(4)
As night approaches, the sound of people gradually stops. The bright white moonlight shines in the shade of the mountains, complementing the sparse lights in this small town. Occasionally, a few dog barks can be heard in the ordinary alleys, "Wooing", which is in perfect contrast with the dark scenery outside the house. When curfew is approaching, most of the scenery in those small villages and towns is like this, and Yanzi Town, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers, is even more amazingly quiet and peaceful!
The slow evening breeze blows over the mountains and lakes, startling the birds and wild ducks, causing them to emit unique cries. This sound ripples in the wind and can float far and wide...
This situation moved Qian Xi, who had been "trapped" in Jiangzhou for several years due to illness. He admired it carefully from the window and repeatedly praised: "No wonder there is a famous temple built here. It is really a good place to cultivate oneself and hide from the world!"
"Yes!" Mei Niang was making tea on the small table behind him and said gently, "Young master really chose a good place for us!" As soon as he finished speaking, a particularly sad bird call flew through the night sky. The girl who was making tea and pouring water was startled, and due to the lingering toxicity, the porcelain pot in her hand lost her grip slightly and hit the hard wooden floor.
"Bang!" The sound shocked Qian Xi, who had just been immersed in the beautiful scenery. He immediately turned around and walked to the other party, helped pick up the broken porcelain pieces, and asked: "Mei Niang, what's going on? Already?"
"This voice... this voice..." Mei Niang's hand was trembling, and Qian Xi tried to hold it, but Mei Niang lost control and threw herself into the other person's arms, sobbing: "They... they are chasing me. Oh! This sound can only be made by the messenger golden eagle raised by the Lord... We can't stay in the town, we have to leave as soon as possible!"
After hearing this, Qian Xi comforted the other person, carried him to the bed, and covered him with a quilt. After a while, there was a knock on the door. Mei Niang suddenly became horrified, and habitually pulled out a few flying needles from her sleeves.
"Don't be afraid, I'll open the door." Qian Xi whispered softly. The wooden door opened in response. At the same time, Mei Niang's hand holding the needle trembled violently due to the high tension and the powerlessness caused by poisoning. It was not until the next moment came that she let out a long breath and fell weakly. on the bed.
"Ah! Mr. Bai, Miss Murong, why are you here so late?" Qian Xi said to the pair of figures outside the door.
"Master Qian, we are here to tell you that Master Xuanqing in Qingliang Temple may know where Yanzitan is!" Murong Yan replied: "Tomorrow I will go with Brother Feng and Master Yang Deqing to visit Master Yang Ji, and Mr. Yang has a way to take us up the mountain. Mr. Qian and Sister Mei Niang should also follow us, right?"
After hearing this, Qian Xi quickly agreed, then respectfully sent the visitor off and returned to his beloved wife.
"I never thought that that silly girl's voice would make me feel so at ease..." Mei Niang looked at the arriving Gan Xi feebly and sighed. Seeing his lover's dejected state, Gan Xi couldn't help but shed tears: He was once so glorious, but now he has to avoid hidden arrows that come at any time. Is this the so-called destiny?
The pair of desperate mandarin ducks hugged each other, exchanged care and caress, and spent the whole night lingering in the dream of wandering in the world.
Early the next morning, several people who had met together went to visit Yang Ji under the leadership of Yang Deqing. Yang Ji's residence was far away from the center of the town, but very close to Qingliang Temple. It has Qingliang Mountain at its back and farmland in front of its door. A few fences were randomly erected to surround the simple thatched hut, where some chickens, ducks, and silkworms were raised. If Yang Deqing hadn't repeatedly warned the bystanders that he was not leading the wrong way, the others would never have believed that this was the residence of the town official.
When the five people first arrived there, they saw a woman peeling cocoons in front of a mulberry basket outside the house. There was a bamboo basket next to it, with a baby learning to talk inside. Yang Deqing, the leader, opened the gate and prepared to welcome a few guests in. Unexpectedly, the baby suddenly started crying loudly. Sang Fu had no choice but to put aside her homework and go to pick up the baby and comfort it. Yang Deqing also tiptoed over, making a funny face, trying to make the baby laugh because he was frightened to cry.
"Stop crying, stop crying! It's all my cousin's fault!" Yang Deqing said, "If you cry again, I won't take you to play next time I go up the mountain!"
"Deqing! Your feet haven't healed yet! You just want to go out and play!" the lady holding the child said angrily. The strange thing is that the baby stopped crying when he heard Yang Deqing being scolded, which made others laugh.
Yang Deqing patted his curly head, as if remembering something important, and said to his cousin: "Cousin, these guys wanted to ask my brother-in-law something, so I brought them here."
Mrs. Yang bowed slightly, nodded and said respectfully: "I have seen a few of you, I don't know..." After hearing this, the guests introduced themselves one after another. Everyone saw that although Mrs. Yang was dressed plainly and doing farm work, her movements were gentle and elegant, and her speech was particularly appropriate, unlike an ordinary peasant woman. After some understanding, I learned that Mrs. Yang was originally the daughter of a former town official. After getting together with Yang Ji, because the latter believed in the Buddha, she donated most of the inherited family property to Qingliang Temple, while the couple Moved to the foot of Qingliang Mountain.
Everyone moved to sit in the thatched hut and talked in detail for a while, when Yang Ji appeared from the gate with Tie Li on his shoulders. The coarse clothes on his body were covered with dust, his back was covered with sweat, and his hair was askew. He looked blankly at the situation in the busy hut. After his eyes moved to the familiar young knight, he stepped forward to bow and said: "I met the young knight and stepped forward to help yesterday. I missed my wife and daughter at home and left in a hurry before I could thank you. It is really impolite!"
Bai Feng replied: "Master Yang, there is no need to be so formal." After that, he introduced his friends and their intentions to Yang Ji one by one.
"I wonder what you want from me?" Yang Ji took a sip of tea, moistened his dry mouth and asked.
"I wonder, sir, do you know someone named 'Wang Ji'?"
"Wang Ji?" Yang Ji stared at his wife after hearing this. After the two looked at each other for a moment, Yang Ji continued: "Could it be that Young Master Bai is from Yangcheng?"
Bai Feng nodded in agreement: "I am coming from Yangcheng!" After saying this, Yang Ji thought about Shao Qing, then stood up and invited Bai Feng outside the door, and nuzzled his wife, asking her to entertain other guests.
The two men walked outside and leaned against the fence. They didn't speak to each other for a long time. The two of them looked at the vast mountains behind them, the green farmland in front of them, and the chickens and ducks at their feet "clucking" and "quacking" in front of them, but they didn't know how to talk about that past event.
Bai Feng looked at Mrs. Yang in the room from time to time: she was holding the baby, her face was red and smiling, and she was sharing the joy with Murong Yan and Mei Niang. The inner conflict of the young man was indescribable. He could only frown and look at the strange and familiar things around him that once belonged to him.
"Young Master Bai, do you know 'Wang Ji'?"
"I... know... and don't know..." Bai Feng suddenly remembered this strange sentence structure, and suddenly understood that the master that day seemed to have already realized that in this world, things that are unclear and full of contradictions are really Too much……
"Hahaha... As far as I know, most of the people who know this name are no longer alive." Yang Ji patted Bai Feng on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Since you don't know him, let me tell you a story. !”
The young man nodded in agreement.
"Once upon a time, there was an ignorant young man who wanted to go to a big city to make a living and make a good life for his wife. Suddenly one day, he learned that his hometown had been destroyed by war. He lost hope and was miserable, wandering around all day long. In the slums. After a year, he was determined to change this situation, so he left there and came here. Here, he was fortunate enough to meet many very good people, two of whom were the daughter of the Yang family and the old man. Town official. Thanks to the old town official's respect, this young man got a job as a government servant, and because of this, he was destined to meet, get to know, and fall in love with the daughter of the Yang family. Before the old town official died, he was afraid that the family property would be taken away by his relatives, so he allowed me He married into the Yang family and took over everything... The young man knew that the money did not belong to him, so he donated most of it to the Buddhist temple. He also established a memorial tablet for his former wife and went to worship it once a month. This made him I have found unprecedented peace of mind..."
After Bai Feng heard this story and knew that the young man in this story was Yang Ji, he confessed: "Mr. Yang, your former wife, Sister Chun, helped me save my life. The last words before her death In a word, I just want to see you, Mr. Yang. In order to repay my kindness, I came here to visit..."
"Chun'er..." Yang Ji's eyes filled with tears and he clenched his fists: "How could I not have thought... At that time, the army was pressing down on the border, and everyone felt lucky to be far away from Gaixin, including me... I was really an irresponsible husband! On the contrary, Mr. Bai Shaoxia, for a word, you have gone through all kinds of difficulties and dangers to find someone you have never seen before... In front of Mr. Bai Shaoxia, I really feel ashamed!" After that, Yang Ji bowed deeply to Bai Feng.
"Then, Master Yang, what are you going to do?"
Yang Ji looked at the Qingliang Temple on the mountain and said, "Wait a minute, let's go up the mountain to worship Chun'er again. By the way, help your friend ask where Yanzitan is, and then I will take my wife and daughter to resign and return home!" "
