Protagonist, wake up

Before leaving, Xie Lang asked Yan Ziluo to go out for a gathering.

The two opened a private room facing the window and sat opposite each other. On the table was a warm and slow-cooking fine wine. Outside the window, the cold rain of winter was scattered, dancing on the eaves, and then falling to the ground and splashing into pieces. silver.

Xie Lang raised his glass to invite wine, and smiled at Yanzi Luo.

Yan Ziluo clinked his glasses and drank it all, and then said: "I heard that the Xie family's business over there has some problems?"

Xie Lang straightened the hem of his clothes, clenched his fist and coughed twice beside his lips: "Yes. I have agreed with my father and plan to go there in person. This is also an experience for myself. This time I come to say goodbye to you."

Yan Ziluo fell silent.

Xie Lang saw that he didn't speak, and there was no ups and downs on his face, so he couldn't help feeling a little guilty.After thinking about it, I felt wrong again.

Strange, why do I feel guilty?

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly saw Yan Ziluo leaning forward, their faces were almost touching.Xie Lang couldn't help but lean back, but Yanzi Luo raised his jaw with a finger.

With a soft voice, he snorted softly and said, "Chengsi, Chengsi, do you know what you did just now?"

"What, what..."

"Like an ostrich, so cute."

"You!" Xie Lang knocked off his finger angrily, "Yan Ziluo, let go!"

Yan Ziluo didn't care, and smiled and fell back into the chair with all his strength.He picked up the small cup on the table and shook it nonchalantly, and said in a good mood: "It's just a joke, Chengsi is too casual. But," he looked at Xie Lang with a smile on his head, "I I thought Chengsi you were so thin-skinned and wanted to hide from me."

"..." Feeling even more guilty?

Just when Xie Lang was about to say something to cover it up, Yan Ziluo's expression became calm, he picked up the wine and looked out the window at the same time.In the misty misty rain, his voice was as gentle as water: "Chengsi, I'm afraid this great river and mountain won't last long. The border is in turmoil, and the northern land is extremely cold. Yan Ziluo has nothing else to ask for, but only you, go and cherish it."

Xie Lang had layers of unspeakable emotions in his heart.He also picked up the warm wine, and the warmth passed from his fingertips to his heart.

When their eyes met, the two clinked glasses and laughed.

**

Xie Lang stayed at the border for a year.

On the way to the border, Xie Lang and Jian Zhu saw with their own eyes how chaotic the border had become.

In the past few years, there have been frequent turmoil on the border, and most of the people in charge sent by the imperial court are trash who only know how to eat, drink and play, and they are all supported by a few smart people.In such a place, there must be a lot of crimes in the dark corners that the superiors can't notice.

Xie Lang saw many displaced people along the way.The half-grown child was covered in bruises, curled up dirty and nestled in the dust, and didn't even respond to the carriage passing by. If the coachman hadn't reacted quickly, he would have run over directly, and the grumpy one on the stall would have been whipped straight away. revile.These common people had no shelter, and they all sat directly on the side of the road, huddled there in tattered clothes.Their eyes are cloudy, their movements are stiff, and their faces are blank.In Jian Zhu's view, compared with the zombies in the movie, they are only superficially better.

Once a bold beggar stopped Xie Lang's carriage, knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately, begging Xie Lang to show kindness.Xie Lang gave it once, but it only triggered a new round of melee for resources. Since then, he has a long memory, and if he wants to give it, he will eat it secretly.

The carriage went all the way north, and as the journey progressed, the situation became worse.

The bandits and robbers went down the mountain to plunder recklessly, and what's more, they even dared to snatch the government's carriage.Xie Lang and Jian Zhu walked with trepidation along the way, fearing that they would be caught by robbers.There are not many refugees, but the bones on the road are getting fresher and fresher, and many of them are still covered with flesh that has not been bitten clean.Most of these wounds are in the shape of large and irregular bites, indicating that wild animals are rampant on the nearby mountains.

Things weren't much better in those cities, either.The border area has been harassed and plundered by the Uganda people all the year round, and the economic development has been slow. In recent years, it has intensified. Many people moved out early, resulting in some cities almost becoming empty cities.Even if there are still a few who barely support it, the interior has long been corrupted, and there are excessive taxes and extortions everywhere.Officials push each other and push you. No one wants to take over these hot potatoes, so they have to let them rot in the end.

The best life in the city these days is actually those gangsters and bullies.The government was unwilling to provoke them, and many even joined forces with them.These people bully men and women, trample on the people wantonly, and send you to jail if you disagree.

"Not only that," the old woman with handicapped legs kept sighing, "I heard that the adults in the next city have something to do with the Wu people..."

Xie Lang, who was sitting on the side of the road drinking water and resting, widened his eyes when he heard this.

"With the Wu people?! How could it be? This, this is not treason..."

The old woman waved her hand: "It's a crime. Oh, I can't say it, I can't say it..."

**

During the year he stayed at the border, Xie Lang was not only handling business.When he was free, he walked around, and gradually he discovered that there was a large-scale transaction here.The children of many families were either voluntarily or forced to be used as commodities, and were sold to the Wu nationality or further afield.

Xie Lang set off in October, and it was already November when he arrived at his destination.The border is extremely cold, and supplies are scarce, so even if Xie Lang is the young master of the Xie family, delicacies from mountains and seas will be forgotten.Fortunately, Xie Lang was able to endure hardships, but no matter how bad the weather was, it couldn't make him feel chilled. What really made him tremble were the court officials who paid taxes to support them every year.

Why are there always people who can only care about themselves when the nation is in crisis?

When Xie Lang was talking to Jian Zhu, Jian Zhu said: "If they are all loyal ministers, there is no such thing as being famous in history."

"You can never imagine the viciousness of human beings."

"I do not know."

"Yes." Jian Zhu looked at Xie Lang's resolute eyebrows and smiled, "I never doubted this."

**

Xie Lang broke a pen after receiving the news that General Sun had stolen all his families, and sat silently for a long time.

When he later heard that the court still had time to make sacrifices, he didn't even have the strength to get angry.

He has always liked to collect antiquities, and it has been a long time since he collected information about antiquities everywhere.Even if someone sent an antique to curry favor with him, he would put it away after a few lazy glances.

Jian Zhu has also been silent a lot this year.

Xie Lang slowly lay down on the table, just like every time he did his homework when he was a child.

Jian Zhu's heart skipped a beat.

Xie Lang's eyes were slightly closed, and after a long time, he spoke with deep tiredness.

"Lan Yu, let's go home."

Jian Zhu looked at him and said softly, "Okay."

**

In November of the 23rd year of Tianqi, Xie Lang set off to return home.

When I got home, it was just in time for the Spring Festival.Mrs. Xie touched her son distressedly and said, "I'm thinner." Father Xie didn't speak, but his eyes were full of concern.

After the festival, Yan Ziluo came to visit her.

"You are still so well informed." Xie Lang pressed his eyebrows.

Yan Ziluo smiled: "I have always been very concerned about Chengsi."

"Aren't you going home? I remember that your hometown is not near North." Xie Lang asked.

"There is no one in my family now. There is only one elder sister who has already married. Now I am a widow. I have to rely on Chengsi to support me." Yanziluo joked.

Xie Lang glared at him.

The two walked slowly by the frozen river.The weather was cold, and there was no one by the river.

"How did you feel going to the border this time? I don't think you're too happy?"

"……fine."

"When you mention this, your face will be ugly. Forget it, if you don't want to say it, don't say it."

Finally, the two stood still under a dead tree.It just snowed yesterday, and the trees were covered with crystal white snow.

Xie Lang wanted to leave, but Yan Ziluo kept staring at him.

Xie Lang was a little timid, because the way Yan Ziluo looked at him now reminded him of the farewell in the restaurant before he left.He suddenly felt his heart beating faster, and couldn't help but want to back away.

Yan Ziluo was a head taller than Xie Lang, and he felt oppressive when he bent down.He looked at Xie Lang's gradually flushed cheeks with a half-smile, and said softly, "Chengsi, what are you hiding from?"

"..."

"Four years, you have been an ostrich for four years. How long are you going to hide from me?"

"..."

Xie Lang felt guilty.To be honest, at first he invited himself to go to the border, but he also had a little selfishness.One is that he doesn't want to be urged to marry by his parents all the time, and the other is that he wants to avoid Yan Ziluo.

"Xie Chengsi, admit it."

The soft lips pressed against Xie Lang before he could react.

! ! ! !

Xie Lang stared wide-eyed.

Jian Zhu was shaken out.

As soon as he came out, he saw Xie Lang shaking the mirror wildly and shouting anxiously in a low voice: "Lan Yu! Lan Yu! Come out!"

"What's the matter?" Jian Zhu was shaken with a headache.

Xie Lang stopped abruptly, and Jian Zhu was horrified to see his face turn red.

……What's going on here?

Xie Lang touched his lips, blushing and stammering: "He, he...he kissed..."

"Ah? Who kissed?" Jian Zhu didn't react at first, but when he saw Xie Lang's dodging eyes, he suddenly woke up.

What the hell!

Swallow Luo! !

"...Lan Yu, you, you should say something..."

"What can I say..." Jian Zhu was so shocked that he lost his mind.He hasn't made a move for four years, so he thought Yanzi Luo could bear it!

"Yes, yes, it seems that there is really nothing to say..." Xie Lang said stupidly.

"..."

After Xie Lang calmed down, Jian Zhu asked curiously, "What about after that?"

"what?"

"Just, after he finished kissing..."

Xie Lang blushed again.

Jian Zhu can't wait to slap himself and make you owe!

Xie Lang said embarrassingly: "I was frightened at the time, so I hid and hit a tree. There was a lot of snow on the tree, and when I hit it, it all fell on his head..."

Jian Zhu could barely bear the internal injury from laughing.

"Then he left dumbfounded."

"Hahahahaha——" Thinking about Yan Ziluo's expression at that time, he couldn't help it.

**

When going to bed at night, Xie Lang suffered from insomnia.

Jian Zhu was not sleepy, so he simply asked about the day's affairs: "You already knew?"

"En." Xie Lang replied softly.

"Then what do you think? Do you like him?"

"I do not know."

"In other words, do you hate him when he kisses you?"

"……Do not."

Jian Zhu didn't know what to say.The two fell silent.

After a long time, Xie Lang's soft voice came from the bed: "Ke Lanjuan, whether I like it or not, this is against the world."

Jian Zhu had nothing to say.He's not Xie Lang, and he can't easily say to Xie Lang, "True love has nothing to do with gender, don't care about the world, just live your own life" and so on.

He has not forgotten that this is another era, and people here are suppressing themselves even more.Xie Lang is a very responsible child. He is kind and filial, has ideals and ambitions, and possesses most of the qualities of an outstanding person in the eyes of the world. At the same time, these things have also become his shackles.Nothing understands this better than Jian Zhu who watched him grow up.

This is Xie Lang's life, and it should be his own choice.

The author has something to say: rub, I rub, I rub metaphysics...

Help me up and I can continue rubbing!