Ci Jinzhi

 He Qingxiao, do you regret it?

The girl's voice was soft and sweet, but every word she spoke hit He Qingxiao's heart hard.

He Qingxiao opened her eyes and looked at her quietly.

 He regretted it.

I regret that I was too impulsive today, but I couldn't give her the promise of staying with her for a lifetime.

 But today, I will die without regrets from now on.

Xin You didn’t wait for He Qingxiao’s answer after all. But she didn't blame him, nor did she regret being close to him today.

 “I’m back.” The autumn wind blew across Xin You’s face, blowing the hair that had fallen down around Xin You’s ears.

 Her cheeks were still red and her eyes were clear again.

"I send you."

Xin You shook his head: "No need, Qianfeng and Ping An will follow."

 He Qingxiao suddenly regretted it even more.

 “Hey Qingxiao, do you remember last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival?”

He Qingxiao nodded.

How could I not remember that they were together during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year?

He Qingxiao suddenly thought of the poem Xin You had read: It's a pity that in the clear moon, no one is leaning on the building together.

 Ayou also made mistakes sometimes, because there was no one leaning against the building with him. After experiencing these two unforgettable Mid-Autumn Festivals, if he can live long, he will not feel lonely every Mid-Autumn night in the future.

 Ayou will always be in his heart, leaning against the building and admiring the moon together with him.

 “Congratulations Qingxiao, let’s spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together next year.”

He Qingxiao was suddenly startled.

Xinyou turned around and left without waiting for him to nod.

Under the moonlight, the girl's back is lonely and cold, gradually entering the darkness.

He Qingxiao looked at it quietly for a long time, then picked up the lantern on the ground.

The lantern was extinguished and was covered in dirt and dust. He caressed it and returned to the Marquis' Mansion with the dimmed lantern.

Aunt Gui stood at the Moon Gate holding a lantern. She was relieved when she saw He Qingxiao: "Master Hou is back."

“Aunt Gui, why are you here?”

Aunt Gui glanced at the lantern held by He Qingxiao and said with a smile: "I couldn't sleep, so I was walking around and happened to meet the Marquis."

He Qingxiao walked a few steps inside in silence and looked sideways at Aunt Gui: "Is Aunt Gui waiting for me? Aunt Gui, don't worry, everything is fine with me."

“Master Hou, I have prepared some mooncakes. Do you want to try them?”

"good."

 The two of them went to the hall together.

Aunt Gui is a good cook, especially good at all kinds of snacks. The mooncakes are not made in fancy styles, they are simple round cakes.

“My slave has made a total of nine kinds of fillings. The Marquis has tasted them all to see which fillings he likes.” Aunt Gui cut a moon cake neatly and said auspicious words, “For a long time, we will be reunited.”

He Qingxiao heard this and tasted all the mooncakes with fillings. She smiled in Aunt Gui's expectant eyes and said, "They are all delicious. I prefer the ones with red fruit fillings."

With a smile on her face, Aunt Gui pointed to a mooncake with small red flowers printed on it and said, "The one with this pattern is filled with red fruit. Mr. Hou will eat this."

He Qingxiao ate all the mooncakes with red fruit filling. Aunt Gui looked very pleased.

The Queen Mother said that when people are sad, they will feel better if they eat something sweet.

The Marquis lost his official position and received a royal cane. I heard that Miss Xin saved him with Ruyi, which represented the emperor's promise. Based on her understanding of Mr. Hou, he must be feeling very guilty and uncomfortable.

 This child is good to everyone, but only hurts himself.

 “Aunt Gui.”

"Hey." "Tomorrow... tomorrow you can give Miss Xin some mooncakes, all nine kinds of fillings."

　　for a long time, reunited and reunited.

Aunt Gui pursed her lips and smiled: "I gave it to Miss Xin yesterday."

She was once the maid of the late Queen, and with this relationship, she was not afraid that others would associate their interactions with the Marquis, so she often made some food for Miss Xin.

“Aunt Gui, please give it to me again.”

Aunt Gui was stunned for a moment and hurriedly responded. The guess in her heart became more and more certain: Mr. Hou met Miss Xin tonight.

 Did the two of them make an appointment, or did they meet by chance?

I quietly looked at He Qingxiao's expression, but couldn't see anything.

The capital is so big, how could we meet by chance? It must have been an appointment.

Aunt Gui thought it was a pity: it would be great if Mr. Hou could send it to Miss Xin himself.

Of course she knew that whether it was Mr. Hou or Miss Xin, many people including the emperor were watching, and the current private interactions were inappropriate.

It would be great if the Marquis were a young master from an ordinary family.

Look at the veteran generals who fought with the emperor to conquer the world. They were all granted the title of marquis, prime minister, and promoted to nobility. The Marquis's father and the emperor were sworn brothers, but they fell out and split into two groups and became competitors.

 The king succeeded and the bandits were defeated, leaving the marquis alive. All the officials praised the emperor for his kindness. But she watched Mr. Hou grow up day after day, but she only felt that the child was pitiful.

“Does the Marquis have something for you to bring to Miss Xin?”

“No. Aunt Gui will just send you the mooncakes. I’m sorry to bother you.”

Aunt Gui looked at He Qingxiao's leaving figure and sighed softly.

The next day, the weather was clear and crisp, and the autumn colors were pleasant. When Xinyou went back to Xin's house, he saw Aunt Gui waiting in the living room.

“Aunt Gui is here, why didn’t anyone call me?”

"My slave has just arrived." Aunt Gui put down the box containing the mooncakes. "Master Hou went back last night and tasted the delicious mooncakes. He asked my slave to bring some to Miss Xin."

Xinyou is not thin-skinned, but she feels inexplicably shy in front of Aunt Gui. She lowers her eyes to hide her discomfort: "I have tasted the mooncakes that Aunt Gui gave me earlier, and they are indeed delicious."

 “What kind of stuffing does a girl like best?”

“Hongguo, I like red fruit stuffing.” Xinyou blurted out without thinking about it.

 Red fruits are both sour and sweet, just like her mood.

Aunt Gui smiled: "The Marquis also likes red fruit fillings the most."

"Really..." Xin You pursed her lips slightly and responded vaguely.

She knew what Aunt Gui meant, but what prevented her from being together with He Qingxiao was not that they didn't like each other enough, but the fate that each of them had to bear either passively or actively.

Aunt Gui sighed secretly and stood up to leave.

Xinyou looked at the mooncake box and was lost in thought for a while, then called Xiaolian: "Xiaolian, let's eat mooncakes together."

Two boxes of mooncakes, priced at nine yuan each. She picked out two mooncakes with red fruit fillings and ate them. They were sour and sweet, and sweet and sour. The Mid-Autumn Festival in the 21st year of Xingyuan was completely over.

 In September, the team that went to sea returned.

 The Sixth Master is getting older and stronger. The fatigue of the journey cannot hide the excitement in his eyes: "Girl, the villain is back!"

 “Sixth brother, you have worked hard all the way.”

“Girl, look, is this the sweet potato vine you want?”

Xin You looked at the vines that appeared in front of her across the ocean, her eyes slightly wet: "It should be."

She has only seen the sweet potato sketched by her mother. Compared with the Sixth Master, who has seen the vast overseas, it is just an idea on paper.

"Definitely. Hehe -" Mr. Liu grinned, his teeth even whiter, "I have seen sweet potatoes grown in the local area with my own eyes and ate a lot of them. Girl, you are right, these sweet potatoes are very sweet. It tastes so good…”

Xinyou listened attentively to the Sixth Master's talk about many overseas customs and customs. Not long after, someone in the palace announced that she had entered the palace.

 “Sixth brother, come with me.”