Chapter 55 (Extra) The Deserted City (One of Xiao Baiye's Stories)

Endless sunset, beautiful vastness.

Xiao Baiye lazily sat on the upturned eaves on the top floor of the Five Winds Tower, lazily drinking the wine in the cup, lazily admiring the sunset over the West Mountain. Watching the sunset was a habit that he had developed with a person many years ago, and now, that person he has long forgotten, and this habit has been retained.

He didn't like to keep memories, and he always believed that if one wanted to live a happier life, one could not keep too many memories. That's what he thinks, and that's what he does. This may also be the nature of a prodigal son like him who has no home all over the world.

It was in his nature that he never liked to stay in a fixed place for long periods of time, but now he had to go against his nature. Because the country needs him, the borderless country in the north launched a war of aggression against Xiao Baiye's motherland, and he came to the frontier city called the East Wilderness City where he is now settled at the invitation of the Elder of the Motherland's National Defense. As the name suggests, this place is remote and desolate, but Xiao Baiye must stay here, because this is an important barrier to block the army of the Borderless Country, and because the rivers and lakes have always believed that only Xiao Baiye's starlight can fight against the dark cloud slash of Sima Lie, the commander of the Borderless Army.

The red sun had sunk into the mountains, and twilight was beginning to fall. The wine in the glass has also bottomed out. Xiao Baiye got up lazily, his body moved slightly, and the person had already jumped from the top of the building. Then he dragged his lazy steps towards the city defense camp. After a round there, he would go to Redsleeves to spend the night.

He only likes to be alone when he watches the sunset, and the rest of the time, he just likes to be lively. The Red Sleeves is one of the few lively places in this eastern deserted city. The red-sleeved move is really lively, every night there is a silk and bamboo orchestra, and it is very lively and lively, so as soon as Xiao Baiye came, he set up his home there.

The lights came on one after another. It's already dinner time. The sound of firecrackers could be heard far and near. Xiao Baiye was a little confused for a while, so he walked to the wonton stall on the side of the road, at this time, a woman's voice sounded behind Xiao Baiye, she and Xiao Baiye asked the old man selling wontons in unison: "Uncle, what day is it today, why is the street so lively?"

The old man looked at Xiao Baiye and the woman behind him strangely: "Today is the Chinese New Year's Eve!"

Xiao Baiye suddenly realized. He turned his head and glanced at the woman behind him, the woman was also looking at Xiao Baiye, and they couldn't help laugh Chinese New Year's Eve ing.

The invariably asked a question, which made Xiao Baiye look at the woman twice, only to see that her face was tired, covered with dust, and she seemed to be a foreigner. Xiao Baiye's gaze made the woman blush, she lowered her head, and asked Xiao Baiye in a low voice, "Can you treat me to a bowl of wontons?"

Xiao Baiye's heart suddenly swelled with a certain emotion, a feeling of the old year disappearing and the beginning of the new year, he didn't even think about it and took her hand: "It's the New Year, we shouldn't eat wontons, we should eat shark fin!"

In this way, Xiao Baiye had just left the Five Winds Building and dragged a woman who didn't know where she was coming from and where she was going to Zhenweiju.

The façade of Zhenweiju is not very large, but the chef's craftsmanship is very exquisite, and every dish he makes is colorful, fragrant, and full of flavor.

When Xiao Baiye was a child, he discussed a question with his friends: Are people easy to get hungry when they are moving, or when they are quiet? They come to the conclusion through practice that the more they don't move, the easier they are to feel hungry. He stayed motionless on the top of the Five Winds Tower for most of the hour, and now he really felt hungry, and as soon as the food was served, his appetite was aroused, and he invited the woman to sit down opposite him, and said to her, "Please use whatever you want," and began to eat.

The woman seemed to eat so gracefully that she could not hear any sound from her mouth, and when she was almost eating, she praised the chef for his skill. Xiao Baiye dealt with it casually and asked her if she had eaten enough. She nodded and smiled slightly: "I ate well, thank you!"

"You're welcome, as long as the girl is willing to appreciate the light, I am willing to bring the girl here at any time."

Xiao Baiye coped like this, called the guys, settled the account, and then said to her: "It's time for me to do my duty for the country, we will meet later."

He got up and went downstairs, only to find that she had also gotten up and followed him. He stopped and looked back at her. She fiddled with the hem of her clothes and whispered, "Can I go to your house?" I..... There is no place to stay. ”

"This can't be done," Xiao Baiye immediately refused: "I don't have a home either, I live in Red Sleeves, but it's a brothel, so you can't go!"

She hung her head, but still insisted: "But, I have nowhere to go."

"So?" Xiao Baiye was anxious to get rid of her at the moment, he took out ten taels of silver, handed it to her, and said, "With this silver, the girl can live anywhere in this small city!"

She took the money and thanked her again. Then they went their separate ways outside the door of the True Taste House. Xiao Baiye didn't look back at her again, and he didn't even plan to think of her again.

( 2 )

Xiao Baiye inspected the city defense camp for a while, and then stepped on the sound of firecrackers all the way back to the red sleeve move.

He was about to enter the door when he heard someone calling him, and he stopped and saw a woman smiling at him across the street.

It's her. She had no dust on her body, her sideburns had been combed, and she had been dressed in a fresh dress, which was not very beautiful, but it fit and was very elegant on her. is such a light and light woman, but there is a kind of scorching heat on her body, a kind of charm that penetrates into the bones and marrow.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time ___ Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, I don't want to spend it alone, it will make people feel doubly lonely, I can't stand it!"

She smiled, her eyes were bright, but she revealed endless vicissitudes, and continued: "Can you take me up?" I've really never been to a place like this before. ”

Xiao Baiye also smiled: "As long as the girl doesn't mind."

"I'm just trying to open my eyes," she said, stepping upstairs first, turning her head to Xiao Baiye and saying: '

"You haven't asked my name yet!"

Xiao Baiye smiled: "Dare to ask the girl's name?"

She told Xiao Baiye: "My name is Wuxue Qinghua, cold snow, impenetrable fog, mirror flowers and water moon, you can also call me Wuxue __ The name is good?"

Xiao Baiye's heart trembled inexplicably, and for no reason he felt that the woman in front of him was really as foggy as a fog ____ Danger usually comes with such a woman____ He heard his voice and replied: "Nice, it's a good name!"

Xiao Baiye took the girl with the fog and snow and the girl with the red sleeves to play the game of drumming and passing flowers, because of the presence of the fog and snow, the atmosphere was always a little weird and awkward, but fortunately, the girl with the red sleeves could still try her best to socialize for the sake of the silver, but there was always some interest.

Xiao Baiye and the girls with red sleeves, as well as Wuxue were fined one or two glasses of wine respectively, and finally Wuxue pushed away the cup and said to Xiao Baiye: "Let's go to see the fireworks, it's better than this half-dead game!"

Xiao Baiye felt that she finally had a good idea, and nodded, "Okay."

Xiao Baiye returned to the Five Winds Tower with the fog and snow, which was the tallest building in the Eastern Wilderness City. They sat down with their heads in their arms, the fog and snow were very close to the white night, and the fireworks all over the city were under their eyes. The fireworks that burst out one after another reflected the night sky into colorful colors, and Wu Xue suddenly turned his head and asked Xiao Baiye: "Am I very beautiful?"

"Yes." Xiao Baiye replied truthfully.

"Then why don't you praise me?"

"Girls don't like to hear superficial compliments, you don't need those."

"You're wrong," Wuxue chuckled and shook her head: "All women, there is no one who doesn't like to be praised, and I'm no exception ____ Actually, what you just said is already a great compliment, but I want to hear something specific."

"You're more beautiful than fireworks, more glorious than fireworks!" Xiao Baiye said seriously.

At the moment when she saw the fog and snow for the first time tonight, Xiao Baiye felt the kind of seductive charm in her bones, which was a kind of power of life and death, and she sealed her throat with blood.

But Xiao Baiye didn't say this.

Listening to Xiao Baiye's words, Wu Xue was very happy: "Thank you, Brother Xiao Baiye, your words make me feel very comfortable, this is the happiest thing I have heard in this New Year."

Wu Xue made a very happy and satisfied expression, and said: "I can enjoy this fire tree and silver flower with Xiao Baiye, who is famous all over the world, I really don't know how many women will envy to death!"

Xiao Baiye smiled and said, "Thank you, girl, this is also the happiest word I heard in the New Year!"

At the same time, Xiao Baiye couldn't help but ask Wuxue: "The girl also knows the rivers and lakes?"

"Of course," Wu Xue smiled with a smile: "I also know a little about martial arts, but I'm not very smart."

In this way, Wuxue told Xiao Baiye about her miserable childhood: "Jia Yan Jiaci passed away very early, leaving me at the age of thirteen and my sister who was two years younger. Once, it was also Chinese New Year's Eve night, the cold wind poured into the room through the broken window, my sister and I were hungry and cold, so we had to hug each other and warm each other's body heat, but we were still cold, and the sisters shivered in the cold wind,....

"Although it was very difficult at that time, I still had my sister, and my sister and me, who would have thought that not long after, there was a flood in my hometown, and my sister and I were separated.

"A fighter took me in, he taught me martial arts, this fighter is from a family, he took me in because he wanted me to be a child bride for his son. I had a good life, but the good times didn't last long, and within two years, the fighter's son died of tuberculosis, and I was seen as a disaster by the fighters and their wife, and they kicked me out of the house.

"I started my wandering life again, I thought about selling art to support myself, but it was not convenient for a girl to be a street performer after all, so I decided to become a robber.

"I made up my mind to be a robber, but when I really put it into practice, I found that it is not easy to be a robber___On the first day, at the right time, in the right place, I met an old man, he seemed to be quite rich, but I couldn't rob an old man's money, so I had to give up; The next day, I finally met a man who looked like a merchant, riding a tall horse, well-dressed, and carrying several retinues, whose packages were bulging. I decided to make this deal, and when they got closer, I heard from their conversation that they were going to the locust plague to donate silver, and the merchant was hurrying away, and at the same time he lamented the suffering of the victims, and only hated that he could not come up with too much silver to help them.

"On the third day, I was penniless, I hadn't even eaten breakfast, and I thought to myself, no matter who I met today, I would never let it go.

"It was on this day that I finally opened a profitable market. This time I met a gentleman, he took the initiative to find me, he looked at me obscenely, and told me that as long as I went with him, whatever I wanted, he would give it to me. I agreed to him without even thinking about it. He was a little surprised that I agreed so happily, and maybe he thought I would be a good fighter.

"He led me into an alley and led me into a shabby house, where he put his hand on my body and hit him in the back of the head. I knocked him unconscious, took all the money from him, and stripped him of all his clothes, and then I slipped away. ”

Speaking of this, Wu Xue laughed and said, "With the silver, I went to eat first, and after I was full, my brain became more sensitive, and I began to think that if I walked into the pawnshop with a man's clothes, what kind of questioning eyes would the court use to look at me?"

Xiao Baiye smiled with her and said, "Fortunately, you woke up in time!" But he didn't feel pity in his heart because of her miserable background, and he didn't even bother to believe it.

Kiriyuki continued, "Since then, I have become a real robber, robbing the rich and helping the poor, and at the same time helping myself. I wandered, making my home but not home, and I went out of my way to find my sister. ”

"The four seas are home, but there is no home", her words made Xiao Baiye have a kind of resonance, ____ are also people who are living in the world, there will always be some similarities in life, right? For example, in the morning, in front of the wonton stall, there was a common question. ”

In the distance, several clusters of fireworks exploded, then fell and disappeared.

Wuxue hugged Xiao Baiye's arm: "Life is also like fireworks, beautiful, always disappearing in an instant, but when loneliness strikes, life is more lonely and helpless than fireworks____ Xiao Baiye, stay with me tonight, is it okay?"

Her voice was low, almost pleading, Xiao Baiye couldn't bear to refuse, and she didn't want to refuse.

The fog and snow snuggled beside him, warm and soft, making him instantly realize his loneliness for a long time.