Sword of Coming

Chen Ping'an was very familiar with this look, just like when he was a child, he looked at Liu Xianyang the same way. At that time, Liu Xianyang was the king of children in Xinghua Lane and Ni Ping Lane, catching snakes, birds and fish, as if he was the king of the world. There is nothing Liu Xianyang cannot do. Later, some of the peers who originally worked as followers behind Liu Xianyang also went to Long Kiln as apprentices, and more of them scattered into various grocery stores in the town as clerks, or helped relatives with accounting, such as Song Jixin It was said that the most unpromising person would go to the crop fields to dig for food. In the end, he was the only one left hanging out with Liu Xianyang.

Chen Ping'an took the three stone fish given to the girl, strung them together with a few pieces of foxtail grass through the gills, and handed them to the girl. She took the string of fish and carried it. It was a little light and didn't feel like it could fill a plate of fried fish with green pepper. She tilted her head and glanced at the creek puddle, full of expectation. Chen Pingan understood it and apologized: "I want to make soup for the fish I will catch next to replenish my friend's health, so I can't give it to you."

The girl pointed to the open package not far away and indicated that the pastries could be exchanged for fish. Chen Pingan shook his head and smiled: "No, the pastries are delicious and can fill the stomach, but they are not as nourishing as fish soup."

The girl nodded and did not force anyone to do anything. She sat back silently, carefully placed the fish at her feet, and then continued her great cause of "sitting back and taking advantage of the mountain."

Although Chen Ping'an was curious about her identity, he didn't ask too much. Looking at her dress, she didn't look like a lady from Taoye Lane on Fulu Street, but she looked a bit like Zhigui from the next door neighbor. She was delicate and delicate. Not talkative. Chen Ping'an was suddenly worried. She couldn't be the little maid who stole things from home and went out to eat. I heard that the rules in those big houses were very strict. Liu Xianyang and Song Jixin always liked to talk in opposite directions, but in this case This was an exception, but Liu Xianyang's statement was very scary. He said that if a maidservant lived in a house with high walls, if she walked incorrectly, her legs would be broken by the butler who had an eye like a snake-hunting hawk, and she would be thrown into disgrace. Go to the streets outside the wall and wait to die. Song Jixin said that Liu Xianyang spread rumors, which was not an exaggeration. However, the maids and grandmothers in our family really walked like cats and could not hear any sound. At that time, Liu Xianyang caught a glimpse of the maid Zhigui who was having fun at the side, and immediately became angry and cursed Song Ji Xin Goose, what kind of goose is it? Can your goose talk?

Chen Pingan finally caught seven or eight slate fish, and the bamboo basket was shaken by them. The pale boy knew that he was almost at his limit. The spring water was so cold that it penetrated deep into his bones. The most important thing was of course his injured left hand. Unable to bear it, Chen Ping'an quickly jumped off the green stone cliff after landing for the last time, and got into the grass beside the stream. He made a rustling sound. It didn't take long before he pulled out three or four types of grass, and many grass roots were attached. I picked up an ordinary stone with a big hand in the soil. After returning to the stone cliff, I found a small natural pothole the size of my hand on the stone cliff. After wiping it dry and wiping it clean, I started to gently pound the herbs. Soon, It turns into a green paste, and the juice exudes the unique fragrance of spring waterside weeds.

With his back to the girl, Chen Pingan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and began to dismantle the cotton cloth in his left hand. Sweat quickly broke out on his forehead, covering the cold stream water that fell from his hair. Although the bloody wound was better than the visible bones before bandaging, it was still shocking. When Chen Ping'an arrived, he didn't expect that his left hand would touch the stream, so he didn't prepare cotton strips. Before, his mind was full of two things: snake gallstones can make money and catching fish to make soup. Only then did he realize that he had made a big mistake. The young man was a little confused when suddenly a palm appeared in front of him, with several dry and clean strips of cloth spread out. It turned out that the girl in green had torn off a sleeve at some point. Chen Pingan smiled miserably, not caring to be polite to the girl, and went to After applying herbs to the wound on the palm of your hand, bring it close to your mouth, bite one end with your teeth, tighten it with your right hand, circle it twice around the back of your hand and tie a knot. This series of movements is methodical, like a butterfly winding around a branch, which dazzles onlookers.

After the bandage was completed, Chen Pingan slowly raised his right arm to wipe the sweat from his face. His two arms were shaking uncontrollably.

The girl in green squatting nearby extended a thumbs up towards Chen Ping'an with a "You're awesome" expression on her face.

Chen Pingan pointed to his eyes with his right hand and said with a wry smile: "It actually hurts so much that I shed tears."

The girl turned her head and glanced at the large basket and green bamboo fish basket that the boy had woven, feeling a little confused.

Chen Ping'an looked embarrassed, "Those stones can make money, and catching fish is also very important."

The girl was confused, but she still didn't speak. Her eyes were a little blank, and she turned her head to stare at the sparkling stream.

The gurgling stream rubbed the rocks above the water, making a splashing sound.

At that moment, the starry sky was bright, the world was lonely, and it seemed that there was only a pair of boys and girls in the world.

Chen Ping'an's body gradually calmed down, and his originally rapid breathing began to slow down subconsciously and turned into long and continuous breathing.

It's like a stream that has experienced flash floods and turned into a stream that dries up in spring and autumn.

This quiet transformation did not bother the young man at all. It happened naturally and naturally.

Chen Ping'an knew that he couldn't be blown by the cold wind of early spring for too long while he was wet, so he had to quickly return to the town to change his clothes. Naturally, the young man would not understand the health regimen and pathology in medical books, but the young man who was most afraid of getting sick in his life had long developed a keen intuition about the changes in the seasons and his own body's adaptation. So he quickly put on his straw sandals, tied a fishing basket around his waist, carried the basket on his back, waved to the girl in green, and said with a smile: "I'm leaving, girl, you should go home early."

As Chen Pingan walked down the stone cliff, he couldn't help turning his head and reminded: "The water is very deep on the covered bridge, so be careful not to slip on your feet. When going home, it is best to lean on the paddy field, even if If you fall down, it's better to be covered in mud than to fall into the stream..."

As Chen Pingan was talking, he suddenly realized that what he said was a little unlucky. It didn't sound like a good word, but it was the kind of curse words that Gu Can's mother in Mud Bottle Lane was best at. Chen Pingan quickly understood Shut your mouth, stop nagging, speed up your pace, and run north towards the town.

The basket is very heavy.

But the boy in straw sandals was particularly happy.

After untying the almost dead knot in his heart, Chen Pingan felt for the first time that he wanted to live well and well.

For example, you need to be rich!

If you can afford Spring Festival couplets with the unique fragrance of ink, painted door gods, and meat buns from Madam Mao’s shop, it’s best to buy a cow and raise a brood of chickens like Song Jixin next door...

The girl in green is still "digging" tirelessly, with a serious look on her face. Every time she picks up a new pastry, she seems to be dealing with a life-or-death enemy.

When she was competing with a piece of peach blossom cake, her body suddenly stiffened. When she realized that something was wrong, instead of running away, she opened her mouth wide and swallowed most of the cake. Then she clapped her hands and sat there, waiting to die.

I don't know when a man appeared. He was not tall, but he gave off a strong and solid feeling, but he would not be mistaken for a village farmer, because the man's eyes were so dazzling that people did not dare to look at him.

The man looked at the broken-patterned parcel that was left at the "foot of the mountain" with a look of helplessness on his face. He wanted to teach her a lesson, but he couldn't. He silently looked at his daughter's stubborn look of admitting punishment when she made a mistake. He felt even more distressed. , as if I was the one who made the mistake.

The man really wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, for example, my dear, if you are hungry, just eat over there at the Sword Stove Cottage. After you finish eating, your father will go to the town to buy some for you tomorrow.

But when the words came to his lips, the reserved man couldn't say them out. He held his tongue tightly as if every word was critical, and he didn't know how to comfort his daughter.

At this moment, the man felt that he was not as capable as the straw-shoe boy. At least his daughter didn't have to be so nervous.

The girl in green suddenly raised her head and asked, "Dad, why didn't you accept him as an apprentice?"

The girl took the initiative to speak, which relieved the man.

Although the man had a straight face, he had already sat down next to his daughter and explained: "That kid has a good temperament, but his foundation is too bad. Even if his father accepts him, he will be attracted by his brothers all at once. Keep the distance, no matter how hard you try, you can only watch the gap widen, and if there is another Senior Brother Liu, why bother."

The girl in green had a sad expression on her face. She didn't know whether it was because she heard about "Senior Brother Liu" or because the boy in straw sandals passed by her.

The man hesitated for a moment, but still didn't intend to hide her, lest she go astray or spoil the saint's plan, "Besides, this young man is so ordinary, but in a small town, he seems very special. Xiu'er, you probably don't You know, this child's natal porcelain was broken early, so he became like a lonely ghost, without the protection of the ancestors. At the same time, all kinds of strange things that are not easy to detect will happen. This is also The reason why Song Jixin and the woman chose to be his neighbors, otherwise Song Jixin wouldn’t even be able to live in Fulu Street due to his status? It’s obviously impossible.”

The girl thought carefully, "Dad, are you saying that he is a bit like fishing bait?"

The man touched her head and said, "Almost."

Then he smiled and said: "If we, father and daughter, were not the most unfaithful swordsmen in the world who care about external objects, chance, and luck, I might as well let him stay by my side to see if I can benefit you more."

The girl in green clothes was a little depressed and in a bad mood.

The man said with emotion: "Xiu'er, dad's words are rough and rude, don't think it's unpleasant."

The girl in green clothes still looks sickly and cannot lift her spirits.

The man thought for a while and pointed to the covered bridge in the distance that looked like a black dragon crossing the stream. "The construction of that covered bridge was a massive effort of the Great Li Dynasty, just to hold down that humble iron sword. Just imagine. Suddenly, three thousand years later, a sword with a broken soul and no owner. After more than three thousand years, in order to suppress its remaining power, a dynasty still has to pay such a huge price, so The thing you ask for is still just to let it rest for a while..."

The girl groaned, drooping her head, and kept glancing at the foot of the mountain with her peripheral eyes, and echoed absently: "It's awesome."

The man didn't know whether to laugh or cry, rubbing his forehead.

The sky is big and the earth is big, and eating is the biggest thing.

But the child’s mother is not such a woman, so whose will is this girl following?

The man patted his daughter on the shoulder and said softly: "Dad, go see someone. You can eat by yourself. No one will compete with you."

The girl suddenly raised her head and grabbed the man's arm. A red bracelet on her wrist shone brightly, showing the shape of a dragon connected from head to tail.

Like a living flame dragon wrapped around the girl's wrist.

The man said happily: "I finally have some conscience, okay, don't worry, dad is going to see Mr. Qi."

The girl let go of her hand, immediately grabbed the cake, and wolfed it down.

The man was so angry that he had endured all the hard work until now, and finally couldn't help but muttered: "Eat, eat, eat. The bastard named Liu deserves a beating, but he really didn't say anything wrong. Sooner or later, he will have to eat She will become a plump fat girl! Who will dare to marry you as his wife then! Doesn't dad want to grab a son-in-law?"

The girl stopped eating, holding the cake in her hands, and was about to cry.

The man ran away, turning his back to his daughter, but he did not forget to slap himself.

It's like this every time, every effort falls short.

In the middle of the night, Chen Pingan ran all the way back to Liu Xianyang's house. When he unlocked the door, he could hear the guy's thunderous snoring.

Such a big heart.

If it were Chen Pingan, he would definitely not be able to sleep well tonight.

First, he put the baskets and fish baskets in the stove built in the courtyard, and went to the side room on the right that Liu Xianyang had vacated for him. After Chen Pingan quickly changed into clothes, he returned to the stove in the courtyard and began to deal with the stone slabs. Cut open the fish, clean it, put it on a clean porcelain plate, and cover it with another plate to avoid attracting snakes, rats, and insects.

Chen Ping'an picked out five or six of the most attractive snake gallstones from the basket and moved them to the side room where he slept.

I took a look at the long sword that Miss Ning put on the cabinet before, and it was still lying there quietly.

After doing all this, Chen Ping'an was finally able to lie down in bed. His body gradually became warmer, but the boy's eyes were bright.

On the one hand, there is a tingling pain in my left hand, and on the other hand, I feel no sleepiness.

But the real reason is that Chen Pingan knows the "unreasonableness" of those outsiders better than Liu Xianyang.

The young man did not dare to sleep to death.

So Chen Pingan didn't sleep all night, always paying attention to the movement at the courtyard door and the house door.

At dawn, Chen Pingan got up and went to the kitchen, picked up the burden, and prepared to go back to the iron lock well in Xinghua Lane to pick up two buckets of water.

The sleepy Liu Xianyang was hiding in bed, with only his head exposed. After hearing a slight noise, he shouted in a daze: "Chen Pingan, you got up so early? What are you doing?"

Chen Pingan said angrily: "Fetch water!"

Liu Xianyang shouted again: "If you meet Zhigui, say hello for me."

Chen Pingan was too lazy to pay attention to this guy.

Just as he was about to walk out of the courtyard, Chen Pingan suddenly heard Liu Xianyang say: "Chen Pingan, as long as you are willing to help, I will help you touch the rocks in the puddle later!"

Chen Pingan smiled brightly, "Good luck!"

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes, even shrank his head into the quilt, and muttered: "You guys who have no loyalty know that this trick will work."

On the stone steps of the covered bridge, a middle-aged Confucian scholar sat alone. He sat there until dawn.

When the first ray of dawn appeared in the sky, he looked up and chuckled: "A thousand-year-old darkroom can become bright with just one light."