At this time in the city, the bell rang.

In ancient times, the time was recorded by the method of dripping with copper kettle, the day was divided into 12 hours to calculate, during the day there will be a watchman, and at night there will be a watchman, if there is a major festival, the government will also make some special means of telling the time, which is for the sake of celebration and solemnity.

However, due to the different technical means, the means of telling the time of the local government are not uniform, some are beating the giant drum, some are hitting the big bell, if the city is too poor to build the bell tower and the drum tower, then use manpower to carry out a special time celebration......

For example, the officials would ride fast horses and shout, and shuttle back and forth through the streets and alleys, in this way, to tell the time to the people.

Why do you have to tell the time?

Because the ancients attached great importance to festivals.

In the city of Youzhou tonight, it is a big bell that rings, this is a big bronze bell weighing seven or eight hundred pounds, the bell body has been covered with green patina, it is said that this bell is the product of the Three Kingdoms era, has been sitting in the north to become the spiritual sustenance of the people, whenever the festival is due, ring it is to celebrate.

This bronze bell is really big, the sound is heavy, and it is the middle of the night, except for the whistling north wind, it can be said that everything is silent, so the melodious bell can be heard all over the city, and even far away outside the city can be heard clearly.

……

"The bell is ringing!"

Someone looked up at the sky, stretched out his hand to catch a snowflake, he raised his palm and put it to his mouth, gently let out a breath of hot air to melt the snowflakes, then turned back to the house, solemnly made a joke, and said, "Brothers, all the new year." ”

There were a few old Taoist priests sitting in the room, and each of them also made a mockery at him, and said again and again: "All good, all good? It's been a good year. ”

After returning the gift? But seeing one of them breathing slowly, he continued, "What is the most annual cultivation day?" New Year's Day for thousands of households. According to the rules of our Taoism? How many traditions are there to do on New Year's Day, such as relief for human suffering? Boil some hot porridge and distribute it out, or send disciples to the people's homes? Exorcise evil spirits and pray for blessings, and send some words of hush and warmth. Especially this year, are we in Youzhou City? The master here is the little uncle of the Daomen in the world, so we need to work harder in order to live up to the great opportunity of the Daomen. ”

He paused for a moment, then said, "Let's do these things?" It's not for Uncle Xiao's father to see? We only do this because we should. As for whether the immortal would be satisfied, Poor Dao thought that his old man was likely to be satisfied. Although the heart of the immortal is extreme, after all, he has the fraternity of the immortals, and he has been hiding from the world for more than 20 years? It is his greatest love for this time. Otherwise, once he is born, it will be a death immediately. ”

The Taoist priests present nodded again and again? Apparently all agree with his statement.

Yuan Tiangang stretched out his hand and stroked his beard, and said with a smile: "Is the poor Dao a lonely person? I have no spare money or time, so I have to go back to Gujia Village soon? Stay by the side of Uncle Shi and serve him? So I won't participate in this poverty alleviation event? Fellow Daoists, don't blame me for being lazy......"

The Taoist priests hurriedly shook their heads, and everyone said solemnly: "This is the biggest thing, who dares to say that you are lazy?" On the day of the New Year, the world is happy, and the poor people's homes still care about a reunion, but the immortals can only lock themselves up alone. Although this is his fraternity, it is the sin of our Taoists, so Brother Yuan Dao, you should get up immediately and go to accompany the ancestor of the Immortal Master to spend the New Festival, don't let his old man be lonely, that will be the biggest sin of our Taoist sect in the world. ”

Yuan Tiangang stood up and said, "Since this is the case, the poor road will go." ”

As he spoke, he raised his feet and went out without dragging his feet in the slightest, but when he was about to step out of the door, he suddenly looked back at the people in the room, sighed and said, "Our little uncle has been very bitter recently......

Everyone in the room was stunned, and then their eyes were thoughtful.

Someone raised his eyes and looked into the night and said, "With the continuous release of Han women, there will be at least hundreds of thousands of people in the future." Almost all those poor women have been humiliated, and it is very difficult to find a good home, this matter should be the most difficult thing for that little uncle Gu. ”

Hundreds of thousands of Han girls have returned, and it is impossible to keep them all the time.

Women need a home, and only with a home can they live again.

However, who in this world dares to say that this matter can be solved? I'm afraid that even the Tang Emperor can't help hundreds of thousands of Han girls find their husbands.

Yuan Tiangang sighed again and said, "There is a Han girl, who is the pain in Uncle Gu's heart......"

He suddenly stopped talking, as if he had reached the point, and suddenly exhaled a long white gas, and walked away in the distance despite the wind and snow.

He wanted to rush back to his home village and stay by the side of that immortal master.

The rest of the Taoist priests glanced at each other, and suddenly shook their heads at the same time and smiled bitterly, saying, "Difficult, difficult, difficult......"

……

"The bell is ringing!"

In another place, someone said the same thing.

But seeing that Zhao Ning sighed softly, and slowly put down a delicate ear pinched in her hand, and everyone next to her looked melancholy, Xiao Rou hurriedly came to her and said cautiously: "Princess, maybe the husband was delayed by the wind and snow." That's why I missed the trip and couldn't get home when the bell rang. ”

Zhao Ning shook his head, noncommittal.

She got up and walked to the door, looking at the snow, just at this moment, there were two figures at the gate, Zhao Ning was first happy, and then a little disappointed, because she saw that the two figures were not Gu Tianya, but her eldest brother Li Jiancheng and her retainer Ma Sanbao.

Li Jiancheng saw his sister-in-law standing at the door of the room from a distance, how could he not guess his sister's mind with his shrewdness? The generous elder smiled helplessly, turned to Ma Sanbao and asked, "What do you say we should say?" ”

Ma Sanbao arched his hands, then turned around and slipped away, saying as he walked: "I'm just a retainer, I'm not qualified to participate." The bell of the city is ringing, and the tribesmen should eat their ears, so I will go to the front courtyard to have a look, and send them New Year's wishes on behalf of the head of the house. ”

Li Jiancheng saw him slipping so neatly, and couldn't help but laugh and scold: "You are a slippery head." ”

In the distance, Ma Sanbao's helpless voice came from behind, and said, "Can I do it if I don't slip away?" If you don't slip away, you'll have to stay and let the princess be angry. Although the princess won't beat me, she will definitely not be able to run away with a cold face. ”

Li Jiancheng laughed.

He saw Ma Sanbao running away in a blink of an eye, so he could only walk to the main house alone, because the wind and snow tonight were too big, his shoulders were full of snow, and a woman suddenly rushed out of the house, it was his wife Zheng Guanyin, Zheng Guanyin hurriedly helped him pat the snow, and said with pity: "I asked you to go out again with a big hat, but you just refused to listen to me, frozen, and quickly went into the house to roast the fire." ”

Li Jiancheng still smiled, waved his hand and said, "It's okay, it's not frozen." You see I didn't even cough a single cough, where did I look like I was a little frozen? ”

Zheng Guanyin was a little relieved, only then did she have the heart to worry about other things, she quietly pursed her mouth, gestured to Zhaoning over there, and said in a low voice: "Everyone has already wrapped up Jiao'er, and has been waiting for you to come back for dinner." ”

This uses the word 'you', which obviously refers to more than just Li Jiancheng.

The implication is self-evident, but to ask why Gu Tianya didn't come back.

Li Jiancheng didn't laugh this time.

He raised his feet and walked up to Zhao Ning, suddenly reached out and stroked Zhao Ning's forehead, and said softly, "Sister, let's go back to the house and talk." ”

Zhao Ning pursed his lips, turned around and walked back as if he was very obedient, suddenly stopped, looked at Li Jiancheng, and said, "Big brother, when will he come back?" ”

Li Jiancheng reluctantly stopped, sighed, and said, "Don't you ask where he went?" ”

Zhao Ning smiled softly, looked at the wind and snow outside again, and said, "I don't blame him, because I know that he is bitter in his heart." That Sanniang sister saved his life back then. If it weren't for that sister's sacrifice, I'm afraid he would have died by the sword of the Turks. ”

Li Jiancheng nodded slowly, and suddenly said solemnly: "He went to see her tonight to accompany her, and there should be no personal affairs involved." ”

This was meant to appease his sister-in-law.

How do you know that Zhao Ning suddenly sighed, and said with distress: "What I'm worried about is that he has no personal relationship with her." ”

This is very tongue-twisting, which makes people feel confused, Li Jiancheng was obviously stunned, obviously he couldn't understand the meaning of his sister for a while.

saw Zhao Ning smile and said, "If he has a personal relationship with her, then things will be easier." I am the wife of the Gu family, and I am qualified to help my husband find a concubine. If there is love between the husband and Sanniang, I will take Sanniang directly to live at home. But big brother, you also know, I secretly went to Sanniang several times......"

Zhao Ning paused at this point, sighed and continued: "Every time I go to ask her, her answer is only crying. If the tone of the question was a little heavier, she would have exuded a look of determination to die. So, I didn't dare to go any further. ”

Li Jiancheng turned his head to look at the wind and snow outside, and said slowly after a long time: "It is worthy of being a woman from Gujia Village, this Gu Sanniang's character is strong. ”

"No, it's not Strong!"

Zhao Ning suddenly spoke, and said sympathetically: "She is not strong at all, but a woman's misery." Big brother, you are not a woman, so you don't understand a woman's heart. The reason why she is like this is because she has the end of the world in her heart. It is precisely because she has the end of the world in her heart that she is more and more afraid of others mentioning this matter......"

Li Jiancheng really didn't understand.

Zheng Guanyin sighed on the side, and said quietly: "A woman's body is dirty, she can still find a husband to marry, but she will never marry the person she likes, because that will destroy the last dream in her heart." ”

This time, Li Jiancheng nodded and said slowly: "Understood!" ”

He raised his hand again, gently stroked his sister's forehead, and said softly: "You can think of so much, it can be seen that you are generous, sister, you have grown up, and the eldest brother suddenly found that you are no longer the little girl who followed me when I was a child." You are worthy of the title of Princess Pingyang, and you are worthy of the love of the common people for you. Looking at the countless women of ancient and modern times, you can really rank in the top three. Gu Tianya can marry you, he is definitely a blessing from ten lifetimes of cultivation. ”

Zhao Ning smiled reluctantly, his eyes were still looking outside, and muttered: "I don't know how he is now, whether he will feel a little better." If Sister Sanniang still treated him coldly, he was afraid that he would be more and more bitter and sad. ”

"Don't think about him, let's eat!"

Li Jiancheng suddenly laughed and said, "The bell has been rung three times, and if you don't eat, you will miss the hour." Hurry up, put your wrapped delicate ears into the pot. Call all the children again, and they will all be kept awake tonight. I'm in charge of telling them stories and teaching them some human beings by the way......"

Next to him, Zheng Guanyin joked and said: "Your storytelling skills are not as good as our brother-in-law." ”

Li Jiancheng laughed again and said, "If you can't compare, you can't compare, and I don't plan to compare with him." Zhaoning, don't stand stupidly, the eldest brother has a spectrum in his heart about this matter, I vaguely think of a solution, you obediently go and cook Jiao'er with everyone, if the eldest brother is happy, I will teach you this method. ”

Zhao Ning was stunned at first, then a little anxious, and subconsciously said: "I have thought of all the ways I can think of, but there are some ways that he himself resists, such as I asked him to use strong, but he jumped like thunder, and that day, he was unprecedentedly angry......"

Li Jiancheng slowly exhaled a breath and said slowly: "I have to say, it is a good way to use force, if this method is used skillfully, at least it can make that Gu Sanniang irresistible, but my sister, your method is too stupid." You only think about solving Gu Sanniang's resistance, but you forget that your own man is also a tough person. If he refuses to do something, ten oxen will not be able to pull it......"

Zhao Ning pursed his lips and said, "That's why I said that I have thought of all the ways I can think of." ”

"No, there's another one you didn't expect."

Li Jiancheng had a thick smile on his face, and suddenly said with great meaning: "Brother-in-law, this person is good at everything, but there is a little weakness that you haven't noticed, he always can't help but want to find a burden for himself, and then put the burden on his shoulders and press himself so that he can't straighten his waist." Big brother, I used to be this kind of person, so I can best find his weakness, compared to the return of Han women now, what should I do with the fate of hundreds of thousands of women? ”

When someone else talks about it, it may just be a sigh or two of regret. But my brother-in-law is different, he has long regarded the fate of the Han girls as a heavy burden on his shoulders. ”

"But almost every poor woman from a miserable background has suffered from the misfortunes of the Turks, and if they want to marry, the first thing they need to solve is the misunderstanding of the world."

"We Han people are good at everything, but it's not good to take women's chastity too seriously. But the biggest problem of the Han women is this, if you want to solve their fate, you must solve it first"