Si Zhuo Green Plum Boiled Gu

(3) a glass of wine

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The moment he saw Chang'an stepping into Chang'an, Zhuo Donglai's heart softened.The moment he saw Sima Chaoqun, his heart began to ache again.

And now, the person who gave him the sting was sitting opposite him.

Sima Chaoqun had already changed out of the previous set of clothes that had been scorched in places by the smoke, and now he was wearing brand new white again.The person standing next to him has also changed, still white, with crow blue in the pattern of flowing clouds dotted on the front and waist of his clothes.

Seeing Zhuo Donglai's pensive look, Sima Chaoqun asked him, "What is Mr. Shenchui looking at?"

Zhuo Donglai had already taken off the dark purple cloak he was wearing in the yard, and the inside was black. He looked at two people sitting side by side with their spotless clothes,

"Wu Mo looks at it this way, following him all the time, it looks like the shadow of Hall Master Sima Chaoqun."

Wu Mo retorted dissatisfiedly, "How can there be a shadow that is white?"

The darts have already left, and Prince Dai's final payment has been notified to be sent to Master Wu.The turmoil between the three of them is gone, and they can come here to drink together with the prince's thanks.

Wu Mo looked at the black jade-like material again, "If you want me to say, Zhuo Ye is wearing this black, just like the shadow of white Sima Chaoqun."

For a while, everyone was silent.

Sima Chaoqun raised his eyebrows and looked at the people beside him, ""Catch the wind and shadow", Mr. Zhuo is the one who wants to catch the 'shadow', how could he be someone else's shadow."

He picked up the wine in front of him again, "Mr. Zhuo, if you feel that what you said before is offensive, I will punish him with a glass of wine." After finishing speaking, he raised his head and drank it all, only to feel that there is a bit of ice in the spicy Sweet, can't help but admire.

"Hallmaster Sima Chaoqun has good taste. This wine is not from here, but from the palace."

"It turns out that the wine in the palace must have a name."

"He does have a name." Zhuo Donglai also poured himself a glass, "The name of this wine is 'Russian'."

"I know, hit it off!" Wu Mo interjected again, "This wine must have been specially chosen for us by the prince, I hope we can 'like old friends at first sight'."

Zhuo Donglai and Sima Chaoqun looked at each other and laughed,

Wu Mo looked at them in surprise, "So, you agree?"

"Why, do you think I'm a person who holds a grudge?" Zhuo Donglai asked,

Wu Mo smiled embarrassedly, "Then, Mr. Zhuo, after today you and I and Sima Chaoqun can be regarded as friends."

The three of them were drinking and chatting, and Wu Mo was the first to get drunk.

"It just so happens that we're almost done drinking, can you bother Mr. Zhuo to take Mr. Wu back with me?"

Sima Chaoqun called for a servant to wash Wu Mo, and he retreated out and closed the door gently.Zhuo Donglai was sitting in the lobby downstairs waiting for him.

"It's so late, where is Hall Master Sima Chaoqun taking me?"

"I have a gift for Mr. Zhuo."

Zhuo Donglai looked at the two horses outside the door in confusion, "This is..."

"If Mr. Zhuo is free next time, come with me to Moss Village, three miles away, and we can arrive at the second watch if we can, and we can come back before dawn."

Moss Village is a small village that is very inconspicuous or even uninhabited. When the two of them arrived, it was dark at night and there was no sound at all.After tying the horse to the old tree at the entrance of the village, Zhuo Donglai walked along a small hill before stopping in front of a house.

The light was on in the room, Sima Chaoqun knocked on the door, and a stooped old man opened the door.

Although the oil lamp was sallow, Zhuo Donglai still noticed that the nails of the old man in front of him were dark, and he was dressed expensively, but he was also dirty. The old man led them a few steps deeper into the house, and when he came to a door, he handed the lamp to Sima. Chaoqun turned around and left.

Sima Chaoqun opened the door and walked in.

"He is a gardener I bought with a lot of money from far away. He usually lives on the side of this greenhouse."

gardener?Then behind this door are plum blossoms, roses, Lanzhi or that outstanding peony?

Sima Chaoqun turned around and in his hand was a red flower, with four thin petals, not bright enough.

"It turns out that the source of raw crows on the market is actually near Chang'an."

"It can't grow here. Flowers have their own nature just like people, and they can't live without suitable soil."

Zhuo Donglai looked at the space in front of him that was only seven or eight feet long, and more than half of the plants had bloomed. "It seems that you bought more than just a gardener with a lot of money."

"I brought the seeds, soil, and flower growers here from Dian Kingdom. Poppies are weird flowers that need a warm and humid environment, but can't get rained, so I planted them in the house and gave them Layers of tulle were hung, because too much sunlight was too much for the fragile petals."

"The poppy is worth a fortune, but it doesn't do me much good. I don't have any ailments to take, and I don't have any addictions like that."

"It seems that Mr. Zhuo doesn't regard me as a friend, and he refuses to tell the truth? Mr. Zhuo has been buying a large amount of this poppy fruit." Sima Chaoqun smiled faintly, "Whether it is for his own use or for the government to buy for private distribution , this greenhouse and this secret are what I gave you tonight."

Zhuo Donglai took the flower, "I'm afraid I have nothing to give back for such an expensive gift."

"I only want one thing."

"what?"

"Trust." The candlelight blurred the color of Sima Chaoqun's white clothes, leaving only a clear face and bright eyes. "This poppy is just my first gift to Mr. Zhuo. I'm called a true friend."

The crushed petals stained his fingers, Zhuo Donglai nodded, "Of course, we will have many opportunities to cooperate in the future."

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Wu Mo, who just woke up the next day, insisted on inviting the famous arrester he admired to go to Luoyang, saying that it happened to be the end of spring to appreciate peonies, so Zhuo Donglai had no choice but to agree.When I arrived in Luoyang, I found that the inn was fully booked by tourists from all over the world.Wu Mo said again, since they are all here, they will naturally go to live in the Luoyang branch of their Wushen Bodyguard Bureau.

Unexpectedly, there were already people waiting to greet them, seeing his son, Mr. Wu, beaming with joy,

"Your sister's family and I have come here, and Shao'er has reached the age where he should be taken out for a walk. Don't mention how fresh and happy he is when he goes out this time."

"I'll take the gift I bought in Chang'an right away," Wu Mo ran to the back hall with a look of surprise on his face, Wu Shen saw his back disappeared, then turned around and greeted the two people here.

"This trip is really thanks to Mr. Zhuo. Although the youngest son is titled as a family, he still has very little experience in the world." While speaking, his face was full of pride. The thing Wu Shen was most proud of in his life was not Wanguan Family Wealth is not a Godless Escort Agency that has been deified by its peers.He is most grateful to God for his sons and daughters.Smart, sensible, and generous.It was five years ago when my sister was ill. Since then, Wu Mo and Sima Chaoqun have been leading the dart team. In the process of tempering, he becomes more stable, dignified, brave and fearless.

Walking in with Mr. Wu, before entering the yard, he saw Wu Mo squatting on the edge of the flower garden teasing a child, and standing beside him was a young woman in lotus color, holding an unopened snack box in her hand.

"Wan'er, a guest is here."

The lotus root-colored figure turned her head, and she was only in her early twenties. When she heard her father calling her, she took the child's hand and walked over.

"This is Mr. Zhuo who came to Luoyang as a guest. He will live in the branch hall in the near future."

Wu Wan lowered her head and called softly "Mr. Zhuo".Zhuo Donglai was fascinated by looking at her slightly swaying pearl hairpin, which was inserted obliquely on the bun.

Wu Mo picked up the box and came over, "Mr. Zhuo, if you don't mind, I'll try it too. The peanut cakes made by my sister are very delicious."

So several people each picked up a piece of crisps, Shao'er saw it and shouted to eat it too, spread the peanut powder all over his mouth and sprinkled it on the ground.Wu Wan pulled him over to wipe his mouth, and stopped him, saying that he was afraid that he would damage his teeth if he ate too much.The halva is indeed sweet but not greasy, and the texture melts in the mouth with the fragrance of peanuts on the tip of the tongue. For a while, Zhuo Donglai felt that everything in his heart was about to melt.

"By the way, why didn't Xue Yu come with you?" Sima Chaoqun asked.

"He's gone to send a dart. He has a short dart entrusted by a friend. It doesn't matter if it's urgent, so let him go." Wu Shen replied lightly, and then told his daughter to cook a few special dishes by herself in the evening Greeting guests.

Wu Wan glanced at Zhuo Donglai and they lowered their heads again, blushing slightly, and nodded.

Because we made an appointment to go to Puyuan to enjoy the flowers in the early morning of the next day, dinner was over early and everyone went back to their rooms to rest as soon as possible.

The lights reflected on the window paper went out one by one.

Even though it was already the beginning of May, the air was still a bit cold without sunshine at night, and the wine that was placed outside was blown cold in no time.

"Why, Mr. Zhuo can't sleep?"

A person flashed out from behind the tree shadow under the moonlight.

Zhuo Donglai didn't lift his head, just sighed and poured another glass.

"Drinking when you are in a bad mood will make the wine taste sour." Sima Chaoqun went to sit opposite Zhuo Donglai, and picked up the flagon on the stone table.

"I'm thinking about the box of peanut crisps I ate here during the day."

"Mr. Zhuo especially likes sweets?" Sima Chaoqun asked curiously, "It's easy to handle, we are friends, and we can eat it often in the future."

Zhuo Donglai didn't answer, he drank up the wine in front of him and wanted to pour it again, but Sima Chaoqun refused to give him the jug,

"Could it be that Mr. Zhuo is jealous?" He shook his head, "It's a pity, Miss Wu is already married, no wonder you don't sleep and drink sour wine here in the middle of the night."

"It's a pity, she's already married." Zhuo Donglai said, "I'm really envious of the happy family during the day."

Sima Chaoqun's pair of parallel eyes under his sword eyebrows narrowed slightly, Zhuo Donglai looked at them, "Until I saw the scene just now, this envy changed. It's the same as this wine."

"The wine has changed its taste, it's not sour, it's bitter."

Sima Chaoqun smiled, "It seems that I have nothing to explain."

"Don't you have?"

"I really haven't."

"Now I have one more question."

"You ask."

"You came to Wushen Escort Bureau five years ago, and Wu Wan also got married and had a child five years ago. Isn't Shao'er Xue Yu's child but your child?"

"Zhuo Donglai, what are you kidding?"

Zhuo Dong looked at Sima Chaoqun's expression, "You deny it? That wasn't the tone you spoke with Wu Wanyue just now."

"I don't deny my relationship with her, and Shao'er is indeed not my child."

"This matter has nothing to do with me, but I want to ask, can I trust you?"

"You can always trust me."

Zhuo Donglai stopped talking, just looked at the shadows of the two people cast by the edge of the stone table.

"Go to bed early." Sima Chaoqun stood up and handed him the flagon he had been holding, "It's still cold, so drink less cold wine." Zhuo Donglai took the flagon and found that he had warmed the cold wine with internal force.

"Drinking alone is always bitter." He said,

"I'll accompany you back to the house for a drink." Sima Chaoqun agreed.Two figures left the yard.

-----

In Puyuan on the second day, Zhuo Donglai met a person he expected but did not want to meet.

Although the Xiongshi Hall back then was not as famous as the Wushen Escort Bureau, it was also well-known in Beijing and Tianjin.There are many bodyguard bureaus in Jianghu, big and small, and all of them are in awe of Wushen bodyguard bureaus, but Xiongshitang is an exception, all because of the thunderstorm and irritable hall master Zhu Meng.

This Hall of Lions is still built in Tongtuo Lane, the hall owner Zhu Meng is not very old, only 27 or [-] years old, he is very disdainful of Wu Mo, a young man who has inherited the position of head of the bodyguard just in his twenties, and he is very disdainful to Wu Mo The God's Bodyguard Bureau's intertwined connections and methods are also despised, relying on their momentum and killing power to gain a firm foothold in this land where heroes are born.

When Pu Yuan met, Mr. Wu was buying flowers. He was dazzled by the beauty of purple, red and pink in the garden, and was about to buy a few flowers to bring back to Jiangnan to enjoy at home.He first selected several of the most famous varieties, and then asked Zhuo Dong to choose, saying that anyway, after planting together, if there is a chance, he can watch the flowers bloom together.

Zhuo Donglai couldn't shirk it, so he pointed to a peony with different colors.Among the various shades of purple and crimson, a cluster of pale cyan petals blooms quietly.

"No." An unusually loud voice came.

Hearing this voice, Wu Mo snorted, and Mr. Wu frowned.

Zhuo Donglai thought to himself, this feeling is really amazing.You know someone, you hear his voice and you can see his appearance in your mind, but the other person doesn't know you at all.

"Master Zhu." Wu Mo still greeted with a smile.

Zhu Meng didn't seem to appreciate it, "I saw this flower first, so it should belong to me." He looked at Zhuo Donglai, "This one looks very unfamiliar?"

"This is Mr. Zhuo Zhuo, a friend of Sima Chaoqun and I."

"Sure enough, he's from the official family again. No matter who it is, I can't let this flower go."

"Under Zhuo Donglai, I dare to ask, the garden is full of prosperity, why did Hall Master Zhu buy this peony?"

"So what if the garden is full of prosperity, all of them will fall into the soil." Zhu Meng wiped his face and said, "Because all other flowers are red, only this one is different, it is green."

Wu Mo couldn't help laughing.

"Since Hall Master Zhu likes it so much, I won't take away people's love." Zhuo Donglai looked around, ready to exchange for a bunch of dark purple peonies not far away.

Zhu Meng didn't expect him to let go like this, and felt a little embarrassed in his heart. After hearing the price, he was shocked again. This peony, which looks thinner than other peonies, actually costs 800 taels of silver.

Seeing his surprise, Wu Mo said sarcastically, "I know it's different, and of course the price is also different."

Zhu Meng couldn't hold back his face, and ordered his subordinates to take out some bank notes.At this time, Sima Chaoqun, who had been standing and watching him, took a few steps forward, holding up the pot of bean green in one hand, "I like this flower too. He is willing to let it go, but I am not."

On the one hand, he was reluctant to part with the 800 taels, and on the other hand, he didn’t love this flower at all. A normal person should have thanked him long ago, but Zhu Meng is a person who values ​​breath more than anything else. Take the flowers to win.

"Does Master Zhu want to fight for money or to compete in martial arts? For the former, I will offer a reserve price of 1000 taels." Sima Chaoqun said unhurriedly.Mr. Wu didn't stop him, but gave him a secretly approving glance.

Zhu Meng snatched it empty-handed without making a sound. Sima Chaoqun had expected his reaction and threw the Hualian container into the air in a shock.Zhu Meng grabbed the air, his figure looked heavy but lightly swept up, and then went to catch the peony in mid-air, Sima Chaoqun's white clothes flashed on the other side, followed closely behind.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a heavy rain was about to fall.Before the heavy rain, there was a sudden storm. Sand and stone mixed with dead branches and flowers and leaves flew to the corridor where everyone was standing.

The flower pot in the air turned to one side due to the wind force, and then fell down suddenly.At the same time, several pots of peonies placed on the flower stand were also blown to one side by this unprepared gust of wind.The boss ran over with a few gardeners, but he was in a hurry to save them.

The sound of the wind passed in a blink of an eye, and scattered raindrops fell.Zhu Meng held the green peony in his arms.Sima Chaoqun stood beside him, his unsheathed long sword attached to the three peonies on the flower stand just now, and the boss was carefully taking them into the room to shelter from the rain with a grateful face.

The other standing people were also busy helping the boss move the precious peonies left on the shelf into the house one by one.Zhu Meng also hurriedly joined in.

After a lot of busy work, the raindrops had already hit the ground with a thunderbolt, and the peonies in the garden were trembling under the pressure, but the potted plants brought back indoors were intact.In order to thank the boss, he insisted on giving them the previous pot of bean green.

Sima Chaoqun thanked him, shaking off the water droplets from his fingertips, "Just now Hall Master Zhu got the flowers, so naturally they belong to Hall Master Zhu."

Zhu Meng laughed, but he didn't refuse, "Then I would like to thank Hall Master Sima Chaoqun. Since it is my flower, then I will arrange it." He turned to Mr. Wu, "It's a pity that it is too much for me to put here. It's a pity, it's better to give it to someone who understands flowers."

When Wu Shen agreed to accept it, the boss had already asked his servants to bring out several large jars of wine, and suggested that it was raining heavily anyway, so why not drink here and wait until the rain stops.

Due to the presence of Mr. Wu, Wu Mo didn't dare to drink recklessly this time. He could only watch as Sima Chaoqun and Zhu Meng took bowls as the measure. .Zhuo Donglai drank very slowly and quietly, but he also drank a lot.

When the rain cleared and the group came out to say goodbye, Wu Mo was the only one with a slightly drunk face, and the other four, including Mr. Wu, did not change their expressions.

Unexpectedly, this time it was a visit to the garden to enjoy the flowers, not only did he get a beloved thing, but also a harmonious relationship with the Lion Hall. Master Wu was in a good mood and laughed until dinner.

Standing in the house were Sima Chaoqun and Wu Mo, while sitting were Zhuo Donglai and Wu Shen.

"Mr. Zhuo received a secret letter, "It was Mr. Wu who spoke," so he came to me to discuss a trip to send a dart."

Wu Mo asked hesitantly, "Is it because Dad disagrees, so he came to us for questioning?"

Mr. Wu nodded and shook his head. He slowly put the sealed envelope on the table and stood up, "You decide whether you want to pick up the escort for this trip. I just called you two over for Mr. Zhuo."

"You are the chief hall master now." He put his hand on Wu Mo's shoulder for a moment, then walked out of the room.