Shengshichun

Yongping turned his face and looked at her quietly for a while, then said, "Because I don't want to keep anything of his.

"The Liang family had approached him many times before, asking him to return Liang Ning's things. He returned a lot, and I thought he no longer had your things.

“I didn’t expect that there would still be some when I cleaned it up at the end.

"This knife was placed with the set of military strategies he wrote. When I saw him sandwiched between the books, I knew how much he valued it.

"I already hated him at that time. I also know that he is not completely indifferent to you, but his own interests are above everything else.

"But I still didn't expect that at that moment, when you had already shown your determination to break off all ties with him many times, he would still hide this knife with him.

"I was really shocked. I've been waiting for him for years, and the way he feels towards you is something I've always dreamed of.

"I've imagined many times what it would be like for a man like him to be deeply in love with another woman, and I've never imagined it.

“Until I saw this knife.

"I kept it with me for the past few months. It never left my sight. At first I was angry and resentful for him, but later on, the more I looked at it, the more disappointed I became.

"He loves you so much, yet he is willing to kill you. It is obvious that being loved by him is actually a misfortune.

"You're right, in comparison, you're a little worse off than me.

“You and I have disliked each other since we were young, but this time, it actually made me feel more balanced.

"I've come to terms with it, Fu Zhen. You and I were both equally talented and we both shined in the capital. It's not worth it for me to die for a man like this.

"I don't want to keep anything of his with me, even if this knife is yours. I don't want to have any attachment to him anymore. I will just treat myself as if I was blind and had epilepsy, and now I am sober."

She uttered every word calmly.

Compared to before, she seemed like a different person.

Fu Zhen didn't rush to reply.

Looking back at Yongping's tragedy, she was not innocent. She knew clearly that Xu Yin was already discussing marriage with Liang Ning, and that Xu Yin was able to survive the pile of dead bodies, pass the imperial examination and embark on an official career, all thanks to Liang Ning and the Liang family. But Yongping still seduced Xu Yin at that time.

If Xu Yin was a good person, then Yongping's behavior was indeed to destroy someone's marriage.

I would rather demolish ten temples than ruin one marriage.

This is immoral.

"do you hate me?"

Just thinking of this, Yongping asked.

Her eyes were dull, just like the gray, dilapidated yard.

Fu Zhen shook his head.

"You don't hate me?"

Yongping was a little surprised. Then, she smiled bitterly and said, "I understand. To you, I am probably the same as the man surnamed Xu. I don't deserve your hatred."

"That's not the case." Fu Zhen brushed off a peach petal that had blown from somewhere on his sleeve. "I hated you at first, but I don't like to be sticky when doing things. I slapped you in the face at the White Crane Temple, so we're even now.

"Except for the incident with the surname Xu, although you and I have disliked each other since we were young, we actually didn't have any serious grudges. Now that the surname Xu is dead, it's even more impossible for me to hate you."

Yongping stared at her blankly, and gradually waves of emotion welled up in his eyes.

She bit her lower lip and looked down. "You'll never get the chance again if you miss this opportunity. If you admit that you still hate me, I will apologize to you today.

"After we leave this room, if you want to bring this up again, I won't agree."

Fu Zhen laughed: "What are you worried about? Are you worried that I will retaliate against you?"

I don’t know if it was because his secrets were touched upon, but Yongping blushed and her lower lip was bitten even deeper.

"Even if you want to take revenge on me, I'm not afraid. I'm just a dead body now, if you want it, take it. If I say no, I'll be a coward!"

Fu Zhen clicked her tongue, "I never knew you were such a heroine. If you had the guts to do this, why did you have to be so coy back then? Wouldn't it be better for you to come with me to the northwest to kill the enemy?"

"It's not good for me to be timid, but you can just wield guns and sticks all day long?" It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned this, but when he did, Yongping couldn't hold back anymore.

Fu Zhen smiled: "At least better than you. If you think I can kill the enemy, why are you afraid of my revenge at this time?"

Yongping was choked by his words.

"Why are you arguing again?"

At this time, Zhang had already walked in with Xu Lian, who had just finished tidying up. Seeing the two of them arguing fiercely, she couldn't help but sigh and put the chestnuts in the bamboo dustpan on the wooden table.

Yongping turned around and said, "Who wants to fight with her? Who can beat her?"

Fu Zhen smiled without saying anything. He picked up two chestnuts, put them in his mouth and started eating.

She looks so natural and relaxed, how can she be the wife of a high-ranking general?
Zhang originally opened her mouth to say something, but seeing her like this, she stopped and swallowed the rest of her words.

Yongping saw Fu Zhen eating with gusto, and his spines softened. He muttered, "What's so good about this? I'll tell you later when you choke."

Xu Lian looked at them, opened his arms and hugged his mother: "Don't be sad, mother. Mother can't win. Lian'er will help you."

Fu Zhen glanced at him: "You are not even as tall as the table when you stand up, what can you do to help? You are just a nice talker!"

This child looks a bit like his father. To be fair, Fu Zhen doesn't like him.

Yongping picked up Xu Lian and glanced at her, "Do you have any shame to bully a child?"

Fu Zhen squinted his eyes: "Hey, who was it that beat him like a madman just now?"

Yongping turned his face away, as if he didn't want to argue with him.

Zhang laughed angrily: "You two are not young anymore, why are you still acting like children?" Then she took out all the chestnuts from the winnowing basket and placed them in front of Fu Zhen: "Since you don't mind, I picked up half a sack of chestnuts from the cellar on the hill outside the city a few years ago. Can you take some back with you?"

Yongping asked, "Why would she eat these?"

Fu Zhen nodded to Zhang: "Okay! I haven't eaten these local specialties for a long time. Please give me more!"

Zhang smiled, wiped her hands and turned away.

Yongping held Xu Lian in his arms, looking at Fu Zhen for a while, then again.

……

When Zi Yan returned to the carriage with a large bag of chestnuts, she helped Fu Zhen get on the carriage, then looked through the window at Zhang Shi who was left behind to see him off, and asked impatiently:
"Why did you accept their things, Madam? Are you going to have frequent contact with them in the future?"

Fu Zhen just smiled and said, "These chestnuts are delicious."

These chestnuts are really delicious.

Even if they are picked up in the mountains, they must be the most delicious ones among all the ones picked up.

This wasn't the first time Fu Zhen had dealt with Zhang, so how could he not know what kind of person she was?

This woman will not be defeated by setbacks.

She is broad-minded.

He is also cunning.

It is impossible for them to turn things around in this life.

But who doesn’t want to live a better life within their ability?

Picking out some delicious chestnuts to treat Fu Zhen was the best that Zhang could do at the moment.

Perhaps she knew very well in her heart that it would be impossible to make Fu Zhen put aside their past grudges and help them with these things. She also knew that Fu Zhen was not so easy to manipulate.

But she still actively did so, still trying to find a chance to change the status quo for herself and her family. In any case, Fu Zhen admired such a person with vigorous vitality. But even so, Zhang and Yongping never bowed down from beginning to end, and never asked for anything from her.

They want to change the status quo while still maintaining their dignity.

Yongping has her hateful sides, but not all of her looks are hateful.

It is difficult for a person to have a smooth life.

It's hard not to have a little setback.

But whether one can rise from setbacks, maintain dignity and retain integrity is a matter of opinion.

The ones who did all this were Madam Ning, Yang Yi, and Zhang Shi. They did not make the wrong choice at the most difficult time, and when they were in adversity, no one succumbed to reality, and even Yongping did not choose to indulge.

Those who were unable to do all this included Xu Yin, Lian Yang, and the many people who followed them.

They were born into aristocrats, but they only had the status of aristocrats, but they had lost their aristocratic integrity. They were enslaved by power and became ugly.

From beginning to end, Fu Zhen never promised to help the Zhang family, nor did he give them any hints, but Fu Zhen did not reject them either.

If the water is clear, there will be no fish.

Life is so long, who can predict what will happen in the rest of your life?
……

By the time the chestnuts brought back from Zhang were finished, the old peach tree that Pei Zhan had planted in his own yard was already in full bloom. When the wind blew, the petals formed a thick layer under the tree. Liang Xuan rolled around on them every day, rolling around in the flower mud like a happy puppy.

Later, the tree was full of furry little peaches.

Later, the peaches grew bigger, slowly turned red, and weighed heavily on the branches.

Before they knew it, it had been more than three months since Pei Zhan and his companions went to Dongzi. At this time, Liang Xuan had been quietly accompanying Fu Zhen, who was sitting on a recliner under a tree, chatting and eating snacks.

The spring breeze in April is like a gentle hand, caressing every part of my body.

Fu Zhen gently stroked her belly, calculating the day until Pei Zhan and the others would return.

After Liang Xuan had his fill of snacks, he volunteered to be her spy, making seven or eight trips to the city gate every day.

He has grown taller and is as tall as his father Dagong, but he is still as fat as a winter melon. Fortunately, he has big eyes, so people can finally praise him for being smart and cute.

On the day of the summer solstice, after eating the Beginning of Summer porridge cooked by Mrs. Pei herself, Liang Xuan had someone bring a large basket of eggs. He sat under the peach tree and wanted to compete with Fu Zhen in egg-eating.

Fu Zhen was feeling lazy, but he didn't want to spoil the little brat's interest. After fighting for seventeen or eighteen rounds, he lost less and won more. The little brat wanted to cheat and ran off to ask for help.

Fu Zhen let him go and lay leisurely in the chair with his eyes closed to rest.

As the spring breeze blows, the sounds in my ears gradually become blurred.

In a blink of an eye, she was standing under the tree again.

There was another small figure under the tree. He looked up at the peach tree in full bloom. His eyes, young and serious, were as clear as a deep spring.

"...I originally brought the candied haws for you to eat, but you insisted on snatching them away, and then you bullied me. If I had known you were so mean, I would not have liked you!"

The boy climbed up the tree, buried his face in his knees and cried.

Fu Zhen walked up and took out her hands from behind her back. In her hands were two big and sweet candied haws.

Fu Zhen smiled and raised the candied haws towards the tree: "Zhan'er, I brought you candied haws, come and eat!"

The crying sounds from the tree became quieter and gradually disappeared.

He raised his tear-stained face and looked at her under the tree in confusion.

She gently shook the candied haws: "Come down quickly! You bought it from the store where you like to eat it. If you don't come down, the sugar will melt!"

Little Pei Zhan was at a loss, and subconsciously hugged the tree trunk next to him with both hands: "Why are you here? When did you come?"

"I've been here for a long time. I brought you some food. There are two sticks, one for you and one for me."

The remaining Liang Ning was smiling, not fierce or hateful at all.

Pei Zhan slid down the tree trunk and walked timidly to her. He looked at the candied haws, then looked at her, and then carefully took one.

"Eat it! It's very sweet."

Liang Ning took a big bite and squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

Pei Zhan also took a bite and found it was indeed very sweet.

He looked at Liang Ning beside him, and like her, he opened his mouth wide and bit off a big hawthorn in one bite!

"Is it tasty?"

"good to eat!"

"I knew you'd like it!"

Liang Ning sat on a chair under the tree and swung his legs proudly.

Pei Zhan was a little shy, "How do you know I like this restaurant? Didn't you just bully me?"

"I'm not bullying you, I just like you." Liang Ning stretched out his hand and rubbed his face, saying lovingly: "You are so cute, who would be willing to bully you!"

Pei Zhan blushed immediately. Was he cute? How could he not know?
No one had ever told him this.

And the person who told him all this was Liang Ning.

Is he dreaming?

definitely is!

He pinched himself hard.

But my face hurt, and the dream in front of me didn't change. Everything was still the same as before. Liang Ning was still the Liang Ning before.

"Do you really think I'm cute? Do you really know what I like?"

"Of course I know. I know everything about you, and I also know that you like to eat tofu at the entrance of the alley!"

Liang Ning's face was full of pride.

She looked into the distance at the horizon, which was filled with rosy clouds, as brilliant as their future.

……

"Aunt Fifth! Aunt Fifth!"

The voice in my ear really rang.

Fu Zhen opened his eyes.

Liang Xuan came back and he had indeed brought reinforcements.

And this reinforcement was still exhausted.

"Azhen!"

Pei Zhan opened his mouth and eyes wide, pointing at her bulging belly as if she were a monster:
"you you--"

Fu Zhen stood up calmly and slapped his finger away: "What are you pointing at? It's yours!"

(End of the article)

(End of this chapter)