Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 17 Return Home
Chang'an, Wannian County, Shengpingfang, Du's house.

"Alang, lady, here we are."

Quan Rui lifted the curtain of the car and saw that Du Youlin was still unconscious, while the mistress Lu Fengniang was huddled in a corner of the carriage.

Instead, it was Jiao Nu who was occupying the soft back, looking up lightly.

Quan Rui pretended not to see Jiao Nu, so he called Du Youlin in a soft voice, and saw that his head was still sweating, he couldn't help worrying, and asked, "Ah Lang hasn't woken up for a long time, do you want to call the doctor for treatment?"

Du Yu came over and replied: "No need, let Grandpa rest and recuperate."

"ridiculous."

Jiaonu sneered, jumped out of the carriage, ignored the busy crowd, stood aside with arms around her.

A servant carried Du Youlin into the door. Seeing her appearance, he thought it was some maidservant, and said, "Give me a hand and open the door."

Jiao Nu frowned in disgust and avoided, raised his hand and waved in front of his nose, and said to himself, "It's covered in mud and blood, it stinks to death."

"Hey, it's not that A Lang wants to lie down in the snow and be punished with a cane." Quan Fu couldn't help muttering.

He is the son of Quan Rui who is in charge. He has been a slave in the Du family for several generations. This time he was taken to prison. The father and son were tortured, but they could not survive the torture, which can be said to be loyal.

Jiaonu didn't bother to talk to these servants, stepped aside, pointed at Du Youlin with his chin, and asked Xue Bai, "Do you think that coward is ridiculous?"

Xue Bai shook his head and said, "It's human nature."

He could understand why Du Youlin was still awake.

Today, he and Du Wulang relied on Li Linfu to save the Du family by chance. This move was despised by loyal ministers.But Du Youlin survived everything, so what if he woke up now?

It's all right to scold Du Wulang severely. After scolding his son, do he still have to scold Xue Bai?Do you have the courage to die after being scolded?But why should he die?

It's better to stay in a coma.

"Slow down, slow down, send Alang to the main room."

As the sun set and the sound of evening drums, no one saw that Du Youlin's eyelids trembled unconsciously.

It was Liu Ji's body that was moved into the yard afterwards.

The master and servants entered the yard, bolted the door, looked at the familiar scene before them, heard the last sound of the evening drum, and felt the long-lost peace of mind.

Although it was only four days away, it seemed like years to everyone.

"It can be regarded as going home." Du Wulang muttered.

~~
"Xue Bai, would you like some tea?"

After a simple dinner, Du Yu came to invite Xue Bai.

In a hurry, she had already changed into sackcloth, but she was in mourning for Liu Ji.

Du's house was rummaged by the officials, and the servants were busy tidying it up. Only the back garden of the fifth courtyard was clean.

The two went all the way, while Jiaonu followed.

When the two of them sat down in the small pavilion beside the rockery, Jiaonu folded his hands and sat by the railing at the gate of Yi, sniffing and saying: "Small door, small household."

……

"Grandpa is still in a coma, and Auntie is in a mess, so I can't thank you well." Du Yan made tea gracefully and said, "But the Du family will never forget your kindness today."

Xue Bai replied: "The Du family also saved me, they just helped each other."

Du Yu said: "I want to repay you, but I don't know if you can trust me?"

"Ah."

"Whether you are an official slave, or offend the powerful, even if you are a heinous fugitive, I will stand by your side." Du Yu didn't show any solemn expression, but his tone was firm, "Therefore, even if your life experience is unspeakable , you can tell me. If you are an official slave, you will lose your property and I will buy you out of your country; if you offend the powerful, I will do everything possible to keep you safe."

As she spoke, she looked up at Xue Bai, waiting for his answer.

Xue Bai said: "I really don't remember."

"Okay." Du Yu said: "Then tomorrow I will go to the Wei's house in the opposite house and ask them what happened when they picked you up. I should find out your identity."

"Thank you very much." Xue Bai nodded, and suddenly said: "You look very similar to Du Erniang."

"My compatriots and sisters are naturally alike, Er Niang...is she still alive?"

Xue Bai glanced at Jiaonu who was sitting at the gate of the courtyard, lowered his voice, and said, "This is what I want to talk to you about. The danger of the Du family is not over yet. Being sandwiched between the East Palace and the Prime Minister's Mansion, survival will be difficult." It's very difficult. Donggong once tried to bury me and Qinglan alive, and will only see us as thorns in the side; Xiangfu will regard us as bait that can be thrown at any time..."

Xue Bai is always very serious when he talks about business, and appears to be extremely patient.

While grinding the tea, Du Yu silently listened to what he said, and worries arose in her heart.

Liushang died, but his body was still not brought back in Jingzhao Mansion; Liu Ji also died, and after several years of husband and wife, no matter how he treated her, she became a widow in the end.

A tear flowed down Du Yu's cheek and dripped into the tea leaves.

Xue Bai stopped talking.

Du Yan wiped away tears with the back of her hand, sighed, "I'm so tired."

Xue Bai said: "If you trust me, let me handle it, is that okay?"

"Okay, what do you say, I will listen to you."

"I may need to let the Du family do some dangerous things, can you believe me?"

"trust you."

Du Yi couldn't tell how she felt when she learned that the prince had betrayed the Du family and that Xue Bai, who had nothing left, risked his life to pull the family back from the gate of hell. At the end of the sentence, there were only these two words.

The tea was almost boiling, she focused on scooping out a spoonful of water, rotating the bamboo stick to stir the soup without even raising her head.

"That's good."

Xue Bai thought about it, and at the same time watched Du Yan brewing and dividing the tea.

At the end, he raised his cup and drank the tea, which was a bit bitter and salty, maybe it was because of Du Yu's tears in it...

~~
Jiao Nu frowned impatiently, and turned to look, only to see Xue Bai and Du Ti leaning forward and whispering to each other.

She couldn't help but find it ridiculous that this Du family prides itself on being a scholarly family, and the eldest daughter just died and her husband spends time with the younger men, making love to each other.

Not long after, Xue Bai got up alone and walked to the front yard.

Jiao Nu looked at him disdainfully and followed.

Coming out of the garden, I saw Qing Lan waiting in the veranda holding a lantern.

"Xue Bai... Mr. Xue Xiaolang."

It was rare for Qing Lan to wish Xue Bai a blessing, and her tone of voice was much gentler, she just glanced at him with some complaints, and said: "The lady said that you are the guest of Du's family, and I have prepared a wing for you. This way please. "

The wing she mentioned was right next to Du Wulang's house, and it used to be Du Erlang's residence when he was at home. Anyway, Du Erlang had been an official abroad for a long time and hadn't come back for a long time, so he packed it up for Xue Bai to live in now.

Push the door open and go in, someone is making the bed, looking from behind is very clumsy.

When the man turned his head, it was Du Wulang.

"Huh? How do you do this?"

"The house is too messy, I can't get busy. I ended up making the bed here, but you went to drink tea. Alas, but there is no way, who made you capable, hehe."

Du Wulang was laughing and talking, when he saw Jiao Nu following behind Xue Bai, he couldn't help but shivered, forced himself to be calm, and said: "The Du family has also prepared a guest room for you, girl, in... in front."

"No need." Jiao Nu looked at Xue Bai and said, "A Lang ordered me to watch him, and I will live in the same room with him."

"what?"

Du Wulang didn't know whether to envy or sympathize with Xue Bai.

Qing Lan quickly apologized and said with a smile: "It's inconvenient for lonely men and widowed women, it's better for the girls to go to the guest room."

"Oh, it's not your turn to say that it's inconvenient."

As Jiao Nu spoke, he took out a dagger from his waist and played with it in his hand.

Du Wulang's expression changed, and he took a few steps back lightly.

Although Qinglan is a maidservant, she is much more courageous, and continued to persuade: "The bed in the anteroom has not been made yet, and I invite the girl to the guest room for the night. I will bring the mattress tomorrow, and then..."

Jiaonu couldn't help but sneered and said, "I don't."

"I'm also doing it for the good of the girl."

"go out."

Qing Lan's face was a little tangled, and she had to say more.

Xue Bai said: "It's okay, just let her spend the night first, she's tired these days, go to sleep."

Qing Lan pursed her lips slightly, unexpectedly a little stubborn.

"After all, she came to protect me." Xue Bai explained again.

Qing Lan was blessed with this, and went out of the wing to attend to other things, humming softly.

"Hmph, protection, what is there to protect."

~~
Du Wulang peeked into Xue Bai's room from the corridor, shook his head, returned to the room, lay down on the couch, and sighed comfortably: "I'm so tired."

Many things that happened in recent days flashed through his mind, and he himself felt novelty.

Fortunately, it finally stabilized for the time being.

He rolled around, wrapped in a quilt, and soon fell asleep.

This sleep was extremely sweet, and there were other faint movements in the night, which failed to wake him up.

Until the exclamation suddenly pierced the quiet night of Du Mansion.

"It's a thief!"

"Boom!"

A gong rang.

Du Wulang sat up from the couch wrapped in a quilt, and said in surprise, "What's wrong?!"

"A thief?"

Someone in the ear room also asked.

"Huh?" Du Wulang heard the voice was Xue Bai, and he couldn't help but wondered: "You don't live with that Sha...that little girl, how come you come to sleep in a small bed?"

Xue Bai went out of the ear room, found a candle and lit it, and said casually, "You only made one bed, and she took it."

"Ah, you are really." Du Wulang shook his head and said, "How can a man be bullied by a little maidservant if he stands in the world?"

"She had a knife and said she would cut me off if I approached her bed."

"That's your bed." Du Wulang said angrily.

"Oh!"

Suddenly there was a loud noise, someone from the next room knocked out the door, and a woman shouted sharply: "Stop going!"

Xue Bai just lit the candle, then quickly blew it out.

The room was plunged into complete darkness for an instant, and nothing could be seen clearly.

Only the sound of hurried footsteps sounded on the corridor, gradually heading towards the front yard.

Du Wulang was terrified, and whispered: "Why, what's the matter?"

"The East Palace sent people to kill us, but Jiao Nu chased us out."

"What... what?!"

Du Wulang hurriedly slipped down to the bed, greeted Xue Bai, and then crawled under the bed, saying in a low voice, "Hurry up, hurry up, hide quickly."

"Has been chased away by Jiaonu."

"Then hide too." Du Wulang had already got under the couch and said, "Come quickly."

suddenly.

With a bang, the window was pushed open.

Someone seems to have jumped in.

"Oh!"

Something slammed on the couch.

Du Wulang's body trembled, he was so frightened that he huddled into a ball with his head in his arms.

After that, there were consecutive smashings, and finally with a slamming door, someone rushed out.

When Du Wulang finally came back to his senses, he carefully poked his head out from under the couch, only to see the moonlight pouring in through the broken window, and there seemed to be no one in the room.

"Xue Bai? Where are you?"

He called softly, but seeing no one answered, he couldn't help but panic.

"Xue Bai..."

(End of this chapter)