It was the largest city he had ever seen in the South. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Merchants from the north and south with accents from all over the world are in an endless stream, gathering here with all kinds of fruit goods. Stuffed leather goods, Jiangnan silk weaving, and fresh fruits from the south can be seen everywhere. Occasionally, you can see a few overseas businessmen selling exotic spices and beautiful little scimitars, with brown skin and big eyes, wrapped in a long turban, and speaking Chinese with ups and downs, full of fun. Xiao Ming's eyes widened and he looked around. The citizens of the southern city get up early, and the market is already lively at dawn, and men, women, and children all wear clogs on their feet, and step on the stone floor with crisp sounds. The teahouse was already full of guests, and the shopkeeper was very busy. The men gathered in the teahouses of all sizes by the roadside to talk and laugh, and the smell of breakfast wafted to his nose, making him hungry again. Walking along the most lively street, people doing business never take idle, and it is about to be the New Year, and the street is full of shouting early in the morning. Green vegetables with oil, fresh fish and crabs freshly caught from the sea. Southerners love flowers, gorgeous camellias, and elegant and fragrant narcissus will melt a touch of spring in the humid air. Whether it's lively or warm, hunger is unstoppable in the end.

It's so uncomfortable, I have to get something to eat. But...... Xiao Ming looked at himself, his clothes were quite neat, he didn't necessarily have to ask for food, right?

There is a steamed bun shop on the street, and the big meat buns are so tempting. The shop was busy greeting customers, and didn't have time to take care of the newly released buns on the side. Xiao Ming touched the empty pocket, and a not-so-good thought came to him. Although he knew he shouldn't do such a thing, his life mattered. Although a gentleman should have a good name, the ancients even had those who did not eat what came to them, let alone ...... Alas, he can't care so much, and the gentleman should also change with the times, he comforted himself while walking towards the bun shop as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Ming is very thin, wearing a gray-white coarse cloth shirt and pants, and he is not pink and cute, naturally no one pays attention to him, but he himself feels that there are countless pairs of eyes watching him from all directions, and the closer he gets to the bun shop, the more he feels his heartbeat constantly accelerating. To do it or not to do it? He was sweating on his forehead.

Dry!

Just this once! His hands seemed to be out of control, and he didn't remember how he managed to catch a big bun, and he fled two blocks away without looking back, before he gradually regained consciousness.

The buns wrapped in his clothes were fragrant, but he didn't think they tasted, alas, how could the stolen things make people feel at ease? Swallowing the meat bun with sin, the hunger was temporarily dispelled, but life can't be lived like this. Xiao Ming thought about it, in such a big city, maybe he could find a job, support himself first, and then maybe save some money, and then go to Kaifeng Mansion to find Chunxi. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he should do this, so he began to pay attention to the shops on the side of the road, cheeky, speaking in a transposed Hokkien dialect, asking all the way, for most of the day, except for a restaurant that gave him a bowl of rice, he was either bombarded out or ignored at all. Who would want a skinny hairy kid from nowhere.

A little discouraged, he walked aimlessly to the harbor with his head down.

In the past, I had only heard from Mr. Huang that Quanzhou Port, one of the largest ports in the south, was the main route from the Central Plains to the countries of the South Seas. The Quanzhou Port in front of you is indeed worthy of its name. Hundreds of large ships leaned against the harbor, countless seagulls perched on the masts, and the ships that set sail raised their huge white sails and whistled in the wind. The waves crashed on the pier and sent the boat to the sea. The shore was crowded with people, many ships were loading and unloading cargo, and the shouts of the crews could be heard far away. Xiao Ming jumped off the dock and stepped on the soft sand, leaving a series of directionless footprints on the sand, which were quickly erased by the tide. His mind was blank at this time, but after a long time, it became extremely calm. Since I can remember, there have hardly been many peaceful and happy days in my memory, wind, frost, rain and snow, the four seas are home, life is like this! He secretly reminded himself: even if he is a beggar again, he must live well.

He faced the water's edge, took a deep breath, felt much clearer, didn't think much more, and turned to walk towards the city.

By this time, the sky had gradually darkened.

In the evening in the city, although it was soaked in a little chill, it was not very cold, but the slight damp fog made him feel a little depressed. Walking alone in the twilight of the bustling street market, the noise of businessmen is still incessant, and the smell of fragrant rice porridge slowly wafts into the nose. He bit his lip, "There's always a way." The thought suddenly brought his mother's shadow back into his mind......

I remember that it was a dark and rainy night, and it rained so hard that water droplets fell from the cracks in the broken and incomplete tiles of the temple, leaving shallow puddles on the uneven soil and ash ground.

A faint bonfire seemed to last long, but there was still a missing clay pot on the fire, in which a little porridge was not very fragrant. He curled up and snuggled up to his mother. She reached out and touched his head and asked, "Are you tired?" ”

He shook his head, looked up to meet his mother's gentle gaze and said, "Mother, it doesn't matter if you are injured, right?" Mother smiled silently. The sound of rain outside the window was like thousands of sharp arrows falling from the sky, and the cold wind kept blowing on his face.

"Mother, I always feel ......" his voice was full of fear.

"Don't be afraid, aren't you very brave."

He didn't see the gloom that lingered on his mother's brow.

"Do you remember "The Charcoal Seller"?"

"Yes. Selling charcoal, cutting and burning charcoal in the southern mountains, his face is full of dust and smoke, and his temples are pale and his fingers are black. What is the profit from selling charcoal? ......" the mother listened to the child's clear recitation, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"Good boy, come, eat porridge. There are many difficulties, but there are many solutions. ”

Mother was just about to reach out to hold the clay pot on the fire, when suddenly, she pressed him with her hand, listened attentively, pulled him up and leaned on the beam, grabbed his hand tightly, and said, "Ming'er, no matter what you see." Don't make a sound. Million! After saying that, he jumped down.

"Yue Yunxi!" A heavy voice pierced through the curtain of rain, and three figures landed in front of the ruined temple door.

He leaned on the beams of the room, and recognized them as the three men in the day's battle: the most conspicuous beard, armed with a wide sword glittering with golden light, followed by a Taoist priest with a three-foot Qingfeng, and a young man in his twenties, a short-handled silver in his hand. Mother's cold-biting dagger was unsheathed.

"Yue Yunxi, you still don't come to your senses." The sound of the golden knife shook the ear.

"It's been eight years, we have no quarrel with the world, how long are you going to be entangled?"

"You have no quarrel with the world, so what about the few lives you took last month?"

"Who made your men want to do something to my son?" The mother turned her head and glanced at the blue-clothed young man and said, "Little junior brother, since the senior brother is also here, why don't you report it?" ”

"Senior sister really has good ears." I don't know when there was one more person at the door, in his thirties, dressed in white, wearing a black silk scarf, his aura was magnificent, and the sword in his hand was obviously a rare thing.

At this time, I heard a sound of footsteps outside the door, and a group of people broke into the temple gate one after another, and the torches in their hands suddenly illuminated the room as if it were daylight. The mother was surrounded in the center with a fierce eye. Someone shouted, "White Hero." This woman must not be allowed to escape again this time! There was a chorus of echoes. Bai Yi motioned for everyone to be quiet, and said: "My master is unfortunate, and this rebellion has made all of you deeply implicated, and Bai is here to apologize to everyone." My junior brother and I are willing to eliminate harm for the martial arts, please don't interfere. He turned his head to his mother and said, "Senior sister, although the master expelled you from the master's door, I still treat you as my little sister, and I hope you will return the "Essence of the Ten Directions", and I won't mention the previous things. ”

The mother snorted softly in her nose, "I said it a long time ago. We didn't steal the broken book at all. You people, you can't get used to our high qualifications, but you say that you are stealing things, turning your back on the teacher, with that broken book, you are still the same. ”

"Full of nonsense!" Jin Dao said angrily, "The Essence of the Ten Directions was stolen by Qiu Yun, and the evidence is conclusive. He's dead, where will the thing be if it's not in your hands? ”

The mother sneered: "Only you stupid men would do what kind of martial arts cheats Huangliang dream." She turned her head to look at Bai Yi and said: "Senior brother, I know that it is not easy for you to be a righteous gentleman, and if you come here today, you will definitely not be able to destroy people's trust. ”

He lay on the beam of the house, and his heart was cold.

"Senior sister...... white-clothed eyes flashed.

Everyone around shouted one after another: "Yue Yunxi, you are in a catastrophe today!" ”

"No more nonsense!" The mother's short sword was raised, and the tip of the sword turned into seven sword flowers, and her body was like the wind, sweeping forward.

The white-clothed and the young man with the spear attacked her mother in front and back, her light body made them helpless for a while, the sword shadow shuttled like a rainbow, and it was impossible to see whether it was the mother's one-foot green jade, or the three-foot golden sword in white, and the torches reflected the sword light like the waning moon, bursting out countless creepy phantoms. But my mother was wounded......

The rain kept falling, and the sound was more chilling than the sound of metal colliding. He closed his eyes as if nothing existed. Until the sound of metal falling to his heart pierced his heart. It was Mother's sword.

He opened his eyes. I saw my mother leaning against the pillar, and the blood flowing from a dozen long wounds had dyed her purple clothes a terrible red. She smiled faintly, and the trace of nostalgia in her eyes dissipated before it could solidify, standing coldly like a statue. The heart sank. He remained silent.

Bai Yi slowly put the long sword that was still as clear as autumn water back into its sheath and sighed. In addition, the young man in blue had a silent expression and did not say a word. The people around them were silent at this time. Bai Yi turned to everyone and said, "Let's forget this matter today." After a while, someone suddenly said: "The Essence of the Ten Directions can't just sink into the sea!" Doesn't she have a son? Why didn't you see it? Bai Yi immediately interrupted: "Enough is enough." Since she didn't recognize her until she died, I can't wait. Let's disperse. Then he took the lead and took the torches, and set fire to the curtains in the temple. When the rest of the people saw him like this, they said no more, but threw their torches after him to the futons, the walls, and the wooden pillars. Black smoke rose everywhere, and before the white clothes went out, he glanced back at the beam and whispered, "Let's go." ”

People disappeared into the rain as suddenly as they came.

He climbed out of the roof through the cracks in the broken tiles. The rain soaked him in an instant, and he covered his face with his hands, but he couldn't cry.

Mother said he was brave.

yes, I'm supposed to be brave. Xiao Ming said softly to himself in his heart. The night is completely dark, and the lights of the city are pleasant. The smell of roast chicken wafted from afar.

Alas, it's been a long time since I've eaten chicken. As soon as he thought of this, suddenly, a wave of footsteps rushed from behind him. Before Xiao Ming could react to what was going on, a fiery roast chicken that was still dripping with oil fell into his arms. He opened his mouth wide and looked up to see a child not much older than himself running down the street without looking back.

Xiao Ming was stunned for a moment, and suddenly understood, "It's not good! "But it's too late. He felt a tug at his back collar and dragged him over.

"Little bunny! How dare you steal chickens! ”

Xiao Ming turned his head to glance, and the one dragging him was a short and fat middle-aged man with a mustache, and those oily hands made people so uncomfortable. He must be the stall owner of the roast chicken restaurant, and he chased him out wearing an apron before he even had time to wash his hands.

"I didn't steal it!" Xiao Ming tried hard to break free, but his strength was too small.

"Boy, I still want to steal something!"

"It's not me!"

"Everyone's judged!" Many pedestrians have stopped.

"You let go of me!"

When the two were entangled, they heard someone shouting on the side of the road: "Shopkeeper Cai, what's the matter?" ”

Xiao Ming turned his head to see that there were two errand officials in the yamen walking out of the crowd, one fat and one thin.

"Oh, it's the king who catches the head and Ding catches the head, you two. It just so happened that this kid stole the roast chicken I just made and was caught by me, and he still wanted to cheat! ”

Two errand officers staggered over. The thin man narrowed one eye and glanced at Xiao Ming, tilted his head to the other and said, "Hey, brother, I've seen this kid." ”

"Really?" His companion pulled Xiao Ming's arm and looked closer to Xiao Ming's face. Xiao Ming only felt a choking smell of alcohol coming to his nose, and his arm was scratched painfully. After watching it for a long time, he turned his head back to the thin officer and said, "Hey? It seems to be from Lao Zhang's side. "That's right. Yesterday, Zhang Wanfa invited me to drink, and said, what are you talking about? Oh, and a couple of brats ran away. ”

"That's right! That's him. "The fat man's voice is so ugly.

"Let's go and go to Lao Zhang's house." The thin officer turned around and was about to leave.

"Slow down!" The fat officer pulled Xiao Ming up, "Wait, wait for me." ”

"It's easy for the two heads to catch." The shopkeeper shouted from behind.

"Lao Cai," the thin man turned around and said, "I'm not free today, I'll come to your place to eat chicken another day!" ”

Xiao Ming was pulled by the fat man, and he couldn't run now. I only heard two drunks talking there without a preface.

"Zhang Wan's intentions are good."

"Yes, you can save by raising those boys, and you don't need to pay for them."

"Lao Zhang is really smart."

"But it's a good deed."

"I heard that those boys had a great fight not long ago."

"Hey, whatever, you can't beat people anyway, children are playing."

Xiao Ming was puzzled to hear it.

"Brother," the thin man suddenly diverted the topic, "I heard that Chen Dutou is going to marry a wife?" ”

"Really? Who's from? ”

"It seems to be from the East Gate Tea Shop."

"People are blessed, marry a beautiful daughter-in-law, how can they be like our brothers, only drinking soju and being greedy."

"Don't mention the wine, my wine worm is here again, go quickly, go to Lao Zhang's place and have a few more drinks."

Unconsciously, Xiao Ming has been taken by the two of them outside the downtown area, and he will go to the river beach again. Where is this going? The three of them made a few turns around the city wall and came to the door of a large house with a lush backyard. The thin man knocked on the door, and kept shouting: "Lao Li-, Lao Li-, we sent someone to you-"

After a while, someone came. Half of his face was revealed in the crack of the door, and when he saw that it was a fat and thin official, he opened the door and said, "How are the two head catchers today?" I'm thinking about you. ”

"Steward Lee," said the fat man, "we have sent you back the lost boy." ”

"Oh?" The man looked at Xiao Ming, turned his face and said with a smile, "Please come in, I have good wine here." So he turned and went into the hall. Xiao Ming was dragged into the door by the two officials, there was no light in the courtyard, and before he could watch it in the front yard for a week, Steward Li came out and said to the officer: "The two of you sit down first, I have already asked someone to prepare the food and drinks." ”

"This kid ......"

"Leave it to me."

Steward Li stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Ming's shoulders, waited for the fat man and the thin man to enter the house, and asked, "Whose family are you?" Xiao Ming looked at the man, five short figures, high cheekbones made a pair of eyes that were already small appear even more sunken in the face, plus a pair of big yellow teeth, it was very ugly. "I, I don't have a home." ”

"Oh," the man asked, with a roll of his eyes, "do you want to get a job?" ”

Xiao Ming nodded somehow, although the man looked too uncomfortable, but after looking for a day's work, it was the first time someone took the initiative to ask him.

"Okay, follow me." Steward Li dragged him into a corridor next to the house. The corridor was thin, but long, and flanked on either side by earthen walls more than a foot high, and many branches of trees protruded from outside the walls in a mess, and the stones on the ground were very obstructive. Anyway, that's it for now, let's do it first, Xiao Ming thought to himself. After walking for a long time, they were about to go out the back door, and the two stopped in front of a single courtyard, the door was not locked, and there was nothing inside, a large wooden house, and a large water tank outside the door.

Steward Li knocked on the door a few times, and after a while, the door opened, and it was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy with sleepy eyes. "The new kid." The steward handed Xiao Ming to the young man, and then turned and left. Xiao Ming looked at the strange boy and didn't know what to do.

"Hey, how did you get here?" The boy was a local.

"I'm sending it to someone."

"What's your name?"

"Xiao Ming."

"My name is Ah Shen." The boy led him through the door, and it turned out that there were many boys here, all of them in their teens, and they all sat up when they saw a newcomer. Ah Shen introduced: "His name is Xiao Ming, this is Ah Ren, Xiao Lu, Xiao Yan, Ah Song, Ah Liang, ......" The black light was blind, and the boys' faces were almost the same, but Ah Liang was noticed by Xiao Ming, thin and small, probably about the same age as himself.

"What is this place?"

"Don't you know?"

Xiao Ming shook his head.

"This is the nursing home of Quanzhou Mansion, and now it belongs to Zhang Wanfa, a large salt miner."

Xiao Ming of the Nursing Home has heard of it. It should be a place run by the government, a place for the elderly and orphans. I used to just hear about it, but I didn't know if there was such a thing. Just now, Steward Li asked him if he wanted to find a job to do, could it be to go to salt mining? So Xiao Ming asked, "Then are you all working in the salt factory?" ”

"Yes, although I don't have any wages for the time being, it's good to have housing and food. When we grow up in a few years, we will have a salary, and we can go out and rent a house by ourselves, like ......"

"It's been raptured, Ah Liang, they are simply turf." Ah Shen pointed to the blood clot on his arm and said, "Just for a few salted fish." He turned his head and said to Xiao Ming: "You have to be careful, don't mess with some unemployed teenagers nearby." ”

"Let's get some rest, we have to go to work early tomorrow morning."

Soon after, the boys fell asleep again. Xiao Ming couldn't close his eyes for a while, and he didn't know what kind of place this salt field was. He turned his eyes to look at Ah Liang, who was lying not far away, he was capable, that should be okay. So he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

That night, he dreamed that he was floating above the gently undulating waves of water, and the sky was blue and boundless.