.

Yan Yuque has to supervise the Lingjin Courtyard and take care of his own business. He is very busy all year round. In the past, he had the leisure to travel around with people who did business with him, but now he is rarely able to leave the capital. The last time I went to Jiangnan was the time I went to Lin'an to look for Lian Yulou two years ago...

After arriving in Suzhou, the head of the Cheng family told Yan Yuque that all the fabrics they wanted were in the weaving workshop, and invited him to the weaving workshop with him.

Yan Yuque thought that it might not matter whether the goods were in the weaving workshop, the Cheng family's move was intentionally or unintentionally showing the scale and strength of the Cheng family weaving workshop to himself.

Yan Yuque secretly sneered at this childish behavior that could be seen through at a glance, but it was rare to leave the capital, so he just took a casual walk as a relaxation.

The Yan family weaving workshop occupies a large area, but it is not arranged in a well-regulated manner like the Lingjinyuan. The building machine is arranged in a large room, and the sound of "clicking" keeps coming and going. The weaving workshop of the Cheng family shows the exquisite and elegant architecture in the south of the Yangtze River. The characteristics of the hotel are small buildings and scattered courtyards. There is also a large lotus pond in the atrium, a small pavilion in the middle of the lake, and nine tunes leading to secluded places. It is quiet and beautiful everywhere.

The head of the Cheng family took Yan Yuque halfway, but was hurriedly called away by his servants. Before leaving, he asked Yan Yuque to walk around alone. If he didn't know the way, he could just ask someone.

Although Yan Yuque was a little displeased with this kind of hospitality, he didn't show it on his face. He walked around the courtyard alone for a while, without the head of the Cheng family yelling at his ears, but he felt comfortable.

From the small building not far away, there was the sound of "cracking" locomotives. Yan Yuque thought that the Cheng family's curtain satin is so famous, it is really necessary to take a look at the craftsmanship of the weavers, maybe in the future, the silk brocade courtyard can be used When he arrived, he walked towards the small building.

Just as he walked to the door, he heard the noisy voices inside.

"give me back!"

"Ugly, how can you learn how to weave flowers from others? Going to the street to beg for food when you grow up like this must be more promising than you here!"

"Give it back to me quickly, or I'm going to find Master!" "Don't use Master to oppress us. Master always praises you for your enlightenment and aura, so what? Ugly or ugly!"

A few seventeen or eighteen-year-old apprentices were throwing a piece of something similar to a flower book to and fro, and wanted to grab the other, but there was a big gap in size, and no matter how long they stretched out, they couldn't hook it.

"Come~ come and get it~ you can't get it~ you can't get it~"

The apprentice who received the flower book raised his hand, and the flower book flew high. The apprentice who was determined to snatch the flower book back ran over to pick it up. Someone stretched out his foot and threw it in front of him. Looking up at the flower book that fell from above, he didn't pay attention to his feet, tripped forward, and the whole person jumped down from the steps, fell heavily on the ground, his hands were still in the posture of reaching out to catch the flower book, and the flower book was It fell on the ground not far away, and with a "click", the whole stretcher fell apart.

Suddenly, I was surprised to see someone I didn't know standing there, and the bullying apprentices looked surprised and puzzled, and stood there without making any further moves.

Yan Yuque bent down and picked up the flower book on the ground in front of him, but because the binding was loose, the silk thread woven on it was also messed up in several places.

Although there are a few places where the silk thread is messed up, and this flower book is not a flower book that can be officially used in the Hualou machine, it can be seen that the person who weaves it has spent a lot of thought. The pattern of Datuan brocade that can only be woven by machine is simplified, and the pattern of "Langui Qifang" is added, so that the original rich and complicated pattern of Datuan brocade has the unique elegant and delicate atmosphere of Jiangnan.

If it can be woven, it should be a good brocade.

Thinking like this, Yan Yuque took the flower book and walked up to the person who was still lying on the ground, "Do you want it?"

The person heard the voice, but there was no movement, so Yan Yuque asked again, and the other party seemed to raise his head reluctantly, and then Yan Yuque was startled by that face.No wonder those apprentices who bullied him just called him ugly...

This person was about the same age as those apprentices, about seventeen or eight years old, but obviously smaller. What surprised Yan Yuque was that this apprentice's face seemed to have suffered some serious injuries. They are all bumpy, and there are some scars on the right side of the face, and it is almost impossible to see what he looked like.

At this moment, because of the impact when he fell to the ground just now, his face was covered with dust, his nose was still bleeding, and he looked dirty and disgusting.

Yan Yuque was going to stretch out his hand to pull him up, but after seeing his appearance, he couldn't help being taken aback, and his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air, and after hesitating for a while, he still pulled him up from the ground. .

The apprentice snatched the flower book back from Yan Yuque's hand as soon as he got up, grabbed it tightly in his hand, and lowered his head deeply, as if he knew that he was ugly and didn't want others to look at him.

It is human nature to like beautiful things, beautiful satin, beautiful women, and Yan Yuque is no exception.

In the past, when I met such a person, I would always back away, so as not to stain my eyes. Just now, this person fell to the ground again, covered in dust. I am afraid that when I helped him, my hands were dirty, but Yan Yuque could not leave his eyes. Opening the flower book in his hand, he felt that the person who can weave such a flower book with heart should be a person with a delicate mind, which has nothing to do with his appearance.

Yan Yuque raised his head and glanced at the apprentices who were standing on the steps looking at him warily, and put his hand on the man's shoulder, "It's no wonder they are jealous of your skills. As a flower picker, even your hard work You don't know how to protect it, so you can imagine what kind of amazing flower book you can make?"

The shoulders of his men trembled as if they had been slightly shaken. The apprentice slowly raised his head, his face was still dirty, but the eyes he looked at were as black as spots of paint, clear and clear.

The few people standing on the steps heard Yan Yuque reprimanding them in disguise, and couldn't help saying angrily, "What are you, how dare you teach me a lesson here?"

As soon as the words fell, someone behind them scolded them, "Master Yan is right, he refuses to learn good skills, and he bullies people all day long! We will pack up and go back tomorrow, our Cheng family can't teach you guys."丨”

Seeing that the person who came was the head of the Cheng family, and hearing that person call this person "Master Yan", the apprentices knew that it was a disaster, and the faces that were arrogant just now collapsed, begging for mercy, " Master, we were just joking with him, we didn't mean to bully him..."

When the head of the Cheng family first met, he was still young and smiling, giving people a very friendly feeling, but at this time, the majesty of the head of the family showed. He flicked his sleeves and pointed to the back door of the small building, "Clean up. Things, don’t let me find the nursing home to do it!”

Seeing that begging for mercy would not work, nor could it change the Cheng family's determination to be the head of the family, the apprentices could only walk away resentfully, with their heads down and their tails between their tails.

The apprentice who was being bullied saw the head of the Cheng family walking towards them, hugged Huaben and shrank back, whispering softly, "Actually, they were just joking with me, I don't need to drive them away."

The head of the Cheng family said with a serious face: "Don't speak for them, I have already known that some of them know how to bully other apprentices without learning their skills, but they haven't gone so far before, so I kept turning a blind eye Don't care about it with one eye, today they are too much and too rude!"

After the Master of the Cheng family finished speaking, the apprentice didn't respond, and kept shrinking, as if Yan Yuque and the Master of the Cheng Family were bullying him. Seeing this, the Master of the Cheng Family chuckled helplessly, "Don't be offended, my lord. He is like this, he is cautious and doesn’t talk much to other apprentices, but the master said that he is very talented in weaving flower books, and he will definitely make a difference in the future.”

Yan Yuque glanced at the flower book in his hand again, and said, "Yes, study hard. After you finish your studies, come to the Silk Brocade Academy in the capital to find me. People like you are needed in the Silk Brocade Academy."

This remark could not help but be ridiculed by the head of the Cheng family, "My lord is worthy of being a lord, just robbing people on other people's territory..." Then he turned to the apprentice, "Did you hear that? Study hard, my lord will teach you in Lingjin Courtyard There is a place left."

The apprentice seemed unable to accept such a compliment, shook his head vigorously, and still murmured in a low voice, "I, I am dirty, and the master will come to see my homework soon, I, I will go inside first... "After speaking, he turned around and ran away as if in a hurry.

After that, Yan Yuque didn't take this matter to heart, and he didn't really regret that he wanted to snatch people from other people's places. In fact, many of what he said were polite words. Can it really become a climate?After confirming that there was no problem with the brocades made by the Cheng family, Yan Yuque stared at people and loaded them all on the ship, so he stayed in Suzhou for two days longer than originally planned, and the night before leaving for the capital happened to be Mid-Autumn Festival.

Looking up at a bright moon, thousands of families are reunited, but Yan Yuque is here alone and can't rush back to celebrate the festival. Although he doesn't feel too lonely in his heart, but also because of the surrounding atmosphere, he is a little bit depressed.

It's okay to stay in the room, Yan Yuque asked someone to send some snacks and wine to the Huxin Pavilion in Zhifang, and he had a good time drinking alone while watching the moon.

But when he arrived at the Huxin Pavilion, he found that someone was already leaning on the fence and looking up at the moon. Under the soft light, Yan Yuque saw a flash of light slipping down his cheek.

Yue Mo heard footsteps, and the man turned around, but it was the ugly-faced apprentice who had helped in the weaving workshop a few days ago.

Yan Yuque couldn't help being surprised, "Zhifang should have allowed you to go back for the festival, why are you still here?"

The man lowered his head, wiped his face with his sleeve, and said softly, "I have no family..."

Yan Yuque's heart "thumped", knowing that he had inadvertently poked someone's heartache, but he was never a person who knew how to comfort others, even if the fault was caused by him.

But I also feel that this person is very pitiful, with such a face, he doesn't even have a relative...

Turning his head, Yan Yuque saw that on the stone table in the gazebo were the wine and appetizers prepared by his servants according to his instructions, and the servants also thoughtfully prepared a plate of moon cakes, so Yan Yuque walked over, He took a mooncake from the plate and handed it to the apprentice.

"It's extra hard to be outside alone, this is for you... I am also alone, if you don't mind, why don't you sit with me for a while and have a chat?"

The man took the mooncake, but he was stunned for a long time without any response, the scars on his face could not be seen clearly with the light behind him, only those eyes, like this lotus pond, the water surface reflected the moonlight, shimmering, as if there was a sky in the sky. It's as if the stars are falling inside...

◇ ◆ ◇

"Do you know what it's like to be cared about by someone you hate so much?"

Liu Qi stroked the hair drooping in front of her body, and took a deep breath, "At that time, because of your sentence to come to Lingjinyuan to find you, the plot of revenge against you in my heart was completed..."

Listening to Liu Qi's eloquence, the memories that had been sleeping in the depths were slowly revealed, but this memory is not vague, because the apprentice's bumpy face is really impressive.

"So you were easy at that time? You didn't dare to raise your head or speak loudly, not because you were inferior, but because you were afraid that I would recognize you?"

Liu Qi nodded, "I turned into that appearance, I didn't want to attract too much attention, but because of that face, I did suffer a lot of bullying..." He paused for a while, a little water shined on him Eye sockets converged, Liu Qi turned her face away slightly, and came back for a while before turning back with red eyes, "But I am really grateful for the moon cake you handed me in the gazebo that night. This is the first time I have eaten moon cakes made by ordinary people, although there are everything in Tianxiang Pavilion, but..." Liu Qi did not continue, turned around and fell on the couch, pulled the quilt to cover her head , the voice came out muffled, "You go back, I have to sleep for a while."

Yan Yuque stood there without moving. At that moment, he seemed to be able to feel the fluctuation in Liu Qi's heart.

Born in that kind of place, even if he was humiliated, no matter how unwilling he was, he still had to deal with all kinds of benefactors with a smile on his face, and even if he left that kind of place, he still held an insoluble hatred in his heart , no relatives around, far away from home, in that situation, but was moved by a little favor from a person he hated, the wavering and annoyance were clearly conveyed to Yan Yuque.

So Yan Yuque suddenly had a question in his mind, just like what Liu Qi said, because of such insignificant things, he felt that there might be an unknown soft side deep in his heart, so what about Liu Qi?

The gentle and friendly Mr. Liu in Xujinyuan, Lian Wu, the calm and indifferent shopkeeper of Jinlin Buzhuang, and the charming and affectionate Liu Qi in the bed, is there a real him buried besides these?

It's just that Yan Yuque couldn't figure out what kind of side that would be, just like he didn't know what the soft part of his heart that Liu Qi was referring to...

In his opinion, the things he did to Liu Qi at that time were nothing more than out of sympathy, out of pity, there was nothing more, maybe if someone else was there, he would still do the same...

◇ ◆ ◇

The princess's dowry fabrics were all ready, and the neon dress and feather clothes, Liu Qi, had no intention of taking it back, so Yan Yuque kept it as it should be, and after all the checks were completed, Yan Yuque sent the list to Mr. Xu Let him have a look there.

So during the dinner, Master Xu brought up Yan Yuque and Xu Rou's marriage again. Yan Yuque had no way to tell the truth about his physical problems, so he could only vaguely agree.

After dinner, I accompanied Xu Rou for a walk in the courtyard. When I reached a secluded place, Xu Rou suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared at Yan Yuque, "My lord...in fact, I don't want to Are you married to Rou'er?"

Yan Yuque's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said: "How could it be? Isn't your marriage already settled? It's just that I was too busy before and didn't have time to make arrangements. Now that everything is in place, it's natural to start with a happy ending. I'll marry you in." He reached out to pull Xu Rou into his arms, and coaxed him gently, but Xu Rou didn't let him touch it, and took a step back, letting his outstretched hand catch a null.

"Although my lord keeps saying that, Rou'er feels that there is someone else in my lord's heart..." Someone else?

Yan Yuque subconsciously raised her hand to caress her chest, even she didn't know that she had someone else in her heart, where did Xu Rou see it?

"Rou'er, you think too much, I only have you in my heart, and it is a great blessing for me to marry you as my wife."

Xu Rou shook her head, "My lord, come with me." She waited Yan Yuque by the pond, "My lord, look..."

Yan Yuque stretched out his head to look into the water, and saw the figures of Xu Rou and Yan Yuque reflected on the surface of the water. When looking at Rou'er, she can look at adults with the same affection as Rou'er, and Rou'er believes that the adults have Rou'er in their hearts..."

Yan Yuque blinked, and the reflection in the water flickered for a while. He always thought that he was covering up well, but he didn't want to be seen through by Xu Rou at a glance.

Indeed, he was willing to marry Xu Rou more or less because of Mr. Xu. As Mr. Xu's son-in-law, his official career will be smooth sailing in the future, but...

What Xu Rou said, there is another person in her heart, who is this person?Why... didn't I even notice it myself?

The expression on Xu Rou's face was not without sadness, Yan Yuque's thoughts were hit. The man who spent all his youth waiting for him still does not have her in his heart. How uncomfortable is this feeling?

When Yan Yuque left, Xu Rou said to him: "My lord, I hope you can make a decision as soon as possible, don't worry about disappointing Rou'er's affection, if you don't have Rou'er in your heart, then we are only together to make each other stronger." for the pain..."

Sitting in the sedan chair and watching Xu Rou turn around and walk slowly back to the door, Yan Yuque felt mixed feelings.

It's not that he doesn't like this woman who knows the book and keeps the etiquette, but after all, he hasn't reached the level of envy. Sometimes Yan Yuque feels that he wants to spend his life with a woman who doesn't have a deep relationship and have children. It's hard to imagine, and she has to show an extremely affectionate look in front of outsiders, just like...father and mother.

Several years after Lian Yulou was sent away, there was a legend in the Yan family that the second lady's ghost had been lingering in the Cansi Tower, and mournful cries could still be heard from that small building in the middle of the night.

Yan Yuque naturally didn't believe in such ghosts and gods, and only thought that someone was using this incident to spread rumors and confuse people, so he planned to find out this person and punish him.

Then one night, he did hear the legendary cry, but that voice was not the wronged soul of the second lady.

Looking in through the carved window, by the moonlight, I saw my father hugging the loom that the second mother used to use in the past, weeping uncontrollably.

After that, my father became more and more depressed, and his health became worse and worse. Gradually, he didn't care much about business matters. My mother was crying all day long, and she became haggard all of a sudden over the years.

Obviously at that time, in order to protect the things I had, I tried my best to drive Lian Yulou out, but why now I feel that there are many things, but I didn't keep them at all...

Thinking of this, Yan Yuque stopped the thought in his mind.

I don’t know why, recently, I always think about things that I shouldn’t think about, as if something is subtly affecting my consciousness, the principles I adhere to, and my views on some things seem to be quietly shaking And change, there seems to be a gap in my heart, allowing those things that I have always rejected to leak in from that gap, and this gap seems to be from the unusual relationship with Liu Qi start of...

The sedan chair stopped in front of the gate of Yan's mansion, a small figure ran out from the gate, and Yan An chased after him.

"Be careful where you step, don't fall!"

Yan Yuque opened the car curtain, and saw a cute round face with a pair of black deer eyes full of expectation, "My lord, you are back~"

Yan Yuque reached out and touched his head, "Aren't you going to sleep so late?" Then let Doudou grab his hand and lead him inside.

Liu Qi is a strict master. Yan Yuque went to Liu Qi's place to see Doudou several times, and saw Liu Qi teaching him very severely. Although he knew Liu Qi was so fierce for his own good, he also knew that Liu Qi On the one hand, he was fierce to anger himself, so he couldn't help but feel sorry for the children. There was an inextricable rift between him and Liu Qi, but Doudou was innocent, but after arguing with Liu Qi a few times, either there was no answer, or the theory reached the point. On the bed.

But in the end Doudou was raised by Liu Qi, and after a few times, he probably couldn't bear it anymore, but Yan Yuque felt that running around again and again was not an option, and besides, the guys in Jinlin Buzhuang didn't treat him very well. No matter how friendly she was, she proposed to Liu Yi to take Doudou to live in Yan's Mansion for a while. Liu Qi naturally refused to nod at first, but there was always a way to get him to agree, anyway, it was nothing more than one or another request.

Doudou was originally a little afraid of Yan Yuque, because he knew that this person had caused Jinlin cloth village to lose several businesses, and his father had traveled thousands of miles to the capital to deal with this matter. His master was framed and imprisoned, and then sent His master is under house arrest in his house.

But I don’t know if it’s because Yan Yuque helped him speak every time, or because of the trace of blood in his nature. After Doudou found out that this person was not as bad as he said at the beginning, he let go of his guard and got close to him. When I woke up, sometimes Liu Qi felt sour when she was so close.

"If you like him so much, let him be your master."

Therefore, after Yan Yuque proposed to let him live in his house for two days, Doudou agreed with full of curiosity.Yan Yuque led Doudou up the steps, and saw Yan An guarding the door with an aggrieved expression, "Master, I told him to go to bed, he has to wait for Master to come back."

So Yan Yuque bowed his head and scolded him, "How did you promise your master at that time? If you don't obey, I will send you back to be punished immediately!"

Doudou let out a fake cry, then raised her head, her eyes were shining brightly, "Yan An said that you are the supervisor of the Silk Brocade Academy, so can you take me to the Silk Brocade Academy? I have always wanted to Let’s see how the place where weaving brocades for the emperor is different from ordinary weaving workshops... okay? My lord, I’ll just take a look~ okay?”

The sweet and waxy voice couldn't resist his cuteness, Yan Yuque smiled and said, "It depends on whether you are good tonight." Doudou immediately understood, "I am good, I will go to sleep right away!" said After that, he hesitated again, "But can my lord accompany me? I would be afraid to sleep alone in such a big room..."

Yan An wanted to stop him, and told him that Yan Yuque was tired after working all day, so don't disturb their father's rest, but saw Yan Yuque waved his hand to stop him, and then said: "Since you are afraid, I will accompany you." You slept well."

"Really?" Doudou walked happily, "I always wanted Master to sleep with me, but he never refused."

"Why do you want someone to sleep with you so much?" Yan Yuque asked curiously.

Doudou's hopping steps slowed down, her mouth flattened, and her voice began to mutter, "I heard other children in the school say that their father slept with them when they were young, I don't know what it feels like... ... Doudou has no father, Doudou only has a master..."

Yan Yuque felt that something had been poked in his heart, and there was a burst of sourness and a tingling pain. The hand was small and soft, holding it in his hand, as if he would lose it if he let go. It's like I can't hold on anymore...

And for such a pair of small hands, his owner is only a child, but he has already started to learn how to keep accounts and take care of business, and the soft fingers are also worn out with thin calluses because he has been playing with silk threads.

He can obviously live a more comfortable and comfortable life. He can run and play in this big mansion. When he is thirsty, there will be servants to bring tea and water. When he is hungry, there will be a kitchen ready for snacks. No master would hit him with a ruler.

But the premise is that Doudou is really her own child...

"Doudou, don't you know what your father looks like at all?"

Doudou thought for a while and said, "I don't know. When my mother left, I was still a child. They all said that I was the child of our father because I looked very similar to him, but our father said no. He has no children at all..." Doudou suddenly stopped, raised his head, and stared at Yan Yuque with big eyes, "Actually, my lord looks a lot like our grandfather..."

Doudou is a smart child, he learned to do accounting and business with Liu Qi at such a young age, maybe he understood some things early in the morning.

In fact, Yan Yuque himself is very clear about what his life experience has not been found out, what identity has not been verified, in fact, all of them are excuses to persuade himself, but he cannot admit it...

As soon as he admits it, Lian Yulou will be able to grasp it...

As soon as you admit it...

"Then what about Lian Yulou? What is his purpose?"

"I have only one purpose in coming to the capital, and that is to let you... your family be ruined and you have nothing left!"

Feeling the hand holding Doudou, the palm of the hand was sweating, but facing Doudou's full of expectation, Yan Yuque's lips moved, but he just murmured back to him like this, "Yes, of course it's like It's because he and I are brothers, brothers..."