Beimang Village.
A small village located in a river bend.
A small village with only twenty or thirty households. Although it is far away from the market town and located in a remote place, it is full of trees, surrounded by rivers and has beautiful scenery.
In the afternoon.
A woman took a child to the small river outside the village.
The woman was in her twenties or thirties, with good looks, simple clothes, and neat grooming. She was carrying a bamboo basket in her hand, and there were several live fish in the bamboo basket.
Behind her was a six or seven-year-old girl with a wild flower in her temple, chasing colorful butterflies by the river, and laughing like silver bells from time to time.
The woman stopped by the river, reached out and took out a live fish and put it into the water.
The fish enters the water and swims away with "flutter".
The girl ran over, her braids swaying from side to side. Her red face was stained with sweat, and her big eyes flashed with confusion.
"Mom, why did you let the fish you bought go?"
"Let go!"
"My mother is always talking about letting go, can daddy go home?"
"Your father has been fighting and killing all day long, and he has committed countless crimes. If your mother releases a live fish, your father's sins can be alleviated. The gods in the sky see our family's sincerity, and let your father be safe. Go home."
"Mom, Wan'er will help you..."
The two of you are letting go.
A life worth living? Releasing a live fish can offset the sin of killing?
Let’s hope so. The scriptures say that all living beings are equal. And this is just a prayer after all. Because it is said again in the classics that the way of heaven is ruthless and all living beings are like rotten dogs. The evil, beauty and ugliness, grudges and hatreds, as well as life and death in the world have nothing to do with the gods in heaven.
Don't you see how kind and simple the folks in Yujia Village were, why were they brutally massacred and still have such great vengeance that it is difficult to avenge them?
Just as the two women were devoutly waiting and expecting, the man had long since rested in the wilderness.
Under the shade of the trees by the river, a young man stood quietly.
Beside the young man was a strong black horse. In the bag on the horse, there was a long sword wrapped in cloth.
He sat quietly in the wild all night last night and set off on his way this morning. Before setting off, I confirmed the direction and asked someone to clarify the route. After noon, he arrived at this small village in the mountains, and then went to the small river outside the village, just for the mother and daughter who were released.
At this time, he couldn't bear to disturb him.
After a while, all the fish in the bamboo basket were released.
The woman turned back with her child and saw a man and a horse standing under the shade of a tree. She was slightly surprised and wanted to take a detour. The child waved to others with a lively smile on his face.
The young man looked a little struggling, raised his hands, bowed, and said: "I am in the field. I was entrusted by the seventh brother Feng Lao to come to Beimang Village to visit Sister-in-law Xiuzhen and Wan'er!"
"ah……"
The woman named Xiuzhen hurriedly took two steps forward, put down the bamboo basket, took two steps back, bowed in return, and said at a loss: "You... you are Lao Qi's brother, he asked you to visit my mother and daughter? "
Yu Ye straightened up and said, "Exactly!"
"oops--"
Xiuzhen was surprised, she couldn't help being happy, with tears in her eyes, she reached out her hand to wipe her tears and smiled apologetically, urging in a low voice: "Wan'er, call me uncle!"
Before Feng Laoqi died, he only mentioned one person's name, Wan'er. His mother-in-law Xiuzhen's name was only known after she came to the village.
The child had no scruples and came to Yu Ye with joy, grabbed his sleeves, and said excitedly: "When will my father come home?"
"this……"
Yu Ye hesitated.
"Wan'er!"
Xiuzhen said with a smile: "Uncle, it's been a long journey, please take me home to have a rest!"
"Um!"
Wan'er waved and jumped forward.
Yu Ye stretched out his hand to signal.
Xiuzhen picked up the bamboo basket and nodded with a smile. Maybe it was because of happy events. Even though she was leading the way, she was always radiant and her steps were windy.
Yu Ye led the horse and followed.
"Brother Yu, is Lao Qi okay?"
"Okay, okay...it's fine!"
"He has been away for more than two years and has not returned yet. Why doesn't he go home instead of working hard for his brothers to make this trip?"
"Well...Brother Feng has something to do and he can't get away."
While Xiuzhen was leading the way, she never forgot to look back and talk.
Yu Ye followed the sound and pretended to be relaxed.
I thought I could find Feng Laoqi's mother-in-law and children, tell them the truth, hand over their belongings, and then leave. Who would have thought that when he found the riverside, saw the mother and daughter, and heard their conversation, his heart suddenly became heavy.
How to tell the truth?
Facing the happy mother and daughter, he did not dare to tell the truth that Feng Laoqi was dead. He was afraid that the two of them would not be able to bear the blow of the bad news, and he could not bear to see their dreams shattered.
It was really hard for him to speak.
Cross the field path to the south end of the village.
A row of stone houses appeared in front of us.
On the east side of the house, there is a firewood shed and a well; on the west side, under the big tree, there is a shed for raising chickens and ducks, as well as a small nursery where flowers, plants and vegetables are grown. In the open space in front of the house, there was a simple stone table and a few wooden stools.
This is Feng Laoqi's home, ordinary, clean and tidy, and full of warmth. Although there is no yard, it is integrated with the surrounding pastoral scenery.
"Brother Yu, we're home. Don't see anyone outside. Sit down!"
Xiuzhen said hello and then said: "Wan'er, get a bowl of water with uncle!"
Yu Ye tied the horse under the tree.
Xiuzhen put down the fish basket and walked quickly into the house. When she came out, she had an apron tied around her waist. She turned around and entered the woodshed again, saying loudly: "Brother Yu, take a rest for a while. My sister-in-law will prepare some wine and food for you to catch the wind and wash away the dust!"
"sister in law……"
Yu Ye wanted to refuse, but also didn't know how to speak.
"Uncle, drink water!"
Wan'er brought a pitcher and a water bowl and placed them on the stone table, and was busy pouring water to receive the guests.
"Um!"
Yu Ye rubbed his hands, feeling even more uneasy. If I had known there were children at home, I should have bought something. He quietly turned around and found a box in his hand. Then he sat at the table and took out the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in the box.
Wan'er glanced back, reached out to take the cake, and said with a shy smile: "Thank you, uncle!"
A smile finally appeared on Yu Ye's face.
The pastry was a gift from shopkeeper Kuang's Cai'er. Although there were only a few pieces left, it brought unimaginable happiness to another little girl.
Sometimes, happiness is simple.
"Is it delicious?"
"Yeah, delicious!"
Wan'er ate the pastries and snuggled up to Yu Ye obediently, enjoying the sweetness of the pastries and the joy of learning the news about her father.
Yu Ye reached out and stroked Wan'er's pigtails, thinking about chatting and having fun with the child, but his throat was choked and his smile was stiff. He had no choice but to pick up the water bowl, drink water silently, look at the smoke rising from the woodshed, and look at the familiar pastoral scenery.
After a while, Xiuzhen brought the food.
There were two plates of vegetables, a plate of bacon, a plate of marinated chicken, a jar of old wine and a few steaming pancakes.
"Brother Yu must be starving!"
Xiuzhen took Yu Ye and sat at the north end of the stone table.
"When Lao Qi is at home, he sits here. I take Wan'er to drink with him and listen to him bragging about interesting things in the world."
Yu Ye was a little cautious, but he wasn't hungry at all.
"Brother Feng's home is your home. When you get home, don't go outside!"
Xiuzhen picked up the wine bowl and filled it with wine.
"Sister-in-law, I don't know how to drink!"
Yu Ye stretched out his hand to stop him.
"How can a man not drink?"
Xiuzhen still put the wine bowl in front of Yu Ye and said with a smile: "Lao Qi said this, you should know his temper!" She picked up a peeled chicken and handed it to Wan'er, and then said: "I don't know. What is Lao Qi doing that he has no time to go home? Brother Yu, please talk to your sister-in-law!"
Yu Ye lowered his head and said nothing, reaching out to touch the wine bowl.
But Xiuzhen handed him a pancake and a chicken, and said with concern: "Drinking on an empty stomach will hurt your health, so you need to make up for it first!"
Yu Ye took the pancakes and chickens and ate them.
"Look, how hungry you are!"
Xiuzhen said distressedly: "Eat more slowly!"
Wan'er was laughing on the side.
"Although my sister-in-law doesn't know what Lao Qi does for a living, she also knows the dangers. My mother and I are worried about him all day long, lest something happen to him. Brother Yu is already wandering around in the world at his age, so he's not worried about the worries of the other two elders in the family?"
While chatting about home affairs, Xiuzhen put the bamboo chopsticks into Yu Ye's hand.
"My sister-in-law grows the vegetables and pickles the meat. Brother, try it!"
"Well……"
Yu Ye seemed to be really hungry, his mouth full of food.
Just listen to Xiuzhen continue talking about her past with Feng Laoqi, the feuding parents in the village, and how Wan'er is looking forward to her father coming home, etc. Maybe I miss you for a long time and have nowhere to relax, or I may be full of grievances and find it difficult to express my heartfelt feelings. Now that I can rely on it, I can just talk to my heart’s content. She believed that the young man in front of her could bring her words to Feng Laoqi so that the wandering man could come home as soon as possible.
Gradually dusk falls.
The dishes on the table are empty.
Xiuzhen didn't move the dishes, and Wan'er only ate one chicken. All the food on the table went into the guests' stomachs, but the couple didn't mind it at all, but looked forward to it even more.
"Uncle, when will my father come home?"
"Brother Yu, tell the truth to your sister-in-law. Where is Lao Qi and others? Are they in trouble?"
Yu Ye put down his chopsticks, looking a little embarrassed.
He was so busy talking about the food that he couldn't talk. After the meal was finished, he still did not dare to face the expectant eyes of the mother and daughter.
There was a bowl of wine in front of him.
Yu Ye lowered his head and was silent for a moment, then picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy wine entered his throat, and a fire burned straight into his chest. His face suddenly turned red, and he couldn't help but cough violently——
"Ahem..."
"Ouch, I'm choking!"
Xiuzhen hurriedly stood up and helped beat her back, and Wan'er also stretched out her little hand to help Xu beat her.
"No problem, no problem!"
Yu Ye raised his hand and said: "Sister-in-law, listen to me——"
Xiuzhen and Wan'er nodded repeatedly.
"Brother Feng went on a long trip to the sea. I'm afraid he won't be able to come back within three to five years!"
"The seventh child has gone to sea? What are you afraid of after three to five years? My mother and I will just wait for him!"
"Maybe eight years, ten years..."
"ah--"
Yu Ye grabbed the wine jar and poured it directly into his mouth.
Xiuzhen and Wan'er were frightened and took two steps back.
"boom!"
Yu Ye put down the wine jar, his red face splashed with wine. He ignored it and said with a grin: "I just said casually, sister-in-law, don't worry. It's a long way overseas, and Brother Feng's return date has not yet been determined. He asked me to bring money, enough for you and your mother to have food and clothing for your whole life. He also asked me I sent a message, instructing my sister-in-law to live a good life with Wan'er!"
He breathed out the alcohol as if relieved, then waved his sleeves, and five heavy animal skin bags popped into the open space in front of him.
"Sister-in-law, this is..."
Before Yu Ye could finish his words, he was so drunk that he tilted his body and collapsed to the ground.
