In the Mid-Autumn Festival, the leaves of the Gongsun tree on the side of the Cuihan Post Road have turned yellow, and under the illumination of the setting sun, the leaves exude sparkling brilliance. The side of the post road is also covered with thatch, the thatch has bloomed, the wind blows, and a piece of white floc dances on the field, desolate and far away.

It was a long sunny day and a late rain, and the people on the post road walked and rolled, accumulating a thick layer of dust. This is the post road of Luoyang East Capital to Chang'an, it should be west to east, the post road of endless flow of people, but there are few cars and horses, walk dozens of miles, the blood-red sunset has been next to the mountains in the west, and look forward and there is no cooking smoke and inn.

The driver was driven by an old man with a gray beard. At the beginning of the unitary time, he was still in front of the store, and he couldn't help but be anxious, and he took the reins in his hand, and the white horse got the order and opened his hooves, and "cries, cries, cries, cries......" ran up on the post road, and a puff of light dust was raised behind the carriage. At this time, the front curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a woman with willow eyebrows and danfeng eyes poked her head out and asked the old man: "Father, why haven't you arrived at Hangu Pass yet?" ”

"Yes, yesterday the shopkeeper said that you could get there in one day, but now it's almost dark, and you haven't seen the customs yet, and there are few people on the way, and you can't even find a place to stay."

"There is no place to stay, so we will go to the roadside to build a fire, roast a few Biluo, warm a pot of wine, eat Biluo, drink warm wine, and listen to you always talk about the scene of being in Chang'an when you were young."

"Ah Yan, you are a girl, why don't you know how to be scared, since Huating has come all the way, I am worried and scared all the way, for fear that there will be something wrong and I will not be able to face your parents."

"Father, I am not a girl, but a married woman. Besides, this Tang Dynasty is a world of Lang Lang, what is so terrible about the father? Don't be afraid, I'm here. After saying that, he laughed "Gegege".

The white-bearded old man also laughed happily, "This time I go to Chang'an, you find Chenglong's son-in-law and settle down, and the father will return to Huating, and he will no longer run." ”

"How can my father abandon me, I'm full of shopping in Chang'an City, and don't take the dragon to go back to Huating with my father. I still like the river and the sea. What's so good about Chang'an? It's dry, and my face is ......."

The woman in the car, Ling Huyan, is a native of Huating, and her father is a well-known businessman in Huating County. Linghu Yan's two brothers and sisters, their parents are old and have daughters, and they have been regarded as the pearls of their palms since they were children. Brother Ling Huwen, who is seven years older than her, is also obedient to her and is very pampered. Ling Hu Yan has been willful, naughty, and fearless since she was a child. When she was seven years old, the Linghu family made a family affair with the three sons of the Xu family, the third child of the Xu family, Xu Chen, who was smart since he was a child, liked boxing and blades, and was five years old. But before the end of the marriage, at the age of seventeen in the martial arts, he left his hometown and entered the barracks, and there was no news for seven years, some said that he was in the Qiuzi border of the four towns of Anxi, and it was also said that he had seen ...... in the army against Nanzhao, every time the news came, the Xu family was worried, the things in the army, white-knuckle fighting, you lived and died, you can not be afraid, the Xu family's parents have already lost their hair. At the same time, it also worries the Linghu family, this virtuous son-in-law fights on the battlefield, if there are three long and two short, the little girl will be ruined for the rest of her life.

Six months ago, it was the spring of Huating and the spring of March, the Xu family finally received a letter from the third child of the Xu family, informing his parents that everything was fine, and now he was serving in the Chang'an Forbidden Army, and the official was the captain of Zhaowu. Father Xu held the letter in his hand, and the old tears were all over the place, and he shouted: "Captain Zhaowu, Zheng Liupin, Glory Ancestor!" ”

Huating County is located in the east of the Tang Dynasty, by the sea, and the southern river enters the sea in Huating County. The rivers in the Huating domain are staggered, the water overflows, and the land is soft, which belongs to the border land in the eyes of the rulers of the Tang Dynasty. Huating County produces salt, there are many salt farmers, salt belongs to the official monopoly, and local businessmen rely on aquatic products and Gebu. The sea bass produced at the mouth of the Huating River is white, tender and delicious, and is exported to nearby Yangzhou, Suzhou and other places. There are also fishermen who go to the sea to fish, the big yellow croaker produced in the sea area near Huating is a treasure among the fish, and it is deeply loved by the dignitaries, and it is put into the ice after being caught, and transported to various prefectures.

Bingjian is good at transporting fresh fish in winter, but in summer it is often only possible to go out for 100 miles, and after the ice melts, it is difficult to preserve fresh fish. The Linghu family has been operating perch and yellow croaker for many years, and there are more than ten people in the family. In the summer yellow croaker spawning season, the yellow croaker is the fattest and the business is the best, not only to invite the fishermen to go out to sea to catch fish, but also to seal the caught fish with ice as soon as possible, and send them to the place where they need it. The Xu family operates Xia Bu, Huating is damp, the wind by the sea has a salty taste, the clothes worn are perishable, Xia cloth is needed by the public, Xu family's Xia cloth in addition to their own weaving, often have to go to Yangzhou and other places to purchase, in order to meet the needs.

Huating is a small place, and now the son of the Xu family is on an errand beside the Son of Heaven in Chang'an, and the official is to the sixth grade, which is a major event in the border area of Huating, and the villagers are running to tell each other. After the Linghu family knew, the old man Linghu hurriedly came to the Xu family to congratulate, and the two discussed that the marriage between Xu Chen and Ah Yan should not be delayed any longer, Ah Yan is nineteen years old, and she has already reached the age of marriage. But Xu Chen has not returned, how is this marriage good. It was still the old man Xu who was reasonable, and he didn't need to mention it to the fox family, so he decided to repair a book, and sent Ah Yan to Chang'an to complete the marriage, so as to avoid those red tape pomp.

When the old man Linghu heard this, he hurriedly hugged his fist to the old man Xu to express his gratitude, although he loved his daughter deeply and couldn't bear to go to another country, compared to a girl who had not yet married in his twenties at home, he would know which one was heavier and which was lighter. The Xu family originally wanted to send Ah Yan to Chang'an by himself, but the old man Linghu said that according to the rules of the ancestors, he should go to see him off by his family.

After returning home, the old man Linghu explained the meaning of discussing with the Xu family to his wife and son, and the lady immediately wiped away her tears and said with tears in her eyes: "Ah Yan has grown up by her side since she was a child, and she has never been to such a far place, how is this good." ”

The son also said: "If you don't wait for Xu Chen to go home, you won't get married." Moreover, Xu Chen did not say anything about the marriage contract with Ah Yan in his family letter, I don't know the specific situation of him in Chang'an, so he took the liberty of sending his sister there, I don't know if it's appropriate? ”

The old man Linghu was even more anxious when he heard it, but he couldn't help the proposition of his wife and son, so he reprimanded loudly: "In the woman's opinion, Ah Yan is already from the Xu Mansion, and the Xu family said that if you send it to Chang'an, you will send it to Chang'an." The female university is not staying. I'm now discussing with you who is going to send Ah Yan. It stands to reason that such a major event should be attended by Bing'er in person. Unfortunately, I am old, and my family's livelihood depends on Zhang Luo. Only one other person can be selected. ”

Ling Hu Wei wanted to ask his father for him to personally send his sister to Chang'an.

Old Madam Linghu stopped choking and stopped him with gestures. The old lady said: "This is a long way, and the only person who can be entrusted by the family is the clan uncle." ”

"Madame and I have thought of a piece. Brother Yong has come to his home to help Zhang Luo's business for more than 30 years since he was disarmed, and he has never made any mistakes in his errands. And he enlisted in the army when he was young and went to Chang'an, so he can keep Yan'er well. ”

"He is the elder of Bing'er and Yan'er, so appropriate." Madame added.

After that, the old man Linghu found Linghu Yong, who was busy with business, and talked about it, Linghu Yong was silent for a while, and then replied: "Such a big event, my brother asked me to go, it is a great trust in me, I have nothing to say."

Ling Huyong was a soldier in his early years, left his hometown for more than ten years, and never told anyone about his affairs in the military camp after returning to Huating, and no one knew what he had done in the military camp and what official positions he had. After he returned to his hometown, he was grateful for his brother's care for his parents, and he has been in Linghu's house, from a man to a master. Somehow, he never married, and had no children and no daughters.

Ah Yan couldn't help but be overjoyed when she learned that she was going to Chang'an, she didn't want to see that husband Xu Chen, she had almost forgotten about Xu Chen. She thinks it's funny, Chang'an, where the emperor of the Tang Dynasty lives, what should it be? It was something she couldn't imagine. In her nineteen-year-old life, she was surrounded by Huating, although she followed the fishermen to the sea to fish despite the dissuasion, and also went to Yangzhou with her brother to send fish with Bingjian, in her opinion, this is all a small insight. She thought that she would soon arrive in Chang'an, which must be graceful, magnificent, and full of flowers...... Thinking about it, I laughed out loud in my dreams.

One day at the end of March, when the south of the Yangtze River was full of greenery and the weather was sultry and hot, Ah Yan and Ling Huyong boarded the ship heading north, and their parents, brother and family saw them off on the dock. And the father bowed to the father, "Leave everything to the brother." The father also gave a big salute, and his expression was solemn, as if he was in the body.

After the boat picked up, it rowed to Yangzhou against the current in the river, and the parents and relatives stood at the pier for a long time.

Ah Yan and Ling Huyong have traveled all the way west, passing through Yangzhou, Bozhou, Kaifeng, and Luoyang, and have been walking for nearly six months. They are getting closer and closer to Chang'an.