In the early morning, the fog was so thick that it almost dripped.

The mountain where Lu Village is located is called Bailu Mountain, and due to the special geographical conditions, a thick fog rises every morning, enveloping the entire mountain.

Lu Village and several other small mountain villages in the vicinity are nestled against the hill and are located at the foot of the mountain. Due to the heavy fog, mountain people generally do not go out early in the morning, and the roads in the mountains are rugged and have many forks, so it is easy to get lost in the vast mountains if you are not careful. Only when the sun gradually becomes stronger and the fog slowly clears will the mountain people go out to work.

"Jingle bells—jingle bells—", a crisp chime sounded through the fog.

The most common of things, the bell, is a necessity for those in the mountains who have to go out early in the morning. If there is no bell to open the way, often you can't see each other when you meet your head.

The mountain people also believe that the ringing of the bell can alarm the mountain gods, so that the mountain gods can provide protection to those who leave early and return late.

Slowly and leisurely in the fog came an old scalper, with a broken horn on his head, pulling a dilapidated flatbed truck. The old scalper squinted his eyes, as if he hadn't woken up yet, and walked very slowly, swinging his head back and forth as he walked, as if he was thinking about a pile of weeds on the cart.

The driver was an old man dressed in coarse linen, with high cheekbones, dark skin, and sparse hair on the top of his head, which had fallen so much that there were not a few left. Although the old man is only over 50 years old, he has been working hard for many years, and he seems to have the wind and frost of his old age.

The old man's surname is Cheng, and he didn't give a serious name to his family, because he was the second in line, and he was always called Cheng Er. Now that he is a lot older, the people in the village call him an old man or an old man.

Cheng Er was a good worker when he was young, he didn't lose his strength, he could pick up and put down any heavy work, and he was also a promising young man in Lu Village.

However, his fate was not good, when Cheng Er was nineteen years old, he and his friend Cheng Hu in the same village were chopping firewood in the mountains, and when he was working hard, he was stabbed by Cheng Hu, accidentally cut his right arm, and fainted in pain on the spot. Fortunately, Cheng Hu was also strong at that time, although he was about to be scared silly, he still cried while carrying Cheng Er on his back, and finally insisted on going down the mountain.

found Tulangzhong, and after some treatment, he was able to save his life. The healing conditions in the mountains are naturally not good, although fortunately he saved his life, but from then on, Cheng Er's right hand was wasted, and he was a one-armed man for most of his life.

Cheng Lao Han let the old scalper slip around, and did not urge, the long whip in his hand is actually an ornament, which has not been used for many years, the old scalper has worked for the family for 30 years, older than his son, he is reluctant to fight.

The mountain road leading to the outside world in Lucun is called Yangjiling, which winds around and around, is slender and long, and when you get out of Bailu Mountain, the sun has climbed high, and the fog has all dispersed.

Cheng Laohan looked back, and the person sitting in the car was a little boy about ten years old, who looked like he had clear eyebrows, but his small face was not very good, and he looked very thin.

At this time, the little boy was carefully taking out a white cloth wrap from his pocket, and when he slowly opened it, it was wrapped in a hard-boiled egg.

After carefully peeling the eggshell, the little one took a small bite, then closed his eyes and chewed slowly, looking like he was enjoying the taste.

After a while, when there was nothing left in his mouth, he opened his eyes, and his two little hands held the egg to his mouth and slowly gnawed it, like a squirrel. He was reluctant to eat the whole egg in a few bites, which he only enjoyed once every six months, how could he eat it so quickly.

Cheng Laohan was also sour when he saw this scene, the eggs laid by the chickens at home had to be replaced with other grains, rice and noodles, and there was really no way to supply them every day.

Originally, although Cheng Er had a broken hand, with the help of his eldest brother and Cheng Hu and other brothers and fellow villagers, he later married his relatives, and his daughter-in-law gave birth to a son, and his life was stable and stable, and he could go on.

It's just that the times are not good, my wife died more than ten years ago, and soon after my son and daughter-in-law were conscripted into the army. Since then, all the pressure of life has been pressed on Cheng Laohan alone, and he himself doesn't know how long this old bone can last.

At this time, a small head stretched out of the haystack, and it was an even smaller little girl, only six or seven years old, but it was crystal shaved through, not as thin as a little boy.

"Brother, what are you eating?" asked the little girl in a milky voice.

The little boy's name is Chengmu, and he is just ten years old this year. At this time, I heard my sister's voice, looked at my sister, and then looked at the egg that was still half left in my hand, and did not hesitate, so I handed the egg to my sister, and said with a smile, "You can eat it." ”

The younger sister's name is Cheng Lin, and she is three years younger than her brother Cheng Mu. It seemed that he had known that his brother would do this, so he grabbed the egg in his brother's hand and ate it with a giggle. She had completely forgotten that her own one, when she was already going out, was eaten by herself in three or two.

Xiao Chengmu looked up at the sky and remembered that one year when his parents went home to visit relatives, they told him the story of "immortals". It is said that beyond this mountain, in the vast outside world, there are immortals who fly to the sky and the earth, and they have unlimited magical powers, boundless mana, and can ...... omnipotent.

Since then, Chengmu has always dreamed of being an immortal in his heart, not because he wants to fly away, but because he wants to make a lot of eggs for his sister, grandfather and himself, and he can eat enough every day.

The three of them drove the old cattle to the town before dawn in the morning, in order to exchange the "Lingxiang" and other mountain goods that had been picked in the past two or three months to the restaurants in the town, in exchange for coins for the three grandparents to buy other supplies. Converting mountain goods to restaurants is the main source of livelihood for the three grandchildren.

Lingxiang is a special product that is only available in Bailu Mountain, and it cannot be eaten alone, but if you put a little bit in it when boiling the broth, it can make the soup rich and fragrant. Once you eat a meal, you will never forget the aftertaste. Therefore, the Lingxiang of Bailu Mountain is a seasoning often used in restaurants in the town.

The old scalper was quite calm all the way, and when he pulled the three of his grandparents and grandchildren to Xuanzhen slowly, it was already past noon, and he pressed the hungry chests of the three grandparents and grandchildren against their backs. Cheng Laohan hasn't eaten anything since yesterday morning except for drinking water.

"Fresh fish, fresh shrimp, come and see!

"Good meat, my own pigs, all lean meat!"

"Tofu flower - tofu flower - guest officer, let's have a bowl of bean curd. ”

"The best fabrics purchased in Sioux City, don't miss it when you pass by. ”

......

Xuanzhen is still as lively as ever, people come and go on the streets, all kinds of vendors set up stalls along the street, and there are shouts and shouts everywhere. For example, today is peaceful, the heaven and earth are full of spiritual energy, mortals live and work in peace and contentment, and strong monks emerge in large numbers, indicating the arrival of a golden and prosperous era.

Of course, these have nothing to do with the three ancestors and grandchildren of the Cheng family, at this time, the two brothers and sisters of Chengmu Chenglin looked at all kinds of food on the street, and their saliva flowed all over the ground, just thinking about quickly selling the mountain goods for money, and letting grandpa buy these for them to eat.

When the old scalper swayed and walked to the "Deyue" restaurant, a few dark clouds drifted in the sky at some point, black and pressing, as if it was about to rain.

"It's going to rain heavily. Cheng Lao Han muttered, obviously the sun was at the top just now, and before he knew it, the sky was full of dark clouds.

Cheng Laohan got out of the car, tied the cow, told Cheng Mu to take care of his sister, and then walked into the restaurant from the side door with two sacks on his back. One of the sacks contained some ordinary mountain goods such as black fungus and wild mushrooms, while the other bag contained the Lingxiang carefully selected by the old man after getting up early and greedy for more than two months, which was their main harvest this time.

Deyue Restaurant can be regarded as a big restaurant in Xuanzhen, with a total of three floors, covering a large area, with all kinds of cuisines, and a great demand for all kinds of mountain goods and game.

"Uncle Cheng, I'm here to sell mountain goods again!" The guy in the restaurant greeted the old man warmly when he saw the old man.

"Yes, with the little brother, here we go again. Cheng Laohan also responded with a smile. Xiao Tongzi usually takes good care of them. Once, Xiao Tongzi secretly packed a fish head that a guest ordered but didn't eat a few bites and gave it to them. It was the first time since Cheng Mu and Cheng Lin were born to eat fish made by the chef of the restaurant, and the two little guys are still unforgettable.

"Come, put the bag down, I'll help you. At this time, it was already past dinner, Xiao Tongzi put down the scattered work in his hand, walked towards Cheng Laohan, and stepped forward to help Cheng Laohan unload the bag.

"Little Tongzi, have you finished your work? Why do you see everyone talking indiscriminately and want to deduct your wages?"

At this time, a middle-aged man with a shiny and pink face walked down from the second floor, with a fat face and a whole body, two small beards, a shopkeeper's hat, a brocade dress, and a jade pendant hanging from his waist. It was none other than the owner of the restaurant, Jin Dashan, known as the "Golden Rooster".