Meng Ran blinked, looked at the uncertain cheeks on the other side of the firelight, and asked softly, "Uncle Geng must have experienced a lot of ups and downs when he was young, right?"

Geng Huyuan's brows furrowed slightly, as if he remembered some unhappy past, he was silent for a while, and slowly said: "It's just that he has more experience and knowledge than ordinary people, it's nothing, as for the wind and rain, everyone always has to go through some more or less." ”

Meng Ran looked at Geng Huyuan, who had a mellow voice, and saw that his sideburns had been slightly frosted, and there were a few fine wrinkles on his forehead, he was only forty years old, and he was already like this.

He didn't say anything, and Meng Ran didn't ask anymore, just looked at him with a complicated face, with a little sympathy in his eyes.

"Huh?" Xu noticed Meng Ran's strange eyes, and Geng Huyuan opened his mouth and asked, "Does the young master have anything else?"

"Uncle Geng, you know the Northland, you must have been to the Northland, right?" Meng Ran suddenly thought of something and asked.

"Hmm... Been there. This time, Geng Huyuan did not hide it, but responded very happily.

"What is the Northland like? I've read a few idle books, but I've never heard anyone describe them. ”

Geng Huyuan coughed lightly and said, "There is a boundless prairie there, and when you look up, it is green." There are countless wild grasses growing wantonly, and countless wild flowers blooming in them, which are indescribably fragrant, white clouds floating in the sky, herdsmen riding sturdy horses and singing beautiful songs, driving sheep and horses, large and small white tents dotted on the green earth, which is particularly eye-catching and pleasing to the eye.

There is a particularly long winter, and at the end of September, the temperature drops sharply, and people begin to wear thick sheepskin coats to welcome the snowflakes, and after November, the water drips into ice, and if people walk outside, it will not be long before their eyelashes and eyebrows are covered with a layer of frost; at night, there is not a single pedestrian on the street, and everyone hides in their own homes to drink and roast the fire to keep warm, even if it is out of the house, it is solved in the house, and it is not until about March of the following year that the temperature slowly warms up.

There is an extremely cold climate there, every winter, there will be a particularly heavy wind and snow, after the cold invasion, the water tank in the house is frozen and cracked, the pond outside, the river is frozen, sometimes even the house will be buried by snow, after the night, people get up in the early morning, want to open the door, but can't do it, so the door there is almost always open to the house.

There are ignorant, ignorant, cruel and bloody nomads, a group of sloppy savages who wear animal skins and do not bathe all year round, who only know how to graze cattle and do not farm, and if they lack food, they only know how to go south to thrive grass and valleys, burning and plundering all the way, which is extremely hateful; the people there are not yet civilized, women are just goods, father dies and son succeeds, brother dies and brother ends, there is no moral code and no shame; the people there are bloodthirsty and aggressive, and they draw their swords against each other at the slightest disagreement, and they will be divided between life and death at every turn.

There is an endless Great Wall, like a giant dragon hovering over the mountains, cliffs, and grasslands, winding along the ridge, densely packed with beacons and watchtowers, and from the Great Wall, you can see everything around you, whether it is enemy or otherwise. The rolling Great Wall stretches from the sea in the east to the desert in the west, which is a line of defense against foreign invasion and a reliable barrier for the happiness and stability of the people of the Central Plains.

There are soldiers who defend their homeland for many years, in order to protect the Central Plains, protect the people, and garrison the frontier all the year round, they have to endure the harsh environment, but also to fight with those nomads, and endure the misery and difficulties that ordinary people can not bear, they are the most respectable group of people in our Daliang, and it is their selfless dedication that has the peace and stability of my Daliang for more than 100 years, and the peace and contentment of our people.

There is a majestic military border city, which was built to prevent nomads from going south, the tall city wall is extremely thick and tall, and there are border troops with sharp armor stationed in it, which are the most elite sergeants of my Daliang, even the forbidden army guards guarding the capital are strictly selected from the border army......"

Speaking of this, Geng Huyuan also stopped, as if he remembered the past of the year, indulging in those magnificent beauties and those figures walking side by side.

Meng Ran sat on the side and listened quietly, nodding his head from time to time, very excited, thinking that if he had the opportunity in the future, he would naturally have to see the different land, take a look at the scenery and people there, and feel the world and customs that are very different from Jiangnan.

He fantasized for a while, and then asked, "Uncle Geng, what were you doing in the Northland back then?"

Geng Huyuan was just silent, unwilling to mention the specific circumstances of that year.

Meng Ran also changed the topic very interestingly, trying not to involve personal privacy, and only asking questions such as scenic scenery and food.

"Uncle Geng, how long have you been there?"

"Well, I'll do the math. Geng Huyuan slowly opened his right hand, slowly retracted his fingers, and muttered the time in his mouth, "Well, seven years, I stayed for seven years." ”

"It's been so long, so why did you go back to Jiangnan?"

Geng Huyuan sighed and said, "It's all some old-fashioned things, so don't talk about it." Let's rest early, we'll have to go early tomorrow morning. ”

Meng Ran saw that Geng Huyuan had no sex to talk about, so he restrained his emotions and sat there quietly, holding his knees with his hands, resting his head on his knees and closing his eyes.

As the night deepened, the chirping insects had begun to recede, leaving only the uninteresting insects to hiss, and the figures on both sides of the fire remained motionless, as if they had fallen asleep.

When the sparse sound of insects stopped, Meng Ran slowly raised his head, shook his sore shoulders, and quietly got up and left the fire. He was moving his back muscles when the voice of Geng Huyuan came from behind him.

"Can't the young master sleep?"

Meng Ran turned around, looked at the figure that was already standing on the other side of the fire, and replied, "Well, it's the first time I've slept in the wilderness, and I'm not sleepy." ”

Geng Huyuan smiled lightly, "Didn't you stay in the Mountain Temple for two nights last time?" ”

Meng Ran shook his head, "It's different. ”

"Oh?" asked Geng Huyuan playfully, "What's the difference?"

"The mountain temple is a building, it can shelter from the wind and rain, and it can lie down and rest, at least I have a sense of security in my heart. And here I can only sit by the fire, and I have to be on the lookout for wild beasts, and I can't sleep. ”

"It's good to get used to it. ”

Meng Ran pouted, "That also needs a process." ”

Geng Huyuan smiled dumbly, and then said: "Okay, if you have nothing to do, you can practice swordsmanship, and if you are tired, you can close your eyes and rest for a while." ”

Meng Ran nodded slightly, returned to the fire and picked up a single knife.

With a choking sound, the long knife came out of its sheath, Meng Ran first played it according to Fang Xingjiao's routine, and then stood there and asked, "Uncle Geng, do you want to practice?"

Geng Huyuan waved his hand, "I have injuries on my body, forget it." I'll show you how to practice. ”

Meng Ran was a little excited, thinking that he could learn some immortal sword technique secrets.

However, in the following time, Geng Huyuan did not teach him how to use profound and esoteric moves, but only asked him to repeat the most basic movements of the knife technique, and let him swing the knife in place to practice straight stabs, oblique teasing, vertical slashing, and sweeping. Two hundred reps for each movement.

Meng Ran practiced for a while, he was already sweating profusely, the clothes on his back were already tightly attached to his body, and the temperature in the mountains was a little low at night, and Meng Ran's body was surrounded by a cloud of white mist, which was very fantastical.

Even so, he did not stop, just because of this practice of the knife, there is no shortcut to the south, and there is no precedent for achieving it overnight, only by practicing the basic skills in a down-to-earth manner, it is possible to become a master, no matter how dazzling and fancy moves are not as good as solid basic skills.

If you can become a master just by holding a thick stack of peerless sword books, then ordinary people don't have to work hard, just sit in place and wait for a sword book to fall from the sky.

After Meng Ran completed the task ordered by Geng Huyuan, he swung his knife more than 300 times before slowly putting away the knife and walking around the fire to calm the surging qi and blood in his body and his heart beating wildly.

When Meng Ran sat down beside the fire again, Geng Huyuan opened his mouth and commented: "Your basic skills are quite solid, what you lack is only the experience of facing the enemy and the ruthlessness in your heart, if you can fight more with people, your knife skills will definitely go to a higher level, and at that time, I will not be the opponent of the young master." ”

When Meng Ran heard Geng Huyuan's praise, his face was not colorful, but he said sincerely: "I'm afraid it will be many years later." ”

Geng Huyuan smiled lightly, "The young master is humble, if he were someone else, he would definitely be overjoyed." ”

"I know my pounds, so I don't have any other superfluous emotions. ”

Geng Huyuan bowed slightly, and said, "If the young master can have this mentality, no matter what he does in the future, he will do a good job." ”

Meng Ran nodded, "Then borrow Uncle Geng's auspicious words." ”

The two fell silent again, in the final analysis, there is a difference between master and servant, if they change their person or change their identity, they will naturally not stop at this point, but will continue to talk.

Although the Meng family in Lin'an City is not the top local wealthy family, it is also a scholarly family that has been inherited for a long time, and Meng Ran, as the master, naturally has to abide by his identity, he can't say anything, ask everything, and the same is true for Geng Huyuan, who is a subordinate, and he strictly abides by the rules of the mansion and cannot be exceeded.

Therefore, even a teenager like Meng Ran, who doesn't know the hardships of the world and doesn't understand the sophistication of human feelings, still knows this.

So the spicy and sleek Geng Huyuan is naturally well versed in the three flavors, and will not take this kind of thing lightly and easily cross the red line.

So even if these two people already have a fateful friendship, their conversation and communication are still superficial, and it is difficult to get into the flesh, let alone any heartfelt words and loyal words.

As for when these two will be able to cross this membrane and achieve true intimacy and honesty, I am afraid that it will take some difficulties and opportunities.