No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 568 Picked up a mute embroiderer! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Longling--Longling--"

Zhao Qingxiu, who was about to return to Beitian Nursing Home, was walking in the corridor between two red walls when he suddenly stopped.

She turned her head and stared at the red wall next to her.

This subtle but special sound came from this direction.

Zhao Qingxiu initially wondered if she had heard it wrong.

How could there be, in this ancient temple with green lanterns and at dawn, a special jade sound that only the tokens worn by women in my hometown clan make?
However, as the "Longling" sound not far away in the southeast direction became louder and louder, Zhao Qingxiu hesitated for a moment, and followed involuntarily.

She really hadn't heard this voice from her hometown for a long, long time.

I can't even recall it in my dreams.

But now that I heard it, the deeply buried memories emerged again.

Zhao Qingxiu was very sure that this was it.

In this world, there are some sounds that cannot be imitated. You cannot describe them, and you may even forget them. But when you hear them again by chance, you will remember them as if they were heard again yesterday.

"Longling--Longling--"

This special jade sound was about ten feet away from her, about seven or eight houses and halls away.

However, this area of ​​the temple was crowded with buildings and winding roads. Some residents had already woken up and were washing in the yard. It was not convenient for Zhao Qingxiu to jump directly, so he could only look for a road and walk in the shadows of the alleys before dawn.

She was a little hesitant about whether to go over and find out the source.

After all, she had deviated from her original plan to return to the Beitian Nursing Home to continue hiding. Now she was in the enemy's sphere of influence. She might be in danger if she went too far. Moreover, at dawn, she was a mute girl running around blindfolded, and her suspicious whereabouts would be easily discovered.

However, the owner of the "Lingling" jade collision sound seemed to be moving as well, and at a fairly fast speed.

The "Longling" voice gradually faded away, getting farther and farther away from her.

Zhao Qingxiu's heart suddenly hung in the air, and she couldn't help but continue to follow, keeping a distance. So, she was kept hanging by the voice and moved in the same direction as it.

Along the way, Zhao Qingxiu's little face, with her eyes covered by a sky-blue satin ribbon, looked a little dazed. Under the switching light between bright and dark as she hurried on her way, a hint of reminiscence appeared faintly on her little face.

I remember that in the Zhao family of Nanlong, every Zhao girl who reached the age of marriage would be given a special ice-white jade hairpin.

Ever since Zhao Qingxiu could remember, she had been longing for this piece of jewelry.

But her family had told her very early on that she would not have it, because it was something that only women from the direct line of the Nanlong Zhao family were qualified to wear, and the clan elders would not give it to women from the side branches or concubines.

What's more, her family was one of the poorest branches of the Nanlong Zhao clan, and she was a disliked little mute.

Thus, an ice-white jade hairpin became something that one envied but could not obtain in childhood fantasies, and could only be worn in dreams at most.

Later, the closest and only chance was when she was extremely lucky enough to be chosen by her mother-in-law as Tan Lang's child bride, to serve her mother-in-law well.

According to the customs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there would be no banquet or wedding ceremony for child brides. Usually, her parents would make two or three new sets of clothes for her and she would be taken back to her husband's family. Child brides were engaged at a young age and could not regret it, otherwise they would be condemned by public opinion in the surrounding area.

The day when her mother-in-law came to take her home in person was also the happiest day of Zhao Qingxiu's first half of her life.

My mother-in-law, Ms. Zhao, was the legitimate daughter of the Nanlong Zhao family. She was considered her aunt and of the same generation as her father. However, she was highly valued by the elders of the clan and married into the local scholarly family, the Ouyang family, very early. As far as I can remember, this mother-in-law was regarded as a role model of Zhao women by the clan members.

In her memory, her father, who always sat on the doorstep with his back to her and blocking the sky outside the house all year round, wandered at the door that day, rubbing his hands nervously, and from time to time stretching his neck to look at a sedan chair in the distance.

Her mother, who was always sighing while opening the rice jar in a gray apron, forced a long-lost smile at her from her wrinkled face and mended the new clothes she had once used for her.

Zhao Qingxiu, who was as thin as a bamboo pole, rarely sat at the table that day. She lay on the table with her hands folded, looking eagerly at her mother as she brought out a plate of pork, which was only eaten during Chinese New Year... The neighbors all praised her for being so lucky and not a money-loser, and her father and mother also showed a long-lost smile.

Although some of my peers spread rumors that the little mute was paired with a sickly girl.

But Zhao Qingxiu didn't care at all. She had met Tan Lang once, and she was willing to stay by his bedside for the rest of her life.

I remember the first time I met my mother-in-law, what impressed me most was the ice-white jade hairpin she was wearing.

At that time, she was standing at the back of her family, lowering her head, and secretly glancing at the ice-white jade hairpin from the corner of her eyes...

"Long Ling——"

It sounds so nice.

On the day she was taken home by her mother-in-law, she wore a heavy crown but tried to straighten her back and sat in the bumpy and swaying simple sedan chair without looking around. Her mother-in-law suddenly reached out and touched her head, took off the ice-white jade hairpin, inserted it into her tied-up hair, compared it left and right, and smiled at her red face and said:

"It's really beautiful. Grandma, wear it for a while. I'll leave it to you later..."

"Ah!" She answered hesitantly, feeling mixed emotions of joy and shyness.

"Long Ling——"

The carriage was bumpy, and the pendant of the ice-white jade hairpin in her mother-in-law's hand swayed left and right in front of Zhao Qingxiu. Her eyes were tired of following it, but she was enjoying it.

But later...

Zhao Qingxiu walked silently in the dim corridor with a trace of loneliness on his face.

At this moment, she came to her senses and found that she seemed to be closer to that special jade sound.

“Long Ling——!”

I turned the corner lightly and was very close to the sound.

Zhao Qingxiu quickly hid in the darkness in a corner, with her blindfolded face slightly tilted towards the direction where the special jade sound came from.

It seemed like a man's footsteps.

The footsteps seemed vaguely familiar, but at this moment, they were a little hurried as they hurried forward.

At this moment, the man's footsteps suddenly stopped. Just when Zhao Qingxiu felt something was wrong and was about to retreat, "whoosh", the sound of fireworks exploded in her ears.

Zhao Qingxiu shuddered all over.

"Long Ling——"

The morning breeze seemed to make the ice-white jade hairpin pendant in the man's hand rustle, but... there was only the sound of jade, not footsteps.

He's not moving?!
Zhao Qingxiu took half a step back.

As if he was vaguely aware of something.

Her body froze instantly, and she heard her heartbeat suddenly speed up in her chest, and she couldn't breathe...

The first ray of light pierced the dark blue sky at dawn. In Xunyang City, many ancient buildings, including Chengtian Temple, were still shrouded in darkness.

In a corner of Chengtian Temple, in a small alley, the atmosphere fell into silence. The fireworks were fleeting, but they illuminated the two people at the head and end of the alley.

Ouyang Rong saw clearly the figure of the slender girl, and he stared at Zhao Qingxiu in a daze for a long time.

From head to toe, every detail was examined, including her eyes covered by a sky-blue ribbon and the long cloth bag in her hand... Ouyang Rong, who had been scared away early in the morning, frowned at first, then loosened his brows and turned to look in the direction of the carriage that he had mistakenly thought was being searched by a female official from the Imperial Observatory. There was a hint of realization in his eyes, and he nodded quietly.

Ouyang Rong immediately turned around again, his eyes fixed on Zhao Qingxiu who was not far away. He opened his mouth several times, but thousands of words were stuck in his throat, he couldn't utter them, and he didn't know what to say.

Until, in the shadows at the corner of the alley, the slender girl with her eyes blindfolded by a ribbon turned around and tried to run.

"Um... you, wait a minute!"

She heard a voice that was a little hoarse but still very familiar to her.

Zhao Qingxiu was so frightened that she walked faster. Then a curious and doubtful voice came from behind her:

"Hey, why are you here? Mute girl, why are you here? Long time no see."

Zhao Qingxiu was stunned, then hesitated, and slowly stopped.

At this moment, she heard footsteps approaching, and Tan Lang came over with a voice that sounded very happy:

"Mute girl, I went back to the Beitian Nursing Home in Donglin Temple and looked for you and the old Taoist priest once. When you were not here, I was very worried about you."

Zhao Qingxiu couldn't help but stay where he was.

"what?"

Her little brain was a little confused... Although it seemed that he was still kept in the dark, the sound of approaching footsteps and the familiar masculine scent still made Zhao Qingxiu's heart jump out of her throat. She subconsciously took a step back.

After a while, she found that Tan Lang in front of her also stopped naturally and did not approach her any further.

Zhao Qingxiu immediately felt relieved, turned around, and tried to show him a confused look.

"Ah... um... ah?"

Ouyang Rong continued in a concerned tone: "Don't you recognize me? I'm the fool in the underground palace who refused to listen and wanted to climb up. That's what Taoist Priest Sun said. Haha, do you remember me?"

Zhao Qingxiu grabbed the sword bag with both hands and put it behind her back. She lowered her face, revealing only her porcelain-like neck and mosquito-like voice:

"Um……"

"Sure enough, once I tell you this, you will know that it was indeed quite stupid. When I was climbing up the rope, did you peek at me? It was really embarrassing..."

"Uh-huh."

She shook her head, as if speaking for him.

He suddenly smiled and patted her shoulder: "Hey, dumb girl, you are so nice."

The slender girl with her eyes blindfolded by a sky-blue ribbon was stunned for a moment, then turned around and faced him sideways, with a hint of red at the base of her ears.

But she didn't know that the young man in the scholar's robe in front of her was trying hard to suppress the corners of his lips. At the same time, seeing that she didn't leave for a while, his face was slightly relieved.

Ouyang Rong glanced at his mother's hairpin that made a "lingling" sound.

He still kept on mumbling, talking as a patient in the Beitian Nursing Home.

A casual greeting:

"By the way, why did you come to Chengtian Temple? Especially we met, what a coincidence, it seems we are really destined to meet."

"what."

Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head weakly, not knowing where to put her hands.

Ouyang Rong twisted an ice-white jade hairpin between two fingers, raised it slightly above his head, and shook it left and right.

"Long Ling——"

He noticed that the blindfolded and mute girl who had originally lowered her head in front of him suddenly raised her head subconsciously and faced the direction of the ice-white jade hairpin in the air that made the sound.

Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows with a strange expression. He put away the ice-white jade hairpin and did not try again. His tone remained enthusiastic:

"By the way, you were sent to the Beitian Nursing Home here?"

"Uh-huh."

Zhao Qingxiu's little face froze for a moment, and then, as if it was accidentally activated, she nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

She was nervous and found that the man in front of her seemed to be quiet for a while, as if he was staring at her face intently.

Just as Zhao Qingxiu was gradually becoming panic-stricken and trembling, Ouyang Rong suddenly moved forward, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, crossed the three steps he had just kept, got close to her body, grabbed her arm without saying a word, and strode forward.

He laughed heartily:
"My name is Ouyang Rong. To be honest, I have a minor official position in the city, Sima of Jiangzhou. I don't know if you have heard of it, but I am just a slacker. However, I have a lot of wealth. I missed you last time, but I can't ignore you this time.

"Mute girl, you and I are indeed destined to be together. You see, I never meet that Taoist priest Sun, but I happen to meet you several times... Patients meet patients, follow me today, haha."

"what……"

Before Zhao Qingxiu could speak, Ouyang Rong interrupted and continued to tease:
"Well, he is unlucky to meet me, but you are very lucky. Come, I will find you a place to live first. Don't live here anymore. I'm afraid you will be bullied. You have thin arms and legs. How can you be so weak..."

Zhao Qingxiu froze and was about to wave his hand to refuse.

"Long Ling——"

"Here, help me get it, thank you."

Ouyang Rong suddenly turned around, took out an ice-white jade hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to him.

Zhao Qingxiu took the ice-white jade hairpin in a daze, clenched it subconsciously, and calmed down at the same time.

She lowered her head and touched the hairpin, as if her whole mind was attracted by it. Ouyang Rong held her arm and walked forward, without any opinion of her own.

But halfway through, he spoke softly.

"By the way, why are you blindfolded? Are you playing a game with your friends..."

Without waiting for Zhao Qingxiu to answer, the kind-hearted young man who lacked a sense of distance suddenly turned around. This time he went even further and reached out to directly take off the sky-blue ribbon that was covering her eyes.

The ribbon fluttered in the wind, revealing the girl's eyes. The pair of large eyes that had impressed Ouyang Rong were still there, but their pupils were as dim as the pre-dawn sky above her head, and her pupils seemed to have lost focus.

Ouyang Rong was silent. He turned his head and took a deep breath, trying to make less noise.

A trace of panic emerged on Zhao Qingxiu's face, but before she could reach out to grab it back, the next moment, the kind-hearted young man in front of her took the initiative to put the sky-blue ribbon back on her.

He was surprisingly considerate and careful. He walked behind her and put it on very neatly. When he was tying the ribbon, his hot breath sprayed red on her ears. She only heard him whisper in a calm tone:

"Xiu Niang? Is that her name? Xiu Niang."

Zhao Qingxiu: "Ah..."

Ouyang Rong felt her arm tremble.

He couldn't help but clench his fist a little tighter, looking at the pair of out-of-focus eyes in front of him. He didn't immediately ask her why she was blind and put pressure on her.

Ouyang Rong's face blossomed into a brilliant smile:

"I looked through the list at Donglin Temple last time. It's a nice name. Xiu Niang, pretty and quiet... It doesn't matter if you can't see it. Now don't worry about the taboos between men and women. Come on, I'll help you walk."

Ouyang Rong smiled and stretched out his hand.

Zhao Qingxiu lowered his head reluctantly.

They didn't know how long the silence lasted, and only the sound of their heartbeats remained.

"what."

She stretched out her little hand weakly, but before she was halfway there, it was firmly grasped by a warm palm.

In the alley as the morning light fell, a blindfolded and mute girl who seemed to be lost was led away by a young man in Confucian clothes in a daze.

(End of this chapter)