Peach Blossom at the Bottom of the Fan

Chapter 4

It was just dawn, and people's voices could be vaguely heard when walking on the street.

In the whitewashed walls and Daiwali, people's voices are broken, accompanied by the sound of sweeping the floor and splashing water.

In the distance, there are wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs, rumbling.Before the car approached, the smoky stench could already be smelled.

That was the old man who came to "Yexiang" early in the morning, pushing a "chicken cart" with two big buckets, knocking on doors to get "Yexiang".

Walking past Gu Sixiao, he turned his face to the side, glanced at the girl who was sideways by the path, and there was a hint of pity in his eyes.

"It's still early! Where can I get food at this time?" After parking the car, he put his hand into his bosom, and after a long while, he found half a dry biscuit that was still warm.

"Well..."

Gu Sixiao was stunned for a while before realizing that it was for her.Somewhat hesitantly, he took the half piece of dry pancake, and before he could speak, he smelled a stench like rancid water.

The acid water in her stomach, which was already empty, was flooding, but she tried her best not to spit it out. Before she could say "thank you", the old man had already pushed the "chicken bus" away.

"Thanks - thank you, old man..." Muttering, she finally called out to the old man's back.

Putting the dry pancake in her sleeve pocket, although she didn't know how to eat it, Gu Sixiao was still full of gratitude.

Since the elder brother's accident, the people around him seem to have changed. Kindness like this old man is already very rare——

Blinking her eyes, Gu Sixiao smiled wryly in a daze.

She is confused!This kindness is not for the little lady of the Gu family, but for a beggar on the street.

Holding on to the wall, she regained her strength, looked up, and saw the apricot-yellow square flag sticking out at the intersection in front of her, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Cixintang, that is the pharmacy and medical center of the Chu family.

The Gu and Chu families are family friends, and she has a long-standing engagement with Chu Mengsheng, the only son of the Chu family.If it wasn't for Meng Sheng's elder brother who happened to go to a foreign country to see a doctor, he would definitely help her.

The closer he got, the more Gu Sixiao felt aggrieved, as if a child who was bullied could pretend to be stubborn outside, but once he saw his relatives, he couldn't stop crying.

She was ill yesterday and couldn't say much to brother Meng Sheng, but now that she was standing in front of brother Meng Sheng, he would definitely recognize her.

He will help her—will...

Standing on the steps, holding on to the open door, Gu Sixiao only felt his nose sore when he saw the familiar figure inside the door.

"Brother Meng Sheng..."

Taking a step closer, Gu Sixiao yelled, and before he entered the door, he suddenly heard a voice of reprimand: "Meng Sheng, how long are you going to procrastinate? I have told you several times, let you take advantage of it When the Gu family hadn't left, they brought back the Pingshu, why didn't you move?"

With a trembling heart, Gu Sixiao stopped and subconsciously avoided it.

It's Uncle Chu! ?
The Chu Family—Do you want to withdraw from the marriage?

"Everyone is gone, why bother to fetch the Pingshu?" Chu Mengsheng said in a low voice, although his voice was flat, there was a hint of gloom.

"It's because the person disappeared that you want to retrieve the Pingshu! You are young and don't know anything. It's not me, an old man who likes to chatter. What if the girl from the Gu family comes back suddenly? My Chu family has been clean for generations. Don’t want a daughter-in-law who goes out with others—hmph, you, you are too soft-hearted. If I hadn’t reminded you to go out to avoid disaster, maybe our Chu family would also suffer from it now! What kind of royal fan king, what kind of calligraphy and painting Everyone, once the old man dies, the entire Gu family will become a prostitution den..."

"Father!" Chu Mengsheng yelled in a low voice, suppressing his depression, his voice was a little hoarse: "Brother Gu has already gone, so don't say any more."

"So what if the person is gone? Gu Liubai committed murder. For such a crime, even if his head was beheaded ten times, he would not be able to restore his family's innocence. When the old man is here, look at how the neighbors are doing." Those who praise the Gu family? In the Family of Renyi, everyone is flattering or currying favor, but when Gu Liubai was beheaded last time, what were those people like?"

There was a pause, and the old voice trembled a little, "I'm crazy—I don't know who said that dipping steamed buns in blood can cure all diseases..."

With a sigh, he said again in a deep voice: "Meng Sheng, you said that your father is selfish and ruthless, and I admit it. Just think about the Gu family, your father and I are really scared--besides, the girls of the Gu family can be ruthless. At this time, you left the Gu family and eloped with the man, what else do you have in mind?"

"Father, Hua'er is not that kind of woman..."

Hearing this sentence, Gu Sixiao, who was hiding behind the door, gritted her teeth and endured it, tears welled up in her eyes.

So what if so many people insult her?As long as her brother Meng Sheng believes in her——

"Hua'er is just afraid, right?" Chu Mengsheng said in a low voice, his voice was already hoarse: "She has been raised in a deep boudoir, so how can she know that the world is difficult and dangerous, and people will believe it when they say it. So rashly follow people away..."

With a "buzz" in his head, Gu Sixiao could hardly hear what the Chu family and his son said at the door.

He said "she's not that kind of person", he said "she'll believe what people say", does that mean she believes her?Clearly, she still believed that she was walking with someone, but it was not as ugly as "running for sex" like others said.

Brother Meng Sheng, I am here!I am here!
She wanted to yell, but in the end, Gu Sixiao didn't make a sound, but bit her lips tightly.

Her lip was bitten, and she tasted the sweetness of blood, but she didn't feel any pain at all.

It turned out that the person she thought would believe her and help her had already distrusted her...

"Father, the most selfish one is actually me..."

Chu Mengsheng's voice was very weak, "I wanted to run away, but said you forced me to leave—you don't know, when I knew that the painting was gone, I felt relieved—I just wanted to escape." Come on, don't be a villain anymore! If Hua'er hadn't left, I really don't know what to do..."

How to do it? !

Hearing Uncle Chu's soothing voice inside, Gu Sixiao couldn't help but sneer.

He said he didn't know what to do, but Chu Mengsheng knew it very well, right? !
"Who is it?" Gu Sixiao just sneered when she heard the shouting from the door, stepped back down the steps, turned around and ran away without hesitation.

With a soft sound, Chu Mengsheng pushed open the half-closed door and saw a small figure running away from a distance, and for some reason, he became a little dazed.

It was because of her blind eyes that she misjudged the person—no, not only her, even her eldest brother and father misjudged the father and son of the Chu family.

I remember that when my father passed away, my eldest brother and sister-in-law praised the Chu family for their kindness, and they were willing to wait for her to pay filial piety for their father before discussing marriage.But now...

Tears poured down like rain, Gu Sixiao didn't look at the road at all as she ran. When she couldn't breathe and gradually stopped, she realized that she had unexpectedly run to that crossroad again unconsciously.

Standing at the intersection, Gu Sixiao hugged her shoulders, feeling her body trembling all the time.

Although the temporary execution platform has been withdrawn, but looking in that direction, Gu Sixiao still feels nervous.

It was already dawn, and there were already pedestrians coming and going on the street, but almost everyone subconsciously avoided that area.

Gu Sixiao was panting, the closer she got, the more difficult it was to breathe.

Lowering your head, the bluestone slabs have already been cleaned, and they look very clean. You can’t even see any blood. Weeds poke out wantonly from the gaps between the slate slabs. Everything is so normal, as if nothing happened here. .

However, she still remembered that her elder brother's blood was sprinkled here, so much blood sprayed out from the neck cavity, spreading out like a mist...

After a cold war, Gu Sixiao moved back in confusion, bumped into someone, stumbled, and fell to the ground.

"Damn little beggar—" The person behind him kicked it, as if he was kicking a sack instead of a skinny child.

Curled up in pain, Gu Sixiao stared at the passing clouds in the sky in confusion, and didn't recover for a long time.

"Look, that's a puppy flying in the sky..."

"Brother Meng Sheng is talking nonsense! That's not a dog, it's a horse, it's a celestial horse running in the sky..."

Who is talking? !So naive, so ridiculously stupid...

In a trance, she seemed to see the grassland again, and the pair of children lying on the ground blankly watching the sky cloud away.

The intimacy that used to be like that has now dissipated like a cloud—it's completely different, as if the person in her memory has always been just her imagination.

"Brother—even if others don't believe you, I will believe you!" Struggling to get up, Gu Sixiao murmured in a low voice: "I will find the Gu family's innocence..."

Standing up, all I could see were the messy shoes. I didn't know what happened in front of me, and the pedestrians on the street rushed forward like water.

"Go and see! I'm taking off the Gu family's 'Fan King' plaque!"

Someone shouted loudly, excited and eager, completely watching the excitement and not afraid of big things.

Gu Sixiao was so shocked that her scalp was numb and her steps staggered. She staggered, barely squeezed into the crowd, and rushed forward in a stumbling manner.

The "Fan King" plaque of their Gu family was 30 years ago, after the Gu family won the "Doufan Conference" leader and became the tribute fan dealer, 22 well-known fan dealers from all over the country raised funds to customize the golden lacquer plaque. The base is made of golden nanmu, and the four sides are covered with gold. The word "Fan King" was written by Hu Yuncai, a scholar of Hanlin University.

After getting this plaque, when everyone mentioned the Gu family, they all said "Fan King Gu". This plaque is the symbol of their Gu family, how could anyone take it off...

"You—stop!"

After finally squeezing inside, Gu Sixiao yelled loudly as she stared at the two young men standing on the ladder who were taking down the "Fan King" plaque.

His body was weak, and although he hissed loudly, it was so weak that he couldn't hear clearly amidst the noise.

Gu's fan was running, on both sides of the vermilion lacquer gate, there was a ladder on each side, two young men dressed as clerks were stepping on the ladder, working together to remove the golden lacquer plaque above their heads.

"Stop—stop..."

Gu Sixiao hissed, and suddenly rushed forward, hugged a ladder and shook it, "You guys come down - don't..."

No one is allowed to touch the plaque of her Gu family - she forbids it!no...

(End of this chapter)