In the evening, when it was just getting a little darker, the master returned. The master's clothes were a little damp from the fog, and Zheng Qiu took out a dry set and ran forward to help change them.

"Master, did you ask, when will the fog disperse?"

"Not yet, don't worry, good apprentice, although the master didn't ask, he found someone who could ask. ”

"Really, who is that?"

"I said that you don't know each other, and I will introduce you to you when I have the opportunity to do so. The master goes to the kitchen to cook first, otherwise there will be a long wait for dinner. ”“

Okay, hard work, master. ”

Early the next morning, the master went out again. Before going out, he once again instructed Zheng Qiu to stay in the medicine house and not to run around. The fog outside was still so thick that you couldn't see anything when you looked out, as if there were only a few houses left in the whole world.

This feeling of loneliness made Zheng Qiu very uncomfortable. He walked around the room, fiddling with the teapot and tossing the chair at one moment, but he couldn't sit down. It wasn't until noon that the master returned to the pharmacy again.

"Master, how is it?

The master picked up the teapot, poured himself a glass of water, and replied as he drank it: "I asked, this fog will last at least ten days, and it will not disperse so quickly." ”

"Huh, what kind of fog is this, so strange?"

The master waved his hand: "Good apprentice, don't worry about this, the master asks you, do you want to go down the mountain to play?"

"Go down, yes, of course!"

"Okay, the master will take you down the mountain, and by the way, I will also go to meet your parents. ”

Zheng Qiu scratched his head, his face full of doubts: "Master, isn't it still the end of the year?"

"Well, that's right. The bedding in our pharmacy is old, you see that the weather is getting colder and colder day by day, and the old bedding is not warm, so we need to replace it with a new one. ”

The master paused and poured himself another glass of water. "Didn't Ah Niu's daughter-in-law give birth to a child last time, she just gave birth two days ago, and she was a big fat boy. Ah Niu wants to take care of his daughter-in-law and can't leave, so this time we will buy a new futon and our master and apprentice will go by themselves. ”

Zheng Qiu nodded: "Oh, so that's the case." By the way, what about our medicine garden, master, no one takes care of it!"

"I know you will ask, don't worry, good apprentice, the master has found someone to help take care of it, don't worry. ”

After speaking, the master opened the cabinet and began to take the clothes from it: "Good apprentice, pack up your things, let's go down the mountain after lunch." ”

"Master, are you in such a hurry?"

"Leave early and return early!" Zheng Qiu tilted his head and thought about it, what the master said was right, leave early and return early, you can't always let others help take care of the medicine garden. Thinking of this, he also ran to the cabinet and helped the master clean up.

After a simple lunch, Zheng Qiu carried his luggage and followed the master down the mountain. There are three ways down the mountain from the Xunwu Sect, one is the road leading to the foot of the mountain from the front mountain hall, and the other is the winding path of the back mountain.

Of course, the fastest way to go down the mountain is to take the waterway, take a boat on the river by Zheng Qiu's medicine garden, and float down the river. This time, the master did not go down the mountain, but took the trail behind the mountain.

Zheng Qiu is very strange, the village is in the direction of the front mountain, and it is necessary to go around a big circle from the back mountain. He asked the master later. The master told him that the road in front of the mountain was broken and was being repaired, and it would not be possible to walk for the past few days.

After going around for a long time, Zheng Qiu and his master finally arrived at the village before dark. The fog under the mountain has faded a lot, but there is still one, and the scenery is blurry in the past.

"Father, mother, I'm back!" As soon as he stepped into the village, Zheng Qiu shouted and ran home, "I'm back, I'm back!"

Zheng Qiu's home was originally located at the back of the village, but since he went up the mountain, his family's status in the village has greatly improved. Not only was the house moved near the entrance of the village, but even the original thatched roof of the wooden wall was replaced with a brick wall and tile roof.

Hearing her son's shouts, Zheng Qiu's mother hurriedly ran out of the house, dressed in blue-gray coarse cloth clothes and holding a basin for washing vegetables in her hand.

"Kid Dad, don't be busy, Erqiu is back. ”

"How many times have I told you, my son's name is Zheng Qiu now, and he was started by a master. Look at your unsightly appearance. ”

At the head of the room came a man in a hardcover with a slightly darkened skin, shirtless, with a thick linen skirt around his waist, and the skirt was stained with sawdust.

Last year, Zheng Qiu's father stopped farming and became a carpenter in the village. He not only helps people make cabinets, but also carves doors and windows. The carved book was given by the master.

"Yo, our little Zheng Qiu has grown up again, come, let me hug me. Zheng Qiu's father opened his hand and hugged his son, who threw himself into his arms. "It's sinking again, isn't the master giving you good food and drink?"

"Well, the master is very good, and he often makes braised pork for me to eat. ”

Zheng Qiu's father saw the master coming from behind, and hurriedly put down his son and went up to greet him: "Master Zheng, come on, come on, give me something, I'll take it." ”

The master untied a few pieces of luggage and handed them over: "Don't be so outside, and according to what I said before, I am a brother and you are a brother, so that my eldest brother is closer." ”

"Okay, okay, Brother Zheng, come into the house. Zheng Qiu's father led the master into the house, and as soon as he put away the luggage, he came over with a rag to wipe the table. "Brother Zheng sit, hehe, I was working just now, and the house was a little messy, don't mind. Mom, go pour a glass of water!"

Zheng Qiu's mother brought freshly boiled hot water and pulled out a small jar from the cabinet, which contained last year's tea leaves.

"Brother Zheng, I'm sorry, there is only old tea. ”

"Don't worry, don't worry, it's good to have tea, come, brother and sister sit down and talk. The family sat around the table, but the master boasted about the tea leaves in the cup and didn't say a word. Zheng Qiu's parents glanced at each other, not knowing what the master meant.

"Yes, although it is an old tea, the aroma is still there. The master took a sip of tea, his eyes glanced at Zheng Qiu, and then at Zheng Qiu's father.

Zheng Qiu's father looked carefully, this was to make an eye for himself. He coughed and said, "Son, our family has contracted the land for Shengcai and their family to plant, you go and see what Shengcai planted, ask him for a little, and we can cook a good meal in the evening and invite your master." ”

"Well, then I'll take a look. Hearing that it was to invite the master, Zheng Qiu was naturally happy and ran out of the door in a hurry.

After taking his son away, Zheng Qiu's father cautiously asked: "Brother Zheng, is there something wrong? Is Zheng Qiu disobedient? If he is disobedient, I will definitely teach him a good lesson." ”

Who knew that the master shook his head, and he sighed: "There are some things that I can't say clearly, and I don't know them completely. ”

The master put down the cup and looked at Zheng Qiu's father seriously: "I suggest you move." Brother Zheng Qiu works in the town in the south, and there are sixteen mountains from here, so you can move there and live. ”

"This ...... Brother Zheng, why is this, why do you suddenly want us to move?" Not only Zheng Qiu's father became nervous, but his mother was also at a loss.

"It's not Zheng Qiu's reason. The master looked outside the house, turned around and lowered his voice, "Something may happen on the mountain." ”

"Something's going on, it's ......" Zheng Qiu's father immediately covered his wife's mouth, stood up and closed the doors and windows tightly. Then he returned to the table and asked in a low voice, "Brother Zheng, is something really going to happen?"

The master nodded: "Look at the fog outside, I won't tell you that this is not the fog inside the mountain, this is the secret method of guarding the mountain." Big brother, I don't dare to stay in the mountains, maybe I will suffer a bloody disaster. So today I took Zheng Qiu down to avoid it. ”

"Does he know my son?"

The master shook his head slightly: "I didn't tell him, he's still young, so you don't need to let him understand so much." ”

The master took out a map from his sleeve and spread it on the table, pointed to it and said, "I will put some sleep-aiding herbs in Zheng Qiu's bowl for dinner, and we will set off tonight." The river at the foot of Yuexi Mountain can go directly to the town by boat, I will find the boat, you can pack your luggage early. ”

"Okay, everything is up to Brother Zheng. Zheng Qiu's father bowed deeply and kicked away the carpenter's tools on the ground, rummaging through the boxes and cabinets to take the things he wanted to bring.