Seeing this situation, Tang Zhao still didn't know what was going on.
It was these two hidden children that this young man carefully protected.
Although the skinny boy is old enough to be called a 'teenager', he was originally a teenager, but the two children are smaller and extremely thin, like fledglings that have just hatched, fragile and broken at the touch of a touch. . The adults, who are not strong enough, need to spread their wings for protection.
He slowly got up, regardless of the fact that the young man had already rushed up, hugged the two children, and only rubbed the elbows that were hit on the ground, and said helplessly: "I said we are not bad people, why don't you believe it? "
Sui Feng was also silent, put away the flower gun and sat down again. Tang Zhao also returned to the fire, with his back to the three of them, and said, "Come and sit here. Isn't it cold over there?"
After a while, the boy calmed down. Putting down the still sobbing child, he stepped forward and said with a forced smile: "Little man..."
Tang Zhao turned around and said with a smile: "Are they younger siblings?"
The young man paused, smiled slightly, and said, "Yes."
Sui Feng nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Tang Zhao smiled and said, "You are so careless as a brother. What if you get frozen in such a cold night? Why don't you move over." After that, he moved to Sui Feng's side, leaving a large space free.
The young man was silent for a moment, and his smile slowly faded away, leaving only a dull look on his face.
Then, he took two children, a boy and a girl, and sat back by the fire.
The firelight shone on the sallow and thin faces of the two children, reflecting some rosiness, but also casting a shadow on their facial features, making them look weird and sinister. Tang Zhao glanced at them and felt uncomfortable, so he looked away.
At this moment, he suddenly felt that he had been too confident just now, so much so that he made some declarations that pointed out the country and understood the world. It seemed that he had returned to the period when he was a scholar and scolded Fang Qiu.
Now that he saw a few poor children, he remembered that he was just a duckweed wandering around the world.
The young man handed over a piece of dry food. Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment, then remembered that it was his share, which he had roasted on the head of a spear and thrown out. Now that the test was hot, he picked it up, but returned it.
Tang Zhao waved his hand and said: "Don't eat it, it's too thick and I can't get used to it."
The young man lowered his head, broke the dry food in half, gave half to each of the two children, and silently gnawed on the first part.
Another gust of wind blew by, and the flames flickered on and off. No one spoke in the temple, which made it even more heavy.
Tang Zhao stared at the fire, crossed his hands in front of his eyes, and suddenly said: "Nothing else, let's tell stories and play?"
The two children raised their heads with expectant looks in their eyes. Sui Feng also turned his head to look at him.
Tang Zhao got an audience and became interested. Since the death of his family, he likes to tell stories to others to relieve his loneliness. He thought for a moment and said, "I'll tell you a story...'Painted Skin'..."
Sui Feng interrupted: "Zhaozi!"
Tang Zhao turned his head, and Sui Feng laughed out loud and said: "You tell me. You are just trying to make a fuss. If you don't tell it well, I have a real story. I will tell you when I sleep."
Tang Zhao made a face, pretending not to understand, and said: "I will tell you about the 'golden ax and the silver ax'..."
His voice was the only one echoing in the ruined temple, and the flames reflected on his face, like the lights on a stage, making him the only focus.
"The fairy asked him, 'Did you drop this golden axe, or the silver axe?'..."
"'You are such an honest man, I've given you these two axes'!"
"'No, you were dishonest, so I didn't find your axe'."
"In the end, the dishonest woodcutter didn't have an ax anymore."
"oh……"
This story is very simple and far less exciting than the story Tang Zhao originally prepared, but the children were very fascinated when listening to it, even the boy listened to it.
After Tang Zhao finished speaking, he was about to play "Alibaba and the Forty Thieves" again when he suddenly heard a child ask: "What does the fairy look like?"
The child was a girl, only seven or eight years old, with eyes full of stars.
Tang Zhao was startled for a moment, his eyes wandered, and he said: "A fairy? She probably has golden eyes, silver hair, green armor, and a sword."
The children's eyes widened. Believe it or not, Sui Feng was also stunned for a moment. He followed his gaze and suddenly realized.
I saw the statue of the immortal in the shrine on the ground, with golden eyes and silver hair, and a green-armored sword. It was obvious that Tang Zhao was imitating the cat and the tiger on the spot.
After bragging, Tang Zhao said naturally: "Do you still want to hear it?"
The two children talked loudly, and Tang Zhao smiled at the young man and said, "Please give me a glass of water."
The young man was startled, took out a few bottles and cans from the straw pile, and poured a bowl of water for Tang Zhao.
Tang Zhao drank it in one gulp and continued to tell the story of Alibaba, the magic pen Ma Liang, the three little pigs, and the local myth "The Legend of Two Days". When the two children could no longer hold on, they Fell asleep by the fire. Tang Zhao used the furoshiki as a quilt, covered them with it, and calmed down.
Gradually, I remembered the snoring of the two children. The faces of the sleeping children were always peaceful and calm. Tang Zhao felt relaxed watching it.
After yawning, Tang Zhao said, "Shall we sleep?"
At this time, the young man suddenly said: "I will also tell you something."
"Ah?" Tang Zhao was surprised, "You also want to tell a story?"
The young man said: "Can't you tell a story? Is it an... experience?" His voice became softer and became erratic, like a flame.
For some reason, Tang Zhao felt a little frightened in his heart, and the calmness with which he had just told the story disappeared. I mean not to listen, but I have just been talking for a long time, and others have been listening. I can't just interrupt the other person when they say one thing, right?
The young man stared at the flames and said: "There is a person - don't care what his name is. Anyway, he is very unlucky and has suffered three disasters. Let's call him the broom star."
Tang Zhao forced the answer: "The broom star is a comet? Comet is a visitor from the sky, with a gorgeous tail, and most importantly, a celestial phenomenon. It's a good name."
The young man ignored it and said: "For some reason, this broom boy left his home with several younger brothers and sisters and traveled a long distance. They walked so far away that they forgot where they came from. They walked during the day , sleeping in a ruined temple and cold kiln at night, or working in a tree under a bridge. If you are lucky and a kind person takes you in, you can sleep on a bed. "
Tang Zhao muttered: "Poor child."
"One day they walked very late and couldn't find a place to stay until the moon rose. By the way, that day, there were two moons in the sky."
Tang Zhao was stunned and blurted out: "Haoyue?"
Sui Feng sat up straight. Even though he had some experience in the world, this was also the first time he heard someone talk about Fu Yue.
The young man said: "With two moons in the sky, everyone knows not to stay outside, but there is no one around, so what can we do? Suddenly, a large mansion appeared on the skyline."
"The mansion is very large, with high walls. From the wall, you can see the lush trees inside. Palace lanterns are hung on the trees. The lights are brilliant, as bright as day. The whole house is like a ball of light or a fire, so warm and bright."
"It stands to reason that he would never dare to approach such a mansion because of his overwhelming wealth. But it was too late and too cold at night. They were exhausted from walking all the way. One of the sisters could no longer walk, so he had to carry it on his back. The broom star finally decided to let the other two younger siblings stay outside first. He carried his sister and knocked on the door. If he was lucky enough to stay for one night, it would be best. If the servants inside were aggressive and chased people away, he would run faster himself. "
Tang Zhao glanced at the faces of the two children next to him, feeling frightened in his heart.
"When he came to the gate, he knocked on the door, and someone opened the door immediately. The person who opened the door was a very beautiful sister. He stepped forward and explained the purpose of his visit. He just asked that for the sake of their young children, they could be allowed to stay in the woodshed. They stayed overnight in a thatched hut. The sister was very kind and led them in."
"She led them into a hall. The hall was very spacious, full of brocade, resplendent, and there was a faint fragrance, shrouded in vague haze, just like a fairy mansion. As soon as he sat down, someone served him The wine, food, and snacks were all delicacies from the mountains and seas that he had never seen before. The sister told him to just eat, and then went in to invite the host."
"After a while, I heard the sound of footsteps. Through several layers of curtains, I could see a petite figure slowly walking over. As I got closer, the figure gradually became clearer from blur."
Although the young man used good words, his narration tone was always flat, just like reciting. If Tang Zhao told this story, it would be vivid and fascinating, but Tang Zhao wished he couldn't listen. I'm on pins and needles now, almost wanting to tell him to shut up.
"At this time, the broom star was full of joy. He had never seen such a kind host in so many days. It seemed that he could have a good sleep tonight. He stood up and wanted to ask. At this time, his sister suddenly whispered :'Brother, let's go?'"
"He was a little unhappy and said: 'It's so easy to get a chance to sleep on a bed. Do you want to go out and sleep in the wilderness again?'"
"His sister said: 'But it's so dark and shabby here. You get so weird, talking to foxes and snakes. I don't want to be here anymore.'"
The flame suddenly rose and then dimmed.
There must have been another gust of wind raging.
But Tang Zhao's hands and feet were cold and his body was numb. He didn't feel where the wind was coming from.
When the young man said this, he stopped for a moment and stared blankly at the fire.
After a while, he continued to narrate in a calm tone: "After hearing this, the broom star almost sat on the ground, supported the table and shouted: 'What are you talking about? Didn't you see this tall house? Where is the garden? Where are the wine and food? ?Where are the people?'"
"His sister was crying loudly, pointing forward and shouting: 'What is that thing? It's so scary, it's coming, brother, let's run!' He looked up, and in front of him there was only that petite shadow passing through the curtains. Go to him."
"At this time, his mind went blank, and he ran away. He didn't know the direction, so he just stumbled out. There were clearly thresholds and steps everywhere on the road, but he didn't even care about it. He kept rushing forward, and it seemed that there were no He tripped and fell. He rushed until he couldn't run anymore, fell, and fell to the ground until he was dizzy."
"He just lay there, unable to regain consciousness. It was not until a long time later that his body was frozen and the lingering fear dissipated a little. Looking up again, the two moons had already set and the sun had not yet risen. Up, there was only a white edge in the sky. That was the time when there was neither light nor darkness, and it was the most chaotic time. He was still frightened and said: "Xiaoyan, thank you, otherwise I would have been confused by some monster." "
"But my sister didn't answer. Everything was quiet."
The surroundings were indeed quiet. As soon as the boy stopped, deathly silence overwhelmed him, and Tang Zhao shrank back again.
"Suddenly - he reacted, reached out and groped around behind his back, but found nothing. It turned out that his sister was lost at some point."
"He ran back like crazy. After running for a long time, he never reached the big house. The house was obviously tall and bright, and you could see it at a glance even from a distance, but at this time there was only darkness and nothing could be seen. Finally, he I saw light. It was fire. A group of torches came from a distance and blocked the road. They were a group of government officials in public uniforms. They formed a circle one by one like a fence to prevent people from passing by. "
"He rushed over and was kicked out and told to stay out of the way. He shouted: 'My sister is inside, I want to find her!' This time someone sympathized and said: 'He is another victim. Don't worry. It's useless to be anxious now. If you get involved in a sinister disaster, it's a matter of life or death. If you can escape with your life, it's already blessed by God.'"
"He yelled: 'Let me go in, into that haunted house!' Someone picked him up and said, 'He's still not awake, look at what kind of house is here?'"
"It turns out that you can only see clearly when it gets dark. There are no mansions or gardens there at all, only the ruins of a village..."
Tang Zhao said in a trembling voice: "Ruins? Deserted village? Is there no one left?"
The young man said softly: "Yes, there is no one there, only ruins and empty buildings, as if they were swept by a strong wind, blowing the whole village up to the sky, and then throwing it to the ground, leaving nothing but the ground. The wreckage. The officials pointed it out to him and said, "Go away. You are very lucky. On the one hand, you can come out alive, and on the other hand, the chief inspection officer has not come yet. If someone over there arrests you and asks you, you will not die." I need to peel off the skin."
"So this is a joke." He grinned, "He is obviously a bad guy. He has been unlucky since he was born. He controls his father and his mother and controls the whole family, but he is actually said to be very lucky. Haha——"
After two sudden laughs, the story came to an abrupt end.
Tang Zhao was in a daze.
The young man became quiet again, turned his back to gather hay, and seemed to be planning to just sleep.
Tang Zhao started to move and moved his fingers, and found that his fingertips were numb.
At this time, Sui Feng suddenly asked: "Where is your sister? Have you found her?"
The boy paused for a moment, then replied: "No, I left with the remaining two."
Sui Feng chased and asked: "Why don't you wait until they finish the investigation before going back to take a look? Even if it's a pretense..."
"I can't wait!" The young man's voice gradually became louder and shriller: "What can I do? Even if there are corpses, I can't collect them... When I came out, I took my five brothers and sisters with me. Ah! There are only two left now! I can’t do anything about them leaving one by one, so what can I do about this one?”
He covered his face with his hands, trembling all over and almost unable to control himself. Tang Zhao's face was pale and he sat aside, wanting to comfort him, but he didn't know where to start. After all, he had too little experience and was at a loss when it came to things.
Sui Feng frowned and shook his head, looking at the sleeping child. Maybe it was because they were too tired, or maybe they were used to falling asleep in noisy surroundings. Even though the boy's voice was louder, the children seemed to be startled, but they did not wake up after all.
The young man slowly suppressed himself and returned to silence, but he was still sobbing.
Tang Zhaoxian sighed and said, "Brother Feng, if he hadn't reminded us out of kindness, he wouldn't have had to mention this sad thing again."
Sui Feng shook his head again and stopped talking.
The young man rearranged the bed and said reluctantly: "You... I'm rude."
Tang Zhao felt that his words and deeds did not sound like he was from a poor family, but he was unable to guess the identity of the other party due to his experience, and it was not easy to ask in detail, so he just said: "Thank you for reminding me. We will be on our way as soon as possible tomorrow. If you guys are along the way, , we’ll give you a ride.”
The young man said dullly: "Thank you very much."
