Before dawn, Li Deng had already gotten up, and the young man always felt that this night was a bit long, because he had not slept all night because of talking to his deceased parents the night before, and the whole person's mental state was not good, and he was even affected by this, and saw some strange hallucinations. But last night's sleep was really comfortable, and when the young man, who hadn't slept for a long time and woke up naturally, opened his eyes, the sky was still dark.

While the time was still early, the boy prepared breakfast in the dark, so that he could save a few copper coins to buy breakfast and earn!

After Li Deng had breakfast, a light appeared in the east, and this light was not the white of the fish belly that often appears in autumn, but an extremely bright golden light, like a golden dragon poking its head out of the sea of clouds.

The young man looked at Dongfang and muttered with a smile: "I guess you also had a good night's sleep, and your eyes are full of golden light when you open your eyes." ”

Then the boy did not waste time, and trotted along the bluestone slab that had been dried by the autumn wind.

The side street is still the same side street, and the morning is as cold as ever, except for the steaming breakfast shop.

The golden light sprinkled on the side streets, shining on the steaming heat, like a misty cloud of gold dust flying up from the bamboo cage, the town seemed to be a little warmer than before.

The autumn morning is very warm, it is not common in the town, Li Deng is in a good mood, the boy did not stop more, and ran along the lonely streets.

After a while, the boy came to the shop, the door of the shop was already open, the boy walked into the shop with some fear, it was cold, and the old shopkeeper was already waiting for him behind the counter.

The old shopkeeper has been sitting behind the counter for two consecutive mornings, is there something dissatisfied with himself?

The young man was a little weak-hearted, and tiptoed into the shop, the old shopkeeper seemed to be dozing off, probably waking up too early, and still immersed in the residual dream.

He walked cautiously through the shop, like a little thief who was not very familiar with the traitor department, he didn't dare and didn't want to disturb the old shopkeeper's dream, if the old cabinet woke up at this time, he might have been a little dissatisfied with himself, and disturbed his old man's dream, and a scolding was inevitable.

But I haven't been lazy during this time. Phew, have you ever been lazy?

Silently comforting himself, he has come to the small wooden door connecting the storefront and the backyard, the young man plans not to come out of here after stepping into the yard, and it is estimated that he will have to go through the back door today.

Just as the young man was about to settle down, the old shopkeeper's eyelids moved, and the young man, who had been observing the movements of the old shopkeeper, shrank his head and hung his feet in the air.

The old shopkeeper didn't move again.

Li Deng gently put down his raised foot, and as soon as his foot hit the ground, his hanging heart also let go.

Just when the young man's figure was about to disappear into the shop, the old shopkeeper's lips moved, "Lamp." ”

Li Deng's heartstrings tightened, and he immediately flashed out of the wooden door, and said helplessly: "Grandpa, I'm really not lazy, it has rained two autumn rains in a row, and the paper money stained with rain is difficult to clean up, plus it was dark a little early yesterday, so I didn't finish cleaning up." ”

The old shopkeeper quietly opened his old eyes and looked at Li Deng, the young man was shocked, it is estimated that it will be difficult to be good today.

The old shopkeeper said in an old voice: "I have indeed not been lazy these days. ”

Li Deng cried with a sad face, "I wasn't lazy before." ”

The old shopkeeper shook his face and scolded: "I wasn't lazy before? I went to ask for money to bask in the sun and read a book? I went to the street corner to listen to the old man's book? I sat in the wooden workshop with a bamboo basket on my back and said to the man, 'You will learn a craft here later'?"

Li Deng suddenly wilted, speechless.

It seems that this is the case.

Alas, it is estimated that the old shopkeeper was delayed to deposit money in the underground bank, which is why there will be such a big fire today.

Li Deng was powerless to refute, so he could only hang his head and be trained.

The old shopkeeper reprimanded again: "At a young age, how can you be so lazy? When will the golden thread chrysanthemum in the yard be cut? When will the oil lamp in the shop be wiped?"

I really want to cry without tears, the golden thread chrysanthemum is in full bloom, and I only wiped the oil lamp when I went home yesterday.

The old shopkeeper looked at the aggrieved young man, his heart suddenly softened, and he said earnestly: "I know you are not bad, but you can do better." ”

The young man nodded obediently and said with a smile: "Grandpa, I know! I'll go and pack up the paper money now!"

After finishing speaking, Li Deng ran away.

The old shopkeeper stopped Li Deng again, "Don't be lazy today!"

Li Deng's body flashed back and said, "Okay." ”

The old shopkeeper took out two pieces of broken silver from his sleeve and threw them on the counter, "After packing up the paper money, go buy some incense and come back." ”

Li Deng took the broken silver into his arms and asked, "Buy them all?"

The old shopkeeper said angrily: "Could it be that you still want to deduct some tips?"

Li Deng hurriedly shook his head, "Don't dare, don't dare." ”

This old shopkeeper is very picky, so his eyes are also very shrewd, and he can see it at a glance if he is harsh or not, and Li Deng doesn't mean this, but he wonders why the old shopkeeper wants to buy so much incense?

Li Deng accepted the money, went to the backyard to pick up the bamboo basket and picked up the bamboo pole, and when he walked past the shop, Li Deng said: "Grandpa, I will be able to clean it up soon today." ”

The old man nodded, still tirelessly admonishing, "Don't be lazy!"

Li Deng replied, "Okay." ”

The old man's tense face only eased when the young man's figure disappeared, "Finally grown up." ”

The old shopkeeper suddenly had some tears in his eyes, and said to himself: "After walking out of this town, will anyone be willing to scold you when you make a mistake, and remind you not to be lazy when you are lazy." ”

On the corner of the street, a storyteller sitting at a desk looked at the young man's galloping figure, and said melancholy after a long time: "Yes." ”

......

Li Deng quickly finished packing up the yellow paper money, bought a basket of incense on the street, and returned to the lamp shop.

The old shopkeeper was still sitting behind the counter, and when he saw Li Deng come in, he opened his eyes and said, "Come with me to the outside of town." ”

Li Deng put down the bamboo pole and the basket on his back, and asked curiously, "Why are you going out of town?"

The old shopkeeper had already gotten up and walked out from behind the counter, "Worship the ancestors." ”

Li Deng had a headache, this was just the end of the ancestor worship, and the old shopkeeper was going to worship the ancestors again, what kind of trouble is this.

The old shopkeeper had already left, and Li Deng didn't dare to slack off, so he picked up the heavy bamboo basket, locked the door, and followed the old shopkeeper out of town.

The two of them walked on the grassy path, and the dew was still very heavy at this time, and the boy's trousers were already wet with dew. The two were silent along the way, at first Li Deng also tried to find a topic to talk to the old shopkeeper, so as not to be so dull along the way, but Li Deng found that the old shopkeeper seemed to have a touch of sadness on his face, so he gave up.

That's right, in the matter of ancestor worship, the older the elderly, the more important they are.

At first, Li Deng would look around, but as he got closer and closer to the mound, Li Deng didn't dare to look around anymore, the mass grave was dozens of miles away from the town, and no one usually came, and the silence was scary, and the boy listened to the sound of his trousers rubbing against the weeds, and his heart was terrified.

He didn't expect the old shopkeeper to come to this mass grave to worship his ancestors, if he knew, even if the old shopkeeper said that he would deduct his wages, he wouldn't want to come.

It's scary.

The sound of trouser tubes rubbing against the weeds, the rustling of the weeds in the autumn wind, and the fluttering of the wings of several wild birds from time to time.

A little panicked.

The biggest problem is that the boy doesn't dare to look back at this time, he always feels that something is following him like a shadow, but he doesn't dare to look back.

Li Deng calculated in his heart, I heard that the yang energy is the most strong at noon, and the execution and beheading in the novel are all selected during this time, and those who commit misdemeanors will be executed at noon, so that they have ghosts to do, and those who commit heinous crimes will be executed at three o'clock in the afternoon, so that even ghosts can't do it.

Li Deng roughly calculated and had to speed up his pace. Otherwise, I won't be able to reach the mass grave at three o'clock in the morning.

The old shopkeeper looked at Li Deng, who was walking fast, and smiled secretly, here, how can there be any concept of time.

It's not up to him to have the final say.

However, the old shopkeeper did not embarrass the boy, and his footsteps kept up with the rhythm of the boy.

In the sky, the scorching sun seemed to deflect a little slower.

The two finally walked to the mass grave, Li Deng looked up at the sky, the scorching sun was high, and then Li Deng squinted again, and gestured with his fingers, well, it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon.

Don't panic!

Then he glanced at the mass grave, his heartstrings were still not tight, and he was very panicked.

At this time, Li Deng didn't dare to talk nonsense, the book said that the yang energy of one mouth would leak.

The old shopkeeper looked solemn, "Lamp, take out the incense and burn a fire with the paper money in the basket." ”

Li Deng nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking rice.

The young man was quick with his hands and feet, and he lit the paper money with flint, and the flame burned, when a gust of wind blew from nowhere, and the flames rose sharply, and the soot flew.

The gust of wind almost scared Li Deng to death.

This trip to the mass grave is similar to walking through the ghost gate.

The old shopkeeper also instructed Li Deng to light the incense.

Li Deng still nodded vigorously, tore open the yellow paper strips used to bind the incense one by one, and casually threw the broken yellow paper strips into the fire, and then lit the incense.

Li Deng handed the incense to the old shopkeeper, who glanced at him and said, "You go and worship." ”

Li Deng almost couldn't help but open his mouth to say something "It's not me to worship my ancestors", he shook his head vigorously and motioned to the old shopkeeper to go by himself.

The old shopkeeper smiled, "Either you speak, or you go to offer incense." ”

Li Deng glared at the old shopkeeper, was defeated, and gathered the incense in his hands into one hand.

The young man held incense in one hand and pulled the corner of the old shopkeeper's clothes to the grave with the other.

When he arrived at the grave, Li Deng dared to let go of the corner of the old shopkeeper's clothes, and signaled with his eyes that he was not allowed to leave.

After the old shopkeeper nodded, Li Deng took out three sticks of incense and inserted them in front of the tomb.

After inserting the incense, Li Deng pulled the corner of the old shopkeeper's clothes again, signaling that the old shopkeeper could leave and change the grave.

The old shopkeeper said solemnly: "Bow." ”

Li Deng turned around and bowed helplessly.

"Three. ”

The boy turned around and made up for two more.

In this way, the two of them worshiped one grave after another, and it was about an hour, but the scorching sun in the sky still stayed at about three o'clock in the afternoon.

After worshipping the last grave, Li Deng finally breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at the sun, fortunately, it was still three o'clock in the afternoon, and it was really like a year just now.

Then Li Deng turned his head to look at the old shopkeeper, kept squeezing his eyebrows, and signaled that the old shopkeeper could go back.

This is the old shopkeeper's face became cold again, faintly sad and sad, and after a while, he said: "There is another one." ”

Li Deng turned his head and looked around, his eyes signaled, there was no omission.

Then he glared at the old shopkeeper again, don't be a moth, I'm panicking now!

The old shopkeeper ignored him, and moved sideways, to the clearing near the last tomb.

The old shopkeeper pointed to the open space and said to Li Deng, "There is another one here." ”

Li Deng didn't care what the old shopkeeper wanted to do, he took out three sticks of incense, inserted them on the ground, and then was about to bow, when the old shopkeeper suddenly said: "Kneel down and kowtow!"

The old shopkeeper's voice was a little serious, Li Deng didn't bargain, knelt on the ground, and knocked his head three times.

After worshipping all the tombs, the two left the mass grave.

After some distance from the mass grave, the old shopkeeper estimated that Li Deng dared to speak, and he said: "Deng'er, I hope you can be respectful next time you come to worship, and you may not be so afraid at that time..."

Li Deng turned his head and nodded vigorously at the old shopkeeper.