Lamp Flower Smile

"Cough cough cough——"

Thick smoke billowed inside the house.

Qi Yutai covered his mouth and nose and looked around hurriedly.

When the fire first started, he didn't notice it and just struggled with the people in front of him. By the time he noticed it, the flames were already very big.

Cherry-colored curtains and gauze are hung everywhere in the guest rooms of Fengle Building. It is said that "the tassel tent is smoked, and the cloud-wood screen has deep shadows." However, at this moment, the gauze was licked by the fire, and there was a loud bang, which only made people feel more desperate. .

The person he was struggling with disappeared at some point, and he was left alone here. But the window couldn't be opened, and the fire in front of the door was so strong that he couldn't get out or escape.

The heat and excitement from taking Hanshi Powder have long since disappeared from the body, followed by deep fear.

Will he be burned to death here today?

No, he doesn't want to die!

Qi Yutai turned to look at the door. A beam fell down in front of the closed door, igniting a wall of fire. In just a few steps, it was like a natural chasm, separating him from the way out.

He turned back hastily, trying to find another way out of this small room, but wherever he looked, there was only deeper despair.

Yaoqin, broken wine jars, woven carpets... these things became the nourishment of the fire when they were stained with sparks. Even the painting on the wall was not spared.

The uncomfortable-looking Spring Thunder painting that replaced his favorite painting of a beautiful woman crying was half burned by the fire. The silk page was curled, but like a pear orchard curtain, it slowly rose to reveal another scene below.

Under the Spring Thunder Picture, there is another picture hidden!

This is……

Qi Yutai suddenly froze.

That is a very beautiful eyebrow drawing.

There are green trees in the mountains, undulating dense forests, and the fragrance of the ten-mile tea garden. There is a copper birdcage hanging in front of the house.

In the birdcage, a thrush chirped a thousand times, lively and clever. In front of the birdcage stood an old man with white beard and hair. He was dressed as a farmer and was playing with the thrush in the birdcage with one finger bent.

The paintings hanging on the wall are huge, almost occupying the entire wall, giving people an immersive feeling. However, neither the previous pictures of beautiful women crying nor the burned picture of Spring Thunder, are not as strange as the picture in front of me.

The old man and the thrush are particularly huge, especially the old man, who is almost the same as a real person. Each person and the bird have expressionless faces, and their dark eyes are staring directly at the outsider in the painting. There are countless thrushes with spread wings scattered around. , at a glance, it was overwhelming, with sharp kisses directed towards people’s eyes——

Qi Yutai's mind exploded.

The surroundings suddenly became silent.

A soft voice came to my ears, resentful, as if coming from a long distance away.

"Master Qi..."

"Do you still remember the Yang Weng family who raised thrushes in the Mangming Township tea garden?"

Qi Yutai opened his eyes wide and subconsciously took two steps back, his lips moving like a faint moan.

"Yang Weng..."

…

It was my father's birthday that year, and it happened not long after he had been in the Ministry of Household Affairs. At that time, he didn't know that this was just a job in name only. He thought that his father had finally seen his efforts, and the originally stalemate relationship between father and son seemed to be softening at that moment.

He wanted to reconcile with his father, so he decided to give his father the best birthday gift.

Everyone in Shengjing knew that the Grand Master loved birds and kept white cranes and peacocks in his residence. However, Qi Qing's favorite was the thrush.

Qi Yutai wanted to give his father the best thrush in the world.

Bird fighting is popular in Shengjing, and the best thrushes must not only have bright wings and crisp voices, but also be fierce and aggressive, and have a handsome physique.

Qi Yutai walked around the bird fighting garden, but felt that it was a little less impressive and couldn't find the bird he wanted.

At this time, someone under his command told him that there was an old man surnamed Yang who was working as a farmer in the tea garden of Mangming Township. He had a thrush that he had raised for many years at home. It was very clever and smart, so he might as well buy it and give it a try.

Qi Yutai asked people to buy it quickly.

Unexpectedly, the owner of Huamei didn't sell it.

The buyer and seller made several trips, but all came back without success. If it was normal, Qi Yutai would have already used thunderous means of coercion and inducement. It would always be easy to deal with such a pariah.

But because he had just gone to the Ministry of Revenue in those days, he felt that his future was bright and he was in a good mood. He also thought that his father's birthday was approaching, so he should accumulate some merit for his father, so why not go to Mangming Township in person to show his sincerity? .

So Qi Yutai took a few guards and went out of the city to the tea garden.

In March in the tea garden, the grass is growing and the orioles are flying, and the streams are clear and green. When he arrived at the house in the countryside, Qi Yutai saw the thrush at a glance.

It was a very beautiful thrush, hiding in a copper birdcage hanging under the eaves. It was singing happily, and its cry was clear and distinct from other thrushes.

In an instant, Qi Yutai fell in love with this thrush.

An old man in his sixties wearing a scarf walked out of the house. He was stunned when he saw the people standing in front of the house. Qi Yutai only said that he was a tourist passing by and wanted to ask for a cup of tea.

He and his party dressed up as young men from a wealthy family, and the old man did not raise any suspicion. He warmly welcomed him into the house and asked his family to make a few cups of hot tea.

Qi Yutai asked the guards to stay in the yard and went into the house. Not long after, an old woman came out of the backyard and poured several cups of tea for him and others.

There are tea gardens everywhere in Mangming Township. The tea is freshly picked, but it is cheap after all. When served in earthen bowls, it looks rough and bland.

Qi Yutai did not drink the cup of tea, but only raised his head and looked around.

In addition to the 60-year-old Yang Weng, the Yang Weng family also has his equally elderly wife. His son was born with some brain problems and can only do simple work. He still needs someone to take care of him for daily living. He also has a daughter who also died of illness two years ago.

The house was full of people who were sick, old and disabled, and the only strong laborer, Yang Weng's son-in-law, went to work in the tea garden. Yang Weng's son was sitting on a chair in the corner of the house, looking at them with silly smiles.

He explained his intention to Yang Weng.

Qi Yutai is confident.

For this old couple, one daughter is dead and the other son is a fool. Both of them are old and cannot stay with their son for long, so they will definitely need a sum of money.

That's what he thought, but he didn't expect that after hearing this, the dark-skinned old man shook his head and rejected him with a smile.

Qi Yutai felt unable to understand.

He asked: "Don't you want a sum of money? He -" He pointed at the man who was sitting obediently on the chair and looking at them like a three-year-old child, "He doesn't know anything and will be in great need in the future. of!"

If you don't leave more money for a fool, why should you support him? Just digging dirt in the ground?

The old man said: "Ah-Dai -" He called his son's name, but he did not call it sarcastically. He looked at his son with gentle and loving eyes, "Ah-Dai is not stupid, Ah-Dai is just a little stupid."

"His mother and I have been teaching him for decades. Now, Ah-Dai can simply pick and sift tea. If he takes it seriously, his mother and I can't compare."

"I made an agreement with the owner of the tea garden next door. In the future, I will go with his mother and leave Ah to stay in the tea garden to help work. It doesn't cost a lot of money. I will take care of his food and drink, and I will just buy him medicine when he gets sick."

"Dumb is self-reliant, so he doesn't need money."

Qi Yutai felt incredible.

His father, the current Grand Master, had never sincerely praised him since he was a child, let alone looked at him with such a positive look as Ti Yong.

Why can a fool do that?

Why does this old guy believe so firmly in the idiot sitting in the chair?

That's obviously a fool!

The warm atmosphere in the room suddenly made him feel a little irritated. Qi Yutai resisted his impatience and tried his best to maintain a gentle tone and said, "More money is not a bad thing."

The old man laughed and said, "Sir, it's good to have money, but Dumb looks like this. He can't bear the wealth. My old lady and I are old and useless. If we can't keep such a large sum of money, we will be in trouble." It’s a big deal!”

Unexpectedly, a farmer in a remote rural area also knew that a common man was not guilty but was guilty of carrying a jade.

Qi Yutai was about to speak again when he heard the old man in front of him say: "Besides, the thrush was my daughter Ayao's favorite bird during her lifetime. I can't sell it."

Qi Yutai paused.

The old man looked at him, his eyes filled with vicissitudes of life and hard work that were completely different from those of his father looked at him, shining with the light of wisdom.

"In the hearts of my wife and I, she is Ayao. This is the old man's last thought. I am sorry that I cannot agree to your request."

He smiled heartily and asked Qi Yutai to bring him some tea.

"Dumb" didn't know what happened. He was sitting upright on the chair, lowering his head and playing with a branch with buds in his hand. The old woman lowered her head and said a few words to him. The man listened in confusion and nodded solemnly. .

Looking at him horizontally and vertically, he looks like a fool.

Qi Yutai felt scornful in his heart, and the complicated moment passed away in an instant, and he became indifferent again.

He came here today not to watch this family perform this ridiculous and disgusting drama of fatherly love and sonly filial piety. He came here to buy thrush.

Since the other party refuses to drink the toast and is fined with it, his patience ends here.

Qi Yutai stood up.

Outside the door, several guards stood up and guarded the hospital door.

The old man's cheerful smile gradually turned solemn, and he looked at Qi Yutai walking towards the door: "What do you want to do, Master?"

Qi Yutai stood in front of the window and looked at the family mockingly.

"I originally wanted to buy your thrush for five hundred gold," he said, "but now I have changed my mind and don't want to give you a single copper."

"I really regret this trip today. Lowly people like you are not worthy of my attention at all."

He turned around and motioned to the guard to fetch the thrush hanging under the eaves.

The birds seemed to be aware of the sudden change in the situation, jumping up and down in the cage and chirping loudly and restlessly.

The copper birdcage was cold in his hands. When the guard handed it to him, he was so cold that he shivered.

The old man finally realized that the other party was trying to rob it by force. His expression changed and he suddenly rushed forward to take it back. However, he is already old, and because he spends more energy than others taking care of his useless stupid son all year round, he cannot earn as much as Qi Yutai. After being pushed far away by Qi Yutai, he still refused to give in and rushed forward staggeringly.

That old hand grasped Qi Yutai's arm. The rough calluses made people feel uncomfortable. The kind face he had just now was full of shock and anger, and it looked even more disgusting because of his old age.

Qi Yutai held the opponent's hand with his backhand and gave him a fierce push——

Just listen to a "dong" sound.

The old man was pushed back and fell without saying a word. The tea cup on the table was smashed to pieces, and he lay down straight without making any sound.

From the back of his head, a ball of bright red blood gradually appeared and spread on the ground.

Qi Yutai didn't expect that the other party was so weak, so he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

However, after the old woman in the room reacted, she screamed: "It's a murder, help me, it's a murder--"

The screams were noisy and harsh, and Qi Yutai was very annoyed. He was about to walk out the door with the birdcage in hand, when someone grabbed him from behind the door and grabbed him by the corner of his robe.

The old woman cried: "Don't leave, you murderer! Help—someone—"

Qi Yutai was panicked for a moment.

Mangming Township is a small township, and farmers are far away from each other. Yang Weng's family is poor and lives in the most desolate land, with no human habitation on all sides. He didn't care at first, but the woman's shrill voice and the dead eyes of the old man in the room made him feel chilly. Qi Yutai kicked her away and winked at the guard.

The guard stepped forward, drew his sword, and the silver light flashed, and the screams in the room suddenly stopped.

Only a stronger bloody smell slowly came over.

Qi Yutai lifted the corner of his robe and stepped over the woman's body. Unexpectedly, the silly son who had been sitting in the corner and only played with the branches in his hands seemed to finally understand what happened and ran out of the house. .

"Dad, mother, mother!"

The silly son shouted anxiously, threw the soft branch in his hand at him, and said angrily: "Bad, bad guy!"

Qi Yutai's expression changed.

Although "Dumb" has a mind like a child, he is tall. Yang Weng and his wife take good care of him. His clothes are clean and his face is rosy. Those clear and ignorant eyes stared at him angrily, waving the branches in their hands anxiously and angrily.

The branches are soft and there is no pain at all when they fall on people.

Like a joke.

Qi Yutai laughed and walked out of the house indifferently.

The guards behind him rushed up, followed by a muffled sound, and silence returned to the surrounding area.

The thrush sings miserably in the cage. Whether it sings or weeps, it is always the same clear song.

In the small hut, three people were scattered together, submerged by the river of blood.

He stood at the door, looking at the thrush flapping its wings in the cage, and suddenly felt a little bored.

Before I could decide how to deal with this end, another person came in from behind the fence. He was a tall man carrying a bamboo basket. He was stunned for a moment when he saw the group. Before he could speak, he saw the winding blood river at the door.

"Dad, mother, dumb--"

he shouted miserably.

Qi Yutai took out his ears.

He knew who this man was.

Yang Weng's daughter Yang Yao has passed away, but his son-in-law has not left the Yang family. He still lives with the Yang family and even changed his name to 'Yang Dalang'.

It is rare for a man to live in the same household as his father-in-law, let alone a widower whose wife has died, unless there is a profit to be made. However, Yang Weng's family is so ridiculously poor that there is nothing worthy of nostalgia, which only shows that this person is incompetent and poorer than the Yang family.

The man's cry sounded false and ridiculous.

Qi Yutai asked the guards to surround Yang Dalang and offered to give him a sum of money.

The old man surnamed Yang did not know what was good or bad and rejected his good intentions. This man who was not related to the Yang family should be much smarter. He even doubled the amount of silver.

Not only do you get rid of these burdens, but you can also live freely with a generous amount of money. The money was enough for Yang Dalang to buy an entire tea garden, no, enough for him to buy a new house in Shengjing City and marry a young bride. Qi Yutai could not think of a reason why the other party did not agree.

In this way, with Yang Dalang's testimony and help, it would be easy to settle the Yang family's matter without disturbing his father. He never wanted his father to think that he was a troublesome person.

"How is it?" He placed stacks of banknotes on the wooden table in front of the house.

Under the table, bright red blood gradually flowed.

Yang Dalang fixedly looked at the banknotes.

Qi Yutai felt contempt in his heart. These lowly and ordinary people may have never seen so much wealth in their lives.

After a moment, the man reached out and picked up the banknote without saying a word.

Qi Yutai laughed.

He just knew it.

This is simply an irresistible temptation.

Looking at the smart man in front of him, he felt extremely comfortable. His previous concerns about the couple and silly son in the room were instantly wiped away, as if he had won a battle or proved himself.

Qi Yutai planned to find someone to deal with Yang Dalang as well after a while after the matter with Yang Weng's family was over. The helpless and vicious people are inevitably disgusted by greed, threatening, extorting... they can do anything.

But if you can be a wealthy ghost before you die, this life will be considered a good deal.

With this thought in mind, he stood up and walked out. Then he turned around and suddenly heard the guard closest to him shout, "Master, be careful--"

"Pfft——"

He was pushed hard by the guard.

Qi Yutai was stunned for a moment and slowly lowered his head.

A hatchet came from behind him, the tip of the knife was half-deep into the handle, and bright red blood flowed down drop by drop, mixing with the blood of the Yang family.

Yang Dalang's face became unclear under the swords of the guards, and he could only hear the other party's roar: "You bastard, I'm going to kill you -"

He was escorted out of the house quickly by the guards, and his waist hurt terribly. It turned out that it was the same blood, and the feeling was completely different when it came from someone else's body and when it came from his own body.

Qi Yutai covered his wound and groaned: "Burn! Burn this whole place!"

He didn't want to see anyone from the Yang family again, these lowly poor devils!

The flames quickly ignited.

Yang Dalang's wooden stick had long been chopped into pieces, and his man was also broken into pieces like the wooden stick, and his complete appearance could not be seen.

In the sea of ​​fire, an old man's face suddenly appeared.

Yang Weng woke up at some point.

When he fell down, the back of his head hit the stone, as if he was dead. At this moment, he woke up again, with blood on his head and face. He crawled out of the firelight tremblingly, stretched out a hand toward him, and tried to catch him. Robe corners.

The guard kicked him back.

Qi Yutai was in a state of despair.

The fire burned the sky, and the flying ashes covered the eyes.

The fire in Yang's house burned extremely fiercely, burning everything in the house to ashes.

At that time, the villagers of Mangming Township were all working in the tea gardens, and no one came to the house. Even though they felt something was wrong later, no one dared to question it.

The Taishi Mansion sent someone to deal with it.

Qi Qing finally found out about this.

Just because Qi Yutai was stabbed by Yang Dalang at that time, although the guards pushed him away at the last moment, it was not fatal, but the injury was really serious.

But the injuries on his body could still be treated. What was even more frightening was that after he returned to the Grand Master's Mansion, he began to have frequent nightmares.

In the dream, Yang Weng's old face always looked at him kindly and invited him to drink tea. He picked up the tea cup and found that the rough red clay tea bowl was sticky and full of blood.

The old man's bloody face faced him, staring into his eyes in the sea of ​​fire, and called him: "Dumb——"

Qi Yutai suddenly woke up from his dream and broke out in a cold sweat.

From that point on, something started to go wrong with him.

Sometimes during the day, I would see Yang Weng’s shadow, as well as Ah-Dai. Gradually, he began to become confused, crying and cursing. Cui Min, the official of the hospital, said that this was due to an emotional disorder and he was in danger. When facing danger, one becomes discouraged and frightened when dealing with things, and one loses his temper due to fright.

His father ordered Cui Min to diagnose and treat him.

Qi Yutai himself didn't remember much about those days. Cui Min came to see him every day and didn't return until late at night. The younger sister shed tears, and the father looked gloomy.

Fortunately, after a few months of wandering around, he gradually got better, no longer dreaming, and no longer saw Yang Weng's shadow in the daytime.

Even the deep scar on his waist only left a faint shadow after using more than a dozen bottles of "Jade Muscle Cream".

Everything seemed to be over, except for one mistake he made.

As soon as I see the thrush or hear the thrush's cry, I feel irritable and irritable, and I can't sit still.

My father simply drove away all the birds in the mansion, and there was no longer a bird to be found anywhere in the Grand Master's mansion.

As for that thrush...

The thrush that belonged to Yang Weng's family was taken away by him that day and was still locked in a birdcage. Later, when he returned home, he was seriously injured, had palpitations, and was recuperating... Everyone in the house forgot about the thrush. It took more than a month to remember the thrush. Found in the flower room.

Without anyone to feed it, the thrush had long since starved to death. Its wings were dull and messy, and they were stiff and shriveled.

The servant threw it away, and he never saw the thrush again.

There was a clear chirp in my ears, one after another, a sound of joy.

Qi Yutai's pupils shrank.

Where did the sound come from?

Why is there a thrush here?

Chills rose from the soles of his feet, and he looked forward tremblingly.

The huge and beautiful thrush painting was right in front of him. The old man and the birds were equally lifelike. The strange fragrance of a large piece of fresh tea leaves penetrated the tip of his nose. He felt like he was in a tea garden in Mangming Township outside the city. Not clear between reality and dreams.

The old man stared blankly at him outside the painting, with blood gradually flowing out from under his eyes and nose. The blood and tears were just like meandering underground in the hut, but they were more vivid than then.

Qi Yutai screamed and squatted down with his head in his hands.

He groaned and begged: "...it's not me...don't look for me..."

His hazy brain suddenly became extremely tingling, as if someone was angrily stirring around his brain with a thick silver needle. He was shaking all over in pain, and the firelight around him became unclear. He didn't know who he was or where he was now. He just hugged his shoulders and choked, and said randomly: "I am, I am the prince of the Taishi Mansion. I am... Your money..."

"Don't look for me, don't look for me..."

…

The fire downstairs gradually died down.

The patrolmen wearing fire vests came out of the building and put away the bamboo ladder. Stack the remaining water bladders aside.

Shen Fengying wiped the fly ash from his face and breathed a sigh of relief.

The fire was not small, and the wooden attic was flammable and difficult to extinguish. Fortunately, there were two military patrol bungalows near Rouge Alley, and water bags were fully prepared. Everyone in the whole building had been rescued. If it had been half an hour later, it might not have been so easy to save the people in the attic.

He rubbed his arms and looked at the firelight on the top of the attic.

The fire started from the top floor, so the fire in the top pavilion was the most difficult to put out, and the wooden beams were very easy to collapse when burned by the fire. He didn't let the patrolmen go up. It had been burning for so long, and there was no point in putting out the fire. Meaning, everyone will be fine after all, so there is no need for the patrol shop to take unnecessary risks.

All the rescued people were huddled under the arbor not far from the wooden building, wrapped in blankets and still in shock. Shen Fengying had just put away the microphone when he heard someone in the crowd shout, "This man is the Master of the Taishi Mansion." !”

The prince of Taishi Mansion?

Shen Fengying's ears twitched and the pump slipped from his hand.

He ignored the microphone, turned around and asked, "Where is he? Where is the Master of the Imperial Palace?"

"Here!" Someone in the noisy crowd waved to him, "He said it himself!"

Shen Fengying was refreshed, and the fatigue from the night's business trip was instantly gone.

There is only one grand master in the current dynasty, the master's son. Is that the son of the Qi family?

Why did Mr. Qi come to Fengle Tower? With his family wealth, he should go to Qinghe Street in the south of the city, right?

However, no one should dare to impersonate such a high official.

He has never seen the Grand Master!

Shen Fengying thought happily, if he was really the master of the Taishi Mansion, he had saved the other party's life today, which would be regarded as a good deal. Not to mention being promoted to three levels in a row, it shouldn't be an exaggeration to be promoted to one level!

He trotted all the way under the pergola, coughed slightly, put on a serious yet friendly smile, and asked, "Where is Mr. Qi?"

Someone pointed at him.

Shen Fengying pushed aside the crowd and looked down.

In the center of the crowd, squatting was a young man. His clothes were stained by the fire. He was holding his head and muttering something unknown.

Like he was frightened.

It's so pitiful that these pampered young men should be frightened by such a big fire.

Shen Fengying approached him carefully and said softly: "It's okay, Mr. Qi, the fire has been put out... Mr. Qi?"

The man on the ground trembled, slowly released the hand holding his head, and raised his face little by little.

Shen Fengying was stunned.

The man looked at him timidly, his face was blackened by ash, and the corners of his mouth kept moving. Shen Fengying came closer and heard what he said: "I am the young master of Taishi Qi's house...I am Mr. Qi...I give You have so much money... so much money..."

Before Shen Fengying could speak, he saw the person in front of him jump up in fear, grabbed the corner of Shen Fengying's robe, and said crazily: "Thrush, have you seen the thrush? There are so many thrushes!"

He smiled foolishly: "Thrush is bleeding! He's coming to kill!"

There was silence all around, the fire in the attic not far away was not extinguished, and in the narrow alley of Rouge Alley, dense crowds of people looked towards this end.

It's like watching a lively drama.

Shen Fengying subconsciously took a step back, and the tenderness and smile on his face instantly disappeared.

what's the situation?

Is this man really the son of Grand Master Qi?

Why does it look like...

madman?