Tide beat empty city

Chapter 23

Awakened by the crying beside him in the middle of the night, Zhan Zhao turned his head and called softly: "Princess?"

Yong Ning didn't answer, the suppressed sob in his throat was like a fragile and long thread, twirled by an unknown hand, bitterness and hatred continued.

Zhan Zhao sighed secretly, got up, wet the towel, and dabbed on her face.

Yongning slowly opened his eyes, but the tears still kept flowing.She whispered: "I dreamed that I couldn't find you. I only saw horses kicking, no one..."

Dreams are real.She followed the guards into the Wild Elephant Valley to look for him, but only found two lost horses in the jungle.

In the tampered dream, there is only one horse.She wandered around empty-handed, asking over and over again: Why didn't my lover come back?

There was no answer here and there, and she was left to cry alone.It seemed that he was hiding somewhere close on purpose. As long as she kept crying, he couldn't help but jump back in front of her eyes.

Zhan Zhao twisted another hand towel, put it on her eyes and said, "Cover it for a while, so you don't get swollen eyes when you wake up early." She woke up crying like this more than once, what was she worried about?

Yongning held him tightly with one hand, and kept silent.

Zhan Zhao lay down and sighed again: "Sleep. I'm here."

Yong Ning leaned his head against his shoulder, and said softly for a while, "Yes."

Ding Yuehua's face appeared in front of his eyes, Yan Ruo Shunying.She took her husband away, calling it an imperial decree, but she couldn't escape her guilty conscience in the middle of the night.That dream is a demon sent to bite the conscience.

Zhan Zhao passed his hand around, stroked her shoulder, and patted her lightly.

After the autumn, due to the truce, the army obeyed the dispatch and dispersed to various places to cultivate wasteland temporarily, doing farming and mulberry for self-sufficiency.General Zhan Zhao led his soldiers to northern Guangdong to assist in farming.Although Yongning was reluctant to give up, he did not stop him, but prepared his luggage carefully.

Yongnian invited him privately: Zhao, stop fighting, don't rush around like this.I am now the general manager of financial management, and I am just getting started, and sometimes I am unable to do what I want.You go so far, why not stay and help me.

Zhan Zhao refused with a smile, saying, soldiers are not restrained by generals, so they will be lazy and make trouble.Can the place manage it?Don't try to help the peasants, but do harm to the village.

Yongnian bowed his head and remained silent.No matter how much we open up wasteland in this poor country, we can't get enough rice by planting three crops of rice a year.Why did you and I end up here.

He raised his head to ask, but Zhan Zhao had already walked out.

After returning to the house and entering the room, he saw Yongning spreading out the clothes on the bed, at this moment he was staring at his red wedding dress in a daze.Zhan Zhao stepped forward lightly, looked down and smiled, "What is the princess looking at?"

Yong Ning stretched out his hand to fold the clothes: "Don't laugh. I wanted to make you a winter coat, but accidentally found it out. Still laughing?"

Seeing that she seemed annoyed, Zhan Zhao straightened his face, but felt a little wronged in his heart.I didn't mean to make fun of myself.

In fact, he never looked at the wedding dress seriously.Thinking about it made me feel inexplicably disappointed.

He sat aside, served tea and said, "The trees are evergreen in all seasons, so there is no need for winter clothes. Going out is simple, and the princess doesn't have to worry too much."

Yongning whispered: "If not for you, who else can I bother with. I am willing."

Zhan Zhao lowered his head and thought, and said softly, "This house is too empty. After I leave, if the Princess feels lonely, you might as well go to the palace more often."

Yongning shook his head: "I went to the palace, what will you do when you come back? This is your home and mine, I will stay here and not go anywhere."

The words that seemed to have been heard before made Zhan Zhao startled for a while.Should I take this as my home, or is there really something precious that I have missed because I turned a blind eye?The eyes of mortals, the heart of mortals, cannot resist any obscurity set lightly by the heavens.

As for home, I still can't really think about it.He said almost instinctively: "That's fine. I'll come back when the fields are fallow, about...not more than one month apart."

Yongning looked at him earnestly: "Then I will be here every day, waiting for you."

Her eyes are beautiful, like moonlight.

Zhan Zhao shuddered suddenly, how could he think so.At this moment, he suddenly understood the melancholy in her eyes from time to time.

She should be, she will remember Ding Yuehua more easily than him.

But she couldn't see it. Confusion and guilt messed up the beginning and the end.She couldn't know how much she had to pay for the misunderstanding; whether he himself could determine and grasp the truth.

He stepped forward to hold her hand, put it together and smiled: "Maybe it won't take a month. I promise you, I will come back when I have time."

There was a trace of hesitation in Yongning's eyes: "Really? Aren't you making me happy?"

Zhan Zhao nodded and shook his head again: "Is it my home? Of course I want to come back to accompany you."

Yong Ning forcefully forced back the tears, a row of small drops of water condensed on his eyelashes: "Then don't call me Princess, okay?"

Zhan Zhao sighed softly, put his arms around her shoulders and said, "Yongning, I've always been dull, and I don't think about many things well. Just tell me what you want from me. Don't keep feeling wronged in your heart, you know? "

Yongning nodded, put his arms around his waist, tears dripped down his lapel.

At this time, someone whispered in the courtyard: "Master, Master, are you in? Can I come in?"

Yong Ning quickly wiped away his tears, blocked Zhan Zhao and went to the door by himself, looked up at the top of the tree and reprimanded: "I still haven't come down! It's getting heavier every day, and the trees in my yard are crushed by you."

The boy on the tree hurriedly slid down and saluted respectfully, "I've seen the princess." He raised his eyes quietly, and saw Zhan Zhao standing behind him with a smile, and couldn't help but bow his head and secretly smile.

Yong Ning saw it, and said with a stern face: "How many times have I said, I have to report when I come in; why can't I get rid of the problem of climbing trees on the wall? Your father is such a well-behaved person, your mother..."

"Help me" winked thousands of times, Zhan Zhao turned his head and pretended not to see.The young man had no choice but to save himself: "Qi Princess, Xiao Ke used to behave according to the rules, but ever since Master taught me to climb trees on the wall, he no longer behaved properly."

Yong Ning frowned and said: "Okay, I haven't seen you for a few days, and I learned to slander others with red mouth and white teeth. Who taught you?"

The boy's head was buried in his chest: "Xiao Ke has only worshiped one master so far, you know the princess."

Yong Ning laughed angrily, turned to Zhan Zhao and said, "I won't grind my teeth with him. The luggage has been sent to the military camp first. This kid thinks he's here to pick you up, so I don't dare to delay as a wife. Let's get on the road, don't worry about it." at home."

Going out to get on the horse, Zhan Zhao asked the young man holding the silk rein: "Yu Yuan, have I taught you to enter someone's house and climb a tree on a wall?"

The young man bowed his head and said, "Master, don't be angry, this disciple knows he was wrong."

Zhan Zhao was startled, the past came to his mind, he was a little uncertain.He unconsciously leaned back, as if trying to distance himself.He was silent for a long time without opening his mouth.

The boy turned his head and looked at him with evasive eyes: "The princess is so kind, he won't be really angry. Master, master?"

Zhan Zhao returned to his senses with a smile, and continued, "You came so early, does your father have any other explanations?"

Yu Yuan nodded happily: "Master is too smart. Father asked me to pick you up and go home first, and then go after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Zhan Zhao couldn't help but laugh.Brother Yu, do you think I am a child who has been looking forward to going home for a long time?He got off his horse and walked side by side with the boy, talking and walking all the way.

Yu Yang made his home in the outskirts of the city, in a small courtyard with a unique gate, with few flowers and trees, full of sweet potatoes, beans, fruits and vegetables.As soon as the two of them entered the door, Yu's wife immediately washed her hands and prepared food, and said that the weather was fine, so she asked her daughters to set up tables and chairs in the courtyard.When asked how the guest was doing, Zhan Zhao naturally smiled, saying that everything was fine.Yu Yang stood there for a long time, unable to speak, and ordered "Yu Yuan feed the horse", regardless of his family's dissatisfaction, he dragged Zhan Zhao into the main room for tea.

Yu Yang is in charge of farming and water conservancy, and has many suggestions and instructions for farming and reclaiming wasteland, and communicated with local officials in advance for him.He took his youngest son, Jiao Zhanzhao, with him, saying it was for training, and he taught him to treat him the same as ordinary soldiers; the difference was that Yu Yuan had to follow closely all the way, feeding Zhan Zhao's horses.

Yu Yuan readily agreed to be with his master, even being a stable boy was what he wished for.

Now that he welcomes him home, Zhan Zhao also knows that he is saying goodbye.So I held the teacup, smiled and listened to him say: "Since childhood, Yu Yuan taught his mother and sister to spoil him. Since brother will not abandon him as a disciple, once he goes out, he must be strictly disciplined on my behalf. If he commits a crime Wrong, although the punishment does not have to be soft."

Zhan Zhao responded, and recalled the past master's punishment in his heart, and couldn't remember many of them.

Seeing his frown, Yu Yang nodded and sighed, "I know you're soft-hearted. It's just..."

"You can't make a jade without cutting it," Zhan Zhao smiled, "Don't worry, brother, I will try my best. Yu Yuan is still young, so teach him slowly, don't be in a hurry."

Yu Yang thought for a while, then smiled and said, "What am I worried about. Yu Yuan followed you, so there's nothing wrong with it. Brother, you don't have to bother to teach him, you just need to tell him what to do."

Zhan Zhao lowered his head and took a sip of tea, pondered for a while and said, "Thank you, brother, for your hard work."

Yu Yang shook his head disapprovingly: "My own son, he should be more distressed."

Seeing Zhan Zhao smiling and saying nothing, he said, "It's his blessing that you accept him; brother, don't think too much."

Zhan Zhao smiled again: "I didn't think too much about it. My husband and I have discussed it beforehand, and my eldest brother asked me to come home, isn't it for the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion."

Yu Yang's heart relaxed and tightened again.After a long while, he sighed: "Brother, do you think I have no selfish intentions? Telling Yu Yuan to go will benefit him as an adult in the future. Maybe it can relieve your loneliness, wouldn't it be better."

Zhan Zhao put down his teacup, and said sincerely, "Zhan Zhao never forgot a single word that elder brother said. Once I become a family, I am someone who cares about me, and I have someone to rely on. Brother, you don't have to worry about me being lonely all the time."

In the courtyard of Yuyang Yiwang, the wind was just right, and the wives and daughters were talking and laughing and bringing dishes to the table one after another.Turning around to ask him: "Brother, do you like to come to my place?"

Zhan Zhao nodded with a smile.

Yu Yang said bluntly: "You can't have too many homes. Come whenever you want. Don't hesitate, don't care if I'm busy or not. Do you hear me?"

Zhan Zhao stopped laughing and nodded again.

After sending them off so that they couldn't see their backs, Yu Yang turned and went home.I wanted to let Yu Yuan go, was it because I was worried that he would be lonely, or not at all.For no reason, I just feel that it is as simple and ordinary as his home, enjoying the warmth of the family, and always seems to be a wrong step with that person, and it is hard to see each other.Afraid that one word would become a prophecy, he never dared to say this.I only think in secret, although there is a limit to what you can do, if you can make him feel more, just try your best.

Because Zhan Zhao's original intention is not necessarily to resist the ordinary.He even likes it.From the look in his eyes, he could tell.

Thinking of this, Yu Yang couldn't help sighing.What's good about being attached, and what's bad about it.Yu Yuan is attached to his master, Zhan Zhao, so he probably likes to be attached to him too.

After staying at home for a long time, the master and apprentice had no choice but to hurry on the way.As soon as Yu Yuan changed his enthusiasm, he suddenly stopped talking.Zhan Zhao asked him with a smile, "Why don't you talk, you're homesick?"

Yu Yuan shook his head: "I thought about it a long time ago, because I was afraid that my mother would miss me. She was about to cry, but she couldn't help laughing at me."

Zhan Zhao thought for a while, then stretched out his hand to pull him: "Come up and sit down, walk faster."

Yu Yuan dodged, then shook his head again: "The horse will get tired. Besides, my father will scold me for being unruly. Oh..." With a cry of surprise, the man was dragged onto the horse's back.Zhan Zhao smiled behind him, "If I don't tell him, he won't see it either. Let's go down when the horse gets tired."

Yu Yuan couldn't help turning around and asking him, "Master, where is your home? Do you miss home?"

Zhan Zhao smiled and answered softly: "My home is in Jiangnan. I haven't gone back for a long time, and I seldom think about it."

"I still think about it," Yu Yuan bowed his head and said, "Just like my mother, you hold back yourself, right?"

Right, he doesn't know.Zhan Zhao patted his arm and said, "It's useless to think about it. You are not allowed to cry when you arrive at the military camp. You don't tell the jokes when people see them, and you even laugh at your master."

When Yu Yuan heard about it, he quickly turned his face away and nodded vigorously.

Zhan Zhao rubbed his hair, and said softly, "No one is laughing now, so why not cry."

After finishing speaking, Yu Yuan's tears also dripped on his hands.The boy wiped his eyes and insisted: "I won't cry. I still have a master, which is much better than others."

Looking at the faint outlines of the mountains in the distance, Zhan Zhao said slowly, "Even if everyone is gone, we can't cry."

Yu Yuan looked back at him again, his wide-open eyes were half shocked, half confused.

Zhan Zhao smiled at him, and comforted him: "It's too far away. There won't be anyone." He stretched out his hand to untie the giant lock, and held it in front of his eyes: "Hold it for me. Do you like it?"

Yu Yuan took it over, stroked the scabbard and nodded.

Zhan Zhao said: "The future will be passed on to you. People will leave, but Juque will not."

Yu Yuan shouted in horror: "Master!"

Zhan Zhao was startled, and looked down at him.

Yu Yuan approached and squeezed him hard: "Ju Que is yours and will always be. I don't want anything, so don't leave."

Zhan Zhao couldn't think of anything to say for a while.After a moment of silence, he tightened the reins.

The horse's hooves rose like flying, raising a long trail of smoke and dust behind them.

After the frost, freezing rain came one after another, almost destroying the achievements of several months of cultivation.Zhan Zhao looked impatient in his eyes, and didn't say anything. He just led the soldiers to rush to build a warm shed and covered the mountain with scaffolding to protect the seedlings.Yu Yuan followed like a tail, and pointed out from time to time: Father said it should be like this... In the cold weather, every time I look back and see his blue, sincere and serious face, I can feel a trace of pure comfort.

Another day came back exhausted, and everyone was drenched.Zhan Zhao said a few words of comfort, and ordered the fire-head soldiers to boil more hot ginger soup.Turning around, he couldn't find Yu Yuan, so he hurried back to his residence.

Seeing the dim light in the window, he couldn't help smiling.Pushing open the door and entering, Yu Yuan stuck his head out of the bed and quickly called, "Master, I've washed it, and I'm very clean."

Zhan Zhao took the scissors from the table, picked the lantern and asked him, "Why are you sleeping with me? Missing your parents?"

Yu Yuan shook his head again and again: "No, no. Mother said that I am very angry, and my body is like a charcoal stove in winter. I will help you warm the quilt and leave when it is warm."

Zhan Zhao came over and patted his face with a smile: "You are filial. You don't need it in the future. No matter how cold it is here, it won't be as cold as the winter in the north."

Yu Yuan blinked and said, "It's the first time I've encountered such cold. My father said that it's winter in Bianliang, and there's a stove in the house. The quilt won't be so damp."

Zhan Zhao stared at him for a while, then asked, "Did your father ask you to do this?"

Yu Yuan turned around and lay down on the bed, raised his head and said, "I'll do it even if he doesn't say so. I'm afraid you'll get sick. If you're sick, no one will take care of me."

Zhan Zhao was still talking, but the soldiers outside knocked on the door and shouted, "Master Zhan, I'll bring you some water. Is dinner for two?"

Zhan Zhao opened the door to greet him, thanked him and waited for the soldiers to go out.He moved the wooden box of rice to the bedside, and Yu Yuan shared a rice ball, chewing wild vegetables.

Yu Yuan asked him with his mouth full: "Master, how much better is the food in Tokyo than this? Are you used to it?"

Zhan Zhao nodded: "I often go everywhere, so I'm used to it. Food in Tokyo..." He suddenly stopped, and smiled helplessly: "Okay, I'll find out when I eat and see in the future."

Yu Yuan continued to chew, and said casually: "I don't believe my mother can make delicious food."

His mouth suddenly felt like chewing wax.Zhan Zhao put down half of the rice ball, sat silently for a while, got up and poured water to wash his face.

Yu Yuan propped up half of his body, his eyes followed him up and down for a while, and asked in a low voice: "Master, do you also think of your mother's cooking?"

Zhan Zhao wiped his wet hair and answered, "No." Turning around, he smiled again: "Want to go to Tokyo? I'll take you there to eat something good."

Inadvertently remembered who?Just knowing that he is good is not enough.When touched, I still think so.

Yu Yuan nodded happily: "Yes. I still want to go to Master's house, more than Tokyo."

Zhan Zhao replied with a smile, "There is a chance."

After washing, pour water out, come back and hang the door bolt.He put away the dishes and said, "It's too cold outside. You just stay under the covers, you don't have to go back tonight."

After turning off the lights, Yu Yuan hugged one of his arms, his eyes lit up with expectant stars: "Master, is it warm?"

In the cold night, longing is like madness.Zhan Zhao closed his eyes.What can fill the missing piece.

He stretched out his hand to hug the young man's thin shoulders, and said, "It's very warm. Go to sleep."

The next morning, when the sun first appeared, everyone was grateful, but it rained again in the afternoon, and the temperature dropped sharply.Several water pipes in the mountains ruptured again, and they rushed to repair them in the rain until evening. Finally, some soldiers collapsed and developed a high fever.Zhan Zhao looked at the sky and ordered them to disband and return to the camp together.He raised his foot to check up the mountain, but seeing Yu Yuanchi hesitantly followed, he scolded him to go back.

Yu Yuan refused.Since entering the mountain, he has never left his master.The young man was a little aggrieved, and didn't understand why he asked him to leave this time.

Zhan Zhao said: "There are still people on the mountain, I asked them to go back together. Hurry down before it's dark, don't worry about me."

Yu Yuan also wanted to say that, seeing Zhan Zhao's downcast face, he quickly turned around and walked away with the team with slippery soles.

Not long after Yu Yuan returned to the camp, he heard a loud bang outside, and the soldiers ran out regardless of the cold weather. When they saw it, they were all stunned.

The whole piece of landslides poured down, destroyed and swept to the feet in an instant.The trees and rocks seemed to have been washed away and submerged by the flood, and they disappeared without a trace.

Among the standing still crowd, a small figure suddenly jumped out, rushing out like crazy.The nearby soldiers shouted repeatedly, pulled him back into his arms, and roared against the torrent: "What are you going to do? It's useless!"

Yu Yuan beat and kicked, struggled desperately, and wailed loudly: "Let go of me! I'm going to find Master! Master, Master, ah... ah..."

As soon as he noticed the slight sound of the landslide, Zhan Zhao immediately ordered the soldiers to run up to the high place with all their strength.Holding one in each hand, he ran up to the top of the mountain almost without touching the ground.Stopping and looking back, the mud flow is still swooping down in bundles, gathering and growing in the middle, and rushing to the foot of the mountain like a thousand horses galloping.

The soldiers who followed were panting in shock, and none of them could say a whole sentence.Zhan Zhao took a look and found that most of the people failed to escape.He wiped the rainwater off his face, and at this moment he felt the chill piercing through his bones, and the cold air burst out from the inside out.

Despite the muddy ground, several soldiers lay down to sleep.Zhan Zhao gritted his teeth and lifted them up one by one, forcing him to follow him.In the dark, he found a cave to shelter from the rain, he staggered into it, and fell to the ground in an instant.

Zhan Zhao sat down slowly against the cave wall, still thinking about asking them to take off their wet coats, but his energy was hard to sustain.Tilting his head, his consciousness suddenly sank into darkness.

At this time, the rain stopped outside the cave, and there was a slight light in the clouds.

Amidst the birdsong, Zhan Zhao slowly opened his eyes.The sun was shining on his body, he turned his eyes and saw Yongning sitting in front of the bed with a pale face, and Zhu Yanwodan seemed to have faded away without a trace overnight.

She vaguely remembered that when they were sent down the mountain, she stood beside her, crying silently.

He pushed her hand and said, it's dangerous, don't follow.Then I don't know what.

It turned out that we didn't meet her in a dream.

Zhan Zhao looked sideways at her, trying his best to smile.

The tense lines on Yongning's face softened.For more than a month, he did not come home.But she felt at home with him again, and she thought this was actually home.

After the heavy rain, the barracks in the mountains were half destroyed, and all officers and soldiers moved to the county seat.Zhan Zhao looked at the house and recognized it as a post house.That is to say, he asked softly, "Has everyone gone down the mountain? Can they be settled properly?"

Yongning was silent for a while, nodded and said, "Except for those buried in the mountain mud, all have been rescued."

Zhan Zhao closed his eyes and sighed slightly: "Why are you here? Don't you know that the mountain is dangerous?"

Yongning said: "It's dangerous if I don't see you. You promised me to go home once a month."

Zhan Zhao felt helpless.When the cold and rain came, and the road down the mountain was cut off for a long time, even if I let the next battalion of soldiers ignore it, it would be difficult for me to overcome the natural obstacles alone and go home to reunite with her.Even if the post station has been out of service for nearly two months, Yongning should have heard about it from the palace; or he just ran out, with such a temperament, how can people go at ease.

He reached out and held her and asked, "Is the road difficult? How could they allow you to come out?"

Yong Ning shook his head, leaned on his palm and said: "There are rumors of a disaster everywhere, but the news is not available. I am flustered at home and can't stay. Don't just worry, can you understand me?"

No words of reproach can be spoken.Zhan Zhao smiled wryly, and closed his eyes again.

Yongning tucked in the quilt, and told him slowly: "Yu Yuan watched you and cried for two nights, and then he couldn't sit upright, so I let someone put him to sleep. You...you scared us."

Zhan Zhao remained motionless, as if he had fallen asleep.Yongning held his breath for a long time, and suddenly heard him talking on the pillow: "What's the use of sacrifice. They followed me, trying hard to turn the barren hills into fertile fields. In the end, one rain, one rain ruined it, along with so many lives... I only do useless work all my life, Yongning, am I ridiculous..."

The ending was drowned out by continuous coughing.Yongning helped him to turn sideways, hugging his shoulders and weeping: "Who can resist natural disasters? It's not been a year or two to open up wasteland. I have tried many times before, but in the end it all went away. You care about your body, you can't just blame Own……"

Zhan Zhao shook his head and nudged her, turned over and fell back on the couch, closing his eyes and not speaking.

Qian Zaixun's fame is outside the shadows.What people do from birth to death, there is no clear proof in the world.

If it is acceptable, honor and disgrace are empty.Does every wish and deed that helps the moment have to be empty?

How can it be regarded as helping the present? Thinking of this, he couldn't help laughing at himself.Whether all kinds of things are just a big dream, he is deceiving himself and others.