The shade of green trees is thick and the sun is rising.
Xiaoliu and the old lady sat under a cypress tree to rest. The horses were eating fresh leaves beside them, and Dazui took a kettle to fetch water from the distant stream.
Seeing Dazui's actions that were still a little tough, Xiaoliu couldn't help but shook his head. He looked at the old lady beside him curiously, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:
"Auntie, Xiaoliu has always had a doubt in his mind. I wonder if I can ask?"
"You can ask if you want?" The old lady seemed to know what Xiaoliu wanted to ask, and responded calmly.
Xiao Liu thought for a moment, considered his words, and then spoke.
"Then forgive Xiao Liu for being presumptuous. Auntie just doesn't want Big Mouth to get involved in the world. She hopes he can live a peaceful life. Xiao Liu understands this. After all, most mothers in the world are like this."
"But there is one thing that puzzles Xiaoliu. Since we want him to live a safer life, why don't you want Dazui to learn martial arts? After all, learning martial arts can better protect yourself. Even if you are forced to get involved in the world, Or if you encounter a thief on the road, you can also have the ability to protect yourself."
Xiaoliu asked in confusion. In his opinion, there is no good or bad in martial arts. It all depends on how the person who learns martial arts uses it. It is just like a knife. The knife is not good or bad. It all depends on the human heart.
But having a knife but not using it, and not having a knife are two different things.
The former does not bully others and can protect himself, but the latter can only look at other people's faces. Xiao Liu doesn't believe that the old lady doesn't understand this.
However, when the old lady heard this, she smiled bitterly and said, "How high does this skill need to be?"
"Huh?" Xiao Liu was directly asked.
The old lady ignored Xiao Liu and continued:
"I once thought like you, not to harm others, but this person is in the world and can't help himself. If you don't harm others, others will harm you. The higher your martial arts skills, the more likely they will harm you. The more skilled the people are, the more vicious their methods will be. I was blinded by them."
As she spoke, the old lady closed her eyes, seeming to recall the scene at that time.
"Others thought I quit the world voluntarily after having one of my fingers cut off. But how can you quit the world just when you say it? Those who have had troubles in the past, those who want to step on you and get the upper hand, how can they do that? Let you go!"
When it comes to the emotional part, the old lady's voice is also a bit shrill.
"Pursuing, besieging, and poisoning, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, you will still be unable to defend against him!"
"The dangers of the world are the people's hearts. The pain of the world is that there is no way out. How many heroes in the world once dominated the world, but ended up miserable in their old age.
"They either become a stepping stone for newcomers to show off, or they are visited by the descendants of their enemies in their youth. If they are lucky, their reputation will be ruined, but if they are unlucky, their entire family will be slaughtered!"
"After entering this world, you will have to live in the shadow of swords and swords all your life. You will have no place to escape. If I hadn't been lucky enough to meet Xiulian's father and save my life, I would have died long ago. It’s Jiuquan.”
"You said you only practice martial arts and don't enter the world? But most of these martial arts practitioners are self-sufficient and like to show off. How many of them can do what you said? Think about those Shaolin monks who are said to be monks, no? Contaminated with martial arts karma!"
"Perhaps there really is such a person as you mentioned in this world, but such a person must be an outsider. I am not one, you are not one, and my son is not one."
What the old lady said made Xiaoliu speechless. He was still too young.
Xiao Liu cupped his fists with a wry smile and said, "Thank you, senior, for your teachings. I will remember this, junior."
However, in response to Xiaoliu's thanks, the old lady waved her hand calmly and said:
"This is just my reflection after spending half my life wandering around the world. It is not a teaching. Today, when I say that Deputy Yu Yan is the headhunter, I don't want to prove anything. I just hope that if my son really encounters dangers such as mountain bandits in the future, he will Deputy Chief Yan can come to the rescue."
Xiaoliu smiled and said:
"Of course, but without the entrustment from my aunt today, Dazui and I are brothers, so I certainly won't sit idly by and ignore it. What's more, Xiaoliu is also the deputy chief of the town. It is my duty to protect the safety of the people. "
"That's good, that's good." The old lady also smiled very happily.
"Mom, what are you talking about?" This was Big Mouth who had come back from fetching water from a distance.
"It's nothing, let's hurry up." The old lady was in a good mood and said directly without even drinking water.
Although Dazui didn't know why his mother was so happy, he smiled and helped his mother up, and the three of them hit the road again.
. . . . . .
Lijiagou, Dazui's house.
After sending Big Mouth Girl to Lijiagou, Xiao Liu was planning to rush back to Qixia Town, but Big Mouth Girl repeatedly invited Xiao Liu to her house.
Xiaoliu naturally refused to attend to official duties and would go there next time.
However, after Da Zui Niang patted Xiao Liu's shoulder three times in a meaningful way, Xiao Liu suddenly realized something and immediately changed his mind. He followed Da Zui Niang to their house.
Dazui's home is a very common wooden thatched house, the kind that Du Fu lives in, but there are not any South Village boys here, and the old lady is not old and feeble.
Although Dazui's house is simple, it has a lot of things, including all kinds of fruits, vegetables, chickens and ducks, and the whole thing is a small vegetable garden.
When we got home, it was almost noon, which meant it was almost time for lunch. Da Zui naturally volunteered to cook, and he wanted to entertain Xiao Liu well no matter what.
Xiao Liu followed the old lady to a room. The old lady found a small box from a cabinet and handed it to Xiao Liu.
"There are a lot of clutter in this house, and it's time to throw away some things. I can't see, so I can ask Deputy Catcher Lao Yan to throw them away for me."
"Auntie, what is this?" Xiao Liu had already vaguely guessed what was inside.
"It's just some useless things. Keeping them is harmful but useless. I just hope that Deputy Yan will not forget what he said before." The old lady said with a smile.
Hearing this, Xiao Liu quickly leaned over and clasped his fists, saying:
"Auntie, please rest assured. Xiao Liu assures you that Dazui is my brother, and I will protect his safety throughout his life."
"Okay, your words are enough. But you need to be more careful. From the moment you killed the bandit, you entered the world. And the world will be dangerous in the future. You need to practice more." Okay, as I just asked you, how high does this martial arts need to be? You have to find the answer yourself."
"Yes, aunt!"
. . . . . .
After lunch, Xiao Liu rode back to Qixia Town, but there was an extra person on the horse, and this person was Da Zui.
Originally, Dazui wanted to stay one more day with his mother, but during lunch, his mother told him something that gave him a headache. This incident forced Dazui to quickly follow Xiaoliu. Escaped back to Qixia Town.
"Son, when are you planning to get married? Mom is still waiting to have a grandson? I think the two girls at your workplace are pretty good. Not only is this person gentle, but she is also very considerate, and she is also very kind to my mother. .”
"But I don't want the girl who speaks with a Shaanxi accent. She has someone in her heart. But for the one with a Fujian accent, you have to hurry up. There won't be this shop after passing this village. Mom..."
