In the sky, sparse cold stars emerge from the clouds from time to time, peeking into this land of Hercynian that has been silted up by sediment and reclaimed by generations of immigrants.

On the bluestone street of Hekou Street, a horse lantern is moving from east to west.

In the flickering lights, two black figures in tall geta walked on the side of the street. Because of the snow and ice on the road and the sound of gusts of wind, the sound of tall clogs stepping on the bluestone slabs was much weaker than usual.

Walking in front with a lantern was a young man, Zhong Zhaogui. At the age of eleven, he was only wearing a thin padded jacket, his teeth were shivering from the cold, and his whole body was shivering.

Walking behind with a crutch was Li Dalong. He hurriedly had dinner, saying that he was going to his eldest brother's house to ask how his firecrackers were selling in the city.

"Why are you walking so fast?" Li Dalong shouted from time to time as he walked, "Hurry up and go to reincarnation!

"Yes, yes! I—I'm going slower, slower. Zhong Zhaogui agreed tremblingly.

On the surface, Zhong Zhaogui nodded respectfully to Li Dalong, but in his heart he scolded fiercely: "Old Wangba! Old donkey! You are wearing a cotton robe, of course you are not afraid of the cold, and you won't let me go faster, warm and warm!"

Li Dalong chattered all the way, and after a bag of cigarettes, he came to a courtyard at the west end of the street.

Hearing that the barking of the dog inside was getting smaller and smaller, Li Dalong was very happy in his heart and sighed: "What a good dog understands human nature!"

"Yes, yes!" Zhong Zhaogui echoed verbally, but he was very angry in his heart, "He is saying that I am not even as good as a dog." He usually keeps saying in front of people that using me as his own mustache is all deceitful nonsense!"

This house is the ordinary style of the rich man's home in Yunan Town, which was bought by Li Zhangnan for Li Feihu twelve years ago.

Under the bright or dark moonlight, the courtyard wall is mottled, and a few withered yellow weeds sway in the wind, but the original grandeur of the courtyard can still be seen from the tall gatehouse.

The couplet written by Li Dalong during the Chinese New Year the year before last had become white because of the wind and sun, and the handwriting was no longer legible.

However, he still remembered that it was Li Zhangtong's poem when he was twenty-four years old when he was on the emperor's list - who wrote history for 10,000 years, and wanted to be a marquis 3,000 miles away.

When Zhong Zhaogui saw Li Dalong standing in front of the courtyard gate, he stepped forward quickly, stood on tiptoe slightly, held his head high, raised his hand and grabbed the door knocker, knocked "bang", and shouted in his mouth: "Open the door quickly, open the door quickly! The second master is looking for the eldest master to have something to do!"

After a while, the courtyard door slowly opened half of the door with a "squeak", Zhong Zhaogui raised the lantern and shone it, and saw the person who came, it turned out to be the old maid of Li Feihu's family, Mama Fan.

A big black dog came out and wagged its tail around Zhong Zhaogui, as if ignoring the master beside him.

"Brother Mu is at home, right?" Li Dalong hurriedly said, "I'll discuss the business of Kaichun with him." ”

The fusion of dialects from various places in Haixi has formed a unique Haixi dialect: in order to show cordiality, people often add the word "mu" in front of various titles, but it is pronounced into a phonetic character, that is, only a nasal sound.

Haixi people call their father Dada, grandfather Daddy, maternal grandfather Uncle, Uncle and Uncle Grandpa, and children Xiaohu.

"Yo, it's the second master!" Although Mama Fan already knew Li Dalong's intentions, she still seemed a little impatient.

She glanced at Li Dalong, and then said with a straight face: "The eldest master went to the town to run errands, and he hasn't come back yet! Look at this ......."

Without waiting for Mama Fan to finish speaking, Li Dalong pretended to be disappointed and said: "It's cold and snowy, why isn't Brother Mu at home?"

"It was said that it was a debt collection. Fan Mazi said, "Is the second master coming back another day?"

"What a coincidence!" Li Dalong smiled bitterly, and at the same time quietly pressed his finger against Zhong Zhaogui.

Zhong Zhaogui reacted immediately, and said according to what Li Dalong had taught him beforehand: "The old lady said that the matter is important and cannot be delayed. In my opinion, the eldest master is not at home, and it is the same thing for the second master to discuss with the eldest grandmother. Second master, let's go in!"

"Okay. Li Dalong walked into the courtyard and seemed to say to himself, "This ghost weather is so cold, we won't go back tonight!"

"Old Mama Fan," Zhong Zhaogui said, "I still live with the three young masters." Please clean up the bed in the west wing, and after the second master and the eldest grandmother talk about things, they will live in the west wing. ”

"Yes!" Fan Mazi agreed with low eyebrows on the surface, but she was not happy in her heart.

And this damn little crooked mouth, and Tian Tian shamelessly said that he was ugly and kind, and asked me to tell him about his daughter-in-law. I think this little mustache is ugly and ugly, he deserves his crooked mouth and can't find his daughter-in-law!"

Fan Mazi scolded secretly in her heart, and then spit on the ground with a "phew".