White Fence Dream

Chapter 133 New Year
Why did Zhou Jingyun take in this fugitive orphan?

The answer he gave was that Chiang's followers protected each other.

At first, she had other thoughts in her mind and didn't care. Since he dared to take her in, she dared to come.

later…..
She thought that Zhou Jingyun was a kind person. He was obviously not clean either and could not stand the scrutiny of the Board of Supervisors, but in the face of Lin's request for help, he was still willing to let her treat the disease and save lives.

She also saw that Zhou Jingyun was not a member of Chiang Kai-shek's party. He was not a member of any party. He was just doing his duty for the country and the people. Seeing Zhang Ze and others building up prisons and rather killing the wrong people than letting anyone go, she was powerless to stop them. She could only do her best to reduce illness, pain and sorrow in the world.

In order to comfort this orphan, he was willing to share his home with her.

Zhuang Li couldn't help laughing.

How great.

For those who have lost their loved ones and have no one to rely on, this life is really beautiful.

It was as beautiful as a dream. Her luck was too good in the dream.

Even if the family is broken, the soul is scattered, and the person is trapped in a maze, he can be rescued.

He was unwilling to give up and was determined to go to the capital, where he met his true love.

The capital city is a dangerous place, with masters and strange weapons everywhere. She hides in a high-class courtyard, where someone helps her get information and protects her from wind and rain.

She couldn't go out, so someone was thinking of bringing her delicious snacks from the capital.

She couldn't fall asleep, so someone was willing to read to her to help her fall asleep.

Zhuang Li, ah Zhuang Li, you have been Zhuang Li for so long that you have forgotten what Bai Li is like.

Bai Li, however, killed his mother when he was born, and killed his family members and relatives when he grew up. He was hated by everyone, and would be pelted with stones by children and bitten by dogs when he walked. He could only wander in the mountains and wilderness, living in seclusion and plagued by bad luck!

How did she get so lucky!
What a pleasure to meet such a good person!

Zhuang Li let go of his knees, looked up and smiled, then lay on the ground with his arms open.

She couldn't blame others, she was just being too confident and conceited.

She hid her thoughts, concealed her own characteristics, and took the opportunity to come to the capital. So why can't others also hide their thoughts and take her in for other purposes?

Zhuang Li turned his head to see the little boy’s sleeping face.

He slept so sweetly and quietly that she felt a little sleepy.

I am indeed sleepy.

She didn't dare sleep last night.

That home, that bed, the people around me…
However, her luck was not too bad, encountering such a dreamless place allowed her to eliminate distractions, make discoveries in time, and also provided her with a place where she could sleep peacefully at this moment.

Zhuang Li turned sideways, lay opposite the child, and closed his eyes.

In the empty space, two people lay side by side, and it became increasingly quiet.

"Young Madam, Young Madam."

The dream is shaking.

Zhuang Li felt someone pushing her and was startled. She really fell asleep. Now was not the time to sleep well.

She reached out and pinched the child's nose: "Li Yu, it's time to wake up."

This was not her dream. In order to exit, the master needed to wake up.

Following her movements, the sleeping child opened his eyes: "You——"

The vision collapsed.

Zhuang Li opened her eyes and saw Zhou Jingyun's face approaching her in a daze. She subconsciously tensed her body and raised her hand.

Chunyue, who was sitting beside the bed, hurriedly held her arm.

"Young Madam, what's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

Zhou Jingyun, who was about to reach out, withdrew his hand, frowned and asked: "Are you okay?"

Zhuang Li took a deep breath, his vision became clearer, and he saw that it was already dusk outside. He said, "I was just taking a nap in the afternoon, how come I fell into a deep sleep?" He then scolded Chunyue, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

It's normal for the young lady to sleep a little longer, Chunyue thought. She had nothing to do in the afternoon, so she thought about waking up the young lady half an hour before dinner. Unexpectedly, the prince came back and heard that the young lady was sleeping, so he rushed in and shook the young lady to wake her up...

Waking a sleeping person suddenly may cause him to be terrified.

Chunyue was a little dissatisfied. What happened to the prince? Did he think that everyone at home was busy and it was not good for the daughter-in-law to lie down and sleep?

If it were in the past, Chunyue would have thought so too, but now, she pursed her lips somewhat unhappily.

If you have something to say, please talk it over nicely.

"I'm keeping an eye on the time." She said to Zhuang Li, not hiding her grievance, "Madam is busy over there, let the young lady finish her meal before going over."

Zhuang Li smiled and looked at Zhou Jingyun again.

Zhou Jingyun didn't pay attention to what the maid said, he just said: "The days are short and the nights are long in winter, don't sleep so much."

Zhuang Li said, "I understand. I won't do that next time."

Zhou Jingyun glanced at her and said softly, "Get ready to eat, and then go visit your mother."

Zhuang Li nodded, and Zhou Jingyun turned and left.

Chunyue supported Zhuang Li, as if to contradict Zhou Jingyun's words: "Madam, lie down for a while, and get up slowly. Be careful not to get dizzy."

Zhuang Li smiled and propped himself up to sit up: "It's okay, I'm not that fragile."

Hasn't she always been delicate? Chunyue glared at her and stopped trying to persuade her. She supported her carefully and suddenly saw a hairpin sliding down Zhuangli's skirt as she stood up.

"How did it fall here?" she said, reaching out to pick it up.

Although she didn't untie her hair when she took a nap, she took off her hairpins and rings. How come there was still a silver hairpin left behind?
Zhuang Li had already reached out to pick it up and smiled at her: "There are too many hairs left."

The hairpin was not big, and the end of the hairpin was a crabapple flower, a small one, and indeed very inconspicuous. Chunyue did not ask any more questions, but straightened the robe for Zhuang Li who had stood up, and went to take the coat from the hanger.

Zhuang Li looked down at the hairpin in her hand. She had kept it hidden in her hand when she slept, and she had clenched it tightly when she was awakened just now.

Although this hairpin is small and not as sharp as a dagger, but with her special ability, the hairpin can become a long sword in the eyes of those who want to hurt her...
Enough to protect yourself, but also able to hurt others.

Zhuang Li lowered her eyes and put the hairpin on her head.

……

……

In Yuqingtang, Manager Cai pushed open the door and saw Shangguan Yue sitting in the room. She seemed to be thinking about something, but a smile appeared on her face.

"Master, are you not asleep yet?" he couldn't help but ask.

Shangguan Yue has been coming to Yuqingtang very frequently recently, almost every afternoon, and after arriving, she finds a place to sleep.

In fact, although she was not allowed to enter the princess's mansion and the Shangguan family did not dare to take Shangguan Yue in, Prince Consort Shangguan also bought a house for her in the city.

But ever since Rui Bo's death, the young master has become more vigilant and only comes to Yuqing Hall to sleep.

This place was founded by him personally, and all the people here are those who once followed the prince and would never give up.

"I slept." Shangguan Yue said, with a smile in her eyes, "I even had a dream."

He didn't dream about Bai Li, and he felt a little uneasy, wondering if sleeping had helped her, and whether he still needed help.

The wife of Marquis Dongyang was in a deep mansion, and it was not something he could see casually. Even if he saw her, it did not necessarily mean that Bai Li would be possessed.

So he simply went to bed at the same time as before. Sure enough, this time when he woke up from his dream, he saw Bai Li.

Just like the first time, she pinched his face and smiled at him before disappearing.

This means that she really came into his dream.

Unfortunately, the time is too short.

Unfortunately, I couldn't speak.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to ask her if there was anything I could do to help.

"Young Master?" Shopkeeper Cai looked at Shangguan Yue's changing expression and couldn't help asking, "Are you okay?"

Why is it so weird? He couldn't help but remember that once before, Rui Bo said that the young master had a nightmare while sleeping.

Shangguan Yue stood up and said, "Okay, very good." Then she walked out, "I'm going to the princess's mansion."

Shopkeeper Cai asked, "Do you want to see the Prince Consort? The Prince Consort is at the Shangguan Mansion these days and will return to the Princess Mansion during the New Year."

Shangguan Yue said, "I'll go see the princess and discuss how to get her to take my place during the New Year holidays." She turned to look at Shopkeeper Cai and said, "Watch the prince consort's side. Don't let him find out."

This sounded a bit strange. The princess acknowledged the son of her husband's wife, but the people who discussed it were the princess and the child, and they had to avoid her husband's wife. Cai Songnian responded yes.

There's nothing we can do about it, since the young master is not really the son of the imperial consort.

"Congratulations, young master." He smiled again, with a hint of emotion on his face, "From now on, I can follow the princess in and out of the palace."

Although he was not a descendant of the royal family, he was finally able to enter the palace again after more than ten years.

The day when my identity is restored is not far away.

Accompanied by the increasingly loud sound of firecrackers, the young masters of the Dongyang Marquis's Mansion who had married and were living away from home rushed back with their wives and children the day before New Year's Eve.

The room of the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang was packed with people, and the concubines who used to serve her could only stand under the eaves.

Zhou Jingyun reminisced with his brothers and had a long conversation all night long, and did not come back until the late night.

As if he was afraid of waking her up, he slept on the Hu bed in the outer room.

Zhuang Li thought inside the bed curtains of the dormitory, if he was really afraid of waking her up, why didn’t he sleep in the study?

Zhuang Li did not get up and tell him to go back to bed.

The next day was New Year's Eve, and the second and third masters' families all came to worship their ancestors. The men performed worship services, while the wives brought their daughters-in-law to offer sacrifices.

The person following closely behind the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang was naturally Zhuang Li, while the two illegitimate sons and daughters-in-law followed obediently one step behind.

After the sacrifice and the New Year’s Eve dinner, it is time to set off fireworks. Standing in the yard, in addition to seeing your own home, you can also see the entire capital city as if shrouded in fireworks.

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang did not go out for fear of the noise and smoke, but she could feel the red outside the window even while sitting in the room. As she looked at it, she suddenly raised her hand to wipe away her tears.

"Oh, ma'am, it's New Year's Day, what's wrong with you?" Mrs. Xu said hurriedly.

The maids also went out to watch the fun. As the sound of firecrackers outside came out, the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang let out a light sigh.

"You don't know, when I saw her handing me the offerings in the ancestral hall, my heart..." she said, holding Mother Xu's hand, her eyes red again, "It's been nine years, standing in the ancestral hall, and now I have everything around me. Our Jingyun will not be alone in old age."

Mother Xu said angrily, "You should be happy now, why are you crying?" As she spoke, tears began to fall herself.

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang pouted at her and said, "Aren't you crying too?"

As they were talking, the door curtain rustled, and Zhou Jiuniang's voice said, "Mother, this little firework is for you to see." She then called out, "Sister-in-law, take it. It hasn't burned out yet, has it?"

As they were talking, Zhou Jiuniang ran in. The maids lifted the curtain and saw Zhuang Li holding a bamboo stick with a ground mouse firework hanging on it. The firework was spinning and emitting bright light.

Mother Xu cried out twice, "Don't burn your hands."

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang was both angry and amused: "What a joke! Jingyun doesn't care about you."

Zhou Jiuniang smiled and said, "This is what the prince gave to my sister-in-law." She wanted to reach out her hand, "Let me carry it."

Zhuang Li certainly wouldn't let the child play with it, so he said with a smile, "I'll ask the prince to pick a firework for you from the flower stand later."

The fireworks on the flower stand were much more beautiful than the ground mice. Zhou Jiuniang clapped her hands happily and rushed out impatiently.

Zhuang Li smiled at the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang and waited patiently for the mice to burn out: "This one makes a small sound and has a beautiful color."

Mrs. Dongyang Marquis did not scold her again, nor did she look away. She watched the swishing ground mouse burn out. Mother Xu smiled and reached out to take the bamboo stick. "Young Madam, please don't indulge Ninth Lady. It will be time for you to set off fireworks."

Zhuang Li smiled and said, "The prince is watching." Then he bowed to the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang and said, "Mother, I'm going out now."

"Wait a moment."

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang suddenly said.

Zhuang Li was a little surprised, and Mother Xu was obviously a little surprised as well. They all looked over and saw the wife of Marquis Dongyang taking out a purse from her sleeve.

"For you," she said.

What? Zhuang Li hesitated for a moment, and Xu's mother had come to her senses and hurried forward to take it and stuffed it into Zhuang Li's hand.

"It's your first time to spend the New Year at home, and I'm giving it to you as New Year's money." Lady Dongyang Hou said, then turned away and picked up the teacup to drink tea.

Zhuang Li looked at the purse stuffed into his hand, pursed his lips, and knelt down to salute: "Thank you, mother."

Mother Xu smiled at her and said, "Young Madam, please go out and play."

Zhuang Li retreated and stood behind the maids under the eaves, slightly absent-minded.

Zhou Jingyun was handing fireworks to a few brothers in the yard. His eyes fell on the door and he met her gaze through the maids.

Zhuang Li smiled.

Zhou Jingyun also smiled and looked away.

The only communication between them seemed to be eye contact during these two days.

Zhuang Li lowered his head and looked at the purse that the wife of Marquis Dongyang had stuffed into his hand. He could feel that it was filled with gold and silver.

When she was a child at home, her father would give her New Year's money every year. After she followed Mr. and Mrs. Zhuang, they would also give her New Year's money.

Now her home is gone, and Mr. Zhuang is gone too, but she didn’t expect that she would continue to receive New Year’s money this year.

Or it was given by someone I didn’t expect.

And it's at this time.

Zhuang Li had a complicated expression.

Is there any problem with Mrs. Zhuang?

Zhou Jingyun did not deliver her letter.

So was it true or false that Mrs. Zhuang was sent back to her hometown, Dengzhou?
Where is Mrs. Zhuang now?

Mrs. Zhuang, are you okay?
After she came to Beijing, she got all the information from Zhou Jingyun. At that time, she was very happy because she thought Zhou Jingyun knew everything even though she lived in a deep mansion.

At that time, she didn't even think about what if the information Zhou Jingyun gave her was all a lie?

Zhuang Li suddenly reached out and slapped himself in the face.

Why did you become confused after entering the capital? Did you really come here to be the young wife of Marquis Dongyang?
The maid next to her was shocked when she saw it: "Young Madam, you..."

Zhuang Li smiled at her: "There are bugs."

Flying insects? In the middle of winter, are there still flying insects? The maid was in a daze. When she saw the young lady smile again and say "Let's watch the fireworks", she withdrew her gaze and continued to look at the night sky. The events just now faded away in her memory like fireworks.

(End of this chapter)