At noon on Mid-Autumn Day, the sun was still scorching hot.

  Dou Zhao felt sweat breaking out on his back.

  She glanced at the still somewhat disordered courtyard and smiled: "Everyone go have lunch first, it's not too late to clean up in the afternoon."

  The Dous provide three meals.

  Several old women smiled and thanked them, led by Ganlu to the kitchen.

  Silk cloth was used to wipe Suo Zhaoyun's face and wash her hands.

  The water had a slightly cool taste, allowing Du Zhao to comfortably take a deep breath.

  After lunch and a short rest, she stood under the veranda looking out at the courtyard thinking about how to arrange things.

  "Behind him, Song Mo's voice suddenly came: 'What are you doing?'"

  Dòu Zhāo is not surprised at all.

  Since he could think of a way to move in, he naturally had a way to communicate with her.

  "I'd like to plant a few flowering trees in the courtyard," Dou Zhao said without even looking at him, still sizing up the courtyard. "That way, when winter comes, the courtyard won't be completely bare and desolate."

  Song Mo did not make a sound, but stood at the other end of the corridor, quietly gazing into the courtyard just like her.

  The wind blows through the ginkgo tree, and the golden leaves fall to the ground, making the approaching cold winter seem to have a hint of warmth.

  "My third uncle passed away..." He said abruptly, "He died in Tielingwei..." His voice was neither fast nor slow, as if he had carefully considered his words before speaking, and his tone was very serious. "My fifth uncle lived under the shadow of my eldest uncle for so many years, he knew every nook and cranny of the eight big alleys, but when it came to how many maids there were in the house, he wouldn't even ask!"

  Is it because of this that Jiang Meihuan handed over all the information networks of the Jiang family in Kyoto to Song Mo?

  "We didn't dare tell our grandmother." Song Mo's voice was as clear and crisp as usual, but at this moment it carried a hint of uncertainty, making one feel that his emotions were very low. "Father had me make an excuse to go pay respects to Third Uncle in Liaodong, take a trip to the northeast, and exchange greetings with the King of Liaodong, asking him to help take care of my Fifth Uncle and several cousins... But just a few days ago at the autumn hunt, I only managed to get second place. I lost to the Deputy Commander of the Golden Armor Guard... The Emperor scolded me severely and even threatened to send me to the Fengtai Barracks... A man's reputation is made by the age of fifteen. But the Emperor has never paid attention to these things before, so Mr. Yan was afraid that the Emperor would really issue an edict sending me to the Fengtai Barracks, and suggested that I stay at home and reflect on my actions, also to see how the Emperor would react."

  "I should be setting out for Liaodong in these two days..."

  Although Song Mo's tone was unclear, Duan Zhao had been the wife of a marquis for over a decade and was well-versed in the daily routines of noble families, so she immediately understood what he meant.

  Something has happened in the Jiang family. The Emperor still favors Song Mo like this; yet in his previous life, Song Mo was disgraced and left the capital with a bad reputation.

  As Mr. Yan said, at this time, it is better to stay at home and reflect on one's mistakes, going to Liaodong is not a good choice. What are the British and Chiang Kai-shek thinking?

  That's my younger brother, but this is my son.

  Dong Zhaoren couldn't help but look at Song Mo with a gentle and elegant expression.

  Song Mo stood blankly staring at the silver ginkgo tree in the courtyard, with an indescribable sadness and desolation on his face.

  Not bad, it's indeed melancholic and desolate.

  Just like in his previous life, he was squatting and talking to his daughter with a gentle expression.

  At that time, he was in a high position of power, surrounded by beautiful women and guarded like a forest.

  He still feels lonely.

  In this life, he was in his prime, with a noble appearance and an unyielding spirit, famous throughout Kyoto.

  He still feels lonely.

  The young man with a hint of childishness and the mature and steady man gradually merged into one person in Du Zhao's eyes.

  Or perhaps no one had ever truly understood him at all.

  No matter if it's a past life or this life, no matter if it's prosperity or decline, he has always been one person from start to finish!

  Dou Zhaosheng was secretly worried in his heart.

  She loudly called out "Song Mo" and said: "I planted a lot of chrysanthemums in the backyard, now is the flowering season, I plan to build a chrysanthemum mountain in the yard. Can you help me with it?"

  "What?" Song Mo was taken aback.

  He thought he had misheard.

  No one had ever ordered him around with such a straight face before.

  For some unknown reason, he felt a kind of straightforward intimacy.

  "I'm telling you, help me move the chrysanthemums from the backyard to a flower pot," Dou Zhao's voice was crisp and pleasant, making it hard for people not to listen. "Then move the flower pot to the front yard and set up a chrysanthemum mountain."

  She said it again slowly and clearly.

  ※※※※※

  A coarse ceramic flower pot in Song Mo's hands is not worth mentioning, but if it is filled with soil and planted with a tall camellia tree that is full of camellia flowers, it can't be moved easily without hurting its leaves.

  Song Mo couldn't help but say: "Didn't we say we were going to move the chrysanthemum? Why are we moving the azalea tree again?"

  "If simply placing chrysanthemums on a conical frame is called a chrysanthemum mountain, what makes Yang Jintai a master?" Duan Zhaotou covered her head with a blue cloth headscarf and squatted in the flower field to dig up chrysanthemums. She didn't even lift her head and said slowly.

  Song Mo was choked with anger.

  One of his guards was about to step forward, but was stopped by Chen He.

  He glared fiercely at the guard, signaling him not to make any trouble.

  Standing silently beside him, Su Xin's eyes watched his nose, and his nose watched his heart, as if he hadn't seen anything.

  It was the old woman who followed Du Zhao to work in the flower field, who felt heartache for Song Mo and said with a sigh: "Look at your delicate skin and know that you haven't done anything. Put it down quickly, we'll come and move it."

  "He's just a young man, can't he be better than you?" Duan Zhao raised his head to glance at Song Mo, then lowered it again to dig up chrysanthemums.

  Song Mo gritted his teeth and followed Du Zhao's orders to move the camellias, then the chrysanthemums, and set up a wooden frame. By the time the sun was setting in the west, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe.

  The fierce and unbridled energy in his heart suddenly dissipated.

  He stood there in a daze.

  Dòu Zhāo, is it because you know there's an unresolvable resentment in your heart, so you're using the excuse of building a chrysanthemum mountain to exhaust yourself and vent the anger in your heart?

  Song Mo lowered his eyelids.

  When he heard the news of his third uncle's death, it was as if there was a fierce beast in his heart, jumping up and down, almost tearing his heart and lungs apart, but he couldn't show any unusual expression.

  His mother was waiting for him to comfort her, his father was waiting for him to make a decision, his younger brother was waiting for him to guide him, and Mr. Yan was waiting for him to make a judgment...

  He had originally just wanted to run a lap around the moat, like he used to do before, and wait for the anger in his heart to dissipate. But by the time his horse was getting tired, he suddenly realized that he had somehow ended up on the official road to Zhēndìng without knowing it.

  Kyoto is already far away.

  Chen He asked him in a frightened tone: "Is the young master returning to Kyoto or staying at the next post station?"

  He also remembered how he replied: "Stay at the post station and return to Kyoto tomorrow."

  But on the next morning, he chose to continue southward with a very clear mind.

  Isn't it already determined in his heart: she is not only clever and trustworthy, but also has a tolerant and tenacious heart. No matter how outrageous his behavior is, no matter how shocking his words are, she will not be swayed by him, nor will she be intimidated by him, but instead will use her own way to understand and deal with it.

  Just as he stood in front of her at this moment, she didn't ask him why he came, where he came from, or where he was going. It's as if he were a white cloud floating in the sky, a stream flowing between mountains, coming when it should come and leaving when it should leave. There's no need to ask anything, and she believed he had his own reasons!

  Song Mo's court, Dou Zhaowang left.

  She is ordering those women to arrange flowers and grasses.

  The sunset on the horizon cast a layer of golden foil over her figure, with an ethereal glow.

  He only then discovered that she had a pair of perfect apricot eyes, just like the Persian cat his mother raised, with slightly upturned corners. When she opened her eyes wide, her slender eyelashes curled upwards, making her eyes exceptionally bright and clear, yet always carrying a hint of cold elegance.

  Song Mo's mood was unprecedentedly calm, peaceful and down-to-earth.

  There is someone who can speak freely and express themselves fully. How great!

  He raised his head and gazed at the clear blue sky, taking a deep breath.

  The Mid-Autumn air still carries a hint of warmth that lingers around the tip of one's nose, warming up people's hearts.

  ※※※※※

  It was still dark outside when Song Mo got out of bed.

  After a hard afternoon's work, he not only had a hearty appetite, but also ate two big bowls of noodles and fell asleep as soon as he lay down, sleeping soundly all night without even turning over once.

  Just like withered crops being nourished by the dew, he felt refreshed and his mood was more tranquil than ever before.

  He instructed Chen He: "Leave ten taels of silver behind, we will set off back to Kyoto."

  Chen He was taken aback and said: "You haven't even had breakfast yet!"

  "Let's buy some dry rations on the way!" Song Mo said calmly, "We can't wait any longer for the Liaodong side."

  Chen He respectfully replied "yes", instructed his personal guard, gave the gatekeeper's wife ten taels of silver, and the group quietly left the Tianzhuang.

  They left when Dou Zhao had already woken up.

  The quiet morning makes every little sound seem especially clear.

  She listened to the sound of them opening the door, the sound of them leading the horse, the sound of their hushed conversation with the servant girl, and the sound of the hoofbeats growing fainter and fainter... The surroundings gradually fell silent again.

  Du Zhaoyong covered his head with a quilt and hid himself in the darkness, starting to sleep.

  ※※※※※

  Grandma stayed at the Chui family's village for three days and brought back a cartload of things when she returned, including several handkerchiefs and scarves that Tuo Niang had embroidered for Du Zhao.

  Hong Guo said, "She said that in the past few years she has been busy taking care of her children and her hands have become rough. She doesn't dare to do anything else. If you think these handkerchiefs are useful, then use them; if not, give them away as a gift."

  Dong Zhao smiled and nodded.

  "Grandma asked her: 'Is there anything when I'm not around?'"

  "There's nothing much." Dou Zhao said calmly, "It's just that everyone is looking forward to a good harvest of winter wheat this year. We plan to worship the Land God at the City Temple on the day of Lidong and ask for his blessing for a smooth second half of the year."

  "Is that so?" Grandma said in confusion, "But Chen San's wife said a few days ago that there was a young man who looked like a New Year's painting staying at our house..."

  Dong Zhao calmly said: "There is indeed someone who came to stay, and also helped me with some work. As for what the person looks like, I really didn't notice."

  The grandmother no longer mentioned this matter, went to the fields to take a look, and stayed in the village for two more days before returning to the county town with Duan Zhao.

  ※

  Book-loving sisters and brothers, I participated in an activity, if you're interested, you can also take a look.

  This is the link:

  o(n_n)o~

  PS: Update: Let's see again tomorrow!

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