hotmtlnovel Page 100
Page 100
A figure in a light blue burly skirt leaned against the wall, silently listening to two fellow disciples in the hall reminiscing about the past.
She raised her head, gazing at the wind and rain that blanketed the entire Xiaodiancang Mountain, tears streaming down her face...
**
"Sister Butterfly!" Fu Haili stood under the tea pavilion and waved to Murong Die as she passed by.
Murong Die wore a straw raincoat, a bamboo hat, and a long skirt with gold butterflies. The knife she carried at her waist was no longer the official goose-feather knife, but her own willow-leaf knife.
Murong Die waved to the others in her group, signaling them to go ahead.
She arrived at the tea pavilion, took off her straw hat, and said with a smile, "Fu Lang, what are you doing here?"
Fu Hai said, "Sister Die, this is the surprise I promised to give you yesterday."
He handed the gift bag to Murong Die.
Murong Die asked in surprise, "Did you come here specifically to find me? How did you know I would pass by here?"
Fu Hai said, "I've been looking for a long time, and I just happened to be waiting here. I didn't expect that you, Sister Die, would actually pass by."
Murong Die smiled and said, "You really have a kind heart."
Upon opening it, she found a blue, wide belt embroidered with stars, exquisitely crafted, and quite matching with the dresses she used to wear.
He was both surprised and delighted: "Brother Fu, you are so thoughtful."
Fu Hai took her hand and said earnestly, "Sister Die, would you be able to come to the inn tomorrow if you have some free time? I have something to tell you."
Seeing his serious expression, Murong Die said, "Are you going to talk to me about Xiao Ye? I can tell that she has a close relationship with you, and at the same time, it seems like she has some grudge against me, but I don't remember ever seeing her before."
Fu Hai said, "Sister Die, you've met her before, and it was only a little over a month ago, not a long time ago."
Murong Die pondered, "More than a month ago? During yesterday's struggle, I could sense that although she was young, her martial arts skills were actually superior to mine. I couldn't possibly have forgotten such a powerful young girl..."
Suddenly, her delicate body trembled as she looked at Fu Hai.
Fu Hai opened his oil-paper umbrella: "Anyway, Sister Die, you should come visit me sometime. I'm sorry, I was supposed to bring her into town to see you, but... sigh!"
Murong Die nodded: "She doesn't trust me, she's afraid I'll have someone ambush and kill her again in the city... Is that right?"
"Okay, I understand. I'll go tomorrow."
She put the gift bag inside her raincoat, put her straw hat back on, and Fu Hai, holding an umbrella, walked with her for a while.
Fu Hai said, "It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Little Ye is really not a bad person, and Sister Die is also a very good person, so I really don't want you two to continue misunderstanding each other like this."
Murong Die said, "Oh! This little sister Ye is quite affectionate with you. It seems that it's more than just brother and sister. I wonder, who is more important to you, me or her?"
Fu Hai moved closer to her: "In my heart, the most important person is of course you, Sister Die. If I'm lying, may God strike me with lightning right now."
I looked up and saw no thunder.
Murong Die laughed and said, "Don't give me that! I used to think you were honest, but it turns out you're just as glib as we are. You dumped both of us last night, it's a pity that the huge thunderclap afterward didn't strike you down."
Fu Hai said, "With such a sudden downpour, Sister Die, you must be very busy now, right?"
Murong Die said, "Don't even mention it, it's a complete mess. Nobody expected this rain. It's bad enough that there were some disasters, but what's even more infuriating is that some people are taking advantage of the situation and overcharging customers everywhere."
"The Prefect is treating this Palace Lantern Festival as a political achievement, forcing everyone to handle it. He was still angry this afternoon, saying that it never rains during the local Palace Lantern Festival, doesn't it?"
"But if it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, there's nothing anyone can do about it."
When they reached the intersection, he pointed in his companion's direction and said, "I'm going that way. You should head back soon, or the city gates will close."
"I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. Don't worry about your little sister, Xiaoye. I won't bring a whole group of people to attack. But even if I did bring a group of people outside the city, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to stop her."
"By the way, thank you for the surprise, I really like it."
The two parted ways here, and Fu Hai headed towards the city gate.
As darkness fell, the rain began to pour down harder. Normally, autumn brings more light drizzle than a torrential downpour.
"At this rate, the west gate is probably going to flood," he thought to himself.
Once outside the city gate, with no buildings to block the wind, a fierce gust of wind swept in, making even an umbrella useless.
They had no choice but to rush towards the inn.
I rushed into the inn, my lower body completely soaked except for my head, which was barely covered by the umbrella.
"Senior brother, you really did run around in this heavy rain." Xia Yuelan handed him a dry towel.
Fu Hai took it and wiped it casually.
At this point, only Lingyue, Yuelan, and the elderly couple from the Fu family remained in the inn. The Fu couple had gone back home in the afternoon and returned in the evening.
The inn was cleaned and swept as needed, and it looked quite empty.
"Where's Sister Qiu Ying?" Fu Hai asked. Sister Qiu Ying would usually be there at this time, but he didn't see her this time.
"Still on the mountain!" Song Lingyue said, "They must be exhausted from the past few days."
"Ah, we really owe her a lot these past few days," Fu Hai said. "There's nothing to do tonight, I'll keep watch here. Lingyue, when you go upstairs later, tell Sister Qiu Ying that she doesn't need to come over."
Song Lingyue said, "Okay!"
Xia Yuelan said, "Oh, right, Senior Brother, there's something else I forgot to tell you, about Bao Shu Zhai..."
Fu Hai said, "Let's not talk about this."
"I mean, Lady Langyue from Baoshuzhai came by this afternoon..."
"I know, I know!" They came, and almost got me punished by Sister Xianrui.
"What do you know?" Xia Yuelan exclaimed.
"Stop talking, I already know."
Chapter 185 Why did you steal my umbrella?
That night, a sudden downpour swept in, the sound of the rain pattering against the inn.
Fu Hai lay on the small bed behind the counter, covered with a blanket, and slept quite well.
The elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Fu, were getting on in years and went to rest early. After their two junior sisters returned to the mountain, he was left alone here.
In reality, on nights like this, it's highly likely that no one will come to stay.
However, if someone does come in the middle of the night and can't enter the city, and there's no one at the inn, then it would be an extremely miserable situation for the person seeking lodging.
It was already past midnight, and faint thunder could still be heard. Lightning flashed across the sky, making the vast expanse of heaven and earth flicker.
A beautiful figure floated in from the backyard, passed through the eaves bridge, entered the main hall, and stood beside the boy.
She slowly reached out her hand in the darkness.
Help the boy pull up the thin blanket that had slipped down.
Then she squatted down beside the boy, quietly looking at his handsome yet serene face by the light of the flickering lamp on the wall.
Amidst the howling wind and rain, only the two of them remained in the vast inn.
Gradually, the boy vaguely sensed someone beside him in his sleep and opened his eyes.
The person, like a ghost, flashed through the passage and arrived at the eaves bridge in the backyard.
The boy pulled up the blanket, sat up, and looked around for a while. He seemed to sense that someone had been watching him from the side.
The red light emitted by the lanterns was not bright, and the entire hall was empty.
"Sister Qiu Ying?" he called out.
There was no response; all that could be heard was the incessant sound of wind and rain outside.
It seemed to be just an illusion. The boy lay down again, covered himself with the blanket, turned to his side, and continued to sleep.
I didn't have any more strange dreams about being dismembered tonight. Although there was no one beside me, I felt like I was being protected by someone, and I slept very peacefully.
Under the eaves of the bridge in the backyard, the beautiful figure leaned against the wall, watching the stormy night.
The world is full of storms and waves, but this place is like an impregnable island. Although it is not big, it makes people feel at ease.
**
As the sunlight streamed into his eyes after daybreak, Fu Hai sat up again and found that Sister Qiu Ying was dismantling the door panel.
"Oh my, is it already this late?" He jumped up.
Normally, the inn should open as soon as it gets light.
But looking at the sky outside, it's almost Chenshi (7-9 AM).
"It's alright!" Qiu Ying said softly. "Anyway, no one is coming. It doesn't matter whether we open the door early or late. If there are guests, they will knock on the door themselves."
Fu Hai got up and together with her removed the remaining door panels and placed them aside.
Looking outside, the rain had lessened considerably, though it was still pouring down and showed no signs of stopping.
The sky was still bright, and a cool breeze swept in, making him feel much more awake.
"Grandpa Fu and Grandma Fu said there was nothing wrong here, and they went back home after helping to clean the kitchen in the morning."
Qiu Ying said, "I heard that their son's family was in a bad situation because they didn't expect it to rain during the Lantern Festival. The wheat they had just harvested was flooded. They're going to go and help."
Fu Hai said, "Ah! Pay them more wages. Every year at this time, we are so grateful for their help."
Qiu Ying nodded and said, "Master, you should go back to the mountains to rest first. There's nothing else to do here. Miss Lingyue will be here to watch over things this morning. I'll go and call a carriage to take the old couple back, since it's raining."
Fu Hai said, "How about I go..."
Qiu Ying pushed him, saying, "It's nothing, anyway, there won't be any guests today."
Seeing that she insisted, Fu Hai didn't say anything more.
Fu Hai, holding an umbrella, walked through the backyard and headed up the mountain.
Before they even reached their courtyard, a loud shout rang out: "Senior Brother!"
Then he saw his junior sister rush over from under the pavilion and hide under his umbrella.
"What are you doing here so early in the morning?"
"How boring!" Xia Yuelan exclaimed. "Once the Palace Lantern Festival is over, it feels like there's nothing left to do. I don't know what to do here, and I don't even know where Xiaoye is."