Wulin Xiaohui

The old house of Ye Zang's family is not small, and the family is well-off at first glance, but it is a pity that there is no special person to take care of the huge yard, and dust is everywhere.

Uncle Guan went to the street to call some part-time workers, spent half a day tidying up the front and back halls of the yard, and cleared out five more rooms.

Shen Yizhou couldn't help being envious that Ye Zang had such a capable person by his side.

Zhu Tang was so moved that tears filled his eyes, and after a long journey, he was finally able to have a good sleep hugging the soft quilt.

After a few days of ups and downs, the four of them were a little tired, so they went to bed early after dinner.

Shen Yizhou was the last one to get up again, Uncle Guan was already ready to go early, and was busy shopping for things again.

Now that we have arrived in Liangtang City, we must help Xiuxiu find her family first.

Ye Zang had already hired someone to draw Xiuxiu's portrait and posted it around the city.

Shen Yizhou saw Xiuxiu in the yard after finishing his breakfast, sitting at the stone table, putting something into his mouth with his fingers up.

When I walked in, I saw that it was an osmanthus cake, and it really had a beautiful woman printed on it.

"It was brought back by Uncle Guan." The child Xiuxiu seemed mentally unsound, but her tutor was excellent, and she only spoke to people after swallowing the pastry.

Shen Yizhou nodded and asked, "Is this the same as the sweet-scented osmanthus cake that Xiuxiu ate before?"

"Same, Xiuxiu likes this sweet-scented osmanthus cake the most. Look, there are big beauties on it!"

Shen Yizhou smiled: "It's a big beauty, by the way, Xiuxiu, after eating osmanthus cake, let's go out to play, shall we?"

When she heard that she was going out to play, Xiuxiu applauded excitedly: "Okay, okay."

After wandering around Liangtang City for a long time, he returned home in the evening, Shen Yizhou saw that he had not had dinner yet, so he fell asleep.

"Yizhou, Yizhou, wake up."

Shen Yizhou struggled to open his eyes, and saw Ye Zang's enlarged face: "What's wrong?"

"You slept for two hours, it's time for dinner."

"Oh." Shen Yizhou sat up with the support of the bed, and looked around.The sky outside the window was very dark, it seemed that he really had slept for a long time.

Ye Zang watched him rubbing his eyes, rubbing his face, sitting on the bed with his hair dazed for a while, and couldn't help laughing "puchi".

Shen Yizhou's three-point drowsiness was blown away by his smile, and he asked doubtfully, "What are you laughing at?"

Ye Zang couldn't hold back his smile: "A person who usually barks his teeth and claws, but when he is not awake, he is so dumb..."

He seemed to have thought of something in the middle of his words, and suddenly stood up and walked out the door: "I'll wait for you at the dining table."

Shen Yizhou felt confused again, he stayed on the bed for a while before getting up, and went to eat energetically again.

When someone came to the door, Shen Yizhou was still picking up the last few mouthfuls of food.

Xiuxiu opened her eyes wide and didn't know why, Uncle Guan ushered her into the hall, and Ye Zang and Shen Yizhou interrogated them carefully.

The person who came was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a black soft hat. He said that he saw Xiuxiu on the street and recognized her as the youngest daughter of his old club.

Shen Yizhou originally thought that Xiuxiu should be a child of an ordinary family, and was kidnapped by the Demon Cult for some reason, but now that someone came to claim it, he was not very vigilant, he believed it after only asking a few questions.

Ye Zang asked about every detail, including his usual quirks and birthmarks, but he didn't find anything.

The visitor finally took out half of the jade from his bosom, and Shen Yizhou knew at a glance that it matched the broken part of the half jade on Xiuxiu's body.

It turned out that Xiuxiu's original surname was Ying, and the Ying family was a wealthy family in the suburbs of Liangtang City. The person who came was Tian Da, who was the housekeeper of the Ying family.

According to Tian Da, the Ying family was ransacked by bandits seven years ago, and a dozen members of the Ying family, including maids and servants, were all slaughtered.Because Tian Da went to the neighboring village to collect rent, he was delayed until midnight before returning to the village, and saw Ying's family surrounded by a sea of ​​blood and flames.

Tian Da rushed into the flames with a little luck, and tried his best to find the 15-year-old second son of the Ying family.

The second son was stabbed in the back, and with his last breath, he told Tian Xiaomei that the thieves had taken him away, and gave him half a piece of broken jade.

Tian Dalian reported to the officials at night, but unfortunately the bandits left nothing behind, even Ying's house was burnt to the ground.

Shen Yizhou and Ye Zang looked at each other, they didn't believe that this was a simple case of bandits robbing civilian women and exterminating their families. Maybe there was something special about Xiuxiu, so the people from the Demon Sect disguised themselves as bandits and snatched her away.

But Xiuxiu is just a pretty girl. According to Tian Da, Xiuxiu has been like this since she was a child, and she didn't become a fool after being taken away by the demon sect.

Shen Yizhou really couldn't figure out why the Demon Sect, which made the righteous in the world gnash their teeth, kidnapped such an ordinary girl. The more he couldn't figure it out, the more he wanted to know the reason.

"Is Yizhou interested?"

Xiuxiu came in from the door and was startled when she saw Shen Yizhou's appearance: "Daddy's eyes are shining!"

Shen Yizhou lowered his eyes in embarrassment, and brushed off the dust on his body.

Ye Zang looked away thoughtfully, lowered his head to hide a strange look.

"Xiuxiu's parents are both dead. Although the housekeeper is a loyal servant, he is not a relative by blood. I don't think it is appropriate for Xiuxiu to go back with him."

Shen Yizhou nodded, and asked Xiuxiu: "Is Xiuxiu going home with this uncle?"

Xiuxiu shook her head like a rattle: "Xiuxiu wants to be with Daddy."

Shen Yizhou covered his face, it seems that this cheap old man has to continue being a dad.

Shen Yizhou looked at Ye Zang: "What should I do?"

"Didn't you know it was such a result?"

"What should I do?"

"Just do what you want."

These two were playing charades, but unfortunately there was no one else around to ask them what they were talking about.

Shen Yizhou finally sighed: "Forget it, let's do it like this."

After returning to Liangtang, in order to find relatives for Xiuxiu, Shen Yizhou did not send Zhutang to see the official for a long time, so he pointed him to take Xiuxiu to the street.After he gave up looking for relatives, he felt that he was a bit exhausted in taking care of his eldest daughter, and Xiuxiu was a troublemaker, so he couldn't handle it by himself.

Ye Zang left early and returned late in the city for a few days, but on a certain day he came back early, ran to Shen Yizhou's room mysteriously, and woke him up from his nap.

"Is something wrong?"

Facing Shen Yizhou's pressure to wake up, Ye Zang explained his whereabouts in the past few days in a good voice, and successfully brought Shen Yizhou to a restaurant.

The largest restaurant near Ye Zang's house is located on the north bank of Liangtang River, facing the crystal clear water of Liangtang River. The business of this restaurant is not so innocent.

Zuixianglou can be regarded as well-known far and near. This restaurant is a place for drinking and eating in name. When I entered, I found that it was a place for listening to music. In fact, besides listening to music, it also does some flesh and blood business. .

In addition to serving the dishes in the kitchen, the waiter in the restaurant will also present juicy Jiangnan girls to the guests.The food in Zuixianglou is only for dine-in, but the girls can only eat out. The restaurant is just a place for matchmaking. If the guests really want to eat, they can only take the girls to find another place.

Ye Zang went out early and returned late every day, and went to the Zuixiang Building, Shen Yizhou squinted at him, it's really hard, this superficially gentle master is actually unwilling to be lonely.However, during this period of time, I traveled all the way from Fengcheng to Liangtang, let alone eating well and sleeping well, and there were only myself and Uncle Guan, Xiuxiu Zhutang, squeezed in a carriage, maybe it was uncomfortable.

Shen Yizhou's thoughts drifted farther and farther, and he even thought of the picture of the girl in Zuixianglou being bullied by a bully and the hero Ye Zang saving the beauty, or maybe Ye Zang became the bully himself.

Ye Zang saw that he didn't speak for a long time, and when he saw the signboard of Zuixiang Building, he fell into thought, wondering in his heart, and called his name several times in his ear, until Shen Yizhou woke up like a dream, and replied: "Hey, let's go, let's go!" Walk."

Shen Yizhou burrowed into Zuixiang Building, his legs moved quickly, and he went straight to the center.

Zuixiang Building is well-deserved of its reputation, as soon as you enter the door, you can smell the heating mixed with the fragrance of tea.Although there are some extraneous businesses, there is not much fat and powder in them.

Upstairs, there are two rows of boxes with camellia-carved doors facing each other, and the sound of singing can be faintly heard.As soon as Shen Yizhou entered the hall, he stopped, and then he remembered that Ye Zang hadn't said what he was doing in Zuixiang Tower, even if he wanted to see the girl he saved, he had to come to introduce him first.

So Shen Yizhou looked back at Ye Zang, and saw him coming in from the door unhurriedly, looking leisurely.

"What are we doing here?"

Ye Zang took out a fan out of nowhere, spread it out to cover his mouth: "Go to the second floor."

In addition to the box on the second floor, there is also a small hall outside. The closer you get, the clearer the voice in the small hall will be. The soft voice sings Jiangnan ditties, which are paired with the aroma of tea. The person was so lazy that he wanted to lean on the soft couch and listen to it.

When we got to the small hall, we saw a group of male guests dressed as middle-aged or young scholars, drinking tea and eating snacks at a table of three or five people.

The person who sang the little song was a woman in her thirties, with a simple bun and the ends of her hair hanging softly on one side of her chest.Fingers like green onions fiddled with the pipa, vermilion lips parted slightly, and the soft Jiangnan ditties flowed in the small hall.

Shen Yizhou sized up the only woman in this small hall, and felt that she was a very charming woman, even though she seemed to be older than Ye Zang.

Ye Zang walked to an empty table and sat down, then motioned for Shen Yizhou to sit down.

After sitting down, Shen Yizhou still stared at the singing woman, thinking in his heart that if such a beauty matched Ye Zang, it would still look a bit ordinary.

The fan in Ye Zang's hand had already been put away, and it hit the palm of his hand to beat the time.

Shen Yizhou couldn't express his guess directly, so he asked in a low voice: "This is?"

Ye Zang looked at the woman singing the ditty, and opened his mouth imperceptibly, "Zhu Tang's mistress."

"What?" Shen Yizhou was so startled that he almost stood up, and Ye Zang pressed him on the back of his hand before quickly looking around and whispering, "One-armed Duan You's wife?"

Ye Zang nodded, and looked at Shen Yizhou with a pair of eyes smiling: "You say it's a coincidence."

"One-armed Duan You's wife, why is she singing here?"

"I'm not sure about this, but I guess it has nothing to do with Zhu Tang."

Before Shen Yizhou could ask, Ye Zang pointed downstairs with his fan.Shen Yizhou looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a familiar figure coming in from the door, Zhu Tang, wait a minute, there was another person beside him, Xiuxiu.

Shen Yizhou stood up abruptly, Ye Zang grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the small hall.

"You...I...this?"

Ye Zang kept pulling Shen Yizhou aside, gave a piece of silver to the waiter, entered a box nearby, and watched the situation outside through the crack of the door.

Soon, Zhu Tang and Xiuxiu appeared in the small hall, sitting where Shen Yizhou and Ye Zang had sat just now.Not long after they sat down, the singing in the outer hall stopped, and a younger girl in a green shirt was replaced.

Duan You's wife packed up the pipa, went to sit next to Zhu Tang, and the two chatted with each other calmly, while Xiuxiu listened intently to the woman in green shirt singing "Jiangnan Spring".

After talking to the woman, Zhu Tang took out a bulging purse and put it on the table.The woman pushed the purse back to him, and the two exchanged a few more words. Zhu Tang's expression became obviously anxious, and finally he threw the purse on the table, said something, pulled Xiuxiu up and left.

From Shen Yizhou's seat, she could only see the woman's back. She stood up and looked at the direction Zhu Tang and Xiuxiu were leaving. After a long pause, she packed her purse and left with her pipa in her arms.

"What's going on?" Shen Yizhou watched a pantomime, and couldn't figure out how a one-armed woman, Duan You, would appear and sing in such a restaurant.He also knew the relationship between Zhu Tang and this woman, but judging from their behavior just now, there was no sign of resurgence of old feelings.

As soon as Zhu Tang walked out of Zuixiang Tower, he found someone patting him on the shoulder.Looking back vigilantly, he saw two familiar faces.

Zhu Tang was surprised at first, then understood, and said: "After I was expelled from the teacher's school, she also left Zhuwu, but it was not long before she was arrested by the teacher... Duan You."

"She was locked in the bamboo dock by Duan You, and she was not allowed to see anyone. I...I left alone, because I knew that Master was reluctant to hurt her, and she couldn't do without Master.

Not long after I left, I wrote to her. From her reply, I knew that the master had forgiven her, and everything else was fulfilled except for not letting her go out of the bamboo dock.

In the letter, she recounted her hatred and contradictions towards Master. She couldn't kill Master, and she couldn't forget everything and stay with him. She could only torture Master and herself in this awkward way.

I gradually realized what role I played in this, so I slowly cut off contact with her, but I didn't expect to meet her at the door of this restaurant.I thought that after leaving Master, she would be full of vigor and live a more reckless life, but I didn't expect that she would look neither sad nor happy.

It turned out that it was the master who drove her out. In the past, no matter how ugly or vicious she said, the master would not be moved. But this time, for some reason, the master let her go.

She came to Liangtang, returned to Zuixianglou where her mother used to sing, and also picked up the pipa and sang.

After leaving Duan You, she no longer needed to hurt him by trampling herself, so she became a singer in peace and stability.I could see that she had lost the vitality she used to have, and she was more like a living person when she was against Master in the past.

I wanted to help her, but she always refused, and came to the restaurant every day to sell and sing. "

Zhu Tang said something illogical, at least it gave people a rough idea.

Shen Yizhou looked at Zhu Tang's expression, and suddenly asked: "What did you do?"

"I notified Master."

Shen Yizhou and Ye Zang glanced at each other, both felt that it was expected.

Zhu Tang said: "If you count the days, Master should be here."

The news that Xiao Yulan was picked up by Duan You soon spread. It is said that everyone in the restaurant saw that Duan You carried the singer on his shoulders and flew away as soon as Duan You arrived.

Before Duan You left, he came to see Zhu Tang, and no one knew what the two said.

On that day, Zhu Tang found Shen Yizhou and promised Shen Yizhou one thing.Shen Yizhou quickly unlocked him, and Zhu Tang left alone.

Five days later, Shen Yizhou was taking a nap under the grape trellis in the yard when he was suddenly woken up by Xiuxiu's scream.Opening his eyes, he saw Zhu Tang, who had been hugged firmly by Xiuxiu, came in from the door.

Shen Yizhou sat up and saw that Zhu Tang was dusty, but he didn't seem to be injured. He smiled: "You're back?"

Zhu Tang nodded, walked in front of Shen Yizhou, and stretched out his hands together.

Shen Yizhou lay back on the couch: "Forget it."

He turned over on the recliner, and said again: "Xiuxiu misses you every day, it's so annoying."

Shen Yizhou didn't ask, Zhu Tang didn't talk about the experience of these five days, everyone tacitly forgot about it.

A few days later, news of the one-armed Duan You withdrawing from the arena appeared on Bai Xiaosheng's news.