During the conversation, Wang Yuan knew the identity of the old man, the old man's surname was Tan, the young man was the old man's son named Tan Ping, the girl's name was Tan Nier, and the nickname was Shan Nier. The family of four lives in a valley not far to the south, and lives by cultivating some grain and hunting mountain goods and wild animals. To put it simply, it is a local mountain family living a life without fighting.

Last night, they found the traces of wild boars, so the three of them got up early in the morning to trace the footprints all the way, from the mountain to the outside of the mountain and then into the woods, and finally found the two wild boars, but they almost had an accident.

It was almost noon, and the young man Tan Ping quickly lit a fire next to him, cut the meat on the hind leg of the wild boar, and let the girl barbecue on the fire. He himself took the blade and began to open the intestines of the wild boar, separating the skin, pork, bones, and internal organs, and wrapping them separately in the same way as the sacks he had brought.

Wild boar meat squeaks and bubbles with oil, giving off a tangy aroma. The girl took out a pottery bowl, shook some salt from the cloth bag on her waist and put it in the bowl, then dipped the roasted pork in salt, thought about it and handed it to Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan hurriedly thanked him, took it and sniffed it: "It's so fragrant!" Then he took a big bite on the edge of his mouth, hot and bubbling, and praised it as he chewed. The girl laughed happily, revealing two rows of teeth, and Wang Yuan realized that although the girl had some dirt on her face and dark skin, she was a very beautiful girl, and she had some wild charm.

Gongsun Lan snorted, Wang Yuan hurriedly withdrew his gaze, handed the meat in his hand to Gongsun Lan, Gongsun Lan took a bite, chewed gently, and nodded with satisfaction. Seeing that Wang Yuan was like this to Gongsun Lan, the girl seemed to be a little unhappy on her face, but it was not too obvious.

The old man laughed, cut the roasted wild boar meat into small pieces with a knife, sprinkled it with salt, divided it into two portions and placed them in front of Wang Yuan and Gongsun Lan.

"Looking at the dress of the two benefactors, it doesn't look like we ordinary people, the old man asks a lot, how did you come here? It's a mountain where very few people come in. Besides, the heavy snow was so thick a few days ago, how did you two get here? ”

Wang Yuan wiped his mouth, swallowed the delicious food in his mouth, and arched his hand: "Don't hide it from my uncle, my inner man and I are from Yanzhou and want to go to Yunzhou." Originally, we were on a hunting trail, but the horses ran away on the way, and we got lost, so we came here by mistake. My husband doesn't ask us, we have to tell my husband, because we want to ask you to show us a way to Yunzhou, and we are in a hurry to go to Yunzhou, so we can't delay. ”

The old man looked at Wang Yuan and Gongsun Lan suspiciously, and said for a while: "Don't blame the old man for talking too much, the two of you should be from the official mansion." ”

Wang Yuan said: "How did my husband know? “

The old man said: "Although the old man has not seen many people, these eyes can also see through some things, such as the prey in the mountains, but whenever I see a trace, I can determine what kind of prey it is." The two are extraordinary, and their skills are extraordinary, which is one of them. The two of them spoke with an official accent, and no one in our place spoke like that. Unless it is an official from other places appointed by the imperial court or a merchant who comes here to do business. But looking at the style of the two of them, they don't speak as tactfully as the merchants, so I dare to speculate that you are from the government. ”

The girl cried out, "Daddy! Do you compare the two benefactors to the wild creatures in the mountains? That's rude. ”

The old man laughed and said, "Oh, Nizi is right, the old man is rude." The two beneficines are not to blame. ”

Wang Yuan waved his hand and said: "What's so strange about this, since the old man guessed that we are from the government, we have nothing to hide." Please also ask my husband to show us the way to Yunzhou. If we can't find a way to this mountain, I'm afraid my husband and wife won't be able to climb it. ”

The old man nodded and said, "That's for sure, we want to help with this little request from Engong, and you are also lucky, you really met us." To be honest, apart from us, others really don't know that there is a mountain road leading to Yunzhou. There is a trail to the north, but it is twice as far as it goes. We hunted in the mountains, and often took the furs to sell them in counties outside the mountains. We have stopped going to Huai'an County in recent years, and the cost of entering the city is too high, so although we are under the jurisdiction of Huai'an County, we have turned to Yunzhou to sell fur. In the past few years, I have found a mountain road that leads to Yunzhou. ”

Wang Yuan was overjoyed and said: "That's really good, it's really our luck to meet my father-in-law, thank you for pointing the way." Then please show the way, and my husband and wife will leave immediately. ”

The old man laughed and said, "Don't worry, Engong, if we don't take you with us, you won't be able to go out." In the middle, over the mountain stream and valley, through the cave and ravine, we must take you there, otherwise you will not succeed. In this way, let's finish eating, let's carry the boar home, clean up in the afternoon, and let Ping'er lead the way for you. There are just a dozen furs to be sold, and they will go to Yunzhou by the way. ”

Wang Yuan was overjoyed, got up and saluted the old man to thank him, and couldn't help but be overjoyed.

After eating the barbecue quickly, Tan Ping separated the wild boar meat and the skin into a sack, with a total of four large bags of meat weighing hundreds of catties. Seeing that the old man was still putting the water and internal organs and bones into the sack, Wang Yuan frowned.

The old man noticed Wang Yuan's expression and explained with a smile: "Engong doesn't know, life in the mountains is hard, and these intestines are all good things, and we all have to eat them." These bones and pig's trotters are boiled in soup and drunk, and some wild vegetables are in it, which are our delicacies. Engong is the life of wealth, so naturally he will not eat these things. “

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "What my husband said is that I am lonely and unheard. ”

Old Man Tan and Tan Ping picked up two sacks with branches, which were two hundred pounds of burden, and the two of them were relaxed. The remaining burden of more than 100 catties, Wang Yuan insisted on helping, and the girl did not insist, thinking that she could easily deal with it, but Wang Yuan stood up for less than a moment, and the pain in his shoulder was unbearable, and his teeth were grinning in pain. The girl covered her mouth and smiled, stepped forward and took it, put it on her shoulder, lifted her feet and walked, light as if there was nothing.

Wang Yuan was dumbfounded, he had all his strength, but he was not as powerful as this girl. Gongsun Lan smiled and comforted: "This is different, it is not necessary to have the strength to bear the burden." They are all used to it, and the muscles in their shoulders have been exercised. The skin on your shoulders can't stand the pressure, and lo and behold, your shoulders will be red and swollen after a while, because your skin hasn't been exercised. ”

Wang Yuan was speechless, and followed the three of them down the hillside and out of the woods, on such a difficult snowy slope, the three of them walked as usual, which gave Wang Yuan a great psychological blow.

Walking about three or four miles to the north, a valley appeared in front of them, the three members of the Tan family went down the hillside to the valley, and walked less than two miles into the mountain, with a flat col in front of them, several thatched houses were visible from afar, and there was a fence around it, and a small courtyard was circled.

The smoke curls from the chimneys of the thatched huts, and the sight of a home in the middle of a snowy valley is very warm.

When the old woman heard that her husband, son and daughter were back, she hurriedly went out to greet her, and was a little surprised to see two more strangers, and the girl pulled the old woman aside to explain, and the old woman led Wang Yuan and Gongsun Lan to take a look around the courtyard. The three thatched huts, with gardens in front of and behind the doors, and the land have been turned over, and it seems that they did come to grow crops in the spring.

When the old man took his son to prepare, Wang Yuan and Gongsun Lan sat in the courtyard and drank water, looking at the snow-covered white peaks and dense woods on the tall peaks around them, the blue sky overhead, and the beautiful scenery of white clouds, Wang Yuan sighed: "It's really a good place, if you can live here for a lifetime, then you really have nothing else to ask for." ”

Gongsun Lan smiled: "Don't sigh, you are not a person who can live in seclusion here and be lonely, let you live here, you will go crazy in a month." ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "That's not necessarily, unless you accompany you." ”

Gongsun Lan was already accustomed to his teasing, so she ignored him and enjoyed the beautiful scenery alone.

Not long after, Tan Ping packed up, carried a bundle of furs on his back and went out with Wang Yuan and Gongsun Lan, but the girl Tan Nier also followed neatly and neatly.

Tan Ping was surprised: "Sister, where are you going?" ”

Tan Nier said: "I'm going with you, my father has agreed, go to Yunzhou to buy some cloth and come back and let my mother sew us New Year's clothes, and I have to buy some things myself." ”

Tan Ping wanted to speak, but the old man said: "Ping'er, let her go, your sister hasn't been out of the mountain for a long time, Nier, listen to your brother's words, don't contradict him." ”

Tan Nier agreed, her eyes glanced at Wang Yuan unintentionally, and when she saw that Wang Yuan was looking at her, she hung her head shyly.

The group said goodbye to the old man and the old woman, climbed the hill to the west, and went straight to the peak of the west mountain. Tan Ping took the lead, Wang Yuan Palace, and the girl Tan Nier and Gongsun Lan walked in the middle. It didn't take long for Tanier to get acquainted with Gongsun Lan, walking beside Gongsun Lan and chattering non-stop. And Gongsun Lan doesn't seem to hate this Shannizi, and she has questions and answers, and she is very harmonious.