I followed my second uncle to go to business, and it was common to go to Meiling Mountain Road in Jiaying Prefecture, and I often walked the road to Shijingling to Huichang in the north, and it was not an easy job to carry the burden in the mountains with the porters.

I remember the first time the caravan went to Huichang, Jiangxi, the burden was full of tea oil, a burden of more than 60 pounds, where can I afford to eat a young master of the Lu family, the flat burden to my shoulder I shouted tired, Lai at the mountain pass dead or alive will not leave.

My second uncle is not my mother, and when he saw that my eldest young master was angry, he didn't have half a good word. Although he was just a straw sandal in the three-o'clock meeting in the early years, he was also a person who had mixed the rivers and lakes, and his face was black, and he pulled out a black iron fan from his waist with a "swish", and slapped it towards my back.

The first time I was pumped by this iron fan, my back hurt so badly, the caravan stayed in the Chase shop of the inn at night, I cried and gritted my teeth and didn't cry, and in the middle of the night, a strong figure cat came behind me.

"Does it hurt?"

This is the voice of the second uncle, I snorted and didn't dare to speak.

"This is Chen Liji's anti-inflammatory powder and gold sore medicine, and the second uncle will smear it on you."

When the second uncle applied the medicine to me, the medicine was cold and cold, it really worked, and the pain weakened a lot after a while.

Seeing that I was still angry with my eyes closed, the second uncle sat next to me and said, "The second uncle is also old, and he can't save you for the rest of your life." “

I said, "Second uncle, if you don't love me, I still have my mother." “

The second uncle kicked his eyes and said, "Your mother can't hurt you for a lifetime!" In this world, natural disasters and man-made disasters are gone. Do you know that you stinky boy? You used to have a third aunt, a fourth aunt and a fifth uncle, but now you can find which one to love you? “

I was a little surprised when I heard this: "I still have three aunts, four aunts and five uncles, why have I never heard you mention it, second uncle?" “

The second uncle shook his head and sighed: "There was rice blast that year, there was no food, and I was hungry...... Your third aunt was eight years old, your fourth aunt was five years old, and your fifth uncle was only two years old......"

As he spoke, the second uncle's eyes blurred.

Later, I gradually learned about my second uncle's childhood, and learned that in those years of natural and man-made disasters, dead people were like cutting pigweed, and living people were thrown into the grave in a blink of an eye.

The second uncle told me that sometimes when the sky was bright, he felt that the third aunt was still tickling him on the edge of the bed, and he laughed and laughed: "Second brother, you see I caught a toad." ”

At night, he sometimes dreamed, in which the first fifth uncle was still lying on the high stool and crying, and the fourth aunt was still chasing flies in the loess hall, making a noise as if they had never left.

Now that the family is rich, the house is bigger, and the table is full of white rice, but the people are gone.

"Fusheng, people should cherish their blessings."

After hearing these words, I got up the next day without saying anything, picked up my burden and followed the porters on the road.

From now on, I never cried out that I was tired.

In the second year, one day when the caravan stayed in Dongliu Township, the second uncle called me to me early in the morning and asked with a smile: "Fusheng, what day is tomorrow?" “

As soon as I heard this, I guessed, "It's going to rain tomorrow?" “

The second uncle glared at me: "Confused." “

After that, he handed me a small bag, and when I opened it, it was a gray leather case, with a folding saber hanging on the outside of the leather case, and inside it was a retractable Western telescope, the two sections were less than half a foot down, very light and dexterous. There is also a belt on the outside of the leather case, which can be attached to the calf, I liked it very much after seeing it in the German foreign company in Chaozhou, and I kept talking about this thing, but I didn't expect the second uncle to really bring it back.

"Tomorrow, September 20, is your sixteenth birthday, and you have grown up, even if this thing is a birthday gift from the second uncle, the second uncle has no other intentions, and I hope that everything will go well for you from now on."

When I heard this, I was surprised and delighted, if the second uncle didn't remind me today, I wouldn't have remembered that it was actually my birthday.

I remember that it has been almost a year since I followed my second uncle to the south and north last year, during this time, I have tanned, taller, and a lot stronger, and I eat and live with my porters on weekdays, and even on Chinese New Year's Eve, I have never returned home for a reunion dinner, and I have almost forgotten my identity as the eldest young master of the Lu family.

"Your mother thinks you're going crazy, your father has prepared more than a dozen tables of banquets in the house, and many relatives and friends will come to eat and drink tomorrow, how can you not be a little birthday star? The second uncle gave you a three-day vacation, and you will come back when you are done. ”

As soon as I heard about the holiday, my heart blossomed with joy and said, "Second uncle, I thought you would just cook a bowl of longevity noodles for me to eat!" But now that I look at you, you're really a living bodhisattva! ”

"You stinky boy! Slippery! ”

The second uncle laughed, and then ordered: "Happy is happy, you can eat more meat, you can't drink more." On September 22, our caravan is about to leave for Huichang, you must rush back before noon, I can't spare you if you don't come back! ”

"Hey!" I was overjoyed and answered.

I took the gift from my second uncle, changed into clean clothes, packed up a bag and rushed home, and my heart was about to fly.

Dongliu Township to the east to walk nine miles is Shijingling, after crossing Shijingling is Wan'an Township Wuli Village, and then walk fifteen miles is the south gate of the county, walk at least two hours, but if you take a mule cart in Wuli Village, you can arrive in one hour, although the road is short, but it is not a sunny avenue!

The difficulty is in the stone trail ridge, this mountain is traversed by Wuyi Mountain Hanging Cloud Village, the clouds and mist are filled all the year round, the miasma is everywhere, the forest is a thousand years of ancient pine, the thick pine needles accumulate on the surface, layer upon layer, plus the deep ditch dark stream is densely covered, if you want to climb over this mountain with bare hands, it can be described as difficult and dangerous!

But as the saying goes, one thing descends one thing, in this mountain, the Hakka ancestors since the ancient country of the South China Sea built a spiral of thousands of stone steps, like a ladder, connecting the main road from Jiangxi to Nanwu.

Later, there is a poem: "The stone path has dust and wind to sweep itself, and the blue sky has no road and clouds are ladders." ”

When I went out, I looked up at the sky, it was a sunny day, I walked the stone trail in the morning, and it was estimated that I could reach Wuli Village in an hour, even if there was no mule cart, with my big feet that I had practiced, I would be able to return home in an hour, maybe I would be able to catch lunch.

But strange to say, I turned halfway up the mountain at Shijingling, and as soon as the sky changed, dark clouds rose everywhere, and it was about to rain, so I hurriedly hurried up my pace.

I hurried and hurried, but the weather was not angry, "boom" sounded a few thunders, and light raindrops began to fall.

I finally changed into a new clothes, but I saw that I was going to become a soup chicken, I was annoyed for a while, I looked left and right, and saw a huge rock in the forest not far away, this rock is very peculiar, protruding horizontally in the mountain wall, the bottom of the convex stone is still more than one zhang high from the ground, forming a natural stone cave.

I secretly said in my heart: God help me, this stone cave is the best place to shelter from the rain.

I jumped down the stone staircase and ran to the cave, and by the time I got there, the rain had turned to a downpour. I sighed softly, secretly glad that I was really lucky, but as soon as I turned around, I was stunned.

It turns out that I am not the only one who is lucky, and there are already people who have already made it to this cave.

I saw an old woman sitting leisurely on a long piece of black wood, smoking a cigarette while crossing her legs. She wore her hair in a high bun, her face was old, and she was wearing the blue-black old clothes of the Hakka She ethnic group.

I sheltered from the rain with him, and exchanged a few words with her, but she did not respond to me, and then she finished her cigarette by herself, and knocked the cigarette stick on the black wood a few times, as if she wanted to shake off the ash of the cigarette pot, perhaps with too much force, she was not careful, and actually threw the cigarette pole out, and landed not far from the mouth of the stone cave.

The cigarette stick fell there, but she turned her head to look at me, and her expression was not shocked.

I thought to myself, people are elders anyway, this is obviously asking me to do it for me!

I smiled at her, pointed to the cigarette stick and asked, "Mother-in-law, do you want me to pick it up for you?" ”

She nodded, and I ran out, bending down to pick up the stick, but when I turned around, I was stunned.

In the blink of an eye, the old woman was gone, leaving only the empty black wood. I thought she was not paying attention to the fall, so I hurriedly looked around, but I couldn't find it, I thought, didn't I see that the rain had stopped, and my mother-in-law had already taken the first step?

Thinking of this, I hurriedly walked out and asked loudly, "Mother-in-law, are you leaving?" ”

There was only the echo of sound all around, and there was no movement in the forest after the rain.

When I returned to the cave again, I was shocked again.

I saw that in the stone cave in front of me, the huge black wood had disappeared.

At first I thought I was in the wrong place, until I got closer and took a closer look, and there was still a pinch of burnt soot where the rain had taken shelter, and where the original black wood was, the green and yellow moss on the rocks had peeled off, and I felt a chill in the back of my head, and I only felt a gust of wind blowing, and I hurriedly looked back, but saw nothing.

Only the raindrops dripping from the stone eaves fell to the ground with a "pop" and a "pop".

At this moment, I only felt an indescribable strangeness, but I couldn't tell why, I saw that the rain had stopped outside, and I stopped thinking nonsense, and hurried out of the cave and climbed the stone staircase, and hurried down the mountain in three steps and two steps.

Half an hour I went down the stone trail ridge, in Wuli Village just caught a mule cart to the county seat, I took a ride, less than an hour I arrived at the county seat, but I was still annoyed, all because of the rain, hurry up or miss the time of lunch, I took a big foot all the way trot, a quarter of an hour to run to the south gate of Lufu, crossed the waist and breathless.

I bowed my head and rushed to the door, and a housekeeper stopped me at the door.

"Hey, wait! What are you doing, do you know the rules? ”

I gasped and said, "I'll go home!" ”

"Who are you? What kind of home are you going back to? Didn't you see that this is the mansion of Lord Lu in this county? "This Ding Bu looked at me squarely, looking like a commanding man.

I laughed, after all, I've been away from home for almost a year, it seems that my mother's problem of picking people hasn't changed at all, and the people in the Lu Mansion have changed again, and this family doesn't recognize me and I care.

I panted out before I said, "That's it! You ask the housekeeper Lamb to come out, I have something to say. ”

"Yo he," this Ding said with a smile: "It's just you, you still want to see Butler Lan, you will be in the next life!" Yes? ”

I saw that this person couldn't make sense left and right, so I straightened up my waist and wanted to break in, but this Ding Hu hugged me and shouted: "I still want to play tricks!" Grandpa said nothing today and won't let you in! ”

I was about to roll my eyes when I was hugged by this big man, and then there was a coquettish shout.

"Let go of your hands!"

I saw a pretty girl running in front of me and slapping this guy in the face!

This Ding didn't get angry after suffering this loss, but lowered his head and smiled: "What do you have to say about Sister Xiu?" Just say it! ”

This girl is my mother's personal girl, named Xiaoxiu, she pointed at me and scolded at this family: "Don't let this person in quickly!" ”

This Ding covered his face and said, "Sister Xiu, you let these idle people wait to enter the house, and Butler Lan will ask them, and the small ones can't eat and go around." ”

"This person, you still have to let him in!" Xiaoxiu crossed her waist and looked puffed.

"Why?" This Ding was surprised.

Xiaoxiu looked at me, but I made a silent gesture at her, and she burst out laughing, stretched out her hand and counted the housekeeper down.

"If you don't let him in, there will be no birthday boy at the birthday banquet tomorrow!"

"Huh?" This Ding Zhi looked at me in a daze, and the whole person was stunned.

Xiaoxiu looked at me and smiled, rolled up my sleeves and ran inside, I hurriedly said, "What's the hurry?" Xiu'er, slow down. ”

Xiaoxiu shouted excitedly: "Madam, the young master is back!" Young master, he's really back! ”