In the middle of summer, travelers on the official road to Beijing traveled from south to north and east to west braved the scorching sun to run for their livelihood and future. A single-horse chariot was swept up by the yellow dust raised by the horse's hooves, and galloped from west to east. This section of the official road is next to the side of the mountain, and the trees on both sides are shady, which hides a lot of the heat. The lady in the car couldn't stand the stuffy heat in the car, and opened the curtains to let the oncoming breeze blow into the car. As soon as I feel cool, the sand and soil come with the wind. The coquettish frowned in disgust, and wanted to let go of the curtain. But I didn't want to be stuffy anymore, so after thinking about it, Jiaoke lowered the curtain and after a while. The curtains were rolled up again, but the delicate guest in the car wore a power on his head to cover her beautiful face.

At this time, the gray-clothed coachman who was driving the car held the whip with one hand, bent his fingers and knocked lightly along the side of the car with three 'toot toot' sounds. A female voice came from inside the carriage: "What's the matter?" ”

The coachman replied respectfully: "Sister-in-law Zhang, it's going to be noon soon, why don't you go to the front to find a farmhouse to rest for a while, so that the little lady can rest for a while, and then go with some food?" ”

The car groaned for a while and asked, "Will it delay the trip?" If you miss the night ......"

The coachman hurriedly shook his head, and then he thought that he couldn't see it even if he shook it, and opened his mouth to say, "No, no." I've walked this road so many times that I won't be delayed. In fact, if there are no inns along the way, it is best to find a place to rest for one night before traveling, so that you can enter the city tomorrow. No matter how fast I am today, I can only find a farm to spend the night at night. ”

"In that case, it's up to you, Brother Wang, to arrange it. Try to find a better place to live for the lady......"

"Okay, don't worry." With a shout, the coachman raised his hand and shook a whip, and there was a thud. The mules and horses pulling the cart heard the sound of the whip, and they ran more quickly on all fours.

Turning a dirt slope, the road is full of vast farmland, without green shade, the loess is all over the sky, and the people in the car have to put down the roller shutter again. Not far away, a row of neatly planted willow trees suddenly appeared next to the official road, the coachman looked up, and couldn't help but let out a surprised surprise, and tightened the reins under his hand, and the horse slowed down: "It's really strange, I haven't run for a long time, why did I erect such a big inn?" ”

The person in the car felt that the car was slowing down, so he asked out loud: "What's wrong with Brother Wang?" But where is it? ”

"Ao, Aunt Zhang. There is an inn on the side of the road, and it looks good, so why don't you let the little lady rest here? The coachman parked the car directly in front of the inn and turned around to ask the people in the car for instructions.

The window of the car was opened, revealing a half-delicate face, and when I saw the roadside inn gate, there was a three-zhang high flagpole on each side of the door. On the red background and blue side of the flag, each has two large characters in regular script: "guest" and "wine". If you look closely, there is also a column of black-bottomed palm-sized words engraved on the flagpole, which reads:

Cheap is not cheap cheap

Affordable is not affordable and affordable

Seeing such a straightforward but disorganized signboard, the people in the car couldn't help but smile. But he still asked curiously: "Didn't Brother Zhang say that there was no inn in the past along the way?" This voice is beautiful and delicate, like a yellow oriole singing in the willows, and it makes people feel happy and comfortable when they hear it.

The coachman subconsciously lowered his head and replied, "So that the little lady knows that there was indeed no inn on this section of the road before." Although there is a government station, it is not something that people like me can live in. A courtyard was built here last year, but no one has ever lived there. The little one has been busy at home since May and has never had a sports car, but who knew that such an inn was opened here. ”

"Oh, that's right. Nurse, let's rest here. If it's clean, stay here. Brother Zhang said that he couldn't enter Chang'an City today, and the road could be upset for half a day" The girl said coquettishly, and listened to the nurse's pampered promise: "Okay, okay, just rest here." Originally, you lived well at home, but you didn't have to go to Beijing to see your aunt. Grandma Zhang said angrily, pushed open the door of the carriage and said to the coachman: "Brother Wang, let's rest here." You go and ask if there are any clean rooms, we will stay for one night and leave tomorrow morning. ”

The driver agreed, jumped out of the car and lowered the pedals for the two people in the car to get out of the car. In the car, an old man and a young woman got out of the car together, and the older man took out the baggage he had brought with him from the carriage, and entered the inn with the girl who was curious looking around.

Plaque on the door of the inn: Yunxian Ju three big characters in italics. The inscription is: Miao Zhengzheng in June of the seventh year of Tang Zhenguan.

The girl looked up at the familiar font of Zhengjue, and when she saw the payment, she exclaimed and pulled the arm of the nurse next to her and said, "It turned out to be the plaque of my father's inscription, whose store is this?" ”

The nurse raised her hand and pulled back the girl's arm pointing to the plaque, glared at her, and whispered to the girl for speaking quietly. At this time, the shopkeeper saw the guests coming, and hurriedly trotted over, nodding and beckoning the old and the young to come inside. The coachman greeted him from behind, and Xiao Er looked back: "This big brother is together?" Oh, next to the platform, just drive the car over, there is someone to take care of it. The stables were stocked with fodder, and the wagons were unloaded for the horses to rest. ”

Hearing this little girl's cordial tone and kind attitude, the nurse couldn't help but nod with a good impression and asked, "Little brother, there are still rooms in this store." We would like to stay here for one night before leaving. ”

Xiao Er greeted politely when he heard this, and led the two to the counter to introduce them to the shopkeeper.

It is difficult for the girl to go far away, she is curious, and most of her body is blocked by the black power, and her pretty eyes are looking around, but she is not afraid of being discovered. This inn looks tall from the outside, and it feels wide when you enter it. However, the benefits of the arrangement do not give people the feeling of emptiness. Just talking about the lobby where individual guests eat, it is not a problem to put dozens of tables and couches on this piece of land according to the area. Originally, even if it was next to the official road, the business in this store would not be so prosperous. Therefore, the store is ingenious, using a large number of screens to separate each table, and then arranging the carved vases, which is also very elegant.

The staircase from the main entrance to the counter and to the upper floor is connected by a straight passage, which is separate from the dining area. So the girl stood at the counter and turned to look, but she heard no one. The flowers bloom in all seasons, and the screens of plum orchids and bamboo chrysanthemums are lined up. Except for the two passages connected, it is almost completely isolated. This arrangement surprised and amazed the girl as she had never seen it before.

Of course, this kind of layout is not completely absent, some high-end restaurants will also use this compartment method, but it is really rare to make the lobby individual dining place like this. In fact, this arrangement was Luo Yun's idea, and Luo Yun suppressed the opposition and insisted on doing so. Otherwise, so many screens also cost money, although the craftsmen of this period asked for cheap prices in order to make a living. But it's not good to have this spare money to do something, make these screens as decorations.

The main reason is that Luo Yun was poisoned by the story of the ranger told by Qiu Ge and Pang Ye, and in their story, this kind of roadside hotel and inn is simply a den of thieves in disguise plus a fighting arena. Chasing murderers, ambushes, thefts, vendettas, and all sorts of things can happen. And that kind of simple small shack, often after a fight, the house is half demolished.

Luo Yun felt that it was better to be more cautious out of his own weakness. Especially the real ranger who just sent away Qiu Ge and three knives to eat not long ago. So, in order to avoid unnecessary hassles. simply thought of such a way, so that those who eat can't see the people who enter the store; Those who hit the top can't touch someone. Don't look at each other, see how you still fight.

Looking back, Mrs. Zhang and the shopkeeper said that they wanted to stay in the hotel, but they didn't wait for Mrs. Zhang to tell her a few words about the house to be clean. The rich middle-aged shopkeeper at the counter squinted his eyes, his eyes turned around the old and the young, and he opened his mouth and said: "On the second floor of the west wing of the backyard of the small shop, there is an upper room specially prepared for female guests. The house is clean, and the mattress is changed for each guest. The wing room is away from the stable and absolutely quiet. Three meals a day are served in a small shop, and the sprinklers and sweeps are all supported by servants, but the price is a little ......"

Granny Zhang's eyes lit up when she heard this, she really didn't expect this roadside wild shop to be so thoughtful and meticulously prepared. When asked about the price, although it is a little expensive for ordinary people who are in a hurry, it is nothing to them. Besides, it only stays for one day, but this place is better than the official post station. So he said happily: "We will stay for a day and leave tomorrow morning." By the way, we also have a coachman, please arrange a place to stay. ”

The shopkeeper thought for a while, and the two hands hidden under the counter gently opened a piece of paper, his eyelids shrugged, and his sharp little eyes quickly glanced at the words on the paper, and then asked in a deep voice, "Uh...... This one...... Well...... Oh yes. Was the coachman a servant of the two or a hired servant? ”

When Mrs. Zhang saw the shopkeeper, she thought that he wanted to ask for more money, but she didn't want to ask for such a sentence, so she glanced at the shopkeeper strangely and replied: "It's a long-term worker hired by the family." ”

"Oh, that's right. What's that, huh. The store provides two options for the guest officer, if it is a trustworthy family, the shop can prepare a more ordinary guest room on the first floor of the West Wing. If...... All kinds of guest rooms and bunks in the East Wing have beds. After the fat shopkeeper finished speaking, his hands moved as if he had closed something, and he looked up at the two of them with his chest up, "Oh, the first floor of the West Wing is full of ordinary single rooms, and the price is fair." ”

Granny Zhang and the girl on the side looked at each other from afar, but they didn't expect that the arrangement of this small inn would be so meticulous. It was still the girl who opened her mouth and said: "Brother Zhang still has nothing to believe, it is convenient to live closer." Hearing this, the shopkeeper politely asked for a guide, and then opened a thick booklet to record the information of the hotel. The girl was worried about her feet and wanted to take a look, but unfortunately the bottom of the counter was empty, and the shopkeeper's hand was stretched inside, and she couldn't see anything clearly. Unwilling to snort softly, the girl asked, "Hey, the ...... on the flagpole at your door" Who wrote that? Weird. ”

This was said a little politely, but the shopkeeper was not angry, smiled at the girl kindly, kept under his hands, and said: "It was given by a junior of the owner of the shop, and the meaning was understood, so he stood at the gate." As he spoke, the fat shopkeeper raised his pen and pointed behind him. Aunt Zhang and the girl looked up along the way, and saw a banner on the wall behind the counter that read: Good quality and low price. Four big words. The girl couldn't help but laugh when she saw it, these four words had neither posture nor artistic conception in her opinion, they were soft, and they were too far away from the plaque inscribed by her father at the door.

"Such an ugly word, are you embarrassed to hang it out? Hehe, it's not as good as what this girl wrote. Hey, if you give us free room money, I'll write a subtext for you to hang on. It's better than you hanging this to make others see the joke. Although the nurse on the side pulled the girl's arm and blamed, the girl was obviously spoiled, and she didn't care about what she said, holding her slightly undulating chest, and looking at the shopkeeper with her chin high. It's a pity that Mi Li is covered, and others can't see her proud little hen.

The shopkeeper's smile was still kind, like a kind old man who didn't care about the laughter of the younger generation, waved his hand to the confessed grandmother Zhang to show that it was not strange, and when he opened his mouth to speak, he saw an old Taoist priest covered in dust coming around behind the screen of the canteen. Hurriedly handed the room card in his hand to Mrs. Zhang, and while beckoning Xiao Er to lead the way for the two, she turned her head to the Taoist priest and asked with a smile, "Daoist has eaten?" But do you need a break? Our store has a special tea, the most thirst-quenching heat, do you want to have a pot? ”

The Taoist priest smiled, seeing that the girl was still a little unconvinced and standing there refusing to leave, he couldn't help but look at the banner and said: "Although this word is out of order, it has its own random mood. It can be seen that the author is a carefree and elegant person, deliberately dignified, but does not hide his frivolity. If Poor Dao guessed correctly, this is the handiwork of a young man? The old Taoist priest looked at the shopkeeper with an inquiring gaze, and the girl who was being pulled by the nurse to leave was even more unconvinced after listening to the Taoist priest's evaluation, and dragged the nurse to stay aside.

The fat shopkeeper still had that kind smile, and said happily: "Don't blame the Taoist, how old is the person who wrote this word, and I don't know how old he is." I only heard the boss say that it was written by one of his nephews, and I don't think I'm very old. ”

The Taoist priest listened to the shopkeeper's answer, nodded indispensably, and came to the counter to settle the meal. After settling the account, the Taoist priest did not go out and leave. Standing in front of the counter, he pondered for a moment and asked the shopkeeper: "Dare to ask the shopkeeper, is there a cloud mountain near here?" ”

The fat shopkeeper was stunned when he heard this, glanced at the Taoist priest in surprise, and nodded his round head: "There is indeed a cloud mountain not far from here." ”

The Taoist priest looked at the shopkeeper's expression in his eyes and continued to ask, "Oh, there really is a cloud mountain." Then, there is a Li family village on Yunshan? ”

The fat shopkeeper was even more surprised, he had seen the directions, but he had never met the one who asked Yunshan, so a little-known hill would not be deliberately sought by the literati who traveled the mountains and rivers. As for Lijiazhai, it has become famous in the ears of the locals in the past two years, but for outsiders, it is still a poor mountain village. "Dao Chang is going to Lijiazhai?"

The Taoist priest shook his head and explained: "Passing through here, when I saw this painting, I suddenly remembered a little friend who had a relationship. I remembered that he lived in the nearby mountains, so I asked. ”

"I don't know who the little friend's surname is?" A clear voice came from the stairs, and the Taoist priest turned his head to look, only to see a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy descending the stairs. Passing by Mrs. Zhang and the girl who were walking to the backyard, the young man turned sideways and gave way, waved his hand and asked the two to pass first, and then walked to the counter.

The Taoist priest saw that this young man was dressed plainly, but his facial features were upright, his temperament was extraordinary, and there was a sense of elegance between his eyebrows. didn't wait for an answer, but saw the fat shopkeeper greet him attentively: "Oh, the third young master is resting?" The food is okay, right? ”

The young man smiled gently: "Shopkeeper Wang doesn't have to be nervous, I'm not Brother Yun, and no one has ever been here to write so many mistakes." I'm also from a poor family, and the food is delicious, so I can find fault with it. After dealing with the shopkeeper, Li Chenglin, who was the third oldest in the Li family's generation, looked at the old Taoist priest again. This Taoist priest actually said that he had seen the children of the Li family, which really made him curious.

The Taoist priest smiled faintly, and recalled in his heart what the young man said when he reported his home that day: "The young man I once saw claimed to be from Lijiazhai, Yunshan, Xuwu County, and his name was ...... Li Luoyun. ”

"It can't be!" Li Chenglin subconsciously replied. Then he suddenly came to his senses and asked, "Where did the Dao Chief see my Brother Yun?" ”

The Taoist priest looked at the incredible expression on Li Chenglin's face and said casually: "Poor Dao is ...... Met when collecting medicine in Zhongnan Mountain. ”

"Jungnan Mountain?"

"Well, outside Chang'an City, there will be a mountain in the south."

"This is absolutely impossible, my brother Yun has never left Yunshan." Li Chenglin simply thought that this Taoist priest was blinding.

But the Taoist priest didn't refute, and said in the same tone: "Listening to what the little brother said, I believe that what I see is a person." I'm ...... The year before last, I met that little friend around mid-June. Little brother, don't be busy arguing, the poor road only asks, Brother Ling has a ...... Traveling with you? ”

Li Chenglin stared at the Taoist priest in front of him with wide eyes, Luo Yun raised two tigers for so long, and no one outside remembered it for a long time, not to mention that at that time, it was just a few craftsmen who said casually, Xiao You and Zhenyue were still young, and they were fooled if they were wrong. This Taoist priest must have really seen Luo Yun, otherwise how could he say that he was accompanied by a black blue tiger. But Zhongnan Mountain, Chang'an City, there are two hundred miles away from here, how could Luo Yun run there. Around June of the year before last? By the way, wasn't that the first time Luo Yun disappeared? Luo Yun said that he traveled far away with that ancestor predecessor, could it be that he went to Zhongnan Mountain?

Thinking of this, Li Chenglin waved his hands and asked politely: "May I ask the Changzun number?" ”

"Poor Dao Sun Simiao."

"Ah, it's Daochang Sun." Although Li Chenglin looks like he has admired his name for a long time, he has really never heard of Sun Simiao's name, in fact, this is not surprising. Although Sun Simiao is known as the king of medicine, it seems that everyone should know about it. But given the times, this was simply not possible. What's more, although Sun Simiao practiced medicine everywhere to save people, he never revealed his name, except for the word of mouth of dignitaries, how could ordinary people know. "Since the Dao Leader has arrived here, do you want to go up the mountain to meet my Brother Yun?"

Sun Simiao pondered for a moment, thinking that if he couldn't see the cottage where the person lived with his own eyes, he couldn't let go of his worries in his heart, and it was better to take a look. If it's really just an ordinary teenager with a lot of spirituality, it's okay but it's a thought. It turned out that although Li Luoyun fooled Sun Simiao last time, he took the opportunity to escape. But Sun Simiao was still doubting in his heart whether Li Luoyun was changed by mountain ghosts and goblins, or if he was really an ordinary mortal. So on the way back to Chang'an this time, I remembered this incident, and deliberately took this road to confirm whether the family reported by Li Luoyun was indeed there.

Li Chenglin didn't expect that the kind and gentle Taoist priest in front of him would suspect that his brother Yun was a human or a ghost, and seeing Sun Simiao nodding in agreement, he hurriedly beckoned the shopkeeper to arrange the guest room, and said apologetically: "The Taoist must have been in a hard hurry today, although Yunshan is not far from here, but after all, the mountain road is difficult." And now it's going to be dark when I rush over to the mountains, and my brother Yun usually lives in the mountains at night. It is better for the Taoist chief to rest in the store for one night, and go with the ox cart that comes from the mountain to deliver vegetables early tomorrow morning. ”

As soon as Sun Simiao heard that Li Luoyun was living alone, the suspicion that had just been suppressed in his heart suddenly rose again, and he glanced at Li Chenglin deeply, and saw that his eyebrows and eyes were not different, so he nodded and agreed.