Chapter 129 Mutual Reflection (Pink Ticket +420 More)

  Shen Muqing told Shen Jian about the preparations for Chinese New Year at home, but Shen Jian just listened and finally said lightly as usual "You handle it" before lowering his head to continue reading his book.

  Looking at Shen Zhen's head full of silver hair, Shen Muqing couldn't help but let out a sigh.

  Such evasion, I don't know when can recover fighting spirit!

  As she came out of Shen Zhen's bedroom, she saw Mr. Ouyang wandering under the eaves.

  Compared with when Shen Zhen had an accident, Mr. Ouyang also looked much older.

  "Madam, you've come to see Master!" Mr. Ouyang greeted her with a smile, his tone revealing a hint of respect.

  During this time, Shen Muqing's every move was under his watchful eye, and sometimes he couldn't help but sigh at her fate.

  Shen Mu bowed respectfully and said with a smile: "Sir, have you come to see the old master?"

  Mr. Ouyang's eyes dimmed for a moment, hesitated for a while, and said in a low voice: "I'm waiting for the lady here!"

  Shen Muqing saw that he was like this, and must have had a big matter to discuss with himself, so he went to the flower hall with Mr. Ouyang.

  The two sat down, and the maid brought tea and closed the door. Shen Mu's expression turned solemn as he asked, "I don't know what business you have with me, sir?"

  Mr. Ouyang thought for a while before saying: "After the New Year, I think I'll go back to my hometown..."

  Deeply shocked and saddened.

  Mr. Ouyang's eyes were slightly moist: "The old master and I have a deep friendship, I shouldn't be leaving at this time... but my wife at home is already of an age that knows the will of heaven... I must go back to accompany her for a few days."

  A short time away from home, an old man returns, local accent unchanged but hair turned white!

  Shen Muqing could very well understand his decision.

  "Has the master fixed his return date?"

  Mr. Ouyang shook his head: "I really don't dare to mention this in front of Master."

  One can't keep a person from staying, but one also can't keep their heart from straying. Moreover, Mr. Ouyang is not getting any younger either, it's time for him to go back and enjoy his peaceful life.

  "Or else, let's wait until after the New Year and I'll tell Master about it!"

  Mr. Ouyang silently bowed to Shen Muqing and said in a low voice "Ashamed", then turned around and left.

  Shen Mu Qing sat alone in the flower hall for a long time, quietly waiting.

  The house was robbed and a part of it was taken away. The Da Li Temple said that the things were returned to the Shen family, but the Shen family actually got less than three-tenths of what they originally had. Another large portion went to Wang Gonggong's place. Shen Zhen was suspended from his job, but his salary was still paid as usual. However, this was just a drop in the bucket. The financial situation at home was indeed much worse than before. Nevertheless, Mr. Ouyang followed Shen Zhen for a lifetime, and now that he is old, although he cannot return home with glory, he also cannot leave empty-handed! Moreover, he still knows about the situation on the side of the White Paper Workshop...

  Shen Mu Qing stood up and ordered her maid to ask Bai Mu to help her prepare the carriage.

  Since that day, Shen Muqing kept Bai Mu by his side for both big and small matters. Liang Jimin tactfully mentioned it several times, wanting him to return as his attendant, but she pretended not to understand and ignored him. As someone who had served by Shen Zhen's side, Bai Mu's vision naturally broadened, and he was unwilling to follow Liang Jimin and his friends who only knew how to recite poetry and paint. He would either pretend not to know or stay at home sleeping when he wasn't attending to Shen Muqing's errands outside.

  The maid came back and said: The carriage is ready.

  Shen Mu Qing returned to her house and put on a cloak, letting Ying Fen and Ming Xia wait for her inside while she went alone to the second gate.

  Bai Mu Zheng held a horse whip, looking somewhat listless as he waited. Seeing Shen Mu Qing come out alone, he was taken aback for a moment, but quickly composed himself and moved a footstool to the side of the carriage.

  Shen Muqing looked around at the small servants standing by and said in a low voice, "Just follow me - leave everything else at home."

  Bai Mu wanted to say something else, but Shen Muqing had already stepped onto the bus by herself.

  He thought for a moment and finally sat on the carriage shaft as Shen Muqing had requested.

  After leaving Shen's residence, Shen Muqing said: "Let's go to White Paper Workshop."

  Bai Mu was shocked: "Go to White Paper Lane? At this time? I'm afraid that by the time we get back, the city gates will be closed!"

  "Hurry up then!" Shen Muqing didn't listen to Bai Mu's advice.

  Bai Mu responded with a single word and whipped his horse into a gallop.

  The horse carriage started moving with a rumbling sound.

  Just as I was about to drive out of the alley, a little kid suddenly ran past.

  Bai Mu was shocked and let out a loud "Ah", pulling on the reins of his horse.

  The horse let out a nervous whinny and pawed anxiously at the ground with its front hooves.

  Fortunately, the carriage was originally running slowly, and after a few violent jolts, it came to a stop.

  Bai Mu looked towards the entrance of the alley for the first time - that little kid had already run out of sight.

  He couldn't help but let out a long sigh and turned around to ask Shen Muqing in the car, "Third Young Mistress, are you alright?"

  ******

  Shen Muqing got on the car and kept thinking about how much "dismissal fee" would be good for Mr. Ouyang.

  Suddenly, the horse neighed and the carriage shook violently for a few moments.

  She lost her balance and instinctively stretched out her hand to grab the carved railing beside her. Just then, the railing beside her was suddenly lifted up, and a black shadow with a chill came rushing towards her.

  Shen Mu Qing was shocked and just about to turn her head when she was already being held in someone's arms with her mouth covered.

  In her panic, she bit down on her own hand.

  Covering his mouth with his hand, which was bitten, but he didn't let go, and whispered against her ear: "You're really a mother tigress!"

  The tone was very dissatisfied, but with a hint of playfulness... Then she smelled a pleasant scent of cedar wood, feeling the long breath hotly puffed on her neck...

  Shen Mu Qing calmed down and quietly leaned into the person's arms, hinting at her cooperation.

  He relaxed a bit once his hands were covered.

  Xiao Mu Qing took advantage of the opportunity to pull down his hands covering himself: "Xiao Sa, what are you doing?"

  Turning around, in the dimly lit carriage, I saw a pair of shining eyes: "Why didn't you see me?" The tone was filled with suppressed anger.

  Shen Mu Qing was stunned into silence.

  When did she stop seeing him?

  "Third Young Mistress, are you alright?" Bai Mu's slightly tense voice came through the car curtains.

  Shen Mu Qing stared at the person in front of her, feeling a sudden emptiness: "No, no! Let's go to Bai Zhi Fang quickly!"

  Bai Mu responded with a sound, and the horse carriage restarted.

  "Why don't you see me?" Xiao Sa's questioning voice sounded again in her ear, warm and gentle, making her lose her mind for a moment.

  "I've looked for you many times, but Mother Wang said you hadn't returned." Xiao Sa whispered in her ear, afraid of startling Bai Mu, "I also went to the Liang's house, but you weren't there either." As he spoke, he suddenly pushed her away from his chest, his bright eyes staring at her intensely: "Why didn't you see me?"

  So that's how it is!

  Wang's mother seemed to want to say something but stopped herself, probably because she didn't want her and Xiao Sa to have any more contact!

  Shen Mu's eyes slightly opened at the corners of his mouth - wanting to explain to Xiao Sa, he raised his eyes and saw her completely unguarded gaze.

  Filled with sincerity, filled with unreserved indignation, yet giving people a sense of closeness...

  The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she changed them: "It's not convenient for me to see you as a woman. If you have anything to say, you can tell my husband. If you feel it's inconvenient to tell my husband, you can also tell my brother."

  Xiao Xiao stared at her with a mixture of confusion and bewilderment in his eyes.

  Shen Muqing suddenly thought of a little dog he used to raise.

  No matter how late it is when I get home, it's always waiting for me.

  As soon as the door is opened, it can be seen that it is standing quietly in the silent darkness with its head tilted, staring at itself, as if asking, "Why did you leave me alone at home?" At that time, she was only thinking of proving her excellence through others, and sometimes didn't even feel its loneliness. Day after day of neglect, the little dog got sick without anyone knowing... In the end, it couldn't keep this friend who brought warmth to her on winter days.

  Don't give him hope if you can't be wholehearted towards him!

  The calm and clear gradually quieted down.

  She smiled at him: "You're in such a hurry to find me, what's up?"

  There is no warmth of friendship in his tone, only a faint sense of estrangement.

  Xiao Xiao slowly sat up straight, and her face immediately became as hard and cold as a rock.

  "I've got news about Shen Yuerong!"

  "Shen Mu Qing couldn't hide his surprise: 'How did you find her? Where is she now? Is she okay?'"

  Her string of questions left a hint of desolation in Xiao Sa's eyes.

  "I found an opportunity to ask Dai Gui." He slowly opened his mouth, looking at her with a very strange gaze. "He told me that when he was 14 years old, once while chasing the Khitan people, he fell off his horse and got injured because there was no doctor. Later on, he became disabled and now walks with a slight limp..."

  Shen Mu stared blankly at Xiao Xiao.

  "At home they had hoped he could marry into the Shen family, but were also afraid that the Shens would despise his crippled foot, so they found an actor who looked very similar to him..."

  Shen Mu's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

  She clutched Xiao Xiao's sleeve tightly and stuttered: "T-that actor..."

  Xiao Xiao lowered her head to gaze at the white, crystal-like fingers grasping her sleeve, her eyes as dark as if shrouded by a layer of black clouds.

  "We went to find that actor together and found out he was no longer with the troupe." Xiao Sa's voice was stiff, narrating without emotion, "Not only was he not with the troupe, but two senior brothers who grew up with him since childhood were also nowhere to be found. We sent people to ask along the post stations from Kyoto to Taicang, and it turned out that around the time Shen Yue Rong went missing, the water bay post station near Taicang had received Town National General, Liaodong General Soldier Ren Zheng's son, Dai Gui, who held the position of fourth-grade commander. He was accompanied by two personal attendants and a concubine..."

  Shen Muqing's face turned pale as paper: "...and in fact, Dai Gui never left the capital during that time..."

  Xiao Xiao nodded slightly.

  Shen Muqing was stunned by this sudden change, her mind went blank, and she buried her head in her own knees.

  Staring at the frail little girl in front of him, who had shrunk herself up like a child who had been frightened and hurt, he desperately told himself: don't think about it, don't think about it... But his brain had its own ideas, and those scenes they shared kept replaying over and over again in his mind, unable to be stopped or paused.

  The pain in her forced calmness when they met at the Medicine King Temple, the anger after knowing her true identity, the unwillingness to accept her marriage news, the anxiety after knowing her family's troubles... Since Pomegranate's death, he had never cared about and helped someone so selflessly. And those emotions he ignored - the joy of meeting, the longing after parting, the madness when they couldn't meet... Every bit, every drop, every thread, every strand, all told him a message... A message that made him feel hopeless yet eager to try...

  (Haha ~... Another chapter is updated!)

  Mind, first launch of handwritten text version, new domain name and new starting point! Update faster, all e-book formats are free to download.

  New thinking, first launch of handwritten version. New domain name new starting point! Update faster, all e-book formats free download.