If he had never been to Fulu Street or Taoye Lane, Chen Pingan might never realize the darkness and narrowness of Mud Bottle Lane in his life. However, instead of feeling lost, the straw-shoe boy finally felt at ease. The boy smiled and stretched out his arms.
He raised his hands, and the palms of his hands just touched the yellow mud wall twice. I remember that about three or four years ago, Chen Pingan could only touch the mud wall with the fingertips of both hands.
When he walked to his house, he found that the courtyard door was wide open. The young man who thought he had been robbed quickly ran into the courtyard, only to see a tall young man sitting on the threshold, leaning against the locked door, yawning boredly, and saw Chen
After he was safe, he stood up as if his butt was on fire, ran to Chen Pingan, grabbed Chen Pingan's arm, pulled him fiercely towards the house, and said in a low voice: "Hurry up and open the door, I have something important to tell you!"
Chen Pingan couldn't break free from this guy's restraints, so he had to pull him to open the door. The strong young man, who was two years older than him, quickly threw Chen Pingan away, tiptoed to touch Chen Pingan's wooden bed, and pulled Chen Pingan to the door.
My ears were pressed against the wall and I heard the sound of the base of the wall next door.
Chen Pingan asked curiously: "Liu Xianyang, what are you doing?"
The tall young man turned a deaf ear to Chen Pingan's questions. After about half a stick of incense, Liu Xianyang returned to normal and sat on the edge of the wooden bed, with a complex expression on his face, a mixture of relief and regret.
Only then did Liu Xianyang realize that Chen Ping'an was doing something weird. He was squatting inside the door, leaning out, using a candle that was only as big as his thumb to burn a piece of yellow paper, and the ashes fell outside the threshold.
It seemed that Chen Ping'an was still mumbling something, but he was a little far away, so Liu Xianyang couldn't hear it clearly.
Liu Xianyang was a close disciple of old man Yao from a time-honored Long Kiln. As for Chen Ping'an, who was dull and incompetent, the old man never really recognized this disciple from the beginning to the end. In the local area, the disciple did not worship the master's tea, or the master had not drunk the tea.
A cup of tea means that there is no master-disciple status. Chen Pingan and Liu Xianyang are not neighbors, and their ancestral homes are quite far apart. The reason why Liu Xianyang introduced Chen Pingan to Old Yao at that time was because he had an old grudge when he was a teenager.
Liu Xianyang was once a well-known naughty boy in the small town. Before his grandfather passed away, there was still an elder in charge of the family. After his grandfather died of illness, the boy who was twelve or thirteen years old was as tall and powerful as a young man and became a neighbor.
Everyone had a headache. Later, for some unknown reason, Liu Xianyang angered a group of Lu family children. As a result, they were blocked in Mud Bottle Alley and beaten hard. They were all young men in their prime.
Never caring about the severity, Liu Xianyang was beaten to the point where he vomited blood very quickly. Most of the more than ten families living in Mu Ping Lane were low-level craftsmen from Xiaolong Kiln who were begging for food. How could they dare to mix in this muddy water.
At that time, Song Jixin was not afraid at all. Instead, he happily squatted on the wall and watched the excitement, fearing that the world would not be in chaos.
In the end, there was only one skinny child who sneaked out of the yard and ran to the alley. He shouted heartbreakingly to the street: "Dead people, dead people..."
Hearing the word "dead man", the children of the Lu family woke up with horror. They saw Liu Xianyang covered in blood on the ground, and the tall young man was dying. The young men from the rich family finally felt frightened. After looking at each other in confusion, they ran away from the other end of Mu Ping Lane.
Lose.
But after that, instead of being grateful to the child who saved his life, Liu Xianyang came here every now and then to tease and play. The orphan was also stubborn. No matter how much Liu Xianyang bullied him, he just refused to cry, which made the boy even more angry. But one year later
, Liu Xianyang saw that the little orphan surnamed Chen was probably unable to withstand the winter. Finally, his conscience realized that the young man who had already studied under the dragon kiln took the orphan to the dragon kiln next to Baoxi River.
, leaving the town and walking westward, on the dozens of miles of mountain road in the heavy snow, Liu Xianyang still has not figured out how that little guy who looks like charcoal, with two legs as thin as a bamboo pole, got there.
From Long Kiln? However, although Old Yaotou still kept Chen Ping'an in the end, he treated the two very differently. He beat and scolded Liu Xianyang, the closed disciple, but the blind man could also feel the good intentions. For example,
The blow was so heavy that Liu Xianyang's forehead oozed blood. The thick-skinned young man didn't think it was a big deal. On the contrary, the old Yaotou who was the master regretted it very much. This boring gourd old man who was used to being dignified in front of his apprentices, hindered him.
It was difficult to say anything because of the face, so he walked around in circles in his house for most of the night, still worried about Liu Xianyang. Finally, he had to call Chen Pingan and gave Liu Xianyang a bottle of ointment.
Chen Pingan has always envied Liu Xianyang for so many years.
It’s not that I envy Liu Xianyang for his talent, strength, and popularity. I just envy Liu Xianyang for not being afraid of anything. He is careless wherever he goes, and he never feels that living alone is a bad thing. No matter where Liu Xianyang goes, he always follows him.
With whomever you get along with, you will soon be able to hook up, call each other brothers, drink and fistfight. Because his grandfather was in poor health, Liu Xianyang became self-reliant very early and became a king-like existence among children. He was skillful in catching snakes, fish and digging out bird's nests.
Rod, slingshot and bird cage, Liu Xianyang seems to be able to do everything, especially catching loaches and eels in the countryside. The young man is undoubtedly the best in the town. In fact, when Liu Xianyang dropped out of the rural school, that
Mr. Qi also went to Liu Xianyang's grandfather who was on the sickbed and said that he could not charge a penny. However, Liu Xianyang refused to agree, saying that he only wanted to make money and did not want to study. Mr. Qi said that he could pay to hire Liu Yangxian to be his book boy.
, Liu Xianyang still refused to nod. In fact, Liu Xianyang lived a good life, even if old man Yao died and the dragon kiln was banned. Within a few days, he was spotted by the blacksmith of Qilong Lane and started building a thatched hut in the south of the town.
The stove is very busy.
Liu Xianyang watched Chen Pingan blow out the candle and put it on the table, and asked in a low voice: "Have you ever heard any weird noises in the morning, like..."
Chen Ping'an sat on the bench and waited quietly for what was to come.
Liu Xianyang hesitated for a moment, then blushed slightly, "It's like a cat meowing in spring."
Chen Ping'an asked: "Is it Song Jixin who imitates a cat's meow, or Zhigui?"
Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes, stopped playing the piano to the cow, put his hands on the bed board, slowly bent his elbows, then straightened his arms, his butt left the bed board, and his feet left the ground. His butt was hanging in the air, and he curled his lips and said sarcastically: "What childishness
Gui, his name is clearly Wang Zhu. People with the surname Song have liked to show off since they were young. I don’t know where I saw the word "Zhigui", so I used it randomly, regardless of whether the meaning of the two words is good or not. On the Wang Zhu stall
Such a young master must have committed evil deeds in his previous life, otherwise he would not have come to Song Jixin's side to suffer misfortune."
Chen Ping'an did not agree with the tall boy's statement.
Liu Xianyang, who had been maintaining that posture, snorted coldly: "You really don't understand? Why did you help that girl Wang Zhu carry a bucket once, and then she never talked to you again? It must be that little girl from Song Jixin,
If you knock over the vinegar bottle, I'll threaten Wang Zhu not to flirt with you, or else I'll have to deal with you, not only will her legs be broken, but I'll also throw her into the clay bottle alley..."
Chen Ping'an couldn't listen anymore and interrupted Liu Xianyang, "Song Jixin is not bad to her."
Liu Xianyang became angry and said: "Do you know what is good and what is bad?"
Chen Pingan's eyes were clear and he said softly: "Sometimes she works in the yard, and Song Jixin occasionally sits on the bench and reads his copy of the local county chronicle. She often laughs when she reads Song Jixin."
Liu Xianyang's eyes were dull.
Suddenly, the thin wooden bed could not support Liu Xianyang's weight and broke into two halves. The tall boy sat down on the ground.
Chen Pingan squatted on the ground, pressed his head with both hands, sighed, and had a headache.
Liu Xianyang scratched his head, stood up, and didn't say any words of guilt. He just lightly kicked Chen Ping'an and said with a grin: "Okay, it's just a small broken bed. I'm here today to bring you one."
The great news is that it is worth more than your shabby bed!"
Chen Pingan raised his head.
Liu Xianyang said proudly: "After my master Ruan left the town, by the stream in the south, he suddenly said that he wanted to dig a few wells. It turned out that there was not enough manpower and he needed to call for help, so I mentioned you casually and said
There is a short winter melon with decent strength. Master Ruan also agreed and asked you to go there by yourself in the next two days."
Chen Pingan stood up suddenly and was about to say thank you.
Liu Xianyang raised a palm and said, "Stop it, stop it! I can't thank you enough! Just keep it in your heart!"
Chen Pingan bared his teeth.
Liu Xianyang looked around. There was a fishing rod leaning against the wall, a pair of slingshots lying by the window, and wooden bows hanging on the wall. The tall young man hesitated to speak, but in the end he held back his words.
He strode across the threshold, his boots obviously deliberately bypassing the ashes of the talisman.
Chen Pingan looked at the tall figure from behind.
Liu Xianyang suddenly turned around and faced Chen Ping'an who was on the threshold. The tall young man sat down on his waist without leaving his feet off the ground. After a few steps, he punched hard, then he drew back his fist and straightened his waist, laughing loudly: "Master Ruan, I'm private."
Tell me below, I only need to practice this boxing technique for one year before I can kill someone!"
Liu Xianyang seemed to feel that it was not enough. He made a weird kicking action and said with a smile: "This is called a good leg that will go into the crotch. The donkey will be kicked to death and suffocated!"
Finally, Liu Xianyang stretched out his thumb, pointed at his chest, and said arrogantly: "When Master Ruan taught me the boxing skills, I had some thoughts and ideas, so I chatted with him, such as my unique knowledge of old man Yao's porcelain making."
Master Ruan praised me as a once-in-a-hundred-year martial arts wizard. From now on, just follow me, and you will be a popular and spicy drinker!"
From the corner of his eye, Liu Xianyang saw that the maid next door had entered the house, and he suddenly lost interest in playing the hero.
He casually said to Chen Ping'an: "By the way, when I passed the old locust tree just now, there was an old man who called himself 'storyteller' and was setting up a stall there. He also said that he had accumulated a lot of interesting things about people.
If you want to chat with us, you can go and take a look when you have time."
Chen Pingan nodded.
Liu Xianyang strode away from Mud Bottle Alley.
There are many theories circulating in the town about this lonely and unruly young man, but the young man likes to claim that his ancestors were generals who led troops in wars, so his family has the treasured armor that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Chen Ping'an saw it once with his own eyes because it was said to be Baojia. In fact, it looked ugly, resembling both a wart on a human body and a scar on an old tree.
However, Liu Xianyang’s contemporaries did not say that. They only said that Liu Xianyang’s ancestors were deserters. They fled to the small town and became someone’s son-in-law. They were lucky enough to escape the government’s pursuit. It was said with certainty, as if they had seen it with their own eyes.
How did Liu Xianyang's ancestors escape from the battlefield and migrate all the way to this small town.
Chen Pingan thought for a while, squatted next to the threshold, lowered his head and blew away the ashes.
Song Jixin didn't know when he was standing on the other side of the courtyard wall, followed by his maid Zhigui. He shouted: "Would you like to play with us at the locust tree?"
Chen Pingan raised his head and said, "I'm not going."
Song Jixin twitched his lips, "It's boring."
He turned to his maid and smiled: "Zhigui, let's go! I'll buy you a whole can of peach blossom powder from the general's stomach."
She said shyly: "A small cricket jar is enough."
Song Jixin clasped his hands behind his back, held his head high, and strode forward, "I, the Song family, have been ringing bells, eating dishes, and wearing hairpins for generations. How can we be petty and petty? Isn't it an insult to the family tradition?!"
Chen Ping'an sat on the threshold and rubbed his forehead. This Song Jixin actually didn't feel bad when he didn't say those weird words and nonsense. But at times like this, if Liu Xianyang was present, he would definitely say that he really wanted to
Chao Songji's salary was knocked on the back of the head with a brick.
Chen Pingan leaned against the door of the house, thinking that tomorrow's situation would probably be like today, and the day after tomorrow, the situation would be like tomorrow, and so on. So Chen Pingan would keep going like this for the rest of his life, until in the end he would be almost like Old Man Yao.
.
A man eats earth for his whole life, and earth eats a man once.
When you finally close your eyes and open them again, it may be the next life.
The young man looked down at the straw sandals on his feet and suddenly laughed.
The feeling of stepping on the bluestone is different from stepping on the muddy beach.
————
When Liu Xianyang left the alley and passed the fortune-telling stall, the young Taoist said: "Come on, come on, I see your complexion is like burning fire cooking oil, it is definitely not a good sign, but don't be afraid, I have a way to help you."
You eliminate disaster..."
Liu Xianyang was a little surprised. He remembered that this Taoist priest used to tell people's fortunes, not to mention whether they were accurate or not, but he had never taken the initiative to solicit business. Almost all of them were willing ones. Could it be that the dragon kiln has been closed down by the imperial government?
The Taoist priest would also suffer the same misfortune and couldn't expose the pot, so he would rather kill him by mistake than put it away by mistake? Liu Xianyang laughed and scolded: "Your method is to destroy money and eliminate disasters, right? Get out of here, you want to defraud money from my pocket, in the next life!"
"
The young Taoist was not angry and shouted loudly to the tall young man: "I hope everything will be prosperous this year, but who knows that there will be disaster in my life. If there is no disaster, I will not recite the gods. If you want to be safe, you should burn incense... you should burn incense..."
Liu Xianyang suddenly turned around and ran towards the fortune-telling stall as fast as he could. He was gearing up and shouting: "Burn incense, right? I'll burn your stall first!"
The Taoist was obviously very frightened. After getting up, he didn't care about the stall and ran away with his head in his hands.
Liu Xianyang stood next to the stall, looked at the Taoist's embarrassed figure, laughed loudly, caught a glimpse of the bamboo stick tube on the table, casually reached out and pushed it down, and the bamboo sticks slid out of the bamboo tube, and finally formed a fan shape on the table.
Liu Xianyang pointed at the Taoist who stopped in the distance, "I'll beat you every time I see you in the future!"
The young Taoist clasped his fists and bowed, begging for mercy.
Only then did Liu Xianyang give up.
The young Taoist waited until the tall boy had walked away before he dared to sit down again and sighed, "The world is hard and people's hearts are not ancient, which makes it difficult for a poor Taoist to make ends meet."
At this moment, the Taoist's eyes lit up, he quickly closed his eyes and said loudly: "The pond is filled with frogs and the sound of frogs is so loud that it hurts people's stomachs. The fame of this place is like duckweed on the water, and it is only suitable to travel in all directions if the wind blows!"
The boy and girl obviously heard what the Taoist said, but unfortunately they had no intention of stopping.
The Taoist opened his eyes slightly, and seeing that he was about to miss the business again, he had no choice but to slap his hand on the table and raise his voice, "The number one scholar is a son of the human world, and the prime minister is just a human being. Learn from the heavens and people's names will move the city, and you will be proud of your spirit."
god!"
Song Jixin and his maid Zhigui just moved on.
The Taoist was discouraged and muttered in a low voice: "I can't survive this life."
The young man turned his head without any warning, threw a copper coin from a distance to the young Taoist, and said with a bright smile: "I'll lend you some good words!"
The Taoist hurriedly caught the copper coin, opened his palm and looked at it with a frown on his face. It was the smallest penny.
but.
The young Taoist gently placed the copper coin on the table.
In the blink of an eye, a yellow bird quickly dropped to the table. It lowered its head and pecked at the copper coin. Then it held it in its mouth and looked up at the young Taoist. The yellow bird's eyes were lively and connected with the coin.
People are no different.
The Taoist said softly: "Go, it's not suitable to stay here for a long time."
The oriole disappeared in a flash.
The young Taoist looked around, and finally his eyes rested on the tall archway in the distance. He happened to be facing the four-character plaque with the words "Angry Bullfighting" and said with emotion: "What a pity."
Finally, the Taoist added, "If you can sell it outside, how can you get 1,800 taels of silver?"