If he hadn't been to Fulu Street or Taoye Lane, Chen Ping'an might not have realized the darkness and narrowness of Mud Bottle Lane in his life. However, instead of feeling lost, the straw sandals boy finally felt at ease, the boy smiled and stretched out his hands, just touching the yellow mud wall twice with his palm, remembering that about three or four years ago, Chen Ping'an could only touch the mud wall with his fingertips.

When he walked to his house, he found that the courtyard door was wide open, and the boy who thought he had been robbed hurriedly ran into the yard, but saw a tall young man sitting on the threshold, with his back against the locked door, yawning boredly, and after seeing Chen Ping'an, he stood up like a burning buttocks, ran to Chen Ping'an, grabbed Chen Ping'an's arm, dragged him to the house, and lowered his voice and said: "Hurry up and open the door, I have something important to tell you!"

Chen Ping'an couldn't break free from this guy's shackles, so he had to be pulled by him to open the door, and the sturdy young man who was two years older than him quickly broke away from Chen Ping'an, tiptoed onto Chen Ping'an's wooden bed, stuck his ears to the wall, and listened to the foot of the wall next door.

Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "Liu Xianyang, what are you doing?"

The tall boy turned a deaf ear to Chen Ping'an's questioning, and after about half a burnt incense, Liu Xianyang returned to normal, sitting on the edge of the wooden bed, his face was complicated, both relieved and regretful.

Liu Xianyang only found out at this time that Chen Ping'an was doing a strange thing, squatting inside the door, leaning outward, and burning a piece of yellow paper with a candle the size of his thumb left, and the ashes fell outside the threshold. It seems that Chen Ping'an still has words, but he is a little far away, and Liu Xianyang can't really hear it.

Liu Xianyang is the closed disciple of the old man Yao of a time-honored dragon kiln, as for Chen Ping'an, who is reckless in qualifications, the old man never really recognized this apprentice from beginning to end. Chen Ping'an and Liu Xianyang are not neighbors, the ancestral houses of both sides are far away, the reason why Liu Xianyang will introduce Chen Ping'an to the old man Yao at that time is because a teenager has a period of old grievances, Liu Xianyang was a well-known stubborn teenager in the town, before his grandfather died, there was an elder in the family to manage, and after his grandfather died, at the age of twelve or thirteen, he was a young man who was not inferior to a young man, and became a headache for everyone in the neighborhood, More than a dozen families living in Mud Bottle Lane, most of them are low-level artisan households begging for bowls of rice in Xiaolong Kiln, how dare they mix with this troubled water.

At that time, Song Jixin was not afraid at all, but happily squatted on the wall to watch the excitement, fearing that the world would not be chaotic.

In the end, only a thin child, after sneaking out of the yard, ran to the entrance of the alley, and shouted into the street: "Dead man, dead man......"

Hearing the word "dead man", the children of the Lu family woke up in horror, and saw Liu Xianyang covered in blood on the ground, the tall young man was dying, and those rich young men finally felt afraid for a while, and after looking at each other, they ran away from the other end of Mud Bottle Alley.

But after that, Liu Xianyang was not only grateful to the child who saved his life, but came here every once in a while to play tricks, and the orphans were also stubborn, no matter how Liu Xianyang bullied, he just refused to cry, which made the young man more and more angry. It's just that one year later, Liu Xianyang saw the little orphan surnamed Chen, it is estimated that he really can't bear the winter, and finally his conscience found that the young man who had been apprenticed in the dragon kiln took the orphan to the dragon kiln located on the edge of Baoxi, and went out of the town to the west, dozens of miles of mountain roads on a snowy day, Liu Xianyang still hasn't figured out how the little guy who looks like charcoal, and his legs are as thin as bamboo poles, how did he get to the dragon kiln? However, although the old Yao Tou still left Chen Ping'an in the end, but the treatment of the two is indeed a world of difference, and he also beat and scolded Liu Xianyang, a disciple who closed the door, but the blind man also felt the good intentions, for example, once he hit a heavy hand, smashed Liu Xianyang's forehead and oozed blood, the young man did not feel anything, but the old Yao Tou, who was a master, regretted it very much, this old man who was used to being majestic in front of his apprentices, was not easy to say anything because of his face, and as a result, he went around in circles in his house for most of the night, and he was still not worried about Liu Xianyang, and finally had to call Chen Ping'an and sent Liu Xianyang a bottle of ointment。

Chen Ping'an has been envious of Liu Xianyang for so many years.

It's not that I envy Liu Xianyang's high talent, great strength, and good popularity. I just envy Liu Xianyang's fearlessness, he has no heart or lungs wherever he goes, and he never feels that living alone is a bad thing. No matter where Liu Xianyang goes or who he gets along with, he will soon be able to hook up his shoulders, call him a brother, and drink and fight. Liu Xianyang because his grandfather was not in good health, he was self-reliant very early, and became a child-like existence, catching snakes, catching fish, digging birds' nests, all skilled, wooden bow fishing rods, slingshot bird cages, Liu Xianyang seems to be able to do anything, especially in the countryside to catch loaches and yellow eels, the boy is undoubtedly the most powerful in the town. In fact, when Liu Xianyang dropped out of the township school, Mr. Qi also went to find Liu Xianyang's grandfather on the sickbed, saying that he could not charge a penny, but Liu Xianyang did not agree, saying that he only wanted to make money, not want to study, Mr. Qi said that he could pay to hire Liu Yangxian as his scholar, Liu Xianyang still refused to nod. In fact, Liu Xianyang is alive and well, even if Old Man Yao dies and the Dragon Kiln is banned, within a few days, he was caught by the blacksmith of Dragon Lane, and began to build a thatched hut and stove in the south of the town, and he was very busy.

Liu Xianyang watched Chen Ping'an blow out the candle, put it on the table, and asked in a low voice: "Have you ever heard a strange sound in the morning, like ......?"

Chen Ping'an sat on the bench and waited for the next step.

Liu Xianyang hesitated for a moment, blushing slightly, "It's like a spring cat." ”

Chen Ping'an asked, "Is it Song Jixin learning cat barking, or Zhigui?"

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes, stopped playing the piano to the cow, propped his hands on the bed board, slowly bent his elbows, and then straightened his arms, his buttocks left the bed board, and his feet left the ground. His ass hung in the air, and he pouted and sneered: "What is Zhigui, it is clearly called Wang Zhu, the surname Song has liked to show off blindly since he was a child, and I don't know where to see the word 'Zhigui', so I used it indiscriminately, and I don't care if the meaning of the two words is good or not." Wang Zhu is such a son, and he is really a sin in his previous life, otherwise he would not have come to Song Jixin to suffer from sin. ”

Chen Ping'an did not echo the tall boy's statement.

Liu Xianyang, who had been in that posture, snorted coldly: "You really don't understand? Why did you help Wang Zhu's girl carry the bucket once, and then she never chatted with you again......?

Chen Ping'an couldn't listen to it anymore, and interrupted Liu Xianyang's words, "Song Jixin is not bad for her. ”

Liu Xianyang said angrily: "What do you know is good and bad?"

Chen Ping'an's eyes were clear, and he said softly: "Sometimes she works in the yard, Song Jixin occasionally sits on the bench, looking at his local county chronicles, and when she looks at Song Jixin, she often laughs. ”

Liu Xianyang's eyes were glazed.

Suddenly, the thin wooden bed could not support Liu Xianyang's weight, and it was broken in half, and the tall boy sat on the ground with his buttocks.

Chen Ping'an squatted on the ground, holding his head with both heads, sighing, and having a headache.

Liu Xianyang scratched his head, stood up, and didn't say anything guilty, just kicked Chen Ping'an lightly, grinning: "Okay, isn't it just a small broken bed, I'm here today to bring you a great piece of good news, it's worth more than your broken bed!"

Chen Ping'an raised his head.

Liu Xianyang said triumphantly: "After my master Ruan left the town, on the south side of the stream, he suddenly said that he wanted to dig a few wells. Master Ruan also agreed, and let you go by yourself in the next two days. ”

Chen Ping'an got up suddenly, and was about to say thank you.

Liu Xianyang raised a palm, "Stop, stop! Don't thank you for your kindness! Just keep it in your heart!"

Chen Ping'an bared his teeth.

Liu Xianyang looked around, there was a fishing rod diagonally placed in the corner of the wall, a pair of slingshots lying in the window, and a wooden bow hanging on the wall.

He strode across the threshold, boots clearly deliberately bypassing the ashes of the runes.

Chen Ping'an looked at the tall back.

Liu Xianyang suddenly turned around, facing Chen Ping'an in the threshold, the tall young man sat on his waist, his feet did not leave the ground, rushed straight for a few steps, threw a heavy punch, and then closed his fist and straightened his waist, laughing loudly: "Master Ruan told me in private that I only need to practice this boxing technique for a year to kill people!"

Liu Xianyang seemed to feel that it was still not enjoyable, so he made a strange kicking action, and said with a smile: "This is called a good leg must enter the crotch, kick the dead and stuffy donkey!"

In the end, Liu Xianyang stretched out his thumb, pointed to his chest, and said proudly: "When Master Ruan taught me boxing, I had some ideas and experiences, so I gossiped with him, such as my perception of Old Man Yao's unique porcelain-making 'jump-knife', Master Ruan praised me for being a once-in-a-century martial arts wizard. In the future, you just have to follow me, and you will have to eat and drink spicy food!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Liu Xianyang caught a glimpse that the maid next door had already entered the house, and suddenly lost interest in playing a hero.

said casually to Chen Ping'an: "By the way, when I passed by the old locust tree just now, there was an old man who called himself a 'storyteller' over there, who was playing a stall over there, and said that he had accumulated a stomach full of strange and interesting things, and he wanted to talk to us, you can go and take a look when you have time." ”

Chen Ping'an nodded.

Liu Xianyang strode out of Mud Bottle Alley.

There are many theories about this lonely and unruly young man, but the boy likes to claim that his ancestors are generals who lead troops to war, so his family will have the treasure armor that has been passed down from generation to generation.

said that it was a treasure armor, Chen Ping'an saw it once with his own eyes, but it actually looked ugly, like a scar on a human body, and like a scar on an old tree.

However, Liu Xianyang's peers, don't say that, only talk about Liu Xianyang's ancestors, who were deserters, who fled to the town and became a son-in-law, and were lucky to escape the pursuit of the government. It is as if he has seen with his own eyes how Liu Xianyang's ancestors escaped from the battlefield and how they fled all the way to this town.

Chen Ping'an thought for a while, squatted next to the threshold, and lowered his head to blow away the ashes.

Song Jixin didn't know when he was standing on the side of the courtyard wall, followed by the maidservant Zhigui, he shouted, "Do you want to go to the locust tree with us?"

Chen Ping'an raised his head, "I'm not going." ”

Song Jixin tugged at the corners of his mouth, "It's boring." ”

He turned to his maid and smiled, "Zhigui, let's go! I'm going to buy you a whole pot of peach blossom powder from the general's stomach." ”

She said shyly, "A small cricket jar is enough." ”

Song Jixin put his hands behind him, held his head high, and strode forward, "My Song family, Zhong Ming Ding Shi, generations of hairpins, how can I be a small family, isn't it insulting to the family style?!"

Chen Ping'an sat on the threshold and rubbed his forehead, this Song Jixin, in fact, when he doesn't say those strange nonsense, it doesn't feel bad, but for example, at this time, if Liu Xianyang is present, he will definitely say that he wants to knock down a brick on the back of Song Jixin's head.

Chen Ping'an leaned against the door of the house, thinking that tomorrow's situation would most likely be like today, and the day after tomorrow would be like tomorrow, so repeatedly, so he Chen Ping'an would continue to walk like this in his life, until he was almost like Old Man Yao in the end.

People eat soil for a lifetime, and soil eats people once.

Finally closing your eyes and opening them again may be a matter of the next life.

The boy looked down at the straw sandals on his feet and suddenly laughed.

Stepping on the bluestone slab is different from stepping on the mudflats.

————

When Liu Xianyang left the alley and passed by the fortune-telling stall, the young Taoist beckoned: "Come on, come on, the poor Dao sees that your complexion is like a fire cooking oil, which is definitely not a good omen, but don't be afraid, the poor Dao has a method that can help you eliminate disasters......"

Liu Xianyang was a little surprised, remembering that this Taoist priest used to give people fortune telling, and he didn't say that it was accurate, but this person really didn't take the initiative to solicit business, and almost all of them belonged to those who wished. Could it be that now that the dragon kiln is closed to the imperial court, this Taoist priest will also be unlucky, and he will not be able to open the pot, so he would rather kill by mistake than misplace? Liu Xianyang scolded with a smile: "Your method is to break wealth and eliminate disasters, right? Get out of your uncle, you want to cheat money from my pocket, in the next life!"

The young Taoist was not annoyed, and shouted loudly to the tall young man: "Counting on this year's Pepsi Chang, who knows that there will be a disaster in life." If there is no disaster, he refuses to read the gods, and burns incense if he wants to be safe...... You should burn incense......"

Liu Xianyang turned around coldly, walked quickly and ran towards the fortune-telling stall, shouting while rubbing his fists: "Burn incense, I'll burn your stall first!"

The Taoist was obviously frightened, and after getting up, he couldn't care about the stall, and he hugged his head and ran away.

Liu Xianyang stood next to the stall, looked at the embarrassed figure of the Taoist, laughed, caught a glimpse of the stick holder on the table, reached out at will to push it down, and the bamboo stick slid out of the stick, and finally showed a fan-shaped appearance on the table.

Liu Xianyang stretched out his hand and pointed at the Taoist who was stopping in the distance, "I'll see you fight once in the future!"

The young Taoist clasped his fists and begged for mercy.

Liu Xianyang gave up.

The young Taoist waited until the tall boy walked away before he dared to sit down again, and sighed, "The world is hard, the people's hearts are not ancient, and it is not easy to make a living if you are poor." ”

At this moment, the Taoist's eyes lit up, he quickly closed his eyes, and said loudly: "The pond is full of frogs, and it is people's hearts that pierce people's stomachs." The fame here is only suitable for the wind to move in all directions!"

The pair of young men and girls obviously heard the words of the Taoist, but unfortunately they had no intention of stopping.

The Taoist opened his eyes slightly, and seeing that he was about to miss the business again, he had to slap the table and raise his voice, "The champion is a son of the world, and the prime minister is nothing more than a person in the world." Learn from heaven and man to move the city, and proudly raise your spirit!"

Song Jixin and the maidservant Zhigui just moved on.

The Taoist was discouraged and muttered in a low voice, "I can't live this day." ”

The young man turned his head without warning, threw a copper coin at the young Taoist from afar, and said with a bright smile: "Borrow your auspicious words!"

The Taoist hurriedly caught the copper coin, spread out his palm and looked at it, frowning, it was the smallest penny.

But.

The young Taoist gently placed the copper coin on the table.

In an instant, a yellow finch fell on the table, lowered its head, and pecked lightly at the copper coin, and then it held it in its mouth, and looked up at the young Taoist, the yellow finch eyes were smart, no different from a human.

The Taoist said softly: "Go, this place is not suitable for a long time." ”

The yellow finch disappeared in a flash.

The young Taoist looked around, and finally stopped at the tall archway building in the distance, and happened to face the four-character plaque of "Qi Chong Bullfighting", and sighed: "It's a pity." ”

In the end, the Taoist added, "If you can sell it outside, how can you have 1,800 taels of silver?".