winter solstice.
In a small town in the north that was dull to the point of being ridiculous, Qiu Shui held the piece of sand willow branch that he chewed until the end withered, and lay aimlessly on the sand outside the town. The weather has been a bit abnormal in recent years, but the warm breeze is blowing in the mid-season. Qiushui and his willow branches enjoy the warm afternoon sunshine together, and the south mentioned by the capable people in the town comes to mind.
Ah, the South. What a prosperous place, there are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties, so many towers in the mist and rain... The farthest place Qiu Shui has ever been to since he was a child is a slightly larger town two hundred miles away from the small town. There is a small town there. A slightly larger market. The last time Qiu Shui went to a larger town was this time last year. Every year when the New Year was approaching, he had the opportunity to go to a larger town to deliver sheep to a member of the town's family. Wrong, our protagonist is a sheepherder. However, Qiu Shui did not make his sheep herding business so prosperous that when he encountered the blacksmith shop at the east end of the larger town, he had nothing to offer with his empty sleeves in exchange for the coveted sword. The words "Dharma Iron Shop" floated on the apricot-yellow flag. Qiu Shui was curious as to why the owner of Damo Iron Shop was not bald. A gust of wind carried grass ashes and blew into Qiu Shui's eyes. Qiu Shui returned to reality from his lengthy memories. It was time to go to a larger town to deliver sheep to the staff. I wonder if the sword at the Bodhidharma Iron Shop has been bought this year. Qiu Shui counted his sheep on the distant horizon and calculated the silver to buy the sword.
"I won't buy any new clothes for the New Year," Qiu Shui gritted his teeth. He must buy the sword this year.
"No, I can't wait any longer. We'll leave tomorrow."
Regarding Qiu Shui's insistence on buying a knife, let's start with a few recent news in the town. Originally, this was an outdoor peach garden, or a wild land. The official business roads did not lead here at all. The town was only bustling with people. The remaining families all make a living by selling cattle and sheep. However, recently, merchants from other places often come here to buy sheepskins. This is originally a happy thing. Qiushui has also done several transactions with these merchants. Most of them do not pay attention to the quality of sheepskins. They just buy whatever they have. . Over time, an inn was built in the small town to facilitate these merchants. Qiu Shui didn't know who paid for the inn, but after it was built, the level of luxury of the inn was like standing out from the crowd, and slowly many beautiful people lived in it. He was wearing the best clothes that Qiu Shui had never seen before, and he was carrying the best weapons that Qiu Shui had never seen before. Most of the people who went out to do business in that era were from martial arts, and there were also rich masters who specially hired thugs to travel, just for self-defense and to stay away from the imperial city. Bandits and thieves gather in this place, and the geographical location is in a remote place, so the people here are martial.
It was at this time that Qiu Shui met the middle-aged man carrying a knife in the inn. This man is incompatible with the whole town, not in terms of his appearance, but in his eyes. Qiu Shui has never seen such eyes before. He is deep into the water but a little aggrieved, his eyes are alert but not murderous. Qiu Shui is a sheepherder. The young man had never come into contact with other people in the world except those who were doing business and farming. He did not know that this man was exactly what those in the town who had seen the world described him as a Jianghu person. Qiushui thought that Jianghu People are people who live by rivers or lakes, but Qiu Shui is fascinated by the stories of these people who have seen the world. They say that these people are more common in the prosperous places in the south of the Yangtze River, and they eat from time to time. They don't ask about the price, they do things happily, they have no worries or worries, no one knows what they rely on to support their families, and it seems that most of these people in the world will not get married or start a business, and there is still no shortage of women around them.
How could Qiu Shui, a sheep herder, understand the mystery? Just seeing this man carrying a knife, he felt that he was only one knife away from him, so he felt like a shadow demon in his heart, eager for a knife, and imitated that man to wander the world. , this is the whole origin of the psychological story at the beginning of our lovely and innocent protagonist. Now, there is still quite a long time before dusk, but Qiu Shui has driven the sheep back early and scribbled some food on the stove. rice, and took a few bites of pickled radish before lying down. All I was thinking about was going to Bodhidharma Iron Shop to buy a knife tomorrow. The autumn water in my dream came to the south of the Yangtze River. The water town under the misty drizzle gently welcomed this fledgling silly boy...
