In less than two hours, both of them slowly climbed to the halfway point of the mountain. I don't know if Zhao Ziyang was concerned about Li San's poor physical condition, or because he hadn't been up the mountain for many days, and he thought that on the way up the mountain, it would be a good time to see the mountains, rivers, trees, and autumn leaves, so he deliberately slowed down his pace and walked up the mountain.
Nangong Mountain has always been full of towering ancient trees. For some reason, most of the trees and bushes at the foot of the mountain are short and short. But when you step into the mountain, the ancient trees tower into the sky, blocking out the sky and making it difficult to penetrate the sun. It is really puzzling.
At this moment, an old tree suddenly appeared in front of them. It was as thick as several people hugging each other. It seemed like it had been struck by thunder. It was completely charred and black, with no branches or leaves. It stood alone in front of them.
Zhao Ziyang's expression did not change, but Li San's eyes showed surprise. Although he did not ask any questions, he was muttering in his heart.
There is no one in the village at the foot of Nangong Mountain who has never gone up the mountain. Except for some who are too old and have inconvenient legs and feet, they rarely go up the mountain. The remaining neighbors all go up the mountain from time to time. However, the autumn breeze has cooled down recently, so there is no one here today. Climbing mountains.
Li San thought about it for a long time, but he never thought of such a tall lightning-struck tree in the mountain, so he couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.
Zhao Ziyang, on the other hand, walked straight towards the lightning-struck tree, regardless of what Li San behind him was thinking, and moved away the yellowing wormwood accumulated at the autumn roots, which turned out to be a rotten tree hole.
The tree hole is extremely wide and deep, just enough for three people to sit in it. The strong autumn wind coming from the top of the mountain happens to be covered by the tree trunks behind it, making it very suitable for resting.
"Don't just look at it. You are the only one in the whole village who has a fire break. Light it up." Zhao Ziyang sat down in the tree hole by himself, then took out three sticks of incense from his arms and said to Li Sand outside the tree hole, "The mountain breeze is so strong." It’s too big, it won’t start a fire anywhere else, let’s go into the tree hole.”
Li San was originally surprised by the majesty of this old tree. After hearing what Zhao Ziyang said, he hurriedly took out the fire stick from his arms, picked up two handfuls of dried yellow leaves, and ducked into the hole of the tree. middle.
Although it is only a fire certificate, it is considered a rare item among the neighbors. When Li San fled, he took the Huozhezi out of his home and fled to the foot of Nangong Mountain with nothing else but unkempt hair.
If it weren't for the help from his neighbors, Li San might have starved to death in the wilderness.
Zhao Ziyang took the yellow leaves, slowly lit the three long incense sticks, held them in the palm of his hand, and whispered softly, "Old Sun, I came to see you today. I haven't been up the mountain for many days, and I almost forgot to give it to you. Burn incense."
"I had a serious illness in my legs and feet a few days ago, and I almost ended up paralyzed at home. If I hadn't had a girl to help me, I would have lost my dignity long ago."
"The mountain still looks the same. You must have seen it more clearly than me in this mountain. It's just that the weather has turned cold recently, so remember to put on more clothes there."
The words were warm and gentle, as if they were meeting old friends.
Li San had never seen Gang Leader Zhao speak in such a soothing tone. He was a little confused for a moment, but then a light flashed in his mind, and he could get a glimpse of some of the hidden secrets.
In the past two years, no old man named Sun has died in the village. The old Sun mentioned by the latter is probably the old hunter who taught hunting skills.
Sure enough, Zhao Ziyang put three sticks of incense in front of him, and then slowly said: "When Lao Sun taught me to go hunting in the mountains, he said that in his opinion, all the objects in the mountains have spirits, so during the year, it is the best time to hunt." When you come to worship, you should think of it as asking the mountain god, the Earth God, to bless the mountains and the mountains without disaster and chaos, and to go in and out of the mountains safely."
When Zhao Ziyang said this, he happened to be looking down the mountain. He saw endless fallen trees rustling down, and the skylight occasionally poured into the leaves, as if thousands of years had flowed past the mountain road.
"Speaking of which," Zhao Ziyang, who had a much softer complexion, looked at the fire certificate in Li San's hand, "your fire certificate also has a background, why don't you take advantage of the break to talk about it?" Li San was startled when he heard this, and then Looking at the yellowed fire ring in his hand, he suddenly felt a little sad.
Li San has always been playful since he joined the gang. It is common for his colleagues to make jokes and give him a few nicknames. Everyone knew his temper and felt that he was a free-spirited person. It would not be a problem to be more cheerful, so they naturally let him go. This had been the case for several years, and no one was angry at Li San's playfulness.
But today, whether it was the autumn wind that caught his eyes, or a few autumn leaves that ignited and smoked his eyes and nose, Li San felt for the first time that the tip of his nose was sore.
"Hey, there's something interesting to say about my shabby past. I've forgotten most of it, but the gang leader wants to hear it, so I'll tell you about it." Li San touched the bridge of his nose, spread out his palms, and stared at Zhuo Huo Zhezi said, "Back then, I was just an idle young man at home. I spent my whole day playing with birds and walking yellow dogs. I don't say that I am neither learned nor skilled, but I'm not much different."
Zhao Ziyang laughed silently, but felt a little emotional in his heart.
This lean man who only chased himself all over the place never imagined that he was really a young man in the past.
"My father often lectures me, saying that nine generations of his family have been educated, so how come there is such a young man who is not enterprising? I don't know how many jade pieces are cracked in the palm of my hand. But you also know, leader, I, Li San has never been a person who can settle down to learn. Instead of staying in front of the four treasures of the study all day long, smelling the smell of sour and sour ink on the papers, it would be better to go out and look at the girl's waist." What Li San said was interesting, but there was no trace of joy on his face. I just said slowly, ""It's a pity that something unexpected happened. When the famine came that time, there was a severe drought for an unknown number of miles around my house, followed by severe rains in March, which suddenly made the area originally known as West Road South Li. In this blessed land, countless stored grains rotted in the rain. "
"That's when I realized that so-called natural disasters are nothing compared to man-made disasters." Li San smiled sadly, "At a time when the government couldn't control it, those ordinary people who were usually obedient and seemingly honest rushed into my house. He swept away all the valuable items in the house, leaving nothing behind."
"My father has always been kind to others, and he didn't want to ask servants to guard the house. When he saw the refugees pouring into the house, he came out of the house and shouted loudly, but he was beaten to death by those refugees."
"In my family of more than ten people, I was the only one who was knocked unconscious and thrown on the roadside. Following the torrent of victims, I managed to survive to the foot of Nangong Mountain." The lean man looked out at the boundless autumn scenery, and after a while he said this. The words are settled.
"You also know what happens next."
There was great hatred in my heart, although I never beat my chest, but in the eyes of that young man who didn't look young, it was like a turbulent mountain and sea.
Zhao Ziyang was silent for a long time before speaking, "Although I don't know how to comfort others, I still advise you not to be angry and to not have a bad character."
"Why don't you also pay homage to the mountain god?"
The young man smiled very gently.
The three-point incense burns brightly and extinguishes, and outside it is the vast autumn of the world.
