Southerners

Chapter 140 2 Sons Riding a Boat 2

Pujiang is located in the southwest of Hangzhou. When the carriage arrived at the gate of Pujiang County, autumn was already deep. The leaves on both sides of the road were dyed yellow and red, and the leaves gradually fell to their roots one by one, paving the ground.

The residents in the small county are warm and hospitable, seeing that Song Zhi looks like a Han Chinese, with a bookish air all over her body, she likes it even more.

Over the years, Song Zhi even forgot the Xiangxiang accent of Hangzhou, and spoke with a northern accent. When asked by the locals, Song Zhi explained:

"More than ten years ago, I went to the north with the elders in my family. Now that the elders have passed away one after another, I want to bring them back to have a look."

"Mister is really a filial son." People say so.

Song Zhi smiled wryly to herself and shook her head.

After dismissing the coachman, Song Zhi rented a house in Pujiang County, cleaned it up and lived in it.The money he brought from the Meng Mansion was almost used up, Song Zhi thought, he should find a way to make a living.

Pigments were too expensive to afford, so Song Zhi bought paper and ink and sold calligraphy.

It just so happened that the private school in Linxiang was recruiting a teacher. Someone saw that Song Zhi could write well, and his knowledge should be good, so he mentioned it to the private school, and Song Zhi got a serious job as a teacher.

Life in Pujiang was ordinary and quiet. After a long time, Song Zhi felt as if he had passed away, especially when he saw the goblet.

He often went to his mother's grave to worship.After his mother passed away, Song Zhi met Zhang Hui by chance. After Zhang Hui rescued him, he even buried his mother for him in the suburb of Pujiang.

Song Zhi brought some things that Xiuniang used during her lifetime, as well as the bracelet that Bai Man'er gave him back before leaving, and set up a watch for Xiuniang beside Li Hansu's tomb.

The bracelet was also buried in the soil together.It was originally given to Bai Man'er by Xiu Niang. She wanted to marry this girl into the family, but luckily, Bai Man'er ended up marrying someone else.

"Mother," Song Zhi's body is not as good as before. Since this year's suicide attempt, he is particularly prone to dizziness, is very weak, and is afraid of the cold. In late autumn, he wrapped himself in a leather robe, "A Zhi came to see again is you."

Song Zhi knelt and sat in front of Li Hansu's grave, stroking the rough and cold surface of the stele with her palm, and caressing the words "Song Li Hansu's Tomb of Song Li Hansu" on it, her voice low.

Today the sky is extremely gloomy, with gusts of cold wind, and even the gloom in Song Zhi's heart is much more obvious than before. I can't suppress it, I can't help it, I can't hide it, so I came here to watch it quietly after the students all went home. Look at Niangqin and Xiuniang.

"The weather has been getting colder and colder recently. It's only September, but it's as cold as October. Even if I hold the hand stove, my hands are still cold."

As Song Zhi spoke, she coughed a few times, and every time he came, he only babbled about daily trifles and things that happened over the years, but never mentioned Meng Huan.

"Hei Wazi from the Li family is very hardworking and intelligent. I taught him "The Great Learning", and he memorized it in just one pass. When you taught me, it took me a long time to understand the true meaning of it."

"A few years ago, my son was in Dadu, so he didn't come to see you often. You... don't be angry with me as an unfilial son. It's not worth it. I will come to see you often in the future."

Song Zhi said some more things that happened in Dadu.

"Bai Man'er is a little girl next door to Xiuniang. She is smart, beautiful, and very likable. She treats me very well...but I'm sorry for her. But now she has a family and a place to live. , don’t have to follow me to suffer.”

As if she was afraid that she would forget, Song Zhi repeated the past events over and over again, reminding herself over and over again.As for what was related to Meng Huan, it seemed that if he didn't mention it, it wouldn't exist. It was just the scar on his wrist that he could see when he lowered his head, always reminding him all the time.

As for Xiuniang, Song Zhi had nothing but guilt, which overwhelmed all other emotions, making Song Zhi hardly dare to face Xiuniang's tombstone, and usually kowtowed and said "sorry". She has been teaching her for many years.

It was already sunset when he returned home, Song Zhi stepped on his own shadow in the setting sun, one figure was only two, he took out the key to open the door, just about to go in, he heard the loud voice of Aunt Zhu next door: "Mr Song, Are you going to see your mother?"

"Yes, auntie," Song Zhi nodded, "You just came back from the market?"

"That's right!" Aunt Zhu nodded with a smile, suddenly seemed to remember something, smiled mysteriously, and asked, "Mr. Song, have you ever married a wife?"

Song Zhi was slightly startled, quickly shook her head, bowed to Aunt Zhu, and declined politely, "Don't dare to trouble Aunt Zhu!"

Aunt Zhu was an enthusiastic person, so she came over slowly in a few steps, took Song Zhi's arm affectionately, and said, "The male college should be married, and the female college should be married, so what are you embarrassed about?" Aunt Zhu only treated him as Excuse me.

Song Zhi repeatedly said, "I'm really not sorry."

Aunt Zhu has lived for 40 to [-] years, with her eyes, she knew there was something hidden in Song Zhi's heart, and said, "Don't you have someone in your heart?"

"You look so handsome and talented, and you haven't married yet. Do you think there is someone in your heart?"

Song Zhi smiled covertly, it was useless to deny it at this time, she simply nodded and admitted, but the smile on the corner of her lips became lonely.

Aunt Zhu had such an expression as expected, and asked tentatively: "Then, that girl is married now?"

Song Zhi thought that Meng Huan was indeed married once and had two children, so she nodded again and said in a low voice, "He is married and has two children."

Aunt Zhu patted Song Zhi's shoulder sympathetically, and sighed, "That girl didn't marry you because she has no vision, but you can't stop marrying a wife for the sake of her."

Aunt Zhu was very persuasive: "I think you don't seem to have any other relatives. If you don't marry a wife, isn't your Song family..."

She didn't say what she said later, but Song Zhi understood that the Song family would end with him, and he was the sinner of the Song family.

"Auntie," Song Zhi smiled self-deprecatingly, "This matter... I need to think about it again, please trouble Auntie."

After saying this, Song Zhi hurriedly turned around and entered the door, not daring to look at Aunt Zhu again, and closing the door, Song Zhi covered the door bolt, leaned her back against the chaplain gate, feeling a little absent-minded for a while.

After a long while, his throat moved, and he lowered his face as if he wanted to cry, but he didn't cry, he just leaned against the door panel, slid down little by little, and finally sat on the ground.

He is a sinner of the Song family, his parents and Xiu Niang tried their best to rescue him, but he didn't even leave any descendants, and the Song family has no one since him.

Song Zhi covered her face with her hands, and sometimes he would think that Meng Huan could have other women, marry others, and have children with others, so why couldn't he? He should also find a woman to marry and have several children. As a child, Meng Huan would be mad at him to death.

But he couldn't do it. After being away from Da Da for so long, Song Zhi became sick with longing, and didn't even dare to think of Meng Huan during the day. Every time he touched this name, he felt that breathing hurt, and every moment of life was suffering, but he knew There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing to leave.

He couldn't be locked in that house by Meng Huan like a doll.

Song Zhi sat on the ground for a long time, until the sky was dark and the cool evening wind brought waves of cold, Song Zhi realized that she had been sitting by the door for a long time. He stood up from the ground while holding the door, and waited for the dizziness to pass. Only then slowly walked back to the house, lit the candle, and the dim light illuminated the cabin, Song Zhi turned her head and saw the dancing candle cast his figure on the wall, like a ghost.

The moonlight is bleak, there is not a single star tonight, the crabapple flowers on the head of the house have long since withered, and the dense branches and leaves are indistinguishable and rustling under the moonlight.

Song Zhi moved to the bed step by step, and picked up the goblet from the pillow. The white porcelain cup reflected the warm light of the candle, and the gold leaf reflected the cold light.

Song Zhi's fingers squeezed slightly until his knuckles turned white. He clenched his teeth tightly, wanting to smash the porcelain cup into pieces, but in the end he was reluctant to do so, and put it back lightly, and immediately punched it on the ground. On the bed, there was a muffled sound of "Boom!", and the index finger connected to the heart, and the pain pierced my heart.

What do you want him to do?Song Zhi thought.

He is no different from those Mongols. He is cruel, cold-blooded, unreasonable, and his hands are stained with the blood of innocent people. There are many beautiful concubines around him. He clearly promised to only have himself, but he still has children with others. He never asked His will, only his own desires...

What is there for such a person to think about?

Song Zhi kicked the chair away, but fell powerlessly on the bed, covered her face with the quilt, trembling her lips, thinking to herself: But he just wants... What can I do?

If longing can be controlled, can it still be called longing?

Song Zhi didn't eat that night, and she was dizzy and hungry when she woke up in the morning. He has been pampered in the Meng Mansion all these years, and he didn't need to do many trivial things in life, so after arriving in Pujiang, Song Zhi felt like a useless person, who didn't care about anything. can not do well.

He hastily ate breakfast, then went to the private school to teach.

Even though Meng Yuan hated the Han people and felt that reading was useless, the habits in the Jiangnan area were hard to change. There were mostly Han people here, and many people still believed in the theory that "everything is inferior, only reading is high", so boys need to be enlightened at a young age.

But this day when I walked on the road, I suddenly heard a series of calls for help, like a child's voice, the voice fluctuated up and down, intermittently.

Song Zhi heard the voice sound familiar, like a student he was teaching, and hurriedly ran to follow the sound, and found a child floating in a river crossing the street.

At this time, there were a few early-rising women standing by the river, their faces full of anxiety, but they didn't know how to swim, and the river water was extremely cold in the late autumn and early winter, ordinary people dare not go into the water at all.

Those women saw Song Zhi and greeted him: "Master Song, Master, here!"

Song Zhi ran over quickly, and saw that in the river, it turned out to be the black baby of the Li family whom he taught, who fell into the water for some reason, the farther and farther away from the shore it was, and the faster it sank.

In fact, Song Zhi didn't know how to get water, but he was anxious for a while, seeing the child drifting farther and farther, drinking a few big sips of water, and it would be too late if he didn't save him, and he didn't care too much, because he was an adult, tall, and the river wasn't too deep , threw the book in his hand aside, jumped forward, and jumped into the water.

As soon as he fell into the water, Song Zhi realized that he had been reckless. The river was so cold that he almost froze for a while, but his life was at stake. Song Zhi endured the cold and slogged through the water step by step, finally catching Hei Wazi. He didn't let go when he caught the straw, and almost took Song Zhi to the heart of the river.

He hurriedly adjusted his posture, hugged Hei Wazi from behind, and led him step by step to the bank of the river. Who would have thought that when he was approaching the bank, Song Zhi's feet suddenly had cramps, and the pain was so severe that he couldn't move for a while. Hei Wazi drank too much water and passed out at this moment.

In desperation, Song Zhi pushed the child to the bank, while she herself drifted into the river due to the opposite force.

When the child was close to the bank, several women jumped into the river, pulled him up, and hurried to find a doctor.

"Master! Master!" Someone called him loudly.

Song Zhi was already speechless, because he couldn't push and move, his hands fluttered, but was carried further away by the river water, and he choked on a lot of water, his mouth and nose were almost covered by the icy river water, biting his bones. The cold invaded his limbs and bones, he was cold and hurt, and he couldn't breathe because of choking on water.

"Quick! Save Master Song!"

It seemed that such a voice was vaguely heard.

Song Zhi closed her eyes in pain, the earthy smell of water covered her nose and eyes, her black hair was like beautiful algae, floating in the water, and the air bubbles exhaled from her mouth and nose floated upwards.

The gray and cloudy sky was getting farther and farther away, and he might sink to the bottom of the water.