It's raining. The rain thread was draped down the fish scale tile, and dense stitches were woven on the bluestone brick floor. It was just dawn, it was raining again, and it was misty everywhere. There was a grayish-white moon shadow on the eaves of other people's houses, a very dim circle, as if it would dissipate in the blink of an eye.
Qi Yin woke up with the sound of "tuk-tuk", his eyes swept away, and he saw raindrops dripping in from the outside of the broken tile, hitting the wooden floor, and getting wet. He sat up, dragged a wooden basin from under the bed and placed it under the sky leak, and water dripped into the basin. He slept in the attic. There was a strong wind the day before yesterday, and a few tiles were blown away, and there was no time to repair it. While he was rustling on his clothes, he wanted to talk to his aunt when he had breakfast later. He will patch the roof himself, as long as there are materials.
Going down the stairs, everyone in the family was still asleep, and it was quiet everywhere, except for the rustling of raindrops pouring in the gray courtyard. He went into the kitchen, chopped wood, made a fire, and made breakfast, which was what he had to do every morning. He is a man without a mother and father, and he has to be a little self-conscious.
I heard from my aunt that he lost his mother when he was five years old, and was dragged away by a water ghost while washing clothes by the river one day. Five years old is too young to remember anything. The aunt said that he was playing with water at the side at that time. When his mother fell into the water, he thought she wanted mallard water, and happily asked his mother to catch fish for him to eat. However, his mother never came up again.
He is the son of his mother's unmarried mother, and his father is said to be a sword immortal from which fairy mountain. After a dewy relationship with his mother, Yu Jian went back to cultivate the immortal. The only thing left is the eighteen glazed beads on his wrist. Each green glazed bead has deep and shallow golden runes, which are said to be able to block evil spirits and keep safe.
Immortals are informal, and it seems to be understandable not to marry his mother. Since he was a child, he knew to make excuses for his father he had never met. He guessed that his father was just about to seal a demon that would destroy the world and destroy the earth, so he couldn't come back to pick him and his mother back to Xianshan. He made himself believe it, and explained why his father didn't come to pick him up for this reason, showing off his Liuli Shiba to the snotty neighbor and the classmates who were hitting the board with their hands. His aunt also held such hope, looking forward to one day in the future his father would come down from the sky and take him away, and by the way, in order to repay his aunt's kindness of upbringing, he took his cousin along with him, and the two brothers happily cultivated together.
It's just that his father has sealed the demon for eighteen years, and there is still no shadow. A few years ago, my aunt asked a wandering old man to send a letter to Wufangshan, but there was no response. Everyone gradually understood that Qi Yin was a private child, and his mother would die sooner rather than later.
His aunt's attitude towards him gradually changed, and he used to sleep with his cousin in the upper room with the moon-hole window. Now he can only sleep in the attic with the broken roof. If it weren't for the fear of gossip from the neighbors, I'd be afraid that he wouldn't even be able to finish his Mongolian studies. His aunt kept him purely because of the cost of buying servants. At the beginning of the previous year, the family bought a female envoy to enter the door. She felt distressed for this for a long time, and she wished to break the female envoy into two people.
Qi Yin has nothing to think about, since he realized the reality that he has no father or mother, he has become his aunt's housemaid seriously. He is such a person, without the opportunity to cultivate into an immortal, and without the brain to take the imperial examinations, he is ordinary, and he can see it in his life.
He heated up the firewood, put Ejiao Shudihuang in the medicine hanger, and poured water. This is the nourishing soup that his aunt has to drink every morning and evening. His aunt is old, but she is not convinced. The thing she hates the most in the family is not Qi Yin but the female envoy Xiao Yuan. Xiaoyuan was thirteen years old when she entered the door. She was a thin little girl, shrunken like a weed on the side of the road. After staying at home for three years, she turned out to be a big girl with red lips and white teeth, a white neck and round shoulders. At that time, a three-inch golden lotus, the size of a bamboo shoot, was exposed, and the eyes of all the men in the family lit up when they saw her, except for Qi Yin.
"Wake up so early?" The threshold stepped into an embroidered shoe in peony red, Qi Yin turned her head and saw Xiao Yuan smiling at him.
Qi Yin scratched his head and said, "Decoction. Auntie got up early recently."
The medicine hanger was burning, making a thudding sound. He walked over to get the steamer to steam the steamed buns, and when he lowered his head, he saw the two butt marks printed on the stove by the soot. The seal is fat and round, and it can be seen that its owner is very plump. She unconsciously glanced at Xiao Yuan next to her. She was kneading the dough. She wore a Wuteng bracelet on her wrist, which was tightly attached to the meat.
Xu Shi noticed Qi Yin's gaze, and Xiao Yuan turned to look at him with a teasing smile in her eyes. Qi Yin looked back embarrassedly, wiped cleanly without making a sound, and put the steamer in the stove.
"Hey, I'm sweating, and my hair is sticking to my neck, you help me lift it." Miao Yuan said.
Qi Yin looked over, a strand of black crow's hair fell on her greasy white neck, for some reason, Qi Yin inexplicably remembered the white pork hanging on the meat rack in the vegetable market. Qi Yin put a stack of damp cloths in front of her and said, "You wipe your hands and lift yourself up." Then he went out.
Xiaoyuan's face stiffened, and she threw the dough onto the chopping board, "Hey, what are you wearing! Wild seed."
She didn't deliberately lower her voice, and the sound floated into Qi Yin's ears. Qi Yin ignored her and stepped over the threshold.
He knew that Xiaoyuan and his aunt had a head and tail. During the Chinese New Year this year, the two of them got together, and the seasoned nourishing soup helped them make their aunt sleep like a pig. The kitchen is under the attic, and the windows of the attic are not secure. Every time my aunt stole a meal, it floated up, and Qi Yin stared at the roof amidst the suppressed joy. But he doesn't like Miao Yuan not because she has a thief, but because he already has someone in his heart. There was a pharmacy across the street, and he liked Feng Xian, the maid of that pharmacy.
Every time he helped my aunt to get medicine, he went to that pharmacy, the dark lacquered counter and the medicine drawer with a cloud head, and when he entered the door, he smelled the light bitter taste, which made him very awake. Feng Xian was standing behind the counter, carrying a small scale and weighing the medicine carefully. The shiny black bun was lowered, revealing a badly made hosta. Below the broken hair are drooping eyebrows, a kind of quiet beauty. He suspected that she liked him too, because every time she smiled at him, Yingying's eyes were passed over, and his legs and feet were crisp when he walked out of the door. The most powerful proof is that last time she gave him an extra amount of Shudihuang. He said he didn't want so much. She smiled and winked, and said, "Even if it's for you."
He has already thought about it. Over the years, he has saved some money by working outside for a short time. He will rent a house outside and find a long-term job. After saving the money for two years, he will come to propose a marriage. Feng Xian's family was also poor, so he didn't ask for much dowry, so he was confident.
The rain was still falling, but the sky was already shining brightly from the clouds. Holding the mouthwash, Qi Yin smiled foolishly at the sparkling water on the slate floor. After laughing and raising his head, he saw his cousin Yao Xiaoshan staring at him like an idiot.
Qi Yin: "..."
"Let's discuss something with you," Yao Xiaoshan squatted beside him, and took out a stone egg from his arms, "My mother has nothing to do when she's full, she always checks my house, this egg is put there, you Help me take it well."
Yao Xiaoshan is his cousin, he was admitted to a scholar at a young age, and his aunt loves him so much that he serves him every day with delicacies from mountains and seas. But recently, I don't know what medicine I took wrong, I often secretly go to the West Market to fool around, saying that I want to find fairy tales. In fact, for ordinary people like them, the chance of cultivating immortals is really small. Sifang Xianshan disappeared without a trace, and Wutang Town was a corner place, and even demons didn't bother to make trouble here, let alone meet Sword Immortals.
However, Qi Yin was always friendly, so he didn't attack him, he just said: "What is this? You played a bunch of talisman papers in my house, but they all turned into toads, and I got caught all night and was scolded by my aunt. "
Yao Xiaoshan laughed and said, "The last time it was an accident, an accident." He held the stone egg to Qi Yin's nose, and said mysteriously, "This is a unicorn egg. It is said that it will hatch after 180 years of incubation. Here comes a little unicorn. I bought it for my collection, maybe when my son is in my generation, my family will be able to have a unicorn to look after the house."
Kirin also his mother's eggs? Qi Yin was speechless.
"If you don't help me, I'll tell my mother that you like Miao Yuan." Yao Xiaoshan said.
Qi Yin was startled, almost bit her tongue, and hurriedly said, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Yao Xiaoshan said, "I saw you two just frowning, and Xiaoyuan asked you to help her lift her hair."
"You!" Qi Yinzhen couldn't wash himself out of the river, and said frustratedly, "Okay, I'll help you hide, please don't talk nonsense, it will kill you!"
Yao Xiaoshan was satisfied, stuffed the stone egg into Qi Yin's arms, and swaggered away.
He and his cousin are really bad friends. When he went to the private school, Qi Yin had to help him copy the four books and five classics. At home, he had to help him bear the blame. Even if Yao Xiaoshan provoked a little hooligan outside, he had to drag Qi. Hidden together to help get beaten. But Qi Yin really had nothing to do. He had to rely on others, so he had to be saddled and consciously lived as his aunt's servant, his cousin's younger brother. The stone egg was icy cold in her hand, Qi Yin looked at it for a long time and couldn't see how it looked like a fairy egg. That kid might have been deceived again, Qi Yin sighed, and put the stone egg into the cage and locked it, lest it hatch any more toads.
As soon as I went downstairs, I heard a commotion in the upper room, some people threw bowls, and some people cried. Qi Yin heard her aunt's scolding coming from afar, "Little hooves, who are you pretending to be such a demon! If you dare to hook my son and disturb him in his studies, see if I won't strip you! A bitch, you know how to hook a man. !" Then she saw Madoka running out choking with the black lacquer tray in her arms.
"Okay, okay, just scolding." It was my aunt who was persuading.
The aunt is still scolding: "One by one, it makes people worry! And Xiaoyin, you see, what's the use of my mother following the immortal? The Yujian is gone, it's not blind! Have a son Eating white rice at my house, I am already eighteen, and I have no future!"
"Hey, hey, why is Xiaoyin involved again, be careful he hears."
Qi Yinli stood there for a while under the corridor, and silently walked into the courtyard. The rain is falling, and the rain in the south of the Yangtze River has always been like this. It is not big, but it is dense and it will never end. The old lady was also up, leaning on the drunkard's chair to embroider. He is very old, his hair is white, and his early years were too hard, his face was sunburnt ochre yellow, and his face was full of fine wrinkles, like air-dried sweet potato chips. The old lady is a simple woman, she is not close to anyone, and she is not very involved in housework. She only embroiders some handkerchiefs every day to help her family. Although he has no blood relationship with the old lady, he is also called grandmother after Yao Xiaoshan.
The scolding from the front yard was faintly heard, and Qi Yin didn't know if the old lady heard it or not, and wanted to stay outside the back door in embarrassment. The old lady raised her head and glanced at Qi Yin, waved at him, and patted Maza next to her. Qi Yin sat down, and the old lady walked into the room with her waist down, took a snail box and put it in Qi Yin's hand.
"Grandma?" Qi Yin opened the box and put a stack of silver bills in it, Qi Yin froze for a moment, and looked at the old man in confusion.
The old lady looked at him with a smile, "I've been saving for many years, and I count at least five or two. It should be barely enough to hire a matchmaker, buy some gold and silver, and hold a banquet. You can save some flowers and raise a baby in the future. It will cost a lot of money.”
Qi Yin was still stunned.
"Xiao Fengxian across the street, do you like others?" The old man winked at him.
Qi Yin's face immediately turned red, and she was so anxious that she couldn't understand her words, "... You, how did you know?"
The old lady lowered her head to embroider, and the thin silver needle poked into the cloth, "Every time you buy medicine, you rush to it. I was curious about the old lady, so I went back and took a look. Well, she looks good, and her butt is big, so it's easy to survive. appearance."
Qi Yin's face was so red that blood dripped, and she stammered, "It's okay to be a human being, but you're gentle, and you'll be virtuous at first sight."
The old lady squinted at him, "I learned to speak for my daughter-in-law before I got married."
Qi Yin wanted to say no, but the old lady smiled and pushed him, "Okay, hide it for a long time, don't let your aunt know. Go ahead."
He nodded vigorously, trotted back to the front yard, and happened to see a visitor coming at the door, with a black hat and a shirt, which seemed to be the courier of the official post. The aunt came out of the upper room and greeted the guests with a smile. Qi Yin hurriedly turned a corner and returned to the courtyard. The old lady pointed to the back door, Qi Yin understood, stepped out of the threshold and closed the door, crouching under the stone lion. He had to wait for his aunt to go back to the house, so as not to let her find out.
He hugged the small box the size of a book tightly. In summer, it was a little cold when it rained, but his heart was warm. He remembered that when he was a child, the old lady used to take him to the market two miles away to buy vegetables. The little man took the old man's hand and slung a basket under his elbow. Everyone he met said hello. Once he accidentally got separated from the old lady, and stood waiting under the archway with a basket in his arms. Fortunately, because of his usual sweet mouth, passers-by recognized him and led him back home.
He smiled at himself in the puddle, it didn't matter if his aunt didn't like him, he still had his grandmother and Feng Xian.
A shadow suddenly fell on his head. He raised his head and saw a man standing beside him, with black hair and black clothes, all soaked through. On his shoulders was a fat black cat with water dripping from his hair. He could only see the man's profile, cold white with long eyelashes, beige in the sky, like the wings of a moth.
Are you hiding from the rain? Qi Yin thought.
The black cat turned to see him and jumped off the man's shoulder. This black cat is really too fat, and when it jumps down, it looks like a hairball. The black cat rubbed against Qi Yin's feet and let out a thin meow, and Qi Yin stroked its fur with a smile. The man also turned his head, Qi Yin saw his face, the handsome brows, the black and big eyes, reflecting the wind and rain all over the world, and Qi Yin who was squatting on the ground.
"You look at your face, and you came from out of town?" Qi Yin asked.
The man didn't seem to be used to talking to others, so he looked down at him for a while before nodding his head.
"Come looking for relatives? Or passing by?" he asked again.
"My bride is here," the man said, his voice soft and flat, like a gust of wind, "I'm here to find him and get married."