Chapter 2: In the dream, I don’t know whether I am a guest or when I wake up, I am still sleepy and hungry.

Style: Heros Author: Shanxia Lingtou peopleWords: 5227Update Time: 24/01/19 02:46:14
Before dawn, the sky started to get a little darker. In a barracks of the scout department, a dark-skinned boy who was sleeping soundly was disturbed by a sound of rustling footsteps. He used all his strength to raise his head slightly and struggled. He half-opened his eyelids, and through the bit of fish-belly white coming in through the window, he caught a glimpse of a person standing in the room. The person was holding up his belt and tiptoed toward the door.

"Old Xu, what are you doing?"

"Damn it, I'm upset!"

The man murmured in reply, opened the door and hurried out.

"profound......"

Being disturbed like this, the boy's sleepiness gradually dissipated. He closed his eyes again, but his mind began to recall the half-dream that had been interrupted by Lao Xu's movement.

It was a very strange dream. In the dream, the red clouds appeared, the purple mist enveloped the smoke, the palaces and palaces, the three streets and wide roads, the silver buildings and jade houses, and the twelve gates. The Orchid Terrace of the Guidian Hall is full of dazzling utensils, red embroidered columns, and embroidered pillars, looking up to the city of Wanyan. In the city, the gentle breeze blows, the grass is green, the willows are fluttering, the east of the city is golden and the crow is bright, and the west of the city is bright and clear, the jade rabbit is bright and quiet, and there is a faint divine voice rippling from nowhere. On both sides of the market are the Tianjiao Hongqiao, the thousand-story pagoda, and the crystal-clear carved beams and painted buildings, which are as brilliant as a mirror, reflecting the vast expanse of ice. People come and go in the market, all of them are in high spirits. The young talents are wearing bright clothes and angry horses, and they are in high spirits. They are all wearing brocade robes, embroidered armor and jade belts, and python clothes. The strange thing is that there are many beauties in feather clothes on the street. They They were in groups of three or five, each with dark clouds on their temples and beautiful faces, with ribbons fluttering in various colors. Even without any makeup, they were still beautiful. Their jade-bone spirits were fragrant, just like the Fairy Princess of Luo Shui. The appearance of any one of them was much more outstanding than Master Zhang’s wife. many. Almost all the people coming and going in the market are young people. Whether pedestrians or merchants, most are in their twenties or eighties. A few people are no more than 40 years old, let alone the octogenarians. Even the destined years are very few. Everyone has fair and rosy skin, tall and tall figures, smiles on their faces, and elegant and handsome gestures. The whole city is bustling with people.

However, the strange thing is that in the middle of such a prosperous and prosperous market, there is a little beggar standing blankly begging for food. The little beggar is dark-faced, hungry, thin, dressed in ragged clothes, and skinny. He wears a pair of broken straw sandals, his hands and feet are black, and his knees are black. There seemed to be blood and scabs on it. The little beggar was dumbfounded by the fairyland-like forest around him. He just looked at it blankly and moved forward, carefully avoiding the people, carriages and horses, for fear that his filth would stain the beauty of others. Just walking cautiously like this, the little beggar vaguely saw a little girl similar to him moving from the west side of the market. He became curious and walked a few steps faster. When he got closer, he saw that the little girl looked like a beggar like him. She wore a rag hat, her hair was messy, and her clothes were also ragged and dirty black coarse cloth. , her feet were bare, her feet were dark, her face was chapped and red, and her eyes were looking around in horror. The little girl saw the little beggar, and the two of them looked at each other blankly. The strange thing is that the people around them can't seem to see these two little people who are different from themselves. They are still talking and laughing, busy with their own things, and their eyes have never glanced at them, as if they are transparent and do not exist.

The little beggar walked up to the little girl, sighed and said:

"You and I are both from the prosperous world, yet you do this thing that humiliates the prosperous world!"

The dream had no beginning and no end, and it had no beginning and no end, so Lao Xu interrupted it. The dark-skinned boy didn’t understand how he could have such a strange dream, let alone what the dream meant. He didn’t know that he was The person in the dream is still a bystander, so what does the two little beggars have to do with him? And that inexplicable sigh seems to be said by himself, but also seems to be said to him by others. The swarthy boy just vaguely recalled the bizarre scene in his dream. After thinking about it for a while, he felt that he really couldn't understand it, so he got up and put on his clothes and stopped worrying about it.

After getting dressed, he walked quietly outside the courtyard. Autumn was slowly entering the sky, and there was a hint of coolness in the early morning. The young man, wearing a cloth coat, came to the water tank, scooped a ladle of cold water, drank it, and then Tibu came to the latrine. He heard the sound of Old Xu's chirping in his ears, and the unique smell of the latrine filled his nose. The dark-skinned young man held his breath and quickly finished peeing all night long. After leaving the latrine, the young man took a few deep breaths. He tightened his belt and washed himself for a while. At this time, the young man finally Completely awake.

He came to the middle of the small courtyard, spread his legs, straightened his back, clenched his fists forward, half-squatted his buttocks, and took a steady horse stance. The young man, who had tied up his horse, followed the breathing method of a classic called "Qingyun" taught by Nan Normal University before, breathing in and out through his chest and abdomen, and silently reciting in his heart:

"Linlang vibrates, and the ten directions are cleared. The rivers and seas are silent, and the mountains swallow. All spirits subdue, and gather the immortals. There is no filth in the sky, and no demon dust on the earth. The caves of Minghui are clear, and there are a lot of mysteries... "

As the boy breathes in and out, the breath of heaven and earth moves freely through the body, growing in and out. With each breath, a line of air flows from the Dantian, from the ground to the feet, then from the feet to the legs, to the chest and abdomen, to the limbs, and then When he reached the heavenly spirit above his head, and every time it traveled throughout his body, the young man felt that his body felt a little more comfortable, and the pain and pain in his body that he usually felt were relieved a little bit.

The young man was very perseverant. He maintained the posture of bowing and horse, motionless, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the morning curtain, tempering and polishing his mind and body.

The sky gradually became brighter, and people in the room woke up one after another. These people came out of the room, looked at the young man practicing in the courtyard, heheed, and hurried away to the latrine without saying a word. More than half an hour passed like this, and the young master also woke up. He looked at the young man in the courtyard, and while arranging his clothes, he asked:

"Er Xiao, why didn't you call me when you got up?"

The dark-skinned boy named Er Xiao then opened his half-closed eyes and looked at the young master's house. He exhaled to withdraw his strength and replied:

"Old Xu had a stomachache before dawn, so I got up when I heard the noise."

The young master didn't answer, he turned his head towards a certain place, and the grain wheel went back.

The swarthy boy returned to the house, scooped a ladle of water into the jar, slurped it in his mouth for a while, spit it out on the ground outside, and then took two more gulps. The slightly cold well water flowed down his throat. Into the stomach. The young man groped for the bit of dried mutton he had hidden yesterday in his arms, secretly pulled out a piece, peeked around, looking at no one, then brought the shredded meat to his mouth like lightning, and licked the dried mutton back and forth with his tongue. I didn't dare to bite it with my teeth, so I just digested it little by little with saliva.

The young master also came back. He looked at the dark boy's closed mouth, stretched out his finger and pointed at the black boy, and smiled maliciously. The boy looked embarrassed, his dark face was a little red, he swallowed quickly, opened his mouth and whispered asked:

"do you want?"

The young master rolled his eyes and muttered disdainfully:

"Do you think you're the only one who can hide private goods?" After saying that, he turned around and went back to the house.

The dark-skinned boy couldn't answer, so he smiled and hurried to the small courtyard. There was nothing to do, and there was nothing to do. The sound of gargling came from the room over there. After a while, the young master also closed his mouth tightly. When I came to him, I knew without looking that there must be something hidden in his mouth.

The two of them had a tacit understanding. After playing around for a while, they started to get serious, twisting their necks and kicking their legs, flexing their muscles and bones, being meticulous and orderly.

Not long after, the young master approached the dark-skinned young man, took a standard cross-horse stance, stretched out his clenched left fist, looked at the young man, and raised his eyebrows. The dark-skinned boy understood and took a step forward. Facing the young master's house, he made the same horse stance and stretched out his fist. Their wrists touched lightly, and then they punched each other at the same time.

Fist shadows were flying, you came back and forth, you hit me in the face with a straight punch, I used my side arm to block, you lowered your elbow to stab, so I changed my arm to buckle your wrist, the two young men alternated fists and palms, But the soles of his feet were as solid as a rock, motionless.

The rest of the people watched the two young men compete with each other in their skills and secretly praised them. They all finished washing and began to practice individually as usual.

Different sergeants with different appearances and ages, wearing uniform undershirts and military boots, came to different locations in the courtyard. Some were practicing boxing, some were kicking, and more were wielding swords and guns. Everyone had a solemn look on their face, and their mouths were full of smiles. From time to time there were shouts and shouts, and a dozen or so people were full of vigor and vitality.

At this time, the sound of fists and kicks and swords striking could also be heard from the yard next door. Most of an hour passed like this, everyone's face was red, sweat was oozing from their foreheads, and those who were afraid of the heat were already bare-chested. There were always some big or small scars on their rough and thin bodies and arms, some were dim, some were dark. Eye-catching.

At this time, there was a familiar sound outside the courtyard gate, and the wheels creaked as they ran over the green bricks. When everyone heard the noise, they all withdrew their fists and feet, put down their swords and guns, and focused their gazes towards the courtyard gate.

The young master and the dark-skinned boy also stopped walking, took a few deep breaths, adjusted and calmed down, and walked towards the water tank. Shaodongjia scooped up a little water and poured it on the swarthy boy's already arched sleeves. The unraveled coarse cloth sleeves soon became wet. The swarthy boy took the water ladle and poured the water on Shaodongjia's sleeves. Then he put down the water ladle and wiped the slight sweat from his face with the wet sleeve in his hand. The young master wiped his face and walked towards the trolley that had already entered the door.

"Knife handle, what do you want to eat this morning?"

The person called the knife handle is a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy who is about the same age as the young master. He is thin and thin, with a long face, and he does look a bit like the knife handle. Xiao Dao stopped the car in the courtyard, looked at the middle-aged sergeant who had just asked the question, blushed, and answered timidly:

"Same as yesterday..."

After hearing this, the middle-aged sergeant sighed and said nothing. He lifted up the linen covering the barrel, reached out and grabbed three fist-sized black buns from inside, and then picked out a pile in the middle of the barrel. He picked up one of the black porcelain bowls, reached into the other wooden bucket, scooped out a bowl of yellow soup, and moved the steamed buns to his mouth while moving a little farther away from the cart. The other people also took three steamed buns and scooped out a bowl of soup. The middle-aged sergeant who was the first to speak and take the steamed buns finished eating the steamed buns and drank the soup. The porcelain bowls were all placed in the car, and there were others behind him who bent down to ladle the soup.

The young host and the dark-skinned boy ate steamed buns and drank the warm, salty soup. The numerous small yellow rice popcorns in the soup were an idiom that my husband taught me before, "clear soup with little water".

The group of people finished eating the steamed buns in two or three mouthfuls, and after drinking the warm soup, they felt much better. After everyone put down the porcelain bowl, the knife handle was covered with a coarse cloth again, and the cart was pushed to another yard.

After breakfast like this, some people were sitting in the courtyard chatting in low voices. The young master and the swarthy boy returned to the wing. The two young men sat on the edge of the kang, both with their heads lowered, and neither of them spoke. After a while, Shaodong took a deep breath, put his hands on the back of his head, and lay down. The swarthy boy looked at the young master lying down and opened his mouth. He was about to say something, but he swallowed it back.

After half an hour like this, a voice came from outside the door. It was a young soldier delivering an order. The soldier was neatly dressed in bright light armor and a bright silver helmet. The red tassel on the helmet was bright, and he had a scorpion on his right waist [ gāo jiān], and the left hand is holding the horizontal knife on the left waist. When the people in the courtyard saw the ordering soldier coming in, they quickly gathered into a queue. The ordering soldier also cleared his throat and loudly conveyed the order from above. It turned out that the order from above was for the soldiers under the age of twenty in the barracks to wear armor, hold weapons, and be fully armed to quickly assemble in formation and assemble at the school grounds. The rest of the people should act as usual and perform their duties without any mistakes. After conveying the command, the messenger strode out and rushed to the next small courtyard to continue conveying the order.

The young master and the dark-skinned boy looked at each other after hearing the order. The dark boy spoke first:

"What are you going for?"

"How do I know? I'll know it when I go there!"

The young master shouted angrily as he walked into the house. The dark-skinned young man felt a little confused. He didn't know why the young master's family was like a firecracker. He didn't have time to ask, so he turned around and ran into the house after him. They were the only ones in the whole barracks yard who were two years old and under twenty. Seeing that they had nothing to do, the others returned to their original places, sitting or lying down, chatting and resting their minds.

The two teenagers came to the rack where the armors were placed, picked up their own armors and put them on. They first arranged their close-fitting silk linings and cloth shirts, and then began to put on soft cowhide armor. The two stood opposite each other, helping each other fasten the two leather belts on the chests of the soft armor, then put on the breastplate, and one half squatted body, one holds up the heavy breastplate and passes it through the opponent's head, puts it on the shoulders, fastens the belts under the two arms, and then helps the other to put on the armor. Next, wear the left and right skirts, shoulder armor, arm armor and wrist guards. First tighten the cowhide belt, then hang a horizontal knife on the left belt, and carry a sling on the right belt with hard bows and arrows inside. Black foot pedals Leather combat boots and a cup of tea, the two of them were fully dressed, carrying their helmets and running quickly towards the school field.

By the time the two teenagers hurried to the school grounds, there were already five or six young sergeants fully armed like them in the empty school grounds. A middle-aged officer wearing scaly armor was already standing on the stage, his face was handsome and elegant, and he was looking forward to it. The two teenagers quickly arranged their clothes, put on their helmets, and stood in the queue. Their bodies, which had not grown tall yet, carried nearly forty pounds of armor and equipment. They stood tall and straight, like stubborn red-tasseled spears.

Then about ten more young sergeants joined the queue one after another. The orderly soldier also came to the school grounds. He walked quickly to the officer on the stage and saluted with his hands raised. The middle-aged officer returned the salute, and the orderly soldier reported quickly. command, and then at the officer's signal, he came to the head of the queue and waited with the others for the officer's command.

The middle-aged officer looked at the twenty or so young sergeants who were lined up below on the stage. When he saw that everyone was already in place, he took a breath, stepped forward, and said in a mellow voice:

"Soldiers, foreign thieves are rampant, the emperor's favor is rising, and the situation is grim. Fortunately, General Zhang Zhongcheng and Xu have strategized and found a way to prevent the thieves from entering our Suiyang City. However, the barbarians are powerful, foreign aid is endless, and it will take some time for me to help. , in a desperate attempt to prevent thieves, we are now ordered to enter the city again to recruit people who are sincere in protecting our home and country to fight against the rebels. You listen to the order, enter the inner city, disperse your formation, each on his own, and face the common people. State the details so that the blood in your heart will not be buried. The army, food and salary will remain as before, and the age for starting the expedition must still not be less than fourteen. Do not harass without reason, do not force by force, and do not steal food. Violators will be dealt with according to military law!"

After hearing the order, the twenty or so young soldiers below unified into one and responded in unison:

"Got the order!"

Following the middle-aged officer's "Let's go", the team of about twenty people marched out of the school grounds and headed towards the inner city. The streets in the inner city are wide and bright, with shops on both sides, and two- and three-story buildings everywhere. It turns out that the signboard on the edge of the door has been covered with thick dust, and the flags fluttering high above are still buzzing. There are teahouses, pawnshops, inns, medicine halls, brothels, casinos, blacksmith shops, rouge shops, the four treasures of the study, and the mule and horse market. , along the way, there were various shops selling everything, but now all the doors were closed, and no businessman could be seen anywhere.

The young master and the dark-skinned boy were walking in a row, muttering in a low voice:

"Why did this chore fall on us today? My head is about to burst now."

"Hey, there is no way. Who made us young? I heard from the superiors that we were sent so that the parents of those children can see that we are the same age as their own children, that we can be soldiers and live, and we are A living sign for recruiting troops.”

Ever since he started, the young master had an unreasonable evil fire in his heart. Hearing the swarthy boy's muttering, he got angry and snarled again.

"You know what the heck, we couldn't recruit many people last month, and now it's even harder to recruit. With the current situation in the city, every household is obeying General Xu's orders and waiting behind closed doors. Look at this There’s not even a ghost on the street, let alone a human being!”

Before the swarthy boy could speak, another boy walking in front of the team turned his head and said:

"What can General Xu do? There is not enough food in the city, and you will get hungry more easily if you run outside. It is better to stay at home and sleep for a while. We also made two or three steamed buns in the morning. I heard that some people in the city are good now. I can’t see a Rice Krispie for days.”

"It's just dripping, and the bark is almost eaten away. God didn't open his eyes and didn't say to send a god down to give us some life-saving corn. I also heard that some people were so hungry a few days ago that they ate Guanyin soil. , I'm so stuffed to death that I'm still digging it into my mouth." Another tall and thin boy from behind also rushed to speak.

When the teenagers heard the news that someone was choked to death by Guanyin Soil, they lost interest in continuing the conversation. They stopped talking and walked forward in silence. Everyone knew what Guanyin Soil was and what would happen if they ate it. , except for the occasional sound of wind blowing on the quiet street, only the footsteps of the young sergeants were left.

When the group of people arrived at the entrance of the "Weizi Temple" in the inner city, the middle-aged officer gave a few words of instructions as usual and asked the more than 20 teenagers to go separate ways. These young sergeants were also familiar with the road. They gathered together and assigned their respective marching areas through rock, paper, scissors, and guessing games. They made a fuss for a while, and after discussing the responsible blocks, they gathered their mood and walked to their respective areas.

Only the pair of majestic stone lions in front of the gate of "Weizi Temple" are left in Nuoda Square. Their eyes are staring at the scattered people from a distance, as if there is a flash of blood, calm and domineering, choosing people. Craving for food!