To the northeast of the county seat, on the official road leading to the state capital, a big guy like a cow pulled a cart and moved forward slowly.

Four bowl-sized hooves, stepping on the old bluestone slab road, made a slightly dull sound, but it also seemed to add a sound to the monotonous itinerary.

Many children who were born in business grew up listening to this voice, and in this voice, they became young, middle-aged, and old, and finally left this world.

A chubby little girl of seven or eight years old climbed from the cart onto the back of the camel beast and skillfully hung a basket on the camel's head.

The basket contained hay so that the camel could chew it while it went.

It was not a meal but a snack, but before eating the snack, it raised its head and licked the little girl's hand affectionately with its big tongue, and the little girl laughed in fear, then patted the camel's head with her hand, and climbed back into the cart behind.

On the left rear of the cart, a young man of about twenty years old sits.

The little girl kept crawling to the young man's vicinity, well, not too close, and then she didn't speak, but looked at him with wide eyes, and there seemed to be a smile in her eyes.

Laughter is full of innocence.

And she smiled, as if expecting something from the young man.

The young man did not disappoint her and spoke, and said with a smile, "Dani, you are good! Dani, what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Dani tilted her head, as if confused by his question, as if she didn't know how to answer.

"Childe, sit down carefully, don't fall and bump it!" The forty-or so man who was sitting in front of the cart and looking at the camel beast turned around, greeted with concern, and then said with an explanation: "My baby accidentally fell two years ago, and his head is a little not very bright, Childe, please forgive me!"

"Oh, that's right, haven't you seen it with a pharmacist?"

"How can you not see it! It took a lot of money, and the wound is healed, but ......" The big man pointed to his head, and then his eyes were a little red, and he couldn't speak.

The little girl was still looking at the young man in ignorance.

The young man stretched out his hand and beckoned.

The little girl immediately smiled, and quickly crawled to the young man's side, but did not make any further movements.

The young man stretched out his hand and stroked the little girl's head, and then asked passingly: "Old Mu, this signboard in your house is three circles hanging on the outside of the wooden word, this mark is a little familiar to me, do you know a person named Mu Dayou?"

Hearing this, the man who was driving the car was a little surprised, and even the mother-in-law, who had been sorting out the goods on the other side of the cart with her head down, also stopped moving.

"Childe...... Dare to ask, how old is Mu Dayou you talking about?" After hesitating for a while, the man said like this.

"Well, I'll do the math, if he's still alive, he'd be over a hundred and fifty years old. The young man said.

Hearing this, the man who was driving the car was even more shocked, and this time he was shocked for a while before he spoke, and there was obvious hesitation in his words, "Childe, my grandfather's name is Mu Dayou, and it is also in line with the age you said, but he has been dead for many years." ”

"Oh, that's right. After a pause, the young man said this, but there was no follow-up.

The man who drove the car wanted to talk a few times, but he didn't know what to say or ask, and her mother-in-law continued to sort out the goods.

The atmosphere lasted a little strangely throughout the afternoon, until in the evening, when the camel beast pulled the cart down the official road, and the family prepared dinner and rested for a while.

The moon is shining today, and after resting, you can continue to travel at night, but at a slower pace.

At this time, the young man got out of the car, and then said to the man who was driving the car: "Lao Mu, I'll take your car here, you are busy, let's say goodbye." ”

Hearing this, the man hesitated even more, "Childe, there is no town in front of here, there is no stack in the back, how can you rush alone?" Seeing that it is about to get dark, Childe, why don't you still ......?"

"No!" Before he could finish speaking, the young man interrupted him, waved his hand to him and said goodbye, and chuckled, "I forgot to tell you, I used to take a ride in Mu Dayou's car, and he was the same age as you are now, and if I remember correctly, he has a large birthmark on his right hand. ”

After saying this, the young man turned and left, and soon disappeared from the family's view.

And the driver and his mother-in-law looked at each other, both stunned.

"His father, he's talking about our ancestors, right?" said the mother-in-law.

"Yes, my grandfather's portrait does have a birthmark on the back of his hand. "The man hasn't come to his senses until now.

But at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded in the ears of the two, "Daddy, Auntie, I'm so hungry!"

The two turned their heads instantly, lowered their heads, and looked at the little girl beside them, "Xiaoyu, can you speak!?" The man simply shouted, and after the woman was stunned for a moment, her eyes turned red directly.

"Tell Dad, do you really know how to speak?" The next moment, the man's two big rough hands were placed on the little girl's shoulders and shook directly.

Fortunately, he still paid attention to his strength, but he was still a little emotionally out of control.

"Daddy, I've always been talking!" the little girl said, tilting her head, and then stretched out her hand to wipe the big man's tears, "Daddy, why are you crying?"

Yes, the little girl always speaks, but after that fall, she will only say "ahh

I can't even say two words.

And most of the time, she never speaks up.

His eyes were a little dull.

Where is there anything like this?

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, worship! we have met a saint!" the man was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly said hurriedly, and even his words were a little indistinct.

Then he took the mother-in-law's hand, took the little girl's hand, and the three of them knelt on the ground.

The young man is Xu Yishan.

Xu Yishan is not a saint, he is not even a heavenly step, but for this family of three, there seems to be no difference between him and a saint.

More than 100 years ago, when he came to Annan County to take up his post, on a whim, he took a camel cart and walked slowly all the way, and it took more than half a month from Nanzhou to the county seat, and the owner of the camel cart was called Mu Dayou.

Time flies, and I don't feel a hundred years.

From Mu Dayou's descendants, Xu Yishan felt the passage of time.

The official road is still the same official road, and it doesn't seem to be any different from more than a hundred years ago, but it's a little old, or there is a town on the side of the official road that I passed by at noon, which was not there more than a hundred years ago.

And apart from that, it seems, nothing has changed.

In fact, there is also a change of himself.

When he came, he looked to be in his forties, about the same age as Mu Dayou.

Today, Mu Dayou's descendants are also in their forties, but he looks much younger than back then.

Xu Yishan was not in a hurry, this way, along the official road, like an ordinary person, stop-and-go.

On the official road, there are camel carts coming and going from time to time, and he also rubs a section from time to time.

Listening to the old man tell some anecdotes about Nanzhou and the county town, listening to the big man chatting about some stories in the business house, occasionally some young girls have a good impression of him, and there are also some little boys and girls who climb up to him to play and cast curious eyes on him.

In this way, either walking, or on different camel carts, Xu Yishan spent seven days this time from the county town to the state capital.

Tall walls, quaint walls.

The city wall is built with huge bluestone, the height is actually not very high, only more than ten meters, and the width is enough to have more than 40 meters, just above the two sides of the city wall facing the official road, it is directly the wine flag to fly, the stack flag is flying.

In the distance, the image of a majestic city was reflected in the field of vision of all comers.

Standing under the city gate, looking at the thick moss that had already covered the bottom of the city wall for an unknown number of years and an unknown number of layers, Xu Yishan smiled and sighed: "I'm back." ”