The rainstorm comes as soon as it comes.
Xu Chunhua held up the hem of her skirt and ran hurriedly down the long street at the bottom of Sophora Capital.
No one thought that Huaidu, where rainwater is as expensive as oil, would have such a hasty rainstorm.
Xu Chunhua didn't bring an umbrella, so she had to rush to the front and hide under the eaves.
Huai'an Dafeng Civil Law provides subsidies for missed work due to emergencies, and Xu Chunhua is not worried about being deducted from wages by the restaurant owner because she did not meet the deadline.
Although the shopkeeper really didn't seem to like himself very much.
Xu Chunhua stood under the eaves and watched the downpour, thinking about many things.
Think about it, if you were the shopkeeper and your employees were in a daze every day, you would definitely not like it.
Xu Chunhua looked down at the hem of her skirt again. Although she had already run to the eaves very quickly when the heavy rain came, she was still quite wet. The hem of her skirt was hung up dejectedly, dripping with water, and was flowing along the The calves bleed into the shoes.
Xu Chunhua sighed and looked up at the lively sound of rain outside the eaves.
I hope I won't catch a cold.
If you catch a cold, you really have to ask for leave and your money will be deducted.
Xu Chunhua couldn't remember whether it was April or May.
During these days, I always feel like I can't wake up from sleep, and I feel a little hazy.
Xu Chunhua didn't think about why.
People always go through many such moments.
The small town girl just spent these days in silence.
Is it better to just go through it?
Xu Chunhua leaned against the wall, holding up her skirt and kicking her legs.
I also felt that this seemed too miserable.
Many people in the long street did not bring umbrellas, so they were running in a hurry, looking for a place to hide from the rain. There were many passers-by under the eaves of the street who were battered by the rain.
There are also some vendors selling snacks, women holding children, and people walking dogs.
While Xu Chunhua was watching quietly, she suddenly heard someone sighing. She turned around and found that it was the shopkeeper.
After all, with so many people crowding under the eaves, business will naturally be delayed.
It's just that it's raining so heavily, so naturally it's hard to drive everyone away.
So I sighed helplessly.
Xu Chunhua shrank silently towards the corner, although it was of no use.
The whole long street began to be filled with water vapor.
Just like what Chen He said at the beginning, they are like some misty clouds.
Xu Chunhua looked up, but unfortunately she couldn't see the uppermost capital.
That day, they looked at the clouds and rivers and felt that they were all misty.
But Xu Chunhua, who was standing under the clouds today, felt very crowded.
Not only under the eaves, but also in the long streets. Although many people were hiding, the arc of the umbrellas opened made the long streets narrower.
The long streets in Huaidu are naturally not narrow, and are very spacious, much wider than the town where Xu Chunhua grew up.
So many things are probably relative.
Xu Chunhua was thinking about many things randomly under the eaves, waiting for the rainstorm to end, but suddenly she saw a person holding an umbrella in the long street.
When it rains heavily, of course there are many people holding umbrellas, but there are probably not many people holding umbrellas and carrying two swords.
Xu Chunhua subconsciously thought of those sword cultivators who were still on the oblique platform.
They didn't fight or leave, they just stayed there quietly.
Things in the world of spiritual practice seem to be really weird things to the world.
When Xu Chunhua came to her senses, the black umbrella had disappeared into the stream of umbrellas.
In the countless glimpses of life, you will actually meet many people.
Xu Chunhua thought, of course some people will walk past and never see each other again.
Hope is natural. Therefore, the wind does not last forever, and the showers last all day. Who is this, heaven and earth? Heaven and earth cannot last forever, but how much worse is it for humans?
Xu Chunhua didn't know why she suddenly remembered something in Qingniu Five Thousand Words.
Of course, her attention was only on the sentence "The world cannot last long, let alone others."
So the heavy rain rising from the sky and the earth, just like some encounters, came and went in a hurry.
The rain gradually subsided, and although it was still drizzling, at least it was no longer the previous situation where the entire locust tree was covered with water like a steamer that had just been put on the stove.
Many people were still waiting under the eaves, but Xu Chunhua held up her skirt and hurriedly walked into the rain.
After all, when people are free, they always think about many things.
Xu Chunhua has already thought of Qingniu Five Thousand Words. Who knows what she will think of later?
So when the rain subsided a little, this small town girl rushed into the rain as if she had no hesitation.
Although it may already be May, the rain in June is cold, so it goes without saying that it is May.
When the less violent rain hit Xu Chunhua, it still brought some chill. Xu Chunhua shivered subconsciously, and she felt a little regretful.
But having already run in, it would probably be very embarrassing to look back, so the small town girl had no choice but to run all the way to the restaurant.
However, such a small-town girl had not run very far before she crossed a street. When she stepped onto the steps leading to a higher place, the rain on her head seemed to have suddenly stopped.
Xu Chunhua raised her head and found that there was an umbrella on her head.
This small town girl's eyes suddenly gained some very depressing and obscure light.
But when she turned her head, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed, and she said thank you very softly.
That's not some Taoist.
Nor is he someone who smells like sizzling tofu.
But he is a very young and clean scholar-looking person.
The unfamiliar scholar's umbrella was not big, and the hand holding the umbrella was not very strong. The sleeves fell down with the rain, revealing the scholar's fair arms.
The two of them could not keep their bodies well under this umbrella in such a story of unexpected encounter in the rain.
Each of them still had half of their shoulders soaked in the rain.
Xu Chunhua watched in silence for a while, and when she was about to say that she was almost there, the scholar suddenly stuffed the umbrella in Xu Chunhua's hand, and then said with a soft smile: "I've arrived, this umbrella Just take it."
Before Xu Chunhua could open her mouth to say anything, the scholar left under the umbrella very quickly, ran into the rain curtain, and stood under the eaves of an inn on the street, waving to Xu Chunhua.
Xu Chunhua stood there and hesitated for a while, then looked at the umbrella in her hand and asked, "What about this umbrella?"
The scholar smiled and said, "You can come here and return it to me when you are free. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't."
Xu Chunhua hesitated for a moment, then raised her head and remembered the name of the inn, said hello, then turned around and ran quickly towards the restaurant.
...
As night fell towards the world, Xu Chunhua, who had been busy all day, finally left the restaurant, then took the umbrella and walked through the night in Huaidu.
Huaidu is naturally changing.
So even if Xu Chunhua went back the same way, she probably wouldn't be able to find such an inn. However, this small town girl had already made such preparations. She had written down the name of the inn before, so the rain had already stopped. I have been in Huaido for a long time, looking around and searching.
It's just that such an inn is indeed unfamiliar to Xu Chunhua. This small town girl searched for a long time but could not find such an inn. Seeing the night getting darker, Xu Chunhua had to give up temporarily. Thinking of returning the umbrella, I took the umbrella back to the alley.
But when this small town girl returned to the alley, she was startled, and then silently hugged the umbrella in her arms tightly.
At the end of the alley, there was a figure holding an umbrella standing there, tilting his head and looking at the brightly lit long street outside the alley.
Xu Chunhua stood in the alley, wondering for a moment whether she should continue walking forward.
The figure holding the umbrella was not tall. The lights outside the alley illuminated some things, such as the very young profile of the figure under the umbrella, and the two swords behind him.
It took Xu Chunhua a long time to remember the boy she had glimpsed when she was hiding from the rain under the eaves today.
In fact, there were many things that could be seen at that time.
For example, the young man was very shocked by such a human world, and in those shocks, there was also a lot of confusion that he could not find.
Xu Chunhua clutched the umbrella in her hand tightly, looked nervously over there, and then cautiously walked against the wall toward the yard in the alley.
The small town girl didn't know why the boy holding an umbrella suddenly appeared here, nor did she know his purpose, so she was wary after all.
After all, Xu Chunhua is from the north. There are many sword sects in the south, but not in the north.
If it weren't for the sudden arrival of many sword cultivators in Huaidu not long ago, Xu Chunhua might not have seen many sword cultivators so far.
The small town girl moved nervously.
The young man didn't seem to notice these very subtle footsteps behind him.
Xu Chunhua's heart gradually calmed down.
Maybe he just couldn't find the way for a while and stopped here temporarily.
The small town girl thought so, then stopped in front of the yard, took out the key, and started to open the door.
But just at this moment, the young man's voice came from the other end of the alley very calmly.
"Do you know a man named Chen He?"
Xu Chunhua was startled and opened the lock in her hand in a panic. However, the more anxious she became, the harder it was to open it.
The small-town girl turned her head and looked over there, and saw that the boy had turned around and was walking towards this side in the dark.
Xu Chunhua's hands kept shaking, and she finally aimed at the keyhole. Then she opened the door with a click, pushed the door open and ran in. Then she locked the door bolt inside the door and nervously held the umbrella in her hand. over there.
The footsteps outside the door seemed to pause for a moment, then continued to come this way, and finally stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.
Xu Chunhua took a few steps back, clutched the umbrella in her hand, thought about it and threw it away. She picked up a stick in the yard, held it in her hand, and looked at the door uneasily.
It's just that the young swordsman didn't seem to have any intention of breaking in. He just stood at the door and asked again.
"Do you know a man named Chen He?"
Xu Chunhua hesitated for a moment, and then said tremblingly: "No... no."
The young man seemed helpless and said softly at the door: "He and I are friends, you don't have to be so nervous."
Naturally, Xu Chunhua would not believe such nonsense, but she was very vigilant, holding the stick there, ready to give the boy who broke in the door a blow on the head.
After a long time, Xu Chunhua heard some footsteps that seemed to be fading away in the alley outside.
The small town girl waited there for a long time while holding the stick vigilantly. When she was about to open the door and take a look, she thought about it, gave up, and then ran to the courtyard wall - the wall of the small courtyard is not very high. , so when Chen He left, he simply left the key on the wall.
Xu Chunhua stepped on a certain courtyard stone by the wall, and then stuck her head out in shock. The alley was very quiet. Occasionally, the light from outside fell into the alley, illuminating it for a moment, and then slowly followed the Sophora japonica. The movement of the capital is far away.
The boy's figure had disappeared into the alley, and he didn't know where he went.
Xu Chunhua clung to the wall and watched for a long time, and then she gradually felt relieved, but there was still a vague thought in her heart that the young man would suddenly appear behind her.
Fortunately, such a thing did not happen.
I heard that although their sword cultivators ran very fast, no matter how fast they ran, there would still be traces.
It seems that there is a kind of happiness in the world that has no trace?
What kind of witchcraft is there in the South?
That small town in the north is far away from the Sword Sect, and naturally further away from the Wuguishen Sect.
So maybe you’ve heard a little bit of everything, but not a lot.
...
Probably because of all the messy things that happened today, Xu Chunhua didn't sleep very well that night.
When I woke up the next day, I still felt very sleepy.
When I went out, I picked up the stick first, carefully opened the door and poked my head in, took a few glances, and then walked out with the umbrella.
It didn't rain today.
The alley during the day, even in the early morning, is not very different from the human world outside.
It's just a little bit older.
In fact, Xu Chunhua has never quite understood why Huaidu, a majestic and ever-changing city on earth, still has many such alleys.
It's like someone's sword is bright and shiny, but the hilt is worn out and full of rust.
This small-town girl has always suspected that these alleys may hold many great secrets.
For example, this is a legacy from the previous dynasty.
Didn't it mean that Li Asan, the Empress of Huai'an, rose to prominence at a young age and was once just an idle waiter in Huaidu?
Could it be that he had lived here before?
So Kamigawa kept them?
Xu Chunhua remembered that she had actually discussed this issue with Chen He before.
It's a pity that although Chen He likes to read various biographies and writes some random things of his own, he still doesn't understand why Huaidu still has such shabby alleys.
Xu Chunhua thought about it, and then she remembered that she seemed to have read the messy things written by Chen He himself, and there seemed to be a young man carrying two swords on his back?
It seems that he is indeed holding an umbrella. It is said that if you put down the umbrella, you can summon some handsome sword lights.
Could it be that the boy last night was really Chen He's friend?
Xu Chunhua suddenly froze when she thought of this.
When Xu Chunhua was thinking wildly, she suddenly bumped into someone.
"Sorry sorry."
Xu Chunhua quickly stretched out her hand to support the middle-aged man who was almost knocked over by her head lowered.
The man turned around and glanced at Xu Chunhua. There was no hint of anger in his expression. He just waved his hand calmly. Then he continued to stand at the entrance of the alley, standing on the dividing line between the two meanings, looking at Huai quietly. All.
It was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, wearing very ordinary clothes. He was holding an oil paper bag in his hand, which contained several large meat buns. He was also holding one in his hand and was eating there. It was probably the only thing that would make people stay. What struck me was that the man had a very calm and reassuring air about him.
Xu Chunhua looked at him carefully for a while, making sure that there was nothing wrong. Then she said sorry again and again, and then left the alley with an umbrella.
But when she was about to walk out, she stopped again, hesitated a little, looked at this middle-aged man who seemed to be an unusual person, and asked the question that had been bothering her.
The man stood there and looked at Xu Chunhua for a long time, then smiled softly and asked her a question.
“Are the steamed buns in Huaidu expensive?”
Xu Chunhua sighed and said, "It's very expensive."
The man said softly: "Do you think there are any leftover buns from those bun stalls on weekdays?"
Although Xu Chunhua didn't know why that person suddenly mentioned such a thing, she still thought about it seriously and said, "No."
The man calmly looked at the bustling and beautiful world outside the alley, and said calmly: "Yes, in a place like Huaidu, no matter how expensive things are, there are always people who can afford them."
As the man spoke, he looked down at the bun in his hand and said softly: "But what if the bun is thrown into the ditch?"
Xu Chunhua was silent for a while and said slowly: "No matter how cheap it is, no one will buy it."
The man smiled, and naturally did not actually throw the buns in his hand into the ditches in the alleys. He just took a bite and said: "These alleys are just dumplings into the ditches, unless it is really I’m so hungry, otherwise no one would come to eat something like this.”
Xu Chunhua seemed to understand something suddenly, looked at the man and said thank you.
The man just smiled, raised the bun in his hand and asked.
"Want to have one?"
Xu Chunhua nodded sincerely.
After all, a steamed bun costs twenty cents, so you can save some money.
The man handed the bun in his hand to the small town girl, and then walked towards the distance while looking at the world.
Xu Chunhua held the steaming buns in her hands and looked at the middle-aged man strangely.
"Who is your lord?"
This small town girl used the word "adult".
The man looked back at Xu Chunhua, and then looked at the long street where all the locust trees had quieted down.
Now is the time of the rule of Maochen Heavenly Prison, and Huaidu has just begun to calm down from those slow changes.
Xu Chunhua didn't know what that person was looking at or who he was - he didn't answer Xu Chunhua's question, he just waved his hand and walked away leisurely on the long street.
