Chapter 57 - 2#

Even if Jingzhe didn’t cry, he would torture him until he did.

But the premise was for Rong Jiu. Now, seeing him crying like a mess and almost becoming dehydrated, Rong Jiu not only felt uncomfortable in his heart but also became a bit irritable, and his movements of wiping his face were a bit rough.

He regretted it a little.

He rarely had such emotions.

Better not to have brought him out.

“Wuu… I… can’t stop…”

Jingzhe was rubbed by Rong Jiu until he was swaying.

In the end, Rong Jiu had no choice but to wipe Jingzhe’s face and carry him out the door.

That maddeningly familiar sense of constriction came overwhelmingly, completely enveloping Jingzhe.

Any place seemed ready to drag him back to the old times and shadows at any time. For a moment, he was impacted by those surging emotions, but instead became somewhat calmer.

They walked to the edge of the pond.

Jingzhe could see those strange stones surrounding the pond, still placed in their original positions. It was his father who personally went to the suburbs, picked them up one by one, and placed them around the pond in a circle, originally to prevent them from going into the water.

But when Jingzhe was little, he was a bad child.

He often sneaked into the water when his parents were not paying attention, and even the book boy who often followed him couldn’t stop him.

In the end, his father had no choice but to move a few stones away and rebuild steps for him to go into the water.

Right at their feet.

Jingzhe struggled a bit, and Rong Jiu put him down.

Jingzhe squatted down, looked at the somewhat rough steps, smiled unconsciously, and said softly: “I liked playing in the water very much when I was young. My parents wouldn’t let me, so I secretly jumped in. Later, my father really had no choice but to build these steps for me himself.”

However, after it was built, it wasn’t used a few times before winter came.

Winter was cold. No matter how tolerant his parents were, they would absolutely not allow him to go into the water in winter. Moreover, every winter, the pond would be covered with a thin layer of broken ice. At this time, Jingzhe’s favorite thing was to throw small stones at the broken ice.

With a platter, a hole was smashed out, and then a rope was lowered, imitating his father fishing.

It was just that he didn’t have Cen Xuanyin’s patience, nor had he learned how to fish. The rope he lowered didn’t even have a hook or bait.

When his father came back and knew about this, he hugged him and laughed loudly.

“So our Jingzhe can also be Jiang Taigong fishing, waiting for the willing to take the bait.”

Jingzhe told this story to Rong Jiu, his voice carrying a bit of nostalgia: “I didn’t expect that after so long, I still remember it.”

That was just a trivial matter in his past life. Now looking at this familiar scene, those small things emerged in his heart one after another, so clearly.

Rong Jiu said lightly: “In the past, you thought they were ordinary small things. Now that you remember them clearly, it is naturally because you remembered each one with your heart.”

Jingzhe pursed his lips. Originally feeling a bit down, hearing Rong Jiu say this, he laughed first.

He lay on his knees and looked up at Rong Jiu.

“So you can also comfort people like this.”

“It’s the truth.” Rong Jiu said calmly, “If the memory is not deep enough, naturally you won’t remember. If you remember deeply, you will even remember clearly what the smell was that day, what clothes were worn, and what bowls and chopsticks were used.”

Jingzhe paused slightly and pursed his lips unconsciously.

Although Rong Jiu’s words just now sounded cold, for some reason, they always gave him a suppressed and distorted feeling.

…Is it because Rong Jiu remembered his past memories?

How a person is born, apart from innate temperament, is more or less related to the family environment.

Jingzhe knew that Rong Jiu’s relationship with his parents was particularly bad, and he had little contact with his siblings.

Compared to his childhood experience, it could not be called good at all.

He didn’t have much fate with his blood relatives.

Jingzhe felt a little sad and guilty.

He had never thought he could return to his former residence, so he lost control of his emotions for a moment and vented completely. But his missing his family didn’t mean others would care. In this way, wasn’t he rubbing salt in Rong Jiu’s wound?

Rong Jiu pulled Jingzhe up from the ground and patted his puppy head: “Being suspicious and overthinking is your bad habit.”

Jingzhe stumbled from his pat.

Rong Jiu grabbed his arm to prevent him from crying until he was dizzy and weak, and really falling into the pond.

“What do my past affairs have to do with you?” He said coldly, “Those people are the ones who should hold a grudge.”

“Those?”

Jingzhe repeated subconsciously. This was more than he expected.

Then it wasn’t just one or two.

Rong Jiu kept his mouth shut, tucked Jingzhe in, and left again.

…So angry.

This bastard always refused to say anything about such important matters. Last night, that doctor finally said a little bit, but before he could ask clearly about the reaction of the poison, the person was scared away again!

Jingzhe was suddenly startled: “Put me down, your wound!”

Rong Jiu: “Small injury.”

Jingzhe directly bit Rong Jiu’s shoulder, humming: “Put me down.”

Rong Jiu finally put him down, looking at Jingzhe as if looking at an ignorant child, “Didn’t you cry until you were dizzy?”

Jingzhe said drily: “Dizziness won’t kill anyone, but bleeding will.”

Rong Jiu was expressionless but looked very disapproving.

In the end, he agreed.

After Jingzhe sobered up, looking at the wet patch on Rong Jiu’s body, he was already very embarrassed. Plus, he really wanted to know the condition of the man’s injury, so he couldn’t help but ask bravely: “Are there any clothes to change here?”

He looked down at his own clothes again and found that they were not eunuch clothes either. Instead, it was an ordinary long robe, which felt very comfortable and warm to the touch.

That illusory and soft feeling finally settled down.

“Am I… at home? How did you get me out?”

“Yes.” Rong Jiu answered Jingzhe’s first question first, and then said, “Someone is injured and needs to be taken care of.”

A very simple and direct answer, which also sounded very rough.

It was just as perfunctory and outrageous as Rong Jiu said yesterday, “If something happens, say you were called by the Imperial Guard for investigation.”

Jingzhe fell silent and pushed Rong Jiu to walk.

“Then hurry up and show me your wound!”

Forget it, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

He had now learned to smash a broken jar, especially calmly.

Rong Jiu only said that the clothes were all in the main room, and Jingzhe led him familiarly. Jingzhe was more familiar with this place than anyone else.

Along the way, his eyes unconsciously looked around. Until they reached the main room, he went to the wardrobe and rummaged through a few clothes.

Jingzhe had been in the palace for many years and knew nothing about what styles were popular outside the palace. Seeing that they looked decent, he handed them to Rong Jiu.

As soon as the man took it, Jingzhe remembered the wound on his body, scratched his face, and followed him.

“Let me change it for you.”

Jingzhe had never done the job of serving people, and rarely did the job of undressing. Just taking off and putting on these few movements, for some reason, made his face flush red.

Rong Jiu said slowly: “Those who don’t know might think I did something.”

Jingzhe flushed, glared at him angrily, and then quickly lowered his head to struggle with Rong Jiu’s belt. A small safety knot was always hanging by his side, visible at a glance.

Jingzhe: “Why do you keep this ugly thing with you all the time?”

This safety knot was really ugly, and he himself disliked it a bit.

Rong Jiu naturally took it from Jingzhe and hung it on his waist, saying calmly: “You are not allowed to lose it.”

When Jingzhe was changing his clothes, he had already checked Rong Jiu’s wound. There was no sign of reopening. While feeling relieved, he said: “Next time, I’ll make you a better-looking one and replace this one.”

“You can make another one, but you can’t replace it.” Rong Jiu said meaningfully, “The first one is always the best.”

No matter how ugly it is, the meaning is different after all.

…

The streets and alleys had changed into new attire.

The thin and cool summer clothes of the past were replaced, and now the neighbors coming and going all changed into thick robes to withstand the increasingly cold weather.

In the lively crowd, a carriage passed on the road. The coachman drove the horse, his sharp eyes constantly looking around, preparing for anyone approaching.

Two people sat in the carriage.

Jingzhe was the one sitting by the window. Since getting on the carriage, his eyes had never moved away, looking wholeheartedly at the lively scenery outside, full of energy.

Rong Jiu only told him that he could stay outside the palace for a few days. Before he could ask, he added: “Do you want to go out for a walk?”

Jingzhe was stunned: “Can I?”

Before being pointed out by Rong Jiu, Jingzhe dared not have such delusions.

As a eunuch, being able to leave the imperial palace was already rare. To be able to go out and walk around, and not being someone like a purchaser, was simply a pie falling from the sky.

Rong Jiu’s lips curved slightly: “Why not?”

Under his order, several people suddenly appeared in the mansion that had always seemed empty and uninhabited, some driving the carriage, some preparing things for the trip.

This lively scene made Jingzhe a little dazed again for a moment.

It was a pair of cold hands that grabbed him and pulled Jingzhe back to reality.

Jingzhe raised his head and smiled at Rong Jiu.

The two got on the carriage and went all the way out.

Jingzhe didn’t know where they were going, and didn’t ask. He just sat quietly by the window, contentedly looking at the flowing scenery outside.

Those fresh, strange excitements made Jingzhe almost unable to recover.

Outside the palace, it was so lively.

Compared to the imperial palace, it was really much livelier.

Outside the palace walls, these people were all vivid and full of vitality. They didn’t need to maintain silence and alertness all the time; they could laugh happily. In the mist permeating the street, there was the smell of food, stir-frying, the shouts of cooks, and the cheers and encouragement around, just like a play, funny and vivid.

Jingzhe watched lingeringly, until the carriage went further and further away, and only then did he barely recover.

“Rong Jiu, where are we going?”

“Asking after getting in the car for so long, you wouldn’t know even if you were kidnapped.”

Jingzhe said awkwardly: “I haven’t seen many things outside before, it’s really interesting.”

Rong Jiu stared at him and said lightly: “Going to see your Wuti.”

Jingzhe was slightly surprised, Wuti?

Since knowing that Wuti was now under the management of the Imperial Horse Directorate, Jingzhe felt relieved about its life, but never considered himself Wuti’s owner.

What kind of owner couldn’t even afford to raise his own horse, and couldn’t even see it?

Hearing Rong Jiu mention Wuti at this time, he was a little surprised.

Jingzhe: “Can we get in?”

Rong Jiu said coldly: “Do you think we will be driven out?”

Jingzhe smiled awkwardly: “That wouldn’t happen.”

With Rong Jiu’s face, who would dare to drive him away?

This beautiful and imposing aura could not be raised by ordinary families. At the very least, one would have to ask about his background and origin, judge a thing or two, and then act.

In this world, good-looking people always have privileges.

Jingzhe guessed right. In the second half, he was already drowsy, lying on Rong Jiu’s knee half-asleep and half-awake. Vaguely, he only felt that Rong Jiu lifted the curtain and said something. After a short pause, the carriage passed unimpeded.

Jingzhe: “Arrived?”

Rong Jiu: “Arrived.”

Not long after, the carriage stopped, and Rong Jiu pulled Jingzhe out of the carriage.

Before Jingzhe could see how boundless this spacious horse farm was, he first saw the coachman kneeling respectfully on the ground, exposing his back for people to step on.

That natural attitude made Jingzhe slightly stunned.

Rong Jiu’s sharp eyes swept over and said coldly: “Where is the mounting block?”

The coachman shivered, jumped up, and took out a small stool from under the carriage.

Rong Jiu got off the carriage, looked up at Jingzhe who was still standing on it, and said lightly: “If you don’t like it, don’t use it in the future.” He didn’t explain anything, everything was very natural.

Rong Jiu reached out his hand to Jingzhe.

Actually, with the stool, or even without the stool, Jingzhe could get down by himself. But that thick and beautiful hand refused to leave, hanging in mid-air for a long time.

Jingzhe pursed his lips tightly and slowly grabbed Rong Jiu’s hand.

They held hands, very close.

Jingzhe was a little unnatural and tried to pull his hand back secretly several times. But Rong Jiu seemed not to notice, holding Jingzhe’s fingers tightly, making it impossible for him to pull back no matter how he moved.

Jingzhe gave up helplessly and pouted: “Why are you so…”

“What about me?” Seeing Jingzhe stop and not continue, Rong Jiu raised his eyebrows, “Shameless?”

Jingzhe muttered, saying words that couldn’t be heard clearly.

It was indeed quite shameless.

In broad daylight, how could two people stick so close together?

The carriage entered as if no one was around, stopping directly at the innermost entrance. Rong Jiu took Jingzhe in, and immediately a person dressed as a steward came up and said respectfully: “Lord Rong, everything is ready. The venue has been cleared, and no idlers will disturb you two.”

Jingzhe raised his eyebrows. This steward’s attitude towards Rong Jiu was too respectful.

But all of this was thrown aside by Jingzhe after seeing Wuti.

Wuti was a good horse that understood human nature.

It actually remembered Jingzhe. When led over by the attendant, it trotted to Jingzhe in small steps, lowered its head, and rubbed against Jingzhe’s neck.

Jingzhe hugged its neck in surprise, looked back at Rong Jiu, his black eyes shining: “It remembers me.”

Rong Jiu took a small bag from the steward’s hand and handed it to Jingzhe: “Try feeding it.”

Jingzhe took out a piece of candy from the small bag, “This is really extravagant.” While saying this, he unhesitatingly placed the candy on his palm and handed it to Wuti.

Wuti lowered its head and licked it twice, its tongue rolling the candy away.

The wet feeling made Jingzhe’s eyes curve slightly.

After spending some time bonding with Wuti, Jingzhe got on the horse with Rong Jiu’s help.