Chapter Eighty-Nine: Lost Boy!

At dusk, the setting sun sprinkled with afterglow and covered the town of Pingshan like flowing water.

On the street, the vendors began to close their stalls, and a big yellow dog was lazily lying under the old locust tree at the entrance of the town, licking its fur while watching the children not far away chasing and playing with each other.

Strangers communicate with each other, chickens and dogs smell each other.

I have to admit that this simple and calm village near the mountains and rivers has its unique charm.

At the entrance of the town, a figure hurried to run as if it had fled from the wilderness, and the big yellow dog saw the comer, and got up from the ground and roared very vigilantly, but when it saw the comer, it first came to his side and sniffed, and then wagged its tail affectionately.

"Go. ”

Li Yiqi smiled and touched its furry head, and the big yellow dog lazily lay back under the tree.

"Brother Zhou!"

A call came from behind him, Li Yiqi turned around and saw a bright girl in a jinghai cloth skirt standing at the entrance of the town, looking at himself with moist eyes.

"Hmm. Li Yiqi smiled slightly and responded.

......

Just today, after the news of Li Yiqi's return to the town came out, the small courtyard where he lived has not stopped.

First of all, the mayor and a group of squires in the town, outside the staff with some exquisite jewels, ornaments, utensils and other valuables to the door, just to see the new Yangzhou Xie Yuan, and then, many villagers with gifts to the door, some from the chicken eggs, dried bacon, brewed two jars of old wine, the town of the big households do not want to send firewood, rice, oil and salt, so they directly sent gold and silver.....

After Li Yiqi barely finished dealing with these people, he looked at the gift boxes and gift boxes that were almost half of the yard, sighed faintly in his heart, and was worried about how to pile them up, when a black-faced man walked in with a smile on his face, looking at a large pile of gifts in front of him, the big man's eyes lit up.

"Virtuous nephew, you are back!" the black-faced man grinned and patted Li Yiqi's shoulder heavily, with a very cordial attitude.

"Uncle Wu. ”

When Li Yiqi saw the comer, he responded with a wry smile. The person who came was Mei'er's father, Wu Dahan, who never had to look at his crops in the first place, and now his attitude is not what it used to be, and he has been complimented again and again. The shouting of a virtuous nephew and a virtuous nephew made Li Yiqi feel uncomfortable listening to it.

"Virtuous nephew, what is this?" Wu Dahan stared at a rather exquisite-looking ornament with bright eyes.

"A green-glazed incense burner, given by the mayor, who gave me time to go to his house to pick up some of his grandsons. Li Yiqi glanced at the other party lightly, his heart moved slightly, the corners of his mouth hooked a smile, and he waved his hand and said, "Uncle thinks it looks good, just take it." ”

"Oh, that's embarrassing, but it's okay, Uncle took it back and played for two days. A gleam flashed in Wu Dahan's eyes, and he hurriedly held the gift box in his arms.

"Virtuous nephew, what is this?" Wu Dahan took a fancy to a delicate gift box again.

"It seems to be a bracelet sent by Zhang Yuan. Li Yiqi stepped forward, looked carefully at what was written on the gift post, and said with a smile: "A string of 'lotus lotus seed carved gold chains'." ”

"You know, my girl...... Ah, mother, haha, her mother likes these gadgets the most......" Wu Dahan looked around, lowered his head, and said with a sneer.

"It's for my aunt. Without waiting for the other party to finish speaking, Li Yiqi nodded lightly.

“......”

With Li Yiqi's acquiescence, Zhang Dahan first picked a few of the most expensive gifts, and then moved more than half of the firewood, rice, oil and salt back to his home.

Holding a gift full of arms, Zhang Dahan's old face was also red, he looked at Li Yiqi with a sneer, and saw that the latter did not look displeased, and said with a smile: "The virtuous nephew is in the middle, the future is limitless, I will let the girl get a few snacks, you and my uncle and nephew have to have a drink today!"

After that, Zhang Dahan went home with the gift in high spirits, and faintly, Li Yiqi could still hear Zhang Dahan's voice calling his mother-in-law through the wall.

......

When night fell, the small courtyard next door to Li Yiqi's house was brightly lit, and the loud laughter from time to time in the house made people feel particularly festive.

On the wine table, there were seven or eight dishes, and the two jars of old wine were drunk to the bottom, Li Yiqi was sitting in a precarious position, looking at the drunken Wu Dahan next to him with a wry smile, and whispered helplessly to Mei'er: "Mei'er, your father is drunk, it's time to send your father back to the room." ”

"Daddy!"

seemed to feel a little embarrassed, Mei'er slapped her father's back heavily, the big man raised his head violently, looked at Li Yiqi, and said with a confused and stumbling look: "Come on...... Week...... Virtuous nephew, drink ...... I respect...... Respectfully......"

"Respect a fart, you drank all the wine that people gave Brother Zhou, don't you be ashamed!" Mei'er blushed and shouted angrily, and then hurriedly called her mother from next door, and the two worked together to carry the drunken father to the inner room.

"Brother Zhou, my father is ...... Makes you laugh. ”

Soon, Mei'er went and returned, with a sense of shame on her face, her little face was flushed, and she looked cute.

"It's okay, it's okay......" Li Yiqi smiled slightly.

"Those things, when he wakes up tomorrow, I'll ask him to send them back to you. Mei'er pouted, looking at Li Yiqi with apologetic eyes.

"It's okay, it's all outside the body, besides...... In the past few years that your family has helped me, your father has also suffered a lot. ”

Li Yiqi smiled very indifferently, although Mei'er's father moved almost half of the gifts back to the house, but he didn't feel annoyed, the world is like this, besides, those things may feel precious before he is lifted, but they are insignificant after the lift.

Hearing this, Mei'er lowered her head and stopped talking, the room fell silent, Li Yiqi stepped forward, gently hugged the girl, and whispered in her ear: "Go to my house, I will also give you a gift." ”

"What gift?"

Mei'er's big black eyes seemed to have starlight twinkling, and there was a hint of shyness on her face.

"A picture of Danqing. ”

Li Yiqi hugged the person in his arms and whispered, his face flushed.

Soon, the two came to Li Yiqi's study, lit a dim candle, Li Yiqi found a pen, soaked it in ink, and immediately wrote on a piece of rice paper.

These pen, ink, paper, and inkstones were originally sent by the guests who came to the door today, but Li Yiqi was not picky, and directly picked up a Qinghao that looked easier to write.

Time passed quietly, Li Yiqi waved his wrist, and it didn't take long for a beautiful girl in palace clothes to jump on the paper.

The girl in the palace costume wears a golden hairpin on her head, and her waist is cui Langxuan, her appearance is beautiful, and her smile is very similar to Mei'er, but she looks older, and it looks like Li Yiqi painted it according to Mei'er's appearance a few years later.

The reason why I want to paint like this is because a few years later, Mei'er is also at the age of marriage.

Finally, lightly dotted cinnabar on the lips of the palace girl, Li Yiqi paused, turned around and asked with a smile, "Like you?"

Hearing this, Mei'er was stunned, she looked at the danqing, and then looked down at the burlap skirt she was wearing, and a strange feeling immediately came to her heart.

She lowered her head, her fine silver teeth gently bit her lips, her face was red, her eyes flashed, her little hands were timid, and she pretended to be displeased: "Hmph...... Not at all!"

"Isn't it like that?" Li Yiqi blinked and smiled bitterly in puzzlement.

Beauty paints eyebrows, love and paint, this is a very poetic thing, why is Meier angry?

Li Yiqi looked at Mei'er, then at Danqing, hesitated for a while, and finally mustered up the courage to lightly click a poem on the blank space in the upper right corner-

"I want to know each other with Qing, a long life, a golden hairpin, a light cheek, a graceful fan, a beautiful woman, a beautiful woman, a dew fragrance, and a smile on the lips. ”

"I want to know each other with Qing, a long life, green silk, knotted red rope, thousands of acres of fertile land, ten miles of red makeup, under the flower moon, morning clouds and plum rain. ”

"I want to know each other, live a long life, miss each other, look back on ten years, love each other, hold the hand of the son, no other wish, twilight snow white head old. ”

Mei'er's eyes were bright, and she read softly word by word, and at the end of the reading, she suddenly raised her head to meet Li Yiqi's bright but slightly shy eyes, and finally understood.

Suddenly, Mei'er's little face turned completely red, and even her white neck was red.

"You...... You, you, you!"

Mei'er was short of breath and looked very shy, she stomped her feet, pushed Li Yiqi hard, and ran home with small steps, leaving the stupid Li Yiqi stunned in place, looking at a loss.

"Idiot, if you want to confess, just say it directly, what ...... to write such a fleshy thing"

On the way, Mei'er covered the tears of excitement in her beautiful eyes while running.

Which girl doesn't have a spring!

What girl doesn't like a lover to paint and write poems for herself!

But......

But you can also say it directly, why do you have to draw Danqing first, and then write a love poem!

Both of them are teenagers, thin-skinned, Mei'er recalled the danqing, that love poem, and her heart melted.

"Idiot, idiot, big fool!"

In the quilt, Mei'er clenched her two little fists and put them on her chest, curled up together, with a sweet smile on the corner of her mouth, and fell asleep.

Next door, after Mei'er left, Li Yiqi stood in place with an embarrassed face, he admitted that he was a coward, and he only dared to express his heart in this clumsy way in the face of his beloved.

After a long time, Li Yiqi finally lifted Qinghao and wrote the last sentence-

"I want to know each other with Qing, a long life without decay, mountains without tombs, rivers are exhausted, thunder and earthquakes in winter, rain and frost and snow in summer, heaven and earth are combined, but I dare to be with Qing. ”

......

This night, Li Yiqi also had a dream.

In the dream, he was an ordinary peasant boy again, but a prince with outstanding military achievements, born in the Hou Mansion and suffering from a stubborn illness.

Faces that were both familiar and unfamiliar passed through his mind, but for some reason, every time he wanted to say the names of these people, he felt a dazed, and then, these faces quickly blurred in his mind, and gradually became blank.

He's just Zhou Lingyun!

......

A few months after the end of the state examination, Li Yiqi was the happiest time in his life, during which Li Yiqi went to the state capital twice, one to formally meet the governor of Yangzhou and the bachelor sent by the Hanlin Academy, and the other to celebrate the birthday of the 'teacher' he worshipped, and declined the 'teacher''s kindness to send him a house to let him live in the state capital in the future.

After two trips back and forth, Li Yiqi brought a lot of good things to Wu Dahan's family, and Wu Dahan finally knew that the poor book next door in the past must not be in the pool after his birthday, and he didn't dare to interfere with his daughter's dealings with him, so Mei'er was able to easily enter and exit Li Yiqi's study.

The two walked in the mountains and fields, made a wish to each other, and made a lifelong commitment.

This autumn, Li Yiqi is going to go to the capital to participate in the triennial examination in Daxia, he wants to get the top prize, and then return to his hometown, riding a tall horse and carrying a sedan chair to marry Mei'er, and promise her a lifetime of glory.

Mei'er will wait quietly for Li Yiqi at home, just like the nights in the past few years, she has quietly guarded him under the lamp, watching him read hard in the cold window, helping him grind, and waiting for the day when he will be named on the gold list.

......

Half a year later, the two came to the small ferry port in Pingshan Town again.

On the riverside, the autumn breeze blows, and the willows are still there.

"Brother Zhou, I'll wait for you to come back. ”

Mei'er threw herself into Li Yiqi's arms like a kitten, she knew that Li Yiqi had great ambition in her heart, but the test in the capital was a hundred times more difficult than the state test, she secretly swore in her heart that whether it was a year, two years, or a lifetime, she would wait here silently, waiting for the person in her heart.

"Mei'er ......"

Li Yiqi turned back step by step, he didn't want to go on by himself, because he seemed to realize something, it seemed that as soon as he left, some of this Pingshan Town would become another distant dream like a cloud of smoke.

The river is far away, on the river, two mandarin ducks perched in the reeds, on the bank, the girl watched the young man carry his bags and walk to the opposite bank with great ambition, the catkins fell on her shoulders, and tears wet her eyes.

A year later, Mei'er didn't hear anything from Li Yiqi.

Two years later......

Three years later......

......

Day after day, year after year, the girl waited alone on the riverside, she was more beautiful, and it touched the heartstrings of many men in ten miles and eight townships, Wu Dahan also asked the mayor about Li Yiqi's news, but the other party was noncommittal, I don't know, in this case, in the face of the people who flocked to the door to propose marriage, Wu Dahan also gradually moved his mind.

Four years later......

Five years later......

This year, Mei'er is eighteen years old, which is the most precious and beautiful age in the girl's life, her appearance is more and more amazing, and her reputation has gradually spread from Pingshan Town to Wuling County and even Qinghe County.

Facing a group of sons and buddies beside her who were not in bad condition, she never smiled once, so she waited silently by the small ferry every day. Many sons and buddies have returned, and many people have gradually learned that in a small village and town near the mountains and rivers, there is a girl waiting for someone alone.

Spring goes to autumn, it's the sixth year, the Great Summer will be tested every three years, if Li Yiqi stays in Shangjing, this should be the second time he will participate in the examination, but in the autumn of this year, Mei'er still did not wait for the figure on the other side of the river.

......

In the thirty-fifth year of Emperor Xia's calendar, Emperor Zongzong issued an edict to draft girls in the civil election, and the household department and the Ministry of Rites were responsible for the draft at the same time.

A few days later, in Qinghe County, Yangzhou, Wu's Mei Niang was edicted to enter the palace to serve the king, and in the same year, he was given a talented person by the emperor.