Plead guilty
Of course Xu Zhen would not be so formal.
She picked a branch at random and put it on her back, pretending to be a thorn.
The sun shone weakly into the house.
Xu Zhen was standing at the door, pulling a white ribbon to fasten the branches on her back, and putting her hands on her chest to tie the knot.
Sensing movement behind her again, she turned her head and saw that it was the little beggar who had woken up, so she smiled at the little beggar, like a swordsman carrying a sword on the battlefield, sassy and bright.
"you're awake?"
The little beggar nodded.
Xu Zhen took out a piece of cake from her bosom, handed it over and asked, "Do you want some cake?"
The little beggar shook her head: "No."
Xu Zhen took the cake back, took a bite herself, and said to the little beggar after eating half of it, "I'm going to Li Sanlang's house today, you should know yesterday, right?"
The little caller said: "I know."
Xu Zhen smiled and said, "So if you go to class by yourself today, I won't accompany you."
The little beggar came over and pulled the hem of her clothes.
Xu Zhen asked, "What's wrong?"
The little beggar opened her mouth and said slowly, "Together."
Xu Zhen smiled and said, "You have to go to class, you can't be together."
The little beggar said, "Together."
Xu Zhen rewrapped the white cake, knelt down and patted her head: "Be obedient, go to class, you haven't read all the words, and you want to skip class?"
Hearing this, the little beggar seemed very disappointed and lowered her hands.
Xu Zhen thought to herself, might she be too cruel to the little beggar
But skipping classes, as a people's teacher, of course cannot allow it to happen.
She stood up, pretending not to see the little beggar's expression, and looked around.
The little beggar Hua kept looking at her.
She couldn't stand it anymore, so she continued to ask, "Do you really want to go?"
The little beggar nodded.
Xu Zhen felt strange: "Why? Are you unfamiliar with the school? Didn't make friends? Did you finish your homework yesterday? I forgot to read your homework yesterday. Do you still understand what Mr. Zhao said in the morning?"
The little beggar said, "Understandable."
After speaking, she took a few steps back, ran back to the room, and ran back with the rice paper in her arms. Her thin white legs were faintly visible between the hem of the skirt, like a white silk cloth, shining with a beautiful luster.
After running in front of Xu Zhen, she raised her hand to let Xu Zhen read the content on the rice paper.
It is completely filled with homework answers, and the progress is very fast, without any typos.
Xu Zhen put down the towel and hung it on the wall, took a look at the rice paper, and praised: "It's well written."
Then turned a page back, and at the end of the inscription it read: "The general's reputation has been ruined after a hundred battles, and the strong man's tears are as strong as iron."
Now homework is still mainly about doing Fu, Xu Zhen saw that the poem was a little unresponsive, and asked: "What is this?"
The little beggar looked at her silently.
Xu Zhen thought about it, and thought that both Li Sanlang's grandfather and father had been generals. Could it have something to do with this
"You like Li Sanlang's grandfather?" Xu Zhen asked, "So you want to go to Li Sanlang's house?"
The little beggar said nothing.
Xu Zhen changed the way of asking: "Do you really like people like generals, so you want to see them?"
The little beggar Hua hummed.
Xu Zhen said: "Then I'll take you there. It's just that the road is a bit long, and I don't have much money to take a carriage. If you are tired, just tell me and I will carry you there." Hua's stature, I sigh in my heart, the little beggar Hua seems to have grown a lot taller, I don't know if I can hug it or not.
There was a trace of gratitude in the little beggar's eyes, she looked up at Xu Zhen and said, "Thank you."
The two took their things and went out.
In early May, there were wild flowers on the road, and there was a burst of fragrance. Xu Zhen held the hand of the little beggar, and the two shook hands. One was expressionless, with bottomless eyes, and the other yawned several times in succession, looking very sleepy .
In the end, he finally made it all the way to Li Sanlang's home.
Although Li Sanlang's family has an official position, they did not use a wealthy door, but an ordinary black wooden door with trees planted and green grass at the door.
A servant came to answer the door, and after learning that Xu Zhen was a teacher of the academy, he looked her up and down several times, and then asked the little beggar's identity.
Check everything carefully.
The servant said: "It is inconvenient to see guests today."
Xu Zhen asked, "Why?"
The little servant said: "The gentleman at home has an accident, and he has no time to take care of the guests, so it is inconvenient to see each other."
The door slammed shut.
Xu Zhen almost vomited blood.
It's not convenient to meet customers, so why are you searching people inside and out, wasting time
Thinking that if Li Sanlang doesn't go back to study, she won't get paid for a day, Xu Zhen is not reconciled.
She gritted her teeth and said to the little beggar, "Let's climb over the wall and get in."
The two went to the backyard and found a low wall with vines growing on it.
The little beggar jumped up, squatted on the low wall and pulled Xu Zhen hard, and finally pulled Xu Zhen over.
With a plop, Xu Zhen's buttocks hurt from the fall.
Before he had time to catch his breath, the sound of mourning and crying came from around the inner wall.
Xu Zhen got up rubbing her buttocks, and she and the little beggar heard the sound.
Walking to a black and white checkered door, I heard discussions inside.
The discussion was too soft, and was quickly overwhelmed by crying.
There was a gap in front of the door, and the vicissitudes of life inside could be heard clearly, like weeping blood.
An old woman with cloud temples cried miserably:
"If you hadn't insisted that Erlang be some kind of general, how could his life and death be unknown!"
"Erlang, my Erlang!"
"If Erlang is really gone, I will let you all die together!"
"My son, you must not die!"
"You give me back, Erlang, come back!!"
The cry was louder than the cry.
The old woman's voice seemed to be mixed with gravel, hoarse and unpleasant, but one couldn't help feeling sad.
Xu Zhen couldn't bear to hear it, and was a little curious.
She turned to the little beggar, "Do you know who is crying inside?"
The little beggar nodded.
Xu Zhen asked, "Who is it?"
The little beggar was quiet for a while, then said: "Grandmother Li Sanlang, Princess Guba."
"This is still a princess?" Xu Zhen was dumbfounded, and after a while, she dragged the little beggar to hide in the corner next to her, and asked in a low voice, "And you actually know her?"
The little beggar lowered her head and said, "It's Princess Xianbei."
"Xianbei?" Xu Zhen asked, "Is it the territory of the Hu people in the north? I often hear people talking about the Xiongnu, Jie and Di, but I don't hear much about Xianbei."
The little caller said: "Almost no one left."
Xu Zhen asked in a low voice: "Have you been exterminated?"
The little beggar said, "No."
Xu Zhen asked, "Then why?"
The little beggar looked at Xu Zhen, and said in a dry and slow voice: "Many years ago, a Confucian scholar came to the plateau grassland and brought a copy of "The Analects of Confucius" to the leader. Let everyone come to the South to study more."
Xu Zhen asked: "This is a good thing, how could it lead to genocide?"
The little beggar said: "There are many women in Xianbei. When women come to the south, because of their special appearance, they are called orchids and given to the rich and powerful."
Xu Zhen didn't expect this.
According to the history she knows, there have been phenomena of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms, but the Hu Han has been trying to communicate and make peace with each other, and it seems that they have never heard of this kind of forced abduction.
"What happened next?" Xu Zhen asked in a low voice.
"Later, orchids were astonishingly beautiful, and people in the southern lands coveted them. Therefore, those who did not step out of the plateau were also targeted and taken away." The little beggar said, "After that, there were no more women in Xianbei."
Xu Zhen looked at the little beggar, was shocked for a while, and asked: "Then you... your mother, was she also caught in the Han territory?"
The little beggar shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Xu Zhen asked, "Didn't she tell you about it?"
The little beggar said, "I said it, but I didn't finish it."
Xu Zhen opened her mouth slightly, but closed it again, not knowing what to say.
She patted the little beggar's head, and said dryly: "It will be fine in the future."
The little beggar nodded, and Xu Zhen comforted her for a while, fearing that it would be too late to go out, so she let the little beggar sit here and wait for her, and went to find Li Sanlang by herself.
After speaking, he stood up, shook his already numb legs, and walked towards the bright place with the help of the wall.
Under the shade of the tree, the little beggar looked at Xu Zhen's back, her gaze gradually dimmed.
When the figure disappeared, she lowered her head, got up after a while, and walked to the previous door.
Through a beam of light and a crack in the door, she saw the weeping Xianbei princess inside, and a dark complexioned, tall and mighty old man with a straight figure and a great sense of style.
She stared hard, the corners of her mouth gradually tightened, and she pinched the wall with her fingers. After pinching for a while, she slowly let go, lowered her eyes, and sat down against the wall again as if she was a different person.
…
Although the Li family is not an official residence, it has a big family and a great business, and the small house in Jiangling is also very spacious.
Xu Zhen searched for a long time, and finally found Li Sanlang in a dry and dusty hut.
She walked over and asked, "Li Sanlang?"
Li Sanlang sat hugging his knees, his head buried in his knees, his hair was untied, and was disheveled. He ignored the sound and sat on the ground.
Xu Zhen asked again: "Li Sanlang? What's wrong with you, are you okay?"
Li Sanlang squatted on the ground.
Xu Zhen tore off the branch behind her and gave it to Li Sanlang, saying, "I'm here to apologize, so you should go back to class."
Li Sanlang raised his hand, slapped Xu Zhen away, and cursed: "Are you annoying!"
He showed his face, his eyes were red and swollen, he looked like he had just cried, the tears and saliva were not wiped clean, and his sleeves were wet a lot.
Xu Zhen asked, "Why are you crying?"
Li Sanlang buried his head in his knees again, covered his ears with his arms, and said in a muffled voice, "Get lost!"
Xu Zhen said shamelessly: "I won't leave, so don't be shy. We are teachers who preach the word, receive karma, and solve doubts. If you have any difficulties and sufferings, just tell me. Just remember to go back after you solve your doubts." Attend class."
After Xu Zhen finished speaking, she thought of one more thing and added, "By the way, remember to go to the head of the mountain to speak well of me and raise my salary."
Li Sanlang ignored it at first, but seeing Xu Zhen was really good at talking, he stood up and scolded: "Are you finished?!"
Xu Zhen asked, "Why are you so irritable?"
Li Sanlang scolded: "Do you want to care?! What confusion can you solve? Can you help me find my brother back! You are a teacher, what are you capable of?"
He was furious and wanted to kick Xu Zhen, but Xu Zhen avoided him.
Xu Zhen thought of the crying just now, and immediately understood what Li Sanlang was crying about.
She asked, "Your brother is gone?"
Li Sanlang was not angry, he held back his tears and said: "Yes."
Xu Zhen asked: "How did you disappear? Where is it? Langgu Pass?"
Li Sanlang was stunned for a moment: "How do you know?"
Xu Zhen said: "I saw your grandmother crying just now. There is a map spread out on the table, with the words Langgu Pass written on it."
Li Sanlang gave a "Qi" sound, and didn't hold out any hope for Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen asked, "How long has your elder brother been missing?"
Li Sanlang said coldly: "Five days."
Xu Zhen asked, "Didn't you leave any news?"
Li Sanlang looked up at Xu Zhen, disdainful, but gritted his teeth and said, "I'll stay."
"What news?" Xu Zhen asked, "Do your grandparents know?"
"I know." After Li Sanlang finished speaking, he couldn't help cursing, "Why should I tell you! What are you!"
Xu Zhen was upset and turned around to leave.
But in my mind, I first turned to the merit points for doing good deeds, and then the salary given by the head of the mountain.
In the end, I could only endure it, and explained: "I know more than you, maybe I guessed the message your brother left?"
Li Sanlang had never seen such a brazen person, and his blood surged immediately.
Later, I didn't know what I thought of, I just suppressed my pain, and said what my brother left behind.
"Before, my brother's friends went to Langguguan to search, and found a bird and a branch... tied together with tree vines. The knots tied together are unique to the clan. It should be the one that my brother threw on the ground."
Xu Zhen asked: "Birds and branches?"
Li Sanlang was in tears as he spoke, he wiped his tears and said, "Yes."
Xu Zhen asked: "Speaking of birds and branches, what can you think of?"
Li Sanlang shook his head, twitched and said: "I, if I think about it, I will go directly to save my brother!"
Xu Zhen walked to sit opposite Li Sanlang, picked a good seat and said, "Don't worry, your elder brother is fine and doesn't need to be rescued."
Li Sanlang was crying uncharacteristically, and his tone softened a little: "You, it's useless for you to comfort me at this time, my brother—"
Xu Zhen said, "You don't believe me?"
Li Sanlang continued to cry.
"That's because you haven't read enough." Xu Zhen said slowly, "I'll help you out this time, you have to study hard in the future, otherwise you will cry when you encounter such a thing, and your brother will probably faint from laughter when you come back. .”
Li Sanlang's crying paused, and he rushed over and asked, "What do you mean?"
Xu Zhen explained directly: "When it comes to birds and trees, at your age, you should think of Zhuang Zhou."
Li Sanlang was stunned: "Zhuang Zhou? Why?"
"Because Zhuangzi especially likes to write about birds and trees." Xu Zhen gave a few examples casually, "For example, there are big birds in the south, sleeping on sycamore trees, or the Kunpeng that can fly ninety thousand miles in one flight, or, if the rooster does not crow, it will will be killed, but the tree is useless and will not be cut down...”
Li Sanlang hurriedly asked: "Don't give examples! What does this have to do with my elder brother?"
Xu Zhen said: "Of course there are. Speaking of Zhuang Zhou, you should think that he is a Taoist who advocates inaction."
Li Sanlang said: "This, this I know!"
Xu Zhen nodded and concluded: "So what your elder brother means is that you don't have to do anything."
"Don't do it? How is this possible?! You idiot!" Li Sanlang jumped away, completely disbelieving, "You just don't care about yourself, you want to kill my brother!"
Xu Zhen said: "Believe it or not is up to you, I guess, your brother should have used the art of war."
"The art of war?" Li Sanlang didn't understand again.
Xu Zhen said: "According to unofficial history, Sima Yi blew up his illness to deceive Cao Shuang, and Yang Xingmi cheated and punished him for rebellion. Maybe your elder brother was killed by the bomb and was about to hit someone."
Li Sanlang had never heard of any of them, so he was stunned for a long time, so he could only ask again in disbelief: "Is my brother really all right?"
Xu Zhen said, "Really."
Li Sanlang stood there for a while, and finally said: "I, I don't believe you, you idiot, I'm going to ask my grandfather."
After speaking, he ran away like the wind.
Xu Zhen sat in the room for a while, there was no window in the room, only the light coming in through the cracked walls, she felt stuffy, so she went out.
Walking to the door, I saw the little beggar from a distance, standing under the tree, talking to a person.
The person who was talking to him was blocked behind a tree, Xu Zhen couldn't see clearly, worried that he was a child abductor, so she hurried over.
However, after walking over, they found that there was no one under the tree.
Xu Zhen looked around and asked, "Who were you chatting with just now?"
The little beggar looked up at her.
Xu Zhen also looked at her.
After a while, the little beggar said, "No."
Xu Zhen thought she was wrong, rubbed her chin and doubted herself for a while, and soon regained her composure.
She said to the little beggar: "I've taken care of Li Sanlang's place, we can go back."
The little beggar nodded.
Xu Zhen took her hand and walked towards the low wall.
As I walked, I thought of Li Sanlang's stupidity, and couldn't help telling him: "I can only skip class for one day, and I must study hard in the future, and I can't become an idiot like Li Sanlang."
The little caller said: "No."
Xu Zhen was worried, and said, "Go back quickly, and I will teach you how to read. Your Chinese is not good enough."
The little beggar paused.
Xu Zhen turned her head and saw that she was not moving, she smiled and said: "But the progress is very fast, don't be discouraged."
The little beggar looked at Xu Zhen's smile, and finally turned her head slowly.
Don't dare to look directly.
She went to see other things, the fallen leaves and flowers in the distance, the swallows and birds in flight, and the high sky and strong wind.
Everything she saw was beautiful.
This is especially true for the person in front of him, this person named Xu Zhen, following the breeze, seems to be able to cover the sky with a snap of his fingers.
Give her a warm bed and read with her at night.
This person's heart is soft, and he is always concerned about others.
Unlike myself, the sky abandons ghosts and hates ghosts, and her heart is like ice and iron.
She was filthy and unfit to stand beside this man.
The only way to do this is to offer up everything you have, and give up your life. May this person be happy and happy.
She offered her little sword and her life.
What I want to change is just a smile on this person's face.
It would be great if I was really just a beggar.
She held Xu Zhen's hand tightly, without saying a word, and finally lowered her head, her eyes were sour and she couldn't help but feel unwilling.