The sun was setting in the west, and the light in the mountains fell quickly. In an instant, the hut was cast into a dim shadow. Zhan Changfeng did not let anyone follow him. He walked through the winding path and approached the village. A calf-high stone guardrail was built outside the village. , not a guardrail, but similar to a dividing line, surrounding the village and dividing it from the wild mountains outside.
The stone guardrail was now covered with moss and ferns, and it seemed that it would collapse if she kicked it. When she passed by, a dog lay on the railing with its two paws and barked at her. A hoarse old voice called her a few words, wagging its tail. Head arched behind trees.
This tree grows next to the stone guardrail, its trunk is crooked, and its bark is a bit wrinkled, as if it lacks water.
It was holding a head of prematurely yellowing leaves and was about to fall. An old man sat behind the tree, also tilted and dozing off.
When the dog barked twice, she opened her cloudy eyes and sat upright.
Before ten breaths, he slowly closed it again and leaned over.
The dog squatted and looked at her. After barking twice more, she opened her eyes again and sat upright.
Zhan Changfeng said before she fell asleep, "Old man, what is this place?"
The old man's ears were sensitive, but she couldn't hear Zhan Changfeng's footsteps, and her declining eyesight couldn't see the figure clearly. She was confused, thinking someone was asking her in her dream, and she seemed to hear her own crisp laughter, her bright eyes He looked at passers-by curiously and asked, "This is Xiaoyang Village. Where are you from?"
He spoke every word, as if he could fall asleep at any time.
Zhan Changfeng said gently, "I come from outside and am a wanderer who specializes in collecting anecdotes."
"Oh." The voice was considerate and patient, and the old man seemed to see a tall figure standing under the leafy banyan tree, carrying a book box, looking polite, but his face was a bit unclear. She became anxious and said in a panic, " Why can’t I see your face clearly?”
Zhan Changfeng said, "You are blind."
The old man was in a daze. Why was she blind when she was only seventeen or eighteen years old?
"Why am I blind?"
"It doesn't matter, I'm blind too." Zhan Changfeng comforted.
The seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl burst into laughter, and the old man also showed a peaceful smile, "Then why have you traveled to so many places?"
"So I never know the way. I listen to the stories wherever I go. Do you have any legends and wild stories here?"
"Hey, yes, there are many. Which one do you want to hear first?" The old man asked again, "Can you record it?"
"If it's interesting, I will." Zhan Changfeng said, "I want to hear the longest story, what happened on the mountain."
When the old man heard her say "yes", he suddenly became happy, "Then I say one thing, and if it doesn't sound good, change it to another one?"
"OK."
The old man recalled, "When I was seven or eight years old, I accidentally walked through this stone fence and lost myself in the mountain. That night, the whole mountain was burning. I sat in the fire and cried. When I woke up, I found I slept on the thatch pile at home. Alas, when I told my parents that the mountains were burning, they beat me and said that I had been lying since I was a child and that I would be a harmful person from now on."
She remembered the grievance again, which had always been in her heart and had never dissipated. She emphasized to Zhan Changfeng, "It's a pity that they were wrong. I am a hundred years old, and I have done my duty and have never harmed anyone."
Zhan Changfeng looked at her clean and thorough soul and said seriously, "I believe you, you are very clean."
An ordinary old man who has lived more than a hundred years has his own unique reasons.
The old man seemed to have heard the sound of heaven. The depression in his chest was gone and his face was radiant. "Can this story be recorded?"
"Yes, do you have any longer stories? I'd like to hear a few more from you."
The old man suddenly felt embarrassed, "Old man, I forgot some things, but I remember someone said that there was a fire on the mountain at that time."
"Mother-in-law, it's getting dark, it's time to go back and rest." A young man in linen trousers came over carrying firewood, glanced at Zhan Changfeng warily, and tried to help the old man up.
"It's Gou Sheng, I want to tell her a story." The old man couldn't bear to leave the gentle voice. He patted Gou Sheng's arm with his thin hand and motioned for him to let go.
Dissatisfaction flashed across Gou Sheng's handsome face, and he glared at Zhan Changfeng warningly, "My mother-in-law is not in good health and needs to go home to rest. You can go."
"Hey, don't listen to this bastard's nonsense." The old man picked up a dead branch next to him and slapped him on the buttocks. "If you make trouble, go get a glass of water for Mr. Sir. He has been traveling for a long time, so he must be thirsty."
The dog was still conscious and touched its butt. Disbelief and embarrassment surged at the same time. His ears instantly turned red. He stiffly turned around, placed the firewood on the corner of the hut next to him, and walked into the house without looking back.
The old man calls all literate people sir, with respect, "Sir, where did I just talk?"
Zhan Changfeng said, "You said that mountain was on fire before."
"Yes, I heard this from my grandpa. My grandpa heard it from his grandpa. A long time ago, we surnamed Yang just moved here from another island, because that island was full of monks who could cultivate. , and excluded people who did not know how to practice. After moving here, a few families first settled on the mountainside of Qishan Mountain. One night, the sky started to burn, and the fire fell on the mountain, and the mountain was full of fire. "
The old man sighed, as if he had really seen it before, "One family was burned directly, and they didn't even have time to scream. There were still a few people who escaped death, but they didn't dare to go back to the mountain. They resettled at the foot of the mountain. Home."
"Isn't this mountain a volcano? It has been burned by so many fires, so it won't explode?" Zhan Changfeng asked as if in surprise.
Gou Sheng brought out a pottery bowl and handed it to Zhan Changfeng impatiently. When he heard the old man talking about this, his eyes were obscure and complicated.
"Where is it? Don't you know? The top of the mountain was originally pointed, but later the fire from the sky made a hole. When I was a little girl, I climbed to the top of the mountain to see how deep it was. I will fall down." The old man sighed, "It's just that my parents found out that I went to the mountain again, so I was beaten hard."
Zhan Changfeng said, "This story is not bad, I will write it down."
"Really?" the old man said happily, "How about I tell you a few more things? No one listened to me before."
"Okay, you tell me."
Gou Sheng glanced at the gentle and elegant person, and became more and more complicated. He was really a gentle scum, "Mother-in-law, it's time for you to rest."
"I want to talk a little longer. Sir, are you cold? Gou Sheng, go chop the firewood and make a fire."
Dog left ""
This tone is a bit overwhelming.
"Mother-in-law!"
"The old man is happy, let her continue to be happy for a while."
Gou Sheng turned his head and looked at Zhan Changfeng. Under the night, she seemed independent, gentle and distant. Gou Sheng straightened the corners of his mouth, stood for a few breaths, then turned around to light the fire.
The light of the bonfire shone on the old man. The old man stretched out his hand as if to warm his hands or to grab something. He sighed softly, "Although I cried that night, I am not afraid of fire at all. I even recall being burned." The feeling of being surrounded is warm, warmer than ever."
She seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes warmed up. She smiled and told Zhan Changfeng about the interesting things in her youth, "At that time, I always loved to run into the mountains. When I was happy or unhappy, I would go to the top of the mountain and sit in the dark. Keep your mouth open and speak your mind, but you don’t know that one time when I came down from the mountain, I was already twelve or thirteen years old, and I was beaten by my parents again.”
"It turns out that when I was in the mountains, any family from the Starfish Islands came to recruit disciples, and those with good qualifications were taken to practice. My parents told me two months ago, but I didn't remember it. My parents beat me while they were there. As they cried, I cried too, they wanted me to practice, and I wanted to stay here for the rest of my life. I’m afraid this is my fate. If I miss it, I don’t feel bad at all. I’m still happily alive.”
