After the morning fast, Xiangzi and Juanzi left Nanshan Temple.

At this time, the sun has been condensed into gold, illuminating the entire valley. Although the winding valley cannot be called a green mountain, the green hill stretches, and it can be regarded as a hanging stone and cypress, and the stream is swaying.

After turning a hard bend, the valley suddenly became wider. On the opposite side of the hill, a beautiful world bends gently and flatly. Clusters of human-height wild roses, blooming yellow or red flowers, grass-like grass, lonely blooming their own colors.

A few unknown birds, fluttering their colorful tails, flew around as if they were kissing.

Juanzi couldn't help it, she dismounted, ran and jumped over the creek, and in the blink of an eye she melted into the picturesque scenery.

Xiangzi saw that Juanzi wanted to break the rose, but was pricked in the hand, so he leaned on the side of the mountain rock and secretly had fun. He knew that as long as Juanzi was playing, he couldn't stop it. It seems that today's scolding by the shopkeeper can't escape.

To put it bluntly, in Xiangzi's opinion, as long as Juanzi is happy, being scolded is nothing. He has been spoiling Juanzi so much since he was a child, and he is used to it. Besides, Shopkeeper Yao also knew in his heart that it was all a moth made by his precious daughter. He scolded Xiangzi just to beat the black bull and surprise the scalper.

Xiangzi saw that Juanzi picked wild flowers and went to flutter butterflies, so he couldn't help but shout: "Let's go, it's not early, and you can't get home when it's dark." ”

When Juanzi heard the shout, she shook her body lazily like a windless air puppet, bent down to pick up a handful of wild flowers on the ground, and walked over with a smile.

Xiangzi saw that Juanzi was sitting firmly on the horse, so he suddenly grabbed the horse's belly and shouted: "The wolf is coming!" And he galloped on his horse. Juanzi's white horse saw that the black horse was running ahead, so he didn't care what Juanzi meant, let go of his four hooves and chased after him.

Shoko ran for more than ten miles in one go, and stopped after crossing a small stream and crossing a mountain road to form a canal. He jumped off his horse and let the horse nibble on the grass on the side of the road.

At this time, the white horse also galloped over in a hurry. As soon as he braked his hooves, he impatiently lowered his head to drink water. Seeing this, Xiangzi hurriedly shouted, "Pull it up!" It can't be made to drink water. ”

When Juanzi heard this, she hurriedly pulled the reins, looked at Xiangzi suspiciously, and asked puzzledly, "Why?" It must be thirsty. ”

Shoko took the reins of the horse and said with a smile, "You know how to ride a horse, you don't know anything." The horse is running hot, drinking cold water will hurt the lungs, wait for a while and then let it drink. ”

Juanzi pursed her lips at him, with a look of disdain on her face, and muttered, "I haven't fed the horses, how do I know." ”

As she spoke, her eyes lit up as if she had suddenly remembered something. With a strange expression, he glanced sideways at Shoko, who was watching the horses graze. He tiptoed to the outside of the black horse, reached out and took out a blue cloth bag from the jacket, and felt something wrapped in red cloth from the bag. Then, put the blue cloth bag back into the blanket. Only then did he hide behind Xiangzi with a weak heart, and suddenly, the thing wrapped in red cloth was put on Xiangzi's waist, and the urn said angrily: "Don't move!" Shoot but don't kill. ”

Xiangzi obediently raised his hands and said pitifully, "The woman spares her life." ”

Juanzi gently pushed him on the back, and said with a "giggle" smile: "Won't you change the word, it's this sentence every time." ”

Xiangzi smiled at her and muttered, "Don't you surrender your gun and don't kill every time?" When did I ever have a gun? ”

Juanzi turned around and made a beautiful grappling move and said, "You won't make a resistance move?" ”

Xiangzi smiled bitterly at her and snorted, "Aren't you afraid of hurting you?" ”

Juanzi didn't say anything more, she slowly untied the red cloth - it turned out that what was wrapped in it was a delicate little pistol. This is a Browning pistol, a birthday gift from Master to her this spring. The master said that this gun was tied to the lives of three of the most important people in his life. Every time I see it, my heart feels as uncomfortable as being pulled by a nail. Therefore, let her keep it on behalf of the master.

Since then, Juanzi has been like a rare treasure, and she never leaves her hand all day long, even when she sleeps at night, she has to put it under her pillow. This time she went up the mountain, Xiangzi didn't let her take it, for fear of causing trouble, but Juanzi was willing. In the end, Xiangzi proposed that it was okay to bring it, but it had to be kept by him, and Juanzi had to agree.

When Xiangzi saw her fiddling with the gun, she muttered unhurriedly, "Don't put the gun indiscriminately, be careful to attract bandits." ”

Juanzi looked disdainful and said, "If there are really bandits, I will shoot them all and knock them all down." ”

As he spoke, he gestured with his gun. He said, "Do you see that stone under the willow tree?" ”

Xiangzi glanced in the direction of her gun, and the stone was more than ten meters away. Before Xiangzi could speak, with a crisp gunshot, the stone, as if it had fallen into an evil spirit, tilted past. Juanzi was happy to tiptoe like a child, shook her thick black braids, and shouted excitedly: "Hit! Hit the mark! One shot hits. ”

Shoko said flatteringly, "Well, it's really accurate." ”

Juanzi smiled smugly at him and said, "You also shoot, right?" ”

Xiangzihan smiled and whispered, "I don't have your skills." Besides, the bullets of that gun are expensive. The sun is in the west, so hurry up. ”

Juanzi didn't say anything, although the fun is not over, but this time is also the most fun in a few years. So, seeing that Xiangzi had finished drinking the horse, he packed up and prepared to go. But just as they turned around and were about to mount their horses, there were four black muzzles of guns behind them, pointed at them.

Juanzi, don't look at her usual hard mouth, but when it comes to the play, she is also at a loss. Her gaze was a little stiff, sweeping between the muzzle of the gun and Shoko, and the hand holding the gun was a little trembling and didn't know where to put it.

Shoko appeared calm, and he quickly glanced at the person who came, and concluded that it was four deserters. With a smile on his face, he clasped his hands into fists and said, "I don't know how many military masters, what do you have to say?" ”

The tall and slender man at the head said in a fierce and unconfident tone: "Don't fucking nonsense, leave all the money, food and horses on your body, and that pistol." ”

Shoko nodded yes and gave Juanzi a wink, motioning for her to hand over the gun. Juanzi hesitated for a moment, took out a pistol tightly wrapped in red cloth, and threw it on the ground with a dejected expression.

Seeing that the four of them were not as nervous as they were at the beginning, Xiangzi smiled and said, "All the belongings are on the horse, so you can take the horse away." ”

The slender man swung his head behind him, and the two soldiers put away the spears in their hands and put them on their shoulders, and shook them with weak steps.

The person who came had just taken the reins from Xiangzi's hand, and as soon as Xiangzi made a mistake, he gave the person a "guillotine". Two stones flew out at the same time, one hitting the tall man's door and the other hitting the back of the short soldier's gun. The two threw their guns, crouched on the ground, and screamed.

When Juanzi saw that Xiangzi had succeeded, she flew up and kicked the soldier who walked in front of her to the ground, and Xiangzi whirlwinded, put away the four spears on the ground and threw them aside, and bent down to pick up the pistol and handed it to Juanzi. Then, in a calm voice, he said, "How can you do this as a soldier?" ”

I saw the tall and slender one, holding the bright bubble the size of an egg on the door of his head, grinning and crying; "It hasn't sounded for almost two years, and it's going to drag us to southern Xinjiang to fight. I really didn't want to give Sheng Shicai any more life, and wanted to escape back to my hometown, but I didn't have entanglements on my body, and they chased after him tightly, so I ...... Hi! We haven't eaten in two days. ”

As he spoke, the four big men, like motherless babies, squatted on the ground and cried. Seeing this, Xiangzi hurriedly took out the only two remaining naan from the blanket and handed over a package of air-dried beef. The four of them devoured the water at their feet.

With some food in their stomachs, they seemed to be much more energetic than before. Shoko chatted casually. He looked at the tall man and said, "What are you going to do in the future?" ”

The tall and thin man looked depressed and shook his head, his eyes shining with despair. He snorted: "What are you going to do!" Wait for death. ”

Xiangzi sighed lightly and said, "I have a way, I don't know if you can take it?" ”

When the four of them heard that there was a road, they hurriedly jumped up from the ground, and asked in unison with some excitement, "What road?" ”

Seeing their eagerness, Xiangzi smiled gently and said, "Go up the mountain road, there is a Nanshan Temple." The presiding monk is very compassionate and benevolent, you can go there and stay for a while. First, to solve the problem of eating, and second, to be quiet there, no officials and soldiers will find you. The monastery has mountainous land, and it also needs people to cultivate, and when the wind of a year and a half is over, if you want to go home, the monastery can still solve the problem for you. ”

The four of them said a little excitedly: "This is a good way, but I don't know if people are willing to accept us?" ”

Xiangzi said in an affirmative tone: "When you go up, just say that Miss Yao asked you to come, and the temple will definitely take it in." ”

Xiangzi said, pointing to Juanzi beside him, and groped out two oceans from his body. Turning his head to Juanzi, he smiled sweetly and said, "Do you still have anything there?" ”

Juanzi reached out and took the money bag from her waist and threw it to Shoko angrily, muttering words that even she couldn't hear clearly. Xiangzi poured out four pieces of ocean from the money bag, handed them to the slender tall man, and said, "We have these left, take the people from the temple first, help you go down the mountain to buy a few changes of clothes, and don't wear this military uniform in the temple." ”

The slender tall man took the money and thanked him for his kindness, and Xiangzi pointed to the guns piled on the ground and said, "Don't bring this thing to the temple." ”

Xiao Gao hurriedly said: "What are you doing with it, just leave it to the benefactor." ”

As he spoke, he removed the cartridge belt and bayonet from his body and placed them on the ground. Xiangzi stepped forward, patted the slender shoulder gently, and said with a concerned expression: "Go, you can rush to the temple before dark, and I will see you again when I have the chance." ”

The four of them turned around and walked away with a thousand thanks. Since then, they have embarked on a plain and free life path.

Xiangzi carried a large bundle of wicker from the bottom of the slope, wiped his sweat with a breath, and reached out to give Juanzi a bark pipe that had been pulled away from the wooden core. Juanzi smiled sweetly at him, peeled off a small piece of the outer skin of the bark tube, and gently put it in her mouth. As a result, in the valley, there were bursts of bark whistles, similar to suona.

Shoko reloaded all four guns, tied them tightly in willow branches, put them behind the saddle, and tied them with ropes to the saddle. He circled around the horse's butt and breathed a sigh of relief when he was sure it was okay. After washing his hands in the stream, he took a few sips of the stream water, and then urged Juanzi to get on the horse.

The sun, which had turned into a dazzling ball of fire, gently pressed against the distant ridge to the west. The golden light dyed the ancient Dihua City with a faint layer of color.

Xiangzi rode on a horse, leisurely singing a tuneless northwest tune, as if she was going to have a cave with her beloved girl tomorrow. Juanzi walked in front of Xiangzi with the reins, and from time to time there were a few sounds, which even suona couldn't imitate.

The sun in the west is completely hidden behind the mountain, and the ancient city shrouded in twilight, only the pagoda on the top of the red mountain, still flashes a faint gold.