Chapter 173 Madam’s Secret
Shi Baiqian and Mu Helin looked happy and hurriedly shouted to their respective gang members behind them:
"Quick, everyone come over and say thank you. Young Hero of the East!"
The gang members from Yilong Hall and Feihu Village did not dare to hesitate, and jumped off their horses one after another and approached their leader.
Shi Baiqian both knelt down, clasped their fists at Dongfang Ying and said:
"Shi Baiqian leads the disciples of Yilong Hall to thank Dongfang Young Hero for his kindness and righteousness, and is willing to use Dongfang Ying in the future. The young hero is looking forward to it!"
"Mu Helin leads the disciples of Feihu Village to thank Young Hero Dongfang for his great kindness. From now on, our brothers in Feihu Village will obey the young hero's orders!"
Their respective subordinates also knelt down and shouted, "Thank you, Young Hero Dongfang!"
When Dongfang Ying saw the two village leaders and the hundreds of gang members, they all knelt down. All over the place, I couldn't help but feel proud in my heart, feeling like I was looking down on the heroes and smiling proudly.
She thought that since she wanted to establish her power and conquer these people, she didn’t need to be too kind to them, so she waved her hand and said:
“Okay, no need to be polite, everyone get up. "I'll leave now, see you later!"
He turned his horse's head and rode away on his own.
Shi Baiqian and Mu Helin shouted respectfully:
"Best farewell to Young Hero Dongfang..."
They waited until Dongfang Yingyuan left before they stood up. , each picked up the injured brothers and returned to their own villages.
Dongfang Ying was so proud of the spring breeze that her horse galloped and caught up with Mingchuan Rongmei and Lan Zhixin's group in less than a cup of tea.
After briefly talking to the two girls about the surrender of Yilongtang and Feihu Village, Mingchuan Rongmei couldn’t help praising her for being brave and resourceful, and frightening the bandits without a single blow. From now on, she will be known as the White Horse and the Red Scarf. The head is noisier!
Lan Zhixin also felt that her method of combining kindness and power to win people's hearts was very clever, and it was more effective than simply defeating or killing them. In the future, whenever the name White Horse Red Scarf is mentioned, these might The bandits still treated each other with courtesy.
However, she still asked Dongfang Ying if she could meet the conditions for agreeing to two cottages? Do you need her help?
Dongfang Ying guessed that Lan Zhixin felt that she could not afford 20,000 taels of silver, so she wanted to help. She couldn't help but feel grateful in her heart, and smiled and said:
"Thank you very much, Sister Lan, for your kindness. No. To tell you the truth, since I dare to say such big words, I am naturally capable of doing it, and my little sister doesn’t care about this little money.”
Lan Zhixin also said with a smile:
"Okay, even if you have money, the firearms and ammunition are prohibited items and cannot be purchased casually. Do you have the means?"
Dongfang Ying just now Understanding what she meant, he asked:
"So, Sister Lan, do you have connections?"
Lan ZhiXin smiled faintly and said:
"If sister is interested, after we settle down in the evening, you can come and sit in my sister's room and we will talk."
Dongfang Ying nodded, After all, this kind of thing is against the law. There are two carriage drivers, Kuang Zhiyuan and Mingchuan Rongmei in front and behind at this moment, so she will not say it clearly.
After almost an hour of silence, we finally entered Longquan County around Xushi.
After arranging accommodation and having dinner, Dongfang Ying asked Mingchuan Rongmei to take Zhanlu Sword to find a famous sword workshop in the city, match it with a suitable scabbard, and buy it.
After Mingchuan Rongmei left, Dongfang Ying went to Lan Zhi's heart and listened to her tips on buying foreign guns, weapons and ammunition.
The guest rooms Lan Zhixin stayed in were all in the upper rooms. They were not only clean and spacious, but also fully equipped, with thick door walls and good sound insulation.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Lan Zhixin wearing a light red coat leaning on the small couch, staring at a small box in her hand with a smile. The skirt was half open, revealing the black silk and gold inside. The silk tube top looks elegant and noble.
She lightly swept her eyebrows, lightly tapped her red lips, and let her soft hair flow. There was a mature and charming charm flowing in her laziness.
If she hadn't heard from Gan Taoxian that Lan Zhixin already had a nine-year-old daughter, ten years older than her, Dongfang Ying would have thought that she was at most two or three years older than Gan Taoxian.
When Lan Zhixin saw Dongfang Ying, she smiled and waved:
"Sister Ying'er, you are here, come and sit down."
Dongfang Ying After nodding and saying yes, the maid Caiwei came over and said hello:
"Miss Dongfang."
Then she closed the door smartly.
Dongfang Ying approached the small couch in Nuange, sat down on the small stool in front of Lan Zhixin, smiled and said:
"Sister Lan, you are so beautiful as a fairy, if I were As a man, I would definitely be jealous of General Liao."
Lan Zhixin sat upright and said angrily:
"Sister Ying'er, how dare you make fun of me! They are all old women in their thirties, and their beauty is gone. How can they be as beautiful as you are in their prime?
Dongfang Ying said quickly:
"I am really beautiful." I can’t tell that my sister is as miserable as you said. In my opinion, my sister is in her prime. Compared with you, we are all like grass under the peonies. ”
Lan Zhixin chuckled and said sweetly:
"I never thought that you, a majestic white horse with a red scarf, dominate the world, but you also have times when you flatter the horse."
"Facts Speaks louder than words, look, my daughter is so old, how can I still stay young?"
Then she handed the small round box in her hand to Dongfang Ying.
Dongfang Ying took it and took a look. This small box was only a little over an inch in size. The material seemed to be brass, or the surface was gilded and plated. It was light and beautiful.
What caught Dongfang Ying’s eye the most was the small photo embedded inside the separate circular cover. In the photo was a cute little girl, about seven years old, wearing a white skirt. Looks like eight years old.
Dongfang Ying saw this kind of photo from her adoptive father-in-law, Governor Ma of Guangzhou Prefecture, and said it was taken with a "camera" and was almost exactly the same as the real person.
Dongfang Ying saw that the little girl in the photo was somewhat similar to Lan Zhixin, so she asked:
"Sister Lan, this is your daughter, with you So beautiful and generous. What's her name? Where is she now?"
Lan Zhixin smiled with tenderness in her eyes:
"Yes, she is my baby daughter. Her name is Liao Shiyuan, and her nickname is Yuanyuan."
"She is now at Zhihui's eldest brother's house in Guangzhou Prefecture, and is with her cousin."
"When I see her next time, I don’t know how much taller she will be? I don’t know if she slept well these days? Do I miss my mother..."
said As she spoke, Lan Zhixin's eyes were slightly moist. In fact, it wasn't the daughter who missed her mother, but the mother who missed her daughter.
Dongfang Ying felt the longing between mother and daughter, and her nose felt sore.
Thinking that I have no father or mother, and was adopted and raised by Master as soon as I was born. If my biological parents were still alive, somewhere in the world, would I also be thinking about myself at this time?
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My biological parents have never met, and I have no way of remembering them. I don’t know what this kind of family affection feels like, and I may never feel it again in this life!
Lan Zhixin quickly came out of her melancholy mood. Looking at Dongfang Ying's expression, she quickly smiled and said:
"I'm sorry, it's my sister's fault that makes her miss me too." Parents... Let’s get back to business and talk about the issues mentioned before!”
Then he waved to another maid, Caisu, to guard the door. Caisu knew they were going to talk about business and hid wisely. It's open.
Dongfang Ying has always been big-hearted, and she instantly got rid of the faint melancholy, nodded and said:
"Okay, Sister Lan seems to say that you can do something about this matter. Are you helping me? You might as well ask your sister to speak up. I sincerely want to teach you."
She was about to return the small box to Lan Zhixin, but she found that the small box in her palm turned slightly. Vibration, and a strange slow and rhythmic sound of "ta... da... da" can be heard in the ears.
Dongfang Ying was greatly surprised, and continued to look at the small box in her hand. She saw that the bottom part of the box was convex, with a transparent shell covering it. Inside were three sticks of different thicknesses and lengths. Small stick, put in the center of the circleIn the middle;
There is a piece of white paper at the bottom. The circle around the paper is divided into twelve scales, and each scale is subdivided into five small scales;
Three The thinnest stick among them is circling from top to bottom, and every time it moves, a soft "click" sound will be heard.
Dongfang Ying asked Lan Zhixin with surprise on her face:
"Hey Sister Lan, what kind of mechanism is this little box of yours? It looks very delicate. Could it be that Xiao Yuanyuan?" Are you afraid that your photos will be stolen? Do you need to install an anti-theft device inside?"
Lan Zhixin covered her mouth and chuckled:
"Silly sister, this is not a trap... Or it can be said that it is a foreign device, but it is not used to prevent theft, but to calculate time."
"Have you seen foreign clocks? Generally, they are very big. It can be placed at home, and this kind of small clock is very elegant and light, and can be carried on the body to tell the time anytime and anywhere."
"So this gadget is called a pocket watch, and I use it to tell the time. "
Dongfang Ying suddenly realized that it seemed that she was ignorant. Foreign things were novel. She should learn more in the future to avoid making jokes.
She fiddled with the small pocket watch and asked:
"How do you tell the time? Although there are twelve scales, the marks are not twelve hours. Ah, is it the writing of foreigners?"
Lan Zhixin explained:
"This is not the twelve hours in China, but the numbers from one to twelve in foreign writing. Numbers, the highest number is twelve, and then counting from the right, going around in a circle and returning to the starting point."
"The thinnest and longest hand is called the second hand, and every time it beats, it is one. Seconds, one revolution is one minute, and the middle minute hand will move one mark at the same time."
"When the minute hand rotates once, it will be sixty minutes, which is equivalent to one hour. When we tell half an hour, the shortest and thickest hand is called the hour hand, and it also moves a number."
Dongfang Ying found it very interesting. She was a very smart girl. Lan Zhixin explained this and understood immediately. She stared at the indications on the three needles on the pocket watch and said:
"Then I understand. The time displayed now is eight hours and twenty-two minutes." Thirty-five seconds, right?"
Lan Zhixin smiled happily:
"Sister Ying'er is really smart. No wonder your name is named 'Ying'. It’s really worthy of the name.”
“But there are some other names I have to tell you, because foreign clocks only have twelve digits, but in fact there are twenty-four hours in a day. ”
“So the hour hand must move twice to count as a day, and the names of time must be divided into different time periods to avoid confusion. ”
"For example, when the hour hand makes its first turn from one to six, it is called early morning, which is from midnight to dawn, like one o'clock in the morning and five o'clock in the morning."
"From seven to dawn Eleven is called morning, like eight o'clock in the morning, eleven o'clock in the morning; and so on, there are noon, afternoon, and night."
Dongfang Ying nodded and said:
" That's right, otherwise there are two o'clock at seven o'clock, eight o'clock, and nine o'clock every day... so it should be called eight o'clock at night, right?"
Lan Zhi? Xin smiled and said:
"Yes, in fact, for the sake of smoothness and convenience, the hour can also be called a point, and Cantonese people call it a clock."
Dongfang Ying praised:
"With this pocket watch, I don't have to worry about the sun and the moon in the mountains. It's cold and I don't know the year. Foreigners' gadgets are quite convenient. My little sister has really learned a lot."
"No. Do you know where I can buy this kind of pocket watch? I’m going to buy a few for my sisters to use.”
Lan Zhixin giggled and said:
“No, sister. Don't worry about this, it's just a small pocket watch. When I get to my house in Songjiang Prefecture, I will go to the foreign concession in Shanghai County to buy a dozen for you and give them to you."
Dongfang Ying shook her head and said:
"This thing is definitely expensive. How can I let Sister Lan spend the money? I appreciate it if you buy it for me, but the cost must be paid to you."
Lan Zhi Xin could only sigh:
"Well, my sister and I are so clearly separated, I can only follow you."
"Actually, a pocket watch is a trivial matter. Guns and ammunition are the top priority."
"Do you know why I have to travel all the way from Guangzhou to transport a bunch of goods northward?"
Dongfang Ying actually had it early. I had some doubts, but I always felt that this was Lan Zhixin's private secret. Maybe it was a birthday gift she bought for her father, maybe it was valuable goods from her family's Lanjiang company, and she had no right to interfere.
Listening to Lan Zhixin's words at this moment, it seemed that there was something hidden, so she said:
"My little sister did not delve into this matter. I only need to fulfill my obligations to General Liao." Promise, escort my sister home and you will be considered successful."
"Since my sister asked me to listen to your teachings, I might as well listen."
Lan Zhixin. He took the pocket watch from her hand, closed the cover, put it close to his body, and cursed with a smile:
"That little mouth of yours is so powerful, it is even better than your martial arts." < /p>
"We have experienced all kinds of hardships, separations and reunions along the way. I have long regarded you as my closest friend and a sister who depends on me in life and death, so there is no need to hide it from you."
"I will now let you see what is in these boxes of mine."
She said to Caiwei standing inside the door:
p>
"Give me the keys."
Caiwei hurriedly took out a bunch of keys from her bag, walked over and handed them to Lan Zhixin, and then stepped back.
Dongfang Ying murmured secretly in her heart. She couldn't guess what kind of medicine was sold in Lan Zhixin's gourd, so she watched silently.
Lan Zhixin took the key, stood up and went to the bedside, lifting a sheet. There were five boxes of various sizes stacked together. Dongfang Ying remembered that every time she checked in, Lan Zhixin would As soon as possible, someone took the box to his room and took care of it personally.
Lan Zhixin opened the locks on the box one by one, letting Dongfang Ying open the lid and watch by herself.