Daddy didn't look at the two lazy dogs.

Not far behind the haystack there is a scarecrow. At that time, the scarecrow was relatively realistic, not only dressing the scarecrow, but also wearing a straw hat and drawing a face on white paper.

Grandpa thought the scarecrow was a little weird, but he couldn't tell what was weird.

After a while, the dog under the haystack got up. Sure enough, as Daddy said, the black dog stood up first and walked towards the ridge. Then the yellow dog got up and followed the black dog.

Situ Zi's face darkened and he didn't say a word.

The spectators praised Daddy's calculations.

Situ Zi asked his father, "We are all pinched on the fire." Isn't the fire yellow? Where did I miscalculate? ”

When the visitors saw Situ Zi asking, they also asked their grandfather one after another, asking them to explain to them.

Grandpa withdrew his gaze from the strange scarecrow and explained to them, "Of course the fire is yellow. But don't forget, smoke must be emitted before a fire starts, and the smoke is black. So it was the black dog who got up first, and then the yellow dog got up. ”

Everyone agreed.

Seeing that Situ Zi's face was gloomy, his father comforted: "Your calculation is already very good, but you just didn't think about it carefully." Being able to calculate its movements in anything you choose is something that many ordinary fortune tellers can't do. ”

The crowd also said that Situ Zi had ability, and it had surprised them that he could be counted on fire.

Situ Zi said: "I have been studying calculations for fifty ...... in my spare time Belch...... It's been five years, and I've reached my own extreme in algorithms, formulas, and pinching my fingers, and I can't break through anymore. You're only in your early twenties, and you're already far ahead of me, what a genius. "He almost showed his stuff. If others hear a man in his twenties or thirties say that he has studied arithmetic for more than 50 years, it will definitely be regarded as bragging.

When Situ Zi said "fifty", his father was also worried about him, but fortunately he immediately reversed himself.

Grandpa said: "The method has reached the extreme, but the people who use the method have not yet reached the corresponding realm, so it is naturally difficult to make a big breakthrough." In my opinion, you were too strong to win just now. Maybe you're like this in the same way, which makes you focus too much on the things at hand and ignore the details around you. If you want to break through from your current level, you can only start from your heart. With a calm heart, an indifferent heart, a heart that is indisputable but looks at the world, you will definitely have a big breakthrough. ”

Situ Zi bowed his hand and said, "Hey, I've lived for so many years, and my comprehension is not as good as yours." What a shame! ”

Others teased: "Seeing that you are about the same age as Ma Xiucai, how can you say things like an elder?" What are you ashamed of, Ma Xiucai was admitted to Xiucai at the age of twelve, and his brother is a Jinshi and a scholar. If it weren't for his brother's accident and the cancellation of the imperial examination, he might have been admitted to the Juren Jinshi and became an official in the court now. ”

Daddy didn't listen to them anymore, and looked up at the strange scarecrow.

The scarecrow is gone!

Grandpa was shocked, could it be that what he saw just now was a hallucination?

Grandpa grabbed a person next to him and pointed in the direction behind the haystack and asked, "Did you see the scarecrow behind the haystack just now?" ”

The person who was pulled smiled and said: "Ma Xiucai, just now we praised you for your scholarly knowledge." Now that the rice has been harvested and the straw has been piled up into haystacks, who would set up a scarecrow in the field to scare the sparrows who steal the rice? ”

A person next to him said: "Scholars have always read the four books and five classics, but they don't distinguish between the five grains. ”

Grandpa then remembered that this season had long passed the harvest season. Scarecrows are used to scare birds that steal rice, so naturally they are not still planted in the rice fields during this season.

As far as the eye can see, there is indeed not a single scarecrow in the endless paddy fields. If the rice is not yet harvested, almost every paddy field here has a delicate or rough scarecrow. They are like the patron saints of the rice fields, so that the birds dare not approach. But after the rice fields are harvested, they are discarded like garbage by the owners of the rice fields. At the very least, the straw will be collected and stacked into haystacks, or hidden in the cowshed for fodder, while the scarecrows rot at the water's edge in the fields. If you accidentally bump into a scarecrow lying on the ground while walking at night, you will definitely be startled and think you have met a ghost.

From gods to ghosts, it's just one step away.

At this time, a middle-aged woman with a relatively short stature came over and asked. When she saw someone, she asked, "May I ask who is Ma Xiucai?" Due to the large number of people gathered, she couldn't see who others were pointing at, so she had to continue to ask in the direction that others were pointing to: "May I ask who is Ma Xiucai?" ”

When he walked two or three people after his father, his father took the initiative to step forward and said, "I am." What are you looking for me? ”

The middle-aged woman grabbed her grandfather as if she had pulled a rescue hand when she was drowning, and said, "I am from Li Jiaao, and my husband's name is Li Yugen, who specializes in hitting stones." ”

"Oooh. Li Mason's family. I know. Daddy nodded hurriedly.

Generally, when a woman from another village goes to another place to find someone, she will not introduce herself and say who I am, but who my husband is or who my son is. At that time, women mostly did housework at home and rarely went out of the village. Only the men work here and there are cards, and there are relatively many people who know each other. Therefore, apart from the village, few men in other villages know the names of the women in their own villages. It is for this reason that women from other villages often use men's names when introducing themselves.

Grandpa knew about Li Mason. Some things in the Ma family's old mansion were made by Li Stonemason.

The middle-aged woman was sweating all over her face, and after saying her husband's name, she looked at her grandfather with a blank eye, for fear that her grandfather would not know her husband. In that case, she didn't know how to introduce herself. When she heard her grandfather say that she knew her husband, her face was full of pride, as if her husband was famous all over the world, and she could be polished.

"What are you looking for me?" Daddy asked.

The pride on the woman's face suddenly disappeared, and she was immediately covered with sadness. She shook her father's hand and said, "Please save my son!" ”

Grandpa hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with your son?" ”

The woman of the Li stonemason said: "My son's soul has been snatched away by a woman! ”

The people who watched Situ Zi and his grandfather compete have not dispersed. One of them laughed and said, "I've only heard that bull heads and horse noodles can seduce people's souls." Can a woman snatch your son's soul? I think I have lovesickness! ”

The woman of the Li stonemason immediately retorted: "It can't be lovesickness!" I don't want to eat lovesick tea, but I can still eat a bite or two when I'm hungry, right? My son is like dead! ”

Xie Xiaomi heard that someone had lovesickness, so he immediately came over and said with interest: "There are still people who have lovesickness?" I've heard it sung in a play before, but I haven't seen it before! Which of you will take me to see! I'd like to see what it's like to have lovesickness. She didn't care at all about how the woman felt after hearing this.

Daddy pushed her shoulder from behind. She immediately knew that she had lost her words, and hurriedly covered her mouth and stepped aside.

"Is it something else?" Daddy asked.

The woman shook her head vigorously and said, "Impossible. He was fine the other day and rarely got sick before. ”

"Then why do you say that he was taken away by a woman?" Daddy asked.

"I noticed a while ago that a strange and beautiful woman was often with him, sometimes sitting by the water, sometimes by the field. I didn't know where the woman came from, I thought the two of them were getting better, and pretended not to see it. The woman would stay with my son for a while every day, and he didn't see the woman come to him, and he didn't eat at night, so he lay down in bed and didn't say anything. I told him that he should not, like a fool. This morning I went to wake him up, but instead of getting up, he didn't answer me, and he became like a mud bodhisattva. Li Mason's woman said.

"So you think the strange woman snatched your son's soul away?" Daddy asked.

The woman nodded vigorously, as if the harder she nodded, the more others believed her.

"Lovesickness!" The man before was more sure of his thoughts.

Grandpa raised his hand, pinched his fingers as he had just competed with Situ Zi, then twisted his eyebrows and said, "Li Jiaao is not too far away." Then take me to your house to see your son. ”

Li Mason's woman hurriedly said yes.

Xie Xiaomi's noisy going too. She had to see what a person with lovesickness was like.

Grandpa couldn't resist her, so he had to agree. It just so happened that Xie Xiaomi had to go the same way when he returned to the Lost Bridge, so he was considered to be on the same road.

Situ Zi also raised his hand and pinched it, shook his head and said, "There is more luck and less luck." I have always sought good fortune and avoided evil, and when I encountered good things, I went to the past, and when I encountered bad things, I avoided them far away. That's good for yourself. I advise Ma Xiucai not to go. ”

Grandpa said, "Your calculation is really good." I've also counted the bad luck and the bad luck. If it's Ji, I won't go. Sooner or later, her son will get better, and he won't need me to go. Now it's fierce, and I'm going to have to go and see what's going on. ”

Situ Zi persuaded again: "Although it is said that good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with evil. But good people often don't end well. ”

Grandpa said, "That's because I haven't done enough." ”

Situ Zi stopped talking.

Xie Xiaomi listened to her grandfather's words and was quite moved.

So Situ Zi and his grandfather parted ways. Situ Zi returned to Granny Wu's house. Grandpa went to Lijiaao.

After only a while of separation, Grandpa hurried back to catch up with Situzi.

Situ Zi said happily: "You regretted it? ”

Grandpa shook his head and said, "Do me a favor on your way back." Look for any fallen scarecrows in the paddy fields on both sides. ”