It has been windy and rainy for several days, and it is rare to see firewood for sale in the firewood market.
The old shopkeeper stood at the door of the inn, looking towards the intersection. After a long time, I saw someone walking over carrying a load of firewood.
"Why are you late today? Let me wait." The innkeeper complained a little.
Zhang Shaofei put down the firewood, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with a smile: "Uncle, today is not the day to deliver firewood to your inn! Why are you here in the firewood market?"
It has been raining heavily recently, "and more merchants are coming than before, and the dry firewood that was originally stored has been used up."
Zhang Shaofei pointed to the load of firewood and said, "That's just right. The firewood I brought today is Luofeng firewood. Although the outside is wet from the rain, the inside is already dry and can be burned immediately."
The old shopkeeper smiled and said: "Okay, okay! I know that with you Zhang Shaofei, I will have good firewood for my inn. Come on, bring the firewood to the store for me."
Zhang Shaofei smiled honestly, nodded, picked up the firewood, and followed the old shopkeeper to the inn.
Zhang Shaofei was familiar with the roads. After delivering the firewood to the kitchen, he came to the front hall, took a bowl of tea from the second brother, and poured it into his stomach.
After drinking tea, Zhang Shaofei came out of the kitchen, and the old shopkeeper handed Zhang Shaofei the firewood money.
Zhang Shaofei said repeatedly: "Thank you, uncle, you always take care of me."
The old shopkeeper said: "To each other, burning your firewood has saved us a lot of money in the past few years. Ah Fei, the inn is full of guests these days, please send me a few more loads of firewood."
Zhang Shaofei nodded and walked out of the store.
It was already the first night when Zhang Shaofei returned home.
The stars are shining in the sky and the mountains are lit with lights. The crowing of frogs in the pond shows the silence of heaven and earth; the light from the windows warms the night sky.
"Is Fei'er back?" Zhang Shaofei hesitated for a moment before replying: "It's me, grandma." Zhang Shaofei opened the door. Wang Shaoxiang sat on the futon in front of the Buddhist niche, his eyes half-closed, and his whole body glowed with kindness.
Wang Shaoxiang watched with concern as Zhang Shaofei hung the rope on the wall, leaned the straw gun against the corner, and asked: "Fei'er, why did you come back so late today?"
Zhang Shaofei didn't know how to speak, so he could only smile shyly and avoid Wang Shaoxiang's concerned gaze.
Zhang Shaofei changed the subject and said, "Auntie, have you eaten?"
Wang Shaoxiang said lovingly: "If you don't come back, how will my mother be able to eat?"
"Then, let's eat." Zhang Shaofei moved the small table in front of Wang Shaoxiang, went to the stove to bring food, filled a bowl, and handed it to Wang Shaoxiang with both hands. He also picked up his rice bowl, but he was absent-minded, and the chopsticks he used to pick up food reached towards the oil lamp.
Wang Shaoxiang smiled, put down his job, and said seriously: "What are you worried about today?" Zhang Shaofei had to look at his mother squarely. His mother's eyes were extremely kind, as if she could resolve all the knots in his heart at any time.
Zhang Shaofei gritted his teeth and plucked up the courage to say, "Auntie, I've encountered several incredible things in the past few days. First, I met Taoist Master Yunwushan in the mountains. He..."
Zhang Shaofei didn't know how to describe that wonderful scene to Wang Shaoxiang, let alone his inner feelings. So, the topic changed: "Later, I met a monk singing strange songs on the single-plank bridge."
"Monk?" Wang Shaoxiang asked subconsciously, "What does the monk look like?"
Zhang Shaofei said: "I can't say specifically what he looks like. He is tall; he behaves like crazy, but he gives people a very mysterious impression. Oh, by the way, he is fat, but he is very agile."
Wang Shaoxiang suddenly realized: "Oh - then, it's him, it must be him!"
Zhang Shaofei was very surprised: "Aniang, have you seen him too?"
"The morning you were born, he came with another monk. He gave you your name! He also said that in the future you would..." Wang Shaoxiang recalled with some horror.
Zhang Shaofei saw that Wang Shaoxiang's expression changed a little when he mentioned that monk, and asked with concern: "Auntie, what's the matter with you?"
"Auntie is fine, Fei'er, then...then...then what did the fat monk say to you afterwards?"
Zhang Shaofei said: "He didn't say anything except a few crazy words.
Why did Wang Shaoxiang's expression change when Zhang Shaofei mentioned that monk? It turns out that this has an unclear and confusing relationship with Zhang Shaofei——
More than three hundred miles away from Duxiu Peak in Hebei Province, there is a Xijiang River roaring from the southwest.
At the source of the Xijiang River, there is a large mountain, undulating like a black dragon, lying on the riverside. The locals call this mountain Taishan.
For thousands of years, local people have always said that there is a dragon vein lurking in Taishan. Once the opportunity is ripe, a generation of sages will be born from here.
However, legends are legends after all.
But it alarmed the former prime minister and national advisor Xu Zhanfeng.
Xu Zhanfeng was smart and studious since he was a child, and he was well-read. At the age of 9, he went to Jingyun Temple in Nantuo Mountain, Henan Province to worship Master Yuan as his teacher. He was proficient in astronomy and other matters. He was a famous astronomer in the dynasty. He attracted treacherous ministers because of his extreme intelligence and unparalleled intelligence. Framed by jealousy, he was expelled from the court.
On a bright and clear night, Xu Zhanfeng was drinking alone under the moonlight in the back garden of his home. Suddenly, he noticed a white auspicious light shooting straight into the world from the direction of Lingnan, shining brightly and lingering for a long time.
He was both excited and confused: because this auspicious sign was a great auspicious omen that was rare and once in ten thousand years, indicating that an emperor whose name would go down in history was about to be born.
Xu Zhanfeng was puzzled and thought: We are in troubled times and traitors are in power. Could it be that there are huge changes brewing between heaven and earth?
Out of curiosity, he disguised himself as an alms monk and went down the Yangtze River estuary to the Xijiang estuary.
A Xijiang River roaring from the southwest attracted his attention.
Going up the river, you can see mountains on both sides of the river twisting and turning, with towering peaks.
At the end of the Xijiang River, a large mountain rises and falls like a black dragon lying on the riverside.
Among the peaks shaped like dragon bodies, there quietly exists a village called Taizhen Village, like a pearl under the belly of a giant dragon.
"In the land of Zhongling, there are people who are outstanding among their kind. The mountains and rivers are strange, and there are sages who shine as brightly as the sun." Suddenly, the words of his master, Taoist Master Zhiyuan, popped into Xu Zhanfeng's mind.
This scene is clearly the place where the emperor was born.
However, this auspicious aura is so peaceful and gentle, and does not have the domineering aura of an emperor at all. The charm here is more graceful than a king, and more free and easy than Wenquxing.
"What kind of auspicious omen is this? What kind of person is he that inspires auspiciousness on the earth and auspicious clouds in the sky?" Xu Zhanfeng fell into deep thinking.
Near dawn, the world was in chaos, and thick fog filled all the space, making people feel heavy, depressed, and inexplicably upset.
The black mountains on the river are also crawling like dead dragons and snakes.
"Quack - quack -" the screaming cry of the baby came from the village at the foot of the mountain, and with a loud newborn cry, it was like a thunderbolt piercing the clear sky, shaking the night sky in the mountains.
Then, a ray of red light soared from the village, cutting through the darkness before dawn, rushing up into the vast and confusing sky, illuminating the surrounding area in red, and then attracted thousands of colorful auspicious lights...
Xu Zhanfeng had been searching for a dragon for thousands of miles and came here. When he saw all this, the confusion in his heart was relieved. He couldn't help but beat the joints with his hands and said loudly: "A genius descended from heaven!"
…
The morning star pokes out its curious head from time to time from the gaps in the floating clouds in the sky, peering into the changing world.
The wormwood on the mountains, the reeds on the riverside, and the firewood leaves in the cottages are all bathed in the morning light.
A red sun slowly rose from the eastern horizon. At this time, Xu Zhanfeng felt a little thirsty, so he went down the mountain to Taizhen Village.
Arriving in front of a house at the entrance of the village, through the firewood gate, I saw a middle-aged woman who looked like a midwife in the small courtyard. She shook her head and said to the man next to her: "Master Zhang, please forgive me. While the sun is just rising, Send the child up the mountain and lay it to rest."
This man is nearly forty years old. His surname is Zhang and his given name is Jinchao.
He kept sobbing and bursting into tears.
The midwife pushed open the door and came out, only to see a fat monk over fifty years old standing outside the door, with kind-faced eyes and extraordinary behavior.
Xu Zhanfeng asked: "Dare I ask auntie, what's wrong with the baby?"
The midwife stopped, looked at the fat monk outside the door, shook her head and said, "For some reason, as soon as the baby came out of the mother's womb, the room was filled with red light... In less than two hours, he died..."
Xu Zhanfeng looked at the man who exuded elegance and was in the pain of losing his son, and said comfortingly: "Mr. Zhang, please don't be overly sad yet. Maybe there is still life."
When Zhang Jinchao heard this, his tear-filled eyes lit up, and he choked with sobs and said, "Yes...is it?"
Xu Zhanfeng clasped his hands together: "Where is the baby? The poor monk wants to see your son. What do you think?"
Zhang Jinchao hesitated and said: "Master, I have no breath. If I put it in the corner of the kitchen, I might disturb the master's purity of mind. It's best if I don't see him."
"Sir, please relax, Pindao Shan can bring the dead back to life. You can bring Pindao to meet you." Xu Zhanfeng insisted.
The midwife thought to herself: The world is really big and full of wonders. When encountering something like this, it would be too late for others to avoid it, but he...
Thinking of this, she said, "Master Zhang, please take this master to see him."
"Yes." Zhang Jinchao let Xu Zhanfeng into the small courtyard, then turned and entered the kitchen in the back room.
Xu Zhanfeng picked up the baby, patted it gently, and murmured: "Hui Zu, wake up, your disciples are here to visit you..."
The baby was patted and said by Xu Zhanfeng, "When he opened his eyes, he peed naughtily, and then started crying "wow-wow".
"Madam, my son is alive! My son is alive!!" Zhang Jinchao heard his son's cry, took his precious son from Xu Zhanfeng's hands, and shouted into the back room.
At this time, a woman with a haggard face stumbled out and asked impatiently: "Husband, what did you say? Our son is alive?"
Zhang Jinchao repeated loudly: "Yes! Wife, my son is alive! My son is alive!"
Xu Zhanfeng looked at the little baby boy carefully. He was white and fat, with a full sky, a round pavilion, and a high nose. He was cuter than the baby in the New Year pictures, but he was crying enthusiastically.
