Wei Da went over to support his master in annoyance, "Lang Jun pay attention to his body!" Can you still go? The mountain road in a small place is not open to cars and horses, and you have to get off when you enter the mountain, and the mountain road is still in tatters! It's not like the few wide mountain roads you often visit to the north—"

Wei Huan waved his hand and gasped for breath, "It's okay." ”

Ye Fuliu pulled up the hem of her skirt and trotted back lightly the same way, "I don't think you should go inside." Anyway, it's a distant worship, it's good to have a heart, or it's important to be alive. We are looking for a good place with a view nearby. ”

Hearing the phrase "It's important to be alive", Wei Huan stopped laughing dumbly.

Ye Fuliu looked at the scenery on the left and right, and pointed to the feet standing at the moment, "Isn't this a coincidence." The flowing water is murmuring, the birdsong is quiet, there is a waterfall opposite, and the sky is blue overhead. We're going to clear a clearing right here. ”

Wei Huan had no objection. Wei Dawei Er was busy in situ, clearing weeds and vines, cutting off dead branches on the top of his head, and clearing out a three-zhang square, clean and clean worship open space on the spot.

On the opposite side, the waterfall roars and the sky is clear. On each side of the side put the prepared offerings on a plate and set them out.

The Ye family's side is very simple. A four-color melon and fruit plate with a pot of sake and a small incense burner.

Ye Fuliu knelt on the grass futon, lit three incense sticks in the incense burner, closed his eyes and prayed silently:

"Master. I entered the door late and didn't get to see your old man in person. However, Master said that you are greedy and love to eat, and you are still gnawing on the neck of a duck when your teeth have fallen out at the age of 60. Master prepares all kinds of good meat and vegetables for your old man every year in his hometown, and your old man eats a mouthful of oil at Master's side, so come to the place where you can apprentice your granddaughter, nibble on a few fresh fruits, drink some light wine, and take care of your stomach. The Spirit of Heaven blesses us juniors. ”

After praying three times, he got up and urged Su Qiu and Qin Long to say, "What about the two of you to make offerings to the incense burner of your ancestors?" I took it out and worshiped it together today. ”

While waiting for Su Qiu and Qin Long to worship their ancestors, she looked at the waterfall hanging in the distance for a while, and gradually figured out that something was wrong.

The three people on the Ye family's side are almost finished worshipping in turn, why is the Wei family's side still not well?

Compared with a few plates and saucers on the Ye family's side, the worship items on the Wei family's side were much richer. Eight cold dishes, eight dishes, all kinds of melons and fruits are piled up on the plate, all kinds of drinks in summer are ready, a gin wine jug, with eight wine glasses, and the offerings are full in front of the three people of the Wei family. Incense sticks are lit in a three-legged copper furnace.

Wei Huan led Wei Da Wei Erzhi to kneel in front of the offerings and incense burners, and the three of them raised their incense and raised their eyebrows in silent prayer for a long time, Wei Huan inserted the incense sticks into the incense burner, lifted the wine jug, and began to pour wine into the empty cups one by one.

Ye Fuliu looked at the side, and silently counted in his heart: one, two, three...... Yo, all eight wine glasses are full. There are so many ancestors in the Wei family to worship?

Eight glasses isn't enough.

The worship was done for a while. Wei Huan spilled eight glasses of wine on the ground one by one, and Wei Da went to the car and took out another jade pot with two wine glasses.

Wei Huan poured the wine again and spilled the two newly filled glasses of wine on the ground in turn.

Waiting for the incense sticks in the incense burner to burn out, and the gold leaf they brought with them to burn out, the mountain breeze whistling around him, rolling up the ashes and ashes of the gold leaf, and then he got up.

Qin Long and Su Qiu both looked at it, Qin Long whispered to Su Qiu, "The Wei family's worship array is big enough, eight cups are not enough...... Su Qiu quietly pushed him, "Shut up, big steward." ”

During a worship in the forest, whether it was Wei Da Wei Er, who was busy packing up the sacrifices, or Wei Huan, who was looking at the ashes of the incense burner, the three members of the Wei family were very silent.

In the end, it was Wei Huan himself who broke the silence and instructed Wei Er, "Let the eagle go." ”

——

An eagle chirped in the air.

Tiny black dots soar high in the clear blue sky, pass through a cloud and disappear into the sky.

Ye Fuliu raised his head in admiration, and looked at the sky through the sparse branches and leaves above his head.

"Put it so high, what if it doesn't come back?"

Wei Huan was also looking up into the distance.

"No, it won't." He simply said, "The eagle that was raised since childhood knows his family." ”

The worship of the Wei family was heavy, Ye Fuliu didn't ask much, but Wei Huan took the initiative to say a few words.

"I worshiped two rounds, delaying the Ye family for a lot of hours. There is a waiting for you. ”

The eagle that was released would follow its master on its own, and while the sun was still early, the two sides would slowly walk along the rugged mountain road to the place where the carts and horses were parked at the bottom of the mountain.

Ye Fuliu heard Wei Huan mention the situation of the Wei family. Both parents and brothers died early, and there was only one eldest sister left in the family who got married.

She said considerately, "The Ye family only has one deceased elder to worship, and there are many deceased people in the Wei family, so it doesn't hurt to spend more time worshipping the spirit in the sky." We'll wait. ”

Wei Huan silently took a few steps forward and said, "Most of the relatives of the Wei family who passed away passed away before I knew it. For me, there is only one grandmother who is close to each other. ”

Ye Fuliu suddenly said, "Isn't it the same as the ancestor of my family who passed away?" I have never met him in person, but I have heard my parents talk about it all the time, and they love to eat meat, especially duck necks. Wherever the ancestors went, the duck's nest suffered......"

Wei Huan laughed silently, "My grandmother also likes to talk about the past. Talking about how my father was back then, and how my two brothers were back then, they turned their heads and counted me down for being naughty. ”

Ye Fuliu turned his head in surprise and looked him up and down, "You are also naughty like this?" What could you be naughty when you were a kid? Your grandmother must have seen too few naughty children to see me ...... when I was a child," he cleared his throat and shut up.

A shallow smile appeared in Wei Huan's eyes, "How was you naughty when you were a child?"

Ye Fuliu: "...... Hmm, I can't say that. ”

"Tell me about it."

"Nope." Ye Fuliu said very resolutely, "In short, it is not a naughty method of a girl's family. When I was seven years old, my parents were so angry that they chased me with wooden sticks and beat me, and that scene was a bit like your cousin Wei Da chased and beat your cousin a few days ago. ”

Wei Huan thought about the scene: "The wooden stick is not light on the body. Hunted down? ”

"Of course not." Ye Fuliu looked at no one left and right, and quietly said,

"When the elders chased me to the river, I was almost beaten, so I threw myself into the river and jumped into it, but I didn't float up for a long time, so frightened that my elders threw sticks and went down to the bottom of the river to look for me. As for me, I took a hollow reed leaf stick in my mouth, ventilated all the way downstream, walked back along the river, and when I saw my parents sitting by the river crying, I threw myself at his back at night, and shouted in my ear, 'I'm back!'"

Wei Huan: "......"

Wei Huan showed a ridiculous look.

Ye Fuliu smiled and pointed at himself, "Tell me, did you have me naughty when you were a child?" ”

Wei Huan thought for a while and confirmed: "No." ”

Ye Fuliu waved his hand proudly, "Let's go." Go back and recuperate, and tell your grandmother at the next worship that you are more naughty. ”

Wei Huan said, "Okay." ”

The way down the mountain is easier than going up, and after a few steps, Wei Huan said, "I once had a good friend who was also a rare mischievous child who often dragged me to jump out of the window to skip school. When the Master saw him, he was furious, and when he was punished, the two of us always knelt together and copied the book. ”

Yo, truancy! She wanted to do what she couldn't do when she was a kid!

Ye Fuliu listened with great interest: "What about when you grow up?" Is your friend still mischievous or has he become a pacing old pedant? ”

Wei Huan recalled nostalgically for a moment, "I have grown into a man who stands tall in the world." ”

Overhead, there was a loud eagle chirp, and a black shadow spread its wings. Wei Huan looked up at the small black dot in the sky for a long time, turned his gaze to the side of the road, and sighed in a low voice.

"Why don't you take Wu Hook and collect Guanshan Fifty Prefectures. My friend sleeps in the green mountains and green waters. The last cup of wine is to honor him. ”

As he spoke, the man had already walked a hundred or so steps back to the chariot and horse parked on the side of the mountain road.

Ye Fuliu took a pear and cut it, half of it was fed to the green donkey, and half of it was brought over to see if the horses in the Wei family's cart could eat it. The horse opened its mouth and unceremoniously clicked and bit off half of it.

After Ye Fuliu finished feeding the horse, he wiped his hands clean, and took out a larger pear and peeled it unhurriedly. Wei Da's eyelids jumped, and he came over and said, "It's okay to feed less." If you eat too much sweet fruit, you are afraid that the horse will have bad teeth. ”

Ye Fuliu held the pear and the small silver knife and said, "Look clearly, how to peel the fresh fruit for the horses?" This pear is for your family. ”

Wei Da was speechless, opened his mouth, didn't say a word, and turned back to set the horse.

The carriage curtain was lifted from the inside, revealing Wei Huan's small side face, "No need, you can use it for yourself." ”

Ye Fuliu ignored this sentence, cut the peeled pear into small pieces, put it in a small white porcelain bowl, ate a piece by himself, and stuffed the white porcelain bowl through the car window.

"I feel so sad that I look like I'm a nobody, what kind of pretending to be light? I feel bad when I see it. Come, eat a piece of seasonal pear, I specially picked, crispy, juicy and not too sweet, to make yourself comfortable. ”

Wei Huan was dumbfounded for a moment, took a piece of fragrant pear from the bowl, and chewed it slowly in his mouth.

The rickety return journey was no different from the time it went.

The big green donkey hired by the Ye family became stubborn again, and stopped halfway, and the Wei family's carriage had to stop on the side of the road from time to time and wait.

When Ye Fuliu did not deliberately bring out the soft and glutinous Wu accent, his voice was actually very crisp, and the tail note rose slightly, spreading far and wide in the wilderness.

"This donkey has eaten all the way, and he can't look down on the weeds on the side of the road? The two handfuls of hay that we brought out were eaten by him again, where did we go to find good hay to feed him? ”

Qin Long collapsed, "Why is it so difficult to serve?" Is it we spending money to hire a donkey, or is this donkey coming to be the uncle? ”

Su Qiu searched for a long time, "There are still the last three big pears left in the cloth pocket." Are we going to feed it or not to feed it? What if you feed it all and refuse to leave? ”

Ye Fuliu looked around for a rope: "Find a thin rope to tie the big pear, take a long pole to pick the noodles, and hang it to appetite." ”

Qin Long continued to catch the car, Ye Fuliu carried a long thin pole, hung a sweet pear in front of the tip of the nose of the big green donkey, and Su Qiu and Su Qiu hummed the recently popular Jiangnan minor tune with a beat, and the Ye family's donkey cart began to move unhurriedly.

The Wei family's carriage also continued to move forward.

In the swaying carriage, Wei Huan lifted the curtain and looked at the donkey cart moving slowly on the side, the delicate back sitting in front of the donkey cart.

In the melodious Jiangnan song, I took a bite of the sweet pear.

Chapter 35

Qi Tang is actually in the town. Avoiding the Midyear Festival, people don't go out much, and these days are not happy.

During his 20 years in Jiangning Mansion, he was so enthusiastic that this time he went to Wukou Town, a mere 100 miles away, and it was not smooth at every turn, and the journey was delayed. In just a few days, he suffered an unprecedented blow and self-doubt.

Like a shuttle boat passing under a riverside restaurant, Qi Tang sat in the pavilion by the window of the restaurant, drinking silently.

Houn scrambled to come up with ideas for him.

"Shizi, it's just a trivial matter of two thousand taels of silver. The small ones went to the Yamen of Jiang County to show the identity of the Guogong Mansion, and the local magistrates and county officials would inevitably come out to greet them in person. With just a few words, the prince can easily transfer the treasury silver sealed by the government. ”

"The little one also has an idea, he doesn't even have to pay the official money, so he sent a messenger to the Ye family and arrested the little lady who didn't know each other directly! Isn't she a merchant? Have you paid enough business taxes this year? Is the routine share of the donation enough? It falls into the hands of our son, and we will investigate it slowly. ”

"Wonderful—"

Qi Tang said irritably, "Fart!"

After all, it is a local snake in the south of the Yangtze River, and no matter how sneering it is on weekdays, the vision that Jiangning Prefecture should have is not lacking.

"Who is the magistrate of Jiang County? Lu Jiuwang! Born as a serious scholar, he entered the Hanlin Academy, served in the imperial front, and was involved in the party struggle five years ago before he was demoted from the capital to Jiang County, and became a seven-grade petty official today. Do you think he is the same kind of person as the ordinary county magistrate? Lu Jiuwang's pen bullet impeached people, and he stripped off a layer of skin! ”

Qi Tang is about to be crowned, this trip from Jiangning Mansion, and the public and private affairs are on his shoulders. Yu Gong, he was responsible for secretly inspecting the collection of taxes and silver, supervising officials of all sizes on the two roads in the south of the Yangtze River.

The monitoring of tax and silver is a major event of the year. Before the official business has been completed, the concubine has entered the government in advance, and who knows if it will be bitten back by the officials who are under supervision?

In private, his father ordered him to visit the sick. How many cars did he bring to the Wei family this time? How many precious herbs? It took a lot of effort to send the generous gift to the door, but the sick and crooked cousin Wei Huan did not appreciate it at all, and actually blocked his good deeds, and refused to borrow 2,000 taels of silver!

Qi Tang had never suffered such a great grievance in his life, and he drank a glass of wine bitterly, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt embarrassed, and threw away the empty cup.

What kind of drama is sung in the play, "A penny is difficult to defeat a hero", he actually bumped into it today. The dignified prince of the country was so rare that he had no choice but to be 2,000 taels of silver, and he was so embarrassed that he was so embarrassed that he cowered in a restaurant and drank alcohol!

A noisy sound came from the open window into the restaurant pavilion, and a large crowd of people poured up to the second floor pavilion to drink.

The cubicles of the small restaurants and pavilions are not well built, and the sound of the next door is clearly transmitted to the ears, and the new drinkers sound like businessmen, one by one.