MTL - Denghuaxiao

Chapter 2 Homecoming

After the hibernation, the weather gradually warmed up.

 The Spring River in the southern part of Xiliang has warm water and abundant grass. Literati and elegant people like to plant flowers and plants. In the small courtyards in the mountains, you can see orchids and jasmine intertwined everywhere. Large poppies are in full bloom, and there are many beautiful things.

It was noon, the sun was high in the sky, and the carriage was speeding along, passing through the mountains and trees. In the carriage, a woman wearing cyan armor opened the curtain of the carriage and asked the coachman outside: "Brother Wang, how long does it take to arrive in Changwu County?"

The driver smiled and replied: "It's not far. Just go over half a hill and we'll be there in an hour!"

Yin Zheng then lowered the carriage curtain and turned to look at the person beside him.

This is a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old. Her facial features are very beautiful, her complexion is porcelain white, and her dark eyes are even more bright. Although she was only wearing a semi-old dark blue algae-patterned skirt, her temperament was particularly calm and cool. Upon hearing the coachman's words, the girl's eyelashes twitched slightly, and her eyes seemed to move for a moment.

Yin Zheng sighed in his heart.

Having followed Lu Shun for more than half a year, she has never seen her girl have any unnecessary emotions, and her expression is always indifferent. It seems that no matter how big the world is, it is not worth mentioning in her eyes. It wasn't until she got closer to Changwu County that she saw a bit of life in Lu Yan's eyes. It was like the clay sculptures were gradually being enshrined by fireworks, and they began to look like ordinary people.

 Sure enough, it is always exciting for people who are usually indifferent to return to their hometown.

 In the carriage, Lu Zhuo sat quietly.

The mountain road was rugged, and the bumps shook the apricots carried by Yin Zheng in the car everywhere. She lowered her eyes and looked at Xingzi on the ground, her thoughts gradually drifting away.

Seven years ago, she also left Changwu County by carriage. At that time, she always felt that the carriage was very fast and she arrived at a strange town in the blink of an eye. Now the road back home has become a long way, and there is no end.

 She stayed with Yun Niang in the mountains for seven years, until Yun Niang passed away. She buried Yun Niang, and then she was freed and able to return to her hometown.

Over the past seven years, she also wrote letters to her father and the others, but I don’t know if her family received them. They left in a hurry back then, maybe they thought they were dead...

Lu Zhen was thinking to himself. Unknowingly, the sun gradually moved to the west. The carriage stopped at the gate of the city. The driver's voice sounded from outside: "Miss, Changwu County has arrived!"

 Changwu County has arrived.

Yin Zheng helped Lu Zhu out of the carriage, paid the driver some silver, and walked towards the city with Lu Zhu.

Lu Zhen raised his eyes and looked over, feeling a little dazed for a moment.

It is a spring day, and there are many people and cars riding on the streets. There are many tea shops along the two streets, with stalls selling tea, and some orange cakes and sesame candies on the tables. There are also fortune tellers. Many pavilions have been newly built by the lake in the city, and spring willows are reflected in the river, dyeing the river a deep and light green.

At a glance, there are people coming and going and it’s very lively.

Yin Zheng's eyes showed a bit of joy: "Girl, Changwu County is so lively." However, Lu Zhen was a little absent-minded.

When she left home, there was an epidemic and it was the middle of winter. The streets were deserted and deserted. Now that she is back home, the small county town has become much more prosperous than before. The sight of tourists makes her feel uneasy.

 After a pause, she said: "Let's go first."

The streets in Changwu County have been widened a lot. They used to be muddy areas, but now they are completely covered with mud during the summer rains. Now they are paved with fine stones, making it smooth for carriages to pass by.

The original cloth shops and rice shops along the two streets are no longer traceable, and have been replaced by unfamiliar restaurants and teahouses, which are very different from the street scene in the past.

Lu Zhen walked slowly with the memories in his mind, and occasionally he could still find some traces of the old days. For example, the well at the entrance of the temple in the east of the city, or the iron bull made of copper in front of the ancestral hall in the city.

 After passing through a remote alley and walking a few hundred steps further, Lu Zhuo stopped.

Yin Zheng looked in front of her and was startled: "Girl..."

 In front of me is a dilapidated house.

The earthen wall at the door was also scorched black by the fire, and the house had no trace of its former self. Only a few sections of burnt lacquer wood could be seen, vaguely resembling the shape of the door frame. If you get closer and smell it, there seems to be pungent smoke.

Yin Zheng looked at Lu Zhen uneasily. Lu Zhen stopped here. This should be Lu Zhen's home. But there are only traces of the fire here... Where is the owner of the house?

Lu Zhen stared at the charred door frame, his face getting paler and paler, and he felt as if his legs were filled with lead, making it difficult to take a step.

At this moment, someone's voice came from behind: "Who are you? What are you doing standing here?"

The two of them turned around and saw a woman standing not far away with a load of Poria cakes on her shoulders. She looked at the two of them with some suspicion.

Yin Zheng was smart and immediately smiled, walked to the old lady, stretched out her hand and handed over a few pennies to buy the Poria cakes in her bag, and asked the other party: "Auntie, my girl is a distant relative of this Lu family. , passing by here, came to seek refuge with the master. Why do you think... this place is on fire? I wonder where the master has gone now? "

The woman selling Poria cakes heard Yin Zheng say "Lu family" and took the money from Yin Zheng. Her expression became much more relaxed and she just said, "Come to seek refuge with the Lu family?" She glanced at Lu Shuo who was standing behind Yin Zheng. , shook his head and said: "Tell your girl to go back as soon as possible, there is no one here."

“There’s no one left?” Yin Zheng glanced at Lu Chen behind her and asked with a smile, “What does this mean?”

The mother-in-law sighed: "Don't you know? The Lu family died a year ago."

 (End of this chapter)