At dusk, the evening color hung low, people were quiet, not yet asleep.
The humidity and smell of soybeans in the tofu shop made Lu Gaosheng, who hadn't smelled this kind of smell for many years, gradually frown. Every time he came here, the only thing that displeased him was this smell.
The woman in white, or 'Bai Fang' as Lu Gaosheng knew her, was coldly staring at Lu Gaosheng.
Silent, their eyes were cold.
Lu Gaosheng turned his head away, avoiding Bai Fang's gaze.
But Bai Fang kept staring at Lu Gaosheng's handsome face, with no more admiration in her eyes from past years.
Lu Gaosheng put the gift box in his hand on the table, and slowly said, "You've been weak since you were young, with severe lung disease. I spent a lot of effort and even borrowed JinWan Pavilion's help to get this ginseng. If you don't mind..."
"I do mind." Bai Fang's voice was as cold as ice and snow.
Lu Gaosheng, who had turned his back to put down the gift box, couldn't help but frown slightly.
But when he turned back, Lu Gaosheng's expression quickly returned to normal. He said, "I know, it's been hard on you these years, but after I become prefect, and a prominent official, I won't have to be so obedient to Prime Minister Song Yan in court anymore. As for the jianghu, I'm also training my own..."
"What does that have to do with me?" Bai Fang was still cold.
Lu Gaosheng frowned and said, "Can't you understand? What I mean is, that old fox Song Yan, sooner or later, whether in the court or jianghu, I will definitely overthrow him! By then, the promise I made to you back then..."
But Bai Fang still looked at Lu Gaosheng coldly.
Facing Bai Fang’s coldness, Lu Gaosheng couldn't find the words to say.
Bai Fang said angrily, "By then? What happens by then? Do you mean by then, I should be grateful that in Great Wu Nation, there is no Left Prime Minister Song Yan, but there is a Lu Gaosheng who is a hundred times more ruthless and greedy than him!?"
Lu Gaosheng secretly clenched his fists...
Bai Fang pointed to the door and said, "Just last night, the old man next door who sold wine committed suicide, just because his only son died in Black Dragon Hall! Dare you say you had nothing to do with the chaotic events in the city recently?"
Lu Gaosheng sneered, "What? Are you saying Black Dragon Hall were good people? Even if they were eliminated by my scheme, so what? As for some old wine seller dying, what about it? I won't care even if a hundred more die. "
Bai Fang couldn't hold back anymore and roared, "Then what about the people of Green Sword Sect!? Over the years in Tian Ge Prefecture, whenever there was turmoil and disaster, which time did the chivalrous people of Green Sword Sect not help? You killed even them, you even personally..."
Thinking of that decapitation scene, Bai Fang felt a chill of horror just mentioning it.
Hearing Bai Fang's words, Lu Gaosheng instantly thought of it, and figured Bai Fang must have been there at the time too. But facing Bai Fang's angry shout, Lu Gaosheng was still cold: "Green Sword Sect was blocking my path, so they had to die!"
Bai Fang looked at the face as handsome as before, but extremely cold, and could no longer restrain herself, yelling, "Then what about Lu Qingming!?"
At this moment, the three characters Lu Qingming made Lu Gaosheng clench his fists.
The white jade cloud patterned thumb ring on his right hand also seemed to tighten at this moment, making Lu Gaosheng feel uncomfortable.
Lu Gaosheng was silent.
Bai Fang shed tears.
Because Lu Gaosheng had said with his own mouth that ten years ago, the man named Lu Qingming had died.
After a long silence, Lu Gaosheng picked up the century-old ginseng gift box on the table and handed it to Bai Fang, gently saying, "No matter what, take this thing. For you..."
He couldn't say the word 'good', because Bai Fang snatched the gift box and directly threw it far away.
There was a loud thud outside the door as it landed.
Lu Gaosheng could no longer restrain his anger: "What exactly do you want to do!"
Bai Fang faced the prefect with no fear at all, and said, "I know you don't want to see me. Give the thumb ring back to me, and I can leave immediately with Little Jade."
Mentioning that white cloud patterned thumb ring, for the first time the man who seemed to have everything under control showed a furious, out-of-control expression on his face.
"You're not getting this thumb ring back! Six years ago I said, if you want to take it back, there's only one way!" Lu Gaosheng yelled.
...
In the backyard between the red plum flowers, cute little Bai Xiaoyu licked the candied haws in her left hand for a while, then the ones in her right hand for a while, eating with great delight.
As for Wang Xiaoer, although he was a genius like Zhang San, Wang Xiaoer's biggest shortcoming compared to Zhang San was that he wanted to get married, and had already found a target.
Moreover, Wang Xiaoer's second biggest shortcoming was that Wang Xiaoer was an absolute 'busybody'.
So Wang Xiaoer was chatting with Little Bai Jade about that man in black.
Because he had secretly glanced back earlier, Wang Xiaoer felt that the man in black seemed familiar, but Wang Xiaoer wasn't sure where he had seen him before.
After all, although he and Zhang San had seen Lu Gaosheng beheading someone on the execution stand from the alley at the time, the difference was that the alley was far from the execution stand. Even standing on the cart, Wang Xiaoer didn't have Zhang San's height, so his eyesight was inferior to Zhang San's. Therefore, he could only see the silhouette of Lu Gaosheng's figure, while his face was very blurred.
Wang Xiaoer asked, "Little Jade, who is that man? He seemed to make your mother very nervous as soon as he arrived."
Little Bai Jade shrugged and said, "I'm not sure either. He used to come often before, but has come less recently. I reckon... he should be here to pursue my mother."
Wang Xiaoer exclaimed, "Pursue? You even understand this?"
Little Bai Jade said proudly, "Of course, I'm already ten years old, and older than you. If you don't understand, I do understand! Uncle Li next door, Big Brother Han from North City, and a young master surnamed Ming, they all like my mother. But my mother dislikes them all. However... she seems to dislike that man who just left the most. Every time he comes, my mother asks me to hide."
Wang Xiaoer scratched the back of his head and thought to himself: You can't have figured out my intentions too, right?
Wang Xiaoer cautiously asked, "Little Jade, by the way, where is your father? Not at home?"
Little Bai Jade shook her head, her tone downcast: "I don't know, I've never seen him before."
Wang Xiaoer was a little surprised, but seeing Little Bai Jade's dim expression, Wang Xiaoer held back his curiosity this time and didn't continue asking.
At the same time, the sound of Bai Fang and Lu Gaosheng's fierce argument could be heard from inside the house, attracting their attention.
"Mother!?" A look of panic appeared on Little Bai Jade's face.
Wang Xiaoer immediately ran back into the tofu shop, with Little Bai Jade following closely behind.
Inside the house, the hideousness on Lu Gaosheng's face had swallowed his original handsome features. He glared fiercely at Bai Fang, fists tightly clenched!
But Bai Fang didn't back down at all.
The two just looked at each other in contempt.
Until Little Bai Jade appeared in Lu Gaosheng's line of sight.
That innocent face, full of panic and tension.
The anger on Lu Gaosheng's face gradually disappeared. After glancing at Bai Fang, he let out a cold snort and strode away.
Little Bai Jade with candied haws in both hands walked over to her mother's side.
Bai Fang didn't say anything, she just hugged her daughter.