The boat docked, and the owner of the boat put the fresh fish they caught in the prepared fish basket and handed them over. As a token of gratitude, Zu Zhenlin gave two herring fish to the boatman.

The owner of the ship was loyal and honest, unwilling to take advantage, and shook his head and said, "No need, guest officer." Today's harvest is good, and you gave an extra fifty yuan, which is enough. ”

"Fifty wen is the money to buy a fish basket, and it is not given for free, take it. Zu Zhenlin said with a smile.

The boatman couldn't hold on, so he could only accept it and thank him again and again.

Lin Xi silently picked up the fish basket and stood aside, waiting for Zu Zhenlin to lead the way.

Zu Zhenlin stopped talking nonsense and led the way directly. The special shop that the three of them are going to is discovered by Zu Zhenlin accidentally, since he was taken by Brother Zhenhui to a small sheep soup shop in the deep alley, and after feeling the unique taste of the dishes in the small shop, he began to like to walk the streets and alleys, looking for small shops to eat. While most of the flavors are mediocre and just satisfying, it's a pleasure and the occasional surprise, and this shop is a bonus.

The specialty fish shop is located in a small and remote street, with dark streets and uneven dirt floors.

Zu Zhenlin and the others entered the small street, walked for a while, and finally saw the fish shop. An old man in good spirits was hanging up a pretense, and at noon, he had just opened the door to solicit customers.

The old man was the owner of the shop, tall and with a slightly hunched back. The hair is gray, there are not many wrinkles on the face, and the complexion is ruddy. With a smile on his face and kind eyes. Although the old man treats people kindly, he is a little willful in opening the shop, and the opening time is uncertain every day, sometimes the sun rises when the door opens, sometimes he does not open the store until the afternoon lazily, and even when he is lazy, he closes the door for two or three days.

Zu Zhenlin and the three of them had good luck today, and they happened to be in time for the store to open.

When the old man saw a guest coming to the door, he asked happily, "The three guests eat fish?"

Zu Zhenlin said with a smile: "Yes, the fish made by the old man is really delicious, I will bring my friends to taste it." ”

"Welcome, inside please. Xiao Li, someone is here, hurry up and set up the table and stools, and serve tea. The old man shouted into the store, full of energy.

"Howler. Someone in the store answered.

Zu Zhenlin and the three of them followed the old man into the small shop, where a thin young man wiped the table with a rag and then went to pour tea. The old man invited the three of them to sit down and asked, "Did the three of you bring the fish for me to cook?"

Zu Zhenlin nodded and said, "Yes, I'm sorry for you." ”

"Then what are you going to do, what do you want to eat?" the old man continued.

"You can do it, do what you are good at. Zu Zhenlin replied softly.

Lin Xi handed the fish basket to the old man.

"Okay, sit down, drink some tea, and I'll go cook. If you have something, just call Xiao Li. After the old man finished speaking, he picked up the fish basket and went to the kitchen to cook.

After the thin boy made tea, he served it to Zu Zhenlin and the others, poured himself a cup by the way, and then retreated to the counter to stay and drink tea silently.

The small shop is only managed by the old man and the young man, who is both the shopkeeper and the cook. The boy is the second child, responsible for the miscellaneous dishes, sometimes the old man cooks, and when he is too busy, he also helps collect the accounts. In fact, because the fish is doing well, the business has been good, but unfortunately the old man has a lazy temperament and is not interested in making money, so he has always maintained this way, neither recruiting people nor expanding the store, just seeking a small fortune and peace. Because the door had just opened, there were only Zu Zhenlin and the three of them, and the thin young man had nothing else to do, so he drank tea leisurely, dialed his thoughts, and looked at the three of them curiously.

Lin Xi's eyebrows were full of sorrow, drinking tea was like drinking, and his eyes exuded helplessness.

Seeing this, Zu Zhenlin and Li Cao didn't know how to open their mouths to comfort them, so they were silent, lest their words be careless, which would make him feel bad and have a bad appetite.

After a while, without waiting for the old man to shout, the thin young man turned around and entered the kitchen, and came out with two large plates of dishes, the fragrance was tempting, and it made people's appetite move. A plate of braised carp and a plate of steamed mandarin fish, the appearance is very good, and the color and fragrance are available.

After the young man set it up, he asked, "Do you need anything else?" The wine brewed in our small shop is good, would you like to try it?"

Zu Zhenlin was worried that Lin Xi would borrow wine again to drown his sorrows, so he took the lead and said: "We don't drink anymore, let's give us some food, we don't need anything else." ”

"Okay, wait a minute. The boy agreed, and went to serve the meal again.

After getting it done, the thin young man smiled and said, "Three, if you need anything, just shout, and I'll work in the back." ”

"Okay, you go get busy. Zu Zhenlin said politely.

In the small shop, only Zu Zhenlin, Li Cao and Lin Xi ate, and the owner and Xiao Er didn't know what to do in the back. The two fish were cooked by the old man to be fragrant and tender, with an endless aftertaste.

Seeing that there was no one around, Lin Xi stopped his chopsticks and said, "Actually, the two brothers don't have to worry too much about me, I'm fine." To give you peace of mind, I'll tell you what happened. ”

Zu Zhenlin feasted happily and happily, leaving Lin Xi's affairs behind him for a while, and when he suddenly spoke, he was about to stuff a large piece of fish meat into his mouth. Looking at Lin Xi's sincere expression, he was slightly embarrassed, put down the fish without a trace, and swallowed the food in his mouth that had not been completely chewed, almost choking himself.

"If you really don't want to say it, you don't need to say it, the two of us are just worried about you, you're fine. Li Cao said thoughtfully.

"There's nothing you can't say, not to mention that we're brothers, and we know everything and say everything. Lin Xi said in a low voice.

"If there is something unspeakable, just like Brother Li said, it doesn't matter if you don't tell us. We're not long-tongued women, and we're not curious about what happens between you, we just want you to be well. If it affects your state of mind and causes you to go awry in the course of your practice, the consequences will be unimaginable. Zu Zhenlin said solemnly.

"I understand that the two brothers are concerned about me, and I am grateful and sorry. I'm really fine, it's just that I suddenly met my old friend, and because of her, I was a little sad and a little sad. Lin Xi said seriously, "That girl's name is Liu Yan, and she has lived in a small town with me since she was a child, but her family is wealthy, while my family is poor. Originally, there would be no intersection between us, but because the rich people in the town paid for the construction of a village school, and invited a gentleman to teach the children in the town, and that gentleman was kind-hearted and treated everyone equally, regardless of their origins, and accepted all of them as disciples. If the family was really poor and could not afford any money, the gentleman would take a few strips of dried meat as a bundle, not even meat, but only two or three loads of firewood symbolically, and I was one of them. Of course, those rich men did not want their children to study with us mud-legged people, and had an argument with Mr., but Mr. refused, even if they paid more, they did not agree. Fortunately, as a great Confucian, he was famous and knowledgeable, so he was not dismissed. ”

When Lin Xi talked about his husband, he couldn't help but straighten his body, showing a look of remembrance and respect.

"I was living a stable life, although I was still poor, but I was at ease. I didn't know that disaster fell from the sky, my parents died one after another, and I became a helpless orphan. Lin Xi's face was full of bitterness, although it had been a long time, he was still heartbroken. His fists were clenched, his teeth were clenched, and he seemed to be unwilling.

Li Cao empathizes, she also lost her father and mother since she was a child, and was kindly raised by Grandpa Yang and Grandma Li, but no one can replace her parents. In the dead of night, lying alone in bed, looking at the dark roof, tears will flow unconsciously.

Since Zu Zhenlin was born, it can be said that he has been favored by his family, and his life is comfortable and comfortable, although he knows that they are sad and sad, but after all, he has not experienced it and cannot understand their pain. Some of the comforting words seemed a little weak, and he could not speak, so he could only be silent and listen carefully.

Li Cao raised his hand and grabbed Lin Xi's shoulder and pressed it hard to show comfort.

Lin Xi woke up from the pain, his slightly hideous and cruel face regained his calm, took a sip of water, stabilized his mind, and continued: "Hello sir, seeing that I have no one to turn to, he took me in and let me be his scholar, three meals a day, and my daily life has been settled. There were also some classmates who sympathized with my plight, and Yoo Yeon was one of them, who often carried her family behind her back and brought me food, so we became good friends. Liu Yan has a gentle temperament, people can't help but like her, as I get older, I am no exception, I have the idea of wanting to marry her as a wife, but my identity is different, and I know that I am delusional. I'm content to be friends with her. Just when I was adapting to life, God played a joke with me again, Liu Yan and their family moved away and left without a sound, I don't know where they went, since then the two of us have broken off contact, and the relationship has faded, of course, I will still faintly look forward to reuniting with her, although I know that it is unlikely. After that, my husband and I depended on each other, my husband was getting older, and he was unable to teach, so he asked them to find another meritocracy, and he cared for the elderly at home, but he still taught me, I thought I was going to participate in the imperial examination and enter the court as an official, but I knew that Mr. was thinking about letting me make up for the regrets of his old man's life and set foot in practice. After the old man passed away and I became alone again, I followed my last wish and found Wangu Yudao Academy. I'm glad I got to know you, and I think God is finally starting to compensate me, but unfortunately sometimes it likes to tease people. ”

Lin Xi paused, with a look of pity on his face, "It's really fate, I actually met Liu Yan some time ago, but her temperament has changed greatly, she is not the gentle and kind girl I know, she has become a little, and the watery poplar makes me feel strange." The day my grandfather saw us meet, I was asking her what had happened and why it had become like this. She didn't tell me, she just said that we weren't friends anymore and that we didn't care about her, so I was in a bad mood and drank to drown my sorrows, and got drunk. When I met again, I had already lost my throbbing, but because of my years of friendship, I couldn't persuade her to reform herself, and I felt a little sorry for her, so I was a little depressed. However, after the changes, I am no longer the sentimental teenager, I understand that people will eventually grow up and change, and there are some things that I can't change, just do my best. ”

Lin Xi smiled, "So the two brothers don't have to worry so much, I'm really fine, just get drunk once." ”

"Well, that's for the best. Zu Zhenlin said.

Li Cao couldn't bear to say: "If you can help, you still have to help." ”

Lin Xi nodded, "I will." ”

"Little Er, come to the altar for good wine. Zu Zhenlin shouted.

The three of them laughed and began to feast.