It was night, and in the dilapidated portal at the bottom of Wicker Alley, there was an old raccoon cat. The old tanuki's squinting eyes suddenly opened with the sound of tiles falling to the ground, and his body stood up, and he jumped out with a meow. A dark shadow disappeared at the end of Wicker Alley, leaving mud footprints on the ground. The old tanuki followed the footprints, and from time to time made a noise, tearing the night into gloom. The people of Wicker Lane work as coolies during the day, and they only have to rest for two hours every night, and the noise outside does not wake people up. After another half an hour, snowflakes floated in the sky, at first one or two, gradually became a continuous trend, and in an instant, the sky and the earth were white, and the footprints of the rest of the people on the ground and the plum blossom paw prints of the old civet cat were covered.

In the depths of winter, Yanzhuo City issued a curfew, the drums beat at three o'clock in the morning to the five watches and three o'clock in the morning, and every family was closed, except for the husband and the servants, they were not allowed to wander the streets. After the watchman followed the servant, one person held the gong and one person held the gong, which was divided into four groups, only walking on the main street, not stringing the alleys, and walking all over the 4416 streets and alleys of Yanzhuo City. There are 16 streets and alleys in Yanzhuo City, the main yin in the north, the feng shui is smooth, the treasure is gathered, and the Bai family of the giant in the city lives in the city; Due south of the main yang, the official fortune is prosperous, and the prefect's mansion is located here. The rest of the officials and businessmen are grouped in the 16th Street and Alley. The common people lived outside the sixteenth street and alley, and the dilapidated alleys surrounded the glossy mansions and pavilions, like a noble son wrapped in rag bags.

At this moment, a group of people walked to the north gate tower of the city, and then walked three or two zhang, that is, out of the main city gate. The snow was still falling, and the group's clothes and hats were white. A rare rustle followed behind her, and the flower stopped to look back, empty. When I looked up again, the snow was falling so hard that I couldn't open my eyes.

"On the first day, I encountered this heavy snowfall." Ah Yu smiled bitterly and said: "If you want to be like the official master, you will be by your side, and it is worth suffering this crime." Look at us, it's black to the third watch, and the feet are rotten, Wuwen. It's better to go to the Bai family's house to feed the birds. ”

"Si Tiantai said that our yuan and seven years, five stars are aligned, and the main country is prosperous. Bah! Returning Chang! Chang is the official master! "Fei Nu looked up at the sky, there was not a single star, the moon was nowhere to be seen, the north wind called, and he couldn't hear his speech clearly. Hua'er vaguely listened to him: "There is a caravan to call Nanyue, saying that the place is so hot all the year round that people have bedsores, but there is snow and frost in June, where is the main luck?" ”

The official in front turned around, and Hua'er walked quickly to talk to the officer: "You don't stop this heavy snow?" ”

While she was talking, she told Ah Yu and Fei Nu at night: "On duty outside, you can't say a lot of things." If it reaches any ear, it will be beheaded. It's not in Wicker Alley, where no one of us visits, close the door and talk casually. ”

Ah Yu and Fei Nu both stuck out their tongues and completely stopped their mouths. This errand was not easy to come by, and the previous three watchmen suddenly fell ill, and they talked to the head of duty at night and said that they had found this value for them. Be cautious at night, for fear that the money will not make a tael, and then put your life into it, which is more important?

When changing duty, he told the flowers at night: "Don't look back when you hear the movement, just go home, do you hear?" It's the first time you've been on the shift, so it's safe. These days, the night in Yanzhuo City is full of strange things, don't be scared by what you see. Then he went and told the other two: "You too, go home with all your might, don't stay." ”

"Let Brother Zhaoye say it, as if this Yanzhuo City is haunted in the middle of the night." Ah Yu accosted on the side.

"It's snowing, I can't see anything clearly, I can't hear anything." Hua'er put the drip in Zhaoye's hand, looked at the snow, put the cloak on the top of her head, and beckoned Ah Yu and Fei Nu: "Let's go, it's not too early." "She is a clever and eccentric person on weekdays, because of the first day of errands, she always feels that there is a yin wind in her neck that keeps drilling, and she seems to be followed by someone behind her, so she has no intention of making fun and wants to go back quickly. Ah Yu and Fei Nu were bold, and she was afraid that they would say something more and cause trouble for Iliya.

"Watch out on the way back." Zhao Ye told again: "The snow is heavy, and the three watches are ghosts." ”

"Ghosts? Then let's see if my brother's body is close to the ghost! Ah Yu patted his chest, he was born strong, and he was afraid that he would have to give him three points if he encountered a beast. The thin flying slave rolled his eyes: "I wonder if catching a ghost can be sold for a good price?" "Fei Nu's brain is lively, any object can't escape in front of him, even if there is a reward on the wall of Yanzhuo City, in his eyes, it is the foundation of life, and he can sell it when he goes to the market.

Hua'er knew that the two brothers were bold, smiled at the night, and pulled the sleeves of the two of them out of the eaves. Walking back to Wicker Lane from the north gatehouse of the city, you have to pass through most of Yanzhuo City, and you can walk from the third watch of the ghost to the fourth watch of the thief. Illumina gave them a lantern to carry to light the way, and it was bright in the wind and snow, and it was blown by the wind like a fleeting ghost. The flowers were already afraid, and at the moment they were pulling their cloaks, just wanting to get home early. But Ah Yu and Fei Nu were in a hurry, covering their □□ to find land, she had to stand there and wait.

A scream fell into her ears through the wind and snow, and it was especially terrifying in the wind and snow. Her scalp tightened, and her breath was holding her breath. There was no further movement after the scream, a rare whimpering of pain, and then it disappeared.

After the panic, he finally calmed down, and wanted to go forward to find out, but remembering the advice of the night, he extinguished the lantern, and the person hid in the dark shadow of the house on the side, and did not dare to come out. His mind spun quickly, trying to guess the cause of Shicai's scream, but he saw two black shadows speeding past in the snow under the moonlight. Hua'er breathed a sigh of relief, but still didn't dare to move. I prayed in my heart that Fei Nu and Ah Yu would come back soon, she was afraid that she would run into evil. The rustle of shoes on the snow came as she got closer and closer, like a short knife scraping her ear bones, and her cold hair stood on end. She felt inexplicable fear, her hands began to tremble, and she subconsciously covered her mouth. The moonlight devoured the shadows, and a square head embroidered with an eagle falcon poked out. He looked down at the shadow of the man flying in the snow, and leaned closer to the wall.

I didn't dare to spit it out when I held my breath, and I couldn't easily tie my hands to catch it, so I had to leave some injuries to that villain. began to scold in his heart to embolden himself: a dog that kills a thousand knives, a thing that can't die well, if you are killed today, I won't let you go!

"Flowers! Flower! The voice of the flying slave rang out, and the square head froze there, and disappeared in an instant.

The flowers were holding their breath, and their faces were almost purple. Ah Yu's voice was like a lifesaver, and she gasped a few times before she spoke: "Here! "It's young and careless, and my legs are still shaking! Staggered out, saw Ah Yu and Fei Nu, walked quickly to them, and asked urgently, "Have you met with someone just now?" ”

"Face-to-face? Never. In this snowy day, who is willing to go out and freeze to death. Ah Yu said: "The two of us went to run errands, and almost froze off the root of our lives!" ”

The flying slave pushed him: "Don't talk nonsense! The flowers are women. ”

Hua'er didn't have the heart to listen to these gags, pulled their sleeves, and said in a low and anxious voice: "Hurry up!" ”

"Pick up the path."

"The Great Road!"

"The path is near."

"Safe on the road!" Hua'er was in a hurry, and Shicai's scream lingered in her head. The three of them quickly disappeared in the snowy night, and the two pairs of green eyes stared at them for a long time, and then turned around and disappeared into the wind and snow.

When she entered the door, her grandmother was still waiting for her, and when she saw that she was trembling, she tore off her cloak and pushed her into the bed, and then went to make a fire to bake her clothes. Grandma didn't ask her if she was tired from playing, and when she saw her posture, she knew that she was scared away. Just asked her, "See something unclean?" ”

Hua'er shook her head: "Hold the lamp, no." ”

"And what's going on with you?"

"It's too cold."

Outside, there was the sound of dead branches breaking and falling to the ground, and a flower spirit crawled from the kang to the window, and looked out through the leaky window paper, it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

The grandmother pulled her from the window to the fire and touched her forehead: "Are you scared?" ”

"It's the wildcat."

"Nonsense, that wild cat has been in the alley for a long time, you can't be scared by her."

Grandma helped her smooth her hair, pinched her ears again, and chanted words in her mouth, what "Demons and monsters are not close, Amitabha Buddha Amitabha..." Wrapped in the quilt, he sat cross-legged on the wooden bed and told his grandmother about the suitability. As he spoke, he also gave himself a proper name: her granddaughter was really not afraid, and she wanted to fight hard with a monkey at that time! His eyes widened, and he said: I can't kill this pickled thing!

"What is there to fight for? If you encounter something, run away, otherwise you can't beat those things even if you are strong! Not to mention that everyone knows how to do some tricks, you are still accumulating energy, and people have already killed you with a palm wind. Grandma Sun scared the flowers, afraid that this heartless girl would not be able to let go of the previous night's events, and then toss out some moths: "In the future, I will not go to the teahouse to listen to the nonsense of those rivers and lakes stories, which will harm people!" ”

When the flower was still in infancy, her parents died, and her grandmother had no children or daughters, so she took her to her side and raised her. Hungry all day long, the flower is fourteen years old, or thin and alone, grandma repeatedly cried about this, and others comforted her: It's a big pull! There have been no peaceful days in recent years, and it is not easy to pull people up. This flower's temperament is not like an orphan girl, she smiles all day long, and there are many ghost ideas, only one thing, hard bones and black mouth, ordinary people can't scare her.

Grandma really loves her, and the neighbors also like her, and she grew up eating hundreds of meals!

She only slept for a little more than an hour, during which her grandmother kept rubbing her hands and feet to warm her up. She muttered and leaned on her grandmother's arms, and said in her dream: Grandpa is back! Grandma said, "On the road, on the road."

When the day dawned, she got up and prepared to go out to investigate. Zhaoye had just gotten off work and was waiting outside her grandmother's door. When he saw the flowers, he pulled her to a corner where no one was there and asked her in a low voice, "What did you see when you rushed home last night?" ”

"How?"

"A stranger died in the city, in front of the lotus heart near the gatehouse in the north of the city."

"How did you die?"

Zhaoye put his palm in front of his neck, and saw that Hua'er's eyes were wide and thoughtful, and he thought about what she saw, so he told her: "I don't know who the person who died right now, and why he died, don't say much." There is a curfew in the city, and those who dare to go out at that hour must be ordinary people. ”

Hua'er nodded, and shook her head again: "I saw it... A shoe... A square-headed shoe. ”

"If you see it, you don't see it. This world is in chaos, and something may happen in the future. Don't meddle. Interrupt her in the night and tell her again and again. Then he yawned: "I'll go sleep for a while, and I'll look for you by the river later." ”

"Okay."

Fei Nu found a boundary by the river that had not yet been discovered by the official, and a hole was dug in the river to catch fish, and he came back to roast it with fire to quench his hunger. It's just that the road is very long, and they have to leave the city at dawn, and they can only return after dark. She went to Wang's house to call the cicada, and before leaving, Aunt Wang stuffed half a bun into her arms. Hua'er refused for a long time, and finally Aunt Wang was anxious: "Freezing to death and starving to death outside the city?" The snow hasn't stopped yet! Fill your hunger when you are hungry. ”

The cicada also pushed her: "Take it." I gave it to the housekeeper yesterday, and I still have it at home. ”

The cicada is the same age as the flower, taller than the flower, and is very beautiful, and it can also be ranked in Yanzhuo City, and there is always a swinger brother pacing at the mouth of the alley, wanting to see the beautiful face. I can't look down on any of the cicadas, and I nest in the room all day long to do embroidery work and practice small characters, saying that I can't lose the things that I learned from enlightenment, and if I can go to the school one day, I can't let others compare.

"Brother Zhaoye is back?" The cicada carries the flower's arm so that the person can be warmer. When asked about the night, he peeked in the direction of his house.

"Returned. Said it was dead last night. ”

"Every once in a while, there will be five deaths in the city, and in the end, it will be all in vain. The dead will be gone, let alone the stolen babies. The wind was tight for days, and my mother didn't dare to close her eyes at night, and kept holding the little third brother. The cicada sighed: "She sometimes talks nonsense, it's the two who want to lose." ”

When he reached the entrance of the alley, Fei Nu and Ah Yu were already there, and Ah Yu was still holding his six-year-old sister Ah Song. Although Xiao Ah Song is Ah Yu's younger sister, she is quite like a flower, and she is thin and has not grown. She kissed Hua'er, and when she saw her, she pulled her sleeve and stuffed her hand into her sleeve to keep warm, and Hua'er was not annoyed, and wrapped her big cuffs around her small cuffs, so as not to pour in the wind and snow and freeze this little guy. The group walked outside the city, and when they left the city, they saw that the officers and soldiers were searching one by one, and Ah Yu whispered: "Make a show again." ”

"It's not a showmanship this time." Hua'er's big eyes looked at the backs of the officers and soldiers: "This time the knife is open." ”

At the end of the queue was a caravan, the carriages and horses drove away, there was only one family in Yanzhuo City with such a pomp, Fei Nu looked at the high-headed horse at the head and his eyes lit up: "Second Master Bai's caravan is back." ”

Bai Fu also has business in the capital, which is managed by Bai Erye. He didn't go back to Yanzhuo City once a year or two, because the people in the city knew his name, but they didn't see many others.

"Don't make up your mind." Ah Yu understood the flying slave, and he didn't know what bad idea he had again, and whispered to him: "Second Master Bai's things can't be moved, and if they do, they will die." ”

"Where did his stuff come from? Aren't they all from us? Why didn't you forget your uncle? He fell on the dock of his house, wrapped in a broken mat and carried away. The flying slave hated.

"At that time, it was not Second Master Bai who was in charge."

"All surnamed Bai."

The flowers were so cold that they stomped their feet on the ground: "Can't go!" I'm going to freeze to death! "She was like a thin stick, and her feet were stomped on the snow and the pit was shallower than the others. Someone in the caravan recognized her and shouted from afar, "Is it the flower that can't eat enough and doesn't grow tall?" ”

The rest of the people laughed, as if they could eat enough and grow taller, and the flowers, snorted, twisted their faces, and left.

The man said, "It's a little longer than last year, and last year it was like a little mouse." ”

Someone in the thick sedan chair coughed, and the rest of the people fell silent, and the laughing man even stuck out his tongue, and it wilted in a blink of an eye. Hua'er turned around and dropped a sentence: "Yes!" He took Xiao Ah Song and left.

The flying slave behind him asked Ah Yu: "Is it Bai Erye sitting in the sedan chair?" ”

"Look at that stance, yes."

"Phew!" The flying slave also turned around and spat out, his eyes swept over the tall horse with his head, and turned to chase after him.