No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 714: Home is just one word [4k4 one update, please vote for me! ]

Ouyang Rong was one of the few people who came to the quiet courtyard by Xingzi Lake early in the morning.

Now he has three days of vacation, and after the vacation there will be a one-day celebration ceremony, which is almost like not being on duty, which means he can rest for four days at once.

Anyway, I have plenty of time, so I can be a little willful.

As soon as Ouyang Rong's carriage arrived on the street outside the quiet courtyard, Yan Liulang and Pei Shisanniang followed.

These are some daily reports.

Pei Shisan Niang merely came over to massage Ouyang Rong's legs, acted like a mature woman, entertained him, and went through the motions. Then she continued to busy herself with the business of the ice-making business, running back and forth between Kuang Lu Mountain and Xingzifang.

The new ice-making business she established was called Yinbingshi.

Originally it had the same name as Ouyang Rong's study, but he picked up a red pen, circled and crossed out, and changed one word.

This name of the study was inherited by Ouyang Rong from his mentor Xie Xun.

It is taken from a line in Zhuangzi: "Today I receive the order in the morning and drink ice in the evening, am I hot inside?"

On the day of the low-key opening, Ouyang Rong also helped to write a couplet: "Receive orders in the morning and drink ice in the evening, do nothing during the day and cannot sleep at night."

Pei Shisan Niang took the couplet away with great joy.

Well, the more people do business, the more they like to rely on cultural people.

Of course, the young master's handwritten inscription also serves as a talisman for Pei Shisan Niang.

In addition, before Pei Shisan Niang left this morning, she specifically asked about the iced mung bean soup.

The soup was given to her by the embroiderer. When Ouyang Rong was not around, Pei Shisan Niang would help take care of the quiet courtyard. The embroiderer had a good impression of this enthusiastic and older sister-like merchant woman. The two of them, big and small, became friends. If there were any extra delicious food, the embroiderer would naturally send a portion.

Pei Shisan Niang seemed very interested in the iced mung bean soup. Ouyang Rong knew what she was thinking at a glance, but did not elaborate. He sent her away and asked her to concentrate on the affairs of the ice room and ensure the daily supply of ice to the Xunyang Palace, which would be delivered by a special carriage.

Of course a carriage would not be filled entirely with ice, nor would there be so much ice.

Ice jars and other heat preservation equipment, as well as professional caregivers, also occupy space in the carriage.

Due to the expansion of the ice cellar in Xunyang Prince's Palace, four or five carriages now enter and exit Xunyang Prince's Palace at irregular intervals every day through a special passage at the back door.

Li Congshan and other White Tiger Guards soldiers, as well as other groups outside who were paying attention to the palace, were already used to it. They couldn't help but sigh at the wealth of Prince Xunyang's family. The summer-cooling measures included iced mung bean soup, iced rice wine, iced yogurt and other cold drinks. The amount of ice used was considered luxurious among the top nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty. And this was just the beginning of summer. When summer really came, it would be comparable to the Luoyang Imperial Palace.

But the purpose of building this new business is certainly not as simple as producing ice for the palace.

Hidden in it was the new retreat route involving Mount Kuang Lu that Ouyang Rong discussed with Li Xian and others in the study of Prince Xunyang's Palace that night.

It was hidden in the ice-carrying carriage of the Yinbingshi business that went in and out of Xunyang Palace at irregular intervals every day.

However, when Pei Shisan Niang and Ouyang Rong met this morning, they didn't mention it at all, and they both understood it tacitly.

Ouyang Rong had already assigned this matter to Pei Shisan Niang and Yan Liulang, and the two of them worked together to implement it.

The carriage driven by Ali deliberately stopped near the quiet courtyard to make it easier for the young master to meet people.

After Pei Shisan Niang left, Yan Liulang came rushing over, dressed in a black suit and carrying a sword, looking lean and capable early in the morning.

Ouyang Rong can take leave to rest, but Yan Liulang cannot.

"Mingfu, there are several developments."

"explain."

Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and rested his mind.

Yan Liulang explained them one by one.

Nothing serious happened. They were just the people he had arranged for Yan Liulang and his men to pay attention to. They were all in Xunyang City.

First, let’s go to Princess Anhui.

Her carriage has rarely left the red-walled Xiushuifang mansion recently, and the same goes for the people around her, such as the coachman wearing a white cloth strip.

Apart from the unusual movements of the thin-faced man not long ago, these people have not shown any suspicious behavior in the city recently.

Next are the Jiuzhou Prison, the family in the south of the city, and Li Yu's place in Chengtian Temple.

They all reported that they were safe and nothing unusual happened.

But after talking about the honest and upright Li Yu, Yan Liulang's expression looked a little strange.

"What's wrong? What's going on with Li Yu?"

Ouyang Rong asked.

Yan Liulang coughed and said:
"Mr. Li is fine, but Mr. Yuan, who lives with him, had some problems last night."

"He does have a lot to do." Ouyang Rong nodded, his face not showing any surprise.

"Like the previous few days, Commander Yi also entered the city last night and went to Chengtian Temple to look for Chief Yuan.

"I don't know if they had a quarrel, but there was some commotion in the courtyard. Mr. Li was even driven out. The brothers who were keeping watch at Chengtian Temple said that they were noisy in the middle of the night. The lights in the courtyard were on until three o'clock in the morning. Commander Yi slammed the door and left. He left the city overnight and returned to Shuangfeng Peak.

"I don't know if he didn't sleep, but Yuan Changshi arrived early in the morning half an hour before his shift. He immediately buried his head in his papers. This was a rare occurrence..."

Ouyang Rong listened with great interest and said with a smile:
"These two are just like a young couple quarreling. It's normal to quarrel and make up. It may be because of the painting on the day of the celebration ceremony. Brother Huaimin didn't appreciate it and instead had some rebellious thoughts."

"It seems to be true."

Yan Liulang laughed and thought:

"I passed by this morning and went to Jiangzhou Hall to pick up something. Yuan Changshi grabbed my sleeve and asked where the Master was and when he was free to meet someone. He said he wanted to see you and had something to say about the celebration... I couldn't make the decision for the Master, so I asked him to wait and give him an answer in the next day."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, looked out the window at the brilliant red wall of the quiet courtyard not far away, and said casually:
"Tomorrow morning, I may have to go to Xunyang Palace, and he can come to see me."

"Yes, Mr. Ming, I will take the message back right away."

"Ah."

After finishing his daily report, Yan Liulang got off the car with his knife in his arms and continued to do his work without disturbing Ouyang Rong anymore.

The latter sat in the carriage, resting his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment.

At the moment, in Xunyang City, Yan Liulang and Pei Shisanniang each have their own division of labor; in Hukou County, Wang Caozhi, Lu Ya, and County Magistrate Meng are watching, so the problem should not be serious, and no news has been received for the time being; in Xunyang Grottoes, Rong Zhen and Yi Qianqiu are watching; in Xunyang Palace, Junior Sister, Li Guoer, Wei Mei and others are watching. In Xunyang Palace, women are truly the ones who hold up half the sky...

After thinking about them one by one, they all seem to be safe and sound.

Ouyang Rong let out a long sigh, dusted off his sleeves, and jumped lightly off the carriage.

He was finally completely free, and walked towards the red-walled courtyard in front of him with his hands behind his back.

……

Red and tender hands, yellow wine.

The pretty girl was blindfolded with a ribbon and dressed in a plain white skirt. She held a cup of wine in her clasped hands and came to the swing under the pear tree in the courtyard.

The pear trees rustled in the midday wind.

A few meters of sunlight shone through the branches of the pear tree and fell on a man in a Confucian robe beside the swing. The side profile of the young man in the Confucian robe illuminated by the light yellow sunlight was particularly handsome and sunny, with a thin face and a hint of seriousness and determination. Unfortunately, Zhao Qingxiu could not see this scene.

"Wait a moment, it will be fixed soon, just replace it with an old part..."

Ouyang Rong squatted on the ground, surrounded by repair tools. He fiddled with the swing for a while, mumbling to himself:
"Well, I'm not thirsty yet. I'll put it on the table and not drink it yet...Xiu Niang, the swing needs to be checked and reinforced from time to time. It's not good if it's thrown out, especially if you like to swing high..."

Zhao Qingxiu walked over to the stone table next to her with the cup in hand and sat down. After putting down the cold wine glass, she supported her chin with both hands and tilted her head slightly in the sunlight.

As if through the ribbon, he looked intently at Ouyang Rong, who was squatting on the ground repairing the swing.

Tan Lang came in the morning. He was usually very busy, but today he didn't do anything important. For most of the day, he rolled up his sleeves, picked up a small hammer, a small crowbar and other tools, checked everywhere in the yard, knocked and hammered. If he found something missing, he would run to the market outside to buy it and bring it back personally; if he found any furniture was loose, he would tinker with it and repair it...

Zhao Qingxiu discovered that Tan Lang seemed to be very serious and focused in everything he did, from daily official duties to small repairs at home.

He seems to have endless energy. Although he has a frail body, he is a vigorous person with strong execution ability and he does what he thinks.

Zhao Qingxiu was not a lazy person either, so she spent most of the day quietly washing clothes and cooking, watching Tan Lang repairing the swing in the yard.

Although Zhao Qingxiu didn't often play with this thing, when she first moved into the yard, Tan Lang seemed to be afraid that she would be bored, so he made one by hand. She only sat on it occasionally to feel the sound of the wind running by her ears. When he was not around, she didn't dare to go up and play with it for too long.

Zhao Qingxiu was not afraid of falling. She had spiritual energy and an excellent sense of balance, so she would not fall.

But facing the swing that was swinging back and forth, for some reason, the moment it started swinging, the feeling of her feet leaving the ground made her a little scared.

Some fears come for no reason.

So this swing was previously occupied by the Fang sisters, especially the female hero Fang, who loved to stretch out her legs and swing very high with a "whoosh" sound.

After the two girls left, the swing became idle. Except for the last time when Sister Xie came and sat on it twice, Ting Zhongfeng was the only one playing with it.

Zhao Qingxiu, however, enjoyed listening to the sound carried by the wind.

"Ah."

At the table, Zhao Qingxiu "stared" at Ouyang Rong for a while, and suddenly made some noises.

Ouyang Rong looked up curiously and wiped his sweat: "What happened to the embroiderer?"

He stood up a little and saw the blindfolded girl dip her finger into the cold wine and write on the table:

[Tan Lang doesn't need to be repaired. Aren't you leaving soon? Except for the swing, nothing else is broken. It's just not in such good condition. It can still be used.]

In fact, Zhao Qingxiu had heard that the swing was broken some days ago. Yes, she heard it from the slight creaking sound when it was swinging, but she had never mentioned it to Tan Lang.

"That being said, I may be leaving soon." Ouyang Rong smiled, then restrained his expression and said seriously, "But as long as I live here for one more day, this is my home. I must keep my home well. Even if it is only my home for one day, it is still my home."

Zhao Qingxiu couldn't see his eyes, but she could feel something in his words... something solid and powerful.

She couldn't help but lower her head, a little hesitant, with her fingers trembling slightly.

[What if one day we become homeless and can only live in a dilapidated temple in the wilderness?]

"We have to clean up the mess. With you guys by our side, wherever we are is our home. If the roof leaks, we can fix it. If the bed is broken, we can sleep on the floor... As long as I am here, I have hands and feet and can work. How can I let you guys starve? If we work hard together, every day will be a little more fulfilling."

Ouyang Rong talked for a while, then smiled. Seeing Zhao Qingxiu's stunned expression, he added:
"But your Tan Lang is now quite successful. He can let you live in a house without having to work hard to make ends meet. This can temporarily save you from most of the troubles of ordinary families."

Zhao Qingxiu suddenly shook his head and wrote word by word:
[No, no matter what house we live in, we have to be more diligent. My husband can rest at home, but my wife will be diligent. If we live a diligent life, we will have many things to achieve.]

Ouyang Rong smiled and nodded vigorously.

"it is good."

Ouyang Rong lowered his head again, squatted back on the ground, repaired the swing, and then said softly:

"In fact, I'm still thinking about keeping this courtyard here intact. In this way, if you return to the Huaiye Lane residence after the birthday ceremony and feel uncomfortable, you can return to this small courtyard. It's always here, a safe haven. There is always a way out, and we won't be wronged."

Zhao Qingxiu's little face was moved. She raised her head, and her covered eyes seemed to be "staring" at him.

Ouyang Rong didn't go to see her. In order to make it easier for him to fix something, he simply sat on the ground.

He was very good at hands-on work, and after tinkering with it for a while, he said with a happy look on his face:

"All right."

Ouyang Rong pushed the swing, tested it, stood up and clapped his hands.

"It's been reinforced. Now you can sit on it with confidence."

Turning his head, he found that the embroiderer had picked up the glass of wine again, walked over, held the glass in both hands, and raised it to him.

This Huanggui wine is not yellow wine. The word "gui" means to close or wrap with rope. Huanggui wine is yellow-sealed wine, which is sealed with yellow silk scarf or yellow paper. In the Zhou Dynasty, all the best official wines were sealed with yellow paper, hence the name.

This pot of iced yellow wine was specially sent by Pei Shisan Niang in the morning. Knowing that her son would accompany the embroidered lady in the yard, the gift she sent was also very exquisite...

Ouyang Rong sat down on the swing and reached out to take the warm wine cup held by the embroiderer's small hand, but found that the cold wine with pear petals floating in it had shrunk by half.

The drink was less than half a glass.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the embroiderer.

The corners of her lips were particularly red, like the red wall with weeping willows behind her, with some water stains on it, which was the color of the red wall after it got wet, a suppressed yet passionate red.

"Doesn't Xiu Niang drink much?"

Ouyang Rong asked in surprise.

While Zhao Qingxiu was waiting for him to repair the swing, he took small sips of the coffee, perhaps because he was distracted.

Facing Ouyang Rong's question, Zhao Qingxiu raised her little face with a somewhat dazed look, and it was obvious that she was still distracted and did not hear clearly what he said.

Ouyang Rong laughed and shook his head, then raised his head and drank the entire cup of wine in one gulp.

This Huang Gu wine is indeed a fine wine, but its alcohol content is not too strong for him.

This thought flashed through Ouyang Rong’s mind.

And for some reason, seeing the embroiderer's wet and pink lips, his excess merit, which was about to break through 1,300, was about to burst out...

"Lady Xiu has a good alcohol tolerance..."

Ouyang Rong had just put down his wine glass and was about to praise her.

The graceful figure in white dress in front of him suddenly threw herself into his arms like a young swallow flying into the forest.

She opened her arms and hugged Ouyang Rong who was sitting on the swing.

He exclaimed in surprise.

The two of them seemed to merge into one, and the swing suddenly swung like flying.

In the afternoon sun, the shadows of people and their sleeves were cast on the red wall, like a word.

Family.

(End of this chapter)