The group of people walked from the main road onto the small road and circled around the hill, almost taking the wrong path. When they arrived at the village, it was already dark.
"Woof woof woof..."
The strange visitor caused a burst of barking.
There is naturally more than one dog in the village. This barking is like a stone thrown into calm water. For a while, there are dogs barking in front of and behind the village, one after another, echoing each other from a distance.
"I'm just passing by. I'm neither a bad person nor a malicious person. Please be patient."
As soon as he finished speaking, the dog in front of him really became quiet.
The swordsman held his sword and looked at it, feeling curious.
However, the dogs nearby stopped barking, but the barking of dogs in the distance still did not stop. In this dusk, it echoed endlessly among the mountains and bays.
After hearing the news, dogs kept coming to help. Some saw that their fellow village dogs had become silent, so they also shut up. Some were more independent and would bark non-stop even if the dogs they knew well didn't bark. .
"Everyone, please come back."
Song You had no choice but to persuade them to retreat one by one.
In the village, someone opened the door to look.
In order not to scare the villagers, the swordsman stuck his sword in the bag on his horse and walked over quickly.
"who are you?"
"My father-in-law, you're so polite! We came from Changjing and were going to Hezhou. We were passing by your place. We didn't calculate the distance well and couldn't reach the city ahead, so we wanted to exchange some food with my father-in-law." Shu Yifan He cupped his fists towards the old man in the crack of the door and said politely.
"No no……"
"We are not gangsters, nor are we asking for money in exchange." Shu Yifan was afraid that he would be scared, so he added, "I don't need to open the door, I just need to hand the food out through the crack in the door or through the window. "
"No no……"
"..."
Shu Yifan looked helpless.
The best swordsman in the world can't do anything about this kind of thing.
At this time, Song You came up behind him, saluted the old man, and said softly: "Don't be afraid, old man. I am a Taoist. I am passing by here and just want to buy some food and ask for some water. If there is any I will be grateful if you do. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have it, we will just leave.”
The old man aimed at him.
With the remaining daylight, I saw that he was wearing a Taoist robe and he was quite friendly. He looked at Shu Yifan again. He was still worried, but he said truthfully: "We have already eaten in the evening. There is nothing left to eat. There is nothing left in the jar." There is no food for a long time. I don’t know what to eat until tomorrow. Where can I sell food to the young gentleman..."
"Is it so poor here?"
"It's like this everywhere."
"Then what does my father-in-law eat on weekdays?"
"Eat whatever you have..."
"I see."
Song You nodded, indicating that he understood.
Ordinary people do not have food to eat every day, and there are many times when they cannot afford to eat. At such times, they really can only look at what is available in season and eat whatever is available. Otherwise, how would people know how to eat so many Sophora japonica flowers, how would they know the taste of wild vegetables, how would they know which grass roots are sweet, which grass stems are hungry, and which shoots should not be eaten.
He still saluted and thanked him, and when he was about to leave, the old man said again:
"Little sir."
"What else can I do, husband?"
"If you really want to beg for some food, you can go to the rich man Ding's house at the east end of the village and ask."
"Tongtou of the village?"
"That's the first one at the east end of the village." The old man said to him, paused, and then lowered his voice, "The rich man's family is having a wedding. When you go, say something nice, maybe you can get some good food."
"Thank you, husband."
"..."
The old man waved his hand and the door closed.
"I thought I could save you some time, but I didn't expect that it would actually drag you down." The swordsman looked away and said with some shame.
"Your Majesty has saved me a lot of effort." Song You said with a smile, "If you want to blame me, I just have to blame you for Your Majesty and chivalry. It's dark now, so it's normal to arouse people's vigilance. There's really no need to blame yourself."
"..."
The swordsman breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look into the distance: "This village seems quite big."
"Not small."
"The east end of the village..."
Shu Yifan raised his head and glanced at the sky.
Stars are already visible in the sky.
Then he lowered his head and pointed in the direction:
"This way."
The group of people walked away in the dark again.
It was getting dark very quickly, and it seemed like the sky was getting darker with every step I took. Fortunately, there were more and more stars above my head. Although the starlight is dim, it is not so dark that you can't see your fingers on the ground.
"strangeness……"
Shu Yifan frowned and said as he walked: "Didn't you say that the rich man's family in the village was having a wedding? Why not only did he not hear the sound of gongs and drums, but it was not lively at all?"
"Maybe something special."
"special……"
Marriage is held at dusk, and the wedding is supposed to be held at dusk.
Although it was a bit late at this time, it was just after dusk. Even if it was past the time for beating gongs and drums, it was still time to hold a wedding or entertain guests, and the village should be very lively. However, not only was the village quiet along the way, there were only barking dogs but no sound, and no one even seemed to be a guest at the rich man's house.
"Is this the place?"
Shu Yifan looked around and determined that this was the first house in the east end of the village and the only big house in the village, and it was not an ordinary big house. Then he stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Tuk tuk..."
Shu Yifan knocked on the door and put his ear to the door.
Soon there were footsteps inside.
Shu Yifan immediately put his head back.
"Squeak..."
The door was opened.
"Which one?"
A servant holding a white lantern stood at the door, and there were several people standing behind him. They were all well-dressed, and they were all looking outside.
The servant raised the lantern to illuminate the people outside.
"You are..."
"It's polite."
This time it was Song You who spoke: "My surname is Song Mingyou. I am from Yizhou. I came from Changjing and passed by your place. It is getting dark. I would like to ask for some water in your house. If it is convenient, I can buy some food."
"Not a guest."
The servant turned back to look at his master behind him.
Behind him, an old man in luxurious clothes leaned forward, looked at Song You by the light of the lantern, and said:
"Is he a Taoist gentleman?"
"I am a wandering Taoist who has traveled here."
"Real Taoist priest or fake Taoist priest?"
"There is an ultimatum to prove it."
"Can I take a look?"
"Of course you can."
Song You took out the certificate and handed it to them.
The old man looked at the lantern carefully and looked at it again and again. Now he believed it a little, but he still hesitated:
"Where are you going?"
"Go to Hezhou." Song You replied politely, "I wanted to go to Huaichang County, but I was delayed on the way and didn't make it."
After saying this, Song You looked at the old man.
The old man also looked them up and down.
"I wonder if it's convenient..."
"Where will you stay tonight, sir?"
"If you can stay overnight in the village, that would be the best. If not, you can just find a place and make do with it for one night."
"Not leaving anymore?"
"The sky is already dark, and the journey is still far away. I won't leave anymore."
"The house is waiting for guests..."
The old man's eyes flickered, and he didn't know what he was calculating. Then he said: "That's all, the visitor is a guest, and the meeting is fate, so please come in and tie the horse at the door."
The old man and the few people behind him were supposed to come out to welcome guests. The people who came now were not guests, but they also welcomed Song You and his party in.
"Thank you, husband."
"Hong Er, take the guests to the back yard and go to the kitchen to bring a few plates of good food to satisfy the guests."
"knew."
"No need to bother, I'll just change some portable food and fill up two bottles of water." Song You said.
"There is no shortage of food. Since we have come here, I just want to form a good relationship with you." The old man also said.
"Thank you very much, father-in-law."
"Guys, please follow me."
A servant named Hong Er came to the front.
"Thank you."
Song You followed him there.
Shu Yifan put on his sword and looked back at his and his husband's horses. Skilled people are bold, so he had nothing to worry about, so he followed after him.
"Ouch……"
Only then did the servant see the sword Shu Yifan was carrying.
"Don't be afraid. This is my good friend. There are many bad people in the world, so I brought a weapon to defend myself."
"Please please please..."
This family is really quite big, with one courtyard nestled inside another, and they are all connected to each other. The servant led them to a courtyard at the back. He did not let them enter the house, but he did not neglect them either. He quickly brought a table and two benches over and was surprised to see Song You bringing a calico cat. He quickly told him to take care of the cat, and after his repeated assurances, he went to bring the oil lamp, wine and food.
The light was dim and dim, unable to illuminate the whole courtyard, but it also illuminated a few dishes on the table.
They are all good dishes only used for banquets, and they are warm.
"Please use."
"Thank you."
"The little man will go to work first."
"Don't dare to disturb."
The servant took the lantern and left again.
"gentlemen……"
"Go ahead and eat."
Song You took out the small bowl of Empress Sanhua from her robe, and the two of them began to eat.
Since leaving Changjing, the group has only entered the city once, and that time they only ate a bowl of hatou and bought some meat in the city. In addition, they mostly ate dry food in the wild or cooked something by themselves. Today These dishes are also delicious dishes that ordinary people cannot eat. They are considered to be the best meals I have ever had since I started on the road.
It was quite satisfying to eat for a while.
While eating, the host came again.
This time it was not the old man, but another middle-aged man, but he was also very particular. He brought some steamed buns and local fried meat and looked at them carefully: "I wonder how you two eat?"
"It was a great meal, thanks for the hospitality."
"These are for the two of you. If you want to fill the water later, just call the servant." The middle-aged man said politely, "Originally, the visitor is a guest, and the gentleman is a well-educated person. I should have stayed with the gentleman. , but it’s not convenient at home tonight, so I have to ask you two to finish eating and then continue on the road, I’m really sorry.”
"Where are you talking?"
Song You immediately put down his chopsticks, looked up and looked at him, and said while looking at him: "Originally, I just wanted to ask for some water and buy some food, but I am so grateful to you for being treated with such good wine and food. If you say I'm sorry again, you will be hurting me."
"Sir, you are very particular." The middle-aged man paused, "By the way, sir, if you don't mind, our Ding family still has a few houses in the west of the village. No one lives in them anymore, and there are no beds, but they can still provide shelter from the wind and rain. .”
"Then I'll be grateful."
"After eating, I'll ask Hong Er to take Mr. over."
The middle-aged man said a few words and then left in a hurry.
Song You almost understood.
There were no signs of happy events in this village or in this family. It was already dark, there were no gongs and drums, and there were no guests at the banquet. However, they had prepared the dishes for the banquet and were welcoming guests. Just now, I caught a glimpse and saw signs of decoration in the main room, and they were indeed hosting a wedding. .
Then there is only one possibility——
Dark marriage.
Ghost marriage has been around since ancient times. It was once banned by the government because it was a waste of manpower and material resources, but most dynasties did not prohibit it.
Dayan did not prohibit it, but it was very popular. The main reason was that people believed in Feng Shui, ghosts and other metaphysics. Usually if an unmarried child of a wealthy family dies in infancy, a ghost marriage will be held.
Usually, people of the same age who have also recently died are found, their horoscopes are calculated, a wedding is held, and they are buried together.
According to Dayan custom, ghost weddings are not held at dusk, but at midnight. There will not be a big banquet for guests, but only a few close people will be invited to witness the wedding, and then they will have a meal and then disperse.
But this was the first time I saw Song You.
…
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