Western Region.
A hundred miles north of Yi Town, the endless mountains stand between the sky and the earth. The towering mountain tops are secretly intimidating to people, and they seem to reach a height that can touch the clouds. Human beings are so insignificant in front of the legendary sacred mountains and fairy mountains.
Fengshuang Mountain, as the highest mountain in this mountain range, is named because it looks like a phoenix standing with its head held high. It is synonymous with the sacred mountain among the local people.
At this time, the sun is like a big fireball, hanging high in the sky, burning the land tirelessly. The sand on the ground has been burnt by the flames, just like the perfectly fried egg fried rice, which makes people feel excited. You can tell by looking at it that the temperature is very high.
Everywhere you look, you can see a yellow-orange scenery. The earth and rocks are cracked, somewhat like the Flame Mountain in mythology.
At this time, a donkey cart carrying melons and fruits was driving slowly in this vast desert.
The person driving the donkey cart was an old man with a face full of grooves, but he saw a strange felt hat on his head, and the clothes on his body were also weird, giving people a sense of weight. At this time, he was holding a riding whip and waving it gently, as if Urging the lazy donkey to drive faster.
"Lao Xia, how long until we arrive?"
Just as the old man finished urging the lazy donkey, another lazy voice of inquiry came from behind the carriage. Hearing this, the old man wiped the sweat on his forehead and said without looking back: "Come on, you see that guy in front of you?" There are no mountains here, but Huatai Village is at the bottom."
The old man in strange clothes spoke fluent Central Plains Mandarin, but his accent was a bit weird.
"Well...I'm so thirsty after lying down all day...I'll eat you."
However, in addition to some melons and fruits placed on the bicycle frame, there was also a young man in black lying on the frame. At this time, he was lifting his upper body off the comfortable straw mat and stretching himself comfortably. First, he turned his head. He glanced at the mountains the old man was talking about, then withdrew his gaze, picked an unusually plump-looking watermelon at his feet and broke it into eight petals with one hand.
Taking a firm bite of the red melon meat, the young man exhaled comfortably: "Tsk, it's so sweet..."
This fruit is exactly watermelon. Watermelon. Watermelon, as the name suggests, is a melon from the Western Regions. Before the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, it had been introduced to the southeastern coastal areas of my country. However, it is not called watermelon. Instead, it is called cold because of its cold nature and antipyretic properties. melon.
But the name is different in each place, and what it is called varies from person to person.
"Come on, come on, have a piece too, I'll treat you."
The young man gnawed on a piece of watermelon with one hand, and picked up the largest piece with the other hand and handed it to the old man who was driving in front.
"Hey hey hey, okay!"
Old Xia's ancestors were from the Central Plains, but he came to settle in the Western Regions very early. His business gradually changed from inter-regional transportation at the beginning to only doing local business. The reason is simply that wars are now frequent, and a trip to the Central Plains is very expensive. too high.
So it’s not surprising that he can speak the Mandarin of the Central Plains. These fruits are all grown by his family and are now being transported to surrounding towns and villages for sale. The business is much worse than that of his ancestors who often left the country. Now it can only be regarded as A small fight.
"Puch", he chewed off half of the watermelon in one gulp, and Lao Xia's wrinkled face bloomed like a chrysanthemum, and he smiled happily: "My melon is good, right?"
"Hmm...sweet and delicious, full of juice, very good..."
"Hehehe, I love what you say. I won't charge you for this."
Lao Xia obviously admired the young man behind him, and he must have made the right decision. In addition, he spoke honestly and honestly, and he was in a good mood. He rarely waved his hand to indicate that he had invited the melon.
"Don't! Let's talk about our own affairs. Brothers are still settling accounts. Besides, I'm not short of money..."
The young man who was munching melon didn't even raise his head, but his tone was very firm. It's not easy. You can see from the sweat on Lao Xia's head that there is no need to take advantage of this.
Furthermore, although the last sentence was said in a joking way to make Lao Xia not pay attention, in fact the young man did not lie.
After chewing the watermelon in his hands in two or two, the young man threw away the rind casually, then turned his eyes to look at the approaching mountains, and leaned lazily beside the carriage, saying: "Old Xia, it's just up from Huatai Village. Feng Shuangshan?"
"Well, I haven't asked yet. Why are you going to that place? The folk customs there are very fierce. I have been here several times. The villagers there will not reason with you at all because of the protection of the Vajra Gate. , but he is very overbearing." Perhaps because he was old, or perhaps something was not going well for him, Lao Xia kept talking about what he had seen and heard, regardless of whether the young man behind him understood it or not, and he always talked about everything. It was very Talkative.
"So scary...?"
After listening to Lao Xia's statement, the young man asked in surprise. Although his tone was suspicious, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, indicating that this man was not at all concerned.
】
"Well! Don't tell anyone. I have been transporting goods for most of the year. Naturally, I heard some rumors that the Vajra Sect has surrendered to Meng Ting and is not so friendly to many small countries around it."
Lao Xia said mysteriously, then glanced at the young man leaning lazily next to the carriage, and said: "Besides, you are from the Central Plains. This time the Mongols and the Song people are in a stalemate, and you are alone again. Just be careful."
Although the two had known each other for a short time, Lao Xia saw that the young man was free and uninhibited, so he still gave him a kind reminder.
"Okay, I've written it down, don't worry."
Closing the hood on his head, the young man stared at the endless mountains in the distance with bright eyes, and said softly: "I just went to visit relatives..."
"That's good."
.....................
Soon, Lao Xia drove his donkey cart to the entrance of the village at the foot of the mountain. At this time, many villagers had gathered under an old tree at the head of the village. When they saw Lao Xia's cart, they crowded around and wanted to come. I also knew that he would be here today and had been waiting for a long time.
As soon as he got out of the car, Lao Xia felt something suddenly appeared in his hand. He looked down subconsciously and found that it was something wrapped in a piece of cloth. Just as he was about to remove the piece of cloth, a voice came from in front of him: "First of all, Don’t look in a hurry.”
Looking up, he saw that the young man behind Fancai had already walked ahead at some point, and was walking past many villagers towards the mountain as if there was no one around.
"This is....?"
Ignoring the villagers who were asking about the price of goods, Lao Xia raised his head and asked.
"Pass money... and... your watermelon is very sweet... Goodbye, Lao Xia."
The young man waved his hand with his back to Lao Xia, and then his figure quickly disappeared at the entrance of the village.
Lao Xia was startled when he heard the words. He lowered his head and opened the cloth slightly. He found a strand of golden hair and hurriedly wrapped it up. He even breathed a lot. He looked around vigilantly and found that the villagers were picking fruits. Then he breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he looked at the disappearing figure in front of him and murmured: "Who are you..."
