eurekapd Chapter 326: Small 8-Music Box
Chapter 326: Small 8-Music Box
"If anyone else wants to say something harsh, please come out and say it together, so as not to interrupt everyone's lunch."
Jiang Tunan yawned, seemingly not caring at all about Baili Hong's words.
"Ms. Jiang, although you have a problem with me, I still want to say, do you think it is appropriate to let Miss Su, a rich lady, farm?"
Li Ze looked like a gentleman, Jiang Tunan sneered,
"It's appropriate. How can it not be appropriate? When Su Xiaoxiao stands there and cries, there's no need to water the entire acre of land."
"Ha ha.."
There were laughters coming from all around, among which Baili Yanchu's laughter was the loudest. She had never liked Su Xiaoxiao's crying behavior. Baili Yanxi and Su Lanlan on the side looked at each other and smiled.
"You, you..."
Su Xiaoxiao seemed unable to bear it and ran away. Baili Hong first glared at Jiang Tunan and then chased after her.
"Miss Jiang, you can't be so unreasonable."
He Ran spoke hastily, and Xiao Mingxu replied,
"Who is being unreasonable? You guys are bullying my cousin alone."
"Ms. He, this is the last time I will explain this to you. Next time you ask such a question, I will ignore you."
Jiang Tunan's tone was serious, completely different from his previous joking manner.
"In terms of power, since the emperor has given me such power, I can use it. So whether it is arranging accommodation or other things, I am using my power within the scope allowed by the emperor. In terms of the public, three of the four branches have agreed to the military training, and only your Xinglan Academy is unwilling to give in for such a small matter. It is impossible for you to delay the time of the other three branches, right?"
"That's all I want to say. If you still don't understand, then I can't help it. It's lunch time now. I'm going to eat. Bye."
After Jiang Tunan threw the token in his hand to Meng Jingchen, he took Ye Ruzhen and Ji Lingyue away.
"Everyone, go away too."
Shangguan Ruoyi organized the people from Xiyun Court to leave. Huangfu Yue and Baili Yanxi were also organizing the people from their own branches to leave. Xiao Mingrui followed Jiang Tunan's pace. After Xiao Mingxu greeted everyone from Zhuyuan, he also ran towards Jiang Tunan.
Mrs. Tong, who had been hiding in the dark, excitedly pulled her daughter's clothes.
"This kid really likes the foreign minister (dialect, describing a person who is very pleasing to the eye)"
Mrs. Ji was so angry that she could hardly speak.
"My dear father, the emperor has just arrived. Is it really okay for us to stay hidden?"
"So what? If the emperor blames me, I will complain to my sisters."
Madam Ji was a little speechless, thinking to herself that the emperor can't do anything to you, but that doesn't mean he can't do anything to me. I've seen people who cheat their fathers and mothers, but I've never seen anyone who cheats their daughters.
"Eat, eat, I'm hungry."
Madam Ji accepted her fate and followed her mother. There was nothing she could do as she only had this one mother.
..........
"Miss Jiang."
Jiang Tunan was about to go to Xiao Mingrui's pavilion with the others to have dinner when she heard someone calling her from behind. When she turned around, she found it was Mu Wuhuan.
Thinking of Mu Wuhuan hiding in the corner bandaging his wound, Jiang Tunan subconsciously took a step back, and this action was quickly noticed by Xiao Mingrui. He quietly walked forward to the side of Jiang Tunan and spoke first,
"Master Mu, what is the matter?"
After Mu Wuhuan became the top scholar, he joined the Second Prince's faction. Now, on the surface, he has found an idle position in the Imperial College, but in fact he has been working for the Rongguo Mansion secretly.
"I have something I want to ask Miss Jiang. I wonder if Mr. Xiao Si would allow me to talk to Miss Jiang alone."
Xiao Mingrui did not rush to answer, but looked at Jiang Tunan first.
Jiang Tunan thought that with so many people here, Mu Wuhuan wouldn't do anything to him...
"Okay, then hurry up and tell me. I'm in a hurry to eat."
Jiang Tunan and Mu Wuhuan walked a few steps to the side under the gaze of Xiao Mingrui and others. After making sure that no one else could hear their conversation, Mu Wuhuan spoke sincerely.
"Thank you Miss Jiang for rescuing me last time."
Jiang Tunan asked with a questioning look on his face.
"When did it happen? Why don't I remember it?"
"Last time, in the Imperial College, in the grass."
Jiang Tunan seemed to have remembered it, but she remembered that she had only given a reminder and it didn't help much.
She didn't believe that Mu Wuhuan would thank her for such a small thing. It must be a trick, absolutely a trick.
Seeing Jiang Tunan's suspicious expression, Mu Wuhuan took out a box from his arms, his face still looking sincere.
"This is for you as a token of my gratitude."
"what is this?"
Jiang Tunan didn't answer it. She felt that Mu Wuhuan's behavior was a bit like a weasel paying a New Year's greeting to a chicken.
"It's just a small thing, bought occasionally, not worth much, but I thought Miss Jiang would like it."
As he spoke, Mu Wuhuan opened the box, and inside was a box that looked very exquisite.
Jiang Tunan:?
"No, big brother, where are you putting these dolls?"
"Miss Jiang, don't you recognize this thing?"
There seemed to be expectation in Mu Wuhuan's eyes, but Jiang Tunan felt puzzled.
"Isn't this just a box? Is there something else inside?"
"It's just a box..."
Mu Wuhuan's eyes flashed with disappointment, but he quickly returned to normal.
"At the beginning, the vendor said that there was something clever in this box, so I wanted to give it to you. Now it seems that I was deceived by the vendor."
Jiang Tunan expressed his understanding, saying that even if one passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer, one could still be defrauded by street vendors.
“This beautiful box...”
Before Jiang Tunan finished speaking, Mu Wuhuan put the box away.
"It seems that this box is not suitable as a gift. I will come to Miss Jiang next time when I find a better one."
Mu Wuhuan's expression was different from before. He was so cold and indifferent that he was difficult to approach.
"Then I will not disturb Miss Jiang's lunch. Goodbye."
Mu Wuhuan left in a hurry without any reluctance.
After seeing Mu Wuhuan leave, Xiao Mingrui and Xiao Mingxu stepped forward. Xiao Mingrui stared at Mu Wuhuan's back and said,
"What did he say?"
Jiang Tunan shook his head.
"It's inexplicable. Don't worry about him. Let's go eat."
Since Jiang Tunan said so, Xiao Mingrui couldn't hold on to it, so the matter was just passed over.
.........
Because the emperor issued an order, in order to let everyone prepare for military training in the suburbs, the Imperial Academy gave everyone a day off. After a day of classes, Jiang Tunan packed up his books and just wanted to go home and sleep.
But before everyone left, Meng Jiahe and his men swaggered into Shanyan Hall.
"There was a loud bang in the sky, and my young master made a brilliant appearance!"
The servant beside Meng Jiahe fanned himself vigorously, trying to create a cool atmosphere for Meng Jiahe. However, when Meng Jiahe raised his eyes, he saw Su Xiaoxiao sitting in front of him. He threw all his temperament out of the window and walked towards her immediately.
"Miss Su, last time I saw you on the street, you left a deep impression in my mind. I didn't expect to meet you again today. What a coincidence."
"Unfortunately, this is the Imperial College. It's only right that you meet her."
Zhang Shouze spoke sinisterly behind Meng Jiahe, with an unhappy expression on his face.
"Master."
Meng Jiahe pretended to salute, but his eyes were actually still on Su Xiaoxiao.
"Why did this person come back again?"
Shangguan Ruoyi sat next to Jiang Tunan and grumbled in dissatisfaction. Jiang Tunan immediately asked,
"What's wrong with him?"
When Shangguan Ruoyi was mentioned, it was as if a switch was turned on, and she started to pour out her grievances to Jiang Tunan.
"This Meng Jiahe is the son of the second son of Duke Rong. He is a dissolute and lustful person who often lingers among women. Many people in our Xiyun Court have been harassed by him, but due to his status, we dare not confront him."
Shangguan Ruoyi sighed.
"But the sisters in our Xiyun Courtyard at least have fathers and brothers who are officials in the court. The people in Yuhua Courtyard are not so lucky. I remember..."
Shangguan Ruoyi moved closer.
"Before, there was a sister in Yuhuayuan who couldn't stand being harassed by Meng Jiahe all the time, so she had no choice but to drop out of school. But Meng Jiahe kept chasing her home, and it seemed that something happened in the end. I don't know what it was, but I only know that after that, Meng Jiahe was sent out of Kyoto by Duke Rong."
Jiang Tunan frowned, feeling disgusted. No matter where you are, there are always these dregs of society. Before Jiang Tunan could say anything, Shangguan Ruoyi continued,
"It seems that Meng Jiahe has set his eyes on Miss Su Er again. However, Miss Su Er is backed by the Prime Minister's Mansion, so he probably won't dare to do anything rash."
Perhaps it is Su Xiaoxiao's halo as the heroine that makes it easy for the opposite sex to be attracted to her, but for the first time Jiang Tunan felt that Su Xiaoxiao was a little pitiful, because sometimes the object of attraction was not something she could decide, and some bad peach blossoms were really fatal.
"You knew you had to report to Imperial College today, yet you came so late. Today's classes are almost over!"
The afternoon class was not included in the previous courses. It was added temporarily because the International Conference was approaching, so a course was added to introduce the various countries participating in the International Conference.
Zhang Shouze previously worked in the Honglu Temple, so he was the most suitable person to teach this kind of course.
Looking at Zhang Shouze's graying beard, Meng Jiahe secretly showed a disdainful expression, but still spoke,
"My grandfather talked to me for a while today, so I'm late. If Master Zhang is dissatisfied, go talk to my grandfather and tell him not to talk to me next time."
Meng Jingchen was sitting not far away. When he heard Meng Jiahe's words, he sneered as if he had heard a joke.
Because today's afternoon class was related to the International Court Meeting, the three princes were also present. The second prince, Baili Hao, was sitting next to Meng Jingchen. He also heard what Meng Jiahe said.
"You are such a hard-to-describe brother."
A trace of anger flashed in Meng Jingchen's eyes.
"He is not worthy of being my brother. His father is just a lowly child who crawled out of a dancer's belly."
Meng Jingchen said this and glanced at Meng Jiahe again.
"If we don't talk about bloodline, this behavior is really not worthy of being on the stage."
Baili Hao smiled but said nothing. He knew Meng Jiahe's character. He relied on his family's power to do evil things. But he was a descendant of the Meng family after all, so Duke Rong could only turn a blind eye.
"It's not time to finish school yet, so I haven't missed it yet."
As he spoke, Meng Jiahe was about to sit down next to Su Xiaoxiao.
"Go away, this is the women's seat. Aren't you ashamed to sit here as a grown man?"
Zhang Shouze stepped forward to drive them away, and Su Xiaoxiao's expression looked a little better. She herself didn't know when she had attracted the attention of Meng Jiahe. During this period of time, someone always came to her house every now and then to give her things, saying that they were sent by the young master of the Meng family.
At first Su Xiaoxiao thought it was Meng Jingchen's half-brother Meng Jing'an, but she didn't expect it was the Meng family and this playboy. It was really unlucky.
"Go ahead, I was just joking."
Meng Jiahe walked towards Lanyuan with a look of disdain. Just as he was about to sit down, Meng Jingchen kicked the stool over.
"Look carefully, this is Lanyuan."
Meng Jiahe was about to lose his temper, but when he looked up and met Meng Jingchen's sinister eyes, he immediately ran away like a quail.
"Okay, Brother Jingchen."
.......
In a room of the Imperial Academy, Mu Wuhuan sat in front of the tea table in a daze. In front of him was the box that he was just about to give to Jiang Tunan.
This box was not purchased from some vendor, but he made it himself, from memory.
He once had a similar box, but he accidentally lost it. He never made a new one later. It was as if his childhood memories disappeared in the dust of time along with the box.
But because of Xing'er's words, he was reminded of that corner of memory again.
He held a pendant in his hand. The pattern on it was exactly the same as the pendants of Wen Yinzhi and Jiang Tunan, except that it was carved with a cute little Qilin.
I don’t know how long it was before a deep sigh was heard from the young man in the room. He set his eyes on the box, but Jiang Tunan did not recognize the box. Jiang Tunan was not the person he was looking for.
He turned the mechanism at the bottom of the box as if possessed by a ghost, and a clear musical sound came out of the box. Although the sound was a little stuttering, one could still vaguely hear the tune.
"Look at the stars, look at the moon, look at my heart..."
The boy couldn't help but sing along. He didn't expect that after so many years, he still remembered the tune so clearly. The music from the music box repeated again and again, making him feel as if he was back in that winter.
The cute little sister's red face was blooming with a smile.
"If you don't eat barbecue in winter, your life is meaningless."
The calm elder brother will divide the roasted meat equally into everyone's bowl, and the friends who grew up together will accompany him with a smile.
"Then Hu Liang wishes Miss Xueer to eat delicious roasted meat every winter."
"Second brother, you must learn Yanshu from Uncle Guimu and build me a barbecue grill when the time comes."
"You little bitch, I'm a magician, not a blacksmith!"
"Oh, that's about the same."
"What about me? What position will Xue'er assign me?"
"Brother, just follow grandfather and become a general. You will be super cool then!"
"Why do you let my elder brother be a general while I am the blacksmith? Xue'er, you are biased!"
"Big brother, help me! Second brother is bullying me again!"
"Ms. Xue'er, be careful and don't fall!"
"Hey, Xing'er, remember to put away my skewers first, don't let my second brother steal them."
"..."
Memories came one after another, and the sudden stop of the music brought Mu Wuhuan back to reality.
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Mu Wuhuan turned the switch at the bottom of the box again as if he was addicted. The familiar tune sounded again, and the memory reappeared before his eyes.
[I see the future in the light. One day, one year, I will finally be by your side...]
[Please ask the stars and the moon to listen to my wishes. I hope love will fill the world and happiness will never change. I hope dreams will come true and persistence will never change.]
[Second brother, please stop crying. It's so embarrassing. Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a place called Green Grassland. There lived a group of lambs...]