The ruins of Jianlu in Qingcheng Mountain have sunk to the bottom of the lake, and the lake water is clear again.
Zhang Yuan wore a conical bamboo hat and a dark brown raincoat, holding a small boat and sailing slowly across the lake.
The bow of the boat cut through the calm lake surface, and ripples also rippled as the bamboo pole held in Zhang Yuan's hand dived into the bottom of the lake.
"哐~"
The bow of the boat hit the pier, and the crisp sound of bamboo branches colliding with each other immediately echoed in the empty valley, like orchids in the empty valley, quiet and distant.
Zhang Yuan carried the purchased items to the shore and tied the rope on the bow to the dock.
"Master, it's Uncle Zhang who's back!"
In the bamboo forest not far from the ruins of Jianlu by the lake, a girl's voice sounded as crisp as an oriole in the small courtyard of a unique bamboo house that was green as a whole and almost integrated with the surrounding bamboo forest.
"Crunch~"
Zhang Yuan happened to be carrying large and small bags of things, pushed open the small courtyard door that was ajar and walked into the small courtyard.
In the small courtyard, weeds sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a rain, covering almost the entire courtyard. There were only a few paved paths made of flattened stones leading to several rooms in the courtyard.
Other than that, there are some simple arrangements, a stone table and four wooden stools.
The stone table looks like it is covered with dark lines. Jiang Yunqing found it from the ruins after the Jianlu burned down, and washed away the traces of smoke and fire stains on it. However, these black lines are caused by the carbon integrated into the original stone table. The lines are difficult to clean with ordinary water washing. However, Jiang Yunqing didn't plan to clean it up. These messy black lines added a bit of specialness to this ordinary stone table, so he planned to keep it in the yard.
The wooden pile bench was made by Zhang Yuan. As a senior carpenter, he selected some trees in the mountain forest that were weathered within a reasonable range. They have dried most of the water but still retained part of their toughness. These trees cannot support the pillars. Apart from being used as firewood, they are perfect for making small stools. This is convenient and practical, and the most important thing is that they are light, even for a little girl like Jiang Tong. Even with arms and legs, you can carry it around.
There is a dustpan on the stone table. Inside the dustpan are various medicinal materials clearly displayed, including angelica root, licorice, schisandra chinensis... and more than ten common medicinal materials.
Next to the stone table is a sandbox surrounded by an old man and a young man.
The old man was wearing moon-white clothes dotted with a lot of green gray. His hair and beard were all white, and the wrinkles on his face were very obvious. He looked very old.
The youngest one is a little girl about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a light yellow skirt.
The old man was undoubtedly Uncle Yang. Almost a month after Jiang Yunqing left, Uncle Yang woke up. After more than a month of recuperation, he was able to get out of bed and move freely.
As for the younger one, it’s naturally Jiang Tong.
The two of them each held a bamboo pole in their hands. Uncle Yang wrote the two characters "Angelica" on the top of the sand table, while Jiang Tong held the bamboo pole and copied awkwardly on the lower part of the sand table.
"Old gentleman, you are teaching Xiaotong how to read!"
When Zhang Yuan saw the situation in the courtyard, he didn't ask for help and just walked over with large and small bags hanging on them.
"Um!"
Uncle Yang turned to look at Zhang Yuan, smoothed his gray beard, and nodded lightly.
"Uncle Zhang, have you brought back the candied haws?"
Jiang Tong also turned around, holding the bamboo pole with both hands, her eyes filled with ardent hope. In her big watery eyes, a pair of beautiful eyes shone like stars.
Candied haws on ice is just hawthorn wrapped in syrup. It is not a rare delicacy, and it is not very delicious.
But for Jiang Tong, he had begged on countless streets, met countless people selling candied haws, and saw countless children licking the candied haws with a satisfied smile. And she could only watch from the sidelines, smelling the sweet and sour taste, swallowing her saliva, and imagining the taste of candied haws, but what exactly was it?
She asked Zhang Yuan, and Zhang Yuan simply told her that candied haws on ice is sour and sweet.
But what is the taste of sour and sweet?
Whether I was alone in Lintong before or followed Zhang Yuan all the way south from Lintong to Yuzhou, I always had one meal but no next meal along the way. Sometimes I didn't even have a meal for several days. I was so hungry that I couldn't stand it. Sometimes, I would pull some grass to eat. The taste of grass is astringent and bitter. Jiang Tong knows this very well.
This taste has been with her for as long as she can remember. She cannot remember the glimpse of delicious food she once had by chance. Only the bitterness and astringency linger on her taste nerves, as if it is branded and cannot be dissipated for a long time.
Sometimes I don't even have to eat grass, so I will eat some soil to pad my stomach. Earth is the most unpleasant to eat and has no taste. After eating it, the muddy smell in your mouth makes you want to squeeze it from your throat into your nose, stimulating the nerves and making you feel tired. People subconsciously want to vomit it out, but they still have to endure it. If they don't eat it, they will die.
Zhang Yuan and Jiang Tong have been dependent on each other for many years. How could they not be aware of Jiang Tong's obsession with candied haws? He just glanced at Uncle Yang next to him and the two words he didn't recognize on the sand table. Zhang Yuan shook his head cruelly.
"Be good, wait until you finish learning the words before eating!"
"oh!"
Jiang Tong responded with disappointment, turned around, grabbed the bamboo pole, and continued to copy the word "Angelica" clumsily stroke by stroke on the sand table.
Seeing Jiang Tong's disappointed look, Uncle Yang vaguely remembered Jiang Yunqing, Li Xingyun and Lu Linxuan when they were children. The corners of his mouth slowly raised involuntarily. The rigid and serious expression was gone forever, and all that was left was kindness and kindness.
He bent down and raised his hand, gently rubbing Jiang Tong's head, "That's it for today, go eat!"
"Great!"
Jiang Tong immediately jumped up from the ground, and the bamboo pole in his hand fell on the sand table. He took several packages from Zhang Yuan, and specially untied the package containing candied haws that Zhang Yuan held under his arm. They took it and ran into the house together.
"This kid...when I came in, he even put the candied haws under his arm."
Seeing Jiang Tong once again accurately found the package containing candied haws of sugar among the many packages, he felt helpless for a moment, feeling that all his previous preparations were in vain.
"The kid has some talent for smells."
Uncle Yang was not surprised. He had become aware of Jiang Tong's sensitivity to smell in the past few days. This was why he placed a dustpan of medicinal materials on the table, intending to teach Jiang Tong how to read. When the time comes, teach him how to identify medicinal materials.
"Hey, the old gentleman shouldn't spoil her. If Xiao Tong fails the Young Master's exam, I'm afraid she will get a stick!"
Zhang Yuan looked at the room where Jiang Tong entered with hatred, and sighed helplessly. The letter Jiang Yunqing left before said that Zhang Yuan should find a teacher for Jiang Tong, and he would arrange it for Jiang Tong when he comes back. For this exam, you have to know at least two hundred words.
It's just that he was illiterate at the time and couldn't understand the content of the letter. When Uncle Yang woke up and read the content of the letter, when Zhang Yuan wanted to go down the mountain to find the teacher, Uncle Yang sternly refused. One day, Zhang Yuan ran to the yard in the wheelchair that Zhang Yuan had prepared in advance, and took over the task of teaching Jiang Tong how to read.
Naturally, Zhang Yuan couldn't agree to anything. After all, Uncle Yang was Jiang Yunqing's master. Without Jiang Yunqing, it was Uncle Yang who really made the decision.
But what I didn't expect was that Uncle Yang was not as serious as Jiang Yunqing said. For Jiang Tong, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was overly pampered. He almost wanted to pamper Jiang Tong to heaven. His demands for Jiang Tong could be said to be All requests are answered.
When Zhang Yuan was learning carpentry skills, he formally apprenticed himself to a master. He was well versed in the principle that a strict master produces a good apprentice. Seeing Uncle Yang's doting on Jiang Tong, he was somewhat worried.
"How dare he? Try to touch my precious disciple?"
Uncle Yang's eyes changed instantly. He changed from the kindness he had shown on Jiang Tong before. He looked like an old hen protecting her calf. The aura he showed was much sharper than the old hen's beak. A man raised with a sword Even if a swordsman has a benevolent heart as a doctor, the moment his sharp edge is revealed, he is still unstoppable.
"Well, with your momentum, I'm afraid the young master really doesn't dare to do that."
Zhang Yuan felt a chill in his heart and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Maybe this was the so-called intergenerational kiss!
"Dong dong dong~"
There was a gentle knock at the courtyard door.
"Excuse me, Mr. Yang, are you here?"
