Lamp Flower Smile

Back at the inn, it was almost evening.

Yin Zheng went downstairs to ask for hot water, while Lu Zhuo sat in front of the long table in a daze.

A wooden screen was placed where the long table was connected to the back room. It depicts a dusk and autumn scene in the courtyard splashed with ink and ink. Lu Zhuo stared at the screen in trance, looking at it, and slowly stretched out his fingers to trace the clusters of blooming hibiscus branches in the painting.

Today, the new eldest grandma of the Ke family also has a silver hibiscus flower in her hair.

Lu Rou's face flashed in Lu Yan's mind.

Of the three children of the Lu family, Lu Rou was gentle and bright, Lu Qian was smart and stubborn, and she was the youngest. Although her father said he was strict, in reality he always treated her pampered.

The family is poor, but they don't have to worry about food and clothing. Lu Rou was several years older than Lu Zhen. When Lu Zhen was still an ignorant girl, Lu Rou was already very beautiful.

Mother took out a silver hibiscus hairpin inlaid with gems from the dowry box and tied it on Lu Rou's hair. She also chose a jade-blue plain dress for Lu Rou to put on, hoping for a spring party by the Linfang River. My daughter is the prettiest one.

Lu Tong looked at the eldest sister who was completely different from before. He tugged at the corner of his mother's skirt and pointed at the hibiscus flower hairpin on Lu Rou's head: "Mom, I want that."

"This won't work." Mother smiled and said, "You are still young, so you don't need it now. When we grow up, mother will choose something else for you."

She was young at the time and relied on the favor of her family to feel confident and unwilling to give in. "I want my sister!"

Until her father came into the house and saw her acting like this, he became angry and punished her not to go to the flower viewing party and to copy the book at home a hundred times.

She was alone at home, crying and copying books. At noon, she was hungry and wanted to go to the kitchen to get the remaining pancakes, but suddenly she smelled a strange aroma.

Lu Rou walked in from the door, holding a roast chicken wrapped in oil paper in her hand. Her new skirt was stained with some river mud, and her forehead was shiny with sweat.

She was stunned: "Why are you back?"

Lu Rou pinched her face and said, "If I don't come back, my eyes will be swollen like walnuts." She opened the paper bag for her, tore off the largest chicken drumstick and handed it to her mouth, "Crying bag, eat it quickly. .”

"Didn't Mom say that I would like to show you your future husband today?" She asked vaguely as her mouth was stuffed with oil. Changwu County is too small, and most of the neighbors know each other well. People often take advantage of the spring party to meet their future son-in-law or daughter-in-law early.

Lu Rou blushed and said, "What do you know?" After a pause, she smiled and said, "My husband is not as important as my sister."

She felt extremely proud.

Lu Rou touched the flower hairpin on her head again: "After night, when mother goes to sleep, I will give this flower hairpin to you. You hide it so that mother doesn't know about it. A flower hairpin is worth your crying."

She was eating roast chicken, holding it with short hands, and then looked at the hibiscus flower hairpin, which looked really good on Lu Rou's head, and said: "Forget it, you can keep it for me for now. I will ask you again one day." discuss."

Lu Rou was almost amused by her and joked with her: "Then you have to hurry up, otherwise you won't be able to get me married even if you want to."

When she heard this, she was inexplicably unhappy and deliberately wiped her oiled hand on Lu Rou's face: "Then wherever you marry, I will follow you. You are my sister anyway!"

"Squeak——"

The door was pushed open, and Yin Zheng walked in carrying a basin.

Lu Yan raised his eyes, and the gentle scent of lychee ointment from his eldest sister still seemed to linger on the tip of his nose. In a blink of an eye, there was only a cold screen in front of him.

Yin Zheng brought the basin to the table and turned to close the door. Lu Yan picked up the handkerchief and wiped the red rash on his face little by little.

"Girl," Yin Zheng asked carefully, "today you said that the eldest girl was killed by the Ke family?"

Lu Yan was silent for a moment before speaking: "When we were in Changwu County, our neighbors said that when the Lu family received the news of Jingzhong's death, when was it?"

Yin Zheng thought for a moment: "It's March."

"That's right." Lu Yan said calmly: "But today the Ke family said that Lu Rou died in the summer."

Yin Zheng was startled and looked at Lu Zhu in astonishment.

Lu Yan's eyes turned cold.

Today, Mrs. Ke was irritated by her and made a mistake. She said, "If she hadn't jumped into the pond and ruined the feng shui of my new house, why would I have spent so much money to fill the pond and plant peonies instead? It's a pity that my newly bloomed red pond "蕖..." immediately made Lu Zhuo suspicious.

Lotus flowers don't bloom in March, and no matter how long the journey from the capital to Changwu County is delayed, it will only take more than a month at most. It couldn't be that Lu Rou died in the summer of the first year and the news didn't reach Changwu County until the next year. What's more, Lu Qian had not yet entered Beijing that summer.

Two pieces of news, one of which must be lying.

Lu Qian came to the capital only after hearing the news of Lu Rou's death. If Lu Rou was still alive at that time, why do people in Changwu County now say that the letter contained the news of Lu Rou's death? Could it be that the Ke family knew that Lu Rou would die?

Still, the Ke family originally wanted to send the Lu family away with the news of Lu Rou's death, but they didn't expect that the persistent Lu Qian went to Shengjing alone to inquire about the news in person.

Or maybe the letter Lu Qian received was not news of Lu Rou's death at all?

The truth was confusing, and Lu Zhuo didn't believe a word Mrs. Ke said. Lu Rou failed to seduce the prince of Taishi Qi's house, but the Ke family won the favor of Taishi Qi's house a year ago, and the porcelain business prospered. No matter how you look at it, it's a bit too much of a coincidence.

She wanted to stay in the capital, stay here, and find out what happened to Lu Rou and what caused the disaster in the Lu family.

besides……

Get back the hibiscus flower hairpin worn on the head of the bride of the Ke family.

After the last red mark was wiped away, Yin Zheng looked at the fair face of the person in the mirror, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "But girl, before that, there is something else I need to remind you."

She sighed: "We are running out of money."

…

As night fell, lights came on in Ke's mansion.

Ke Chengxing opened the bamboo curtain and stepped into the hall.

When the maid next to Mrs. Ke saw him, her smile was particularly charming, she said "Uncle" and poured tea for him.

Ke Chengxing is now standing nearby. Unlike other merchants, his facial features are handsome and well-maintained. His honey-colored silk trousers make him more elegant. Nowadays, Kejiayao's porcelain business is doing well, and he is always the one who attracts attention at the chamber of commerce's entertainment table, with many girls throwing themselves at him.

Mrs. Ke also noticed the maid's smile and couldn't help but frown. She backed away and looked at Ke Chengxing who was sitting at the table picking chestnuts to eat and said, "You came back late today."

"Let's have a drink." Ke Chengxing disagreed.

"Smells so drunk, the Qin family started making trouble again."

Hearing this, the smile on Ke Chengxing's face disappeared a little. Mrs. Qin was his bride, she was aggressive and overbearing, and she controlled him very tightly, which was really annoying. Whenever this happens, Ke Chengxing misses his deceased wife's tenderness.

Just when he missed Lu Rou's name, Ke Chengxing heard Mrs. Ke say: "Today, Lu's cousin is here."

Ke Chengxing was startled: "Lu's cousin? Where did Lu's cousin come from?"

"You haven't heard Mr. Lu mention it?" Mrs. Ke was a little suspicious. She told her son what happened to the Ke family during the day, and then said: "I think this person came here strangely. Later, someone was sent to follow him, but he Lost the person."

Ke Chengxing thought about it carefully and shook his head: "After I married Mrs. Lu, I never heard her say anything about a cousin. She must be a liar who came to blackmail her."

Mrs. Ke's expression flashed: "Somehow, I always feel uneasy in my heart. In the final analysis, you shouldn't have done anything about Lu's matter... Now it can't be cleared up."

When Ke Chengxing heard this, he also became nervous: "Mom, will something happen?"

Mrs. Ke waved her hand: "I have asked people to go to Changwu County to inquire about the person named Wang Yingying."

She stared at the tea cup in front of her and her tone gradually became darker: "There's something really wrong. There's someone tall in front of me. What's there to be afraid of? The Lu family can't make any waves."