Chapter 025 The Girl Who Loves Snacks
Although her hair was a little messy due to struggling in the sack, the young girl standing in front of Lu Sen smiled with bright eyes and white teeth. She looked cute no matter how you looked at her, and it seemed that it did not affect her image at all.
Looking at her expectant eyes, Lu Sen looked at the two beggars lying next to him and nodded slightly.
He was indeed a little worried that the girl would be abducted again.
"Where is the young lady's home?"
"Near Jinshuimen."
Lu Sen nodded: "Then lead the way."
"Thank you, little man." The girl's eyes sparkled as she bowed to Lu Senying, and the mountains shook as she bowed. "I will repay you for saving me."
Lu Sen waved his hand indifferently.
Heizhu, who was standing next to him, came up and whispered, "My lord, Jinshui Gate is at the foot of the imperial city, where the nobles live. I won't go there, and will wait for you in Nuanyu Pavilion."
"Are you okay by yourself?" Lu Sen knew that Hei Zhu still had a strong inferiority complex and didn't dare to get too close to important people, so he didn't force him to follow him.
"I have the wooden armor that my husband gave me." Heizhu patted the wooden armor on his chest and said, "No one can bully me anymore."
He had just been hit by two wooden hammers, but he was not hurt at all. Now he has more confidence in this wooden armor.
Lu Sen nodded: "Okay, let's meet in front of Nuanyu Pavilion."
Heizhu bowed and saluted.
Lu Sen turned to the girl and said, "Young lady, please lead the way."
"Okay." The girl narrowed her eyes and smiled. She walked in front excitedly, and looked back from time to time to see Lu Sen not catching up: "By the way, I haven't asked the young man your name yet?"
"My surname is Lu, and my name is Sen." Lu Sen answered as he walked, "Where is the young lady?"
He was also a little surprised. The girl had just been kidnapped, but now she didn't show any fear at all, as if it was not her who had been kidnapped.
The girl put her hands behind her back and walked backwards, smiling as brightly as the sun, with a gleam in her eyes: "My surname is Zhao, my nickname is Bilian, and I cannot tell you my maiden name for now."
After she finished speaking, she turned around, let out a soft cry, and ran to a small stall on the roadside, took out a copper coin and bought two strings of candied haws.
Lu Sen was slightly surprised, because "Zhao" is the national surname.
This girl's family lives at the foot of the imperial city, so it seems she has a powerful background.
Wuyou Cave even dared to kidnap children from such a wealthy family. They really had no taboos in their actions.
It’s just that the nickname ‘Bilian’ is really… But think about it, the name Bilian is a very normal name nowadays, and it doesn’t have the meaning that it has in later generations.
Just as Lu Sen was thinking about the problem, the girl came running back and handed him a candied haws: "Lu Xiaolang, would you like to eat some together?"
Lu Sen shook his head. He didn’t like sour things.
Zhao Bilian showed a regretful expression, then she took a bite of the candied haws, her eyes squinted because of the sourness, but her expression became obviously happy.
The two walked side by side. Bilian took a few bites of the food gourd and turned to ask, "Why is Lu Xiaolang dressed with short hair?"
The candied haws turned around in her mouth, and the small bump on her cheek moved left and right.
"I was practicing before." Lu Sen replied with a smile.
"Oh..." Bilian looked at Lu Sen's profile and continued to ask: "So now it can be considered as entering the world?"
“I guess so.”
Bilian's eyes showed some joy, then she looked ahead, her eyes lit up again, she trotted up, bought a snack and came back.
Ask Lu Sen if he wants to eat together.
Lu Sen naturally shook his head.
Then along the way, Lu Sen watched Zhao Bilian buying and buying non-stop, and she never stopped talking.
And it was clear that they did not stop, and although they did not walk very fast, it took them nearly an hour to reach the Jinshui Gate.
Lu Sen seriously suspected that this young lady took him on a detour, but he had no evidence.
Finally they stopped in front of a large house.
The house is built of blue bricks and has a lacquered door. On the plaque of the tall courtyard are two large characters: Zhao Mansion.
There were two doormen standing at the door. When they saw Bilian, they nodded slightly, bent down and stood aside, but did not say hello.
Lu Sen felt a little strange. Logically speaking, when his young man and young lady returned home, the servants should at least greet them.
Doesn’t Zhao Bilian have any status in this family?
But looking at the way she was dressed, a silk green dress with narrow sleeves, this set of clothes alone would probably be enough to cover the living expenses of an average family for more than ten years.
What's more, the two servants seemed to be very respectful to her, but they didn't greet her, which was really strange.
Zhao Bilian stood on the slightly higher steps at the door, with her hands tucked into her sleeves, and asked with a smile: "Where does Lu Xiaolang live? I will definitely come to thank you in some time."
Lu Sen waved his hand and turned to leave.
He has enough money, food and a place to sleep now, so he doesn't need any thanks.
Seeing Lu Sen turn around and leave without hesitation, Bilian pouted, looking a little unhappy.
At this time, a boy in blue clothes, about nine years old, came out from behind the door. When he saw Bilian, he trotted over and called out affectionately, "Sister, you are finally back. Where were you during the parade just now? You disappeared in the blink of an eye."
"Sixth sister was just put into a sack by a beggar and was almost taken to Wuyou Cave. Fortunately, she was rescued..." At this point, Zhao Bilian's expression became excited: "The boy who rescued me is so handsome."
The boy next to him immediately looked horrified: "People from Wuyou Cave? Are you okay, sister?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Bilian waved her hands and walked towards home: "By the way, brother Shu, you can't tell the adults about this."
The boy looked sad.
"What can't you tell me?" A middle-aged man walked slowly over, stroking his beard and staring at the boy with a serious look.
The boy bowed and said, "Daddy."
"Hmm." The middle-aged man snorted, then shifted his gaze to Bilian, his expression becoming much gentler.
"Sir." Zhao Bilian bowed deeply.
At this time in the Northern Song Dynasty, "adults" referred to parents, but mostly referred to fathers.
It is a term used in formal occasions.
Seeing that Bilian was so distant from him, the middle-aged man showed a helpless expression on his face, and then he asked: "What did you say just now that you can't tell me?"
"It's just a little girl's matter. It's not convenient to tell adults about it." Bilian lowered her head.
The middle-aged man looked at the boy next to him: "Shu'er...you say."
"My sister was taken away in a sack by people from Wuyou Cave when she was out for a walk just now. Fortunately, someone rescued her." The boy said truthfully.
The middle-aged man's expression suddenly turned cold: "Shu'er, take your sister to her room to rest, and tell all the doormen that Bilian is under house arrest for a month."
"Oh." The boy bowed.
Bilian lowered her head and said nothing, then was pulled away by the boy by her sleeve.
Then the middle-aged man walked to the door with his hands behind his back, his old face full of coldness. He said to the doorman next to him: "Prepare the sedan chair and bring a few guards with me. I am going to Kaifeng Prefecture. How does Bao Xiren do things? The devil's cave of Wuyou Cave has not been destroyed yet, humph!"
On the other side, Heizhu stood at the entrance of the alley. After Lu Sen and Bilian walked away, he turned around and went back into the alley.
The high fences in the alley blocked the sunlight, making it very dark inside.
Looking at the two beggars in front of him, Heizhu's eyes lost their previous warmth and gradually became cold.
He squatted down and felt the breath of Master Li and another beggar and found that they were still alive.
He picked up Master Li's short blade and put it in his arms, then lifted the two men up and stacked them on top of the sack.
Then he dragged the sack deeper into the alley.
At the end of the alley, there is a drainage outlet connected to the complex underground sewage system.
Before, Master Li was holding Bilian and was planning to go down here.
The rustling sound of the sacks rubbing against the ground stopped. Heizhu pulled Li Tangzhu and another beggar to the edge of the sewage outlet. He squatted down and looked inside the sewage outlet... Below was a tall and wide sewage channel, with stone steps about half a meter wide on both sides of the water channel leading to the dark depths.
Normally, people in Wuyou Cave rely on these two side stone paths that are not contaminated by sewage to move around in this huge underground kingdom.
After watching for a while, Heizhu dragged the beggar on the top of the sack down, covered his mouth with his left hand, held the short blade in his right hand, and without any hesitation or expression, stabbed it directly into the beggar's heart, and twisted it forcefully.
The beggar twisted his body hard in his coma with great strength.
But because his mouth was covered by Hei Zhu and he was kneeling on his abdomen, he could not make a sound and could not move.
After a while, the beggar stopped struggling and his body gradually grew cold.
Heizhu calmly pushed the beggar's body into the sewage outlet.
Then I watched from above as the body fell into the sewage and was slowly carried away by the current.
Then he turned and looked at Master Li.
For some unknown reason, Master Li woke up at this moment. He saw Heizhu's eyes, which were full of ruthlessness and indifference.
Master Li was furious: "How dare you kill..."
But Heizhu quickly walked over and covered her mouth, so she could only make muffled sounds.
Heizhu did the same thing again, pressing his knee against Master Li's abdomen and stabbing the short blade into Master Li's heart with his right hand.
Twist it harder.
Master Li struggled frantically, his legs kicking loudly on the ground.
But he was already injured and had little strength in his body. How could he be a match for Hei Zhu? He couldn't struggle free at all.
"I know you lowly people too well. You will definitely think of taking revenge on me in the future. Humph, who is my husband? Who are you? Are you worthy?"
Heizhu's words were light, slow and gentle.
There was no murderous intent in his eyes, only rational coldness.
Hall Master Li stared at the black pillar with his eyes wide open, bloodshot and filled with indescribable hatred.
But he is just a human being after all. If his heart is stabbed, death is just a matter of living a few more breaths and breathing a few less breaths.
Soon, his struggles gradually slowed down.
In the last few seconds of his life, Master Li used up all his remaining strength to jump up, grabbing Heizhu's face with both hands and biting Heizhu's left hand that was pressing on his mouth, trying to leave some mark on this man's body.
It's a pity that Heizhu was wearing wooden armor at the time, so no matter how Master Li bit and scratched him, he couldn't leave even the slightest scratch.
After a few more seconds, Master Li finally lost his breath and died with a pair of red eyes staring at him.
Heizhu stood up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his arm, and then kicked Master Li's body into the sewage drain.
He was above, watching Master Li's body being carried away by the sewage, then he grinned and laughed silently.
At some point, the sunlight was obscured by clouds, and the already dim alley became even darker.
After laughing for nearly half an incense stick of time, Heizhu stopped smiling, left with a cold face.
The dark clouds are hanging low, and it seems that a storm is coming.
Heizhu was very familiar with the city of Bianjing. He suddenly jumped up from somewhere in the alley and leaped into someone's backyard.
There is a well here, but usually no one comes... because the water is bitter.
Heizhu used a bucket to draw water from the well and washed the blood off the short blade and his hands.
He wiped his face clean and made sure there was no smell of blood on his body before turning around and walking out of the alley towards Nuanyu Pavilion.
Maybe it was because it was cloudy, or maybe it was because he had just killed someone, but Heizhu felt that Bianjing City was a little cold.
Even though there are still many pedestrians on the street, even though the shouting on the street is endless.
He felt a chill in his heart that he wanted to vent. He really wanted to stab the cold weapon into someone's heart like he did just now.
Male or female, old or young, anyone is fine.
There were too many pedestrians on the street. A man was busy looking at the goods around him and accidentally bumped into a black pillar. He had a bad temper and wanted to get angry and curse as soon as he turned around.
When he saw Heizhu's emotionless face, he couldn't utter a word and just stepped back in horror.
Heizhu ignored the man and walked straight forward, but his right hand had already been put into his clothes, tightly gripping the handle of the short blade.
Soon he arrived in front of Nuan Yu Pavilion. He stood on the side of the road, quietly looking in the direction where Lu Sen might appear.
When pedestrians around come near the black pillar, they will subconsciously move away from it.
The vendors nearby also moved their stalls further away.
The black column waited quietly, and time passed quietly.
The dark clouds gradually drifted away, and a beam of light formed by the scorching sun in the distance slowly moved over.
Heizhu had been waiting for a long time, and finally saw a handsome man in white slowly walking towards him from the distance on the street.
The sunlight enveloped this person, as if walking with him, sharing the same light and dust as him.
The husband is here!
Hei Zhu's eyes smiled, and the expression on his face became warm and humble.
He hurried to meet him.
After Lu Sen met up with Hei Zhu, he entered Nuan Yu Pavilion and found Zhao Xiangxiang and Liu Yong on the third floor.
At this time, Liu Yong started coughing violently again.
As soon as Lu Sen entered the room, Zhao Xiangxiang bowed and asked anxiously, "Lu Xiaolang, have you brought the medicine?"
"I didn't bring any medicine..."
Zhao Xiangxiang’s face turned pale.
Lu Sen continued: "I just brought some sweets that can relieve coughs."
Then he placed the jar on the table.
Zhao Xiangxiang gave Lu Sen a helpless look, full of charm.
"Lu Xiaolang really loves to joke."
"I'm not a doctor, so I can't prescribe medicine." Lu Sen spread his hands and smiled, "This is just a dessert that happens to be the right one for your condition."
Zhao Xiangxiang was stunned for a moment, then she understood what Lu Sen meant: "Indeed, Lu Xiaolang just brought some food over. If my husband recovers from his illness, it is naturally the effect of long-term recuperation!"
Lu Sen nodded with satisfaction.
Zhao Xiangxiang opened the jar and a fresh fragrance gushed out. She sniffed it and asked in surprise, "Honey?"
Lu Sen nodded again and made a 'please' gesture.
Zhao Xiangxiang immediately helped Liu Yong up, scooped a spoonful of honey with a spoon and put it into Liu Yong's mouth.
Liu Yong coughed until his throat was hoarse and he could hardly speak. After taking a spoonful of honey, he felt the cool air spread in his stomach, then went up along the esophagus, brushing away the blockage and bitterness in his throat.
Then he opened his mouth eagerly.
There wasn't much honey in the jar to begin with, and after seven or eight spoonfuls it was gone.
Liu Yong heaved a long sigh of comfort: "What a sweet honey ! What a sweet honey!"
Seeing Liu Yong's complexion change from yellow to fair in a short time, Zhao Xiangxiang was delighted and asked, "My dear, how do you feel?"
"My eyes are sharp and my ears are sharp, and my body is as light as a swallow."
Liu Yong turned over and jumped off the bed, then walked around the low table in the room, and finally bowed to Lu Sen, bowed his head and saluted: "Thank you, Lu Xiaolang, for saving my life."
Lu Sen stood up, bowed and said, "No need to do this, it's just a deal. I won't bother you two anymore, see you again if we're lucky. Goodbye."
Then Lu Sen took Heizhu away without any delay.
Zhao Xiangxiang bowed deeply to Lu Sen at the staircase, then returned to the room, closed the door, and stroked Liu Yong's old face with her left hand and his old hand with her right hand, looking very happy: "It's great to see how proud my husband is now."
Liu Yong smiled and said, "I have recovered from my serious illness and now I feel like I have let go of everything. Xiangxiang, I plan to return to my hometown to retire."
Zhao Xiangxiang was stunned, and said with a lonely look: "Really? Then I would like to wish you a safe journey. When you leave, I will send you off..."
Liu Yong touched Zhao Xiangxiang's face, interrupted her and asked, "Are you willing to return to my hometown with me?"
Zhao Xiangxiang was stunned. After a moment, she burst into tears. She grabbed Liu Yong's hand and nodded repeatedly in surprise: "Yes, I am willing a hundred times a thousand times."
"But I don't have the money to redeem you."
"I have! I have saved a lot of money over the years, more than enough to redeem myself, and even build a blue brick house."
