The winter snow melted away, gathering into small streams that flowed along cracks in the rocks to the foot of the mountain, and the entire mountain and field gradually turned green.
The two connected villages at the foot of the mountain have reached the busy season. After a winter of rest, the villagers carry hoes to the fields to turn over the frozen soil. Women with less strength carry wooden buckets and pour fish fry into the reservoir. Half-grown children, unafraid of the spring cold, also help with their bare feet.
Busy figures could be seen everywhere in the fields and on the roads. Lu Laoshi and Li Jinhua were among them. Lu Xiaoxian rolled up her trouser legs and walked across the ridge of the field holding the Taoist's ear. She slipped and almost fell into the ditch next to her.
Fortunately, Sun Yingxian behind her reacted quickly and supported her, loosening her ears. She then had time to rub her red ears.
"You only know how to order me around, why don't you ask Old Lu to come out?"
In front, the girl tied her hair back and said nonchalantly:
"My brother is sleeping."
"I also... Never mind, I can't argue with you."
In the village in the distance, the old trees in the courtyard let in the mottled spring sunlight, which falls on the figure rinsing his mouth beside the water tank.
"Gulp, poof!"
After rinsing his mouth, Lu Liangsheng looked at the tender green leaves sprouting from the old tree above his head, took a deep breath, and exhaled heavily, feeling refreshed. He went to the kitchen and brought back two bowls of porridge that were hot in the big pot. He handed one bowl to the master who was twisting his waist on the window frame. They then sat under the eaves and on the window frame and drank the porridge up in one gulp.
"Wait a minute, I'm going to do the spring sowing too, Master, do you want to come with me?"
"go."
The Toad Taoist put down the bowl, hung his feet outside the window frame and kicked lightly, "I have been bored under the bed for a long time, and I want to go out for a walk."
Son hum ah hum!
The old donkey in the donkey shed stuck its head out and neighed. Thinking that the donkey was going on a long journey, it trotted out excitedly, biting the reins. However, Lu Liangsheng slapped it on the head and it ran back dejectedly, chewing hay in pieces.
Lu Liangsheng returned to the house and changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes that he only wore during the busy farming season. He casually put on a pair of hemp shoes. Except for his fair skin, he seemed to have returned to the young man he used to be in the mountains.
Over there, the toad took a running start, bounced up, and jumped onto the apprentice's shoulder. With the rise and fall of the shoulder, it came to the field outside the village. The toad's eyes swept around the villagers waving hoes, releasing fish fry, and the children running and playing barefoot on the ridges of the fields. Then the toad sat comfortably beside the kettle, showing its white belly and basking in the sun.
Occasionally, he would open his mouth, quickly stick out his long tongue, and swallow a flying insect into his mouth, looking at his apprentices working in the fields, as well as Li Jinhua, Lu Laoshi, and the Taoist priest...
“This is home.”
"Master, do you want to come down?"
Lu Liangsheng asked him in a low voice while leaning on his hoe, but received a cold stare from the Toad Taoist priest. He continued digging with a smile. As for using magic to dig the field, he did think of using it, but was rejected by his father who was usually taciturn.
He said: "It is the duty of farmers to farm. If they just do it to save trouble, they are no longer farmers, but businessmen. We can no longer see the family working together, and people will become lazy. At that time, how can the whole village rely on Liang Sheng?"
It was rare to hear Lu Laoshi say this, and since his mother didn't object, Lu Liangsheng gave up.
After a busy morning, the two acres of land were almost plowed. It was almost noon, so Li Jinhua and Lu Xiaoxian went home first to prepare lunch. Lu Liangsheng called his father and the Taoist priest to rest aside and sat on the edge of the field. The master was sleeping soundly with his limbs crawling in the weeds, so he did not disturb him. He took the kettle and poured two bowls of water for his father and Lao Sun who came over.
"I've almost finished turning the fields. There's still some left. I can do it by myself in the afternoon." Lu Laoshi sat aside, put the hoe at his feet, and looked at the corner of the field, where there was less than three acres of land.
"Just do what you need to do, no need for help."
The Taoist wanted to say something, but when he saw that the scholar didn't express his opinion, he swallowed his words back, propped up his chin and smiled at something, chuckling foolishly. It didn't matter whether he was a son-in-law or not, as long as he had a wife in the future, which was better than those men in their twenties or thirties who were still bachelors.
"It would be even better if you could give me a little Taoist priest, hehe."
The sun rose above the clouds, driving away the slight chill of the morning and bringing a little warmth. The villagers, who had finished their farm work, carried their hoes and walked onto the road, greeting the father and son who were still sitting and talking on the edge of the field. Suddenly, they heard the sound of hooves and shafts coming from afar, and many people turned around to look at the road leading outside.
A carriage was at the intersection. A gray-haired figure got out of the carriage, looked up, and had a pair of dark eyes that were calm and deep. He put his hands behind his back, as if he had eyes on his feet. He walked slowly along the bumpy muddy road with a few stones on it.
Someone with sharp eyes recognized who he was.
"Isn't this Wang Banxia?" "Yes, why are you back?"
"I must have heard that Liangsheng is back."
"That's right. Liangsheng is his master after all. It's only right for him to come back and pay his respects."
People who were familiar with him came up to greet him, and there were also women who wanted to take advantage of him and asked the old man to tell fortunes and calculate their luck. Wang Cheng'en, who had been hanging around in the streets for many years, declined with a smile and sent them away without offending anyone.
As if he knew where Lu Liangsheng was, he stood by the road and bowed towards the ridge of the field below.
"Disciple Wang Chengen, I pay my respects to the Master."
At this time, the three people here were also preparing to leave. Seeing the old man bowing, Lu Laoshi took the hoe from his son and reminded him: "Come back early for dinner."
The Taoist priest didn't want to listen to the conversation between master and disciple, so he followed his future father-in-law back to the village. When they walked onto the road outside the village, Lu Liangsheng reached out and lifted up the old man.
"Get up."
Wang Chengen responded, lowered his hands, and followed his master half a step with his eyes wide open. "The stone lock that Lu Pan ordered in the city has been delivered. I came back to see you, too."
"You are thoughtful. Although we are master and apprentice, you are older after all. There is no need to go through so much trouble."
Lu Liangsheng turned around and saw that his hair was much more gray than in previous years. In terms of age, he was about the same age as his mentor. Most old people like him would not be able to bear the constant coming and going.
"It's okay, it's okay. As long as I can talk to Master, the tiredness on the way is nothing!"
"Well, that's up to you."
Lu Liangsheng didn't know how to persuade him any further. The teacher's respect was very important in this day and age. After saying a few more words, a smile suddenly broke out on the scholar's face. Hong Lian was already waiting at the village entrance in front of him.
"Sir, go home and have dinner."
Seeing the old man following closely behind her, she also smiled. She naturally recognized him.
"Cheng En is back?"
When the old man heard the voice, he quickly reached into his sleeve and took out a small wooden box, holding it in his palm: "Master's wife, this is what Cheng En asked someone to buy from the best rouge shop in the city. It has a light fragrance that is not greasy, and it smells really good."
"You are thoughtful. Come home with us for dinner."
Hong Lian looked at Lu Liangsheng, who naturally had no objection. It was only natural for a disciple to respect his master's wife, so he invited Banxia to go back with him.
After entering the courtyard, the old man followed the master into the room. He originally wanted to pay his respects to the master, but as soon as he entered the room, he felt that there seemed to be... a demonic aura in the inner room.
My whole body trembled suddenly, and I heard a female voice saying in my ears: "Old demon, old demon, who is this old man?"
cluck~
Wang Banxia swallowed, turned his head to face the direction of his master, and whispered.
"Master, what should I call this...?"
Qiyou sat at the head of the bed, her toes swaying on tiptoe under her long skirt.
"Call me grandma."
"Hey, ok grandma..."
Wang Banxia's smile froze, and he counted on his fingers in confusion. Grandma? Let me sort out this relationship first. Why does it feel a bit confusing
"Don't listen to her, she's talking nonsense."
Lu Liangsheng, who had just changed his clothes in the closet, came over, patted the old man on the shoulder, and led him out to the kitchen.
"Let's go, let's eat first."
The round table in the kitchen was packed with steaming hot meals and dishes. With the addition of Wang Banxia, the place seemed even more crowded, but the meal was still lively.
Lu Liangsheng picked up the bowl and took a bite, then subconsciously put the food in the small bowl beside the table, "Master, you eat..."
There was no figure of Toad Taoist behind the red rooster bowl.
He slapped his forehead suddenly, and then he remembered that he had forgotten about his master when he left.
After the sun blocked out the clouds, a toad curled up in a ball in the fields far outside the village smacked its lips and lazily turned over. Its bulging belly made a gurgling sound before it slowly woke up.
He sat up slowly and yawned.
"Liangsheng, it's almost time to go back and eat..."
The toad blinked twice, and the fields and roads were completely empty, without even a single person in sight.
Where is that person of his mother
He looked around quickly, stood up, and ran towards the village on his flippers.
You didn't even invite me to dinner!!!