Chapter 14 Pear Garden Shadow (Fourteen) Slowly…

Ye Qingzhan suppressed his laughter and continued to flip through the pages of the chapters brewing with emotions one by one -

Summer of the twelfth year of the Qingli period, June 14th.

I picked up a young man in Zhuxi. You wanted to save him, but I didn’t want to. You were angry, and I was annoyed.

The young man was very ugly.

I hated him.

“Ayang is ugly,” Ye Qingzhan was puzzled. “If he is considered ugly like that, how can others live?”

The mumbling voice attracted the attention of the exiled immortal. He leaned over, took a look, and knocked on Ye Qingzhan’s forehead, saying: “He is purely jealous - don’t read these things, hurry up and do your business!” Li Zhixing said, stuffing her a stack of paper. “Read these, this is the key point.”

Ye Qingzhan touched her head and muttered: “I know.”

Wen Gu, who was standing by, looked at the red mark gradually spreading on her forehead and glared at Li Zhixing. The latter met his warning eyes, and after a moment of stalemate, she resigned herself to her fate and said, "Okay, okay, I was wrong, I won't play the piano anymore, I won't play the piano anymore. I will never play the piano for her again."

Wen Gu said nothing, and moved closer to Ye Qingzhan to look at the pages spread on the desk -

before achieving his goal, he had to prevent anyone from shaking her heart before him.

Qinghuai also moved closer, staying away from Wen Gu and a little distance from Ye Qingzhan.

The three little shadows used the moonlight to spy on the past of the person on the couch.

Li Zhixing looked at the three small heads huddled together, then crossed his arms and glanced at the person on the couch, thinking: Wouldn't that be too detrimental to one's virtue?

Never mind, it was all to resolve the knot in his heart.

He was afraid that Xie Zhiyan would wake up suddenly that night, and he would miss something in his haste, and he was too lazy to tell a story, so he took the three kids with him to let them read it themselves.

What's more, if Qinghuai was really Xie Zhiyan, he should be able to remember something when he looked at the notes he had written.

However, in the diary entry Ye Qingzhan had just casually read, Xie Zhiyan had said he couldn't play the reed flute—begging the question, could Qinghuai be Xie Zhiyan?

Li Zhixing looked at the innocent-looking boy and heard him ask, "Is this a letter from Xie Zhiyan's mother? Who is the 'fox person' mentioned in the letter?" Ye

Qingzhan leaned over to read, shaking his head. "Is this a farewell letter?" Qinghuai

nodded.

The two of them exchanged words, unaware that Wen Gu, standing nearby, had a slight change of expression when he heard the word "fox person."

After days of unsuccessful work, Li Zexian walked to the edge of his desk, glanced at the ground more than two feet away, and felt a desire to jump and end it all.

...Never mind, jumping wouldn't kill him.

Li Zhixing stepped back, his eyes suddenly catching sight of a line of words on a piece of paper on the corner of his desk. Judging by the depth of the ink, it must have been written tonight.

Xie Zhiyan had written: "

The sound of the reed flute reaches the sky, and your smile blooms when you hear it.

I hope you will be happy and content day and night."

If you like it, I will learn it.

"'Learn' means..." Li Zhixing's dull face brightened up, and suddenly he heard someone sobbing behind him, "This is too tragic!"

As soon as the words fell, the barrier shook.

The people on the desk fell silent for a moment, and Xie Zhiyan walked towards them.

The barrier made by Ye Qingzhanbu could not see the scene inside from the outside, but the people inside could see the outside clearly. Xie Zhiyan, wearing his inner clothes, walked across the desk and went to the window.

He opened a leaf of the window, and the evening breeze rushed in, but the pages of the book did not move.

The few small figures lying on the paper letters were nervous, afraid that he would notice that something was wrong - the barrier protected them, and also blocked the night breeze that should have stirred the paper.

However, Xie Zhiyan seemed oblivious. He simply gazed at the moon, muttering to himself, "

That boy looks like a decent fellow. Jinfan won't be fooled, will he?"

"Jinfan already loves stringed instruments, and he happens to play the flute well."

"I..."

"I shouldn't be ashamed to ask."

"I'll definitely be better than him when I learn."

"Then I'll play it for Jinfan every day!"

Waking from a dream, Xie Zhiyan muttered to himself to the moon, and then he went back to bed.

The frightened little figures on the desk: "..."

Hey? Wait! Xie Zhiyan wants to learn the reed flute. What if he learns it too? Ye Qingzhan suddenly came to her senses. Perhaps it had become a habit. She first looked at Wen Gu, who met her gaze, and then they both looked at the exiled immortal.

Li Zhixing looked at Qinghuai, patted his shoulder hard, and gritted his teeth, "Pray that Xie Zhiyan doesn't learn it." "

If he does, it's all over,"

Qinghuai blinked innocently.

***

Miss Ye’s birthday is on June 18th, and in order to present the best performance, the troupe practiced harder and harder every day. The actors got up half an hour earlier than yesterday, and when they went to the southwest courtyard of the Ye Mansion, they found that someone was already sweeping the floor in the courtyard.

Zhao Jinfan and Xie Zhiyan went forward to see, and the man stood by the wall with the broom.

Ye Qingzhan leaned against Wen Gu and said sleepily, "Ayang got up so early."

Wen Gu glanced at her, his expression unchanged, but he was shocked by her eyesight.

At this time, the pale moon in the sky had not completely disappeared, the dawn was gone, and the world was still dark. He needed to mobilize the spiritual power and Yin Sha in his body to see the young man in the courtyard, but she could recognize him at a glance.

- Thinking back to that night in Ayang's room, she also recognized him at a glance in the pitch-black room. Wen

Gu closed his eyes slightly as he looked sideways into Ye Qingzhan's eyes.

She...

Perhaps she felt the gazes on her, and Ye Qingzhan felt uncomfortable. The moment she looked up, she returned to her usual well-behaved self.

And the moment she looked up, Wen Gu's suspicious look turned into his usual indifference. He had pretended to be gentle these days just to play the role of a good brother.

"Were you looking at me just now?" Ye Qingzhan asked with a blink, keeping in mind some calculations in his heart, and tried to make himself look sincere, "Is there something wrong?"

Before Wen Gu could answer, she heard Zhao Jinfan say with a smile, "Ayang, you got up really early. Don't do these chores until your leg is healed."

Ayang shook his head, his voice without any warmth, and said, "No problem."

"Can you see clearly before dawn?" Xie Zhiyan snorted, "You are being nice to me for no reason, it's not..."

Zhao Jinfan turned his head and looked at him steadily.

Xie Zhiyan shut up tactfully - if he continued, he would probably not want to talk to him again today.

The waning moon faded, and the east was white.

The troupe dispersed, each singing and performing their own practice. Ye Qingzhan followed Wen Gu to a corner not too far from the three people in the courtyard, just enough to hear their voices.

Zhao Jinfan said, "You played the reed flute really well yesterday. Can you teach me?"

"I like the sound of the flute, but I don't know how to play it."

Xie Zhiyan, who had been pursing his lips, heard this and, for the first time ever, did not stop him. He and Zhao Jinfan waited for the boy's reply.

Ah Yang looked at them and said calmly, "Okay."

Zhao Jinfan was overjoyed and put his arm around Xie Zhiyan, smiling and saying, "Thank you, Ah Yang."

The boy glanced expressionlessly at the smug man, then looked at the delicate hand casually clasped around his arm, and suddenly turned and walked away.

"He..." Zhao Jinfan, who was still standing there, was confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Xie Zhiyan smiled brightly. "Don't mind him."

"How can I ignore him? His face is so popular in so many opera troupes. It's really beautiful! What if he runs away? What if he gets tricked by the rivals?"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Xie Zhiyan's face disappeared. He gently put down Zhao Jinfan's hand on his sleeve and said angrily, "Go find your favorite."

"I'm ugly."

The boss Zhao, who was left there, stamped his feet in anger and said, "What are you doing!"

"Everyone and everyone has problems. I won't serve you anymore!"

Zhao Jinfan left angrily.

Ye Qingzhan looked at her back as she walked away, smiled and retracted his gaze. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Qinghuai standing under the eaves, also grinning at the place where Zhao had left.

Although smiling, tears were in his eyes.

The sound of the reed flute rang out again, breaking the silence of the sky.

This time, the tune was even more lingering and profound than yesterday's.

It was like a young, naive boy slowly telling the wind what was hidden in his heart.

Having

seen everything he needed to see, Li Zhixing had some free time these past few days. As a distinguished guest, he enjoyed a pleasant conversation with Mr. Ye at the Ye Mansion, asking him for advice on business, hoping to make a fortune from the immortals upon his return to heaven.

He also kept his business afloat, frequently visiting to inquire about Xie Zhiyan's progress with his reed flute studies.

His face showed disdain, but his hands and mouth were never idle, playing with such intensity that he feared he would be slower than the others, and even more so, afraid that Master Zhao and the young man would say a single word more.

The exiled immortal pursed his lips: "Young people's minds are truly clear."

Fortunately, today was finally Miss Ye's coming-of-age banquet, and he finally didn't have to listen to the chaotic whirring of the reed flute. However—there were so many people coming to celebrate Miss Ye's New Year that the entire Ye Mansion was bustling with activity.

Suiheban started performing on stage at noon. It was heard that one of the members had an old illness, so they had no choice but to perform an act. The rest of the people took turns to sing. By this time, the sun was setting.

The banquet ended before the moon rose, and the people of Suiheban finally had a hot meal.

Although Ah Yang was reluctant to sing, he also played gongs and drums on the stage today. After being hungry all day, he was not as reserved as in the past few days when eating.

Zhao Jinfan saw that he was eating happily, so he quickly picked up a few mouthfuls of food for her and whispered, "Eat slowly."

Ah Yang paused, stopped the chopsticks in his hand, lowered his head and said, "Thank you."

Xie Zhiyan's face turned black, and he handed the bowl to Zhao Jinfan, saying unreasonably, "I want one too."

Zhao Jinfan smiled and picked up a chopstick for him as well.

Ye Qingzhan and Wen Gu sat together. Seeing this scene, she glanced at him and whispered, "That's wonderful."

"Don't eat too much," Miss Ye's voice came from the doorway, smiling. "We still have longevity noodles!"

Everyone looked over. Miss Ye had just stepped through the door when the maids arrived, carrying bowl after bowl of longevity noodles, the aroma wafting through the air.

The exiled immortal, who was enjoying his meal, immediately swallowed his food and eagerly awaited the arrival of the noodles.

"I heard that the longevity noodles in Sui'an County are a specialty. Today, thanks to Miss Ye, I and my apprentice have been able to feast

on them." After Miss Ye had served the noodles to the troupe, she smiled and replied, "Master, you're so kind. Today, a good meal and drink is the best blessing for Qingzhan."

"Then I won't hold back!"

The noodles on the table were uniform in thickness, bright white and firm. The diced meat was wrapped in green leaves, supplemented with just the right amount of seasoning, and the broth was glistening with a smooth sheen. Li Zhixing was impatient, about to reach for his chopsticks, but was stopped by the quiet and well-behaved Qinghuai. Miss Ye then said,

"Today is my birthday. I'm another year older. According to Sui'an County custom, everyone must pick a strand of noodles for me."

"The longer, the better."

Miss Ye, dressed in a bright red dress with a flower embellishment between her eyebrows, smiled charmingly. As she finished speaking, a clear voice said, "I'll go first."

Mr. Ye, still barely brushing the flour off himself, entered through the cross-door with a bowl of noodles, along with Jiang and Hua Niang. Smiling, he picked a strand of longevity noodles for his daughter.

"May you be safe and happy every year," Mr. Ye said to his daughter with a gentle expression.

Ye Qingzhan watched, tilting her head to wipe away tears in her sleeve.

"May you be healthy day and night, and always relaxed," Jiang pinched her daughter's cheek and said with a smile.

The troupe members followed suit, starting with Zhao Jinfan, each offering a blessing and a long noodle.

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Ye Qingzhan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and was about to pick up noodles with her bowl, but was stopped by the people next to her.

Wen Gu, who was holding her hand, picked up the chopsticks instead, flipped them around, picked up a noodle and put it in her bowl. There seemed to be a smile on the corner of his lips, but it seemed to be just her illusion.

He said: "Happy birthday, I hope you--"

"Live longer."

Li Zhixing was holding the bowl and was about to pick up noodles for Ye Qingzhan while there were many people around, when he heard Wen Gu's words and glanced at him-

the corners of the boy's lips raised slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. His face was originally as thin as paper, and because of this smile that was not strange in any way,

it looked even more weird. "That's not how the blessing should be said. It's so scary." Li Zhixing paused and walked towards Ye Qingzhan, "Let me give you an example. I wish you..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard Ye Yuanwai at another table ask: "Ayang, do you know your birthday?"

Ayang shook his head.

Seeing him shake his head, Miss Ye rolled her eyes and said, "How about this? Let's make today your birthday."

"By the way, you said before that you have no name or surname, and you just call yourself whatever others call you - can you read? Do you have a favorite character?"

Ah Yang continued to shake his head.

"Then let's give you a name!"

As she spoke, she ran in and out under the gaze of everyone, carrying a bunch of sachets, paper and pens, and then handed each person a piece of paper, asking them to write two favorite characters and put them in the sachet for Ah Yang to choose.

Ah Yang didn't want to spoil the fun, so under the expectant gazes of the crowd, he took one of the sachets and was about to open it.

"Don't open it yet," Miss Ye said hurriedly, "wait until you return to the troupe."

Although Ah Yang didn't understand what she meant, he nodded.

"Do you want to pick a noodle for Ah Yang too?" Jiang smiled as brightly as the spring breeze and looked at everyone.

"Yes, yes, mother is right." Miss Ye responded first, picking up a noodle from the bowl. "I wish you and me to be happy every day."

Zhao Jinfan continued, "Happy birthday. I hope you can open up about your feelings soon."

Ayang's ears turned red.

"Live well." Xie Zhiyan picked up a noodle at random and said very quickly.

Everyone lined up to pick noodles for him again.

"Okay, okay, let's eat the noodles quickly, and then we'll go boating in the reed marsh!" After

the words fell, the people at the table glanced at Miss Ye, then at the sachet in Ayang's hand, looked at each other, and listened to the noise around them.

Qinghuai murmured to himself: "Ayang has become famous tonight, and also has a birthday."

"That's great."

After the noodles were eaten and the wine was drunk, everyone laughed and hugged each other as they walked out of the mansion, but they were blocked by uninvited guests, and the laughter stopped abruptly.

The newly appointed county magistrate stood at the door of Ye's mansion, looking at everyone with a bad face. The servant next to him asked with a fake smile:

"Oh, it's getting dark, where are you all going?"