The sky gradually darkened and lanterns were lit all over Jiangzhai.
The village is full of corridors and alleys. Red lanterns are lit along the stilt houses at the foot of the mountain all the way to the top of the mountain, winding like a fire dragon. Looking up from the foot of the mountain from afar, it looks like a huge moon.
When Aji arrived at the village, he got off his horse and threw it to the people who hurried over to help. He walked up quickly with a stern face. Many people wanted to come over to say hello along the way, but when they saw his face, they didn't dare to offend him and they all dispersed automatically, knowing that he had a bad temper.
When he walked all the way to the mountainside, he saw the familiar stilt house. His expression relaxed a little and he shouted "Mom" loudly.
Soon after, a woman in an apron came out. Seeing Aji's expression, she smiled and said, "Did you go to Heihua Miao Village again? You kid, no matter how many times I tell you, you won't listen. I'm a girl, you should give in to me. Otherwise, how can I like you?"
Aji was a little impatient: "Ama, what do you know? My father-in-law asked me to go. I don't like that vicious woman! She is a traitor to our Miao village! She is fickle!"
The woman smiled awkwardly. Seeing her son's unhappy look, she said nothing more. She just wiped her hands with her apron and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, forget it, forget it. You are back now. Go take a shower first. I made your favorite spicy chicken. You can eat it when you are done cleaning up."
Aji let out a sigh of relief: "No, I have to go up the mountain to find my father-in-law. Where's my father?"
The woman said with some worry: "They are all in the mountains and haven't come back yet."
Aji ignored her, said he was going up the mountain, and quickly walked away from the fence.
The woman hurriedly followed him out, but could only see Aji's back. Further ahead was the forbidden area of the village. Except for a few men and Aji, no one else, not even her, could go up.
The red lanterns above were still swaying in the wind, and from a distance they looked like the legendary ghost fires, making people shiver for no reason.
She stared at the red lantern for a while, turned around with a grim look on her face, and heard some movement in the alley next to her. She was startled, and when she heard a child crying, she subconsciously walked over.
They were a group of children, about twelve or thirteen years old. Of course, they were much shorter and thinner than ordinary children. They were being scolded by adults and were being driven into a stilt house.
When they saw her, the Miao people had unusually good looks on their faces and called her sister-in-law politely.
Aji's mother nodded. Seeing that the children were crying so hard, her eyebrows jumped for a moment and she asked softly, "Where are you taking them?"
The Miao people all looked normal, and said as a matter of course: "We listened to the village chief and took them all to the top, but it's too late tonight, so let's do it tomorrow."
Tomorrow, these children will no longer exist.
Aji's mother nodded, looked at the children with some reluctance, and finally turned around and walked away quickly.
When she got home, she began to kowtow and pray to the statue on the altar.
At this time, Aji had already reached the top. He walked to the outside of the gorgeous stilt house at the top and asked the gatekeepers, "Where are my father and father-in-law?"
Everyone below knew him, and they came over respectfully to change his shoes: "They are all inside, just go in."
Aji hummed, tapped his shoes, went upstairs, walked to the room at the innermost corner, and sure enough, he heard his father's voice.
Aji's father was explaining inside: "I don't know what's going on. They are in Heihua Miao Village and it's very difficult to talk to them recently. I don't know what the effect will be if Aji goes there this time."
Aji paused for a moment, and then heard a very old voice coming from inside: "That's to give them face! If Aji didn't take a fancy to that Gu girl, do they think they can still negotiate with us? If you don't want to be shameless, then don't delay. Now the lackeys of the court are still entangled. If they want to join the lackeys, then go to hell!"
As soon as this voice sounded, there was silence inside. Even Aji stopped talking. After a long while, he called out softly, "Grandpa."
The voice inside stopped for a while, and after a while, someone shouted, "Come in."
Aji agreed, pushed the door open and went in, and saw an old man sitting on a bamboo bed.
Aji didn't know how to describe it. He actually saw this scene every day, but every time he saw it, he couldn't help but feel a skip in his heart and get frightened.
After all, it was difficult for him to clearly describe the feeling of facing an old man who he knew was almost 190 years old.
The old man had a very strong smell on him, a rotten and somewhat repulsive smell. Aji held his breath calmly and walked forward to kowtow to him.
Aji's father coughed and asked him, "How is the matter going? What do the people in Heihua Miao Village say?"
Aji pursed his lips, looking somewhat resentful: "Alan refused to let us take Bai Xue away, saying that the marriage had not been decided yet. I fought with them, but the old man Alan's natal Gu was released, and I couldn't beat him..."
Allen is the elder of the Heihua Miao Village, but Aji is still a young man under 20 years old. The gap between the two is too great, so it is normal that he cannot beat them.
Aji's father was not angry, but frowned and said, "It seems to be true. There has been a rumor in the village for a long time that the Heihua Miao Village saved the Han people and had close relations with the people of the court. They refused to let Aji go up the mountain. I'm afraid it's true."
After Aji said all this, he felt relieved, but at the same time he was a little worried.
He was angry today because there was such a big commotion in Heihua Miao Village, but Bai Xue refused to come down the mountain to take a look.
He didn't believe that Bai Xue, the saint of the Miao village, would not know that he was there, but Bai Xue didn't react at all. She was his fiancée! Even though there were some unpleasant things between the two sides a while ago, this marriage was decided long ago, and everyone knew it.
But Bai Xue just watched Allen and the others embarrass him indifferently.
Fortunately, he still wanted to cover up for them in front of Grandpa, but now they have offended him too much, and he will no longer speak for them.
Sure enough, the old man above snorted coldly: "They are really courting death! They must think that since they have the support of the imperial court, we dare not do anything to them. Go and prepare."