Five years ago. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoA village in Jiangsu Province.

As the sun had sunk, Xiao Xiaotian sent the last visitor out the door, so tired that he collapsed on the chair in the hall and gasped. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Ah Lu! Hurry up and serve the master a pot of tea, I'm so thirsty! ”

There was silence in the room, and no one responded. Xiao Xiaotian shook his head helplessly: "This kid must have secretly run out to play again." ”

Before the last rays of the setting sun were gone, the courtyard door was pushed open. A tall, thin and handsome young man of about seventeen or eighteen years of age walked in whistling and walking briskly, with a smug gesture. As soon as he pushed the door into the house, he bumped into Xiao Xiaotian who was sitting and resting. Xiao Xiaotian pretended to be angry with a straight face, but his eyes and tone were full of doting that couldn't be hidden: "Running out again and going crazy?" Don't you know what day tomorrow will be? ”

The young man didn't care, and said with a grin, "Of course I know! Your master, your old man's 60th birthday! ”

"And then? Without? ”

"Anything else? Think about it. "The boy scratched the back of his head, his beautiful eyes blinked and blinked, and he looked funny like a child who hadn't grown up yet." Oh, I remembered! The boy snapped his fingers: "It's still my eighteenth birthday!" ”

"If you know! Eighteen years old is considered an adult, when your master and I were as old as you, we have been wandering the rivers and lakes for many years, how can we still look like you! ”

The young man's face was stretched long, he rubbed his ears with both hands, and exclaimed exaggeratedly: "Ouch, my ears hurt so much, it seems that the cocoon is thicker!" ”

Xiao Xiaotian didn't bother to pay attention to him, and explained: "Tomorrow's banquet will start at seven o'clock, you go to bed early tonight, and you have to greet guests tomorrow, don't be unrefreshed by then." Then he went back to his bedroom to rest.

"Got it!" The boy grimaced at the master's back and happily went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

It was late at night. Xiao Xiaotian, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes, got up and put on a coat, and walked towards the courtyard outside the house. He would go stargazing to predict tomorrow's bad fortune, a habit he had developed over the years.

As soon as he walked into the courtyard, he was stunned. The whole village was smoky and smelling, and the night sky that should have been clear was obscured by smoke and nothing could be seen. Wondering in his heart, he pushed open the courtyard door and walked in the direction where the smoke was coming from. After walking for about a few hundred meters, I found that the smoke was actually coming from the crops at the edge of the village. When he got closer, he saw that the fields that had already been harvested were full of flames, and thick smoke was billowing out, and it was actually burning straw.

Although this year's crops have been harvested, it is far from the time when it is customary to burn straw in previous years, and it is late at night, why do you choose to burn straw at this time?

He saw several middle-aged male villagers standing next to the crops, presumably looking after the site to prevent a fire. He walked over to a villager and asked, "Brother Zhao, why did you choose such a time to burn straw?" ”

The middle-aged man surnamed Zhao saw that it was Xiao Xiaotian, and immediately took a respectful gesture: "Master Xiao, you have a birthday tomorrow, why don't you rest so late?" We're going to go over tomorrow to pay our respects! ”

Xiao Xiaotian snorted: "I'm old, and I often get up in the middle of the night to pee." I woke up today and looked, good fellow, such a big smoke! So just come over and see what's going on. ”

The Zhao family man said: "Oh, that's the case: a few days ago, an expert from the city came to guide us and told us that we would burn the land in advance this year, so let's choose it tonight, saying that it is beneficial to next year's crops." We rural people don't understand why, and what other experts say is what it is. ”

Xiao Xiaotian frowned, feeling that something was wrong. He doesn't believe in the nonsense of any "experts" at all. He asked the Zhao family: "What kind of expert is it?" How many people came? How do you say that? ”

The man of the Zhao family scratched his head, and only after a while did he say, "It's strange, I can't remember." I was obviously there at the time, but now I can't even remember how many people came from the other side, what they looked like, and what they said, but I remember that I was going to burn the ground tonight. Alas, I'm getting older, and my memory is not good! ”

Xiao Xiaotian's expression was serious and silent. After a while, he patted the shoulder of the Zhao family and said, "I don't think it's because you have a bad memory, you're still young." Alright, it's okay, I'll go back first, and don't make it too late. We're going to have a few drinks tomorrow! ”

The men of the Zhao family agreed again and again, and watched Xiao Xiaotian leave with a smile on his face.

Xiao Xiaotian walked home with heavy steps, and before entering the door, he looked up at the night sky covered by the haze, and felt that something was wrong.

Tomorrow is a big day for him: it is not only his sixtieth birthday, but also the eighteenth birthday of his little apprentice Xiao Wenlu. He deliberately held a feast to celebrate, and invited the whole village to come to celebrate his birthday. He has been in the rivers and lakes for decades, and there are some enemies he has made, will someone specially choose this day to get along with him, and deliberately set up this game, so that he cannot observe the stars and predict tomorrow's bad luck?

However, although Xiao Xiaotian had this suspicion, he was not too worried. With his trick ability, the average enemy is not his opponent at all, and even if someone comes to disrupt the situation, he is confident that he can settle it. Xiao Xiaotian relaxed his heart and went back to the bedroom to rest.

As the moon went west, the whole village was shrouded in a cloud of lilac smoke, and it was eerily quiet.

As soon as the sky was bright, Xiao Xiaotian got up. He walked out into the courtyard refreshed, and watched the helpers he had hired long ago to take care of the affairs of the feast. He stood on the steps of the doorway with his hands behind his back, watching with satisfaction that the events of last night had long been forgotten.

Behind him, the curtain suddenly lifted, and a very beautiful young girl walked out with a smile and a smile on her forehead. Xiao Xiaotian looked back and showed a loving smile: "Selfless, got up so early?" ”

The girl named "No Self" showed a sweet smile: "Today's master's birthday, it is also Alu's eighteenth birthday, double happiness is coming, where can I still sleep?" It's better to get up early and help everyone. ”

Xiao Xiaotian felt relieved in his heart: "Without me, you are not only qualified to be an apprentice, but also a senior sister who has nothing to say." Not to mention the ability to learn well, the upper and lower levels are also thoughtful, and the people are so beautiful, it is not in vain that I have treated you as my own daughter for so many years, and you really did not disappoint me. ”

Xiao Wume's eyes turned red: "If it weren't for you, master, I'm afraid that the abandoned baby would have frozen to death on the side of the road back then, where would there be without me today?" Being able to be your apprentice is a blessing that I cultivated in my previous life. ”

Xiao Xiaotian laughed: "Without me, you are really getting better and better at talking." Okay, you go and see Aruna boy and see if he's up. This kid sleeps all day long, or goes outside to play crazy, and he is not in shape at all. ”

Xiao Wuwu took Xiao Xiaotian's hand, shook it gently, and lied to him: "Master, Ah Lu's age is the time to eat, sleep and play. Today's feast will be set up all day, I'm afraid he won't be bored, let him sleep enough first! ”

Xiao Xiaotian showed a meaningful smile on his face, and teased: "You feel sorry for Ah Lu, do you think I don't know?" You two want to be good, and the master is happy to see it. Okay, then it's hard for you to be alone! ”

Xiao Wuwu blushed, lowered his head and agreed, and went to the side to help.

The sky is getting brighter, the villagers are getting up one after another, and the Xiao family's compound is also lively, with many guests, and every household comes to congratulate Xiao Xiaotian on his birthday, and the village chief is no exception. Xiao Xiaotian is good at astrology, predicting bad luck, and knows tricks, almost every family has received his favor, so he has a very high status in the village, no less than the village head. Xiao Xiaotian is also a lively and pompous person, some villagers know that he is 60th birthday this year, and specially called on everyone to hold a banquet for him, not only to express gratitude, but also to satisfy the old man's vanity. And coincidentally, Xiao Xiaotian's little apprentice Xiao Wenlu's birthday is also the same day, so there is one more reason to celebrate.

The Xiao family has very good economic conditions in the village, the courtyard is also spacious, more than 20 tables are set, almost the whole village has come, and there is a lot of open space in the middle. Xiao Xiaotian sat in the chairman, toasted frequently with everyone, drank red, and was dizzy and proud. Xiao Wuwu and Xiao Wenlu senior sister and brother rushed all over the scene, taking care of the guests, they were so busy that they were dizzy, one of them didn't pay attention to bumping into each other, the two of them looked at each other and smiled, although no one spoke, but the affection at the corners of the eyes and eyebrows was already worth a thousand words.

The lively feast lasted until the night, and it was already dark, and the lights were lit up above the courtyard, illuminating the courtyard. Since he had considered that the feast might last until late, Xiao Xiaotian had someone pull up a light bulb net above the courtyard in advance, so that every corner of the courtyard would be as bright as day.

Xiao Xiaotian was already drunk, squinting his eyes and looking at the loud and noisy figures walking back and forth in front of him, he was very proud. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman at the first table on the left suddenly shouted: "Oh, you dead dog, how did you get me covered in dirt!" ”

When everyone looked around, they saw a dog running out of nowhere, digging a hole beside her seat, and the sand and dirt raised splashed her. Some people around laughed and said, "Isn't this the rhubarb of the old Li family?" Maybe it has buried a bone under this, and we all want to share it when we all eat happily, haha! ”

The daughter-in-law of the old Li family went up to Qianguo and kicked the rhubarb lightly, wanting to drive it home. The dog ran a few steps away, but still wailed at the pit. A man was about to fill in the sand with his feet, when he suddenly let out a surprised "huh", squatted down, and looked carefully at the pit.

The woman who was raised to the ground laughed and said, "Liu Laoer, what are you looking at, is there really a bone in it?" If you have one, you can dig it out and eat it yourself, haha! ”

Liu Lao Er didn't answer, stretched out his hand to probe in the pit, and suddenly let out an exclamation: "No, there seems to be someone down here!" ”

The yard exploded instantly. Someone scolded: "Liu Laoer, you talk nonsense when you drink too much, why don't you look at what the occasion is today, you dare to play drunk in Master Xiao's house!" ”

Liu Lao Er sat on the ground paralyzed, with a cry in his voice: "It's true, I seem to have touched a person's head just now!" ”