Tomorrow was the day of the Brotherhood's semi-annual meeting.
Lin Xiao finished inspecting the Jade Imperial Building's main store, locked the door, and strolled home.
The distance from He Yuan to Xiao Yuan was an hour and a half's walk, but if he used qinggong, he would only need a quarter of an hour. But he would rather walk slowly every day in the dense darkness of the night, in the silent environment, he could ease the tiredness he felt during the day.
It was late autumn, and the streets were completely silent.
Apart from the occasional barking of dogs and the sound of the clock, the intertwined sounds broke the silence.
After passing through Fanluo's city gate, he arrived at the main street leading to He Garden.
Most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed, except for a few workshops that were rushing to finish their work.
Huh?
What's that?
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes. Through the hazy twilight, his sharp eyes swept over the strange bulge at the entrance of the Aromatherapy Workshop.
Knitting his brows, he leaped to the entrance of the Aromatherapy Workshop, which was dozens of feet away. It was actually a curled up sleeping woman.
He reached out and touched her forehead. It was so hot.
No wonder she didn't react to his arrival.
He knocked on the door of the Aromatherapy Workshop, ignoring the surprised expression of the manservant who came to open the door, and carried her into the Aromatherapy Workshop.
"Eldest Young Master, she … I mean, this young lady came to look for her family. During the day, we clearly told her that the person she was looking for wasn't here, but for some reason, she waited at the door and refused to leave."
The Aromatherapy Workshop's manager, Uncle Xiang, was an old professional in the field of incense that his mother had specially recruited from the imperial capital. He had always been calm and reserved.
As a result, his mother rarely came to the workshop, and the usual management was done by Uncle Xiang.
"Yes, she might have caught a cold. She'll be fine after taking some medicine."
The doctor on night duty at Qingyang Medical Centre, who had been urgently called by Lin Xiao, prescribed a few medicine to reduce the fever and dispel the cold. After that, he signaled the manservant to quickly boil it in the kitchen.
He turned around and saw Lin Xiao's young and gloomy face. He smiled to ease the atmosphere, "Eldest Young Master, don't worry.
Uncle Xiang didn't mean to let the girl catch a cold. He just didn't notice. "
Lin Xiao nodded. He didn't have any intention of venting his anger on Uncle Xiang. He just felt that if he didn't pay attention tonight, this young lady would very likely be frozen stiff by the late autumn dew, or even freeze to death.
When the time came, the Incense Workshop would be less affected than a young man's life.
"Eldest Young Master, it's late. You should go back and rest. With me here, I'll make the necessary arrangements.
I'll ask Xiao Cui to come over and take care of this young lady. "Uncle Xiang was a little embarrassed.
How could he not know what Lin Xiao was thinking?
He wanted to remedy the situation.
Lin Xiao nodded and left the room. "Uncle Xiang, please check carefully before you close the door in the future.
Don't discover such a phenomenon again.
If … if there are people like this who don't have a home to return to, send them to Yangxin Hall as much as possible. "Lin Xiao pondered for a moment and then instructed Uncle Xiang.
"Understood.
Don't worry, Eldest Young Master, I will pass on the message.
As for this young lady, I will send someone to send her to Yangxin Hall after she recovers. "
Yangxin Hall was the property of the welfare hall under their name.
The original intention of its establishment was not to make profits, but to find the most suitable way to survive for the many unemployed, unemployed, and homeless people in the hall.
Of course, the major properties under He Yuan's name would first recruit the people introduced by Yangxin Hall. Only when they were full, would they introduce them to the other merchants in the hall.
As time went by, their Yangxin Hall gradually replaced the trafficker granny, and officially became the largest human resource introduction center in the Main Chamber.
… …
"Eldest Brother, happy birthday."
Lin Xi carried a brocade box and smiled as he stuffed it into Lin Xiao's hand. "Mother said that after your birthday, you will be 20 years old. Do you have someone you like?
When will you bring her back for father and mother to take a look? "
Lin Xiao glanced at his younger brother, who wouldn't come without a reason. He was sure that this time he came to convey his mother's instructions.
"What about you?
Don't forget that you are only two years younger than me.
Since you are already an adult, what's the difference in seniority. "Lin Xiao lightly said.
His gentle expression made it seem as if he was talking about a small matter that had nothing to do with him.
"How can that be? I am your younger brother, and I will always follow your lead." Lin Xi smiled. "I am going back.
Remember to go home at night.
Mother said that she wanted to celebrate your and eldest sister's birthday. "After he finished speaking, he waved his hand from behind and stepped out of Cui Yu Zhai, walking towards his palace.
The 18 year old Lin Xi had ascended the throne for only half a year, but he already had the demeanor of a monarch.
Of course, in front of his family, he was happy to pretend to be young.
Lin Xiao opened the brocade box. As expected, it was another portrait of a lady from a famous family. He curled his lips and put the brocade box at the bottom of the red sandalwood cabinet. Since he turned 16, every year he received a portrait of a lady from a famous family. At first, it was Martial Uncle Si Chong's prank, but the next year, it became everyone's entertainment and wish.
When he turned 18, he actually received seven portraits at once.
Did they think that he was choosing a concubine?!
Helplessly shaking his head, he walked out of the courtyard he set up in Cui Yu Zhai last year.
Cui Yu Zhai was a large courtyard with three sections.
The first section was a row of six two-story shops. The second section was for the shop's staff to live in, and the third section was his independent small courtyard.
An archway separated him from the place where he lived and worked.
Before last year, this small courtyard was only his study and accounting room.
During the New Year last year, he was so busy that his feet didn't touch the ground. He didn't return to the courtyard for several nights, but stayed in the study here for the night. After his mother found out, she sent carpenters and bricklayers to tidy up a few rooms for him day and night. She even set up a door for the small courtyard that was independent of Cui Yu Zhai's shop.
His mother also scattered a lot of grass and flower seeds in the small courtyard, planting a row of evergreen holly and a few laurels.
A year later, his small courtyard had become a hidden paradise for flowers and plants in the city.
He was used to sleeping here every night, only going back at the end of the month for the family dinner.
As for tonight, that's right, the seventh of November was his and Lin Long's birthday.
It was probably his mother and Aunt Yun who wanted to use this opportunity to have a big gathering.
"Master, there was a troublemaker in front just now, but he was chased out by An Zi." Cui Yu Zhai's nominal Shopkeeper Luo saw Lin Xiao in the main hall and quickly reported what happened.
Hearing this, Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly. Very few people dared to cause trouble in Cui Yu Zhai.
This was because everyone knew that Cui Yu Zhai was the business of the king's brother.
Although Lin Xiao didn't advertise this, sometimes, this relationship did make his Cui Yu Zhai a lot easier.
"Master, it's that lady. She's been sitting there since the opening in the morning. She didn't order anything but a pot of chrysanthemum tea. The troublemaker seemed to be targeting her."
After listening to Shopkeeper Luo's whisper, Lin Xiao stared at the fifteen or sixteen year old girl by the window. He frowned and pondered for a moment before walking in front of her.
Xu Xiangjun stared at the black cloth boots that appeared in front of her. Moving up, she saw a well-tailored green silk robe with silver embroidery. Looking up, she saw a handsome man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. It was the man she had been looking for for nearly a year.
"Last year … Thank you …" She lowered her head and stared at the fragrant rose slices that were completely different from the chrysanthemum tea.
"It's nothing." Lin Xiao smiled gently.
He didn't expect it to be her, the girl with a cold that he accidentally saved. But because he was busy, he had long forgotten about that night and the girl that he saved.
"I …" Xu Xiangjun swallowed her saliva. She had prepared a thank-you speech for nearly a year, but it was completely forgotten.
"Who was causing trouble for you just now?"
Lin Xiao raised his head and raised his hand at the counter. The very perceptive waiter served a plate of the shop's signature dessert: pineapple cake.
"You haven't eaten breakfast yet, right? Rose slices are extremely delicious when paired with pineapple cake." Lin Xiao pushed the plate in front of her and suggested with a faint smile.
"Thank … Thank you." Xu Xiangjun blushed and picked up a piece of pineapple cake to taste.
Sure enough, it was exactly the same as the rumors said, mellow and delicious.
After eating three pieces in a row, she realized that she was in Cui Yu Zhai and the person sitting opposite her quietly drinking tea was her benefactor that she wanted to thank.
Lin Xiao's eyes flashed with a deep smile, indicating that she shouldn't take it to heart. "That person just now …"
"Oh, he came to collect a debt.
Before I came to the main branch, I still owed them twenty taels of silver after dealing with the embroidery workshop and burying my mother. I promised them that I would pay them back in five years with interest increasing every year … They went back on their word and insisted on bringing me back to collect the debt.
Naturally, I didn't want to. I didn't dare to go back to the embroidery workshop … I'm sorry … "She just wanted to see him before she escaped and thank him for saving her life.
"Embroidery workshop?
Which embroidery workshop do you work in? "Lin Xiao caught the words in her words. Could it be the embroidery workshop that his mother set up in the Silk Weaving Workshop?
"The Silk Weaving Workshop."
Xu Xiangjun smiled brightly. "After I recovered, I knew that you saved me. I wanted to come and thank you immediately, but Uncle Xiang said that you were very busy and took me to Yangxin Tang first. He knew that my embroidery skills were good, so he let me stay in the Silk Weaving Workshop.
In a year, I had already earned four taels of silver, which was enough to pay off the debt for the first year. Who knew that they would come after me … They are not easy to deal with. Today, I can see you, so I have fulfilled my wish.
Don't worry, I won't go back to the embroidery workshop in case they destroy it … Anyway, thank you! "
"What about the person you want to find?
You still haven't found him? "Lin Xiao lowered his eyelids and took a sip of the fragrant tea as he asked.
"Yes.
Maybe it's because the appearance inside and outside the city has changed. It's completely different from ten years ago.
I also don't know where they moved to. "
Xu Xiangjun sighed softly. Even if she found him, so what? She didn't think that her uncle's family would pay off the remaining sixteen taels of silver for her.
She calmed herself down, stood up and bowed to Lin Xiao. "Thank you." Not only did he save her, but he also let her taste the popular pineapple cake in the main chamber.
"Where are you going?" Lin Xiao frowned with displeasure. Was she walking right into a trap?
She was going to taste her own debt. Damn it, why was he so depressed?
"The world is big, there will always be a place for me to stay." Xu Xiangjun's dimples appeared. "It's just that I have no way to repay Master Lin for saving my life."
She wanted to stay in the Silk Weaving Workshop first and pay off the debt before coming to the Jade Imperial Workshop. As long as she could help him, it didn't matter what she had to do.
However, it seemed that it was impossible now.
Who asked that group of people to go back on their word?
She could only leave the main chamber to prevent them from finding trouble with her family's business.
"Stay.
I will take care of the rest. "
… …
Since that day, she didn't see him again. She also didn't receive any trouble from that group of people. Perhaps they were sent away by him with money … Because, not long after, he asked Uncle Luo to convey his message: She could stay in the Silk Weaving Workshop and do her embroidery work. She could use her wages to pay off the debt that he paid for her.
From then on, she received a new life.
Every day, she went to work with a smile on her face and happily got off work.
Every day, her embroidery work would be appreciated by the shopkeeper of the Silk Weaving Workshop.
In the second year, she saved up ten taels.
Among them, six taels were her reward for embroidering a complete set of "Phoenix Stage".
It was still early in the morning on the seventh day of the eleventh month. Xu Xiangjun held the purse with ten taels and excitedly rushed to the Jade Imperial Workshop. "I … want to find … Master Lin Xiao."
Shopkeeper Luo recognized her as the girl who received his master's attention last year. He smiled and asked the waiter to bring her to a seat first. He then went to the backyard to find Lin Xiao.
It was rare to see his master so close to a girl. She was the first.
Perhaps, his master's good fortune was near.
"You don't want to leave some for yourself?" Lin Xiao opened the purse. He knew that she would use all of her earnings to pay him back.
Although he hadn't seen her in the past year, he had a rough understanding of her situation through Uncle Xiang and the Silk Weaving Workshop's Count Feng.
"I don't have any use for it."
Xu Xiangjun shook her head. The embroidery workers in the Silk Weaving Workshop were treated very well. They were provided with worldly favors, three meals a day, and two sets of clothes every six months. They almost didn't need any money.
"Let's go." Lin Xiao took the taels and the purse she embroidered. He stood up and said to her.
"Go?
Go … go where? "She raised her head in a daze.
"Accompany me to buy some things." He took the lead and walked towards the entrance of the Jade Imperial Workshop.
Xu Xiangjun hurriedly caught up with him and followed behind him. They walked towards the lively market.
When they reached a crowded place, Lin Xiao pulled her to his side to protect her.
Xu Xiangjun was holding a large pile of women's items in her hands. She was confused and perplexed, but she still didn't dare to ask.
On the surface, Lin Xiao was gentle and harmless, but in private, he was also very overbearing.
At first, she waved her hand to refuse the new clothes and rouge he bought for her. She was frightened by his fierce gaze, so she didn't dare to say anything.
She guessed in her heart that perhaps he didn't buy them for her, but for his sister or elder sister or … fiancee …
That's right, the Lin Family's young master. It was said that he was already twenty-one years old. Even if he wasn't married, how could he not have a good partner?
Xu Xiangjun's eyes darkened. Her footsteps paused and she secretly distanced herself from him.
There was no one on the street who didn't know Lin Xiao. How could she be worthy of walking side by side with him?
"What's wrong?" Lin Xiao stopped. He turned around and raised his eyebrows.
Xu Xiangjun didn't think that he would deliberately stop to wait for her. Seeing the curious gazes of the surrounding people, her heart was a bit flustered.
"Come here."
Lin Xiao waved his hand at her. When she came closer, he reached out to take the large bag she was holding. His other hand tightly grabbed her and didn't let go.
When they returned to Jade Imperial Building, they went to his small courtyard. The maidservants who were on duty helped her change into new clothes, put on hair accessories, and put on some light rouge.
Xu Xiangjun couldn't fight the confusion in her heart. She pushed open the study where he was working, "That … I've changed … but …" She didn't understand what he meant.
"Very good." Lin Xiao looked up and praised with a smile.
"Young master Lin …"
"Call me Lin Xiao, Ah Xiao, Xiao, you can call me anything, but don't add young master." Lin Xiao stood up and pulled her to sit down on a soft chair, "Come home with me for dinner tonight."
So it wasn't a simple meal, but a blind date banquet.
After Xu Xiangjun finished her dinner, she was fiercely glared at by a young woman who was gorgeously dressed. Then, she was meaningfully sized up by a potbellied rich merchant. Only then did she realize what was going on.
She was just a shield that he used to block the blind date.
Although her heart was a bit sour, knowing that he didn't have a marriage partner yet and was willing to let her play the role of the woman he liked, she was satisfied.
In the late autumn of the third year, not only did she pay off the rest of her debt, she also had a large sum of money.
Knowing that his birthday was on the seventh day of the eleventh month, she specially embroidered a much more exquisite pouch than the one from last year. She also chose a dark blue safety buckle and stuffed it into the pouch.
"Happy birthday."
It was still the main hall of Jade Imperial Building. She still saw him through Shopkeeper Luo. She hadn't seen him since he dragged her to the He Garden for dinner during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After not seeing him for several months, he had become even more handsome. Compared to the first year she saw him, he was even more graceful.
Lin Xiao glanced at her with a faint smile, "You've paid it off?"
"Oh … the interest … I don't know how much it is?" She was a bit embarrassed.
He must have spent a lot of money to send her off so easily. How could it only be sixteen taels?
But if he didn't say, how would she know how much interest she had to pay?
"It's quite a lot." Lin Xiao's lips curved.
Xu Xiangjun's beautiful face fell, "Tell me, how much is it so I can prepare my heart." At most, she would pay it back in three years. She didn't believe that she couldn't pay it off.
"Forget it, you can't pay it off." Lin Xiao's eyes flashed as he pretended to be in a difficult position and shook his head.
"I can pay it off in a lifetime, right?
Tell me, how much is it? "
She anxiously slapped the table, but when she spoke, she realized how rude she was. She quickly lowered her head and guessed in a low voice, "One hundred taels?"
After not hearing Lin Xiao's answer for a long time, Xu Xiangjun raised her head and met his deep and unfathomable eyes.
"Let's go." He looked away, dusted his robes, and stood up to look at her.
"Where are we going this time?" She remained in her seat, as if she wouldn't get up if he didn't tell her where they were going.
She didn't want to be tricked by him to buy so many things again.
She still had his silver, and he had used it back on her head, untouched.
"It's not the market." He revealed a faint smile.
She was tricked again.
She was brought to the Silk Weaving Workshop to have her clothes cut.
"Is it too late to get married in May of next year?
The elders in He Yuan only like the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. "On the way to He Yuan for the birthday banquet, he suddenly asked her.
"Yi?
You?
You're getting married? "Her heart was suddenly filled with haze.
"Un." He secretly glanced at her. Very good. His expression was low and his face was filled with depression.
"Congratulations." She suppressed the pain in her heart and pretended to spit out these two words.
She was extremely envious of the lucky woman who was about to marry him.
Lin Xiao revealed a smile. He reached out to touch her head and affectionately rubbed it, "What are you congratulating your husband for?
Do I also have to congratulate you? "
"Yi?" Did he mean that the lucky woman he was going to marry was her?
"Idiot!" He gently grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him.
He was the worst member of the fraternity in love.
It was no wonder that all the elders and siblings were worried that it would be difficult for him to get the girl he liked.
But ever since he met her for the second time in Jade Palace three years ago, her beautiful face had been imprinted in his heart.
Although he didn't spend a lot of time with the girl he liked like the other brothers, the total number of days that he had spent with her added up to less than ten days.
But he was determined.
And he wouldn't let go again.
Marriage was decided by the heavens.
A single line decided life.
She and he, on a cold autumn night, or even earlier, were held together by Yue Lao.
… … (To be continued.
If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)