Amidst the high mountains, there is a big river passing through.
The mountains, river valleys, and boulders are rugged, and the angry waves pound heavily on every piece of gravel, every cliff, and every abrupt bend. The waves were so powerful that they seemed to come from the sky, enveloping the pure meltwater on the snow-capped mountains and turning it into a hazy yellow color, flowing straight down to an unknown place.
On both sides of the river, there are towering mountains, layers of green trees, and the cries of birds and apes are heart-breaking. The sun shines down, shining on the rolling mist shot by the river, turning it into seven colors of light.
As we walked further down the river, the terrain gradually became flat, and the vast water waves rushed out of the canyon, venting their unbearable anger, and the water overflowed into a fan shape. The river widened, and the water surface shimmered, delicately cutting into the reflected mountain forest sky.
In this inaccessible place, there is an independent village. No one knows the origin of the village, and no one knows the meaning of its existence. It just sits quietly on the bank of the river.
The village is called Qingling, and it is the southernmost part of Dayu Country in East Fuyao Continent. But it is not close to the sea. At least the big river flows southward as always. Further south, I have never heard of any country or people, and the whole world does not know what else is further south.
It was early in the morning, the sky was just dawning, and the gentle and soft light was shining down, illuminating the appearance of this ancient village.
A large group of mud houses are clustered in the center of this fertile land, surrounded by scattered paddy fields. Farmers have abided by the rules of their ancestors for generations and worked diligently. No one went outside the mountains or to the lower reaches of the river.
A small red brick house in the middle of the mud house is particularly eye-catching. It is completely different from the surrounding style and stands out from the crowd.
The small red brick house is a unique building in the village. The reason why it was carefully built is because of the oldest customs in the village and the sacrificial rituals passed down from generation to generation.
The sacrificial ceremony requires someone to preside over the spells, and this small house is a villa dedicated to teaching young children how to read and practice spells.
There is an old man at the door of the small red brick house. His long hair is neatly tied up. Although his face is covered with wrinkles like dead branches, it does not give people any impression of old age. His face is always peaceful, and his eyes are deep and full of emotion. god.
The old man stood at the door, straightened his spine, looked at the mountains in the distance, closed his eyes and rested.
There are many pedestrians coming and going, all rushing to do more things in the fields while the weather is not too hot, but when they see the old man, they must stop respectfully and say hello. The old man was never annoyed, he just smiled and returned the greetings one by one.
The old man also has a more famous identity in the village, that is, the high priest of the village.
A child of about ten years old was the first to come to the school villa. He saw his husband standing at the door. He seemed a little shy. He walked up to him, bowed and said, "Good morning, sir."
The old man glanced at him, smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to come in.
This child's name is Zhang Xiaohe. He comes from a poor family, but he loves to study. He comes to the school in advance every day and is the most serious about his homework in class.
The old man actually knows more or less what the child is thinking. Zhang Xiaohe's father died young and he was raised by his mother alone. His life was miserable. Although the child is young, he is also sensible. As long as he does well in the school, he will hopefully succeed the next priest. By then, his status in the village will be higher, and his life will be easier.
After a while, several more children of similar age came together, laughing and chattering, it was so lively.
The children all held a small bag in their hands. When they saw the teacher, they would say hello with a smile, then hand the bag to the old man and enter the classroom.
The classroom immediately became lively. Children of this age like to play with their peers most. Some people gather together to chat with each other, while others simply chase and fight in the classroom. The teacher won't care about this. It's still very early before class anyway.
Only Zhang Xiaohe sat quietly in the corner, not caring at all no matter how noisy they were, just reading a book seriously with the small amount of light coming through the window.
The old man felt a little emotional. He liked this child who was dull and poor in the eyes of his peers. However, seeing other people's carefree faces, he would sincerely feel sorry for them.
The sun is turning red, but there are still a few empty tables and chairs in the classroom. The old man didn't care. After all, there were only three priests in the next class. Many children from families with poor qualifications dropped out of school early, which was understandable.
Seeing that the time was almost up, the old man was about to turn around and teach. But I heard a shout from behind: "Sir, wait for me!"
A little boy ran over, carrying a bag on his back. He was still a little sleepy. He ran up to him out of breath. Without any courtesy, he handed the bag over and said, "Sir, this is my tuition fee. The Qin family and the Dong family just asked me to deliver it." In other words, their children will never come again."
The old man nodded in acquiescence.
The little boy's name is Xu Huaigu. He is eight years old this year, but he is very tall. His family lives a relatively wealthy life. He was in a daze all day long and never studied seriously, but the old man had an excellent impression of him as a very smart child.
The old man started teaching again, and the literacy course had been completed long ago. On the table today is "Xingchen Xiaolu", which is a book about stargazing and prediction.
Stargazing is a very basic knowledge. In addition to presiding over the annual priest ceremony, the priests spend the rest of their time watching the sky, helping the villagers predict the weather and grasp the calendar to win better harvests.
Xu Huaigu's head hurt a little. It's said to be a short record, but why is it so thick? What a hassle. He couldn't help but think of the martial arts novel he secretly read in his room last night. It was so exciting.
He simply lay down on the table, desperately watching the old man's lecture, waiting for the get out of class to end. The elderly will not care about the children's grades. Everyone will have their own path, and there is no distinction between high and low.
Zhang Xiaohe sat in the corner, but listened extremely carefully, for fear of missing even a word.
Time passed unknowingly, and the sun was about three o'clock in the morning. Xu Huaigu supported his chin on the table with his hands to prevent himself from falling asleep.
The old man looked at him and felt a little funny, so he said, "Let's end the class here today. Don't forget to read more books at home."
The children relaxed one after another, and some stretched and yawned. Xu Huaigu became nervous and ran out of the classroom immediately without closing the open books on the table.
Everyone was not surprised and packed their things to leave. Zhang Xiaohe looked at his husband alone, but made no move.
The students gradually left, leaving only the old man and Zhang Xiaohe. Zhang Xiaohe was still sitting in his seat, squirming a little and looking at the old man sheepishly.
The old man felt funny. This child didn't bring his school fees this morning. Is he probably shy?
He just looked at Zhang Xiaohe, his eyes full of encouragement.
Perhaps the look in his eyes gave Zhang Xiaohe courage. He walked to the old man and said hesitantly: "Sir, my tuition fees... may take some time to be given to you."
The old man looked at him with a half-smile, and said gently: "What's wrong with that? I see you acting like this, do you have any questions to ask?"
Zhang Xiaohe nodded seriously, still a little shy, but he quickly calmed him down and asked his husband to answer his questions.
