In the sound of firecrackers, the east wind sends warmth into Tusu.

At night, in the brightly lit town, a dilapidated thatched hut stands out. There was a thin young man with a yellowish complexion, who was meticulously reading a yellowed book in the faint candlelight. The grass hut was not tight, and every now and then a cold wind would blow in, making the boy shiver. His fingers were already red from the cold, and the boy put them to his mouth and took a few breaths, and continued to flip through the books.

The boy's surname is Ye, and his name is Fan. He is the only son of a long-term worker in Yanming Town. Four years ago, my father was stopped by robbers on his way to the city, and when he saw that there was no money to take, he went into a violent murder attack. 's mother went to the city to report the case and wanted to seek justice for her husband, but on the way back, she was brutally murdered by the same gang of robbers, leaving Ye Fan alone.

The family did not have much property, and Ye Fan, who had no long things, had to be self-reliant early, sometimes going to the big families in the town to help with some chores, sometimes he would go to the coal mine not far from the town to pick up some cinders and sell them to his neighbors, and sometimes he would go up the mountain to chop some firewood and dig some herbs. The economy of the town is prosperous, the citizens are kind and simple, they all pity this child, you help me help, and Ye Fan will grow up slowly.

Ye Fan carefully spread the book he was reading with his hands, put it in one of the few places at home where the cold wind could not blow, got up and walked out.

The town was brightly lit, and the noise of firecrackers was endless, Ye Fan sat quietly on the threshold of his house, looking at the stars in the sky, and remembered what Chef Zheng said in the restaurant, "After a person dies, he will become a star in the sky, watching the spring and autumn in the world, and secretly looking at the people close to him." So Ye Fan is rarely sad and sad, he wants his parents to know that he is living happily.

"Fanzi, what do you want. ”

Ye Fan didn't know when a young man of the same age came to Ye Fan's side, and he was grinning at him silly.

This person's surname is Zhao, his name is Zhao Yongchang, he is Ye Fan's neighbor, he runs two shops at home, his family is well-off, and he does not worry about money. Ye Fan's father did a lot of work for his family before his death. Since the death of his parents, Zhao Yongchang has stuffed things into Ye Fan's house from time to time, sometimes food, sometimes clothes, in his words, "With me, Zhao Yongchang's pants must be half worn by you Ye Fan." ”

Ye Fan slapped him with a smile, "It's okay, I just can't sleep and come here to see the scenery." ”

"Look at the scenery of a fart, it's obvious that I miss my parents for the New Year, what are you embarrassed to say to me?" Zhao Yongchang said as he sat down side by side with Ye Fan, and handed over the bag he was carrying in his left hand by the way, "No, this is a gift from your house, I will celebrate the New Year with you tonight." ”

Ye Fan took the bag and said softly, "Yongchang, thank you." ”

Zhao Yongchang waved his hand with a stinky face, "It's all good buddy, what's polite." ”

Zhao Yongchang picked up the gravel on the ground and fiddled with it, "By the way, tomorrow the old king's family will collect three loads of firewood and open the price of five copper coins, I will help you tell the old king, send it over before the unitary time, Ming'er and I are fine, let's go up the mountain together, just let you see the master's heavenly power!" Zhao Yongchang stood up as he spoke, as if he wanted Ye Fan to know that he was not bragging, his arms were wide open and closed, and he shouted, "Heha." "I actually played a punch at Ye Fan like this.

Ye Fan smiled and nodded, and then a little strange, so he asked again: "Usually, one load of firewood and one copper coin is only five loads and six pieces when the price is high, why did Uncle Wang open such a high price?"

Zhao Yongchang waved his hand with a bitter face, and said: "Hey, the old king is also unlucky, he just married a daughter-in-law, and he contracted the wind cold before he could cover the heat. ”

After Ye Fan listened, his expression was unprecedentedly serious, and he said to Zhao Yongchang with a straight face: "You went to school, you understand better than me the truth that a gentleman does not take advantage of people's danger, Uncle Wang is not rich, and there are still people in the family who are sick, so he should take more care of it, and as expected, the price of these five copper coins is also raised by you." I know that you are for my good, but you are not allowed to do this in the future, Uncle Wang's firewood is still only three copper coins. ”

Zhao Yongchang pursed his lips, disappreciating, and then sat down with a bitter face and poured bitter water on Ye Fan, "I told my father and mother that I don't want to go to school, and my brain hurts when I look at the words on the paper, so my father has to let me go, saying that the Zhao family has never produced a talent in the five generations, and I have to be admitted to the fame." I wondered why the five generations of the old Zhao family pointed at me. In this life, I am also a rough person, and when the time comes, I will learn to do business with my father and open the shop to the capital. Fanzi, you are willing to read, but you really can't go for me?"

Ye Fan scolded him with a smile, "Get out of the way, I really think Mr. Xueshu is blind." ”

"Hey, I'm such a miserable person. ”

Zhao Yongchang got up and walked into the house, "You don't know how to spend money to repair this broken house, the house is colder than outside, if you are short of money, you can tell me, just let me borrow yours, how can this broken house live in people......"

Ye Fan ignored Zhao Yongchang's broken thoughts, raised his head and looked at the north, looking at the thick dark clouds entrenched in the sky, the young man was a little worried, and thought, "I hope the snow won't be too big tomorrow." ”

_________

The next day, Ye Fan approached the charcoal basin to warm his hands, and he didn't sleep all night and didn't feel tired, so he put on his clothes and went out to clear the snow.

In winter, the nights are long, and this time is bright, so Ye Fan took advantage of this light to start clearing snow from the streets. Just after Chinese New Year's Eve, families keep watch until dawn, which is the time of fatigue, so the streets are particularly deserted. That is, Ye Fan's snow sweeping sound combined with the howl of the wind and snow made the alley more lively.

"Crunch~"

A family not far from the street opened the door, and out came a tall man in a long robe, who was Mr. Wen, who was teaching in the school.

Mr. and Mrs. Wen came to Yanming Town a few years ago, just when the town was about to build a school, the county magistrate heard that Mr. Wen was from a high background, so he went in person and respectfully invited Mr. Wen over.

Mr. Wen is gentle and upright, and has done several red and white events for the town in recent years, and has also resolved many disputes between neighbors. It's just a little weird, Mr. Wen never mentions his name, only says that he is a person from Longquan County, Red Leaf Country, Zilaizhou, surnamed Wen, if others ask, they are also laughed at, so from the county magistrate to the villagers, they only call him Mr. Wen.

Mr. Wen, whose temples were a little white, turned his head to look, and Ye Fan hurriedly clasped his fists and saluted.

Mr. Wen returned the salute, looked at Ye Fan and said softly, "Didn't sleep all night?"

"Don't worry, the kid is strong. ”

Mr. Wen turned around and took out a broom from his yard, walked in front of Ye Fan and began to clear the snow, "Have you finished reading that landscape travelogue?"

"Mr. Hui, I've finished reading it. Ye Fan cleared the snow with Mr. Wen and replied respectfully.

"The school is on vacation today, and I'm in a quiet place, so if there's anything obscure, you can ask me. ”

Ye Fan was a little embarrassed, he really wanted to ask Mr. Wen for advice on the questions in the book, but he couldn't help but make an agreement with Zhao Yongchang.

Mr. Wen smiled and said very understandingly, "Something happened today?"

Ye Fan nodded, "I made an appointment with Zhao Yongchang to go up the mountain to chop some firewood and send it to Uncle Wang's house." ”

Mr. Wen also nodded: "People don't have faith, and they don't know what they can do." Books and the knowledge in the mind can't run away, and time is there. ”

Ye Fan thought for a while and said to Mr. Wen: "Sir, there is a story recorded in that travelogue, I don't understand it, and I still have some free time, I want to ask Mr. for advice." ”

"Please. ”

Ye Fan pondered for a moment and said slowly: "The travelogue records: Three hundred years ago, there was a scholar in Qiongdan who fell in love with a woman for several years, and then went to Beijing to take the exam, and there has been no news since then. The woman waited for thirty years, thinking that the scholar had changed her mind and abandoned her, and finally died of depression. After death, he turned into a ghost, occupied the mountain, and when he met a scholar, he asked for his life, and killed more than 100 people. It turned out that the scholar had long since died. More than 30 years ago, a rich son coveted the woman's beauty and asked the scholar to return to his hometown to divorce his wife, and promised him a large sum of money for the entrance examination. When the female ghost learned the truth, she was almost gone, and the Taoist said to her that your sins were too heavy, so she blessed a living in the mountains and forests where the scholar was buried, and saved some yin virtue for the scholar, so that she could be reincarnated as soon as possible. The female ghost did her best to nourish the landscape, making this place a paradise, and then learned that the scholar had been reincarnated as a human, so she smiled and smashed the golden body and integrated into the world. The story is not complicated, but there are a few things that the kid doesn't quite understand. How should we distinguish between merit and demerit and wrong? Why does the love between men and women have such a great impact on people? If a mistake is made, is it okay to do the right thing that is opposite?"

Mr. Wen listened patiently, muttered a little, and said: "There are thousands of books in the world, and there are thousands of truths and knowledge, why do mortals of my generation read more? Mr. Wen pointed to Ye Fan's left chest.

"Some things do not have the slightest guilt, and some things do good people will regret for life, because the ruler is constantly beating his heart, making it difficult for him to sleep, and this ruler will become more and more tenacious as the sages read more and more, and grow with the growth of goodness, if you feel that your ruler is beating you, then you should think carefully about it, if you don't know whether it is right or wrong, read more, ask more questions, or go to people who are already very tenacious with the ruler, ask their opinions. ”

"Then when I encounter something that I don't know right or wrong in the future, I will have to ask my husband for advice. Ye Fan smiled.

Mr. Wen smiled and touched Ye Fan's head, "Let's talk about the next one." No one can do anything wrong if he is not a sage, not to mention that even a sage sometimes makes mistakes. Therefore, we should try to ensure that there is no mistake in doing things on weekdays, and if we make a mistake, we must think about how to remedy it as soon as possible, and if we can't remedy it, we must bear the consequences of making a mistake. It also takes a certain amount of courage to face the consequences, and some people are opportunistic to avoid the consequences, but in fact they have much more to lose than the punishment itself. Some people are willing to bear it, and their hearts are benign, and that female ghost is like this. Right is right, wrong is wrong, there has never been a compromise to reconcile this statement. However, the truth is divided into big and small, right and wrong are in order, although the good is not rewarded if you have to do small things for the big mistake, and you have to do evil things for the great good, you must be punished, this is what a reader should remember. ”

Ye Fan smiled happily: "Mr. Xie solved my doubts, but why didn't Mr. answer the second question?"

Mr. Wen smiled heartily: "When you meet the girl you like, you will know the answer." ”

"Sir, you've already met you, just tell me first. ”

"Don't say it, don't say it. ”

"Sir is really stingy. ”

As one big and one small talked to each other, the streets of Ruyi Lane had been swept clean, the sun was rising from the east, and the wind was sprinkling a layer of silver on the clean ground with snowflakes stolen from all directions.

Ye Fan stood still and looked at Mr. Wen who was slowly walking home, dressed in sunlight and wind and snow, like an immortal.