(3)
After leaving the woods, the scenery suddenly opened up. The golden sunshine once again shines on the carriages and horses, and the dark yellow sandy road and the green farmland on both sides are particularly distinct. Against the backdrop of the sunshine, everything looked lush and vibrant. A towering wooden archway was built at the end of the road, with carved owls and flying birds and green tiles and Stanley pillars vaguely visible. There are three big characters hanging on the plaque on the top - "Swallow Town".
There are still farmers plowing in the fields, waving iron pears up and down in their hands, turning over the soil. One of the farmers, who was walking on the road with a bamboo cover on his head and an iron pear in his hand, happened to meet the team of carriages and horses. Suddenly a head popped out of the small window on the right side of the car and said hello to the farmer.
"Uncle Run! Is the field okay today?"
The farmer looked at Pear and was shocked: "Oh! Isn't this a boy from the old Yang family? Your father closed his eyes all night to look for you, and now he is drinking boring tea at the end of the village! You'd better go and see him quickly Meet him!"
Yang Deqing, who was in front of the car window, replied: "Okay! Thank you Uncle Run, I'll go right away!" After that, the carriage and horses hurried to Yanzi Town.
When we reached the eye-catching wooden archway, the crowds of people and houses returned to us again after a long absence. There is a long street in front of the archway, which extends forward along with the high eaves of green tiles on the right hand side, to the other side on the left hand side, and it goes around half a circle! There is a wooden covered bridge built between the two banks, and under the bank is the lake reflecting the crowds and buildings on both sides. Brokers and salesmen shuttled among them; tea shops and food shops were constantly crowded.
Although it was only half a day away from the crowd, the hustle and bustle still made the newly arrived outsiders a little uncomfortable. After talking for a while, Bai Feng and others decided to let Zhao Kuo lead the car to find a place to stay first, while Bai Feng and Murong Yan helped Yang Deqing, who had limited mobility, find his father.
Bai Feng led the horse. The passenger on the horse was Yang Deqing. On the other side was Murong Yan. The three of them walked to a nearby teahouse, ready to find out. Unexpectedly, as soon as a few people approached, a tall and mighty man appeared at the door of the teahouse. He was wearing a small fox fur coat, and his strong and dark chest and arms were exposed. Her hair was tied up casually on her head, her eyes were burning with anger, her teeth were clenched, and the mustache on her lips was quivering. When Yang Deqing saw the guy approaching, he got off his horse in a panic and staggered. Fortunately, Murong Yan helped him.
The tall man reached Yang Deqing and gave him a slap in the face. This palm seemed to have stunned Bai Feng and the three of them, causing them to freeze in place for a moment, until the big man hugged Yang Deqing tightly to his chest and cried: "You stinky boy, old man Dad, I still thought you were caught by a wolf! You are the only son in my old Yang family. If you are gone, how can I explain to your mother!"
While stroking his red face, Yang Deqing struggled and said, "Dad! It's so embarrassing to see so many people!"
Murong Yan on the side covered her mouth and snickered: "Uncle Yang, Mr. Yang can't come back because he injured his foot!"
Father Yang let go of his son, wiped his eyes and looked at the girl who was speaking. He was shocked and said: "Oh! This girl is a fairy in the sky! She looks exactly like that brat's mother!"
"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about! It was Miss Murong who saved me!" After speaking, Yang Deqing shyly said to Murong Yan: "That's how he is. Whenever he meets a beautiful girl, he always says she looks like my mother..."
Murong Yan glanced sideways at Bai Feng, the two looked at each other and smiled, and then said it was okay. Father Yang also wiped away his tears, his face suddenly became serious, and said: "Bad boy, Mr. Yang is trying the case in the court, and now he wants you to testify! Look at your appearance, come back with me and take a shower , Change your clothes!" After saying that, he nodded his thanks to Murong Yan and the other two, and helped Yang Deqing to leave.
"Uncle Yang, please stay!" The young man in white leading the horse suddenly asked, "Where is the government office here?"
Father Yang pointed to the first corner of the long street in front of him and said, "You are looking for Mr. Yang, right? After passing that corner, keep walking and you will see the grievances of the Yamen. It is probably piled up in front of the door now. Where are the opera people?" After hearing this, Bai Feng bowed and thanked her, took the horse and Murong Yan to leave.
The two of them and one horse were walking on the road, facing the fading sunlight in the western mountains. They were surrounded by merchants and people coming and going, and the sound of peace filled their ears, making them more and more interesting.
"Uncle Yang is really interesting. It would be great if my father was like this!" Murong Yan sighed with emotion. She originally expected to see her lover's happy smile, but she only saw a sad face. "Brother Feng ?Are you worried about the person in the painting?"
"Well..." Bai Feng replied: "If someone really has another family, I can't force him..." As soon as he finished speaking, Murong Yan suddenly took Bai Feng's left arm and leaned her chest lightly on him. He complained: "We haven't tried walking side by side arm in arm like this, have we?"
"Um..." Bai Feng glanced at the other party, then nodded in shame and said: "Yes... yes... speaking of it, meeting you, Yan'er, is actually the greatest blessing in my life, Bai Feng... "
"Then let's not talk about those troublesome things! After walking this journey properly, even if Wang Ji is not able to pay homage to Brother Feng's sworn sister's grave in the end, the trip will still be in vain!" Murong Yan smiled brightly and said to Bai Bai. Feng linked his fingers to his heart and walked away.
After a while, a white-faced and red-bodied victim appeared in front of him, and a large number of people gathered around him. Bai Feng tied the horse to a tree nearby, and then walked to the crowd with Murong Yan, wanting to see Master Yang's style of interrogating cases.
Pushing aside the crowd, Bai Feng led Murong Yan to the front of the court. After a closer look, the judge in the hall looked exactly like the person in the painting: a long face, a flat nose, and a black mole next to the corner of his right eye. But now he was holding his forehead and sighing, his face showing fatigue. The people in the hall have been arguing about something. One is a bald monk who looks like a monk, and the other is an ordinary citizen who looks like a farmer.
"That cow cried when it saw me. How could it cry if it wasn't my father?" The monk clasped his hands together, but his words were excited and slightly angry.
"You are a liar. The last time you went to the house next door, Lao Bi asked you to take a cow. Could it be that it was also the reincarnation of your father??!" Another person said unceremoniously and angrily.
"Bang!" There was a loud noise in the hall, and the judge in the hall said angrily: "How long are you two going to argue? When a witness arrives, you will know then whether this monk is a monk from Qingliang Temple!" After a while, a yamen servant walked out of the back hall and went to Master Yang to whisper a few words. Then Yang Ji was stunned again and said loudly: "The witness, Yang Deqing!"
After a while, a young man walked out of the back hall. He had a bun on his head, but there were still a few curly hairs on his forehead, probably because he was born with curly hair. The eyebrows are trembling, the corners of the mouth are slightly raised, and he is wearing brown cloth. He walked down to the hall, carefully identified the monk, and immediately raised his hands to Yang Ji and said, "Sir, I have never seen this monk before."
The judge in the hall breathed a sigh of relief and said to the monk, "Monk, what else do you have to say?"
"I'm not convinced. Abbot Xuanqing of Qingliang Temple recognizes me! I want him to confront me!" the monk shouted angrily.
"It only takes one day to go back and forth from Qingliang Temple. You are obviously cheating!" Yang Deqing accused.
Yang Ji stopped Yang Deqing and said: "Deqing, I have always been convinced, so what if I just obey others?"
Yang Deqing said: "Sir, Abbot Xuanqing is old and might not be able to go down the mountain!"
"This..." Yang Ji suddenly leaned back on the chair, held his forehead again and sighed: "When will this unjust case be tried?"
At this time, a young man's voice suddenly sounded outside the hall: "Sir! Why don't you let the cow come out and recognize its 'son' again?"
Everyone in the court followed the sound and saw a young man who was still young and had not yet reached his crown. Murong Yan also muttered at the side: "Brother Feng, do you have any idea?" Bai Feng just smiled and nodded, and then walked out from the crowd. When the officials on both sides saw that he was carrying a sword at his waist, they all raised their water and fire sticks, trying to step forward to stop him.
"Don't be impatient!" Yang Ji said to his men: "Let's see what this young hero can do? Someone, bring the cow up!"
A little while ago, a yamen servant led a cow to the hall. The monk burst into tears and called daddy, daddy, as if he and his son recognized each other. The monk patted his bare head, knelt on the ground and said to the cow: "If you are really my father, lick my head so that everyone can see it with their own eyes!"
The cow meowed "moo" twice, then really stuck out its tongue and licked the monk's head. This lick was like touching the head of its own child, and it never stopped. After a while, tears welled up in the cow's eyes. Among the people who were watching the trial, some with shallow eyes actually shed tears, thinking that the cow was really the father of the monk.
However, the young man in white walked slowly away and signaled to the government servants to take the cow away. He also touched the monk's head with his fingers and licked it. Then in an extremely calm tone, he offered Master Yang his hand and said, "Sir, It’s salt.”
"What kind of salt! What nonsense are you talking about! Give me my dad back!" After hearing what Bai Feng said, the monk became even more excited. If it weren't for the restraint of the Yamen servant on the side, he would have almost jumped on the latter.
Bai Feng calmly took out a handful of white crystals from the monk's clothes and said, "The reason why that cow sheds tears is because it ate too much salt!"
The owner of the cow, the farmer who had been silent next to him, suddenly realized it and cursed at the monk: "Okay! So that's what happened! Stinky bald donkey, how dare you lie to me!"
When the monk learned that the truth was revealed, his legs collapsed and he sat straight on the ground. The public opinion of the onlookers was also one-sided, and they all looked down upon the monk. Seeing the chatter in the hall, Yang Ji angrily slapped the wooden door in front of the case and said: "Quiet! Monk, Zhou Xuan is cheating. There are all witnesses and material evidence. I have pronounced the sentence and will be detained for three days. All the stolen money will be confiscated. It will be executed on the same day! Quit the hall!" After that, Yang Ji waved his sleeves and returned to the back hall. Bai Feng also returned to Murong Yan's side, accepting her lover's admiring gaze.
"How does Brother Feng know that cows will shed tears if they eat too much salt?"
Bai Feng recalled with a smile: "When I was a child, I helped feed the cows at home and accidentally put a handful of salt. As a result, all the cows burst into tears. My father and mother both thought the cows were sick, but later the doctor took a look and found out. It was my fault and I was given a lecture.”
Yang Deqing also came to admire him at this time and said: "Master Bai is really amazing, he saw through that monk's tricks at a glance!"
"This is just a little trick, it's not difficult to see through!" Bai Feng said humbly.
After a while, the three of them saw that it was getting late, so they bowed and went their separate ways. Bai Feng felt that this so-called Yang Ji was not a faint official, but was at least doing things for the people. He thought that his wish might not come true, so he couldn't help but smile a little more on his face, and happily went with Murong Yan to find the rest. The companion went.
