The young man's face was as white as a snow sheep with his head bowed.

But when he looked up, the snow sheep was a green wolf again.

He stood up and clapped his hands vigorously.

The crisp applause was like celebration and encouragement.

But after this crisp applause, he showed his wolf-like fangs again.

It seems to be pronouncing the demise of a good thing.

……

Yang Zheng, who was in a good mood today, walked into the kitchen before Huanhuan for the first time, and he was going to cook a hearty dinner for Huanhuan himself.

Under Huanhuan's surprised gaze, Yang Zheng took out a sharp kitchen knife from the most inconspicuous corner of the kitchen, although this knife looked very sharp, but it was obvious that this knife was also old.

"You're asking about this knife?" Yang Zheng seemed to feel Huanhuan's puzzled gaze, he turned his back and talked about the knife.

The knife was his family heirloom, passed down from his grandfather to his father, and finally from his father to him.

This kitchen knife, which looks simple to hold, is not intended to become a family heirloom.

But on that day, after being patronized by thieves, it seemed that the whole family was left with only this knife.

However, it is also strange to say.

The life of a general knife is only a few years, more than ten years longer, and the longest is twenty years.

But this kitchen knife has a history of at least 90 years.

What's even more valuable is that in the past 90 years, this kitchen knife has not only looked a little thinner than the current kitchen knives made of pure steel, but also sharper than most kitchen knives on the market.

Of course, this kitchen knife also has a story that matches his identity and age.

I heard Yang Zheng's grandfather once recall that this kitchen knife was not bought, but on credit from a Taoist.

It was still the Anti-Japanese War period, when he was young, he met a lame Taoist, he held a sword in his left hand and a gun in his right hand, and the whole person looked nondescript.

But he is such a nondescript Taoist priest, but he is more like an upright warrior than those rich and literati who are sanctimonious and hide in the city and dare not come out.

Because he has the courage to face the cruelty of the world.

Even if he knew that his appearance was like an ant, even if he exhausted his life and all his strength, he would not be able to shake the sky tree that was forcibly inserted into the ant's nest.

But he still had the courage to climb the tree and show his insignificant teeth to bite!

At that time, the Taoist priest had not eaten for two days.

It was Yang Zheng's grandfather, crying and looking for the families in the village to make up two or two meters for him.

And this Taoist priest, after filling his stomach after eating, took out the most valuable thing on his body, that is, this kitchen knife, and said that he would give it to him.

This Taoist priest also took out stones and branches when he gave him a kitchen knife on credit.

A game of chess is drawn on the ground, and in that game of chess, Red is aggressive and has a lot of pawns, while Black has only two pawns and one shot.

But under the skillful hands of the Taoist priest, these two pawns and one cannon withstood the wind and sand, killing the other side and throwing away their armor.

This was also the first time Yang Zheng's grandfather saw chess.

He looked at this mysterious chess game where the weak defeated the strong, and begged the Taoist to teach him.

The Taoist looked at the mountains and the setting sun in the distance and shook his head.

He said there was no time to teach him chess. Because he is an insignificant soldier on the chessboard on the ground.

What he has to do now is to drive away those invaders who have crossed the Chu River, and he also has the ambition to checkmate the other party's old commander.

Still, he gave him two promises.

The first of those two promises is that if he waits until the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in the future, he will definitely come back to teach him to play chess, and he will definitely redeem this kitchen knife.

It's a pity that the Anti-Japanese War was won five years later, and he stood here holding a kitchen knife and waited for three years, but he didn't wait for the Taoist priest.

Until, the Taoist priest's comrades-in-arms returned.

He looked at him as a teenager and couldn't bear to say to him.

The chess maniac, that is, the Taoist priest, said that if this boy became a world-famous chess master, he would come back to redeem the kitchen knife and teach him to play chess.

That year, it coincided with the peace of the world, and the world was full of chess masters.

The young man, who only knew that it was difficult for him to become a chess master, listened to this flawed promise, he held the knife and asked the warrior.

He said that if he can't become a chess saint, if his descendants can become chess saints, will the Taoist priest come back to redeem the sword?

The warrior swore to the sky that he would, and if he didn't come back, he would be thundered five times a day.

On that day, the sky was fine, with no wind, no rain, and no thunder.

After this warrior took the oath, the sky has not changed, the wind has not risen, the rain has not fallen, and the thunder has not sounded!

But the whole valley could be heard, echoing the oath of these two men!

……

Yang Zheng's grandfather still believed that the Taoist priest would come back until he died.

When he died, he left the kitchen knife to the stupidest and most unpromising of his three sons.

He looked at the third child, that is, Yang Zheng's father, and said.

If you have the opportunity, you must train your child to become a chess master.

I must let him replace him and say thank you to the old man who protects the motherland.

It seems that Yang Zheng's grandfather is old and confused.

He didn't want to think about it, if that Taoist priest was alive, wouldn't he have asked him to redeem the knife?

He didn't want to think that the Taoist priest who even put down life and death, if he was alive, would definitely keep his promise and come back to teach him to play chess.

Maybe he thought about it, but he always believed that the Taoist priest who helped them block the billowing smoke when they left would come back!

That Taoist priest will always live in the heart of Grandpa Yang Zheng.

……

One person can live three times.

The first time is to live until the flesh perishes, to be buried in the earth, to become fertilizer for the earth and all things.

The second time is to live to spiritual perdition, leaving behind words and things that may change others and may be remembered by many people.

As for the third time, that is, the last, it may be the moment when the last person who remembers him and forgets him.

So is this Taoist priest really completely dissipated into this world because of the death of Yang Zheng's grandfather?

Yang Zheng held the kitchen knife while cutting lean meat.

While facing Huanhuan, who was moved to tears by hearing the story, he told the story flatly.

It seems that the Taoist priest is still alive.

still lives in the mouths and hearts of generations.

And this knife, he will redeem it sooner or later.

It's like he touched the child's head and said to him.

We will be victorious and driven out the invaders with the same determination.

It is also like his back, blocking the gunfire of the sunset, leaving the most innocent and helpless children in the war, the most beautiful and hopeful sunrise.