April 5, 1123 (March of the fifth year of Xuanhe in the Northern Song Dynasty)
Chengdu
In the eastern suburbs of Chengdu, among the endless spring woods, a young scholar was walking from west to east carrying a baggage. This young scholar's face is as white as a jade sword, his eyebrows are starry, his cotton bun is pressed down on his meticulous hair, his fitted blue cloth robe is tied around his waist by a sky blue embroidered Sichuan brocade belt, and a jade pendant the size of a copper coin is hung on the silk brocade belt. He kept swinging from side to side as he walked.
This young scholar's name is Xu Zhimian, and he was the candidate for this year's Chengdu Prefectural Examination. The examination in Bianjing was about to take place, so he hurriedly got on the road and was now rushing to Bianliang, Tokyo alone.
"Master Meng asked me to run north. Doesn't that mean I have to cross the three great rivers of Pihe River, Qingbai River, and Tuojiang River, and then turn eastward in the end? My mother is right. I should run eastward, arrive at Tuojiang Pier, and take a boat. Take the waterway to Hanyang and disembark, and then take a bus to reach Bianjing in less than a month. Although the Master is famous for his scholarship in Shu, he has never traveled far, and after all, he is still unfamiliar with geography." Thinking of this, Xu Zhimian shook his head and smiled bitterly. Drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks, and he quickly lifted up his sleeves to wipe them away without stopping, walking quickly in the direction of the Tuojiang Ferry Terminal.
After walking for another half an hour, the woods gradually became sparse and the road became smoother and smoother. Xu Zhimian thought to himself: We are almost at the riverside. Sure enough, there were gradually more pedestrians on the road, most of them businessmen. Heavy trucks pulled by four horses kept driving away from the shore, which was quite impressive. Although Xu Zhimian was born in Chengdu, this was his first time visiting Tuojiang Pier, a hundred miles outside the city. I saw countless ships, large and small, moored on the shore, and there were still hundreds of ships, large and small, going back and forth in the middle of the river. "Every bustle in the world is for profit, and all the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit." Xu Zhimian looked around the dock and sighed with a smile.
At this moment, a man who looked like a boatman was coming towards him. Xu Zhimian stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Brother, which boat will ferry the guests?"
The man saw a handsome young master blocking his way, and he also saw this man wearing a long gown with a black crown. Knowing that he was a man of great fame, he smiled and said: "This must be your first time here, this is a cargo terminal for ferry passengers." You have to walk along the river for more than five miles to the north, and when you get there you will see the passenger pier."
Xu Zhimian cupped his hands again and said, "That's it! Thank you, big brother!"
The man waved his hand and turned around. Xu Zhimian followed the man's advice and walked north along the river, simply enjoying the view of the river along the way.
This road is between two large docks for passengers and goods, so there is an endless stream of pedestrians, including traders, merchants, geishas, and many other people.
The water in the Tuojiang River is quite slow, but the river is hundreds of meters wide. Looking towards the river, it reflects the floating white clouds in the sky and the green mountains on both sides, which is really magnificent. "Such a big river is actually a tributary of the Yangtze River. How vast must the Yangtze River be?" Xu Zhimian was sighing in his heart, when a bright color suddenly flashed in his eyes, which made his whole body tremble.
Not far away, there was a girl in Hufu, walking slowly forward with her hands behind her back. The girl just now turned around, not sure if she was looking for her companions or admiring the scenery, but her eyes happened to meet Xu Zhimian not far away. Both of them felt strange and moved away instantly. The girl turned around and walked forward with her jade hands behind her back, never looking back.
Xu Zhimian saw that the girl was wearing a fur hat, a dress with a narrow waist and narrow sleeves, a round collar and a left gusset, and a pair of small black leather boots. At that glance, he had already deeply remembered the girl's appearance. She had beautiful facial features and white-toothed lips. What was particularly eye-catching were her silver hair and pale silver eyes. Her silver hair was blown by the April river breeze, flying in the air like a waterfall under the moonlight, and her silver eyes were like two bright comets, attracting passersby's attention. But Xu Zhimian felt slightly different because of the Hu clothes she was wearing.
Seeing the girl walking lightly in front of her, Xu Zhimian's mind was filled with thoughts. He turned his head and slowed down, not daring to think about it again. Seeing that the girl's figure was getting further and further away from him, he just took steps towards the ferry pier.
The ferry terminal is smaller than the commercial terminal, and the ships that come and go are not as large as cargo ships. However, there is a constant flow of people and it is very lively. There are many wine shops and tea restaurants a hundred meters away from the river, where countless passengers waiting for the boat gather.
Before Xu Zhimian could reach the river, a short black man came out and landed in front of him and said, "Sir, is there a ferry?" Xu Zhimian was startled, and then realized that what this man must be doing was for a certain family. He made a profit from the boatman's job of soliciting customers. If the price is fair, just let him lead you and save a lot of trouble. He said, "Exactly. I want to go to Bianliang. Is there a passenger ship that takes the Yangtze River waterway?"
The man smiled and said: "Young Master is a candidate for the exam in Beijing! I am sure he will be able to get a spot on the gold medal list!" Seeing that Xu Zhimian did not respond, he continued: "Sir, the ferry to the Yangtze River takes two to three months to go back and forth. A trip doesn't happen every day." Seeing Xu Zhimian's worried look, he smiled and said: "Master Hongfu, today there happens to be a big ship that unloaded the guests yesterday. It has been cleaned and the food and drinks have been replenished. Height up the anchor, don’t wait even a moment. Master, do you think it’s a coincidence?!” As he said this, he pointed to a large ship with a vermilion painted mast on the pier.
Xu Zhimian said: "Then, how much money do I need for one person?"
The man cupped his hands and said, "Young master, you are so blessed. Normally, as soon as a ship like this is vacated, the passenger seats will be sold out within a few hours. By this time, they are already gone! But today Different, I still have the last bamboo citation in my hand! Master, tell me, is it a coincidence?" Seeing the impatient expression on Xu Zhimian's face, he coughed dryly and said: "Master, this talented person will definitely be the top scholar in high school next year. , the last seat card is for the sake of the champion, three dollars."
Xu Zhimian exclaimed: "It's so expensive! Not to mention that I haven't been named on the gold medal list yet, even the real number one scholar may not be able to afford it." After that, he walked around the man and made a gesture to leave.
How could that man let him go? He smiled apologetically and said, "Master, Master! Please tell me how much money you want to spend!"
After a long tug, Xu Zhimian finally took out a piece of silver worth about one, two, two, three, and handed it to the man. The Chinese character took the silver coins, weighed them with his hands, and said with great satisfaction: "The boat will sail around the time. Don't lose the bamboo guide! Hanyang is the last station, and the boat boss will draw a ticket and exchange it with you for this bamboo sign." The man handed the bamboo sign to Xu Zhimian, gave a few instructions, and then left.
Xu Zhimian thought to himself, "He said the boat would leave at around 1:00 p.m., but it's still early. I'm going to sit in a wine shop, but it's time to take a rest." Then he looked at a row of wine shops and tea houses set up against the mountain, and chose a restaurant. The cleanest and brightest one, I strode in.
The tables facing the river were already full, so Xu Zhimian had no choice but to find a table by the window facing the mountain, unpacked his bags and sat down. The waiter immediately ran over to greet him attentively.
Xu Zhimian didn't want to drink, and it was not time for dinner, so he only ordered a pot of tea and two kinds of dried fruits, just to pass the time.
Before the refreshments were served, he looked around at the layout of the store, including wooden beams and gray brick walls. The ceiling was not paved with wooden planks, and gray tiles could be seen arranged on the beams. Suddenly, a familiar bright color pulled Xu Zhimian's spirit down from the rafters. The girl in Hufu also walked into the store and was looking around for an empty table.
She saw Xu Zhimian at a glance, and when she was hesitating, the waiter came up to him and pointed at the table next to Xu Zhimian, seemingly saying that there was only one table left by the window. The girl looked around again to make sure that the waiter was telling the truth. After a slight hesitation, she walked to the table next to Xu Zhimian and sat down, facing Xu Zhimian's back. During her short walk, everyone in the wine shop stopped drinking and looking at her, some of them even exclaimed in admiration. The girl ignored him and just walked to the table and sat down. She seemed to be used to it.
Xu Zhimian couldn't see the girl's face, but felt that the sun was sitting behind him, making him restless and sweating. He secretly smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I have been reading the books of sages for more than ten years, and I am so panicked when I see an irrelevant beauty. If Master Meng knew about this, he would definitely lecture her again."
Then Xu Zhimian took a deep breath and stood up, straightened his clothes, held his hands to the girl and said: "Girl, Xu Wan, a young man from Chengdu Prefecture, do you have a few words that you should say?"
The girl with silver hair and hooded clothes had just dismissed the waiter. She didn't notice that the person behind her stood up and was startled. When she looked up, she saw that it was the pretty scholar whom she had glimpsed by the river. He pursed his lips and smiled and said: "What? Just say it directly, don't be so old-fashioned."
There was nothing flattering about the girl's smile, but her beauty spread out like ripples of spring water. Almost all the men present were stunned, and they actually forgot to laugh at the lazy behavior of Xu Zhimian, a rotten scholar. .
Xu Zhimian said: "Girl, our Song Dynasty has been a country for nearly two hundred years. During this period, the northern frontier was constantly ravaged by the Liao and Jin Rongdi. The people in the northern Xinjiang who were plundered all had their families destroyed. Our Song Dynasty treated people with kindness and endured humiliation. Every year, we pay for it with the annual salary. Despite this, the Jin Kingdom has frequently launched weapons and weapons in northern Xinjiang in recent years, consuming a huge amount of money and food in the Song Dynasty, and causing great harm to the people of the Song Dynasty. The heaven and earth are moved when they see it! Xu thought, Since the girl is in our land of the Song Dynasty, she should not advocate the style of Rong and Di." Xu Zhimian added the following sentence simply because he was not sure whether the girl was Han.
The girl blinked a pair of big pale silver eyes and listened carefully. She heard the man in front of her speak a set of principles about family, country and world. It was not until the end that she fully understood what he wanted to express. This was his meaning. He said that he should not be wearing a uniform. I thought to myself, what a nosy, stupid nerd! Xu Zhimian rolled his eyes and said: "You are so unreasonable. What does it matter about the people's clothing when fighting in the border area? Besides, although the northern border is constantly war-torn, isn't there non-stop trade among the people? I heard that many people in the Song Dynasty are willing to buy products made in Liao Dynasty. Furs and animal bones are not available in the Central Plains. So according to you, you can say that these people are not loyal to the emperor and patriotic? "
Xu Zhimian didn't expect that this fairy-like woman could be so powerful at robbing people. He was speechless for a moment, but he couldn't bear to say: "Young lady, what you said is wrong. Northern Xinjiang is Northern Xinjiang, and the Central Plains is Central Plains. People from Northern Xinjiang are If you don’t do business with the Hu people, you will lose your livelihood, and people like us in the Central Plains have a lot of money to gain! How can we say that they like to buy? Besides, the girl is in the Central Plains, so she must take care of..."
"I spent my own money to buy the clothes, what does it have to do with you?" Xu Zhimian was interrupted impatiently by the girl before he could finish speaking.
"What the girl is wearing has nothing to do with Xu. It seems that the girl is not a Han or my race, so just don't say anything." Xu Zhimian knew that reasoning would be useless, but he refused to shut up and sat back in his seat while chattering. .
When the girl heard him say "not of my kind", she raised her eyebrows and felt secretly angry. But seeing him sit back and stop talking, she turned back and glared at him fiercely.
At this time, the waiter brought the refreshments for both of them. The argument between the man and the woman just now was watched by everyone in the house. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful. The words that came and went were extremely beautiful, but Unexpectedly, the two ended their argument so quickly, and it seemed that the girl had won. But when everyone looked at the girl again, her little face turned red. She dragged her swollen cheeks with a slender hand and refused to move the tea brought by the waiter. It seemed that she was really annoyed by that Young Master Xu Wan. .
Looking at Mr. Xu again, he poured the tea into the cup and drank it leisurely as if nothing had happened.
Xu Zhimian took two sips of tea and was thinking of taking a few more sips before settling the bill and leaving. Suddenly, the tea cup left his hand out of thin air, turned over, and poured half a drop of the hot tea onto his front, before falling back into his hand firmly. Xu Zhimian was stunned and stunned while holding the tea cup.
But the silver-haired girl was secretly cheering behind him, but she was afraid that people would find out, so she held back her smile.
Xu Zhimian asked the waiter for a dry towel and wiped the watermark on his front. This light yellow tea soup is poured on the skirt of the robe, and the blue cloth robe is probably going to leave tea stains that are difficult to wash off. But I was in a hurry and had no time to change clothes. He sighed helplessly, counted ten coins on the table, picked up his bag, got up and walked out the door. Before stepping out of the store, he looked back at the girl and saw that the girl seemed to be trying to hold back her smile and avoid him. She shook her head and walked out of the door.
When I arrived at the dock, I found the passenger ship with the red lacquer mast. I took out the bamboo sign bought for more than one tael of silver from my arms. I was about to go forward to negotiate with the boss of the ship, but I heard a voice like a silver bell coming from behind: "Hello. , nerd! Why don’t you rush out without changing into clean clothes after making tea and soup? Are you not afraid of insulting your gentleness now? "
Xu Zhimian looked back and saw that it was the silver-haired girl. At this moment, she had taken off her fur hat and held it in her hand, standing not far away looking at him with a smile.
The girl's silver hair was tied into a simple bun on the top of her head and pinned with an apricot blossom hairpin. Most of her remaining hair hung down on her shoulders, and was blown by the river wind like starlight behind her.
Xu Zhimian said: "I brought a change of robes, but there is no place to change in this small space. I have to wait until I get to the hotel to change." After saying that, he handed over to the girl and said: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But. It's just that the tea cup tipped over for no reason." The latter half of the sentence was rather muttered in a low voice.
The girl looked at him and covered her mouth with a smile. Without saying a word, she took the ball cap in her hand and gently threw it into the air. The ball cap rose into the air but did not fall. With the wave of the girl's little hand, it turned upward in the air and fell towards Xu Zhimian in an instant. Buttoned it. This situation is exactly the same as that of the tea cup. The girl put away the hat and took it casually in her hand. She turned her hand away and looked at Xu Zhimian with a smile in her eyes.
Xu Zhimian was very surprised, and then he said angrily: "Sure, it's you! It turns out you are a little witch!"
The girl's expression instantly changed from joy to anger.
At first she felt guilty for getting his clothes wet, and wondered if she could find a way to get him to change into his gown, wash it before returning it to him, but then she thought of her mother's teachings: "Don't get too close to any strange man. "Although I don't know how to calculate "too close", it is indeed inappropriate to starch a stranger's clothes. Then I thought of paying him some money to buy new clothes with him, but who knew that this man would curse when he opened his mouth? He was so ignorant!
The girl got angrier and angrier as she thought about it, and said angrily: "How dare you scold me!"
Xu Zhimian said: "You used witchcraft to harm me, you, you are a witch!"
The girl's big eyes flashed with silver light, and she scolded: "I am the Emei Zongzong, how can I be a witch! Today I have to let you see how powerful this girl is!" After saying that, she waved her jade hand and struck Xu Zhi with a palm wind. Mian rushed towards him.
Xu Zhimian, a scholar who had never even quarreled with anyone, would start a fight with someone? He didn't know how to dodge when the palm wind hit him. He was hit in the face by the powerful wind, and he fell on his back with a sound of "Ouch" and was thrown ten feet away.
After the beating, the girl knew that she had struck a heavy blow and regretted it endlessly. However, she refused to admit her mistake and looked coldly at Xu Zhimian getting up from the ground in embarrassment.
Xu Zhimian's fall was serious, but the hit on his face didn't hurt at all. He secretly wondered whether this girl was sensible and just wanted to throw me, but didn't want to hurt me. At this moment, a crowd of onlookers slowly gathered, and everyone just thought it was a handsome couple who were quarreling but couldn't make a move, and they talked endlessly.
Xu Zhimian stood up and straightened his head first, then stretched out his hand to pat the sand off his body, not wanting to tangle with the woman anymore and preparing to board the boat and leave. But when he touched the brocade belt on his lower back, it really made him feel heartbroken.
"It's worn out!" Xu Zhimian said as he took off his belt with the jade pendant. "The flowers on this are embroidered by my mother stitch by stitch. My mother's eyesight is bad and she can no longer do this fine work. What can I do!" Xu Zhimian cried with a sad face and removed the frayed flowers from his belt. Embroider the finger to the girl.
The girl was slightly moved, but she still refused to admit her mistake and said: "Who told you to speak rudely first? Belt, I will pay you for the belt!"
Xu Zhimian said: "I only have this one belt, how can you compensate for it? I, Xu, have everything going wrong today, so I'll say goodbye." After saying that, he turned around, picked up the baggage, pinched the frayed brocade belt with his hands, and walked to the dock. . The fluffy waist widened the originally slender figure, and the lotus-colored brocade belt fluttered in his hands.
The girl stood there with her eyebrows furrowed, looking at Xu Zhimian's back with annoyance in her heart. I wanted to catch up and apologize, but wouldn't it be embarrassing in this public place? I could only watch Xu Zhimian walking onto the passenger ship. She stomped around and walked in the opposite direction.
