My eyes have been following Mr. Huo. His movements always seem a little unnatural, and he's out of breath heavily after just a few steps. He has serious health problems, and it seems necessary for him to see a doctor.
He walked over to the children, squatted in front of one of them, and asked something in a low voice. The child seemed a little confused, and turned around to look at the people around him with an inquiring look, and also looked at me, but she didn't seem to respond to me, which made me feel a little disappointed. I looked at the other children and they were all shaking their heads.
It is difficult for me to describe the exact meaning of his facial expression as he walked back to the restaurant. But when he passed by me, I just asked, "Do you want to know where these nursery rhymes come from?"
He paused, nodded, and then walked calmly back to his seat.
It seems that he didn't find the answer, and it's hard for me to understand what's going on in my mind. I don't know where this nursery rhyme came from. If He Jin above hears it, he will be more suspicious of me. I don't know who has such a big grudge against me that he wants to harm me like this.
I sat in the restaurant for half an hour before I finished the last piece of pot cake in a somewhat depressed mood. Many people did not leave after eating, but this time they were all talking about me.
There seemed to be quite a few educated people among the diners. Many of them realized that the nursery rhyme was related to me, and everyone could come up with similar explanations. However, it can be judged that this nursery rhyme seemed to have only spread during the New Year's Day.
Finally, someone really started to pay attention to me. I looked like Xie Zhi because I was big. Although I looked older, I felt about the same age. I just smiled and put a "stone" in my mouth without answering them. I unconsciously mowed the weeds under my jaw and secretly made up my mind to shave it off before meeting Yin Ling.
But soon someone raised an objection, saying that Xie Zhi's hair was soaring up to the sky, like the horn of a Xiezhi. My hair was hanging down like a ponytail. The person was very polite and told me not to mind it, saying it was just an analogy. Then someone said that Xie Zhi had double pupils, like Emperor Shun in the past. This was a new discovery. I had never heard of it before. I hadn't noticed it in 18 years, and I didn't know how he heard it. Then, Xie Zhi slowly developed in the direction of beasts, and then everyone's conversation gradually became absurd, and there were more and more jokes. However, in the end, it was that Mr. Huo who spoke up and asked everyone not to make fun of me: "After all, this person is the adopted son of the Lord, and Lord Shen has no sons. We also hope that Tianlang can support Lord Laoling in his later years, so that Lord Xian can live a happy life in the second half of his life and glorify the reputation of Lord Shen. You humiliate my son so much, I can't just ignore it, right? And don't joke with me, this person will eventually lead the whole county, and I will cut off your tongues when the time comes."
After that, he smiled and said, "He is my father's subordinate. But I don't plan to show up at this time, so as not to cause panic among the people in front."
At this time, I had just finished eating, so I settled the bill and left. Others who had finished eating and chatting saw someone leave, so they also left the table to settle the bill.
Riding his horse along the official road, he continued to stroll northwest. This area belonged to the Three Qins in the past (the territories of three Qin surrendered generals, namely Zhang Han and others, which were divided by the King of Western Chu at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty. Author's note). The terrain is flat, but it is covered with snow and it is hard to tell whether it is fertile. Many places in Jingzhou are red soil, which can be regarded as a barren land, but the output of those barren lands alone is enough for the whole state to eat. If there is no conflict in the world, the whole state should have more than enough food and clothing. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh.
That familiar hoarse voice came from behind me, and somehow he rode his horse to catch up with me.
As he approached, he clasped his fists and bowed on his horse, "Brother, are you from Jingzhou?"
"How did you know that, brother?"
"The clothes you are wearing seem to be Shu brocade. It is well known that people in Jingxiang love to wear Shu brocade. And your face looks weathered, as if you have been walking on the road for about three days. If you came here on horseback, this is about the time you rode here from Xiangyang."
My head, this person is not simple, he is from a famous family, although he has more diseases than me, he is still not to be underestimated.
"Brother, are you the one who came from Xiangyang to deliver the letter for the prince?"
I shook my head, wondering if my temperament was that of a courier, and felt a little hurt.
He seemed somewhat relieved, but he still asked immediately: "Why did you come here at this time of year?"
"I came to visit my father, to support him in his old age, and to inherit the family business in the future to help him carry it forward." I smiled at him and saw his face gradually become stiff.
I think he knows who I am, but I don't know if he knows how I will react. So I put on a smile and said in a very joking tone to reassure him: "If you want to cut off the tongue, you, Brother Huo, should be the first in the world."
He burst into laughter after he finished speaking. I saw the childish side of this guy. He stuck out his tongue and looked at me with a smile. I didn't know if he was aware that he looked disgusting with his beard and tongue sticking out.
"Prince, please forgive me." He immediately clasped his fists and seemed to be making a big deal out of it.
"No need, no need. I'm not the kind of person who would try to stop people from talking. I often gossip with my brothers. It's all a joke anyway, so there's no harm in killing them. But could you please check the origin of that nursery rhyme for me? This nursery rhyme is very disadvantageous to me." Finally, my face became serious.
"Huo Ran respectfully obeys the order." This noble family kid is a bit troublesome, so I had to return the greeting respectfully. Thinking of this, I missed Brother Pei. When he met an acquaintance, he would first pat his shoulder, punch his chest, and hit him on the back of the head. Then, even after saying hello, I don't know if he went to find my father there. My father is a scholar, and I don't know if he can stand Brother Pei's punches. If he really goes back and forth with my father like this, I'm afraid that when I go to see my father, he will scold me to death. I made friends carelessly and made such a rough man.
The sound of the carriage behind me interrupted my thoughts, and I quickly pulled my horse to the side. Suddenly I thought that my horse might be too slow. However, walking slowly after a meal helps digestion and is good for the stomach. Very good, very good. I am not myself, I am to my horse.
The carriage was filled with people, many of whom were greeting Huo Ran. It was obvious that they were acquaintances.
"You are from Shanghe City, why are you eating in the town next door?" I asked with a smile. Since he is a subordinate of Shen Gong, I believe his official residence must be in the city.
"Your Highness, you don't know that I live in this town. My wife likes quietness, so our house is in the town just now, not in the city."
"Oh, I see. It seems you are a little henpecked?" I smiled at him, with a slight hint of discouragement. However, I felt that he and I might be of the same kind in the future, and we could sympathize with each other.
He smiled a little embarrassedly and didn't look at me. But I felt something was wrong when I looked at his profile, and then his next action made me complete the most beautiful quick-witted deduction I have ever made, but the result really surprised me, because I am afraid that except for this person, no one else will ever experience such a situation in their life.
He rubbed his chuckled lips and swallowed his saliva.
So, after watching the whole process, I even rubbed my neck which was very dry and uncomfortable, but it was not because my throat was burning after swallowing those two kilograms of dry noodles that I froze my smile.
He noticed something strange about me and immediately looked at me nervously.
I asked the following questions expressionlessly. I did not give my inference, but he knew it well.
"You are the only man in the Huo clan, right?"
"yes."
"You are the youngest in the family, right?"
"Yes." He felt something was wrong, but admitted it honestly.
"This may hurt you. I'm sorry, Mr. Huo. Your mother has passed away, right?"
"yes."
"Is it because you just gave birth to it? Sorry, I said too much."
"Yes..." His face looked very ugly.
So I stopped all my questioning and just said a few strange things to others.
"If something happens in the future, come to Jingzhou to find me. I will protect your family and your son. Mr. Huo's descendants will not bring disgrace to the reputation of his ancestors. I'm sorry for the hard work. If I leak this matter, I will be punished by heaven and die without a burial place."
He stopped his horse, knelt on the ground, and bowed to me. I hurriedly dismounted and supported him. Seeing that his eyes were full of tears, I asked, "Except for your family, how many people in the world know about this?"
"You and Lord Shen."
I nodded and repeated, "It is difficult to conceal this matter from everyone in the world. If things don't go well, come and surrender to me immediately, so that the loyal and good people will not have no descendants and the famous family will not be extinct."
He nodded. From then until he closed his eyes, he said nothing, except that his eyes were filled with tears from time to time, showing that he was in great pain.
Shanghe is a big city. Judging from the structure of its city walls, it should not be much bigger than Xiangyang. The Luo River originates here, and from here you can go straight down to Luoyang.
Everything in the city is in good order. Many people are busy with their afternoon lives. Walking through the city, you can hear the sound of iron forging. It seems that iron is produced here.
Huo Ran had returned to normal by then, occasionally greeting old acquaintances in dialect. However, the northern dialect was easier to understand than the southern dialect, probably because it was similar to Luoyang Mandarin.
He led me to the Shanghe County Prince's Mansion. The plaque in front of the door was still new, with "Ping'an County Prince's Mansion Imperial Gift" written on it, five large characters written horizontally, and two characters written vertically in the lower right corner. I was thinking in a confused manner, I'm afraid the power of the Han emperor can only be limited to this place.
I haven't had a good conversation with the common people yet, but judging from the situation on the street, this prince is not bad. So it's okay to be a good elder and respect him.
He went to meet Lord Shen to report, while I waited in the side room to be summoned. After all, he was a first-class prince, and I was his son, so I couldn't be less polite. So I didn't think he was too arrogant, but looked at my luggage for the first time to see if I could change into some new clothes to tidy myself up a little.
Just as I was about to unpack it, I suddenly slapped my head hard. I had taken out the dress that Sister Huang made for me and put it in a conspicuous place, but I still forgot to bring it. The clothes that Sister Sima brought for me should all be newly made. I originally wanted to wear a white dress to meet Yinling. Damn it, why is my memory so bad
But before he could open the bundle, he saw three white clothes, one of which belonged to Huang Jie, and two of which seemed to be newly made, one of which had not even been washed.
I think I know what happened. I put the white dress in a conspicuous place, but it was seen by Sister Sima who was tidying my room. She must have understood my feelings, so she made white clothes for me overnight. No wonder I didn't see her during the New Year. I also saw the Korean ginseng, but it was packed in a brocade box. At first I thought it was something else, but I immediately understood what it was. If this is the case, I must thank Sister Sima when I go back this time. I'm afraid that just thanking her is not enough. I just don't know what to do. I don't care about this matter for now, or I'd better consider the audience immediately.
I ordered the maids to fetch hot water and prepare combs and other things, and then asked them to take the clothes down to have them washed. Many people already knew my identity and most of them bowed respectfully and left.
I closed the door, quickly took off my clothes, took off my boots, wiped my face vigorously, wiped my whole body, shaved my beard, combed my hair, and tied my hairband again. I was surprised that I did all this so seriously and without thinking about anything.
But I actually forgot one very important thing, and only realized it when I felt cold.
After putting on the newly made white clothes, court shoes, and straightening his clothes, he ordered someone to come in, but he suddenly pushed the door open, and he seemed to be unable to control his laughter.
"What's wrong?" I was a little confused, but when I heard the buzzing sound coming from outside the door, I immediately felt shy and annoyed: "You actually peeked?"
"I didn't want to do that either. The maids gathered outside the window and asked me to watch." He couldn't help laughing.
"Although you are a man, it seems a bit too much for you to peek at me." I wanted to beat him up at that time, but he quickly used a lot of words to compliment my figure and I was stunned. His flattery must be very intoxicating. Then, before I could recover, he suddenly made a big gesture and invited me to the lobby.
I hung up the flute and took the brocade box. I slightly adjusted the ribbon and the collar. He also helped me tidy up the front and back. Maybe he felt guilty and was very careful, but he kept laughing. The bad result was that when he was under my arm, I hit him and punished him a little. He really didn't make any sound, but fortunately he didn't faint. But he was much more obedient afterwards.
I stepped out of the door, spread my sleeves a little, looked at myself and thought I looked pretty good. I should dress up a little when I meet my father for the first time, but I suddenly thought that most people would be naked when they meet their father for the first time, especially boys, who would check that part of their body first. But I don't plan to dress like this. Thinking of this, I looked at the maids very seriously, then turned my head and looked at Huo Ran fiercely. Then I raised my head and walked in front in a very stylish manner. After walking a few steps, I stopped and looked back at Huo Ran. He was startled and wanted to hide. In fact, I just made a gesture and asked him to walk in front and lead the way.
The wind suddenly blew, and everyone covered their faces with their hands. I was the only one who was used to being blown all the way, so I just walked straight ahead without any obstacles. This made the maids shout behind me in surprise for a while. It seems that the rules of this county prince's mansion are a bit lax and lazy. I also thought about it: it feels like Jingzhou.
Before entering the hall, I recited various etiquettes in my mind, so as not to miss any mistakes. I took off my shoes and walked up the steps slowly into the hall. Without turning my head, I glanced at the hall and confirmed that there was a middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes sitting in the middle. He was fat, and I remembered this feature very clearly. Then I knelt down with my clothes spread out, put the brocade box three feet in front of me, covered my stiff face with my wide sleeves, and bowed to the ground again, with my head slightly raised behind the table.
"Your son Xie Zhi wishes my father the best of health." After bowing again, he looked at the reed mat in front of him. Although he was in the hall of a prince, he did not feel very nervous.
"Zirui, get up quickly and come forward to let your father take a look." A very energetic voice echoed in the hall, and this person was really full of energy.
I stood up and thanked him, saying, "Yes." I bowed again, then knelt down, picked up the brocade box, handed it to the maid beside me, walked ten steps forward, sat down, knelt down and bowed again. I sighed as I bowed. It seems that for a lazy and idle person like me, it is the first time to act so artificially, and I really need some adaptation.
After I finished my worship, I stood up and knelt for a long time. I didn't dare to look sideways, so I couldn't tell if Yinling was beside me. At least my peripheral vision told me that there were at least two women in the hall, one on the right and one in front. But I felt that neither of them was Yinling. Maybe she was behind the screen in front of me, or somewhere else.
"Stand up... Don't bow. Don't be so formal in your own home. I don't like these complicated etiquettes." I don't like it either, so I like this. But I still hesitated for a moment, bowed again, and then stood up. I even deliberately straightened my waist a little more. I hope Yinling can see me now.
There was a burst of exclamations in the hall, and I knew that my height must be the reason for their exclamation. Because although I often brag about myself, I know very well that my appearance is not the best, but only above average, but if it is combined with my height, it is still good, at least it can be described as heroic; I warned myself again, I seemed to be bragging again. So in short, it must not be my appearance that makes others exclaim, but if Sun Yuhai comes, then the exclamation will definitely be my appearance, but that is different from the exclamation of a man's handsomeness.
"What a heroic Marquis Ping'an Fengyun." It should be clear that this was my father's praise, not my own.
"He seems to be half a head taller than my uncle." This was the voice of a girl next to them, but it was not Yinling.
"Child, come here and let mother see you." A very beautiful middle-aged woman next to my father said excitedly, but her voice sounded much older than her appearance.
I hurried forward and knelt in front of this mother whom I had never met, without any pretense. My mother's eyesight seemed to be not very good, she squinted and leaned close to look at me, but I suddenly could only smile foolishly and could not do anything else.
"Mei, don't scare the child." My father called out very warmly, which made my mother a little embarrassed. My eyesight was not good, so I said something else and then sat back in my seat, but my eyes never left me. I often looked back at my mother, and my mother's eyes always retained the motherly love, which gave me a sense of security that I had never had before. For this reason, I didn't say anything, but just let my eyes go back and forth between my parents who rewarded me. Suddenly, I felt that He Jin had at least done a good thing.
It was the father who found the first words to interrupt the seemingly overly silent gaze: "Well, let's get to know each other. Although we are father and son in name, this is the first time we meet after all. I am Shen Gongwang. Do you think I am a little fat? Haha, as I get older, I get fatter. You can just call me dad from now on. This is your mother, Qi, named Mei, you should call her mother. You also have a pair of sisters, but I don't know where your younger sister has gone now. Your mother dotes on her too much and has spoiled her. Go meet your elder sister first. She is twelve days older than you. It's not unfair for you to call her sister. Qi'er, come here and meet your brother."
I quickly turned around and greeted the sister who came up from behind me as a younger brother, which made the girl a little flustered.
"We can't do this. This will kill me." She hurried over to support me, but found that she was a little shorter than me, and it took her some strength to support my arms.
"Sister, there is no need to be so humble. It is only natural for you to accept gifts from your younger brother." After finishing the ceremony, I stood up and said to the girl who was the same age as me, "Sister Qi and my mother are cut from the same mold, but she looks much younger. Looking at Sister Qi, I know that my mother must have been a great beauty back then. I don't know how my father won my mother's heart."
The girl showed her white teeth and smiled to my parents behind her, "My brother is so tall, handsome and capable, a true young hero. I'm afraid Jin'er will regret running around when he comes back and not being able to see his brother Tianlang." She suddenly covered her mouth and glanced at me as if she was a little embarrassed.
"Sister, don't feel bad. I've heard the rumors, and I was afraid you would be afraid of my coming." I tried to comfort her. I accidentally saw Huo Ran behind Sister Qi. His eyes looked a little unnatural, and it was obvious that he had some health problems.
I smiled and said goodbye, then quickly walked to Huo Ran, asked him to go down and rest first, took the brocade box from his hand, turned around and returned to my parents.
"This is your first time here and you haven't had time to prepare anything. I think your father, as a prince, must have no shortage of jewels. But this thousand-year-old wild ginseng is a specialty of your hometown, Lelong, and it is top-grade for nourishing the body. So I present it to you, parents. I hope you won't mind the gift." This sentence is false, but I can't have someone else finding it for me.
"It's good that you came. You brought us something. But this thing is really good, Mei..." Father smiled at mother strangely, and then turned back to seriousness. Mother slapped father on the back and scolded him for being indecent. Father screamed in pain exaggeratedly, and then our whole family laughed. Because of the situation that night, I understand that if dad didn't come out, I really didn't expect that dad was so lovely. He was far from being as old-fashioned, stubborn and unsympathetic as they treated me. In my words, he is a fat old man who loves to laugh and is kind. In fact, he is only a little over 40 years old. It may be too old to use the word old man, but if he is a middle-aged man, I think Kong Ming and others will not agree.
We also talked about some other situations, including how Huo Ran and I met, but I skipped the nursery rhyme incident, and I didn't come up with that brilliant inference.
My father and sister wanted to see my hedgehog, so I had to leave it alone, which made them feel a little sorry. My mother asked me if I had been injured. To be honest, I couldn't remember clearly, so I just pointed at the wounds and recalled how I got injured. My mother was a little sad, and she said that the child was so pitiful. She gently stroked the injured part of my back with her hand. This was the first time I felt the care of my mother, which made me feel warm and happy. I just thought that I was fine now.
My father was interested in my hair style, and I hurriedly brought up the excuse that I was not yet 20 years old. They thought I was too formal. In fact, I didn't feel comfortable with a bun. They nodded their heads after hearing my excuse, but there were a few strands of short hair on my forehead that slightly covered the forehead, and it might be better to cut them off. I can just tie them up when they grow longer, and they will then. But they all thought I looked very elegant and handsome, which made me feel proud again.
"Brother Tianlang is here? Father, is Brother Tianlang here? Mother, is it?" A very coquettish girl's shouting from outside the house brought me back to a sanctimonious state from my ecstatic state.
"Jin'er, what do you look like?" The father regained some dignity and said coldly, "Where is the sock on your left foot?"
I turned around and saw a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old, who was quite pleasing to the eye. She was wearing a long white cotton-padded jacket with embroidered flowers and a long skirt. Her red face, which was flushed from running so fast, looked even more vivid under the reflection of the white velvet at the collar. An irrepressible vitality could be felt throughout the hall. Her delicate and exquisite facial features harmoniously dressed up a beautiful woman on her melon-seed face. At this moment, this naughty girl was making faces at her father, then lowered her head and stuck out her tongue. The dishonest toes of her left foot were idly scratching the mat. The maid behind her hurried out when she saw this scene, then snickered and carried the lost sock to the hall and handed it to the girl who was reflecting on her mistakes.
We all calmed down and waited for her to put on her socks. At the same time, we all listened to the girl mumbling with her head down, saying that she heard outside that Lord Huo brought a tall and handsome boy back to the palace, and she thought it might be me, so she hurried back. When she took off her shoes at the door, because the shoes were too tight, she took off her socks, and she came in just like that because she wanted to see me quickly.
I turned my head again, bowed slightly, stood up and walked towards the girl, got closer, bent down and said with a smile: "I am your brother Tianlang."
I admit that I have accepted my fate. Everyone calls me anything anyway, which is pretty good. So I'll have to settle for the next best thing and find an acceptable nickname to use, which is better than letting them give me nicknames one by one.
She pursed her lips cutely, raised her eyes first, looked at me with a sinister smile, and suddenly jumped back a step.
"Ah, my brother is really handsome and tall." She was so surprised that I was shocked. Then the gentle scolding from her father and mother made her more polite.
I was finally reunited with my family, but I didn't see my Yinling.
I asked them if Yinling had come, but I delayed asking this question until half an hour later, so that they would not think that I came only for her. To be honest, I really came only for her, but now I feel that I should come once for my new family, and the sooner the better.
"Sister Yinling is here, but now she is on the Mount Zhongling, where she is going to pay tribute to her biological parents before getting married. She is the only one who went there on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and she did not allow the palace to send maids or guards to protect her. She wanted to stay alone for a few days to prepare some things for the future. Father was worried at first, but then he realized that she is the sister of Marquis Ping'an Fengyun, and no one dared to touch her. However, he still stationed a troop of soldiers at the foot of the mountain for guarding, and only then was he at ease letting sister stay there alone. And sister Yinling is also very capable. We have heard here that she has fought more than 20 battles in Wu Da without losing a single battle. She is probably the first female general in our dynasty to command troops?" It was this Jin'er who told everything cheerfully and coquettishly again.
"My son Zirui, how are you feeling?"
"Tomorrow, ask someone to take me to Zhongling Mountain to welcome my sister. Then our family will be reunited, right?"
"Then I will ask them to welcome Yin Ling down the mountain tomorrow. You don't need to go, right?"
"Father, please allow me to worship our ancestors together with Sister Yinling. I can also comfort my biological parents."
Finally, they agreed to send me to Zhongling Mountain tomorrow. The others were fine, but Jin was a little unhappy that I had to leave right after I arrived. I had to keep persuading her that I would be back soon, and that I would bring Yinling with me, which amused her.
But this girl immediately wanted to drag me to meet her friends. My father immediately refuted her suggestion, saying that I was tired from the journey and should take a rest. I said that I was fine and that I was in good health. I often stayed up late to review documents without feeling tired. Of course, I was bragging and showing my diligence. However, this kind of white lie would not hurt anyone, but it would warm my face. But I did feel that I owed this sister a little bit. I knew that she wanted to show off me in front of her friends. Therefore, as a brother, I naturally had the responsibility to do something to make my sister proud, so I also spoke for her. Once this thing had my support, it became even more arrogant and domineering. My parents could not persuade us, so they let us go.
It was a unique feeling to take my sister out on the street for the first time. In the past, my wife always took me out by the hand like a younger brother, but this time I stood up straighter. She just told me where to go, and then put her hand in mine and asked me to hold her hand and walk. In addition to seeing the scenery here, this way can also show how tall this brother is. Although this is the north, there are many more tall people on the street than in our place, but the feeling of a man over ten feet tall holding his beautiful sister's hand walking on the street is a sight that cannot be ignored. However, my sister was not in the mood. When I turned my head with concern, she was panting and asking me to slow down.
I was a little disappointed to see her group of friends. To be honest, I originally hoped to see a group of beautiful girls of sixteen or seventeen years old. In the end, it seemed that my little sister seemed to be the eldest among them; there was also the tall uncle's son mentioned in the conversation. At the age of thirteen, he was already the second child. These two guys were pulling a large group of children, boys and girls, with snotty noses, who were about eleven or twelve years old on average. This really made me lose my spirit.
The uncle's son was very arrogant in his dealings with others. He always disliked me, but I disliked him even more. The child was so old that he didn't have the mindset of a child. Instead, he kept asking me how many wives I had, whether I had ever been out drinking wine, and how about staying over with him at night.
I won't go with you even if I go, I said viciously in my heart, and then explained to my wife who was not present that I didn't mean it, I was just being angry with him. But it is indeed a good idea to drink some wine tonight, but I immediately dismissed this proposal in my mind, I can't let Yinling down. After self-evaluation, I am still a very decent boy.
A bunch of kids were pestering me to tell them stories. When it came to stories, I remembered the story of Katuyan, so I told it. But the boy I disliked wasn't listening, but was talking to a few boys of his age about how he learned a few moves from General Zhang, and how powerful he was. No one in the city could stop him. I was a mature man who was about to get married, so how could I just fight with others just because of a momentary argument? So I continued to tell them the story calmly.
They liked this story very much, so after listening to it and arguing for a while, they wanted to play this story. I stopped playing this kind of house game. I remember Aunt Zhang told me that I was once the "son" of my sister and several neighbor sisters. A group of girls took care of me as a game, and gave me water as if it were milk, but I got niàochuángniào badly. When I think about it, I feel really pitiful. I also remember that my sister used to practice calligraphy in the summer when she was young. She thought my belly was relatively flat and easy to wipe, so she practiced calligraphy on my belly, and I got "The Analects" all over my body. So, maybe from the deepest part of my heart, I am somewhat resistant to these things.
But in the end, as a competitive person, I still showed my skills. I asked the man who thought he was invincible except for General Zhang to come over and practice with me.
I opened my hands, relaxed my shoulders, and let him practice his moves with any weapon. Only then did I know his name was Qi Jie. To be honest, I really didn't intend to get to know him, but I couldn't get rid of the anger in my heart. I had to teach him a lesson, because I am the great man Xie Zhi, the Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun. After expressing this feeling in my heart, I suddenly realized that this had nothing to do with me being the Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun.
He was obviously the bully of the place, and relying on his uncle's status, he immediately asked for a bronze spear from the patrolman next to him. I was familiar with this thing. The patrol leader next to him was afraid of losing someone's life, so he quickly advised me not to do it, and then he blamed me for causing trouble, and the nosy but cute Jin immediately announced my identity. Immediately, no one was worried about me, but a large group of curious people gathered around me, pointing at me and talking about me.
"You can't withstand this attack, so give him a weapon as well." What I hate about this person even more is that he actually imitates the Luoyang official accent and is very self-righteous.
"No, I, the Han Dynasty's Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun, would use weapons against a child like you who has no martial arts skills. I will be laughed at by the gods." I know that in the legend, I am a person who can communicate with gods, so this can make people feel insecure. But if this is the case, why doesn't this boy show any respect to me
Without hesitation, he picked up the long spear and swept it from right to left in front of me. If I let it pass, my chest would be cut, but I would be fine as long as I avoided it. However, if he swept my legs from the bottom immediately, it would be bad. In fact, since I could grab it with my hand, I might as well grab it. It would definitely be uncomfortable to grab it with my right hand, but it was very easy to grab it with my left hand.
I admit that the whole process can be downplayed. I caught his spear in one move, but I was too slow to catch up with the mouse.
Of course, it is not so easy to describe my physical reaction. This guy has some brute force, which makes my palm hurt. So I hold on tightly and don't intend to perform the skill of grabbing the spear again.
Of course he couldn't twist it, and my right hand immediately started to do something else. I have to admit that this spear was much harder to twist than the one Wu Yue stabbed me with, so I pretended to be nonchalant and moved it casually, but in fact I tried to break it several times but couldn't, but my stronger left hand had its own things to do, and I was embarrassed to take it away first, so I changed my hand to hold it.
After several attempts, the spear finally softened, and with a sudden force, it was finally bent. Then, she turned to him calmly and said in a very arrogant and old-fashioned way, "Don't forget, I am the Marquis of Ping An Fengyun of the Han Dynasty."
Then I turned around and greeted the patrolling soldiers who were not sure what to do, and told them to just say that it was me who did it when they reported. I also asked the prince to ask their quartermasters to check everyone's weapons carefully, to prevent the soldiers from suffering heavy losses when using inferior weapons in real war.
Then he pulled Jin, who was a little stunned with excitement, and told her that it was getting late and they had to go back for dinner. This time, she became very ladylike and well-behaved, without any stubbornness or coquettishness.
During dinner, Jin couldn't control her mouth and exaggerated what I did. I thought my father would think I was too reckless, but he actually thought I was right. My mother also said that my third brother spoiled Jie too much, and my father corrected her that it was my third brother's wife who spoiled her too much, and my sister was not a good person. My mother asked my father why he didn't intervene, and the scene was a little heated.
My father started to get angry at this time and said, "How can I manage them? If I do something to him, he will hang up the cat and go back to tell Mrs. Li. The third sister-in-law will be unhappy and come to me and ask me to stop me. How can I manage them like this? They don't know that they will suffer in the future. If they spoil their children like this, they will suffer a lot in the future."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, I thought I did a very smart move to ease the atmosphere. I pretended to be serious and said to Jin: "Did you hear that? I will discipline you well in the future, so that your parents won't suffer because of you in the future."
It seemed to work well, and everyone laughed, followed by the sound of Jin's fists hitting each other. However, this kind of attack can be ignored, and the chopsticks in my hand did not move at all, so I had no intention of pulling her away.
The feeling of this meal was amazing. I still remember it many years later. It was the first meal I had under my parents' eyes.
It’s just that there’s one person missing from this family dinner, otherwise it would have been perfect.
After dinner, we talked again. They even noticed my flute, but I told them I couldn't play it and that it was a useful thing. But just when I was about to pull out the blood-dripping thorn of the lotus flower, my uncle came.
This is indeed a typical northern man, with regular features, but deep cheeks. He came to see me specially and apologized to me for his son's unreasonable behavior. Of course, I was fine. In fact, I should have thought of it earlier. The mother's family name is Qi, and it must be the descendants of those ancient people who served as priests and wine masters. Therefore, these people, including my family, must not believe in those folk rumors. They only trust the tortoise shells, copper coins, and bones in their hands; as well as the clues and instructions given by God. Therefore, when they talk to me, they will never be like some people who always stand three feet away from me, put on armor, hold weapons, and then make a decision after seeing me.
After telling me a story about the relationship between uncle and nephew, he left. I took the initiative to see him off. Since I am that kind of person, I naturally told him not to dote on Qi Jie too much. There was no change on his face, he just bowed his head and said goodbye to me.
When I got back, my father asked me and my uncle what we had said, and I told him the truth.
My father had nothing, just like my uncle, but he asked me to come with him.
This is a tower in the courtyard, but without the battlements for bows and arrows, it is more like a watchtower. He stood on it with me, pointed to the northwest, and told me that the bluish-white protrusion under the moonlight is the Zhongling Mountain, which can be reached in two hours if I ride fast.
Then, while I was still looking at where Yinling was, he was already leaning on the railing and gazing at the lights in the city. From this tower, one could see the entire city. At this moment, the sparks from the windows were reflected by the stars in the sky, creating a warm picture of residential areas during the New Year.
"Good intentions may not necessarily lead to good results. You are the son given to me by His Majesty. So as a father given by the Emperor, I would like to give you my first piece of advice: good intentions may not necessarily lead to good results." He glanced at me again with a loving look and nodded to me. I don't know what this nod meant.
"Father, you have gained weight. Have you not ridden a horse or fought in battle for a long time?"
"Haha, you are the first to criticize your father. War is not a good thing. People will die in war, and after the death, two or three times as many people will be left helpless... Let's not talk about this today, it's New Year's Day. In fact, I used to go hunting on horseback, but I ate more when I came back. I gained weight from all the goings and goings. Now I just shoot arrows and wield swords in the yard. Why do I feel that my father's image is too bad?"
"I dare not. In fact, father has handsome features and is truly a man of great wealth." I bowed quickly.
"In the future, father and son should not be so formal together. You should be a little more careful in front of others. For now, just call me dad." The father smiled and said, "Okay, let's not talk about dad's fatness for now. My eldest brother inherited the title of Shanghe County Marquis when he was a teenager. He appointed me as an assistant minister and asked me to be in charge of internal affairs. At that time, I was younger than you are now, and more daring. In addition, dad was very thin, and more handsome than you are now. Although not as tall as you, he was more than seven feet tall, which is a very standard height." After speaking, he looked around Shanghe and stopped describing his youth.
"Although I was saddened by the loss of my parents, I was in a state of panic. However, I dared not forget my father's teachings and my elder brother's orders, so I built this tower and inspected it before each meal. If there was no smoke from the kitchen, I would ask people to find out why. If there was no rice or flour, I would send some to help them. I would only go to eat when I saw smoke from the kitchen again. Then I also issued various rules in the territory to help the poor and build more labor centers. During those months, I received constant praises from all over the place, which made me very proud, so I asked everyone in the territory to follow the above rules."
I looked at my father with great respect, and thought to myself that since I had such a father, I should reflect on myself and not bring down his reputation.
"At first I thought I was doing the right thing. That's how I moved your mother." The father looked proud. "But later I found that there were no smoke from cooking in several places, and even some families who used to cook stopped cooking. I thought that this might have encouraged the greed of some lazy people. So I became suspicious and ordered people to bring in the adults of each family. I checked one, and it was indeed the same. I checked another, and it was the same again. I checked again, and it was still the same. I asked the people brought in from outside the door whether they were all young men and women, and the answer was yes. I was so angry that I ordered people to chop off the hands and feet of these lazy guys. But I was newly married, and your mother was kind and not as irritable as me. So after persuasion, she didn't kill them, but locked them up in the prison. Later, I saw the smoke from cooking again, and it was indeed continuous. At that time, I was even more energetic."
I knew the story was definitely not over, so I stared at my father's honest face, waiting for what would happen next.
"That day, the prison offered sacrifices to Lord Gao Tao. I also went to offer sacrifices. Because I was still angry, I wrote a poem to show my contempt for those lazy, idle people." My father's face suddenly darkened. "At that time, I heard that there was a man in shackles and chains who was about to break out of the cage. I went to see him and saw him shouting injustice. His words were sincere and didn't seem to be fake. I immediately ordered the shackles to be broken and brought to the hall for retrial."
"She was the one who was arrested by my order that day, but was detained without trial. The reason was that her husband was away on military service, and she was raising four people alone. It was very hard and difficult, and she really had nothing to eat during those days. I ordered people to investigate, and it was confirmed that what she said was true. I knew I was wrong, so I went to the court, apologized to the woman with a big gift, and let her go back. Then I re-examined all the cases, and indeed there were many similar unjust cases. I cursed myself in my heart for being impatient and not investigating, which led to the miscarriage of justice. Fortunately, I also issued a decree that the elderly and children under the age of twelve in the county would be provided for, so the lives of those families were not lost."
"After that, I became more concerned. However, I climbed the tower every day for a few months, but I no longer saw any households without smoke from cooking. I became suspicious and ordered people to investigate. They told me that some families, even though they had no rice to cook for meals, still cooked. I found out that the people in the county were afraid of my tricks and were afraid of being arrested and punished, so they did so." My father shook his head, very sad. "Later, I no longer climbed the tower before meals. I only took care of the affairs of the territory, ensuring that the farmers had their fields, the weaving salt and iron had their markets, the families of the soldiers and corvées were helped, the elderly were taken care of, and the young were taken care of. Although I didn't achieve the glory of climbing a high place, I did achieve some success."
I nodded, but the atmosphere was a little awkward. I wanted to find something to ease the situation, but my father took the lead.
"One day in early summer, the weather was extremely hot. I was sweating like rain while reviewing documents in the hall. Suddenly, the wind started to blow, and the papers and silks in the room were all over the place. I was afraid that if I opened the door, they would fly everywhere, and it would be quite difficult to sort them out. Suddenly, I remembered the tower, so I took a few scrolls of silk and went up there to blow the wind. Although it was hotter up there, the strong wind was very comfortable. It was very relaxing to read documents. At noon, the maid informed me to go for lunch. I agreed casually, and took a quick look in front of me. Suddenly, I was shocked, because it was noon, and there was no smoke from cooking in any house. I quickly ordered the maid to go back and call your uncle. When your brother came up, I pointed out the strange sights around him."
"Why is that?" I was also a little curious.
"My eldest brother asked me in surprise, 'Second son, what's wrong with you? Today is the Cold Food Festival!' I suddenly realized what was going on and pointed at the clogs on my feet and said jokingly, 'Alas, my feet.' Then I smiled and went to eat with my eldest brother."
(Before Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er, ascended the throne, he was exiled to various countries and had no food for a day. His retainer Jie Zitui brought him a bowl of meat soup. After eating it, Chong'er realized that the meat was Jie Zitui's thigh meat. Later, Chong'er returned to the country and ascended the throne. When the merits were discussed and rewards were given, the scholars competed for merits. Suddenly, someone mentioned Jie Zitui, and everyone felt ashamed. At this time, Jie Zitui and his mother had already hidden in Shouyang Mountain. Duke Wen refused to go out. Someone said, "Zitui is very filial. If you set fire to the mountain, he will surely be able to carry his mother out." Duke Wen agreed. The fire was extinguished after two days, but Jie Zitui was not seen. He went to see him. Jie and his mother died around a tree. Duke Wen was inexplicably sad. He cut a tree to make clogs. Every time he saw it, he would cry out in pain, "Alas, you." Author's note. Since then, the day before Qingming Festival is called Cold Food Festival. Families do not light fires to cook in memory of Jie Zitui. Note.)
After we laughed, we talked about some light topics. The only slightly heavy topic was that after the Lantern Festival, the ancestral hall would be opened to add me to the genealogy of the Shen family. It was a pity that they didn't know that I was not from the Xie family. I was not good either, and what I was most worried about now was how to explain the actual relationship between Yinling and me.
I had a very happy conversation with my father, probably because we have similar temperaments. As a result, I talked until my mother asked me to rest under the tower. I also complained that my father didn't know how to let the child rest. My father smiled heartily and told me to rest quickly. Then he went to coax my mother. I bowed to my mother, said rest, and then left under the guidance of the maid.
When I arrived at the room assigned to me, the clothes I had them wash had been dried and ironed, and were emitting a faint fragrance on the rack. I didn't know what spices were used. This was indeed a royal residence, and the layout was extraordinary. The room was warm like spring, and the bed was very comfortable. I couldn't bear to get up and take off my clothes after lying down, but... I couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
I finally blew out the lights, took off my clothes, closed my eyes, and then opened them again.
I was always afraid of sleeping in late the next day. They would definitely let me sleep in and not wake me up, so I had to be aware of it. But every time I opened my eyes, there was nothing but the light of snow reflected on the window panes.
At three o'clock in the morning, I couldn't sleep anymore.
He immediately stood up, picked up a piece of charcoal from the brazier, lit the lamp, sat down at the table, left a letter for his parents, and tidied up his bed and luggage. He also found a pair of white boot covers. After a sigh of gratitude, he cleaned the boots and put on new clothes. His beard was growing again, so he shaved it off, put on the new clothes, packed up, took the flute, and went out. He asked the soldiers who guarded the palace at night to point out the direction of the palace. He kept thinking that this kind of palace was indeed troublesome, but he still asked for horses with a pleasant face and left the palace in the night.
At the north gate, I had already reported my identity in a very dignified manner, and asked them to open the gate for me. After what happened in the afternoon, everyone knew that I was coming, and when they saw someone like me, they had no doubts and immediately let me in. They also facilitated the entry and exit of some people who were traveling at night, and I felt very proud.
Once I got out of the city, I had no other thoughts in my mind, I just urged my horse forward, but the mountain really went against me, no matter how hard I ran, it seemed like I was only a few miles away, but I could never reach its foot. Beside me, there was only the endless snowfield and the neatly arranged ridges and ditches of the fields. Occasionally I saw some hairy trees, but there were only pine trees, and the rest were all bald, with their heads covered with white frost.
An hour and a half later, we finally reached the foot of the mountain, and the sky was getting light. The mountain was much taller and more majestic than what I had seen from the city, but I didn't know I was really at the foot of the mountain until someone stopped me.
I revealed my identity, but the captain was very serious and responsible, and asked me to show my proof, which made me feel unhappy but also happy. After all, in this way, my sister should be safe on the mountain alone, and no one will disturb her.
But the problem is that I can't prove that I am myself. They all know me, but the impression they have of me is obviously not the image of a scholar like me now. Sure enough, a group of people surrounded me and asked me some inexplicable questions.
They thought that only if I showed my real ability could I prove it, but how could there be any rats in such a situation? Apart from a duel, I really had no way to show them what real ability was.
Finally, I untied my cloak, took off my clothes from the collar, and hung them around my waist. I said something like I was having a stroke: "You want to test me? How many people are there? Come as many as you want?" Then I pulled out the thorn from the flute and flashed out from the group of soldiers. I stuck the thorn into the snow, half-closed my eyes, let my hands hang down from my shoulders, and stood in the snow very leisurely, letting the wind blow on my body at will, and I stood still. I thought to myself: It seems that I am too arrogant, and why is it so cold this morning.
"Then let me, General Cheng Yuanzhi, give it a try. I'm sorry to offend this young master." A farmer uncle wearing iron armor and holding an iron spear came forward very simply. I had a very strange feeling, could this man have been a member of the Yellow Turban Army
However, his way of testing was very strange. He handed me the other end of the iron stick and said in a simple manner: "Sir, let's test our strength. I heard that the Heavenly Wolf weighs 100 kilograms. Anyone who can dance with it must have arms as strong as a buffalo."
I know that Tianlang is not that heavy. Although I have never weighed it, I know what it feels like to hold a hundred pounds in my hand. However, as soon as I said this, the group of people exclaimed. It also satisfied my vanity again. Moreover, this person was very considerate of me. If so many hundreds of people buried me together because of my irresponsible words, then my two hundred pounds would be considered as a waste. Thinking of this, I bowed and saluted politely, and the arrogance I had at the beginning returned to normal humility, and I also had respect for this person.
He was a little confused by my courtesy, but he quickly recovered and shook the iron stick for me to grab, and then he wanted to use force and asked me to use force as well. This iron stick is really solid and heavy, and the feeling of holding it in my hand is very different from that of holding a wooden stick.
But I won in one go, because I pried him up. Although it was very strenuous, I still had the strength. I knew that I couldn't use any strength when I was suspended in the air. At least when I was playing at Ziyu's house, when Jiang Wei's father pried me up like this, I had no way to move the bamboo pole on the other side. So, when he tried to knock me down, I just gritted my teeth and used all my strength to pry him up. To do this, my right hand reached forward three feet and grabbed the middle of the bāng, and my left hand pressed down hard. Otherwise, I would only grab the tail of the bāng with both hands, and I couldn't even lift the thorny head of the wolf.
Then I gently put down my head. Although the actual strength was far from the apparent ease, I could only know that I was shamelessly doing this, and I didn't need to tell the world. So, I apologized to the sturdy general, asked a little about the way up the mountain, and rode away in amazement and suspicion. As soon as I turned around a forest, I immediately gasped, my mouth was stuffy, and my face felt burning.
The way up the mountain was easy to walk. We rode along the straight mountain road between the cedars and rode up quickly. My father told me yesterday that there was a Taoist temple on the top of the mountain. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, another group of bandits also occupied the mountain. After the rebellion failed, no one was left on the mountain. When Yinling wanted to find a place to prepare alone, my father ordered people to clean it up. Now my Yinling is the only one on the mountain.
The wind blew away the fog, and the sky became brighter and brighter. This was the tenth time I had sorted my clothes. I remembered it very clearly because every time I sorted them I would criticize myself and say, this is the last time, and if my hand moves again I will chop off a finger.
As a result, when both hands were chopped off, the problem was not solved well.
When I cut off the third hand, I had to dismount. I thought the horse knew that there was no use for it at the stairs below and I had to go up by myself, so I left it behind and went up by myself.
My face felt cool, and my mind felt refreshed, but my heart was beating wildly.
After finally deciding to check my clothes for the last time, I wrapped myself in the cape. As a result, I became interested in my hair again, opening, tying, opening, tying, but this time I decided to indulge myself in this boring behavior. So, soon after, I was very unscrupulous in tidying up my collar and pleating, and I didn't think about the number of times.
I saw the flagpole of the Taoist temple, but there was nothing on it at that moment. However, in my heart, it had everything on it, including the mother's womb of my future child.
I was very calm, but my hands were a little uneasy. They kept rubbing the cape back and forth, which was very disgusting. If the cape was a person, it would have broken all ten fingers. Finally, I remembered that the fingers were mine, so I quickly took my hands back, clasped them tightly behind my back, and thought about other things.
Yinling was a sleepyhead, and I didn't know if she had woken up yet. Maybe it was right for her to come late. Thinking of this, I wrapped my cloak tighter.
At this time, I can take in the whole Taoist temple. It faces north and is very quiet, as if telling me that the owner is sleeping peacefully. The stairs go up from the east. The sunlight behind me has cast a vague shadow on the stone steps through the mist. I look at my shadow, and I move up slowly and gently, thinking about the farewell of the meeting.
There was a snow-covered flat ground in front of the Taoist temple. There was a wooden handrail facing the abyss on the north side. At the end of a line of shoe prints on the snow, I saw my silver bell. The mountain was shrouded in mist, and the beauty leaning on the railing in the clouds must be a rare sight in the world, but I kept this beautiful scene in my mind that morning.
Yinling seemed to be thinking about something and didn't notice my arrival. She was still wearing a white cloak, but she lowered her eyebrows and stared at the floating clouds in the abyss below the mountain. I don't know what she was thinking about.
It was a pity that the cloak on my body was black, but suddenly I thought that it was better, so I didn't hesitate any more and called back the distracted Yin Ling.
As soon as I opened my mouth, I deeply regretted it, because what I shouted was: "Sister!"
She suddenly woke up, turned around and saw me, although she was a little bit unbelievable, but her pretty face immediately showed a bright smile in the sun and ran towards me. I didn't have time to regret, just wanted to make her happy first, so I suddenly shook off the black cloak that was wrapped tightly around me, left it in the snow, and just showed off my new white clothes, and very elegantly performed the first meeting ceremony of a man and a woman, not a sister and brother ceremony.
Yinling seemed to be startled. She stopped and looked at me for a long time without saying anything. Suddenly she laughed, but shook her head and opened her white cloak - inside was a black robe... also new.