met free Chapter 1260 Returning Home
Chapter 1260 Returning Home
Chapter 1260 Returning Home
A biting wind, swirling with fine snow, howled and wailed outside the tightly closed gates of the Bai family's courtyard. Inside the main room, the dim yellow light of an oil lamp cast flickering shadows on the walls.
After taking a bath, Xiancao urged Qin Hao to go back to his room to rest, and Bai Jiaxuan also stopped his mother, Bai Zhaoshi, who wanted to continue nagging.
Qin Hao didn't stand on ceremony. After saying goodnight, he went back to his room with Leng Qiuyue.
Once the door was closed, the sounds of wind and snow outside were shut out.
The oil lamp flickered, its warm light illuminating Leng Qiuyue's beautiful face.
She gazed at her husband, her eyes filled with the relief of surviving a close call, but also with barely suppressed worry and lingering fear. The composure she had maintained in front of others finally crumbled, and her eyes reddened slightly.
Qin Hao reached out and took her slightly cool hand in his palm. The coolness seeped through her skin, but it aroused an even deeper desire like an electric current.
“Autumn Moon…” he called softly.
Leng Qiuyue didn't say anything, but simply raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, and suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist tightly.
Her body trembled slightly from lingering fear, and her breath was punctuated by suppressed sobs. This silent reliance spoke volumes about her worry and longing, more than any words could express.
Qin Hao hugged her tightly, his chin resting gently on the top of her soft hair, inhaling the familiar, comforting fragrance. His hand gently stroked her slender back.
"It's alright. You know what I'm capable of. Those small fry can't even touch the hem of my clothes."
Leng Qiuyue raised her head and bravely met her husband's gaze. After a long separation and such a harrowing experience, the reserved shyness that usually lingered in her eyes had been replaced by a burning, resolute determination born of loss and regain.
The red candles cast a warm glow, and shadows intertwined in tender embrace.
Leng Qiuyue responded proactively, more enthusiastically and boldly than ever before.
Her fingers dug deep into Qin Hao's broad back. Each touch of their skin was filled with the lingering fear of confirming his safety, and also with endless longing.
When extreme exhaustion collides with intense love, all the noise about national affairs and the pursuit seems to be blocked by the howling wind and snow outside the window, leaving only the two people's burning body temperature, rapid heartbeats, and the low breaths and soft moans that escape from their throats when they are lost in passion.
……
The window paper gradually revealed a hazy gray light from its deep ink blue, indicating that dawn was approaching.
Qin Hao was awake. His keen hearing picked up on the sounds in the courtyard. He heard Aunt Xiancao tiptoeing to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Leng Qiuyue, nestled in his arm, was fast asleep. Traces of yesterday's tears still lingered at the corners of her eyes, but now her brows were relaxed, radiating the tranquility of a night of passion.
Qin Hao carefully pulled his arm out, got up and put on his clothes.
He moved gently, afraid of waking his sleeping wife. After dressing, he returned to the bedside, gazed at Leng Qiuyue's sleeping face, leaned down, and placed a soft and solemn kiss on her smooth forehead. The sleeping woman seemed to sense it, unconsciously nuzzling against the pillow, a reassuring smile curving her lips.
He didn't linger. Carrying a small bundle containing the change of clothes that Leng Qiuyue had packed the night before, he slipped out the back door silently, like a ghost in the dark.
The biting cold of a winter's early morning was piercing, instantly penetrating even a thin cotton-padded coat. The sky remained leaden gray, with thick clouds hanging low, obscuring both stars and moon.
Instead of taking the main road leading out of the village, Qin Hao chose a familiar yet secluded path behind the village. This path meandered between the ridges and slopes of the fields, rarely used, with only a few scattered footprints of wild rabbits and weasels on it.
The small courtyard, enclosed by blue tiles and white walls, stands isolated in a desolate field. At this moment, white smoke is rising from the chimney at the top of the kitchen, as Aunt Bai Zhu is already busy steaming buns and preparing breakfast.
The wisp of smoke rose straight up in the chilly air, the only warm sign of life in this cold morning.
After confirming that no one was around, Qin Hao quickly walked to the gate, raised his hand, and gently knocked on the door knocker.
Knock...knock...knock...
Three soft sounds rang out clearly in the quiet morning. A moment later, a series of light footsteps echoed in the courtyard.
"Who?"
Her deliberately lowered voice carried a hint of wariness.
"Aunt, it's me."
With a creak, the courtyard gate slowly opened.
Aunt's surprise widened instantly: "Hao'er? Didn't your father say you went to the capital? When did you come back? Come in quickly, you must be freezing!" As she spoke, she hurriedly opened the door wider and reached out to pull Qin Hao inside.
Just then, Mr. Zhu's calm yet slightly puzzled voice came from inside the main room: "Who is it?...So early?"
A smile appeared on Qin Hao's face. He deliberately raised his voice a little, responding with a touch of junior's intimacy and casualness: "Uncle, it's me! I've come back for a hot meal!"
As she spoke, she obediently followed Bai Zhu into the courtyard and gently closed the gate behind her.
Looking at her nephew, whose eyes betrayed his weariness, Bai Zhushi urged him with heartache, "Come inside quickly! It's cold outside!"
After saying that, he led Qin Hao towards the main room.
The curtain to the main room was lifted, and Mr. Zhu, wearing a slightly worn cotton robe, came out and stood at the door. This uncle, hailed as a master of Neo-Confucianism, had the usual refined and scholarly air about him on his lean face.
Bai Zhu hurried into the main room and skillfully tended the charcoal fire in the large brass brazier. The leaping flames dispelled the chill in the room, crackling softly. She poured each of them a cup of piping hot tea.
"You talk to Hao'er, the steamed buns will be ready soon." After saying that, she turned around and went back to the kitchen, leaving them alone.
The room warmed up, filled with the aroma of tea.
"Good job, lad!" Mr. Zhu gave a thumbs-up, not holding back his praise: "Well done this time!"
Qin Hao teased, "Uncle, you really are a scholar who knows everything without stepping out of his door! I just slipped back to the plains, and you already know everything I did in Beijing?"
Mr. Zhu stroked his neatly trimmed short beard, feigning annoyance as he chuckled and scolded, “Hmph! Although I’ve closed my doors to visitors and spend half the day sitting and half sleeping, I still have friends and students all over the world! Ever since you started making a name for yourself in the capital, my academy’s threshold has been worn down by visitors! The postman makes eight trips a day, and the letters on my desk never stop flowing! It’s hard to say whether paper will become expensive in Luoyang, but the paper on my desk is really piling up like a mountain!”
As he spoke, the smile in his eyes deepened.
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao burst into laughter: "Haha, so it seems I've disturbed your peaceful retreat, Uncle?"
"It's alright, it's alright!" Mr. Zhu waved his hand, his smile warm. "I'm quite pleased to have a junior like you bother me!"
The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly. In their laughter was the warmth between family members, the heartfelt praise of an elder for the outstanding achievements of a younger generation, and even more so, a spiritual resonance and understanding.
Mr. Zhu picked up the hot tea and took a small sip. The wisps of steam blurred his expression for a moment.
When he put down his teacup, a complex sigh appeared in his eyes.
"Hao'er," he spoke slowly, his voice deep and powerful, "I had thought before that with your talent and intelligence, you were destined for greatness, and one day you would stand out and become famous throughout the world..."
"But... I never expected it to be like this! You have truly paved the way for all people to learn to read and write!"
He paused, his words carrying a weighty weight, his gaze refocusing on Qin Hao's face: "Excellent! Excellent! Written language is the foundation of education and the essence of civilization. Your work on simplifying Chinese characters and creating pinyin has precisely hit the nail on the head regarding 'education,' the most crucial element for a prosperous and powerful nation! A contribution to the present, a benefit for future generations! Such a magnificent achievement..."
"On this basis alone, I am inferior to you."
Qin Hao was somewhat embarrassed, and a rare hint of embarrassment appeared on his face as he laughed and said, "Uncle, aren't you being a bit too enthusiastic with all these compliments today? Aren't you afraid I'll get too cocky?"
Looking at his nephew's expression, Mr. Zhu couldn't help but laugh and said loudly, "Haha! It should be proud! This is a monumental achievement destined to be recorded in history! The higher it soars, the better! If it can be proclaimed to the world and inspire future generations, why not let it soar to the heavens?!"
A hearty laugh echoed for a moment in the warm main room.
"Hao'er, you came all this way through the snow so early in the morning. I'm afraid... it's not just to hear this old man's praise, is it? Has something happened?"
Qin Hao then recounted how he had been wanted by the police.
With a sharp "smack!" Mr. Zhu's smiling face instantly turned red with anger, his thick eyebrows stood on end, his eyes blazed with fury, and he slammed his hand hard on the table next to him!
"Outrageous! This is outrageous!" Mr. Zhu's voice trembled slightly with extreme anger.
"These barbaric, bloodthirsty foreign devils! Isn't it enough that they've been running rampant on our Chinese land with their superior ships and cannons? They even want to silence the passionate voices of our students, urging us to revitalize China? And these warlords in power! They're utterly unworthy of being human! They claim to be the new government, yet they obey the orders of foreigners, slaughtering their own people and acting as accomplices to these tyrants! This is a disgrace to China for all time! A colossal humiliation!"
His intense emotional turmoil left him slightly breathless, and it took him a while to speak.
"Hao'er, don't worry, stay here with me! Even if the sky falls, your uncle will hold it up!"
A hint of emotion flashed in Qin Hao's eyes. This great scholar, who had always been indifferent to worldly affairs and devoted himself to scholarship, had risked his life for him time and time again.
"Thank you, Uncle."
As they were talking, their aunt brought over some steaming hot steamed buns. The three of them ate and chatted, but because Zhu Baishi was there, Qin Hao only talked about interesting and fun things.
This caused Zhu Baishi to cover her mouth and chuckle from time to time.
After breakfast, Qin Hao and Mr. Zhu went to the study.
Before the other party could speak, Qin Hao began to write down the Chinese pinyin, which was what Mr. Zhu had been most interested in during their casual conversation.
"'b', 'p', 'm', 'f'..."
Mr. Zhu was greatly surprised as he watched Qin Hao write and read aloud.
"With this Pinyin, plus that 'Xinhua Dictionary' you mentioned, wouldn't it mean that as long as you can speak it, you can write it?"
Qin Hao nodded: "Uncle, nowadays, all the great powers are implementing the use of phonetic writing systems in order to promote education. Japan's Meiji Restoration was only 55 years ago, and it is already an industrial power that dominates Asia. To develop industry, you need a large number of skilled workers. Our illiteracy rate is as high as 90%, while Japan's literacy rate has reached 90%!"
"The reason why Brother Yu Cai and others advocate abolishing Chinese characters is that they want to use more accessible and understandable characters to promote education, break the monopoly of the powerful families and warlords on characters, and promote the process of industrialization."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhu sighed: "I have only heard some friends talk about how powerful Japan is, but I have never seen it with my own eyes. Now that I hear what you have to say, with a literacy rate of 90%, Japan already deserves the title of a powerful country in Asia."
"Indeed, things change every thirty years; we can't look at the world with old eyes anymore."
After saying that, he paused and then said to Qin Hao, "Your 'Xinhua Dictionary' is especially important. These days, you should stay here and work hard to complete it. This old man of mine has been studying dictionaries and phonetics for many years. I may not have any other skills, but I can be of some help in filling in gaps, examining the origins, and making additions and deletions!"
……
On the fifth day after Qin Hao returned to Bailu Village, the rare winter sun shone brightly on the earth, but the piercing barking of dogs broke the tranquility of Bailu Village.
A dozen or so patrol officers in black uniforms surrounded a captain with a Mauser pistol at his waist and a fierce-looking face.
The captain, with his slanted eyes and arrogant demeanor, declared, "By order of our superiors, we are to apprehend the wanted criminal Bai Hao! Anyone else involved, get out of here!"
Bai Jiaxuan had just gone out for a walk when he heard that they were going to arrest his son, so he immediately stood in front of the group.
"Wanted criminal? My eldest son is doing great things for the country and its people in Beijing! What right do you have to arrest him? Besides, my eldest son hasn't even come back yet..."
The patrol captain sneered, "Old man, we were just looking for you, and you've delivered yourself to our doorstep. If we can't catch your son, we'll catch you first!"
"Take him away and search his house. The wanted criminal is definitely hiding there!"
Bai Jiaxuan's eyes widened like saucers: "Let's see who dares!"
"Oh ho, you dare to resist? You old fool, I think you're tired of living!" The patrol captain, enraged, drew his pistol and pressed it against Bai Jiaxuan's temple.
Just as the patrol captain was feeling smug, a series of dense and orderly footsteps, like muffled thunder, came from afar and exploded loudly!
Before the patrol officers could react, a group of burly men dressed in light clothing surrounded them.
"Click-click-click-click—" A series of crisp, cold sounds of the bolt being pulled back echoed in the cold wind.
The dark muzzles of guns were all pointed at the patrol officers in the center of the encirclement.
The fierce look on the patrol captain's face froze instantly, turning into astonishment and disbelief.
"Gentlemen, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, we..."
Heiwa interrupted rudely: "I don't care who you are. You dare to cause trouble in Bailu Village. I think you're tired of living."
"Er Laizi, Gouzhu, take the guns off these sons of bitches!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than several armed members of the gang rushed forward and swiftly disarmed the patrol officers, even taking their batons.
The patrol captain asked cautiously with a forced smile, "Sir, is there some misunderstanding here?"
Heiwa sneered: "Misunderstanding? You pointed a gun at my Jiaxunda's head, and you call that a misunderstanding?"
"boom"
After punching the patrol captain several times, turning his head into a pig's head, Heiwa still wasn't satisfied.
"Men, skin these black-skinned pigs and drive them out of White Deer Village!"
"you……"
"Oh dear, sir, please spare us! This weather is freezing!"