The valley stonemason went back and forth, tirelessly hammering the stone stele, the valley girl also sent lunch every day, five days later, the stone tablet was roughly carved, only the name of the filial son at the end of the payment was not engraved, this evening finished the work, the valley stonemason said when he parted, tomorrow as long as it takes half a day of effort, he can call it a day. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The next day, Liu Zixuan still got up early like a few days ago, first had a simple breakfast, and then swept the yard and fed the chickens, everything was cleaned up neatly, and there was nothing to do, just waiting for the Gu stonemason to come over to build the monument.

waited until the sun climbed past three poles high, but there was no figure of Gu Laohan, and it was already lunch time, but Gu Laohan still didn't come. Waiting for people on the left, waiting for people on the right, looking at the stone tablet carved in the courtyard, Liu Zixuan was at a loss in his heart, he obviously said something good yesterday, why didn't he come today? Isn't something happening to the Gu family?

After another half a day's effort, he couldn't sit still, so Liu Zixuan had to close the courtyard door and go to Yanggongjing to see what was going on.

The swallow girl was half-squatting outside the door of her yard, and there was a big black dog standing in front of her, and she saw Liu Zixuan coming from a distance, she stood up but didn't say hello, but turned around and stood by the door, only giving Liu Zixuan a back.

Seeing this situation, Liu Zixuan was suddenly surprised, walked closer in a few steps, and asked: "Uncle Gu didn't go over to build the monument today, I'll come over to see if there's anything ......?"

"My dad is waiting for you, you can go in...... If you were affectionate and righteous, don't lose to him today, if you were ruthless and unrighteous, you shouldn't have left me the umbrella in the first place, and you shouldn't have wrapped a cloth around my basket! ”

The girl said a few words, and Liu Zixuan didn't know the reason for it, and was about to ask carefully, but saw that she had run away from her, leaving only a big black dog, still looking at him meaningfully.

There was no sound in the small courtyard of the Gu family, and as soon as he stepped into the courtyard door, Liu Zixuan's heart beat a drum: Didn't you do something wrong yesterday and offend the Gu family?

Gu stonemason sat at the table in the hall, and Liu Zixuan timidly greeted him as he entered the room: "Uncle Gu! ”

Old man Gu didn't raise his head, only raised his hand slightly, pointed to the bench across the table and said, "Come and sit." ”

What happened to the Gu family today? Yesterday was fine, only one night passed, how can it be like a different person? Liu Zixuan's back seemed to be on fire, and he didn't know where to put his hands and feet. I was bored in my heart, and I had already sat opposite Gu Laohan, and said with a squeak: "Uncle Gu hasn't passed, I thought about whether I was too tired a few days ago, so I came over to see ......" After saying this, I noticed that there was a game of chess on the table in front of me.

Hearing the voice, Yan Ziniang came out of the inner room with a kettle, and said as she walked, "Xuanzi is here." ”

Liu Zixuan hurriedly got up and called his aunt, saying, "There are still a few words left on the stele, I'll come over and ask Uncle Gu how to engrave it." ”

Swallow Niang poured a bowl of water and put it on the table, and said, "You speak." Then he went into the back room.

Yan Ziniang, who has always been kind, is also so lukewarm today, Liu Zixuan became more and more aware that the atmosphere was wrong, and the drum beat in his heart became tighter. It wasn't until he sat down again that the Gu stonemason spoke: "I'll talk about the inscription later." You come to accompany me to play a game of chess first, I played two games with your father back then, and the two families have their own wins and losses, and people say that Lao Tzu is a hero, and you will accompany Uncle Gu to play this third game for your father today. If you win, it's your dad's win. ”

After hearing this, remembering what Miss Yanzi said just now, 'Don't lose to him', Liu Zixuan realized that Gu Laohan must have another purpose behind these chess pieces. The next game of chess is not tight, but the chess game in front of him has not been moved, but he has clearly been generalized.

Since he came, Gu Laohan said that again, let's go down. Looking at the chess pieces, Liu Zixuan thought for a moment, only turned the chessboard in one direction, and the red side gave way to Gu Laohan.

Seeing Liu Zixuan's concession, Gu Laohan said: "This step is quite strong, but if you know how to respect the elderly, you should try your best to win, and don't make false concessions to truly respect the family." Before the old man's words fell, a red cannon fell into the middle palace.

"I have a lot of free time on the rabbit gang, and I used to play chess with my father, but I'm afraid that I am not Uncle Gu's opponent these two times."

"Your mother has just passed away, so it stands to reason that you shouldn't be asked to play chess. But I thought about it again, your mother is very angry, even if she knows about it, she won't blame me. ”

"People die like lights go out, where is there anything under the nine springs."

The two of them each took a few moves, and Gu Laohan suddenly said, "Zixuan, are you in your twenties this year?" ”

Liu Zixuan was stunned for a moment, this old man Gu also said yesterday that he and their son who died in the same year were born in the same year, why did he forget it today? It's inconvenient to ask more, so I can only answer honestly: "Twenty-three, it's a rat." ”

"Twenty-three years old, three years older than our swallows." After walking a few more steps, Gu Laohan continued: "As the old saying goes, a man can't have a family without a wife, and if a man in his early twenties doesn't have a father and mother to worry about for you, you should think about getting married as soon as possible, and living alone is not a matter in the end." ”

After Liu Zixuan heard this, he sighed deeply and said, "In my current situation, who can be willing to follow me?" And my mother has just passed away, so it's not the time to think about these things. ”

"If you can win this game, I'll give you the swallow. If you lose, I'll treat you as if you don't agree. Inadvertently, Gu Laohan crossed the river with his pawn.

As soon as he heard this, Liu Zixuan trembled, but he couldn't answer, a delicate face flashed in front of him for no reason, and his dark eyes and slightly red mouth...... Of course, Liu Zixuan could hear the weight of this sentence, he looked up at Gu Laohan, and then looked down at the chess pieces...... Liu Zixuan sat at the table and watched the chess game, as if there was really an extra river in front of him, between him and Gu Laohan.

The swallow lady in the inner room didn't make any sound, even the big black dog didn't know where to run, the whole room was so quiet that people panicked, only heard the sound of fireworks in Gu Laohan's cigarette bag. The chess pieces in Liu Zixuan's hand seemed to be hundreds of times heavier than before, and the sweat in the palms of his hands oozed out for a while.

No one spoke for a long time, Gu Laohan said again: "I have turned the yellow calendar for you, there are only twenty-seven days left in this month to erect a monument, today is twenty-four, I see that I can't catch up, there are three days that can be erected next month, the third day of the first month, the thirteenth and the fifteenth, after the fifteenth, it is also three days to marry, twenty-two, twenty-four, twenty-eight ......"

After hearing this, Liu Zixuan's eyes were hot, tears almost fell on the table, and after thinking for a long time, he stammered: "Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu love me to take care of me, I know in my heart, but now my mother has just passed away......"

"It's not us who take care of you, it's our swallow who has a heart for you, and that girl has to engrave her name on the stone tablet......"

Gu Laohan's words were only halfway through, and Yan Ziniang came out of the inner room, and said: "My parents have passed away in my hometown, and I can get married in a hundred days, and if I pass this hundred days, I must keep three years of filial piety, which is the old rule." It's going to be three years from now, and you're twenty-five......"

"Let's finish this game first." As Gu Laohan spoke, he knocked on the cigarette pouch pot on the ground.

……

Endgame, Red has a cannon, and Black has a knight.

Liu Zixuan said: "Draw chess." ”

Yan Ziniang said: "Chess is the best, no one has lost, no one has won!" ”

Old Man Gu didn't speak.

……

In the afternoon of the next day, the stele was carved. The few lines of words on the stele are not much different from what Liu Zixuan thought before, but the inscription is different from what he imagined earlier, and the inscription is: Liu Zixuan's daughter-in-law Gu Nanyan Jingli

(To be continued)