Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 172: The Hidden Crisis of the Remnants

Seeing her finish reading a poem, Jia Cong showed surprise in his eyes: "You didn't know how to read before, but now you are really different."

Nowadays, even the daughters of ordinary families have difficulty in getting the opportunity to read and write. Although the Jia family is a large family, there are very few maids in the family who can read and write.

Only young ladies like Daiyu, Miaoyu and Sanchun, who come from official and noble families, have the opportunity to study.

Yinglian was abducted when she was young. It was also by coincidence that she attended a private school for two years before she was able to read and write. This was a very rare opportunity.

Even Baoyu's maid Xiren could not read a single word, and Zhishao was no exception in the past, but now she can read a poem with intonation.

Jinghui looked confused: "Me before?" Then she frowned, lowered her head and thought for a long time, but still had no clue.

"My senior sister taught me to read and write every day for the past two years, but I don't remember anything from two years ago."

Jia Cong said softly, "If you can't remember, don't think about it. It's not a big deal."

She then took out the pair of silver twisted wire bracelets and said, "I gave you this pair of bracelets a year ago. I asked Yinglian to give them to you last time, but she didn't take them away."

Jinghui was staring at the pair of bracelets in a daze, not saying a word, with a dazed look in her eyes, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Jia Cong's heart was beating fast, and he boldly took her hand. Jinghui seemed to wake up all of a sudden, and subconsciously tried to retract her hand. Jia Cong tightened his grip and held onto the soft, jade-like hand that was about to slip away.

He put two silver twisted wire bracelets on her wrists before letting go of her hands.

Jinghui's pretty face flushed, and she looked at Jia Cong with her bright eyes. Her eyes were full of confusion and panic, but she was reluctant to avoid Jia Cong's gaze.

The river flows mercilessly, the past has disappeared, but engraved deep in the heart, the attachment of sharing weal and woe can never be erased.

Until Jia Cong thought of the past and found it difficult to control himself, he wanted to get close to her again, but she pushed him away with a blushing face.

……

When Jinghui returned to the inner hall of Panxiang Temple, Miaoyu saw that her eyes were watery, her pretty face was still blushing, and she wore a pair of silver bracelets on her slender wrists.

Miaoyu remembered the pair of bracelets. It was the man named Jia who asked Yinglian to give them to Jinghui. But he flirted with her on the spot, which scared Jinghui. The bracelets fell to the ground and Jinghui didn't pick them up.

Looking at Jinghui's expression, she knew that it must be that Jia who had come to provoke her again. Miaoyu blushed and muttered, "Lecher!"

I suddenly felt angry and my heart was beating fast, so I went back to my room, spread out the scriptures, held a wooden fish in my hand, and recited silently, only then did I suppress the random thoughts in my mind.

Jinghui returned to the Zen room and found the quilt on the bed was empty. Yinglian had gotten up and gone somewhere. The Zen room was empty and silent. She could almost hear her own heartbeat.

She stroked the pair of silver twisted wire bracelets on her hands, feeling strange in her heart. She still couldn't remember who he was.

I just remember the indescribable throbbing in my heart every time our eyes met.

When she left with a red face just now, the words he said made her flustered and at a loss.

"It doesn't matter if you don't remember me. I'm here to take you away. I will stay here until you are willing to go with me."

……

On the official road from Nanjing to Gusu, a horse-drawn carriage was running fast on the ice and snow.

There were four people in the car. The leading man was in his thirties, with a sturdy build and a look of superiority on his face. The other three were all ordinary looking, with strong bodies and military looks. They all had weapons in their hands, which looked like official weapons.

“This time, I will ask the three brothers to go to Gusu to help me deal with a person. After the task is completed, I will give you a pass to pass through the customs, and a sum of money to support your life.

There are many ships sailing out to sea during the New Year. Japan or Southeast Asia are both good destinations. The world is so big, who can find you?"

One of them said, "We were implicated by Captain Zou this time. If you hadn't informed us in time and arranged a retreat, we would have died in the Jinyiwei prison.

We brothers must repay this kindness, but I don’t know who we have to deal with? Why do we need to come to Gusu to do it? "

The leading man sneered and said, "This man is well-known in Jinling. Jinling is in a state of panic right now, with the Academy and the Imperial Guards in power. If he stayed in Jinling, it would be difficult to touch him.

If we trace back to the source, it's all because of him that the brothers have fallen into this state!"

……

Surrounded by rivers and lakes, Suzhou has fertile soil and abundant rivers. It is rich in japonica rice and its cuisine is also characterized by its sweet and sticky flavor.

On this day, Jia Cong took Yinglian to Leyu Street in the east of Gusu City. He originally wanted to bring Jinghui with him, but although she wore Buddhist robes and had her hair untied and had not lost her precepts, she could not be as free as Yinglian.

Yinglian is with Jinghui on a daily basis and knows many of her preferences. She tells Jia Cong that every winter solstice, believers in the temple would send some Suzhou cakes, and Jinghui's favorite one was Zhen'er cake.

Feng had brought Yinglian to Leyu Street once, so she knew that there was an old cake shop on Leyu Street where she could buy the most authentic Zhen'er cake. Most girls loved this sweet and sticky thing.

The warm winter sun shines on my body and makes me feel cozy. There is still some snow under the curbs on both sides of the street.

It was almost the end of the year, and Suzhou was a wealthy place in the south of the Yangtze River. Although there was famine among the people and beggars asking for food were common on the streets, there were more people with extra money who brought their children to buy New Year's goods.

Jia Cong and Yinglian were carrying large and small bags in their hands. In addition to the Zhen'er cake bought for Jinghui, there were also some other specialties that they were going to give to their sisters at home when they returned to Beijing.

Jia Cong was chatting and laughing with Yinglian when he suddenly noticed someone peeping at him. He saw a figure flash past in front of him. It was a man of medium build.

Although the felt hat was pulled down on his head, Jia Cong could only see the familiar face at a quick glance, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

He felt something was wrong and couldn't figure it out for a while. After walking around for a while, he took Yinglian back to Xuanmu Mountain.

Two days passed like this and nothing happened, so I felt relieved.

On this day, the Jia family sent someone to deliver an official letter from the Ministry of Rites, asking him to return to Beijing as soon as possible to report, as the task of copying scriptures at the Da Ci'en Temple had been completed.

He came to Nanjing this time on an imperial mission, which was also normal official procedure.

However, Jinghui's matter had not been resolved yet, so he could not leave for the time being. Fortunately, what he undertook was not an urgent matter, and the official letter did not limit the time for his return to Beijing, but only asked him to return to Beijing to report to the emperor.

If we delay it for some time, it shouldn't be a big problem. But we must arrive in Beijing before the Lantern Festival, otherwise we will give people a chance to talk about us.

During this period, Jia Cong spoke softly and tenderly. Perhaps it was because the old thoughts buried deep in his heart had not yet disappeared, and Jinghui had developed an attachment to him, but the time was still short after all.

She spent two years in Panxiang Temple, which was like being reborn in a new world. Master Xiushan and Miaoyu were the people closest to her, and perhaps they meant more to her in her heart than herself.

It would be difficult for her to go with him now and stay away from his master and sisters.

(End of this chapter)