late snow

Late spring and May.

The weather is getting hotter, the wide river is sparkling, and the willow trees on the bank have luxuriant branches and leaves. The white catkins are floating in the air, and some of them fall on the water and float with the current.

There is a dilapidated temple not far from the bank, which has been in disrepair for a long time, and the paint is mottled, which does not match the beautiful scenery of the river bank.

There were two people sitting on the crude stone steps, a yellow-haired girl no more than seven or eight years old, wearing tattered clothes, with withered and yellow hair in locks, only her eyes were still a little bright on her sallow and thin face. Holding a root of candied haws and eating happily.

She took a bite of the sweet icing, narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, licked the corners of her mouth, and asked the person sitting next to her, "Didn't you find your friend today?"

The man was sitting there in dusty clothes, the uneven stone steps were covered with thick moss in some places, he looked at the river in the distance, and said calmly: "Not yet."

The little girl sighed decently, "Oh, you've been looking here for almost ten days. Didn't he tell you where he was going before he left?"

He lowered his eyes and smiled, "Ah, maybe he forgot to tell me."

"Sigh." The little girl sighed again, and spat out the seeds in her mouth on the ground, "Your friend also did not tell you when he left, which made you look for him like this now."

A piece of candied haws was soon eaten up. The little girl stood up, patted the ashes off her clothes, jumped down from the high steps, bent down and picked up the broken bowl and pole beside her, and looked up at the broken bowl and pole. The man said: "Uncle, thank you for the candied haws."

The man nodded.

The little girl turned around, took two steps and suddenly stopped, turned around and asked, "By the way, uncle, what's your friend's name?"

"Zhan Hua." The man said, "His name is Zhan Hua."

"Oh, I remembered, his name is Zhanhua. Uncle, you said that he is a good-looking monk." The little girl tilted her head, "How old is he? Is he as old as you, Uncle?"

He thought about it carefully, and said with some uncertainty: "In his 20s—he should be in his 30s now, he looks very young."

"Okay uncle, I will help you pay attention when begging for food!" The little girl said, "Tell him that Ji Huai is looking for him now, and remember to go to any city to find Ji Huai at night."

"Come to the city late." The man said.

"Got it!" The little girl left bouncing away.

Ji Huai leaned back, leaning on the moss-covered stone steps, looking at the river in the distance.

In the spring of No.11, he still couldn't find Zhan Hua.

The misty waves of the Weisui River in the distance are misty, and white catkins are flying in the air, blown all the way east by the spring breeze.

The Weisui River continues eastward, passing through a bustling city.

11 years ago.

Come to town late.

spring.

"Young master! Young master! Ancestor!" A Lian rushed away from the bustling crowd with a pile of scrolls in his arms, and caught up with the brocade-clothed son who was walking in front, begging out of breath, "Master, let's go back quickly! It's time, if you don't go back, grandma will be angry again!"

Brother Young Master casually flicked his folding fan, and lazily raised his eyelids, "Is your master me or her?"

Alian wanted to cry, but he coaxed him in a nice voice, "My good young master, the family funeral has just passed, please calm down for a while."

"Go!" Young Master raised his chin slightly, and motioned to the stall next to him, "Buy that red bean hairpin for me."

A Lian could only obey obediently, resigned himself to his fate and bought the red bean hairpin for the young master, and asked cautiously, "Master, should we go home?"

Impatiently, Ji Huai slapped the boy on the head with a fan, "Shut up, sir."

A-Lian shut up obediently, and after a while couldn't help but said: "Master, which sister in Fenghua Building did you buy this hairpin?"

Ji Huailiang glanced at him coolly, "Do girls in Fenghua Building like this kind of hairpin?"

Allen shook his head vigorously.

Ji Huai ignored him, and disappeared from his sight after a few steps.

A Lian was holding his things and hurriedly looking for someone, "Master, wait for me!"

In spring, the sun is just right, the breeze is warm, and catkins are flying all over the city. The Weisui River runs obliquely through the center of Wanlai City, and the river banks are lined with flat and wide streets.

There are many shops on the street, countless wine flags and tea houses are swaying endlessly in the wind, pawns and hawkers are constantly shouting on the street, and there is an endless stream of cars and horses.

Ji Huai has always liked to be lively, and has a free and easy personality. He is a well-known dude who comes to the city late, but this person has a very good appearance. A young man who just smiles is better than the city full of spring and warm sunshine.

Ji Jiaqiro is second to none in the world.

It was Ji Huai.

However, Ji Qilang's life is not always so comfortable and wanton.

Ji Huai wandered around until dusk, and then hurried back to Ji's mansion in the fiery red sunset. As soon as he entered the back door, the butler Xu Bo came up to him, "Master Seventh, grandma, please come over."

Ji Huai threw the thing in his hand into Alian's arms, "Put it in the room for me."

After finishing speaking, he followed Xu Bo along the winding corridor, through overlapping and scattered courtyards, all the way to the front hall. The white flag in front of the hall has not been withdrawn, and it is as bright red as blood against the sunset glow.

Many people had already gathered in the front hall.

The Ji family is the most prominent family in the late city. The old man of the Ji family made his fortune in business, and the elder brother of the old man is an official in the capital. That branch seems to be a family of officials. Although the two branches do not have much contact with each other now, they are in the same spirit after all. , the connection is still there.

And the old man of the Ji family has four sons, Ji Huai's father is the eldest, but he died too early, and although the remaining three sons are all there, they are not good enough for business and education, and they don't have the right to speak at home. It's not big, the whole Ji's mansion is supported by the old man and Ji Huai's mother, Ji's grandma.

But now that Mrs. Ji died, everyone's good life has basically come to an end, and it seems imperative to separate the family.

In the huge Ji Mansion, the uncles and aunts of the second bedroom, the third bedroom and the fourth bedroom, the sons and daughters of the parties, as well as the brothers and sisters of their first house, there are dozens of people, crowded to the brim.

Seeing Ji Huai coming in, everyone's eyes fell on him in unison, either curious, ridiculed, or jealous, but Ji Huai never cared about these things, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, he rushed to sit in the first place The woman on the bed saluted, "Mother."

The eldest grandma of the Ji family looks to be in her 40s, with a very beautiful appearance, but she has sharp eyebrows and eyes. She is a woman with strong wrists. Under the circumstances of the old man, he has controlled the Ji family for more than 20 years.

But now that the old man dies, the giant of the Ji family seems to be indestructible, but there are dark waves surging inside. Although the grandma of the Ji family is powerful, it is still difficult to secure her position as the head of the family.

However, Ji Huai didn't care about this.

There are three older brothers above him, so it's not his turn to worry about these anyway.

Grandma Ji frowned slightly, as if she was very dissatisfied with his late arrival, but in front of so many people, she couldn't speak harshly, and just gave him a cold look.

As if Ji Huai hadn't seen him, he calmly saluted the uncles and aunts next to him, no matter what complicated expressions they had, he just looked at a few Chinese cabbages.

But when it came to his fourth uncle, he raised his head after saluting, and suddenly saw a young monk standing behind his fourth uncle.

Ji Huai met the monk's eyes, and was taken aback for a moment.

The monk looks very clean and handsome, and there is a sense of indifferent compassion in his eyebrows and eyes. Ji Huai grows up like this, so he seldom cares about the appearance of others, but this young monk is so good-looking that even he loses his mind for a moment.

The monk's eyes were calm, seeing that Ji Huai had been staring at him, he raised his hands and lowered his eyes, and performed a Buddha ceremony to Ji Huai.

The monk was wearing a white monk robe that was washed out, and he happened to be standing by the window again. The gorgeous sunset glow fell on him, magnificent and compassionate. Ji Huai seemed to hear the gurgling sound of the Sui River in the distance.

Inside the window, the waves and clouds are treacherous, and everyone has their own thoughts. Outside the window, the spring is bright and the catkins are flying.

Ji Huai smiled and returned the gift.

This is the first time he and Zhan Hua met.

Volume [-]: Come Late