When the twilight of the same day was setting, the ox cart carrying Ling Yueyuan was still slowly leaving Wuhua Town, but Lin Xinyin's fast horse had already galloped to the boundary of Xinyang Town. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Lin Xinyin was in a hurry all the way. Although she had to stay at a small inn at the foot of the mountain because of the late night last night, she still couldn't sleep, and she still didn't feel sleepy until the fifth watch, and she was afraid that if she fell asleep again, she would sleep until the sun set, so she simply got up and packed her luggage and walked out of the room.

At that time, the sky outside was still dark, and after Lin Xinyin paced a few steps in the corridor of the inn, after thinking about it, she still knocked on the wooden door of Liu Qianli's room next door.

In fact, she didn't want to disturb people's dreams, but thinking that Liu Qianli was her life-saving benefactor after all, it didn't seem good for her to leave quietly without saying hello, so she cheekily woke up Liu Qianli and set off together.

Fortunately, the other party didn't have any opinions, and after nodding, he quickly packed his luggage, and after settling the bill at the front desk of the inn, he went out with Lin Xinyin and rode on the road.

Lin Xinyin, who was wearing the stars and the moon, hurried non-stop, watching the rotation of the moon and the sun on the horizon, and the time flew by, as if she felt that the morning dew attached to her hair had not yet dried, and in the blink of an eye, the sunset put on a thin golden shirt for herself.

Gradually, the dirt road, which had been winding between the hills, began to straighten and widen, and the field of view became wider and wider, and the mountains and hills were all left behind.

After riding the horse for some more time, the dirt road was almost at the end.

A large mulberry grove appeared in front of it, which occupied almost half of the road. Looking beyond the mulberry forest, there is a bay of sparkling and endless Yangtze River, which spreads southeast to the end of the sky; The sailboats on the river chase the waves, like pearls embedded in the silver and white jade belt.

Overlooking the west bank of the river, a quiet town along the river gradually comes into view. It seems that there is Xinyang Town ahead. Lin Xinyin pulled the reins, letting the galloping horse's hooves gradually slow down, and then caressed Xiao Huang's horse's mane lovingly, and said with a chuckle: "It's hard! ”

Xiao Huang shook his head, and the cries continued, and the slowed horse's hoof steps still raised light dust all the way, as if to show that it could still run for another day.

"Finally see this Xinyang Town." Liu Qianli also changed to riding a horse at this time, looking at the starry people by the river from a distance, smiled and said: "From the early morning to the sunset, I haven't seen half a brick and tile all the way, and I almost thought that I was going to sleep in the wild tonight." ”

"Ah......h If only she were the only one, it would be fine, but there was another person who didn't know her very well. This made her suddenly embarrassed to apologize to Liu Qianli and said, "I'm sorry to let you run with you for so long......"

"It's fine." Liu Qianli is in good spirits now, but he comforted Lin Xinyin: "As long as you can hold on, it's fine." ”

When Liu Qianli said this, Lin Xinyin really felt a little dizzy. When she was galloping on a horse before, she only wanted to rush to Xinyang Town as soon as possible, but now when she arrived at her destination, she relaxed a little, and was blown by the light wind, only to find that she was tired, and her stomach bag was empty for two meals but had been bumped for most of the day, and there was a little dull pain at the moment.

It's really a natural inadequacy body...... Lin Xinyin secretly glanced at Liu Qianli, and saw that the other party didn't seem to be uncomfortable at all, and suddenly felt quite frustrated for her slightly weak self.

……

The two rode slowly through the mulberry forest in front of them.

After the cold winter and cool spring, the season of late March and early April is when the mulberry trees are luxuriantly growing. Flesh-colored, black, purple, red and other round and full mulberries hang among the green leaves like a pile of pearls, flickering in the afterglow of the sunset, crumbling in the breeze, exuding a slight sweet and sour smell, permeating in the fresh and thorough smell of green leaves, and drifting to Lin Xinyin's front with the wind.

But Lin Xinyin didn't have time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this beautiful day. Ever since she saw the outline of Xinyang Town from afar, her mood had become both urgent and worried, hoping that she could miraculously find Ling Yueyuan there, but also afraid that she would just be disappointed again. The uncomfortable body further exacerbated her inner worries, and in addition, there was also the financial problems that had been bothering her, which was also another layer of sorrow that could not be dissipated.

Under the squeeze of all kinds of thoughts, she was gradually in a daze. She had been riding her horse, and though she knew how to lower her head to avoid some of the shorter mulberry branches that stood in her way, a moment later, with a soft "snap", her left shoulder seemed to hit something.

She looked down in a daze, and couldn't help but frown: the clothes on her left shoulder had been stained black and red by a cluster of broken mulberry juice, and she didn't know if the mulberry happened to be blown down by the wind, or if she had hit it herself.

"Be careful." Liu Qianli carefully stretched out his hand to remove the mulberry branches hanging on the mulberries that stood in the way, and reminded Lin Xinyin: "This will be when the mulberries are ripe, if you don't pay attention, the white clothes will become rags in an instant." ”

"Ugh. Is the mulberry ripe at this time......" Lin Xinyin looked at the stains on her clothes blankly: This is not easy to clean......

"Well, this is not only the time when the mulberry leaves are ripe, but also the busy season for silkworm farmers to collect mulberries and raise silkworms, so March and April are also called silkworm months." Liu Qianli carefully observed the mulberry branches and green leaves on the tree, and then commented: "Although the Cantonese mulberry germinates early, it is not resistant to wind and cold, and the branches and leaves are thin and dense, which is not as good as the vine mulberry in that pass." However, the best sericulture is the mulberry of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, although it is late but the branches are thick and the leaves are thick and sparse, more liquid and less mulberry, the spring silkworm fed with this mulberry leaf can spit out the best silk, so there is Su, Song, Hangzhou, Jia, Hu Wufu that the world's silk silk. ”

"Huh? Is there so much more story about mulberry leaves? Lin Xinyin looked at Liu Qianli in surprise, and when she looked at the ordinary and ordinary mulberry leaves, there was more admiration in her eyes, but after looking at the empty mulberry forest again, she couldn't help but be a little strange: "But I can't see any mulberry pickers." ”

"That's natural." Liu Qianli's eyes searched among the lush mulberry leaves, as if looking for some treasure: "The timing of mulberry picking is better at the beginning of the sunrise, and it is better to carefully pick out the mulberry leaves that have not been wet by the rain and dew." And it's just a wild mulberry forest, and most silkworm farmers plant mulberry trees in their yards for easy collection. If you are more particular, you will also use iron scissors from Tongxiang, Najia County to pick mulberry ......"

"Hey, look at that mulberry leaf, it's growing well." Liu Qianli's gaze was finally fixed on a plump and round mulberry leaf, so he happily raised his left hand and stretched it forward.

His movements of picking mulberry are incredibly beautiful: when the sleeves slowly slip down, the five fingers dance lightly like boneless, from the bending of the fingers, the stretching of the palm, the brushing of the hand to the finger of the whole set of movements, smooth as the clouds and flowing water to the branch of the mulberry leaf, obviously like a gurgling soft water can not see the slightest strength, but in an instant like iron scissors cut off the mulberry branch. Before the naked eye of others had time to scrutinize, he had already picked the mulberry leaf between his fingers, like a gentle breeze quietly blowing away the flower that had not yet woken up.

Lin Xinyin looked at Liu Qianli's dance-like mulberry picking movements, and was secretly a little surprised; When I saw that the other party actually took the mulberry leaf under his nose, he was very intoxicated and closed his eyes and smelled it, but he was immediately happy, so he quipped: "Just now you said that you need to use special iron scissors to pick mulberry...... And what did you just use to pick mulberry? ”

"Huh." Liu Qianli opened his eyes and responded half-seriously and half-jokingly: "That's naturally Caisang's finger." ”

After that, he handed the mulberry leaf in his hand to Lin Xinyin, chuckled and said, "Do you want to take a look?" ”

Belch. Lin Xinyin was stunned, but thinking that this was not a rose, but just a leaf, so she reached out and took the mulberry leaf. She looked at this fresh leaf with a blue face, thinking that Liu Qianli had just smelled fascinated by the leaves, and she couldn't help but wonder, and she wanted to do the same with curiosity, smelling what this mulberry leaf smelled like; But after thinking about it, this action is too weird, so that's it.

It's just that just when she began to think about what to do with this tired leaf, the other party said something that made her cry and laugh suddenly.

"It seems that this big and fresh mulberry leaf is the favorite food of the spring silkworm." Liu Qianli said it well.

Lin Xinyin was suddenly dumbfounded: When am I a silkworm? …… Or does he have a soft spot for mulberry leaves?

In a moment of thought, the trotting horses' hooves had walked through the mulberry forest.

……

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The two rode their horses closer to the riverside, stopping their slow horses' hooves.

The road ahead had been cut off by the vast river that bent to the southeast, and if you wanted to go further east, you had to take yourself to the other side of the river by ferry.

Lin Xinyin turned her head to look south, but saw that not far ahead, boats and boats were moored at the riverside port, and shirtless and sturdy men stepped up and down to transport goods, and the shouts resounded through the sky; Looking further on, the dotted houses are embedded in the lowlands in a line along the riverside, like a crystal galaxy spreading to the mouth of the river.

She turned to look at the river again. At this time, the sun is thin, the red glow reflects the water, sparkling, and gurgling. She rode on horseback, stopped by the river, looked at the vast river dissolved in the line between heaven and earth, listened to the murmuring sound of the waves crashing on the shore, and felt the fresh breath brought by the gentle river breeze on her face.

However, as the glow faded and the sky darkened, the mist on the river seemed to become thicker. At this time, it is no longer autumn, winter and early spring, and there is no longer a scene of heavy fog locking the river, but Lin Xinyin looked at the river that was gradually dimming, and slowly had the illusion of vast smoke waves and heavy twilight, which caused the originally calm mood to suddenly be covered with an inexplicable sadness.

And when her eyes gradually became blurred with mixed feelings, a burst of words in her ears pulled her back to reality.

"This should be Rongjiang."

"Rongjiang?" Lin Xinyin, who woke up, looked back at Liu Qianli, but saw that the other party was looking at her curiously, I was afraid that her daze would be seen by him! So, she looked away a little embarrassed and said perfunctorily: "Yes......"

"Well, it should be Rongjiang. Going down the river is the mouth of the East China Sea. Liu Qianli looked at the endless river, and then looked at the busy port and the peaceful town in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh: "In fact, the Rongjiang River is just one of several rivers that flow into the East China Sea, and Xinyang is not a big city. Crossing the Rongjiang River to the east, there is also the beautiful Hanjiang River and Yuepu Port, the largest commercial port in eastern Guangdong. Rao is so, the port of Xinyang is also quite prosperous, and the town is quite interesting...... It seems that after a hundred years of development, this remote south is no longer the rumored wild land. ”

"Oh......" Lin Xinyin didn't have much interest in the history and geography of this world now, she just wanted to go to Xinyang Town to find Ling Yueyuan's whereabouts, so she turned her horse head alone and walked towards the entrance of the town in the south, and at the same time added her proposal to Liu Qianli: "Then, go to the town first?" ”

"Okay." Liu Qianli looked at the weakened twilight sky, and naturally had no objections: "At this time, it is almost dark...... It seems that it is right to hurry up and not get off the saddle and not stop all the way today, otherwise it will be more troublesome to stay until dark and still be on the way. By the way, Xinyin is going to the town to find out your friend's whereabouts, right? ”

"Yes." Lin Xinyin nodded, and then looked at the sky above Xinyang Town, but suddenly looked at a black dot floating in the sky, and couldn't help but wonder "Huh": "That...... What is it? ”

"Huh?" Liu Qianli also looked in the direction that Lin Xinyin was looking at, and watched the figure of the object slowly fluttering in the sky gradually become clearer, so he quickly made a judgment: "It's a kite." ”

"Kites?" Lin Xinyin opened her eyes wide and looked closely, and when the thing in the sky was getting closer and closer, she really saw that it was a colorful flying eagle-shaped kite.

But it was a kite with a broken string. It fluttered with the wind like that, and although it struggled to make it fly in the sky, it still flew lower and lower after all, and slowly fell towards the mulberry forest behind Lin Xinyin.

Then, there was a louder and louder sound of children playing.

Lin Xinyin followed the sound and saw five children running out of the town in front of her, brushing her side noisily, and running towards the mulberry forest with a grin, as if she was going to pick up the falling kite, but she was quite excited and shouted while running: "Oh~~ Broken harrier, broken harrier~!" ”

…… Are you so happy when you break your kite? Lin Xinyin looked at the group of excited children and looked puzzled.

"Huh. It's really a group of children, it's almost the end of March, and they're still blindly letting go of the Harriers. Liu Qianli, who was beside him, shook his head with a smile, and then drove his horse to the town: "Xinyin, let's enter the town first." ”

"Well......" Lin Xinyin, who was confused, thought about it for a while and then didn't think about it, anyway, she didn't understand, anyway, she would enter the town first.

……

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The clear wind blows the catkins, and the new fire starts the kitchen smoke. Although most of the Qingming Festival has passed, the willow branches planted in the doors of many people's homes have not yet been removed; At this time, the sun had disappeared behind the top of the mountain, and it was time for every family to light a fire and prepare for dinner, so the vicinity of the entrance to the town seemed a little deserted.

Despite this, there are obviously many more pedestrians and trucks passing on this street than Wuhua Town, and the town is also much more prosperous.

At this time, both of them had dismounted, and each led his horse on foot.

Soon after entering the town, Lin Xinyin began to look for suitable people to ask, and her eyes quickly turned to a small stall next to the main street. But before she could speak, a crisp and immature voice floated over.

"Hey, that beautiful sister with a horse, let's try my home-grown mulberry cake! It's delicious and nourishing! ”

Listening to the lively children's voice like the warbler's cry, Lin Xinyin couldn't help but look behind the stall, so she saw the little girl sitting on the small bench to greet customers.

This girl is about ten years old, with clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, a delicate face, and a pair of big round black eyes on her delicate and small melon seed face are blinking towards Lin Xinyin like stars. When she noticed that Lin Xinyin was looking at herself curiously, not only did she not look shy, but she turned the corners of her mouth particularly handsome, showing her jade-like teeth generously, and her smile rippled like a lake blown by the spring breeze.

"Hey." Looking at the little girl with a lovely smile, Lin Xinyin's mood also became better, so she led the horse and approached the stall. This stall is actually a simple wooden lattice board on top of a small wooden bench, on which are scattered six mulberry cakes, all of which seem to be leftovers from today's sale.

Still, the pale yellow fluffy pastry with various mulberries in the square still looks quite tempting. It's just that Lin Xinyin didn't have much interest in sweets, she quickly glanced at the mulberry cake, then bent down slightly, and looked at the little girl sitting on the bench with a smile: "Little sister, have you been here all day?" ”

"Yes! From the morning to the night, my feet are numb! The little girl looked at Lin Xinyin's eyes and replied with a milky smile, but she pretended to beat two small fists and knocked the knees of her legs.

"Oh!" Lin Xinyin frowned, looking at the girl who was smiling brightly just now, but now she pouted and pounded her calves and pretended to be tired, she couldn't help but feel that this little elf was funny and cute. She turned her head to look at the darkening water of the Rongjiang River, thought about it, and asked the little girl again: "Well, if you want to cross the river to the other side...... Do you want to take a ferry? Is there a ferry at that pier outside town? When and when does the daily ferry end? ”

"Well, that's it...... Originally, the pier outside the town was only used for merchant ships to load and unload cargo, but the pier dedicated to ferries in the town has been repaired and decorated these days, so the ferries are concentrated at the pier outside the town...... And it seems that the ferry boat only came after the hour. The little girl stretched out her free right hand, put her chin on it, tilted her head and thought about it, and said, "By the way, it seems to be after the sun goes down...... At most, when it is time to arrive, there will be no ferry to cross the river in half an hour. If my sister wants to cross the river, she has to do it as soon as possible! But there's nothing fun on the other side of the river. ”

"Huh." Lin Xinyin is not thinking about crossing the river now. She was just thinking about it, according to her previous judgment, if Ling Yueyuan and the three little Ouyang had set off from Wuhua Town on horseback in the early hours of yesterday morning, then they should have been at the same speed as herself, and it would take at least a day or so to reach this Xinyang Town. That being the case, whether they arrived late last night or early this morning, there was no ferry to cross the river. Maybe they'll all go to the town to stay or rest, and then take a ferry to the dock outside the town to cross the river...... It seems that although this Rongjiang will block their steps, it is also inadvertently narrowing the distance between themselves and the army!

So...... Maybe this little girl who stays near the entrance of the town from morning to night has a chance to see them! So, Lin Xinyin, who suddenly had a spirit, continued to ask excitedly: "Little sister, have you ever seen two men and two women riding horses in and out of Xinyang Town in the past two days......?" ”

"Oops...... Sister! I'm so tired to think about answering like this! The little girl frowned and pretended to be tired, but then stretched her eyebrows again, replaced them with an innocent and pure smile, and blinked at Lin Xinyin with her big eyes under the long eyelashes: "I helped my sister, and my sister also helped me!" Buy two mulberry cakes, and I'll answer my sister's question, okay? ”

"Huh? Well...... Okay, good ......" Lin Xinyin didn't expect to be caught by her after only a few words with this little girl, but looking at her innocent smile and smart and clear eyes, it was really difficult to refuse her request for a while, so after agreeing, she was ready to take out the money bag, but she still had a heart: "Hmm...... How much does it cost? ”

"There are two cakes for just one copper coin! Thank you for visiting! The little girl looked at Lin Xinyin happily as she was about to pay for it, and happily picked out two mulberry cakes and handed them over. After seeing the other party's ordinary clothes and the stains on the placket of her left shoulder, she was quite honest and didn't continue to pester Lin Xinyin to pack all the remaining mulberry cakes.

"Well, okay, come on two ......" Lin Xinyin took out a copper coin and handed it to the little girl. She was still holding the mulberry leaf in her left hand, so she first stretched out her right hand to take a piece of mulberry cake, thought for a while, and then handed it to Liu Qianli: "Taste it?" Anyway, she couldn't finish eating two pieces, so she made a favor: if you invite me to eat mulberry leaves, I will invite you to eat mulberry cake......

"Oh? Good! Thank you......" Liu Qianli happily took the mulberry cake, tasted it, and nodded with relish.

But Lin Xinyin is really not interested in sweets. She took another piece of mulberry cake and chewed it gently, only to feel a little greasy and sour. In the past few days, the diet and work and rest have not been normal, which made her dizzy and dizzy, and she also felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach. So, the left hand, which was still holding the mulberry leaf, unconsciously pressed it on the left upper abdomen.

"Is the mulberry cake delicious, sister?" The little girl took in all the demeanor and movements of Lin Xinyin, and then introduced it in an honest manner: "It may not be to my sister's taste, but what!" This mulberry cake, eating it can also nourish yin and blood, nourish the appearance and rejuvenate the skin, clear the liver and eyes, and improve sleep...... There are so many benefits! ”

"Hah!" Liu Qianli, who was on the side, laughed out loud when she heard it, and before Lin Xinyin could reply, she exposed the little girl's fake advertisement on the spot: "The little girl is carrying the effect of mulberry seeds!" ”

The little girl's face flushed, and then her eyes blinked, and she immediately made up a set of words: "You can't say that, big brother!" The main ingredient of mulberry cake is also mulberry seeds! Moreover, the ground mulberry seeds are sandwiched in a fragrant and soft muffin cake, which is refreshing to eat and easy to digest! ”

"Hehe, sharp-toothed little girl!" Liu Qianli was quite fond of sweets, so he quickly eliminated the mulberry cake in his hand, and grinned at the little girl instead: "What's your name?" ”

"Oh! That big brother bought all the mulberry cakes I had left, and I'll tell you when I buy them! The little girl looked at Liu Qianli's valuable clothes, honestly and unceremoniously opened her mouth to sell, and then pleaded and said, "Okay?" I only have four cakes left, and I can't go home for dinner until I'm done! It's so dark this day......"

"Okay, wrap it up." Liu Qianli agreed very simply, and after taking out two copper coins and handing them to the little girl, he turned to ask Lin Xinyin: "Xinyin, are you still eating?" ”

Seeing this, Lin Xinyin quickly shook her head. She has no appetite now, and the piece of mulberry cake in her hand alone is enough for her to deal with for a long time.

"Okay! Ah Miao, thank you, brother! The little girl stood up very happily, quickly wrapped the remaining four mulberry cakes in oiled paper and handed them to Liu Qianli, reported her name and thanks, and began to fold and put away the bench and the grid of the stall, and happily posed to leave: "You can go home!" ”

"Hey......" After Liu Qianli took the paper bag, he reminded the excited Ah Miao: "You haven't answered that sister's question yet!" ”

"I know, I won't forget it!" Ah Miao stuck out her tongue mischievously at Lin Xinyin: "Are my sister and brother going to the town?" Shall we talk as we go? ”

"Well......" Lin Xinyin nodded, but her address and speech to Ah Miao were very awkward, but because she was now fighting with the mulberry cake, she always felt that the square cake in her hand seemed to be eating more and more, and she secretly complained bitterly, so she had no time to correct Ah Miao's statement.

……

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After a while, Ah Miao had already put away all the few belongings, and he was going to lead the way to lead Lin Xinyin and Liu Qianli into the town.

At this moment, there was another noisy sound of children playing at the entrance of the town.

Lin Xinyin looked back, and it turned out to be the group of boys she saw outside the town. One of the boys, dressed in a small coat, held a brightly colored eagle kite, and the other children ran towards it laughing loudly. It seems that the group of children returned to town after retrieving the broken kite from the mulberry forest.

Ah Miao also turned to look, and saw that the group of children were laughing happily while running, but she suddenly lost her smile.

The group of children quickly brushed past Lin Xinyin's side. However, when she passed by Ah Miao, the boy in the little coat threw the kite at her feet with one hand, and turned his head to tease Ah Miao as he ran forward.

"Little wild child! Send your kite! No thanks! ”

Ah Miao's face immediately changed when he heard this, and he immediately turned around and bowed his head with a very quick reaction, his eyes quickly picked out the largest stone on the ground like electricity, and after bending down and grabbing it with one hand, he immediately got up and waved his hand, and threw the stone in his hand at the boy who had run away with all his strength.

The stone was thrown with great precision, with just the right force, and the line was perfect, and it hit the back of the boy's head like a rear-end missile, and immediately knocked him into an "ouch", and he stumbled forward and fell to the ground, and then he began to cry.

Suddenly, all the children who were running stopped, two tried to pick up the child who was lying on the ground crying, and the others turned to stare at the black-faced Miao.

At this moment, the atmosphere actually became a little cold. But this group of powerful children, but no one has stepped forward for the time being to uphold justice for the boy who was smashed and cried by Ah Miao.

Liu Qianli watched the imminent children's war on the side, and then looked at Ah Miao, who had a stern expression, but secretly commented randomly: Okay, one-to-many and fearless, decisive shots, strong and spicy, accurate hits, and has the potential to be a killer in the cultivation of secret weapons......

But Lin Xinyin saw that the atmosphere was not quite right, and she didn't know if there would be a large-scale stone attack on the opposite side, so she quietly approached Ah Miao's side, ready to act at any time. But now she was holding a mulberry leaf in her left hand and three-quarters of the mulberry cake in her right hand, and on the other side of the confrontation was a group of little children who were no taller than her waist.

After a long time, the group of naughty boys on the other side finally attacked. However, instead of picking up stones and throwing them, one by one they put their hands together on the sides of their mouths and made a trumpet shape, shouting loudly with all their strength, as if firing a cannon.

"Little wild child, little wild child, no father, no mother, no love, sick, injured and ghostly!"

When Ah Miao heard this, he didn't say a word, and immediately buried himself on the ground and quickly picked up one stone after another.

As soon as the group of children on the opposite side saw Ah Miao picking up stones, they immediately let out a "wow", and they dispersed in a hurry, and immediately scattered without a trace. I don't know how many times they have suffered from Ah Miao's losses before, but they have all developed this nervous reaction-like habit.

Even the two little children who picked up the crying boy also let go and ran as fast as they could; caused the boy to lose his balance and fall to the ground, and suddenly "wow" cried even louder.

When Ah Miao grabbed enough ammunition and turned around, there was only one enemy left in front of him, so he threw all the stones in his hand towards the perfect target lying on the ground, and shouted at the same time.

"Crybaby! Send your stones! You're welcome! ”

The boy was smashed all over the head by the falling stones, and cried for a moment, but no one came to comfort him, so he had no choice but to get up on his own, and while waving his sleeves to wipe away his tears, he slowly walked in the direction of home.

……

The war is over, there are no winners.

After winning the dispute and losing the mood, Ah Miao was silent for a long time with a cold little face before turning around, and when she found that Lin Xinyin and Liu Qianli looked at her with a look of curiosity and pity in their eyes, she quickly adjusted her mood, and smiled and corrected as she walked: "I have a mother, and she is still waiting for me at home......"

With that, she glanced down at the broken kite on the ground that no one wanted, and after a "hum", she raised her leg and trampled directly on it, and after a few "pops", she trampled on the kite bones.

Lin Xinyin looked at the exquisitely crafted kite being trampled on and covered in black marks, like a broken eagle with broken wings that could no longer fly, and felt a little heartache for a while: "Actually, this kite is very beautiful, and you can continue to use it if you connect it online." ”

"That's a broken harrier full of other people's filth, no matter how beautiful it is, I don't want it." Ah Miao's big cold eyes blinked a few times, and he couldn't afford to be nostalgic: "When Ah Miao saves enough money in the future, he will buy a big kite that is ten times more beautiful by himself, and play as much as he wants, hum~!" ”

"Oh......?" Lin Xinyin was a little puzzled, still feeling sorry for the abandoned and ravaged kite.

Liu Qianli understands. During the Qingming Festival, there is a custom of letting go of harriers and removing filth, but now it is the end of March. However, he was not too interested in figuring out Ah Miao's psychology, but was quite curious about another detail.

"Ah Miao, who taught you that hand throwing kung fu?" Liu Qianli stared at Ah Miao's eyes and asked with a friendly smile.

Ah Miao was stunned for a moment, his big eyes blinked a few times, and then he bloomed with that bright innocent smile again: "Who else can teach you to throw stones, and if you throw too much, you will naturally become familiar." ”

"Yes." Liu Qianli smiled lightly, still staring at Ah Miao's eyes, neither refuting nor asking.

"Of course it is......" Ah Miao looked away with a smile, and turned to Lin Xinyin's left hand, and suddenly exclaimed: "Hey, the mulberry leaves in my sister's hand are so good-looking, can you give them to me?" ”

"Oh? All right. Lin Xinyin is worried that the mulberry leaves in her hand are not thrown, and it is inconvenient not to throw them, it is rare for someone to volunteer and be willing to take over, so she is naturally happy to push the boat with the water. Now she was finally free to hold the horse's reins with her left hand.

Ah Miao took the mulberry leaf, admired it, and then took it to the side of his nose and sniffed it again, and his intoxicated expression was no different from Liu Qianli's performance in the mulberry forest just now. After a while, she said happily: "This leaf grows so well, my silkworms have a good meal." ”

"Huh? Isn't it time to put this leaf away so that you can enjoy it later? Lin Xinyin thought that Ah Miao would treasure this mulberry leaf.

"What's the use of putting it away, sooner or later it will wither and become waste...... It's better to take advantage of the most beautiful leaf and let it play its due role, then it should have no regrets even if it is crushed. The pragmatist Ah Miao stared at the mulberry leaves for a while, but then he sighed: "In fact, the spring silkworm is quite pitiful, it spits to death in its life, and it is not as good as the caterpillar, which can break out and become a beautiful butterfly......

"Hmm...... So Ah Miao doesn't like silkworms? Lin Xinyin asked curiously.

"Me? I like it, but I don't want to be like silkworms...... Okay, sister, let's go back to the town first, I want to think about what outsiders have passed by in the past two days......" Ah Miao turned to smile and beckoned Lin Xinyin to walk towards the town, and then led the way in front of him.

Lin Xinyin smiled and nodded, led the horse, and followed behind the bouncing Ah Miao with Liu Qianli.

Ah Miao's mood seems to be very easy to recover, and now she looks innocent and lively, completely missing the gloomy demeanor of Shicai, but there is a kind of firmness in her heart. She doesn't want to be the spring silkworm that stays in one place from life to death, even if she wins a good reputation? She is more eager to be the butterfly that bursts out and can see the world of flowers outside...... No matter how bad it is, at least you can fly away from this nasty broken town......

……

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"However, there are a lot of outsiders coming and going in the town on weekdays, especially these days...... There are also many horseback riders. Miao walked down the streets of the town, trying to recall the outsiders who had come and gone in the past few days, and after a while, he said, "That's right! Speaking of multi-person horseback riding...... It seems that two or three days ago I saw a group of people on horseback passing through the town, and it seemed that there were six or seven people, but there was only one woman among them......"

"Well, don't talk about it two or three days ago......" Lin Xinyin heard that the time and number of people were not right, so she ruled it out on the spot, and then further limited the scope: "Or, what about today?" Were there any teenagers and girls riding by? ”

"Today, yes~!" Ah Miao recalled it and immediately smiled and said: "In the morning, a pair of pretty brothers and sisters rode by here, and they should have gone to the dock outside the town to take a ferry to cross the river. ”

"Beautiful brother?" Lin Xinyin was stunned and thought that Ah Miao had used the wrong word: "It's handsome, right?" ”

"It's not wrong to say handsome." Miao winked playfully: "But I always think he's beautiful, well, that's it......"

"Oh......" Lin Xinyin's mind immediately appeared Ouyang Xiaoyi's face. Although the man always maintained a cold expression, it was difficult to completely hide the soft aura in his eyebrows. It's just that if he hears Ah Miao's evaluation at this moment, he doesn't know if he will faint out of anger?

But he is not Ling Yueyuan. Lin Xinyin was very disappointed, but she wanted to continue to confirm the identities of the two people, so she continued to ask: "Are these two people wearing very good clothes?" Well, that sister...... Did she have two strands of hair protruding from her forehead, trembling like butterfly whiskers? ”

"yes, both of them are very well dressed. But that sister's hairstyle is very ordinary. Miao replied.

Oh, it seems that nine out of nine of these two people are Xiaoyi and Xiaoxin. Could it be that the moon edge and small scattered are alone? Lin Xinyin, who began to be apprehensive again, asked Ah Miao with a little hope: "Then have you seen another handsome brother today...... Well, it's handsome, not pretty. He could have ridden a horse, his clothes were shabby, and he had a long stitch on the placket......? ”

"I haven't seen it, let alone today, I haven't seen anyone like this in months." Ah Miao looked at Lin Xinyin, and then at Liu Qianli beside her, and teased for a while: "However, if it's just the handsome brother on a horse that I saw today, isn't that the one next to my sister?" ”

"Huh." Liu Qianli, who seemed to be overjoyed to hear it, arched his hand and returned the salute to Ah Miao: "Thank you, thank you." ”

"It's not this one, it's another ......" Lin Xinyin made a bitter face.

"What?" Ah Miao mischievously pretended to be surprised: "Isn't one enough?" ”

Lin Xinyin almost fainted when she heard this, and she really wanted to knock on this little girl's gossip braincase: "Don't talk nonsense...... Have you ever seen another sister with a butterfly whisker on her forehead? She had begun to wonder if it was possible for Moonrim to be with Zero. The facial features of the little zero are quite obvious.

"No......" Ah Miao looked at Lin Xinyin's unhappy expression, so she stopped joking, and replied honestly: "But, sister." If the person you're looking for doesn't enter the town, but crosses the river by boat directly outside the town, then it's normal that I can't see it. Maybe my sister will have to go to the docks outside the town to ask the boatmen who drive the ferry. ”

This also reminded Lin Xinyin. However, she had an expanding question in her heart: since Ling Yueyuan was not with Xiao Yi and Xiao Xin, then he ...... Is it possible to fall behind ...... on the contrary? However, she also can't stand this back and forth, because there is another reality that is becoming more and more serious - her purse is almost at the bottom.

……

Before you know it, you've come a long way through the town.

The street extends to a small square paved with rouge granite. Looking from afar along the east direction of the square, you can still see the riverside of the Rong River and the dock that has been closed and repaired by the river. To the west of the square, there is a small stage at the end, and although it is evening, there are still a few workers who are erecting a tent to decorate the eaves and doorposts of the stage; Under the command of the foreman on the ground, rows of red lanterns and streamers were hung on the cornices.

"Ah Miao, what are the festivals these days?" Liu Qianli looked at the clean and tidy square and the brightly lit stage, and even saw that a few willow trees on the riverside in the distance were also colored bared, so he asked Ah Miao curiously.

"Yes, in a few days it will be the Heavenly Spirit Festival at the end of March, and the first day of April will be the summer solstice, followed by the Buddha Bathing Festival on the eighth day of April...... So the town has been very busy these days, and there are a lot more outsiders coming and going to the town. Ah Miao counted the days one by one with his fingers, and at the same time walked towards the square with Lin Xinyin and Liu Qianli.

Lin Xinyin was still thinking that she would have to go to the dock to ask Ling Yueyuan's whereabouts later, and she was in a daze with her hair down, when she suddenly heard a "bang" sound mixed with the noise of many children, coming from the front.

…… What is that? Lin Xinyin raised her head and looked ahead, and saw that on the edge of the square under the stage, there was a group of children surrounding a middle-aged man. The man shouted something with a rich expression, and his hands moved in unison, not knowing what kind of show he was performing.

Ah Miao was overjoyed when he saw the man performing, and exclaimed, "It's still there!" Then he jumped and ran forward.

This shout provoked all the onlookers to turn around. Most of the children were the target of Shi Cai's almost being stoned by Ah Miao, and when they heard Ah Miao running over while screaming, they saw that although she was holding the mulberry leaf tightly in her left hand, she didn't know if there was still a stone hidden in her hand, and immediately ran clean after a burst of exclamation. And the remaining children, seeing that the others were suddenly running fast, thought that they had encountered some unknown horror event, and they were so frightened that they ran away.

The man who was in the middle of the performance was dumbfounded when he saw that all the audience suddenly ran away as if they were fleeing. When he saw Ah Miao running over happily, he couldn't help but stop the movement of his hands with a wry smile: "Ah Miao, why did you scare my guests away?" Bullying people again? ”

“…… How dare I ......" Ah Miao pouted quietly, straightened up his little face and retorted seriously: "Moreover, anyway, you don't take money, isn't it the same for one person to look at it as it is for ten people." ”

"It's the same there, it will affect the mood. Hey, regret shouldn't be ......" The middle-aged man shook his head, and just when he was about to say that he regretted what he had done, he saw Lin Xinyin and Liu Qianli also following curiously, so he immediately put on a smile and changed his words and said: "Okay, there will be two more people, and it's not a lonely ...... after all."

It turned out that the man was performing an iron branch puppet show. The ordinary team has at least four or five people, but he has only one person, so he randomly set up a small platform on the corner of the square, and spread a dirty red cloth bento to make a stage. There was no accompanist or deputy, so he was alone in both manipulators and rappers, holding three iron branches that connected the puppet's body and feet, and after a short pause, he entered the state of rapping.

“…… But where did you just go......? Oh, by the way, it is said that in that ancient time, the demons were in turmoil, and the world was plagued, and the great rivers and mountains were trampled by demons and monsters, and the people were not able to make a living, like hell on earth. The people who could not bear the hardship could only pray for salvation day and night, and finally moved the heavens after 7749 years. So on a moonlit night at the end of the third month, the Holy Spirit from heaven descended on the earth, and she held a sword in her right hand to slay demons and demons. Hold the battle with your left hand and save the people...... Boom! ”

The man raps and wavs the iron branch that manipulates the puppet with both hands, bringing the silent women's puppet to life. Not to mention Ah Miao, who had already watched with relish, simply picked up a stool and sat down to watch without saying a word; Even Lin Xinyin was a little fascinated, although the story made her want to laugh out loud when she heard it: What is it?

And Liu Qianli next to him simply took out the mulberry cake and watched the performance while eating, while nodding from time to time, but I don't know if he appreciates the puppet show in his eyes or the mulberry cake in his mouth.

After a while, Ah Miao, who was sitting on the stool, began to give his opinion: "Uncle Zhang, why is there only one character, isn't there going to be a fight for a while." ”

"It's coming, it's coming, don't worry." Uncle Zhang smiled and flattered the little guest who was difficult to wait, while clenching his right hand into a fist and holding three iron branches between his fingers; After using his left hand to pick out a blue-faced fanged puppet from under the stool, he also had his left hand manipulate it in the same motion.

“…… Okay, what follows is the story of the Holy Spirit destroying the six demons and eliminating the nine demons. Uncle Zhang gave an order, his fists and ten fingers moved together, and the two puppets really fought on the stage, one move and one style were flexible and intense, and the movements were bright and coherent, which was more beautiful and wonderful than the actions he performed by manipulating a puppet with both hands.

Lin Xinyin was stunned by the side, completely forgetting that there was still a quarter of the mulberry cake left in her hand, she looked at the two puppets controlled by one person, one move and one style You go back and forth quite methodically, although she can't understand the mystery of the moves, but there is an illusion, as if she sees two real people playing tricks. This puppeteer's manipulation skills are really amazing, is this ...... ...... the art of fighting left and right?

Liu Qianli also stopped chewing for the time being. He quietly moved his gaze to Uncle Zhang's arms, and saw that the sleeves on it seemed to be being propped up and fluctuating by the green tendons and muscles that were faintly moving, and then turned to observe that although his fists and ten fingers seemed to be light, they shook the surrounding air like a thousand catties of boulders, and he was also secretly surprised. After a while, he nodded slowly before continuing to eat the remaining mulberry cake.

I don't know how long I watched it, Lin Xinyin only vaguely remembered that Uncle Zhang seemed to rap that the Holy Spirit made him beat up the six demons, kicked the nine demons, and trampled on the three ghosts, until even the evil ghost king beat the turtle together, and then heard the closing words.

“…… Therefore, in order to commemorate this Holy Spirit, the people commemorated the day she came to earth, the last day of the end of March, as a heavenly spirit sacrifice, which was commemorated year after year...... This is the origin of the Celestial Spirit Festival. Uncle Zhang smiled and stopped the movement of his hands, and after putting away the puppet, he was ready to close the stall and leave: "After the performance, Ah Miao won't go home yet?" ”

"Huh? That's it...... It's rare that you only came out to perform today, and it's over so soon......" Ah Miao reluctantly stood up, slowly put away the stool, and put away the belongings that had just set up a stall at the entrance of the town again.

"Yes, Ah Miao, weren't you in a hurry to go home just now, it's going to be dark." After Lin Xinyin finished speaking, she said to Uncle Zhang: "The puppet show just now is really exciting." ”

"Thank you, thank you." Uncle Zhang returned the salute with a smile on his face.

"It's so strong." Liu Qianli's praise for Uncle Zhang was different: "I wonder if this senior can tell me his name?" This hand manipulation of the puppet is really good. ”

Uncle Zhang was stunned for a moment, then responded with a smile: "The contemptible surname is Zhang Mingli." This puppet show is just acrobatics to make a living, and it really exalts me to say that it is kung fu. ”

"Huh." Liu Qianli smiled, remembered the name "Zhang Li", and said again: "Then, Xiaosheng Liu Qianli, I have seen my predecessors." ”

Zhang Li smiled and nodded, but did not answer, after putting away the stall, he turned to ask Ah Miao, who was rubbing beside him: "Don't you want to leave?" ”

"Well......" Ah Miao seemed to be a little distressed: "I got into trouble again today and beat people to cry with stones...... Then the adults will come to my house to complain...... Anyway, it's the same if I go back early now as I go back later. ”

"Then you have to go back, do you want to sleep on the street?" Zhang Li put all his things in a rattan box, lifted it and left after covering it, and comforted Ah Miao at the same time: "Let's go, I'll accompany you back." ”

"Good ......" Ah Miao nodded, slowly followed behind Zhang Li, and after a while, he turned around and winked at Lin Xinyin and Liu Qianli: "Then I'll go home!" Goodbye sister and brother, thank you for visiting today! ”

Lin Xinyin also chuckled and waved goodbye to the little girl who was smiling all the way. Now, it's time for her to think about her next move, shouldn't she go to the ferry outside town and ask about the situation? But what's next?

After sighing, she was about to turn away, but suddenly she saw that under the stage, there seemed to be a wooden sign erected, and something seemed to be written on it.

The wooden card had just been blocked by Zhang Li, and she had never found it. Now that Zhang Li is gone, there is no way to hide this brand.

So, Lin Xinyin approached curiously to see what was written on it.

Well, they are all big characters that are dancing like dragons and phoenixes, which are extremely elegant, and it is difficult for direct people to distinguish them, but she still understands a few of the keywords after all.

March 30......

Choose...... Lady ......

Zhao Qiansun Li ...... Four donors......

Premium...... Twenty gold ......!

……

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