When Su Liang woke up faintly, her last memory was of saying goodbye to Gu Ling late at night on the banks of the Liuxian River. Then she took a boat eastward alone. After walking for an unknown amount of time, the old man she had met twice before boarded the boat and knocked her unconscious.
The back of her neck felt a little sore. Su Liang sat up and rubbed it with her hands while checking where it was.
This is a simple room, the bedding and curtains are made of dusty coarse cloth, but it is very clean.
The windows are open, the air is fresh, and the clear sounds of insects and birds can be heard.
Su Liang's clothes had not been changed, and her shoes were neatly placed beside the bed.
After lifting the quilt, putting on her shoes and getting out of bed, Su Liang walked to the door, pulled it open and opened it.
The bright sunshine streamed into her eyes, and Su Liang subconsciously raised her hand to cover her forehead. Everything she could see was filled with greenery. The small courtyard was surrounded by a bamboo forest and a bamboo fence.
A black and white magpie stopped and crowed on the bamboo fence. Su Liang thought to himself, let's not talk about magpies announcing good news. Two times in a row, nothing good happened. The last time I saw a magpie was in Xiangyue City of Yan State, Gu Ling
The day after he was taken away.
The sound of chopping wood came from behind the courtyard. Su Liang walked over and saw a thin old man chopping wood.
This should be the fourth time they met, but Su Liang didn't see his appearance clearly until now. This man must have been a handsome man when he was young, and he still has an extraordinary temperament when he is old, even if he is wearing gray commoners, holding an ax, and has gray hair
Her hair was combed meticulously and her back straight.
The old man raised his head and looked at Su Liang, there was no warmth in his old eyes.
"From my husband's point of view, I should call my senior my master." Su Liang walked over with a smile, picked up a piece of firewood on the ground, and put it under the neatly stacked firewood shed next to it.
The old man said expressionlessly, "No need."
"Then what does senior want me to call you?" Su Liang asked, "We have met several times and I still don't know senior's name."
"Qiu Cong." The old man reported his name.
"Then let me call you Senior Qiu." Su Liang said and continued to help the old man pick up the chopped firewood. "Mr. Qiu is Chen Yun. I should call him Situ Jing. He is his and Nangong Qian's grandfather. He will take me with him this time.
Are you here to treat Nangong Qian? Are their brothers and sisters here too? "
Qiu Cong split a log with an ax and divided it into thinner sticks.
Seeing that he was silent, Su Liang continued to ask, "Is Situ Jing going back to the royal family of Liang Kingdom? If some of what Nangong Lin said is true, is Mr. Qiu willing to let Situ Jing go back and call Situ Han's father?"
Qiu Cong's expression darkened, and the ax flew out after grazing Su Liang's shoulder, and was nailed to the tree behind her. Then he crossed over Su Liang and left the backyard.
Su Liang looked confused. Is Qiu Cong angry? Did he not want Situ Jing to return to the Liang royal family, but Situ Jing insisted on going back to recognize the thief as his father?
Su Liang did not follow her back to the front yard. She pulled the ax off the tree and continued chopping firewood. It was not to please Qiu Cong, but she just needed to find something to do to clear her mind.
After chopping all the firewood and stacking it, Su Liang took the broom at the base of the wall and cleaned the backyard.
Then looking at the large open space, she couldn't help but miss the time when she and Gu Ling were planting vegetables in the backyard of their home in Sujia Village. This season, their backyard must have been overgrown with weeds grown from seeds floating down from the mountains, but the weeds
There must be pumpkins and eggplants among them. What they went back to eat last year was what they grew themselves.
So, when Su Liang put the ax in the firewood shed and returned to the front yard, when he saw Qiu Cong, he said, "It would be a pity not to grow vegetables in the backyard."
Qiu Cong was obviously stunned for a moment, "What?"
Su Liang chuckled, "I mean, the backyard is such a good land, suitable for growing vegetables."
"What do you think about this?" Qiu Cong asked coldly.
Su Liang shrugged, "Just a small suggestion." After saying this, his eyes fell on the closed room next to hers, suspecting that Nangong Qian might be inside.
The sun was at its peak, and Su Liang felt very hungry and a little thirsty.
A wooden shed was set up in the corner, with the stove underneath. This kitchen was too primitive for Su Liang.
Qiu Cong was boiling water, and Su Liang took a clean cup from the room and stood by the wooden shed waiting. She wanted to know where this was and what was outside the bamboo forest, but unfortunately she couldn't see it at all.
Su Liang imagined for a while, if she escaped from under Qiu Cong's nose, she would be caught after running a few steps... Although she was not drugged or otherwise poisoned, all the drugs she had on her were gone, and there were only a few other things nearby.
Bamboo is still bamboo.
Just like just now, Qiu Cong was assured that she was alone in the front or backyard, because he was sure that she could not escape.
I can give it a try if I find a chance... Su Liang thought, but don't be too impulsive.
When the water boiled, Su Liang scooped up a cup and drank it slowly while blowing it to cool down. He saw Qiu Cong taking out a killed pheasant and about to add it to the pot.
"Stop!" Su Liang held up a cup to stop him.
"What do you want?" Qiu Cong frowned.
"May I ask, what does Mr. Qiu want to do with this pheasant?" Su Liang asked.
"Cooked." Qiu Cong said.
Su Liang shook his head, "It's not delicious. Why don't you let me do it?"
Qiu Cong's eyes are not small, but they are always squinted, as if he is not awake.
Hearing Su Liang's words, he threw the pheasant over and said, "You do it."
Two quarters of an hour later, the pheasant turned into fragrant roast chicken, and in addition, there was a pot of wild vegetable porridge.
The ingredients were limited, which didn't give Su Liang much room to show off, but it was definitely many times more delicious than what Qiu Cong originally planned to make.
Qiu Cong stared at her the whole time, as if he was afraid that she might poison her.
"Is it just the two of us?" Su Liang asked while serving porridge.
Qiu Cong nodded.
Su Liang felt strange. This place didn't look like a temporary place to stay. What was she planning to do if there was no one else here?
The table in the courtyard is a large log, and the stools are also made of wood.
Su Liang and Qiu Cong sat opposite each other and started eating lunch.
After she took two bites of the vegetable porridge and felt that the vegetables were very tender and the heat was just right, she saw that Qiu Cong had already finished one chicken leg and one chicken wing.
In the end, Su Liang only ate one leg of the whole plump wild pheasant, and the rest was eaten by Qiu Cong. He didn't seem interested in wild vegetable porridge at first, but after tasting it, he drank three bowls in a row.
"Mr. Qiu, for the sake of this meal, let's talk. My martial arts skills are mediocre and I can't escape. Can Mr. Qiu tell me the purpose of arresting me here? If you plan to kill me, let me do it.
You know what you are doing." Su Liang has always felt that food has an impact on people's mood. If you eat well and feel good, your mood will be better.
Qiu Cong shook his head, "I won't kill you."
Su Liang was not surprised. She dared to go to the appointment and was very sure that she would not die. "What do you want me to do?"
"Take care of Qian'er." Qiu Cong said.
Su Liang: ...Sure enough. She didn't see Nangong Qian, so she thought she guessed wrong, but it seems she didn't.
"Where is she?" Su Liang asked. Are they going to find Nangong Qian next, or will Nangong Qian be brought here?
"I'll come." Qiu Cong said.
Su Liang knew it in her heart. If nothing unexpected happened, Nangong Qian would be sent here soon, and then her task would be to treat Nangong Qian and take care of her. It was not what Lin Wei thought Chen Yun wanted to do to her.
After all, for Qiu Cong and Nangong Lin, the master and disciple, Nangong Qian's body comes first, and if Situ Jing wants to take advantage of them, he must show that he cares about Nangong Qian's sister, whether he is genuine or not.
In this way, Su Liang, the miracle doctor, is very important. He can arrest her, but he cannot offend her on certain matters.
Su Liang was not unconscious for too long, and he guessed that the place he was in should be the border area between Qian Country and Yan Country.
"If Mr. Qiu doesn't mind, how about I cook next?" Su Liang discussed with Qiu Cong, "How about Mr. Qiu giving me some time to teach me my martial arts?"
Qiu Cong looked at the leftover chicken bones on the table and Su Liang's clear and smiling eyes, and nodded after a moment of silence.
Su Liang said "yeah" to himself in his heart. It was a good sign that the old man could communicate.
In the afternoon, Su Liang put away the dishes and chopsticks, while Qiu Cong watched from the side. She seemed to be very skilled at doing housework.
When Su Liang returned to the room, she saw the change of clothes she had brought with her that night in the closet. After fetching water, washing and changing clothes, she went out. Qiu Cong was not seen in the front or back yard.
Su Liang opened the door of the next room and saw that the furniture and decoration inside were all exquisite and gorgeous, which was very different from the room she lived in. This must have been prepared for Nangong Qian.
The other room belonged to Qiu Cong, and the door was unlocked. Su Liang went in and took a look. It was the same style as her room, clean but simple.
"Old Qiu? Senior? Is there anyone there?" Su Liang stood in the courtyard and called several times. The surroundings were quiet, and the sound of the bamboo leaves rustling in the wind was very clear.
Su Liang was a little confused. Was the old man hiding and spying on her, or did he think that she couldn't run and couldn't get out, so she was really not there? Should she try to run?
Just do whatever you want. Su Liang didn't bring any luggage. After getting the ax for chopping firewood from the backyard, he identified the east, west, north, and south based on the sun and the density of plant growth, and then walked north into the bamboo forest.
If she is in the Yan Kingdom, she should go north. If she is in the Qian Kingdom, she should still go north to the Qian Kingdom.
The pillars were all taller than Su Liang. Soon after she entered, she realized that it was easy to lose her way, so she used an ax to mark the bamboos she passed at regular intervals. If she walked around in a circle and then walked back, she would be lost.
While walking, Su Liang tripped over a bamboo shoot and decided to dig it out.
So Su Liang squatted down, used an ax and bamboo as tools, dug out a big bamboo shoot, held it in one hand and held the ax in the other, and continued walking forward.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Su Liang thought to himself that this was no ordinary bamboo forest, but a sea of bamboo, which felt boundless.
After walking for another quarter of an hour, Su Liang finally saw a plant that was not bamboo. After speeding up and walking a few steps forward, his vision suddenly became clearer!
But the joy of walking out of the bamboo sea was soon shattered by the sound of waves and the boundless sea in the distance, leaving nothing behind.
Su Liang didn't expect that she was actually on an island! The Liuxian River flows eastward and merges into the sea. Gu Ling said that large areas of land by the sea are virgin jungles, infested by snakes, insects and beasts, and uninhabited. He once went to see the sunrise. , I once heard a legend that there is a fairy island on the sea, which is extremely beautiful, rich in products, and full of treasures. It is an excellent paradise.
Su Liang thought to herself that the fairy island Gu Ling heard about was definitely not the place where she was. There were bamboos everywhere...
Su Liang walked across the beach and walked to the seaside. There was no land in sight, which meant that there was no boat. She couldn't leave this place at all. No wonder Qiu Cong left alone. Don't worry, she stayed. Nothing unexpected happened. If so, the only boat on the island should have been driven away by Qiu Cong.
Su Liang sat on the beach, took off her shoes and socks, let the rising seawater cover her feet, and then stepped back.
It reminds me of the movie "Cast Away" I watched in my previous life. After the protagonist was stranded on a desert island, his only friend was a volleyball and he even had a name.
Su Liang looked at the bamboo shoots beside him and said in a faint tone, "You are my only friend on the island. Just call me Xiaoshen."
Sunshine, sea breeze, beach... In previous lives, these were generally experiences only experienced during travel.
Su Liang lay on the beach holding bamboo shoots, looking up at the sky, "Little God, what do you think the Great God is doing?"
…
Qiu Cong returned from the boat and saw someone on the beach from a distance. When he got closer, he saw Su Liang sitting cross-legged on the beach. Opposite there was a small pile of sand with a bamboo shoot on it, which was strange...
When the boat docked, Qiu Cong came over carrying a big bamboo basket and asked, "What are you doing?"
Su Liang stood up holding the bamboo shoots and said with a smile, "Mr. Qiu is back. I see there are not many fresh ingredients at home, so I wanted to dig some bamboo shoots, and I accidentally came here."
Qiu Cong's eyes fell on the bamboo shoots, and he frowned and asked, "Can it be eaten?"
Su Liang shook his head, "Can't eat it, I'm too old." This is her friend.
Then Su Liang followed Qiu Cong back through the bamboo forest. On the way, Qiu Cong noticed the mark made by Su Liang. Su Liang explained that he was afraid of getting lost and not being able to go back.
Qiu Cong brought back a fan of ribs and a large piece of lean meat, as well as some dishes that Su Liang had seen in Kasyapa City. In terms of the time it took to get there and back, either Qiu Cong could sail as fast as flying, or the source of the ingredients
It's not as far away as Su Liang thought.
Seeing Qiu Cong taking out two paper packages from the bamboo basket and handing them over, Su Liang caught them and asked, "What are these?"
"Dishes." Qiu Cong spoke concisely and to the point.
Su Liang opened it and saw that it was vegetable seeds. She suggested growing vegetables, and the old man took it seriously.
"That's great." Su Liang said with a smile, "We will plant the vegetables early tomorrow morning and they will sprout soon."
Hearing "us", Qiu Cong shook his head and said, "You."
"Anyway, Mr. Qiu's granddaughter hasn't come yet, so there's nothing else to do. I have experience in this area and can teach Mr. Qiu. When I leave, you can continue planting on your own." Su Liang said with a smile.
Qiu Cong narrowed his eyes and looked at Su Liang, "Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to leave?"
Su Liang shook his head, "I can't find any reason why Mr. Qiu wants to kill me."
Su Liang stewed a pot of pork ribs and made meat pies for dinner.
While eating, the bamboo shoots were placed next to her.
Qiu Cong took a look and said, "Why not throw it away?"
Su Liang gently touched the bamboo shoots she had wiped clean, "This is my friend."
Qiu Cong's eyes narrowed again, but he couldn't hold it back anymore and complained, "Childish."
Su Liang chuckled, "I'll just take it as Mr. Qiu praising me for being young."
After dinner, Su Liang asked Qiu Cong to teach her swordsmanship.
Perhaps he was short-tongued, so Qiu Cong nodded without hesitation.
When the moon rose, Qiu Cong and Su Liang each held a bamboo branch and stood facing each other in the courtyard.
"I learned the Luoying sword technique from Gu Ling, but I haven't mastered it yet. I hope Mr. Qiu can give me some advice." After saying this, Su Liang attacked Qiu Cong.
After three moves, Su Liang looked at the bamboo branch in his hand that was broken into two pieces, and sighed, "Compared to Mr. Qiu's swordsmanship, I am nothing."
"My foundation is not bad." Qiu Cong picked up another bamboo branch and gave it to Su Liang, "Luoying sword technique is not suitable for you. I will teach you another sword technique."
Su Liang looked surprised, "Can I become my master as a senior? In this way, I will be my man's uncle."
Qiu Cong shook his head, "I don't accept disciples. Just concentrate!"
Su Liang concentrated, "Yes, Master."
Qiu Cong did not correct him, but started to demonstrate another sword technique with Su Liang.
The moonlight is bright and the bamboo forest is quiet.
Su Liang followed Qiu Cong's moves and practiced new sword techniques.
After Qiu Cong finished the demonstration, he threw down the bamboo branch and left, "Just do it once, if you can't learn it, forget it."
Su Liang didn't respond, but immediately recalled the sword move just now and made it again, and then again.
Qiu Cong stood by the window and watched. Su Liang had been practicing under the moonlight until midnight. There were no mistakes in his moves and he was becoming more and more proficient.
Finally, Su Liang put down the bamboo branches and picked up the bamboo shoots on the wooden table in the courtyard, "Little God, it's time for us to sleep."
Qiu Cong silently closed the window.
"Master, haven't you gone to bed yet? Is it okay if I want to go to the beach to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning? Master is worried, let's go together." Su Liang's voice was pleasant and cheerful.
Two old and deep words came from Qiu Cong's room, "Grow vegetables."
Su Liang coughed slightly, "I forgot. Then plant vegetables tomorrow morning and watch the sunrise the day after tomorrow."
Calm finally returned to the small courtyard. Su Liang was lying on the bed with bamboo shoots on the stool beside the bed. She whispered to herself, "Although the old man is lonely, he is much better than Nangong Lin, the hypocritical and disgusting pervert. As long as you don't provoke him
My grandchildren should be safe and not have a hard time. Little God, I went to meet the Great God in my dream. I really hope that I can return to the Great God before you get old, and then we can eat you together.
Oh, the master likes to eat fried bacon with bamboo shoots..."