Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 296 What Do You Remember?

Zhou Wan thought to herself and looked outside.

The courtyard was covered in white. Ah Huang's medicine pots, which he used to decoct medicine, were still placed on the corridor. There were twelve of them.

Zhou Wan had her share of dislike for Zhou Zhao. As the least noticeable daughter in the Zhou family, she had always envied Zhou Zhao.

They are all daughters of the Zhou family, and she has to be careful in her planning. Zhou Zhao has had this advantage since birth.

She could easily memorize all the obscure and difficult laws, and could easily see through the key to a case. Even learning martial arts, a difficult and arduous task, was like playing a game to her.

She also has a prominent fiancé, and Su Changying wishes she could grow on his back.

At that time, Zhou Zhao was radiant and fearless. Almost every day, people would come to her door to complain. Her usually busy father, Zhou Buhai, would fly into a rage and chase her all over the house with a stick, causing chaos and disorder.

Zhou Zhao wasn't afraid at all. She giggled, wishing she could cause a huge uproar.

Su Changying would watch her make a scene, and when the stick was about to hit Zhou Zhao's back, he would rush forward without hesitation to block Zhou Buhai's scolding.

The elder brother, Zhou Yan, would smooth things over from the sidelines, and nine times out of ten, the father would give Zhou Yan a chance to leniently handle the situation.

On one occasion, all three of them would be punished together.

She witnessed Zhou Zhao standing at the gate, pulling Zhou Yan and Su Changying along as they childishly dug holes in the wall...

At that time, she both envied Zhou Zhao and pitied him.

I envy her for easily possessing so much love, yet I pity her for not understanding that love is like a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water.

Poor thing, she couldn't see clearly that her father's love for her was just a tiny bit leaking through his fingers, a pitifully small amount.

She never misjudges people on a weekly basis.

That day, lightning flashed and thunder roared in Chang'an, and Zhou Zhao's world collapsed.

She stood at the entrance of the ancestral hall, watching Zhou Zhao kneeling there all alone, with only her left.

Zhou Wan couldn't quite remember what she was thinking at that time.

It's about mocking her harshly, and then secretly protecting her.

After Zhou Wan left, Zhou Zhao felt the effects of the drug kick in and went back to bed for a nap.

When I woke up again, it was already noon, and the snow had stopped.

Su Changying changed into a black casual outfit and sat on the edge of the bed watching her.

"when did you come?"

Su Changying saw that Zhou Zhao had opened her eyes. "Chu Yi has already packed her luggage and gone over first. I've come to pick you up. I arrived about an hour ago. You were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao blushed.

So Su Changying watched her sleep for an hour? This sounds quite horrifying, like the beginning of a murder case, such as a killer targeting their prey and turning them into a lifelike corpse...

Su Changying found it amusing to watch Zhou Zhao's ever-changing expressions.

"It seems that Lord Zhou is indeed much better and has already started thinking about new cases. This time, am I the murderer or the victim?"

Zhou Zhao coughed twice, nearly choking on his own saliva.

She stared at Su Changying for a long time. "Li Huaishan didn't teach you some kind of mind-reading technique, did he?" Otherwise, how could Su Changying see through her thoughts? It's just too outrageous!

Su Changying stood up helplessly and picked up Zhou Zhao's outer robe from the side. "It seems that Lord Zhou is not fully recovered yet. If I had the secret art of mind reading, how could I have been deceived by you and Ah Huang before!"

Zhou Zhao cleared his throat and waved to Su Changying, "General Su, you may go out first, I need to change my clothes."

Su Changying didn't press the matter further. He went outside and carefully closed the door for Zhou Zhao.

The snowflakes outside fell intermittently, and the abandoned "corpse" in a corner of the courtyard was now covered in white snow, with only an empty head showing.

Su Changying's gaze swept across the courtyard, finding everything she saw incredibly lovely.

Even the hideous "corpse" seemed to have become a bit more beautiful.

It's good that Zhou Zhao is still alive.

As Su Changying pondered, her gaze slowly moved, finally settling on a corner in front of the corridor, where a small wooden horse sat. The horse was crudely made, clearly not the work of a skilled craftsman. However, the person who made the horse was meticulous; the wood was polished exceptionally smooth, without a single barb.

He always felt that this was something he should have done for Zhaozhao.

As Su Changying pondered this, she couldn't help but look at the "neck" of the wooden horse. Sure enough, there was a line of small characters carved there: "Gifted to Zhaozhao, may she smile and show eight teeth every day. Changying."

Su Changying reached out and gently tapped the two characters "Zhao Zhao".

Was he always like this?
As he was thinking, he heard the door behind him open. He turned around and saw that Zhou Zhao had changed his clothes and was coming out.

Perhaps because she had just woken up, her face was rosy, and she looked much better than in the morning.

“You made this wooden horse for me. You even cut your fingers while making it. Later, when Zhu An came to see me, he laughed and said that my wooden horse was the ugliest in all of Chang’an. I got into a fight with Zhu An, and afterwards he could only let me ride it. Zhu An’s mother was so angry that she cried for three days at home.”

As Zhou Zhao spoke, his expression suddenly darkened further.

"Speaking of which, Zhu An has been dead for many years, and he didn't even have time to grow up."

Zhuan's father was a general who was loyal to the previous dynasty. Later, his whole family was buried along with the previous dynasty.

"You probably don't remember, but Zhu An is about my age. He dislikes martial arts the most. He likes pretty little girls and all kinds of shiny stones. Every time his father and brothers dragged him to practice martial arts, he would sneak to my house. But I am the least like a little girl, and eight out of ten times I would get a punch from him."

Zhu'an also had a mother known throughout Chang'an for her weeping. It was said that during a severe drought one year, the entire Zhu'an family survived by drinking Zhu'an's mother's tears.

As Zhou Zhao finished speaking, he couldn't help but burst out laughing again.

When she was a child, she firmly believed in this, but now she thinks it's utter nonsense.

Zhou Zhao smiled as Su Changying walked up to her. He took off his cloak and draped it over Zhou Zhao. "I don't remember Zhu An, but I remember that it was the wooden horse I made for you by hand. Although the words were small, I knew they were carved on the horse's neck."

Zhou Zhao's eyes lit up. "You've regained your memories?"

Su Changying shook her head calmly, "I just occasionally recall some scenes, but it's been much more frequent lately."

"It must be that Li Huaishan's influence on you has diminished considerably. Now that he's doomed and no longer under his control, you'll surely remember everything very soon."

Su Changying gave a soft "hmm," walked up to Zhou Zhao, and put his arm around her waist. Zhou Zhao was caught off guard and felt a lightness beneath her. She quickly reached out and hugged Su Changying's neck. Su Changying did not stop and lightly leaped over the wall with Zhou Zhao. The horse was already waiting there.

He placed Zhou Zhao on the horse's back, then gently flipped over and sat behind her, pulled her hood up, and then embraced her.

"What do you remember?" Zhou Zhao asked curiously.

Su Changying glanced at the persimmon tree in the alley and said, "Do you remember when I was picking persimmons for Lord Zhou on the tree, and you were fast asleep under it?"