The autumn wind brought cold rain, and the raindrops hit the eaves of the Taoist temple, crackling and crackling, and the sound of the rain gradually stabilized after a cup of tea, as if there was a pattern.

There is an old locust tree on both sides of the Taoist temple, these two old locust trees are quite interesting, the locust flowers often bloom all year round, the fragrance of the flowers strikes, and the fragrance can be carried out with the breeze for ten miles.

Such a miracle, naturally is to attract a lot of literati and visitors to come here to enjoy the flowers, the autumn and winter when everything withers more and more people, visitors often sit around the tree, cook wine and chant poems to enjoy the flowers, lament that life is not at the right time.

The weather is cold, the cold rain is swaying, three or five confidants, taking a sip of warm wine, the potatoes and sweet potatoes in the fire emit an attractive aroma in the embers of the firewood, there is a fragrance and a hint of sweetness.

Over time, there is an endless stream of people coming and going near the Taoist temple, and gradually became a rally, from the beginning, occasionally there will be a few mountain people, come here to sell some self-grown potatoes and sweet potatoes and the like, so as to subsidize the family, and then there will be a small food trading meeting every two or seven days of the lunar calendar, and then develop to now there will be all kinds of small merchants and vendors every day, here stalls sell all kinds of melons and fruits, snacks, meat.

There are all kinds of wine sellers, such as peach blossom wine, apricot blossom dew, and champion lang elixir......

The major wineries in the vicinity will use wooden carts to pull a few jars of cheap and strong wine every morning, and use red paper to thickly ink the name of their own wine, which is very conspicuous!

Most of the literati who come here to enjoy the flowers are some "poor talents", and they lament that they have not met their talents and have not met Bole who appreciates them. I had to buy wine to kill my sorrows, but I was helpless and shy.

As a result, these cheap and strong liquors with beautiful meanings are naturally the most popular.

The owners of the wineries are good at doing business, and they can sell out of wine every time they see someone selling something.

Gradually, there is a Taoist temple from the fragrance of acacia flowers to the fragrance of wine and meat, the view is very lively, and the view is a happy life!

But inside the view is a different world.

There is a Taoist temple is not big, there is only a big hall, the main hall hangs the plaque of the word "there is a way", the gesture is vigorous, just and powerful, and the payment is "there is a Taoist priest".

The hall was empty, except for a dilapidated futon.

The wind and rain outside the door squeaked and blew an equally dilapidated wooden door, and there is one word to describe the Taoist temple, that is, "dilapidated"!

In the blink of an eye, night fell, the wind became more urgent, the rain was heavier, and the literati knew that they should not continue to stay here, so they said good night to the wind and snow, and everything was a long time to come!

In the main hall, it was as dark as ink, and he couldn't see his five fingers, and a young man was sitting in the middle without saying a word.

In the second half of the night, lightning and thunder roared, and layers of dark clouds appeared between the electric light.

After a few more hours, the rain outside was a little lighter, and the wind stopped...

The boy suddenly opened his glasses, and in the darkness it was as if a lamp had been lit, and when he looked closely, it was a green light!

"I'm hungry......"

The original eerie atmosphere has been washed away!

Li is also his name, thirteen years old this year, has no fixed residence, alone, there is a Taoist temple is his place to stay tonight!

Although there is a Taoist temple that is dilapidated, it is fortunate that it can shelter from the wind and rain, and there is a place to sleep, and there is a roll of straw mat and a medicine basket in the corner of the wall not far away, which is all his belongings.

And in the other corner of the wall is a hole, the opening is not big, just enough to get into the appearance of a person.

Youdao Temple is a notoriously haunted place within a radius of ten miles, and the sound of crying often lingers on the courtyard walls in the middle of the night.

Li didn't think so, in his opinion, it was just a few little wild cats who came out in the middle of the night to pick up people's leftovers, and after they were full, they lay on the courtyard wall and wailed!

Lee also rested for the night, and the wound on his leg was much better, but it was still a little painful.

Time back, yesterday, Li also took advantage of the sunny weather to go up the mountain to collect medicine, but the rain was too abundant in the past few days, the mountain rocks were loose, he even fell into the cliff with the medicine basket, fortunately, the mountain is not very high, and the rain is soft, so there is no big problem.

After that, he limped to a Taoist bazaar before dark and sold the herbs, and used the money to buy a few cheap sweet potatoes.

At this time, the sun had already set, so I stayed here for one night.

There is a Taoist temple that is uninhabited all year round and in disrepair, and the weeds in the courtyard are half waist high. Rats are running all over the ground, and rat holes with large bowls can be seen everywhere, and from time to time a large rat will slip past its feet.

"Click!

Lee also struck the flint and lit a cluster of fire, which made this dark and frightening place warm up at once.

He took out a few sweet potatoes from his pocket, threw them into the fire, and when he had done this, he got up and went to the puddle outside the temple to take a few sips of rainwater, and washed his face with the rain, and the cold rain made him sober.

He stood up and walked out of Youdao to look at the mountain village in the distance, curling with smoke, a middle-aged man was carrying a load of water, staggering into his farmyard, and his wife hurriedly greeted him and took the burden on her husband's shoulders.

The wife used her sleeve to gently wipe the sweat for her husband, and the man smiled silly.

Then the couple turned around to prepare breakfast for the children, and they talked and laughed, and looked back at the sleeping children from time to time.

Seeing this, Li Ye's nose was sour, he sighed softly, turned around and went back, the roasted sweet potato should be almost ready......

Before Li Ye stepped into the main hall, he saw a black shadow squatting on the ground, about to steal his roasted sweet potato, but it was too hot, and just as he was about to use his medicine basket to fill the sweet potato, Li also happened to return.

The man fled through the hole in the corner of the hall......

"There are Taoist temples, there are thieves, haha......"

He muttered to himself, not angry, and even wanted to ask the man to stay and eat a sweet potato.

If you don't starve, who will eat roasted sweet potatoes in this place.

After another rooster crows, the sunrise in the east mountain, the golden light shines on the mountains and forests in the distance, the hard-working mountain people have eaten breakfast, have carried farm tools to work, winter is coming, there is not much work left in the field, people are no longer so anxious, very leisurely, three or five for the company to talk and laugh, from time to time to sing a song, you and I a word, breaking the quiet morning.

Li also finished eating the roasted sweet potato, which is actually not fully ripe, but he is not a hypocritical person.

After packing up, he got up and left, and he also had to start his day's life, going into the mountains to collect medicines, and exchanging herbs for his own food and clothing.

Unlike those mountain people, who have their own land and can grow crops for a good harvest in the fall, he has no home, let alone where his family is.

His memory before he was seven years old was vague, and his memory began from the mountains and forests in front of him, drinking mountain springs when he was thirsty, and picking mountain fruits to eat when he was hungry.

Until he couldn't find anything to eat in the winter, he fainted in the grass with hunger, and was taken home by the old grandfather and grandmother who went up the mountain to collect firewood, and the old grandmother saved him with a bowl of hot polenta and two boiled eggs.

Seeing that he didn't have thick clothes, the old man took out the clothes he was reluctant to wear when he was young, and asked the old grandmother to change them into a cotton shirt and wear it on Li Ye's body.

In the following days, the old grandmother made him a pair of cotton shoes with stitches and threads.

Only seven years old, he was very grateful to the two kind old men, who went up the mountain every day to cut firewood, and slowly he chopped firewood to fill the entire farmyard.

The two old men treated him like their own grandsons, and they were always afraid of tiring him and wouldn't let him chop wood, but they couldn't stop him.

Eat and drink well every day, and keep thick clothes for Li Ye.

However, such a warm day only lasted one winter.

In the spring of the following year, before the flowers were in full bloom, the two old men passed away on a quiet night......

Li also cried for a day and a night, and finally buried the two loving old men with the help of the villagers.

That is, on the day of the burial, the old man's two sons and one daughter came to the old man's residence, removed everything that could be used, and locked the courtyard door.

Li was also blocked out of the courtyard gate, stood on tiptoe, and took one last look here, only to see the pile of unused firewood in the corner......

For the next seven days, Li would sit in front of the old man's grave every day and talk about what he had done and what he had seen today......

On the seventh day, he had a strange dream, in which he saw the old grandfather and grandmother, and their eyes were full of reluctance and worry for him, and finally the old grandfather and grandmother waved goodbye to him and told him to take good care of himself......

Li also woke up from the dream and stretched out his hands to grab it, but there was nothing, and when he opened his eyes, there was only an endless starry sky and a bright moon.

He understood that all this was true, and that he was alone again, and that he had to live on his own.

Li also continued to go up the mountain to chop firewood, carrying it to the market far away to sell, sometimes for one copper plate, sometimes for two.

He happily took the copper plate and bought two baked cakes, one in front of the old man's grave, and the other in his bosom.

He couldn't hold back any longer, tears blurred his eyes, and a complex sadness and grievance filled his heart.

He knelt down, looked at the biscuit in front of the grave, and touched the biscuit in his bosom.

"Grandparents, you see, grandchildren can take care of themselves......"

He hopes that the old grandfather and grandmother can rest assured.

Time flies, and Li has also gone from chopping firewood and selling firewood to now collecting and selling medicine.

They all eat with their own hands, and he will not beg for food like an adult man kneeling on the street in the bazaar!

Although I don't have shiny clothes, I always wash them cleanly.

His hair is not messy, he walks with his head held high, he works steadily, and he is humble and polite.

Nearby pharmacists and mountain dwellers like to buy his herbs.

At the same time, the rumors of haunting in Taoist temples are also more powerful, and the more they spread, the more outrageous they become.

As a result, the literati and artists who came here to enjoy the flowers did not dare to leave too late, and the assembly ended on time before sunset.

It is rumored that some people have seen "ghost fires" in Youdao! Just as the morning approached, the firelight swayed, and even ghosts wandered in the temple.

And this matter was confirmed by the nearby mountain people, saying that they had indeed seen a fire shining.

Now people are completely chaotic and panicked. Later, it was rumored that the ghost fire suddenly went out when the rooster crowed!

As soon as these words came out, the roosters of each family in the nearby mountain village instantly rose by a level.

It even has the honorific title of "Guardian Beast"!

After Li also learned about it, he smiled slightly, it seems that he can live in a Taoist temple forever in the future!