Ye Mochou
Xiao Linzi was dressed in ordinary people's clothes, and he lowered his head as soon as he entered the alley. Although he had been in the palace for several years, the neighbors might not recognize him, but he was still worried that he was the only one who had been castrated to serve as a eunuch in the palace. I am ashamed to see my parents.
This alley is full of poor people. Over the past few years, there has been almost no change. This kind of place may have been like this more than a hundred years ago, and there has been no change. It just feels like this house is made of gravel. The wall is even more shabby, and the jujube tree in front of that house is a little thicker...
This wall and the jujube tree were the best memories of his childhood.
He climbed the wall under the frosty moon. He and his neighbor's children poked holes in rags and covered their faces, pretending to be heroes who robbed the rich and gave to the poor, and climbed up the walls. Climbing away caused a lot of excitement. From time to time, the aunt from this family or the aunt from that family would run out and yell and curse.
There was also the jujube tree. In the golden autumn season when the sky was high and the clouds were wide, among the green leaves, the red jujubes were like red agates. He climbed up the tree on the shoulders of his friends, and first picked up a handful of them. He got into his arms, grabbed another one and stuffed it into his mouth. Then, while chewing the crispy and sweet dates, he waved the bamboo pole to hit the dates until the neighbor uncle loudly cursed the little bastard and strode out of the house. After being driven out, he jumped down with all his strength and ran away laughing.
It's only been a few years, but it seems like a lifetime ago.
Walking all the way, reminiscing along the way, sometimes sour, sometimes sweet, the pace under his feet is accelerating, he has arrived home, and it is his home not far ahead.
A dilapidated thatched hut with only one living room and one bedroom. There was one window in the bedroom, but the wooden window was gone and built up with bricks and tiles, exposing a palm-sized air hole. Xiao Linzi opened the door and entered the courtyard. , he saw the door of the room wide open, and just a small thin coffin filled the main room. Xiao Linzi's tears immediately poured out like spring water, and he cried: "Mother, mother..."
Dai Yubin opened the curtain and walked out of the back room. He looked at him with some surprise and said, "You are..."
…
On a hillside in the outskirts, Dai Yubin directed a few helping villagers: "It's done, let's put up the sign and tighten the soil. Where are the melon and fruit scented candles? Bring them here and put them up quickly."
Xiao Linzi stood there blankly, supporting the blind old woman whose hair was gray due to premature aging. He entered the palace at a very young age and could only wait on people. He didn't understand these things. He didn't know if it hadn't been for this enthusiastic He asked Brother Dai for help. Even if he returned home, what else could he do except hug his mother and cry.
The old woman groped his hand and said, "Son, thank you for your brother Dai. Xiao Bin is such a warm-hearted kid. If it weren't for him, not only would your brother's funeral be left unattended, but even a blind old lady like you would have starved to death." .”
Xiao Linzi wiped his tears and said, "Mom, is Brother Dai our neighbor?"
The old woman said: "No, Xiao Bin is a clerk at the Zhangjia Grain and Rice Shop on Qianmen Street. The price of grain and rice at that store is fair. Your brother often goes there to buy grain. Sometimes, you don't have time to deliver your monthly payment, so you As soon as my brother told them, they gave it to us on credit, and the shopkeeper was also kind. A few days ago, your brother coughed up blood when he went to buy rice. When Xiao Bin saw him, he carried the rice bag and gave it to your brother. I got the help back, and from then on, I’ll always come to help.”
The old woman seemed to be able to see with her dry eyes. She looked at her son's grave and then said to Xiao Linzi: "Your brother later became seriously ill. It was Xiao Bin who arranged for the doctor to prepare medicine and prepare the medicine."
,Son, he is a great benefactor to our family."
When Xiao Linzi heard this, he walked over and knelt down in front of Dai Yubin, bursting into tears and said: "Brother Dai, I... thank you!" After saying that, he kowtowed to the loess.
Dai Yubin said in surprise: "Oh, little brother, what are you doing? Get up, get up!"
Xiao Linzi knelt there upright, with tears in his eyes, and choked with sobs: "Brother Dai, I heard my mother say that I owe it to you these days. My brother is dead, and I am from the palace. I can't be here in my house."
How can I live without a blind old woman who is so filial to my mother? Send her to a nursing home. My mother and my unfilial son can't get in. I beg you shamelessly, Brother Dai,
From now on, I will ask someone to bring you my regular money this month. I don’t ask you for anything else. It’s just three meals a day. Just give my mother something to eat. Please!”
Xiao Linzi kept kowtowing as he said: "But if I have the chance, I will come out to visit my mother, but at ordinary times, I have to ask you to take care of me. Brother Dai, I am also aware that I am presumptuous, so I ask you to agree to it.
I can't repay your great kindness in this life. I can only wear a grass ring in the next life. Brother Dai..."
The young eunuchs who were sent to the palace were specially taught to read a few big characters so that they could serve in the imperial palace. Xiao Linzi could be transferred to the imperial palace and deal with the inner study all day long. He could still read a few words, but he was not good at speaking.
Like a rough guy who can't read.
When Dai Yubin heard this, he quickly pulled him up: "Brother, don't be like this. How can I not care about the fellow villagers? Don't worry. From now on, I will take care of your mother as my own mother. I will have food for you."
, I won’t treat the old man badly. Is your name... Xiaolin?"
Xiao Linzi burst into tears of gratitude and kowtowed to him three more times. Then he got up with tears in his eyes and said with sobs: "My father gave me this name. I had an older brother who died at birth.
Later... I got brothers... Now, all my brothers have gone, leaving me as a useless person, who can neither fulfill my filial piety to my mother, nor carry on the family line and continue the incense..."
Dai Yubin quickly comforted him: "Little brother, don't say that. I admire you very much. Your mother, your brother, if it weren't for you, how could you survive today? Who said you are not filial? I think you are the most filial person in the world."
people."
Xiao Linzi said gratefully: "Brother Dai, I am a poor man. I committed suicide and entered the palace. I am ashamed of my ancestors. I entered the palace myself. No one dares to use this surname for fear that my ancestors will be shamed. Now, my brother must not do it either."
Since a single tree cannot make a forest, I removed my name. From now on, my surname is Mu.
I will give myself another name, and it will be En! The name was given by my father. Half of the forest was cut down into trees to remember my father’s kindness in giving birth. I chose the name En to remember you as my eldest brother.
I support my mother for my kindness. Brother Dai, I swear to God that if I have some success in the future, I will never forget your immense kindness!"
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Qinhuai at night has always been a place for drunken dancing and singing, but Mochou Lake is like an awe-inspiring fairy. Although few people go there during the day, it is even more lonely at night because it is the private property of the Prince of Zhongshan. Since Emperor Hongwu took it
After it was given to Xu Da, few ordinary people dared to come to the lake. But tonight is an exception. The Ministry of Rites used Mochou Lake to hold a poetry and wine event, inviting all the candidates for the imperial examination. The emperor also decreed that Mochou Lake be opened tonight, with
When the people enjoy themselves together, Mochou Lake becomes lively.
The scales on the lake are flashing, and a breeze blows slowly, swaying the sparse lights far and near, giving people a sense of trance and confusion. The boats are brightly lit, and in the distance you can see the colorful lights on the bows.
The woman danced like a fairy under the moon, and there was faint singing and music. Many tourists also took this opportunity to go to the Mochou Lake to admire the scenery of Mochou under the moon. The boat was rippling, the lights were shining, and the picture was like a dream.
The beautiful scenery...
On the shore, three more people came.
The one in the middle was dressed in a white robe, with white lips and red teeth. Her face was as handsome as that of a beautiful daughter in disguise, which caused a young lady who was touring the lake with her maid to take a look at the handsome man and almost walk into the lake.
Go and make her maid laugh non-stop behind her.
The two people behind the handsome guy are not even green leaves.
The one on the left always bows slightly, with a harmless smile on his face, and looks like a waiter in a short dress. The other one has straight features, two mustaches, a square scarf on his head, and a face
He is dull, like Mr. Dong Heng from a country school.
“It’s really lively!”
The beautiful young man smiled softly and said, "I'll go for a walk on the boat. You two, go around."
"Yes!" The waiter and the teacher dodged into the crowd. No matter in terms of clothing or appearance, they were so ordinary that they disappeared into the crowd. The son used a folding fan to lift the soft hat streamer hanging on his shoulder.
After picking it up, he walked towards the ordinary boat docked on the shore.
Tonight, there are boats parked on the shore, and Mochou Lake is open. However, except for the invited guests, the successful Jinshi, and the musicians and dancers from the Jiaofang Division, ordinary tourists are not allowed to enter the lake. The boatmen ferrying on the shore accept them.
After receiving the official's order and having their identity checked, they can be placed on the boat.
The beautiful young man really had proof. He took out something from his sleeve. The ferryman looked at it under the tall red light on the bow of the boat, and then said with a smile: "Congratulations, sir, congratulations, it turns out that today is
Master from Science and Technology High School, he is so young and has such talent, it is really rare. Please, please, please come on board."
The young man smiled slightly and was about to board the ship when he suddenly saw an official sedan being carried over, followed by more than a dozen servants, uniformly dressed in blue robes and hats, and brand new clothes. They were very pompous, and he couldn't help but stop slightly.
This era was no different than later. As long as you had money, no matter whether you were a businessman, a prostitute, or a prostitute in a brothel, everyone could ride in a sedan. At this time, you had to be a third-rank official or above to be qualified to sit in a sedan.
The sedan stopped at the shore, the curtains of the sedan were opened, and a drunken man walked out. He was about thirty years old, with handsome eyes and elegant movements. The beautiful young man couldn't help but smile again: "It turns out he is from Jinling City.
The big joke is here. Not only many officials from Beijing are here tonight, but also more than a hundred Jinshi who passed the Jinke Examination are here. How dare he, a shameless guy like him, show his face?"
The people around him were also talking. Some who didn't recognize him were still asking who this grand young man was, while those who knew him had already sneered disdainfully, and some even curled their lips and whispered to others.
Li Jinglong stood still at his feet, but a pretty girl emerged from the sedan. She was very pretty and had a very tall figure. Looking under the light, she looked particularly enchanting. As soon as she got out of the sedan, she supported Li Jinglong.
Li Jinglong raised his brows frivolously, pointed forward, and said with a smile: "Hey, Mochou Lake is really lively tonight. Cats, dogs, and flat-haired beasts are all here."
"Master..." The beautiful woman next to him called him coquettishly.
Li Jinglong chuckled, ignoring the angry faces of the people around him, shaking his head and saying: "Let's go, Mr. Xu is treating us today, let's go have a good drink."
Of course, the Grand Duke was not riding in an ordinary small boat. There were several large boats parked on the shore, specially designed to welcome designated guests. Li Jinglong staggered onto the boat and rowed towards the largest painting boat on the lake. That handsome boat
The young man smiled slightly, stepped onto the boat, and ordered: "Follow that big boat!"
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Xu Ming'er wears a Tsing Yi and a small hat, and her skin is as white as snow.
She has big eyes, a small mouth, and when she is not smiling, she also has two shallow dimples on her cheeks. She looks very cute when she stands next to the boat.
A string of red lanterns hung on the pole, and the crimson light reflected her little face. Every manly official or scholar who walked past her was so cute that her heart was in confusion.
I was originally not into masculine style, but suddenly I thought it would be good to try this kind of game that is said to be very fashionable and elegant.
However, no one dared to strike up a conversation with him, because there were two tall and handsome men standing in front of the little book boy, both wearing narrow sleeves, high boots on their feet, holding their stomachs in their waists, and hanging two gold medals on their sides. The big man on the left
There is a unicorn embroidered on the chest, and the big man on the right has a lion embroidered on his chest.
The chest is embroidered with a unicorn, either a duke or a prince-in-law, and a lion is embroidered on the chest. This general is either a first-class or a second-class general. Who dares to run behind the two of them to flirt? Especially that unicorn, its eyes seem to be having sex, and its nostrils are good.
The elephant is smoking...
The Qilin with adventurous nostrils was naturally Xu Huizu. The third child didn't even tell him that other guests were invited. He came out because he heard that the Minister of Rites had arrived, so he came out to greet him in person. Who knew that Huaiqing's Prince Consort actually also arrived together? Xu Huizu hated it.
He gritted his teeth, but he couldn't deny that this guest was not invited by him. So, the lion next to him smiled, very happily.
To be continued...