Ink Burns

Chapter 107 Hidden East Wing

[Chapter 103 has been greatly revised. I have been thinking about how to deal with the relationship between Master Sun Wu and Shan Yue. Today I finally revised it. I personally think that the revised draft is more in line with the character setting and is smoother. Those who have read the first draft can go and take a look.]

The house is small, and Wei Chen has planted flowers, plants, and fruits in the yard. Now is the day when the winter jasmine is in full bloom.

The night was dim, and dark clouds had suddenly appeared from the northwest, blocking most of the moonlight.

The slender green strips covering the parapet are tender yellow with snow and cold, and the petals as thin as cicada wings are surrounded by hairy stamens. Under the dim light of the crescent moon in the night, it looks crowded and ordinary, but happily stretched out.

Just like these four members of the Wei family.

They will live their life well.

Wei Chen's voice was shrill, but her words were rhythmic. She led Shanyue into the house and talked about everything from the fish, shrimp, crabs and dumplings in the first month of the year to tonight's pickled mustard greens, minced meat, green beans and rice cakes. She chattered on and on, revealing the joys and troubles of this mortal world.

After entering the main room, Doctor Wei indeed brought a box of persimmon cakes, and also grabbed a handful of frosted peanuts, melon seeds, dried longans, and hawthorn cakes. Seven large plates and eight large bowls filled the table.

"Children won't pour you tea." Doctor Wei said.

Shan Yue smiled: "It's just the beginning of the new year and I'm already 21. If I were in the countryside, I'd probably be a mother with children taking care of other children!"

Doctor Wei put his legs on a small stool, frowned and shook his head: "They are all children. In our eyes, they are all children!"

The clever little brother Wei knew that there were guests and he would not easily eat bamboo shoots. He immediately jumped up and accused his father of being two-faced: "When you asked me to be obedient, I was a child; when you ordered me to go three miles away to get soy sauce, I was an adult!"

Doctor Wei said angrily, "When I win your money and you want to default on it, you are a child; when I ask you to read books and practice calligraphy, you become an adult - big brother, don't talk about second brother, both of us, father and son, are not good people!"

Everyone laughed.

In the mountains, visitors are considered auspicious and a sign of prosperity for the family. The Wei family did not ask Shan Yue why he suddenly came so late.

Shan Yue explained to herself: "I am going on a long journey the day after tomorrow. I have some luggage left in the yard. I came back to pack it up."

Doctor Wei knew that Shanyue was going to get married.

The news spread all over the city that he had returned to his old job in Qiaotou Nong, taking the pulse and treating the illnesses of his neighbors. He did not sell medicine but only prescribed medicine. With the people coming and going, he was always able to get more information than if he had stayed at home.

Everyone was talking about how the Liu family in the south of the city had found a way out of despair and was reborn. Their old man had died, and several of their younger brothers who were officials were under mourning. Seeing that the family was on the verge of collapse, the eldest daughter of the third branch of the Liu family came forward and talked about getting married to a third-rank official in the capital - this marriage could prevent the Liu family from falling into decline for the time being.

Everyone knew that the girl from the Liu family was going to get married, but only they and the Cheng family knew that this girl from the Liu family was He Shanyue.

Shanyue's explanation was vague, and Wei Ruchun wanted to ask more details, but was stopped by Doctor Wei: "Stop pestering me, tell Miss Shanyue to clean up."

Doctor Wei was a regular on the road, so he knew there must be something fishy going on.

But this is strange and people like them are not qualified to know.

Shanyue smiled and said, "Besides packing, there is one more thing. I want to take Ruchun out for a bowl of five-strand noodles."

The night market outside is still open.

She owed it for a long time, and was interrupted every time by some strange coincidence.

Wei Ruchun smiled and said, "Okay!"

Wei Xiaodi was even happier: "I'm going too! I'm going too!"

This is what children are like. No matter what they eat or do, they are happy as long as they can go out.

Wei Chen smiled and said, "But you are hungry? Why don't you eat at home? I will make you some plain noodles, with lard dissolved in soy sauce, green vegetables and bamboo shoots as toppings, and a fried egg for each person, which will be delicious, too?"

Shan Yue pursed her lips tightly.

Doctor Wei bumped into Wei Chen.

Although Wei Chen was puzzled, she still nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a "boom" outside, followed by a drizzle falling on the ground, on the tiles, and on the corridor under the eaves. The drizzle was just an embellishment, but in a few moments, the raindrops became bigger and fell "dong dong dong" in the strong wind.

Wei Xiaodi sat down with regret: "Oh - it's raining, I can't go."

Shanyue's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked out through the paper-pasted window lattice. The raindrops formed a line and even cast a silhouette on the paper.

Shan Yue's loss overflowed without any concealment.

Wei Ruchun comforted Shang Shanyue instead: "The five-thread noodles are right there, they won't run away, let's eat them next time."

Sister Shanyue really likes to eat five-shred noodles. I asked her out last time, and the time before that, and I asked her out again this time - and there was only one purpose for asking her out: to eat five-shred noodles.

The five-shred noodles are delicious. They are made with snow-white fish soup as the base. Shredded bamboo shoots, green onions, pickled mustard greens, pickled radish, and egg skins, red, green, and yellow, sway and spread in the thick and fragrant fish soup. They are served with hand-rolled noodles. If you like to eat thicker noodles, roll them thicker. If you like to eat softer noodles, roll them thinner and cook them longer.
Wei Ruchun swallowed her saliva: Sister, your food is still too limited! Although the five-thread noodles are unforgettable, the fried vegetarian meatballs, small hanging snow pears, pinched fish balls, cold noodles, and scallion pancakes on the street are all well-known overlords in the night market!
Wei Ruchun's tears of longing were about to flow from the corners of his mouth.

Shan Yue lowered his eyebrows and looked down: "What a coincidence."

As if he had made up his mind, Shan Yue stood up, his eyes reluctantly swept across Wei Ruchun's face inch by inch, and finally fell firmly on Wei Chen's face: "In this case, I will not bother you anymore. I will go to the east wing to clean up. Next time if there is a chance--"

Not anymore.

Shan Yue sighed in his heart.

If there is any luck, it is the north and south that are separated;
If it is unfortunate, it means that yin and yang are separated.

There will never be another chance to share a bowl of five-strand noodles with Shui Guang.

Shanyue was hit hard by this realization, and although he didn't show it on his face, a huge hole was left in his heart.

The rain was pouring down, the night was dark, and the market outside the wall had long since dispersed. The Wei family sat and chatted with Shanyue for a while, then tactfully went back to the inner room and completely returned the locked east wing next door to Shanyue.

The east wing is always locked.

When the house was handed over to the Wei family, Cheng Xingyu, entrusted by Shanyue, specifically emphasized: "Everyone can go in except the east wing." The Wei family was simple and honest, and they didn't even take a peek through the crack in the door.

There was a "click" sound.

The key carried body temperature, and Shanyue opened the door of the east wing.

The door lock was old and there was a slight lag when the key was inserted.

The door is old, and when it is pushed open, it makes a creaking sound in the quiet night.

Shan Yue pushed the door open with one hand.

The flying dust instantly bounced into the air.

Shanyue took advantage of the faint light of the long-pole lantern and sneaked into the side room. The terrifying firelight immediately shone on Shanyue's face.

Smoked by the firelight, Shan Yue's eyes twitched unconsciously.

Not afraid.

Shanyue told himself: Don’t be afraid.

Nothing to be afraid of.

This little fire can't burn her.

Shan Yue slowly raised his head, finally exposing his face completely in the halo of the lantern.

Finally, the cramped east wing was exposed to the light.

The entire wing was very small, with no windows. The enclosed space was filled with the mineral smell of paint and ink, which was not smelly, but a bit pungent.

There was no extra furniture in the room, only a half-foot long table and a single stool in the middle.

Nothing unusual.

Except, there were walls all around—and every wall was covered with paintings!
Yes, it's covered with paintings.

Hundreds! Thousands of paintings were piled up one after another, like paper on windows, pasted on the walls! On the ground! On the pillars! All the blank places that could be posted!

From a distance, the painting is filled with bright red! Large strokes of bright red, like clusters of blazing fire!
Red, fire, red, fire, red, fire, everywhere, the sky and the earth are spinning, like a giant hand descending from the sky and pressing down!

Only when you look closely can you find that all the paintings depict exactly the same content:

Under the starry sky, amidst the raging flames, there was sweet wine, singing girls playing drums, a white horse carriage, and five people with different expressions.

On the far left is the youngest, a reserved young man in a royal blue gown;

On the left second side is a stout man with sparse eyebrows and hair;

In the center is a girl, a teardrop-shaped girl wearing bright purple and with wisteria-shaped tassel gems hanging from her ears;

On the right is a cold-faced handsome man with an indifferent expression but picturesque features, very handsome.

On the far right is an old acquaintance.

On the far right, farthest away from the group of people, is a painting of a face that I had just come into contact with and was extremely familiar with.

Shanyue moved his right wrist slightly, and a butterfly bone knife with a cold glow instantly and accurately pierced straight into the face on the far right!
Goodbye, Cheng Xinghe.

When you complete one, you can get one free, which also includes a Liu Hezhou Zen.

There are four more people.

Shanyue held the handle of the butterfly bone knife tightly in his hand, as if it was a fulcrum supporting his entire body.

Shan Yue lowered his eyes, his eyes flickering, just like this sharp, thin-bladed butterfly bone knife.

This is the only painting she has never copied.

It is the only painting that belongs entirely to her!

She writes, she splashes ink, she outlines, she colors!
She can vent her anger and emotions completely without any scruples in this painting!
So she drew more and more! She drew more and more! She drew more and more!

I want to cover the entire room with this painting!

She can't forget this scene!
No!
Shan Yue pursed her lips tightly.

".Sister.Sister"

Suddenly, a weak, trembling voice came from behind.

Shan Yue’s back stiffened.

Wei Ruchun held a meat bun in one hand and supported the door frame with the other. He was wearing a quilted inner garment and a colorful jacket draped over it. He stood barefoot on the corridor, his round eyes widening even wider.

She was just hungry because she didn't finish the bowl of five-shredded noodles, so she came out to eat in the middle of the night.
This overwhelming painting, filled with blazing flames, is madly pasted in all directions, like a Taoist talisman cast to ward off evil spirits!

Wei Ruchun was so shocked by this horrifying scene that he felt an overwhelming fear from his chest to the back of his head!
She opened her mouth and was about to say something, but her head tilted and her body fell limply.

“Meat filling.”

This was the only warning Wei Ruchun gave before he fell into a coma.

Catch the meat filling of my buns
Don't let it fall to the ground.
(End of this chapter)