"We are looking for Yun Waijing. Do you know Yun Waijing? It is a magical mirror that knows everything about the world. My friend also happens to be looking for someone. We are not leaving right away. We may have to celebrate the New Year first and wait for the bus. We can continue walking after the horse recovers. Why don't you wait with us? If there is really no news, then go look for the mirror with us."
"I know. But..."
At this time, Amiao meowed loudly. It tugged at the hem of Mi Yin's clothes, jumped onto the table again, and rubbed Ling Huan's cheek. Miyin stretched out her hand to stop it, feeling a little helpless. Shen Yiran stretched out his hand in his mother's arms and wanted to touch it. Shen Wenzheng didn't know what was going on, so he just hugged her on his lap.
Ling Huan felt a very light wind, which made her feel a little itchy, so she reached out and touched her face.
"Do you... know where the mirror is?"
"You should know..." Xie Zhe was not sure, "I heard that we are in the Snow Inkstone Valley, and we plan to go and have a look first. It's okay if you don't want to come, but you can have more friends and look after you on the way."
"If Miss Ling Huan doesn't talk to other girls, she will be pissed off by us two straight-minded men."
Han Zhang said this with a smile, and Xue Miyin realized that Shen Wenzheng and his daughter were not with them. Although they behave very coldly, they are still so warm-hearted. This somewhat shaken her. And Amiao was actually lying on the table, looking like she had to stay here. She has always known that Amiao is a very spiritual and intelligent cat, especially since he has become what he is now, he has never made any wrong decisions. Sometimes she felt like it was a person.
"I'm not telling you that a girl with no martial arts skills is likely to get into trouble if she enters the world. Sister, I've been here before. After all, it's good to stay and spend the New Year with the big guys."
Even Shen Wenzheng persuaded her in this way, and she nodded mysteriously. Amiao seemed even happier when she knew she agreed. Although cats and dogs have no expressions, in Xie Zhe's eyes, when it opens its mouth and reveals its two small fangs, it really looks like a human smiling. What kind of lunatic would take such a cute little life...
Bizarrely, he couldn't help but think of one person - Ruan Fang's previous master... But this thought passed away in an instant.
There are many weird people and strange things in the world, and they may not all be the same.
Xue Miyin stayed in that remote inn with them. Here, it is not so easy to attract attention. These days, several people bought some red items in the market, looking happy. The market is relatively depressed, but it is still rich in content. Every time they go out, they have to form a team of more than two people. When they come back, they always bring something like a small lantern or a red rope knot. If someone takes their children for a walk, they will definitely buy candied haws and dried fruits. Surprisingly, the firecrackers were sold out of stock. People must have believed that the living corpse was caused by something evil, and doing so could drive away evil spirits and eliminate filth. Only once did Xie Zhe buy a small box of crackers for Yi Yi to play with. Unexpectedly, I was still very timid and didn't dare to throw it away, so I let Han Changshun walk away.
"How old are you?" Xie Zhe did not hide the disgust in his tone.
"Based on the number of years you have spent as a monster, I am still a child at heart."
"Children who are hundreds of years old?"
"Shut up."
Play is over, play is over, life must continue in a serious manner. Since there were no more guests, the inn was no longer decorated. Like other stores, they only prepared couplets and a few small red lanterns, but there was no Chinese New Year atmosphere inside. They will also help the elderly couples here process ingredients and prepare for the upcoming New Year’s Eve dinner. Everyone is helping except Ling Huan, who has an injured right wrist, and they don't let her do anything. The old couple was very grateful to them.
New Year's Eve is just a blink of an eye. It had just gotten dark, and she was still running up and down the street, but her mother wouldn't let her go too far. Shen Wenzheng helped cut vegetables in the kitchen. Everyone else was also busy, but she was the busiest one. It was as if by doing this, she could temporarily put aside the sadness of losing her loved ones and briefly immerse herself in the strong flavor of the New Year with everyone. During the dinner, the shopkeeper and the landlady took out the fine wine from their collection and poured it for them non-stop. Xie Zhe was not a drinker, and after two sips he refused to touch the glass again. Only Han Zhang and Shen Wenzheng drank a lot, and even fistfighted with the old shopkeeper. Until now, she has never mentioned anything about her sister's family, and everyone has wisely not mentioned it either. Ling Huan felt that the taste of the wine was too strong and she didn't like it, so she only had one glass and let Xie Zhe and Han Shang block the rest. However, Miyin said that she had never drank alcohol and did not want to drink, so she remained silent. No matter how the old couple tried to persuade them to drink, it was of no avail.
Until the end of the meal, several people were still chatting. The two old couples hurriedly cleared away the dishes and declined their help, saying that they had done enough and just needed a good rest. They were all very happy, except Xue Miyin who was always silent. Ling Huan tried to make the little sister laugh, but no matter what the topic, she seemed not interested. Finally, she spoke out.
"Miyin never smiles."
"Uh..." Xue Miyin seemed to realize this, "Because there is nothing to be happy about."
"That's what I said. Do people only want to eat when they are hungry, and sleep when they are sleepy?"
"This is different." Xue Miyin explained to Han Chang seriously, "If you don't eat or sleep, you will die. But you won't if you don't laugh."
"Isn't there an old saying in the world that once you smile, you will lose ten years? The more you laugh, the longer you will live."
After saying that, Han Chang smiled and raised his glass again. Xie Zhe shouted: "You should drink less."
"No money required."
Xue Miyin frowned. She didn't seem to like such a lively drinking party, even though there were only a few people.
"There's no point in living a long life."
"You can't say that." Ling Huan laughed along with him, "At least I have more time to see scenery I haven't seen before, do things I haven't done before, and meet people I didn't know before."
"I don't want to know anyone anymore... Amiao and my old friends are enough. The more people you know, the more expectations you shouldn't have and the more disappointments you will have."
There was a brief silence on the table. Although this doesn't sound good, I'm afraid she has her own story.
"Hey, where did my girl go to play again? It's really annoying... Come on, let me go and take a look. I don't know if this girl has enough to eat."
"Okay."
Shen Wenzheng walked out from inside, and Han Chang made way for her. Several people watched Shen Wenzheng walk to the street. As soon as you open the door, you can see the red light outside lighting up the night. Although this is a dangerous place, people always believe that the power of reunion is indestructible. This is the sentiment that humans have accumulated over thousands of years. Sometimes it is useless, sometimes it has power that is undetectable to the naked eye.
"I have never celebrated the Chinese New Year with so many people." Xue Miyin suddenly said.
"Is it too noisy and you're not used to it?"
"No... I remember living with my parents. My family was poor, and my grandparents left early, so we were a family of three on all festivals. Later, there was a famine in our area, and my parents sold me to a butcher. .”
"What?"
Several people were half sober. In years of natural disasters or wars, scarcity of supplies is inevitable, and cannibalism is not impossible. But this is very far away for them, not to mention that their three family members are real and flesh-and-blood. When they heard that there are such cruel parents in the world, they are all surprised. Fortunately, Shen Wenzheng was not here, otherwise she would have been furious because of this.
"That……"
"Later, Ren Yazi's car overturned. I survived and was rescued by a sister. When I was hungry before, it was Amiao who brought me food. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to hold on to the person who came to save me." She touched Touching the invisible cat next to him, he continued, "After that, I lived in different places and lived with others. During the holidays, my sister would bring some money to visit me."
"But you have left her now, right?" Ling Huan asked, "You said you left..."
"...Because she lied to me."
Xie Zhe asked one more question: "What did she lie to you about that made you so angry that..."
"I do not want to say."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to press."
Indeed, we have only known each other for a few days, so it is not appropriate to inquire further. Just when the atmosphere was a bit stiff, Shen Wenzheng suddenly rushed into the inn with Yi Yi in his arms. His face was so pale that even the light of the lantern could not polish it. Amiao suddenly jumped down and rushed to the door that Shen Wenzheng hurriedly closed. He stood up and bared his teeth at the door. Miyin stood up immediately.
"What happened? Why are you so anxious?" Han Zhang asked, "Is there a living corpse..."
"It's worse than that." Shen Wenzheng grabbed a bowl of water from the table, whether it was tea or wine, poured it into his mouth to moisten his throat, and then continued, "Ahem... the people from the government are walking this way. , it’s the shopkeeper and the proprietress who lead the way!”
"how come?!"
They all stood up in a hurry and knocked over the chopsticks on the table. Xie Zhe glanced at the cat, then at Miyin, and said:
"It seems that Miss Xue was playing the piano to play the corpse before, so someone bumped into her and reported it to the official. Miss Xue didn't go out these days, so no one saw her, but I'm afraid the shopkeeper learned about it from somewhere... No wonder he always advises us If you drink, you might want to get us drunk."
“It’s true that a sweet talk hides a sword but a smile hides a sword!”
"Stop talking and run," Shen Wenzheng went to get the long stick leaning against the door. "Their target is Mi Yin, but we have to cover her escape. People in the government must think that she is the cause of the living corpses everywhere. , no matter how bad it is, it has something to do with it.”
"Wait," Xie Zhe hesitated, "In this case, let's go and make it clear to the people in the Yamen. Since she has done nothing wrong, we don't need to cover her escape, otherwise we will become accomplices."
Ling Huan agreed: "Yes. We are the only ones who can explain it clearly to everyone now."
"Why are you so stupid?" Han Shang showed a puzzled expression, "You want to reason with the officials? It's just that Ling Huan doesn't understand. Lao Xie, you should know the virtues of the government. They just want to take credit for their jobs and don't want to Solve the problem! Don’t you hear less about how you can win by beating? I’ve seen it more. Do you think the current world is very reasonable? "
"Master Zhongli is right. When people are arrested on New Year's Eve, even the minions under his command are resentful. Even if they can make it clear in the end, they are bound to have to eat in jail for several days. One of the few of us 'harboring criminals' I can't even run away. Stop talking nonsense and go! Pack your things quickly. There is a ladder in the backyard, next to the vegetable shelf. Go, go!"
Xue Miyin knelt down and clapped her hands, and Amiao immediately ran over from the door, jumped into her arms, and was picked up again.
