The white jade sky jumped over the grass and trees, flying all the way, the birds and animals were frightened, the bees and butterflies danced wildly, and the cool breeze blew.
Zhang Yan'er leaned on Bai Yutian's chest, listening to Bai Yutian's heartbeat. She felt extremely happy in her heart. From time to time, she gave herself one or two hallucinations. As soon as she put her right arm around Bai Yutian's neck, a beautiful scenery hit her face. Come.
There were white clouds, flowing water, and twilight. Taoist Jingyin stood on the west bank of Luxi, looking at the lights slowly lighting up on the east bank, his eyes sparkling.
Bai Yutian jumped to the side of the Taoist priest and stopped. Zhang Yan'er reluctantly let go of Bai Yutian's neck and got down to the ground.
Taoist Master Jingyin quickly wiped away the two drops of water from the corner of his eyes and asked softly: "Cross the river, or stay here?"
Bai Yutian said: "A cup of wine to catch the wind on the west bank, or a meal to wash away the dust on the east bank. Which one do you choose?"
The dusk is dark, the river breeze is cool, the lights are still on, old friends have passed away, and the river is like tears. Taoist Master Jingyin took a deep breath and said sadly: "It doesn't matter if it's no more than a river!"
Bai Yutian looked around half a circle along the river bank and saw bright lights not far away, and asked: "Taoist Master, is there an inn over there?"
Taoist Master Jingyin looked at it and replied: "Everything about that Luxi Inn is good, but the accommodation is a bit more expensive. Do you have enough money?"
Zhang Yan'er smiled and said: "As long as the Taoist priest is comfortable, it's okay. It's more expensive."
Bai Yutian smiled slightly and said, "I'll pay a visit to Longwei Escort Agency tomorrow. I'm not afraid of not having a place to eat and live."
"Well, let's have a good meal, drink a good bottle of wine, and have a good sleep."
Taoist Master Jingyin stepped forward and walked towards the brightly lit place in front, followed closely by Bai Yutian and Zhang Yan'er.
After a cup of tea, the three of them arrived in front of Luxi Inn.
The waiter had just seen off a customer when he saw Taoist Master Jingyin approaching. He quickly put on a smile and stepped forward to greet him: "Taoist Master, why are you here! Come in quickly and invite us!"
When Zhang Yan'er saw the waiter turning around and walking back into the store without seeing her presence, Zhang Yan'er used her nose to "hum" and "hum" twice.
The waiter in the shop came to his senses, turned around, and said with a smile: "Girl, do you want to hit the tip, or do you want to stay in the hotel?"
Zhang Yan'er looked up, raised her mouth, and said slowly: "So what if you hit the top? What if you stay in a hotel? What if you hit the top and stay in a hotel?"
The waiter smiled and replied: "Since I work as a professional and stay in the hotel, I will naturally get a discount on food."
Zhang Yan'er put her hand back, shook her body up and down, and said with an air of dignity: "In that case, let's stay together in the hotel."
Taoist Master Jingyin said: "Are there any superior rooms?"
The waiter smiled and replied: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Seeing the enthusiasm on the waiter's face, Taoist Master Jingyin smiled and said, "Then give us two rooms."
Zhang Yaner said: "Taoist Priest, why don't you come to the third room? Brother Bai likes peace and quiet."
When the waiter heard the word "白", he immediately stopped and looked at Bai Yutian.
Bai Yutian saw something wrong in the waiter's eyes and asked in confusion: "Second brother, is there something wrong?"
The waiter replied: "You are from the west. What is your name, Bai Yutian?"
Bai Yutian was very surprised. He hadn't reported his family name yet. How did he know? Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Yaner picked up the topic.
"Why, Bai Yutian is not a relative of yours?" Zhang Yan'er was very angry when she saw that the waiter's words were not very friendly.
The waiter ignored Zhang Yan'er and said to Taoist Master Jingyin: "Taoist Master, the store owner said that no one with the surname Bai, let alone Bai Yutian, can come to the store these days."
Bai Yutian asked softly: "Little brother, has Bai Yutian ever offended your store?"
The waiter said warmly: "Sir, I'm really sorry, I can't answer your question. You'd better leave."
Zhang Yan'er got angry when she heard this and said loudly: "It's unreasonable to ask your store owner to come out. If you can't show your ugly face, I will burn this store down to see how arrogant he is."
"Girl, it's up to you whether to set fire to the store, and it's up to me whether to keep people in the hotel or not. It's up to you." The waiter smiled faintly, and then said: "But I still want to tell you, this Quzhou Prefecture is the Holy Land of Nan Kong, and it is a place where kings follow the law. , a place where education is taught, not a place in the mountains where three religions and nine schools of thought can flourish at will."
Zhang Yan'er has never seen anything like this before, taking care of other people's business and being turned away. He quickly rolled up his sleeves, wanting to show the waiter what a real son and daughter of the world are: starting a fight if they disagree, and never being criticized for being cowardly.
"Let's go. If you give money to others, they will think it's dirty, so why bother asking for boredom?"
Who is Taoist Master Jingyin? Zhang Yan'er grabbed him and headed towards the ferry to look for him, with Bai Yutian following closely behind.
The waiter looked at the three people's backs and said loudly: "Taoist Master, I'm really sorry. We have no choice. It's not good for you to offend anyone, but you offended the people of Longwei Escort Agency."
Bai Yutian felt much better after hearing this, and finally understood the reason for being rejected.
Taoist Master Jingyin came to the ferry and stopped, and whispered: "Boy, if you can't cross the river, it doesn't matter to me. The inns here don't dare to take you in, let alone the inns over there."
Zhang Yaner asked: "Taoist Priest, can the Longwei Escort Bureau cover the sky with one hand here?"
Bai Yutian smiled bitterly and said: "One side is strong and deep-rooted, and the local people will give them a little bit of sympathy. It is more than enough to deal with a new outsider."
Zhang Yan'er heard this, and the more she looked at the night, the more uncomfortable she became, and she whispered: "Brother Bai, do you really want to stay in the mountains?"
When Bai Yutian saw that Zhang Yan'er was afraid of staying in the mountains, he wanted to scare her and said with a smile: "The sky is the quilt, the earth is the bed, and the moon is the companion. How beautiful! It's cool, clean, and saves money."
Zhang Yan'er grabbed Bai Yutian's sleeve and whispered softly: "Brother Bai, it can't be done. Living in the mountains and being among birds, beasts, poisonous insects, I will have nightmares."
Bai Yutian complained: "But if others are not allowed to enter the house or sleep in the mountains, what can I do?"
Zhang Yan'er shouted angrily: "Don't the prefects live in the city? Let's sue him to the Longwei Escort Agency."
When Taoist Master Jingyin heard this, he said happily: "This is a good idea. The prefect, Mr. He, had asked the Longwei Escort Bureau to escort tribute money several times. Not only was he warm and hospitable, but he was also full of uprightness. He was a good official. Let's go to his home. Stay one night."
Zhang Yan'er was naturally happy to see that she could stay overnight and not have to hang out with birds, beasts, poisonous insects in the mountains, and she and Bai Yutian walked towards the ferry with Taoist Master Jingyin.
The three of them came to the river and saw several ferries, but no ferrymen. I glanced around and saw a light not far away, which seemed to come from the house, so I looked for it towards the light.
Arriving at a low house made of wooden planks, a couple in their sixties were sitting inside eating dinner. Bai Yutian approached and asked in a low voice: "Old man, can you carry me there?" Going to the river?"
The old man put down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, looked at Bai Yutian, and replied: "Sir, my boat is not big and the river is fast. Why don't you cross the river again tomorrow morning."
Bai Yutian cupped his hands and said, "Old man, how much does it cost to ferry someone in the daytime? I'll give you double the price, okay?"
When the woman saw this, she put down the bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and said warmly: "Master, don't think too much about it. His father has made a living by ferrying for generations. He is always cautious and cautious. He just wants to be safe. It is not a matter of money. .”
After hearing what the old woman said, Bai Yutian felt a little troubled, and said warmly: "Old man, it seems that the inn here doesn't welcome me to stay. In order not to stay overnight in the mountains, I want to try my luck on the other side, so I am not in a hurry to cross the river. "
The old man was a little surprised after hearing this, and asked softly: "Did the young master offend someone he shouldn't have offended?"
Seeing the change in the old man's expression, Bai Yutian recalled what happened at the Luxi Inn and replied truthfully: "To be honest with you, I was entrusted by Mr. Jiang's escort chief to go to the Longwei Escort Agency to help. But for some reason, Longwei Escort Bureau But those people from the Wei Escort Bureau regarded me as an enemy and spread the word in advance, so that no one in the inn was willing to stay with me."
After hearing this, the old woman felt that Bai Yutian's words were false and said: "It shouldn't be! Mr. Jiang, the head of the Longwei Escort Agency, is well-known in Quzhou. He is dedicated to doing good and never does anything wrong. He is a good old man. It is impossible for him to appear like this." Kind of something."
Zhang Yaner came closer and answered: "Uncle Jiang has been assassinated and passed away."
The old man glanced at Zhang Yan'er and said sternly: "Girl, what are you talking about? Mr. Jiang is such a good person, how could someone try to harm him!"
Taoist Master Jingyin came closer and said warmly: "Brother, people cannot be resurrected after death. He, Jiang Daogong, has really passed away."
The old woman walked out of the wooden shed, saw the Taoist priest, and said, "Taoist priest, are you with them?"
Taoist Master Jingyin replied: "Jiang Daogong left a will before his death, asking the boy in front of him to succeed him as the chief bodyguard. I saw that the boy was single and weak, so I accompanied him here to see if I could have some friendship. , fulfilling Jiang Daogong’s last wish during his lifetime.”
The old man had met Taoist Master Jingyin before, so his words were trustworthy. When he came out of the wooden shed, he said calmly: "Taoist Master, you, the outsider, must not trick me."
Taoist Master Jingyin replied: "Brother, I see what you said. There is a god three feet above the head. I am not afraid of others' knowledge and fear of my own knowledge. I am just a person. I don't seek fame or profit. I just want a bowl of vegetarian food every day. There is no need to lie to you."
The old woman heard it and whispered to the old man: "Then you can cross them across the river."
The old man pulled the woman aside and whispered: "If we do this, once the flower escort head is investigated and knows that we are crossing the river, no one will be able to cross it."
The old woman whispered: "Hua Biao deceived us first, and we broke the promise later. It is not a violation of morality. Besides, I agreed at that time for the sake of Mr. Jiang, the bodyguard, not for Hua Biao's sake." , why should we act based on their faces? Even if they bully us and squeeze us out in the future, won’t there still be government officials?”
The old man felt that it made some sense. He plucked up the courage, walked closer, and said to Taoist Master Jingyin: "Taoist Master, then you can get on the boat."
Bai Yutian bowed slightly and said thanks: "Thank you, old man! Thank you, auntie!"
The old woman lit a large lantern from the wooden shed, handed it to her husband, and said, "You guys are good to go."
The old man held a lantern and walked towards the ship not far away. Bai Yutian said goodbye to the old woman and followed closely behind.
The four of them came to the ferry. The old man waited for the three of them to get on the boat, sat down, untied the rope on the shore, got on the boat, hung up the lantern, held up the bamboo pole, and ferried towards the other side.
There was wind on the river, the water was fast, and the boat kept rocking from side to side, which was extremely dangerous.
Zhang Yan'er was frightened, threw herself into Bai Yutian's arms, and hugged Bai Yutian tightly.
Bai Yutian wanted to help Zhang Yan'er out of his arms, but seeing the darkness and the ship shaking violently, he followed Zhang Yan'er's wishes.
Fighting against the wind and waves, it was extremely difficult for the old man to row the boat to the opposite bank, where he leaned against the bank and inserted the bamboo pennant in his hand into the bottom of the river.
The three of them got off the boat. Bai Yutian took out a tael of silver and handed it to the old man.
The old man held the silver back and said, "Sir, I didn't take the risk to ferry you across the river just for this little silver."
Bai Yutian put away the money, bowed warmly to the old man, and said, "Thank you, old man!"
The old man pulled up his bamboo pole and pushed it to the bottom. The boat left the shore and rowed slowly towards the other side.
