Jinling City, in the short courtyard where Gongshuchi hides.
The three painted red coffins were still there in the courtyard, there was no wind, and the soul-calling flags were hanging down to the ground.
The courtyard was so gloomy that no living creature dared to approach it.
The moonlight is cool and it is best to take some time off.
Gongshuchi was swaying on a deck chair to drink tea. The deck chair was hand-planed by myself. There was only one deck chair. The tea was Luyuan old tea that had been collected for ten years. It was fried with several Western spices and salt, and topped with good cheese. Just right salty and sweet.
After working all day, drinking this tea is the best way to relieve fatigue.
Yan Wuqi, who was already a human puppet, was standing aside with a dull look on his face, holding a plate of fruits that Gongshuchi had stolen from Demon Lord Jiangnan in his hands. The fruits had also been chilled with well water all day long, making them crisp and juicy.
The balance between work and rest is the long-standing tradition of public losers.
Gongshuchi took a sip of tea, and the aroma spread from his nose to the top of his head. He felt refreshed in an instant. He reached out and picked out a fruit that looked crisp and sweet, threw it into his mouth and chewed it slowly. The crisp, sweet and juicy fruit covered up the bitter taste of the tea.
Someone knocked on the door, and the left door knocker was picked up and knocked lightly, then knocked twice.
Gongshuchi pretended not to hear.
There are very few people who know this place, and those who know it will not be so polite. Maybe someone walking down the wrong alley at night recognized the wrong courtyard door.
For a while, there was no sound of anyone. Gongshuchi exhaled freely and drank tea leisurely.
A gust of wind blew from the courtyard wall, and the soul-calling flags moved in the wind.
Wu Shaoji jumped onto the wall of the courtyard with all the dust in his body, and looked panicked. He scanned the whole courtyard and saw the Gongshu Pond where he was drinking tea in front of the steps. He took a few steps together and rushed forward.
Gongshuchi took a sip of bitter tea and cleared his throat, "Didn't Girl Ling go to find you? Why are you the only one who came back?"
Wu Shaoji's head was covered with hot sweat. He stopped, bowed deeply, and said hastily: "Senior, Jianghu is here to help. When Ling'er went to Granny Sun's in the west of the city to buy meat buns, he met an arrogant and domineering woman. He couldn't stand it. We got into an argument with someone, failed in my efforts, and was detained. I hope you will condescend to go and save her."
Yue Ling'er is the disciple of the Poison King. As long as he reports his name as the Poison King, any trouble can be solved.
Gongshuchi said in confusion, "She didn't tell her the name of her master, Poison King."
Wu Shaoji looked embarrassed, "At first, I reported the name of the Poison King, but the woman didn't take it seriously and scolded her a lot. Her master was insulted, Ling'er couldn't bear it, and took action on the spot. As a result, The woman knocked her down in the corner with a stick. I thought that in the south of the Yangtze River, the Poison King had been in seclusion for many years. Perhaps the younger generation had never heard of her, so she reported your name to me as a senior, but the woman stopped and took Ling'er's hand. He was detained at the Baozi Shop, but he was told that he would not be released until you came."
Although he didn't scare anyone by calling him the Poison King, he added his own name.
Gongshuchi held his chin and thought. He had lived in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time. There were not many people in the south of the Yangtze River who could act in such an unorganized manner. He couldn't help but ask: "What does that woman look like? What does the stick she uses look like?"
Wu Shaoji traced the height on his chest: "The woman is petite and reaches my chest. She is wearing a green skirt. She smells very strong of the kitchen. The stick is a very common fire stick."
Gongshuchi's expression suddenly changed, and he fell from the recliner with an ouch. He was afraid to the core of his bones, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably. He spoke incoherently: "Then...that devil...how dare you offend him, let alone the Poison King?" When I go there, I have to squat in the corner and listen to her scolding."
Wu Shaoji stretched out his hand to help Gong Shuchi up and asked in a low voice: "That woman is really scary."
Gongshuchi put his right hand on his heart, and with trembling fear, he announced the woman's background, "Tianxiashu, Su Rou."
Su Rou is a person who is feared not only in Jiangnan but also in the entire world.
Wu Shaoji had naturally heard of it, and he was concerned about Yue Ling'er's safety. He swallowed and encouraged, "Senior, why don't you be brave enough to go there? You promised King Poison before that you would keep Yue Ling'er and his party safe in Jiangnan."
Gongshuchi turned his head stiffly, with a look of resentment on his face, "She is now worry-free. My old bones may be lying in the coffin."
Wu Shaoji refused to give up, "If something happens to Ling'er and the Poison King finds out about it when he returns to southern Xinjiang, then you and I..."
How can you break your promise to others? Gongshuchi threw Wu Shaoji away, flew to the courtyard, pointed at the three painted red coffins, and said sadly, "You and I will each pick one of the best coffins, in case no one comes to collect the body later."
Gongshuchi took off the soul-calling flag, the bell rang when the flag was moving, the lacquered red coffin lid was pushed open from the inside, and three human puppets jumped out with expressionless faces, each carrying a coffin.
I was afraid that I would never have the chance to come back to the courtyard where I had been hiding for many years. Gongshuchi carefully swept through every courtyard wall, put the carpenter's tools displayed in the courtyard back to their original positions one by one, then walked to the steps and drank the bitter tea in one gulp. The tea soup has become cold, and the coldness stings the throat. All the remaining fruits were poured into his arms, and he gently raised his sleeves and snapped his fingers, signaling Yan Wuqi to follow him to the appointment.
Wu Shaoji remained silent and waited in the courtyard for Gong Shuchi to go out.
Two living people, four human puppets, and three coffins.
How many people have returned, how many people have died, and who is in the coffin are all unknown.
In the west of Jinling City, in Luogu Lane, there is a mother-in-law named Sun who is good at making meat buns.
When Grandma Sun was young, she walked the streets selling meat buns in a basket. She saved a lot of savings and bought two small shops facing the street for her retirement.
I accumulated a lot of customer connections when I was young. Now I don’t have to sell the buns on the street. People come to me as soon as the buns come out of the oven.
Jinling City stays up all night, and there are many more people eating steamed buns than during the day.
In addition, Grandma Sun's steamed buns always use more ingredients than other stores, and the skin of the buns is also soft and delicious. Many regular customers are willing to travel a city away to enjoy it.
The steamed stuffed bun shop whose doorstep was trampled every day changed from its normal state today. When the diners who came here saw the woman in a green dress sitting with her legs crossed on a low stool in front of the door, they all ran away as if they saw a Rakshasa evil spirit. .
The woman ignored others and tapped the dark fire stick in her hand a few times on the bluestone, urging the girl from southern Xinjiang who was squatting aside to pick the garlic obediently to be more careful and not to dig into the crisp white jade garlic with her nails.
The girl's eyes were filled with tears, and she looked towards the street from time to time, waiting for someone to come to rescue her.
Grandma Sun was delighted when the whole pot of steamed buns was wrapped. The fresh meat buns came out of the pot. She personally selected two of the best-looking meat buns and held them on a white porcelain plate. She also took a small dish of Jiangnan balsamic vinegar and carried them out together. Come, put it on the low stool next to the woman, with a smile on her face, "The host hasn't come to eat my meat buns for a long time."
The woman in the green skirt is Su Rou.
The meat buns are soft, white and plump, and the pleats are neatly arranged, which instantly arouses the craving for food.
Su Rou picked up a meat bun, dipped it in balsamic vinegar, and took a big bite. The aroma of the meat and balsamic vinegar blended in her mouth, which was intoxicating. She was in a good mood instantly, "This is not your return to Jinling." Here comes the buns."
There was no need to greet others. Grandma Sun pulled up a bench and sat down against the wall. She clenched her hands into fists and hit her slightly aching lower back. "How long do you plan to come back this time?"
Su Rou took another big mouthful and reached out for the white jade garlic that Yue Ling'er had peeled. The white garlic is crispy and spicy, adding another flavor to the meat buns. He tilted his head and replied: "I didn't think about it. I finally went back to Jinling. I plan to eat all the delicacies from the south of the Yangtze River before going back."
Grandma Sun's eyebrows were crooked, "This will take a long time."
After eating a meat bun, Su Rou licked her lips, pinched the remaining one with one hand, blew it to cool her mouth, took a small bite, poured the remaining balsamic vinegar into the meat bun from her small mouth and shook it evenly, "It's okay to stay a little longer." Okay, I haven’t been back for a long time, so I want to get acquainted with you."
"You should move around frequently, otherwise you will be my age in a blink of an eye."
Grandma Sun lamented that most of her relatives, friends and old friends who were similar to her age had left Hexi. When she was young, she was busy making money to support her family and neglected to move around. When she got old and had free time, those people also left one after another, which made her sigh.
Su Rou finished chewing the meat buns and licked her fingers clean, "I'm going to have a tail roasting party in Lu Yuan tomorrow. If you're bored, you can go and join in the fun."
Grandma Sun waved her hands and smiled heartily, "My old lady will not attend the young people's banquet, lest she be said to be old and disrespectful."
The girl from southern Xinjiang who was picking garlic in the corner looked at her with eyes wide open. Grandma Sun was too soft-hearted to plead for mercy, so she got up and took two meat buns to give to the girl.
The girl's heart became hot and she cried so hard that Grandma Sun was at a loss.
Su Rou didn't like women crying the most, so she called out to Grandma Sun, "It's okay, don't worry about her, it will be fine after she finishes crying."
Grandma Sun shook her head, returned to the bench, bent down and sat down, and chatted: "I heard that Ren Lingdang also returned to Jinling this time."
Su Rou nodded, "She's grown up now, and it's time to find a bride. Tomorrow's tail-burning banquet in Lu Yuan will be held for her. I've invited all the young talents of the right age in Jiangnan."
Granny Sun chuckled and said, "You have to find a good family. When Ling Dang was a child, the host even brought her to buy meat buns. In a blink of an eye, she was about to get married."
Su Rou responded: "Yes, time is not forgiving. In the blink of an eye, Ling Dang will get married."
Grandma Sun closed her mouth, "I heard that the son of the original poster is also planning to get married. It's a double happiness for Tianxialou this time."
Su Rou's face fell, "Don't mention him, I get angry when I mention him. I've been in Jinling for several days and he doesn't come to see me. Also, when I was the owner of Tianxialou, who dared to go to Tianxialou to cause trouble? Now Everyone has been bullied to his face, but he is still living in Suzhou, indecisive, mother-in-law, and his temper does not follow me at all."
Su Rou complained, turned around and glared at the Miao Jiang woman, which scared the girl and took a few steps back to the corner.
A few streets away, wind flags were moving and soul bells were ringing.
When the girl saw hope, she felt very proud.
Su Rou returned to her straight posture, put the fire stick across her knees, and told Granny Sun, "You go back to the house first, I still have some things to do."
Grandma Sun said that everything was safe, quickly put away the tables, chairs and miscellaneous items in front of the shop, went back to the house, lowered the door panel, and chanted the Buddha in a low voice. Extraordinary people can get involved in Jianghu affairs, so just stay away.
A few feet away, someone's head was shaking.
Su Rou's anger sank into her dantian, and she called him by his name and shouted, "Gongshuchi, since we are all here, why are you hiding so far away!"
The wind flags were pulled by the shouts, and the soul bells were in a mess.
Just when his name was called, Gongshuchi's legs and feet were so weak that he was shaky. He jumped forward bravely, bowed and said glibly: "Aren't you afraid of disturbing the elegance of Master Su?"
Su Rou was not angry and said, "Gongshuchi, why don't you do your carpentry work well and get involved in these trivial things? I heard that you have a close relationship with the old immortal Poison King, and you from the Thousand Demon Palace I’ve also given up my title, so why are I tired of living an happy life and want to go to my world to work for a few years to straighten my body?”
Gongshuchi was so angry that he didn't dare to breathe. He was sweating profusely and lowered his head. He defended: "Back then, Gongshu's family was ruined and he received a meal from the poster. He still dares not forget it. How can he dare to get involved in Jianghu affairs again? This is all Pay back more of the favors you owe me while you can still move around, so that your shoulders will be looser when you die."
Su Rou stood up, clenched the fire stick in her hand, and looked directly at Gongshuchi, "When the five ghosts from Southern Xinjiang went to Suzhou to cause trouble, you should have been in Suzhou."
Gongshuchi took a few steps back, flustered, "These are young people who are ignorant, new to the world, arrogant, and instigated by the words of the poisonous woman in the Wang family, so they did such wrong things. I am also controlled by others, so I have to Take action.”
Su Rou took a step forward, and the moonlight pouring down was shattered by the fire stick, and the street shadows under the moon were also shattered.
"Then the rules of my world are in vain!"
In the eyes of Wu Shaoji and Yue Ling'er, Wu Shaoji and Yue Ling'er's actions were unremarkable.
Gongshuchi, who was in the state of selflessness, was already sweating like rain. In his eyes, the invisible things in front of Su Rou were shattering and returning to nothingness.
With one stick, all things surrender.
Falling flowers and flowing water are the most ruthless.
